Salted Fish is a Rebellious Person – Chapter 20

The system asked, “What did he just say?”

It couldn’t believe what it had just heard. “Did he just ask you to move in with him?!”

Then, in an instant, it was overjoyed. “Ahhh! Say yes! Say yes!”

Xing Shi asked sincerely, “Don’t you think there’s something off about this?”

The system dismissed his concerns. “What’s the problem? Clearly, he’s got you in his heart!”

Xing Shi decided it wasn’t worth arguing and ignored it.

He looked at Fu Xiuning, who was as calm and composed as ever, as if he had simply invited him to study together rather than live under the same roof.

He was polite but cautious. “Wouldn’t this be too much trouble for you?”

Fu Xiuning’s lips curled slightly.

He had expected Xing Shi to agree. After all, hosts rarely exposed their identities and alliances to each other, and if Xing Shi lived with him, identifying other hosts would become far easier.

He replied, “Not at all. If we have morning classes, we can go together.”

Xing Shi considered for a moment, then said, “Alright.”

Fu Xiuning’s true motives were unclear, but the advantages outweighed the risks. Moving in would allow him to observe and figure things out at his own pace.

He added, “I’ll move in after the movie tomorrow.”

Fu Xiuning nodded slightly.

To solidify his presence with Director He, Fu Xiuning had also secured tickets for the roadshow. They would be attending together.

Qi Changyi, watching the exchange, looked at Fu Xiuning with curiosity.

He and Fu Xiuning had known each other since childhood and had always been close. But after Qi Changyi entered the entertainment industry, their meetings became less frequent. By the time they reconnected, the only heir of the Fu family had changed—still polished, still charming, but now fundamentally distant.

So why was he suddenly inviting someone to live with him?

Director He had no objections.

If his son had agreed, it meant he must get along well with Fu Xiuning.

But why had Xing Shi become so indifferent? That part still worried him.

The dinner ended quickly.

Director He and his team left in a nanny car for their hotel.

Xing Shi returned to the company for training, once again riding in Fu Xiuning’s car. Qi Changyi, the company’s other boss, decided to drop by as well and followed them into the car.

Seated in the back, he looked at the two in the front and casually started a conversation.

“Sui Sui, why did you want to be a trainee?”

Xing Shi answered simply, “Dream.”

Qi Changyi asked, “Do you want to be an idol? Do you have any idols in the industry?”

Xing Shi shook his head. “No.”

Then he suddenly thought of something. “But my roommate is your fan. The one standing behind me in that video clip—his name is Yu Yi.”

Qi Changyi smiled. “Noted. I’ll make arrangements.”

He then asked, “What does he like? Maybe I can find some signed merch for him.”

Xing Shi thought for a moment. “Chasing stars and reading novels.”

The novel he had used to trick Lin Kecheng before was one he had accidentally found in Yu Yi’s collection. After that, he had asked the system to look up more details.

He added, “Honestly, anything signed by you will make him happy.”

A short while later, they arrived at the company.

Fu Xiuning had no plans to work overtime and parked his car by the roadside.

Xing Shi and Qi Changyi entered the building together. The former headed straight for the practice room, while the latter went up to his office. As soon as he sat down, he took out his phone and dialed Fu Xiuning’s number.

The call connected quickly. Qi Changyi got straight to the point. “Why?”

Fu Xiuning replied evenly, “To repay him for saving my life.”

Qi Changyi was confused. “…Huh?”

Fu Xiuning elaborated, “He saved me not long ago.”

Qi Changyi was taken aback. “You’d actually live with someone just because they saved your life? When you had that car accident a while back, someone saved you then too—why aren’t you living with them?”

Fu Xiuning’s response was calm and matter-of-fact. “That person hasn’t been found yet. If I find them, I’ll repay them too.”

Qi Changyi did not believe him.

It wasn’t that he doubted the gratitude, but he doubted that this was the reason Fu Xiuning wanted to live with Xing Shi.

However, seeing that he wouldn’t get a different answer, he hung up and turned his attention elsewhere.

