After Amnesia, I Learn I'm a Scumbag Top?! - Chapter 57

Chapter 57

Three days later, Pei Ji received an invitation to attend the debut showcase of Youth Star Factory.

When he first received the invitation, he was puzzled. What did a debut showcase have to do with him? He had merely been a guest judge, not particularly involved in the reality show. But when he arrived at the venue, the scene before him was utterly astonishing.

This season of Youth Star Factory had generated lukewarm buzz, nowhere near the feverish popularity of the previous season. One would expect a low-key debut showcase, but the event was a grand spectacle. Media outlets swarmed the venue, nearly bursting at the seams, while the guest seating before the stage stretched across three full rows.

Pei Ji couldn’t fathom why they were putting on such a lavish display.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk… Huanyu Media must be hemorrhaging cash to invite this many guests,” Qiao He muttered beside him, clucking his tongue. Taking advantage of the crowded, noisy venue, he brazenly mocked, “When your show lacks buzz, you just throw money at guest appearances. Without this parade of celebrities propping up the facade, I bet you could count the media present on one hand—nobody would even bother showing up.”

Not content with reveling in the drama himself, Qiao He dragged Pei Ji into it: “Ah, what goes around comes around, right? Huanyu Media pulled such shady tricks last season, and now karma’s hitting them hard. Each episode flops harder than the last. The only buzz comes from the guests they hired.”

He chuckled, as if struck by a sudden thought. “I bet Huanyu Media’s hemorrhaging money this season. It’s a nine-member group, and four of them are from his own agency! He hogged all those debut slots, but the group flopped so hard they’re practically stuck to the pan. Look at the media—every camera’s trained on the guest seats. Not a single soul here cares about that train wreck he’s trying to call a group.”

Pei Ji, seeing Qiao He’s gloating getting out of hand, cleared his throat pointedly to remind him to tone it down.

Qiao He clamped his lips shut, trying to stifle his laughter, but the smug look on his face remained undiminished.

His detestable former agency was in trouble, and he couldn’t resist stirring the pot. If it weren’t for the security guards, he’d have set off firecrackers to celebrate.

Pei Ji had arrived early. The venue was still mostly empty, save for media reporters staking out their positions and adjusting their equipment, while only a handful of guests occupied the scattered seats.

As Pei Ji stepped into the venue, a staff member immediately greeted him with a smile and guided him to his seat.

The seating arrangement for guests was meticulously organized according to their industry status. Pei Ji, whose prominence in the industry was middling, had been assigned a seat in the second row, slightly left of center.

Each seatback bore a nameplate. As Pei Ji settled in, his gaze drifted upward and landed on a familiar name: “Chu Tinghan” was affixed to the center seat in the front row, diagonally to his right.

He paused for only a second before averting his gaze.

Given Chu Tinghan’s star power, it wouldn’t have been surprising to see him seated center stage. Pei Ji had long grown accustomed to such arrangements.

Yet the sight of Chu Tinghan’s name so close by was inexplicably jarring. The thought of Chu Tinghan himself arriving and adding his presence to the nameplate’s looming presence made Pei Ji feel inexplicably unsettled.

He adjusted his posture, subtly shifting his gaze to the opposite side.

“Brother Pei, what a coincidence! Our seats are so close.”

Just as he averted his eyes, a blurry figure materialized in his peripheral vision. Turning his head, he recognized Ban Rui, his co-star from a previous variety show. Pei Ji politely rose to his feet. “Brother Ban, long time no see.”

Ban Rui was about the same age as Pei Ji; the “Brother” title was just polite formality. But Pei Ji was actually a few months older. Ban Rui smiled sheepishly. “Brother, you’re too kind. Just call me Xiao Ban or Xiao Rui. You debuted before me and are my senior.”

