Top Dupe CH 065 Because Of Jealousy Part 1

Meng Yu was just jokingly making a comment, not expecting the other to fall silent, which made this seasoned agent feel a little bit worried—was Gu Xiaowei planning some super big move?

“It should be riding gear.”

Hearing this frank admission, Meng Yu relaxed his anxious heart.

“Gu Xiaowei, you’re no exception either; you also like watching narrow waists and long legs.”

“That’s a universal aesthetic.”

“It’s fortunate that President Jiang is so capable this time. That #hahahaha# trending topic was planned by him immediately. Your anti-fans were thrown off by this #hahahaha# and went down quickly, while also attracting a wave of casual fans. Previously, some people thought you deliberately set up a cold and aloof persona, but now... you’re not so aloof anymore.”

“President Jiang... Jiang Yinchuan?” Gu Xiaowei asked.

“Yeah. The #hahahaha# is still trending online, with more and more jokes, probably enough to keep going all night. Some of them are very likely to have been specially written by President Jiang’s team. They’re quite funny and positive, and they’ve also warmed up the buzz for ‘Counterattack.’ His PR skills are on par with our PR director Li Qian.”

“That’s good.”

Gu Xiaowei glanced at Luo Yu, who was sitting on the sofa with his head lowered, a wry look on his face, probably dealing with Jiang Yinchuan’s bombardment.

“Luo Yu! You’ve got some skills! Should I buy you a trending topic called ‘Gu Xiaowei’s Princess’?”

Jiang Yinchuan was originally attending a dinner meeting and discussing collaboration with someone when he suddenly saw the anti-fans dancing on the trending topic, making him furious.

This Luo Yu, having suffered so many losses, still naively thought that being upright and honest meant ignoring what was said online.

“The person being princess carried isn’t necessarily a princess. After all, there’s no wife in the wife cake either,” Luo Yu said with a smile. (TN: A sweetheart cake or wife cake or marriage pie is a traditional Chinese cake with a thin crust of flaky pastry, made with a filling of winter melon, almond paste, and sesame, and spiced with five spice powder.)

“What does wife cake have to do with this!” Jiang Yinchuan was so angry he almost drank red wine as if it were Pu'er tea.

“I... should be careful in the future? Try not to be seen with Gu Xiaowei in public...”

“What not in public? Are you in a romantic relationship? Can’t you enjoy yourself openly in public? Are you both involved in illegal business? You said yourself that just because you’re princess carried doesn’t mean you’re Gu Xiaowei’s princess. What are you being careful about!”

Jiang Yinchuan bombarded Luo Yu with a rapid-fire lecture.

“So... why are you angry?” Luo Yu asked in a small voice.

“I’m angry because you don’t have enough crisis awareness regarding possible public opinion. I understand you’ve been heavily criticized before, so you simply threw your phone away and ignored it. You think you’ve never broken the law or committed any moral wrongdoing, so you’re not afraid of gossip. But with the development of the internet, this is no longer an era where the pure can remain pure.”

Jiang Yinchuan’s words calmed Luo Yu. For the first time in either his previous or this life, someone was worried about him and said such things.

“But some negative news can be clarified, and not only clarified but can even turn into a positive thing for you! Some negative opinions can also be guided, provided you give the PR team a chance. Luo Yu, you’re no longer alone. Your achievements are not only yours but also involve the whole company in sharing the risk.”

“Sorry, Yin Chuan. This time, it’s my fault.”

Jiang Yinchuan sighed deeply: “Luo Yu, remember, in this matter, you haven’t done anything wrong. The human heart is like an abyss, and the internet amplifies this abyss infinitely, twisting people’s thoughts, turning normal closeness between friends and quarrels between lovers into dark and twisted things. I’m telling you this just so you know you’re not fighting alone. You and Gu Xiaowei are friends; you should be how you are. If you benefit from your relationship with him, so what? Who knows, he might need to benefit from being connected to you someday? Friends aren’t just for chatting and company; they can help each other's career too! Don’t mind the online jealousy!”

Luo Yu’s eyes became a bit misty. He covered them and said softly, “Thank you.”

“To put it simply, even if one day you end up dating him, I wouldn’t be helpless on the PR front either!”

“Cough cough... cough cough...” Luo Yu almost choked on his own lungs.

