The Stand-in Side Character Only Wants to Make Money – CH34

Chapter 34 – Opinions

The response came surprisingly fast, and it was completely different from what anyone expected. The audience’s minds were racing, finally breaking free from the brainwashing loop of ‘eight yuan and ninety-one cents’.

Once they snapped out of it, it became hard to keep a straight face.

[Wait, dude, you? You actually went to study after getting criticized?]

[Why did the video end? I still want to hear about Chen Yibai sneaking into the student group! (angry roar)]

[Whoa, I owe an apology for judging too early. So this is a story of someone secretly working hard to outdo everyone, only to get accidentally caught? (wide-eyed)]

[Director, one minute ago: That plot of land in the suburbs looks like a great place to rest. The next minute: Thank you, viral publicity!]

[I went back to rewatch the earlier video. Zhou Jing was actually holding a notebook when he entered the room.]

[Fans: Let me see what two guys in a room together at midnight are doing. Also fans: Haha, they’re studying!]

[I didn’t expect this twist. Now I can’t get ‘eight yuan and ninety-one cents’ out of my head, and I’m laughing like crazy in the middle of the night.]

After finishing Zhou Jing’s post, the audience shifted their focus to Chen Bai’s new update, curious to see how he would respond.

With Zhou Jing’s post containing text, images, and videos, everyone was prepared for a long, detailed response from Chen Bai.

Chen Yibai… just retweeted Zhou Jing’s post.

[Chen Yibai: Same here [retweeted post].]

It was simple and direct.

[Really? Not even a single extra word?!]

[Hahaha, it’s like the meme ‘same as me’ all over again!]

[Please, where did they buy that notebook for eight yuan and ninety-one cents? I’ve been searching online, and all I find are ones that cost 10+. Students really need this!]

[Office workers need it too! And those notes—he’s a genius!]

[I’m dying laughing. Some people are yelling at the wrong person, even directing their anger at poor Chen Erbai.]

[Chen Erbai, innocently getting scolded while on his way to work.]

[Maybe it’s not the right time, but can I borrow your notes, Yibai? I’m actually a student in that course (closes eyes).]

The comments section was bustling with people asking for the notebook’s link or the notes, with students from the school rushing to the front row for selfies. Some were still trying to figure out that Chen Yibai and Chen Erbai were two different people, while fans of their looks continued to gush. Despite the chaos, there was an odd sense of order.

The entire situation had taken such a bizarre turn, and the night had been surreal.

In such a short time, marketing accounts didn’t even have the chance to draft posts like [Famous actor’s relationship exposed] before the story completely reversed. The trending keywords also changed entirely.

#Zhou JingStudying #ChenBai #EightYuanNinetyOneCents,NotEvenOneCentOff #Ask Fate

Barely anyone had slept that night, and time had flown by.

To be more precise, it was now early morning. By 5 a.m., as they climbed out of bed and headed to the makeup room, both Pink Hair and Gray Hair were quietly chugging black coffee.

Their managers, who had been monitoring the online discussion all night, had just gone to sleep after they woke up. Their assistants were now handling the work.

When brother Liu and Xiao Meng had fallen asleep last night, no one had woken them up to tell them what had happened. It wasn’t until they went to pick up breakfast from the hotel restaurant this morning that they found out. Now, they were just as clueless as the general public, still trying to piece together what had happened.

Chen Yibai sipped his black coffee and soybean milk alternately, feeling his soul bouncing between heaven and earth. Xiao Meng quietly reported, “Yibai, your followers are growing really fast.”

‘Growing really fast’ was putting it mildly. It was actually skyrocketing.

After retweeting the post last night, Chen Yibai had logged out of his account and stopped paying attention to the situation. But when he checked his notifications this morning, he noticed that Chen Erbai—who had a similar name—had somehow gained a lot of new followers. It was obvious that some people weren’t paying close attention and had followed the wrong person. From this, he could guess that his own account had also seen a lot of activity.

