Damn It! The Main Shou Turned Me Gay! (Showbiz) - Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Going Viral

After being pulled aside for one-on-one acting lessons, Qi Wenyan felt his dignity as an older brother crumble. He rubbed his nose gloomily.

Chu Zhiyu’s eyes were filled with amusement, but he suddenly found himself troubled.

What should he do? No matter how he looked at Qi-ge, he just found him so… cute. And likable.

Qi-ge was still the same as before—every time he got a little embarrassed, he’d unconsciously touch his nose.

When Chu Zhiyu stayed quiet for too long, Qi Wenyan was forced to look up, only to see the younger man smiling at him for no apparent reason.

Expression flat, Qi pointed at himself. “What, you think it’s funny seeing your Qi-ge flop like this?”

Chu Zhiyu blinked. And just like that, he was done for.

Even when he’s annoyed, he’s cute.

So Qi Wenyan could only watch helplessly as this kid burst into giggles while looking straight at him.

The clueless screenwriter finally snapped.

Unbelievable!

Seeing that he had actually riled him up, Chu Zhiyu quickly stifled his laughter and apologized. “No, Qi-ge, I was just thinking about when I first started learning how to act. I wasn’t laughing at you.”

Knowing Qi-ge would never believe him, Chu Zhiyu just gave a quick summary:

“I majored in finance in college. I had zero acting background. When I first started, my performances were… absolutely dreadful.”

Qi Wenyan looked skeptical. “Come on, Director Li said you were a natural. You couldn’t have been that bad.”

Chu Zhiyu sighed. “Well, Qi-ge, have you ever had a crying scene where your teacher burst out laughing?”

Qi Wenyan blinked in disbelief.

Chu Zhiyu shrugged. “Yeah. That student was me.”

Having someone with an even more tragic beginner story instantly restored Qi Wenyan’s confidence.

Chu Zhiyu thought for a moment, then slowly added, “I’m not really an expert, but I think… Qi-ge, your personality already suits Master Qingyuan.”

Qi Wenyan slouched forward a bit to show he was listening.

The tall young man was now curled up on a tiny stool, hugging his knees, looking a little wilted.

Seeing this, Chu Zhiyu couldn’t help but smile and gently explained, “Back when you stood up for me against Wu Tianyi, I thought of that scene in the script where the master first helps Wind Xiao clean up a mess.”

Qi Wenyan pictured it and chuckled. “So I’m that cool in your mind?”

Even when he was confused, Qi-ge couldn’t help but throw in a joke.

Seeing his mood improve, Chu Zhiyu breathed a quiet sigh of relief, then continued, “The scene we’re about to film is simple. Just think of it as the two of us sneaking off to grab a bite after a long shoot.”

Qi Wenyan gave him a sidelong glance. “Kid, we’ve only eaten together once. How’d that become a regular thing in your version?”

Chu Zhiyu looked up with wide, innocent eyes and pretended to be aggrieved. “Am I not good enough to be your regular lunch buddy, Qi-ge?”

Of course you are!

Qi Wenyan screamed in his heart.

He still hadn’t forgotten that amazing Cantonese meal. Every dish had practically danced on his tongue—it was delicious.

But Chu Zhiyu did have a point.

Qi Wenyan rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then suddenly raised his hand. “Director Li, I’ve got it!”

Li An peeked out from behind the monitor, looking deeply suspicious. “Really? Qi-bian, don’t mess with me.”

Qi Wenyan let out a short laugh and pointed at himself. “Do I look untrustworthy to you?”

Li An hesitated for three seconds… then nodded honestly.

Chu Zhiyu’s eyes sparkled with laughter again. Yep. I’m a goner.

He clenched his hands to calm his racing heart, then looked up and vouched sincerely, “Director Li, Qi-ge learns really fast.”

Feeling Qi Wenyan’s gaze, Chu Zhiyu added with obvious bias, “Way faster than I did.”

But his flattery landed on deaf ears. Qi Wenyan held up a big X with his hands, looking alert. “Don’t try to kill me with compliments!”

Chu Zhiyu could only smile helplessly.

Back on the bamboo forest set.

Li An picked up his radio. “Scene two in the bamboo grove, take five. Action!”

Chu Zhiyu faced the camera and smoothly executed a powerful sword flourish, full of presence and flair.

Li An watched the monitor with satisfaction, while even the crew beside him couldn’t help but murmur:

“Has Xiao Chu trained before? That swordplay doesn’t look like a beginner at all.”

With Li An’s signal, the stage manager whispered, “Master Qingyuan enters!”

Qi Wenyan let out a quiet breath, imagined himself groggily waking up in the morning, and strolled into frame with a lazy air.

This time, thank heavens, he didn’t walk with both hands and feet moving together!

Li An’s eyes practically lit up. If it wouldn’t have disrupted the shot, he honestly wanted to set off fireworks.

[Master Qingyuan leaned against a bamboo stalk, wine jug in hand, eyes narrowed at his talented young disciple.

A fine seedling, he thought, but burdened by a heavy heart.

With a sigh, he shifted to a carefree grin and waved at the red-robed youth practicing swordplay.

“Let’s go—come down the mountain with me and buy a bag of roasted chestnuts!”