After some time, he made his way to the training department.

The teachers in the office were surprised to see him. No one expected him to come to the company this late, let alone stop by their department.

Qi Changyi smiled and exchanged pleasantries before getting to the point. “Tell me about Xing Shi.”

Curious but professional, the teachers provided a neutral and objective summary of his progress. Then they hesitated before asking, “So… does the company have any plans for him?”

Qi Changyi thought, I don’t even know what to do with him yet. He simply replied, “No. It all depends on his own wishes.”

After a short chat, his assistant arrived.

The nanny car he had taken earlier was his personal vehicle. After dropping off Director He, the assistant had made a detour to pick up some low-calorie midnight snacks before heading back.

Meanwhile, training was still in full swing.

Halfway through class, a commotion broke out in the hallway.

Someone exclaimed, “Qi Changyi came to see us! And he brought food!”

The trainees erupted with excitement. The moment they saw that their teacher had no objections, they rushed out eagerly.

Qi Changyi turned around with a smile, spoke a few encouraging words, and then left.

The trainees, still buzzing with excitement, ate their snacks while discussing the event.

Xing Shi received a message from Qi Changyi.

[I’m in the office. Should I give the signed merch to Yu Yi, or do you want to bring him up?]

Finally, Xing Shi thought, something reliable.

Not wanting to assume how close Qi Changyi and Yu Yi should be, he decided to let Yu Yi make the call.

Now that Qi Changyi had made a high-profile visit, meeting a fan wouldn’t seem too out of place. And since everyone was busy eating, their leaving wouldn’t attract much attention.

Turning off his phone, he left the practice room with Yu Yi.

Yu Yi followed him to the elevator and asked, “Where are we going?”

Xing Shi explained, “My boss mentioned today that Qi Changyi would be stopping by. When I told him you were a fan, he arranged a chance for you to meet him.”

Yu Yi was stunned. “Wait, what?!”

Xing Shi asked, “Do you want to go or not?”

Yu Yi immediately nodded. “Of course I’m going!” Then, after a pause, he added enviously, “The boss is really nice to you. You must’ve asked him to do this, right?”

Xing Shi did not deny it. “Yeah.”

Yu Yi hesitated for a moment, then couldn’t help but ask, “So… what’s your relationship with the boss?”

Xing Shi answered casually, “Good friends.”

Yu Yi stared at him with envy. “That’s amazing.”

When they arrived at Qi Changyi’s office, the fan finally got his photo with his idol, an autograph, and some signed merchandise.

Satisfied, they stored the items in their lockers and returned to training.

Tomorrow, Saturday afternoon, was the roadshow.

Xing Shi hadn’t asked Director He for any extra tickets—just his own.

At the time, he wasn’t sure whether he was truly the original owner of this body. He had only wanted to come and meet people, nothing more, and he didn’t want to owe any additional favors.

Fu Xiuning, however, went to Qi Changyi for a ticket.

Knowing that Xing Shi would also be attending, he deliberately chose to accompany him to the theater.

Their seats weren’t next to each other, but since they were arranged under the “friends and family” category, they had prime viewing spots.

The movie hadn’t started yet, and the theater was brightly lit.

Since this roadshow was a high-profile event, attracting celebrities and industry professionals, the audience was actively scanning the crowd in hopes of spotting someone famous.

The moment the two stunningly handsome young men walked in, heads turned. Many gasped softly, thinking that they had to be celebrities, and started whispering among themselves, trying to figure out their names.

Lin Kecheng heard the murmurs.

But before he even needed to look, he already knew through his system—it was Fu Xiuning.

What he didn’t expect was that Xing Shi was with him.

His system hesitated. “Should we abandon the plan this time? The time is too short, and it’s really hard to get close to him. His company is here, he’ll return eventually. There will be plenty of chances in the future.”

Originally, they had paid a premium for roadshow tickets, intending to use this opportunity to craft a sharp yet insightful review that could potentially catch Qi Changyi’s attention.

But now? With Fu Xiuning and Xing Shi present, that plan was in jeopardy.

