Fueled by those Weibo posts, the online world remained lively for several days.
Jiang Wen quickly updated his Weibo, refusing to admit that he had swapped his friend’s emergency asthma medication for the sake of a role. He threatened to sue Ye Shanshan and demanded an apology, questioning why he stood up for him only to be accused in return.
This left both casual observers and the owner’s fans dumbfounded.
—”His PR team lets such a brain-dead person showcase their intellect? Are they not paying him his salary?”
—”I feel sorry for our owner, being manipulated by such scum!”
This time, without Ye Shanshan personally rolling up his sleeves, various factions and individuals took the initiative. Jiang Wen’s concealed dark history was quickly exposed. After a row of solid evidence emerged, his Weibo, Baidu Tieba, and forums related to him were all plunged into chaos. High-rises of discussions and criticisms emerged one after another.
Seeing that the situation was spiraling out of control, Jiang Wen’s management company had no choice but to announce the temporary suspension of all of Jiang Wen’s activities.
Meanwhile, not long after Ye Shanshan posted his last Weibo, a trending hashtag emerged.
—”#PoolMoneyToHelpTheOwnerBuyWaterArmy#”
The discussion escalated rapidly, leaving Zheng Dong to sigh repeatedly. An artist openly expressing the intention to buy a water army to confront someone, and the fans actually pitching in—this strange world made him feel like he could retire.
After posting those Weibo updates, Ye Shanshan didn’t spend much time online. After all, he was someone struggling in the vast ocean of learning.
Over the next week, he didn’t even go to feed the black and white swans, and apart from attending classes, completing assignments, and looking for Gong Yue, he spent the rest of his time sweating profusely practicing the piano in the flower room. He worked so diligently that even he himself was afraid.
However, showcasing a challenging S-rank piece like “Ghost Fire” required flawless execution. The explosive output needed high-level training, or else his arms, which were losing muscle definition, would inevitably give out halfway.
That would be truly wasting Ye Shanshan’s efforts.
After practicing relentlessly for two hours, Ye Shanshan decided to take a break. After rubbing his fingers, he suddenly remembered that Zheng Dong had suggested occasionally doing a live stream to interact with fans and boost his popularity.
Recalling the previous occasions when someone tried to smear his reputation, his fans rolled up their sleeves and fought back. Last time, when he encountered fans while buying miscellaneous sauce noodles, they weren’t fierce at all. Wanting to express gratitude, Ye Shanshan logged into Weibo and quickly posted a notification.
—”Going live on 33 Platform in thirty minutes. Do you want to watch?”
He hadn’t even refreshed the page to check comments when Zheng Dong’s call came in.
“You haven’t been hacked?”
Shanshan didn’t connect with his own manager’s train of thought. “Huh? What hacking?”
“I saw on your Weibo that you want to do a live stream. Did you post that yourself?”
Then, from the other end of the phone, Shanshan’s voice came through, “Yes, I posted it. I wanted to thank everyone for supporting me.”
After saying that, he hesitated a bit, “Uh, is it okay?”
Hearing Shanshan’s last sentence, Zheng Dong quickly spoke up, “Of course, it’s okay, absolutely okay. I was just too excited. Feel free to do whatever you want!”
Who would’ve thought that when Zheng Dong saw Shanshan’s Weibo about doing a live stream, he was shocked, feeling a strange sense of gratification—like a head teacher discovering a student who had always skipped class finally starting to take studies seriously.
Zheng Dong suddenly felt that his goal of “dominating the entertainment industry” could be refreshed!
Thirty minutes later, Shanshan opened the live stream right on time, only to find that there were already over half a million viewers inside, and the number was rapidly increasing.
Completely unexpected of so many people, Shanshan turned on the camera, and the discussion section exploded.
—”Ah, it’s really him! I’m going to die!!!”
—”Is this his real face? Is this without makeup? Even better than on TV! Better than photos! Better than movies!”
—”Agreed, he’s even more handsome without makeup!”
The comments were flying so fast, but Shanshan had no trouble reading them. He smiled at the camera and greeted, “Hello, everyone.”
Just with that smile, the discussion section seemed to freeze for a moment, and then it went crazy again.
—”Mom, I’m never getting married! How can I not marry Shanshan?!”
—”Ah, I don’t know what to say besides ‘Ah, Ah’!”
—”That smile from Shanshan, I can savor it for a lifetime!”
Shanshan found the fans amusing. Initially a bit nervous, he completely relaxed when he noticed the enthusiasm. Once he relaxed, the comments increased.
