Chapter 116: Radiant Starlight

"Is it me?"

At the end of the red carpet, the man stood with a carefree, provocative air, his long legs carrying him slowly toward them.

The moment the words fell, the entire red carpet scene erupted.

Camera shutters fired like machine guns, desperate not to miss a single detail, with reporters even finding the time to ask their peers if their own brains were malfunctioning.

"The male fan who slept with Shen Jixing is me???"
"Yes, yes, it's me."

Shen Jixing: "..."

He pressed his pale, cold fingers against his temple, too genuinely exasperated to even be angry anymore.

Five minutes earlier—

"You don't need to go out there, just sit here and behave," Shen Jixing had told Zhou Yili.

Shen Jixing rarely attended events. But since he was announcing his departure to set up his own agency this time, he decided to give Zhou Yili a little treat—a consolation for the "little lion" who had shed tears for him the night before.

Zhou Yili watched him, his long eyes unblinking. "Okay."

In reality, he hadn't heard a word. He was accustomed to seeing Shen Jixing in pajamas or light shirts, and it was a rare sight to see him in such exquisite, expensive, and dazzlingly aloof top-tier celebrity form.

"Kiss me, and I'll be good."

Seeing Shen Jixing’s distant, guarded expression, Zhou Yili assumed that since he had to go on stage in a few minutes, he certainly wouldn't mess around—

Outside the car window, the fragmented winter light shimmered.

Shen Jixing lowered his eyes and brushed his lips against the corner of Zhou Yili’s, his moist tongue sweeping lightly across the seam of his lips. "Is this enough?"

Amidst Zhou Yili’s stunned gaze, Shen Jixing calmly and coolly adjusted his cufflinks, lifted his long lashes, and smiled at him. "Hmm?"

Zhou Yili: "..."

Zhou Yili’s brain roared as if a snowy mountain had collapsed, though only a flurry of delicate snowflakes had drifted down.

He reached out. "Not eno—"

Shen Jixing had already stepped out of the car, the hem of his white suit brushing against Zhou Yili’s palm. He walked toward the red carpet without a second glance, ready to make his entrance.

Zhou Yili was defeated.

He turned to the manager who was moonlighting as their driver. "Tell me, is he purposely baiting me?"

The manager thought to himself, *You don't need to be baited; you're chasing the hook and biting it yourself.* He sneered, his face wooden. "I don't know, I'm just an NPC."

"..."

But Shen Jixing’s tactic had clearly backfired. The man who had promised to behave if kissed a second ago was now appearing on the red carpet with such blatant, seductive flair, as if terrified that others wouldn't realize he was the very "male fan" in question.

Shen Jixing stared coldly at the man who had approached him, asking in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Coming for seconds?"

Zhou Yili’s lips curled into a smile. He leaned in and whispered back, "You were the one summoning me."

Shen Jixing’s brow furrowed. "What did I—"

Zhou Yili’s wrist brushed against his. It felt as if an electric current had passed between their bones; the rose hidden beneath his snow-white cuff slowly began to bloom.

"The effective range is a one-mile radius."
"As long as you appear within a mile of me, you are summoning me."

Zhou Yili’s sensor gave a faint twitch—the sound of a successful link.

"I can feel it, and so can you."

He could feel Shen Jixing’s existence. Shen Jixing could feel his heartbeat.

The two of them whispering in broad daylight only fueled the frenzied barrage of camera flashes. The managers of both sides were already feeling dead inside.

Pei Ming had not expected the answer to be so close at hand. His final shred of stubbornness was: "Star-Gleam or Gleaming-Star?"

Both managers believed their own artist was undeniably the "top."

Zhou Yili raised an eyebrow. His young master’s temperament was indeed possessive, but he didn't care about such things in public. Everything revolved around preserving Shen Jixing’s face.

Zhou Yili turned casually, about to say in a languid tone, "Star—"

"Gleaming Star," Shen Jixing interrupted, not looking back.

He walked straight off the red carpet, leaving behind a cold, lonely silhouette. That silhouette paused briefly in the silence of the venue, casting a slight glance back at the man on the carpet. "Get down here."

