TSSRWAB Chapter 13

“Damn it, these bitches are bringing up the watch thing again.”

 

“How is this even solid evidence?”

 

Zhu Li scrolled through the toxic comments on Weibo. She was so furious she felt like she was about to explode.

 

Are these trash netizens blind?! Open your eyes and take a good look. Five years ago during the talent show, Lu Xi had a solid dance foundation, was bursting with confidence, optimism, and warmth, and knew how to play several instruments. Based on that, his family background clearly wasn’t bad.

 

Previously, antis had sneakily made posts implying Lu Xi was being kept, but he never responded. Honestly, what nonsense. If a celebrity responds personally, they’ll just get mocked even harder.

 

Zhu Li has her limits when it came to fan behavior. She didn’t want to dig into Lu Xi’s family background or personal history.

 

But now, Lu Xi has no agency, no massive fanbase like he did five years ago, no water army, not even a Weibo account. Zhu Li was at a loss.

 

A skilled general is nothing without soldiers.

 

–

 

“Has Mr. Rhettsey arrived yet?”

 

The manager of Huating Hotel stood at the airport entrance, anxiously asking his assistant about the flight’s landing time. Their hotel was an established domestic brand, but due to poor management and a series of scandals, their stock prices had plummeted. The CEO wanted to sell the hotel at a good price.

 

Mr. Rhettsey was here to inspect Huating Hotel. If negotiations went well, he would acquire it.

 

Which is why welcoming Mr. Rhettsey was of the utmost importance.

 

“Manager, the flight has landed.”

 

The manager wiped the sweat from his forehead. It was already autumn, yet the temperature today was still so high. He instructed his assistants to unfurl the welcome banner. He straightened his shirt, personally took the bouquet of flowers, and put on a smile.

 

And waited.

 

A group of tall Caucasian men in formal suits walked through the terminal, led by a playboy-looking figure with golden hair, blue eyes, and a muscular build, drawing stares from everyone around them.

 

“Manager, they’re here,” the assistant whispered upon spotting them from afar.

 

It was easy to identify Mr. Rhettsey’s delegation. Once the manager locked eyes on him, he broke into a welcoming grin.

 

“Welcome, Mr. Rhettsey.”

 

“So this is the country Lucy ran back to,” Rhettsey murmured as his first words upon seeing the unfamiliar city.

 

Manager: “?” Who’s Lucy? Some girl?

 

He tried to hand the bouquet over, only for Rhettsey’s bodyguard to block him. The manager froze awkwardly as Rhettsey spoke to his entourage in English: “Find Lucy. I want to see him.”

 

“Yes, young master.”

 

The manager mentally noted the name. Clearly, this Lucy was important to Mr. Rhettsey. It seemed like this visit was more about seeing this person than the inspection itself.

 

“If Mr. Rhettsey is looking for someone, our company can also help keep an eye out,” the assistant said eagerly.

 

The bodyguard shot the assistant a warning look. Rhettsey raised his thick, handsome eyebrow and said indifferently, “He’s my dear middle school and high school classmate. I heard he ran off to China to become a celebrity. His name is Lucy.”

 

A female celebrity? Were there any mixed-race or Caucasian actresses in China with that name?

 

The assistant and manager racked their brains but knew too little about entertainment news to recall anyone immediately.

 

Upon arriving at Huating Hotel, Rhettsey booked out three entire floors.

 

“Do you know of any celebrities in the entertainment industry named Lucy? Find them, it’s important.”

 

The Rhettsey family was in the luxury hotel business. Money was no object to them. If Huating wanted to sell at a good price, they had to do everything possible to accommodate Rhettsey’s wishes.

 

“Lucy? Are you sure that’s the name?”

 

The English name was way too common. Which female celebrity would even go by that? A quick search turned up only two results, both D-list influencers[mfn]十八线网红 shíbā xiàn wǎng hóng – 18th-tier internet celebrity[/mfn] with sharp, surgery-enhanced faces. The manager took one look and knew Rhettsey’s taste wouldn’t lean that way.

 

“He’s around the same age as Mr. Rhettsey and was his middle school and high school classmate.” So they had to search within that age range.

 

The female employee usually reads gossip and chases stars. She looks at the manager with a burning gaze and thinks: Lucy… Lu… Lu  Xi?

