The Male Stand-in Just Wants to Make Money – Chapter 23

As he was opening the box, he heard a chuckle from above. Chen Bai looked up and saw his good neighbor’s lips curve into a smile before quickly suppressing it, his gaze deep and unreadable.

“Be happy,” the man said with a smile. “This is a small cake made from top-grade flour that was specially sent as tribute from the Western Regions.”

Top-grade meant a 20% discount.

Chen Bai opened the box. Inside, six neatly arranged small cakes sat alongside a packaged bag of cookies.

The pink-haired young man pointed at each item in turn and explained, “This is for tonight’s midnight snack, these two are for tomorrow’s breakfast, and the last three are for your assistant. I also baked some cookies for you—you can snack on them whenever you like.”

The arrangement was so meticulous that even every cookie had its designated recipient.

After finishing his explanation, he looked up and added, “Next time, I’ll make a cream version—when you have time.”

His good neighbor nodded in agreement.

Having worked in film crews before, Chen Bai knew that this kind of break wouldn’t last long, so he didn’t linger. After delivering the food, he simply patted the man’s shoulder, gave a quick smile, and waved goodbye.

He really had come just to deliver some small cakes. His visit was swift—just as fast as he had arrived, he turned and disappeared.

Xu Sinian held the box in his hands, watching the man leave. The security guard beside him, who had also been observing, finally turned back and grinned at him.

“Teacher Xu, your friend is really something,” the guard said with a laugh.

Xu Sinian looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

“He actually asked about our industry’s requirements—said he wanted to become a security guard in the future.”

The security guards didn’t believe someone so young would seriously consider becoming a security guard. They simply found the joke amusing.

Xu Sinian: “…”

For some reason, Xu Sinian had a feeling that the man wasn’t joking.

That night, the assistants who had been wondering why their boss had gone to the film crew’s entrance noticed the extra box in his hand when he returned.

Each of them received a small cake (x1) and observed that, while their boss’s expression remained unchanged, there was an odd feeling in the air—as if he was in a particularly good mood.

—Perhaps “good mood” wasn’t the right phrase. It was more like… an indescribable shift.

One of the assistants asked, “Did someone from Teacher Xu’s family come by?”

“No,” Xu Sinian replied without looking up, his tall nose illuminated by the glow of his phone screen as he typed a message. “It was a friend. He brought you the cake.”

In a place where there wasn’t even a convenience store nearby, being able to eat freshly baked cake at night was a luxury. The assistant immediately felt grateful toward this friend they had never met, whose favorability level skyrocketed in their heart.

“If there’s a chance, I definitely have to meet him,” they said.

Meanwhile, the unseen friend was heading home—only to realize he had missed the last bus.

It was a little late, but still early enough for a livestream. He could squeeze in a few hours. Faced with the choice between resting and making money, he decisively chose the latter.

The platform’s lag issues had been resolved earlier, so streaming was back to normal. His friend Qingzhou was online, and as soon as he went live, the other party habitually called him on WeChat.

He picked up the call.

To be honest, Chen Bai’s original plan had been to part ways with his temporary gaming teammates once the event was over and go back to finding his own circle of friends.

However, Qingzhou turned out to be an excellent bait-game partner—his acting skills were top-notch, and he had a natural talent for deception. Recognizing a good thing, Chen Bai made him his long-term gaming partner.

They had a great time playing bait games together, and the fans loved it too.

It was only after a game ended that they remembered they might not get to team up again. When Qingzhou later streamed solo, the lack of their usual banter made the broadcasts feel incomplete—like something was missing.

Fortunately, Erbai had only been delayed by other matters—it was a false alarm.

Erbai, the one who had been delayed, was now eating the small cake he had set aside for himself while keeping busy.

That night, the chat messages in his livestream were evenly split—half were celebratory messages for their victory, while the other half were gifts from viewers. As always, he made sure to express his gratitude for the support and continued chatting with his audience. He talked non-stop for hours, drinking several glasses of water throughout the stream.

Luckily, he had a naturally smooth voice, perfect for livestreaming, and didn’t get hoarse despite the high-intensity talking.

Today, the competition results had been announced—though the official announcement wouldn’t be made for another few days.

A few days later, his good neighbor, who had been away on location, finally returned. There was no longer a need for daily training, his lockpicking projects resumed as usual, and he still had his meal companion for dinner. Life returned to normal.

When the announcement finally came out, Chen Bai was in the middle of playing a bait game with his new long-term partner. A message popped up in his system notifications, and he checked it immediately after the game ended.

