Popular Top Stream (7): Gu Juntian’s kindness to him made him fall even deeper in love with him.

Zhou Qinghao knew that his performance in the variety show did not meet the expectations of his fans.

But he actually didn’t do anything wrong; he was always seriously completing his tasks and even helped those who couldn’t finish theirs.

Previously, Qiao Qiao had been guiding public opinion, and with some irrational comments from his fans, his reputation online had worsened.

But if he was willing, his team could quickly steer public opinion in his favor.

“Now is indeed the best time to guide public opinion. Not only can it wash away those unfavorable comments about you, but it can also make the fans feel sorry for you” the manager replied.

Zhou Qinghao sent a message: “Be careful in guiding the fans, I don’t need their sympathy, and don’t let them act impulsively.”

After gaining influence, Zhou Qinghao had been trying to guide his fans, but the effect had been minimal.

Some younger fans are easily impulsive when they get carried away with their emotions.

This was also the reason why he previously wanted to use this variety show to make some fans unfollow him.

And for this second episode of the variety show, he was prepared for Gu Juntian to ignore him and focus solely on taking care of Qiao Qiao.

He couldn’t refuse Gu Juntian’s request, and he would likely become Qiao Qiao’s stepping stone in the variety show, being mocked for currying favor with the capitalists, then breaking his aloof persona and losing a bunch of fans.

But his fans won’t completely abandon him, and although the title of “flattery towards capital” was unpleasant, it didn’t even involve any legal or moral issues.

His fame had been growing over the past few years, and his pay had inevitably been increasing.

Although he still received quite a few scripts, those scripts were all aimed at his popularity, and the character settings given to him were all related to being aloof and cool.

This was not what he wanted; he didn’t want to keep playing such roles.

But those film crews that were genuinely making movies couldn’t afford to pay him to act. 

He had been elevated too high and couldn’t just choose any role he wanted.

If he were to join a small production or play the second male lead now, he would be ridiculed along with his fans.

He would be fine, but his fans wouldn’t be able to handle it.

With fewer fans, he would have more options and could transition smoothly.

As for no one wanting to cast him in a film… that was impossible.

Movies and TV dramas are all capital investments. His “flattery towards capital” wasn’t even a big deal in the eyes of the capitalists.

Of course, this was just his assumption; there could be worse outcomes.

For example, if his relationship with Gu Juntian got exposed.

If that happened, he would have to withdraw from the industry.

But that was actually not a big deal.

In the previous years, he had been saving money, and now he had a lot of assets. Even if he were to retire from the industry at this point, he wouldn’t have a bad life for the rest of his days.

Zhou Qinghao thought of many endings, but he never expected that Gu Juntian’s attitude towards him would suddenly change.

From the first time he met Gu Juntian, he liked this person.

Today, when Gu Juntian appeared in front of him, his heart raced uncontrollably.

Sitting next to the water chestnut field, watching Gu Juntian dig up water chestnuts, he even wished time would stop forever.

Zhou Qinghao slowly took a shower, his fingers trembling unconsciously as he washed.

When he found out that Gu Juntian didn’t like him, he didn’t want to break up; he just wanted to fight for it, to win Gu Juntian over.

Now, he was even less likely to let go.

After finishing his shower, he loosely draped on his pajamas, exposing a large part of his chest, and walked outside.

Gu Juntian had already laid out and turned on the electric blanket.

This house looked old, but the rooms inside had been tidied up. The bathroom, which didn’t have cameras installed, was actually quite well renovated, with warm air inside.

It made sense; in the southern regions without heating, they wouldn’t be able to take a shower in this weather without warm air.

However, while the bathroom had warm air, the rooms didn’t have any heating equipment until the staff brought in electric blankets.

“Qinghao, I’ve already laid out the electric blanket…” Before Gu Juntian could finish his sentence, he saw Zhou Qinghao wearing a loose and casual pajama.

Without thinking, he grabbed the large towel he had just pulled out from the suitcase and wrapped it around Zhou Qinghao: “You hurry and go to bed! It’s so cold today, and you didn’t even dry your hair before coming out! You should wear more clothes too…”

Saying this, Gu Juntian hurriedly took the hairdryer from the bathroom and started drying Zhou Qinghao’s hair, muttering, “How can you not know to take care of yourself?”

Zhou Qinghao looked up at Gu Juntian.