 

“Manager, did Mr. Rhettsey say it was a female celebrity?”

 

“Are you stupid—” The manager suddenly remembered. Rhettsey didn’t specify the gender.[mfn]Rhettsey used 他 (tā) “he/him” but can also be used for unspecified gender[/mfn] “He didn’t say. Why?”

 

The employee handed her iPad to the manager.

 

“This person fits the description. Lu Xi, 23 years old, a year younger than Mr. Rhettsey. He returned to China five years ago and rumored to be of Chinese descent but later regained citizenship here. And he’s currently in Jinjiang City.”

 

The manager was stunned: !!!

 

But looking at the male celebrity’s face on the iPad, his intuition told him they had found the right person.

 

By the time the manager went to the 23rd floor to report his success to Rhettsey, the female employee snapped out of it and started browsing online with a gossipy expression. She never would’ve guessed that Lu Xi, who had been causing a stir online recently, was actually a classmate of Mr. Rhettsey.

 

Holy shit.

 

The surname Rhettsey is well-known in the hotel industry for being rich.

 

A major financial dynasty.

 

【Our hotel just hosted a super-rich tycoon today. The first thing he did was ask about his high school classmate. There’s an 80-90% chance that classmate is Lu Xi.】

 

The female employee had barely any followers so her post made zero waves. She didn’t care much about Lu Xi before and just followed the drama as a bystander. But if Lu Xi was Mr. Rhettsey’s classmate, that changed everything. That meant Lu Xi’s family must be wealthy too.

 

Instantly, she became a casual fan.

 

All those rumors accusing Lu Xi of being “kept”? Excuse me?[mfn]written in english in the raws[/mfn]

 

Since when did Rhettsey’s classmates need to be kept by someone?!

 

So she sent a tip to a Lu Xi fan account she liked.

 

Zhu Li was was struggling and hesitating whether to dig up Lu Xi’s background. Although she used the excuse of doing good for Lu Xi, she still felt it was inappropriate until she saw the private message.

 

!!!

 

If this was true, then heaven was on her side!

 

Zhu Li couldn’t get past her own hurdle of digging up Lu Xi, but she didn’t have any psychological burden to dig up the super-rich man mentioned by the female employee. The employee’s Weibo gave away her workplace, and a quick search revealed Huating’s recent struggles. Industry whispers said Huating was about to be acquired by a hotel chain tycoon.

 

Search!

 

–

 

Online drama continued to rage, but Lu Xi’s day was as lively as ever.

 

The two little buns, who are usually well-behaved and adorable, showed their mischievous side at the aquarium.

 

“Daddy, the baby seal lions are so cute! Can we raise a duck?”

 

“You can raise a duck, but don’t think about sea lions.” Xiao Lu paused, then reconsidered. “Actually, no ducks either. Just enjoy eating duck meat later.”

 

Doubao wanted to keep everything he liked. Dougao, on the other hand, was more curious about the scientific knowledge.

 

Xiao Lu was feeling a lot of pressure, so he bought each of them a cotton candy and also hired a tour guide.

 

Smart Lu Xixi.

 

Nom. He took a huge bite of his cotton candy.

 

The aquarium trip was still plenty fun.

 

In the evening, the family of three enjoyed the aquarium’s signature penguin kid’s meal. The rice was shaped like a penguin, plump and adorable, served with shrimp and vegetables in sweet and sour sauce, leaving the two with full bellies.

 

“Daddy, today was sooo fun!”

 

As night fell, the two exhausted buns dozed off in their child seats while Daddy Lu drove them home.

 

After finishing their milk from bottles, both buns were freshly bathed and smelled sweet. Their hair was fluffy and soft. Lu Xi kissed each of them. “Time for bed, my good boys.”

 

His phone rang. It was the director of Actor, asking if he wanted to sign on for another episode.

 

Lu Xi could sense Director Wang’s dilemma. The first episode had sparked discussions because of him, but his bad reputation and scandals made him a double-edged sword. Director Wang wanted his buzz and appeal but was worried that if his scandals escalated, it may potentially lead to censorship and the need for blurring in later episodes.

 

A total dilemma.

 

Lu Xi saved Director Wang the trouble.

 

“Not signing. Not going. Thank you.”

 

Director Wang didn’t try to persuade him further, but he still had reservations. Lu Xi’s popularity came with risks.

