Chapter 1
The Royal Dilante Hotel.
In one of the small lounges, the makeup artist was getting ready to apply Lin Zhiqiao’s base makeup.
The window had been left open, and a faint breeze lifted a loose strand of hair. The slightly curled tip brushed against the skin at the corner of his eye, stirring up a ticklish itch.
Lin Zhiqiao narrowed his eyes slightly and raised a hand to sweep that stray strand aside.
The makeup artist seemed startled. She hunched her neck and instinctively shrank back to the side.
Lin Zhiqiao glanced at her oddly. “What’s wrong?”
The makeup artist hurriedly shook her head. “Nothing, nothing.”
Only after Lin Zhiqiao looked away did the young makeup artist secretly let out a sigh of relief.
For that split second just now, she had thought Lin Zhiqiao was about to hit her, and it had scared her badly.
Honestly, it was not strange for the makeup artist to think that way.
After all, ever since Lin Zhiqiao debuted, he had not produced many notable works, but there had been endless waves of black material about him.
Throwing his weight around on set, cursing co-stars, deliberately making things difficult for staff…
A quick search online would bring up page after page of it—out of a hundred posts, you probably could not find even one good thing said about him.
As his antis liked to put it, Lin Zhiqiao was just a minor nobody with no fame to speak of, and the only topics about him that ever gained any traction were the countless “dark spots” attached to his name.
Still shaken, the makeup artist became even more careful with her movements, afraid that if anything displeased him, she would get caught in the fallout.
Lin Zhiqiao closed his eyes, then suddenly said, “Ah, right.”
The makeup artist’s hand trembled. The beauty sponge dabbed with foundation shifted with it, and a bit of glaring white got smeared onto the young man’s dark chestnut hair.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I’ll wipe it off for you right away!”
The makeup artist panicked, but then she saw the young man open his eyes and say with pale lips parting gently, “It’s okay. There’s no need to apologize over something this small.”
She froze.
“You’re new, aren’t you? You haven’t done someone’s makeup on your own before?” Lin Zhiqiao asked casually.
The makeup artist nodded. Her youthful face looked a little nervous.
Lin Zhiqiao smiled at her, a faint dimple appearing at the corner of his lips. “Everyone’s like this at the beginning. Once you practice a few more times, it’ll be fine. No need to be so nervous.”
His smile was soft, his almond-shaped eyes slightly curved. The amber in his pupils glimmered under the overhead lights, carrying a soothing warmth that made people feel as if bathed in a spring breeze.
The makeup artist paused in a daze, and the tension that had gripped her heart instantly loosened.
…Lin Zhiqiao did not seem nearly as scary as the rumors made him out to be.
The entertainment industry’s gossip really could not be trusted. There was no way to tell truth from lies.
The makeup artist muttered to herself inwardly.
If she had not met him in person, she probably really would have believed the one-sided nonsense spread by those clickbait gossip accounts.
[Ding—Obtained Chen Xiaolin’s Favorability Value: 30 points! Automatically converted into Blind Box Energy!]
Lin Zhiqiao’s eyes lit up as he looked toward the system panel in his mind.
After saving up for so many days, the energy for the “Gossip Blind Box” was already quite considerable.
[Host, success or failure depends on this one move!]
The voice in his head said, [Whether we can win the first battle and earn the first bucket of gold depends on today!]
[That’s right!] Lin Zhiqiao rubbed his hands nervously. [God of Wealth bless me, Buddha bless me, Guanyin bless me! Please let me open a huge scandal and make a big profit!]
He chanted silently in his heart—
Money come, money come! Let money come from all directions!
The voice in his head belonged to the “Get Rich Through Gossip” System, serial number 888.
Three days ago, System 888 had bound itself to Lin Zhiqiao. Its built-in starter skill was the “Gossip Blind Box.” As long as Lin Zhiqiao kept opening blind boxes and eating gossip, he could receive generous cash rewards!