“Look at you! Is this all it takes to scare you? My dinner meeting isn’t over yet. I won’t chat with you any longer.”

“Okay.”

After hanging up, Luo Yu’s heart still raced because of Jiang Yinchuan’s casual joke. He even suspected that his ears might be red.

He looked at Gu Xiaowei across from him, who had also put down his phone and was looking back at him. Luo Yu quickly composed himself, smiled, and said, “You must have been prepared for someone to record the video of you princess carrying me during the squats at the gathering and uploading it online, right?”

“Scared by the anti-fans?” Gu Xiaowei asked in return.

“No,” Luo Yu shook his head. “Your purpose was actually to give a favor to the production team. Since they used you as a publicity stunt, the production team will have to keep my shots as much as possible and can’t damage my image in the editing.”

Gu Xiaowei looked at Luo Yu, remaining silent.

“If it’s just because I once walked in the heavy rain for you, you’ve already given me enough help,” Luo Yu said.

Gu Xiaowei’s brows furrowed.

“But if it’s because we’re close, and you wanted to try what I’ve done, to play around with me, I’m quite happy about it,” Luo Yu said.

Even if Gu Xiaowei was letting him rub traffic, Luo Yu wouldn’t feel it was charity because being good to someone is nothing more than giving—giving companionship, understanding, and support for their career needs.

Jiang Yinchuan was right; Luo Yu didn’t need to feel inferior or lesser before Gu Xiaowei.

They were equals. Whatever help Gu Xiaowei provided, Luo Yu would also do his best to support and help him in turn.

Luo Yu said, “I won’t let you sink alone, no matter which film or role.”

Gu Xiaowei paused and looked at Luo Yu.

He knew how difficult it was to detach oneself from a role, to feel helplessly bound by it, and how to appear normal despite it. Whether it was his agent, Xiao Qin, or even directors like Lin Yue and Xu Han, they never thought a role could imprison his soul.

Only Luo Yu said to him, “I won’t let you sink alone.”

“Because of jealousy,” Gu Xiaowei said.

“Huh? Jealousy... of what?” Luo Yu was stunned.

“You’re having fun with them, while I can only watch from the sidelines.”

Luo Yu furrowed his brows and leaned closer to Gu Xiaowei to get a clearer look at his expression.

“You... are actually upset about that?”

Who would believe it, right?

But Luo Yu understood that kind of loneliness.

It was like the time in his previous life when Luo Yu had just adapted to acting in plays and reunited with Sister Cui and some old classmates. They talked about the entertainment industry, and even though Luo Yu had dinner with them, he couldn’t really join their conversations. Although Luo Yu had finally gained confidence, a mere meal made him feel as if he belonged to a different world from them.

Perhaps when he was recording the variety show and interacting with Li Shengyu and Jiang Muxing, Gu Xiaowei watching from outside also felt that he didn’t belong to that world.

“Teacher Gu, please rest assured. Acting will always be the focus of my life. Even if my fame increases in the future, and I get more invitations for variety shows, I still want to focus on acting. Participating in this show is, firstly, an opportunity secured by Yin Chuan, and secondly, our ‘Counterattack’ is about to be released, so I need to show my face to the audience.”

“I know,” Gu Xiaowei said, then lowered his head to look at his phone.

But that silent profile made him look like a somewhat lonely child.

Luo Yu raised his hand, almost reaching out to pat his head, only to remember that Gu Xiaowei was a few centimeters taller than him. If he reached out, it wouldn’t be like petting a sheep, but grabbing a wolf’s bristle.

“What are you looking at?” Luo Yu gently tapped him.

“Looking at the difficulty of one-handed handstands. The production team is making a big deal of it, but actually, everyone can do it,” Gu Xiaowei said.

Luo Yu wiped his face mentally. After the princess carry and squats, Gu Xiaowei’s competitive streak seemed to have only become more endless.

“Jiang Muxing can’t do it, Li Shengyu can’t, and even Deer and Brother Liu definitely can’t,” Luo Yu was quite satisfied with his one-handed handstand.

“I should be able to do it too,” Gu Xiaowei said.

Luo Yu hesitated for a moment and became worried that Gu Xiaowei might call He Mu, Mick, and the others to line up and have a one-handed handstand competition to see who could hold it the longest.

“Let’s compare. Whoever falls first loses,” Gu Xiao Wei said.

Luo Yu wanted to say “I’ve lost” immediately.

