Chapter 56 – The Crybaby Runs Promotions

Chu Yin and Yao Chaowu’s large-scale ancient fantasy drama was titled Evil Never Prevails. Yao Chaowu played the role of a notorious demon lord—unrestrained, flamboyant, and fond of cross-dressing. By day, he wore black robes, wielding an exorcism umbrella to summon ghosts and wreak havoc, terrorizing the immortal sects. By night, he donned flamboyant attire, lingering in brothels and pleasure houses. But he neither indulged in debauchery nor gambling, behaving impeccably—because the Demon Lord himself aimed to outshine all the courtesans and become the ultimate flower queen¹Highest ranking, most beautiful, and most talented courtesan in a brothel.!

In contrast to Yao Chaowu’s unorthodox character, Chu Yin’s role aligned more closely with the public’s perception of him—the youngest Immortal Venerable in history, as pure and untouchable as snow, as noble and elegant as plum blossoms, transcending mere mortals. Clad in white robes, his aura was ethereal, his swordplay unparalleled—a single strike, unmatched.

This CP pairing was classic and highly addictive. Moreover, Evil Never Prevails was adapted from the BL novel Sealing the Demon Lord in a Tiny Vial, which already boasted a massive fanbase. Even before its release, the drama had garnered significant attention. After the first episode aired, regardless of reviews, its popularity skyrocketed, and the ChuYao CP was quietly emerging as the next national sensation.

Chu Yin was furious, stomping his feet in rage while clutching his phone. “Ahhhhhhh! Are they blind?! Where the hell do they see ‘love-filled eyes’ when I look at Yao Chaowu?! Where do they get that I’m some aloof, cold, secretly perverted top?! I’m going insane!!! Madam Wei, aren’t you going to do something about this?!”

Wei Lai sighed helplessly. “You’re not new to CP marketing. I can handle the marketing accounts, but fans have minds of their own—what am I supposed to do about that?”

Chu Yin was so angry he paced around like a caged animal. “I’d rather be paired with anyone but Yao Chaowu! Disgusting!”

“It’s just a temporary thing. People are just having fun—calm down.” Wei Lai took Chu Yin’s phone away to stop him from doomscrolling, then gave his leg hair a reassuring pat. “You still have to do promotions with Yao Chaowu. You can skip most of them, but you have to go on Happy Match-Up. Just treat it like acting, pouty baby. You can do it!”

Chu Yin pouted. “Hmph. You’re not allowed to come with me!”

Wei Lai: “…Huh?”

Chu Yin declared, “You’re not allowed to see Yao Chaowu! Otherwise, I won’t go!”

Wei Lai: “…Then don’t call me in the middle of the night crying, got it?”

Chu Yin: “Tch. As if I would.”

The next day, Wei Lai assigned Chu Yin two assistants and a bodyguard. Before seeing him off, he still couldn’t help but ask, “Chu Yin, are you sure you don’t need me to come along?”

Chu Yin: “I don’t.”

Wei Lai thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled warmly. “Alright then. It’s time for you to handle events on your own anyway. Don’t interrupt my mahjong games.”

Chu Yin immediately roared, “…Lord Madam Wei, you heartless bastard! Am I less important than mahjong?!”

Wei Lai rubbed his temples, exasperated. “Stop yelling. Fine, I’ll come see you if I have time, okay?”

The first night without Wei Lai, Chu Yin barely slept. He only managed to drift off as the sun rose, then trudged into the Happy Match-Up dressing room shrouded in a thundercloud of gloom.

Happy Match-Up was a talk-show-style variety program with games. Chu Yin had appeared on it multiple times and was familiar with the general flow. At this point, the hosts should have been reviewing scripts, and the dressing room should’ve been mostly empty.

But before Chu Yin even stepped inside, he heard Yao Chaowu’s voice. His footsteps faltered, a flicker of irritation crossing his face. Then he shoved the door open aggressively and strode in.

The cheerful chatter in the dressing room came to an abrupt halt as everyone turned to look at the doorway—except for two people with their backs turned: Yao Chaowu, flashing a flawless promotional smile while taking a selfie with a makeup artist.

Chu Yin’s handsome face twisted into a scowl as he scanned the room, immediately zeroing in on his target. He stalked toward Yao Chaowu with an aura of impending doom.

In the middle of a group selfie with a cat-ear filter, Yao Chaowu suddenly saw Chu Yin’s head pop up behind them like a ghost. The app automatically added feline ears and whiskers to Chu Yin’s face. The makeup artist clicked the shutter, capturing the moment Chu Yin photobombed them.

Chu Yin glanced at the photo and smirked disdainfully. “Even with makeup, you’re still ugly. How do you manage that?”

Yao Chaowu’s smile twitched. He glanced behind Chu Yin and asked, “Where’s Wei Lai?”

Chu Yin ignored the question, plopping into a chair with a cold scoff. “None of your damn business.”

Chu Yin’s bad temper was infamous. Yao Chaowu had personally experienced just how ruthless he could be—Chu Yin spared no one’s feelings. If Wei Lai were around, he might’ve reined it in, but with Wei Lai absent, Yao Chaowu didn’t dare provoke him outright, resorting instead to underhanded tricks.

Yao Chaowu forced a smile. “Xiao Chu, I’ll head out first. See you on stage.” With that, he shot a meaningful glance at a makeup artist in the corner.

The makeup artist nodded subtly.

Yao Chaowu smirked to himself. Let’s see who ends up looking uglier after makeup later. Fuck.

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  Highest ranking, most beautiful, and most talented courtesan in a brothel.