Damn It! The Main Shou Turned Me Gay! (Showbiz) - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Cold and Detached Side Character

On appearances alone, Chu Zhiyu’s face was easily top-tier even in the entertainment industry—a bona fide campus heartthrob.
Definitely main-character material.

According to the pitifully few memories floating around in Qi Wenyan’s head, the novel he had transmigrated into was a dog-blooded revenge drama about male-male romance and showbiz comebacks.

And Chu Zhiyu?
Young. Gorgeous. Soft personality.

Most importantly, he looked at Qi Wenyan like they were long-lost soulmates.

A small fragment of the novel’s plot suddenly slammed into Qi Wenyan’s brain like a brick.

An audition.
A new, pitiful little protagonist who just entered the industry.
And a cannon-fodder screenwriter waiting to be used and discarded.

Qi Wenyan closed his eyes and gave a weak smile.

“…No, no need.”

Chu Zhiyu paused, an expression of subtle hurt flashing across his face.
“Does that mean… Qi-bian doesn’t think I acted well?”

Qi Wenyan froze.

Chu Zhiyu looked even more pitiful now, glancing toward Director Li An with downcast eyes.
“Director Li, I really value Qi-bian’s opinion. If even the original writer doesn’t think I’m right for the role, then I must’ve…”

“No.”

Chu Zhiyu’s sentence was cut off mid-air.

Qi Wenyan cleared his throat and gave him a grudging side-eye.
“No, you did fine.”

If he didn’t speak up now, was he really going to stand by and watch his script get butchered by some greasy over-actor?

Hearing the rare praise, Chu Zhiyu blinked, the emotion surging in his chest nearly spilling over.

His gege was still the same—sharp-tongued but soft-hearted.

That was fine.
Even if gege had forgotten him, he would slowly reclaim that place at his side that once belonged only to him.

Not many actors were left to audition for the main cast. Director Li decided on the spot to add a chair next to Qi Wenyan and let Chu Zhiyu stay and observe for a while.

A few more auditions came and went. Though there were some decent performances, none quite matched Chu Zhiyu’s fit for the role.

By noon, the casting session took a break.

Director Li flipped through the paperwork and casually asked, “We’ve got a few key supporting roles to cast this afternoon. Xiao Chu, mind helping to read some lines with them?”

The moment he finished speaking, his chair was knocked into.

Li An turned around in confusion, only to see his screenwriter’s chair practically glued to his own—Qi Wenyan’s body already halfway into his personal space, as if about to steal his seat.

Li An: “???”

He pointed at his poor little chair and said, “Qi-bian?”

Qi Wenyan gave an awkward smile, then smoothly spun a line of nonsense:
“Director Li, you achieved success at such a young age—clearly a man infused with artistic inspiration. I just felt like the air around you was fragrant with creative energy, so I came closer to soak it in.”

Li An subconsciously rubbed the stubble on his face. This six-foot-tall grown man suddenly felt a bit shy.

Qi-bian was only 23, a young genius in his field. If someone like him thought Li An was still ‘young and talented,’ didn’t that mean he truly had potential?

Ah, he knew staying at the hospital and taking care of Qi-bian during his recovery would pay off!
He’d do it again next time too!

Having successfully bullshitted his way through, Qi Wenyan let out a sigh of relief. He then glanced warily at Chu Zhiyu, who was sitting quietly and obediently on the other side—

Only to be met with a devastatingly sweet and innocent smile.

Qi Wenyan immediately grew alert and inched even closer to Li An, who was still caught in a daze.

Chu Zhiyu looked harmless now, but wasn’t he the same vicious protagonist in the original story who eventually took bloody revenge on the cannon-fodder screenwriter?!

Qi Wenyan was determined to nip this danger in the bud!

But then the “bud” leaned toward him on its own.

Chu Zhiyu scooted his chair over, this tall, massive guy suddenly sitting meekly at the edge of his seat, then timidly leaned over and whispered:
“Qi-bian, I’m sorry.”

Qi Wenyan blinked. “Sorry for what?”

Chu Zhiyu looked upset.
“I don’t know what I did wrong… but if Qi-bian’s avoiding me, it must be something I did. I’m really sorry.”

That feather-light apology hit Qi Wenyan like a ten-ton boulder.

It almost crushed the kind-hearted, secretly soft screenwriter into a guilt-ridden pulp.

At this moment, Chu Zhiyu was nothing more than a clueless college student who stumbled into the industry by accident. Even if he became dangerous later, that had nothing to do with who he was right now.

And as long as he, Qi Wenyan, held onto his integrity and refused to sexually exploit the kid, he’d be fine!

Watching the shifting expressions on Qi Wenyan’s face, Chu Zhiyu’s eyes flickered with a faint smile before he spoke again:
“Qi-bian, I know a really good Cantonese place nearby. They’re having an anniversary promo—two people get 50% off. Want to go together?”

Qi Wenyan instinctively started to refuse—
But the words took a sharp U-turn in his throat.

Cantonese food.
A well-reviewed place.
Half-off.

Even with limited access to his memories, he was weirdly sure that he really liked Cantonese food.

And hey, as the saying goes—food is life.

Seeing him hesitate, Chu Zhiyu leaned in closer and whispered, “Also, I peeked just now—the crew lunch today is cold bitter melon salad.”

