Top Dupe CH 052 He’s Out Of Print Part 2

He approached Gu Xiaowei and Luo Yu, pretending to look at clothes, and quietly placed his phone on his shoulder, snapping photos without caring if the angle was clear.

Each click of the phone made him feel like he was tempting fate.

Don’t let Gu Xiaowei see me! Don’t let Gu Xiaowei see me! Please don’t let Gu Xiaowei see me!

“You picked out so many sets. Do you really want me to buy them all?” Luo Yu asked with a smile.

He couldn’t imagine carrying all those clothes home; it had been a long time since he enjoyed shopping so much.

“Mm.” Gu Xiaowei replied.

“Well, since Jiang Yinchuan is paying, I might as well take full advantage,” Luo Yu said with a grin.

Gu Xiaowei glanced at the assistant looking at clothes, patted Luo Yu’s arm, and said, “Wait for me a moment.”

Gu Xiaowei walked over to the assistant with a blank expression. Hearing his footsteps, the assistant’s legs nearly gave way.

He didn’t know what sin he had committed in his past life to be assigned to secretly photograph Gu Xiaowei in this one.

“Did He Mu send you to do this?” Gu Xiaowei’s cold voice rang out.

The assistant felt like he was facing the King of Hell rather than a top star.

“Huh? What?” The assistant stiffly turned around, lowering his head after a brief glance at Gu Xiaowei.

“Show me,” Gu Xiaowei extended his hand.

“What… what?”

“Your phone.” Gu Xiaowei’s voice dropped an octave.

The assistant could feel Gu Xiaowei’s growing impatience. He trembled and handed over his phone.

Gu Xiaowei unlocked it and deleted all the photos the assistant had taken.

He returned the phone to the assistant’s pocket. Even the proximity of his hand made the assistant feel a chill down his back.

“He Mu wanted to take pictures of me and Luo Yu and buy trending searches, claiming I was helping Luo Yu rehearse in advance, making it seem like Luo Yu didn’t deserve the role?”

The assistant’s heart sank. So that was He Mu’s plan? But he didn’t know that when he was taking the photos!

Seeing his dumbfounded expression, Gu Xiaowei added, “I’ll post Luo Yu’s photos myself. No need to spend money on trending searches.”

When Gu Xiaowei turned back to Luo Yu, the assistant finally breathed a sigh of relief. If Gu Xiaowei didn’t leave soon, he would suffocate himself!

He shakily returned to the changing room. He Mu immediately gestured for him, and he wiped the sweat from his forehead and braced himself to approach.

“Did you get the photos?” He Mu asked.

The assistant swallowed hard, “I did take them… but Gu Xiaowei found out and deleted all the photos…”

“He… knows I sent you?” He Mu’s voice rose.

The assistant nodded with difficulty, thinking he might lose his job.

“You idiot! Can’t you say you like him and couldn’t resist taking the photos?” He Mu poked the assistant’s head, trembling with anger.

The assistant hesitated, and He Mu looked at his indecisive expression, impatiently saying, “Did Gu Xiaowei say anything?”

“Yes. Teacher Gu asked if you wanted to take photos of him with Luo Yu to post online, saying that if it looked like Teacher Gu was supporting Luo Yu, people would accuse Luo Yu of getting the role unfairly…”

He Mu’s heart skipped a beat. How did Gu Xiaowei guess his thoughts so clearly?

“And… did he say anything else?”

“He also said that he would post Luo Yu’s photos himself and that you wouldn’t need to spend money on hot searches.”

Hearing this, He Mu’s face changed color, looking extremely unpleasant. 

Had he offended Gu Xiaowei?

Should he go out and explain to Gu Xiaowei, saying it was the assistant’s personal action, not his instruction, and apologize?

But what if Gu Xiaowei didn’t accept the apology? The thought of the awkwardness and being suspected and criticized made He Mu feel extreme discomfort.

While He Mu was hesitating, Gu Xiaowei had already taken Luo Yu to pay the bill.

Andy packed the clothes Luo Yu had chosen into several bags. It was quite a haul.

“How much is it in total? Can we get an invoice?”

Andy smiled slightly, “No need. Teacher Gu has already paid.”

“Huh?”

Gu Xiaowei took the bags and said mildly, “Let’s go, time to head back.”

“Why did you pay first? How much was it? I’ll transfer the money to you.”

