Reborn, I Became a Male God - Chapter 46-50

Tan Yunshu almost believed what Jing Ling said. After all, boys liking to watch war movies was perfectly normal. But she subconsciously felt that something was off, and her intuition had always been accurate. So she went through the whole process again from the beginning and even tested it herself.

 

After bringing the giant bear back to the dorm with the delivery girl, she opened her laptop, picked a war movie on a video platform, paid to watch it, and dragged the progress bar to a battle scene. She turned the volume up to the maximum, then borrowed a phone from a roommate, dialed her own number, connected the call and placed the phone next to the laptop, while she herself took another phone and left the dorm, holding it to her ear.

 

“Rat-a-tat-tat—Boom—” Gunfire and explosions intertwined. It was the same sound, but it felt different to the ear. Moreover, that sentence inserted halfway was far too obvious—watching a movie, and the movie just happened to have someone making a phone call? How could there be such a coincidence?

Clearly, what Jing Ling had just said was a lie. But why would he lie? What was the point of doing so?

 

Tan Yunshu thought of a possibility. Her eyes suddenly widened, filled with terror, and she stood frozen in place.

 

“Yunshu, what’s wrong?” A girl from the neighboring dorm opened her door and, seeing her strange expression, asked with concern.

 

That voice pulled her back to reality. She frantically ended the call, then found Jing Ling’s number and dialed it. “Please be okay… please be okay…” The usual blink-of-an-eye waiting time now stretched endlessly, each second as long as a century. She finally heard a voice, but it was what she feared the most.

 

“Sorry, the number you have dialed is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later…” After the Chinese, an English message followed, then the cycle repeated.

 

Tan Yunshu couldn’t believe it and called several more times, but still couldn’t get through. Her heart was in chaos, and a sense of helplessness welled up. “I should’ve realized earlier…”

 

She knew all too well what status Tan Yunzhong held at home—pampered and cherished since childhood. That day at the Jiang family, he had been beaten so badly, and it had all started because of her. Given that family’s character, how could they just let it go so easily? Not only did they not come looking to get back at her, there hadn’t even been a single phone call, text, or message online. It was even quieter than when nothing had happened. It was so obviously wrong, yet she had overlooked it just because Jing Ling said it had been resolved.

 

Had she become dull, or was there some bewitching power in his words that made her believe without question?

 

Leaning against the cold wall and clutching her phone, she thought about many things. From the first meeting until now, it had only been a few days. They weren’t even acquaintances, let alone friends. But thinking back on everything Jing Ling had done—the care, the gentleness, the attentiveness—not even her best friends could compare. Not to mention, he even knew her birthday…

 

At this thought, her heart clenched again.

 

“Please, let him be alright!”

 

Suddenly, she felt a vibration in her hand. She was stunned for a moment, her eyes lit up instantly, and she quickly raised the phone to her face. The moment she saw the caller ID, her eyes dimmed again. The two-character note was not “Jing Ling” but “Xinyao.”

 

She stared blankly at those two characters, letting the phone vibrate until it went silent and the screen went dark. But just two seconds later, the phone buzzed again—it was still Yang Xinyao calling.

 

“I once read his fortune. You are his destined one.” Without warning, that sentence suddenly echoed in her mind.

 

“Fortune telling…” she murmured, and an idea popped into her head. At the same time, she slid her finger across the screen and brought the phone to her ear. “Xinyao, help me! I want to know where Jing Ling is and what happened to him!”

 

“…Huh?” There was a moment of silence on the other end, then an obviously surprised response.

 

Yang Xinyao had just happened to be passing through the capital and had called to ask Tan Yunshu out. She hadn’t expected her to ask about Jing Ling the moment she answered the call.

 

“I mean, Yunshu, it’s bad enough that Jing Ling would ditch his friends for a girl, but you can’t be like him!” At the milk tea shop near the school entrance, in a private booth, Yang Xinyao said while chewing on her straw. It had been about half an hour since their call ended.

 

Her tone was clearly joking, but Tan Yunshu wasn’t in the mood at all. “Xinyao, you said before you could tell fortunes, right? Please help me. I called Jing Ling about forty minutes ago and heard gunshots. He lied and said he was watching a movie, but I tested it later and it wasn’t true. After that, I couldn’t reach him at all… Xinyao, Jing Ling will be okay, right?”

 

Before this, Tan Yunshu had been a firm atheist. Rather than relying on the illusory blessings of gods and Buddha, she believed in working hard with her own hands. But now, she couldn’t help but pray, hoping that he would be safe and sound.

 

Compared to her nervousness, Yang Xinyao seemed completely unconcerned. She waved her hand and said, “Don’t worry, your Jing Ling is basically Superman reincarnated. Nothing will happen to him. Before he left, I did a reading for him. Though the process would be a bit dangerous and thrilling, he’d come through unharmed. As for why his phone won’t connect, I bet he accidentally dropped it in water or something.”

 

“Relax, I promise he’ll be totally fine and will be back soon. So let’s put his situation aside for now and talk about the important stuff. They say only food and beauty shouldn’t be let down, so I came all this way just to see you, this great beauty. You have to play host and take me out for something good to eat, okay?”

 

“…Alright.”

 

“Let’s go, let’s go, time for something tasty!”

 

“Xinyao, when you said Jing Ling and I were destined to be together, what did you mean?”

 

“Just the literal meaning, I guess. You two are fated to meet, then fall in love at first sight or something like that. Fate is such an abstract thing—no one can say it’s accurate for sure. Especially since his fate is so weird.”

 

Yang Xinyao wasn’t wrong. Jing Ling really had accidentally dropped his phone in water—more precisely, into a river. He was hiding in a tree, waiting for a chance to take out the enemy. When the enemy came into view, he hung upside down from the tree, aimed, and fired. At the moment the gunshot rang out, there was a splash—his phone had fallen in.

