A Popular Idol Changes His Persona Every Day - Chapter 9

Ruan Zhi looked at the man staring up at him and softly spat out the last three words: “Little wildcat.”

Du Cangsheng: “…”

The bullet chat had completely lost it:

“Hahahahaha, I beg you, let me go!”

“Director, I’m turning off the screen! [Not really]”

Director Wang was also slapping his thigh with laughter: “Aiya, I always knew Ruan Zhi had a strong variety sense, but I didn’t expect him to be so good at making his presence felt in front of the Movie Star. We’re really getting our money’s worth for his guest fee!” Besides, this was much more positive than digging up some scandalous gossip about the Movie Star, and it wouldn’t get them criticized.

Meanwhile, the System marveled inside Ruan Zhi’s head, patting its belly with a “pa-pa” sound: “As expected of a professionally trained actor, that performance was spot on!”

Ruan Zhi was busy maintaining eye contact with the Movie Star and didn’t have time to answer the System.

Just then, the Movie Star, who had been staring blankly at him, finally moved.

He nodded and leaned his body closer toward Ruan Zhi’s position. The distance between them on the car seat shrank instantly. “Okay. Can I spend it all?”

Ruan Zhi imitated the “Overbearing CEO” from his memory, narrowing his eyes further and pursing his lips into a cool, thin arc: “Of course!”

Du Cangsheng’s eyes grew even brighter.

One after the other, they got out of the car and walked straight toward the commercial street in front of them. This area was far from the city center and didn’t have much foot traffic, so most of the shops here catered to specific clientele—mostly high-end custom luxury stores.

Ruan Zhi strode into the nearest shop, a two-story men’s boutique that occupied five hundred square meters on the ground floor alone.

Movie Star Du followed behind him extremely obediently, perfectly cooperating with Ruan Zhi’s performance. He cooperated so well that Ruan Zhi began to feel embarrassed.

Ruan Zhi: “Xiao Ling, tell me, why is the Movie Star cooperating with me so much?”

The System was equally baffled. It agonized over it for a while, but based on the principle that a System must say something to maintain its status as a superior machine, it squeezed out a guess: “Maybe… Movie Star Du likes watching idol dramas!”

Ruan Zhi: “…” He shouldn’t have asked.

Ruan Zhi and Du Cangsheng—one a popular idol, the other a legendary Movie Star. Even someone who paid no attention to entertainment news would have seen their photos. Not to mention sales staff at a high-end menswear boutique.

The moment the two entered, the three sales associates froze in surprise. The youngest female guide in the middle didn’t even last a second before covering her mouth and exclaiming, “Y-you… are you Ruan Zhi and Movie Star Du?!”

Ruan Zhi was very dissatisfied with her phrasing: “Why call him ‘Movie Star’ and call me by my name?”

Having received a response from Ruan Zhi, the guide’s cheeks flushed a deep red. Her speech became even more clumsy. Her brain short-circuited, and her tongue tripped over itself: “Ruan… Ruan Movie Queen.”

Ruan Zhi: “.”

System: “Pfft.“

Ruan Fan: “Hahaha Ruan Movie Queen, I’m dying.”

Du Fan: “Movie Queen? I’ll take it!”

Standing behind Ruan Zhi, Du Cangsheng couldn’t help himself; he pursed his lips and let out a light chuckle, which was caught perfectly by the camera.

Ruan Zhi immediately frowned and looked at him: “Damn it, what are you laughing at?”

Ruan Zhi’s tone was a bit heavy. Du Cangsheng was stunned, and his rising smile instantly froze on his lips.

Du’s protective fans immediately started exploding:

“Ruan Zhi, what are you trying to do??”

“I just thought you were okay, and now you’re pushing your luck?! How dare you speak to our Dudu like that!”

Then they heard Ruan Zhi continue—

“From today on, you are mine. Your eyes can only hold me. I don’t allow you to smile at other men.”

The insults in the Du fans’ throats suddenly got stuck:

“…………”

“Pfft, haha.”

“Sorry sisters, I… I think I’m defecting to the other side.”

The general audience had already started lining up to post emoji-filled comments:

“Who gave Ruan Zhi this ridiculous script? Is it that old fox Wang Chuan??”

“Give it a rest. The lines Wang Chuan gives are always ‘stern old official’ style. There’s no way they’d be this hilarious.”