Luo Yu quickly caught up, taking a few bags from Gu Xiaowei’s hands. After all, it wasn’t right for Gu Xiaowei to carry his things.

“No need. I picked them out.”

Luo Yu looked at Gu Xiaowei’s expression and guessed that Gu Xiaowei must've felt bad about him spending a large amount of money on clothes from the designer studio he took him to, so he paid for it instead.

“You picked them out, but they’re for me. And the company will reimburse me.”

“If the company reimburses you, then it’s like Jiang Yinchuan gave it to you,” Gu Xiaowei retorted.

“Huh? He’s my boss. Buying clothes is a work-related expense… What’s wrong with him reimbursing me?”

Gu Xiaowei stopped and looked at Luo Yu, “Then consider it compensation for you being my model and helping me practice photography.”

“What?”

Luo Yu realized that sometimes he could understand what Gu Xiaowei was thinking just by a look, while other times, even though he understood every word Gu Xiaowei said, he still wasn’t sure what Gu Xiaowei meant.

Once they got in the car, Gu Xiaowei told Luo Yu about the assistant taking photos under He Mu’s orders.

“So—did you want to take photos to post online?”

“Mn.”

“So you want to post them to get ahead, making it public that we’re on good terms?”

“Mn.”

Luo Yu’s head hurt a bit. “It feels like we’ve been caught by paparazzi and you’re preemptively announcing it.”

After two seconds, Luo Yu received Gu Xiaowei’s delayed “mn.”

“You’re still saying ‘mn’! You’re posting my photos on your own Weibo—are you my marketing account?” Luo Yu was truly at a loss for words.

“…Isn’t it okay?”

“It’s not that it’s not okay, but who keeps posting others’ news constantly? You reposted my acting battle, my signing with Yinchuan Culture… Your fans are going to get bored of me.”

“My agent said my fans are now mostly discussing you.”

“Discussing me… what?”

Leeching off their Gu gege’s popularity?

“Discussing what you’re up to so they can wait for me to update my Weibo. They like me calling you ‘senior brother’.”

The term “senior brother” lightly stirred Luo Yu’s heart, making his blood rush to that spot. He tightened his fingers, unsure why a casual remark or word from another person could disrupt his heartbeat.

“I feel like we’re being shipped as a couple,” Luo Yu raised his hand to cover his eyes.

“My agent said that the brotherhood angle is a good route. It shows that I’m not arrogant and has a human touch.”

“I… thank your agent.” Luo Yu thought for a moment and asked, “Can’t you ship with Cheng Fei instead?”

“Cheng Fei has no cute point.” Gu Xiaowei’s response was so matter-of-fact.

“What cute point is there between us?”

“You’re my senior brother.”

Luo Yu moved his hand away and looked out the window. Although… he actually liked the “senior brother” cute point a bit.

Their car stopped at an intersection waiting for the traffic light. Gu Xiaowei turned to look at him and asked seriously, “So, can I post the photos?”

This question was much softer than before, even carrying a hint of entreat that made one’s heart soften instantly.

“After posting… how can it not trend?”

Gu Xiaowei turned his face, looking at the back of Luo Yu’s head, with a hint of a stubborn child’s last struggle, “Unless I become irrelevant.”

“Are you deliberately trying to compete with He Mu?” Luo Yu squinted and asked.

Gu Xiaowei didn’t answer.

“Your agent will be furious.”

“He won’t be furious; he’ll think I might be taking on a role as a photographer.”

Luo Yu originally wanted to refuse, but he felt that even Gu Xiaowei’s cowlick looked like it was trying to be coquettish, “As long as you’re happy.”

Just taking photos—how much trouble could it cause? It’s better than Gu Xiaowei taking pictures of a girl and it being interpreted as a public relationship announcement, followed by his girlfriend fans’ tears flooding social media.

Whether it was an illusion or the lighting, Gu Xiaowei seemed to be in a better mood, his lips soft and relaxed, almost in the shape of a smile.

Luo Yu took out his phone, cowardly avoiding Gu Xiaowei’s visible angle, and opened Gu Xiaowei’s Weibo… Fortunately, since the last time he reposted about Luo Yu’s signing with Yinchuan Culture, Gu Xiaowei’s agent had used his Weibo to repost a few news items related to Xinghan Films.