 

That section of the river was deep and murky. Recovering the phone would’ve been a hassle, so he gave up on it.

 

After taking care of the pursuers, he returned to the mountaintop and rejoined the main team. They took a helicopter and left, by which time more than an hour had passed. He borrowed Captain Fei Hu’s phone to call Tan Yunshu and briefly explained that he had gone out to take care of something. She didn’t seem suspicious. After a bit of small talk, she suddenly asked if he would be at school that weekend because she and Yang Xinyao were planning to visit.

 

She thanked him for the birthday gift and said she wanted to treat him to a meal.

 

Jing Ling knew her too well and understood that wasn’t her real reason—it was just an excuse. Something must have happened during the time his phone was lost. But since she didn’t say anything, he didn’t ask and just answered her question, “Yeah, I’ll be there. See you on the weekend. I’ll come to the airport to pick you up.” By then, he was already back at school.

 

The weekend came quickly. Jing Ling left for the airport at noon. It was a half-hour drive, and after waiting for about twenty more minutes at the airport, he saw them arrive.

 

He walked over with a smile and naturally took the suitcase from Tan Yunshu’s hand, but she suddenly grabbed his hand and asked, “Jing Ling, you like me, right?”

 

“What made you ask that?” Jing Ling looked at her.

 

“Just answer yes or no, or nod or shake your head.” She raised her head slightly, pursed her lips, and looked stubbornly at him.

 

“Yes, I like you.” Jing Ling not only answered but also nodded.

 

The next moment, Tan Yunshu suddenly let go of the suitcase and wrapped her arms around his neck, then stood on tiptoe.

 

A sweet, fragrant kiss landed on his lips.

 

(TL note: damn, that was fast)

 

Chapter 47

 

 

The girl’s lips were as soft as flower petals, carrying a light, sweet scent. The moment they touched, they parted.

 

“I like you too,” she said softly.

 

Jing Ling was momentarily dazed. Because of the kiss, and because of those words.

 

From the moment he bound with the system and began his first mission until now, he no longer remembered how many years had passed. One mission after another, one world after another—each lasting at least half a year, sometimes several years. There were even times he stayed in a world for more than ten years, and not just once or twice.

 

The system’s missions were to help the female lead become a top industry elite, standing at the peak of the pyramid, admired by all. The girls selected, while exceptionally gifted, were not alone—when had this world ever lacked geniuses? Only a select few are ever remembered. Like jade or emerald, while natural quality is important, what truly determines if it becomes a treasured heirloom is the craftsmanship of the artisan.

 

A teacher is someone who imparts knowledge and resolves doubts. Even teaching average students is not something just anyone can do, let alone grooming a student who will become famous throughout the world. If one’s own level isn’t high enough, it’s more realistic to just keep dreaming.

 

So before every mission, he had to study all the relevant knowledge and skills in advance, only then could he perfectly fit into the identity assigned by the system. Although the system could exchange many things, it could only assist him in learning better, not directly pour the knowledge into him. If it could do that, there’d be no need for him to do the missions—just directly enlighten the female lead in a crude but effective way.

 

Calculating it this way, the time he spent completing each mission only increased further.

 

At the beginning, his emotions were still easily influenced by the outside world—sometimes happy, sometimes angry. But as the missions accumulated, he gradually reached a state of inner peace, rarely moved by people or events.

 

Even when the system changed his identity and gender, he accepted it calmly. Only what happened today had completely caught him off guard.

 

In fact, when Yunshu asked him whether he liked her, he had already realized something was wrong. He liked her, without a doubt—but not in the way she thought. In his understanding, Yunshu was part of his past, filled with regret and unwillingness. Now that he had the chance to make things right, of course he would give it his all. But he had overlooked one thing—Yunshu didn’t know any of this. And that was what led to today’s misunderstanding.

 

But it was already too late. She had only given two choices: yes or no. 

 

Influenced by her upbringing and environment, she had always been cautious in matters of the heart, sensitive and fragile. For her to express herself so boldly and proactively today was because she had gained enough confidence and security from him.

 

If his answer had been no, it was easy to imagine her hard-won courage crumbling in an instant, retreating and sealing off her heart even tighter than before.

 

So he could only say yes.

 

He hadn’t expected her to suddenly kiss him.

 

What does it feel like to be kissed by yourself? At that moment, Jing Ling only felt deeply conflicted inside—but he couldn’t let any of it show.

 

For a moment, he didn’t know how to respond.

 

“Public display of affection, huh? Believe it or not, I’ll call the cops and have them arrest you!” Yang Xinyao suddenly said, glaring at the two of them with her almond-shaped eyes. “I just got off the plane and already got force-fed dog food. I’m suddenly very worried about this trip.”

 

Tan Yunshu finally realized what she had just done—not only had she confessed to Jing Ling, she had also kissed him in public… She froze in place, her whole body’s warmth rushing to her head, face so hot it felt like it might burst into flames the next second.

 

She always thought of herself as quick-witted, but in this crucial moment, her brain shut down. After trying hard for a while, she only managed to come up with a clumsy excuse. “Xinyao, I’m hungry. Let’s go eat something!” she said, and immediately dragged Yang Xinyao away.

 

“Hey, hey, the luggage! And Jing Ling!” Yang Xinyao reminded.

 

“Don’t care, food first!”

 

“…Alright then.”

 

She said they were going to eat, but in reality, she only dragged Yang Xinyao out of Jing Ling’s sight and stopped in a quiet corner, placing a hand on her chest and letting out a long sigh.

