A hangover is the most torturous thing in the world.
If alcohol didn’t come with such unpleasant side effects a few hours later, he would definitely enjoy drinking more, thought Xia Xiqing as he lay sprawled on the carpet with his eyes open. He struggled to his feet, leaning on the sofa, his head pounding. He rummaged through the coffee table and found a ibuprofen to take, then checked the time on his phone.
13:24.
The memory nerves numbed by alcohol finally began to functionshe slowly, and he suddenly remembered that there was a film premiere event for Zhou Ziheng at 6 PM tonight. He had already secured VIP tickets, so he had to go.
Zhou Ziheng was an actor who started out as a child star. Although he was only 20 this year, he had been in the industry for 14 years. He debuted at the age of 6, playing the childhood version of the male lead in a drama that won the annual ratings championship that year, making him an overnight sensation as the most popular child star. As a result, Zhou Ziheng went on to star in numerous other films and TV series, but he remained confined to the child star mold.
After taking the college entrance exam, he took a break from acting for several years, disappearing from the public eye. He even skipped the arts exam and took the regular national college entrance exam like all other high school seniors, scoring an astonishingly high mark to enroll in the physics department at P University. The duration of the freshman military training was matched by the length of time Zhou Ziheng remained on the trending list.
However, he seemed to keep a low profile, and his frequency of acting decreased significantly after entering university. The public initially assumed he was withdrawing from the entertainment industry to focus on his studies, but a series of leaked photos taken on campus once again dominated the trending topics.
In the photos, he was participating in a school basketball game. Under his red jersey, his smooth and sturdy muscle lines were evident. His sharp eyebrows and eyes were hidden by his short hair, and sweat dripped down to his jawline. When he shot the ball, his eyebrows slightly furrowed. These details, which were blurred by the flashlights, were clearly visible in the candid photos, each one exuding a strong masculine aura.
By chance, Zhou Ziheng, who had always been labeled as a child star, was suddenly dubbed the “walking hormone,” unintentionally transitioning into the trendy “Alpha” style. Not only did high school girls obsessed with celebrities fall for him, but even women a few years older than him couldn’t resist this hormonal trap.
After reaching adulthood, Zhou Ziheng rarely appeared in TV dramas, not even in romantic films. His choice of roles remained consistent, mostly focusing on realistic themes. Even in commercial films, he predominantly took on sci-fi genres. In this particular film, despite finally having a female lead, they ended up portraying siblings, leading netizens to mock him as the “most wasteful of good looks” among male actors. Nevertheless, whenever he appears on variety shows or programs, fans and netizens always manage to uncover numerous charming moments.
Xia Xiqing became a fan after Zhou Ziheng’s career transition. At the time, he was studying abroad and happened to see a few photos of Zhou Ziheng playing basketball. He was struck by his perfect body proportions and muscle definition, which inspired her to sketch him. He quickly drew a watercolor portrait and posted it on Weibo. To her surprise, fans tracked her down and shared the artwork widely, propelling her into the spotlight.
He naturally became a renowned artist within the fan community.
Xia Xiqing looked in the mirror and noticed his hair was indeed a bit long and needed a trim. He pulled out a rubber band holding his paintbrushes, placed them on the table with a thud, casually tied his hair back, grabbed a white shirt from the wardrobe, put on a black mask, and headed out the door.
When he arrived at the venue, the main creative team hadn’t arrived yet. Xia Xiqing took a photo and posted it on Weibo, quickly receiving a bunch of comments from fans.
[Gongzi Ruxing]: Ah, is Summer also there?!
[Wild Crossing, No One Around, Zhou Ziheng]: Hey, I’m here too. Mrs. Summer is so close to the stage. Could she be a VIP?
[I’m the Coolest]: Holy crap, a VIP?! Even the leader of the Yongheng Fan Club isn’t this close.
To avoid further speculation, Xia Xiqing casually picked a fan’s comment to reply to.
[Tsing_Summer]: A friend gave me the ticket.
Coincidentally, right after he replied, he received a text message from “the friend who gave him the ticket”—Xu Qichen.
[Xiqing, I have something to do today and can’t make it. I’ve already informed the organizer. I’m sorry.]
[No problem, I’m already at the venue.]
After waiting for half an hour with no sign of the event starting, Xia Xiqing felt bored and walked out of the venue, passing through a long corridor to a side hall. The hotel had decent taste; he looked at the Goya painting hanging on the wall, which was a fairly high-quality forgery.
As he was looking at them, someone suddenly bumped into him from behind with such force that he almost lost his balance, and the phone he was holding slipped from his hand. Xia Xiqing turned around to see several bodyguards in black uniforms surrounding a celebrity who was taller than the bodyguards and wearing sunglasses. Xia Xiqing recognized him instantly as Zhou Ziheng.
Similarly, Zhou Ziheng immediately realized the rudeness of his bodyguards, stopped his hurried pace, and swiftly bent down to pick up Xia Xiqing’s phone, which had been knocked out of his hand, and handed it to him through the crowd, his movements smooth and fluid.
“Sorry,” Zhou Ziheng’s voice was steady, not sounding like a twenty-year-old kid, but having a strange charm between a teenager and a mature man. The fans surrounding them started screaming and took out their phones to capture the moment. Such a heartwarming gesture posted on Weibo would definitely go viral, and maybe even break out of the circle.
