Wu Siyuan knew that Shi Yuanbai had recently taken a liking to hanging around the school’s English Corner. Labeled by the school as the “English Prince,” in reality, he just went there to scout for potential partners. He was a sea king1. According to the original story, after Shi Yuanbai returned to China, plenty of people had helped him, and then conspired to frame the original owner.
But this time around, they hadn’t gotten the chance to do anything. And the original host? He didn’t even want revenge, he just wanted to live his life peacefully.
Wu Siyuan thought since that was the case, he would complete the task properly and get the two of them married as soon as possible.
Of course to do that, he would have to build a good relationship with these two people, play matchmaker, and make sure they realize that they were a “fated pair”.
Occasionally two people who did not truly like each other, would end up together because of constant matchmaking and teasing from others.
And now, Wu Siyuan was going to be that person. Who cared if they were really in love or not? Who cared if they were a good match or not? He was going to keep cheering them on. As long as he wasn’t embarrassed, the awkwardness would fall on others instead.
Just today, when the male lead suddenly visited him, Wu Siyuan felt unworthy of this kind of blessing. Let the shou take it. Even if he didn’t want it, Wu Siyuan would force him until he did.
With his mental prep done, Wu Siyuan put on his best smile and walked over towards Shi Yuanbai.
Shi Yuanbai was currently chatting with his classmate, Zhang Lianyue, a wealthy heiress from the the Zhang family. Her older brother, Zhang Lianze, just so happened to be one of Shi Yuanbai’s target potential partners. To get closer to Zhang Lianze, he had no choice but to patiently butter up Zhang Lianyue.
As soon as Zhang Lianyue saw Wu Siyuan coming over, she got excited and said to Shi Yuanbai, “Yuanbai, remember when I told you about a shidi who looks like you? I just saw him! Look quickly, that’s him!” She pointed at Wu Siyuan, waving him over.
Zhang Lianyue was also in the student council, a senior this year, who had already started handing things off to the next batch. She was relatively familiar with the new students. She and Wu Siyuan had talked a few times before, and they were somewhat acquainted.
Though they weren’t close, it didn’t matter. Wu Siyuan’s eyes lit up. This was great as it saved him the trouble of figuring out how to approach Shi Yuanbai.
He obediently ran over, first greeting Zhang Lianyue.
“Hello, shijie2!” Then he feigned shock to look at Shi Yuanbai.
Then he looked at Shi Yuanbai in feigned shock, “This is Shi-shixiong?”
Shi Yuanbai looked at Wu Siyuan with a half-smile, raising his brow and said, “Oh? Shidi knows me?”
On the inside Shi Yuanbai felt irritated. How did this country bumpkin look anything like him? Was Zhang Lianyue blind? And this bumpkin himself had such a fake, green-tea vibe3. Tch!
Wu Siyuan, seemingly unable to see the malice in Shi Yuanbai’s eyes, smiled and said, “Of course I know you. You used to be a celebrity at Q High. All of us envied your grades. The principal and teachers often used your stories to encourage us.”
Shi Yuanbai’s face stayed calm, but inside he felt a bit proud.
“Is that so?” he said. At least this bumpkin was good at talking. Typical green tea behavior.
Wu Siyuan nodded earnestly.
“Yeah! It was only after hearing that shixiong got into A University that I buckled down to study hard, just so I could come here and see you!”
Shi Yuanbai said indifferently, “Now you’ve seen me.”
Conveying the meaning of you can scram now. Wu Siyuan of course picked up on it, but he kept going.
“As expected of the school celebrity. Actually, my classmates and I are quite curious, are you and Jiang-shixiong together now?”
As soon as Shi Yuanbai heard this, he immediately understood Gu Siyuan’s malicious intent. ‘What, if we're not together, does he think he can replace me just because he looks a bit like me?’
But before he could speak, Wu Siyuan quickly added, “We’ve all been hoping to see you two happily together. We’ve heard stories about you since our first year of high school. It’s so sweet, we just want to see the happy ending in person!”
Zhang Lianyue, who was listening nearby, covered her mouth, giggling nonstop. She had heard of people working hard to chase stars, but never heard of someone working this hard just to chase a HE4.
Shi Yuanbai was also stunned for a moment. So it was for this reason? Not because he wanted to replace him? Or was this bumpkin just pretending? Nowadays, only a few people would be that innocent. In Shi Yuanbai’s mind, Wu Siyuan probably wanted to get closer and use him as a stepping stone.
Shi Yuanbai frowned and said, “Jingtong and I are just friends, its not what you think.”
Wu Siyuan feigned disbelief.
“How could that be? Shi-shixiong, that can’t be true, right? Even though I’m just a freshman, I’ve already heard so many things about you two. There are even forum threads discussing the two of you. I thought you two would have good news soon.”
Shi Yuanbai nodded. “It’s true.”
To him, Jiang Jingtong was just a perfect backup, someone who’d come running with a snap of his fingers. Their “more than friends, less than lovers” status suited him just fine. He could use Jiang Jingtong anytime without having to commit.
Being a man himself, he knew the weaknesses of men all too well. As long as they haven’t fully gotten something, they’ll stay patient. On the contrary, once the relationship was confirmed, he felt that Jiang Jingtong might not treat him as well. It was better to keep the current ambiguous state.
Wu Siyuan drooped like a frost-bitten eggplant, but he didn’t push it any further. Any more acting would be too exaggerated.
