"Touhua is in a new relationship? Does anyone have the scoop?"
"He's really going to me a comeback, right? There's been a lot of hype recently."
"Isn't his family bankrupt? How does he still have so much money to buy hot searches!"
"Although Touhua has been out of the circle for many years, that demonic physique has not changed. Bloody winds about to enter the circle!"
"The old cow eats tender grass*. I think the fresh meat is very handsome!"
*The old cow eats tender grass = idiom that means an amorous relationship between two people with considerable age difference (AKA A May-December romance).
"Shen Touhua is only in his early twenties. What do you mean, an old cow eats tender grass!"
"Touhua is only 20???!"
"Damn, Shen Jintai is only 20. He hasn't been around for a long time."
"He was only 18 when he debuted! The benefits of debuting young."
"I envy it*."
*I admire it (慕了慕了) = slang when translated is "I admire it." It means they actually envy it. I decided to use the meaning of the slang than the actual translation.
"Am I the only one who thinks that Shen Jintai's personality is very interesting? At the peak of the entertainment industry, he retired for love, and after suffering from emotional injuries, he repented and is trying to make a comeback. Such a good subject matter, LJJ* authors must have written it!"
*LJJ (green Jinjiang) = . It's where this novel is posted/published. The author is kinda poking fun at himself because yes, he did come up with this kind of plot... we're reading it.
"It's the first time I've seen someone talk about such stupidity in such a fresh and refined tone. There is gold powder upstairs, ha ha ha ha."
"Let me just say that gold powders have been resurrected. Touhua used to be ridiculed by groups in your area. Recent posts have people speaking up for him. At first glance, it looks like an empty bottle*!"
*Empty bottle = fan control. It means fans will work together to control the posted content to promote praises for their celebrity so only positive comments are at the top while burying negative comments or causing the user to delete them.
"Although Touhua's love history is ridiculed in your area, I guess I'm the only one who likes this particular type of messy romance. Now he's washing the tattoo and starting a new affair! The love between the infatuated star and the iceberg CEO has shattered. I'm crying!"
—
"I'm on the hot search again." Shen Jintai called Li Meilan: "I swear, I really didn't mean to do it this time."
She felt she had underestimated his popularity. This flow* felt even better than Bai Qingquan's. He was truly an idol!
*Network traffic/stream/flow (流量) = refers to popularity.
Li Meilan woke him up with a single sentence: "Zheng Siqi and his company should have bought this for him, right?"
Shen Jintai suddenly came to a realization. This hot search should have been bought by someone. Since he didn't do it, the only other person who would benefit from it would be Zheng Siqi, but buying this kind of hot search was very dangerous, especially since it was an implication that showed him hooking up with a gay guy before his debut.
He went to find out the company behind Zheng Siqi. His search resulted in Monsoon Entertainment, which sounded familiar to him. It was the company ran by Yan Qiuchi's arch-rival!
The original Shen Jintai was just cannon fodder and was not qualified to act as a villain, so the task of the villain was handed over to Yan Qiuchi's business rival, Ji Fengxing*, the CEO of Monsoon Entertainment.
*Ji Fengxing (季风行) = The Jifeng (季风) in his name means monsoon. Note that Yan Qiuchi's company is Sunshine Media so it's like Sunshine vs Monsoon.
Monsoon Entertainment was known for its hype. Rumors had it that the brokerage department had tens of thousands of marketing accounts, and the company's artists all follow the black-red route*. Monsoon Entertainment had wanted to poach Shen Jintai in the past. For a company that loves hype, having a top idol with countless black spots*, was simply a match made in heaven.
*Black-red route = self-creating controversies and black materials about themselves with the main purpose of attracting attention (AKA there's no such thing as bad publicity). They then whitewash themselves after becoming famous.
*Reminder: black/blacken = slandering and creating or spreading black materials (negative information) to defame someone or some projects, usually done by anti-fans.
*Reminder: whitewash = deliberately misleads people in various ways, causing the people to forget a celebrity's bad past.
*Black spots = the information or historical records (which can be either true or not) that will have a negative impact on a celebrity or a project.
However, Shen Jintai only had Yan Qiuchi in his eyes, so how could he possibly go to Monsoon Entertainment. Not only did he categorically refuse but also said: "A hundred monsoons are not as good as Yan Qiuchi's toes!"