If Fu Xiuning noticed Lin Kecheng’s intentions, he’d see right through them.

If Xing Shi found out, that idiot might accidentally blurt something out in front of Qi Changyi.

And once Qi Changyi realized that Lin Kecheng wanted to join June Culture, everything he did afterward would be tainted with ulterior motives.

The system advised, “Whatever you do, don’t draw attention to yourself.”

Lin Kecheng ignored it. His gaze remained locked on Fu Xiuning and Xing Shi.

“Fu Xiuning treats him too well,” he muttered.

His system picked up on his suspicions. “Do you want to check his favorability value?”

They had renewed their alliance a few days ago, but Lin Kecheng hadn’t checked it back then.

Now, however, he was curious.

Xing Shi received the request.

The system anxiously clutched its data. “What do we do?”

Xing Shi answered calmly. “Give it to him.”

The system hesitated. “But what if they ask why?”

Xing Shi smirked. “Just tell them… ‘Because my singing isn’t off-key anymore.’”

The system: “…Huh?”

At this point, delaying would only raise suspicion.

With no choice, the system sent the data.

Lin Kecheng lowered his consciousness, pulled up the value, and froze.

The system let out a sharp breath. “-5! It went up by 3 points in such a short time?!”

Lin Kecheng clenched his jaw. [How did you get extra points?]

Xing Shi’s response was casual: [Because my singing isn’t off-key anymore~]

Lin Kecheng’s system was dumbfounded. “Could it be…? If his singing isn’t off-key, it means he’s still useful… and his favorability just reset to the default?”

Lin Kecheng’s expression turned cold.

This series of failures, coupled with Fu Xiuning’s unwavering interest in Xing Shi, completely shattered his patience.

He wasn’t the type to play by the rules anyway.

His voice was icy. “I’m sending Xing Shi to the hospital.”

The system was stunned. “What?! Why?!”

Lin Kecheng smirked. “If Fu Xiuning doesn’t react, then -5 is just his default favorability. But if he does react… it means he really cares about Xing Shi.” He chuckled darkly. “If that’s the case, why should I bother with Qi Changyi? Xing Shi is much easier to manipulate.”

The system wavered. Lin Kecheng’s reasoning was twisted, but not illogical.

“As long as Xing Shi doesn’t find out it was you who did it…” the system murmured.

Lin Kecheng narrowed his eyes. “Of course.”

—

The theater lights dimmed.

Fu Xiuning stared at the screen, eyes slightly narrowed.

—

The roadshow was a success. Thunderous applause and endless chatter filled the theater after the film ended.

Not all of the creative team had arrived the previous night; some had flown in that morning.

Director He wanted to introduce them to his son, but Xing Shi had more important matters to attend to.

He hopped into Fu Xiuning’s car and went straight to school—packing up his books.

Then he stopped by his apartment, gathered some clothes, and officially moved in.

—

Fu Xiuning’s residence was a luxurious penthouse.

It had a nanny’s quarters, a guest room with an en-suite bathroom, and a massive living space separating the master bedroom from the guest room.

Just as he had promised—there was plenty of space, ensuring they wouldn’t disturb each other.

Xing Shi walked through his new room, satisfied.

Then he pulled out his phone. “Boss, to thank you for taking me in, let’s order dinner. My treat. We’ll get takeout, no need to go out.”

Fu Xiuning replied, “Auntie will cook.”

Xing Shi protested, “Come on, takeout once in a while won’t hurt.”

Fu Xiuning glanced at him. “How much is the per capita cost?”

Xing Shi had his own salary now and confidently handed over his phone. “You order.”

Fu Xiuning scanned the options and picked a clean, high-quality restaurant, choosing a few of his favorite dishes.

Xing Shi added some extra items, tweaked the address, and placed the order.

When the food arrived, Fu Xiuning’s gaze fell on several bottles of alcohol.

His suspicions were confirmed when Xing Shi casually popped open two bottles and slid one across the table.

With a sincere expression, he lifted his glass.

“Boss, from today on, we’re under the same roof. Let’s have a drink!”