He could enjoy gossip and make money at the same time—how could such a wonderful thing exist in this world!
The only small flaw was that Blind Box Energy recovered very slowly, and there was only one way to speed up its recovery—
Increase other people’s favorability toward him.
Favorability could be converted into Blind Box Energy at an equivalent rate.
Different pieces of gossip required different amounts of Blind Box Energy. Small gossip consumed less energy, but the rewards were also smaller.
Big gossip would consume a huge amount of energy, but correspondingly, the rewards would be much more generous.
Before opening the blind box, Lin Zhiqiao himself had no idea whether the gossip inside would be big or small. That was exactly where the thrill came from!
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Lin Zhiqiao suddenly remembered the sentence he had left half-finished earlier.
“I’ve been a little allergic lately,” he said to the makeup artist. “Apply the base a bit thinner.”
“Ah, okay!” the makeup artist replied. “Teacher Lin, your skin is already really good, and you’re very fair too, so a light base will be totally fine. I’ve seen your past styling looks, and when the base was too thick it actually—”
She suddenly cut herself off and carefully looked up at Lin Zhiqiao’s expression, still feeling unsure inside.
But she saw the young man’s pale lips curve slightly, and he said in a soft tone, “Mm, okay. I got it.”
“You don’t need to call me Teacher Lin. We’re probably about the same age, so just call me Zhiqiao or Xiao Lin.” Lin Zhiqiao said, then added one more sentence, “But you can’t call me Xiao Qiao. Da Qiao is also not allowed.”
The makeup artist suddenly felt playful and boldly said, “Okay, Xiao Qiao.”
Lin Zhiqiao glared at her, but his round, bright almond eyes did not carry the slightest bit of intimidation. He still looked very soft and harmless.
He pouted, then muttered in a huffy tone, “Forget it. Do whatever you want.”
The makeup artist nearly stopped breathing from that glare.
But it was not because she was scared.
Too cute!
How could there be such a cute boy in this world?!
She screamed wildly in her heart, while also not forgetting to take the chance to curse those marketing accounts a few more times.
To hell with those upside-down black-and-white gossip accounts!
They should disappear sooner rather than later!!!
888: [Chen Xiaolin’s Favorability +50! Host, you’re amazing!]
The Blind Box Energy bar was already close to full.
There were several other artists in the lounge as well, all under the same manager as Lin Zhiqiao, and the room was noisy and chaotic.
The two of them had not been speaking loudly, so they had not drawn anyone else’s attention.
The makeup artists gradually left. The others gathered together chatting, and since Lin Zhiqiao knew he could not join in, he simply did not bother forcing himself into the excitement.
Not long after, their manager Wu Yuan pushed open the door and entered.
“Are you all ready?” He swept his gaze around the room, though whether intentionally or not, his eyes never landed on Lin Zhiqiao.
“Try to perform well. Be more proactive,” Wu Yuan instructed. “Even though this is technically our Xinghe gathering, the company hasn’t only invited internal people. A lot of big names we’ve worked with before are coming too.”
He paused, and amid the crowd of “Brother Yuan, who else is coming?”, he answered, “Lin Mubai will be here.”
The lounge fell silent for a moment, then suddenly erupted in cheers.
Lin Mubai—the hottest new star in the entertainment industry. Among artists of the same age group, his status was unquestionably number one. Every drama and film he had acted in since entering the industry had exploded all over the internet. Major variety shows were all scrambling to book him, and the pay for a single guest appearance had already risen to several million.
You could say that among the younger generation of rising entertainers, more than ninety percent had Lin Mubai as their idol and target.
But when Lin Zhiqiao heard that name, he lowered his eyes, his expression calm to the point of near indifference.
Wu Yuan coughed lightly. “I also heard another piece of news.”
Someone shouted, “Brother Yuan, stop keeping us in suspense!”
Wu Yuan said mysteriously, “I heard President Song will be coming too.”
“President Song? Which President Song? Young President Song, or…?”
