AITFYMIBP Chapter 91

TL: Hua

No one expected things to take such a bizarre turn.

When Lin Yanran’s team found out, everyone was stunned.

“Just how homophobic is he???”

Yingying rolled her eyes in disbelief.

She truly couldn’t believe that in the year 20XX, someone who had been in the entertainment industry for so long still couldn’t accept acting in this genre.

Xiao Wang also rolled his eyes along with Yingying. “People like that are probably just deep in the closet.”

Although Lin Yanran’s assistants usually enjoyed gossip, they rarely spoke ill of others.

But this time they couldn’t help it; the other party’s behavior was truly disgusting.

By quitting like this, he had left Lin Yanran in a very awkward position.

After all, Lin Yanran was his same-sex partner for the project.

It wasn’t that the other party wasn’t allowed to quit. He could have claimed an accidental injury, a scheduling conflict, or any other reason.

But he didn’t even bother to find an excuse. He told everyone directly: because his partner was male, he was afraid to film same-sex themes with him.

The consequence was that while the actor successfully escaped, the public, after joking about the situation, would naturally harbor malice when mentioning Lin Yanran again.

It was as if the original sin lay with Lin Yanran.

As it turned out, Yingying and Xiao Wang’s guesses were correct.

The incident was so hilarious, surreal, and unexpected that it quickly spread throughout the industry.

Tall trees catch the wind. Coupled with conflicts of interest, many people were already secretly unhappy about how fast Lin Yanran had become famous.

Now hearing about such a ridiculous situation, some had already started fabricating rumors for him.

Claiming he couldn’t act and scared people away was considered a mild rumor.

What people in the industry loved most was spreading sexual slander.

Consequently, rumors began to circulate that Lin Yanran was gay and had harassed that straight man, which was why the other party fled.

No matter which version, it was incredibly unfair and disgusting to the innocent Lin Yanran.

The Best Screenwriter production team was naturally aware of the issue.

They had gone to great lengths to find someone to help out as a last-minute replacement, only for this to happen as soon as he arrived.

So when the production team learned about the incident, they quickly apologized to Lin Yanran, trying to distance themselves from the situation, fearing that he might also get angry and quit the show, thus escalating the matter.

However, the result exceeded their expectations.

Lin Yanran very gracefully said it was fine and even comforted the staff, saying they could just find another actor to work with.

The production team, feeling that Lin Yanran was an absolute angel, immediately went to contact people.

Before the screenwriter finished the script, they planned to find Lin Yanran a guest performer even better than the one who quit.

Lin Yanran and the production team temporarily settled on how to respond through a peaceful conversation.

But many in the industry were still watching the situation like spectators at a show.

Quitting and running away for such a reason meant that finding a temporary replacement wouldn’t be simple.

Everyone wanted to see who would be foolish enough to take over the homosexual role with Lin Yanran.

Lin Yanran ignored the rumors from the outside world and focused his time on studying.

His acting teacher had given him an assignment: besides the homework, he had to watch movies every day.

He had to observe and mimic the performances of classic characters or award-winning actors.

In the afternoon, while Lin Yanran was holding Ultraman and focusing on a movie, his phone rang.

Moving his gaze from the projector, Lin Yanran saw that the caller was Gu Siye.

“Teacher Gu, you’re back.”

In the video, Gu Siye was still sitting in a car, clearly having just returned from an art exhibition abroad.

As soon as Gu Siye acknowledged him, Ultraman in Lin Yanran’s arms leaned directly over the phone’s camera, covering the lens with a paw.

Gu Siye’s screen went black instantly.

“Ultraman, move your hand.”

Gu Siye had no choice but to try and negotiate with Ultraman first.

However, the more he spoke, the more fun Ultraman had.

It obediently moved its paw away, but the very next second, it slapped the lens again.

In this cycle, Gu Siye would catch a glimpse of Lin Yanran’s face only for it to vanish the next moment.

Hearing the helpless, low chuckle through the speaker, Lin Yanran gently took hold of Ultraman’s naughty paw.

He then used Ultraman’s paw to wave at Gu Siye. “Ultraman is waiting for Teacher Gu to come back and help it take a bath.”

Ever since Lin Yanran and Gu Siye got together, Ultraman had suddenly changed its temperament and become very affectionate toward him.

Especially after the last time Gu Siye gave it a bath, it looked forward to Gu Siye washing and blow-drying its fur again.

Gu Siye promised, “I’ll wash it as soon as I’m back.”

Then, his gaze settled on his phone screen.

In the camera lens, Lin Yanran was lying sideways on the sofa holding Ultraman, wearing cream-white loungewear, and smiling softly.

