ICTEUWMN Chapter 23

As the head of the PR department, Kudi found it almost impossible to describe this bizarre workplace ordeal in words.

During this period, the search index for Xingqiong Entertainment Media, along with the personal popularity of its CEO, Kane, had inexplicably skyrocketed.

Initially, he thought it was another major PR crisis, like the inexplicable disappearance of the newly signed artist, but a quick search revealed that the source of the frenzy was… a novel.

What was even more unsettling was that after reading the novel the whole night, Kudi felt both happy and a little scared.

For heaven’s sake, let this be purely coincidental and unrelated to reality.

Currently, the plot had readers so riled up that they wished they could take a knife to the fictional character, Caesar.

If this somehow had even a slight connection to their CEO, Kane, wouldn’t both of them be killed together?

Even now, the official company account was being flooded with comments that were refreshing hundreds of times per second.

[So, Kane, you really have no clue about love? Honestly, my heart aches for you! How could someone with such a face that’s perfect for a romance be so clueless?!(pointing and gesturing)]

[Boss Kane, do you know that money and love aren’t interchangeable!]

[Yeah, I bought so much merch from the artists under your company this year! That was supposed to be for dressing up my beloved wife! Wuu!]

Many interstellar readers who flocked there were just making jokes, the long wait for updates had always been torturous so discovering that Kane, a three dimensional domineering CEO, had a striking resemblance to the domineering character from the novel was simply too amusing.

Instantly, he became the perfect emotional outlet.

But for the team managing Xingqiong Entertainment’s official account, the flood of attention was overwhelming. At first glance, they really thought their CEO had been exposed for…

Signing some outrageous marriage contract with a young pianist named Gu Bai?!

What to do if the sudden collapse of the house directly affects the boss?

It wasn’t until a staff member who had read “Contract Marriage” explained the situation that everyone realized this was just a plot in a novel.

Still, after the entire PR department worked overnight to review this “root of all evil” novel, almost everyone looked up at each other in confusion and sweated profusely.

What could they say?

All they could say was that, damn it, the book was ridiculously good. Wait, no, what they meant was…

Damn it, why did Caesar in the book resemble their CEO so much?!

Could their boss really be the scumbag from the book?!

So, when Kane reviewed the PR department’s materials on public opinion, he felt the subtle, gossipy, and faintly judgmental stares from his secretary and staff…

Before he had time to feel sad and angry, Kane finally realized the seriousness of the problem.

“Contact the headquarters of Huanyu Reading Platform immediately. We must find the author as soon as possible!”

For refuting such claims, it wouldn’t suffice for him alone to deny them.

But if the author could step forward and publicly clarify that there was no connection between the two, the impact would be far more convincing.

Besides, Xingqiong Entertainment and Huanyu Reading Platform were, in a way, both entertainment industry groups, and there were many business interactions.

Urgently reaching out to Huanyu’s senior management to locate the contracted author’s star account shouldn’t be too difficult.

“And we need to act quickly,” Kane added.

“However, your originally scheduled offline event tomorrow happens to include a press interview session, and you will definitely be asked relevant questions at that time. We can take this opportunity to make a statement to clarify the matter!”

After Kane made his attitude clear, another department head made a serious suggestion.

If they didn’t clear up the rumors quickly, and “Contract Marriage” became popular across major star systems, even readers in other galaxies would think there was a real life Caesar in Xingqiong Entertainment. At that point, their boss wouldn’t be able to clear his name even if he jumped into the galaxy.

Meanwhile, at Huanyu’s editorial office, Shaxs was all smiles that day, and all his good colleagues stopped by to offer their congratulations.

In stark contrast, senior Editor Lei had taken a week-long sick leave and hadn’t shown up.

After all, seeing “Contract Marriage” topping the charts was a direct slap in the face to his dismissive attitude a few days prior.

Who would have thought that such a groundbreaking work by a newcomer not only avoided failure but skyrocketed to become a phenomenon?

Now, it wasn’t just the Huanyu Reading Platform that was buzzing; even major forums and platforms were flooded with posts discussing this extraordinary new novel, with fans eagerly camping out for the next update.

They couldn’t wait to see the day Caesar discovered the truth outside the hospital ward!

“And Xingqiong is actually inquiring about the author’s star account? Are they planning to buy the rights?”

“Who knows…”

Hearing his colleagues’ envious speculation, Shaxs couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride.

