ITOTIABSAM | Entertainment Industry | 3
On the outer side of Xie Ye's left middle finger, there was a small mole, faint and inconspicuous. If it weren't for a close-up shot, few people would notice.
However, Gu Cong remembered it very clearly.
Before participating in the program, he did his homework on all the senior guests. Inevitably, he came across the so-called "bed photos" of Xie Ye that had recently been mocked online.
At that time, Xie Ye should be about the same age as him.
With partially undone clothing, a confused gaze, and his neck tilting slightly like a dying swan, slender fingertips tightly gripping the bedsheet, from head to toe, it was filled with an improper allure.
It was strange. Even though they shared the same facial features, the photos he found online were almost forgettable. Even today, when Xie Ye pointed it out, Gu Cong didn't find anything special about him.
It wasn't until the young man with snow-white skin and red lips appeared in the shade of the trees, looking from a distance, that Gu Cong's heart began to beat wildly.
Like a beautifully crafted puppet suddenly coming to life right before his eyes.
Even the small mole on the side of the phalanx bone, which he had glanced at before, became vivid with the owner's movements.
"Xiao Gu? What are you daydreaming about? Your ears are so red, did you turn the air conditioning up too high?" The polite and sensible young man, always the favorite in the circle, got off the equipment truck behind them, patting Gu Cong's shoulder with a smile. He then turned to Xie Ye, "Teacher Xie, your place is closer. Can we shoot at your place first?"
"A camel is still bigger than a horse, and there's a best actor by his side. In some unimportant matters, it's always better to give the other person some face."
1101: "Sounds nice. It's as if you're saying that if you refuse, they will really turn around."
Ignoring the system as usual, Xie Ye, who valued his words, spoke frankly, "There's nothing interesting to film at my place."
The accompanying cameraman initially thought that Xie Ye was intentionally trying to make it difficult for him, but when he carried the equipment and went upstairs with Xie Ye, he realized that the young man wasn't lying.
The apartment was decent, but it was no different from a model unit. Except for the shoe rack at the entrance, there was no sign of anyone living there.
The refrigerator, bedroom—what should have been the highlights of this visit—were only captured by the program's cameras as neatly arranged rows of liquor and mineral water bottles, along with a suitcase leaning against the wall.
"Busy with filming, I'm used to it."
The whole process took less than three minutes. Xie Ye calmly closed the door. "Shall we go downstairs?"
The accompanying director's professional career suffered a severe setback.
How could someone's life be so dull! If he hadn't been sure that this was Xie Ye's permanent address, he would almost suspect that the other person was intentionally messing with the production team.
On the side, Gu Cong was giving face quite enthusiastically, clapping his hands with genuine excitement. "Cool! We've definitely won this round!"
1101: ...
You know what, this kid and its host really seem to match a bit.
After all, it was still the original owner’s house. Setting aside the background identity established by the original work, there wouldn't be much difference in the details of life from Xie Ye.1101 remembered that the first time it met the new host, the place looked similar.
An empty shell.
With Gu Cong enthusiastically interrupting, the accompanying director surprisingly thought the other's words made sense. He smiled, pushed everyone out of the door, and Gu Cong said cheerfully, "Thanks to Brother Xie, let's go to the next stop quickly."
Holding the handle of the suitcase in his hands, Xie Ye couldn't figure out whether this kid was clever or not.
Even in the original work, the segment where he invited criticism for pretending to be scolded could be considered a good thing, a turning point. He could anticipate that after the program aired, at least Gu Cong's fans wouldn't casually nitpick anymore.
"Brother Xie?" Noticing there were no footsteps behind him, Gu Cong turned around obediently. "Do you want me to help?"
Xie Ye shook his head.
Despite his body looking slender, years of filming had built some muscles. It was just a suitcase of toiletries; there was no need to trouble the kid.
Unlike Xie Ye, a well-established senior, Gu Cong lived in the company dormitory. Aware of how easily he could attract criticism at the moment, and having found Xie Ye, who lived with teammates, he sensibly waited downstairs.
1101: "Not going to salvage it a bit?"
Xie Ye: "Hmm."
Considering he never lived long in any world, he couldn't care less about saving himself, let alone managing the reputation of the original owner being misunderstood.
1101 wasn't discouraged, "But the original Xie Ye was so pitiful."
Xie Ye responded coldly, "The one who is pitiful is me."
He was a data model who was ignorant and oblivious, only blindly following the plot. The one who truly experienced the pain and death was him, the awakened protagonist.
The original owner was also him, making choices for his own life. What was wrong with that?
1101: "So, sing the song of a resurrected villain, and let's be our own protagonists."
This way, the other person could join the counterattack department.
Xie Ye: "Let's talk about it later."
He wasn't in the mood at the moment.
"Let's talk about it later." After eight worlds had passed without any action from him, 1101 silently complained in its heart, detecting that the other person was just perfunctory.
This host was good in every aspect, but he was overly lethargic. Unlike other quick-transmigration stories, he didn't follow the plot, seek revenge, or turn himself into an outsider in the original world.
Probably needing to fill in the footage for the first episode, the accompanying director delayed upstairs for quite some time. Xie Ye's body had a craving for cigarettes, but he didn't want to smoke in someone else's car. So, he sent a WeChat message, borrowed the baseball cap placed in the back seat from Gu Cong, and opened the door to get some fresh air.
The hat was a bit large, casting a shadow that almost covered the bridge of the young man's nose, revealing only a pale and slender jawline.