Since it was morning, the media had finally started reporting on it, and even his usually oblivious neighbors had heard the news and messaged him.

After replying to those messages, getting his makeup done, and styling his hair, the sky, which had been dark when they left the hotel, had already brightened a bit. It looked like it would be another sunny day.

The actress’s makeup and hair were more complicated, so she was still getting ready. Chen Bai followed the male lead out first.

Probably due to last night’s incident, there were more people than usual waiting outside the hotel. They formed layers of crowds all the way to the car.

The people at the front didn’t try to push, but those on the outside wanted to get closer, creating a shoving and jostling crowd, with only a narrow path in the middle.

Zhou Jing’s assistant led the way, parting the crowd, while Chen Yibai followed, enjoying the fruits of their labor. Half-asleep, he floated forward, clutching his soybean milk in one hand and his black coffee in the other.

They slowly moved through the crowd and finally got into the car. As soon as the door closed, the outside noise abruptly diminished.

When they arrived at the set, the first person they saw was the director.

The director’s face was glowing with happiness, unable to suppress his laughter. He clapped their shoulders a few times, too happy to even speak.

Not only did he have two hardworking lead actors, but he had also scored a wave of free, effective publicity, effortlessly saving tens or even hundreds of thousands in marketing expenses.

Meanwhile, the director, producer, and actors from a neighboring production, who were dealing with a PR crisis over an out-of-control scandal, were spending money to suppress the buzz. The contrast couldn’t have been starker.

Though overjoyed, the director reminded them with a smile that going forward, every scene would be held to even stricter standards to maintain their reputation.
“If you study but don’t show results, and your acting doesn’t significantly improve in the show, this current surge in attention could become a double-edged sword.”

Although the director said this, he wasn’t really worried. After all, he knew best whether the actors’ performances had improved.

After a brief chat with the director, before filming began, Chen Bai successfully had a friendly meeting with his co-star, the actor playing the third male lead.

By “friendly meeting,” it meant his co-star waved at him from a small stool and said, “Morning, eight yuan and ninety-one cents.”

Chen Bai immediately playfully put him in a headlock.

Third male lead “…”

The assistants watched the two of them messing around for a while before they each went their separate ways to hydrate.

After drinking some water, his co-star opened his eyes wide and said, “I asked you before what you do at night, and you said you watch videos. So, it turns out you were watching educational videos!”

No wonder yesterday he said he and Zhou Jing kind of knew each other—they had been secretly working hard together all along.

Disappointed, he said, “You’ve been secretly working hard behind my back!”

Chen Bai looked at him, “Even if I told you I was studying, would you have joined me?”

His co-star responded, “No.”

All it would have done was make him anxiously play on his phone instead of doing it guilt-free after work.

“…” His co-star fell silent.

He didn’t need anyone to tell him—he understood already. He was grateful for his friend’s thoughtful intentions.

Skipping over this slightly painful topic, he said, “I remember you get weekends off, and tomorrow I’m off too. How about we head into the city and have some fun?”

After working in the suburbs every day, they had gotten used to referring to going back to the city as “going into town.”

Chen Bai glanced at him and waved his hand, “Nope, I’ve got work.”

His co-star finally remembered that this guy was an emotionless money-making machine. He sighed, “Then I guess I’ll just stay at the hotel. It’s no fun going alone. I might as well sleep.”

Chen Bai patted his shoulder in consolation, “You could always visit the film set. With your actor’s pass, you don’t even need to buy a ticket.”

Visiting the set on a day off was like going back to the office to admire your desk during a holiday. His co-star wiped his face and said, “No thanks, I’ll pass on that.”

That day became yet another day of Chen Bai and his co-star watching Zhou Jing get scolded.

Perhaps because their secret studying had been exposed, in the past, Zhou Jing would apologize when he got scolded. Now, not only did he apologize, but he also openly pulled out a notebook worth 8.91 yuan to take notes and ask questions, leaving the director momentarily stunned.

“…”

The crew members felt like something about Zhou Jing’s behavior had subtly shifted, as if someone had steered him in a different direction.