Qi Wenyan instantly switched sides:
“Wow, what a coincidence with that promo. Sure, let’s go.”

Although he’d already gotten a partial advance payment on the script, his current finances still didn’t allow for a luxurious lifestyle.
A 50%-off gourmet meal like this? Rare opportunity.

Of course, publicly showing weakness wasn’t in his DNA.

Qi Wenyan casually grabbed his jacket, clapped Chu Zhiyu on the shoulder, and said:
“Come on, gege’s treating you to something nice!”

As Chu Zhiyu followed him out, Qi Wenyan caught sight of just how tall the guy was—
Half a head taller than him when standing.

What the hell was this kid eating to grow like that?
University boys these days…

While Qi Wenyan was silently grumbling, Chu Zhiyu was in a daze behind him.

Gege.

He followed half a step behind, walking side-by-side.
Just a glance to the side was enough to see the man he’d dreamed about day and night—those smiling eyes that were now so close.

Qi Wenyan strolled out of the audition building, looking effortlessly cool—
Until he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Chu Zhiyu, lost in thought, almost bumped into him. “Hm?”

Qi Wenyan touched his nose and said confidently, “I’m treating you, right? Leading the way is the least you can do.”

A breeze swept by. The longer strands of hair on Qi Wenyan’s nape fluttered slightly against his collar.

Chu Zhiyu stared for two seconds before breaking into a soft smile.
“Of course. Happy to serve.”

—

Five minutes later, they stood in front of a private restaurant named Yu Yan.

True to Chu Zhiyu’s word, it was just a few blocks away.
Even though it was a weekday, the place was packed.

Chu Zhiyu led Qi Wenyan through the back door.
While the front of the restaurant bustled with business, the owner was in the back garden, sunbathing without a care.

In this high-rent area where every square foot mattered, most restaurants tried to cram in tables.
This one? Looked like it was allergic to making money.

Qi Wenyan glanced around the serene courtyard and commented dryly,
“Clearly the owner’s not driven by profit.”

A little garden like this in the city center? Either the guy had more money than sense, or he was just insane.

Thinking about his own bank account, Qi Wenyan sourly poked Chu Zhiyu’s back.
“You know the owner?”

Only someone with real connections could enter through the back like that.

And here he was, still dreaming about treating someone to lunch.
He huffed, “Tsk. Guess I should be thanking Mr. Chu for letting me tag along.”

Chu Zhiyu slung an arm over his shoulder. Seeing that Qi Wenyan didn’t resist, he leaned in and chuckled:
“Nope.”

Qi Wenyan turned—and found himself under the intense, gleaming stare of the restaurant owner, who was holding a book.

Startled by the burning gaze, Qi Wenyan took a step back, dragging the large man still attached to his shoulder with him.

“Can I help you?”

The owner looked so excited that even his smile looked stiff.
He held up the book with no title and gave Qi Wenyan a meaningful look.
“Guess what this is?”

One second.
That’s all Qi Wenyan needed to deduce the answer.

He saw the spark in the guy’s eyes and replied confidently:
“A blank scripture.”

The serene little courtyard fell silent.
Even the violets seemed to pause their bloom.

The owner’s face twitched slightly—but the next moment, he shut the book and clapped:
“Qi-bian really is imaginative. No wonder your scripts are so brilliant!”

Qi Wenyan modestly replied, “You flatter me.”

Behind him, Chu Zhiyu ducked his head, stifling laughter.
“Qi-bian, Boss Zhao’s actually a fan of yours. If anything, I should be the one thanking you—because of you, I get to eat here.”

Boss Zhao instinctively quipped, “You’re lucky I—”

He stopped himself mid-sentence, sensing danger in the air, and backtracked with an awkward grin:
“—lucky I didn’t make you wait in line today! Normally this place is booked solid.”

He had no choice.
He might own the place in name, but this little devil owned more shares than he did.
He was basically a puppet emperor!

Boss Zhao rolled his eyes and added,
“Qi-bian, you wouldn’t believe it. This guy used to scoff when I told him I liked a super-talented screenwriter. And now? Look at him—completely converted.”

Qi Wenyan felt a little guilty from the praise and quickly changed the subject.
“So… what’s that book you were holding?”

He asked!
Boss Zhao lit up, thrilled to finally show off the self-made anthology of Qi Wenyan’s works.

But just as he was about to explain, Chu Zhiyu gently tugged Qi Wenyan’s attention away.

“Qi-ge, I only had coffee this morning to stay sharp for auditions… I’m starving. Can we go eat now?”

Sure enough, Qi Wenyan’s attention was successfully diverted.
The smell of food from the kitchen made his stomach rumble.

He waved dismissively, “Boss Zhao, what a charming hobby—haha—we’ll go eat first, see you later!”

Boss Zhao: ……
Damn capitalism.

Meanwhile, the two diners inside the private room were blissfully unaware of the pain of the man left behind.

And whether it was fate or luck, the dishes Chu Zhiyu ordered all happened to be exactly to Qi Wenyan’s taste.

With a warm belly full of rice wine and claypot rice, Qi Wenyan half-closed his eyes and stared at the polite college student across the table.

…Wasn’t he determined just two hours ago to be a cold, unfeeling side character who stayed far away from the main plot?