Chapter 11: The Enduring Scandal and a Secret Marriage

Going to the hospital was simply out of the question.

After dinner, Ji Xiao brought Pei Yu to the bed for a serious discussion, finally dispelling his notion of taking him to the hospital.

Ji Xiao still occasionally invited artists to hotels.

Although nothing untoward ever happened, he invariably promoted every single one of them.

And the people he chose were almost always individuals with impeccable character.

Unsurprisingly, Ji Xiao’s reputation for being a philanderer spread throughout the industry.

Many artists in the circle yearned for a night with him!

Regrettably, Ji Xiao never accepted anyone who offered themselves proactively.

Pei Yu had grown so accustomed to it that he no longer bothered checking the surveillance footage.

Black Cat, however, voiced some concern: “Aren’t you just exploiting a loophole here?”

Ji Xiao chuckled, “Have I failed to maintain my philandering persona? Has my character collapsed?”

Black Cat: “…” It hadn’t reached the point of collapse yet.

If his persona were to collapse, leading to a mission failure, it would receive a notification.

Without exception, everyone Ji Xiao promoted achieved stardom.

Star Ocean Entertainment flourished, growing stronger by the day.

Pei Yu, having just returned home after filming a movie, faced his agent, Agent Xie, who was brimming with worry.

“Brother Xie, it’s been two years. Why are you still harping on about this?”

Agent Xie sighed with concern, “You know it’s been two years, and CEO Xiao still hasn’t settled down. The number of people he’s taken to hotels and then promoted could circle the entire company.”

Pei Yu calmly replied, “So what?”

Agent Xie, frustrated by Pei Yu’s apparent indifference, exclaimed, “He makes no effort to conceal it! He clearly doesn’t respect you. Is your heart truly so vast that you can tolerate this?”

Pei Yu leaned back in the passenger seat, remaining silent.

Agent Xie, driving and grinding his teeth, continued, “Now, no one in the industry can shake your position. You don’t have to suffer this indignity. Just get a divorce!”

Pei Yu looked at him, speechless. “Brother Xie, what are you even thinking?”

“Since he doesn’t care about you and keeps cuckolding you, why are you still enduring him?”

Agent Xie’s voice was firm and resolute.

“Divorce him, leave Star Ocean, and start your own studio!”

Pei Yu chuckled softly. “He hasn’t cuckolded me.”

Agent Xie looked at him as if he were an idiot. “He takes artists to hotels every other day. Are you really deluding yourself?”

Pei Yu smiled and shook his head, offering no explanation.

“Xiao Yu, I know you like CEO Xiao, but you shouldn’t demean yourself like this…”

“I’m not.”

“You still say you’re not!”

Agent Xie was exasperated.

Pei Yu tilted his head slightly, seeing the worry etched on his agent’s face, and finally decided to tell him the truth.

“Ah Xiao hasn’t betrayed me. He doesn’t have ‘that kind’ of relationship with those artists.”

The traffic light ahead turned red. Agent Xie stopped the car and glared at him. “That’s what he tells you to appease you! You actually believe it!”

Pei Yu pulled out his phone, opened the surveillance app, and handed it to him. “See? I can see everything, whether he’s at home, in the office, or at a hotel.”

Agent Xie gasped in utter shock.

Pei Yu retrieved his phone. “Every time he meets someone, it’s at the Weiss Hotel. And every time, I can see it. He truly hasn’t betrayed me, so please, stop worrying.”

Agent Xie drew a sharp breath.

Pei Yu prompted, “The light’s green.”

Agent Xie drove numbly. “So, CEO Xiao takes them to hotels, but does nothing?”

Pei Yu smiled. “He just has them perform whatever they’re good at. Nothing else.”

Agent Xie: “…” I’m completely speechless.

He had always assumed CEO Xiao was a notorious philanderer, and Pei Yu was making sacrifices for love.

He never imagined that CEO Xiao did nothing with those people, and that Pei Yu actually had access to surveillance footage!

Did CEO Xiao even know about this?

He hadn’t realized Pei Yu possessed such a strong desire for control…

Agent Xie opened his mouth several times, wanting to speak, but ultimately decided against it. He finally said with a weary sigh, “I’m not getting involved in your affairs anymore.”

The car pulled up outside Ji Xiao’s house.

