A Popular Idol Changes His Persona Every Day - Chapter 3

That was the Movie Star Du Cangsheng—a man who never participated in “CP marketing” (staged romances), never had scandals, and was famously aloof and self-disciplined.

An Ya recalled the last time she saw him; his icy aura and the face that inspired a chill even when smiling made her shudder. Du Cangsheng’s fans looked at him through a “doting mother” filter and couldn’t feel his coldness, but as Ruan Zhi’s manager, she could not let her “Little Prince” dig his own grave.

She urged him again with bittersweet sincerity: “Do not provoke the Movie Star, do you hear me? Du Cangsheng has a very deep background.” An Ya said seriously, “At the last movie press conference, a reporter from Ji’an Studio specifically asked negative questions. The next day, that studio was gone. If you talk to him like that… even if the company can protect you, it will be much harder to land big IP movie deals in the future.”

Ruan Zhi rarely heard An Ya use such a stern tone. He almost wanted to scream, “I don’t want to say these things myself!” He had never had close contact with the Movie Star and didn’t know his temperament, but hearing An Ya’s words made him panic.

Fortunately, the script provided by the System had ended. Ruan Zhi looked at the empty dialogue bar, almost unable to believe his luck. He quickly replied to An Ya: “I understand.”

Manager An Ya finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Later, Ruan Zhi ordered some food and went into his study to prepare for a livestream.

He lived in a penthouse apartment very close to RZ Entertainment. Since many artists are required to film their homes for events, his place was professionally designed in a modern, “cold” black-and-white style, full of artistic flair.

His study was fully equipped with broadcasting gear. Ruan Zhi sat down, opened the Feimao App, turned on the camera, and switched to the “Visual Streamer” category. Immediately, a golden, flower-spraying “Luxury Cruise Ship” sailed across the screen.

A platform-wide notification popped up: Ding~ [Jellybean 23] Ruan Ruan’s Little Mumu has gifted 5 Luxury Cruise Ships to streamer Ruan Zhi Roger. Come watch!

A “Cruise Ship” was the highest-level gift in Feimao’s visual section, worth 5,000 RMB each. This was a lavish gift.

“Ruan Ruan’s Little Mumu” was a loyal fan who had been showering him with gifts since his first day. Every time he went live, she was the first to arrive and always gave ten or more Cruise Ships. Ruan Zhi didn’t make a habit of prying into fans’ lives, so he didn’t know her gender, but based on the name, he assumed she was a young lady.

Initially, he felt bad about her spending so much money, but after multiple failed attempts to persuade her to stop, he simply expressed his sincere gratitude.

Before Ruan Zhi could speak, the swarm of fans in the chat exploded, following suit with gifts and a barrage of comments:

“Wow, I’m so mad! I was late by one second!!”

“A critical hit of beauty right at the start! I’ll always be a fan of his face!”

“Mumu-chan is always first. She leaves no chance for us! [Crying hard]”

“Waaa, I want him to remember me too! [Crying.jpg]”

Ruan Zhi smiled and said, “Thank you Mumu for the Cruise Ships. You’re early again today, I’m happy. Thanks for everyone’s support too. I recognize many of your names; I remember everyone who comments!”

As soon as he finished, the chat scrolled even faster.

“I love you, Brother!”

“Baby son, Mommy is here~~”

Ruan Zhi was used to being called “Brother,” “Son,” “Little Brother,” and even “Uncle,” but he had a question: “Why… don’t any of you call me ‘Husband’?”

He was purely curious because other male artists in the company almost exclusively had “Wife Fans.” But for him, it was all Big Sisters, Mommies, and Little Sisters.

The chat immediately responded:

“???”

“Son, what nonsense are you saying!”

“Sorry, you’re too young. We aren’t compatible.”

Ruan Zhi felt a “critical hit” at the “too young” comment.

Ruan Zhi: “Who do you think isn’t young then?”

This opened the floodgates. Fans started naming mature male celebrities, eventually converging on one name.

“I think Du Cangsheng is so handsome and MAN. I wish he was my husband! Slurp“

“I agree with the person above! Du Cangsheng is my husband, no arguments. Ruan Ruan baby is my son. My life is complete!”

Ruan Zhi wanted to spit blood: “Do I really look that much younger than Movie Star Du? We’re becoming different generations.” He hadn’t forgotten that Du Cangsheng was his “delusional target” assigned by the System.

