" President Du said it! Du told me not to tell you..." Xiao Yi said, "She didn't want to disturb your filming..."

Lu Zhou's anger was evidently uncontrollable. He lifted Xiao Yi's collar, throwing him against the car door. Xiao Yi's head fiercely collided with the door, making everything spin. Earlier, being pushed down by Lu Zhou, his elbow grazed the ground, breaking the skin and bleeding.

Lu Zhou roared, "Give me the key!"

Following that, Xiao Yi, somehow finding unexpected strength, erupted, shouting back at Lu Zhou, "Not giving it to you—!"

He knew that handing the car keys to Lu Zhou at that moment would have led to reckless speeding on the highway. His impulse was to prevent any mishaps. As Xiao Yi yelled at Lu Zhou, he was instantly frozen.

With force, Xiao Yi shoved Lu Zhou away and then kicked him.

"You dare to hit me?!" Lu Zhou yelled, "Get out! You're fired!"

Xiao Yi also yelled back, "Believe it or not, I’ll run you over with the car!"

He staggered to his feet, got into the car, and Lu Zhou instinctively took cover at the roadside, but Xiao Yi drove away.

Lu Zhou was left standing alone in the rain.

Lu Zhou: "..."

It was the first time in Lu Zhou's life being treated this way, and he was rendered speechless. After some contemplation, a sense of absurdity washed over him.

"Okay, fine," Lu Zhou shouted into the darkness, "Get lost!"

Moments later, the SUV slowly reversed, its taillights blinking.

The door opened, Xiao Yi stepped out of the passenger seat and glanced at Lu Zhou.

The rain poured heavier, the two fell into a silent standoff.

"Get in the car," Xiao Yi said.

Lu Zhou's momentary rage subsided, the sudden outburst had passed. In reality, this issue had nothing to do with Xiao Yi. He was just the unluckiest to become the punching bag at that moment.

Lu Zhou got into the car. Xiao Yi's movements were odd; he was rigid while driving, panting heavily. Lu Zhou glanced at Xiao Yi, noticing tears on his face.

"Are you even a man?" Lu Zhou said in disbelief. "You're crying over this?"

"Say you're sorry," Xiao Yi said, shivering and driving, "Say you're sorry, and I'll forgive you..."

"Okay, okay," Lu Zhou said, "I lost control. I shouldn't have lashed out at you."

Tears streamed down Xiao Yi's face. "Mm."

Lu Zhou remained silent, turning to Xiao Yi, who was surprised to find himself in tears. It had been a long while since he last cried. Bawling during graduation didn't count; it had been four or five years since he'd genuinely cried.

‘This is so stupid..’. Xiao Yi thought, ‘I didn't even do anything, why do I have to endure a beating like this? Am I a masochist? So stupid.’

Gradually, Xiao Yi's breath steadied.

"Pull over up ahead," Lu Zhou said.

The incessant strain of the past few days finally snapped. The high-intensity work, lack of sleep, and mounting stress had reached a breaking point. Despite the present chaos, Xiao Yi experienced a sense of relief.

"Sorry," Xiao Yi said as they parked again.

Lu Zhou didn't say much. He seemed uneasy. They both went into a convenience store, and Lu Zhou said, "Go make two hot coffees."

Lu Zhou was evidently tired as well. He rubbed his forehead, and Xiao Yi realized his phone was missing. After paying, making the coffee, and Lu Zhou's return from the restroom, they stood outside the store, with white lights behind them and the dim yellow glow of highway lamps ahead, drinking coffee in the rain.

Xiao Yi felt utterly embarrassed about crying earlier. He dismissed it as a delusion and forgot about it. He had scraped his elbow and was bleeding from the earlier fall.

"What do we do now?" Xiao Yi tentatively asked Lu Zhou. Lu Zhou saw the blood on Xiao Yi's elbow and bought a bottle of distilled water to clean the wound.

"What else can we do?" Lu Zhou said.

"Du's already in Hengdian," Xiao Yi mentioned, "We'll find her tonight; she'll have a plan."

"I'll check," Lu Zhou said, tilting Xiao Yi's head, offering an apologetic gaze. "I'm the kind of person who loses control when angry. I'm sorry. I was too impulsive."

"It's alright," Xiao Yi said. "Being beaten by a male god is an honor, haha."

"Are you a masochist?!" Lu Zhou chuckled helplessly.

Both stayed silent after finishing their coffees. Lu Zhou crushed the cup and threw it in the bin, saying, "Let's head back."

Suddenly, Xiao Yi felt very tired, the kind of exhaustion that followed the release of pent-up emotions. On their way back, Xiao Yi continued to drive. Lu Zhou found his phone under the seat, his expression grim as he continued reading online comments.

"Stop browsing," Xiao Yi said, "The more you read, the more upset you'll get."

Lu Zhou pocketed the phone, silently gazing out the window. Xiao Yi spoke again, "Online comments really aren't worth caring about. Remember what our chief editor said: the internet houses all sorts of people, some just want to provoke you. Once you take it seriously, you've already lost."

