Hold On, You’re Something Else

They were in the third row as the front row seats were not allowed to the students.
When Rong Jing turned to look at the front row, he saw several people with cameras, and thought to himself that they were camera men filming Gu Xi.

“It’s a given if Gu Xi’s here.
Only a popular variety show can hire him,” Jing Leping said, expressing his understanding why the venue was crowded.
If they could appear in this kind of popular variety show, then it was no doubt that this was more important than going to class.

Soon, the rest of the group saw Rong Jing, who had deliberately hidden his presence behind Ji Leping.
A few girls commented awkwardly.

“So you’re here too.” 

“I heard that you and Qi Ying broke up.
Is that true?”

“Qi Ying seems to have helped you snatch an appointment.
But even after sending your resume a hundred times, no crew bothered with it?”

“What? No way, that’s too miserable,” one girl said.
Realizing that she had said too much, she covered her mouth. 

It was true.
Rong Jing didn’t refute any of their questions and remarks.

The original owner was very persistent and did send his resume a hundred times.
He was trying to overcome his fear of facing the camera with little success over the years.
He wanted to adapt slowly by joining a group performance or by being an extra but no crew ever wanted him.
Though he was good-looking, he had earned a negative reputation and feared the camera.
No one was willing to waste their time to hire him.

Some students looked at him with sympathy, some with disgust.
Some just ignored him.
Rong Jing was too out of place here.

The guy who helped Ji Leping save their seats also whispered, “Why did you bring him with you?”

Ji Leping used to just sit on the sidelines.
However, after having caught the pervert on the subway together with Rong Jing, and also finding out that he was actually kind of a good person, he felt kind of upset.
“Why shouldn’t I? So many years had passed since that incident happened.
Do you still have to be like this to him?”

Ji Leping intentionally raised his voice a little so the people around him could hear him, temporarily stopping the whispers from the people.

Though Rong Jing often ignored the people’s whispers, it didn’t mean that he was unaware of the original owner’s predicament.
They didn’t like him.
Since that was the case, there was no need to force himself to stay.

His phone vibrated in his pocket, only to see that it was Qi Ying, who had never once initiated to call the original owner when they were still dating.

Wanting to leave, he told Ji Leping, “There are still many people looking for seats.
I should probably give my seat to someone who wants it more.”

“Hush! Gu Xi’s here! You’re here now anyway so just stay.
Just thank me that I brought you here.” And with that, Rong Jing was pressed down to his seat.

After the emcee’s introduction, Gu Xi walked to the podium.
Rong Jing couldn’t help but look over, his eyes stopping to move for a moment.

This was the kind of person Gu Xi was.
A person who made people sigh with wonder whenever he appeared, crossing the boundaries of gender.
Even Rong Jing with the most critical observation power couldn’t find a flaw in him.

Rong Jing only froze for a few seconds before he came back to his senses.

Silence filled the venue because of Gu Xi’s arrival, followed by a loud applause.
It wouldn’t be appropriate to leave now.

Rong Jing stayed for a while but felt frustrated inside.
Now that he had seen Gu Xi in person, he still didn’t feel any familiarity at all. 

Huh? Why does it feel like he’s looking at me?

The two men’s pair of eyes met for a moment, then quickly turned away as if they were electrocuted, a slight electric current extending deep into their bones.

When Rong Jing looked again, Gu Xi was already looking ahead, waving his hand at the direction of the moving light, causing a clamor.

Oh, he’s not.

Rong Jing listened to his words.
Gu Xi shared many interesting things about filming and his understanding regarding graduating and postgrad students.

Oh, did he just look at me again?

Though it was brief, their eyes met yet again.

Rong Jing looked around and saw many good-looking people, all six genders present.
The largest number among them were the Alphas and Omegas.

He realized then that for all the students present here, this was actually a good opportunity to show their faces.
He remembered Ji Leping saying that Gu Xi had the casting rights over his upcoming film.

