Chapter 41: “Can’t I Just Be a CP Fan?”

The accidental encounter that night had an emotional impact on Sheng Li that lasted nearly half a month. This was mainly because Yu Chi’s movie had just wrapped up, and there was a lot of online buzz. Fans were expecting him to break new box office records, while haters and rivals hoped he would fall from grace.

At that time, she was at home resting and memorizing her script, and couldn’t help but constantly check up on him. It wasn’t until she started filming her own project that she managed to refocus.

Forget about ex-boyfriends, forget about the perfect younger brother; this sister is here to focus on her career.

Time slipped by in a blur of busyness, and before she knew it, it was the end of the year. After wrapping up her project, Sheng Li immediately joined the promotional tour for the movie Love Again , which was scheduled to premiere on February 14th — the fifth day of the Lunar New Year.

Meanwhile, Malice was scheduled to premiere on New Year’s Eve, making it one of the most anticipated films during the Spring Festival season.

The two actors appeared on the same show at different times, visited the same cities at different points, met the same crew members, and perhaps even took photos with the same group of fans.

Many actors of Yu Chi’s age are busy shooting youth films or idol dramas, but few young actors like him take the same path. And those who do succeed as well as he has are even rarer.

Yu Chi was that rare gem.

Malice was a suspenseful coming-of-age film, with Yu Chi as the undisputed male lead. The film balanced both romance and mystery. The reason the movie generated so much anticipation wasn’t just because the plot trailers were exciting, but also because during promotions, it was revealed that Yu Chi had contributed his first-ever on-screen kiss for the role. His co-star, actress Chen Yu, was only twenty-one years old and still a senior at the Shanghai Theatre Academy. Chen Yu wasn’t the type of beauty that screamed vibrancy; instead, she had a subtle, wholesome charm. The trailer was edited cleverly, featuring only a few ambiguous moments between the leads, with the film adopting a darker tone that created a strong sense of mystery.

The presale ticket sales for the movie surpassed 500 million yuan, and within two days of its release, the film’s reputation exploded. Not only did it flood social media feeds, but every time you opened Weibo, you’d see trending topics related to the movie. That evening, after returning to her hotel, Sheng Li opened Weibo and immediately saw a glaring trending hashtag: #Yu Chi’s On-Screen First Kiss .

She stared at the hashtag, feeling a bit dazed. Her thoughts were all over the place. One moment, she thought about how Yu Chi was already kissing someone else on-screen. How many takes did that scene require? Did he not use tongue? Would he think of her when kissing someone else? After all, she was the one who took both his first kiss and his first night. The next moment, she scolded herself: Stop it! He’s not yours anymore! Isn’t it normal for actors to film kissing scenes? Don’t overthink it. You’ve filmed countless kissing scenes yourself, and nothing happened between you and your male co-stars!

She resisted the urge to click on the hashtag and tossed her phone aside, heading to take a shower.

When she came out of the shower, her WeChat was flooded with messages.

Queen Zhou: [I went to see Malice . The movie was so good I want to watch it again and again. It’s not just the plot; Yu Chi’s face looks absolutely stunning on the big screen. Even my mom has become a fan of his.]

Queen Zhou: [A twenty-year-old guy, with such a handsome face and such a youthful, energetic body... I’m regretting things for you.]

Queen Zhou: [[Photo][Photo][Photo]]

Queen Zhou: [The kissing scene was both pure and seductive. I really want to know what it feels like to kiss such a hot younger guy?]

Unexpectedly, Sheng Li saw the stills of Yu Chi and Chen Yu. In the photo, Chen Yu was pressed against the wall, her face cradled by someone drawing her closer. A shadow fell across her delicate, fair complexion, and the two figures were enveloped in dim light. The image was intimate and beautiful.

Sheng Li’s gaze lingered on Yu Chi’s sharp, clean-cut profile. She stared blankly for several seconds before frowning and closing the picture.

