Heart has Ling Xi

Chapter 15 Popo[1] and mama

What Xu Zhiqiang said was far too obvious. Even if he had the same thick skin as Ling Xi, he felt a little ashamed. Relationships in the entertainment sector were tumultuous, not just between men and women, but also between men and men. As long as two single male stars of the correct age were together, there would be some type of rumor the next day.

Although Ling Xi didn't believe he and An Ruifeng had any questionable friendship, keeping a safe distance in the intimidating entertainment circle was unavoidable.

... Perhaps An Ruifeng would face trouble by this visit.

Ling Xi was taken aback, and his head sagged as he wilted. He couldn't figure out where to put his hands and feet. When he looked into An Ruifeng's eyes, he temporarily lost his senses. He would have made a huge mistake if it hadn't been for the little bit of sense in his heart stopping him from jumping off the cliff in time.

An Ruifeng's stare slashed like a knife towards Xu Zhiqiang at the key moment: "Stop babbling, you're not my mother."

Xu Zhiqiang retorted: "Hehe, I don't want to be his mother-in-law either."

Ling Xi recalled the two blood capsules and reasoned that they should have been bitten right now to prove his innocence.

Xu Zhiqiang turned to face Ling Xi, looked him in the eyes, and inquired: "I genuinely admire you. How do you always arrive so coincidentally? This morning, the director informed me that he had summoned a few reporters with whom he is acquainted to pay a visit to the crew. I also summoned a large number of fans to give Ruifeng a boost. When you arrive, they will notice you."

"..." Ling Xi felt that his recent luck was truly overwhelming.

The three of them exited the set and proceeded to the gate. Ling Xi did not forget to retrieve the salmon suitcase he had designed from the assistant girl before departing. The girl was reluctant to part and touched the simulated fish slices on the suitcase while wiping her drool. She asked regretfully, "Where did you buy this suitcase? How much did it cost? Is packaging and shipping included?"

An Ruifeng opened his mouth before Ling Xi could speak: "Not for sale, priceless, Human Flesh Express[2]."

Ling Xi admitted that the phrase "priceless" made him happy. A man dies for a confidant, while a woman dies for someone who makes her happy[3]. What could make him happier as a classy sushi master than his friend confirming his craftsmanship? After obtaining the salmon sushi suitcase, An Ruifeng did not let go of it for a minute. He constantly commended Ling Xi's inventiveness and stated that when he joined the team of "Jian Jue Tianxia," he would bring the bag to show the other crew members.

Popo Xu's eyes dripped with resentment.

The press conference for "Heroic Thief Saga" was held in a big pavilion located a short distance from the studio. To keep the narrative of the film a secret, the director not only barred reporters from visiting the set, but also asked the actors to remove their makeup before coming to the interview. An Ruifeng was more than ten minutes late due to the conversation with Ling Xi. The press conference had already begun when they arrived. Other actors' fans waited patiently behind the reporters, snapping shots of their idols. Only An Ruifeng's fans remained outside the pavilion, anticipating his arrival.

Ling Xi came to a halt when he was still some way from the pavilion. He wasn’t a member of the cast, and it was terrible to have a reputation of rubbing fans. Moreover, Xu Zhiqiang was now on the defensive against him. He was obviously an innocent dog, but he was thought to be a chicken-stealing wolf.

"I'll go ahead and sit here and wait for you. Let's go out to dinner following the interview." Ling Xi said goodbye to his chicken, carried the luggage that was unfit to appear on camera, and casually chose a little hotel to wait in.

An Ruifeng hastened his stride and moved towards his supporters after straightening up his appearance.

An Ruifeng's fans would be able to shatter the pavilion with screams if it weren't for the fact that other actors were being interviewed in the pavilion. Since his debut, An Ruifeng had followed the path of an idol male star. The majority of his characters were either attractive, dashing, and spectacular chivalrous heroes or demonically charming dominating chairmen. In short, the characters were all "Su[4]," which drove his "Maple Leaves" fanaticism to new heights.

The fans who were invited to the set today were from S city's local support club. Because the group leader jiejie[5] was unable to attend, the deputy group leader stepped in to assist.

When he thought about the deputy leader, Xu Zhiqiang's mind buzzed.

Unlike the little fans behind her who looked like members of a cult, the deputy leader "FengLin Whisperer" appeared to be a young lady from an affluent family. She was fair and beautiful, with a slender figure and an air of grace about her. She wore a pair of delicate rimless glasses and was gentle and quiet. She was in college and had a pretty good family background. Despite her infatuation for An Ruifeng, she maintained complete objectivity. She had not slashed her wrists or sent blood-splattered letters to the agency. But as long as An Ruifeng was present, she would go all out and send flower baskets and set up tea break stations.

Logically, this type of rich and sensible Miss. Perfect fan would be in high demand in the eyes of the agent...

...unless Xu Zhiqiang found her little sockpuppet[6].