After delivering his line, Qi Wenyan stayed frozen in his pose, afraid to ruin the take.

One second later—

“THAT WAS PERFECT! Qi-bian, you nailed it!”

Li An’s voice exploded through the monitor.

Qi Wenyan knew his own limits. His “brilliant performance” probably looked amazing only in contrast to his earlier disasters.

Still, Li An’s face was glowing, and he immediately turned to praise Chu Zhiyu:

“Wind Xiao, that was amazing!”

He even gave him a big thumbs-up.

A nearby crew member murmured, “Didn’t expect Chu Zhiyu to be this talented. Maybe we should have him train anyone else who struggles with their role.”

Chu Zhiyu caught it and gave a polite smile, gently refusing: “I didn’t do much. It’s just that Qi-bian is smart and naturally gifted. Anyone else, and I could’ve taught them for a month and still gotten nowhere.”

Li An waved it off. “Wind Xiao, just keep doing your thing. You’ve got official approval to be your master’s VIP costar!”

Chu Zhiyu bowed happily. “Thank you, Director Li!”

Qi Wenyan, meanwhile, raised his hand with a blank face. “Weren’t we clear I was just filling in temporarily?”

Li An beamed. “We know, we know. Of course we’ll try to find someone. But, you know… casting isn’t like other tasks. It takes time, patience…”

“So let’s not rush it. For now, let’s rely on Qi-bian to hold down the fort.”

He gave a “warm and reasonable” conclusion.

“Don’t worry, Qi-bian. If—and I mean if—we truly can’t find anyone suitable for the role, and you do end up officially taking it, I promise the pay will reflect your value.”

Pay.

Qi Wenyan went quiet.

Well… maybe this is negotiable after all.

As someone who lacked for nothing except money, Qi Wenyan paused thoughtfully… then reluctantly nodded.

“If we really can’t find anyone else, then I’ll do it.”

After all, Master Qingyuan’s screen time wasn’t that much.

But just as he agreed, Li An’s eyes glinted like a wolf. Without missing a beat, he grabbed the walkie-talkie.

“Assistant, bring me the contract I printed earlier!”

“And a black pen!”

His smooth and calculated move left Qi Wenyan speechless.

Who the hell turned my honest Director Li into this schemer?

Even after the signing process was complete, Qi Wenyan was still in shock.

He glanced down at the copy of the contract in his hand.

Payment: 100,000 yuan.

Did I really just sell myself for 100k…?

Qi Wenyan shut his eyes.

Totally worth it!

As a true professional sellout, Qi Wenyan smiled warmly, shook hands with Director Li, and decided:

If there’s ever a role he won’t take, it’s only because they didn’t offer enough money.

For that kind of pay? He’d play Chu Zhiyu’s boyfriend, not just his master!

This deal left all three parties deeply satisfied:

Qi Wenyan got his money.
Li An got his ideal actor.
And Chu Zhiyu… got to spend every day with his long-time crush.

Everyone was all smiles.

As soon as filming for the promo wrapped, Li An summoned his editing team that same night. With extra pay as motivation, the team worked overtime.

The next day, the official teaser trailer for Qi Wenyan’s second drama was released.

And with it, the official drama title was announced:

《Solitary Leaning》 (Du Yi)
“A youth as reckless as calm plains, leaning alone on a sword through the autumn winds.”

It was the first time in domestic entertainment that a drama had dropped a trailer before production officially began. And it instantly caused a stir online.

In a way, this was Chu Zhiyu’s debut lookbook—except instead of a photo, it was a high-production VCR just for her.

Of course, there was also a “special guest appearance” by Qi Wenyan.

Since they couldn’t reveal much plot, Li An carefully chose a few character-establishing moments.

But even just those few, within an hour of release, the teaser had dominated every trending chart.

Getting off work and into the car, Xu Du, who had just finished a full day of appearances, clicked on Li An’s message. He opened Weibo’s trending tab…

Only to see it full of very familiar faces.

Though he played the second male lead, Xu Du hadn’t been part of the revenge promo shoot.

So he tapped on the most viral clip out of curiosity.

And a 30-second video immediately started:

A cheerful flute melody opens as the screen fades from black.

Inside a quaint wooden cabin, a black-clad youth sits practicing calligraphy.

A gentle, teasing voice calls from offscreen:
“You’re a young man in your prime. Why’re you dressed in black? I prepared a whole closet of red robes for you!”

Cut—now the boy is in red, spinning through a bamboo grove with graceful swordplay.

The wind stirs. The boy turns, joy blooming in his eyes.
“Master!”

Cut again—the blue-robed young master enters, wine jug in hand, carefree and charming.
“Come on, come on, let’s go down the mountain and buy some roasted chestnuts!”

The camera zooms in, past the master’s calm face, to the pure delight shining in his student’s gaze.

The short ended, looped, and started again.

It wasn’t until the second replay finished that Xu Du finally snapped out of it.

“…Holy sh*t.”

He’d been there that day, when Qi-bian and Li An had hatched that “evil revenge plan.”

He never imagined that just a few days later, the two of them—plus Chu Zhiyu—would deliver something this legendary.

He spun around and grabbed his manager’s shoulder.

“I knew turning down three variety shows and two OST offers to join this project was the best damn decision of my life!”