Chapter 17: Arrogant Big Star

Ji Xingci wouldn’t let him leave, so Lin Wu had no choice but to pick a room at random and crash there.

Ji Xingci was probably mad at him. He didn’t come looking for Lin Wu that night.

The Young Master’s apartment was undeniably comfortable. Any old room felt as pristine and tidy as a luxury hotel suite, right down to the fresh flowers.

By morning, the dining table was already laden with a lavish spread of breakfast.

Lin Wu had dug in ahead of time. Ji Xingci didn’t emerge until much later.

Lin Wu glanced up. The big star’s looks were still striking—long legs and all. Put him in any outfit, and he instantly looked the part of a polished celebrity.

He just seemed to be in a foul mood again.

Lin Wu remembered then: Ji Xingci had an ad shoot today.

Ji Xingci shot Lin Wu a look.

One glance told him the guy was stuffing his face without a care. Irritated, Ji Xingci snapped, “You’re coming with me.”

Lin Wu put on a woeful expression. “Why? I can’t even talk to you there…”

Ji Xingci didn’t give a damn. All he knew was this:

As long as Lin Wu stayed within his line of sight, he felt at ease.

But he’d completely forgotten about Yuan Long—the guy from yesterday—who’d recently skyrocketed to fame with a breakout hit and landed a brand ambassadorship.

Sure, it was a one-off gig, nowhere near the weight of Ji Xingci’s global endorsements. Still, it earned him a spot on this shoot.

They arrived, and Ji Xingci was immediately dragged off for makeup.

He’d barely settled into the chair when a production assistant scurried over, hovering by his side—practically on her knees—and asked if he could unbutton his shirt today. Maybe leave it open a little lower?

Under normal circumstances, Ji Xingci was plenty confident in his build.

But this time, he instinctively clutched his chest. His ears flushed red.

“…No.”

Meanwhile, Ji Xingci’s assistant escorted Lin Wu to the rest room.

The assistant soon left to handle other tasks. Lin Wu wandered around a bit and before long, bumped right into Yuan Long.

“Aren’t you… why are you here again?”

Yuan Long arched a brow and closed in with leisurely menace.

“Finally given up on songwriting to sling drinks as a waiter?”

Lin Wu had zero intention of engaging, but Yuan Long refused to let him pass.

He blocked Lin Wu’s path, itching for trouble.

“I’m talking to you.”

Lin Wu balled his fists. He had just one thing to say.

“My new song sold.”

Yuan Long’s face twisted, right on cue.

Back then, Yuan Long had fought tooth and nail to keep Lin Wu. He wasn’t an idiot; he knew his team couldn’t churn out tracks like that.

One hit wonder? Nah—better to keep Lin Wu as his ghostwriter forever.

He’d pay extra if needed. But Lin Wu shelled out the breach fee just to bail.

Now the fool was chasing his own singing dreams.

Yuan Long was already simmering. This pushed him over the edge, teeth grinding.

“Forgot our contract? Paid the penalty? You can’t sell to anyone else.”

“How do you know I won’t pay?”

“You? With what money?”

Lin Wu saw he was clueless. Deadpan, he said, “I landed a role in Director Li Ming’s new movie.”

Yuan Long’s eyes bugged out. “What? Impossible!”

Truth was, he’d always envied Lin Wu. No one knew better than him how Lin Wu’s musical talent eclipsed his own by miles.

And minus the birthmark, Lin Wu was handsome too. Yuan Long had endured the icy slab of the operating table for his own fixes, but it paled next to Lin Wu’s natural perfection. Hell, he had to crane his neck to meet the guy’s eyes—shorter to boot.

What right did this background-less nobody have to outshine him everywhere?

He grabbed Lin Wu’s arm to stop him and whipped out his phone for a quick search. Disbelievingly, he confirmed Lin Wu was indeed in the film—as the second male lead, no less.

“I get it. Director Li’s gay, right? And this new movie’s BL too!”

His gaze lingered on Lin Wu’s pale chin, the sharp line of his jaw. He cracked.

“No way—are you whoring yourself out?!”

Lin Wu feigned breaking point, timed it perfectly, and slammed a fist into his nose.

“Ah!”

Yuan Long howled. People rushed in to separate them. Moments later, his manager came sprinting over. Spotting the mangled nose, he paled in horror.

“Who let this guy in here? Who the hell is he, hitting people?!”

Ji Xingci’s assistant arrived then.

