Top Dupe CH 051 All Sails Ahead Part 2

Gu Xiaowei’s home probably wasn’t nearby, and the pool’s facilities weren’t high-end. Why would he come here to swim?

Luo Yu knocked on the stall wall, "I’m asking, why did you choose to swim here?"

The sound of running water continued, and Luo Yu wasn’t sure if Gu Xiaowei was washing his hair and couldn’t hear.

Separated by a thin wall, Gu Xiaowei had his head bowed with water flowing from his head down his neck. Facing the wall, with his hands braced against it, he closed his eyes and envisioned Luo Yu gliding past him in backstroke.

"When I last visited your place, I saw that swimming card in the junk bowl by the entrance. A few days ago, I passed by and got a card."

"Hahaha, then you must be disappointed. I chose this place purely because it’s cheap and close to home," Luo Yu’s cheerful voice came from the other stall.

Gu Xiaowei turned his face towards Luo Yu’s direction and said with a calm and steady voice, "But I came here to meet you."

Standing under the water, Luo Yu was stunned. The next moment, he heard a "thud" as Gu Xiaowei punched the wall.

It hit him right in the heart. Luo Yu’s shoulder jolted, and the shower gel he had been holding spilled. Some of it flowed through the gap and onto the other side, but it only swirled slightly before flowing back.

Gu Xiaowei’s voice came from the other side, "Did something fall?"

Luo Yu immediately understood Gu Xiaowei’s joke, "Only your brain." (TN: might refer to the dropping of a bar of soap in public showers)

"Ha."

A few minutes later, Luo Yu had finished his shower and was dressed.

As he was leaving, he knocked on Gu Xiaowei’s door, "I’ll wait outside to dry my hair."

"Mm." This time, Gu Xiaowei finally responded, sounding a bit hoarse.

Luo Yu’s hair wasn’t long, so a few blasts from the hairdryer were enough to dry it.

At this point, Gu Xiaowei emerged, draped in a towel, and sat beside Luo Yu.

Luo Yu smiled and picked up the hairdryer, moving behind him to gently style his hair, "Hurry up and dry it. I’m still relatively unknown, and no one’s paying attention. But you’re different."

Feeling Luo Yu’s fingertips brushing his scalp, Gu Xiaowei’s shoulder tensed slightly. Luo Yu thought it might be an illusion, but he felt that Gu Xiaowei’s chest remained still, as if holding his breath.

But soon, Luo Yu had dried his hair.

"You underestimate yourself. Right now, your visibility is very high, and the audience is eager to see your acting skills," Gu Xiaowei said, his tone as usual.

"Like opening a blind box? Jiang Yinchuan gave me a beautiful wrapping that piqued the audience's interest. But the higher the interest, the higher their expectations will be."

"You will amaze them."

"With a statement like that from Teacher Gu, it doesn't sound like encouragement but more like a conclusion. Do you have any plans for later?" Luo Yu asked as he put the hairdryer back on the rack.

Unexpectedly, Gu Xiaowei said, "You’re the first person to touch my hair since I debuted, besides my stylist and hairdresser."

"Is that so? Well, your hair feels really good, softer than I imagined," Luo Yu replied with a smile.

"Next week is the audition. I thought you’d want me to help you prepare. After all, I am the current Lu Pingfeng," Gu Xiaowei said.

Luo Yu stroked his chin. "Let’s save the surprise for the audition day."

Gu Xiaowei lowered his eyes, a faint, barely perceptible smile on his lips. "I’ll be waiting."

"Ah, but there’s one thing I really need your help with."

"What is it?"

"It’s about the clothes. When I signed with Jiang Yinchuan, he complained that I didn’t have many clothes. Now that I think about it... I really don’t have many clothes. What should I wear to the audition for Wen Yuchi?"

Could he really wear the same sweater and coat from the lunch meeting?

Luo Yu could imagine Jiang Yinchuan seeing photos from the audition and sighing in frustration upon seeing him in the same old outfit.

"Tsk, logically, it should be Jiang Yinchuan who’s picky about my clothes. Since I’ve signed with him, why doesn’t he..."

Why doesn’t he send a stylist to help him out?

He originally wanted to ask Ye Shengyi, but Ye Shengyi had found work already and was too busy. Luo Yu felt too embarrassed to disturb him.

