Since the legendary film emperor wanted to appear on ‘Weekly Entertainment’, the show’s director was ecstatic. He had no objections to the idea of the emperor bringing a newcomer to make an appearance and immediately set aside time for him without hesitation.
After receiving confirmation from his assistant, Shen Zhe pulled out his phone in front of Wei Xicheng and typed out a post.
‘Shen Zhe✔️’: “Recording ‘Weekly Entertainment’ next week. Looking forward to the collaboration @StarQiChen5201314.”
After sending off this strangely styled Weibo username, Shen Zhe clicked into Qi Chen’s Weibo account. It was clear that Qi Chen’s father had been managing the account, as it mostly contained Qi Chen’s work announcements and some flashy pictures of beautiful women.
After casually following the account, Shen Zhe looked up at the obedient boy sitting beside him and said, “Give your account to Nina so she can help you organize it.”
“I don’t know the password,” Wei Xicheng responded shyly, feeling a bit embarrassed. “I don’t have a phone.”
Qi Chen’s father had never given the original Qi Chen a chance to interact with the outside world, but he often showed him the harsh comments under his account. This led Qi Chen to believe that the outside world was filled with malicious criticism of his performance. Until his death, Qi Chen had never broken free from the high walls his father built around him.
No one knew what kind of life the timid and anxious boy on the screen was living in private, yet people still brazenly yelled, “Get out of the entertainment industry” and “If you enjoy the benefits of exposure, you must also bear the pressure.”
Shen Zhe frowned. After tapping on his phone a couple of times, he registered a new account and posted another Weibo: “I’ll have my assistant send you a phone in a bit, but don’t pay too much attention to online comments. Let Nina teach you how to handle it.”
“Okay. Deduct the cost of the phone from my paycheck.”
Hearing this, Shen Zhe’s fingers froze for a moment. He then posted another Weibo: “You think you have that much paycheck? You want everything deducted from it?”
The boy seemed frightened by this remark, and hurriedly explained in a flustered manner, “I-I don’t have any money. I’ll work hard. I can do other things too.”
Shen Zhe sighed, noticing the boy’s slightly reddened eyes, and his tone softened, “What else can you do?”
“I can work for big bosses as a…”
“Shut up.” Shen Zhe felt a vein throbbing in his forehead. ‘What? He couldn’t bring himself to treat this little quail inappropriately, and now he wants to go to someone else?’
Wei Xicheng trembled at the stern reprimand and lowered his head, muttering in a softer voice, “Odd jobs to earn money…”
Shen Zhe lowered his hand from his forehead, his gaze deepened. ‘Was this little quail doing this on purpose?’
Wei Xicheng suppressed a smile and remained serious.
As the two discussed the matter of wages, they were unaware that Weibo had already exploded.
Within a minute of Shen Zhe’s two consecutive posts, the topic had shot to the top, with countless fans reposting and commenting, causing Weibo’s powerful servers to lag significantly. After both official accounts confirmed the collaboration, the discussions only grew more intense.
‘@WeeklyEntertainmentV’: “Wow! An exciting collaboration! We’ll release the schedule soon~ //@JingNianStudioV: Our Shen Yingdi has confirmed filming for ‘Weekly Entertainment!’ A new face will also be making an appearance! Aren’t you all excited? //@ShenZhe☑️: Looking forward to the collaboration, my little star @QiChen☑️.”
In the midst of the commotion, besides the declarations of love for Shen Zhe and the excitement over his return to the screen, another comment quickly rose to the top.
‘LoveGodZhe’: “Hey, uh… am I the only one who finds ‘my little star’ weirdly affectionate? And… who is Qi Chen?”
Following this top comment, a new trending topic #WhoIsQiChen appeared, ranking third on the hot search, with the buzz continuing to grow.
Many of Qi Chen’s past scandals were also unearthed, and people went through every post from Shen Zhe’s earlier @StarQiChen5201314 Weibo tag.
DeeplyLovingZhe: “What is this? Jing Nian actually signed someone like this? Don’t drag Shen’s reputation down, okay?”
ShenFamilyLittleSister: “Qi Chen’s performance is… let’s just say it’s hard to describe.”
LoveGodZhe: “So it’s him, huh? He looks pretty good, but his stage presence… seriously lacking!!!”
WhatToEatNext: “Just a passerby here, but honestly, this guy is way too low-tier. I’m setting a flag: even with Shen Zhe’s personal support, he won’t make it.”
MoeMoe: “And he has the nerve to call himself a star… unbelievable.”
Under Qi Chen’s first new post, “Hello, everyone. I’m Qi Chen,” there wasn’t a single positive comment. It wasn’t just Shen Zhe’s fans, even passersby shook their heads after looking at his previous posts, all responding with a firm *No*.
After dinner, Shen Zhe stood by the window, recalling the comments. His hand clenched his phone so tightly that his knuckles protruded, showing just how much force he was applying to the device.
Outside, the streets were bustling with cars and lights. Shen Zhe took a deep breath but couldn’t stop himself from picking up his phone to type another Weibo post.
Shen Zhe☑️: “I believe in your abilities. @Qi ChenV”
After posting, Shen Zhe logged out of Weibo and made a call to his assistant.
“Hold off on giving Qi Chen the phone for now. Leave it with Nina. Also, should the PR department use the moderation techniques I taught them?”
After saying that, Shen Zhe hung up. He had anticipated some negative public opinion, but the best way to clear Qi Chen’s past scandals was to quickly appear on a variety show, coupled with the promotional photos from Grant.
Even though he was the one who told Qi Chen not to care about online comments, he couldn’t control his own anger. Just thinking about how the kid’s eyes would turn red after seeing those comments made his heart ache.