 

The phone rang again.

 

He was getting a lot of calls today.

 

“Hello, is this Mr. Lu Xi? I’m the manager of Huating Hotel. After seeing your performance on the show, we’d like to discuss a potential endorsement deal. Are you available tomorrow?”

 

A hotel wants him as an endorser?

 

Lu Xi found it strange. “I’m busy tomorrow. How about Monday?”

 

The other end hesitated for a few seconds, as if consulting someone, before agreeing to meet on Monday.

 

Lu Xi didn’t really want to take on endorsements, especially not for a hotel. But the other party’s flexible scheduling seemed sincere, and he had nothing better to do anyway. Might as well check it out.

 

On Monday, after dropping Doubao and Dougao off at kindergarten.

 

Lu Xi drove straight to Huating Hotel.

 

“Mr. Lu, right this way.”

 

“Thanks.”

 

The hotel staff led the way, sneaking glances at Lu Xi. The real person was even more stunning than expected, nothing like the unpleasant rumors circulating online.

 

Shallow, gold-digger, male mistress, being kept, and so on.

 

Lu Xi exuded an innate sense of nobility.

 

“We’re here. Our representative is waiting inside.” The staff pushed the door open.

 

Lu Xi stepped inside, the thick carpet muffling his footsteps. He glanced around the room until—

 

“Hi, baby Lucy.”

 

The big idiot Rhettsey, whom he hadn’t seen in years.

 

Lu Xi’s expression instantly turned icy.

 

Rhettsey ignored Lu Xi’s glare, standing up from the sofa with his arms spread like some playboy. His muscles flexed as he grinned. “Baby, I went through so much trouble to find you.”

 

“Hah.” Lu Xi scoffed coldly.

 

He and Rhettsey were classmates in the U.S. for seven years.Three tears in middle school, four in high school. They weren’t in the same class in middle school, but because Rhettsey “liked” him, they were stuck together from then on. Lu Xi wanted to get rid of this idiot, but he didn’t have the ability to do so at the time.

 

Their school offered elite private education. Most of the rich white kids harbored racial prejudice deep down, just well-disguised. Rhettsey was the rare one who didn’t even bother to hide it.

 

He gave him the girly English name “Lucy.”

 

He only gave him what he thought was good.

 

He was arrogant, selfish, prejudiced, and put his own interests first.

 

Lu Xi hates Rhettsey very much.

 

There was never any hotel endorsement deal. And even if there were, Lu Xi didn’t want to be associated with Rhettsey.

 

“Don’t leave so soon, baby. You know I’ve always liked you. You’re like an angel. But I don’t like your black hair, you should dye it blonde to look more white.”

 

With only bodyguards in the meeting room, Rhettsey didn’t bother hiding his true colors.

 

Like hell I’ll dye my hair for you.[mfn] 我染你奶奶个腿。Wǒ rǎn nǐ nǎinai gè tuǐ. – lit. “I’ll dye your grandma’s legs.”[/mfn]

 

“Rhettsey, you’re standing in my country right now. If you love white people so much, get the hell out.”

 

“Oh, oh.” Rhettsey raised both hands in mock surrender and said helplessly, “You’re still as fiery as ever. I didn’t mean to discriminate against you. You know, when we were in school, I respected you and never offended you. If you’re willing to come back and want to be a star, I have plenty of money to invest.”

 

Listen to this guy’s nonsense.

 

He pulled up his phone. “You miss me?”

 

On Instagram, Rhettsey was seen embracing various beauties, both men and women, in poses so scandalous they could burn eyes.

 

“I’m warning you, Rhettsey. Stay the hell away from me.” Lu Xi had no patience left. He pushed open the door and walked out.

 

Rhettsey’s expression darkened. His bodyguard looked to him for instructions.

 

“No rush. We’ll be here a while.”

 

He planned to unwrap this pretty present in college, but Lu Xi ran away. Now they met again.

 

–

 

Lu Xi knew Rhettsey’s nature all too well. After a moment’s thought, he called his elder brother.

 

“Ge, I’m being harassed by a big idiot from the Rhettsey family…”

 

–

 

The author has something to say:
The gong didn’t even make an appearance today, not even a tail or butt.

 

Xie Zhuhan: Cold indifference.