Just then, he saw a pinned comment from the top donor, “Ruan Ruan’s Little Mumu.”

[Jellybean 23] Ruan Ruan’s Little Mumu: “No.”

[Jellybean 23] Ruan Ruan’s Little Mumu: “There isn’t a big difference.”

Mumu rarely spoke in the chat; she mostly watched silently. Ruan Zhi usually had to check the VIP list to see if she was still there. He didn’t expect the topic of Du Cangsheng to draw her out.

The other fans didn’t notice her comment and kept typing:

“The Movie Star looks like a mature man. He’s a completely different type from your ‘cute’ style!”

“Agreed. I’ve shipped many CPs, but I’ve never linked Ruan Ruan and the Movie Star. They don’t match at all, haha.”

“One is a boyfriend type, the other is a brother or son type. Different styles, different generations.”

The chat continued to list Du Cangsheng’s resume: winning Golden Melody awards for songs he wrote for fun, winning three Best Actor titles by 29, how his acting crushes current “Little Fresh Meat” idols…

Ruan Zhi felt smaller the more they talked. He waved his hand to change the subject. But Mumu spoke again:

[Jellybean 23] Ruan Ruan’s Little Mumu: “No.”

[Jellybean 23] Ruan Ruan’s Little Mumu: “They are the same generation!”

Ruan Zhi could almost hear the sound of teeth grinding behind her exclamation point. He guessed Mumu was also a fan of Du Cangsheng and couldn’t stand people saying he was an older generation. He quickly shifted gears: “Movie Star Du is also my idol. I like him a lot too. Anyway, I’m recording The Love Battle the day after tomorrow. You guys better keep liking me~”

The chat finally stopped comparing them and moved to excitement for the show. Ruan Zhi saw one last message from Mumu:

[Jellybean 23] Ruan Ruan’s Little Mumu: “I like you 0v0”

Other fans started teasing:

“Son, be glad you don’t have ‘Wife Fans,’ otherwise your forum would be bombed to smithereens by now.”

“Yeah, if you had Wife Fans and dared to join a dating show for three months, they’d explode!”

“Look at Meng Xinyu’s forum. So many fans turned into haters.”

Meng Xinyu was a singer who got famous through a talent show this year. He had a clear voice and a cute, obedient look. His forum was full of “Wife Fans,” and since he joined the show, he was being hounded by fans who couldn’t accept it.

Ruan Zhi thought: Yeah, that’s true!

After chatting a bit more, the livestream ended. Ruan Zhi curiously asked the System: “System, why didn’t you make me say lines during the livestream?”

The Anti-OOC System said righteously: “Even a cold, domineering CEO wouldn’t have the heart to say harsh things to loyal fans who love him!”

Ruan Zhi agreed: “You’re right!” It seemed he could be normal during livestreams.

But the System added: “However, how can you call this Little Cutie the cold word ‘System’?!”

Ruan Zhi: “…What should I call you then?”

System thought for a moment: “Xiao O, or Xiao OO.”

Ruan Zhi was silent: Xiao OO…?

System realized something: “Wait, that sounds like OOXX (censored slang).”

Ruan Zhi’s lip twitched: “Please don’t be NSFW, thanks.”

System immediately acted shy, its mechanical voice rising with excitement: “Heehee, you can call me Xiao Ling (Little Zero/Bottom) then. It’s tighter than ‘O’.”

Ruan Zhi: “???”

Time flew by, and Monday arrived.

At 5:00 AM, Ruan Zhi was woken by a loud pounding on his door. He opened it to find An Ya with two young women in glasses. “Quick, clean him up,” An Ya ordered.

The women carried huge black cases filled with countless cosmetics and styling tools. In less than 90 minutes, Ruan Zhi was dressed in clothes An Ya brought and put into a company van. An hour later, they arrived at the Flower Park in the suburbs of City Z.

The park was in full bloom and perfect for the first episode of The Love Battle.

When they arrived, the crew was already there. A middle-aged man in a black T-shirt was checking the cameras; it was the head director, Wang Chuan. Nearby sat one woman and two men, all dressed glamorously. They were the other guests: Liu Feiyu, Chang Jian, and Meng Xinyu.

