Top Dupe CH 077 Gu Xiaowei Is Tempting You Part 2

Even in the brightly lit Dijun Media building, several staff members working overtime propped their phones in front of them and put on Bluetooth headsets to watch "Counterattack," and even their workgroup was also discussing it.

[Truly no one compares to Lin Yue! My head is filled with thoughts of Yan Ye and Bai Ying!]

[Oh my God, will we get fired for shipping them here?]

[Don’t say that; our big big big boss might be shipping them too, right?]

[Hahaha, you’re too cheeky!]

The “big big big boss” they were referring to was Ou Juntao. As the employees speculated, Ou Juntao was watching "Counterattack" in his living room, with a huge projection screen that rivaled movie screen quality. Every time Bai Ying smiled or lifted his gaze, he felt his heart being tugged painfully. He used to think Luo Yu was pure and bright, while Bai Ying was completely the opposite. Especially in the scene where he “blew smoke,” Ou Juntao felt like his heart was about to be pulled from his chest, and he even immaturely fantasized about being in Yan Ye's place.

After the first two episodes of "Counterattack" aired, He Mu thought the Luo Yu fans among his assistants would quiet down, but to his surprise, they formed a small chat group to secretly discuss things late into the night. They all thought He Mu didn’t know, but his life assistant would occasionally pull out her phone to look at it with a face full of delighted auntie smiles, making He Mu sure it was related to Luo Yu.

He was almost driven mad, feeling that Luo Yu was eroding everything he had, from his resources to his team.

The people who relied on him for their salaries were actually fawning over his rival!

His tens of millions in endorsements were put on hold, and the other party said they were considering other candidates, with Luo Yu being one of them.

The idol drama male lead role he had long wanted was also paused for discussion. The production team remained silent, and when he inquired with their staff, he found out that they were considering Luo Yu. However, Luo Yu had received too many scripts and they didn’t know when Luo Yu's team could begin evaluating theirs. They had to wait for a clear answer from Luo Yu’s side before they could give He Mu a definite answer.

He Mu's sense of fear escalated continuously because… he realized he had unknowingly become Luo Yu's “backup.”

Was he going to start picking up Luo Yu's leftovers?

He didn’t want to! He really didn’t want to! He called his agent and insisted that he must secure that idol drama male lead role, even if the pay was half of what it was now.

But the agent’s reply was that what the other party cared about was not the pay, but the ratings appeal. From the previous "Burn, Little Cosmos" to the first two episodes of "Counterattack," it was evident from online discussions that Luo Yu could carry it better than He Mu. Now the focus of the production team was entirely on Luo Yu; either the ratings after "Counterattack" would drop, causing them to lower Luo Yu’s rating, or Luo Yu would take the initiative to give up the role. Otherwise, it would be very difficult for He Mu to land this idol drama.

He Mu was so angry that he couldn’t even sleep. He called Gao He, who immediately hung up, saying he was busy socializing.

However, Luo Yu hardly slept at all that night.

Back in his room, he studied the script, thinking about how to bring out the charm of the character Wen Yuchi. But the more he deliberately thought about it, the more mediocre it became.

Wen Yuchi’s allure to Lu Pingfeng was not due to his appearance, nor was it a physical instinct, but rather a longing from deep within for something he had long been unable to fulfill.

It was like a key fitting into a lock; Wen Yuchi’s soul naturally matched Lu Pingfeng’s.

But how could he portray that feeling?

The entire villa was very quiet; Xiao Qin and the others must have already gone to sleep.

Luo Yu put down the script. As soon as he closed his eyes, he thought of Gu Xiaowei leaning over, his breath blowing into his eyes.

He turned over several times, took out his headphones to listen to music, and finally fell into a drowsy sleep.

His thoughts sank deeper and deeper, and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself sitting on the bed, watching "Counterattack" with Gu Xiaowei.

