Today I Will Also Be the Male Protagonist’s Rival - Chapter 23

Yu Sheng suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

When he looked again, the man leaning against the door had handsome features and a gentle smile—nothing like how he had appeared just moments ago.

An illusion!

He snapped back to his senses and gave Xiao Zhang a signal with his eyes before turning to greet the man. “Brother Cheng, you… why are you here? I can handle this. You should go back to your office and rest.”

Xiao Zhang had just been secretly badmouthing someone and got caught by the very person he was talking about. Already feeling guilty, he didn’t even dare lift his head and hurriedly left.

Cheng Chen narrowed his eyes tightly, clenching his fist hard.

Everything had changed!

Ever since he trended on the hot search, everything had turned upside down. The way people in the company looked at him no longer carried respect—instead, there was ridicule and mockery.

Now, even a lowly staff member in the PR department dared to ignore him.

Ling Qingqing!

Cheng Chen muttered the name, eyes filled with ruthless coldness, as if he wanted to tear the person behind that name apart and swallow her whole—only then could he ease the hatred in his heart.

“Brother Cheng?”

Yu Sheng waved a hand in front of his face.

Cheng Chen came back to himself and smiled slightly. “Hm?”

Yu Sheng let out a sigh of relief and smiled to comfort him. “Brother Cheng, don’t worry for now. I’ll ask around and see if there’s any way to fix this.”

“Thanks for your trouble.”

“No trouble at all.”

Yu Sheng smiled and turned to leave.

Cheng Chen’s gaze deepened as he watched his back, eyes narrowing sharply.

Yu Sheng… he’d better not disappoint him!

At this point, Cheng Chen really had no way out.

If Yu Sheng also betrayed him, then… he might truly do something insane.

He exhaled lightly and returned to his office.

Just as he sat down, the phone rang.

“Su Yu.”

He pursed his lips slightly, a hint of softness in his eyes.

At a time like this, the only person who would still think to call him… probably only her.

“Hello—”

“Cheng Chen! I really misjudged you!”

On the other end, the voice was shrill, filled with intense sobs.

“I always thought I was your first love. But what about you?”

“You got involved with Ren Qianxia and Ling Qingqing one after the other. What am I to you, Su Yu?”

The barrage of questions left Cheng Chen stunned.

After a moment, he rubbed his brow and coaxed in a low voice, “Yuyu, believe me. There’s really nothing going on between me and them. It’s Ling Qingqing slandering me.”

“Slandering you?”

A cold laugh came from the other end. “And those videos circulating online? Are those slander too?”

“Cheng Chen, do you think I’m an idiot?”

“Videos?”

A sudden sense of dread surged in Cheng Chen’s chest. He hurriedly opened Weibo.

#ChengChenIsTrulyTheKingOfDucks
(Note: “Duck” (鸭子) is slang in Chinese for a male escort.)

From the video came shameless, blush-inducing sounds. Two bodies were tangled together tightly, unwilling to part.

The male lead had a handsome and gentle appearance.

Cheng Chen couldn’t help cursing out loud.

“F**k!”

The sneering voice came again from the phone.

“The video’s right there, Cheng Chen, and you’re still pretending?”

“I’ve seen right through you. Let’s break up. I used to love you!”

With a snap, the call was cut off.

Cheng Chen’s face twisted in rage, his hand gripping the phone tightly.

Who was it?

Who was trying to destroy him?

The face in the video was his, but the body wasn’t. Someone was clearly framing him!

Cheng Chen’s expression grew darker. He scrolled further down the comments—shock filled the section, with countless remarks like: “Cheng Chen truly is the Duck King.”

The more he read, the angrier he got. He suddenly threw the phone across the room. The screen shattered into pieces as it hit the wall.

Yu Sheng walked in and saw the mess, then sat down on the couch with a heavy sigh. “Brother Cheng, you’d better prepare yourself mentally.”

Cheng Chen stiffened, holding back his anger. “What do you mean?”

“The company really has no way to help this time. It seems like someone’s dead set on bringing you down.”

Yu Sheng handed over his phone. “Look at Weibo. You’re in the top ten hot searches—all kinds of people are stepping on you.”

“Remember that Huo Shu? That rookie actress you worked with? She posted a video crying her eyes out, saying you tried to sleep with her in exchange for a role.”

Cheng Chen’s face darkened. “Would people believe something like that without any evidence?”

Yu Sheng glanced at him and said quietly, “She posted your friend request verification message in the video, so…”

Cheng Chen: …

That wasn’t even the same thing!

He only added Huo Shu to make Su Yu jealous.

Who could’ve seen this coming?

After a long silence, Yu Sheng looked at him and hesitated for a while before saying, “If you ask me, Brother Cheng… you should leave the industry. With how things are now, clearing your name will be tough. Even if you succeed, you won’t rise again.”

Cheng Chen cut him off and asked quietly, “The company’s giving up on me, huh?”

His eyes were downcast, making it hard to read his expression. His tone was flat—like he was disheartened.

Yu Sheng knew he was proud. Seeing him like this now stirred a bit of guilt in him. He sighed, “Actually, it’s not that you…”

“I asked you a question.”

The voice was cold, devoid of any emotion.

Yu Sheng sighed again and nodded. “Yes.”

Cheng Chen suddenly laughed, then asked, “Who’s the company planning to promote?”

With him falling from grace, the company would need someone to take his place.

“Zhuang Fan from Shengshi Media.”

Yu Sheng looked up at him cautiously. “Brother Cheng, you have to understand, the company…”

“I know. I understand the company.”

Cheng Chen interrupted him and smiled. “Just now, Yuyu called and asked me to come over. Let’s talk about the company when I get back.”