However, Chen Bai didn’t feel like he had anything to do with this change.

That day, they finished work at 8 p.m. Chen Bai livestreamed until 2 a.m., then got up at 8 the next morning, right on time.

By then, it was long past the actors’ makeup removal time, so there weren’t many people around the hotel entrance. He pulled his hat brim down to cover his tousled hair, put on a medical mask, and blended perfectly into the crowd.

Yesterday, it had been sunny, but today the wind had picked up, clouds covered the sky, and the temperature had dropped. He wore a stylish jacket lent to him by his good neighbor.

After switching from bus to subway, Chen Bai had terrible luck and didn’t get a seat the entire time. He only managed to sit down briefly after transferring, when someone got up just as he arrived.

Having spent so much time on the film set, the past week felt like ten years had passed. When he exited the subway and once again saw the endless high-rise buildings, it all felt strangely unfamiliar.

Today, he was working a midday shift at the restaurant. Having been there so many times, he expertly took the elevator, pressed the floor button, and went through the employee entrance to the changing room that was usually used as a break room. He took off his stylish jacket.

The restaurant had a temperature control system, and playing the piano could be considered physically demanding, so a shirt was just right.

As he exited the changing room, he happened to run into the manager. The manager looked busy, talking on the phone as he walked. When he saw Chen Bai, he nodded and smiled as a greeting before quickly heading in the opposite direction, still saying on the phone, “…In half an hour? Okay, we’ll arrange it as quickly as possible.”

The manager’s voice faded as he walked away, disappearing completely in the end.

Chen Bai went to his workstation.

His workstation, meaning the piano bench.

Sometimes, customers would ask for photos with him while he was working, but that had become less common lately. Nowadays, customers mostly just recorded videos with their phones. Only regulars who already knew him would come over for a quick chat during his breaks.

Whether it was one job or the other, he didn’t mind either way.

After another break, he glanced at the clock on the wall, touched the piano keys, and started mentally counting how long it would be until the end of his shift.

Chen Bai was so focused on calculating that he didn’t notice the manager quickly walking by.

The restaurant elevator went up and stopped before opening.

A student in a school uniform followed two people inside, wearing headphones and not looking at the restaurant’s surroundings. He turned his head to look out the window instead, completely disengaged from any conversation. The blue-and-white uniform made him stand out from the environment.

The manager greeted the group and then glanced at the schoolbag on the student’s back. He asked, “Do you want me to…”

A woman in a simple business suit waved her hand, “No need, he’ll carry it himself.”

The manager agreed. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, he led the three of them to a window seat.

It was a four-person table, perfect for the three of them with the extra seat for the schoolbag.

After placing his bag down, Xu Lang leaned back in his chair, still wearing his headphones. He finally raised his head slightly to glance around the restaurant.

Ms. Jiang Nian, unable to stand him wearing headphones everywhere, tapped her fingers twice on the table and said, “Young Master Xu, could you please take off your headphones…”

Xu Lang “…”

Xu Lang, in a movement so fast it was hard to describe, immediately took off his headphones, stowed them in their case, and shoved them into his pocket. His eyes lit up, and he sat up straight.

Ms. Jiang: “…?”

Jiang Nian looked at her husband, utterly amazed. “Since when did my words carry so much weight?”

Her husband didn’t respond.

Unfortunately, Ms. Jiang Nian’s words didn’t have much weight after all—at least not to a high schooler.

The high school student suddenly put away his headphones because he saw someone he wanted to see.

This afternoon, he was supposed to return to school. He originally wanted to stay home and scroll on his phone, but these two people (his parents) happened to have some free time and suggested taking him out to eat. Since this restaurant was close to his school, they figured they’d eat before dropping him off.

He wasn’t particularly interested in this kind of place and would have preferred to stay at home.

—That was what he thought, at least.

But then, he turned his head and saw a familiar face.

He knew Chen Bai worked part-time at a restaurant playing piano, but he didn’t expect it to be ‘this’ restaurant.