Wu Yuan replied, “Young President Song will of course come. I’m talking about that President Song from the Song Group.”
A series of gasps rose in the lounge.
If Lin Mubai was a rising star in the entertainment industry, then the Song Group was a business giant known by everyone in the country, a hegemon so dominant that if it called itself second, no one dared claim first.
The current ruler of the Song Group was Song Fengshi, only twenty-seven years old.
Although still very young, no one dared underestimate Song Fengshi’s abilities.
The lounge buzzed with nonstop discussion. Wu Yuan checked the time and called out, “Alright, that’s enough. It’s about time. We can head in now.”
The venue was exquisitely decorated—magnificent and splendid, yet not excessively luxurious.
Lin Zhiqiao spotted quite a few familiar faces in the crowd, all people who had appeared on screen many times before.
Within Xinghe Entertainment, Wu Yuan ranked as a middle-to-lower-tier manager. He had quite a few artists under him, but not a single one who was truly outstanding.
It was rare to get a large gathering like this, so Wu Yuan clearly intended to bring everyone around to meet people and build connections.
Lin Zhiqiao followed behind the group, doing his best to reduce his own presence, his mind completely focused on the Gossip Blind Box.
—At most, just a few more minutes. The energy would be full, and he could open a blind box and eat gossip!
The group suddenly stopped walking.
“President Song! A pleasure, a pleasure!” Wu Yuan’s voice interrupted Lin Zhiqiao’s thoughts.
Lin Zhiqiao looked up. This President Song was dressed in a dark navy suit, his hair slicked with wax, and the scent of his cologne could be smelled from far away.
Not that President Song from the Song Group. This was Young President Song from Shanchuan Entertainment, called Song Chuan.
Incidentally, Young President Song Chuan was Song Fengshi’s cousin. But Song Chuan had not entered the Song family’s core business. Instead, he had started his own entertainment company, Shanchuan Entertainment, which already had some reputation in the industry.
Lin Zhiqiao instantly lost interest. Just as he was about to lower his head again, another voice came from beside him—familiar, yet disgusting to hear.
“Long time no see, President Song.”
A small gasp sounded nearby, followed by a suppressed scream: “Lin Mubai!”
The newcomer wore a custom-tailored white formal suit. His black hair was soft and finely layered, his features refined and elegant, and his temperament was as graceful as pine and bamboo—unforgettable at a glance.
Song Chuan’s attention was instantly captured by Lin Mubai. His eyes were full of amazement and intoxication, and he could no longer look away.
Lin Zhiqiao quietly shifted his feet, trying to hide himself behind the others, but he was still one step too late.
Lin Mubai looked in his direction, his expression slightly surprised. “Brother Zhiqiao? You came too?”
Lin Zhiqiao: “…Mm.”
Wu Yuan looked at him, then at Lin Mubai, somewhat surprised. “You two know each other?”
Lin Mubai smiled and said, “Of course we know each other. We are—”
“Relatives,” Lin Zhiqiao cut in first.
Lin Mubai pursed his lips slightly, and a trace of hurt flashed through his eyes. “Mm, relatives.”
[Don’t be fooled by him, Host.] 888 spoke up. [His favorability toward you is as low as negative 200!]
Lin Zhiqiao: […]
Lin Zhiqiao: [Only negative 200? I thought it’d be negative 10,000!]
888: […]
Looks like its worry had been unnecessary.
Lin Zhiqiao was actually not wrong. He and Lin Mubai really were relatives—full brothers from the same father and mother.
But other than the Lin family, nobody knew this.
Although he was the Lin family’s third young master, Lin Zhiqiao had been sent away to be raised in another household since childhood.
The reason was simple: when he was born, the Lin family had someone read his fortune, and the result said his fate was too hard. If he were kept by their side, he would bring harm to the Lin family and damage their fortune.
So even after he was later brought back to the Lin family, Lin Zhiqiao was still treated badly at home.
