Chapter 80: This Is What You Call… A Nation’s Bane

Chapter 80: This Is What You Call… A Nation's Bane

Rong Xiao had not anticipated that Yun Zi'an had been silently standing behind him, hearing the entire phone conversation.

He stared at Yun Zi'an, almost speechless, his Adam's apple moving with difficulty, "Yuan Yuan..."

"I know what you want to ask." Yun Zi'an's gaze was incredibly serene, almost like a still, ancient well, "Rong Xiao, do you think I am someone who gets aroused by any man?"

Rong Xiao immediately blurted out, "No..."

"Then what are you doubting right now?" Yun Zi'an stepped forward, looking directly into his eyes with utter calm, "Or are you questioning my loyalty to you?"

Yun Zi'an's demeanor was open and clear, like the bright moon in the sky, making the earthly trivialities seem insignificant.

"Hmm." Rong Xiao lowered his gaze, taking his hand and spreading it open, focusing on a circular scar on the soft, pale skin, "I know."

Yun Zi'an hadn't expected Rong Xiao to notice the cigarette burn scar in his palm, caught off guard, "You..."

In the next moment, Rong Xiao bent down, his tongue gently licking the scar caused by the cigarette burn in his palm, his eyes closed as if in pain, his eyelashes trembling lightly.

He knew everything.

The tingling itch in his palm caused Yun Zi'an's throat to constrict momentarily. People often dismiss their suffering as trivial, yet when a loved one touches the scars accumulated over time, they feel the weight of their past hardships and injustices.

The strength they clenched their teeth to maintain suddenly crumbles like a dam.

Yun Zi'an buried his head in Rong Xiao's chest, wrapping his arms around his back, breathing deeply the warm and searing scent of his lover, "...Don't move."

Rong Xiao, hearing him speak, immediately stilled, placing his hand on Yun Zi'an's back, gently patting like soothing a child, and asked softly, "What's wrong?"

"Tired." Yun Zi'an closed his eyes, wishing time would stop at this moment, never moving forward, "Let me lean on you for a while."

Rong Xiao said nothing more, just quietly letting him lean, gently kissing the top of Yun Zi'an's head.

"I know that variety show, it's called 'Jumpy Little Brothers'." After some time, Yun Zi'an mumbled from Rong Xiao's embrace, "Produced by a top studio, with renowned directors and producers, highly sought after by every agency to place their rising stars."

Just the production lineup indicated how intense the competition would be.

Rong Xiao looked at Yun Zi'an, "Are you worried about not being able to debut?"

"I just..." Yun Zi'an wasn't worried about debuting, "Don't want Feitian to continue leeching off me."

This made Rong Xiao frown, realizing Yun Zi'an was aware of Feitian's true nature, yet he had still chosen to stay in this pit for three whole years.

Walking the path of a celebrity isn't about surviving amidst vipers to become the ultimate 'Gu King'.

Yun Zi'an clearly had other motives.

"But..." Rong Xiao pondered, "Feitian's condition for terminating the contract is to debut, and debuting means gaining popularity and market attention, which will inevitably bring them substantial benefits..."

Yun Zi'an's lips curved slightly upward, "Wouldn't it be good to just not let them gain any popularity from me?"

Rong Xiao didn't understand his point, "You..."

Yun Zi'an chuckled lightly, "Just a bunch of lively little brothers, right..."

"...Let brother here go and properly 'educate' them."

Before the launch of the variety show "Jumpy Little Brothers," there were series like "Sisters" and "Brothers," which received a great response. Their viewership and completion rates were outstanding among various types of variety shows.

What's more remarkable was that both "Sisters" and "Brothers" focused on the inner world of adults, showing the audience that turning thirty or forty is not about societal age anxiety. Both sisters and brothers can be wonderful and impressive. This unique humanistic positioning made the show stand out.

Thus, the official Weibo of "Jumpy Little Brothers" instantly gained a hundred thousand followers upon its launch.

[Please let our little brother join! Our Qiao Yuan is a good kid! He can be the class monitor!]

[Our Yu Zaki can sing and dance! He's perfect for the arts and culture representative!]

[Hahaha, I'm dying of laughter. What's with the comments? It's like picking class monitors!]

[I have a bold idea, not sure if I should say it or not...]

[The production team could consider our vase-like star Yun Zi'an. He has no talent, just a face. He may not make a good class leader, but he can certainly cause havoc! Distract these little brothers from their studies!]

[Hahahaha! What the heck is 'causing havoc'?]

