Love Rival Is Getting Prettier Everyday - Chap 6
Chapter 6: That Yan Dog Dared to Steal My Man
One stone stirred up a thousand waves. Several major entertainment forums were all discussing the post.
“I just saw on Weibo that Shen Jintai is about to make a comeback. Is it real? Do you have any proof?”
“I don’t know, but looking at the momentum, most likely it looks like he’s going to make a comeback.”
“Let me break the news. He’s indeed going to make a comeback, and it is a certain palace fighting drama that is being hotly discussed in your district. I’m quite shocked.”
“Damn, it’s not , is it?”
*Abbreviation of [Dong Gong Lai Liao] (东宫来了)
“Isn’t the male lead Bai Qingquan in ?”
“That rumor isn’t true. Bai Qingquan has already been set as the lead. He even posted the makeup photos for it. How could Shen Jintai play the same role as him!”
“Please Shen Touhua, walk independently. DON’T CUE* OUR WHITE MOONLIGHT. THANK YOU.”
*Originally in English. Refers to bringing in or involving someone/something.
“The moonlight powder will arrive on the battlefield in three seconds!”
“I’m glad to hear it. Hurry up and tear Shen Touhua apart!”
“Tear him up, tear him up, then tear him up again!”
“Tear your mother! Get Bai Yueguang away from my house. He’ll never hook up with you*!”
*Not interested [bu yue] (不约) Slang for “I will never hook up with you.” He’s saying Shen Jintai doesn’t want anything to do with Bai Quinquan.
“Please be beautiful by yourself, Shen Touhua. Can’t you live without rubbing heat1 off someone else’s cooking2?”
1Refers to (short-term) popularity. || Rub heat = Riding off of someone else’s popularity.
2Refers the object of your admiration/fandom.
“He’s not even a star! Tearing him up is to help the poor! If you think about it like that, Shen Touhua is truly magnanimous.”
Immediately afterwards, Bai Qingquan’s fans filled the comments with beautiful personal photos of Bai Qingquan. Shen Jintai watched for a long time, and finally fell asleep gazing at Bai Qingquan’s prosperous beauty.
In his dream, he was still the same as he used to be. He started as an errand runner, doing random chores, then worked as a stuntman. With his love for acting, step by step, he became a golden male actor, and finally won the nomination for best male actor for an indie literary and artistic film.
It seemed that he had lived a long life only to wake up extremely tired.
He was also gay, which was the most taboo in the showbiz industry. Because he had finally climbed up the ladder, he was afraid that being exposed would affect his acting career, so he never revealed his sexual orientation. Let alone falling in love, he had never even dated anyone.
Now that he had the opportunity to make a career by virtue of his beauty. Along the way, he could also snag up a handsome man. His situation wasn’t bad if he carefully thought about it.
He rubbed his eyes and lay down on the bed to sort out the relationship between the three of them.
Yan Qiuchi said that he couldn’t even match Bai Qingquan’s toe. This was consistent with the plot because Yan Qiuchi had not yet succumbed to the temptation of Bai Qingquan. In , according to the traditional setting, only after many suitors fell in love with Bai Yueguang did the male protagonist start to understand his feelings. Before this, Yan Qiuchi was still “Yan Paifang”.
Shen Jintai’s nickname was “Shen Touhua”, which sounded good to hear but was quite ironic, given its meaning. On the other hand, Yan Qiuchi’s nickname “Yan Paifang”, which didn’t have a nice ring, was still full of readers’ adoration.
Yes! Because of his “high abstinence” characteristic, Yan Qiuchi was unsympathetic and indifferent to everyone. He never showed any sign of tenderness towards them.
Can you imagine such a chaste arch turning into a clothed beast in seconds? Can you imagine that he would press Bai Qingquan against the wall to kiss him? Can you imagine him doing all kinds of “plays” in bed? Can you imagine Yan Qiuchi, who was extremely self-disciplined and abstinent, suffering from skin hunger and needing to “hug every day and night” after liberating his nature?
Shen Jintai thought, ‘Absolutely not!’
How dare that Yan Dog tries to steal his man!
It was first come, first serve! He was going to take advantage while filming this drama to take down Bai Yueguang!
Shen Jintai got up to wash and was about to undress to see how the tattoo on his chest was when his cellphone rang. He hurriedly picked it up along with this toothbrush and looked at the caller ID above. It turned out that Mrs. Yan was calling.
This would be a good time to talk about the relationship between the Yan family and the Shen family.
The wives of the Yan family and the Shen family were good friends. Later, both married into wealthy families. Unfortunately, Mrs. Shen was unlucky and passed away within a few years of marrying, leaving behind only one son, Shen Jintai. Because Mrs. Yan missed her best friend, she gave an abundance of love to Shen Jintai. She would often invite Shen Jintai over to play at their house, and after this happened multiple times, Shen Jintai and Yan Qiuchi became childhood friends*.