He had been dating Gu Juntian for over a year.

Because he was very busy, and Gu Juntian also had to complete his studies, they spent very little time together.

During this past year, every time he saw Gu Juntian, he felt happy and couldn’t help but want to see him. For Gu Juntian’s sake, he even went against many of his own principles.

But before, he had never had any intimate behavior with Gu Juntian.

This was because Gu Juntian was unwilling, and also because he had never had such impulses before.

At that time, just being able to see Gu Juntian was enough to make him feel satisfied.

But at this moment, seeing Gu Juntian’s face so close, he wanted to kiss him.

This kind of thought was something he had never had before.

Today, Gu Juntian’s kindness had made him fall even deeper.

Zhou Qinghao gritted his teeth and restrained himself.

When he first started dating Gu Juntian, he was afraid that his fans would discover Gu Juntian’s existence and act irrationally towards him, so he was particularly cautious.

Later, he realized that Qiao Qiao was not simple and that Gu Juntian didn’t like him, so he became even more careful.

He subconsciously guarded against Qiao Qiao, worried that Qiao Qiao would take some threatening photos of him.

He and Gu Juntian had never even held hands. When Gu Juntian sent him roses, he didn’t even receive them personally; he had Gu Juntian give them to his assistant, who then placed them in his home.

Of course, he later found out that those roses weren’t even meant to be sent by Gu Juntian.

Because of all this, he always thought he could accept breaking up with Gu Juntian, but now, he could no longer accept it.

He even felt that it was very difficult for him to restrain himself from getting close to Gu Juntian.

He probably only had the option of withdrawing from the circle.

Zhou Qinghao, while bitterly smiling in his heart, said, “I didn’t sleep all night last night, and my head hurts a bit today. I’m a bit slow to react, sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing to me?” Gu Juntian said, “Last night was my fault. I shouldn’t have argued with you.”

He just said that Zhou Qinghao was so dazed today, not only because he was sick, but also because he hadn’t slept all night.

Even Zhou Qinghao being sick might be because he hadn’t slept all night!

The original owner was such a jerk!

He must make it up!

Zhou Qinghao had a lot of hair, but since it was short, it dried quickly.

Gu Juntian put down the hairdryer and lay down on the bed: “Let’s go to sleep early, we have to get up early tomorrow.”

He was really tired now, and he felt like he could fall asleep as soon as he hit the pillow.

The original owner didn’t sleep well last night, and today he worked in the fields for a long time…

Gu Juntian indeed fell asleep as soon as he lay down.

Zhou Qinghao took a nap in the afternoon, thinking he wouldn’t be able to sleep, but listening to the steady breathing from the bed next to him, he quickly fell asleep.

After they fell asleep, someone online began to guide public opinion.

Zhou Qinghao had never thought of dealing with Qiao Qiao before.

Although Qiao Qiao had a bit of cunning, people always act in their own interest, and he could understand Qiao Qiao’s actions.

Moreover, since Qiao Qiao was someone Gu Juntian liked, he didn’t mind being a stepping stone for Qiao Qiao, giving him a bright future, as he didn’t want Gu Juntian to dislike him.

But now, Gu Juntian was warning him to be careful of Qiao Qiao.

Then he definitely had to do something.

“Did Qiao Qiao hire some water army? Participating in variety shows without doing anything, yet still getting all good reviews.”

“Just because he’s a rich second generation, he can avoid work and push it onto others? Sorry, I can’t empathize with capitalists who exploit others.”

“Both are rich second generations, but Qiao Qiao’s performance can’t even compare to Gu Juntian’s.”

“Qiao Qiao’s just a troublemaker.”

“Zhou Qinghao, a top star, works so seriously, but he keeps slacking off, speechless.”

“If he doesn’t want to do farm work, why participate in this variety show?”

……

Live streaming is something that many people don’t have the patience to watch continuously.

It’s especially easy to take a small clip out of context and manipulate public opinion.

Previously, Zhou Qinghao was criticized because someone took his words out of context, and now, it was Qiao Qiao who was being criticized.

Qiao Qiao also had fans, and it was inevitable that both sides would end up arguing.

Zhou Qinghao’s fans defending him made bystanders feel annoyed, and Qiao Qiao’s fans defending him made bystanders feel the same way.

Of course, it was just one night, and since Qiao Qiao didn’t have any major scandals, it didn’t cause too much of a stir online.

