Today I Will Also Be the Male Protagonist’s Rival - Chapter 8

Su Yu was momentarily stunned.

After a short pause, she chuckled softly, reached out with her slender, fair fingers, and pinched Huo Shu’s cheek. “Jealous?”

This little girl sure had a big jealous streak.

She had only just met Cheng Chen—was that really necessary?

Huo Shu’s cheeks turned slightly red as she turned her head away with a soft snort.

Sh-she wasn’t jealous.

Sh-she just didn’t like seeing Cheng Chen get so close to Su Yu.

That guy—she had seen it clearly—was definitely no good. The way he looked at Su Yu wasn’t pure at all. He obviously had ulterior motives.

As for earlier, when she had a nosebleed, she had completely tossed that incident to the back of her mind.

Between girls… could that even be considered taking advantage?

Su Yu had drunk a bit too much tonight. Her cheeks were flushed and she didn’t have much strength left, so she just gently pushed Huo Shu away.

“Alright, get up.”

Huo Shu bit her lip and stared at her intently. “Then… promise me first, okay?”

Her voice was pleading—soft and sweet, like a spoiled child.

Su Yu couldn’t resist the pitiful look in the younger girl’s eyes and finally let out a soft “Mm.”

Huo Shu immediately broke into a wide grin, then pounced forward, rubbing her cheek against Su Yu’s. “I knew Su Yu-jie is the best!”

Su Yu was startled, then broke into a laugh.

This little girl… such a child!

Fortunately, Huo Shu knew when to stop. She let go after just one hug.

“Su Yu-jie, go take a shower.”

Su Yu didn’t think too much about it. She responded with a “Mm” and walked into the bathroom with her pajamas.

Huo Shu withdrew her gaze and sat down to scroll through Weibo.

Maybe it was because stills had been released, but Weibo was very lively tonight. Netizens were showing intense anticipation for the cast of Han Palace: Under Heaven.

Huo Shu logged into her alt account and liked all the posts praising Su Yu one by one, then started checking trending topics.

Suddenly, one trending hashtag caught her eye:

#SuYuRelationshipExposed

Huo Shu pressed her lips tightly together. After hesitating a moment, she clicked in.

A few photos appeared.

Outside a hotel, under a scenic tree, a man held Su Yu tightly in his arms, his eyes lowered with an expression that was both heated and tender, as if gazing at a treasure.

It was clear the paparazzi had good skills. Using the lighting, the man’s appearance was captured clearly.

Handsome and gentle, a slight smile on his lips—wasn’t that exactly Cheng Chen from earlier?

Huo Shu cursed under her breath and slapped the table hard.

That Cheng Chen—wasn’t he a triple-award-winning film emperor? How could he be so shameless?

Always trying to ride on Su Yu-jie’s popularity!

She grumbled, but still couldn’t resist clicking into the comments.

@CherryMarukoIsCute: Wait wait wait, is that my idol Cheng Chen? I refuse to believe it!!! How could he be involved with a woman like Su Yu???

Huo Shu spat in disgust.

Su Yu-jie’s ten fingers alone were more precious than that whole lot.

A bunch of sour lemons!
(Slang note: “lemon essence” or “sour lemon” [檸檬精] is slang for people who are jealous.)

@ImDogtailGrass: Confirmed! Men are all trash. Even Cheng Chen can’t avoid this kind of stuff. Goodbye, I no longer believe in love.

Huo Shu snorted coldly.

Of course Cheng Chen was no good.

You got that right!

@MeatOrNothing: Ehhhh… is it just me, or do they actually look kinda good together?

That comment had been pushed to the top, and below it, there were plenty of replies—some scolding, some agreeing.

Huo Shu was furious. She immediately replied:

@YesJustYou: Exactly, just you. Please keep your delusions to yourself. Hands off our Su Yu—we don’t accept any kind of shipping.
(Slang note: “圈地自萌” literally means “stay in your own circle and enjoy quietly,” used to tell people not to spread their fan pairings everywhere.)