Lin Wu was yanked back just as Ji Xingci stepped out.

The superstar wore the season’s hottest luxury coat, a swarm of stylists fussing over his makeup and hair. He stood at a distance, watching.

As though the two of them were strangers.

Lin Wu’s chest heaved. He ducked his head and stormed off.

Ji Xingci scowled. The photographer was waiting, but he strode over anyway.

“What happened?”

The crowd parted instantly.

“Who knows? The guy just lashed out for no reason.” Yuan Long’s manager tried to spin it, shielding his client while sucking up to Ji Xingci.

Ji Xingci’s expression soured on the spot.

“He wouldn’t hit someone without cause.”

The air went still. The manager flinched hard.

“Call him!”

Ji Xingci pivoted toward the photographer.

The assistant yanked out his phone and hustled after him.

Yuan Long clutched his nose, eyes saucer-wide, staring at Ji Xingci’s retreating back.

What the hell did that mean?

No way—this was terrifying. Who the fuck had Lin Wu latched onto?

Meanwhile, Lin Wu ignored the call and finally headed home.

Xu Qing was in the living room. He shot up from the sofa in surprise.

“Ah, 05, you’re back.”

“Yeah, bro.”

Since rejecting Xu Qing last time, an awkwardness had settled between them.

Old friends, though. Xu Qing still texted regularly, asking if he’d come home for meals.

Seeing Lin Wu’s downcast look, he asked with concern, “You okay?”

Lin Wu shook his head, silent. He slumped onto the sofa, hugged his knees, and zoned out.

Xu Qing quietly took in Lin Wu’s profile for a beat before pressing.

“What happened?”

Lin Wu finally looked up and recounted the day’s mess.

Xu Qing’s face drained of color. “Sorry, bro. Maybe you were right—Ji Xingci will never like me.”

“!”

Hope flared in Xu Qing’s chest.

“But I can’t stop caring about him.”

Lin Wu parroted Xu Qing’s old lines to a tee:

“His temper sucks, and he says awful things, but that’s just the stress. He only lets loose like that around me.”

“He doesn’t love me, doesn’t care—but if we split, who’d remind him to take meds when he’s sick? Who’d bring him food after late shoots? What would he do without me?”

“Actually, I get sad at night too. I cry in secret. But the next day, when he smiles at me, I feel like… all the grievances don’t matter anymore.”

Xu Qing: “…”

Strange. Something just didn’t add up.

Lin Wu continued, “Bro, am I too lovesick? Too brainless about love?”

“Yeah, yeah, you are.” Xu Qing inexplicably shivered.

“But it’s not your fault!”

Xu Qing scooted closer, eyes pleading. “05, if you’re willing, I can help you…”

“Hm?”

“I’ll keep an eye on you and make sure you don’t contact him anymore! We… we can start fresh together, okay?”

Lin Wu lowered his head and didn’t respond.

It felt like the lecture hadn’t quite landed.

~~~

Ji Xingci finally wrapped up his shoot, only to find that Lin Wu still hadn’t returned the assistant’s calls. His face immediately darkened.

He had no choice but to call himself.

By then, Lin Wu and Xu Qing had finished dinner, and Lin Wu had gone to take a shower.

His phone was still sitting on the dining table.

The screen lit up, and Xu Qing could see it was Ji Xingci calling.

He pursed his lips, hesitated for a moment, then hung up.

Ji Xingci: ?

No one had ever dared to hang up on the Young Master before. The phone kept buzzing relentlessly afterward. He could practically feel the guy’s fury radiating through it.

Xu Qing gritted his teeth and finally picked up.

“Lin Wu! How dare you—” Ji Xingci started to snap, only to be stunned when he heard Xu Qing’s voice instead.

“What do you want!”

Ji Xingci fell silent on the other end, his voice suddenly dropping low, like the calm before a storm.

“Why are you answering Lin Wu’s phone? Give the phone to him.”

Xu Qing gripped the device tightly. “Lin Wu’s… occupied.”

“What do you mean, occupied?”

“What did he do?”

The questions made Xu Qing inexplicably nervous, but he mustered his courage.

“He doesn’t want to talk to you anymore.”

“You—”

Ji Xingci nearly spat out “Bullshit,” but then remembered the makeup artist was still there, removing his stage makeup.

He swallowed it back down, and Xu Qing spoke again.

“Please don’t contact him anymore.”

“He deserves someone who’ll treat him right, someone who wants to.”

“Ha.” Ji Xingci ground his teeth. “You talking about yourself?”

Xu Qing paused for a beat.

“Yeah.”

Hearing him admit it so straightforwardly only made Ji Xingci’s face darken further with rage.

“Who the hell are you to speak for him!”

“This is between me and Lin Wu.”

“There is no ‘me and Lin Wu’! It was supposed to be me and Lin Wu. Ours!”

Xu Qing suddenly raised his voice in anger too.

“Lin Wu already promised me…”

Right then, the bathroom door opened.

“Bro?”

Lin Wu stepped out.

Xu Qing snapped to attention in panic and hurriedly hung up. “Sorry.”

“Sorry, 05. I… I picked up your call without asking…”

His face paled. “And… and I said all sorts of nonsense…”

Lin Wu glanced at the call log on the phone in his hand.

“…”

