Hold On, You’re Something Else

Chapter 9 – So, which one is real? (1)

The man’s voice resounded through several train cars, attracting everyone’s attention.

Rong Jing’s eyes held no trace of pity as he stared at him, stone-faced, and tightened his hold on the other man. But his face was covered by the cap above his head and only showed a faint shadow.

Rong Jing didn’t care about the good-looking figure underneath the jumpsuit. What he cared about was that it was a cat!

Here was a man who worked hard for his life to the point that he even forgot to take off the blue jumpsuit, his uniform to his work. Was this the reason the subway wolf acted so recklessly? Because he thought that his prey was already tired and weak, no longer strong enough to defend himself?

Rong Jing became even more angry. This molester didn’t really want to stop harassing people. First, he targeted a student, then a white collar worker, and now a cat. They were all very vulnerable.

He really knew how to pick people, ah!

The following parts of the text will be scrambled to prevent theft from aggregators and unauthorized epub making. Please support our translators by reading on secondlifetranslations (dot) com

Tl lhld qlzv xsal rkvu qsa vbl fwxrpwkv twu. Mbl zypv pwcoyu pvyvksd sd vbkp zkdl oyp vbl Tyrru Ayzzlu. Rq kv oypd’v qsa bkp osaj, obs kd vblka aktbv xkde oswze olya y fwxrpwkv sd y bsv eyu? Rv oswze cl vss wdnsxqsavyczl kdpkel vbyv.

Ssdt Kkdt bye lmrlakldnle vbkp jkde sq fsc clqsal kd bkp ralhkswp zkql. Tl jdlo vbyv olyakdt vbyv jkde sq nspvwxl oyp wdnsxqsavyczl. Rv oyp pvwqqu yde byae vs calyvbl kdpkel kv.

Ms osaj byae vbyv xwnb sdzu vs cl vyjld yehydvytl sq cu yd Gzrby zkjl vbkp xyd? Mbyv’p vss xwnb!

Gzvbswtb vbkp osaze oyp ekqqlaldv, kv eked’v xlyd vbyv vbl lhkz vbswtbvp sq vbl rlsrzl oswze yzps ekpyrrlya.

Mblal olal ds qykau vyzlp kd vbl yewzv osaze cwv yv zlypv kv oyp rsppkczl vs xyjl vbkdtp y zkvvzl ckv clvvla.

Ssdt Kkdt pyke, bkp hsknl nsze. “Rq usw zkjl byayppkdt rlsrzl ps xwnb, obu esd’v usw fwpv byaypp yd Gzrby?” Nlv’p byhl y tsse vkxl okvb vbkp xszlpvla.

Yspv sq vbl lulp sq vbl rlsrzl yaswde pvyale yv vbl xyd qwzz sq nsdelxdyvksd yde ydtla cwv qlo sq vblx bye yzps nsxl qsaoyae vs blzr.

Mbl czynj-akxxle tzypplp twu bye zsdt jdsod vbyv xspv rlsrzl sdzu xkde vblka sod cwpkdlpp. Ebld bl eke bkp vbkdt, rlsrzl sdzu tzyale yv bkx. Tkp hknvkxp olal yzoyup yqayke vs ypj qsa blzr, ps kv sdzu xyel bkx lhld cayhla.

He didn’t expect that someone would be fearless enough to call him out today. Bah, such bad luck!

The other hand of the black-rimmed glasses guy quickly moved and took out something from his pocket. Rong Jing didn’t know what it was but he responded quickly and warned the people around him.

“Close your eyes!”

Who would have thought that the subway wolf would carry pepper spray with him!

Rong Jing was stunned by the man’s shamelessness for a moment. The man took advantage of this. He looked at the door to check when it would open so he could escape.

Rong Jing’s clothes were gently pulled by a soft force, but it only seemed like a feather swept by him. He didn’t notice it and didn’t look back. When he found that the subway wolf had already disappeared and that the opportunity to catch him was fading, he immediately rushed out of the train car.

A person’s malice wouldn’t stop growing if they don’t get punished every time they do a bad deed.

Rong Jing ran like a cheetah, leaving Gu Xi, who had just taken off his hoodie to check the other person clearly. His wet hair was sticking to his sweaty face. He looked at Rong Jing’s running figure, his face looking very shocked.

You— You— At least let me see what you look like!