“Today, I decided spontaneously to do a live stream. Actually, I haven’t mastered this skill yet, ah, you all say it’s okay? Alright, today’s stream will be forty minutes, but I’ve been practicing the piano these days. Is it okay if I practice for you? Will it be boring?”
—”Piano? Violin? Guqin? Stream whatever you want, and we’ll watch whatever you stream! Our Shanshan is truly a talented guy!”
—”Forty minutes is too short! Can it be four hours, four days? Aah!”
—”Your voice, Shanshan, is really amazing! Everything you say is good! Everything you do is right!”
Seeing that everyone in the discussion section agreed, Shanshan secured his phone and an external camera on a plant stand. After checking the angle, making sure he could capture both himself and the piano, he sat back on the piano stool.
First, he waved towards the camera, then started practicing the piano.
He was always focused when doing things, and even while practicing the piano, he didn’t pay much attention to the live stream.
By this time, the number of online viewers had exceeded one million, and the discussion section was even more lively.
—”Shanshan is truly a godlike beauty! Those who said he had plastic surgery, take that! Does his face hurt? Which person who had plastic surgery would dare to show up so naturally, not even using a filter? The key is, even without a filter, he’s breathtaking! Kowtow!”
—”Upstairs, Shanshan probably doesn’t know about filters, huh? His appearance has broken through the dimensional wall! Also, Shanshan’s collarbone, it’s exploding in place!”
—”Twenty years of piano learning and currently studying at a music institute, here to say that Shanshan’s skill is amazing. I’m ready to convert from a fan of his looks to a fan of his talent!”
—”Upstairs, add your ID number. I also play the piano. Shanshan’s skills, incomparable! Leaves my teacher far behind!!!”
The entire comment section was unexpectedly harmonious, and Zheng Dong, who was worried about Shanshan’s first live stream, sneakily peeked at the screen. He hadn’t expected this at all.
However, watching Shanshan, who was intensely playing the piano on the screen, Zheng Dong couldn’t help but admire him. Even if he was practicing a mere exercise, it was fantastic!
Obviously, not only did he want to kneel, but the comments were also full of “begging to become Shanshan’s disciple.” People initially thought Shanshan was only at the level of someone who could press piano keys, considering that many celebrities have a special skill in music. However, they didn’t expect that even with just a practice piece, Shanshan played it exceptionally well!
As if keeping track of time, right at the thirty-minute mark, Shanshan stopped playing and then stood up, walking towards the camera. Because he was too close, his entire face was enlarged—moreover, even with such a close-up, not a single flaw could be seen on his skin.
Shanshan brought the phone closer and looked at the discussion section.
—”How does Shanshan take care of his skin? It’s too beautiful!”
—”I don’t deliberately care for my skin; it’s natural,” Shanshan replied, then continued reading, “Piano for a few years? Want to become my disciple? I’ve been playing the piano for three years, but I won’t take on disciples. My skill level isn’t enough. Keep practicing, and you’ll see results.”
Finding that Shanshan was actually responding to comments, the discussion section exploded again.
—”Is the money for buying water armies enough? Hmm, it should be enough, right? Any upcoming schedules? Sorry, there are no upcoming schedules; only at the end of the month, I’ll be attending a private event. But where will you play the piano? I’m at home…”
Randomly selecting a few more questions to answer, Shanshan put the phone back, then waved at the camera, “Let’s end it here today. If there’s a live stream in the future, I’ll announce it on Weibo. Also, thank you all for supporting me so much. It’s hard work, and I’m really grateful. Goodbye, I’m ending the live stream.”
On Zheng Dong’s side, he had just exited the live stream when he reposted a Weibo from Xu Luoyang. He then discovered that the words “Shanshan Live Stream” shot up to the top of Weibo’s trending topics.
The speed was unprecedented.
He clicked on it and saw a flood of crying and howling fans, with screenshots and gifs filling the screen. Everything was about “Face Fan,” “Hand Control,” “Voice Pregnancy,” “Talent Fan,” and “Piano Fan.”
Suddenly, and he didn’t know why, the tone changed completely, and everyone was uniformly saying, “I want to contribute money to help the host buy water armies!”
Zheng Dong had to admit that people were incomparable, and someone like Shanshan was really favored by heaven. Even if he didn’t become super famous, he was still not letting down the heavens.
However, thinking about it, Zheng Dong started to worry again. Would the young master of the landlord’s family suddenly give up and decide to become a physicist or a pianist one day?
While he was contemplating how to persuade Shanshan if he decided to give up, his phone rang.
“Xiatian? Is there something?”
Lin Xiatian didn’t waste words, “Mr. Gong wants to see you. The car is downstairs now.”
When he heard this, Zheng Dong almost dropped his phone.
