Chapter 20

Chapter 20

The system said, "What did he say?"

In disbelief, it continued, "Did he just ask you to live with him?"

It then exclaimed excitedly, "Ahhh, say yes to him!"

Xing Shi asked, "Aren't you a little concerned?"

The system replied, "What could be off? He has feelings for you!"

Xing Shi found its reaction quite amusing and ignored it.

He looked at Fu Xiuning, who remained composed, as if discussing something mundane.

Xing Shi politely said, "Wouldn't that be too much trouble for you?"

Fu Xiuning slightly smiled.

He knew Xing Shi wouldn't pass up this opportunity. After all, the others wouldn't easily reveal their identities or form alliances with each other. Getting closer to him would make it easier to identify which of the others were hosts.

Fu Xiuning said, "It's no trouble. If we both have morning classes, we can commute together."

Xing Shi said, "Okay."

While he wasn't sure of Fu Xiuning's intentions, the benefits clearly outweighed the risks. He could move in first and slowly find the answers.

He said, "I'll move in after watching the movie tomorrow."

Fu Xiuning nodded slightly.

To boost his visibility with He Dao, he also asked for a ticket to the roadshow. They were going together.

Qi Changyi looked at Fu Xiuning.

They had known each other since childhood and had a good relationship. Later, when Qi Changyi entered the entertainment industry, they saw each other less frequently. When they reconnected, Fu Xiuning, the only son of the Fu family, had changed. He was still outstanding and courteous, but there was a new coldness beneath his surface.

So he knew that Fu Xiuning wasn't the type to enjoy living with others. Why would he suddenly extend an invitation?

He Dao had no objections.

The fact that his son agreed meant his relationship with Fu Xiuning must be good.

He couldn't help but worry about why his son had become so distant, which was concerning.

The meal wrapped up quickly.

He Dao and the others headed to the hotel in a limo.

Xing Shi returned to the company for training, again in Fu Xiuning's car. As another boss of the company, Qi Changyi decided to go back and check things out, so he joined them in the car.

Sitting in the back seat, he looked at the people in front and brought up a topic, "Sui Sui, what made you decide to become a trainee?"

Xing Shi replied, "Dream."

Qi Changyi asked, "Are you aiming to become an idol? Is there someone in the industry you look up to?"

Xing Shi said, "Not particularly."

He suddenly remembered something, "My roommate is your fan; he's the one who appears after me in that video clip, named Yu Yi."

Qi Changyi said with a smile, "Consider it arranged."

He asked, "What does he like? I'll see if I have anything related to his interests."

Xing Shi replied, "He’s into following celebrities and reading novels."

The novel I used to trick Lin Kecheng was one I saw by chance in Yu Yi's room, so I had the system search for it. He said, "Just send him something—anything with your signature would make him super happy."

After a while, the car arrived at the company.

Fu Xiuning had no intention of working overtime and parked the car on the side of the road.

Xing Shi and Qi Changyi entered the building together; the former headed straight for the practice rooms, while the latter went back to his office and dialed Fu Xiuning's number.

The call was quickly answered, and Qi Changyi got straight to the point, "Why?"

Fu Xiuning said, "To repay a life-saving favor."

Qi Changyi was surprised, "...Huh?"

Fu Xiuning continued, "He saved me not long ago."

Qi Changyi regained his composure, "You're going to live with someone just because they saved your life? When you had that car accident before, someone else saved you too. Why didn't you live with them?"

Fu Xiuning remained calm, "That person hasn't been found yet. When I find them in the future, I will repay them."

Qi Changyi didn't believe it.

It wasn't the act of repaying that he doubted, but the reason for living together.

Seeing Fu Xiuning's attitude, he knew he wouldn't get the truth out of him.

He hung up and browsed through the merchandise. When it was about time, he headed to the training center.

The training center was busy, still full of people at this hour.

The teachers in the office stood up in surprise, surprised to see him at the company so late, especially in their department.

Qi Changyi exchanged a few polite words with a smile, wanting to know about Xing Shi's situation.

The teachers, curious but trying to be objective, repeated what they knew, then asked, "Is... there some arrangement?"

Qi Changyi thought, I can't arrange him, and said, "No, it depends on his own decision."

He sat in the office for a while, and soon his assistant arrived.

The limo was his personal vehicle. After dropping off He Dao and the others, he bought some light snacks, which he now brought up.

The trainees were halfway through their class when they heard some commotion outside. It was said that Qi Changyi had come to visit and brought some treats.

Everyone was excited and, seeing that the teachers didn't object, hurriedly ran out.

Qi Changyi smiled and made a round, gave a quick pep talk, and then left.

The trainees remained excited, still buzzing with excitement as they enjoyed the snacks.

Xing Shi received a message from Qi Changyi.

"I'm in the office. Do you want to give the merchandise to him, or bring him up?"

He silently thought it was a good plan.

Not sure how close they were, he let Yu Yi decide.

After this high-profile gesture, meeting the fan could be considered a "casual visit," which wouldn't seem too unusual. Since everyone was eating, no one would notice if they slipped out for a bit.

He turned off his phone and left the practice room with Yu Yi.

Yu Yi followed him all the way to the elevator and asked, "Where are we going?"

Xing Shi said, "Today, I heard from the boss that Qi Changyi is coming to see us. I mentioned you're his fan, and the boss got you an opportunity to meet your idol."

Yu Yi was shocked. "Ah?"

Xing Shi said, "Do you want to go?"

Of course, Yu Yi wanted to go and quickly thanked him, enviously saying, "The boss is really good to you. He must have helped because you brought it up."

Xing Shi acknowledged, "Yeah."

Yu Yi couldn't help but ask, "So... what's your relationship with him?"

