The final examination report for Luo Xinghe had been released, and indeed, his physical health was fine.
At that time, Zhou Chenxi had been busy filming an advertisement for “**Sichuan Pepper Potato Chips.” When he heard that Luo Xinghe had already woken up, Zhou Chenxi rescheduled several appointments specifically to visit Luo Xinghe.
Of course, Lu Ji was also concerned about Zhou Chenxi, so he postponed his work and accompanied Zhou Chenxi to the hospital.
Luo Xinghe sat on the hospital bed, his expression somewhat vacant.
Zhou Chenxi asked him, “Luo Xinghe, what happened to you before?”
Luo Xinghe glanced at him but didn’t say anything.
Zhou Chenxi and Lu Ji exchanged a glance.
It was clear that something was amiss with his mental state.
Zhou Chenxi asked again, “Didn’t you say you wanted to go back?”
Upon hearing the word “back,” Luo Xinghe suddenly became agitated, exclaiming, “Back… yes! I want to go back!”
Zhou Chenxi seized the opportunity and continued, “Do you know how to go back?”
Luo Xinghe abruptly stood up, his expression contorted.
AdvertisementZhou Chenxi quickly stepped back.
Lu Ji’s bodyguards rushed over, restraining Luo Xinghe’s limbs to prevent any sudden outbursts. As a precaution, they securely bound him with soft ropes to prevent him from breaking free.
One of the bodyguards said, “Mr. Lu, we’ll be outside. If there’s anything, just let us know.”
Lu Ji nodded.
The bodyguards then left the room.
With his hands and feet bound, Luo Xinghe struggled for a while but eventually grew quiet as he realized he couldn’t move.
Zhou Chenxi continued with his earlier question, “Do you know how to go back?”
Luo Xinghe’s gaze focused, and he looked at Zhou Chenxi before suddenly smiling inexplicably, “Can’t go back.”
AdvertisementZhou Chenxi asked, “Why can’t you go back?”
“The world gate is closed…” Luo Xinghe burst into laughter, “Closed! I’ll be trapped in this world, but it doesn’t matter. I am the child of this world’s destiny. With a slight movement of my finger, I can trample the world beneath my feet.”
Luo Xinghe laughed again, saying, “All of you are just pawns at my disposal!”
Zhou Chenxi frowned.
Luo Xinghe’s gaze abruptly fell on Zhou Chenxi, and he said, “An insignificant supporting character, won’t survive past three episodes…” He pointed at Zhou Chenxi, laughing heartily, “In the next episode, you’ll fall into a muddy pit and die, you unlucky guy!”
Zhou Chenxi said, “…”
Fortunately, Luo Xinghe was bound with ropes. Lu Ji pulled Zhou Chenxi behind him and asked, “Do you think that Luo Xinghe is just a pawn for you to manipulate?”
“What’s wrong with that?” Luo Xinghe tilted his head and looked at Lu Ji. “Isn’t his existence meant to be utilized by me?”
“For him, your significance is extraordinary,” Lu Ji said. “Have you forgotten the bond you shared while growing up together?”
Luo Xinghe seemed to find something highly amusing and chuckled, saying, “What kind of bond can exist between us? This is just a make-believe world composed of paper dolls. You don’t really believe it, do you?”
AdvertisementLu Ji pressed the pause button on the voice recorder on his phone and said, “That’s enough, Chenxi. Let’s go.”
Zhou Chenxi hesitated for a moment and asked, “Shouldn’t we clarify some questions? Like how to go back.”
Although he had always said he didn’t want Lu Ji to leave.
But what if, one day, Lu Ji remembered the past, what if he truly was from another world, and what if he wanted to return?
Zhou Chenxi felt some uncertainty.
Lu Ji took Zhou Chenxi’s hand and said, “No need to ask. Even if you did, he wouldn’t tell you. This world is meaningless to him, but to me, it’s real, especially you.”
“Let’s go,” Lu Ji repeated.
Mmm.” Zhou Chenxi nodded and walked out of the hospital room with Lu Ji.
Lu Ji told the bodyguards, “Find a doctor to evaluate him, and then transfer him to another hospital.”
The bodyguards responded, “Yes.”
Walking in the hospital garden, Lu Ji said to Zhou Chenxi, “Given Luo Xinghe’s condition, there’s no need to continue with the legal process. I recorded this to ensure that Luo Xingzhou doesn’t still have any ideas about Luo Xinghe while in prison, so we can prevent any complications. In case anything happens, I’ll give this recording to him.”
Zhou Chenxi nodded.
However, Luo Xingzhou had lost everything, and even if he were released from prison, he probably couldn’t do much.