※※※
When brought into the office, standing in front of Gong Yue, Zheng Dong was even more convinced of Shanshan’s excellence. Having experienced big winds and waves and seen the world, he was not inexperienced, but facing Gong Yue, he felt a kind of trepidation, a unique kind.
“Please sit.” Gong Yue gestured. Seeing him seated, he directly explained the reason for inviting him, “Shanshan told me earlier that he wants to seriously act.”
Suppressing the urge to wipe away his sweat, Zheng Dong sat without leaning back on the chair. He was initially wondering why Shanshan would want to act seriously; after all, wasn’t he currently filming? Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he understood Gong Yue’s meaning, “Young Master… uh, Shanshan wants to, seriously act?”
Gong Yue nodded, without unnecessary words.
“Whatever Shanshan wants to do, he does it. You just need to cooperate. All his roles and related arrangements are chosen by him, and you shouldn’t interfere. Also, if you encounter anything you can’t handle, tell me, I will handle it.”
After finishing, Gong Yue lightly tapped the desk, making a dull “thud” sound, like a heavy blow on Zheng Dong’s chest. The man with a strong and imposing aura continued in a calm tone, “Don’t let your ambitions add pressure to Shanshan.”
Zheng Dong heard the warning in Gong Yue’s words, and his palms were sweaty.
Seeing that Zheng Dong’s temples were already damp, Gong Yue handed him a card, “Take care of Shanshan for me. It’s not easy; I entrust him to you wholeheartedly.”
When Zheng Dong walked out of the Gong Mansion, he was still in a daze, and his back was soaked with cold sweat.
Looking at the phone number that had been added to his contacts and then looking at the bank card in his hand, Zheng Dong felt that from now on, he was truly bound to Shanshan. If anything happened to Shanshan, he would be the first to suffer.
Finding an ATM, he entered the password written on the card, checking the balance.
Looking at the string of zeros on the screen, Zheng Dong suddenly felt that after giving a beating, he was being offered a sweet jujube—although the beating almost gave him a heart attack, the sweet jujube was really sweet!
※※※
When Gong Yue returned home, Shanshan was squatting in front of a potted plant, watering it with a small watering can. Perhaps disliking the bangs blocking his vision, he also took a small hair tie and tied up that bunch of hair.
Hearing Gong Yue’s footsteps, Shanshan turned around, and that long strand of hair that reached his pinkie swayed with his movements. “Brother, you’re back!”
Handing the small watering can to the nearby Hawk, Shanshan walked a few steps to the door, holding the coat that Gong Yue had taken off, chattering away.
“Bro, I finished my classes today, very diligently. I completed the exam, and my accuracy was exceptionally high. It was so high that it frightened me, a kind of awe! In the afternoon, I practiced the piano, oh, and I also did a live stream. I’ve never done it before, but it was quite fun.”
“Mm.” Gong Yue nodded; he had watched it. After finishing the live stream, he even went back to watch the recording.
Seeing Shanshan bowing his head towards Gong Yue, pointing to his hair, “Bro, how about my little ponytail?” He almost directly said, ‘Please praise me.’
But Gong Yue understood. He reached out and pinched it, saying, “Looks good.”
Receiving a smile from Shanshan, the two walked inside. They found Shanshan walking behind him, head down and toes tip-toeing. Suddenly, Gong Yue stopped and turned around. Without braking, Shanshan ran into Gong Yue’s arms.
Gong Yue held him full in his arms, rubbed Shanshan’s hair, and asked, “Be careful, did it hurt?”
Shanshan covered his nose, looked at Gong Yue with teary eyes, and nodded pitifully, “Your chest muscles are too hard!”
The nose is about to break, so painful!
Gong Yue reached out, lifted Shanshan’s chin with three fingers, and approached a bit, “Let me see? Does it hurt a lot?”
Blushing, Shanshan cooperatively didn’t move but was a bit nervous, “It hurts a lot! How does it look, how does it look?”
“No problem, just a bit red.” After speaking, he withdrew his hand. Gong Yue reminded, “Watch your steps when walking.”
Saying that, he reached out and grabbed Shanshan’s wrist. Nonchalantly, he said, “Let’s go; I brought paper cup cakes for you.”
“Really?” Shanshan instantly forgot about the soreness in his nose, almost jumping up, “Bro, is it from the bakery on the street corner? What flavor is it? Ah, Bro, you’re the best!”
Gong Yue replied with a simple “Mm” and held Shanshan’s wrist. His five fingers moved down a bit, loosened slightly, and tightened instantly, finally holding Shanshan’s hand.
1TL: YSIAD “You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you ❤️”