 

“Yunshu, don’t tell me you’re feeling shy now?” Yang Xinyao finally caught on, looking shocked. “The moment you saw him, you just straight-up asked whether he liked you, then kissed him without hesitation—the whole thing was fast and clean! You didn’t see it, but Jing Ling froze on the spot. He’s the type who can stay calm while making phone calls in the middle of gunfire! And now you’re telling me you’re feeling shy? That’s some serious contrast!”

 

Tan Yunshu said, “…I don’t even know what I was thinking. The whole way here, I was worrying about what he might’ve gone through these past few days—if he was okay, if he got hurt… But the moment I saw him, all those thoughts just vanished…”

 

Suddenly, her phone buzzed in her bag—it was a call.

 

She took out her phone and saw that the caller was indeed Jing Ling. She stared at the screen for a few seconds, bit her lip, and swiped to answer.

 

The boy’s voice was as gentle as ever. “Yunshu, I’ll take the luggage to the hotel first, then come pick you two up.”

 

Not only gentle, but also thoughtful and considerate. He knew she was embarrassed right now, so he left first to give her time and space to calm down.

 

“…Alright. Be careful on the way,” she said, and then hung up immediately. Looking up, she saw Yang Xinyao staring at her curiously. “What did he say?”

 

“He said he’s taking the luggage to the hotel first, and then he’ll come back for us,” Tan Yunshu repeated Jing Ling’s words.

 

“Ugh, more dog food,” Yang Xinyao pouted. “Anyway, shouldn’t we get moving too? He already knows you’re not actually hungry. And I don’t have much interest in airport food. I looked it up before coming—if I remember correctly, one of Qin City’s top ten tourist spots, Hanyang Residence, is nearby. We’ve got time to kill—how about a visit to unwind?”

 

“Okay.” Tan Yunshu nodded in agreement. She wasn’t even remotely hungry, and even if she were, she probably wouldn’t be able to eat right now.

 

The two hailed a cab and headed straight to Hanyang Residence. They spent time there until around 4 p.m. when Jing Ling called to ask where they were and said he had booked a restaurant for dinner. The timing was perfect—by the time they got from the airport to the hotel, showered, and changed, it would be just about dinner time.

 

The restaurant Jing Ling booked was near the hotel—a private dining establishment with a nice ambiance and excellent food.

 

Even though the afternoon had passed, she still felt a little awkward when seeing Jing Ling again. But that emotion faded quickly once the dishes started arriving. This time wasn’t as exaggerated as their last meal at the hotel—where every dish had been her favorite—but still, half of them were dishes she liked, and they were all carefully placed in front of her.

 

Looking at the food, and recalling everything he’d done, she suddenly felt enlightened.

 

Liking someone just means liking them. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about.

 

Dinner turned out surprisingly pleasant. After eating, Yang Xinyao started considering where to go for fun in the evening. Since their host Jing Ling had only been in Qin City for less than a year, most of it spent on location shoots, she didn’t expect him to have good recommendations. So she took matters into her own hands and searched online for ideas.

 

After quite a bit of deliberation, she finally picked a few places and was about to ask Jing Ling’s opinion when his phone rang.

 

The caller was Shen Ze—his poor manager.

 

“My young master, your Weibo has been silent for almost a month. Your fans are all desperate for news! Can you at least consider appeasing them? Also, the movie  Island is premiering in less than a month. The other actors have all started promotion, but you’ve been completely MIA. And a few days ago, the official account tagged you, and you didn’t even respond. I tried calling, but your phone was off. The school said you took leave, but they couldn’t find you either. Where on earth did you go? Do you know how badly the trolls have been using this to drag you? Even your stronghold, the Nanzhou Forum, is almost overrun!”

 

Shen Ze had always been composed, but now his voice sounded nearly hysterical.

 

“Sorry,” Jing Ling apologized. It was indeed his oversight. This mission had been confidential and extremely dangerous. In theory, they weren’t allowed to carry their usual phones on such missions—if something happened and the phone fell into enemy hands, the consequences would be unthinkable.

 

But it just so happened that Yunshu’s birthday fell during the mission. He negotiated with Old Man Jiang for quite a while—while he was allowed to bring his phone, he could only turn it on that day, and it had to be destroyed immediately after the call.

 

He hadn’t expected the official account to tag him during that exact period, making Shen Ze unable to reach him.

 

“Forget it. It’s already in the past—no use dwelling on it. There’s still a bit of time before the movie comes out. Make the most of it and show some initiative. We might be able to salvage something. As for the rest, we’ll deal with it later.” Shen Ze quickly calmed down, his tone returning to normal.

 

“By our agreement, I wasn’t supposed to ask about your private matters. But given the current situation, we have to give the public an explanation about Weibo. So can I ask—where have you been these past few days?”

 

“Sorry, I can’t say.”

 

Shen Ze: “…Fine. In that case, either you give me a plausible excuse, or I’ll make one up for you. Your choice.”

 

Chapter 48

 

 

“Forget it, it’s too hard to explain over the phone. Where are you? At school? I’ll come find you directly.” Shen Ze had always been a man of action—just like that time when they were choosing a script. He was even more professional than a courier, personally delivering things late at night.

 

Unfortunately, Jing Ling couldn’t go along with him like he did last time. “A-Ze, I’ve got something going on here. Let’s do it tomorrow.”

 

At the same time, Yang Xinyao’s voice rang out. “Jing Ling, are you ready? Yunshu and I are still waiting on your decision for the itinerary!”

 

Her voice wasn’t particularly loud, but it was perfectly audible over the phone.

 

There was a suspicious silence on Shen Ze’s end for a few seconds before an outburst erupted. “Jing Ling, you’d better tell me honestly—did you get a girlfriend?!”

 

This time, it was Jing Ling’s turn to fall silent. His gaze unconsciously fell on Yunshu beside him. The earlier awkwardness between them had completely vanished. When their eyes met, she gave him a slight smile.