His phone, which had been on silent, vibrated incessantly when the sound was restored. His manager, Zhou Ming, was bombarding him:
【Xie Ye! What kind of crazy idea are you having again?】
【Why not choose Xue Minglang instead? At least you could have a lasting relationship.】
Clearly furious, he began spouting all sorts of nonsense. Xie Ye stared at the chat for a while and replied seriously, "I think being indecisive suits my character better."
1101: ...
Suddenly, it felt a bit sympathetic towards the guy on the other side.
Not replying would have been better. As soon as Xie Ye replied, Zhou Ming called him directly, "Xie Ye! Are you deliberately trying to drive me crazy? Sneaking onto variety shows without informing the company is one thing, but why did you pick Gu Cong?"
"What about Xue Minglang? Weren't you head over heels for him?"
Moving the phone a bit farther away, Xie Ye frowned and spoke the truth, "Getting a cold shoulder after being warm is boring."
On the other side of the screen, Zhou Ming was almost laughing out of frustration.
Now he realized it was embarrassing to chase after someone in haste? Why didn't he do something earlier?
"I'm sorry." Before the other person could speak, Xie Ye apologized straightforwardly, sounding indifferent. Then, he coughed a couple of times.
Zhou Ming's attention was immediately caught, "Are you sick?"
Xie Ye replied, "I want to smoke; my throat is itchy."
Beep—
The person on the other side of the screen instantly hung up the phone.
1101, accustomed to such situations, commented, "I told you earlier, the host is quite infuriating."
Maintaining an image in front of the camera, the original owner often carries various candies in its pocket. Just now, the last piece was given to Gu Cong, and Xie Ye was indeed a bit annoyed.
With his fair skin, as he squeezed the phone tightly, faint blue veins became more apparent. The cameraman who stayed to film Xie Ye seemed to sense the low pressure surrounding the young man and took a couple of steps back.
However, the boy who came down with large and small bags showed no signs of timidity. He even had sparkling eyes, "Is Xie Ge waiting for me? It's so hot outside, I'm deeply moved!"
Quickly putting the luggage in the trunk, Gu Cong somehow found a small round tin and presented it like a treasure, "Following the principle of reciprocity, this throat lozenge was recommended by fans. Xie Laoshi, would you like to try it?"
In just a minute, there were two different forms of address. Though Xie Ye didn't have any expectations for the taste of the throat lozenge, he graciously picked one.
Then, he crunched it.
Unable to hold back his laughter, Gu Cong asked, "Is it delicious?"
Xie Ye replied, "My teeth are itchy."
It was a genuine response, but the slightly puffy cheeks lacked intimidation, and it unexpectedly revealed a hint of cuteness from that decadently beautiful face.
Thanks to Xie Ye's spacious apartment, they were indeed the first group of guests to arrive at the airport. They took a special channel to the VIP lounge, even though they had been live-streaming before, they weren't afraid of being intercepted by fans.
The chief director knew how to create suspense and insisted that the rewards would only be revealed once everyone arrived in Country S.
Country S was the destination of their trip, more focused on natural landscapes, less likely to involve sensitive topics. The overall pace of life was slow, with beautiful scenery, vast and clear seas, and soft, clean beaches.
Xie Ye still wore that baseball cap, sitting in the corner with a listless expression, looking disinterested in everything. Only when Gu Cong initiated a conversation did he occasionally respond.
The on-call makeup artist found a bit of gossip.
Having seen Xie Ye by chance before, she was startled to hear about the foolish things he did to pursue Xue Minglang. She felt that the Xie Ye in the gossip seemed like a completely different person.
At this moment, the online buzz about the "worst couple" Gu Cong and Xie Ye had gradually subsided, and the "Lang Yue CP" with the same company regained its dominance.
Mismatched, the makeup artist posted a Weibo using a secondary account in the show's discussion group.
【Help, my makeup is ruined: It seems like the younger partner duo might work.】
Unfortunately, her taste seemed to have no consensus:
【Younger partner? Gu Cong and Xie Ye?】
【CP can be down-to-earth but not underworldly.】
【Be more open-minded, maybe Su Qingyue cutie can be the aggressor.】
【Doing a bitter laugh through tears.】
Just after finishing a well-received period drama, the popularity of Xue Minglang and Su Qingyue, who played brothers on and off-screen, was at its peak. However, they were a bit slow this time, arriving even later than the two women on the show.
"Sorry, sorry. We prepared too many things at home, and it took a while to get everything sorted out with Lang Ge. Apologies for the delay," Su Qingyue bowed and apologized with his hands clasped together.
However, Xue Minglang's attention was elsewhere.
In the corner, Xie Ye was sitting with the kid named Gu Cong. There was no intention to look up at him or steal the spotlight in any way.
Even until today, the other party had been causing trouble for Su Qingyue, bothering him persistently. He even showed up under his building after getting drunk, getting caught red-handed by paparazzi.
1101 added its gossipy commentary, "It really looks like it, indeed. The elegance of Su Qingyue is exactly the same as yours in high school. No wonder Xue Minglang likes him."
The noble and elegant little prince, untouched and untarnished.
Having little interest in these genuine or fake romantic entanglements, Xie Ye couldn't comprehend the obsession of the original owner with Xue Minglang. Instead, it was Gu Cong, who, across the armrest of the sofa, turned and gently pulled down his hat:
"The sunlight is too bright."
"Don't look then."
Author's note:
Gu Cong: Take care of your eyesight and don’t look at trash.
Gu Cong: Turn off the lights.
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