novelraw Chapter 121: #3 on Trending! Ci-ge, Please Just Be Human!
Chapter 121: #3 on Trending! Ci-ge, Please Just Be Human!
In the entourage van, Jiang Ci held his phone.
The screen showed the call ended interface.
Lin Wan had hung up as swiftly as ever, leaving him no room for rebuttal.
He could imagine the expression on Lin Wan's face on the other end of the line the moment he asked about the new script.
Probably surprise, then that kind of "the pupil can be taught" relief, finally transforming into a "can't be bothered with you" decisiveness.
This boss understood him better than he understood himself.
Lin Wan knew clearly that what Jiang Ci needed most right now wasn't the hollow pleasantries of a celebration banquet, nor the fervent adoration of fans.
He needed an outlet.
An outlet that would let him quickly escape from the identity of "General Gu."
His phone vibrated softly.Lin Wan's text message arrived.
[That Q7 will be parked in the underground parking lot of your hotel before 7 AM tomorrow. The key is at the hotel front desk for you.]
Not a single superfluous greeting.
All action-oriented care.
Jiang Ci looked at that line of text, his entire body finally relaxing completely.
He replied.
[Thanks for understanding, Sister Wan.]
After typing these four words, he thought for a moment, his fingers swiping a few times on the screen.
He dug out a cheeky, grinning emoji from his sticker pack and tapped send.
Now that felt right.
...
Returning to the hotel suite.
Sun Zhou was waiting at the door, holding a tablet in his hand, his face a mix of excitement and professional seriousness.
"Ci-ge, you're back! The premiere was a huge success! Look online..."
He stepped forward, ready to start his work report.
"Sun Zhou."
Jiang Ci spoke, cutting him off.
Sun Zhou immediately straightened up, adopting a posture of awaiting orders.
"Ci-ge, go ahead!"
Jiang Ci took off his jacket and casually tossed it onto the sofa.
"I'm giving you a vacation."
Sun Zhou froze.
"Huh? Ci-ge, wasn't the vacation already scheduled?"
"There's still an interview with 'Movie Frontline' tomorrow morning, a promotional photoshoot in the afternoon, the day after..."
"Cancel them all."
Jiang Ci said it lightly, as if it were nothing.
"From now until the eighth day of the Lunar New Year when 'The Legend of Han and Chu' starts work, you are free."
Sun Zhou's mouth formed an "O" shape, almost dropping the tablet.
An ultra-long New Year holiday?
From the first day of the Lunar New Year to the eighth?
What kind of heavenly treatment was this!
"But... Ci-ge, your work..."
He was still dutifully thinking about Jiang Ci's schedule.
Jiang Ci didn't speak further. He just picked up his phone, opened WeChat, and found Sun Zhou's profile picture.
He tapped a few times.
Sun Zhou's phone in his pocket let out a "ding."
He subconsciously pulled it out to look.
The screen showed a transfer notification.
When he saw the string of numbers below the transfer, his entire being petrified.
5000.
This far exceeded the standard red envelope amount for an assistant, even higher than his monthly bonus.
Sun Zhou held the phone, his hand trembling.
He abruptly looked up at the figure who had already walked to the window, his back turned as he looked at the night view outside.
He wanted to say something.
Wanted to say thank you.
Wanted to say Ci-ge, you're too good to me.
But the words stuck in his throat, forming a lump, not a single syllable able to escape.
In the end, he just took a heavy sniff, then spoke incoherently.
"Ci-ge... I..."
"I... I'll definitely work hard!"
"In the future, I'll go through fire and water for you without hesitation!"
He said these words haltingly, yet with the most sincere, solitary courage.
This wasn't just about the money.
This was recognition.
In this vanity fair filled with hypocrisy and empty courtesy, it was a recognition completely untainted by impurities.
Jiang Ci didn't turn around.
"Alright, hurry up and book your ticket home."
"Don't waste time here."
Sun Zhou nodded vigorously, then bowed deeply to Jiang Ci's back.