Unlike him, Lin Mubai was the treasure of the Lin family, the beloved jewel in their palm, doted on by his parents and elder brothers from childhood.
Lin Mubai’s lips moved slightly, as if he still wanted to say something to Lin Zhiqiao, but Song Chuan at the side spoke first: “Mubai, are you free? Why don’t we go sit over there and chat for a while?”
Lin Mubai hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
Before leaving, Song Chuan’s gaze swept over Lin Zhiqiao, his eyes filled with concealed contempt and warning.
As if he was very displeased by Lin Zhiqiao’s behavior and thought he had upset Lin Mubai.
Lin Zhiqiao even heard Song Chuan say in a low voice, “Mubai, your time is valuable. Don’t waste it on people who aren’t worth it.”
He did not name names, but Lin Zhiqiao knew exactly who he meant.
Lin Zhiqiao curled his lips and thought, [So devoted. He probably still doesn’t know he’s just one fish in Lin Mubai’s pond, huh?]
888 chimed in, [Exactly, exactly!]
Once the two had left, Wu Yuan questioned him, “You’re related to Lin Mubai? Why have I never heard you mention it before?”
“Not close,” Lin Zhiqiao said. “No need to mention it.”
Wu Yuan frowned and scolded, “Such a good connection and resource, and you don’t even know how to make proper use of it…”
Lin Zhiqiao did not listen to a single word.
888 thought he was in a bad mood and tried to liven things up. [It’s okay, Host. On Lin Mubai’s system too, it’ll show your favorability toward him. It’s definitely higher than his negative 200!]
Lin Zhiqiao: [Definitely. At the very least, it’s negative 20,000!]
That was right—Lin Mubai also had a system.
Serial number 066, the Universal Heartthrob System.
This was a privilege unique to 888 as a gossip system: it could sense other hosts bound to systems and obtain detailed information about them.
For example, Lin Mubai’s Universal Heartthrob System had a starter skill called the Heartthrob Halo. By collecting other people’s favorability, he could exchange it for different skill buffs.
Appearance, temperament, acting ability… all of them could be greatly enhanced.
888 had once told him that this was quite a magical world.
Every five steps there was a male lead from a power fantasy novel; every ten steps there was a female lead from a Green Jiang-style novel. Transmigrators and rebirth characters were everywhere, and all kinds of flashy golden fingers could be found all over the place.
Clearly, Lin Mubai was one of those protagonists.
According to 888, Young President Song Chuan was one of Lin Mubai’s major targets.
But Lin Mubai’s ambition was obviously not limited to the head of a single entertainment company.
Although the current ruler of the Song family was Song Fengshi, one year later, Song Fengshi would suddenly fall gravely ill and die without a cure. After the Song family went through major upheaval, control of the Song empire would ultimately fall into Song Chuan’s hands.
This was information that Universal Heartthrob System 066 had spoiled to Lin Mubai, and now 888 had swiped that information from 066 and passed it on to Lin Zhiqiao.
Lin Mubai had everything carefully calculated. By the time everyone else came to their senses a year later and started trying to ingratiate themselves with Song Chuan, he would have already secured Song Chuan long before them.
Lin Zhiqiao clicked his tongue twice. [Lin Mubai is so muddle-headed! With the Heartthrob Halo in hand, wouldn’t it be better to go after Song Fengshi instead?]
888 was puzzled. [But Song Fengshi is going to die in a year. Even if he marries him now and becomes the wife of the Song Group’s president, later he’d still just be a widower!]
[What’s wrong with being a widower?]
Lin Zhiqiao argued confidently, [You only need to endure one year. Once Song Fengshi is gone, at home you won’t need to serve a man, won’t need to look at your in-laws’ faces, won’t need to raise children and suffer. Outside, you won’t need to work or be some corporate slave. You can live in a luxury mansion, drive luxury cars, and spend your late husband’s inheritance however you want, living freely and happily with no one controlling you…]
His eyes sparkled. [Isn’t that the dream life for so many people? Free and unrestrained. How could that not be happiness?]
