HOYSE CHAPTER 111

Chapter 111 — Extra 2: The Nation’s Favorite CP

When Gu Xi made the official announcement, there was an impulsive element to it, but it was also truly because the proposal had left him unable to calm down in the short term.

He’d also considered that everyone might still be awake at this hour. Happiness shared is happiness doubled.

From the timing, you could also tell he didn’t want to increase the workload for media workers. This consideration in small details was quite comfortable, and it was one of the reasons why most media would show mercy when mentioning Gu Xi.

It was just past 8 PM, the peak internet browsing period. After being bombarded by that official announcement, netizens had completely exploded. Countless people were constantly refreshing every second.

The programmers were also working overtime to rush repairs. They’d clearly upgraded the servers several times recently, thinking there would definitely be no more crashes going forward. Could this be the legendary case of one plus one being greater than two? As expected of the pyramid peak of top celebrities, the litmus test of servers. Once they appeared, you’d know whether the new servers could withstand it or not.

Many netizens, finding Weibo truly inaccessible, turned to other platforms to spread the news. For a time, excitement surged everywhere.

Needless to say about Gu Xi. He’d been famous for almost ten years. Although he’d left midway, after returning, he shot back to top celebrity status within minutes. Some people were just born to do this work.

As for Rong Jing, one could responsibly say that his appearance had created a phenomenon of its own. Calling this year’s entertainment industry “The Year of Rong Jing” wouldn’t be an exaggeration. If he’d revealed his real-world identity from the start, most people would have been bystanders, sighing that some people were just different, starting at a different point than others from debut.

On one hand, audiences were honest. They wouldn’t be lenient with you because of your good family background. In fact, because you had a good background and naturally received more resources than ordinary people, they’d think you should be even more outstanding. Otherwise, how could you live up to your birth?

On the other hand, audiences were also tolerant. It was precisely because of this tolerance that certain phenomena emerged. As long as a TV series didn’t have major flaws, they’d stay up all night acting as free publicity, recommending it everywhere. Or if a movie’s plot didn’t insult intelligence, everyone would strongly support it, contributing a movie ticket one after another.

As long as a celebrity had even a tiny bit of acting ability, it could be praised to the heavens, with encouragement as the main approach. From this perspective, this generation of audiences was very lovable.

In such an environment, if you had strong abilities, being popular was almost guaranteed.

After Rong Jing’s family background was revealed, as long as his acting wasn’t too terrible, he wouldn’t be criticized too harshly.

But he went beyond that. He’d never even thought of using his family background to attract attention.

He first proved his own abilities, relying on his own actions to clear the “backdoor connections” rumors for both the director and himself. Moreover, he was low-key, didn’t create hype or scandals, and even after exploding in popularity, he didn’t accept commercial performances. It wasn’t until an accident that sharp-eyed reporters discovered the clues. From interviews with some staff members, they learned he wasn’t even deliberately hiding it. He simply believed that acting was acting and had nothing to do with who he was in reality.

Just think, how could such an alpha, who possessed a series of excellent qualities like dedication, humility, and being low-key, not be loved? How could he not become a top celebrity?

Even some older internet surfers left comments saying that if their children grew up and became fans of such a progressive and responsible celebrity, they absolutely wouldn’t stop them. A profession that sets an example for young people needed idols like this.

Though soon people would refute, saying Rong Jing wasn’t an idol. He was just an actor.

His outstanding appearance made people forget he was an actor of substance.

Back to the topic. These two people, who aside from collaborating on one movie had no intersection in life or work, suddenly embraced today and officially announced their relationship? This was way too explosive!

All forums were discussing this news with exceptional intensity:

“Can someone tell me if it’s real or fake? What’s going on with Weibo? Didn’t they just upgrade the servers?”

“My curiosity is about to explode. When did they fall for each other?”

“I was once a planner for one of G’s events. Originally that event had invited RJ, but G directly canceled the commercial appearance after learning about it and left after paying several times the penalty fee! This is true. If it’s fake, I’ll eat sh*t!”

“Same, I’m also staff. I won’t say what I do, but G doesn’t allow any alpha to get close in private. He’s like someone with natural alpha-phobia. Also, I heard he’s allergic to alphas. Everyone around him knows.”