Zhou Yili hesitated for a second, then chuckled. "Coming, Teacher Shen."

The moment Zhou Yili turned to follow, the reporters in front of the red carpet let out piercing shrieks:
"Ahhh!!!"
"I shipped it right! I shipped it right!"
"Me too! 'Gleaming Star' is the best!"

Amidst the enthusiastic, joyful atmosphere of the venue, only Pei Ming stood with his camera, eyes closed.

His heart was cold.
The mountain-snow cabbage he had raised for seven years had been snatched.

...

Shen Jixing’s influence as a top-tier celebrity was massive. Within moments, the news had spread across the entire internet. Yet, in the domestic entertainment industry, where exposing a relationship usually meant the end of one's career, there were almost no casualties.

One had announced he liked men the moment he debuted.
The other was a top-tier star who had survived being blacklisted by the entire internet; this hardly counted as a scandal.

[One ruined his career at debut, the other had his career ruined at his peak—I can actually ship this, ho ho ho.]
[Toxic fans only break down for a real sister-in-law, but they won't for a daughter-in-law (heart).]
[I can't even imagine how happy it must be to cuddle with Star-wife every day, watching him, kissing him, being with him every day...]
[Enough, if you keep going, are we even going to live our lives?]
[Zhou Yili, you lucky kid, wuwuwu QAQ]

...

*Crash!*

A celadon teacup was smashed heavily onto the floor by a man.

A trending topic, red-hot with popularity, sat on his home screen. Bo Yu had only just picked up his phone before his composure shattered.

The doctor, who had just pushed the door open: "..."

He slowly withdrew his foot, deciding to come back later.

The doctor turned his head and came face-to-face with Mu Si, who was carrying a fruit platter. The latter glanced at him with indifferent eyes. "Go in."

The doctor clutched his medical kit and went in, swallowing his resentment.

Bo Yu was currently in a rage. "Who told you to come in?!"

The doctor immediately pointed behind him. "Him."

Mu Si was dressed in black, holding the fruit platter. He looked no different than before, still appearing as the one who followed Bo Yu’s lead.

Bo Yu’s expression finally softened slightly. Just as he was about to raise his hand to have him bring over the fruit—all his favorites—he turned to see Mu Si leaning against the door, eating it himself.

"What are you doing?"
"Eating fruit."
"Did I give you permission to come back?" Bo Yu glared at him coldly.
"I didn't intend to come back," Mu Si said, biting into a green grape and chewing slowly. "But your condition has been unstable lately. I was afraid you’d have an episode and hurt the young master, and my new boss would dock my pay."

Hearing the words "new boss" was like dancing on a landmine for Bo Yu. He was acting quite righteous about his betrayal.

Bo Yu sneered. "How much does he pay you?"
"Three thousand a month."

Fu Chen had no close relationship with him and didn't need his protection; it was just a nominal title, and he wouldn't pay him much. Besides, Mu Si wouldn't have accepted more anyway.

Sure enough, Bo Yu looked disdainful. "Three thousand? That’s not even worth a pair of my socks. You really are cheap."

Bo Yu’s words were always cutting; the word "cheap" almost crushed one's self-esteem.

Mu Si’s hand, holding the grape, paused for a moment. He slowly popped the sweet fruit into his mouth.

"It is quite cheap. But you never gave me or the young master a single cent."

They had never possessed the right to control their own money. In all honesty, he and Shen Jixing lived comfortable lives, but they owned nothing of their own.

"What is it that I haven't given you?" Bo Yu asked coldly, stung by the remark.

Shen Jixing had abandoned him to choose that dim-witted Zhou Yili.
Mu Si had abandoned him to sell himself out for three thousand yuan.
Bo Yu couldn't fathom what was going on in their heads.

"I want to buy a cake."

Mu Si’s words interrupted his thoughts unexpectedly. "I've always wanted to buy a cake."

Bo Yu let the doctor check his vitals. "Why?"

Bo Yu never ate sweets. All the food in the house followed his taste, and Shen Jixing and Mu Si had always eaten the same.

Mu Si said, "No reason."

*Because you named me 'Cake,' and I want to know what I taste like.*