 

Great.

 

“I didn’t before, but I think I’m about to,” Jing Ling replied.

 

“I’d believe that if pigs could fly!” Shen Ze exploded like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, fur standing on end. “Where are you? You’d better come clean, or tomorrow I’ll hang myself at your dorm door—believe it or not!”

 

(A crying, screaming, and threatening routine（一哭二鬧三上吊）is a well-known Chinese idiom, originally describing a woman making a scene to get her way; here, Shen Ze jumps straight to the “hang myself” step—used humorously to describe someone being dramatically unreasonable.)

 

A once-gentle young man had been driven to this paranoid state. Skipping over the first two steps, he went straight for the ultimate move. Jing Ling hadn’t expected it either. But since it was his fault this time, he decided to accommodate him a little.

 

“A-Ze, hold on,” he said, then looked at Yunshu and Yang Xinyao. “A friend of mine is coming over. Do you mind?”

 

“Sure, why not? I can’t finish all this dog food by myself anyway.” Yang Xinyao curled her lip.

 

“It’s fine.” Yunshu shook her head.

 

So Jing Ling said, “Then come on over. It’s a private kitchen restaurant next to the Lakeside Hotel in the new Sheng District next to the school. The place is literally called ‘Private Kitchen.’ Just use map navigation. Call me when you’re close, and I’ll come get you.”

 

“…Alright, just you wait!” Shen Ze ground his teeth—his tone sounding more like he was coming to start a fight than discuss business.

 

Jing Ling could understand, though. Probably something like: “I’ve been running around like crazy for you, and now that there’s something urgent, I need permission from two ‘little vixens’ to even see you?” …What the heck kind of thinking is that!

 

The three of them waited at the restaurant for about forty minutes before Shen Ze arrived. During the wait, because they were bored, Yang Xinyao suggested playing Dou Dizhu, with whoever lost the most having to cover the night’s expenses.

 

(Dou Dizhu (斗地主) is a popular Chinese card game, often played in groups of three, involving a “landlord” vs. “peasants.” It’s highly strategic and commonly played for fun or small stakes.)

 

Jing Ling didn’t mind, and Yunshu had no objections either, so they asked the staff for a deck of cards.

 

For Jing Ling, who once trained a student of the Gambling King, Dou Dizhu was child’s play—he could win with his eyes closed. But his opponents were two girls who had traveled thousands of miles to find (and confess to) him. As the host, it wouldn’t be very nice to win.

 

So the entire card game was filled with theatrical twists. Jing Ling “coincidentally” drew the landlord card every time, and Yunshu and Yang Xinyao always ended up with excellent hands. Even when they got slightly worse cards, they could form unbeatable combos—straights, airplanes, rockets, and all kinds of chains to the death.

 

(Airplane (飞机) and rocket (王炸) are Dou Dizhu terms:

•           Airplane (飞机) = sequences of triplets.
•           Rocket (王炸) = the strongest combo, two jokers.)

 

The room was filled with Yang Xinyao’s gleeful laughter. Fortunately, the room was well soundproofed, so they didn’t get complaints from other guests. It wasn’t until Jing Ling’s phone rang that things quieted down.

 

“A-Ze, are you here? …Alright, 3rd floor, room 306, end of the hallway.”

 

Less than two minutes after hanging up, there was a knock on the door. Yang Xinyao, who was seated closer, got up to open it.

 

Shen Ze had expected Jing Ling to open the door, so he kept a frosty expression, ready to make it clear he had a temper too. But to his surprise, the one who opened the door was a girl with delicate features, her almond-shaped eyes slightly upturned.

 

He froze, then forced a smile. “Hi, I’m…” While he spoke, his gaze passed over the girl and landed on the two people behind her.

 

Sitting at the round table were a man and a woman. One leaned in slightly to listen, smiling softly, the other whispering with a profile as beautiful as a flower. 

 

The man was Jing Ling. He didn’t recognize the woman.

 

“Jing Ling! Didn’t you just tell me you didn’t have a girlfriend?!” Shen Ze shouted, teeth clenched. Now you’re sitting that close with a girl and you expect me to be blind?!

 

As soon as he said that, all three people in the room froze. Yang Xinyao, whose mind always wandered far and wide, immediately misunderstood. Her almond eyes went round as she looked at Shen Ze at the door, then turned to Jing Ling at the table. “You two…?”

 

Yunshu, on the other hand, didn’t have such a wild imagination. But hearing Shen Ze’s words, she instinctively followed the logic. Right… she’d nearly forgotten. Yes, she had confessed and even kissed him, and had since come to terms with liking someone being nothing to be ashamed of. But as the one being confessed to and kissed, Jing Ling hadn’t directly responded to her feelings…

 

Jing Ling instinctively looked at Yunshu. From her expression and eyes, he knew what she was thinking. He couldn’t help but want to cover his face and sigh. The one thing I didn’t want to happen… and here it is.

 

“Don’t overthink it,” he first reassured Yunshu. “You heard the phone call just now. A-Ze asked if I had a girlfriend, and I said not yet, but almost—because I’m thinking about how to confess properly so I won’t get rejected by you.”

 

Yang Xinyao, who’d just been force-fed more dog food: “…”

 

Shen Ze, who was watching his worst fear become reality in real time: “…”

 

“Come in and let’s talk.” Jing Ling said. After Shen Ze walked in with a face like the sky had fallen and Yang Xinyao shut the door with a huff, Jing Ling stood up to introduce everyone. He looked at the doorway. “This is my agent, Shen Ze.” Then he looked at the others. “This is Yang Xinyao.” Finally, he turned to the girl next to him. “And this is Tan Yunshu—Tan as in sandalwood—the girl I’m currently working hard to pursue.”