“G and R obviously really didn’t get along. It definitely wasn’t acting. Have you seen those occasional leaked photos from ‘Sovereignty’? That coldness in their gazes when they looked at each other couldn’t be faked.”

The discussion continued. Finally, through persistent efforts, netizens discovered they could log in. Everyone eagerly came to check the two protagonists’ homepages, but unfortunately, aside from that official announcement, there were no new updates.

Of course, neither of their studios issued a denial as those “Sherlock Holmes types” had predicted.

And so, everyone went wild.

Especially the CP fans of the two, whose numbers weren’t small to begin with. With half a year of fermentation since “Sovereignty,” CP fans were no longer the pitiful 51 people from the beginning. It had become a fixed top three in the super topic building, steadily occupying first place in the CP building.

For CP fans, they’d long been accustomed to self-producing and self-consuming. They also knew the two parties had no interaction, but this didn’t affect their sugar consumption at all. No, what they consumed wasn’t sugar. It was dreams!

Of course, they had their limits. But they never would have thought that today, not only would the two parties combine to give out sugar, but they’d also actually officially announce their relationship!

Tonight was a carnival night. They sent messages overnight to sisters everywhere. This moment became their most exciting time.

They urgently wanted to know the answer, afraid that once they got online...

“Please, please don’t let it be a misunderstanding!”

“I swear on ten years of being single, begging for my CP to have a happy ending.”

“Above poster, your ten years of being single aren’t worth much =v=~”

“I’m already camping on Boss Xie’s Weibo!”

“Boss Xie is the authority. RJ comes from a powerful family. Old-money families care about matching doors, right? This could be tricky~”

Originally, Gu Xi’s fans were thinking about how to control the comments. Times had changed. Rong Jing’s fans were no longer people they could boss around. Moreover, because Rong Jing had the title of Wolf King in the investment world, never mind how dramatic that title came about, among his big fans were quite a few real big shots from the investment world. One careless move could attract haters for Gu Xi.

Originally, they wanted to gently distance themselves from the relationship but couldn’t speak too definitively. What if it was real?

Who would have thought they’d discover people thought their Gu Xi wasn’t good enough for a wealthy family? This couldn’t be tolerated.

To be honest, an omega son-in-law like RJ, which mother fan could in good conscience say they weren’t satisfied? But saying our boy wasn’t qualified enough, that really set them off.

So Gu Xi’s big fans personally entered the fray, systematically analyzing Gu Xi’s education, character, achievements, looks, and physique with solid reasoning and evidence, forcefully proving that even if it was fake news, Xi Xi was worthy of Rong Jing!

The most senior Rong Jing fans had experienced the dark times of being completely suppressed by Xi fans from the beginning. Now seeing Xi fans in a fluster one by one, they sat back and relaxed like old fishermen.

Oh my, this feels so good. Let you all bully us relentlessly when we were weak back then. Now it’s your turn to panic.

Anyway, as long as Rong Jing liked it, they had no problem. Fans follow their idol. That’s how zen they were.

Suddenly, a popular comment was pushed up. It was a reply from Director Liu Yu: ???

This reply quickly became trending:

“Hahaha, Director Liu is as confused as we are.”

“Director Liu: Wait, wait, I must be seeing things.”

“Helping Director Liu express: [You’re messing with me.jpg]”

Liu Yu was indeed confused. As the director who’d been in contact with both Rong Jing throughout the entire “Sovereignty” production, he absolutely didn’t believe these two most admired juniors would dare to be ambiguous right under his nose. Thinking back to when the assistant director mentioned it once, he’d firmly denied it to protect their reputations. Turns out he was the one kept in the dark.

Back then, he’d felt quite guilty thinking he was the reason these two schoolmates, one senior and one junior, had their relationship deteriorate because of something he said.

Moreover, later on, because of intimate scenes like kissing and bed scenes, Gu Xi’s back-and-forth attitude, repeatedly jumping between professionalism and disgust, had also proven this point well. From any angle, the two didn’t seem to be faking.

“Xi, we’ve known each other many years, right? We’re also friends, right?” Liu Yu said on the phone. “Now I’m not speaking as a director, but as a friend. Have you two been together for a while...?”