[It's like a major female character with a villainous role! A sickly long-haired beauty lazily swirling a glass of red wine, her deadly long legs crossed, sitting high on the Iron Throne, the men kneeling at her feet. The corner of her mouth slightly lifted, 'I permit you... to be my minions under my suit pants!']

[Damn! Sisters! I never agreed with you leaving the literary scene!]

[Passing the pen to the big boss! Begging the boss to write a book!]

[Ahhhh! Where can I buy your works?]

……

As netizens were screaming excitedly, the official Weibo account made another killer move that left everyone stunned—

[Official Weibo of "Jumpy Little Brothers"]: #JumpyLittleBrothers is online! Salty, sweet, sour, spicy, cool - which flavor do you love? Vote for the little brother you're most looking forward to seeing! The brother with the highest votes will have his debut performance live-streamed for everyone~ [Hearts] [Hearts] [Hearts]

"Little Brothers" actually opened a voting channel!

At this moment, a trending topic surged to the top of the hot search list with unstoppable momentum—#YunZi'anGalaxySeriesGlobalBrandAmbassador#

A series of subsequent promotional efforts, almost overwhelming, comparable to international first-tier brands, left netizens in awe.

Just who is this Yun Zi'an!!!

And a brand impression video even broke a million shares, going viral!

In the video, Yun Zi'an's long hair fluttered in the evening breeze, with a burning twilight sky behind him. His pale lips held rose petals, moistened with saliva and tantalizing. His seductive, lustful eyes stared at the camera, a mischievous and unrestrained smile on his lips. Suddenly, he made a gun gesture with his hand and fired with a "bang."

At that moment, blood-red subtitles spread across the screen—Blow a kiss, Fire a gun

(Kiss and shoot)

The shaking camera quickly passed over the ring on his finger, sparkling with mottled gold, and finally rested on his eyes, filled with rivers of stars. The passion in them seemed to ripple through everyone's hearts.

That beauty was like a knife plunging into the heart.

[Damn! What kind of unearthly beauty is this!]

[Mom... my heart has been stolen by this man...]

[Nothing to say but damn!]

[Damn! This is insanely good!]

[So beautiful! Is this even human? yyds!]

……

Once this promotional video was released, the previously top-ranked Yu Zaki quickly dropped to second place, and it was a dimensional assault. Yun Zi'an's name surged to the top of the voting list with a staggering three million vote gap!

After all, who isn't attracted to beauty in this world!

Meanwhile, in the reception room of Pineapple TV's building, Yu Zaki, wearing sunglasses, was nonchalantly playing video games with his legs crossed on the sofa, indifferent to the outside world. His manager, Ma Ge, was discussing detailed business cooperation with the show's team.

"Rest assured, our Yu Zaki has always been very conscious and professional as a spokesperson. There won't be any issues with the variety show's endorsements and placements," Ma Ge boasted to the person in charge, confidently smiling, "After all, in terms of popularity and marketability, Yu Zaki is one of the top trending young stars."

"Of course," the person in charge responded with a smile. Yu Zaki was a key figure on their list. "The show's main sponsor is PUNNY Mobile. They want the most anticipated and marketable brother for commercial endorsements. There are also secondary endorsements. This time, our special sponsor is the national fast-food brand McKenji, who also wants to choose..."

Ma Ge hadn't even considered the special sponsorships. Hearing "PUNNY," he was overjoyed, "In terms of audience anticipation, Yu Zaki undoubtedly fits the bill. We're at the top of the voting list! PUNNY really has good taste..."

At that moment, Yu Zaki, engrossed in his game, snorted disdainfully, "It's just PUNNY."

His mocking tone was too evident, causing the show director's expression to stiffen, "This..."

"Who buys PUNNY phones nowadays." Yu Zaki swiped his phone screen, and the sound of a double kill played aloud, "Such an outdated brand."

Just then, the reception room door was knocked on, and an assistant hurried in with a tablet, "Boss..."

The show director frowned deeply, "What's the matter? Don't you see we have guests?"

"It's... it's the director of PUNNY," the assistant stammered nervously, "They've requested... requested..."

The show director urged, "Requested what?"

"PUNNY just sent a message saying they've chosen their endorsement partner..." the assistant swallowed anxiously, "They've selected... Yun Zi'an."

Upon hearing Yun Zi'an's name, Yu Zaki smashed his phone, his face consumed with rage, "What—!"

He roared, "I am the top-ranked! He's not even worthy to carry my shoes, how dare he compete with me for endorsements!"

"The voting results are out..." The assistant's voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz, "Mr. Yun Zi'an received thirteen million and fifty thousand votes..."

"That's three million more than you."