Some viewers began to speculate:

“Didn’t they say before that Ruan Zhi wanted to act but couldn’t get any roles? He’s probably taken a script and practiced his lines at home until they went to his head, hahahaha.”

This theory was immediately debunked by Ruan Zhi’s fans:

“No, no, no. Actually, it’s like this: Ruan Ruan said during his livestream that the Movie Star is his idol. This ‘dummy’ behavior is actually just his brain stalling from meeting his idol!”

“Yes, hahahaha, I watched the livestream too.”

Seeing the fans’ explanation, the audience didn’t dwell on it further. It was a variety show, after all; as long as it was fun to watch:

“Aside from everything else, I love this script. It’s toxic. I feel like I’m watching a ‘CEO Idol Drama’ starring a Movie Star and an Idol.”

“Idol Drama +1 ahahaha.”

“How do you think the Movie Star will respond? Hahaha.”

The viewers began to discuss fervently, but before they could reach a conclusion, they saw the Movie Star on screen nod. He was more than a head taller than Ruan Zhi, and at this moment, he lowered his head to look at Ruan Zhi, speaking submissively in a low voice: “I understand.”

He looked exactly like an obedient little wife.

Du Fan: “??? Dudu, wake up!”

Viewer: “Shocking. So doting. Is this the professional dedication of a Movie Star on a dating show? He accepts whatever his partner says??”

Viewer: “I agree. All those other dating shows that were too scared to invite Movie Star Du because they thought he’d be too cold to his partner must be regretting it to death right now, hahahaha.”

The shop staff and guides were already staring in a daze, their gazes darting back and forth between the two. Who knows what they were thinking, but their faces were glowing and their eyes were sparkling.

The female guide was the first to speak: “Excuse me, are you here to buy clothes? We just got two sets of matching couple’s suits. They would suit you both perfectly!”

A nearby staff member sized up their frames and brought out two suits from the back. Parts of the subtle patterns on both suits were identical.

However, Ruan Zhi’s set was lighter in color, tapered at the waist, and came with a silver-edged tie. Du Cangsheng’s set looked much more steady, with a classic and elegant cut that suited the Movie Star’s “gentle on the outside, cool on the inside” vibe perfectly.

Ruan Zhi had originally just wanted to spend money on Du Cangsheng, but he hadn’t expected to find clothes he actually liked. A look of longing appeared in his eyes.

But… how could a CEO buy clothes for himself while buying them for his sweetheart?! This clearly didn’t fit the persona. His mood dipped instantly.

Ruan Zhi tried his best not to look too depressed. He pointed at the suit in front of Du Cangsheng and commanded the Movie Star: “Go and put it on.”

Du Cangsheng looked back at him: “What about you?”

Ruan Zhi’s gaze remained glued to his own set for a long time. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said, “I won’t change. I’ll wait for you here.”

Although Du Cangsheng came from a film background, he had been in the entertainment industry for years and understood the human heart perfectly. Through Ruan Zhi’s clear and clean gaze, he instantly saw the eager longing in the little creature’s eyes.

The Movie Star thought for a moment and spoke gently: “I want you to change too.”

The moment he finished, Ruan Zhi’s eyes practically sparkled with starlight. Even the “ahoge” (stray hair) on top of his head seemed to stand upright; he looked just like a little rabbit that had been given a nut.

“CEO” Ruan Zhi cleared his throat and forced a look of impatience: “Since you want me to wear it, I suppose I can reluctantly give it a try.”

How could an Overbearing CEO refuse the request of his “little wildcat”? One must always spoil their lover, right!

In the next moment, Ruan Zhi, who had been standing still, took two quick steps forward, grabbed the suit from the clerk, and headed toward the dressing room without wasting a single second.

Ruan Fans were stunned: “I take back what I said earlier. This is our Ruan Ruan—he’s as silly as ever!”

Some Du fans who had defected were already leaning toward Ruan Zhi: “So cute, waaa. Can I have a CEO like this? Sob sob.”

Regardless, Ruan Zhi finally put on the new clothes with satisfaction. Just as he stepped out of his dressing room, the door to the one next to him opened.

Movie Star Du stepped out gracefully in a dark blue suit. He had a slim waist, long legs, and a handsome face. In a daze, Ruan Zhi heard a “slurp” sound in his head.

Ruan Zhi: “…System, what are you doing??”

“I’m licking the screen,” the OOC System said. “The Movie Star’s chest muscles—aren’t they fragrant? Prprprprpr.”