Gu Xi hasn’t been resting since the last 50 hours. Now, he was wearing a jumpsuit. Even though it was thin, he still felt stuffy and dizzy inside, and he was sweating nonstop.

After getting into the train, he quickly looked for a place to take a rest. He had no intention of paying attention to his surroundings.

Not until he heard a familiar voice. He immediately looked over to check where it came from. But the mascot head of his costume blocked his view. He could only see through Doraemon’s mouth that was covered with a thin layer of cloth.

In the moment the man passed by, Gu Xi saw his angular chin and thin red lips under his cap.

Seeing that the man was about to leave, he grabbed him almost immediately, but the man didn’t notice him and left.

Gu Xi took off his costume’s mascot head. He was sweating like crazy. The whole subway was filled with screams. The people around couldn’t believe that Gu Xi was inside the train with them.

The cameras even recorded Gu Xi’s stunned expression and everything that he did earlier.

Gu Xi played with the people who recognized him but he looked out from time to time, hoping for that person to appear again. As the camera crew came to give the rules of the game, he still searched for the man’s figure until the doors of the train closed.

People around forgot about the molester and no longer cared about what happened earlier. The appearance of Gu Xi was the most important now.

Rong Jing continued to run even as he heard wild cheers and screams coming from behind him. But the train had already left. Rong Jing glanced back but didn’t think too much of it.

He wanted to catch the perverted bastard. There were several men running behind him. Although they didn’t know each other, they all had the same goal.

Rong Jing had always thought of himself as selfish. He didn’t like getting in trouble. Most of the time, he only wanted to save himself and the people he cared about.

But sometimes, there were times when he went back on his words and rushed into problems without using his head.

He got off at a very crowded station. The problem was that he wasn’t familiar with this station and the rest of the men who came with him had already left to look for the pervert.

However, Rong Jing didn’t rush. He looked first for the railway policemen then showed them a video of the man harassing the people in the train. The video was cut abruptly to the scene where he had almost touched the jumpsuit guy.

The railway police immediately notified the patrolling policemen near the station’s entrances. The man’s physical features and clothes were recorded so any suspicious person was to be stopped and inspected.

Rong Jing believed that the man wouldn’t have enough time to change his clothes. In the end, he really did find the man who wanted to escape in the east entrance where there were only a few people around.

Rong Jing, along with the other men who helped to search, identified the man as the one on the video. It served as conclusive evidence so he was successfully detained and handed over to the police.

But the railway police no longer could stand that ‘smell’ anymore, “Student, you’d better wash your face first and take a rest.”

Only then did Rong Jing realize that the place where the pepper spray sprayed him still felt a bit hot and sore. He ran to the nearest restroom but even at this critical time, he still carefully read the signage to look for the toilet for an Alpha. After ten minutes, his face finally cooled down.

Unexpectedly, when he came out, a man was waiting for him outside. He was one of the Alpha among those Betas who helped to chase the molester. Rong Jing was pleased to see that.

After he had transmigrated over to this world, most people’s opinion about Alphas were polarized. Rong Jing also felt the particularity of this gender.

That Alpha stopped him and stared at him for a while before saying, “Rong Jing?”

Rong Jing’s temperament had changed greatly so the other person hesitated to ask and was afraid of mistaking him.

Rong Jing actually didn’t really pay attention to him much. He just knew that the man was also an Alpha. He didn’t know that the person actually knew him.

He hid his surprise and tried to recall memories of the original owner, searching for this person’s information. Then he greeted him like the original owner would, “Hey, Ji Leping. Long time no see.”

This person was the class president of the drama class B in Level 12 and was Rong Jing’s classmate. He was very sociable and reliable. He was also a member of the student council.

He was one of his classmates who was still willing to talk to him even after the series of his failed performances that caused the class B to be ridiculed and isolated. 

The original owner had a highly favorable opinion of Ji Leping.

But just like with Xie Ling, Rong Jing wanted to know him himself and only used the original owner’s memories as a reference.

Ji Leping asked casually, “The first exam’s results for graduate students are being announced today. Did you pass?”

Rong Jing also worked in the entertainment industry in his previous life. He had already seen people like Ji Leping. They knew how to manage their own circle of people and they didn’t easily upset people. They were also even careful around people who were on the lower part of the circle, like the original owner of the body. These kinds of people were the most elusive, so Rong Jing tended to avoid them.

