“I… what did I do?” The man’s heart skipped a beat, but he still pushed back. “Someone’s framing me for sure.”
“Brother Li, please, just one more chance.” He begged. “I know it’s Li Xia! He tried to get with me, and when I turned him down, he flipped out in humiliation!”
He had the story completely backward.
The agent’s gaze turned frigid. “He tried to cast couch you?”
“Yeah!”
“He holds shares in the company,” the agent added. “Get the picture now?”
The man’s face drained of color. “I…”
He knew he was finished.
“Don’t breathe a word of this, or a full net ban might be the least of your worries,” the agent warned.
The man nodded.
His sudden firing baffled some colleagues, who asked what happened.
“I crossed a major line. The company’s already being merciful by not making me pay damages,” he said with a forced smirk. He didn’t dare spill the truth.
“Brother Sui.”
Spotting Yu Sui passing by, he called out.
Yu Sui glanced over. “What’s up?”
“I… I’ve got a few words for you.” The man eyed him intently. As the company boss, he figured Yu Sui couldn’t dodge his grasp forever.
The guy was right up his alley, so despite the awkwardness, he had to drop a hint.
Yu Sui followed him into the studio, brows furrowed in confusion.
“Brother Sui, watch out for that Li Xia. He’s got serious backing.” With that, the man scooped up his things and left.
Yu Sui blinked in surprise.
The door swung open just then, revealing Li Xia walking past.
The man startled, clutching his belongings tighter and ducking his head. “I’ll get going.”
He scurried off.
Yu Sui arched a brow.
“What’d he say to you?” Li Xia watched the man’s retreat.
“Nothing much.” Yu Sui saw no point in pressing; he already knew this young guy was bad news.
“That right?” Li Xia nodded. “I’ve got stuff to handle. Catch you later.”
He didn’t linger.
Yu Sui paid it no mind and headed off in another direction.
After using the bathroom, he stepped out to wash his hands and ran into Su Shan coming in.
Yu Sui suspected it was no accident. His hand paused on the faucet, but he kept washing without a word of greeting.
Su Shan found it odd.
Yu Sui had been so friendly before. What was with the cold shoulder now?
He sidled up beside Yu Sui and started scrubbing a stain off his clothes. He “accidentally” cranked the faucet too high, drenching himself.
Drenched and disheveled, head bowed, he looked almost pitiable.
But the once-kind man simply edged away, watching with detached eyes.
“C-could you… lend me some tissues?” Su Shan asked.
Yu Sui wasn’t buying the innocent act.
“What scene are you playing this time?”
Su Shan froze for a split second. Had he been made?
“Oh?”
His voice lilted upward.
He lifted his head, locking eyes with Yu Sui. “You saw through it?”
Yu Sui stared, baffled by the nonsense. “What are you pretending to be? What do you want now?”
The irritation in his tone left Su Shan at a loss.
They’d barely spoken a handful of times, let alone clashed head-on.
It had to be Li Xia.
Had to be him, pulling strings with his connections.
“Take a guess?” Su Shan prompted.
Yu Sui caught the strange tone—eerily like Li Xia’s candid moments.
Those eyes drew him in, and he closed the distance step by step.
Su Shan tensed. “What are you doing?”
Yu Sui leaned in close, peering into those eyes. “Li Xia.”
Su Shan’s brow shot up, still playing confused.
Yu Sui studied him. “You don’t remember what you did before?”
Su Shan picked up on the probing and silently cursed Li Xia for landing him in this mess.
He arched a brow. “Of course I remember. And?”
Wait—no.
This wasn’t the threatening Su Shan he knew.
【……】The System sighed to itself. How’s the Host this sharp?
“Su Shan.” Yu Sui clasped his hand. “Remember what you told me?”
Their fingers intertwined, intimately linked.
Su Shan went rigid, eyes widening. “You… you…”
“You said just looking at me…” Yu Sui held his gaze steady, reciting the words.
Su Shan reeled in shock.
Li Xia had impersonated him to seduce Yu Sui? The bastard was ruining his image.
Yu Sui read it all in his eyes.
“Su Shan.” He let go and reached for the young man’s mask.
Snapping to, Su Shan shoved him back hard, eyes wary. “You…”
“Why the sudden change?” Yu Sui feigned bewilderment. “Didn’t you say you joined the company for me? That you’ve liked me for years and would be my secret lover?”
Su Shan’s brow rose; the man had definitely clocked him.
“But…” His eyes narrowed. “Of course I’m willing—more than willing to be your secret lover. Only, this is the company…”
No way was he tipping off Li Xia about this landmine. Let the guy eat his own mess.
Yu Sui eyed how quick he was to latch on, quirking a brow.
They hadn’t coordinated stories.
“Too bad.” He shook his head without conviction. “I’ve got things to do. Later.”
Su Shan watched his back as he left.
With that guy’s departure, victims of his harassment finally relaxed. Then, right on cue, another company artist blew up with scandals.
It was the rookie Yu Sui was slated to work with.
The rookie smelled a rat and zeroed in on Yu Sui.
Work wrapped, and as Yu Sui headed to his lounge, the boy blocked his path.
“It was you, wasn’t it?”
