I Became the Koi Actor After Entering the Book

**Chapter 58: Virtuous**

Translator: Namizaki

*********************

After completing the first season of <The Secret to Getting Rich>, Chi Zhongqiao had five days of rest, during which Du Yusheng wouldn’t schedule any work for him.

Du Yusheng had said, “You need to rest. <Campus Prince and Campus Belle> will keep your name out there for the first half of the year. With <The Secret to Getting Rich> maintaining your popularity, and <Invisible Crimes> coming up in the second half, that’s plenty of work for one year.”

Chi Zhongqiao was Du Yusheng’s most prized artist. Du Yusheng had no intention of grooming him into a fleeting idol; every project he selected for Chi Zhongqiao prioritized quality over quantity.

He aimed to personally nurture Chi Zhongqiao into a Film Emperor whose reputation and popularity soared in tandem.

Chi Zhongqiao was indeed exhausted and didn’t seek out any additional work. Instead, he spent his days driving his boyfriend to work and picking him up afterward.

Soon, the first episode of <The Secret to Getting Rich> aired. Chi Zhongqiao promptly shared the official announcement, along with the other guests. However, he and Lu Yuzhou weren’t at their cozy apartment; they were at the Lu Family estate.

The Old Master sat beaming in front of the television.

Chi Zhongqiao felt a pang of guilt at the sight of the Old Master. After a moment’s thought, he patted the sofa armrest, signaling Lu Yuzhou to sit across from him.

Lu Yuzhou reluctantly stood up, handing Chi Zhongqiao the fruit platter as he did so. “Brother Qiao, have an apple.”

The Old Master, who was about to watch TV, tapped his cane. “Yuzhou, stop standing there blocking the screen. Sit down already.”

Lu Yuzhou readily complied, settling back into his seat.

Chi Zhongqiao: “……” He picked up a slice of apple and stuffed it into his mouth, hoping to prevent himself from blurting out the truth out of guilt.

The Old Master, oblivious to the tension between the two men, beamed as he waited for the reality show to begin.

Having spent most of his life in serious pursuits, the Old Master had only recently retired. Inspired by Chi Zhongqiao’s interest in dramas and films, <The Secret to Getting Rich> was the first reality show he had ever watched.

Though a reality show, the first episode of <The Secret to Getting Rich> lived up to its promotional tagline: “Centering on local culture, promoting traditional heritage through entertainment and education.”

The episode’s first day presented various clues while prominently showcasing Xiazhou’s local cuisine.

Chi Zhongqiao, despite being a participant, had only focused on his own tasks during filming. He remained unaware of what the other contestants had been up to, often facing unexpected situations created by them during the recording process. Now, he finally had the chance to see what had actually transpired with the other guests during filming.

Unfortunately, Ge Fangyu would undoubtedly realize that Chi Zhongqiao had taken the resources early.

Chi Zhongqiao pulled out his phone and decisively blocked Ge Fangyu. Otherwise, when the episode aired, he’d be bombarded with messages.

The edited program was even more entertaining than the live recording, especially the later episodes. The post-production team were all geniuses, enhancing the humor with clever captions, visuals, and sound effects.

On the first morning of filming alone, Chi Zhongqiao and Ge Fangyu contributed half the laughs. Their battle of wits over the starting funds instantly amused the Old Master.

Watching Chi Zhongqiao expertly chop a duck into bite-sized pieces on TV, the Old Master couldn’t help but ask, “Young men should learn to cook. I’ve never tasted Zhongqiao’s cooking before. Yuzhou, how’s his cooking?”

Chi Zhongqiao awkwardly avoided the Old Master’s gaze, too embarrassed to admit he’d only been Lu Yuzhou’s assistant, practicing his knife skills for over a year.

In a few more years, he thought, I might even be able to challenge the Wensi Tofu Master.

Lu Yuzhou glanced at him. “Brother Qiao makes delicious milk tea.”

When Lu Yuzhou was busy, he used to drink coffee like water. To coax the still-growing Lu Yuzhou, Chi Zhongqiao switched to tea and even learned how to make milk tea, insisting Lu Yuzhou drink a cup every morning.

This milk tea was brewed, rich and fragrant, and even Lu Yuzhou, who usually had no appetite in the morning, could easily finish a cup.

If brewing milk tea counted as cooking, then Brother Qiao was probably a master at it.

After all, Brother Qiao could brew a single batch of milk tea into a hundred different variations, so complex even Lu Yuzhou, who often cooked himself, couldn’t always figure them out.

The Old Master had tasted Chi Zhongqiao’s milk tea—many varieties, all delicious. Though he’d never seen Chi Zhongqiao cook a proper meal, he instinctively assumed Chi Zhongqiao was a skilled cook.

He nodded in admiration. “Times have changed! Young men need to learn to be domestic now too.”

Chi Zhongqiao glanced back. The most domestic member of the family, Young Master Lu, was bowing his head and taking a sip of water.

Capable in the boardroom, skilled in the kitchen, and warm in bed.

Chi Zhongqiao, who still couldn’t wake up on time without an alarm, felt deeply ashamed. My Yuzhou is a Master of all trades, truly the epitome of domesticity throughout history. And I, this clumsy oaf, am so lucky to have him.

The Old Master ended the conversation, turning his full attention back to the variety show.

In the show, Chi Zhongqiao had just finished carving the Peking duck and left the restaurant when Ge Fangyu appeared on camera, bursting into the shop with high spirits. Many viewers were already imagining Ge Fangyu’s expression upon discovering that his resource had been snatched, and they burst into laughter.

On TV, Chi Zhongqiao, clutching the paper, slipped into the Inkdrop Training Center class.

Lu Yuzhou: “Does Ge Fangyu know it’s Brother Qiao?”

