By now, it wasn’t just Ji Hang and Ji Yun; the audience watching the live stream was speechless:
【Is this PUA tactics???】
【Is Best Actor Zhou still living in feudal times? He can’t even show his face in public?】
【This is too ridiculous. “Specifically finding him small scripts” it really must have been “specific,” since no decent script would ever reach his hands.】
Zhou Zichen’s fans wanted to say something in his defense, but there was truly nothing they could say. They couldn’t force a narrative of “true love” they weren’t idiots.
Ji Hang and Ji Yun’s expressions were both unpleasant. However, they had all signed contracts before entering the show, which forbade them from disparaging other guests during the filming, so they could only change the subject.
“I see. Well, anyway, since Ah-Ze has already broken up, why not take off the hat and let us have a look?” Ji Hang remained cheerful, provided one ignored the cold glint in his eyes.
Although this hadn’t happened to him, Ji Hang despised these kinds of slimy, dirty tactics more than anything.
“……Right, okay.”
Wen Ze remained silent for a moment before finally raising a hand to take off his hat.
“……”
Silence descended upon the room. Even the live chat was empty for a full dozen seconds.
Wen Ze had been taking good care of himself lately; his skin was flawless, white to the point where it looked almost translucent. Half of his face was bathed in the sunlight facing the camera; the golden rays caught his delicate features, his perfectly lined red lips, and his long, curled eyelashes.
After a long time, someone in the chat finally voiced everyone’s shared sentiment:
【Mom, he looks like an angel.】
What followed was a volcanic eruption of comments, with everyone exclaiming:
【I suddenly understand Best Actor Zhou now.】
【If I had a wife this beautiful, I’d want to hide her away in a golden house too.】
【This is genuinely at the level where any random screenshot can be used as a wallpaper.】
【Is Best Actor Zhou crazy? He didn’t want a wife this beautiful?】
【What “Best Actor Zhou”? That’s the “Ex-Husband Brother”!】
【Hahahaha, damn “Ex-Husband Brother.”】
【Say it with me: Thank you, Ex-Husband Brother, for returning such a beautiful wife to the world.】
【Wife, look at me!!!】
【Get lost, that’s my wife!】
Eventually, the screen was almost entirely dominated by the word “Wife.” The colorful barrage of comments overlapped so heavily that nothing could be seen clearly.
This was the kind of treatment reserved for top-tier idols, yet Wen Ze had proven today with pure strength that someone with “god-tier” beauty could command the same.
The director looked at the skyrocketing share counts and popularity metrics in the backend and couldn’t stop grinning from ear to ear. This was the kind of engagement they usually only saw during high-profile celebrity “couple reveals”!
Hahahahaha, why on earth did I have a flash of inspiration and invite Wen Ze? I want to go back in time and bow down to my own genius self!
Even Ji Hang and Ji Yun, who had seen all sorts of “god-tier” beauties in the entertainment industry, were speechless for a long time. It took them a while to react.
Ji Yun said seriously, “Does Zhou Zichen actually have a problem with his eyes?”
Ji Hang: “…”
He didn’t dare speak, but he was holding back laughter.
Wen Ze gripped his hat awkwardly, his fair fingers curling up he looked extremely nervous. “I… am I not very good-looking? Maybe I should put it back on.”
“Pfft—”
Ji Hang had just picked up a drink to moisten his throat, but upon hearing this, he sprayed it out. Fortunately, he adjusted his aim in time so it didn’t land on anyone.
He widened those already round, black eyes, his face full of disbelief. “Ah-Ze, do you have some sort of misunderstanding about your own level of attractiveness?”
Wen Ze touched his own face, still looking insecure. “But… but Zichen, he…”
Ji Hang had no interest in knowing what Zhou Zichen had said, so he delivered the final verdict: “He’s blind.”
The audience agreed frantically, and even the “aloof high-mountain flower” Ji Yun nodded slightly in agreement. Occasionally, a few bitter comments from the Best Actor’s fans floated by: 【What’s there to brag about? Maybe it’s just makeup?】 but those were completely drowned out.
The power of a “beauty lover” is always infinite.
In just this short while, the popularity of Wen Ze’s live room had soared to second only to Xie Tingyan.
Ji Hang’s “he’s blind” comment had been loud and unreserved, naturally drawing everyone’s attention.
The moment he saw Wen Ze’s face, Shen Ruan’s eyes bulged.
Is this Wen Ze? Since when did he look this good?!
No… this is impossible. It must be the effect of makeup.
He couldn’t wait to shrilly cry out, “Wen Ze, you don’t have to be so vain to this extent, painting yourself up like this.”
The chat immediately filled with:
【See, told you it was just makeup.】
【He’s clearly ugly, but insists on pretending to be a top-tier beauty, yue.】
【Wen Ze is so disgusting, doing anything for clout.】
【Wen Ze, get out of the entertainment industry!】
Wen Ze’s newly acquired “beauty-loving” fans retorted without mercy:
【If you could paint yourself like that, you’d be doing it too. If you don’t have the foundation, no amount of makeup can achieve this effect.】
【Best Actor fans, tone down the bitterness. He’s already your “Ex-Husband Brother,” and you’re still here slandering him? Is it that hard to see someone else doing well?】
The “beauty-lovers” made it clear: beauty is everything. Someone who looks that good couldn’t possibly be a bad person that was their worldview.
This simple, crude theory infuriated the Best Actor’s fans, making them stomp their feet in frustration, yet they had no way to counter it. Since the person just happened to look that good, what were they going to do? Rip the face off through the screen?