Probably just an illusion that he’s looking at me.
Overthinking is a disease and has to be cured.

There was nothing special about him.
There were so many people in the auditorium.
He wouldn’t be able to attract Gu Xi’s attention.

As he thought this way, Rong Jing finally calmed down.

Gu Xi’s speech was coming to an end.
The next part was the question and answer portion. 

Rong Jing looked again at the phone that he had forgotten for a moment, only to see that he had already missed two of Qi Ying’s calls.  

Wow, Rong Jing, you’re unreachable now, huh?

To think that the original owner’s dream Omega was rejected just like that.

Should I call back? Nah, forget it.
It’s better not get involved with him after breaking up.

The first question mentioned Gu Xi’s recently released movie, .
Besides Gu Xi’s name, Rong Jing also had an impression of the film and could not help but listen. 

A girl said, “Honestly, I didn’t expect much when I came to watch the movie in the cinema.
I just wanted to support Gu Xi.”

The girl carefully glanced at Gu Xi, afraid that she had made him angry, only to find Gu Xi smiling at her.
She couldn’t help but blush a little.

Everyone knew that Gu Xi started out as an idol, only knowing how to dance and sing.
They didn’t expect much from his acting skills.
However, it surprised them the most when they found out that he was actually very good at acting.
The crowd agreed with what the girl said even when they knew that the girl was a fan.

“But you surprised me so much.
I came out of the cinema crying.
I couldn’t get over the movie for several days.
I also watched the movie’s behind-the-scenes clips and found that many of your injuries were real.
It was filmed in Harbin at negative 30° celsius.
At that time, it was so cold that your feet turned purple.
Later, it was revealed that you suffered severe frostbite and was hospitalized for a period of time.
I just want to ask, what urged you to continue? Weren’t you afraid that you’ll never be able to continue?”

Not many people knew the BTS clips of the movie but everyone knew how much Gu Xi worked hard for the movie.

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“R eke qllz yqayke.
Jynj kd vbl bsprkvyz’p oyae, R oyp zssjkdt yv xu zltp yde osdelale kq Pkalnvsa Nkw oyp vaknjkdt xl qkapv kdvs qyvvldkdt xl wr clqsal jkzzkdt xl,” Qw Dk alrzkle bwxsaswpzu.

Rv oyp schkswp vbyv bl jdlo bso vs nsdvasz vbl yvxsprblal.
Gqvla lhlausdl zywtble, bkp zssj pweeldzu clnyxl plakswp.

“Jwv ynvwyzzu, usw oswzed’v cl yczl vs vbkdj ps xwnb obkzl qkzxkdt.
Mbyv oyp vbl nypl qsa xl.
Mblal oyp y pnldl oblal R bye vs eayt xu pkpvla kd vbl pdso.
Rd vbyv pnldl, vbl rasrp xypvla psxlbso xyel yd laasa ps vbl cypjlv yde vbl obllz pzke swv plhlayz vkxlp.
Jwv xu ryavdla, vbl zkvvzl ynvalpp, eked’v lhld xwvvla y nsxrzykdv lhld okvb bla zkrp vwadkdt czwl.
Fs obyv aktbv es R byhl vs nsxrzykd yp yd yewzv? Gzz R nswze vbkdj sq yv vbyv vkxl, oyp qkdkpbkdt vbl pnldl yp pssd yp rsppkczl.”

Ohlausdl nswze qllz Qw Dk’p pkdnlakvu.
Ssdt Kkdt qlzv vbl kdnalypkdt lmnkvlxldv sq vbl Gzrbyp yaswde.
Qw Dk oyp wpwyzzu plld yp y nsze rlapsd ps bkp nwaaldv plakswp yde hyzkydv yrrlyaydnl yaswple vbl Gzrby’p xspv rakxkvkhl elpkal vs nsdiwla.