Zhang Lianyue laughed and said, “Gu shidi, you’re really funny. Yuanbai is still single! Don't misunderstand, what if Yuanbai has someone he likes, it wouldn't be good if that person misunderstood."
Wu Siyuan nodded reluctantly.
“I know, I know. Forced melons aren’t sweet. But, I will always be a CP fan5 of you two senior brothers.”
After that, he turned back to Shi Yuanbai and rattled off a stream of compliments, saying all the nice things he could think of.
Shi Yuanbai accepted all of Wu Siyuan’s praises. Forget it, he wouldn’t bicker too much with this bumpkin for now. He seemed harmless anyway. It was just that he happened to look a bit like him. Letting him bask in that resemblance was already a blessing.
Shi Yuanbai spoke softly, “Don’t say nonsense. Jingtong and I don’t have anything like that. When you go back, tell your classmates not to let their imaginations run wild, we’re just friends.”
Wu Siyuan pursed his lips.
“Shixiong, rest assured. Us CP fans will just enjoy it quietly in our own circle. Since you don’t like me talking about it in front of the real people, I won’t.”
Shi Yuanbai had a flash of inspiration, CP fans, keeping to their own circles? This was just like fandom talk. Did they also have a super-topic6 or a group chat?
He tugged at his mouth and asked, “Don’t tell me you even made a super-topic or a group for me and Jingtong?”
Zhang Lianyue burst out laughing. “Hahaha, shidi, you’re too much.”
Wu Siyuan pretended to look guilty, like his secret had been exposed.
“Hehe… just pretend you don’t know, shixiong.”
Shi Yuanbai pretended to be unhappy. This bumpkin was just a brainless fan, not very threatening. If there really was a super-topic, even better. He could even use that as an excuse to coax Jiang Jingtong later.
He asked Wu Siyuan, “You really think Jingtong and I match that well?”
Wu Siyuan immediately rationalized. “Of course! From looks to talent and temperament, you two are perfect. Plus, with both your family backgrounds, it’s truly a match made in heaven.”
Shi Yuanbai sneered.
“I’m the second son in my family. He’s the Jiang family’s only heir, set to inherit everything. There’s a huge difference between us.”
Wu Siyuan looked at him seriously, “Shixiong, you’re so capable. Maybe you’ll catch up with Jiang-shixiong soon.”
Shi Yuanbai actually gave Wu Siyuan a proper look. This bumpkin was starting to look more and more pleasing. In their circle, there were many people like him who were unwilling to accept their fate, but most of them would resign themselves to it eventually. He, however, wouldn’t. Why should his older brother get to inherit the family business while he got sidelined as some idle second son?
Clearly, he wasn’t any worse than his brother, so why did his family keep saying he wasn’t good enough? This Gu Siyuan, at least, had decent eyes. He knew Shi Yuanbai was capable.
Wu Siyuan also truly thought Shi Yuanbai was formidable. In the original plot, he had drugged both his brother and the original host Gu Siyuan at the same time, filmed a video of them entangled together, and killed two birds with one stone by ruining both of his enemies.
As for catching up with Jiang Jingtong’s progress, that wouldn’t take long either. Jiang Jingtong already had plenty of lovers. As long as Shi Yuanbai picked up the pace, maybe he could catch up soon.
After making an appearance with Shi Yuanbai and completing what he considered his mission, Wu Siyuan planned to leave.
The original host’s family, though average, at least owned a company. Thinking ahead, if he didn’t want to be bullied, he’d need to secure his footing. Moreover, compared to the backgrounds of Jiang Jingtong and Shi Yuanbai, the original owner's family background was simply not comparable.
So next, he’d have to carve out a path for himself.
In the plot, after the original host was killed by those two, his family didn’t even have the power to seek revenge. Even after collecting evidence, it was useless. That’s why Wu Siyuan had to grow stronger himself, so that in the future he wouldn't have to worry about these two people joining forces to retaliate.
Wu Siyuan called home, first reporting his safety, and then slowly inquired about the things he wanted to know.
The original host had a habit of frequently contacting his family, so Wu Siyuan couldn’t break that pattern. Still, he felt a bit apprehensive on the inside. Would the people in the original owner's family notice something was off?
The small family company only engaged in minor business. To make it big, he needed to seize the right opportunities. He’d have to study carefully and prepare a proper business plan.
His father was pleased to see Wu Siyuan’s newfound interest in the company. Finally, his son had grown up and was starting to care about the family business.
The original host’s father, Gu Yingzhuo, naturally told Wu Siyuan everything he wanted to know.
“Don’t worry, Dad. I will study hard and make our company stronger and stronger in the future.”
Listening to his son's words, Gu Yingzhuo felt that all his previous hard work had not been in vain. His son was his treasure, and the company was his life’s work. Now that his son was finally interested in it, he was overjoyed. But he couldn't help but wonder if someone at school had said something bad to Siyuan, causing him to change his mind so quickly.
He’d have to ask carefully!
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Sea King: Internet slang for a playboy/playgirl who keeps many romantic “fish” in their “pond.”
Shijie: a term used to address an older female student or peer in an academic setting.
Green tea: someone who pretends to be pure/innocent but is manipulative underneath. AKA Green tea bitch
HE: Short for “Happy Ending,” borrowed from fandom/BL culture.
CP fan: Fans who “ship” (pair up) two people as a couple, real or fictional.
Super-topic: A dedicated fan forum on Weibo for celebrities/ships.