Chi Zhongqiao: “He probably does now.”

No sooner had he spoken than his phone began ringing frantically.

Startled, Chi Zhongqiao pulled out his phone and glanced down. The caller ID read “Brother Fang.”

Chi Zhongqiao: “!” He’d forgotten to block Ge Fangyu in his contacts!

His first reaction was to hang up immediately and shove the phone into the crack between the sofa cushions.

Ge Fangyu: “……”

That little liar Chi Zhongqiao!

The “little liar” Chi Zhongqiao wasn’t exactly relaxed. As the episode aired, he watched the five contestants race toward the Xiazhou Hotel on TV and belatedly realized a problem: The segment where he’d spoken to Lu Yuzhou on the phone during the show hadn’t been cut!

Although the conversation hadn’t contained anything overtly intimate, Chi Zhongqiao still felt guilty.

Even though the original novel’s setting allowed for same-sex marriage, that didn’t mean the older generation would calmly accept their grandson suddenly bringing home a same-sex partner.

If the Old Master doesn’t agree, or if the Chi Family objects…

Lost in thought, he suddenly felt a warmth on the back of his hand. He glanced up to see Lu Yuzhou gazing at him, his eyes sparkling with the glow of the lamp.

Chi Zhongqiao’s heart suddenly settled.

He loved him. Having come this far, there was no turning back—only moving forward.

*****

Shortly after midnight, the first episode of <The Secret to Getting Rich> was updated on the video platform.

Fans who had been eagerly waiting and night owls alike clicked in immediately.

In an era where everyone was scrambling to cope with the demands of life, reality shows were undeniably popular.

What’s more, <The Secret to Getting Rich> featured veteran actor Ge Fangyu, rising star Chi Zhongqiao, and Xu Heng, who had debuted through a talent show—these three were living, breathing traffic magnets.

Within minutes of the episode’s release, the opening scene was completely covered in a dense barrage of bullet comments.

Unsurprisingly, the names Chi Zhongqiao, Ge Fangyu, and Xu Heng appeared most frequently among these comments.

“Came for my Uncle Ge!”

“Boosting views for our precious Qiao Bao!”

“Heng Heng, go go go!”

The barrage of comments, thick enough to obscure faces, gradually thinned as the show began.

<The Secret to Getting Rich> was packed with humor, with one chaotic scene after another.

When Chi Zhongqiao said to the camera, “Let’s go get Brother Fang’s resources first,” the editors superimposed Ge Fangyu, who was currently rummaging through a trash can, right next to Chi Zhongqiao, thoroughly mocking Ge Fangyu for winning the starting line (having the highest initial capital) only to stumble online (losing the money immediately after getting it).

The comments exploded:

“HAHAHAHA I’m dying of laughter! Who ended up with the resources?”

“Brother Fang’s luck is truly abysmal… even a koi fish charm can’t save him, hahaha!”

“Chi Zhongqiao: I don’t want to carry him, I don’t want to carry him.”

The comments were filled with schadenfreude and amusement. “I feel bad for Old Ge, but I can’t stop laughing, hahaha!” was plastered across the screen.

Chi Zhongqiao lived up to expectations and claimed the resources, leaving Ge Fangyu, who had rushed to complete the task, facing five ducks that had been dismembered and scattered, tears streaming down his face.

The comments went wild with laughter.

The camera cut back to Chi Zhongqiao. Viewers watched in awe as he turned his head and instantly spotted a little girl wearing an “Inkdrop Training Center” sweatshirt among hundreds of people. They couldn’t help but marvel at Chi Zhongqiao’s incredible luck.

The initial 500 yuan had also been drawn by him. Although he ultimately gave them to Ge Fangyu, who could have predicted that the production team’s machinations would cause Ge Fangyu, who had started with the highest fund, to stumble and fall flat on his face? Chi Zhongqiao not only seized Ge Fangyu’s resources but also immediately discovered a new clue.

His luck was simply too good.

However…

When netizens discovered that the so-called “Inkdrop” was actually a calligraphy training class, envy quickly turned to sympathy:

[Poor guy! If it were just hard-pen calligraphy training, it wouldn’t be so bad, but it’s brush calligraphy! If they give him a task related to brushwork, Chi Zhongqiao will almost certainly fail.]

[Brush calligraphy? You can’t master that in just ten days. Skill requires years of practice.]

Some viewers had already begun to lament his impending failure.

Yet many of Chi Zhongqiao’s longtime and die-hard fans breathed a sigh of relief. They might have been nervous about other tasks, but calligraphy?

[Friends, have you heard about our Qiao Bao who can write in the Liu Style?]

The camera followed Chi Zhongqiao into the classroom. He turned back to stop the production crew, his voice lowered to a whisper: “Let’s keep it low, class is still in session.”

The live comments exploded:

“I’m dying! So gentle!”

“That lethal whisper just drained my HP!”

“Waaah, our Qiao Bao is so considerate!”

“Wait?! What’s Liu Wanjun doing here?”

“Uh… did he sneak a peek at Chi Zhongqiao’s note?”

The netizens’ attention immediately shifted to Liu Wanjun, curious about how he knew Chi Zhongqiao’s resources and address.

The Calligraphy Teacher had assigned two tasks, but due to Liu Wanjun, Chi Zhongqiao had no choice but to sit next to a young girl.

**Live Chat:**

“Uh… does he actually know calligraphy? Or is he just trying to look impressive?”

“Could he be misleading the child?”

“Stop pretending, you…”

On screen, Chi Zhongqiao picked up his brush, dipped the tip in ink, and began to write the three characters for “Tao Te Ching.”

His strokes flowed smoothly, displaying remarkable elegance and refinement—a flawless example of the Liu Style.

**Live Chat:**

Holy shit! Did they really not hire a ghostwriter?”