TYMRHBDES Chapter 154

Gan Ziming was still beaming with excitement at meeting the Film Emperor, even itching for a photo together.

Jiang Wei, however, remained composed. “Hello, Teacher Pei. I’m Jiang Wei.”

Pei Yu nodded lazily, gesturing with his chin toward the trunk. “Put your things in.”

His aloof and collected demeanor was akin to a wife treating a mistress who had brazenly come to her door.

This condescending attitude made Gan Ziming’s eyelid twitch. He glanced sideways at Jiang Wei, whose expression had indeed darkened.

‘ A classic case of rivals meeting, eyes blazing with animosity.’

Only the beautiful streamer seemed oblivious to the tension. His almond-shaped eyes curved into crescents as he smiled, tiny shimmering reflections dancing within them. Tipping his head back, he exclaimed in surprise:

“Pei Yu, what are you doing here? Weren’t you supposed to be at the film set?”

Pei Yu’s gaze softened as it landed on Jiang Luoluo’s face, the icy frost in his eyes melting away. A faint smile curved his thin lips.

“If I left, how would you get home?”

As he spoke, his eyes drifted deliberately toward Jiang Wei, as if by accident.

He even strategically used the word “home.”

Seeing Jiang Wei’s expression grow even more serious, Pei Yu’s smile deepened.

Jiang Luoluo’s eyes crinkled with laughter as he glanced at Jiang Wei.

“Then I won’t bother you, Jiang Wei. I’ll just ride with Pei Yu.”

Jiang Wei nodded, the tension in his eyes easing slightly.

He addressed Pei Yu by his full name, rather than any affectionate nickname, suggesting their relationship wasn’t as close as Pei Yu tried to portray.

‘ We’re both suitors. Who’s more noble than the other?’

Jiang Wei lifted his shopping bag higher and smiled. “Wouldn’t this be inappropriate? Teacher Pei and Luo Luo are still trending online, under intense public scrutiny.”

“Teacher Pei is used to it—he’s a major celebrity. But Luo Luo, as a small-time streamer, might find it overwhelming.”

“Besides…” Jiang Wei met Pei Yu’s gaze, his smile unwavering. “Besides, Teacher Pei has always maintained a homophobic straight man persona. If he’s photographed with a rumored same-sex partner, wouldn’t that shatter his image?”

Jiang Luoluo, looking only half-understanding, turned to Pei Yu.

Pei Yu sneered.

It had been years since he’d encountered such an arrogant young man.

“I have no persona to maintain,” Pei Yu said, his dark phoenix eyes radiating cold sharpness, his handsome face radiating unrestrained amusement. “Doesn’t your National Team also prohibit homosexuality?”

Jiang Wei hadn’t expected Pei Yu to turn the tables on him.

He instinctively glanced at Jiang Luoluo, who stood between them. He was looking at him with wide-eyed curiosity, his watery eyes seeming to speak volumes as he blinked.

Jiang Wei quickly explained, “I can retire early and return home to take over the family business.”

Pei Yu’s lips curved into a half-smile, his deep voice lingering in the air:

“The National Team’s star player retiring for love? At your age? That would be such a waste.”

Jiang Luoluo nodded in agreement.

Though their conversation was strange, he understood the gist of it.

Jiang Wei was so young to be a starting player on the National Men’s Basketball Team. Retiring early due to romantic entanglements would indeed be a tremendous waste!

Unwittingly, Jiang Wei had been led into a trap by Pei Yu. He tried to explain, but Pei Yu gave him no chance.

Pei Yu placed his hand possessively on Jiang Luoluo’s shoulder, his voice gentle but firm:

“We should head home now.”

He waved his hand, and Zhang Hao, who had been watching from the sidelines, immediately rushed forward, obsequiously taking the items from Jiang Wei’s hands. “Thank you, thank you so much for helping our Luo Luo!”

As the three got into the car, Jiang Luoluo rolled down the window and waved goodbye, his beautiful face beaming with a smile:

“Goodbye, Jiang Wei~”

“Goodbye, Gan Ziming~”

The two men waved back.

A moment later, the familiar, crisp scent of Pei Yu filled the air as he leaned over and fastened Jiang Luoluo’s seatbelt.

“Let’s go.”

As the car sped away, kicking up dust, Gan Ziming finally snapped out of his daze. “Holy shit!” he exclaimed. “What they said online was true! Pei Yu really did get turned gay by that little streamer!”

Jiang Wei’s gaze shifted from the receding car to Gan Ziming’s face, his expression darkening with displeasure.

Gan Ziming clicked his tongue. “Oops, forgot about you!”

“That little streamer is seriously impressive—he managed to turn both of you gay!”

Jiang Wei retorted, “I was never that straight to begin with.”

Gan Ziming draped an arm over Jiang Wei’s shoulder. “But seriously, that little streamer is gorgeous. Even more beautiful in person than on camera. No wonder you and Pei Yu, two such exceptional guys, fell for him!”

Jiang Wei’s expression turned somber at the mention of Pei Yu.

They say sports and entertainment are two sides of the same coin. Jiang Wei had made a name for himself in the sports world, and Pei Yu was equally renowned in the entertainment industry.

Thinking about that beautiful, innocent little streamer, Jiang Wei felt a stirring in his heart.

‘ Looks like I need to step up my game.’

On the way back, Jiang Luoluo exchanged a few words with Pei Yu before focusing on organizing the brewing process for his plum wine, listing the necessary tools and steps.