It was once again the scene of Bai Ying blowing smoke at Yan Ye, and Luo Yu instinctively lowered his head to cover his eyes. But this time, Gu Xiaowei’s hand reached over, grasping his wrist, forcefully moving his hand away.

This time, Luo Yu saw clearly the fire that burned in Gu Xiaowei’s eyes, boiling from the depths of an abyss. It took away all of Luo Yu's retorts and breaths, sealing off his resistance and pushing him into a desperate situation, forcing him to surrender.

“En…”

Luo Yu jolted awake, trembling and gasping for breath, thin sweat covering his neck and back.

Outside, the bright moon still hung in the sky; it wasn't time to get up yet.

Luo Yu picked up his phone and glanced at it. It was only two-thirty in the morning.

“What the hell…”

Luo Yu raised his hand to cover his eyes and, after two or three seconds, let out a muffled laugh.

Gu Xiaowei, oh Gu Xiaowei, if you knew what kind of dream I just had, would you be pleased with my imagination of you?

Luo Yu knew that he probably wouldn't be able to sleep any longer, so he got up, put on his shoes and coat, and decided to go for a walk.

He gently closed his bedroom door and glanced at the door across from him where Gu Xiaowei was. He should be asleep by now.

But he wondered if this guy had ever suffered from insomnia.

Luo Yu carefully descended the stairs, trying to make no noise, and then left the villa.

Under the moonlit night, the resort was quiet and elegant, and the rose path was so deep it seemed to lead to a secret realm not of this world.

Luo Yu thought that although his sense of direction was average, he should be able to find his way by choosing a direction and walking down it.

The night breeze was cooler than in his room, finally dissipating the heat that had built up because of that dream.

Luo Yu walked down a certain rose path, and he didn't know how long he had been walking when he unexpectedly arrived back at the western-style fountain. Luo Yu smiled helplessly.

—What a coincidence.

The night was cloudless, and the starlight and moonlight fell upon the statues beside the fountain, making them appear holy and compassionate.

Luo Yu walked around the fountain, remembering the couple who had rendezvoused there last night, wondering which statue they had chosen to be under…

He looked up and saw a handsome statue, embodying both masculine strength and feminine grace.

Luo Yu squinted, doubting whether he was seeing correctly. He approached to get a closer look. The statue’s muscular texture was full of tension, but its hands were raised above its head, and its face wore a dazed and entranced expression, making one’s heart inexplicably race.

He suddenly understood why that couple had chosen to meet at this statue, for its body lines and expression seemed to be drawn in by something, abandoning the self and completely surrendering to the control of desire.

“Who do you think this statue represents?”

A teasing voice emerged, and the air was tinged with the scent of burning herbs—someone was smoking.

Luo Yu turned around and saw Nie Yangchen.

His brows and eyes flickered in the dim light of the fire, his hair looking less gentle and polite than during the day’s filming, with some strands pushed back and a few falling over his brow, giving him a somewhat unrestrained look.

“Nie… Nie Yangchen? What are you doing here smoking so late?” Luo Yu asked.

Nie Yangchen exhaled the last puff of smoke and walked over to Luo Yu. “It’s mint-flavored and low in nicotine. You don’t have to worry about inhaling too much secondhand smoke.”

“Smoking is your choice.” Luo Yu was never good at chatting with people he wasn’t familiar with. If it were just about roles and acting, it might be fine, but tonight, Nie Yangchen seemed a bit out of character.

As Luo Yu turned to leave, Nie Yangchen suddenly spoke, “It was you last night, wasn’t it?”

“What do you mean by me?”

“Eavesdropping on my date. How did I do?” Nie Yangchen asked with a smile.

Luo Yu's heart tightened. So it was Nie Yangchen sneaking off for a midnight tryst under the statue?

Avoiding trouble was better than asking for it. Since Nie Yangchen had no evidence, Luo Yu wouldn’t admit he was there last night.

Moreover, this fountain was a public place at the resort; it wasn’t his fault he had overheard anything in the middle of the night.