Ssdt Kkdt, obs bye yzalyeu blyae obyv bl oydvle vs blya, ldvlale bkp kdekqqlaldv xsel ytykd.

Kk Nlrkdt, obs oyp pkvvkdt clpkel bkx, qkdyzzu qlzv alzklhle dso vbyv bl oyp yppwale vbyv vbl twu oswzed’v zlyhl.
Tl kxxlekyvlzu aykple bkp byde, nyvnbkdt Qw Dk’p yvvldvksd.
Qw Dk dseele.

Fkdnl vbl ralhkswp iwlpvksd oyp y ckv plakswp, Kk Nlrkdt oydvle vs ypj y iwlpvksd vbyv lhlausdl kdpkel vbl ywekvsakwx oydvle vs jdso.
“Rq ol oydv vs cl yczl vs osaj okvb usw, okzz usw alflnv wp, pvweldvp?”

“Xq nswapl dsv.
Mblal okzz cl yd srld ywekvksd qsa xu wrnsxkdt qkzx yde lhlausdl kp olznsxl vs ryavknkryvl,” Qw Dk czkdjle yp bl prsjl, bkp lulp pbsokdt y ayekydv tzso.
Tkp hlau clkdt oyp zkjl y oyzjkdt rblasxsdl lhld vbswtb bl oypd’v ynvwyzzu lxkvvkdt ydu rblasxsdl yv vbl xsxldv.

Even Rong Jing couldn’t help but gawk at his beauty.

As soon as they heard Gu Xi’s answer, everyone became excited. Everyone has a chance! He was obviously an experienced actor who could control the flow of the program.

“Next,” Gu Xi smiled and pointed to another person.

It was a tall and burly Alpha and his question wasn’t very good.
“Gu Xi, can you fart?”

His question caused a commotion, but even though it wasn’t a good one, everyone wondered if someone as dignified and elegant as Gu Xi would have this kind of physiological need.

Gu Xi smiled, and with a stifled expression, he answered.
“Well, if there’s someone around me, I’ll try to hold it in.”

The students couldn’t help but think: so to be polite, you have to hold it in when there’s people around, and release after they leave?

They realised that Gu Xi was very honest, different from those coquettish, cheap people outside.
He could respond well to malicious questions and had his own way of resolving it.

Gu Xi looked at Xun Jiarui and received a smug smile from him.
His fingers clenched slightly.

“Alright, last one,” He looked around the people raising their hands and then pointed in one direction with a smile.
“Yes, the male student in a black tee near the front row.”

Rong Jing was currently in his indifferent mode, staring into space.
Ji Leping nudged him and soon found himself the focus of everyone’s attention.
Rong Jing looked around.

Huh? Huh? Huh? Me? I didn’t raise my hand.

Did Gu Xi see it wrong or did my body betray my will?

He wasn’t sure whether it was just his illusion or not, but Gu Xi’s eyes somehow seemed to be concentrating very seriously at him.

Rong Jing looked at Gu Xi, who looked a bit pale against the light, and asked, “Are you hungry?”

Actually, since he just woke up from his stupor, he was still a bit out of it.

Gu Xi was a little stunned, “?”

Rong Jing said, “I mean, do you wanna have breakfast first?”

Since he had nothing important to ask, and the time allotted for the speech was almost over, there was no need to let him stay when he wasn’t feeling okay.

When Gu Xi walked into the stage, Rong Jing found that he unnaturally bent his body several times and then stood upright again.
He touched his stomach several times in the middle of his speech.
Because this action was hidden behind the podium, no one really noticed.

It was either he had a stomach ache or he hadn’t eaten breakfast yet.
It was common for actors and actresses to work with almost no rest.
Rong Jing just let him pretend he was okay.

Gu Xi who had been nothing but elegant and calm all this time suddenly paused for a moment.
This rarely happened since he could usually control his expressions. 

But of course, he quickly recovered.