The original commenter was apparently also online and quickly replied:

@TopCommenter: Tsk! No wonder Su Yu has so many haters—it’s fans like you ruining her image and turning the public against her.

Huo Shu: I’ll #x%… [profanity]

Ding ding…

A private message popped up.

@ILoveYakult: Hey sis, don’t be mad. That’s just how they are—always bullying our girl because she has no one backing her. Don’t let it get to you.

Huo Shu clenched her fingers, her heart aching a little. She replied:

@LoveSugarHuoHuo: Has she always been bullied like this?

@ILoveYakult: Yeah. Our Su Yu-jie is super chill and never responds to any of it. Every time she trends, it’s always our side that gets flamed. Eventually, fans stopped caring—we can’t outargue them anyway. Are you a new fan?

Huo Shu softly replied “Mm,” feeling a little down.

She recalled the last trending topic—her own fans had probably attacked Su Yu-jie pretty badly.

But… Su Yu-jie didn’t seem to care at all. She even agreed to have dinner with her afterward.

She bit her lip as a wave of guilt washed over her.

@ILoveYakult: Let me add you to our group.

[ILoveYakult has invited you to a group chat]

Huo Shu snapped out of her thoughts.

Group name: Official Su Yu Fan Support Group

@NoFishBoneLeft: Welcome newbie! Voice, photo, age—spill it!

@SuYu’s100thWife: Hahaha, hi newbie!

@SuYu’sLittleBaby: Welcome, welcome!

The moment she joined, a swarm of previously silent members flooded in.

Normally, Huo Shu preferred peace and quiet, but this time, she didn’t feel annoyed—only a sense of novelty.

She pursed her lips and cautiously sent a message:

@LoveSugarHuoHuo: Hi everyone!

@SuYu’sLittleBaby: Hey hey! I heard from Duoduo you even got into a fight with someone just now? No need for that—if you love Su Yu, we’re all one big family!

Huo Shu blushed and asked:

@LoveSugarHuoHuo: Your names are all…

Aren’t they way too blatant?

Su Yu-jie doesn’t have that many wives. She… she doesn’t have any!

@SuYu’s51stWife: Hahaha, we all changed them ourselves. If you like, you can change yours too!

Huo Shu’s ears turned red.

This… this is way too embarrassing, right?

If Su Yu-jie saw it, it’d be humiliating.

But…

Though her thoughts hesitated, her actions didn’t. She quickly went to her profile and changed her nickname:

@SuYu’sBelovedHuoHuo

As soon as she finished, her entire face turned crimson like burning clouds. She didn’t dare look at the group chat again and quickly closed Weibo.

“Phew…”

Huo Shu rubbed her ears and looked at her reflection in the phone screen.

Early twenties, fair and delicate, with a slim build and long brows. Her eyes were soft and expressive, filled with a touch of timid charm and seductive allure. So captivating.

She softly muttered her new nickname again, then buried her face into the couch in embarrassment.

“Ahhhh, Huo Shu, you’re so shameless!”

Her face was flushed, eyes glistening with emotion.

Ding dong!

A new WeChat verification request rang out.

Huo Shu blinked and looked over at the source of the sound.

It was… Su Yu-jie’s phone.

So late at night—who was messaging her?

After hesitating a bit, she quietly glanced toward the bathroom, then tiptoed over.

No password. A simple swipe unlocked it.

[Cheng Chen requests to add you as a friend]

Cheng Chen?

Huo Shu’s expression darkened.

She knew it—this man had bad intentions toward Su Yu-jie.

Just as she thought!

She instinctively wanted to hit “Decline,” but paused when she remembered it was Su Yu’s phone.

Biting her lip, she snuck a glance at the bathroom, thought for a moment, then quietly deleted the verification request.

The teacher had said: a gentleman should act with honor and integrity.

But… she was a girl, not a gentleman.

It should be fine.