Ch84 - Decline

Everyone was trying to act as though nothing was wrong in front of Gu Qingchi. Occasionally, the topic would come up and they would say that it’s okay, it’ll be resolved soon, it’ll be fine once all of this passes.

In reality, however, the situation wasn’t looking too good. 

It was true that the public wouldn’t be able to cling onto this topic forever, and it was true that, once all of this had passed, things would get better. However, his popularity was sure to take a hit.

For an artist who’d shot to stardom, the attention came quickly and it left quickly as well.

The public was generous, but they were also picky. They would fall in love with an artist for the most simple of reasons, and they would fall out of love for the most thoughtless of reasons.

If the public began to dislike someone, the process would be impossible to stop. Not even time would be able to wipe those feelings away. Now, whenever he appeared before them, the public would think of the negative feelings that they had for him. 

Gu Qingchi’s career had already started to show an irreversible decline.

Even if they threw all their resources at Gu Qingchi, all it would be able to do is slow the decline for a bit.

Everyone was waiting, waiting for this twinkling little star to fall from the sky.

⁂

Xiao Ke had been very idle as of late. For the past couple of days, Gu Qingchi hadn’t really had any activities. His only activities were promotions for the movie. However, they weren’t the ones in charge of the movie promotions. Gu Qingchi simply needed to cooperate with the  arrangements. As a result, Xiao Ke’s work had decreased by a lot as well.

Popular artists would always have an endless stream of jobs and a tight schedule. This was a matter of course. Nothing lasted forever, especially in an industry as fickle as the entertainment industry. Regardless of whether it was the companies or the artists themselves, they all cherished their days in the limelight very, very much. They needed to extract as much value as they could while they still had the public’s attention.

However, Gu Qingchi hadn’t received any activities for several months now. Xiao Ke was very clear about what this meant.

Resources were everything. It was glory. It was money. It was status. 

Xiao Ke was incredibly upset. She knew that it would be difficult for Gu Qingchi to make a comeback.

She may be young, but she’d been in this industry for quite a while. She had seen far too many dazzling stars burst onto the scene only to come crashing back down to earth because of an unintentional mistake.

This was something Xiao Ke had become accustomed to. She had long since learned to be indifferent to it.

Still, Xiao Ke felt really sad this time around. 

Not even the sorrow of an aged beauty or a decrepit hero was enough to express what she was feeling right now. She had watched this star be lifted into the sky with her own two eyes. She had watched him be loved.

However, the price of that love was now being returned back to him twofold.

The entertainment industry may look glamorous on the surface, but what accompanied that glamor was its unabashed cruelty.

Xiao Ke had yet to find a place more pandering and ingratiating than the entertainment industry. 

She could almost imagine what Gu Qingchi would encounter next. Just like every other has-been celebrity, he would continue to decline day by day, he would run into walls everywhere, he would put himself down for the sake of just a few more resources.

As soon as he appeared on the scene, he’d stepped into that glittery, star-studded palace. He hadn’t really experienced a cold reception before. She didn’t know if Gu Qingchi would be able to face it. After all, he seemed like someone who was supposed to be pampered and cherished. Looking at his face was like looking at a jewel wrapped in velvet.

Xiao Ke was truly worried about Gu Qingchi. However, there was nothing she could do for him.

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

She buried her worries in her heart and pulled herself together. Then, she grabbed a stack of papers, tidied it up, and placed it on the table next to Gu Qingchi. 

Cmabgr tjv jc byilujalbc ab qgbwbaf atflg oliwr. Ktfs cffvfv ab agjnfi klat atf mjra, jaafcv qgfrr mbcofgfcmfr, jcv qjgalmlqjaf lc njglber qgbugjwr lc bgvfg ab qgbwbaf atf wbnlf.