The next moment, he sent the good news to Yu Mian.

[Crispy Shark: Teacher Fish Soup Noodles, it seems your work has caught the eye of Xingqiong Entertainment! They specifically asked for your contact information!]

Xingqiong Entertainment was a rising star in the interstellar entertainment sector, renowned for lavish investments and producing highly successful films and series.

Shaxs had expected Yu Mian to be ecstatic, but after a long pause, all he received was:

[Fish: Thank you, I’ve already added them… ORZ.]

[Crispy Shark: Huh?? Already? Is it someone from Xingqiong’s copyright department?]

[Fish: No, it’s Kane himself…]

[Crispy Shark: WTF!!!]

In fact, when Yu Mian looked at the account “EN” he had just accepted, he suddenly realized it was the same name as the bigshot who had showered him with a lot of starship rewards.

Although there was also the possibility of having the same name.

But EN—wasn’t that just “Kane” shortened? The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed.

System: [Ah! Kane?!]

What Yu Mian didn’t expect was his system to scream upon seeing Kane’s friend request.

After hurriedly reviewing the relevant plot points to its host, Yu Mian fell into a deep silence.

“So… you’re saying that Kane is the CEO in this book world to whom I owe a huge breach-of-contract fee? My original self nearly joined Xingqiong Entertainment to make a debut?”

System: [Exactly… I lost connection for a while and forgot to transfer that memory to you. Besides, you didn’t follow the Popular Superstar plotline originally designated by the system.]

The little system added awkwardly:

[I just didn’t expect you’d still end up writing him into the novel… Fate really works in mysterious ways.]

“…”

Yu Mian felt like his brain was exploding.

‘Oh my god. How to even describe this? The system’s reminder suddenly made everything click.’

So, the “missing newcomer” from that news alert… was him?!

And yet, as the person involved, he had calmly read the news without batting an eye, even using Kane as material for his domineering CEO character in the novel.

At that moment, Yu Mian’s guilt toward Kane reached its peak.

Even though the ghosting incident had been the original owner’s doing, since he had already taken over, it was only right to take responsibility.

So much so that Kane in Xingqiong Entertainment’s office was surprised to find that Fish Soup Noodles’ attitude was unexpectedly cooperative!

[Fish: I sincerely apologize; this is truly a misunderstanding! I’ll include a serious clarification in tomorrow’s update to explain everything!]

[Fish: I’m so sorry for causing you such trouble! [Kneeling.jpg] If there’s anything else I can do, I’ll fully cooperate!]

The other party’s attitude was so friendly that Kane felt a bit embarrassed.

Honestly, he hadn’t been angry to begin with…

It was just that “Contract Marriage” was so fresh, so unique, and so engaging that everyone who read it got hooked.

In addition, it was late at night that day, and everyone was very excited after reading the ten chapters that were updated, so they were inevitably a little impulsive.

By now, the discussions had turned into an inside joke of sorts!

In a way, it was like a free viral marketing campaign for Xingqiong on a galactic scale.

As for Caesar, despite being the target of readers’ exasperation, his character remained undeniably captivating.

Wealthy, handsome, and deeply passionate—yet hilariously clueless about romance!

Even his inability to date properly was, upon closer inspection, a charming trait.

Because what did it imply?

It meant that before meeting Gu Bai, this man had never dated anyone! He was wealthy, devoted, and loyal.

It perfectly sidestepped the usual issue of a rich CEO’s romantic history.

In a sense, Caesar was the ultimate ideal male protagonist in the novel world.

It wasn’t a coincidence that he had thoroughly entranced readers across the galaxy.

However, Kane, who was already addicted to the book, hadn’t even realized he was subconsciously making excuses for Yu Mian.

[EN: Alright, I understand.]

[Xingqiong will hold a press interview tomorrow afternoon. We’ll make an official statement then, and I hope you can include an explanation in your next update to clarify that there’s no connection between the two.]

Yu Mian finally received Kane’s reply.

‘Alright, alright, this was indeed thorough.’

With Kane issuing a statement during his offline press conference and him explaining things in the author’s notes simultaneously, the combined effect would undoubtedly be much better.

However, as Yu Mian breathed a sigh of relief, the thought of the original owner still owing this man’s company a massive breach-of-contract fee made his head hurt even more.

Thankfully, Kane didn’t know about his other identity.