*Green Plum and Bamboo Horse 青梅竹马. Idiom that means childhood sweethearts or a couple who grew up as childhood friends. It’s important to point this out because (see next footnote).
Of course, the childhood friend later changed. They were not people in the same world, nor could they truly be friends. Yan Qiuchi hated him in his heart. Because of his fate as a cannon fodder, he fell in love with Yan Qiuchi.
Since ancient times, the bamboo horse has usually been used for assistance. If it was a cannon fodder they were usually portrayed as affectionate man #2. Unfortunately, because they were a cannon fodder, they were generally vicious and brainless*.
*Clarity: This bamboo horse (竹马) refers to the bamboo horse from Green Plum and Bamboo Horse (青梅竹马). What this paragraph is saying is that the bamboo horse is generally used to assist with plot and character development, so if the bamboo horse is the cannon fodder, they are usually portrayed as a love rival, and depicted generally brainless and vicious in order to lift the protagonist. In this case, Shen Jintai’s original role was Bai Qingquan’s love rival and he’s portrayed extremely crazy and idiotic in order to elevate Bai Qingquan’s character.
Shen Jintai answered the phone, “Auntie*.”
*Not blood-related.
Mrs. Yan said loudly, “Qiuchi is coming back for lunch today, so come to my house as soon as possible.”
Mrs. Yan was the staunchest supporter of the “JinQiu” CP*! In the original novel, the powders of this CP were considered evil. From a reader’s point of view, since it did not support the “QingQiu” CP but instead the vicious cannon fodder, they considered Mrs. Yan to be some kind of evil mother-in-law.
*Couple || It means she ships Shen Jintai x Yan Qiuchi.
Of course, this wicked mother-in-law was quite dissatisfied with Bai Qingquan. Later in the novel, she was hell-bent on breaking the two up; thus, she received no fewer personal attacks than Shen Jintai!
Shen Jintai put down the toothbrush. “I don’t like him anymore, so I won’t go.”
Mrs. Yan: “…Xiao* Jin, what’s the matter with you? I have seen all the hot searches. Is it true?”
*Little (小) Use as a way to address someone that’s younger than you. I left it in it’s pinyin form since it makes better sense. Also not to be confuse with the character Xiao (萧) Yang. That Xiao is a different character.
Shen Jintai: “Yeah, I just received a script and plan to go over it at home, so I won’t come over.”
Mrs. Yan seemed lost for words and finally said, “But… but today’s my birthday. “
Shen Jintai was taken aback for a moment. He must go.
Mrs. Yan was like a mother to the original owner of this body, yet she wasn’t as kind to her actual son.
“Sorry, I forgot all about it.” Shen Jintai said.
Mrs. Yan: “It’s okay. Auntie understands. You have a lot going on concerning all the issues with your family recently. Come over. I made a lot of your favorite dishes. The whole family is here. I’ll have the driver pick you up.”
After hanging up the phone, Shen Jintai hurried to wash up.
Yan Qiuchi was his rival in love and the object of affection in the former owner’s body. In front of him, he must not lose his momentum! He immediately took out all the clothes in the closet and tossed them on the bed.
Bankruptcy was bankruptcy but a lean camel was still bigger than a horse*. While his family went bankrupt, it hardly affected him. He still lived in a villa, and all his clothes were high-end brands.
*Idiom that expresses the gap between a rich person and a poor person. Even if the rich person suffers asset damage, the rest of his possessions are still much greater than the poor person.
He chose a navy-blue shirt with dark gray suit pants that gave him a casual and quiet look. As he finished dressing, the driver from the Yan family arrived. He glanced at the suit jacket and thong hanging on the wall, turned, and walked out the door.
The driver who came to pick him up didn’t recognize him at first sight. His reaction made Shen Jintai very satisfied. He wanted to give others the impression that he had turned over a new leaf.
The Yan family lived in the center of the city, in a closed community of villas behind the city government building. This was the most valuable area in Nancheng. Shen Jintai leaned against the car window and watched for a long time. Unfortunately, he felt that this city was no different from what he had seen before in his previous life.
If he had transmigrated into a xianxia* novel, he could be flying on an imperial sword at this moment, right?
*Fictional martial arts story that is set in a cultivation world. At a certain stage, you’ll be able to fly on your sword. A popular series that is widely known is The Founder of Diabloism or its live action series, The Untamed.
When the iron gate opened, Shen Jintai saw the full splendor of the Yan’s family in Nancheng.
This villa was completely different than the villa he lived in. It was out of the norm of what one would consider a “villa”. The villa that he lived in was connected to each other like townhouses. These villas, on the other hand, were separated from each other and even had a huge garden. Even the gate alone was the size of a manor.