 

Yang Xinyao muttered, “A so-called friend who abuses single people at every opportunity.”

 

Shen Ze… took a long time to process the news. “If I may ask… Miss Tan isn’t in the entertainment industry, is she?”

 

Jing Ling shook his head. “She’s not.”

 

“I originally came to talk about other things, but clearly this takes priority.” Shen Ze pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses. “It might sound harsh, but I think it’s best to be upfront. I don’t know what your long-term plans are, but Jing Ling, if you still want a future in this industry, I sincerely advise you not to make your relationship with Miss Tan public anytime soon. This isn’t just for your sake—it’s for hers, too, because she’s not part of this world.”

 

This wasn’t Shen Ze being paranoid. The current state of the domestic entertainment industry was exactly like that. Whether male or female, unless a celebrity had truly made it big with notable works, revealing a relationship would usually tank their career. True, Jing Ling wasn’t walking the pretty-boy idol path, but he only had one pseudo-political historical drama to his name, and had just landed the third male lead in a major director’s new film—gaining him a batch of career-focused fans. Most of them, however, were still female.

 

After listening, Yang Xinyao suddenly recalled, “No wonder you looked familiar—you’re an actor!”

 

Yunshu had a similar reaction. After all, she and Yang Xinyao had only known Jing Ling for about a week. They just knew he was still in college and had never thought about the entertainment industry.

 

Her feelings were… unexpectedly complicated.

 

She pulled out her phone and searched online, easily finding Jing Ling’s Weibo, then tapped in for a look. There weren’t many posts—far fewer than she’d imagined for a celebrity’s account. A few posts with short captions and pictures that she could glance through in a moment. Then her mood grew more conflicted.

 

Born May 1995. Still nearly a month from turning 18…

 

So not long ago… she’d forcibly kissed a minor? [wo de ma].jpg

 

([wo de ma].jpg is a meme-style expression of shock. “Wo de ma” literally means “my mother!” and is the equivalent of “Oh my god!” or “What the heck!” in English.)

 

Feeling all kinds of ways, Yunshu felt like she needed some peace. Yang Xinyao, force-fed yet more dog food, also needed a moment, so the two decided to leave.

 

Jing Ling wasn’t a mind reader. Though he understood Yunshu’s thoughts quite well, it didn’t occur to him that this was the issue. He assumed she was shaken by Shen Ze’s words. “Yunshu, what A-Ze said was advice from an agent’s point of view. But in the end, the choice is mine—”

 

Yunshu cut him off. “I’m not overthinking it. I don’t follow the entertainment industry much, but I know enough. And that’s not what I care about. Your agent came all this way because something important is going on, right? Talk business with him. Xinyao and I will head back first. We came to have fun, so we can hang out any time.”

 

“…Alright.” She’d made herself clear, so Jing Ling had no choice but to agree. After giving Shen Ze a nod and asking him to wait, he escorted the girls back to their hotel, then returned to discuss business.

 

By the time he came back, Shen Ze had calmed down. As soon as Jing Ling entered, he got straight to the point. “Sorry, I was too emotional earlier.”

 

Jing Ling was also at fault—this whole situation was largely due to him. How could he blame Shen Ze? He shook his head. “Don’t apologize. I didn’t handle it well. Let’s talk about something else.”

 

“Alright.”

 

So the two of them discussed how to handle the recent incident late into the night. Since Jing Ling’s schedule over the past few days was confidential, Shen Ze originally wanted him to come up with a believable cover story. But Jing Ling refused. Rather than fabricating lies to cover for himself, why not just admit he made a mistake?

 

That might sound idealistic, but in this industry, very few people would actually do it. Still, Shen Ze knew Jing Ling’s personality and had no choice but to compromise.

 

In the end, they settled on Jing Ling posting two Weibo updates. One was an apology statement, tagging the official account for Island, and pinning the post. The second was something to lighten the mood.

 

Jing Ling—Second Most Handsome Under the Heavens V: I grew taller! [photo]

 

 

Chapter 49

 

 

The photo attached to the Weibo post was taken in the apartment Shen Ze had rented. He had really gone all out to bring Jing Ling over, going so far as to travel all the way to Qincheng to rent a place—and Jing Ling had only just found out.

 

When they entered the apartment, Jing Ling offered to reimburse the rent. Shen Ze replied, “If you really think it’s been hard for me, then just do your job properly. I’m not asking for much—start by diligently updating your Weibo, just one post a day will do.”

 

The demand was honestly so low that Jing Ling felt embarrassed to refuse.

 

After the two entered, Shen Ze directly pointed at the wall in the living room and said to him, “Take off your shoes and go stand there.” Jing Ling followed his gaze and saw that there was a children’s height chart sticker on the white wall. He immediately suspected this had been premeditated. The latter explained, “Left behind by the previous tenant, thanks.”

 

Measuring height barefoot is the only way to show sincerity. The sticker measured up to 180cm. When Jing Ling stood there, he exceeded it just like that. But apparently Shen Ze didn’t think that was sincere enough—he casually grabbed a magazine and pressed it down on Jing Ling’s head, flattening his fluffy hair, and finally stopped at the 180cm mark.

 

“…Was that really necessary?” Jing Ling said, a bit helpless.

 

Shen Ze brought over the camera. “Don’t move.” Then he started snapping photos from all sorts of angles—click click click. Out of boredom, Jing Ling counted the shutter sounds. Not one more, not one less—exactly a hundred.

 

“All done.” After saying that, Shen Ze took the camera to the computer, connected the data cable, exported the photos, then checked them one by one before selecting the most satisfactory one. He opened Photoshop and began editing.

 

“You know how to do this?” Jing Ling asked in surprise upon seeing this. He watched from the side for a while and saw that the skills were pretty decent, with shortcuts being used fluently.