When Gu Juntian woke up the next day, it was already seven in the morning.

He had slept for almost nine hours.

When he went to bed yesterday, he was still thinking about getting up early to work, but now, he simply couldn’t get up.

This was just the beginning; even the slightest movement made his whole body ache.

The reason was simple: he strained his muscles last night while desperately digging up water chestnuts.

In the countryside, there’s a saying, “Change the work, change the muscles,” which means that if you do a job you’ve never done before, your body will ache.

Digging up water chestnuts is definitely a job he’s never done before.

Fortunately, a muscle strain isn’t a serious issue.

Gu Juntian got out of bed and then saw that Zhou Qinghao across from him had also opened his eyes.

“Good morning!” Gu Juntian greeted Zhou Qinghao.

“Good morning,” Zhou Qinghao replied.

“Come on, let’s take your temperature!” Gu Juntian took out a thermometer again and measured Zhou Qinghao’s temperature.

36.9 degrees, Zhou Qinghao’s temperature was normal!

“You’re not feeling unwell anywhere, right? Does your throat hurt?” Gu Juntian asked.

“It doesn’t hurt,” Zhou Qinghao replied.

“That’s good. Let’s go downstairs for breakfast,” Gu Juntian started getting dressed.

Zhou Qinghao also slowly got dressed. After putting on his clothes, he saw that he had time, so he took out his various bottles and jars and started his skincare routine.

After skincare, he applied some sunscreen and tidied up his hairstyle, and that was enough.

He really was naturally suited for the entertainment industry.

Many male stars’ skin condition worsens as they age, but his hadn’t.

Gu Juntian wasn’t as meticulous as Zhou Qinghao. He simply washed his face, saw that it was still early, and started working on the computer.

When Zhou Qinghao finished getting ready and came out of the bathroom, he saw Gu Juntian typing away on the keyboard again.

Yesterday, he thought Gu Juntian was always on the computer because he didn’t want to talk to him. Now he realized that wasn’t the case: “Are you very busy with your studies?”

Gu Juntian replied, “Yeah, a bit busy. I was a bit impulsive before and took a lot of leave to help Qiao Qiao, so now I have to make up for it.”

Zhou Qinghao couldn’t help but laugh when he heard Gu Juntian say he was being impulsive.

The two stayed in the room until 7:50 before heading downstairs together.

The live stream started at 8:00, and the others arrived around the same time. Hu Bingshan was sighing, “My old bones almost fell apart from all the fuss; I’m really sore all over today.”

Zhao Li was in the same situation: “I can’t even lift my arms.”

Hu Bingshan said, “It’s fine, no matter how hard it is for us, it’s not as hard as it is for Gu Juntian. Yesterday, the two of us combined only dug six baskets, and he dug six baskets by himself.”

“True,” Zhao Li nodded.

Gu Juntian pretended to be dissatisfied, “Isn’t it a bit wrong to build your happiness on someone else’s suffering?”

While the others were talking, Qiao Qiao and Qin Yanming felt a bit awkward.

After all, those two weren’t even a bit sore.

Yesterday’s water chestnut digging was like child’s play for them.

At eight o’clock, the live stream started on time, and countless people flooded into the stream.

“Come see my goddess’s son!”

“My brother is still so handsome!”

“Qiao Qiao, Mom is here!”

“When is Movie Emperor Qin filming a new movie?”

……

In the live stream, the bullet comments were flying.

Yesterday’s dinner was hard-earned by the guests, but today’s breakfast was directly provided by the director.

The breakfast wasn’t as fancy, but it was still quite hearty.

Local pickles, plain porridge, steamed buns, boiled eggs, century eggs, fermented tofu… and boiled water chestnuts.

“This is the result of your hard work yesterday, everyone can have a taste,” the director said with a smile.

“Then I should eat more,” Gu Juntian picked up a water chestnut and ate it.

The cooked water chestnuts were quite delicious. He ate one after another and even asked the director for another plate.

Although he had eaten quite a bit last night, more than ten hours had passed, and he was already hungry!

The audience was dumbfounded.

“Young Master Gu has quite the appetite!”

“I almost thought I was watching an eating show.”

“It’s making me hungry.”

“The water chestnuts I ordered online haven’t arrived yet, sigh.”

“Seeing breakfast look this good, I just know the director is up to something again!”

……

Compared to Gu Juntian, Qiao Qiao ate very little.