Otherwise, being a runaway employee who boldly wrote a character suspiciously resembling his boss, creating such a huge public uproar…

The sheer embarrassment—what an utter social death!

[Fish: Mm-hmm, got it! Actually, even if you hadn’t mentioned it, today’s update is just about to enter the next phase of the plot! There’s going to be a major twist involving Caesar, and the update content should align perfectly with the press conference for a dual clarification effect.]

Worried that Kane might not feel reassured, Yu Mian even took the initiative to explain a bit more.

If only he’d written a few thousand more words earlier, Kane’s public relations dilemma might have looked entirely different. At least he wouldn’t have been completely overwhelmed by the passionate midnight frenzy of interstellar readers…

‘Ahh, the guilt, the guilt.’

[EN: Ahem, could you possibly update the next chapter sooner? That way, it could align perfectly with the timing of the interview, and the combined effect should be even better.]

Unexpectedly, after a long silence, Kane sent a new message requesting him to update early!

It was clear he was deeply influenced by public opinion and was eager to dispel the rumors as quickly as possible.

Yu Mian didn’t overthink it; he figured he indeed needed to write faster and update earlier today to help this domineering CEO get out of his public relations crisis as soon as possible.

Otherwise, the whole interstellar would think he was secretly hiding a wife.

But in fact, Kane had just suddenly realized—

‘Whoa, wasn’t this the perfect excuse to urge updates?!’

‘Come on, who wouldn’t want to find out sooner when Caesar would finally discover the truth—!’

Just hearing Yu Mian unintentionally tease about upcoming major plot developments made Kane almost want to immediately switch tabs to the Huanyu Reading Platform and start catching up.

Even with minimal effort, it was obvious this “major development” must involve that one-million star coins!

Kane’s assistant, who was standing nearby, looked at his boss with increasing suspicion.

Who would’ve thought that after personally contacting the “culprit” responsible for this major public opinion, his boss not only showed no signs of anger but even chuckled foolishly at his light brain several times?

The world must have gone mad!

For a moment, the Kane in real life overlapped perfectly with Caesar, the silly domineering CEO in the book.

Regardless, under the galaxy’s collective anticipation, “Contract Marriage” did indeed update early today.

This move brought an unexpected delight to the interstellar readers who were oblivious to the truth behind it all.

And today’s update didn’t disappoint—it got straight to the point without any unnecessary padding, diving right into the most exciting content!

[[“Gu Bai is injured?”

Looking at the hospital in front of him, Caesar’s shocked tone unconsciously carried a hint of worry.

‘Could it be that Gu Bai had gotten sick or hurt and not told me!?’

The driver in the front seat glanced at his young master in confusion, utterly baffled by the lovers’ strange back-and-forth.

One moment, Caesar was clearly angry, the next, he was worried!

After refusing the driver’s company, Caesar hurriedly put on sunglasses, a mask, and a black trench coat. He thought he was perfectly inconspicuous as he sneakily followed Gu Bai inside.

Yet every step he took drew countless eyes.

With his striking blond hair and long legs, Caesar couldn’t avoid attracting attention no matter how hard he tried.

The next second, Caesar spotted Gu Bai hastily meeting a handsome doctor in a white coat and gold-rimmed glasses, and they were obviously very familiar to each other!

The other party even patted Gu Bai on the shoulder!?

How dare this guy touch Gu Bai?!

But before Caesar could stew in his corner with jealous rage, Gu Bai rushed into a patient’s room.

Inside, his mother, who had been unconscious for a long time, suddenly opened her eyes.

“Child, I’m perfectly fine, there’s no need to worry…”

Seeing Gu Bai, the woman smiled warmly and affectionately pulled her son into her arms, stroking the hair of the child she loved and felt most sorry for.

“I’m just so happy,” Gu Bai responded to his mother earnestly with a slight sob, completely unaware of the tall blond figure standing blankly outside the door.

Seeing his mother recovering, Gu Bai even felt that agreeing to Caesar’s contract was a decision he would never regret.

For his mother, he was willing to accept everything.

But after a moment of silence, his mother looked at him with concern and asked, “But I heard this new medicine is very expensive. Child, where did you get the money?”

After hesitating for a long time, Gu Bai’s mother couldn’t help but ask this question. There was even a hint of worry and helplessness in his eyes.

This question made Gu Bai look a little nervous.

After all, he had kept his marriage to Caesar a secret from the doctors and nurses, and was even more unwilling to let his mother know he had married someone who disliked him just for money.