At this moment, Gu Xi was rummaging in Rong Jing’s pocket for candy. Because Rong Jing had been gone for half a year, he’d developed a smoking addiction. Just now, the two had verbally agreed to quit smoking together.

Seeing this, Rong Jing pointed to the 24-hour convenience store by the street, meaning they’d stop for a bit and he’d go buy candy.

Rong Jing had just gotten out of the car when Gu Xi’s gaze followed him. In the five minutes Rong Jing was gone, Gu Xi’s expression went from relaxed and pleasant to tense. Rong Jing’s absence caused cracks to appear in the peaceful facade Gu Xi maintained. He began to panic, constantly switching his gaze between his phone and the convenience store entrance.

It wasn’t until Rong Jing’s figure appeared again that he collapsed against the seat back, cold sweat soaking his back.

“Gu Xi, Gu Xi? Why aren’t you talking?”

Gu Xi recovered from his state of full alert and remembered Liu Yu’s earlier question. “I pursued him for a long time. You remember that day you treated us to a movie? That day he finally agreed to be with me.” That was the happiest day of his life! He wanted to show off to everyone.

Liu Yu: “You pursued him? No, wait, but what about your ‘alphas can go to hell’ attitude? That statement has quite a bit of information.” 

Liu Yu’s voice rose. “Wait, why did you refuse the kissing scenes so adamantly later? Were you playing me?”

Gu Xi: “That’s a long story... I have something to do. I’ll explain next time. I’ll call you back later.”

With that, he hung up on his friend and asked nonchalantly, “Why did it take so long?”

Rong Jing had bought a bag of things, basically all snacks Gu Xi usually liked to eat, which had delayed him a bit. He noticed in the light from the streetlamp outside the car window that Gu Xi’s forehead had fine beads of sweat. “Why are you sweating so much?”

Gu Xi looked at the pedestrians outside the window and said casually, “It’s a bit hot.”

It was hot outside, but the air conditioning had been on inside the car the whole time. Rong Jing didn’t expose him, He filed the detail away.

As soon as the two returned home, Rong Jing was pounced on by the omega and pushed onto the bed, receiving a kiss.

“Wait, mmm, shower first?” Rong Jing said intermittently in the gaps.

Gu Xi pulled open his shirt collar, gently biting the alpha’s Adam’s apple, his fingers on his own collarbone, eyes alluring, breath like silk. “Today’s outfit is especially easy to tear. It can come off in one go... Want to try?”

Can’t, can’t handle it. Even immortals couldn’t handle this.

Rong Jing stopped thinking about that brief moment of doubt from earlier and turned from passive to active, pressing the omega down.

At the moment of union, the omega tightly embraced the person above him, leaning close, temples touching, warm liquid sliding down to the alpha’s shoulder.

Rong Jing was startled. “You...”

Gu Xi closed his eyes and smiled. “It’s sweat.”

Rong Jing knew it couldn’t possibly be sweat.

In this world, only one temperature could calm my unease: your body warmth.

Fortunately, you crossed countless obstacles and chose to stay.

Calls similar to Liu Yu’s nearly blew up both their phones, but they’d turned them off long ago. For this extremely meaningful day, they couldn’t spare any more attention.

Like all people passionately in love, the two were immersed in it. This made things difficult for those netizens seeking verification. After waiting several hours, aside from the official announcement, the two had no further actions.

Fortunately, Zhou Xiang discovered the online developments and immediately notified Xie Ling, who had just fallen asleep.

When sleeping, Xie Ling was extremely proper. Even the bedding wouldn’t have a single wrinkle. He took his phone from the nightstand and in the darkness saw his little brother and brother-in-law’s official announcement. Unexpectedly, he raised an eyebrow.

Actually, given Rong Jing’s personality, he shouldn’t have announced it so quickly. He remembered that some time ago, Rong Jing had privately approached him and asked him to help design wedding rings. Thinking of Gu Xi’s anxiety during that previous period, Xie Ling felt it made perfect sense.

Xie Ling reposted the Weibo: Congratulations.