He took half a day to eat one water chestnut, but he didn’t stop talking.

In the eyes of some people, he was very cute like this, but others found him pretentious.

“Qiao Qiao took half a day to eat one water chestnut, it’s really making people anxious.”

“Suddenly I feel like he’s putting on an act.”

“Always acting cute… isn’t he getting a bit old for that?”

“He didn’t do much work yesterday, so it’s normal he isn’t hungry.”

……

Of course, everyone also mentioned Zhou Qinghao: “Zhou Qinghao eats more naturally than Qiao Qiao.”

“Zhou Qinghao is great at everything, but he just lacks variety show sense! He doesn’t know how to steal the spotlight at all!”

“Zhou Qinghao finished an egg in two bites, while Qiao Qiao was over there slowly peeling the egg white, help!”

……

Zhou Qinghao’s appetite was indeed quite good; he was feeling better today, and his mood was also good.

He was about to face a battle, so he definitely needed to eat more and fill up.

Thinking this, Zhou Qinghao glanced at Gu Juntian, only to see Gu Juntian swallow the small boiled egg in one bite and then say to the director, “Director, could you give us another plate of eggs? The eggs on the table are only enough for one per person, not nearly enough to eat.”

Director: “……” This Young Master Gu really could eat a lot!

……

Although he secretly complained, the director still got six boiled eggs from the staff.

For the staff, skipping a boiled egg in the morning was no big deal, after all, they could still eat braised eggs, chicken feet, instant noodles, snail noodles, fried chicken, dumplings, and so on.

They were well-prepared with supplies.

Gu Juntian first handed an egg to Zhou Qinghao: “This looks like a free-range egg, it’s too small… eat another one.”

After saying that, he took another egg for himself and asked the others, “Do you want any more eggs?”

Hu Bingshan and Qin Yanming both said they wanted another one, while Zhao Li and Qiao Qiao said they were already full.

Gu Juntian then unceremoniously took the remaining two eggs for himself.

He was doing both physical and mental labor, so the calorie consumption was really high!

Gu Juntian had already eaten four eggs, while Qiao Qiao still hadn’t finished his, leaving only a small amount of egg white cradling the yolk.

He held the egg and looked at Gu Juntian: “Brother…”

After saying that, he seemed to realize something and stopped speaking.

He silently placed the egg yolk on the plate, then ate the remaining egg whites, forcing a smile as he said to the people in the live stream, “I think the yolk is too dry, I don’t like eating yolks, the egg whites are better.”

This was just a small episode; it seemed like Qiao Qiao was distracted and didn’t pay attention, calling out “Brother.”

But many viewers of the live stream noticed: “Did Qiao Qiao just call out ‘Brother’?”

“Was he calling out towards Gu Juntian?”

“Does Qiao Qiao know Gu Juntian?”

……

“They must know each other, right? They’re both rich second-generation kids, they’re in the same circle.”

“Just now, Qiao Qiao seemed like she was going to give Gu Juntian the yolk…”

“I think so too! If that’s the case, then Qiao Qiao and Gu Juntian were very close before?”

“Definitely! Qiao Qiao even called him ‘brother’!”

……

Of course, some people think that Qiao Qiao might not have been calling out to Gu Juntian, but rather that he had a brother who used to help him eat egg yolks, and he just got distracted and said it out loud.

The audience noticed it, and the few people sitting at the same table certainly couldn’t have missed it.

Gu Juntian didn’t expect that even after he had clarified everything with Qiao Qiao yesterday, Qiao Qiao would still pull such a stunt.

He pretended not to hear it, and the others were momentarily stunned. Seeing that Qiao Qiao and Gu Juntian weren’t speaking, they just assumed the incident hadn’t happened, but various thoughts inevitably arose in their minds.

Zhou Qinghao glanced at Qiao Qiao.

He knew that Qiao Qiao was anxious.

Qiao Qiao was indeed anxious. Gu Juntian’s indifference made him uneasy. This morning, he received a message from his team, informing him that currently, the online reviews about him were not very good.

He had to find a way to turn the situation around.

But his persona had already been established, so it was naturally impossible for him to suddenly become diligent. The only thing he could do was to play up his own identity.

This was actually something he had planned long ago.

He wanted to use Zhou Qinghao to highlight himself and also use Gu Juntian to package himself.