The less trouble, the better. Pei Ji remembered that Ban Rui was an artist under Huanyu Media—it was unclear whether he was friend or foe. During the variety show filming, Pei Ji had managed to feign familiarity with him on camera, but now he had no intention of chatting any further. He nodded with a smile and said, “Mm-hmm,” not uttering another word.

However, Ban Rui seemed oblivious to Pei Ji’s deliberate aloofness, continuing the small talk casually. “I was at the finale livestream too. I never expected you to sing Teacher Li’s ‘Star Orbit,’ and you performed it so well! After hearing you, I felt completely inadequate.”

Pei Ji assumed Ban Rui was simply trying to create a lively atmosphere, aware of the numerous media cameras filming and wanting to avoid any awkwardness between them.

Though he didn’t want to engage further, Pei Ji responded politely and modestly, “Just luck.”

“Don’t be so modest,” Ban Rui said. “In all these years, you’re the only one I’ve ever seen dare to sing ‘Star Orbit’ live with an open mic. I’ve been a fan of Teacher Li since I was a kid, growing up listening to her songs. I know every single one by heart, but even I would hesitate to perform it myself.”

Ban Rui sighed suddenly. “Ah… if only Teacher Li were still alive. It’s such a pity she announced her retirement right around the time I discovered her. I’ll never get to hear her perform live.”

Before this, Pei Ji had been a little puzzled. He and Ban Rui were merely colleagues from filming a variety show together, so why was Ban Rui chatting with him so much about Star Orbit?

After hearing Ban Rui’s words, Pei Ji finally understood. It turned out Li Xiwen was Ban Rui’s idol. Judging by what he said, half of Ban Rui’s reason for becoming an idol himself stemmed from Li Xiwen’s influence. No wonder he was so wistful when talking about the artist who had shaped him so deeply.

As the press conference neared its start time, the guests began arriving one after another. Chu Tinghan and Liang Wangqiu came together, still talking as they entered, their gazes occasionally drifting toward Pei Ji.

Noticing these glances, Pei Ji couldn’t shake the feeling that their conversation might somehow involve him.

After reaching the guest seating area, Liang Wangqiu didn’t immediately sit down. Instead, he turned and walked from the first row to the second.

Pei Ji watched him approach, his eyes fixed on him, and only then did it dawn on him that Liang Wangqiu might be coming to greet him personally.

What status does Liang Wangqiu hold? What status do I hold? How dare I allow such a renowned director to walk over to greet me publicly? Unless I want to be blacklisted from the industry.

Ban Rui, sitting beside him, was about to continue their conversation, but Pei Ji had to excuse himself apologetically. He quickly rose to meet Liang Wangqiu.

Fortunately, his height and long legs allowed him to cover ground quickly. He soon reached Liang Wangqiu, offering a polite smile and bowing slightly. “Director Liang, good to see you again.”

Liang Wangqiu, known for his stern demeanor in the industry, surprised everyone by flashing an uncharacteristically warm smile as he patted Pei Ji’s shoulder. “Little Pei, would you be interested in joining me for dinner after the event?”

The invitation stunned everyone present, not just Pei Ji.

Their eyes widened abruptly, hands flying up to cover mouths gaping in surprise. Their gazes darted back and forth between Pei Ji and Liang Wangqiu.

Has the sun risen in the west today?

The notoriously aloof Director Liang had actually invited a newly popular singer to dinner, and his demeanor was remarkably affable, almost disarmingly approachable.

It was so unbelievable that they wouldn’t have believed it if they hadn’t witnessed it firsthand.

“How about it? Are you free?” Liang Wangqiu pressed.

Pei Ji was a bit dazed, but his brain still managed to function. He smiled apologetically and explained, “I’m so sorry, Director Liang, but tonight won’t work. After the event ends, I need to attend the program’s celebration banquet. How about we reschedule for another day? You pick the time.”

