Today I Will Also Be the Male Protagonist’s Rival - Chapter 12

Su Yu’s Little Baby: Huo Shu? Her? No way, no way!

Huo Shu was feeling shy, but when she suddenly saw this message, she became angry and puffed up with frustration. “Why not? The two of them are clearly a great match!”

Su Yu’s 52nd Wife: I don’t think so either. Everyone saw what happened on the trending searches last time. She probably just wants to cling to our goddess for clout.

Eats Fish Without Spitting Bones: Exactly! Last time, her fans cursed at our Su Yu so badly. I’m not shipping this CP at all!

(Note: “CP” is short for “coupling” or “character pairing,” often used in fandoms to refer to romantic pairings.)

Loves Yakult: +1.

Huo Shu was about to cry from anger.

Why?

All those older women are fine, but not her?

She bit her lip and tried to defend herself. “I… I think Huo Shu and Su Yu have a really good relationship. Didn’t you see last time—she helped clear things up for Su Yu?”

Su Yu’s Little Baby: Tch, that was just pressure from the company, okay?

Huo Shu pouted in grievance.

That’s not true!

She did it on her own initiative.

Eats Fish Without Spitting Bones: Wait, wait, are you a Huo Shu fan?

Su Yu’s Little Baby: Of course! Look at the username—‘Huohuo’—that’s definitely Huo Shu herself. And she’s even a CP fan?

Eats Fish Without Spitting Bones: Kick her out, kick her out!

Huo Shu: ???

Before she could even react, she received a Weibo notification.

[You have been removed from Su Yu’s official fan club by the admin.]

Huo Shu cried from frustration.

“Why did they kick me out?!”

“This is prejudice! What’s wrong with Huo Shu? She totally matches with Su Yu!”

Huo Shu muttered for a bit, then resigned herself to reapply.

[The admin has rejected your request to join Su Yu’s official fan club.]

Huo Shu: …………

Fine then! Who cares!

It’s not a big deal!

Gritting her teeth, she opened the search bar and browsed for a bit, eventually joining the Huo Shu x Su Yu Super Topic.

(Note: “Super Topic” or 超话 is a feature on Weibo similar to a dedicated fan forum or thread for specific people or topics.)

Snow Falls in Winter: The older sister and the younger sister are just perfect together. Waaaah, Han Wudi get out of the way, let them fall in love already!

(Note: Han Wudi refers to the Emperor in the historical drama Su Yu is acting in, where Huo Shu and Su Yu may play roles with ambiguous relationships.)

Huo Shu’s mood instantly turned from gloomy to bright.

Ah, finally someone with good taste!

At last, she’d found like-minded friends.

She curved her eyes in a smile and replied: “Agreed!”

After replying, Huo Shu was feeling very satisfied—but then suddenly thought of something and collapsed onto the bed, full of regret.

“Ahhhh what am I doing?!”

“I… Why do I feel this way about Su Yu-jie?”

She originally thought she just admired Su Yu as an older sister, but now that others pointed it out, it seemed like maybe… it wasn’t just that?

Could it be that she actually…?

No, no, no!

If Su Yu-jie found out, she definitely wouldn’t pay any attention to her anymore.

Huo Shu buried her face in the pillow in frustration.

3:00 PM

Su Yu: “I’m not close with Teacher Cheng, and there’s nothing between us. He has always been a senior I admire, and I hope to learn from him.”

Fairy Pig: Pfft! I’m dying, hahaha! First time seeing a female lead step up to personally shut down a rumor. I love Su Yu’s fiery temper—totally becoming a fan.

Su Yu’s Little Baby: Hugging our goddess! I knew Su Yu would never abandon us “Mermaids.” Who’s Cheng Chen? We don’t want him!

(Note: “Mermaids” likely refers to Su Yu’s fan club or fansite group name.)

Cheng Chen’s Favorite Wife: Ugh! So shameless, clout-chasing much? Everyone knows what kind of person Su Yu is. A woman like her? My idol wouldn’t even bother! Thanks, but no thanks.