Ruan Zhi: “.” Well, they are fragrant.

Even through two layers of clothing, Ruan Zhi could feel the powerful muscles and tight build under the other man’s jacket. If only he could take a feel…

Ruan Zhi quickly reeled back his inappropriate thoughts. As a gay man, if he had to rate Du Cangsheng, it would be 101 out of 100. That extra point was to prove that Du Cangsheng was a “Top” (1).

The guide saw the two emerge in their suits and her eyes went wide.

“Ruan Movie—Ruan… Ruan Ruan!” It took the female guide a long time to find a suitable name. “These two sets look absolutely perfect on you. We have ten other sets in a similar style. You—”

Ruan Zhi waved his hand grandly: “I’ll take them all.”

The guide carefully used her calculator: “Altogether… it’s 2.19 million yuan.” Fearing Ruan Zhi might change his mind, she cautiously added, “We can give you a dis—” count.

Before she could finish, Ruan Zhi waved his hand, and Movie Star Du immediately stepped forward, pulling out a black card with purple patterns.

“This card of mine should be enough,” Ruan Zhi said, cutting her off. “You mean they can be packaged, right? Good. Wrap them up.”

The guide was clearly intimidated by Ruan Zhi’s wealth. She dazedly took the black card from Ruan Zhi and swiped it at the checkout counter.

The cameraman dutifully filmed the screen of the card reader. The glaringly clear balance on the bank card was revealed on the screen—

The livestream chat went dead silent for ten seconds. It took a long time for a new comment to appear.

Ruan Fan A: “I… I’m not worthy of being a fan. It turns out our Ruan Ruan is this rich.”

Ruan Fan B: “Our Ruan Ruan has his own small commercial street, you know. Plus, his endorsement and acting fees every year are huge. This is probably just one of his cards.”

The Du fans were even more shocked:

Du Fan A: “WTF? I thought he was joking, but there’s really ten million??”

Du Fan B: “It’s not ten million. Look at the card—it’s over two hundred million! That’s a Country Y Cout&C World Card. It’s a limited global release. Only those with a net worth of thirty million are eligible to be invited. Round-trip airfare and travel expenses between the two countries are free. The annual maintenance fee alone is 250,000 USD.”

Du Solo Fan C: “…Shocked. I always thought Ruan Zhi was the one latching on, but I didn’t expect Ruan Zhi to be the sugar daddy. I’ve been ‘fragrant-ed’ (won over). I can do this! I can!”

Du Solo Fan D: “I can too!! Come for me, CEO Ruan! Don’t pity me just because I’m a delicate flower!!!”

Ruan Zhi couldn’t see the screaming fans in the chat. He watched silently as the staff happily began packing the clothes, still trying to maintain his “cool CEO” expression while frantically thinking about his next move.

Just then, the Movie Star silently walked up to Ruan Zhi’s side and raised his hand to pat Ruan Zhi’s shoulder. Du Cangsheng only wanted to wake Ruan Zhi up because he saw him dazing off.

He didn’t expect Ruan Zhi to have such a violent reaction. He reflexively backed away, but his foot slipped, and he started to fall backward. Ruan Zhi reached out, trying to grab something to steady himself.

Du Cangsheng’s reaction was even faster. He swept an arm around Ruan Zhi’s waist and swapped positions with him in mid-air. When they fell to the ground, Ruan Zhi slammed heavily onto Du Cangsheng’s body.

The cold scent of licorice and cedar hit him in the face. Ruan Zhi blushed instantly.

But a CEO’s dignity cannot be violated! The image he had been maintaining could not be broken now! Ruan Zhi’s hand, which had been resting on the Movie Star’s collar, slowly slid down the side of his neck. Through the jacket, past the strong muscles, he slid it down to the firm abdomen.

The Movie Star’s breathing became hot instantly.

Ruan Zhi imitated Du Cangsheng’s deep bass, deliberately lowering his voice: “I didn’t expect you to look so thin, yet have such a great body.”

Du Cangsheng’s breath hitched. He raised a hand to Ruan Zhi’s waist, appearing as if he wanted to push him away.

Ruan Zhi immediately pressed down on the other’s restless hand. A second before the cameraman could get close, he looked up and whispered close to the other’s ear:

“Don’t move. If you move again, I can’t guarantee what will happen.”

Du Cangsheng: “…”