A flicker of surprise crossed Liang Wangqiu’s eyes. “Oh… I really am getting old. If you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have forgotten that I’m supposed to attend the banquet too…”

Before he could finish, the host was already adjusting the microphone, preparing to take the stage. The press conference was about to begin. Standing in the front row was too conspicuous and blocked the cameras, so after a brief exchange, they returned to their seats.

As Pei Ji walked back to his seat, he pondered what ulterior motive might lie behind Liang Wangqiu’s unusual behavior.

The last time Liang Wangqiu had invited him to dinner, it was ostensibly to discuss the theme song. Yet the conversation had steered clear of the topic entirely.

Pei Ji had a growing suspicion that Liang Wangqiu might be interested in him personally.

Why had Liang Wangqiu invited him to dinner again? Was he trying to pry into something again, or was it just more personal matters?

“You know Director Liang?” Ban Rui asked, surprised.

The sudden question snapped Pei Ji out of his thoughts. He hadn’t quite caught Ban Rui’s question and instinctively replied, “What?”

Ban Rui softened his tone, enunciating clearly, “I was asking if you know Director Liang.”

“Yeah, we know each other,” Pei Ji answered casually, “but we’re not close.”

His tone clearly lacked sincerity, and Ban Rui, sensing he was being brushed off, wisely decided not to push the matter further.

He shifted the topic, looking straight ahead, his gaze settling on someone in the front row. “Brother Pei, your voice sounds so much like Teacher Li’s,” Ban Rui continued. “If you didn’t have the surname Pei instead of Li, I’d almost think you were the secret son she supposedly had a few years ago, according to those rumors online.”

Pei Ji sensed there was an ulterior motive behind this remark. Curious about what Ban Rui was really trying to say, he followed his gaze.

When Pei Ji realized who Ban Rui was looking at, he was stunned again.

Ban Rui was staring at Liang Wangqiu.

Pei Ji frowned, puzzled. It was as if a thick fog had descended before his eyes.

Liang Wangqiu’s reaction was bizarre, and Ban Rui’s words were even more nonsensical.

What exactly are these two up to?

Could they actually believe he’s Li Xiwen’s son, like the internet rumors suggest?

Pei Ji’s mind reeled from their words, and he even began to doubt himself.

Could my biological mother really be Li Xiwen? Then who is Liang Wangqiu? The rumors claim Liang Wangqiu and Li Xiwen were once married… could he actually be their son?

Pei Ji found the whole scenario too melodramatic to believe.

Fortunately, the nonsensical topic didn’t continue. Ban Rui fell silent, simply staring ahead.

The press conference proceeded rigidly according to its set agenda. Pei Ji sat in the audience, his gaze fixed on the stage, but his mind had long since wandered.

He couldn’t remember much from his childhood; the faces of his biological parents were utterly blank in his mind. He wouldn’t dare rely on rumors to claim kinship. He’d have to wait for an opportunity to obtain Liang Wangqiu’s DNA for a paternity test before making any decisions.

After the press conference concluded, Pei Ji was about to get into the van to head to the celebratory banquet when Qiao He appeared with a long face, announcing, “We’ve got a flat tire.”

“It was perfectly fine when we arrived,” Qiao He said, looking ruefully at the flat tire. “How did it go flat on the way out?”

Pei Ji pressed the tire. It felt as limp as a deflated balloon, with no give at all. “This car’s undrivable. We’ll need a tow truck.”

Qiao He scratched his head irritably. “What do we do now? We still have the after-party to attend. If we’re late, Huanyu Media will definitely leak some slanderous story about you.”

“They’ll say you’re throwing your weight around, being a diva, or acting moody and cold. They love that kind of thing.”

Hearing this, Pei Ji couldn’t help but chuckle. Qiao He, a veteran in the industry, clearly knew the ropes.

He pulled out his phone and opened the ride-hailing app. “Let’s just call a—”

“Hop in my car instead.”

“Little Pei, come ride with me. I’ll give you a lift.”

