Damn It! The Main Shou Turned Me Gay! (Showbiz) - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: CP Super Topic

Li An laughed clumsily, patting Chu Zhiyu hard on the shoulder twice. “Xiao Chu, you’ve really got some insight, huh? Too bad this role didn’t bring out that side of your acting. Let’s work together again on the next project!”

Judging by the force Li An used, Qi Wenyan figured that if it had been him instead, he might’ve ended up flat on the ground.

He glanced at Chu Zhiyu with a bit of envy—being young really did come with physical perks.

Chu Zhiyu, unfazed, thanked Director Li politely and humbly.

Ten minutes flew by in a flash. Li An pointed out a few more things to watch out for before returning to his spot behind the monitor.

“Alright, everyone in position! Take 4, scene 45, action!”

The clapperboard snapped crisply. Qi Wenyan and Chu Zhiyu quickly pushed all stray thoughts aside and got into character.

The whole scene flowed beautifully—from the parting lines to the added hug and head pat. Everything came off as naturally as if it were always part of the script.

Only when Director Li’s voice came through the walkie-talkie did Qi Wenyan snap out of the emotional haze.

Chu Zhiyu immediately leaned in to praise him. “Shifu, your acting was so good!”

Qi Wenyan, still not fully out of character, got overwhelmed by the praise. Dazed and pleased, he let Chu Zhiyu drag him away by the hand.

They hadn’t walked far when Chu Zhiyu suddenly stopped and looked up at the hill behind them.

Qi Wenyan turned as well, asking casually, “What is it?”

Chu Zhiyu narrowed his eyes and said uncertainly, “I think I just saw… a paparazzi photographer?”

That immediately piqued Qi Wenyan’s interest. He eagerly looked in the direction Chu Zhiyu had pointed. “Seriously? I’ve never run into a real one before! Let me see—ah! I see them!”

Chu Zhiyu subtly leaned closer. “Qi-ge, will it be a problem if we get photographed?”

Qi Wenyan replied without hesitation, “We’re wearing the outfits from the official stills—those have already been released. Nothing to worry about.”

Then, a mischievous glint flashed in his eyes. He nudged Chu Zhiyu with his elbow and whispered playfully, “Wanna make a sign for them?”

A grin tugged at Chu Zhiyu’s lips. He didn’t hesitate one bit. “I think there’s some discarded foam boards and markers in the props room.”

Qi Wenyan peeked over at the busy Director Li and quickly nudged Chu Zhiyu’s arm. “You go grab them. I’ll keep an eye on the paparazzi. Quick and sneaky!”

Chu Zhiyu whispered back, nodding, “Alright, Qi-ge. Wait for me here.”

Their heads were close together as they whispered and plotted—every move caught on camera by the paparazzo up on the hill.

The photographer, slightly confused, zoomed in through his lens. He couldn’t quite figure out what these two were up to.

He was a pretty well-known paparazzi in the industry, famous for his witty captions and high-def shots. He even had a small fanbase of his own.

The drama these two were filming had a practically unknown male lead, but it had gone viral even before production started.

Plus, it had been officially announced just days ago that a legendary scriptwriter would be acting in it too.

Smelling opportunity, he had abandoned another popular actress’s set to come here instead.

Getting spotted? No big deal. Part of the job. But being openly watched and plotted against? That was new.

From his viewfinder, he locked eyes with Qi Wenyan, who stood with arms akimbo, clearly staring straight at him.

Two minutes later, Chu Zhiyu returned with the props.

Qi Wenyan took the pen, had Chu Zhiyu hold up the board, and immediately scrawled two bold lines:

It’s just the two of us here—nobodies. Nobody’s buying this footage!

And underneath, a small note:

P.S. If you really have to shoot, at least make Xiao Chu look handsome. It’s tough being a rookie.

Chu Zhiyu blinked in surprise at what Qi Wenyan wrote. “Qi-ge…”

Qi Wenyan raised his eyebrows. “What? Pretty thoughtful of me, right? When you’re famous, don’t forget about your big bro!”

He then grabbed the board with a grin and proudly raised it toward the paparazzo’s direction.

The photographer rubbed his lens in disbelief.

Was he seeing this right? Big bold letters, right there—no way to mistake it.

All his years on the job, and this was the first time a celeb gave him a message directly!

And one of them wasn’t even a real actor, just that infamous screenwriter. The nerve!

Still grumbling in his head, he didn’t stop filming. This short segment alone was sure to blow up online.

Qi Wenyan glanced at the time and tugged Chu Zhiyu’s sleeve. “Alright, let’s go—wrap for the day!”

Chu Zhiyu dutifully packed away the signboard.

Qi Wenyan eyed the “evidence” and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Director Li was bound to see the video eventually. Better to get ahead of it.

Suddenly, he looked up at Chu Zhiyu with a sly grin and motioned him over. “C’mon, let’s go film a little video in our room.”