 

Without turning his head, Shen Ze said, “When I first started in the industry, I was always working with newcomers. I couldn’t afford a team, so I had to figure things out myself.”

 

“Honestly, why were you willing to take me on in the first place?” Jing Ling asked. Shen Ze was his agent, but they’d barely had a few proper conversations since the beginning. Not only did he lack a so-called team, he didn’t even have an assistant. Up to now, all the work had been handled solely by Shen Ze. Even during filming on the Jiangcheng Twelve Islands, Shen Ze treated himself like an assistant.

 

Thinking about it, Jing Ling realized he had been quite an ass. Not only did he lack passion for his profession, he wasn’t even doing the basics well.

 

“Who doesn’t have a bit of ambition?” Shen Ze replied. “I was willing to take you on because I believed in your future. And as it turns out, my judgment wasn’t wrong. Of course, if you could be a bit more diligent, that’d be perfect.”

 

“Fine, fine, I’ll be diligent, okay?” Jing Ling compromised. So much for the cold, elite professional image—completely a facade.

 

Shen Ze finished editing the picture in about ten minutes. Jing Ling glanced at the final product, and three black lines [a comic-style visual metaphor for speechlessness or embarrassment] immediately slid down his forehead. Say what you will, but what were those two red blobs on his cheeks? And why was grass growing out of his head? Most importantly, the text bubble said—“Baby has grown taller!” What kind of aesthetic was this???

 

But Shen Ze thought it was great. Livening up the mood—nothing works better than being adorable.

 

Forced to act cute, Jing Ling said, “As long as you’re happy.”

 

The photo was ready, but it was already late—nearly 1 a.m. Posting on Weibo at that hour wouldn’t do much good, so Shen Ze planned to save it for the next morning. The apartment he rented was two bedrooms and a living room, but since he lived alone, the other bedroom hadn’t been cleaned. Cleaning it now would be too much trouble, so he grabbed a quilt, tossed it on the sofa, and said to Jing Ling, “You can sleep in my room.”

 

“Actually, I prefer the sofa,” Jing Ling said with a smile.

 

Shen Ze was stubborn too, so in the end, the two each took one sofa and slept soundly until morning.

 

Every morning, the first thing Yang Rou did was check Weibo. Her male idol hadn’t posted for nearly a month; the last one was a New Year joke about eating leftovers, and the comments had already exceeded 150,000. Most were fans checking in daily, while a few haters barked like mad dogs, accusing her idol of being unprofessional and acting like a diva. The spark had been a teaser posted by the official Weibo of the film Island, which tagged him, but he didn’t respond.

 

Maybe it was because she viewed him through rose-colored glasses, but Yang Rou didn’t think it was a big deal. He didn’t update his Weibo daily anyway. Since opening the account, it had been about half a year and he’d only posted fewer than 20 times—on average, about once every two weeks. He might not have even logged in and simply hadn’t seen the tag.

 

At first, she had been a fan because of his face, but later discovered he was incredibly low-key. On one hand, she was delighted by how pure and unpretentious he was, so different from all those flashy, sleazy types. On the other, she felt sorry for him—he’d acted in a great drama and landed a top director’s film, but outside of Weibo and the Nanzhou Forum, there was barely any trace of him. She was practically worrying herself sick over his future.

 

Checking Weibo had become a daily routine—hoping for a new post, but not disappointed if there wasn’t one. She’d just check in on his older posts. Today was no different. But to her surprise, when she refreshed, there was a brand-new post. She froze for a second, then let out a shriek and nearly leapt out of bed from excitement.

 

She wasn’t the only one who checked Weibo daily. The post was made exactly at 8 a.m., and within ten minutes, it already had over a thousand comments. The post was pinned. The content wasn’t much—just an apology for the Weibo incident a few days ago, explaining he had been handling personal matters and hadn’t noticed the tag.

 

The top comments were mostly understanding, full of virtual hugs and kisses for the idol, with all kinds of teasing and affection. A few haters jumped in, saying it was a lame excuse—“personal matters,” “didn’t notice,” just empty words disguised as an apology.

 

Yang Rou couldn’t take it anymore. Her fingers flew across the screen as she fired back:

 

Yang Liu Yiyi: Did you even finish elementary school? He got straight to the point and apologized—how’s that making excuses? He didn’t play the victim or say it was beyond his control, just mentioned he had personal matters. These days even telling the truth is considered making excuses? So what do you call someone who bails on an event saying they’re sick, only to get photographed partying in a bar that same night?

 

Amumu: +1


Juanjuan Is Not Juanjuan: +2 Blackening just to blacken. Disgusting!

 

—

 

After roasting the haters, Yang Rou kept reading comments. Someone commented that the idol was so cute and the little sprout on his head was super adorable. She paused, wondering who imagined that. Then someone said he’d finally grown taller—180cm, awesome, and still growing. She remembered his height was listed as 175cm when he debuted. It’d been almost half a year, so growing was natural—but how did they know it was 180?

 

Was there another post? With that thought, she scrolled up. Sure enough, below the pinned Weibo was another new one.

 

Jing Ling—Second Most Handsome Under the Heavens V: I’ve grown taller! [Picture]

 

The comment count had already passed 3,000. She tapped the image—and her bl00d bar instantly emptied. [“Bl00d bar empty” is a slang expression meaning she was overwhelmed, stunned, or emotionally knocked out.]

 

Yang Liu Yiyi: Oh my God, how can male idols be this cute? It’s literally illegal!

 

In his first drama The Song of Eternal Joy, he’d looked gentle and elegant in women’s clothing, and clean and refined in men’s attire. The behind-the-scenes photos released later showed his warm and charming smile. In his second project, the male third lead in Gu Mengmeng’s Island, his poster looked battered but his features remained flawless. In the teaser released a few days ago, he gave off a dark and chilling beauty, like a blade glinting coldly in the night—beautiful and dangerous.