****

Star Ocean Entertainment. President’s Office.

The phone on the desk lit up.

Ji Xiao looked down and saw a message from Pei Yu: [I’m home. What do you want for dinner tonight?]

Ji Xiao: [You]

Pei Yu: [Selfie.jpg]

Ji Xiao: “…”

In the photo, Pei Yu had just finished showering, his loose bathrobe wide open at the collar, and his damp hair casually splayed. He looked slightly up at the screen.

His red lips glistened with water.

Ji Xiao tugged at his tie, shut down his computer, picked up his phone and car keys from the desk, and headed out.

He passed Secretary Zhou’s station. “I’m off work. Handle anything urgent yourselves.”

Secretary Zhou: “?” Alright then.

****

After that, Pei Yu only accepted one film a year, each one of astonishing quality.

Even after gaining international recognition, he maintained his pace of one project per year.

He continued acting until he was fifty, when he finally retired from the screen.

Upon his announcement, his long-time fans, now elderly, reacted with a sense of serene acceptance.

Newer fans wept on Weibo, expressing their reluctance to see him go, but understood there was no changing it.

It was then that Pei Yu posted a picture on Weibo.

Two hands, fingers intertwined, wedding rings gleaming.

[Ah!! Brother finally got married!]

[He’s fifty, and you’re still calling him ‘Brother’?]

[He’ll be ‘Brother’ even at a hundred! I recognize the hand on the left, it’s Brother’s!]

[Um… why is the hand on the right larger than Brother’s?]

[Oh my, I never expected Brother’s spouse to be a man! Please share a photo! I want to see what Brother’s husband looks like!]

[I think I’ve seen Brother wear this ring before. So he was already married, he’s been hiding it from us all this time!!!]

[Pfft! What do you mean ‘hiding’? Brother never said he *wasn’t* married!]

[Exactly, his marriage is his business, he doesn’t have to tell us!]

[Brother, quickly post a picture of your husband!]

…

Pei Yu was already fifty, and his achievements over the years had been stellar.

His sudden marriage announcement instantly shot to the top of the trending topics.

Besides the congratulatory and relieved messages, some people criticized him for ‘secretly’ marrying and deceiving his fans, but these voices were ultimately drowned out by the overwhelming chorus of congratulations.

In high spirits, Pei Yu then posted a picture of Ji Xiao’s back.

It was taken by a beach, with the evening glow meeting the sea and sky.

Ji Xiao, dressed in a sharp suit, faced the ocean, his posture tall and his aura striking.

The Weibo platform exploded once more.

Soon, someone dug up the truth: Wasn’t this CEO Xiao?

CEO Xiao, known for his philandering ways, had been reported by paparazzi several times for taking various artists from his company to hotels, though it never truly affected him. Those artists, protected by him, also remained largely unscathed.

Nevertheless, many people remembered this CEO who was linked to numerous famous actors and singers.

[Holy hell! Did CEO Xiao finally make a move on Film Emperor Pei?!]

[Wait, if CEO Xiao was already married to Film Emperor Pei, then wasn’t he cheating all these years?]

[No big deal, he’s old now, he can’t cheat anymore.]

[Are you a blockhead? Just because he can’t cheat now doesn’t mean what he did before is irrelevant!]

[Brother, we won’t let you marry this scumbag!]

[Scumbag, get lost!—]

Getting lost was not an option.

Ji Xiao had taken one of Pei Yu’s nephews under his wing several years prior, grooming him for the business.

As soon as Pei Yu retired from acting, Ji Xiao handed the company over to the nephew and immediately flew abroad with Pei Yu for a vacation.

Pei Yu passed away at the age of seventy-one.

After his departure, Ji Xiao, having been deemed by Black Cat to have completed his mission, also left that world.

Upon returning to the system space, Ji Xiao bristled. “Quick, quick, take me to the next world!”

Black Cat: “…” This host is so annoying. Cats are so cute, yet he’s avoiding it like the plague!

It didn’t even announce the completion rewards, simply tossing him into the next world.

…

When Ji Xiao opened his eyes, fear still lingered. The sudden sight of a white cat’s emerald green vertical pupils almost scared him to death, causing him to recoil swiftly.

“Get lost!”

“…Xiao, Brother Xiao?”

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