This was probably the fastest he had ever clicked open a system message.

The public announcement was vague—only stating that the top three winners would receive prizes ranging from 150,000 to 10,000 yuan, while fourth and fifth place would receive consolation prizes of several thousand yuan.

However, the private message that popped up was much clearer, listing the championship rewards in detail:

• [First Prize: 150,000 yuan, to be credited within seven working days]
• [Exclusive login screen feature: 7 days]
• [Champion-exclusive avatar frame: x1]
• [Limited edition in-game double skin: x1]

…

After scanning the list for a week, Chen Bai still found the first reward to be the most realistic.

The chat exploded with curiosity over the double skin, so he went to check it out.

Claiming the skin was simple—just enter the redemption code in the game, and it would automatically apply to the player’s collection.

However, when the interface loaded and Chen Bai saw the skin clearly, he frowned.

“Hm?”

The good news: It was a paid skin—rare and expensive, at least by in-game pricing standards.

The bad news: It was a couple’s skin.

[HAHAHAHA the devs really know how to stir things up]
[? This feels a little weird… let’s see what it looks like first]
[Honestly, it’s a bit strange, but I bet Erbai will use it. He’d never waste something expensive (nods)]
[As we all know, teammates = lovers]
[LOL, this game has had weirder CP pairings]

Staring at the two cutesy avatars on the screen, Chen Erbai, known for his thriftiness, of course decided to claim the reward.

He turned to his friend and suggested, “Qingzhou, look at this little girl—cute, right?”

He continued, “Let’s use this one.”

Unfortunately, his friend had no intention of picking the little girl avatar.

After a brief discussion, they agreed to roll dice to decide—a time-honored tradition beloved by the chat. If the roll was low, they’d use the pink girl skin.

Since the in-game chat didn’t support dice rolls, they moved the game to WeChat.

Qingzhou rolled first.

A two appeared on the screen.

He fell into silence.

Considering normal probability… it was extremely difficult to roll a number lower than that.

Under normal circumstances, Chen Erbai would have been laughing gleefully at this moment. But today was different.

Seated at his desk, he remained unexpectedly silent, moving his mouse back and forth over the dice icon—yet not clicking it.

[What’s Erbai hesitating for?]

[Hahaha, Qingzhou’s cursed hands at work again!]

[What insane luck, Qingzhou! LOL]

[Everyone’s focused on Qingzhou’s bad luck, but am I the only one who noticed that Erbai quietly changed his WeChat note for Qingzhou? Hahaha.]

[Glad to have received a nickname. Planning to develop him into a long-term partner.]

Unlike the lighthearted barrage of comments, Chen Bai felt unusually heavy-hearted.

Only he, who had suffered through countless rounds of Flying Chess, knew just how absurdly bad his dice rolls could be.

After hesitating for a long time, he ultimately decided not to click the dice. Instead, he said, “My friend has good luck. I’ll borrow some from him first. Hang on a second.”

With that, he took off his headphones, got up from his chair, and walked away. The sound of his slippers faded into the distance.

Pink Hair went straight to knock on his good neighbor’s door.

As expected, his good neighbor was still awake. Wearing casual home clothes, he bent down slightly to open the door, his gaze landing on Chen Bai. Their faces were quite close.

Ignoring the height and the pressure of their proximity, Chen Bai quickly blurted out, “No time to explain. Can I borrow your hand for a second?”

Good Neighbor: “…?”

Not entirely sure if he had understood correctly, the good neighbor tentatively extended his hand.

Then, his hand was instantly grabbed.

For just a moment, he felt a cool touch—his palm and the back of his hand were both a little cold.

Chen Bai firmly shook hands with the man, and to be safe, he even shook both of the man’s hands before letting go. Then, he quickly said “Thanks! Good night!” and bolted back home.

The whole sequence was executed seamlessly, without any unnecessary movements.

Xu Sinian: “…”

He had no idea what Chen Bai was so busy with, but he certainly looked very busy.

The incredibly “busy” person rushed back to his desk, slipped on his headphones, and said, “Sorry for the wait.”

Not wanting to dilute the good luck he had just borrowed, he immediately clicked the mouse.

The dice on the screen spun several times before finally stopping—under the watchful eyes of everyone.

A bright red dot flashed.

It hurt both the eyes and the heart.

“…”

The luck he had worked so hard to steal was completely useless.

Without missing a beat, Chen Moubai grabbed his phone and sent a voice message to his good neighbor:

“You really disappoint me.”