This was the first time he had been so close to Zhou Ziheng. The sudden encounter was somewhat unexpected, but Xia Xiqing didn’t feel particularly nervous. He skillfully controlled the smile on his face, making himself appear gentle and polite. “It’s okay, thank you.”
Xia Xiqing reached out and took the phone from his hand, her cool fingertips accidentally brushing against Zhou Ziheng’s fingers.
It was probably half a second.
Zhou Ziheng’s expression didn’t seem to change much—it could be described as showing no reaction. Xia Xiqing saw it clearly, but he kept smiling until Zhou Ziheng left and returned to the venue.
He was indeed a straight man through and through.
When he entered the venue again, Zhou Ziheng’s fans were handing out free promotional items. A girl of about 17 or 18 stopped him and asked, “Handsome guy, whose fan are you? Do you need any promotional items?”
Xia Xiqing, wearing a mask, smiled with crinkled eyes and a gentle voice, “Sure.”
The young girl excitedly opened the bag, which contained hairbands, badges, bracelets, and cheering sticks, and asked, “Which one do you want?”
Xia Xiqing took a badge, said thank you gently, pinned it on his chest, and returned to his seat.
The press conference started on time. The host opened the event, and the film’s main creators appeared one after another. The film is adapted from Xu Qichen’s novel “Seagull,” which tells the story of a young unemployed man named Ouzi who is deceived into going to Thailand by an acquaintance who promises him a job, only to be sold as a commodity to an unlicensed fishing boat where he becomes a “shrimp slave” forced to work without pay for years. Ultimately, he escapes through his own efforts.
Zhou Ziheng portrays this young “shrimp slave.” To make his appearance more aligned with the role, Zhou Ziheng lost nearly 20 pounds, appearing emaciated and unhealthy during filming. During the first costume fitting, he wore a tattered vest and a pair of knee-length shorts so dirty they couldn’t be washed clean. His face was covered in sunburn marks from years at sea, and his shoulders and back were dark and red. Almost no one could recognize the young man as Zhou Ziheng, not even the director, who nodded in approval, praising him as the embodiment of Ouzi.
Half a year has passed since the film wrapped, and Zhou Ziheng has regained much of his former complexion. Through intense fitness training, his physique has returned to its pre-filming state, with well-defined muscle lines. Xia Xiqing couldn’t help but marvel, “Acting really isn’t something just anyone can do. You have to lose weight when they say so, and gain it back when they say so—it’s like a balloon.”
The buzz cut he got for the film has grown out, but it’s still quite short, highlighting his sharp features and deep-set eyes—a stark contrast to many of his peers in the industry. Most of them have gentle, delicate features, but Zhou Ziheng is an exception. He is neither gentle nor delicate; his entire being exudes masculine energy, with a sharpness in his features that is almost impossible to hide, giving him a natural aggressiveness.
Xia Xiqing had praised Zhou Ziheng’s new wardrobe team to his friends on more than one occasion, and this time they did not disappoint him. At the press conference, Zhou Ziheng wore a gray-blue shirt tucked into dark gray suit pants, his solid muscles wrapped inside, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, superior lines, and almost a golden inverted triangle proportion. At 1.92 meters tall, he exuded both composure and distinction.
His overall attire was sophisticated and minimalist, but he wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, with a delicate gold chain looping behind his ears. Under the lights, they shone brightly, adding a touch of restraint to his otherwise sharp demeanor.
A woman in her thirties approached him, dressed in designer labels and meticulously styled. As she sat down, her hand casually brushed against Xia Xiqing’s.
“Excuse me.”
Xia Xiqing looked at her and smiled in greeting. She seemed to seize the opportunity, smiling as she extended her hand. “Hello, I’m Jiang Yin, the producer of this film.”
Glancing at her hand, adorned with meticulously applied nail polish, Xia Xiqing politely removed his mask and shook her hand. “Hello.”
As he removed his mask, Jiang Yin’s eyes lit up. This was quite rare, as she had seen countless people in this industry. The young man before her could be described as handsome, with slightly feminine features, yet exuding a magnetic masculine charm. His slightly long hair was half-tied back, revealing a pair of deep-set almond-shaped eyes with a subtle upward curve at the corners. In addition, the mole on his nose was the perfect finishing touch.
To put it bluntly, this person had the kind of face that could be forgiven for anything he did. He was completely non-aggressive and filled with a protective instinct. This type of person was the most popular with audiences.
“I haven’t seen you before. You look unfamiliar,” Jiang Yin let go of his hand and smiled. “You’re not in the industry, are you?”
Xia Xiqing smiled, “The original author of this movie is my friend, so I’m just here to get up close to a star thanks to him.”
“Oh?” Jiang Yin smiled and looked at the female lead speaking on stage, “So you like this type of girl, huh?”
Xia Xiqing chuckled, shook his head, and lazily looked at Zhou Ziheng standing beside the female lead.
“I like this type of guy.”
Author’s Note:
Xia Xiqing: Welcome everyone to my home turf [Weixiao]
Chen Chen: I’ll do my best to make a guest appearance!
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