TGBOG Chapter 21

Tian Gai started brainwashing Ye Luan—

Tian Gai: Let me tell you, fans are the most fickle. Today, they ship you with him, tomorrow they’ll ship him with someone else.

Tian Gai: What’s the most appealing thing in RPS? The allure of what’s hidden! The more mysterious and ambiguous, the more the fans go wild!

Tian Gai: Directly showing the candy doesn’t work! If you just say on Weibo, “I’m dating Zhao Yijia,” they’ll think you lost at Truth or Dare. The more straightforward you are, the more they’ll think you’re just being a straight guy.

Tian Gai: Trust me, in RPS, eye contact candy is the lowest level!

Tian Gai: Don’t doubt me, I’ve been undercover in my own CP fan group for a long time now. Not to brag, but I’m the most adept at navigating fan circles among writers.

Tian Gai: Let’s call this operation “CP Defense Battle.” How does that sound? Fired up yet?!

…

Ye Luan had a headache from all the noise.

Honestly, he didn’t care much about these imagined rumors. After all, they’re fake. He couldn’t possibly issue a statement banning CP shipping or fan fantasies. Tian Gai wasn’t wrong about one thing: Eye contact doesn’t prove anything. Someone with beautiful eyes like Zhao Yijia always looks affectionate, even when just drinking water. But seeing all the retweets and comments go crazy on Weibo, combined with what Tian Gai said about “R18 fanfics,” it really got under his skin. What a joke! He wouldn’t even write R18 fanfics about himself and Zhao Yijia! And these fans—just a moment ago, they were all about the “Ye Gongzi” (Ye Luan and Zhao Zhao’s CP name), and now they’ve suddenly switched to “Mo Zhao” as the ultimate tragic true love?!

Twelve Ye: What should I do?

Tian Gai: First, do you two have anything matching? Matching clothes, shoes, watches, accessories—anything matching will do.

Twelve Ye: We share the same home.

Tian Gai: …I need to see something matching on both of you within five minutes.

Ye Luan thought for a moment. Despite knowing Zhao Yijia for so long, he hadn’t really given him any proper gifts. If he needed to quickly match something now, he’d have to start with a small gift. But since he was at the airport and Zhao Yijia was almost back in Y City, even if he ordered something online now, it wouldn’t arrive until tomorrow. If he needed it immediately, he’d have to visit a physical store—

Suddenly, something came to Ye Luan’s mind. He quickly walked into a luxury duty-free store behind him. After a quick loop around, he stopped in front of a shelf, then took out his phone to make a call. “Yue Mian, I need a favor.”

By the time Zhao Yijia got home, it was already dark. His flight had been delayed, so by the time he reached Y City, it was already dinner time. He decided to grab dinner before heading home. Just as he was getting off the plane, he received a WeChat message from Ye Luan, saying there was a package for him at the property office and to remember to pick it up. Zhao Yijia assumed it was just a regular delivery, but when he got there, he found a neatly wrapped gift.

It was a FENDI Monster Eye keychain.

Zhao Yijia wasn’t particularly surprised; this kind of small surprise was typical of Ye Luan. As he ran his fingers over the keychain’s golden eyes, he couldn’t resist calling him.

As soon as the call connected, Ye Luan asked, “Did you get the gift?”

Hearing that it was quiet on the other end, Zhao Yijia asked, “Are you at the hotel now? What made you think of sending a keychain out of the blue?”

“I was short on time, so I could only send a small item. I saw it in the duty-free shop and thought it looked nice, so I asked a friend to buy it and send it to you.”

Zhao Yijia was speechless. “You could’ve just bought it at the airport and brought it back for me next time. Wasn’t it a hassle for your friend?”

“I couldn’t wait.”

Zhao Yijia’s ears felt warm.

Ye Luan continued, “Do you like it?”

Zhao Yijia nodded, “I do.”

“Then post it on Weibo.”

Zhao Yijia sighed, “As you command.”

After hanging up, Ye Luan looked at the gold keychain in his hand, his lips curling into a smile. Shortly after, a notification popped up on his phone—a Weibo post from Zhao Yijia:

Zhao Zhao Zhaozhao V: Can’t wait to see you. [Photo]

The photo was a close-up of the keychain. To the casual observer, it looked like Zhao Yijia had just gotten something he liked and couldn’t resist showing it off. But Ye Luan knew, this message was meant for him.

Love is truly wonderful. Even a small code can make you feel addicted.

After waiting patiently for fifteen minutes, estimating that those who needed to see it had seen it, Ye Luan picked up his phone and posted a Weibo update—

Twelve Ye V: Mm. [Photo]

The picture Ye Luan posted was a shot of a cluttered work desk: a lit computer screen, a few documents, a cup of water, and that casual “Mm,” all seemingly hinting at another busy night—unless you noticed the top right corner, where a small portion of the Monster Eye keychain was just barely visible.

Tian Gai: 66666666666 Twelve Ye, your instincts are spot on!

Tian Gai: With just a tiny glimpse like that, do you think anyone will notice?