Before Luo Yu could finish his thought, Gu Xiaowei stood up. "I’ll go shopping with you."

"You going shopping with me? You’ll get mobbed wherever you go."

"I know a few designer studios with fewer visitors," Gu Xiaowei said.

Luo Yu almost said it was too expensive to afford, then suddenly realized—he wouldn’t be paying! Jiang Yinchuan would reimburse him!

Should he really take advantage of him?

At that moment, Jiang Yinchuan, who was packing Pu’er tea bricks, sneezed unexpectedly.

"Alright. Your fashion sense is much better than mine."

Gu Xiaowei drove over, and the two of them tossed their waterproof swimming bags into the trunk.

Luo Yu sat in the passenger seat and fastened his seatbelt.

"Do you have a swimming card here too?" Luo Yu asked casually.

"Yes."

"Then we should schedule a swim together next time."

Gu Xiaowei tightened his grip on the steering wheel, responding, "Sure."

"But you have more work than I do. When you get busy, we might not even see each other, let alone swim together."

"So, if you get the role of Wen Yuchi, we’ll be in the same crew."

Luo Yu glanced at Gu Xiaowei’s profile. It seemed Gu Xiaowei really favored him. Luo Yu even had a bizarre feeling that Gu Xiaowei wanted to be around him or that Gu Xiaowei genuinely hoped Luo Yu would act opposite him as Wen Yuchi, staying with him both on and off-screen.

The car hadn’t gone far when Sister Cui called.

"Sister Cui, what’s up?" Luo Yu was worried the audition might be canceled.

"It’s Bo Wenyuan! Bo Wenyuan is trending!"

Upon hearing that name, Luo Yu couldn’t even muster any annoyance.

"Who did he kneel down to now? Or which gullible person signed with Zhuque Media?" Luo Yu asked coldly.

"What are you talking about! He’s really finished this time! He’s become a criminal in the eyes of the law! Several recordings of him discussing projects have been leaked—talking about sending his own artists to shady deals; deliberately withholding payment to force artists into signing unfavorable contracts; using fake contracts with Hu Wei; and most importantly, the stuff about you!"

"About me?" Luo Yu chuckled. Bo Wenyuan’s few words about him were nothing new.

"He says you’re foolish! Kneeling to beg you, and you signed the contract! Worked for him for five years for nothing!"

"Well said," Luo Yu nodded.

"He says you’re spineless! Says you’re easy to control! He blocked your auditions, and you didn’t even yell at him!"

"I accept his criticism," Luo Yu replied lazily, leaning back in his seat.

"He also said you’re weak, that you didn’t fight for resources, and disbanded your team without causing a fuss!"

"Tsk, indeed weak. I’m working on improving."

Luo Yu thought about the roles Gu Xiaowei had worked so hard to get him. Wasn’t it exactly a matter of being foolish, spineless, and weak?

"And then the netizens are furious, saying they’ve never seen someone so shamelessly exploit others’ sympathy and then turn around and blame them! They’re calling him the PUA master of the entertainment industry and you the naive silly white flower!"

Luo Yu frowned. "Isn’t ‘little white flower’ meant to be a compliment?"

"Of course not! They say you’re brainless, that you fell for Bo Wenyuan’s low-level tricks! They question how you could endure for five years without any resistance! And they say you wasted your good looks and acting skills on scum like Bo Wenyuan!"

"I believe the netizens are lamenting my misfortune and resenting my lack of putting up a struggle."

"Yes, although they’re harshly criticizing you, their sympathy and outrage are genuine. Even your haters are lamenting that their slandering efforts were in vain! Netizens are urging you to stay at Yinchuan Culture. President Jiang is now in a difficult spot because many comments on the official post about your signing are saying Yinchuan Culture must not become another Zhuque Media."

"Yes, President Jiang must be feeling that no matter how he tries to avoid it, he’s still getting hit."

"Don’t you wonder what’s happening with Bo Wenyuan now?"

Luo Yu could guess. "Haha, with all this online criticism, the bad things he’s done must be more than what’s in the recordings. His company’s artists will surely sue him. Projects won’t get investments, banks won’t lend, and his funding chain is completely broken. The weather’s turned cold; let’s hope Bo Wenyuan can find a newspaper to cover himself when he ends up on the street."

In reality, Bo Wenyuan’s situation was far worse than Luo Yu imagined.

