IOLYF Chapter 15

“Xi Xi, stop looking at your phone,” Yang Guan gently placed a peeled shrimp on his girlfriend’s plate, speaking softly, “Have something to eat. You’ve been glued to your phone ever since we sat down.”

Shen Xixi didn’t even lift her head, “Eat? How can I eat? I’m so annoyed I could burst. The internet is buzzing about Han Shao Zhou and this Mo Ming. Can you believe so many people actually think Han Shao Zhou is dating Mo Ming? Are they all idiots?”

Yang Guan had already listened to his girlfriend rant about this twenty minutes ago and couldn’t help but chuckle, “So they got exposed, big deal. Didn’t you say Han Ge is just keeping him around as a stand-in for your cousin? As long as Han Ge knows the truth, why do you care what the netizens say?”

“You’re right, but it still disgusts me. I never thought Mo Ming could be so calculating.”

“Calculating?”

“How are you so slow? Can’t you see? This whole exposure was clearly orchestrated by Mo Ming. He’s shooting in that set, so how could he not know there’s a camera in that makeup room?” Shen Xixi was fuming, “It must have been after that gathering when we mentioned that my cousin is getting divorced and returning to Chuanhai. He realized his time by Han Ge’s side was limited, so he’s using this to boost his status before Han Ge dumps him.”

Yang Guan was taken aback, “No way, Mo Ming seems pretty honest to me.”

“You don’t understand the entertainment industry at all. Just look at the internet now. So many people are comparing Mo Ming to my cousin. How can they even be compared? What position does Mo Ming hold in the industry? And what was my cousin’s status back then? This is a blatant case of leveling up through scandal and tied marketing. Now, whenever there’s news about my cousin or Han Shao Zhou, some busybody netizen is bound to bring up Mo Ming again. Just riding this wave of discussion is enough to keep Mo Ming relevant in the industry. Isn’t that kind of scheming scary?”

Yang Guan, not fully grasping the intricacies, still agreed, “Yeah, that is scary.”

After a moment, Yang Guan frowned in confusion and asked, “But if Han Ge knows about your cousin and Gao Chen’s divorce, why is he still keeping Mo Ming around? He even visited the set. That doesn’t make sense.”

Yang Guan’s words suddenly made Shen Xixi uneasy.

“Could it be that Han Ge has actually fallen for Mo Ming over time?” Yang Guan joked.

“Impossible,” Shen Xixi blurted out, “How could Mo Ming compare to my cousin? If he didn’t look like my cousin, would Han Shao Zhou even give him a second glance?”

“Don’t be mad, Xi Xi. I was just joking. Of course, Mo Ming can’t compare to Wen Ci. He’s just a stand-in, a stand-in.” Yang Guan quickly tried to calm her down. He knew his girlfriend was banking on Han Shao Zhou’s feelings for Wen Ci to indirectly fulfill her own dream of becoming a superstar.

Shen Xixi’s expression remained sour. At first, she was just disgusted by Mo Ming using Han Shao Zhou and Wen Ci to climb up the ranks, but after what Yang Guan said, she couldn’t help but feel a bit anxious. Even though she firmly believed that Mo Ming couldn’t hold a candle to Wen Ci, Mo Ming did have the advantage of having been by Han Shao Zhou’s side for three years, and she couldn’t deny that Mo Ming’s looks were… If Han Shao Zhou really did fall for him, then…

Shen Xixi quickly stopped herself from overthinking. She saved a photo of Wen Ci and a photo of Mo Ming from the internet, then used a photo-editing app to zoom in and stitch their faces together. She posted the edited image on her social media account, where she regularly shared tea, snacks, and handbags, boasting over 800,000 followers.

She captioned it: Am I the only one who noticed this? [shocked face]

When some netizens started comparing Wen Ci and Mo Ming, a few sharp-eyed users pointed out the slight resemblance between their brows. Shen Xixi then used several of her fake accounts to reply and subtly suggest that Mo Ming was just Wen Ci’s stand-in. However, many netizens seemed to believe that it was just Han Shao Zhou’s single-minded taste—that he simply liked this type of appearance.