She quickly replied to Zhou Sinuan: [Haven’t you kissed plenty of hot guys yourself?]

Since she’d already seen the stills, Sheng Li decided to open Weibo and browse through the trending hashtags and comments about Yu Chi. She even visited his super-topic page, where sister-fans, girlfriend-fans, wife-fans, and mother-fans were either lamenting or consoling themselves—

“Little brother, you’re still so young. Why are you being so disobedient and filming kissing scenes?”

“Because of this kissing scene, my boyfriend has been comforting me for days. Should I forgive him?”

“If he weren’t under 22, we’d already be married, okay?”

“Chi-zi, don’t fall in love too early, okay? There are so many bad older sisters eyeing you. Protect yourself!”

...

Bad Sister Sheng Li exited Weibo with a straight face and returned to her chat with Queen Zhou.

Queen Zhou: [I’ve filmed kissing scenes, but I’ve never filmed one with a younger guy, nor have I dated a younger guy.]

Sheng Li took a deep breath and replied to Zhou Sinuan: [It’s incredibly thrilling. He’s a little wolf-dog in bed and a little puppy outside of it. It’s both painful and exhilarating. I’m happy. Plus, we can act out scripted scenarios. You wouldn’t understand the joys of an older-sister-younger-brother romance.]

After a while, Queen Zhou sent a voice message: [So, you regret it then.]

Are you Queen Zhou or Grandma Zhou? Why do you keep poking me with needles? Sheng Li threw her phone aside and went to sleep with a face mask on. Perhaps she was too exhausted lately, but she didn’t wait the full twenty minutes to remove the mask and drifted off into a hazy sleep.

The dream scene was eerily familiar. She stood in an old corridor, wearing an oversized baseball jacket, stamping her feet and making “squeaky” noises toward the door. Suddenly, the door behind her opened, and amidst the grumbling of a middle-aged man, she was pulled inside. In the dim, narrow bedroom of an old apartment, the air conditioner struggled to work, and the rhythmic creaking of the wooden bed mixed with the increasingly heavy breathing of a man and woman, creating an especially lustful atmosphere in the dead of night.

The young man buried his face in her neck, nibbling on her ear and teasing her: “Sister, can we do it again?”

Sheng Li woke up in a shock, her face flushed and overheated, pulling off the now-dry face mask. She buried her face in the pillow, feeling a bit hopeless. She must have gone too long without a relationship to be dreaming like this.

________________________________________

Most of the movies released during the Spring Festival were festive comedies, with Malice being the only suspense film and Love Again the sole romance. As expected, Malice was a massive hit, while Love Again started off underwhelming. People initially went to see it because of the main cast, but after a few days, word-of-mouth began to spread, and once more screenings were added, the movie suddenly staged a comeback.

Love Again ‘s box office earnings surpassed 1 billion yuan, and Sheng Li joined the cast for another promotional event. The event was live-streamed, and during a game segment, Sheng Li lost and had to endure ten rapid-fire questions as punishment.

The host smiled and asked: “These will come fast, no time to think. Are you ready, Lili?”

Sheng Li remained calm: “Bring it.”

...

In an old rented apartment, a laptop sat on the coffee table streaming the live event. Yu Chi lounged lazily on the sofa, his eyes lowered toward the screen. He hadn’t been back here in a long time. This winter break, he had only taken on a minor supporting role in a movie, filming for just over ten days before wrapping up.

Huang Baiyan, considering that Yu Chi hadn’t had a day off in nearly three years, gave him a three-day vacation. To avoid paparazzi, Yu Chi had taken a red-eye flight back last night. The apartment was regularly cleaned, but nothing new had been added—it was almost exactly the same as before.

On the screen, the host began the countdown: “3, 2, 1…”

“Do you prefer dating someone older or younger than you?”

“Younger.”

“In a relationship, who makes up first after a fight?”

“Me.”

“Are you the kind of person who takes good care of their partner in a relationship?”

