Sickly Bigshot CH 14 Stardom
Translated by The BL Muse (ko-fi)
The moment the car stopped, Shi Zhou flung the door open and leaped out, slamming it shut in one fluid motion.
The chilly wind cooled the faint blush on his cheeks.
That was my first kiss! In both lifetimes! Sure, it was just a peck on the cheek, but still a first! Who’d believe the notoriously flirtatious Young Master Shi was actually a pure-hearted virgin who only dared to tease verbally?
Of course, he didn’t know he’d already kissed Qin Yancheng on the face once—on the night he transmigrated—even demanding a kiss in return while drunk.
Shi Zhou continued to sulk. Why did I resort to such a self-destructive move? He refused to admit it was lust clouding his judgment, insisting it was a tactical strike to disorient the enemy. And it had briefly stunned Qin Yancheng.
Qin Yancheng exited the other side, expression unreadable as ever. He glanced at Shi Zhou but said nothing.
Bai Ran waited nearby with two suited men—likely lawyers. She noted the odd tension but didn’t dare pry, especially with Qin Yancheng visibly unwell. Quickly, she led the legal team to negotiate the contract termination.
In the lounge, Shi Zhou lounged on the sofa, carefully placing the perfectly peeled apple skin on the side before casually placing the apple itself on a plate.
Peeling another, then another—
Three apples later, he’d honed his skills, finding the process oddly satisfying. But wasting food felt sinful, so he needed to find a trash can to help him solve this problem. He nudged Qin Yancheng’s ankle with his shoe:
"Hey, Qin sir, want an apple? Peeled it just for you. Great for health—vitamin C and all kinds of nutrition, y’know?"
Qin Yancheng eyed the blatant lie, originally not planning to bother, but looking into those earnest smiling eyes, in the end he took the naked apple anyway, eating it silently before returning to his reports.
Shi Zhou wiped his hands and scrolled Weibo, studying the entertainment industry while saving photos of Qin Yancheng snapped by lucky fans.
Qin Yancheng rarely appeared in public, and although every photo of him that could be found was stunning, there were really not many of them. This sense of mystery made him even more attractive. Everyone knew that this young billionaire with a net worth of hundreds of billions was a man with broad shoulders, long legs and absurdly perfect looks. His many fans were eager to see more high-definition handsome photos of him.
Shi Zhou smirked. After all, he got the real deal right here. All angles, anytime. With enough courage, he could even touch for research purposes.
Qin Yancheng’s phone rang. At the name onscreen, his expression darkened. He muted it and set the phone down as if contaminated.
The calls kept coming. One, two, three...
More than half an hour had passed, and Shi Zhou was wondering what number of calls this was. Neither answering the call nor hanging up, the situation remained in a stalemate. This was rather odd. The person on the other end seemed to be very patient.
So patient that they didn't seem like a normal person.
Shi Zhou crunched an apple, tilting his head. "Who’s calling? Why not answer?"
Qin Yancheng stayed silent.
Curious, Shi Zhou peeked. The screen read "Zeng Yan"—a woman’s name. Looking at Qin Yancheng’s reaction... could it be an ex-girlfriend?
Bai Ran knocked and entered. "President Qin, we’ve doubled our offer, but they’re stalling. They won’t release the contract."
Qin Yancheng nodded, unsurprised. Bai Ran hesitated. "Should we raise further? What’s our budget for Mr. Shi’s contract?"
"Ten times the price wouldn’t sway them," Qin Yancheng shut his laptop coldly. "They think I won’t touch Qixing with the contract in their hands. How laughably stupid."
Bai Ran understood—Zheng Qi was banking on Qin Yancheng balking at the scandal of Shi Zhou’s contract being auctioned off if Qixing collapsed, or the drawn-out legal battle that would make Shi Zhou a laughingstock.
Shi Zhou never imagined he’d be someone’s human shield. Zheng Qi overestimated his importance.
He and Qin Yancheng weren’t even friends. Expecting Qin Yancheng to spare him for such disgusting things as spying, fantasizing and finding a stand-in? Absurd.
Qin Yancheng stood. "Bai Ran, inform Zheng Qi—since he’s refusing grace, he’d better not regret it."