Although Gu Juntian was angry with him because of Qin Yanming’s presence, their many years of relationship, and his mother, were still treated as his own by Gu Juntian.

He calls him “brother” and Gu Juntian definitely wouldn’t object.

As for what came next… he had a way to make Gu Juntian change his mind.

He could tell Gu Juntian that he initially rejected him because of Zhou Qinghao’s threats.

He speaks ill of Zhou Qinghao in front of Gu Juntian because, deep down, he harbored some resentment towards Zhou Qinghao.

Having decided on the role he needed to play, Qiao Qiao began his act.

Gu Juntian was sitting opposite Qiao Qiao, and when Gu Juntian was eating a steamed bun, Qiao Qiao gave Gu Juntian a look of deep sorrow, as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t.

Gu Juntian felt goosebumps all over his body.

Being seduced by a man like Qiao Qiao made him feel uncomfortable all over.

Fortunately, Zhou Qinghao was not like that. Gu Juntian looked at Zhou Qinghao beside him and felt a sense of satisfaction in his heart.

Zhou Qinghao’s indifferent demeanor was really pleasing to his eyes.

What kind of aesthetic did the original owner have! No matter how you look at it, Zhou Qinghao was much more sophisticated than Qiao Qiao!

After everyone had breakfast, the director came to announce the mission.

Today, they were going to help the villagers complete some tasks, and in return, they would receive ingredients.

Only ingredients would be obtained, so they had to make their own lunch.

“Everyone, hurry up and set off! The sooner you complete the tasks, the sooner you can get the ingredients, and the sooner you get the ingredients, the sooner you can eat! Go for it, I believe in you!” The director said with a smug smile.

Guests: “……” What could they do? They could only rush in!

At this moment, a post titled “Qiao Qiao is Really Rich” went viral online.

This post meticulously detailed Qiao Qiao’s eating, clothing, and spending habits.

For example, what brand of shoes Qiao Qiao wore, what brand of jewelry he used, what brand of watch he wore…

The original owner’s allowance wasn’t particularly high, and not all of Qiao Qiao’s clothes were from big brands.

But the original owner cared for Qiao Qiao and arranged the best food and accommodation for him.

When Qiao Qiao went to shoot, he didn’t stay in the hotels arranged by the crew but in five-star hotels, didn’t eat the crew’s boxed meals, but expensive food, and occasionally sent food to the crew members.

And what best showed Qiao Qiao’s identity as a rich second generation were the accessories on him.

The original owner’s father was genuinely wealthy. Although he didn’t care much about the original owner as a son, the things he let slip through his fingers were all good stuff.

Every year on the original owner’s birthday, the original owner’s father would have the stepmother give the original owner a gift. Probably because the original owner never returned home, appearing aloof and indifferent to family wealth, the stepmother treated the original owner quite well.

She would choose an expensive gift on behalf of the original owner’s father, and then pick a slightly less expensive gift herself. She even prepared two birthday gifts for the original owner’s younger siblings.

None of these gifts were cheap—watches worth millions, cars worth millions, accessories worth tens to hundreds of thousands, headphones worth thousands…

The original owner’s father would send these things to the original owner, and of course, Gu Yinghou would send them too.

Then, the original owner gave everything to Qiao Qiao.

Qiao Qiao’s watch was worth millions, and the necklace he wore cost hundreds of thousands. He had many of these things and changed them frequently.

“Qiao Qiao’s family is really rich!”

“He called Gu Juntian ‘brother’ today, so it seems he is quite familiar with Gu Juntian. People in their circle probably all hang out together.”

“Why is Gu Juntian pretending not to know Qiao Qiao?”

“Who knows! Why are so many people talking bad about Qiao Qiao? Even though he works a bit slowly, he always cooperates well when it’s time to get things done!”

“Exactly, some people do nothing at home and still criticize others online.”

“Gu Juntian is down-to-earth, but we can’t expect all rich second-generation kids to be down-to-earth, right?”

……

If Qiao Qiao was a rich second generation… then him working slowly really wasn’t a big deal.

He didn’t lose his temper on the variety show, so his temper is already quite good!

It caused quite a stir online, but ordinary people know nothing about it.

The life of Gu Juntian’s mentor was just like before.

He had already arrived at school, made himself a cup of tea, and then opened his computer to prepare for work.

Gu Juntian sent him something?

This guy, who knew what kind of nonsense he would write this time!