Chu Zhiyu froze, eyes wide with confusion. “?”

“…Cough.”

The words had barely left Qi Wenyan’s mouth before he realized how terrible they sounded.

Without giving Chu Zhiyu a chance to react, he grabbed him and muttered as they headed to the lounge, “Don’t overthink it! Just come with me!”

True to reputation, the paparazzo worked fast.

The next day, Qi Wenyan spotted the video of him and Chu Zhiyu holding the sign already posted online—

As the thumbnail.

He narrowed his eyes and tapped on the five-second clip. But after watching it, his frown softened.

Okay, fine—he’d normally curse anyone who dared make memes out of his serious face, but this guy had made both him and Chu Zhiyu look really good.

So he’d let it slide. Just this once.

Then he scrolled through the comments, and in just an hour, there were already nearly a thousand.

Qi Wenyan, delighted, decided to enjoy the praise—

Until he actually read what they were saying.

Why didn’t anyone say Qi-bian looks like that?! I’m buying tickets to every roadshow he’s ever done!

UNDERWEAR OFF!!! So hot, I’m drooling.

UNDERWEAR OFF! Is this a dual male lead drama?!

Qi-laoshi, first in the industry to troll a paparazzo—legendary.

UNDERWEAR OFF! I’m shipping this HARD. Starting a CP Super Topic right now!

Qi Wenyan: “???”

Sure, praise was great, but what was with the underwear off thing?!

And what’s this “shipping” nonsense?! There was nothing to ship! He and Xiao Chu were just pure, solid socialist brothers!!

…Right?

His eyes landed on the last comment, which mentioned the name of the CP Super Topic. Like Pandora’s box, it pulled at his curiosity with irresistible force.

Qi Wenyan swallowed hard. His mind wrestled between clicking and not clicking—

Two minutes later, he gave in.

He logged into Weibo on a burner account and secretly searched for the super topic.

“YuYan Stories.”

Qi Wenyan tasted the name on his tongue. Not bad. These netizens were pretty creative.

The topic was newly created, with only about a hundred followers. But when he exited and refreshed—

The number had multiplied!

That five-second paparazzi clip had been slowed down and replayed on loop, especially the moment they leaned in whispering to each other. Some had already drawn chibi versions of them cuddling.

Fanart, fics, edited clips—an entire fandom was being born before his eyes.

Qi Wenyan sat there, stunned, jaw-dropping as he scrolled through.

He was deep into one fanfic when someone suddenly patted his shoulder.

Startled, Qi Wenyan immediately locked his screen and jumped up, only to see Chu Zhiyu standing there.

He looked even guiltier now.

Seeing his odd expression, Chu Zhiyu asked gently, “Qi-ge, are you alright? Not feeling well?”

Qi Wenyan quickly shook his head, only to realize how close they were standing.

“…”

He subtly shuffled to the side. “I’m fine. You needed something?”

Even though he’d already cleared things up with Xiao Chu, after reading all those fans’ theories… even he started doubting the way Chu Zhiyu looked at him.

Some fans were terrifyingly observant—saying Chu Zhiyu stood unusually close to him, never looked away, and frequently stared at his lips…

As if he wanted to kiss him or something!

Ridiculous.

…Right?

Qi Wenyan started to feel unsure again.

Noticing his hesitation, Chu Zhiyu pulled two Swiss candies from his pocket and handed them over, casually saying, “Qi-ge, Director Li saw the paparazzi video. He wants us to come over. Said it’s outrageous that we caused drama without including him.”

Brothers.

Right. They were just brothers.

Qi Wenyan nodded to himself, calming his racing thoughts.

Chu Zhiyu noticed the emotional shift and, recalling how Qi Wenyan once mistook him for a sleazy newbie trying to cozy up to seniors, figured he had a good idea what was going on.

This would take time.

Suppressing the urge to get closer, Chu Zhiyu smiled easily. “By the way, Qi-ge, did you check the comments under the paparazzi video? Netizens even created a CP super topic for us.”

Qi Wenyan flinched like he’d been caught red-handed. But as a seasoned pro, he recovered quickly. “Oh? Really?”

Chu Zhiyu chuckled softly. Liar.

He looked at Qi Wenyan with a teasing smile. “Yep, I even checked it out. Some of the fans’ imaginations are wild.”

He looked too!

Seeing Chu Zhiyu’s completely unfazed reaction, Qi Wenyan suddenly felt he might’ve been overreacting. It wasn’t like they were actually together. They were just a popular CP born from netizens’ imaginations.

With that thought, Qi Wenyan felt way more justified for checking the super topic earlier. Completely normal behavior!

Still, he kept up appearances, feigning calm. “Is that so? I’ll check it out when I get the chance.”

Chu Zhiyu remembered a spicy fanfic he’d just read… where he had pinned Qi-ge in the dressing room…

Clears throat.

His smile turned slightly wicked. “You definitely should.”