He’d always known Chen Bai could play the piano, but this was the first time he’d heard him perform live.

Xu Lang didn’t know much about piano, but he just had a feeling that Chen Bai was really good at it.

Ms. Jiang Nian, realizing something was going on, followed his gaze and saw the young man playing the piano.

He was a very good-looking young man, with pink hair, wearing a shirt, his back straight and slender.

Simply put, his appearance and demeanor were top-notch.

She turned to her son and asked, “What’s the matter?”

Xu Lang said, “This is Chen… Bai, Bai-ge, the guy I told you about who lives next to brother.”

Instantly, both Mr. and Mrs. Jiang turned their heads to look.

Noticing their gaze, the person playing the piano glanced in their direction. His light gray eyes paused for a moment when he saw the blue-and-white school uniform, then he smiled and nodded slightly.

When he wasn’t smiling, there was a calm, slightly aloof aura about him. But when he did smile, everything changed—there was warmth in his expression, like a gentle breeze blowing through. The whole atmosphere around him softened.

He gave off a very pleasant vibe.

Xu Lang inexplicably felt proud and said, “Good-looking, right?”

Ms. Jiang didn’t really understand what he was proud about but didn’t comment on it. She took another look at the young man playing the piano and said, “Your brother mentions him a lot. I didn’t know he was this good-looking.”

Xu Lang raised his eyes. “My brother mentioned him too?”

His brother didn’t seem like the kind of person who would talk about friends at home.

After all, his brother had met plenty of friends before but had never once mentioned them at home.

Ms. Jiang nodded.

They only talked on the phone every few days, and every time, his brother would mention this guy. A 100% mention rate.

He’d mentioned him, but not what he looked like or his personality. They only knew this frequently mentioned person seemed to have a weak constitution and smiled a lot.

After their youngest son returned home last time, they had an additional impression of this person: he was especially good at tutoring and could easily keep their high schooler in check.

They had been thinking about visiting the old town area to see if they could run into him, but Ms. Jiang never expected to meet him in a place like this.

Throughout the meal, the high schooler sat properly, back straight like a model student.

—Though the reason was unclear, he was completely subdued.

The parents “…”

Ms. Jiang felt like this wasn’t her son changing—more like she had a brand new son.

In this type of restaurant, the meal was served slowly, the dishes came out slowly, and everything moved at a relaxed pace. They hadn’t finished eating by the time the piano music stopped, signaling that Chen Bai’s shift had ended.

As they watched him leave, the model student put down his utensils, pulled out his headphones, and said, “I’m full.”

Great. He hadn’t changed after all—still his usual self.

Ms. Jiang looked up, about to say something, but when she saw someone approaching from the far end of the hallway, she raised an eyebrow and said, “I suggest you take those headphones off.”

Xu Lang responded casually but didn’t move. “I’m just going to listen to some music.”

The person at the end of the hallway walked quickly, taking just a few steps before raising a hand and greeting them with a smile.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Jiang greeted him back, introducing themselves with a smile.

Hearing the familiar voice through his headphones, Xu Lang realized something. He turned his head and saw the smiling face right next to him.

Chen Bai said, “Long time no see.”

Xu Lang quickly took off his headphones, stuffed them into his school uniform pocket, and nodded. Immediately, he greeted, “Hi, brother Bai.”

After speaking, he instinctively grabbed his backpack from the chair and made room for him.

Chen Bai had originally just planned to stop by and say hello after his shift, without staying long. But after Xu Lang made space and his parents warmly invited him, he sat down across from them.

It was no surprise that Xu Lang’s parents were both incredibly good-looking.

After hearing that they were on their way to drop Xu Lang off at school, Chen Bai glanced at him and said, “High school is tough. You haven’t come over to hang out in a while, have you?”

Xu Lang took the opportunity to complain, “My brother said I can only visit if I behave well.”

Time can always be squeezed out if needed—it wasn’t that he didn’t want to visit, but his brother wouldn’t let him.