Outside the window was a deep and dark night, with the sound of wind blowing past. Shi Zhou lounged in the study, munching chips. "Hey, Qin Yancheng—no, Dear President Qin—will you save me?"
For Qin Yancheng, it wouldn’t be hard. Even a lawsuit would be won effortlessly. The only cost might be bad PR, but freedom trumped reputation. The sight of Zheng Qi’s face alone disgusted him.
"That depends on your performance," Qin Yancheng replied absently, eyes on his screen.
The gold-rimmed glasses on his nose made Shi Zhou’s heart race. He loved this look—the refined, restrained allure of a gentleman who could ruin you. Made him drool just thinking about it.
A rare sight, since Qin Yancheng wasn’t nearsighted. This "limited edition" view only appeared during paperwork.
Shi Zhou pressed. "Seriously, what’s your angle? Spending money and effort on me? I’m dying of curiosity here."
Qin Yancheng’s gaze pierced through the lenses, sharp enough to nail Shi Zhou in place. But he offered no answer.
Ugh, cryptic bastard.
Shi Zhou pouted. Whatever. Dead pigs fear no boiling water. Rob him? His pockets were empty. Take advantage? He’d welcome it. Let’s see what Qin Yancheng’s game was.
Before bed, Qin Yancheng quietly left a bruise ointment on Shi Zhou’s nightstand, along with a velvety cake and cherry jelly pudding.
Shi Zhou savored a spoonful of cake, the sweetness melting his annoyance. He touched his neck—barely sore now. Qin Yancheng was really interesting. It seemed that he probably remembered something about what happened last night. Was this an apology?
Treating me like a kid with desserts.
Later, his long-absent agent Li Cheng called, fawning like a grandson meeting his grandpa. "Shi Zhou! I’ve got you an amazing reality show! Eight days of filming, huge buzz already—premiering in two weeks!"
"How generous," Shi Zhou laughed. "Li Cheng, you’ve gotten funnier."
The timid, meek Shi Zhou Li Cheng knew was gone. This voice dripped with sarcasm and steel. If not for the same voice, he wouldn't have even recognized him.
"Cut the crap," Shi Zhou drawled. "Where were you these past two months? Use that brain of yours—oh wait, it’s only good for adding height."
Though playful, his tone carried a whip’s sting. "You know the saying: ‘Hindsight is 20/20, foresight is pig-brained’?"
Li Cheng double-checked the caller ID. Definitely "Shi Zhou."
"Uh... this show’s golden. Everyone’s fighting for it! Qixing pulled strings just for you! Think about it?" Li Cheng plowed on, desperate to fulfill Zheng Qi’s orders.
Shi Zhou toyed with him before relenting. "Fine. I've been bored recently. Send me the details." Then hung up without courtesy.
Playing the aloof big shot came naturally now. Back as CEO, his father had berated him endlessly for being too lax with subordinates, the dinner-table lectures over how a piece of barbecued pork was better than him, treating him as if he was completely useless.
In the end, his father won. He finally turned this "big baby" who was spoiled by his brother into the silly rich second generation who just wanted to lie down into a cool and aloof "Mr. Shi" whose speech and behavior seemed impeccable. He was able to keep his subordinates in check, managed the company in good order, and his work ability was almost impeccable, so he no longer ate his meals to the sound of scolding.
Li Cheng scrambled to send schedules, marveling at Shi Zhou’s transformation. Money and power really remake people. With Mr. Qin backing him even his aura was different.
The offered gigs were enviable, but likely still inadequate as peace offerings to someone backed by Qin Yancheng.
Qixing scrambled to restore Shi Zhou’s ads, endorsements, magazine shoots—anything to appease.
But Shi Zhou only picked local gigs, wary of leaving Beijing while Qin Yancheng’s health hung in the balance. At least wait until the autumn and winter when the incident was most likely to occur before talking about other things. Besides, he could foresee that Qin Yancheng would get his contract back soon, so there was no need to have too much cooperation with Qixing. He could just treat it as a warm-up.
He carefully selected several commercials that were shot in Beijing, as well as a relatively high-profile fashion gala.
This gala, however, would be his first eye opener. His first taste of this cutthroat world and the many surreal things that occur within.