There were already a few guests mingling in front of the courtyard. When Mrs. Yan saw Shen Jintai’s car coming, she stood on the side of the road with a smile. She was a fifty-year-old woman, plump and thick. Her jet-black hair was coiled up in a bun, and a red flower was pinned on her head.
“Xiao Jin.” Mrs. Yan cried with a smile.
When she saw him, she was astonished. Shen Jintai stepped out of the car and buttoned up his suit. The red hair he used to have was now dyed black. He looked very mature and stable.
Even the guests nearby were surprised.
“Is that Shen Jintai?”
“What a radical change…”
“It seems he was serious. Did you see yesterday’s hot search?”
How could rich people have time to scan Weibo every day? Many did not see the hot search, so they grouped together to gossip.
Shen Jintai glanced around, but did not see Yan Qiuchi. Mrs. Yan smiled and took his arm. “What are you looking at?”
Shen Jintai: “Nothing. Auntie, happy birthday.”
“Thank you.” Mrs. Yan’s voice was very bright. She looked like a forthright person at first glance… But it was different if you were at odds with her. An evil mother-in-law’s aura could vaguely be seen around her. “Looking for Qiuchi? He hasn’t come back yet. He said that he would be here later.”
Shen Jintai was startled. Shit. Was his expression looking for Yan Qiuchi too obvious?
This won’t do. Everyone would think he was still missing that thousand-year-old popsicle. They would say he was all talk and no action. It would be too shameful. When Yan Qiuchi arrives, he would definitely not give him a look!
As he was thinking about Cao Cao, the man in question arrived. Mrs. Yan smiled and looked into the distance. “Qiuchi is back.”
Shen Jintai looked back and saw a black Bentley slowly driving over. The weather was good today. The rays of the sun that shone on the car gave an occasional dazzling reflection. The car stopped not far from them. A driver, in a black suit, got out of the car first, then ran to the back, bent over, and opened the door for Yan Qiuchi.
Truly he was worthy of the title male lead Long Aotian*. This big boss was full of panache.
*(天男主) Basically the male version of a Mary Sue. English equivalent would be like a Gary Stu.
His long legs stretched out, revealing black socks at the ankles. His leather shoes were shiny and spotless, and his trousers were straight without wrinkles. A man with long legs was truly the sexiest. Forget the ass! He wanted long legs! It was good for men to grow up with long legs.
Yan Qiuchi got out of the car, frowned slightly when he saw Shen Jintai, and nodded at him very courteously. While he was distraught internally, in front of outsiders, Yan Qiuchi maintained his gentlemanly demeanor.
Shen Jintai felt embarrassed if he didn’t give a response, so he nodded his head and said hello. After just nodding his head, Shen Jintai turned away. With combed back hair and formal attire, he looked rather arrogant, like a proud peacock.
He vowed he would never look at Yan Qiuchi again! He remembered that in the novel, Yan Qiuchi had a personal description. What was it again?
“Regardless of whether you’re a man or woman, if you like men, then you want to be fucked by him.”
Well, why couldn’t he be the exception to it!
The author has something to say:
Some little angels don’t understand the abbreviations of the previous chapter.
XYXF: bloody
XXJ: elementary school chicken
DGLL; the abbreviation for .
I am dumbfounded: Our little friends are all stunned.
CUE: Mentioned
Bai Qingquan’s fans are called Moonlight Powder, and Shen Jintai’s fans are called Gold Powder. Their CP is called BaiJin*CP.
*Combining Bai (白) + Jin (金) gives Baijin (白金) = Platinum.
QingQiu CP refers to Yan Qiuchi and Bai Qingquan.
As for the CP of Yan Qiuchi and Shen Jintai, it is the JinQiu* CP.
*Combining Jin (金) + Qiu (秋) gives Jinqiu (金秋) = Golden autumn.
I didn’t think about it too much when choosing their names. I didn’t expect that the composition of the CP would be very good, and they all form new words. This must be God’s will!
Kinky Thoughts:
Me after reading the author’s note: (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
Author-sama, why couldn’t you provide your author notes in the previous chapter, so I didn’t have to stress my head off and spend so much time trying to figure out what those abbreviations meant?
Side note: Mama Yan I’m definitely hopping on your boat. Cause we all know that ship is sailing~~ QingQiu CP ain’t gonna happen. They don’t even form new words (unlike the other two CPs). Besides, how can anyone ship BaiJin. What’s two fucking shous gonna do in bed?! (To be honest, quite a bit with the right equipment…)
But on a more serious note, I strongly dislike how BL novels/manga ect. in general tend to stereotype gongs and shous. Tops and bottoms come in all shapes, sizes, characteristics, and personalities. There are even those who are vers (verstile). Just a PSA to everyone to not look at gays through rose-tinted glass and stereotype them as shou or gong based on their outward traits. There is nothing wrong with a manly shou or an effeminate gong. But I digress.
