A Popular Idol Changes His Persona Every Day - Chapter 2

As the gold-standard manager of RZ Entertainment, An Ya’s efficiency was beyond question.

Less than an hour after she left, Ruan Zhi’s phone buzzed with a Weibo notification. An Ya had already used his account to post an update:

@RuanZhiRoger: Good morning, Jellybeans! So happy to be joining the new season of The Love Battle. The show premieres next Monday, please give us your support! [AddOil.jpg]

“Jellybeans” was the nickname RZ Entertainment had given to Ruan Zhi’s fans.

Ruan Zhi’s parents were the Director and the Head of Planning at RZ Entertainment, respectively. From the moment he debuted, they had meticulously crafted the persona most beloved by fans: innocent, youthful, beautiful, and a sports ace. Though he looked lean, he had rock-solid abs; on variety shows, he radiated “boyfriend material” while remaining polite and never hogging the spotlight.

Even though he lacked major acting credits or hit songs, he had skyrocketed to fame through variety shows, amassing over ten million fans.

In truth, Ruan Zhi’s acting wasn’t bad. He had graduated from the country’s top media university, consistently ranking at the top of his class in performance. However, since his debut two years ago, RZ hadn’t found a script that suited him. His parents felt his features were too delicate and “pretty,” limiting his range for many films. Consequently, they kept him on the variety show circuit to build a massive following.

Luckily, his fanbase consisted of either supportive young people who didn’t mind his lack of “works,” or older “auntie” fans in their 60s and 70s who were simply happy just looking at his face.

As soon as they saw the Weibo post, they went wild:

@AlwaysLoveRuanZhiSauce: Ruan Ruan baby, Mommy is here!!

@RuanRuanRRR: Finally a new show! I’ve practically memorized his lines from the old ones [LaughingCrying.jpg]

@JellybeanSquad: So excited! Our Xiao Zhi is the cutest in the world! Have fun every day, quack~~

An Ya certainly knew him well. Ruan Zhi had been reluctant to join a dating show, but seeing thousands of supportive comments within minutes made his heart soften, and his resentment vanished.

Refreshing the page, he saw An Ya—acting as him—replying to the top fans and the fan club leaders:

“I’ll be doing a short livestream at 4:00 PM in Feimao Room 097521~ [Wink.jpg].”

Ruan Zhi then received a WeChat message from An Ya that nearly made him drop his phone: “Student Ruan Xiaozhi, don’t forget the livestream this afternoon~”

As a pure variety star, the company required at least one livestream a week to maintain engagement. Today was Saturday, a high-traffic day, and just two days before filming The Love Battle—perfect timing.

But before he could type a reply, a line of small text flickered into the air above his phone screen, preceded by the tag: [Lines for ‘CEO Ruan’ from ‘The CEO’s Runaway Sweetheart’].

Ruan Zhi felt a surge of dread. He mentally typed out a giant question mark.

The system let out a weird cackle: “Hee hee hee! Your little cutie has reappeared! Don’t go OOC with the CEO persona~”

Ruan Zhi was shocked. “I have to stay in character just to send a text message?”

The system corrected his “erroneous” thinking with righteous indignation: “A persona must be integrated into your bones and blood, becoming a part of your body. You must strictly follow the guidelines every second. As they say, ‘a gentleman is cautious when alone.’ How can you ignore your principles just because no one is watching? Muah~”

Ruan Zhi was speechless. It actually sounded… logical?

The system added: “Add oil! Add oil!”

Ruan Zhi fell silent. He looked at the text floating above his phone, took a deep breath, and sent the line to An Ya:

Ruan Zhi: “Mhm, I know. What are the company’s profits for this quarter?”

An Ya was stunned. Why is the Prince suddenly interested in the company’s turnover? And he’s actually being obedient about the livestream? Has he finally grown up?

Back at the office, the manager was moved to tears—until the next reply arrived.

Ruan Zhi: “Earn 100 million first. The little wildcat is still waiting for me.”

“…” An Ya’s vision of a mature Ruan Zhi shattered instantly. Her teeth ached as she read it. “Fine.” Whatever, as long as he makes the company some money.

Then, a new message arrived.

Ruan Zhi: “Have you checked the guest list for the show?”

An Ya felt like she was on a rollercoaster. Seeing him ask a normal question, she breathed a sigh of relief and quickly sent over the details.

The Love Battle kept some guests secret to maintain mystery, but RZ Entertainment was the top star-making agency in the country; 30% of top-tier idols and many veteran award-winners came from RZ. Getting the list was easy.

That was why she had been able to mention that “Movie Star Du” would be there. Du Cangsheng was the “mystery guest.”

An Ya never expected the reply she got after sending the list:

Ruan Zhi: “Three minutes. I want all the information on this man.”

Attached was a photo of Movie Star Du Cangsheng.

In the photo, the man looked refined and elegant, with a natural “smiling lip” shape. But anyone who knew him knew it was a facade. At only 29, Du Cangsheng had already won three Best Actor awards. He was a powerhouse of talent and beauty, with a fanbase that rivaled even top idols like Ruan Zhi. However, he had a “problem” for someone in the industry: he hated talking. He was a man of few words, and his true persona was only two words: “Ice Cold.”

An Ya, the gold-standard manager who had never faced a failure, felt a premonition of a career-ending disaster. She swallowed hard and sent a voice note: “Student Ruan Xiaozhi… what… what do you mean by this?”

On the other end, Ruan Zhi was even more dazed than she was.

When he saw the system prompt him to ask for the list, he thought it was back to normal. But then…

He stared at the system’s words, his famous “peach blossom eyes” wide with disbelief. His face flushed bright red.

Why Du Cangsheng?

If Ruan Zhi had to summarize Du Cangsheng’s status in his heart, it would be: I grew up watching his movies!

How did it feel to have the Movie Star you’ve admired for years become the object of your “Overbearing CEO” delusions?

Ruan Zhi asked the system shakily: “Movie Star Du… is… is my ‘little… little’…”

The system started the clapping sound again: “That’s right! He is your little wildcat! Quick, say your lines out loud!”

Ruan Zhi stared at the lines floating above his phone, his face turning an even deeper shade of crimson.

The system cheered him on in his head: “Ruan-Zhi-mon digivolve to… Battle-Ruan-Zhi-mon!” It even started playing the Digimon evolution BGM: “Charge, quack!”

Ruan Zhi squeezed his eyes shut, took a deep breath, and with trembling hands, sent the reply to An Ya:

Ruan Zhi: “He is very clean. He is qualified to bear my children.”

An Ya: “………………”

An Ya: “Little baby, please don’t do anything stupid.”