The background music from the movie was being picked up by the microphone. Gu Siye asked him, “Watching a movie?”

Lin Yanran nodded.

The film was reaching its climax, and the protagonists’ voices were quite intense. Lin Yanran couldn’t hear Gu Siye clearly, so he pressed pause.

He stroked Ultraman’s head, lowered his eyes, and invited Gu Siye, “Do you have time to watch it with me today, Teacher Gu?”

“I have time.”

Gu Siye checked the watch on his wrist, his heart already racing toward home. “I’m about twenty minutes away by car.”

Because of work, Lin Yanran often stayed at the house Gu Siye rented to him.

So when he was engrossed in watching the movie in the home theater, he suddenly felt someone gently hug him from behind.

Ultraman let out an excited cry and immediately jumped out of Lin Yanran’s arms.

The source of warmth in his lap had suddenly leaped toward Gu Siye, making Lin Yanran feel momentarily unaccustomed.

He rubbed his eyes and stood up to stretch; his eyes felt a bit sore after an afternoon of movies.

Seeing that Lin Yanran’s eyes were slightly red, Gu Siye got him some eye drops.

“How long have you been watching?”

Lin Yanran tilted his head back and closed his eyes. “Almost all day.”

Upon hearing that, Gu Siye immediately shut off the projector.

“Take a rest.”

Lin Yanran didn’t object. He waited for the eye drops to absorb before reopening his eyes.

When his vision cleared, he saw Gu Siye looking at him. The other man seemed to hesitate before speaking. “Actually, you don’t need to work this hard.”

Gu Siye wasn’t wrong.

Lin Yanran’s training for his acting skills over the past few days had indeed been exhausting.

He was either in class or doing homework; he barely rested and even dreamed about how to perform at night.

Lin Yanran looked down and smiled. “I can’t help it. I have an ‘idol burden’ to maintain. If I mess up the performance, Sister Hong will have a hard time with the PR.”

Though he said this, his tone didn’t actually suggest he cared that much about his image.

He treated the matter so seriously simply because that was his nature.

Whenever he decided to do something, he intended to do his absolute best.

Gu Siye knew Lin Yanran was joking. He was about to speak, but Ultraman, circling his legs, had an objection.

Ultraman tilted its little head back and stared at Gu Siye, its tail swaying from side to side, but it was barking loudly, seemingly having a bone to pick with Gu Siye.

Lin Yanran immediately understood and explained, “Ultraman is nagging you to give it a bath.”

“Alright, wait a moment.”

Gu Siye went to change.

Lin Yanran and Gu Siye weren’t officially living together yet, but because they lived so close and frequently visited each other, they both kept clothes and daily necessities at each other’s places.

Soon, Gu Siye came out wearing a loungewear set that matched Lin Yanran’s.

The two went to the bathroom and began to bathe the “Great Lord Ultraman.”

Lin Yanran applied dog shampoo and gently scrubbed it.

Once it was covered in beautiful bubbles, Ultraman spread its little paws and lay back on a small stool, closing its eyes and starting to hum. Its voice sounded like a milky baby’s coo—very melodic, almost like singing.

Gu Siye, who had just brought the hairdryer over, was speechless when he saw Ultraman’s smug, enjoyable expression. “What’s with that expression??”

Lin Yanran stopped his scrubbing. “It’s probably… enjoying this?”

Hearing them, Ultraman opened its eyes to glance at Gu Siye, then flicked a paw, signaling for Gu Siye to hurry up with the rinsing.

Gu Siye ignored the demand and took out his phone to record a video instead.

After the rinsing and drying, Ultraman abandoned Gu Siye, the bathing tool, and went back to sticking only to Lin Yanran.

While Gu Siye was cooking, Lin Yanran happened to see a funny dog video and thought the expression was similar to Ultraman’s earlier.

He asked Gu Siye for his phone to see the video he had just taken.

At first, the star of the video was indeed Ultraman. But as Lin Yanran watched, he realized that at some point, his own face occupied most of the frames in the camera lens.

After dinner, Lin Yanran habitually turned on his phone to watch another movie, only for it to be confiscated by Gu Siye.

Gu Siye took Lin Yanran by the waist, turning him so he was kneeling in his lap, and finally brought up what he had been wanting to say.

“Why didn’t you come to me when something like this happened?”

He had known about the quitting incident the moment it occurred. He had heard all the gossip in the industry, both the things he should have heard and the things he shouldn’t.

Normally, he wouldn’t even look at a guest performer role for a show like The Best Screenwriter.