 

And normally, his Weibo posts had a cool and aloof tone. No one expected today’s total reversal, and Yang Rou was completely bowled over by the cuteness. Many fans felt the same. Compared to checking in under the leftover-food post, fans were clearly more enthusiastic about this adorable update. Yang Rou could already foresee how astronomical the comment count would get.

 

Aside from fans, the official Weibo of the movie also reposted it quickly.

 

Island Movie V: Here’s a surprise for you all—our idol can actually be even cuter! @Jing Ling—Second Most Handsome Under the Heavens: I’ve grown taller! [Picture] [Video]

 

The video posted by the official account was a behind-the-scenes clip during filming. It was the scene where he first encountered the female lead while she was leaving a tree. He had insisted on doing it himself without a stunt double, so the director had him try climbing the tree as a test.

 

The comments exploded.

 

Deep Sea in the Clouds: Idol is too damn handsome!

 

A-Dong: Now I finally understand why people say humans evolved from monkeys [funny emoji]

 

It’s a Zero Not an O: +1 No kidding, he climbed that tree in no time—zoom zoom zoom!

 

Hua Hua Still Beautiful as a Flower Today: I just want to know—why is the idol climbing a tree? Was he bored and testing his agility, or is it part of the plot? The teaser didn’t give that away.

 

After posting on Weibo, Jing Ling didn’t keep checking the situation. He asked Shen Ze to monitor things and left. Yunshu and Yang Xinyao’s flight home was in the afternoon, so he still had most of the day to play host. But although he had good intentions, things didn’t go quite as planned.

 

Yunshu got a phone call—from Jiang Sijin.

 

“Sijin? What’s up?”

 

“Yunshu, I have something to ask you. This morning I ran into Yunjin in the compound and chatted with her. That’s when I found out your younger brother Yunzhong got injured and is in the hospital. I asked her how it happened, but she didn’t say—just gave me a strange look. Later, I heard from someone else that it happened on the day of my birthday party, at my house. I asked my brother about it, but he wouldn’t say anything either—just told me it had nothing to do with me. I went back to ask Yunjin again and pressed her for a long time before she finally said it was you who called Jing Ling over. Is that true?”

 

 

 

 

Chapter 50

 

 

When Jiang Sijin called, Yunshu and her companions were scouring the famous food street in Qin City. Yang Xinyao spotted a mobile cart selling bo zai gou (steamed rice pudding) and went over to buy two—one blueberry and one strawberry. The translucent cakes were pale pink and pale blue, skewered together on a bamboo stick and held in one hand, while her other hand was holding a tofu roll. With both hands full, she couldn’t pay, so she turned around and called, “Landlord, come pay up!”

 

She clearly hadn’t forgotten last night’s Fight the Landlord game.

 

Jing Ling found it a bit amusing and walked over to pay for her. When he turned back to look at Yunshu, he saw her standing still in the bustling crowd, holding up her phone, her smile gone. Framed by the cheerful people around her, she looked somewhat lonely.

 

“What’s wrong?” he walked up and asked.

 

Hearing him, Yunshu looked up and then shook her head. She covered the phone’s microphone with her hand and said, “It’s nothing.”

 

Ahead, Yang Xinyao waved her snacks and shouted back, “Yunshu, come quick! I got something tasty for you!”

 

“Let’s go,” Jing Ling said. She nodded. The two walked side by side down the street surging with people. The calls of street vendors and the chatter of tourists blended into a vibrant scene. But as someone inside that picture, Yunshu couldn’t bring herself to feel part of it.

 

“Yunshu? Yunshu, are you listening?” Perhaps because she hadn’t answered in a while, Jiang Sijin called her name twice.

 

“Mm,” Yun Shu replied faintly, paused, and said, “No.”

 

“Huh?” The other side was stunned, then caught on. “I see. You two knew each other before, right? I remember you were together that day. If it wasn’t you, was it the other girl? Yunjin said Yunzhong didn’t know Jing Ling at all before this, so why would he go so hard on him for no reason? Did you say something to him?”

 

“Why do you assume I said something rather than consider that they might have done something wrong?” Yunshu asked softly.

 

“No matter what, you’re family. If something happens, you should sit down and talk it out calmly. And Jing Ling is an outsider—he wouldn’t get involved in your family matters lightly, right?”

 

Yunshu’s tone unconsciously grew colder. “So you’ve already decided I said something that clouded his judgment? You’re not just calling to ask about that, are you? What else do you want to say?”

 

“I know this is your family’s issue, but Yunzhong was my guest that day. He came to my house for my birthday party and ended up going home injured. I’m really sorry about that. Even if you didn’t hit him, this whole thing started because of you. Yunjin said you haven’t visited him since he was hospitalized—that’s kind of too much, don’t you think? Yunshu, I hope you’ll come see Yunzhong and apologize. As for Jing Ling, no matter what, hitting someone is wrong. I’ll be calling him too,” Jiang Sijin said gently over the phone.

 

“No—” Yun Shu was about to refuse when her mouth was suddenly covered—by Jing Ling’s hand, long fingers with cool fingertips. At the same time, the phone in her hand was taken.

 

Then his voice came from above her head, cold and indifferent. “No need to keep calling. I’m right here. Whatever you want to say, say it now.”

 

Clearly not expecting this coincidence, Jiang Sijin was stunned for a few seconds before replying, “Jing Ling, you’re here too? Perfect. I tried calling you earlier but your phone was off. About Yunzhong—I don’t know what misunderstanding you have with him. The Tan family may not be pressing charges, but you injured him badly. At the very least, you owe him an apology.”