When the CP building of Ling Xi and An Ruifeng was still in its early stages, Xu Zhiqiang requested that the website administrator verify the IP of the building landlord to determine which fan was so irrational. As a consequence, he discovered that the original poster shared the same IP address as "FengLin Whisperer." Later, Xu Zhiqiang tracked the IP address provided by the admin and discovered her Lofter[7], only to find that it was riddled with innumerable meaty brain holes.

If he remembered correctly, yesterday’s post had already reached the scene of " Wife Loving Pervert An x Feng" forcibly pressing "Little Elf Ling x" in the elevator...

(Don’t ask why Xu Zhiqiang followed this serialization. He was just very curious about the lower limit of human beings.)

Sure enough, when all the fans flocked around An Ruifeng asking for autographs and taking photos, the deputy head gave a significant smile towards the direction Ling Xi was leaving.

"Xu-ge," because they had met so many times, she lovingly referred to Xu Zhiqiang as Xu-ge. "What is the name of the man who just stepped over there with the salmon suitcase? I think his back resembles Ling Xi’s."

"Your brain hole is too big." Xu Zhiqiang quickly denied.

The deputy head clearly didn't believe it, but she ignored the agent who attempted to cover it up. When it was her turn to take a photo with An Ruifeng, she asked An Ruifeng directly: "Prince, who was the man who was strolling there just now? He looks a bit like Ling Xi."

An Ruifeng smiled softly, and his eyes were filled with magnanimity: "That's correct! He's the one. He arrived to pay a visit to the crew. We have a great friendship. He brought me a present. We also promised to share a meal after the interview."

The deputy head abruptly covered her cheeks and took two steps back.

"What's the matter with you?"

"I’m fine. I have a toothache today because I had a little too much sugar."

Xu Zhiqiang: ......Deputy leader, if you can have divergent thinking with just these plain words, you truly have a rotten[8] eye for gay people.

    ※※※

Wu Youpeng discovered Ling Xi's disappearance at nine o'clock in the morning. He expertly carried fresh soy milk fritters in one hand and fried liver steamed dumplings in the other, and banged on Ling Xi's door more than a dozen times, but it remained closed. He went in thinking Ling Xi was still asleep, so he took out the spare key. He looked around and discovered that the individual had vanished.

The quilt on the bed had not been folded, nor had the dishes in the sink been washed. Ling Xi clearly left in a rush.

Wu Youpeng waited patiently for half an hour, but Ling Xi had not returned, so he took out his phone and dialed his number.

-At that time, Ling Xi had already turned off his phone and was napping on the flight.

Wu Youpeng remained calm. After all, Ling Xi was an adult, and it was normal for him to go for a walk without first charging his phone battery. He first went downstairs to look for him, then hurried to the local school's basketball court to look for him. When the hour hand approached twelve o'clock, he realized something was wrong.

He had worked as Ling Xi's agent for eleven years. He was aware that this guy had some wacky notions from time to time, but in general he was fairly honest. Even if he was being mischievous, he couldn't come up with any new tricks. Ling Xi would always report to Wu Youpeng first, no matter what he wanted to do or where he wanted to go. This was due not only to the contract's obligations, but also to their mutual trust.

But now, Ling Xi lost contact for more than three hours for no apparent reason, and Wu Youpeng was on the verge of exploding due to anxiety.

He immediately called Ling Xi’s parents to confirm if he was with them.

The call was answered by Papa Ling, but he was on speakerphone, so the three of them could hear each other's voices.

Wu Youpeng greeted them, inquired about their health, and then asked directly, "Has Ling Xi gone home?"

Papa Ling said, "No. You can't find him?"

"Yes. I gave him two days off from work, so I haven’t seen him in two days. I came to see him with breakfast this morning and found that he was gone." Wu Youpeng was forthright: "I’m afraid he’ll have an accident, so I called to see whether he’s with you."

Papa Ling chuckled and inquired, "What might happen? If he wants to spend money, he doesn't have any; if he wants to fool around, he can’t. You’re worried because he’s been missing for only three hours - the police station won't take the case if a person has been missing for less than 24 hours."

Wu Youpeng sighed, "But he’s also a celebrity. What if someone kidnaps him for ransom?"

Papa Ling: "Don't worry. As long as he doesn't go to a two-yuan store, no one will identify him as a star."

"..." Wow! He was indeed the biological father.

"Xiao Wu, did you contact his girlfriend and ask her if he's with her?" Mama Ling cut in just as Wu Youpeng was about to hang up.

Wu Youpeng was shocked: "He has a girlfriend?" He followed Ling Xi around the clock. He was concerned about Ling Xi having a boyfriend, but there had been no news of a girlfriend, right? He hadn't seen a female creature within five meters of him.

Mama Ling: "It’s that little queen Zhu Linlin ah! They've been together for quite some time. Don't the fans refer to them as the "boom couple"? My son is thin-skinned, and he never brings Zhu Linlin home with him."

"..." Yup! She was indeed the biological mother.

