Ch1 – Scandal

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Xu Jingzhe fumbled around in the car for a baseball cap he had bought earlier.
After looking around for a bit, he found it underneath the passenger seat.
He also happened to find a gossip magazine that Zhang Man had given him earlier that day.

The front page had a sensational headline printed in red and black—Shocking! Several Top Celebrities Caught At A Sex Party! The headline was accompanied by a photo of him as he exited the hotel. 

“…” Xu Jingzhe put the baseball cap on his head.
After thinking about it, he put on a mask and sunglasses as well.
Then, he took a few glances in the rearview mirror before finally getting out of the car.

Zhang Man had delivered the news in a timely manner.
Even though time was short and the situation was critical, she managed to remain calm from beginning to end.

 

 

“We’ve already contacted public relations.
Don’t say anything on social media.
We know we’re innocent, so we don’t need to say too much.”

Xu Jingzhe: “I know.” 

Zhang Man: “The magazine’s just trying to attract people’s attention.”

 

Xu Jingzhe was silent for a moment.
Then, he said, “The internet’s already become super developed.
I must be pretty popular for a magazine to be able to sell out.”

Zhang Man seemed to let out a laugh.
“I can’t believe you still have the energy to say this.”

Xu Jingzhe didn’t say anything more.
He bought a watermelon at the fruit shop by the corner.
As he was scanning the QR code to pay, Zhang Man sent him another message.

 

“What exactly were you doing there?” she asked.
“Can’t you tell me?”

Xu Jingzhe replied with four words, “It’s a private matter.”

Zhang Man stopped asking.

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Xu Jingzhe picked up the watermelon and turned into an alley. 

After his teacher, Ren Qing, retired, she moved into the old city district.
Xu Jingzhe would come to see her twice a year.
The old lady still insisted on acting in stage plays every month despite her age.
She was always running around for her performances.
Xu Jingzhe needed to make an appointment to even catch a glimpse of her.

The old house had a courtyard and a pond.
Xu Jingzhe squatted down by the pond to help his teacher switch out the fish.
Ren Qing cut up the watermelon and carried it out.

“Don’t come to see me if you’re busy.” Ren Qing wrapped a cloak wrapped around her shoulders.
She quietly asked, “Did something happen recently?”

Xu Jingzhe stood up.
His hair had gotten a bit longer because of his next project.
It was going to be a period costume drama.
The two strands of hair by his temples nearly reached his shoulders.
He casually tucked them behind his ear. 

“It’s just a couple of rumors,” Xu Jingzhe said.
“You don’t need to take it seriously.”

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection.
If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

Ren Qing nodded.
“I didn’t believe them.
I know what kind of person you are.”

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When he picked up the call, his tone wasn’t too happy.
The person on the other side immediately picked up on it.
“Don’t get into a fight.
Now is not the time.” 

Xu Jingzhe smashed his fist down on his horn.

Zhang Man waited for the harsh beep to pass.
Then, she calmly said, “You haven’t shown any evidence about what you were doing there.
The media obviously isn’t going to just let it go.
We need to come up with an excuse for you.”

 

“Anything will do,” Xu Jingzhe said irritably.
“Fuck, they have their camera lenses right up against my windshield!”

Zhang Man: “Just let them photograph you.
Your face is so handsome.
It’s literally worth millions.
I actually think it’s a shame for you to keep this beautiful face to yourself.
Let them get their fill!” 

Xu Jingzhe: “…”

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Zhang Man seemed to have suddenly figured out the answer.
She became a lot more energetic for some reason.
“You haven’t had any injections or surgeries, yet you’re able to maintain such good condition.
Even in high-definition, your face doesn’t have a single bad angle, and you don’t even need photoshop! What other celebrity around your age is able to produce such high-quality photos?!”

Xu Jingzhe placed a hand against his forehead.
He was a little tired.
“Alright.
Let’s talk about the actual issue at hand.
Quit complimenting me.”

Once Zhang Man saw that her compliments had worked, she stopped.
She didn’t waste any time speaking nonsense.
“We’ve come up with a plan.
You were on a date with someone at that hotel.
You are in a secret relationship, and you’re about to get engaged.” 

Xu Jingzhe interrupted her, “Wait, am I dating someone, or am I engaged?”

Zhang Man: “You’ve been dating for three or four years.
You’re about to get engaged.”

“…” Xu Jingzhe was a little unhappy.
“You sure are amazing.
When did you arrange a three or four year relationship for me? I didn’t even know about it.”

Zhang Man: “Isn’t that why I’m discussing it with you now? You haven’t done anything besides work for these past couple of years.
Our public relations team hasn’t had anything to do.
They’re finally coming into use now.
A secret relationship of three years, you get to wash yourself clean and show off your lovey-dovey relationship.
It’s a perfect plan.” 

There was no response from Xu Jingzhe.
She wasn’t sure whether he would cooperate or not.
Zhang Man has been working with him for almost ten years.
She witnessed Xu Jingzhe earn the title of Drama Emperor for three years in a row.
He just won an incredibly prestigious TV award for Best Male Actor earlier this year.
Besides having a pretty face and a good body, he was also humble and low-key in private.
During filming, Xu Jingzhe would usually bring just a single assistant at most.
He did everything himself, and he was hardworking and patient.
His professional image was so perfect it almost felt fake.
The most important point was that he didn’t cause trouble for his management team.
He never ran his mouth or caused scandals.

To be honest, Zhang Man felt a lot of pressure working with Xu Jingzhe.
She felt that, if she made even the slightest misstep, she may leave a smear upon his perfect life.

Xu Jingzhe was too dedicated to his work.
He was so dedicated that, if he were to lose his temper, you would feel that he was right in losing his temper.
You would feel that it must’ve been you who did something wrong.

For example, Xu Jingzhe was losing his temper right this very moment.
He was actually rather polite to the paparazzi.
He would never swear at them to their faces.
At the very most, he would just give them a cold glare, but the paparazzi still badmouthed him for being rude.
However, he was really, truly attractive.
As long as he appeared within the public eye, he was sure to be flawless.
His face would not be swollen.
There wouldn’t be any dark circles under his eyes.
Even his lips would be clean and perfect.
It was absolutely impossible for him to have acne or sallow skin.
Anyway, it was exactly as Zhang Man said.
Even if the camera was right against his face, it wouldn’t be able to capture a single pore or wrinkle.
There wasn’t a single part of him that wasn’t perfect. 

There was a paparazzi on the side of his car.
He actually had the camera lens pressed against the window of his car.
Xu Jingzhe expressionlessly glanced at the camera.
Then, he tore off the magazine cover and plastered it on the car window.

He was talking on the phone as he was turning the steering wheel.
“Who’s willing to cooperate with us?”

Zhang Man knew this meant he was relenting, so she took a deep sigh of relief.
She quickly said, “There are several female celebrities, and there are also male celebrities.
Same-sex marriage has been legalized for several years now.
There’s a high level of acceptance for this sort of thing.
That hotel wasn’t just any hotel.
A five star hotel like that receives tons of g