Then he slipped the phone away, pulled on the panda eye mask his little brother had given him for Father’s Day, cool and soothing, and went right back to sleep.

If Director Liu’s three question marks earlier had added fuel to the fire, making netizens doubt the authenticity of the announcement even more, then Xie Ling’s post settled everything definitively.

Just two short words, extremely characteristic of Xie Ling’s personal style. Traffic reached its peak at this moment, and the backend crashed again.

Being able to post these two words at least indicated that Gu Xi was recognized by Rong Jing’s family, and it wasn’t as many netizens had speculated, a huge class difference that would be denied by family.

During this time, there were also nosy media members who sought out Xie Zhanhong. Some people had investigated and discovered that Rong Jing didn’t have Xie family blood, yet possessed far more wealth and shares than his stepfather. So what was stepfather Xie Zhanhong’s attitude? Someone blocked the drunken Xie Zhanhong, who was hugging an escort beauty, at the bar entrance.

He shook his head. “Tsk tsk, the son is more capable than the father. That’s his ability. What business is it of outsiders? You, and you too, which media company sent you? Avoid Xie Corporation’s news from now on!”

Xie Zhanhong had always been somewhat of a hooligan and often spoke nonsense. Everyone thought this was also Xie Zhanhong’s joke, but these small companies really did receive lawyer’s letters from Xie Corporation afterward, citing malicious slander.

After that, no one used this matter to sow discord in the Xie family anymore. Although Xie Zhanhong was often criticized for his private life and had never been a good father or husband, the one thing that could be considered a bright spot was that he didn’t play favorites.

After reading the report, Xie Ling invited his father to dinner that evening for the first time. This was the first time father and son had dined alone outside after decades of estrangement. The significance was extraordinarily different.

That day, when Han Lianmei opened the door and came in, she actually saw Xie Zhanhong facing the window, wiping away tears.

Finally, on the fifth day, one of the parties involved, Rong Jing, belatedly commented under the official announcement: Thank you everyone, I’m in love.

Gu Xi’s side almost instantly replied with three hearts. Below, countless blessings immediately surged up. People said this CP getting together made them full of hope for the future. Even the most impossible things could become reality one day:

“This couple is my damn biggest regret. Seeing that scene of Shao Hua holding Fu Qianming, my heart shattered! They actually achieved a happy ending in reality. Wuwuwuwu, today I’m going to have a Haidilao hotpot meal to celebrate~~~”

“Couldn’t agree more, the most regrettable couple! Crying to death!”

“I’m at a bar. Just now, a rich guy bought drinks for the entire bar to celebrate the surprise of them being together! I love this surprise~!”

“Today, my two favorite men got together, yet I’m laughing and crying like a lunatic. You guys are the best!”

“After shipping so many imaginary CPs, this is the first time I’ve experienced one becoming real! Wuwuwuwu, it was worth it, so worth it!”

“If they can be together, why can’t Voldemort and Lin Daiyu be together?”

“Please never break up. A double kill of beautiful looks, okay?”

“No matter how much abuse in the drama, what does it matter? In reality, they’re the sweetest. Mama won’t allow you to separate. Stay together for lifetimes to come!”

“It’s real, it’s real. I’m going to say this sentence ten times!”

“This couple can definitely be called a national CP!”

Their CP name, aside from “Surprise,” gained several more. For example, “Sovereignty” fans called them the Minghua CP. Because of their high looks, they were also called the Glorious Age CP. The CP name varied based on individual preferences, with everyone expressing their opinions on various forums.

Next, the paid online version of “Sovereignty” also welcomed a new wave of retrospective viewing.

Rong Jing’s work had reached a lull, so he took on a role to adjust. Gu Xi also cooperatively took on another one. This time, the two openly stayed at the same hotel, secretly dating at night, enjoying this small sweetness between couples.

The barbecue stall at the entrance had been closed for a while but reopened today with a 20% discount for everyone. The young man was still that young man. When he saw Gu Xi’s figure wearing a mask and baseball cap, he recognized him immediately this time. He refused to take his money no matter what and gave him the candied hawthorn.

Gu Xi: “Did you get in?” Gu Xi glanced at the 20% off sign nearby.