Wen Ze looked at Shen Ruan, his eye sockets turning slightly red. “I’m not wearing makeup…”
Shen Ruan didn’t hold back. “What nonsense are you spouting? Don’t I know what you looked like before?”
Yet, at the very moment he was speaking, he didn’t realize that his own follower count was plummeting. He had a docile face, and while he always wore a flashy, “cheap” makeup style when in front of Wen Ze, he had crafted a “neighborly younger brother” image for the screen. He had also arrived in a white shirt and jeans, meant to look youthful and cute.
But as the saying goes, wearing the same outfit isn’t scary whoever is uglier is the one who suffers the embarrassment.
Wen Ze hadn’t dressed up much; he had arrived in the same white shirt and jeans. The contrast in quality was immediately apparent.
As the contrast became clear, fans started frowning. Now that he had blurted out such character-breaking words, the fans who weren’t idiots immediately took action to stop the losses and “un-fanned” him. Many even turned into “anti-fans” immediately.
Shen Ruan, ignorant of all this, was burning with jealousy. Without waiting for anyone to react, he snatched a glass of water and splashed it onto Wen Ze’s face, triumphantly shouting, “I’ll let everyone see the true face of a vixen like you today—”
The moment before the water hit, Wen Ze instinctively closed his eyes.
Crystal clear droplets trickled down his hair and eyelashes, eventually sliding into his high collar. The white shirt soaked up the water, and combined with his already stunning aura, it left everyone involuntarily swallowing, dying to pull back the collar and peek further down.
One viewer voiced everyone’s inner thoughts: 【Uh, although this Shen Ruan is a vicious idiot, I’m still thankful for the welfare he brought everyone.】
More importantly, Wen Ze’s face hadn’t changed one bit; if anything, his skin seemed even more crystal-clear after being soaked.
“You are not allowed to hurt other guests!”
The first to snap out of the aesthetic shock were the production team, followed by Ji Yun.
He pulled out a few tissues and handed them to Wen Ze, saying gently, “Hurry up and wipe it off.” He then took a coat from the side and draped it over Wen Ze’s shoulders. It was the coat he had been wearing when he arrived, as the weather was cool in the morning.
The newly formed “CP” fans, who had just recovered from the visual assault, felt like they were going to fly into space upon seeing this scene. Their “ships” were handing out candy—it was just too sweet!
Wen Ze softly thanked him, wiped away the water droplets, then pulled the coat tightly around himself and sat quietly, not moving.
Shen Ruan stood there, still holding the empty cup, looking like a clown.
It wasn’t until Zhou Zichen pinched his nose and stepped in to mediate, “Little Shen is still young and a bit hot-headed, so please be patient with him, everyone,” that the tension broke.
Ji Hang retorted unceremoniously, “Best Actor Zhou, you should be saying that to Ah-Ze. After all, he’s the one who was victimized.”
Zhou Zichen choked on his words, but fearful of the precedents he had seen, he didn’t dare do anything to him, so he could only cast his gaze toward Wen Ze.
Wen Ze looked down, his voice flat. “It’s fine… I’m already used to it anyway.”
The second half of his sentence was barely audible; even Ji Yun, who was closest, didn’t hear it. But the single teardrop slowly sliding down his face was enough to break anyone’s heart.
When a beauty weeps, what iron-hearted person could resist feeling heartache?
The chat was filled with attacks on Shen Ruan, not to mention curses directed at Zhou Zichen for disregarding his old flame for his new fling. Mixed in with the Best Actor fans stomping their feet, it was chaotic.
Ji Yun and Ji Hang were both busy comforting Wen Ze, not sparing a single glance for Shen Ruan or Zhou Zichen.
Seeing no one else paying attention to him, Zhou Zichen had no choice but to sit back down in embarrassment.
When he looked up again, he saw Xie Tingyan glancing over at some point, with an expression of apparent displeasure directed at Zhou Zichen.
Xie Tingyan’s fans saw this as well, and since their own idol had made his stance clear, and Wen Ze truly was pathetic, whatever combat power the Best Actor’s fans had left became completely negligible.
The production team saw the chaos and grew anxious, not knowing what to do. Many were silently cursing Shen Ruan for being a fool who had jumped out to cause trouble and ruin the whole program.
Just then, the director took a call, immediately overjoyed, and hurriedly announced, “Attention, guests: the final guest has arrived.”
Who could have guessed that the director, who looked so excited, was feeling even more thrilled on the inside? As expected of President Gu, his timing was impeccable! Thank you, President Gu, for saving my neck!
The guest was a non-celebrity, and he had arrived so late that even Xie Tingyan was curious, putting down his script to look. Qu Zheng did the same, though compared to Xie Tingyan’s openness, he seemed somewhat timid, not even tilting his head up very high.
The final guest walked in from the dark corridor. His crisp, rhythmic footsteps echoed in everyone’s ears, setting a comfortable tempo.
This was perhaps a way of commanding the stage before anyone even saw him, he had already carved an intimidating image in everyone’s minds.
The first thing exposed to everyone’s eyes were those long legs wrapped in suit trousers.
The chat went crazy again:
【I could play with those legs alone for a year!】
【Is this the quality of non-celebrities these days? Are they all god-tier level?】
Wen Ze watched, and a strange feeling sprouted in his heart.
He couldn’t help but look up, his gaze following this man. When his face was finally revealed, he felt a sudden sense of realization.
Gu Chao.
It really was him.
The expression on Wen Ze’s face was too obvious, drawing glances from many who suspected that the two of them knew each other.
And compared to Wen Ze’s expression, Zhou Zichen’s was much uglier.
That man, the one who had touched Wen Ze back at the police station he remembered him, of course!
Why would he be here? Could it be that he came here following Wen Ze?