Lu Zhou took a deep breath, his emotions a bit unstable, and replied, "I'm not cut out for this. I could just expose everything about Zhang Xinran online. Let's see who's afraid of whom."

Xiao Yi didn't respond, focusing on driving. While waiting in line at the toll booth, he shifted gears and glanced at Lu Zhou.

"Don't argue with Du Mei later," Xiao Yi said.

"Got it," Lu Zhou impatiently replied, "I've known her for ten years, been with her since my debut. Who do you think you are?"

Xiao Yi chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Exactly, I'm just a small fry, an outlet for venting."

"I've already apologized to you," Lu Zhou said, "Do I need to kowtow to you?"

Xiao Yi waved it off with a smile, although he felt a little sour inside. Lu Zhou couldn't vent at Du Mei, nor at Ning Yaqing or his manager, and since he couldn't take it out on Zhang Xinran, Xiao Yi ended up being the punching bag.

Back in the days at the company, Xiao Yi was often bullied, facing the editor's harsh reprimands ‘if don’t want to work anymore than pack up your stuff and leave’. Now, despite the higher pay, the situation was the same—being scolded by a stricter boss, only this time, it came with physical hits.

But thankfully, Lu Zhou wasn't targeting him. Some people, after scolding, would find all sorts of ways to make things difficult, but Lu Zhou would apologize. Xiao Yi optimistically thought that, at least for this reason, this job was still doable.

*

They returned to Hengdian around 2 AM.

Du Mei was waiting in the hotel. Seeing Lu Zhou return with a grim expression, she said, "Let's have a midnight snack first, then a meeting."

With a red mark still on his forehead, Xiao Yi brought his suitcase inside. Du Mei glanced at it, then at Lu Zhou. Her eyes held a reproachful tone. Lu Zhou didn't say much, he just sat down and started eating from a takeaway box.

Du Mei's assistant was already asleep. Xiao Yi grabbed his takeaway to eat in his own room, but Lu Zhou stopped him.

"Wait a minute, stay," Lu Zhou said.

"You already know?" Du Mei asked.

"I know," Lu Zhou said, taking a few bites before leaving the food aside to search through the luggage. Xiao Yi offered to help, but Lu Zhou said, "You eat."

Du Mei explained, "It's a notice sent by Ning Yaqing's agent. I spoke with Qi Quan today, trying to find a way to remedy it, but he seemed indifferent. I can see he just wants to perfunctorily handle the situation."

"Can we just part ways?" Lu Zhou was clearly boiling, "Can't I do something I want to do?"

Du Mei sighed, rubbing her temples, "We have to consider your image. I know you've worked hard over these years."

"Am I unable to get roles without her?" Lu Zhou said, "I've had enough of these people! No matter what I do, they say I climbed up by sucking up to people! Switch places with you, Du Jie, could you endure that?"

While speaking, Lu Zhou fetched a bottle of cooling oil and poured some onto Xiao Yi's elbow.

Xiao Yi: “……” He nearly choked on his half-eaten barbecue pork.

"What's wrong?" Du Mei asked.

"I lost control earlier and hit the little brother," Lu Zhou parted Xiao Yi's hair again, noticing the red mark on his head. He pressed his hand against Xiao Yi's head, massaging it a few times.

Xiao Yi: "………………"

What did you just say? "Little brother"? This shouldn't be the "underling" kind of little brother who specifically refers to "Ma Zai" (NT: gang man assistant), right? Xiao Yi felt a bit overwhelmed, not just pleasantly surprised but also touched.

After treating Xiao Yi's injury, Lu Zhou sat on the sofa, took a deep breath, and wearily said, "However you handle it, just don't make me wag my tail to Zhang Xinran anymore. It's best to part ways. She said it herself."

Du Mei uttered, "Then we'll have to think about how to phrase it, try to gain some sympathy, salvage the situation while there's still time. Once 'Iron Horse Glacier' airs, it shouldn't affect much. Moms like watching your shows and won't care much about what the netizens say."

"I don't want to hype up these things anymore, neither does Ning Yaqing. Everyone's the same. We're all human, empathize with each other. I don't want to gain fame through hype," Lu Zhou said, rubbing his eyes and suddenly exclaimed, "Darn it!"

The cooling oil got into his eyes, and Lu Zhou rushed into the bathroom. Xiao Yi chuckled, left his takeaway, and went in to find a towel for him to wash his face.

Du Mei asked, "Xiao Yi, what do you think of Ning Yaqing?"

"He doesn't understand," Lu Zhou impatiently replied.

"Uh," Xiao Yi said, "My opinion might not be reliable... Why not have the public relations team discuss it?"

Du Mei replied, "You are the public relations team. The company doesn't have online public relations, only external relations."

Xiao Yi nearly slipped, "Is that so?"

Du Mei continued, "The PR (NT: Public Relations) person is asleep next door, always coming up with bad ideas. I'm considering replacing him."