“I watched ‘Counterattack’ that you and Gu Xiaowei acted in. You performed so well that I couldn’t sleep. Just thinking about you pulling Gu Xiaowei over got me excited. Do you know you’ve pulled him down from his pedestal?” Nie Yangchen asked with a smile.

Mentioning Gu Xiaowei made Luo Yu frown at him. “Gu Xiaowei was never a god. He’s just an actor willing to immerse himself in different roles.”

Nie Yangchen lowered his eyes, his shoulders shaking with laughter. “When I mentioned a pedestal, I wasn’t talking about acting, but the fact that he hasn’t had any scandals or relationships for so many years.”

Luo Yu’s fingers lightly curled, suddenly alert.

“Well, you might be disappointed. I think in ten years, he’ll still be the same as he is now.”

“Are you really unable to feel it, or do you not dare to think about it?” Nie Yangchen placed the extinguished cigarette in the hand of the statue beside him and stepped closer to Luo Yu.

“What do you mean?” Luo Yu frowned, not retreating, but carefully examining Nie Yangchen's eyes.

On the surface, those eyes appeared playful and mocking, but looking deeper revealed a conflict and unwillingness.

“Gu Xiaowei is tempting you,” Nie Yangchen said softly, but every word was clear.

Luo Yu's breath caught in his throat, but years of acting experience kept his expression steady. He turned his face away and smiled dismissively, “Lu Pingfeng and Wen Yuchi are both tempting each other to explore their inner worlds; that’s the director's and the script's requirement.”

“Is that so? But why does Yan Ye’s gaze toward Bai Ying also carry possessiveness?” Nie Yangchen asked leisurely.

Luo Yu chuckled softly. “I don’t feel that at all. Nie Yangchen, I don’t know what’s up with you tonight, but we have filming tomorrow. You should get some sleep.”

“Then why aren’t you sleeping? Is Gu Xiaowei’s temptation working on you, making you unsure how to cover up your desires?” Nie Yangchen leaned against the statue, casually asking.

Luo Yu’s expression turned cold. “What do you want?”

Nie Yangchen looked into Luo Yu’s eyes and said, “Do you know your expression right now is strikingly similar to Gu Xiaowei’s? That kind of indifference toward everything, where reputation and interests don’t matter. I can’t help but wonder if you give him a little response, he might announce to the world right away.”

Luo Yu squinted his eyes and then chuckled lightly, “I understand now; you’re jealous.”

“You’re saying I’m jealous of your and Gu Xiaowei’s excellent acting?”

“No, you’re jealous that Gu Xiaowei and I can openly pull at each other in the scenes, whether tempting or being tempted, conquering or being conquered. The person you were with last night… it should have been your last time together, right? You broke up, didn’t you?” This time, Luo Yu didn’t back away but stepped closer to Nie Yangchen.

He stood there like an immovable rock, yet inch by inch, he seemed to delve into Nie Yangchen's heart.

“That glimmer of surprise in your eyes confirms I guessed correctly.” Luo Yu took another step forward, “And this is the price you pay for choosing Dijun Media.”

Nie Yangchen’s pupils shook in that instant. He hadn’t said anything at all, so why did Luo Yu know?

“Your lover should be someone close to you, like an agent, makeup artist, or assistant. The company discovered your relationship, and Ou Juntao personally ordered you to end it. Because Dijun Media isn’t just nurturing you as an actor; they are positioning you against Gu Xiaowei, cultivating you as a top-tier actor—wanting both skill and popularity. Ou Juntao won’t tolerate anything that might cause you to lose fans, especially a relationship… and I suspect it’s not an ordinary relationship. Is the other person married?”

Luo Yu only observed Nie Yangchen for a second, and without waiting for a response, he stated the answer, “Your eyes don’t show panic, so the other person isn’t married.”

Nie Yangchen’s expression gradually grew cold, like the statues glistening with starry light.