However, his complaint didn’t seem to have much effect. Chen Bai propped his face on his hand and smiled, “Then behave well, and we’ll hang out.”

As he rested his hand on the table, the others noticed his rolled-up sleeves. The cuffs were sloppily rolled up quite high, clearly indicating the shirt was too big for him.

The high schooler seemed to realize something, looking more closely and finding it oddly familiar.

Chen Bai straightforwardly said, “This is your brother’s shirt.”

Restaurant staff were required to wear formal clothes, but since his shift was over, and he wasn’t technically staff anymore, he had just thrown on this shirt in the break room.

At the same time, the eyes of an unknown woman at the table seemed to light up.

Chen Bai chatted with the friendly parents for about ten minutes, but remembering they still had to drop Xu Lang off, he exchanged contact information with them, put on his hat, and left.

He had something to take care of that afternoon.

His agent had recently suggested, while hiring him an assistant, that he should consider moving to a safer place.

The agent had visited his current place and felt that the neighborhood might not be very safe.

It was an old part of town, with buildings from long ago. Some apartment buildings had security systems at the entrance, but they were basically useless—the front doors were left open all year, allowing anyone to come in.

He could pick locks, and there were others who could pick locks too. Living temporarily in the apartment building was fine, but it wasn’t suitable for long-term residence.

He didn’t think anyone would break into his place, but he objectively felt that it was a bit far from where he worked part-time.

Time is a cost, after all.

He hadn’t had time to do this earlier, but since he was free today, he planned to explore the surrounding area in the afternoon.

After a whole afternoon of looking around, he discovered that all the rent prices were far beyond his budget, to the point where he almost fainted.

As the sky darkened, he bought a bottle of water and stood in front of a convenience store, lost in thought.

Actually, living in the old town wasn’t a bad idea.

Primarily because the rent was cheap. Also, the rent was cheap.

While pondering, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and glanced at it.

It was a message from his good neighbor, who probably got off work early today. He replied, and shortly after, his phone rang.

The call wasn’t anything urgent; it was just that both of them happened to be free. The neighbor asked where he was.

“I’m over on Yulin Road, been spending the whole afternoon looking for a place.”

His jacket had large pockets, and as he talked on the phone, he tried to stuff the water bottle he had just bought into his pocket. It actually fit, and he made a small sound of admiration before continuing, “The rent is so expensive, I’m thinking about building a house with my bare hands right here.”

The other end of the line was silent for a moment, as if seriously considering the feasibility of building a house by hand.

After the brief pause, the neighbor spoke again, “I have a vacant place near Yulin Road. If you have time, you can check it out.”

Chen Bai looked up.

Chen Bai “…”

The good neighbor was definitely a man of action. It took him less than half an hour to drive over after the call.

The car pulled up to the side of the road, and remembering something his friends had mentioned about the neighbor’s car, Chen Bai took a second glance at the license plate this time.

The neighbor got out, shut the door, and walked over, asking, “What are you looking at?”

Chen Bai answered honestly, “Memorizing the license plate.”

As the neighbor approached, he handed over a bag he was carrying. “Did you meet Xu Lang today?”

“And you parent,” Chen Bai replied as he took the bag, asking, “What’s this?”

Xu Sinian said, “Cookies. You haven’t had dinner, right?”

Chen Bai hadn’t eaten yet, so he opened the bag and peeked inside, discovering cookies from that shop he liked.

As he examined the cookies, the neighbor glanced at him casually and asked, “What did you and my mom talk about today?”

“Not much,” Chen Bai had already taken off his mask, wiped his hands, and started munching on the cookies. “We talked about work and her opinion of you.”

He casually handed over a cookie, smiling as he said, “I made sure to praise you to the skies. Auntie and Uncle seemed really happy.”

Though he didn’t quite understand why Auntie Jiang would ask him about his thoughts on the neighbor, he figured that flattery was the safest route.

*Author’s Note:*
Chen Bai and Auntie Jiang may be on two different wavelengths, but they get along well. x