 

“Miss Jiang,” Jing Ling said, “allow me to offer a hypothetical. If this had happened to you, would your family really let it go? Of course, I know your family would never let something like this happen to you, but let’s just suppose. Just tell me—would they pursue it or not?”

 

Jiang Sijin replied, “Of course they would! My brothers would be furious, probably want to kill someone!”

 

“Tan Yunzhong’s position in the Tan family isn’t any lower than yours in the Jiang family. So why do you think the Tan family would let it go?”

 

“If they were really pressing charges, you wouldn’t be here talking to me right now. Jing Ling, you don’t understand. Just based on how badly you hurt Yunzhong, if the Tan family wanted to, it would be easy to get you a few years in prison. You’d have no way to recover from that.”

 

“Then why haven’t they done it?”

 

“Do you even understand what it means to go to prison?! If you’re convicted, your whole life is basically over!”

 

“So I should be grateful they didn’t press charges?” Jing Ling chuckled lightly, his tone unconcerned. “Miss Jiang, I know you grew up pampered like a princess, living in an ivory tower, unaware of the world’s hardships. That’s not a fault—it’s just fate. But can I trouble you to stay in your lane and stop meddling in other people’s business, especially when you know absolutely nothing about it? Not everyone has the luxury to live carefree like you.”

 

“Tan Yunzhong was your guest, but wasn’t Yunshu your guest too? Didn’t you personally write her invitation? So why, after hearing Tan Yunjin’s side, do you automatically assume it’s Yunshu’s fault? Actually, compared to Tan Yunzhong and Tan Yunjin, you and Yunshu are closer—you were friends when you were kids, weren’t you? Or maybe you’ve forgotten already.”

 

“The person who called me that day wasn’t her, and the one who hit him was me. Yunshu had nothing to do with it. Hitting people is wrong—no arguing that—but there are always exceptions. If it had been someone else, I wouldn’t have acted without knowing the whole story. But the Tan family? They’re an exception.”

 

“Miss Jiang, you say you feel sorry for Tan Yunzhong’s injury, say I hurt him badly—have you actually gone to see him yourself? I always know how far to go. I know exactly how bad his injuries are. Unless the Tan family tampered with the medical report, it wouldn’t even count as minor injury. The so-called hospitalization is just for show.”

 

“Whatever,” Jiang Sijin finally replied after a long silence, then hung up.

 

After all, she was the Jiang family’s little princess, spoiled all her life, never having endured any real hardship. Being scolded face-to-face like that—almost outright accused of meddling—it was no surprise she couldn’t take it.

 

Jing Ling turned off the screen and was about to hand the phone back to Yunshu, but another call came in. An unfamiliar number, registered in Lanzhou. Jing Ling had a guess and narrowed his eyes as he answered.

 

A female voice came through the line. “Yunshu, it’s me, your sister.” It was Tan Yunjin. Her tone was unexpectedly calm. “Don’t hang up. I’m not calling to blame you. Yunzhong got hurt, and while our parents are furious, we don’t blame you—it wasn’t you who did it. But Mom fainted from the shock and sadness. The doctor said she needs rest. Dad’s always busy, and I’m doing my internship. Someone has to take care of the two patients at home. Take some time off and come back. Your grades are good—missing a few classes won’t matter.”

 

How familiar those words sounded.

 

Jing Ling couldn’t help but laugh. “Tan Yunjin, even you don’t believe what you’re saying, so where do you get the confidence to think Yunshu would? Let me say something blunt—if she really took leave and came back, would you even dare let her take care of Tan Yunzhong? Aren’t you afraid she’d do a little experiment with his food or drink?”

 

Tan Yunjin clearly didn’t expect a stranger to answer the phone and was stunned for a while before demanding sharply, “Who are you?”

 

Jing Ling laughed. “Weren’t you all dying to carve me up to vent your anger on behalf of Tan Yunzhong? Can’t even recognize my voice? That’s pretty unprofessional.”

 

“Jing! Ling!” Tan Yunjin quickly recognized him and practically gritted her teeth shouting his name. “So it wasthat two-faced b1tch Tan Yunshu who told you to go after Yunzhong!”

 

Jing Ling was used to the Tan family’s lightning-fast switch from calm to hostility. “Didn’t you just say a moment ago that you didn’t blame Yunshu? Now you’re suddenly cursing her. Looks like you haven’t quite inherited Tan Kangcheng’s skill. If it were him, he’d still be chatting with me like nothing happened—might even invite me over as a guest. Honestly, I admire your family’s adaptability. Too bad all that cleverness is always used on dirty tricks and never anything proper. The Jiang family suppressed this incident and made it clear they didn’t want you bothering us, so your plan is to trick Yunshu into coming back, right? Then you can find some excuse to turn it into a family matter, and the Jiang family won’t be able to interfere.”

 

“You think the Jiang family can protect you and that b1tch Tan Yunshu forever?” Tan Yunjin sneered.

 

“No need to worry. If you can think of that, why wouldn’t we? There are plenty of girls in the Tan family willing—proud, even—to be pawns. You, for instance. No shortage of them at all. Why cling to Yunshu?”

 

“And who do you think you are? A nobody from some godforsaken village, got lucky that Jiang Sijin noticed you and gave you a role in a movie, and now you think you’re a star? At best you’re just a third-rate actor! Who gave you the right to meddle in the Tan family’s business?” Tan Yunjin spat.

 

“I couldn’t care less about your filthy family. What happened in the past is too old for me to bother with. I only care about Yunshu now. Do me a favor and tell Tan Kangcheng this—before you try to mess with Yunshu again, go ask Old Master Jiang what I gave him in exchange for burying the Tan Yunzhong incident. Get your facts straight before you make your next move!”