After a long pause, Gu Bai finally chose to lie.

“I met a kind-hearted person while working odd jobs. When they heard about my situation, they lent me some money temporarily, so it was just enough.”

“But I will pay it all back. I’m working hard.”

Holding his mother’s frail hands, Gu Bai softly reassured her.

But despite his words, his mother’s worried eyes betrayed her lingering unease.

In this world, how could there possibly be such a kind-hearted person? Lending such a large sum of money to a stranger without expecting anything in return?

“…Child, don’t always worry about me. Always remember that your own affairs are the most important. Hurry back to class.”

After a long conversation, when she finally watched Gu Bai reluctantly leave, the forced smile on the mother’s face gradually gave way to deep worry.

As a mother, she was truly afraid that Gu Bai might get involved with people he shouldn’t for her sake.

In this way, wouldn’t Gu Bai’s life, which should have been smooth and peaceful, be ruined because of someone like her who should have died long ago?

She was nothing but a burden…

However, just as Gu Bai’s mother lay alone in bed, steeped in self-blame, a sudden knock came at the door!

?

Could it be that Gu Bai was unable to resist coming back to see her?

The mother was still mulling over this possibility when the next moment revealed that it wasn’t Gu Bai.

A tall, blonde figure stood in the doorway, holding an extravagant bouquet and a pile of gift baskets. His expression was incredibly earnest as he looked at Gu Bai’s mother.

And then, after setting down the gifts, he reached out to firmly hold her hand:

“Mom, how has your health been recently?”

This heartfelt “Mom” from Caesar left the elderly woman frozen in shock.

She stared at him in astonishment and confusion.

Strange, her family didn’t have a relative like this, did they?]]

Meanwhile, the readers outside the book, tense from following the previous heart-wrenching scene, couldn’t hold it together at this shocking twist!

Damn, Caesar, well played!

Just moments ago, the interaction between Gu Bai and his mother had everyone’s hearts clenched tightly. Who could have guessed that Caesar’s sudden appearance would obliterate the sorrowful atmosphere in an instant?

Who gave him the confidence to call her “Mom” just like that? Did the little angel Gu Bai even agree to this?!

Why is he so casually familiar?!

But to be fair, Caesar’s impeccable appearance, from head to toe, made him the perfect blind date candidate in every parent’s eyes.

At least he looked reliable enough to stop Gu Bai’s mother from immediately mistaking him for some criminal.

[[“You are…?”

The impulsive “Mom” that Caesar blurted out earlier finally dawned on him as over the top, and for a rare moment, his face turned red with embarrassment.

What’s more, when he had eavesdropped outside the door, Gu Bai hadn’t even mentioned him!

‘Am I really so unworthy of being a partner?’

‘Or could it be that Gu Bai simply didn’t want to acknowledge me as his partner?’

Caesar’s mind spiraled into a storm of insecurities and grievances, and his tone became weaker.

“Well… I… I’m Gu Bai’s friend. He told me about your condition, and I was very worried…”

This towering figure of 185 cm suddenly seemed deflated as he stammered through his explanation. Even so, the elderly woman couldn’t help but smile faintly despite her weakness.

“Does Gu Bai get along well with others at school? Does he have many friends?”

The old woman was eager to know about Gu Bai.

In addition, since she had been alone in the ward for many years, and Gu Bai could not rush over immediately every time, the old woman was actually very happy to have someone to chat with.

And, for once, Caesar set aside his usual arrogance, dutifully answering her questions and chatting with her for the entire afternoon.

By the time Caesar had to leave in the evening, the old woman had developed a genuine fondness for this “friend” of Gu Bai. She was even about to ask the nurse to pack some apples for Caesar to take home.

Sitting in the car on the way back, Caesar found himself reflecting on how little he truly understood Gu Bai.

Looking at his hands, he remembered the feel of the old woman’s frail, walnut-like hands in his grasp.

Before meeting him, how many countless days and nights had Gu Bai spent holding his mother’s hands, feeling hopeless?

And yet, he persevered.

He remained optimistic, never giving up hope.

Now, as Caesar recalled their initial encounters, he found himself feeling a surge of entirely new emotions.

If their circumstances had been reversed, if he had been born into Gu Bai’s situation, could he have done better?

His heart was a whirlwind of emotions: pain, guilt, admiration… feelings too complex to articulate.