Liu Feiyu was the starlet An Ya planned to pair with Ruan Zhi for publicity. Chang Jian was a muscular kung fu star. Meng Xinyu was the popular singer with a “puppy dog” charm. Despite being five years older than Ruan Zhi, he looked softer and cuter.

Ruan Zhi was the only “pure” variety artist, but his status was the highest among the four, so no one complained that he arrived last.

Director Wang greeted him, and at 9:00 AM, the host started recording. Since the show was broadcast live from 9 AM to 9 PM daily, the audience was already flooding the online platforms.

Ruan Zhi knew who the “Mystery Guests” were from An Ya’s list, but he acted expectant for the camera. Suddenly, Meng Xinyu leaned in and whispered: “Who do you think it is?”

The proximity and warm breath made Ruan Zhi shiver. He took half a step back and shook his head honestly. Meng Xinyu just smiled at him with a strange, doting look that made Ruan Zhi uneasy.

Standing far away, An Ya frowned. She didn’t want Meng Xinyu’s “affectionate” behavior to turn Ruan Zhi’s “Good Younger Brother” persona into a “CP.”

As the host began to reveal the mystery guests, two black cars approached. The System chimed in: “La la la, your Little Cutie is here! Time to work, CEO Ruan! Don’t forget your script—The CEO’s Runaway Sweetheart. Your lines are ready!”

Ruan Zhi had a very bad feeling.

The doors opened. A woman and a man stepped out. The chat went ballistic.

“Omg, Movie Star Du?!!”

“Is he really on a reality show?! The Love Battle?! Who is he going to pair with?”

The woman was the newly crowned Movie Queen, Wang Meiqin. The man was nearly 1.9 meters tall, elegant, with a deep, charming gaze that seemed to linger on Ruan Zhi for two seconds before moving away.

The System screamed in his head: “Oh my god, so handsome!! Did he just look at us?!”

Ruan Zhi: “.” He suspected the System was a fanboy.

As the guests stood together, Du Cangsheng—who was a full head taller than Ruan Zhi—walked over and stood directly to his right.

The scent of cool, crisp cologne entered his nose. Ruan Zhi felt like he was standing next to a cedar tree in the snow. Du Cangsheng was truly his idol, and this was the closest he had ever been. Ruan Zhi was so tense his hands were clenched at his sides, and he didn’t dare look up.

The chat went crazy:

“Lmao, Ruan Ruan is blushing!”

“That’s me when I see my idol: stiff, head down, dare not look up.”

The host explained the rules: “Six guests will freely choose partners to simulate a couple’s life for three months. You must live in one of your homes. It’s a 12-hour daily livestream.”

As the host said the final sentence, a familiar line appeared before Ruan Zhi’s eyes: [Lines for ‘CEO Ruan’ from ‘The CEO’s Runaway Sweetheart’].

Ruan Zhi struggled: “Can I not say it?” It was too embarrassing!

The System cheered: “Go for it, baby! Electric shock is ready~”

Ruan Zhi finally moved.

The chat was still debating:

“The Movie Star and Movie Queen will be a pair, right? Balanced fame.”

“Liu Feiyu will probably go with Ruan Zhi. Same company, easy publicity.”

Suddenly, the screen was filled with “WTF” and “OMG” comments.

Ruan Zhi, who had been standing with his head down, had somehow grabbed Du Cangsheng’s hand. He looked straight into the Movie Star’s eyes and said:

“Heh, man. Your husband is standing right here. Who else were you planning to look for?”

The Movie Star seemed stunned. He looked down at Ruan Zhi without speaking. The cameraman zoomed in on Ruan Zhi’s face, magnifying his exquisite features.

Ruan Zhi’s fans: “?!”

Du Cangsheng’s fans: “???”

CP Shippers: “WOW!! Ruan Zhi is the ‘husband’ (Top)?!”

An Ya, watching from afar, was having a breakdown: “It’s over… he’s dead…” She was certain the Movie Star would hate the “Little Idiot” now.

Du Cangsheng’s “Only-Fans” began cursing Ruan Zhi for trying to ride his coattails. An Ya turned pale, trying to think of a way to apologize. Du Cangsheng had deep ties to the military; they couldn’t afford to anger him.

But before she could think, she saw the Movie Star suddenly grip Ruan Zhi’s hand back and reply in a low voice:

“Mhm, I see.”

The cursing fans: “…”

An Ya: “?!” What is happening?