888: [Wow!]
Lin Zhiqiao concluded, [Little System, you’re still too young. You don’t understand the joy of being a widower!]
888: [That actually makes so much se—bzzt la la la—]
Lin Zhiqiao: [Little System?]
888 seemed to have gone offline and did not reply.
A moment later, the piercing sound of static disappeared, and 888 came back online.
[It was forcibly upgraded.] 888 explained. [It said there was a bug, and it’s already been fixed.]
At the same time, by the ears of some people in the venue, a sudden and clear voice rang out, carrying a trace of excitement:
[You don’t understand the joy of being a widower!]
Those people all looked up at the same time. When they met each other’s eyes, they could all see the same shock and confusion there.
Where had that voice come from?
Yet the person involved knew nothing about it.
Lin Zhiqiao had just finished discussing the “widower happiness theory” with 888 when the Gossip Blind Box suddenly shone with brilliant light. The energy bar was full!
Lin Zhiqiao took a deep breath and screamed wildly in his head: [It’s here, it’s here! It’s finally here!!]
888 urged him on: [Quick, quick, quick!]
Taking advantage of the fact that Wu Yuan and the others were not paying attention, Lin Zhiqiao quietly slipped away, found a hidden corner, and opened his first blind box—
[The eldest young master of the Fan family has a special obsession with black stockings? In one night, he can use up as many as five pairs in one go?!]
Lin Zhiqiao and 888 exclaimed together: [Woooow!]
[A five-times-a-night monster has appeared! As expected of the male lead of a [beep—] novel! What incredible stamina!]
A certain young master Fan, who had just been named, looked utterly shocked. Then his ears gradually reddened. Under the stunned and envious looks from the people around him, he unconsciously straightened his back even more.
888 gave its scheduled report: [Gossip rating: F-. Congratulations, Host, you’ve received a reward of 1,888 RMB. It has already been deposited into your little vault! Please check it!]
Lin Zhiqiao: [I’m rich, I’m rich, I’m rich!]
So he immediately opened the second blind box—
[The youngest young master of the Zhang family tried online dating and threw away 100,000 for a cute loli voice, only to discover that the other side was a fake loli and a real rough guy! So angry that the young master smashed the monitor he bought for 880,000!]
[How much?! One hundred thousand plus eighty-eight… nine hundred and eighty thousand? A full nine hundred and eighty thousand?!] Lin Zhiqiao was so heartbroken he could barely breathe. [This teaches us that online dating requires caution. Ignore the police’s advice, and your wallet will cry!]
[But if this Young Master Zhang were in Green Jiang… tsk tsk, I’m afraid not only his wallet would be doomed, even his [beep—] wouldn’t be safe!]
Young Master Zhang’s expression froze. His face cycled through red, orange, blue, green, pale, and purple in a spectacular display. He glared at the surrounding crowd, trying to find the source of the voice.
888: [Gossip rating: F-. Your little vault has received 1,666 RMB!]
Lin Zhiqiao opened several blind boxes in a row. He was having the time of his life eating gossip, nearly getting knocked dizzy by the clattering sound of money pouring into his little vault.
Completely unaware that someone had already traced the voice and fixed their gaze on him.
Song Fengshi, the current ruler of the Song empire, was one of them.
He looked at the chestnut-haired young man who thought he was hidden in the crowd. His dark eyes narrowed slightly, making it impossible to tell what emotion lay beneath them.
The Blind Box Energy bar was quickly used up by more than half. Lin Zhiqiao clicked open another one, and the energy was instantly drained to zero!
Before he even had time to feel distressed, he took a closer look and exploded inwardly:
[Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit! It’s a huge scandal!!!]
[Song Fengshi of the Song family—the president of Shanchuan Entertainment, Song Chuan, his cousin—he, he, he… is actually not the true young master of the Song family!!!]