Everyone in this novel seemed to be obsessed with toes.
Shen Jintai didn't have a problem with this kind of hype. He'd been in the entertainment industry for a long time and had seen many things. He was a semi-popular little actor himself. He could best understand the situation of these little actors. Who didn't want to be popular? Everyone was trying to climb up in the entertainment industry. If one couldn't climb up, one could always hug a thigh*.
*Hugging thigh = refers to the behavior of using the advantages of other people to gain benefits, especially when the weak take the initiative to take advantage of the strong.
Starlight was for people to rub*. In the entertainment industry, there wasn't a star that dared say they haven't rubbed against another's traffic, and there was no big star that could escape the fate of being rubbed.
*Reminder: rub (heat) = the act of riding the waves of someone else's popularity.
Moreover, he was an outdated star. Someone trying to bind him to the hype was not a bad result. He was able to get on the hot search without spending a single penny.
—
There was a heavy rain in the middle of the night causing the temperature to be much colder. It was almost autumn. Mrs. Yan was ordering the servants at home to change the window screens.
"Mom, can you call Xiao Jin and ask..." Yan Yaoxuan pestered her: "Ask him if the news is true."
Mrs. Yan turned her head and saw Yan Yaoxuan's dark circles under his eyes: "You didn't sleep well?"
Yan Yaoxuan said: "I have a bit of insomnia recently. Mom, you call and ask him. Don't you care if he started a new relationship?"
"You can't do it yourself?" Mrs. Yan asked.
"He's never paid much attention to me." Yan Yaoxuan looked lost.
Yan Qiuchi sat down and ate breakfast. Without raising his head said: "Have you finished all your summer vacation homework? All you care about is useless things all day."
Yan Yaoxuan glanced back: "Can't I care about my idol? I'm already a college student and I have no summer homework."
Yan Qiuchi folded the newspaper aside and said: "Fake news. It's just hype."
Yan Yaoxuan: "How do you know? Did he tell you?"
Yan Qiuchi said nothing. Of course, it was fake news. He had tested it. Shen Jintai tried to seduce him in the car a few days ago. His bodily reaction immediately gave him away. He had almost won a small stone*!
*Stone = referencing the game (which goes by various types of names).
Recalling Shen Jintai's tricks, Yan Qiuchi rolled his throat. It should be easy for a scheming man like Shen Jintai to seduce Yan Yaoxuan. He didn't know what his sweet and innocent brother likes about Shen Jintai. He wondered if Yan Yaoxuan's love for Shen Jintai was like a fan's love for idols. However, sometimes it felt more like brotherly love, but other times it felt like a secret hidden desire coming from Yan Yaoxuan's heart. It's just that everyone knew Shen Jintai was chasing him, so Yan Yaoxuan didn't dare to reveal his hidden feelings.
Yan Yaoxuan was at home on vacation and had nothing to do all day. Because he saw Shen Jintai's new relationship trending last night, he couldn't sleep well all night. After thinking about it for a long time, he decided to go to Shen Jintai to find out the situation in person.
As a result, he came back after leaving in less than half an hour.
"You met with Xiao Jin?" asked Mrs. Yan who was about to go out.
"Xiao Jin has moved." Yan Yaoxuan said.
Mrs. Yan was taken aback for a moment: "Moved? I wasn't aware of this. Where did he move to?"
Yan Yaoxuan: "I don't know. I went to his house and didn't see him. Instead, I saw his stepmother leading the workers to move things inside. She said that their family has no place to live now, and they have all moved to Xiao Jin's."
When Mrs. Yan heard this, she immediately called Shen Jintai.
Because of the rain, Shen Jintai overslept. As soon as he connected the call, he heard Mrs. Yan asking excitedly: "Why is your stepmother moving into your house? Where do you live now?"
Shen Jintai sat up and yawned: "Their house has been seized by the court and it's going to be auctioned off. They have no place to live, so I let them move into my place."
Mrs. Yan: "How about you? Are you living with them?" She recalled that Shen Jintai and his family didn't get along well.
Shen Jintai: "I moved to a hotel."
Mrs. Yan said: "Which hotel?" She wanted to visit him, given his predicament.
Shen Jintai said: "I am temporarily staying in a hotel. We'll start filming in a few days. I'll be spending most of the time with the crew."