With Luo Xinghe’s situation resolved, Zhou Chenxi finally felt like a weight had been lifted from his heart. Later, he heard from Zhou Mingxuan that the reason Luo Xinghe was put under house arrest previously was due to Lu Ji’s cousin’s interference. Lu Ji had disrupted the interests of some people from the Lu family during his previous activities regarding the Lu Corporation. His cousin had tried to secretly release Luo Xinghe, causing some underhanded dealings.
Unexpectedly, before causing a major incident, his cousin’s family got into trouble. After splitting the shares, along with restructuring the original Lu Corporation, those remnants who had previously leached off the Lu Corporation now found themselves in a bit of trouble because of Lu Ji’s involvement.
AdvertisementWithout Lu Ji’s support, they were quickly targeted and eliminated by their competitors.
The remaining remnants from the Lu family, who had relied on the Lu Corporation for so long, initially thought about causing trouble for Lu Ji. However, they had long forgotten that Lu Ji was no longer the same child who could be easily bullied.
Having lived comfortably for so long, they only began to realize the significance of Lu Ji when it was too late. But it didn’t matter anymore.
Lu Ji had uprooted the foundation of the Lu family. The old remnants who relied on the Lu Corporation now faced difficulty.
Having been relaxed for too long, they only began to understand how, without Lu Ji, there would be no Lu Corporation. But it was too late for them.
With the destruction of the Lu family, which had thrived on the profits of the Lu Corporation, those remnants who had simply been living off the corporation faced difficulties and eventually failed.
The elderly remnants from the Lu family, who had relied on the Lu Corporation and had once considered making trouble for Lu Ji, forgot that he was no longer the same child they could easily control.
Lu Ji, who had made significant decisions by himself and split the shares, ended up causing minor troubles for some remnants who had sought benefits.
Having relied on the Lu Corporation’s success and profits for a long time, the remnants of the Lu family, who had once thought about giving Lu Ji trouble, had forgotten that he was no longer the child they could easily control.
After having an easy life for so long, they only began to realize Lu Ji’s significance when it was too late. But it didn’t matter anymore.
With the destruction of the Lu family, which had thrived on the profits of the Lu Corporation, those remnants who had simply been living off the corporation faced difficulties and eventually failed.
Zhou Chenxi’s “Sichuan Peppercorn Sweet Potato Chips” advertisement was soon completed. Once the posters were released, Zhou Mingxuan couldn’t wait to challenge Lu Ji. The chips were stocked in supermarkets and convenience stores in cities all over, so posters of Zhou Chenxi started appearing in supermarkets, on buses, at metro stations, bus stops, and everywhere else.
The set of posters was created to match the “**” theme, with Zhou Chenxi wearing a black tank top. In the advertisement, he lifted weights and threw punches a few times.
Zhou Chenxi was very satisfied with these photos. After completing “The Pinnacle,” he hadn’t touched weights for a long time. If it weren’t for work, he probably wouldn’t have gone to the gym to lift weights on his own. So these photos and the advertisement became particularly precious to him.
In the gym, Zhou Chenxi was sweating profusely. Although he had developed some muscles during his time on the set, after taking a break, those muscles had diminished. The makeup artist added a bit of shading to his arms and chest to enhance the theme and effect, along with a little bit of photo editing. This made Zhou Chenxi appear slightly more muscular than usual, exuding a hint of a “macho” vibe.
So Zhou Chenxi selected the photo he liked the most, the one that showcased his physique the best, and posted it on Weibo.
Initially, he wanted to tell everyone, “Actually, I’m still quite manly.” However, the fan comments below the post didn’t give him the praise and screams of admiration for his physique that he had anticipated:
【Xixi is posting a photo!】
【Is this a treat? Oh no, it’s Xixi’s “Sichuan Peppercorn Sweet Potato Chips” advertisement.】
【】
【What’s with you guys? Aren’t you excited? This is a treat, at least it’s a photo! 】
【I can see that Xixi really wants us to compliment his muscles!】
【Is that really him in the photo?】
【Is that really him in the photo?】
【The two comments above, I’ve already covered my mouth and dragged you out! Xixi, don’t be afraid, we’ll defend you at the front lines!】
【The International Support Team for Zhou Chenxi is about to arrive on the scene!】
Zhou Chenxi had a good relationship with his fans, so he knew their comments were meant in a playful way. However, he took a serious look at the comments and then at the photo he had just posted. Did he really look so unlike himself?
Then some fans commented:
【Honestly, Xixi looks great like this!】
【Ugh! Let me tell you, my local supermarket is promoting potato chips, buy a box, get Xixi’s poster for free. I bought three boxes in total and took home three different posters!】
【LS, buy ten boxes, and you can carry away a life-sized Xixi poster, lucky you!】
【Really? I should go to the supermarket too!】
【The main thing is that this type of poster is rare.】
【The main thing is that this type of poster is rare, plus one. 】
【Just a few days ago, my favorite blogger posted the latest pictures of Xixi from an event. Let me tell you, I think Xixi’s arms are probably photoshopped (covers my mouth and drags myself away).】
【LS, you’re in trouble.】
【LSS, you’re in trouble. @International Support Team for Zhou Chenxi】
The International Support Team for Zhou Chenxi seemed to have become a meme, as this account was as active as if it lived on Weibo and always led the charge when it came to defending Zhou Chenxi from negative comments.