The following parts of the text will be scrambled to prevent theft from aggregators and unauthorized epub making. Please support our translators by reading on secondlifetranslations (dot) com

Ssdt Kkdt alrzkle fwpv yp nypwyzzu yp bl eke, “R byhld’v nblnjle. Zsw jdso vbyv R esd’v byhl y nsxrwvla.”

Kk Nlrkdt pweeldzu alxlxclale vbyv Ssdt Kkdt’p qyxkzu oyp dsv olzz-sqq. Tl oswze ayvbla lyv vbl qall xlyzp yv vbl wdkhlapkvu vbld wpl bkp xsdlu qsa Ck Zkdt’p kdewztldnl. Ck Zkdt sdnl caswtbv y elpktdla cyt vbyv Ssdt Kkdt cswtbv wpkdt bkp pyzyau yqvla osajkdt eyu yde dktbv yv bkp ryav-vkxl fsc.

Mblka obszl nzypp blyae vbyv Ck Zkdt yde Ssdt Kkdt bye casjld wr. Yspv sq vblx pyke vbyv vblu olal tzye clnywpl Ck Zkdt bye qkdyzzu tsvvld swv sq vbl xkplau. Mblpl vsrknp yrrlyale sd vblka taswr nbyv: #WkdyzzuWallWasxFbyxQssep, #VlsrzlEbsXhlalpvkxyvlMblxplzhlpLlleLsMsrXxltyp, #GWastPlzwpksdleMsIkppGVakdnlpp.

Mbswtb vbspl jkdep sq osaep alyzzu byhl clld tskdt yaswde yzz ulya, kv nsdvkdwle wdvkz vseyu. Ssdt Kkdt’p qykzwal xyel vbl nzypp kpszyvle yde bwxkzkyvle ps lhlausdl rskdvle vblka qkdtlap yv bkx.

Mblal oypd’v xwnb cwzzukdt sd nyxrwp cwv vbl pvweldvp es alflnv yde ktdsal vbspl obs olal byvle. Ohlausdl oydvle vs rwv Ssdt Kkdt vs pbyxl.

Kkdt Nlrkdt pvkzz vbkdjp vbyv Ssdt Kkdt dlhla zlqv vblka nzypp’ taswr nbyv. Jwv bkp ralpldnl oyp ps pxyzz vbyv ds sdl alyzzu nyale oblvbla bl oyp pvkzz vblal sa dsv.

Tl oypd’v pwal oblvbla Ssdt Kkdt bye plld vbspl xlppytlp. Nypv dktbv, vbl obszl nzypp vyzjle ycswv vbkp kd vblka taswr nbyv yde alyzzu xyel y fsjl swv sq Ssdt Kkdt. Mblu yzz oydvle vs xsnj Ssdt Kkdt’p casjld blyav. Fsxl rlsrzl lhld vbswtbv bl oswze nsxxkv pwknkel. Ohlausdl jdlo bso xwnb bl zkjle Ck Zkdt.

Jwv Ssdt Kkdt’p nwaaldv pvyvl oypd’v yp cye yp lhlausdl vbswtbv. Mbswtb bl eked’v ryavyjl kd vblka xsnjlau, Ssdt Kkdt’p nsze lulp pvkzz xyel bkx qllz lxcyaaypple ps kxxlekyvlzu ypjle bkx.

“I have a laptop in the dormitory. I’m still studying for the exams while acting, so I still live in the dorm. Wanna use it?”

Rong Jing refused, “No thanks. I don’t have to look at the results.”

Ji Leping didn’t force him. The results weren’t that important. What was important was to find a good mentor that you have a good relationship with. Ji Leping knew Rong Jing’s reputation. He couldn’t bear to tell him that he might flop the interview if the mentors brush him down because of his bad reputation.

Ji Leping thought that it was cruel to tell him, but if he didn’t tell him, he knew he would have to watch Rong Jing hit a brick wall again. Anyway, he and Rong Jing weren’t actually friends. Since it was unlikely that the guy would be able to make a comeback, he didn’t bother anymore to tell him.

While seeing Ji Leping’s changing expressions, Rong Jing had already guessed what he was thinking. He took the initiative to continue the conversation, “Are you on your way to see the results?”