Wu Youpeng was seething with anger because of this couple, who were absolutely clueless. Ling Xi had inherited his unconventional temperament from them, and often made him angry. After hearing him say a few words, he had to take antihypertensive medication.

"I say, Xiao Wu, don't be too anxious," Ling Ma comforted him: "If I didn’t know better, I’d swear you were his mother."

In fact, Wu Youpeng sometimes felt that he was overly concerned about Ling Xi. His worry went much beyond the scope of the agency's contract. Probably because Ling Xi was just fifteen years old when he first met him. He accompanied Ling Xi from his adolescence to his youth, and Ling Xi accompanied him from his youth to his middle age. Their bond was similar to that of family and close friends.

He focused all of his efforts on Ling Xi, hoping for his success, wishing for calm sailing, expecting for him to mature and stable.

… When viewed in this light, he really resembled Ling Xi's mother.

Wu Youpeng kept calling Ling Xi after lunch. Ling Xi had just gotten off the plane and was taking a taxi to the film and television city at this point. He dozed and then chatted the whole time, forgetting to turn on the phone. He was dragged to film a scene when he arrived at the film and television city, and he naturally neglected to turn on the phone and contact Wu Youpeng.

Wu Youpeng kept calling Ling Xi's cell phone until he ran out of battery power, at which point he changed the battery and continued to struggle. He couldn't tell how many phone calls he made. At six o'clock in the evening, his call was finally answered.

Wu Youpeng nearly had a heart attack as a result of his fear. He recalled all of the heinous news about kidney-stealing legends, human traffickers, and so forth. He'd read it countless times over the years, and dreaded that the next time he met Ling Xi, he'd be a victim lacking kidneys and other parts. Fortunately, the phone rang and was connected this time.

On the other end of the phone, Ling Xi's excited voice rang: "What a coincidence, Wu-ge! You called almost as soon as I turned on the phone!"

"Yeah, what a coincidence." Wu Youpeng had no intention of telling him how many times he had tried to reach him that day or how terrified he was. "Where have you gone? Why aren’t you at home?"

Ling Xi had not expected Wu Youpeng to ask such a blunt question as soon as he called. He was at a loss for words for a brief period. "Er, I just... uh, I just came out to have a good time."

"With friends or by yourself?"

"I came out to play alone… but I came out to find friends."

As soon as he finished delivering those words, Ling Xi wanted to slap himself. What was he thinking when he added that last line?! It would have sufficed to just state that he was out to have fun. Based on Wu Youpeng's "inquisitive mother" persona, he'd undoubtedly ask him to name his friend now that he'd added such a tail.

Wu Youpeng, indeed, opened his mouth and inquired, "Which friend?"

However, before Ling Xi could come up with an appropriate answer to smoothly circumvent the question, An Ruifeng's voice boomed out clearly from behind him-

-"Ling Xi? So you’re hiding out here. My interview is concluded. Let's go out to dinner." An Ruifeng leaned in from the door with half of his body. He was the lead actor, so the press naturally had the most questions for him. He tried to speed up his interview by shortening a long story, and managed to finish the interview before it got dark.

Ling Xi blinked, crying without tears, while holding the phone with a goofy expression. Wu Youpeng's ears were pricked, and An Ruifeng's voice was piercing. His unexpected comment directly revealed Ling Xi's plan to flee quietly.

For a little while, Ling Xi and Wu Youpeng remained silent. On both ends of the phone, only their heavy breathing could be heard.

Finally, Wu Youpeng, who possessed a powerful psyche, spoke first: "...Are you in the film and television city of S city? Did you pay a visit to An Ruifeng?"

"...Yes." Ling Xi stood up immediately, his head low, embarrassed. He appeared to be a student who had been busted by the dean for puppy love.

"Ling Xi, I don't want to keep reminding you," Wu Youpeng took a long breath: "But, as your agent, you must tell me first..."

"I know I know!" Ling Xi succumbed to despair and interrupted him: "If I like men, I must first inform you."

Wu Youpeng exhaled deeply and finished the rest of his sentence: "What I want to say is, as your agent, you must tell me your whereabouts as soon as possible."

Ling Xi was ashamed and furious, and wanted to die.

An Ruifeng was quite apt at grasping the main point: "You like men?"

Footnotes:

[1] Mother-in-law.

[2] It’s a term to indicate that the seller delivered the goods instead of a third party courier service. It’s a way of increasing visibility or self-promotion.

[3] Interpretation: Men die for those who understand and appreciate them, and ladies are tolerant and dress-up for those who love them. Words of an assassin from Sima Qian’s "Historical Records: The Assassin's Biography".

[4] Refers to “Mary Sue”. In this case, Gary Stu.

[5] You must be familiar with this term. Literally means “elder sister”. Equivalent to addressing someone as 'Miss'.

[6] It refers to different IDs of the same IP address. Side account.

[7] China’s Tumblr.

[8] Fujoshis are called “rotten women” in China.