“Uh… I guess so.”

“If you broke up, would you get back together?”

“No.”

“After breaking up, if the other person asks for reconciliation, would you agree?”

“Isn’t this question contradictory to the previous one?”

“Uh… Next question…”

…

So, no?

Yu Chi stared expressionlessly at the woman on the screen, then raised his hand and slammed the laptop shut. The curtains were only slightly drawn, and with the Spring Festival still ongoing, the intermittent sounds of children playing and occasional firecrackers echoed from downstairs. Despite the small size of the apartment, it felt unusually empty. Yu Chi felt utterly desolate, devoid of any excitement or joy that typically comes with newfound fame—probably because there was no one to share it with.

Who was he becoming famous for, anyway?

Did she even care?

Yu Chi walked to the window, lit a cigarette, and leaned against the frame, gazing down at the street below.

Even though she said she wouldn’t go back to him, he couldn’t help himself. He missed her terribly.

________________________________________

Early March, spring had barely begun, and the chill still lingered. The Spring Festival movie season had ended, with Malice accumulating a box office total of 3.85 billion yuan and Love Again reaching 17.41 billion yuan. This time, Yu Chi had truly skyrocketed to fame, becoming the youngest first-tier actor capable of carrying a box office hit in the film industry.

Rong Hua handed several scripts to Sheng Li, saying: “Love Again was a script you picked yourself, and you gambled correctly. This time, look through these first, and then we’ll discuss.”

Sheng Li accepted the scripts but didn’t rush to read them. Instead, she said: “Yuan Yuan has been my assistant for several years now. I want her to transition into being a manager. She’s smart and adaptable—perfect for the job.”

“That works,” Rong Hua said without surprise. “This is normal. Actually, I already asked her about it before you renewed your contract, but she didn’t want to leave.”

Yuan Yuan’s salary was paid by Sheng Li, comparable to that of junior managers, plus generous annual bonuses. Sheng Li had asked her about it last year, but Yuan Yuan, that unmotivated girl, didn’t want to leave her side.

“I’ll talk to her,” Sheng Li said, standing up with the scripts in her arms. She reminded Rong Hua: “If you still want to promote Lu Xingyu, you should untie him from me soon. It’s getting late.”

There were three years left on the contract. Now that Sheng Li’s career was flourishing, and she had grown independent, she could easily start her own agency once the contract expired. Lu Xingyu had been overshadowed by Yu Chi for the past two to three years. If he didn’t find another path soon, staying tied to her would eventually lead to his downfall.

That evening, after returning home, Sheng Li went to take a shower while Yuan Yuan dragged out two large suitcases to pack for their upcoming variety show recording. They would be filming for three days, so they needed to bring quite a bit.

After finishing her shower, Sheng Li wanted to have a serious talk with Yuan Yuan, but found her sitting on the floor, engrossed in her phone. Sheng Li quietly approached Yuan Yuan from behind and looked down at her phone screen.

It was a behind-the-scenes video of Yu Chi shooting a fashion magazine.

With her arms crossed, Sheng Li watched Yuan Yuan replay the footage over and over again. Wasn’t Yu Chi handsome enough that she had to keep watching it repeatedly? After the fifth time, Yuan Yuan finally noticed something was off. When she turned around and saw Sheng Li, she was so startled she dropped her phone.

“Enjoying it, my Yuan Yuan?” Sheng Li asked with a smile.

Yuan Yuan froze, stammering: “It’s… alright…” She bent down to pick up her phone, muttering softly, “You haven’t called me that in a long time. For a moment, I thought you were going on a date…”

Sheng Li paused, remembering that back when they were working on Scroll of the Rivers and Mountains , she used to call Yuan Yuan “my Yuan Yuan” whenever she needed advice on meeting Yu Chi. After their breakup, she hadn’t used that term in a long time.

Such a casual nickname had, in a way, become a secret code.