Lu Zhou added, "I told you to set up a team to handle PR earlier, but you didn't listen."

"These matters involve many people," Du Mei frowned. "Staff turnover is high. Eight out of ten rumors are from PR, assistants, and public relations, all for your sake."

"Can we spend some money to delete the posts on Tianya?" Xiao Yi said, "Or maybe hire some water army? I can introduce a company to Du Zong, not too expensive. Previously, when singers released new songs, they often hired a water army (NT: group of users paid to post online comments with vested interest) for promotion."

"We have a regular partner company," Du Mei explained, "I can tell you, but you need to keep it confidential. They're from the same studio as Zhang Xinran, and they have a good relationship with Qi Quan."

Xiao Yi burst into laughter, and Du Mei pinched him, saying, "He is a drama queen. Nowadays, even straight men act like drama queens. How could they compare to our Zhou Zhou, who is a manly man—"

Xiao Yi laughed so hard that his stomach ached, lying on the bed. He never expected Du Mei to act cute like that. Lu Zhou, with a dark expression, sat on the sofa, while Xiao Yi asked, "Why do straight men act like drama queens?"

"Because female bosses, managers, PR, and planners are more open to the gay community," Du Mei explained. "They think they can relate and interact more naturally."

‘Oh’ Xiao Yi thought, ‘so that's how it is. Just sticking out your pinkie can make you besties’.

Du Mei continued, "When the series airs, we'll need a push to market a little BL, promote it on Weibo, get a few certified influencers to endorse the CP. Be prepared, Lu Zhou."

Lu Zhou: "..."

Xiao Yi felt as if someone else wanted to ship Lu Zhou with another person, why did Wung Heng Gu have the right to create BL content with Lu Zhou?!

Du Mei added, "You don't need to worry about that. Just control your blood pressure when the time comes and pretend you didn't see it."

Xiao Yi looked at Lu Zhou sympathetically. Lu Zhou exclaimed, "Do I have to be all intimate and lovey-dovey with that talent show contestant?! Isn't that disgusting?!"

Xiao Yi thought, what has show star done to offend you? That show star also has a strong fan base; they're devoted. They even crowdfund to build houses for him and buy his ancient phone. Unlike you, you can't even manage your own fans. Today, as soon as the news broke, a group of fans turned against you in an instant.

Du Mei clarified, "I didn't ask you to kiss or be intimate."

Lu Zhou, resigned, said, "Forget it, that's enough. We're filming tomorrow."

Du Mei explained, "The entire script is ready, but there are some issues. The producer wants the writer to change the next few scenes. You can take a day off."

When Xiao Yi heard this, it was like welcoming rain after a long drought.

"Off... a day off?" Xiao Yi even doubted whether he heard it correctly.

"Good job," Du Mei said, "You have a day off tomorrow. Let Lu Zhou take you out."

Xiao Yi's eyes darkened. Previously, he barely got a day off in a week, and now he couldn't believe his ears when he heard he was getting a day off.

That night, with Du Mei around, she did a good job comforting Lu Zhou, so Xiao Yi was no longer worried. The next morning, Xiao Yi was still in bed, sleeping when suddenly there was a rough knocking sound at the door.

Lu Zhou, wearing a black vest and a pair of briefs, stood outside the door, barefoot, with a serious expression as he gazed at him.

"Uh," Xiao Yi, in his shorts, blinked.

Xiao Yi: “?”

Lu Zhou pointed to the watch on his wrist. Xiao Yi was a bit more awake now. He wondered why Lu Zhou was up so early and already wearing a watch, ready to scare him after waking up.

"What's up?" Xiao Yi asked.

Lu Zhou bellowed in the corridor, "What time is it? You're still sleeping! Are you trying to get fired?"

From the opposite end, a door opened, and Lu Zhou immediately pushed Xiao Yi into the room and hid inside.

Xiao Yi, drooling, leaned on the sofa, still lost in his dream of being a big star. Because of being a prop corpse for Lu Zhou and displaying a variety of expressions on camera, Xiao Yi caught the eye of a sharp-eyed producer and became a supporting actor in a movie. The movie became a huge hit, Xiao Yi rose to stardom, eventually becoming the leading actor. He went through a rocky journey and finally won the Best Actor award at the Oscars, giving a speech while holding the little golden man, with Ning Yaqing on his left and Zhang Xinran on his right.

"Thank you to my assistant, Lu Zhou! Without him, I wouldn't be here today..."

Wait a minute, something doesn't seem right.

"Isn't today a day off?" Xiao Yi tried hard to focus both eyes, facing Lu Zhou who was tall, fit, and was standing there with an inexpressive look.

"I'm the one on break," Lu Zhou said. "I'm still alive. What about you? Taking a day off?"

"Okay," Xiao Yi said, "What are your orders, Your Majesty? Your servant shall obey."

Lu Zhou impatiently said, "Hurry up, brush your teeth, wash your face! It's lunchtime! What are you thinking about?"

 

Translator : DarNan