“We all bought your nice-guy act. This is your doing!” The boy jabbed a finger at him. “You’re such a hypocrite—downright terrifying.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Yu Sui blinked in genuine confusion.
His assistant jumped in, shielding him. “That’s some wild accusation. Why blame Brother Sui? Can’t keep it in your pants? Did he put you up to two-timing? Tell you to juggle multiple partners?”
“You!”
The boy shook with fury.
Onlookers started piping up too.
“Yu Sui, you’re not getting away with this!” The boy spat before storming off.
Yu Sui raised a brow.
“What’s his deal?”
The boy stormed to his agent.
“My talent’s no worse than his,” he blurted. “These scandals won’t stick.”
“That so?” The agent didn’t rush to soothe or clean up like before.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Alarm bells rang for the boy.
“The bosses upstairs want you out—specifically named you.” The agent eyed him. “Who’d you cross?”
“I just mouthed off to Yu Sui a bit, and boom—this. You know I’m always the nice guy…” He scowled. “Does he really have that much pull? Screwing someone upstairs?”
The agent shot him a sharp look. “Not that simple.”
“His family, then…” The boy trailed off, confused. “I barely said anything…”
“Guess I’ll go beg him.”
He bolted out the door.
Back in the lounge, Yu Sui brushed off the boy’s outburst, lost in thoughts of “Su Shan.”
Li Xia.
No doubt about it.
But that strait-laced “straight guy” Li Xia from the other day—was that the real him too?
Had he played the prude on purpose, then doubled down with Su Shan’s face? Or was there another Li Xia in play?
Su Shan…
Did the protagonist gong and shou share a face?
A shiver ran through him, tinged with dark amusement.
Is it him or not? Time to test.
The thought had barely crossed his mind when the boy burst in.
“Brother Sui, I’m sorry—please put in a good word for me!”
Yu Sui blinked. “Huh?”
“Don’t play dumb. It’s you, right? You got the bosses to axe me?” The boy pleaded. “I got cocky. Don’t hold it against me.”
Yu Sui puzzled over it inwardly.
Were they really firing him?
The kid had real value, and those scandals were peanuts—the company could’ve buried them.
He’d only sicced someone on the dirt to bail on the collab. Hadn’t expected it to snowball.
“You must’ve pissed off someone else.” Yu Sui met his eyes. “No clue what you’re on about, and I don’t have that kind of sway anyway.”
No way he’d own up to the backstab.
“Brother Sui, you hate me that much?” No give from Yu Sui, and resentment flared again. “Talk about timing—right after our chat, scandals drop, and the company says the higher-ups are dead set on canning me.”
“Who else could it be?”
“Speak with evidence,” Yu Sui said coldly.
The young man was intimidated by his presence. “You… just you wait.”
With that, he turned and left.
Yu Sui fell deep into thought.
That evening, after getting off work and heading home, he realized he was being followed.
Yu Sui pretended not to notice.
He made it all the way to the residential complex, took the elevator up, and returned to his apartment.
This time, his pursuer showed impressive patience.
A little after two in the morning, noises came from outside.
Yu Sui felt for the stun baton hidden under his pillow, slipped it beneath the covers, and kept his breathing steady and even.
Creak—
The door was pushed open.
Someone stepped inside.
Yu Sui gripped the baton tightly, poised to spring into action the moment the intruder drew near.
Just then, footsteps echoed from outside again.
Another person had arrived.
Yu Sui frowned.
Li Xia’s body went rigid. He glanced at the seemingly sleeping Yu Sui, then slipped out of the bedroom—only to narrowly evade a sneak attack.
He whipped his head aside to dodge, then drove a fist straight into his assailant.
The two men grappled fiercely in Yu Sui’s living room.
Yu Sui heard the commotion and felt a wave of exasperation.
He held back, refusing to act rashly.
A bottle of liquor sat on the table, and a faint scent of alcohol clung to his clothes—he had deliberately staged the scene to look like he was passed out drunk. Now was not the time to shatter the illusion.
“Su Shan, what are you doing here?” Li Xia demanded, his tone laced with warning.
“What have you done while pretending to be me?” Su Shan shot back, clearly displeased. “Why does he look at me like I’m disgusting?”
Li Xia froze.
Su Shan released his grip on him. “What exactly are you trying to pull?”
“I…”
The two exchanged a few more terse words before leaving together.
Yu Sui didn’t dare get up recklessly. He clutched the stun baton until dawn broke.
His head throbbed painfully. Pressing his temples, he sat up in bed.
At least he’d gleaned some useful information.
Su Shan clearly had no interest in him. But Li Xia…
He was far more unhinged than Yu Sui had ever imagined.
What rotten luck.
He rose from bed, his body feeling leaden. Yu Sui sent a message requesting the day off, then freshened up and ordered some takeout.
As Su Shan and Li Xia left the complex, Li Xia remained utterly silent the entire way.
“What exactly did you do?” Su Shan asked, feigning confusion as he pressed him.
Today, the guy hadn’t gone straight home and had been skulking about suspiciously. Su Shan had remembered what Yu Sui had said and followed Li Xia right away.
He wouldn’t let this young man get away with it—especially not in his name.
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