After pacing around the room for a while, Shen Zhe grabbed his coat and headed out.
—
Wei Xicheng lay on the bed, scrolling through the hot comments on his new Weibo account. Even though he didn’t have a phone, the extra energy in his system allowed him to connect to the world’s internet.
As he scrolled, he reflected on how, after experiencing so many worlds, the internet bullying was more or less the same in each one. However, for someone like him, who had been through tasks where he was ruined and disgraced, this kind of thing didn’t stir up much emotion.
On the contrary, there was one person who had left a lasting impression on his heart.
“Ding dong, ding dong.” The doorbell interrupted Wei Xicheng’s thoughts. Ever since Nina and the others had come to visit the apartment, only he and Nina had a key to the place.
Wei Xicheng got up slowly and shuffled to the door. Through the peephole, he saw Shen Zhe standing there with a stern expression.
It was quite funny, actually. Shen Zhe’s public persona was that of a gentle nobleman, but even when he had a slight smile, people naturally kept their distance from him.
Even when he smiled, there was an underlying coldness and indifference in his bones, and now, with no smile at all, his expression was downright icy, like he had just walked out of a freezer, his entire body radiating cold air.
Wei Xicheng smacked his lips, hid all his emotions, and opened the door.
“Senior…”
As Shen Zhe walked toward the living room, he frowned. ‘Senior? Where did he pick up this term?’
“It’s so late. Is there something you need?” Wei Xicheng asked from the doorway, watching as the man casually poured himself a glass of water and sat down on the sofa.
Hearing this, Shen Zhe raised an eyebrow and looked at the boy standing at the door.
“What, I can’t visit?”
Wei Xicheng shook his head slightly and said, “That’s not what I meant.”
“Come here.”
Shen Zhe wasn’t pleased with the five-meter distance between him and the little star. Even when the boy finally sat across from him, he still wasn’t satisfied. ‘Why is there always something between us?’
But sitting face-to-face had its advantages,Shen Zhe could clearly see the boy’s expression. From his rosy cheeks, it seemed like he wasn’t yet aware of the storm brewing online.
“Why do you want to be a celebrity?” The question seemed casual, but Shen Zhe had given it careful thought.
Qi Chen never liked being the center of attention. His personality shift showed his dislike and even fear of the entertainment industry and the impact it had on him.
After the recent training courses, it was clear the boy had immense talent in acting. Despite having wasted that talent before, his passion and joy during performances were evident.
It seemed that no matter what situation he faced, his first instinct was to avoid it. Whether it was interacting with people or taking good opportunities, his first response was always that he wasn’t capable and couldn’t bear the responsibility. To love yet fear—what a difficult place to be in.
Wei Xicheng lowered his eyes slightly, his lips moving. ‘So, he came late at night to have a heart-to-heart?’
“To make money.”
Shen Zhe took a sip of water, leaning back comfortably on the soft couch.
“You’re short on money?”
“My father is.”
Shen Zhe put down the cup. The answer didn’t surprise him, but he still had to ask, “Do you enjoy being a celebrity?”
If the boy answered, “No,” Shen Zhe was prepared to pull him out of the industry, even if it meant breaking contracts. He didn’t want the boy to be subjected to more public criticism. People tend to forget things quickly, after all.
“I do.” Wei Xicheng nodded lightly. “Thank you, Mr. Shen Zhe.”
This was the first time Shen Zhe had heard the boy call him by his name, and instead of feeling disrespected, he sensed a deep sincerity. It was as if calling him by his full name was Wei Xicheng’s way of showing how much he valued him.
Shen Zhe felt a twinge of something in his heart. He rested his hand on the back of the couch, loosened two buttons on his shirt collar, and cleared his throat. Changing the subject, he asked, “I heard from Nina that you’re looking for a lawyer. What for?”
‘Weren’t you eavesdropping?’ Wei Xicheng mentally rolled his eyes.
“I want to live on my own.” The boy’s voice was low, like the toll of a midnight bell, striking Shen Zhe’s heart one beat at a time. “I don’t have any family anymore.”
Shen Zhe sat straight on the couch. Based on the information he had gathered, the boy’s father did have issues, but to what extent, Shen Zhe’s people couldn’t figure out. The only breakthrough was through the boy himself.
The boy avoided contact with strangers, but now he was proactively asking for a lawyer, likely because he could no longer endure his father. Shen Zhe’s heart clenched, but he quickly composed himself and said, “Don’t worry.”
‘Don’t worry about what? Say something more!’ Wei Xicheng was internally frustrated. In his previous world, he had lived carefreely, with Sheng Huasen taking care of all his troubles. It was practically a vacation world. He had thought that in this world, he’d have to deal with the threat of Qi Chen’s father on his own, but unexpectedly, this world had someone like Sheng Huasen too.
This made the lazy part of Wei Xicheng stir. The familiar feeling he got from Shen Zhe made him instinctively think that Shen Zhe and Sheng Huasen were the same kind of soul, but this was too strange to be a coincidence.
Previously, the system had told him that aside from souls that were reincarnated or traveled between worlds by the rules, external souls were considered a bug. If too many appeared, it would break the rules of parallel worlds and lead to the collapse of those worlds.
Wei Xicheng had believed this for thousands of worlds, but now he was beginning to have doubts.
Otherwise, how could he explain this familiar feeling coming from Shen Zhe’s soul?
Thinking about it, Wei Xicheng casually scanned the man on the couch with his system.
No errors.
Wei Xicheng sighed internally. Was it just an illusion?
_______________________________________
**Author’s note**:
@beautifuls: Short!
@YouleBeibei: No!
———
@Wei XichengV: “In the next world, I will become stronger!”