But Gu Xiaowei added, “If you win against me, I’ll take you to see Professor Chen’s play ‘Rhapsody of Changmen.’”

When Luo Yu heard this, his eyes lit up.

Professor Chen was Luo Yu's acting teacher at the Film Academy and also the benefactor who introduced him to stage plays during his period of decline in his previous life. Professor Chen was renowned for his superb acting skills and his rich vocal performance. The tickets for his play "Rhapsody of Changmen" in which he was the lead role were extremely hard to come by.

"Are you bragging?" Luo Yu didn’t quite believe him.

He had also called Professor Chen to ask for tickets, but Professor Chen had regretfully said that he only had two tickets, one for his wife and one for his daughter.

"Do you mean bragging about having tickets, or bragging about being able to win against you?" Gu Xiaowei looked up at him.

That gaze was gentle and calm, with a hint of a smile, making it hard to associate it with the words of provocation he had uttered.

"Both," Luo Yu said as he rolled up his sleeves, full of fighting spirit.

Gu Xiaowei also stood up and started rolling up his casual shirt sleeves.

"Set the alarm on your phone. We start in five seconds," Luo Yu said.

"You set it."

Was Gu Xiaowei really so confident?

But his ability shouldn't be underestimated. After all, the guy could make Luo Yu question if he was just a pillow with no weight when it came to deep squats and princess carries.

As the phone rang with a "ding ding ding," both of them swiftly flipped upside down on one hand.

Oh no, I forgot to tuck my shirt into my pants!

Luo Yu's shirt fell down, almost covering his head.

But it didn’t matter; Gu Xiaowei was in no better shape. His shirt also fell down... Wow, those abs and that waist... the movie posters really weren't photoshopped!

Luo Yu admitted to feeling envious.

Each second felt like a year. Ten seconds should have passed by now. Luo Yu’s arm was slightly trembling, but Gu Xiaowei across from him remained steady, seeming capable of enduring another ten seconds.

No, no, no, this isn’t just about a man’s dignity!

This was about Professor Chen's stage play tickets!

"Teacher Gu, your core strength is quite impressive... Is this the legendary alpha..."

Luo Yu intended to distract his opponent with words, but he didn’t expect Gu Xiaowei to be far more ruthless.

"If you dare say that word, I'll let you experience it properly."

Luo Yu immediately shut up.

His face turned red, not just from his trembling arm but also from struggling to maintain balance.

No, he couldn’t fall! He couldn’t fall!

"Senior Brother, if you don’t fall, I’ll come and bite you."

"What!" Luo Yu almost choked, collapsing with a thud.

While lying on the ground, he watched as Gu Xiaowei gently landed upright, adjusted his shirt, and squatted down in front of him with a refined demeanor, tenderly patting Luo Yu's head, "Senior Brother, you lost."

...

Luo Yu suddenly felt like the thought of comforting Gu Xiaowei by patting his head earlier was quite foolish.

"So this is how you win...?" Luo Yu’s neck and ears were flushed red.

Gu Xiaowei had an expression of natural self-assuredness, "Winning is winning. There’s no rule about how to win."

Luo Yu gritted his teeth, mentally calling him a "rascal."

"Losing is losing. Besides, it wasn’t stated what would happen if I lost."

Luo Yu pushed Gu Xiaowei’s hand away and slowly stood up.

"I’m going to take a shower. I have a program to record tomorrow."

Luo Yu turned and went to gather his change of clothes.

Gu Xiaowei sat on the sofa nearby, "The tickets are actually already reserved. It’s just after ‘Beast and Rose’ wraps up."

Luo Yu paused, remaining in his squatting position, and looked at him, "So... whether I win or lose, you would still invite me to see it?"

"Yup."

"Then what’s the point of this competition? It was a waste of my energy. I could have just admitted defeat," Luo Yu said, reaching out to push him, but unfortunately, he didn’t manage to move the other even an inch.

"Winning or losing might not be important to you, but it is to me."

"Does Xiao Qin, Brother Yan, your agent, and Cheng Fei know you’re so competitive?"

"You can ask them," Gu Xiaowei replied.

Luo Yu carried his change of clothes into the bathroom and peeked out before closing the door, "Thank you anyway!"

"You're welcome."

As Luo Yu started his shower and the water flowed down over his head, he suddenly found himself confused.