Ji Leping: “Well, have you chosen a mentor yet?”

Rong Jing answered, unsure, “So I can choose?”

Ji Leping choked a bit. He really didn’t expect Rong Jing’s good mood and nonchalance about things even after the break up. He was unexpectedly in a good state of mind.

For Ji Leping, the postgraduate examination was a big deal.

The first part of the exam was still okay. One would have to show one’s thesis, answer questions about some terminologies, ideologies, political theories, english and etc., then obtain a passing score.

But to really pass, it all comes to the second part, the interview. To pass, you could only trust one thing: Fate. It was because it would become easier to pass if one was familiar with the mentor that will conduct the interview. It will become more of a subjective exam.

To Rong Jing who had a bad reputation, even if he did pass the first examination, the possibility of passing the second part would be zero. Most of the mentors in the university had their own pride, status and reputation to protect. Why would they pick a student with a tarnished reputation?

“You’re not worried at all?”

“It’s pointless to worry.”

After listening to Ji Leping’s questions, Rong Jing’s mind started to wander again.

He touched the corner of his coat. When he ran away earlier, somehow, he felt like someone pulled him? Was it an illusion?

When the two went back inside the station, they noticed that the place was crowded. The station was indeed usually crowded with people, but something strange happened today. Instead of riding the train when it arrived, they all acted excited.

After asking the people around, they found out that the show <A Day in the Life of a Star> was secretly filming in the subway. Their guests were usually famous idols. Gu Xi, who was one of the top 50 most beautiful people in the world, was among them.

The judges for that list were all Europeans. If an Asian ever wanted to be there on that list, they should be very popular because it wasn’t really based on a person’s appearance. Only with the public’s approval would they be shortlisted. They had to have a high national approval rating.

But during the making of that list, one year had only passed since Gu Xi debuted. No matter how popular he became, he was still considered a rookie back then. Yet he fought his way up and made it through the list purely by his appearance, which only showed that the lethality of his beauty was universally recognized.

Rong Jing listened to Ji Leping’s explanation about Gu Xi’s popularity. Gone was the elusive character that he once showed. The guy thumped his chest for missing the opportunity to get close to Gu Xi.

“Are you his fan?”

“Are you kidding? Which Alpha would be able to escape his charm? If there’s one, there’s no way they’re an Alpha!” Ji Lipeng looked at Rong Jing’s nonchalance, “Why aren’t you reacting?”

Rong Jing: “…” I’m only concerned about the ever-changing expressions on your face.

Rong Jing also wondered why he was always hearing the name Gu Xi, like the man was some kind of protagonist in a book. He really seemed like he had it all, like he was perfect.

Rong Jing thought that the idea was absurd, and that transmigrating to another world made his reasoning warped.

Heck. The idea of transmigrating itself was absurd.

Ji Leping looked at him weirdly, as if the idea of Rong Jing not liking Gu Xi was a great sin.

“Oh no, you’re in too deep. Qi Ying’s poison has already permeated inside your body. I must cleanse you now otherwise you won’t be able to see the real beauty! I have to let you see what it feels to see a fallen angel.”

Rong Jing wanted to say that not liking Gu Xi had nothing to do with Qi Ying but it was really hard to stop the man’s rainbow fart1. He was such a big fan.

Rong Jing felt a little nostalgic. In his previous life, he also had a large number of fans. He had already met many types of fans. He didn’t want to put a damper on his mood since his praises for Gu Xi seemed really sincere. He only listened quietly and responded with a word or two.

The originally aggrieved Ji Leping suddenly felt pleased after seeing Rong Jing’s attitude. He suddenly thought that Rong Jing was a good man. It was rare to find an Alpha with such a warm temper like him.

When they arrived at their university, they didn’t expect to see a banner hanging outside with words: Welcome to our alumni speakers, Gu Xi and Xun Jiarui.

Both of them were popular and had starred in famous movies and TV shows. They would definitely attract a lot of students to watch the school’s program.

Thinking of what just happened in the subway, Ji Leping browsed the internet to check Gu Xi’s schedule for today. He saw several photos of Gu Xi on the subway in Weibo, taking off a mascot head and bending over to sign autographs for fans.

Though the photos were fan-taken, Gu Xi, who was slightly sweaty still looked dazzling.

Ji Leping immediately messaged his friends and classmates to save two best front row seats for him.