But when he learned that Lin Yanran needed such a partner, he did not hesitate at all and immediately prepared to step in.

He thought Lin Yanran would contact him right away, but the other party hadn’t said a word until now.

Gu Siye couldn’t quite describe the emotion.

Even before they were together, he knew Lin Yanran liked to handle everything himself and disliked troubling others.

But now that they were lovers, he felt that sometimes, it wasn’t necessary to be quite staunch; they could lean on each other.

He felt contradictory—understanding the other, yet wishing he wouldn’t be so independent.

Plus, the thought of his lover’s first acting experience being as a same-sex couple with a stranger made his blood boil even more.

Lin Yanran, kneeling on Gu Siye’s lap, supported himself by Gu Siye’s shoulders. His position was a bit unstable, so he tried to adjust.

But because the two were pressed very close together, he realized as soon as he moved slightly that it was better for him to stay still.

Once he stabilized himself, he used one hand to brace his body and the other to gently brush across the other man’s lips.

Lin Yanran replayed Gu Siye’s words in his head.

Why didn’t you come to me when something like this happened?

He whispered an explanation: “Because I knew that Teacher Gu would definitely come to help me.”

The wildfire burning in Gu Siye’s heart was suddenly smoothed over by this single sentence, as gentle as water.

—

When Lin Yanran’s team contacted the production team to say that they had found a co-star, someone anonymously leaked the news that the male actor had withdrawn from the show.

A “small account” claiming to be an industry insider began leaking the gossip piece by piece to the public in a mocking tone:

[Something hilarious happened recently on a certain TV station’s S-level variety show.]

[The show is about screenwriters, but the planners are brain-dead. The theme was designed using a combination of elements.]

[The result? An unlucky screenwriter drew elements that combined into a ‘Dog-blood Danmei’.]

[The screenwriter’s face turned green, and he protested on the spot, but the production team wouldn’t allow it.]

[The lead actor for the danmei drama was LX, a man in his 30s who specializes in filming urban dramas and “middle-aged woman” type dramas¹Oppsite to idol drama, it’s female-centric, usually married or family-themed. , and his partner was a singer and variety show star who recently exploded in popularity.]

[Originally, everyone thought the matter was settled.]

[But then came the funniest part.]

The leaker stopped right there, refusing to reveal any more.

Only after everyone had called out for updates and speculated across thousands of posts did the source finally return to continue the leak.

[That 30-something straight actor said he was homophobic, then resigned and ran away.]

[Now the production team is completely dumbfounded, searching all over the world to find an actor to take over the role and act in this dog-blood danmei with the singer-variety star. Everyone in the industry is dying of laughter after hearing about it.]

After reading this leak, netizens passing by to eat melons commented that it was so surreal, so explosive, and so “hahahahahaha.”

When it comes to this kind of so-called “industry leak,” the thing everyone loves to do most after reading is decoding the identities.

With the combined efforts of the crowd and hints from the leaker, everyone finally locked onto the correct targets.

Just as the identity was successfully decoded in the thread, marketing accounts that had been following the post immediately carried the story over to other platforms.

Because it was too hilarious, the marketing accounts’ posts went viral quickly and even hit a low-ranking spot on the Hot Search list.

Consequently, almost every gossip-loving passerby knew that the actor supposed to act alongside Lin Yanran had run away because of homophobia.

Once gossip passed through several hands, the flavor started to change.

Gradually, as people spread the story back and forth, the focus eventually shifted back onto Lin Yanran.

Those with more malicious intent dropped various hints that the actor’s resignation due to homophobia was just an excuse—the real reason was that Lin Yanran’s acting was so bad his partner ran away in disgust.

Another group was much the same: on one hand, they questioned whether Lin Yanran could even act and why he hadn’t resigned instead of clinging on and refusing to leave; on the other hand, they began to ask which unlucky fool would step in to take over the role and act with him.

Fans and some normal passersby felt that there was a great deal of malice toward Lin Yanran, arguing that he was also a victim and shouldn’t be treated so harshly.

But those people wouldn’t listen. Instead, they felt the fans were just acting as “passersby” to save face for their idol because the criticism about his lack of acting skills hit their sore spots.

As the two sides went back and forth, the flames of war were once again drawn toward Lin Yanran.

In matters like this, whoever has the most people usually wins.

Lin Yanran’s fan base was quite large now. When the argument reached its peak and the haters saw they couldn’t win the shouting match, they left a haughty comment before disappearing:

“Well, let’s wait and see then~ Don’t let your faces get slapped when he drags the whole production down~”

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  Oppsite to idol drama, it’s female-centric, usually married or family-themed.