This made it seem like his appearance on Gu Xiaowei’s Weibo wasn’t too frequent…

However, before they even got home, He Mu had already posted on Weibo, showcasing his new clothes, including a trench coat that Luo Yu also bought in the same style.

Within minutes, there were countless comments, such as “Gege’s sex appeal is exploding,” “I want to hide in gege’s trench coat,” and “Gege’s back is so attractive.”

Luo Yu was quite confused. In terms of sex appeal… Gu Xiaowei should be the real standout, right?

He sneaked a glance at Gu Xiaowei. Indeed, even his profile was impactful. It was hard not to appreciate it even from a male perspective.

Luo Yu wasn’t interested in He Mu’s activities, but since he and Ye Shengyi followed each other on Weibo, and Ye Shengyi, as a makeup artist, was very interested in fashion, he very obliviously shared He Mu’s post about the trench coat, with a very accurate comment—“Kid wearing dad’s clothes pretending to be cool.”

As expected, Ye Shengyi was attacked by He Mu’s fans, with many calling him “sour grapes” and “green-eyed monster.”

Luo Yu covered his forehead, unable to watch. That purple-haired kid was indeed bold. He dared to provoke He Mu’s fans, whose fighting power was infamously impressive.

He wondered if Xiao Ye was now working for someone who might be familiar with He Mu or from the same company. That would be awkward.

“What’s wrong?” Gu Xiaowei asked.

“Huh?”

“Your expression is like that of a parent whose unworthy son ranked last in the whole grade and is about to attend a parent-teacher meeting.”

Gu Xiaowei’s metaphor made Luo Yu laugh, “Well… sort of… Brother Yan’s little apprentice, the purple-haired one, reposted He Mu’s Weibo and said He Mu in the trench coat made him look like a kid wearing adult clothes. It really offended He Mu’s fans.”

“Brother Yan doesn’t mind.”

“Does Brother Yan not mind his apprentice being attacked by top star fans, or does he not mind what He Mu is wearing?”

“Brother Yan has many apprentices. He doesn’t mind if this one is kicked off the beach.” Gu Xiaowei’s words were clearly sarcastic; he had a warm heart despite his cold exterior.

Luo Yu sighed and said, “But the trench coat you helped me pick out is being worn by He Mu in his photos and has received a lot of attention.”

Telling Gu Xiaowei this was meant to get him to drop the idea of posting those photography works.

After all, it is quite awkward to have a wardrobe match with a top star.

"Are you worried about being attacked by haters?" Gu Xiaowei asked.

Luo Yu touched his chin and said, "If I said I don't actually care, would you believe it?"

"I would," Gu Xiaowei replied, steering the car.

Gu Xiaowei drove to the parking garage of Luo Yu's home. This time, he didn't go up with Luo Yu but watched him carry his large and small bags into the elevator.

Luo Yu sorted through the clothes, hanging them one by one in the wardrobe. Looking at the clothes in the wardrobe, he finally felt a bit of the sensation of being an artist.

He made himself dinner and, while eating, scrolled through his phone.

The top trending topic was #HeIsOutOfPrint#.

Luo Yu was stunned. "Out of print? Who is this? So shameless..."

He clicked on it and nearly spat out the chicken breast he had just taken a bite of.

Because this trending topic originated from Gu Xiaowei’s Weibo.

The guy actually posted his grid of photos with the caption: [My photography work upgraded to version 2.0—some people are limited editions, but he is out of print.]

Luo Yu clicked through the nine photos one by one.

The first photo was of him drinking tea by the coffee table in the "Why Me" fitting room. The timing of Gu Xiaowei’s shot was perfect, capturing Luo Yu with his eyes lowered, his lips about to touch the porcelain cup, with the light casting a soft glow on Luo Yu’s profile, creating an evocative ambiance that came through the screen.

Another photo was of Luo Yu in front of a floor-to-ceiling window, one hand in his pocket, turning his head to speak with Andy. Due to the backlight, only his silhouette was visible—broad shoulders and a slim waist forming a perfect proportion, with a graceful and soaring body outline. Luo Yu’s profile was vaguely visible, with the brow bone, nose, and jawline creating a perfect undulating line that made one want to get closer… and kiss him.

The most masculine photo was of Luo Yu adjusting his tie in front of Gu Xiaowei’s phone, with Andy calling his name, causing him to partially turn his head.