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Synopsis:

On the show, the Best Actor was asked to borrow money from a friend in the industry.

As I was watching, my phone rang: “Lend me 500 bucks, it’s urgent.”

I calmly responded, “With the relationship between us, you’re only worth 50 cents.”

The entertainment industry exploded, and the hashtag #BestActorOnlyWorth50Cents quickly trended.

Suddenly, the CP (couple pairing) between me and the Best Actor was born out of nowhere.

I quietly liked a post from the CP fans, but I got caught by netizens.

Oh no, I forgot to switch accounts!

Netizens jokingly commented on the Best Actor: “I thought we were bros, but you just want my body!”

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1

I was sitting in front of the screen, watching Xie Xu’s live show.

When it came to the prank segment, the host asked the guests to call their closest friend in the industry to borrow money.

Not much, just 500 bucks. Whoever borrowed it first would win this round.

On the live stream, Xie Xu, standing tall at 1.9 meters, took his phone from the staff and quickly opened his contact list.

Within a few seconds, my phone rang.

I answered: “Hello?”

Xie Xu’s voice was emotionless: “Lend me 500 bucks, it’s urgent.”

I teasingly replied, “Bro, you’re this cool? You borrow money so coldly?”

On the live stream, Xie Xu’s beautiful brows furrowed, and his voice became slightly more urgent: “Are you lending it or not?”

“I’ll lend it, of course. But with our relationship, you’re only worth 50 cents.”

As soon as I said that, a burst of teasing erupted from the live show audience.

The other guests held their breath, not daring to make a sound, but their eyes all honestly turned towards Xie Xu.

The Best Actor, who had never been seen close with anyone in the industry, was being teased like this in private?

Who understands? We’ve really got a ship going here!

Xie Xu’s face flushed bright red, and he abruptly hung up the phone.

The next second, I transferred the money to him.

WeChat Payment: 500 yuan!

I smiled smugly and returned to the live stream’s comment section.

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2

Not long ago, I shot to fame with a drama.

In the show, I played the second male lead, deeply in love, while Xie Xu played the male lead, my romantic rival.

Originally, we didn’t have many scenes together, but the online “shippers” skillfully edited our moments into a BL (boys’ love) video, which quickly went viral.

Instead of the romantic scenes between the Best Actor and the leading actress catching on, the fans started shipping me and Xie Xu as a CP:

“Xie Xu is a guy, and so is Xiao Huai. Isn’t that just perfect? Get together already!”

“Their looks match so well! One’s a wolf, the other’s sweet—it’s a perfect match!”

“And their personalities are complementary: Xie Xu is cold, Xiao Huai is lively.”

“Let’s crowdfund 10 million to have them act as a couple!”

…

Xie Xu doesn’t like attention.

He often sits on a quiet step with a slightly hunched back, holding a thick script filled with his handwritten notes.

His side profile is sharp and handsome, his skin pale, with the blue veins beneath faintly visible.

Thinking back, yeah, he’s pretty good-looking.

As the video went viral, the netizens formed the “Xiao Xie (Xie Huai) CP” themselves.

Because Xie Xu is cold and distant, most people just thought our relationship was normal colleagues.

Our CP fans didn’t have much to “ship,” so they made it all up themselves.

With meticulously written fanfiction, they constantly propelled the Xiao Xie CP to popularity, even making it to the top of the couple rankings.

Every time I saw those fanfics, I’d silently like them with my alt account.

They were written so sweetly that I almost believed it myself.

Don’t worry, I’ll protect our CP from now on.

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3

Xie Xu, this friend of mine, I picked him up in high school.

Yes, that’s right, I found him by the roadside.

Back then, he wasn’t called Xie Xu, he was Xie Yu.

Xie Yu was a good student who skipped grades, entering high school two years younger than everyone else, and four or five years younger than someone like me, who repeated a grade.

Because of family troubles, he moved cities to live with a distant relative who was a teacher, becoming a transfer student at my high school.

Even in high school, Xie Xu was the same—lonely, distant, not fond of socializing. But he was good-looking and had excellent grades, the secret crush of many girls, and a thorn in the side of the tough guys who solved everything with their fists.

I’d heard several times that people stuffed snakes, rats, and cockroaches into his desk, ripped up his exam papers, and even tried to ambush him on his way home.

One day, by chance, I witnessed it.

I’d just finished a fight and wasn’t satisfied—I needed to vent. And there they were, a group of thugs messing with Xie Xu, as if they were harassing an innocent girl.

Xie Xu’s delicate face was bruised, clearly having been beaten into submission. He just stood there silently, head down.

“This kid’s even prettier than a girl.”

“Good student, huh? Looks like he’s loaded. How about coughing up some cash?”

Those thugs loved bullying well-behaved, gentle boys like him.

The leader gave Xie Xu a shove on the shoulder, and with his thin frame, he stumbled back several steps.

Not a word of complaint, just… pathetic.

I, being a “three-good student” (good in courage, victory, and loyalty), couldn’t let this happen.

I threw a punch and knocked the thug down.

The group didn’t back off, and we got into a brawl.

In the end, they were the first to tire out.

Watching them flee, I shouted after them, “Try bullying my little brother again, and I’ll beat you every time!”

Turning around, I whistled at Xie Xu, “Don’t worry, little bro, I’ve got your back.”

Xie Xu, who had been silent all this time, walked over to me. He looked up, and tears streamed down his face.

“Why are you crying, little bro?”

I could handle girls crying, but a guy much younger than me? No clue.

With girls, I’d buy them something pretty to cheer them up, but what do I do when a guy cries?

I reached out to wipe Xie Xu’s tears, only to realize I’d smeared dust and blood on his face.

“Uh…” I quickly pulled my hand back.

At that moment, Xie Xu looked up at me with tear-filled eyes and asked…

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