The hand that could roll so many sixes had utterly failed him.

His good neighbor, meanwhile, stared at the WeChat screen that kept showing [Typing…] for a long time.

In the end, the man didn’t reply at all.

[Hahahaha, classic misplaced frustration.]

[A totally innocent bystander just got scolded, LOL.]

[I also want to touch Erbai’s hand (whispers)]

[Even with borrowed luck, he still managed to lose. Erbai, your luck is just… something else.]

[Hahaha, just accept the cute character you rightfully won!]

[Poor friend, got touched by Erbai and then got scolded for it. LOL!]

This time, Qingzhou burst out laughing.

Hearing the laughter, the livestream audience watched in real-time as Erbai changed his WeChat note for Qingzhou again—this time from [Clear Porridge] to [Vegetable Porridge].

By now, the chat had perfectly grasped his thought process.

[Very nice—he’s upgraded from “stomach-nourishing” to “health-nourishing.”]

After renaming his friend, Chen Bai proudly accepted the adorable little girl character as his own, though he remained noticeably quiet after equipping it.

Qingzhou chuckled, threw his words back at him, and said, “It’s very cute.”

Chen Bai: “Thank you.”

That night, the cute little girl rampaged through the entire game map.

The next day, the little girl couldn’t continue her killing spree—because Chen Bai had work.

That evening, he went to work a shift at a restaurant.

Bad luck aside, hard work always paid off.

Near the end of his shift, something interesting happened—

A couple he had once performed the song “Sunflower” for walked in. They had decided to get married and were hosting an engagement party soon. They wanted to hire him to play the piano at the event.

Given that this restaurant catered to high-end clientele, the offered rate was generous—five figures for a single day.

Since he didn’t have any major plans for the next few weeks, Chen Bai agreed and exchanged contact details with the couple on the spot.

However, when he typed in the new contact’s name, his hand paused.

He couldn’t help but look up at the client and ask, “Qian Duoduo?”

The man nodded. “Any problem?”

Chen Bai shook his head. “No, it’s just… a very fitting name.”

He had seen this name before.

Back when he read the novel, he hadn’t paid much attention to certain plot details, but this name had stuck with him—

Qian Duoduo.

A man from the same social circle as the “God of Wealth,” Huo Chuan—and as his name suggested, he was filthy rich.

But the name itself wasn’t important.

What mattered was that this engagement party was directly tied to the novel’s main plot.

As someone in the same industry, Huo Chuan was supposed to attend this engagement party—but he never arrived.

On his way there, he had an accident and was rushed to the hospital. As a result, the business deals he was negotiating fell into the hands of rival companies, costing him millions.

During the months he spent recovering in the hospital, the male lead (Huo Chuan) was diligently visited and cared for by the second male lead, gradually strengthening their tragic love story.

But—

Chen Bai had no interest in playing nurse for free.

More importantly, Huo Chuan being hospitalized for months was completely unacceptable.

Because—

Half of his income came from the gold coins that dropped from Huo Chuan’s gaming account.

Letting that money disappear was not an option.

Pink Hair rubbed his hair in frustration, confirmed the event details, and said his goodbyes to the couple.

The engagement party was scheduled for one week later.

A rehearsal was planned for the day before at a nearby five-star hotel. Meals and accommodations were included, so there was no need to rush home between the rehearsal and the event.

Having done many gigs like this before, Chen Bai was already a pro. He quickly finalized the setlist with the newlyweds and coordinated with the event host to familiarize himself with the schedule.

When the rehearsal day arrived, he executed everything flawlessly.

But when the rehearsal ended—

Pink Hair did not leave.

He stayed behind, lingering in the event hall as the staff continued setting up decorations.

According to the novel’s plot, Huo Chuan, the God of Wealth, was supposed to get into an accident at this engagement party.

But—

It never specified how.

If Chen Bai wanted to prevent it, he’d have to figure it out on his own.

To gather some intel, he casually chatted with the staff setting up the venue, inquiring about security measures.

The staff confidently told him that their team had an excellent reputation, relying entirely on word-of-mouth recommendations. Any venue they handled was inspected at least twice, ensuring multiple layers of security with zero blind spots that could pose safety hazards.

So, the problem probably wasn’t here.

Since he couldn’t find a legitimate reason to keep Huo Chuan from attending, his only option was to stay alert tomorrow.

After wandering around the venue for a long time without noticing anything unusual, Chen Bai returned to the hotel room provided by the client.