Vijafg tjv j ragjcuf afwqfg, jcv tf kjr jr raeyybgc jr j vbcxfs. Lbkfnfg, atfgf kfgf alwfr ktfc fnfc tf kbeiv slfiv ab atf qbkfg bo mjqlaji. Ycf fzjwqif bo atlr kbeiv yf tbk tf tjv vfilyfgjafis mjra jc Crljc jmabg lc tlr wbnlf lc bgvfg ab jqqfji ab atf Crljc wjgxfa. Ccbatfg fzjwqif kbeiv yf tbk tf kjr cbk tbivlcu qgfrr mbcofgfcmfr jii bnfg atf kbgiv klat j teuf ugbeq bo jmabgr.

In fact, he was actually pretty good at this kind of stuff.

The next item on their itinerary was a well-known variety show in China. 

“Gu ge, this is the script for the show. I brought all of your parts to the front. The script for the rest of the show is towards the back. You might need to participate in a couple variety games.”

Gu Qingchi was currently backstage. Originally, he’d been lying on a recliner in the corner, rocking back and forth. Now, Xiao Ke had brought him the script, so he hummed in response, placed the document on his lap, and started to read.

Xiao Ke sat next to Gu Qingchi, resting her chin in her hand.

Corenzo quietly tiptoed toward Gu Qingchi. He held a finger to his lips and winked at Xiao Ke. 

Then, he slowly raised his hands and covered Gu Qingchi’s eyes. His movements were so slow that Gu Qingchi could’ve turned around at any point in time. They could almost be described as gentle.

Corenzo wasn’t like this with his other friends. Guys were often a bit rougher with each other, but he subconsciously felt that he shouldn’t act like that with Gu Qingchi. After all, beautiful things tended to be fragile.

However, Gu Qingchi didn’t turn his head even once.

Gu Qingchi simply sat there with his head slightly tilted and his elbows resting on the armrests. His hair was a little long. It clung softly to his neck. As Corenzo leaned closer, Gu Qingchi blinked, his eyelashes trembling. Then, he gently closed his eyes. 

Corenzo’s hands were warm.

Gu Qingchi waited for a while. Corenzo had yet to let go when he finally spoke.

“I can’t see.”

Corenzo let go. He hung his hands on the chair, nearly hanging off of Gu Qingchi. He jokingly complained. 

“Darling, you’re so cold to me. I’m your dance partner, you know.”

According to the script, they were going to do a dance. The only dancers were the male lead, the female lead, Gu Qingchi, and Corenzo. They obviously couldn’t separate the male and female leads, so Gu Qingchi had no choice but to pair up with Corenzo.

Despite his whining, Corenzo happily danced the woman’s part every single time. Director Slater’s words probably fit him best. He was free and unrestrained. He poured out all of his enthusiasm every time he danced.

Corenzo was also chewing a piece of gum. As he was speaking, he winked at Gu Qingchi. 

“Want to get out of here once the show’s over? I found some pretty good spots.”

Corenzo was clearly a foreigner here, yet he acted even more at home than the locals. During the short period of time that he’d been here, he had already figured out where all the best spots were.

Gu Qingchi turned the page. He shook his head and refused.

“I still have work to do. Ye Li wants me to drop by the company building today.” 

Before Corenzo had the chance to encourage Gu Qingchi to ditch work, a staff member came by to inform them that the program was about to start recording.

Director Slater was very energetic and proactive during the recording. Just like previous promotional activities, Gu Qingchi and the other actors simply stood to the side, and the recording then came to an end.

⁂

Gu Qingchi’s company wasn’t that far. It was just a few minutes away. 

Xiao Ke and Gu Qingchi decided to walk there.

Gu Qingchi’s pace was brisk and lively. He was pretty sure that the cake shop by the company building should still be open right now. He’d been craving one of the cakes that was sold there for a long time now.

He was in a very strange state lately. He no longer found himself lacking in interest for anything and everything like he did before. Rather, he viewed everything around him through the eyes of a newborn animal, his spirits soaring high.

Everything in his life seemed to have become so much more interesting. Even something as trivial as deciding what to eat for lunch had become enjoyable. 

It was as if he’d suddenly let go of a heavy burden. He didn’t have anything to worry about anymore.