Mrs. Yan: "Cut the crap. Which hotel?"
Shen Jintai had no choice but to tell her: "Four Seasons Hotel*."
Mrs. Yan immediately drove over with Yan Yaoxuan. When she got out of the car, she looked up and saw the dilapidated exterior wall of the Four Seasons Hotel*. She was about to break down in tears.
*The is supposed to be a luxury hotel chain. I find it hard to believe that the hotel Shen Jintai's staying at would be THAT run down. It's not like it's a holiday inn or some side motel. Anyways, this is just a fictional novel, so I guess in this world Four Seasons Hotels are crappy.
Yan Yaoxuan felt even more distressed: "Why is it so dingy?" It seemed that the bankruptcy had a great impact on him.
Shen Jintai was showering when he heard the doorbell ring. He hurriedly got dress and ran to open the door. As soon as the door opened, Mrs. Yan leapt in and hugged him.
Mrs. Yan: "You poor child... Trying to put on a brave act and don't even tell Auntie when you encounter difficulties."
Shen Jintai's hair was messy, his beard wasn't shaved, and his face wasn't washed. Because he had slept for too long, his face was still a little puffy, and he looked sloppy and pitiful.
"Come, come home with Auntie." Mrs. Yan released him.
Yan Yaoxuan walked directly towards his bedroom: "If you have any luggage, I will help you pack it."
"No, really I don't need it," Shen Jintai said: "I'm only staying here for a few days and then I'll join the crew."
Mrs. Yan gave him a push: "You go and wash first."
Shen Jintai obeyed and went to wash.
"You, help Xiao Jin tidy up." Mrs. Yan said to Yan Yaoxuan while tidying up the clothes on the sofa.
"Let him organize his own things. Everyone has their privacy." Yan Yaoxuan said lightly.
Shen Jintai rinsed his mouth and came out of the bathroom. Mrs. Yan's attitude was very tough. She didn't allow him to stay in a hotel: "It's not that you're homeless, you just can't live in your own home, so come to Auntie's. My place is like your home too!"
Shen Jintai was moved by the look of redness and pity in her eyes, so he packed his luggage and followed the mother son pair to the Yan family mansion.
The Yan family mansion had a total of four floors. On the first floor were the servants and guest rooms, the second floor was Mr. and Mrs. Yan's room, the third floor was the Yan brothers' rooms, and the fourth floor was the entertainment venue that had chess and card rooms, mahjong rooms, home theater, etc. There was a large swimming pool at the back of the house. The water sparkled blue when you look down at it from the window.
"This is your room. Auntie will find someone to clean it regularly," Mrs. Yan said to Shen Jintai while instructing a maid to make the bed: "Qiuchi's room is next door."
Standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, Shen Jintai turned her head and saw Mrs. Yan had the expression of: "I will always support you" on her face.
Shen Jintai: ......
Mrs. Yan had originally had a spa day appointment with her sisters. After tumbling around for so long, it was getting late. Ensured that Shen Jentai had settled in properly, she hurried out. Shen Jintai closed the door and laid down on the bed.
He was actually next door to Yan Qiuchi's room. What kind of face would Yan Qiuchi make when he returned and found out?
An image of Yan Qiuchi's reticent and abstinent aura came into his mind.
The author has something to say:
Your coat is still hanging in his closet.
Empty bottle: fan control
LJJ: Green Jinjiang*
*Green jinjiang = referring to jjwxc. It's called "green" is because the site background is green. You can read more about the history if jjwxc , especially the controversy behind China's censorship and the impact it had on danmei. (It's also why we don't get smexy scenes anymore)
Kinky Thoughts: I'm actually having fun researching as I'm translating. It's a huge fucking rabbit hole, let me tell you. It's quite interesting reading about Jinjiang and how China's regulation impacted Danmei. This line stood out: "Five years later, a renewed crackdown on internet content in China banned military-related romance, danmei, and any remotely sexual content below the neck." Sounds familiar? It's what the system in this novel is trying to implement LOL.
Side note: Anyone knows what's the current situation in China is now? According to the source I linked in 2019 a crackdown on the internet banned danmei... but it seems like jjwxc still host and publish them? Are danmei at risk? If so, that would be quite tragic.
Thanks everyone for the comments. BL is more fun when you can gush with each other about it~