Lu Youze and Gu Xuanze were the last to arrive at the filming set. By the time they got there, everyone else had already arrived. Although Lu Youze had long known that this drama had a star-studded cast, it was only when all these celebrities gathered together that he truly felt the dazzling presence of so many stars.

Apart from the actors attending the opening ceremony and the crew members, the area was packed with layers upon layers of fans and media reporters who had come to show their support.

There were so many support banners that they were almost blinding, and among them, the most numerous were those for Yu Li. Fans were indeed an incredible force. Lu Youze himself had only found out in the middle of the night that Yu Li would be joining the cast, yet these fans had somehow gotten the news in advance and had already stationed themselves here, even preparing banners in advance.

He wondered how those fans would react if they found out that Yu Li wouldn’t actually be joining the production in the end. Thinking about this, Lu Youze couldn’t help but glance at Gu Xuanze again.

Public opinion was the hardest thing to control. A single misstep in any detail could cause everything to spiral out of control. And yet, this ruthless CEO, who always put profits above all else, was willing to risk ruining his own reputation for him.

For some reason, Lu Youze felt a faint pain in his chest, a sense of unease creeping in.

But when he looked at Gu Xuanze’s calm and composed expression, that unease instantly disappeared. Since Gu Xuanze had assured him that everything was under control, he just had to trust him.

As soon as they stepped out of the car, Gu Xuanze took Lu Youze’s hand and interlocked their fingers as they walked together toward the other cast and crew members who had been waiting.

The expressions on everyone’s faces were priceless, and the reporters quickly snapped into action, pressing their camera shutters continuously. The cameramen zoomed in for close-ups.

The notorious “scumbag” Lu Youze and Gu Xuanze, the president of the Gu Corporation, had shown up hand in hand. Even a fool could tell what had happened between them, given that Lu Youze was practically drenched in Gu Xuanze’s pheromone scent.

When the Gu Corporation had officially announced that Lu Youze would be starring in their major project of the year, there had already been rumors that he and the company’s president were involved. However, both the Gu and Lu families had suppressed the news at the time.

Now, the two of them were openly appearing together, completely unbothered. What made it even more shocking was that Yu Li, who was supposedly the victim of Lu Youze’s infidelity, was also present. This only fueled the scandal further.

This was the kind of explosive news that could crash the internet.

“Former Best Actor Climbs the Ranks Through Unspoken Rules?”
“Old Love vs. New Flame? The Third Party Exposed?”
“Second Young Master Gu Taking the Fall? The Baby’s Father is Actually Him?”

In an instant, the reporters had already come up with countless headline-worthy titles.

After capturing enough shots of the two holding hands, the cameras then turned to Yu Li, who maintained a gentle smile.

After all, how could they possibly miss such a live-broadcast drama showdown?

Ever since the official Weibo account of Days of Roaming the Martial World had announced in the middle of the night that Yu Li would be joining the cast and attending the opening ceremony, he had been in a great mood. That Ye Xing really had some skills, actually managing to make the ever-unyielding President Gu compromise. Yu Li had been eagerly anticipating Lu Youze’s reaction upon seeing him at the press conference.

However, his nearly day-long good mood vanished in an instant the moment he saw Lu Youze and Gu Xuanze interlocking fingers in front of everyone. Leaving aside Lu Youze’s sickeningly fake smile, what the hell was with President Gu’s idiotic behavior? Was this some childish territorial display? Even from a distance, Yu Li could still smell the disgusting pheromones of Gu Xuanze all over Lu Youze.

Yu Li wasn’t sure if this was just a promotional stunt for the new drama, but after Days of Roaming the Martial World had been officially announced, he had sensed something was off. That was precisely why he had gone to such lengths to get into the production.

Now, he realized he didn’t even need to confirm anything— the truth was right in front of him.

For a fleeting moment, Yu Li’s gaze turned cold, but it was so brief that even the cameras failed to capture it. In front of the lenses, he remained the gentle and flawless prince charming, his image impeccable from every angle.

But fans analyzed their idols with a magnifying glass, especially since this opening ceremony was being livestreamed on the Gu Corporation’s online platform. The moment Lu Youze appeared, Yu Li’s fans were already seething with rage. That scumbag was even worse than they had imagined— it had barely been a few months since his breakup, and now he had already hooked up with President Gu, even publicly flaunting their relationship in front of Yu Li.

“Isn’t this just rubbing salt in our Li Li’s wounds?”
“What did Li Li ever do wrong to fall for such a scumbag? Thinking about all the suffering he’s endured, I wish Lu Youze would just drop dead a thousand times over.”
“Is President Gu blind? Why would he even want trash like that?”

“Can you rabid fans stop barking everywhere? Our president is a business elite, way above some washed-up idol.”
“Oh please, did we say anything wrong? Lu Youze is trash. If your president is interested in trash, doesn’t that make him blind?”
“Lu Youze has probably been with countless men already, and yet your President Gu still treats him like a treasure.”
“People at the scene are saying Lu Youze seems to have been marked by President Gu. Wow, this ex-Best Actor really has skills— still pregnant with some mystery man’s child yet managing to climb into the arms of a CEO.”
“No kidding. He was already fading into irrelevance, but after sleeping his way up, he got such a good role. Tsk.”
“Boycott this drama. No way we’re supporting a show starring someone like that.”
“Uh… but your idol is in this drama too?”
“Li Li, my sweet fool, let’s not put up with this humiliation anymore.”

“Some people should watch their mouths.”

“Heh, is anything I said wrong? Lu Youze cheating on Yu Li is a proven fact. He even has a bastard child now. Who knows, maybe the kid belongs to a certain CEO? And let’s not forget— isn’t he a Best Actor? He sure knows how to act, playing the cold and aloof type before his image crumbled, and now resorting to selling his body.”

The barrage of comments was overwhelmingly in support of Yu Li while hurling insults at Lu Youze. The phrase “scumbag” flooded the entire screen, drowning out the few neutral or positive remarks like “They actually look pretty good together” and “They kinda have CP potential.”

Watching the livestream, Liu Xiaoyin, a PR staff member, felt uneasy and turned to Yuan Baiyue, the company’s vice president. “VP, are we really just going to let the comments run wild like this?”

“VP, should we have the tech team implement an emergency keyword filter to block some of these malicious comments?” Liu Xiaoyin suggested again when he saw Yuan Baiyue remaining silent.

After all, this concerned their president’s reputation. Their boss always exuded an intimidating aura, and no one really knew what he was truly like. Who knew if he would settle scores later? Liu Xiaoyin, while not having any dependents, definitely didn’t want to lose his job at Gu Corporation— the salary was great, and the perks were unbeatable, plus he got to meet celebrities in person.

Yuan Baiyue took a sip of his freshly delivered milk tea, glanced at the overwhelming barrage of hate comments, and smiled slyly. “Let them vent. They won’t lose a piece of flesh over it. And once they’ve had their fill, the fans from other camps will start firing back.”

After all, Yu Li wasn’t the only popular star in this drama— and he wasn’t even the male lead.