Tian Gai: Should I help boost it with a repost?

…

Ignoring Tian Gai, Ye Luan watched as the second hand on his wristwatch ticked halfway around. At the thirty-second mark, he deleted the post.

Tian Gai: ????? Why did you delete it?

Ye Luan then posted another Weibo update, identical to the previous one—another “Mm,” and the same desk setup: computer, documents, cup of water. It looked exactly the same, except the keychain was gone from the top right corner. Right after that, Ye Luan set an earlier Weibo post, one with six pictures of dishes Zhao Yijia had made, to private.

Tian Gai: …Holy crap?!

Tian Gai: This move is way too slick!

Tian Gai: Damn! Ye Laoshi, you’re amazing!!!

An hour later, “Twelve Ye Deletes Post” hit the trending list.

Yue Si Literature Web Official Forum—Girls Channel—Gossip Chat Zone

[Discussion] What’s with the trending topic “Twelve Ye Deletes Post”?

0L: Did the production team buy it?

1L: Click on it, and you’ll see.

2L: My feed has already exploded.

3L: Would the production team buy a spot at 27? If they were buying, wouldn’t they aim for the top 5?

4L: [Pic][Pic][Pic] The first two are the deleted post and the repost. The third one is Zhao Zhao’s Weibo.

5L: Reply to 4L: Holy crap, just noticed!

6L: Reply to 4L: What’s going on? What’s with the keychain? Why did Twelve Ye repost without it?

7L: Reply to 6L: Good question. I want to know too.

8L: There’s a thread already [link: A certain internet celebrity signed with a new company, hasn’t written a single word of a new novel, claims to be too busy, but wrote a 10,000-word review for a certain writer’s work on Weibo—what’s up with that?]

9L: Same keychain—care to join us in shipping the Ye Gongzi CP?

10L: It’s just a matching keychain, and it’s trending? Some CPs should be trending all year, then.

11L: The main thing is, I’ve never seen Twelve Ye so flustered before.

12L: Reply to 11L: “Flustered” is a fitting word.

13L: Reply to 10L: Haha, are you talking about Wen Gu?

14L: Holy crap, someone on the other forum said Twelve Ye hid a post, one with a tablecloth just like the one at Zhao Zhao’s place.

15L: ????? I just started shipping Mo Zhao?

16L: I don’t get it. What’s the big deal about a keychain? Even if it’s matching, it’s not that big of a candy drop. Deleting and reposting it feels weird.

17L: It’s a cover-up.

18L: Mo Zhao feels more real, honestly. Those eyes!

19L: Reply to 18L: Same here!

20L: Doesn’t anyone think Zhao Zhao and Twelve Ye’s Weibo posts read like a conversation?

—Can’t wait to see you.

—Mm.

21L: Reply to 20L: Locked in!

22L: Reply to 20L: I said the same thing in the other thread!

23L: Anyway, I think Twelve Ye’s been acting strange lately.

24L: They bought matching couple keychains (probably picked by Zhao Zhao), then couldn’t resist flirting across the airwaves (like a schoolboy). When it got noticed, he quickly deleted and reposted—what kind of innocent top from a BL novel is this?

25L: Reply to 24L: wtmxs, this isn’t the Ye Laoda I know.

26L: Reply to 24L: Our cold and aloof Ye actually engaging in long-distance flirting is already amazing, okay?!

27L: Reply to 24L: Sweet!

28L: Who’s the real love for Zhao Zhao—Twelve Ye or Mo Lizi?

29L: Reply to 16L: So subtle.

30L: Holy crap, go check Twelve Ye’s Weibo right now—I’m losing it! Aaaaaahhhh!

…

While Tian Gai kept going on about how Ye Luan was playing it cool and getting on the trending list, Ye Luan, seemingly unsatisfied, posted another Weibo update—

Twelve Ye V: The press conference was a success. Thanks to all our friends for their support. Let’s look forward to the movie together! [Photo x 9]

Ye Luan uploaded nine pictures. The first eight were of the movie’s main cast and crew, but the last one was a side profile: it was dusk, the golden light spreading like a river, the setting sun’s afterglow enveloping a faint silhouette. The person in the photo barely glanced at the camera, their brows raised, and the corners of their lips curled up.

Anyone who saw this photo had to admit: it was beautiful.

The person in the photo was beautiful, and so was the one who took it: they must have focused all their attention on the subject to capture such a fleeting moment of beauty.

Ye Luan finally felt satisfied. He had to admit Tian Gai had a point—ambiguity sparks curiosity. Considering all the effort he’d put in, he hoped everyone would soon see the truth and stop shipping the wrong CP.

After posting, he casually browsed the comments, then took a screenshot and sent it to Tian Gai—

Twelve Ye: [Pic]

Tian Gai: ??????

Twelve Ye: Use your main account to like this comment.

Tian Gai: !!!!!

Five minutes later, the top comment on Ye Luan’s Weibo:

Orange Breeze: Is that last photo taken from a boyfriend’s perspective?