~~~

Ji Xingci’s expression was so terrifying that the makeup artists and assistants around him froze, not daring to move a muscle.

Even after the shoot ended, the low pressure and icy atmosphere lingered around him.

He kept waiting. Waiting for Lin Wu to call and explain himself.

But Lin Wu never did!

He’d clearly heard the end of it!

He knew Xu Qing had answered his call, and still no contact?

Did the two of them really do something? Had Lin Wu gone off to Xu Qing?

Because he hadn’t gotten the song back for him?

Ji Xingci thought it was impossible, but he couldn’t stop the thoughts from swirling.

Back home, the assistant eyed his expression and hesitated before cautiously suggesting, “Should I try contacting Mr. Lin again…?”

“Contact him for what!”

Ji Xingci was too furious to swallow his pride and reach out first.

Ridiculous, as if he couldn’t function without Lin Wu!

If he really wanted, what kind of guy couldn’t he find?

He didn’t care if Lin Wu came back or not. It was Lin Wu’s loss.

Ji Xingci convinced himself like that.

But through the long night, the house felt vast and empty. His body ached uncomfortably, and he tossed and turned, unable to sleep, feeling like something was off. In the end, he could only jerk off once.

Was that a faint milky scent?

Had he lost his mind?

Ji Xingci scowled, threw off the covers, and checked himself in the mirror.

His little belly seemed a bit bigger. It wasn’t noticeable under clothes yet, but naked…

His long fingers hesitantly traced the slight swell, and his chest too…

It was almost like…?

“…”

A ridiculous idea popped into his head.

But even just thinking it made him scoff.

Ji Xingci frowned but brushed it off. Fine, he’d just gained a little weight.

~~~

Though Ji Xingci had resolved not to seek out Lin Wu,

The next day, Lin Wu got a call from the assistant, asking him to come to the company to record the song.

Lin Wu thought it over and went anyway.

Sure enough, he ran into Ji Xingci.

The guy was scowling and ignored him completely when he walked in.

He just kept his head down, studying the sheet music with his music team, preparing to listen.

Lin Wu walked nervously into the recording studio, separated from Ji Xingci by glass and a microphone.

“Besides the one from last time, I wrote a new one last night…”

“Great, let’s hear it.”

“Mm.”

Then Lin Wu’s pleasant voice rang out, as if right in Ji Xingci’s ear.

“I’ve heard all the logic a hundred times before,

But when longing surges up, I can’t hold back the fire anymore.

Delete and rewrite in the chat on my phone,

In the end, I slip on my shoes and head to your door.

Screw restraint, forget about face,

Liking you like this—I can’t hide it or play it straight.

I just wanna see you, even if you don’t miss me at all,

Every thought I can’t control is your face.

I’m here ’cause I miss you,

Isn’t it obvious…?”

Ji Xingci: “…”

He looked up, locking eyes with Lin Wu’s clear black-and-white gaze.

Lin Wu seemed a bit embarrassed, gripping the mic tightly before quickly looking down.

Ji Xingci blanked for a moment, and the rotten mood he’d carried all morning suddenly cleared to partly sunny.

“Hey, come here.”

After recording demos for both songs, as soon as Lin Wu stepped out of the booth, Ji Xingci grabbed him by the nape and hauled him straight to his office.

“Ji Xingci?”

Lin Wu stared blankly as Ji Xingci locked the door. His ears quickly turned red. Ji Xingci met his eyes with a complicated look and began unbuttoning his shirt, one button at a time.

“Look at this for me. What’s going on?”