Perhaps meeting Gu Bai was his own stroke of luck.

At that moment, Caesar made a sudden decision.

He would revise their prenuptial agreement.

He wanted to share his financial resources with Gu Bai.]]

However, as expected, villain number two appeared again.

[[“What?! You’re revising the prenuptial agreement to share your assets? Have you forgotten? Gu Bai is obviously after your money!”

In the office, the villain was incredulous upon hearing Caesar’s proposal, and was trying desperately to bring him back to his senses.

Caesar: “Ah, wouldn’t that be great…”

Yet, ever since returning from the hospital, Caesar had been in a daze.

The villain: ?!

Caesar: “After all, the one thing I don’t lack is money. I have more money than I could spend in this lifetime.”

“This way, as long as Gu Bai needs money, won’t he stay by my side forever?”

In that moment, Caesar’s expression even carried a hint of blissful contentment.

The villain: ?!?

[Whoever wants to play the villain can take it. I’m done! jpg]]

Caesar’s iconic line from the book instantly shocked every interstellar reader who read up to this point.

Although such cliched lines have long been ubiquitous in short videos on Earth, they feel refreshingly unconventional against the backdrop of interstellar works that often emphasize selfless love and devotion between poor and impoverished lovers.

After all, this was completely out of the norm—and undeniably intriguing.

Is it wrong for the protagonist to be wealthy?

Does a novel have to depict love forged through hardship and poverty to demonstrate the strength of emotion?

“I just love that he loves my money, so what?”

“Yes, I’m fully aware of everything, but I still like him anyway!”

At first glance, this might seem like a shallow story of money-driven love. But when examined from the perspective of the domineering Caesar, the more one thought about it, the purer the love seemed.

It was as if the god of pure love had fallen in battle.

Yu Mian smiled with satisfaction as the comments section erupted with heated feedback. After emphasizing once again in the author’s note that “all characters in this book are fictional, and there is no real-life counterpart in the interstellar world,” he finally sighed in relief.

“This should resolve everything.”

Kane shouldn’t be mistaken for Caesar anymore.

At that very moment, Kane was indeed attending an offline event.

The official statement from Xingqiong Entertainment had made it clear that there was absolutely no connection between “Caesar” and “Kane,” and that the CEO of Xingqiong, Kane himself, was single. The event was now nearing its end with the final segment: the Q&A with reporters.

“I only have one last question for President Kane. If your future partner were also interested in your immense wealth, would you react strongly and even speak harshly about it?”

The reporter who secured this last valuable opportunity directly tied their question to the controversial plot of “Contract Marriage”, diving straight into the heart of the debate.

However, long before the event, Xingqiong Entertainment’s internal team had anticipated and prepared for such tricky questions.

“Anyway, no matter how the reporters frame their questions, just respond in the opposite manner of Caesar in “Contract Marriage”. Make it clear to the audience that you and Caesar are entirely separate, independent individuals. That should solve the issue.”

The head of the PR department clutched a thick stack of guidelines and reviewed the final plan with Kane solemnly.

“Don’t worry.”

As a self-proclaimed devoted reader of “Contract Marriage”, Kane felt he understood Caesar’s character all too well.

Responding in a completely opposite way? Piece of cake!

Just answer differently—that’s all it takes.

So at this moment, on hearing the question, Kane subconsciously flashed a confident smile. Without hesitation, he expressed his thoughts in front of the cameras:

“Of course not!”

“If I were to meet my ideal partner in the future, I would gladly share everything with them and bear any burden together.”

“Besides, the one thing I don’t lack is money. I have more money than I could spend in this lifetime.”

Though Kane intentionally gave a different answer, he felt that he really differed from Caesar in this regard.

Since he was so rich, why should he care if his partner had money or not.

If he ever encountered someone like Gu Bai, he would have handed everything over already!

However, just as Kane thought the Q&A was over and he could finally leave and catch up on the latest chapters, he hesitated.

Why was everyone suddenly looking at him differently?

Their eyes were filled with excitement and hot intensity, as well as a peculiar, indescribable undertone.

Not far away, Kudi, his PR manager who was blocked outside the surging crowd and had been frantically waving his hands at his boss, almost collapsed upon hearing Kane’s response. He was one step away from needing an oxygen tank.

Malice!

It had to be said—the author’s latest chapter update was simply too malicious.

It was as if they had anticipated everyone’s reactions down to the letter!