It had been a really long time since he’d had this feeling, this feeling of being alive. His black and white world had been dyed with color once more.

Almost everyone around Gu Qingchi had noticed the change. The biggest change was the fact that Gu Qingchi laughed a lot more than he used to.

Before, he’d always been quiet, sitting there on his own with a melancholy look in his eyes. It seemed as though he’d always been like that. However, everyone was now starting to discover that a smile really suited him as well. 

When Gu Qingchi walked into Ye Li’s office, he was carrying a package of tiny little cakes. The cake shop used paper bags, which were easy to grab on the go. Gu Qingchi had already eaten dinner. Dinner had been one of his favorites foods, so he’d eaten quite a bit. His stomach was actually rather bloated. Nevertheless, he still couldn’t resist eating the small cakes, one after another, on his way back to the company.

Xiao Ke kept on nagging him the entire way there.

Gu Qingchi had been getting heavier lately.

Gu Qingchi obediently agreed to whatever Xiao Ke said. 

By the time they got to the office, only half of the cakes were left.

Gu Qingchi silently folded over the opening of the bag. Then, he held it in his hand so that no one would be able to see how much cake was left inside.

Once Gu Qingchi and Xiao Ke were both sitting down, Ye Li pushed up his glasses.

“The divorce issue has had a really big impact on your development.” 

Xiao Ke: !

Gu Qingchi’s situation wasn’t very good. It was most obvious on the internet. They’d already shut down the comments on social media, but there were still quite a few malicious comments out there. Xiao Ke and the rest of the team had been trying to keep it a secret from Gu Qingchi.

Xiao Ke subconsciously peeked at Gu Qingchi.

However, Gu Qingchi was unexpectedly calm. He hummed in response. 

“I know.”

Ye Li flatly continued.

“The company doesn’t want to invest any more resources in you. Your career is starting to stagnate. Even if we continue to develop, it isn’t likely to improve.”

Ye Li had been negotiating with the company these past couple of days to see if there was still a chance to turn things around. Unfortunately, that didn’t seem to be the case. 

This also meant that the bet Ye Li had made with Starlight had failed.

Gu Qingchi’s career had been smooth sailing ever since he debuted. Regardless of whether it was material resources or anything else, he’d received much better treatment than any other artist. These were gambles that Ye Li had made with the company. Now that it had failed, it was only natural for the company to take these things back.

Ye Li felt a little defeated.

Not even Gu Qingchi, not even someone as beautiful as he was, could do the impossible. 

Xiao Ke helplessly glanced between the two of them.

Gu Qingchi mulled things over for a bit. Then, he stood up and patted Ye Li’s shoulder.

“It’s okay. You’re still young. I’m sure you’ll be able to find the right artist and become the best agent there is.”

Ye Li sighed. His shoulders dropped. His speech was almost an octave lower than usual. 

“Sigh. Do you even understand what kind of situation you’re in? You’re the one who’s in trouble. I’m just the agent. It’s not me who’s going to be scolded by the internet.”

Gu Qingchi hugged his bag full of cake, seeming very well-behaved.

“I’m fine. I still have a lot of money in my account, and the company’s still going to pay me a salary each month.”

Gu Qingchi had signed a three-year contract back then. Even if he didn’t pick any new jobs, the company was still going to give him a base salary. 

He didn’t really have anything that he needed to spend money on. The biggest expense he had was his cat. Xie Luyu’s gift did cost him quite a bit, but he’d already received several paychecks to his account by now. He’d saved a considerable amount of money. It was enough for him to support himself for a long time.

He added another sentence.

“I can even lend you money now.”

Plus, he still had the contact information for the restaurant manager that he used to work for. If worse came to worst, he could just go back to being a waiter. In his eyes, being an artist was no different from being a waiter at a restaurant. It was all work. 

Not being able to be an artist anymore wasn’t that big of a deal.

However, Ye Li was rather pitiful. He only had his job as an agent. He was unlucky enough to meet an artist like him who didn’t know anything. He had just managed to teach him a little something when it all went awry.