Zhuque Media had been emptied out under debt collection pressure; nothing was left, not even the furniture. The door was spray-painted with red words: "Pay your debts; it’s only right."

Bo Wenyuan couldn’t repay his bank loans. His properties in the city center, apartments, shops, and even his small villa in the suburbs—all assets and vehicles in his name—were seized by the court. He was under investigation for fake contracts and severe tax issues, and the police were searching for him everywhere.

His bank cards, credit cards, and accounts were frozen; he didn’t even have money for bus fare.

He was like a rat crossing the street, pursued wherever he went. He never imagined that the scenes of debt collectors in movies would happen to him in real life.

He called Ou Juntao, hoping for some money to get his projects back on track. But Ou Juntao’s line was constantly busy; Bo Wenyuan guessed he’d been blocked.

He went to visit friends who once considered him a brother. Some avoided him, some had him thrown out by security, and others even called the police.

Desperate, he went to his ex-girlfriend’s place. He had given up the house they bought together because he didn’t want to look bad in a breakup. As soon as he knocked, a tall man came out and beat him up, leaving him bruised and fleeing. It turned out his ex-girlfriend was now married.

Covering his face, he walked down the street, feeling the stares of passersby. He never imagined being so miserable.

His only valuable possession was his phone. He looked at a second-hand phone store and, knowing he couldn’t be found, sold the phone for 600 yuan.

Just as he got the money, a black van pulled up by the roadside.

"Bo Wenyuan—all debts must be repaid—where are you running to!"

The harsh shouts were from debt collectors who had come looking for him.

"Persistent bastards!"

Bo Wenyuan’s heart jumped, and he ran wildly. Just as he reached the street corner, he stumbled and fell against a post, unable to get up.

He glanced at the debt collectors, their faces full of malice. At that moment, he wished he could be invited in for tea and would cooperate with any investigation. (TN: invited for tea=euphemism for being detained by the police)

Meanwhile, Gu Xiaowei was driving with Luo Yu. Luo Yu frowned. "Is there a traffic accident? The road’s blocked."

"Yes, let’s take another route," Gu Xiaowei said, steering the car onto another road, which immediately cleared up.

Luo Yu rested his chin on his hand and squinted at Gu Xiaowei. “Say, how come Bo Wenyan's recordings ended up online? Wouldn't it be better for the person who leaked them to just blackmail Bo Wenyan for money?"

"Do you think Bo Wenyan still has money?" Gu Xiaowei’s voice was cold, and he looked very displeased whenever Bo Wenyan was mentioned.

"Whoever recorded those videos must have been close to Bo Wenyan… Could it be his resigned secretary, Shi Xiaosong?"

Luo Yu remembered that when Bo Wenyan came to his house, he had called Shi Xiaosong to pick him up, and Shi Xiaosong’s tone had been quite dismissive.

"Who it is doesn’t matter. This person has no moral bottom line in pursuit of profit, so he has plenty of dirt on him. Have you never considered that Bo Wenyan might have informed Ou Juntao that you were planning to sign with Yinchuan Culture?" Gu Xiaowei asked in return.

Luo Yu narrowed his eyes. "Yes, Bo Wenyan left, and then Jiang Yinchuan arrived. So it must have been Bo Wenyan who told Ou Juntao, which is why Ou Juntao suddenly targeted me. Ha..."

As for who made Bo Wenyan's scandals trend, it might be Jiang Yinchuan.

No… it’s not Jiang Yinchuan. He’s more of a strategic thinker. If it were him, he’d have hired a lawyer to make Bo Wenyan cry and plead.

Trending black material sounds more like Ou Juntao’s style.

After all, Ou Juntao would be very eager to get rid of the persistent Bo Wenyan. To quickly sever ties between Dijun Media and Bo Wenyan, the most effective way would be to put him away.

Luo Yu took a breath; whatever. Bo Wenyan’s impact on his life had ended here.

"Teacher Gu, don’t frown. We’re going shopping, not attending Bo Wenyan’s memorial service."

"Hmph." Gu Xiaowei finally had a hint of a smile on his face.

Gu Xiaowei took Luo Yu into a high-end office building, and they took the elevator from the underground parking lot straight up to the twentieth floor.

When the elevator doors opened, Luo Yu was pleasantly surprised. He hadn’t expected this office building to have such an extraordinary interior.