Chapter 15, Chapter 15, The Fifth Person
"What exactly did you do to Xiang Wan?!"
A cold, sharp voice suddenly rang out. Ling Zhao, who had just come out of the bathroom, was met with Qi Youxiang's furious questioning.
Ling Zhao:...?
He frowned, gave the other person a puzzled look, and pulled down the towel he was using to dry his hair: "What do you mean?"
Ling Zhao was already a head taller than Qi Youxiang, which naturally gave him a sense of intimidation.
Now, his disheveled silver-gray wolf tail, after washing his hair, accentuated his sharp aura, and coupled with his suddenly darkened eyes, made him look even more unapproachable.
Even though Qi Youxiang was furious, his voice unconsciously softened in this situation: "That's true, otherwise why would she be crying?"
After saying that, Qi Youxiang came to his senses and, as if he had caught Ling Zhao in some way, raised his voice again: "And not only did you go out on a date during the day, but you also met privately in the living room at night. Are you planning to do something to her?"
"Taking advantage of the fact that there are many blind spots in the live streaming cameras during this time period, you..."
So that's how it is.
Ling Zhao sighed softly: "So, you're Xiang Wan's ex?"
If this statement is acknowledged directly, it would be as if the accusations made from the moral high ground were merely the incompetent rage of a loser.
So Qi Youxiang subconsciously changed the subject: "...I just can't stand you making advances on the female guests."
As he uttered the first sentence, he gradually became convinced of his stance: "Regardless of whether I am her ex or not, you shouldn't do such a shameless thing!"
"You mean..."
Ling Zhao frowned, looking very puzzled by his statement, and slowed down her speech: "You filmed intimate scenes in a music video with other female guests, holding hands while shopping and even feeding them ice cream, but Xiang Wan only asked me a few questions in the living room that night, and that's considered doing something shameless?"
Realizing what the other person had said, Qi Youxiang's eyes widened suddenly: "How did you know...?"
Ling Zhao simply held the phone in one hand and waved the screen in front of him.
Ling Zhao: "Unfortunately, we're trending on social media."
#Xiang Wanqi Youxiang#
Based on audience votes, the latest episode's trailer features a montage of Xiang Wan and Qi Youxiang meeting at a coffee shop.
Xiang Wan goes without saying, and Qi Youxiang has been on a good upward trend in recent years, and his public image is that of a lively and gentle younger man.
Because their work paths were completely different, the revelation that they had once been in a relationship came as a surprise to many.
However, because they seemed very well-matched in appearance and resume, the passersby who initially liked each other expressed their regret that the two had broken up.
However, shortly after the trailer was released, the discussion in the comments section took a complete 180-degree turn.
Xiang Wan's fans entered the venue.
They not only quickly controlled the comments, stating that Qi Youxiang was not a good match, but also presented evidence of various interactions between Qi Youxiang and Meng Shuning during the first three days of the show.
[I don't know how you guys can stomach this kind of thing? Anyway, I feel so sorry for my Wan'er. Can someone who has a clean break really do this kind of thing with other people of the opposite sex?]
Don't talk about parting amicably. Wait until your partner is hiding behind the cameras and crying under the covers before you tell me what "parting amicably" means.
【We're making this clear: we don't acknowledge Qi Youxiang as our brother-in-law!】
The fans' intense reaction quickly attracted the attention of onlookers. Some viewers who were already following "Our Past" took the opportunity to explain to unsuspecting passersby what had happened in the past few days. Other netizens, following the events of the past few days, began to dig into the past of Xiang Wan and Qi Youxiang.
You wouldn't know until you start archaeology that Qi Youxiang has quite a few romantic entanglements.
First, when he first debuted, he was photographed kissing his female manager, who was five years older than him and worked at the same company. Although the post was deleted from the internet afterward, some netizens with a good memory saved the screenshots and shared the heated discussion at the time.
Then, in his third year in the industry, paparazzi revealed that a wealthy female fan had appeared in his concert dressing room, and the two were behaving intimately.
After much investigation, it turns out that his real ex-girlfriend, Xiang Wan, has very little public information about them.
The only blurry profile photo of the two was posted on Weibo by one of his fans while out for a late-night snack: "[Seems like I saw the recently popular Qi Youxiang and my childhood goddess together?]"
This Weibo post, made two years ago, quietly sank into the sea of data until today when it was unearthed by netizens who love a good spectacle.
Qi Youxiang's social media accounts were flooded with messages.
Just half an hour after his confrontation with Ling Zhao, his phone was bombarded with calls from his company.
No one anticipated this development.
While Qi Youxiang was busy putting out fires everywhere, in another dormitory room just a wall away, Fang Yucheng closed the script in his hand, muttering to himself, "As the main storyline begins, the changes in favorability will have a greater impact..."
He tilted his head back and rubbed his brow.
Just as he closed his eyes, the door suddenly creaked open.
What are you looking at?
Back in the dorm, Deng Minzhou casually peeked at the book in his hand: "Which director handed you this script this time?"
"Well, I haven't decided whether or not to act in it yet."
Fang Yucheng casually put the script in his hand into the bedside drawer.
Upon seeing Deng Minzhou's expression, he paused, thoughtfully examining the other man for a moment: "You've come to me looking like this because you have something to say?"
"You found out."
Deng Minzhou blinked guiltily, then lowered his voice mysteriously, "Then I'll get straight to the point... Can I ask you something?"
Fang Yucheng: "You said it was inconvenient, so you didn't ask?"
Deng Minzhou: "Then what's going on between you and Mu Jiu?"
Fang Yucheng: "..."