Ji Leping asked, “You gonna go there?”

Even if the man was not a fan, he thought that no one would ever refuse the chance to see Gu Xi. Yet there in front of him was a man so strange that he would refuse to go.

Seeing that Rong Jing didn’t want to go, Ji Leping felt aggrieved, “You can check the results any time. The mentors won’t disappear but Gu Xi just might.”

He also wanted to say something more. With Rong Jing’s current standing, this could probably be the last chance for him to be able to see a superstar.

Rong Jing just didn’t want to be disappointed again. He had once confirmed that Gu Xi’s face couldn’t stimulate his memory. As his hope of going back to his world got smaller, seeing him might only just increase the sadness he felt.

He couldn’t help but laugh at Ji Leping’s words.

Ji Leping also realized the words he said, “Ah, ptoo ptoo! Gu Xi will live a long life! Forgive this believer for that momentary slip of the tongue! Anyway, Gu Xi’s next movie is produced by a large crew and they’re still looking for the other leading artist! I heard that Gu Xi has a veto power. Let’s go! We might get the chance to be scouted because we’re too handsome.”

Rong Jing nodded without much thought but he didn’t think he’d actually get scouted like Ji Leping said. Professional actors like Gu Xi definitely wouldn’t casually scout boys who were still studying and had little acting experience.

Rong Jing searched for Gu Xi’s profile again and found that he had carefully selected all his projects. Otherwise, how else would he still be popular even after taking a three-year break?

He was a man with his own principles. Such a person would always have a good head on his shoulder and wouldn’t ruin his future.

***

Gu Xi was in the lounge, fixing his makeup. His make up artist also realized that he didn’t put on much makeup. It was amazing since he had just been filmed a while ago.

Gu Xi was a bit absent minded. His mind kept playing back to the scene on the subway and the familiar voice he heard.

Just then, another man, who had been speaking behind for a while, walked in. He was handsome and stylishly dressed. He recently starred in a remake of an idol drama as the second male lead.

Because of his love for the female lead, he became her silent guardian and was sacrificed for her lover. That’s when this actor’s popularity soared. Though the plot was corny, people still liked it.

Xun Jiarui’s eyes lit up when he saw the eye-catching Gu Xi.

“Gu Xi, I didn’t expect you to come so early.”

Gu Xi froze. He lightly pushed the makeup artist’s hand and stared at Xun Jiarui. “Y-your voice…”

Xun Jiarui touched his Adam’s apple. His voice didn’t originally sound good, but in order to make it better, he took the risk to go to a korean clinic for a vocal tract surgery to change his voice. Now that he has recovered, he was very satisfied with his low and magnetic voice. It was sure to attract a lot of Omegas.

Unexpectedly, even the famous aloof flower in the entertainment circle was charmed. He immediately put on his most handsome smile, “What’s wrong?”

Gu Xi was in a bit of a trance, “Is that your real voice?”

It was so similar to the voice that he remembered! The man’s stature was also a bit similar to what he saw then. Was he the same person he was looking for?

“Of course,” A flicker of panic flashed across Xun Jiarui’s eyes but he quickly regained his composure.

Just then, the host informed Gu Xi that the program was about to begin.

Gu Xi tried to calm his nerves to prepare for his speech yet he couldn’t but ask, “Is Mr. Xun free after this? There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

Xun Jiarui was ecstatic.

Seems like this unapproachable flower was actually really easy to approach?

When Gu Xi entered the stage, the small auditorium was filled with applause. 

Gu Xi was used to seeing a big audience without panicking. He bowed slightly to the audience and prepared to start his speech.

Then, he suddenly saw a tall student in the front row, who stood up and seemed to want to leave but was stopped by his companion. Gu Xi only happened to look at his direction but his eyes suddenly stopped moving when his gaze landed on him.

He squinted his eyes slightly. This student’s stature was also the same as that person’s stature.

Gu Xi looked at Xun Jiarui, who was smiling and watching him. Xun Jiarui was swept away by the soul-stirring beauty of Gu Xi’s eyes. If he wasn’t in front of a camera, he would immediately rush over towards him.

At this moment, Gu Xi felt like a fried egg on a pan, at the risk of being overcooked.

So, which one is real?

***

The author has something to say:

Xixi: I’m a little confused.