Xing Shi said, "Good friends."

Yu Yi looked at him and envied him again. "That's great."

The two went to Qi Changyi's office, where the fan successfully took a photo with his idol and happily received the signed merchandise and swag.

They put them in the locker room and went back to training.

The roadshow was scheduled for Saturday afternoon.

Xing Shi didn’t ask He Dao for an extra ticket, just one for himself.

At the time, he wasn’t sure if he was the original Xing Shi and only intended to meet people, not wanting to owe any undeserved favors.

Fu Xiuning asked Qi Changyi for the tickets.

Knowing that Xing Shi would also attend, he went with him to the cinema.

Their seats weren’t next to each other, but since they were arranged by friends and family, the viewing positions were excellent.

The movie hadn’t started yet, and the theater was still bright.

The roadshow was a celebrity meet-and-greet, with high ticket prices, and other celebrities might be invited to watch the film, so ticket holders were looking around, hoping for new discoveries.

When the two attractive guys entered, they immediately attracted attention. People gasped, assuming they were celebrities, and started trying to figure out who they were.

Lin Kecheng also heard the commotion.

But before that, his system had already informed him that it was Fu Xiuning, but he didn’t expect Xing Shi to be there too.

The system said, "Maybe let this one go. The time is too short, and it’s really not convenient to approach him. His company is based here, so he’ll be back eventually."

They knew Qi Changyi's address, but he hadn’t left since he returned last night, only leaving for the roadshow by car.

They had paid a premium for the event tickets, planning to write a scathing review during the movie to impress Qi Changyi, but now that both Fu Xiuning and Xing Shi were there, they’d recognize him even with a mask.

The former is smart and would see through his little schemes, while the latter is foolish and might accidentally let something slip in front of Qi Changyi. Once Qi Changyi knows that he wants to join June Culture Media, everything he does from then on will be seen as having ulterior motives in the other's eyes.

The system said, "Don’t raise your hand when it’s time to speak."

Lin Kecheng brushed it off and said, "Go ask Xing Shi for his favorability score. I still think Fu Xiuning is being way too nice to him."

A few days ago, they renewed their alliance, and at the time, he didn’t ask for any favorability. But now, Fu Xiuning takes Xing Shi everywhere, so Lin Kecheng wanted to observe them more closely.

The system had its doubts too, so it went to ask for it.

Xing Shi received the message.

The system, clutching the -5, nervously asked, "What do we do?"

Xing Shi said, "Give it to him."

The system said, "What if they ask why?"

Xing Shi said, "Just say I don’t sing out of tune anymore."

The system was stunned. "Wait… that’s actually possible? Not singing out of tune means he’s useful, so it reset to the initial value?"

The longer this dragged on, the more suspicious it would seem.

It sent the favorability with a trembling heart.

Lin Kecheng sank his consciousness and personally opened the message, clearly seeing the number.

The system gasped, "Minus 5! It’s only been a short while, and he actually gained 3 points!"

Lin Kecheng asked, "How did he gain points?"

The reply came, "Because I don’t sing out of tune anymore~"

The system was stunned. "Tha… that’s possible? Not singing out of tune means he’s still useful, so it returned to the initial value?"

Lin Kecheng’s eyes turned icy cold.

A series of failures, coupled with this minus 5 that was now equal to his own, completely shattered his remaining composure.

He had never been one to follow the rules when it came to manipulating people.

He said, "I’ll get Xing Shi admitted to the hospital."

The system was taken aback. "What?"

The system quickly regained its composure. "You’re still bound by the alliance treaty. You can’t break it."

Lin Kecheng sneered, "Isn’t it about to expire again?"

The system said, "But why?"

Lin Kecheng said, "If I send him to the hospital and Fu Xiuning doesn’t react, it confirms it’s the initial value. If Fu Xiuning does react, it means he values Xing Shi. Why waste time on anything else? This fool is easier to manipulate than Qi Changyi."

The system suddenly thought it made sense. "But… you can’t let Xing Shi find out it was you who did it."

Lin Kecheng said, "Of course."

As the lights in the cinema dimmed, Lin Kecheng’s plan began to take shape.

Fu Xiuning narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at the screen in front of him.

The roadshow was a great success, with thunderous applause from the audience and the audience buzzing with discussions.

Not all of the creative team had arrived the previous day; some were flying in today. He Dao had wanted to introduce his son, but Xing Shi had other priorities.

Xing Shi hopped into Fu Xiuning's car and headed straight to the school, where he packed a few books, grabbed some clothes from his apartment, and moved into his new place.

Fu Xiuning lived in a spacious apartment, where there was a maid's room near the entrance and a sunny guest room with floor-to-ceiling windows and an en-suite bathroom, separated from the master bedroom by an especially spacious living room.

Just as Fu Xiuning had mentioned, they could live without getting in each other's way.

Xing Shi took a lap around the place and was impressed. He took out his phone and said, "Boss, to thank you for taking me in, I'll treat you to dinner. Let's just order in instead of going out."

Fu Xiuning said, "There's an aunty who cooks."

Xing Shi said, "We can have food delivery once in a while."

Fu Xiuning looked at him. "What's the per capita cost?"

Now that Xing Shi had a salary, he handed over his phone. "You order."

Fu Xiuning picked a clean spot and ordered his favorites.

Xing Shi threw in a few extras, double-checked the address, and hit 'order.'

When the delivery arrived, Fu Xiuning noticed a couple of bottles of wine in the bag.

Sure enough, once the food was on the table, Xing Shi popped open two bottles of wine and slid one over to him.

Xing Shi looked at him sincerely. "Boss, from today onwards, we'll be under the same roof. Let's cheers!"