Sheng Li suddenly felt irritated and depressed. Why was Yu Chi everywhere? Even when they weren’t seeing each other, his presence was impossible to ignore. Had it been too long since she’d been in a relationship? Maybe she should start dating again?

Hmm, that made sense. Another relationship would solve everything.

Sheng Li sat on the couch, scrolling through her contacts on her phone. As she scrolled, she asked: “Yuan Yuan, what do you think about that director Lu who’s been pursuing me?”

Yuan Yuan was stunned: “Huh?”

Sheng Li didn’t look up: “Answer the question.”

Yuan Yuan: “Oh… He’s pretty good—talented, handsome—but didn’t you say he slept with an actress?”

Sheng Li took a deep breath and continued: “That was his ex-girlfriend. You don’t like him? Okay, what about Cheng Xiao?”

Yuan Yuan blinked. Do I have that much influence over your dating life? She thought for a moment: “The rich second-generation hottie? But didn’t you say being a wealthy housewife isn’t easy? You have your own money—you shouldn’t marry into wealth just to suffer.”

Sheng Li rattled off several more names, including producers, popular actors, and rising young stars. Yuan Yuan acted like a contrarian, finding faults in every name Sheng Li mentioned.

Finally, Sheng Li couldn’t take it anymore: “Yuan Yuan, why didn’t I notice how picky you are before? Why are you being so difficult? I’m asking for your opinion on potential boyfriends!”

“Mmmph.” Yuan Yuan looked utterly innocent. “I’m not being picky—it’s just that all these things you’re saying, you’ve said them before. I just remembered them.”

Sheng Li had indeed rejected quite a few people over the years, dismissing them casually without giving them much thought.

She refused to admit: “I’m not that picky!”

Yuan Yuan looked even more innocent, pulling out her phone and skillfully opening a document. She handed it over: “If you don’t believe me, see for yourself!”

Sheng Li skeptically took the phone and was momentarily blinded by the document title: Types of Men Lili Doesn’t Like and Who to Watch Out For.

Sheng Li: “????”

She quickly scanned the document, which contained detailed records of… well, information about men who had pursued her over the years. Some entries even included photos, along with reasons for rejection and complaints she had made.

Sheng Li was shocked. She looked up at Yuan Yuan: “You actually kept track of this stuff?”

She thought the “Two or Three Hundred Things to Know About Being Lili’s Assistant” was impressive enough, but apparently, there was even more. Was Yuan Yuan treating her like some kind of research subject?

Yuan Yuan seemed quite justified: “You have a lot of people pursuing you, and you tend to forget. I didn’t want to offend certain second-generation heirs or investors, so I started keeping track. Over time… it became a habit, and I just kept recording everything.”

Sheng Li: “...”

Her lips twitched: “Should I praise you for this?”

Yuan Yuan, sensing her mood, hesitated: “No need...”

Sheng Li snorted and continued scrolling. Suddenly, she caught sight of Yu Chi’s name. It stood out prominently, marked with an additional red note compared to others.

Note: Although very handsome, he caused Lili to have an allergic reaction, and Lili dislikes him. Also, his personality is too arrogant and disobedient—he’s unlikable.

Another red note followed: Sob sob, eating my words.

Sheng Li: “...”

She pressed her temples, feeling emotionally drained. After a while, she handed the phone back to Yuan Yuan and asked curiously: “You seem to like Yu Chi a lot. Are you a sister-fan or a mommy-fan?”

Yuan Yuan didn’t respond.

Sheng Li narrowed her eyes: “You’re not a girlfriend-fan or a wife-fan, are you? Oh, right, you were the first woman Yu Chi ever princess-carried. I was second.”

Yuan Yuan’s face turned pale, and she shook her head violently!

“Absolutely not! Definitely not!”

Sheng Li didn’t believe her: “Then what are you?”

Yuan Yuan hesitated, looking at Sheng Li’s expression, unsure if she should speak.

After a few seconds, she reluctantly said: “Can’t I just be a CP fan?”