Fang Yucheng: "I thought you were going to ask about what's trending on social media."
"That couple... we'd already heard a bit about it."
Deng Minzhou mumbled a reply: "It doesn't mean anything."
Upon hearing this, Fang Yucheng frowned slightly, his eyes clearly saying, 'So you're asking about something so interesting?'
Don't misunderstand.
Deng Minzhou raised his hands in a gesture of surrender: "You know, I absolutely have no other intentions."
If they hadn't known that the live cameras were off and that their microphones were removed, even Deng Minzhou and Fang Yucheng would have suspected that the other party had accepted a bribe from the production team to push through some segment by so easily throwing out an explosive fuse.
Fang Yucheng spoke with a complicated expression: "You have feelings for her."
Faced with his friend's unwavering assessment, Deng Minzhou explained frankly, "It would be a lie to say that I have absolutely no feelings for such a beautiful woman."
"But I didn't mean that, and they don't feel the same way about me. At most, they're just curious because there's a big difference between the rumors in the industry and what they actually say about me."
Today's experience sparked Deng Minzhou's interest in further exploration.
He had seen too many contract couples in the industry, most of whom were only superficially compatible, or were affectionate in public but went their separate ways in private.
But those two people were different.
Their relationship was more genuine than Deng Minzhou had ever imagined.
To put it bluntly, given Ling Zhao and Mu Jiu's personalities and professional abilities, the fact that they've ended up in this universally reviled state suggests that someone might be sabotaging them.
After all, it's easy to become a nobody in this industry, but it takes certain tactics to become a notorious figure.
Now, Deng Minzhou only wanted to get a basic understanding of the two's intentions, but Fang Yucheng's reaction piqued her curiosity even more.
If Mu Jiu were truly a one-sided simp, as those marketing accounts claim, his friend would never have made that kind of expression.
"The reports always tend to exaggerate."
Fang Yucheng slowly leaned back in his chair, his gaze falling on the live-streaming camera in the room: "But Huanyu isn't exactly a good place either."
Huanyu Culture is also the company where Mu Jiu works.
Most people in the industry know that the higher-ups there like to take extreme approaches. Artists under their company rise to fame quickly but also fall from grace just as fast. The advantage is that joining such a company guarantees a steady stream of resources during the contract period. As for the disadvantages…
Of course, once you leave that place, all that's left is the fate of being universally hated.
Deng Minzhou nodded knowingly: "Then I understand."
Fang Yucheng: "However, you guessed one thing correctly."
Guessed right? Guessed what right?
Deng Minzhou looked over blankly and saw his roommate with his arms crossed, raising his eyes indifferently: "She does like me."
"...That's a pity."
Deng Minzhou also crossed his arms over his chest, saying, "Right now, all I can think about is my ex."
"That's what I wanted to say too."
Fang Yucheng's expression remained unchanged, and even his tone carried a certainty: "I believe she still likes me."
Deng Minzhou: "..."
If anyone else said that in that manner, he would definitely call them shameless.
But he also knew that if Fang Yucheng were willing, many female stars in the industry would be willing to come to him, even if they didn't have a title, they would be willing to be his mistress.
After all, with the other party's influence and reputation, even a tiny bit of resources slipping through their fingers would be enough for an average person to live comfortably.
Even so, he still felt that this time it was his friend being narcissistic.
Deng Minzhou: "You're overthinking it. Do you want to see how many days it's been since they texted you?"
He raised his hand, as if showing off, and pointed his phone screen at Fang Yucheng: "At least I have text messages from people, do you?"
"I'm not going to show you, let you pretend."
"Ouch, ouch, ouch! Fang Yucheng, you really went for the kill!"
I had a great date today, thank you so much for taking care of me.
After sending the text message expressing her feelings, Mu Jiu saw the trending topics on Weibo. After browsing through them, her gaze unconsciously drifted to Xiang Wan, who was not far away.
The story of these two people, which was not mentioned in the novel, unfolded in reality, making it seem that Xiang Wan's original ending was a terrible outcome that could have been avoided.
However, unlike the previous times, Xiang Wan appeared very calm this time.
It's like she didn't know the content of the trending topics, didn't know that netizens had dug up her ex-boyfriend's past relationships, and didn't know that her past of compromise and humiliation had been laid bare in the sunlight.
Xiang Wan: "What's wrong?"
Mu Jiu stared at her for a while, then gently shook his head: "It's nothing, I was just thinking about the new segment that the production team just announced."
"Ah... well, I haven't decided who to choose yet."
Xiang Wan hesitated for a moment: "Have you made up your mind?"
Mu Jiu: "...I'm still thinking about it."
Although Mu Jiu hadn't read the text message the production team had just sent carefully, he already knew what this segment involved.
The female guests anonymously choose the male guests they want to date and then enter the corresponding "ex's room" to chat.
If the same male guest is selected multiple times, he will have two dates within this week.
"However, there are only four in total..."
Mu Jiu stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence.
Originally, she thought that after eliminating Fang Yucheng and Ling Zhao, she would only have Deng Minzhou and Qi Youxiang left to choose from.
But the buzz surrounding this tonight is beyond imagination. If I choose Qi Youxiang, she might get caught up in some archaeological digging tomorrow. To be on the safe side, I can only choose Deng Minzhou.
But this raises another issue: she doesn't want the audience to misunderstand that she has fallen for someone.
If you repeatedly choose the same person, you are more likely to be perceived as having a crush on that particular person.
However, just now, she suddenly remembered the plot of the novel.
Tomorrow, the fifth male guest will arrive.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com