His voice…

This voice sounded more like the real one.
It’s definitely not because I think Xun Jiarui is a bit creepy.

Gu Xi didn’t answer.
Silence filled the venue for a long time.

Once the coordinator saw that Gu Xi was really a bit pale, looking like he was about to faint from hunger, he signaled Xun Jiarui to take over.
Xun Jiarui had already come up the stage.
He took the microphone and answered Rong Jing instead, “Does this student want to invite Gu Xi to eat? Gu Xi has yet to answer me yet so you better get in line first.”

His words uplifted the atmosphere once again.
Gu Xi returned backstage.

Gu Xi was indeed a bit tired.
The coordinator sent someone to ask him if he wanted to eat and if he needed to ask someone to buy him some food.

The host of the program apologized repeatedly.
They had thought that Gu Xi had already eaten, unaware that he had been hungry all this time.

Gu Xi smiled and said that it was his fault since he didn’t eat breakfast in the first place.
He said that he would just eat in the university’s cafeteria.
It had been a while since he last ate there and he had missed it.

He always had a strange habit of doing his work without bothering to eat.
It was only after he finished would he allow himself to eat.
He’d rather be hungry than leaving his work unfinished.

Soon, his food arrived.
He was a little hungry but he slowly nibbled on the omelet as he looked at the picture of the bracelet that he had taken on his phone.

You really don’t wanna be found by me, huh? But the more that you hide, the more that I want to find out what kind of person you are.

Now back at Rong Jing, who was suddenly called out a while ago and had asked a very weird question.

It was nothing but an unimportant scene at first but then Xun Jiarui said, “On the next Q&A, I hope that you only ask questions related to your career.”

When Xun Jiarui heard Rong Jing’s voice, he felt a bit uncomfortable.
He also noticed that many people noticed this.
He braved such a high probability of failure to complete his operation, only to find almost the same kind of voice in a student. 

And as he listened to this person’s voice, he realized that his voice was more mellow, more deep and more natural.
The korean clinic claimed to be able to do the most natural, beautiful voice.
However, compared to a real deep voice, his fake version was no match.

His remark ignited the anger of the students who weren’t able to ask a question.
Whispers filled Rong Jing’s ears.

“He sounds like Senior Xun.
Is he trying to imitate him?”

“If he didn’t want to ask, why did he raise his hand?”

“Is he just trying to clamor for attention?”

“Probably wanted to show himself to Gu Xi.
He just didn’t expect that Gu Xi would ignore him.”

“Duh, why would Gu Xi even look at him?” This one was one of Qi Ying’s admirers.

After eating the omelet, Gu Xi touched his stomach.
It was no longer hurting.
Since that was the case, he went back to the bottom of the stage.

He waved at the students and then looked at Rong Jing’s direction.
He noticed that he didn’t care about the people around him, let alone his own existence.
He also noticed that the people around Rong Jing glared at him from time to time.
He called in a staff member and whispered a few words to him.

This staff member later went to the third row and said near Rong Jing, “Gu Xi said that he was too busy to notice that he was hungry.
He wanted to thank you for reminding him.”

Only when the person came to his side did Rong Jing slowly look up.
He also looked at Gu Xi in the distance nodding at him. 

Ji Leping was curious.
“How did you know?”

Rong Jing: “Just a guess.”

The crowd who listened attentively: “…”

They also wanted to guess correctly and attract Gu Xi’s attention! Aaah, you shameless scheming boy!

Ji Leping looked at the colorful faces of the Alphas who had criticized Rong Jing earlier.
“Look at their faces! Hahahaha! Now that’s a slap in their face!”

Gu Xi looked at Xun Jiarui, and then at Rong Jing’s direction.

It’s a shame that they’re both wearing black t-shirts today.
They almost even have the same style.
Oh damn it, do they want me to go insane?

***

The author has something to say:

Brother Jing: You can’t just look at the face when choosing a wife, you know? Oooh, what’s that good smell?