After posting, Shen Xixi immediately switched to several fake accounts to comment under her post.

“Hahaha, I noticed it ages ago. Mo Ming is clearly a low-budget version of Wen Ci.”

“I have a friend who knows one of Han Shao Zhou’s friends. He said Han Ge has been with Mo Ming for three years now… Haha, Wen Ci got married, so Han Ge found someone who looks like Wen Ci to keep by his side. You know why.”

“Reply to above: Oh my god, I thought they just started dating. But if that’s true, Han Ge’s been keeping Mo Ming as Wen Ci’s stand-in for three years. Boohoo, Han Ge still loves Wen Ci the most {crying emoji}”

“Honestly, I guessed it the moment I saw Mo Ming. I’m seriously suspecting this is Mo trying to force Han Shao Zhou into acknowledging their relationship.”

“If what you’re saying is true, isn’t Mo Ming pitiful? Being a stand-in is really hurtful.”

“Reply to above: I bet you’re a Mo Ming fan, aren’t you? That’s hilarious. Your idol’s been making money off Han Shao Zhou for years, and now he’s using the stand-in angle to carve out a path in the entertainment industry. Pitiful? He’s probably overjoyed right now.”

Shen Xixi’s little nudge set things in motion, and the comment section took off on its own. Her account regularly shared Wen Ci’s works or reposted content from his account, so a large portion of her 800,000 followers were also Wen Ci fans.

Naturally, the comments under a post related to Wen Ci leaned in his favor.

Once the comments reached over a thousand, Shen Xixi paid for her post to be featured at the top of the platform, making sure that the comment calling Mo Ming a low-budget Wen Ci stayed at the top.

When she and Yang Guan left the restaurant, Shen Xixi saw a trending topic on Weibo called [Mo Ming Low-budget Wen Ci]—pushed to the top by Wen Ci’s fans.

As one of the top stars in the entertainment industry who had retired at the peak of his career, Wen Ci’s fan base was still unmatched by most newcomers, even after three years of silence.

Shen Xixi finally felt a bit better. After getting in the car, she thought for a while and then sent a message to Wen Ci.

[Shen Xixi]: Cousin, when are you coming back?

It took a while for a reply to come through.

[Wen Ci]: Is there something you need, Xi Xi?

[Shen Xixi]: I just miss you [heart emoji]

[Wen Ci]: About half a month.

[Shen Xixi]: Cousin, I’m just curious, when do you plan to announce your divorce with Gao Chen?

[Wen Ci]: Xi Xi, that’s my private matter.

[Shen Xixi]: But cousin, did you see the news online today? About Han Ge.

Shen Xixi knew that Wen Ci had definitely seen it because half an hour ago, she noticed Wen Ci’s account manually liked an in-depth review of one of his films, which at least indicated that Wen Ci was online.

Wen Ci didn’t reply, and after waiting for a long time, Shen Xixi couldn’t help but send another message.

[Shen Xixi]: Han Ge is so out of line. Even if he’s still into you, he shouldn’t have found a stand-in. Cousin, come back soon. If this goes on, I really think Han Ge is going to get dirty.

[Wen Ci]: What he does is his business. It has nothing to do with me.

[Shen Xixi]: Of course it does! Han Ge only did this because he couldn’t have you, and now he’s resorted to finding a stand-in. Only you can save him now.

[Wen Ci]: Don’t mention him to me again. That’s it for now, I’m going to sleep.

Yang Guan had been cuddling with Shen Xixi, and since she didn’t bother to hide her phone, he could see the conversation.

“Why do I feel like your cousin is angry?” Yang Guan asked.

Shen Xixi leaned back in her seat, frustrated. “I can’t figure out what’s going on in his head right now.”

…

It was past midnight. The city lights outside the floor-to-ceiling windows sparkled, beautiful yet distant.

Unable to sleep, Wen Ci picked up his phone from the pillow and opened that video on the internet.

But he only lasted a few seconds before closing it again.

Putting the phone aside, Wen Ci got up and went to the bathroom. He splashed cold water on his face and then used a towel to wipe off the water droplets…

In the clean mirror, a young and handsome face was reflected. The light fell on his fair skin, flawless and pristine…

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