This Weibo post stood in stark contrast to Cheng Chen’s earlier one. Some netizens screenshotted both posts and added a caption:

[Most Dramatic Official Announcement in History]

#SuYuSlapsBack
#SuYuHasATemper
#PoorChengChen

Several related Weibo posts instantly hit the trending charts, solidly staying in the top 10.

In the office

Yu Sheng paced back and forth, his expression stormy and anxious. He was both angry and worried. “Brother Cheng, you’re usually so composed—how could you lose your cool like this?”

“Do you know what people are saying online now? That you’re delusional, that you embarrassed yourself—everything you can think of! Ever since Su Yu posted her Weibo, your follower count has been plummeting!”

“If this keeps up, all the goodwill you built over the years will be gone!”

Cheng Chen leaned against the sofa, his eyes slightly downcast. He held a cigarette between his fingers, his emotions unreadable.

This situation was tricky.

He had anticipated a lot of things—but never thought Su Yu would respond like that.

Now this… really was a slap in the face.

He lowered his head, took a drag from the cigarette, and exhaled a perfect smoke ring. He flicked the ash lightly. “This time, I miscalculated.”

“Miscalculated? That’s putting it mildly…”

Yu Sheng wanted to say more, but seeing Cheng Chen’s darkened expression, he shut his mouth.

“Sigh, what now? Think about how you’re going to explain this to your fans.”

Cheng Chen leaned back and rubbed his temples. “I’ll think about it.”

Ring ring ring.

The phone rang.

“Brother Cheng, your phone.”

Yu Sheng handed it over and whispered, “It’s Su Yu.”

Cheng Chen suddenly looked up and quickly took the phone. “Hello…”

His voice was low, with suppressed anger.

But before he could speak, the girl’s tearful and reproachful voice came through.

“Who told you to make the announcement?”

“Do you know how much your popularity has suffered because of it?”

The girl was crying, sobbing as she scolded, “Wuwuwu Cheng Chen, I don’t want you to do something like this for me. Just being with you is enough. I don’t want you getting scolded by so many people because of me.”

“Did you hear me?”

All the questions Cheng Chen had prepared to ask were thrown into chaos by this outburst.

He didn’t reply—he could only hear the girl’s faint sobs from the other end.

Cheng Chen could almost picture Su Yu with tears streaming down her face, delicate and vulnerable, making anyone feel sorry for her.

His heart softened. He soothed her in a gentle voice, “Be good, don’t cry. It’s not your fault. I just want to be with you—openly, proudly.”

Yu Sheng was dumbfounded.

Was Cheng Chen… actually being sincere?

“I don’t want that!”

Su Yu cried harder, her voice nearly gasping from sobs. “You’re supposed to be a Film Emperor admired by all. And now, because of me, you’re being cursed by everyone—what the hell is that?”

“Please don’t announce it, okay? Wuwuwu I can’t bear seeing you insulted like this.”

In the end, the girl sniffled and said pitifully, “Cheng Chen, it hurts me to see you like this.”

Her soft voice, still tinged with tears, hit Cheng Chen right in the heart.

He pressed his lips together and stubbed out his cigarette.

Su Yu, someone like her… crying so hard because of him. That showed how much she cared.

It turned out he had overthought things.

With that, a hint of guilt rose in his chest. He let out a soft “Mm,” and said, “I won’t announce it anymore. I’ll have PR clear it up later.”

Yu Sheng panicked. “Brother Cheng, what… what did you just say?!”

Cheng Chen shot him a glance, said a few more comforting words, then hung up the call.

“What else can I do? I was too hasty. I shouldn’t have announced it so early. Inform PR to get ready for clarification.”

Yu Sheng stomped in frustration. “But… but who’s going to believe that? It’s already solid proof!”

“Whether they believe it or not is their business.”

Cheng Chen stood up and tossed the cigarette butt into the trash bin. “What I need to do is set an example.”

Behind him, Yu Sheng cursed in anger. “I think Su Yu’s really gotten under your skin!”

Cheng Chen paused mid-step and curled his lips slightly.

This outcome… wasn’t a total loss. At least, the devoted-lover image had been established.

And some people… believed it.