However, today, the head of the fan group didn’t appear. Instead, they mentioned Zhou Chenxi in their own Weibo post: “No blacklisting today. Remember to exercise every day to maintain your physique.”
Fans following them responded with laughter and playful comments.
One fan noticed the location tag in the Weibo post: “Wait a minute, am I the only one who noticed the location tag of the blogger’s post?”
Another fan quickly identified the location: “0.0! Shanhe Road No. 11. If I remember correctly, that’s the address of the Zhouxin Group’s headquarters…”
The location tag can be chosen to share or not, and the choice button is quite visible. It won’t be shared unless you click it. Considering that @International Support Team for Zhou Chenxi had been using Weibo for so long, they should be well aware of how this works.
However, regardless of whether the blogger actively shared their location, people’s attention was quickly diverted by another matter.
“Cat Demon Chronicles” was nominated for this year’s Golden Flower Awards.
The Golden Flower Awards are the country’s largest film awards ceremony, held every May. Films released or exhibited from March of last year to March of this year are eligible for nominations.
Director Luo Jitian naturally wouldn’t miss this opportunity.
But for Director Luo, as long as his film was submitted for consideration, it was very likely to get selected.
The question now was whether they could win the Best Picture Award this year.
This wasn’t a surprise to everyone. What was surprising, however, was that Zhou Chenxi was also nominated for the Best Newcomer Award at the Golden Flower Awards this year.
The Best Newcomer Award was just one step away from the Best Actor Award, but because you could only win the Best Newcomer Award once in your lifetime, it was still highly significant for Zhou Chenxi. Fans were delighted, and they flocked to Zhou Chenxi’s Weibo to congratulate him.
Upon learning the news, Zhou Chenxi was also very happy and immediately shared this good news with Lu Ji: [Screenshot]
The screenshot was a news article reporting Zhou Chenxi’s nomination for the Golden Flower Awards’ Best Newcomer.
Lu Ji replied on WeChat: [Great!]
He was concerned that Zhou Chenxi might not take it well and promptly reassured him: [You’ve made significant progress. This year, you’ll get the Best Newcomer, and next year, you’ll get the Best Actor. Twenty years from now, the Rose Film Festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award will be yours!]
Zhou Chenxi knew he was worried that he might compare himself to Luo Xinghe again and replied: [It’s okay, I asked Director Luo, and he said newcomers usually get nominated for the Best Newcomer Award first before having a work to be considered for the Best Actor category. In reality, both nominations are equally valuable. The book gave an advantage to Luo Xinghe, which is unrealistic. I’m already satisfied with the nomination.]
Lu Ji: [Well done!]
Zhou Chenxi really felt at ease. He started thinking about what kind of gift he could give Lu Ji if he won the award in the end. But then, Director Luo called him and specifically told him, “In addition to the Golden Flower Awards, I also submitted your entry for the Star Moon Awards in Asian Film Selection. The Star Moon Awards don’t have a Best Newcomer category, so you’re nominated for Best Actor in the Star Moon Awards.”
Zhou Chenxi: [!!]
The Star Moon Awards is an Asian film award, and initially in the book, Director Cabot also submitted “Battle at the Peak” to the selection committee for this award. However, Luo Xinghe, who played Li Yunzhou, didn’t even get nominated.
Zhou Chenxi was overjoyed and shared a moment in his WeChat Moments: [I got nominated!]
Lu Ji had already been pestered by him once, so he didn’t want to bother him again and could only express his excitement in his Moments.
After a while, everyone started giving him likes.
Lu Ji, Zhuang Jingle, Ren Qian, and Shang Xiaoqin successively liked his Moments.
Zhou Mingxuan, on the other hand, left a comment: [Hehe, impressive! ]
After a while, he seemed to realize that something was off, and quickly deleted this comment, replacing it with: [Zhou Mingxuan: Hehe, impressive.]
Zhou Chenxi looked at those two words “Hehe” and fell into deep thought.
Using “Hehe” instead of “Hehehe” from his older brother felt a bit strange. But if he used “Heihei,” “Haha,” or something similar, it also felt off.
Maybe the overbearing president vibe suited using “Hehe” as a conversational particle?
The author’s notes: Thanks to “kiki,” “Little Dimple,” and “Squirrel Lisa” for their nourishment!
1TL: YSIAD “You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you ️”
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