The young man nodded excitedly and admiringly. “Yes!! Thank you for your blessing back then. It was my motivation to move forward. This time, you really mustn’t pay. Let me share in your good fortune.”

Gu Xi didn’t want to disappoint the little fan. He smiled and nodded, gesturing to the tall alpha beside him, asking if he wanted one. The alpha shook his head, his indifferent gaze containing a hint of indulgence. “You finish yours and then give me a bite.”

The young man was also one of the melon-eating passersby during the official announcement, and he knew a bit more than other netizens. Later, he’d joined the Surprise CP group and was now a small administrator.

Unable to contain himself, he asked, “Actually, I wanted to ask last time, is the person beside you Rong Jing?”

Gu Xi and Rong Jing exchanged glances. Gu Xi: “Isn’t this obvious?” As if to say, if it’s not Rong Jing beside me, who else could it be?

Young man: AHHHHHHHHH!

So I’m also a witness to this beautiful romance, like witnessing the birth of a miracle!

The young man said excitedly, “Mr. Rong, Rong, hello, it’s an honor to meet you. I’m studying economics. Your investment cases, and your brother’s investment cases, are frequently mentioned by our professors. They say you two are kings of the economic field. Many, many of my classmates admire you both. The school has tried to invite you to give speeches several times, but you’ve both been too busy...”

Meeting his idol, the young man became somewhat incoherent.

Most people knew that aside from occasionally filming, Rong Jing almost never appeared in media. He was so low-key that if it weren’t for his massive fan base, people could forget he existed in the entertainment industry.

Rong Jing: “Then your professor should have also told you I have even more failed cases.”

Young man: “...Yes, there are.” Who specifically picks their own dark history to talk about?

Rong Jing: “I say I’m an investment black hole. Those successes were just luck. Do you believe that?”

Young man: “Well, no one would believe that, right?”

Gu Xi: “...” At first, I didn’t believe it either. Then my money went down the drain.

Rong Jing scratched his head. “At most, I can talk to you all about some of my usual experiences. As for my brother, whether he’ll agree or not isn’t something I can decide, but I’ll ask for you.” Although Rong Jing was an investment black hole with incredibly bad financial luck, the knowledge he’d accumulated over these years was quite substantial. Giving a speech about experiences wouldn’t be a problem.

Young man: “!”

What?

I was just babbling incoherently after meeting my idol. Did I successfully get my idol to come to school?

This is like winning the jackpot. Am I about to become someone everyone is grateful to?

My idol is such a good person. I can’t be the only one who knows!!

After I go back, I’ll immediately announce this widely in the group!

After filming all day, the two soon fell asleep in each other’s arms. Gu Xi still nestled in Rong Jing’s embrace.

In the middle of the night, Gu Xi suddenly gasped, drowsily opened his eyes, and his hands unconsciously groped around. Only after touching that familiar warm sensation did he fall back asleep, repeating this cycle over and over.

Rong Jing had very good sleep quality. When deeply asleep, it was hard to notice Gu Xi’s abnormal state.

But recently, after noticing the signs, he’d become more alert. When Gu Xi closed his eyes again, he opened his.

A few times before, after Gu Xi woke up, he wouldn’t go back to sleep. He’d just silently watch like this, as if Rong Jing would disappear at any moment. Right before Rong Jing was about to open his eyes, he’d immediately pretend to sleep. If Rong Jing weren’t careful enough, he wouldn’t have noticed at all.

He kissed the top of Gu Xi’s head lovingly. Gu Xi instinctively burrowed into his embrace. Rong Jing sighed softly.

With the previous multiple departures, given Gu Xi’s perceptiveness, he’d long ago discovered there was a high probability Rong Jing wouldn’t come back.

But he couldn’t say anything. He also had to maintain his usual composure in front of Xie Ling and others, not letting them discover anything amiss, giving those around him the greatest sense of security. Others had their sense of security, but what about his own?

Even though Rong Jing had returned long ago, Gu Xi’s subconscious still harbored fear, like a brand seared into his soul.

Rong Jing felt he should do something to break the status quo.

Just as Rong Jing was thinking of a solution, he received an invitation from a certain production team to be a guest on a romance reality show.

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