Only then did he walk out of the suite, looking back every few steps.
The door closed softly.
The whole world was finally quiet.
Jiang Ci stood alone in the huge suite for a long time.
He walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower.
Warm water cascaded down from above, washing away the fatigue from his body.
After washing up, he changed into the simplest loungewear from his suitcase and lay down on the sofa.
He picked up his phone, opened Weibo, wanting to see how "Palace Conspiracy" was trending.
The top three spots on the hot search list were firmly occupied by three glaring topics.
[#Spring Festival Gala#]
[#Spring Festival Gala Sketches#]
[#General Gu's Forever is Now#]
The promotional team for "Palace Conspiracy" was indeed astonishingly fast.
Jiang Ci clicked into the hashtag that belonged to him.
It had completely exploded inside.
All sorts of movie screenshots from the premiere, short video clips, and pictures of sobbing audience members were being frantically reposted.
[I hereby declare, from today onward, General Gu is the ceiling of White Moonlight in my heart! Who agrees, who opposes! [Screenshot][Screenshot]]
[That part where he was drumming at the end, I literally cried myself breathless. The waves of sobbing in the cinema, I thought I'd walked into some large-scale pyramid scheme. [Sobbing][Sobbing]]
[Jiang Ci's answer was absolutely killer—"That 'now' is his 'forever'." Aaaaaah I'm dead! How can he understand it so perfectly! He IS General Gu himself!]
[Please! Writer of "Palace Conspiracy," do us a favor! Why do you have to do this to my A'Gu! [Knife][Knife][Knife]]
[To the person above, is there a possibility that the writer of "Palace Conspiracy" is Lin Wan...]
[...My mistake.]
Jiang Ci scrolled through these comments expressionlessly.
Then, he logged into the official Weibo account the company had applied for him.
The number in the follower count column made him pause.
[3.02 million]
This number had previously been stuck in the two millions.
The private messages and @ notifications in the backend had all turned into unclickable "99+."
Jiang Ci didn't open those fervent private messages.
He just quietly glanced at that number, then cleanly exited the Weibo app.
This false prosperity was far less substantial than the real number on the system panel.
[Remaining Life: 246 days 4 hours]
He closed all social media apps, found that familiar number, and dialed.
Madam Chu Hong.
He made the call.
"Beep... beep..."
The phone rang only twice before being quickly answered.
"Hello? Xiao Ci?"
His mother's voice held a trace of cautious delight, as if afraid she was dreaming.
"Mom, it's me."
Jiang Ci leaned back on the sofa, shifting into a more comfortable position.
"Why are you calling at this hour? Is your work finished?"
Madam Chu Hong fired off questions like a machine gun.
"Yeah, finished."
Jiang Ci listened to the familiar voice on the other end, his entire being softening.
"Mom, I'm heading home first thing tomorrow morning."
On the other end of the line, there was a moment of silence.
Then came Madam Chu Hong's confirmation, filled with joy.
"Really? Coming back tomorrow?"
"Yeah, really."
"That's wonderful! That's wonderful!" Madam Chu Hong kept saying on the other end, "I'll tell your grandma to prepare a few more of your favorite dishes tomorrow!"
Jiang Ci listened, an unconscious smile forming.
"Okay."
"About what time will you arrive? Can you make it for dinner in the evening?"
"I can, I'll be at Grandma's house by evening, just in time for dinner."
For Jiang Ci, a child who grew up in a small southern town, the second day of the Lunar New Year was the unshakable "Grandma's House Day."
"Alright, alright! Drive safely on the road, don't drive too fast, you hear?"
"I hear you, Mom."
Mother and son chatted a bit more about everyday things.
Hanging up the phone.
Jiang Ci let out a long, deep sigh.
An unprecedented sense of relaxation enveloped his entire body.
Escape the spotlight.
Shake off General Gu.
Go home and celebrate a real New Year.
This was his most genuine, most urgent wish at this moment.