He opened the notes app on his phone, his delicate fingers tapping across the screen.

Pei Yu glanced at him twice, his deep, narrow eyes fixed on the phone. “Messaging that basketball player?” he asked casually.

As soon as the question left his lips, he found himself staring intently at Jiang Luoluo’s lovely face, a hint of irritation stirring in his chest.

Jiang Luoluo looked up, his eyes curving into a smile. He openly showed Pei Yu the phone screen. “Nope~”

Pei Yu glanced at the screen, the irritation in his heart dissipating. His expression relaxed slightly as he murmured a low “Hmm.”

He thought the little fox in front of him was being very well-behaved.

Even though Jiang Luoluo was a male fox, he still wanted to pat his head.

But in the end, he restrained himself.

Pei Yu crossed his long legs, leisurely picked up a bottle of Evian water, twisted it open, and took a sip.

“Free tonight? There’s a nice French restaurant nearby. I’ll take you there for dinner.”

Jiang Luoluo nodded enthusiastically. “Okay~”

***

After dropping Jiang Luoluo off at home, Pei Yu returned to the film set.

Jiang Luoluo cleaned the green plums he had bought and gathered the equipment he needed for his livestream that evening. Once everything was organized, he lay down on the sofa and started scrolling through his phone.

His notification bar was flooded with messages, which he swiped through one by one.

Weibo had pushed several articles about Pei Yu and himself. Curious, Jiang Luoluo clicked on them:

— “ Best Actor Pei Yu Comes Out? Closet Door About to Be Kicked Open?”

— “What’s going on? Is Pei Yu really dating that streamer?”

— “Pei Yu’s new film is currently in production. Could this be a publicity stunt?”

— “Brother Pei only said he was the one who helped the streamer yesterday. He never said they were dating! These unscrupulous media outlets will fabricate anything for clicks! Disgusting!”

— “Anyone with half a brain knows Brother Pei would never date someone like that! He’s just a kind-hearted hero!”

— “Kind-hearted? That arrogant Pei Yu? His fans are really delusional!”

— “Kind-hearted enough to end up at a gay’s house? Our virtuous Film Emperor Pei is truly serving the people with precision!”

— “Can you Zhou Jing stans shut up? You’re everywhere! Is Zhou Jing so noble? He just slept his way to the top!”

***

The square was a chaotic mess. Jiang Luoluo swiped his screen, ready to exit, when another notification popped up.

@Zhang Xiaohao: Why is it always me who gets hurt?! Waaah!

Looking at the string of sarcastic comments under Zhang Hao’s personal account, Jiang Luoluo felt a pang of guilt.

His original self had a reputation for pushing boundaries, which had tarnished his image.

To fans and casual observers, it looked like the scheming Jiang Luoluo had latched onto Best Actor Pei Yu, who had maintained a spotless reputation for years. To his detractors, it was further ammunition to attack Pei Yu.

Even Pei Yu’s assistant and manager, Zhang Hao, had been besieged by fans accusing him of incompetence.

Jiang Luoluo felt he needed to do something. He sprawled on the sofa, his face drooping, registered a Weibo account, verified it, and posted his first tweet:

Teacher Pei and I are just friends. Thank you for your act of bravery yesterday. /bow/bow/

The tweet went unnoticed at first, garnering only a few scattered likes and a handful of comments.

“Such a clout chaser.”

“Here we go again.”

“Who’s even paying attention to you? How embarrassing!”

Jiang Luoluo put down his phone to get a glass of water. When he returned, the notification count had already skyrocketed.

He hurriedly set down his glass and clicked on the notification, only to find that his Weibo post had been retweeted.

@JiangWei: In that situation, anyone with a shred of conscience would have helped! Go get ’em, little idol! /cheering/cheering/

“Holy shit, what’s going on?!”

“Brother Jiang! You don’t understand the entertainment industry—stay out of it! You’ll just get targeted by those vultures!”

“LOL, I thought the National Team was some kind of pure sanctuary, but even they’ve been tainted by these clout-chasing influencers!”

“You’re all just spewing nonsense! Jiang Wei has at least brought glory to our country. What have you keyboard warriors in the comments section ever done?”

“Jiang Wei’s character is trustworthy. Looks like this streamer isn’t as bad as some fans claim…”

“Am I the only one focused on the weird part? ‘Little idol’—that sounds so affectionate!”

Jiang Luoluo scrolled through the comments and noticed that the overwhelmingly negative reviews had improved significantly.

He had braced himself for a barrage of criticism, but never expected Jiang Wei to speak up for him.

They had only met once.

‘ Jiang Wei is such a good person !’

Jiang Luoluo sprawled on the sofa, happily kicking his legs, and followed Jiang Wei back.

He then replied to Jiang Wei’s retweet with a wavy “Thank you~”

On the film set, Pei Yu finished filming the scene and noticed Zhang Hao acting suspiciously, his expression wavering between wanting to speak and holding back.

Pei Yu spread his arms as the stylist adjusted his costume. His phoenix eyes lifted slightly, sweeping over Zhang Hao.

“Just say what’s on your mind.”

Zhang Hao leaned in, lowering his voice. “Brother Pei, that person from your family posted on Weibo.”

Pei Yu hummed in acknowledgment.

Zhang Hao pointed at his phone, his voice indignant. “Jiang Wei is absolutely infuriating!”