Before he could finish, two cars suddenly pulled up, one in front and one behind. The windows rolled down to reveal familiar faces: Chu Tinghan, looking coldly indifferent in the front car, and Liang Wangqiu, smiling warmly in the back.

Pei Ji was taken aback, experiencing for the first time in his life what it felt like to be so in demand.

After a moment’s contemplation, he strode directly toward Chu Tinghan’s car.

Chu Tinghan sat inside, his expression utterly impassive, as if he were merely doing a great kindness by offering a stranger a ride.

Though outwardly composed, his heart had begun to race the moment he caught a glimpse of Pei Ji approaching his car in his peripheral vision.

He lowered his head, pressed his lips together, then looked up again, feigning indifference.

As the blurry figure in his peripheral vision grew larger, Chu Tinghan braced himself, tightening his expression, and even shifted slightly to the side, deliberately creating distance between himself and Pei Ji.

But when the figure loomed largest, it didn’t open the car door as he’d expected. Instead, it vanished in an instant.

Chu Tinghan watched in disbelief as Pei Ji walked past his car… walked past?

At that moment, a magnetic, laughter-tinged voice floated through the open window:

“Well then, Director Liang, I shall graciously accept your kind offer. Thank you.”

The car door slammed shut, and Pei Ji climbed into Liang Wangqiu’s car without hesitation.

Within seconds, Pei Ji had already driven off with Liang Wangqiu, leaving only a trail of exhaust fumes behind.

Watching the receding taillights, Chu Tinghan could no longer maintain his composure. His carefully constructed facade of calm shattered instantly, his temples throbbing violently. His heart, which had been fluttering with agitated anticipation, now pounded erratically like a tempestuous storm.

Zhou Yingjie, sitting in the back, watched as Chu Tinghan nearly crushed the genuine leather seat under his grip. He hissed in concern and couldn’t resist speaking up. “Don’t take your anger out on the seat, man. It’s innocent! You just replaced it last year, right? You’re really going to destroy it like that?”

Chu Tinghan shot him a sidelong glance. “Does my car need your concern?”

Zhou Yingjie waved his hand dismissively. “Fine, fine, I couldn’t care less.”

After a moment’s pause, he looked pointedly out the window and sighed dramatically. “Aiyo! I wonder who’s clinging so tightly to Pei Ji, yet refuses to swallow their pride and coax him properly…”

“How do you know I haven’t been coaxing him?” Chu Tinghan interrupted sharply.

“…Huh?” Zhou Yingjie’s mind blanked for a moment. He stiffly turned his head to stare at Chu Tinghan, wide-eyed, completely caught off guard by the rebuttal.

Well, isn’t this a surprise? Chu Tinghan actually knows how to coax someone?

Zhou Yingjie was sweating bullets, worried Chu Tinghan would scare Pei Ji away.

Wiping a bead of sweat, Zhou Yingjie cautioned, “If you’re going to ‘coax’ him like today, you’d be better off not even trying.”

Who tries to coax someone with a stone-cold, expressionless face? Pei Ji would probably get even angrier.

He didn’t dare voice these thoughts, but Chu Tinghan seemed to read his mind. “I already tried sweet-talking him a few days ago,” he said.

The result? Lucky gained another pet name, “Baby.” How absurd! Even a dog got better treatment than he did.

Zhou Yingjie leaned forward, his eyes wide with disbelief. “And then? What was his reaction?”

Chu Tinghan stared at Zhou Yingjie’s gleaming eyes, paused, and shot him a withering glance before turning his back again. “Why am I even telling you this?”

Zhou Yingjie was writhing with frustration, desperate to know what had happened. But Chu Tinghan’s lips were sealed tighter than a vault; without his confession, the truth would remain locked away forever.

Left with no other option, Zhou Yingjie tried a different tack. “Hey, why don’t you learn from others? Look at Lao Liang earlier—that smile of his was so warm and friendly. Pei Ji jumped right into his car!”

At these words, Chu Tinghan fell silent, his gaze darkening into an unfathomable abyss.

Zhou Yingjie, utterly bewildered, wondered what absurd thoughts were now plaguing the man’s mind.

A moment later, he noticed Chu Tinghan clenching the leather car seat so tightly that the leather was on the verge of crumpling like a crumpled wad of paper.

Chu Tinghan didn’t care about the seat, but Zhou Yingjie, a car enthusiast, couldn’t bear to watch. “Hey, hey, hey! What are you thinking about now?” he blurted out, trying to stop him.

Chu Tinghan shot him a cold, sidelong glance. Zhou Yingjie suddenly sensed a faint, primal danger—like the territorial warning of an animal claiming its domain.

But Zhou Yingjie knew this warning wasn’t directed at him. Then who is it for?

Holy crap! Could it be… Liang Wangqiu?

No way! How does this guy keep inventing rivals for himself?

Zhou Yingjie tried to steer Chu Tinghan’s thoughts back on track. “What are you even thinking about?! You don’t actually believe Lao Liang has feelings for Pei Ji, do you?”

Chu Tinghan remained noncommittal.

In his eyes, Liang Wangqiu had been grilling him about Pei Ji’s personal life like he was conducting a background check—even asking about his parents.

At first, he’d dismissed it as a senior’s concern for a junior. But now, upon closer reflection, wasn’t this clearly… romantic interest?

He couldn’t find any other explanation for Liang Wangqiu’s bizarre behavior.

Seeing this, Zhou Yingjie despaired, clutching his forehead. “Oh my god, you… you… sigh. Lao Liang is old enough to be Pei Ji’s father! And he’s into women—he has a wife and kids.”

“…He has a wife? And kids?” Chu Tinghan could hardly believe his ears.

Zhou Yingjie froze, realizing he’d let slip the secret in his panic.

Liang Wangqiu’s hidden marriage and child were secrets known only to a few in the industry. Zhou Yingjie had learned the truth one night while driving a drunk Liang Wangqiu home, the man’s drunken ramblings spilling the truth.

Zhou Yingjie awkwardly scratched his head and glanced down at his shoes. “Uh…”

Chu Tinghan pressed relentlessly. “Does he really have a wife and kids?”

Zhou Yingjie wrestled with his conscience, hesitating before finally saying, “If I tell you, you can’t breathe a word of it to anyone, got it?”

Chu Tinghan nodded solemnly. “Of course.”

Only then did Zhou Yingjie reluctantly confess. “Lao Liang got married over twenty years ago, but their child went missing. They’ve never found him.”

“His wife also seemed to have died because of this incident,” Zhou Yingjie said. “From what I gathered, she was a singer, quite popular too. He never mentioned her name, though. He seemed in great pain whenever he spoke of her, constantly blaming himself for losing the child and saying he didn’t dare face her in the afterlife, rambling all sorts of remorseful things. That’s why I didn’t press him for details. I still don’t know who she was.”

At this, both men froze, a flash of insight striking them simultaneously. They thought of the same person.

A singer, highly popular, died young… It had to be…

Zhou Yingjie blurted out his jumbled reasoning first: “Just a few days ago, someone online said Pei Ji looked exactly like Li Xiwen! There were rumors back then that Li Xiwen had secretly married and had a child. If those rumors were true, Li Xiwen’s child would be about the same age as Pei Ji. And Li Xiwen was a singer who died… This… this matches Lao Liang’s story perfectly!”

Chu Tinghan, a beat slower, exclaimed in astonishment: “So you’re saying… Pei Ji might be Liang Wangqiu’s son?”

Meanwhile, Pei Ji sat in Liang Wangqiu’s car, facing another peculiar question.

Liang Wangqiu stared at Pei Ji’s bare wrist, his gaze thoughtful. “Did you ever wear any jewelry as a child?” he asked. “I’ve noticed some families buy lucky beads for their kids. Did your parents ever get you one?”