Since the hotel was far from home, he couldn’t do his usual lockpicking work.

With no live-streaming equipment, and his good neighbor at work—meaning no Flying Chess—he had nothing to do.

So, he took a shower, lay on the bed, and picked up a book.

Previously, he had finished reading “An Actor’s Self-Cultivation.” Now, he was on to “Six Lectures on Acting.”

Though an e-book lacked the tactile satisfaction of a physical book, it was convenient.

Compared to more academic reads, this one was actually pretty engaging.

However, before he could get past two pages, his agent, whom he hadn’t contacted in a while, sent him a message.

[Register a Weibo account.]

It only took a few minutes to create an account.

The only part Chen Bai hesitated over was choosing a profile picture.

After all, he had a whole folder of God of Wealth images saved on his phone.

His favorite was the God of Wealth holding a gold ingot in each hand, but that image was already being used for his livestreaming account, “Chen Erbai.”

After much internal debate, he finally chose the one holding an oversized gold ingot instead.

As for the username—

“Chen Bai” was already taken.

So, he added a character, making it “Chen Yibai.”

It was available. Done.

Since he had no plans to manage the account himself, he immediately sent the login details to his agent.

His money-making partner thanked him for the trust—

And then…

There was a brief pause.

A moment later, the agent sent a single comment:

[Vintage portrait. Not bad.]

Chen Bai accepted the compliment, exited the app, and resumed his reading.

Before going to sleep, he reviewed the sheet music for tomorrow’s performance one last time.

The Engagement Party

As expected, Qian Duoduo and his wife’s engagement party was just as extravagant as their upcoming wedding.

The engagement ceremony was held at noon, on the hotel’s private lawn.

The banquet dinner took place in the hotel ballroom later that evening.

Chen Bai’s job only lasted half a day—

He was responsible for playing the piano during the engagement ceremony, while another pianist handled the evening banquet.

In the morning, as guests arrived, a live band performed.

Since he wasn’t needed yet, Chen Bai sat in a corner with his fellow musicians, casually discussing the current industry trends.

The market was as stagnant as ever.

One of his colleagues, an award-winning pianist, now specialized in playing for high-society banquets.

Having been in the elite social circle for a while, he had met plenty of people and accumulated a ton of gossip.

Naturally, he was more than happy to share.

Chen Bai, wide-eyed, listened intently—nodding from time to time.

He had never been this focused in class before.

Among the four musicians present, there were already six overlapping cases of exes—

One guest was both the sister and mother-in-law of another guest.

The relationships were beyond complicated.

Throughout it all, the seasoned pianist remained calm and composed, his face completely emotionless, as if he had seen it all before.

Chen Bai was in awe.

Just as they were deep in their gossip session, a commotion broke out in the distance.

Guests on the lawn started gathering, and the atmosphere suddenly became much livelier.

It looked like someone important had arrived.

The group of musicians didn’t join the crowd, choosing instead to observe from afar.

The scene was grand, almost over-the-top.

Chen Bai checked the time, confirming that it wasn’t time for the engagement ceremony yet, before glancing up again.

At the center of the crowd stood a man.

He was tall, dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, his gaze sharp and his features chiseled.

Even as he lowered his head to converse with someone beside him, the height difference alone exuded dominance.

Every movement was composed, every gesture carrying the presence of someone accustomed to power.

Huo Chuan had arrived.

Still wondering about the “accident” that was supposed to happen, Chen Bai examined him closely—

But he couldn’t spot anything that might put this man in the hospital for months.

His colleague, noticing his stare, casually remarked:

“That’s Huo Chuan, from the Huo family.”

He glanced at Chen Bai and added, “He’s got everything—looks, wealth, power. But don’t even think about it.”

If someone like Huo Chuan were single, good-looking, and ridiculously rich, most people would be tempted.

But—

**”That guy has a white moonlight.”*[]

*[White Moonlight (白月光) – A term referring to an unattainable or irreplaceable love, often someone they still hold dear in their heart.]

“You see how he’s standing alone now?” the colleague continued. “It’s not because he’s available—he’s just got someone etched into his heart. Not many people can get close to him.”

Apparently, Huo Chuan also had a younger sister, and she had an intense dislike for anyone who got too close to him.

Dating him wouldn’t necessarily be a blessing.

Finally, Chen Bai looked away.

Then, he glanced at his colleague again.

This guy really was the ultimate gossip king.

He hesitated for a second before asking, “Can I ask you something?”

His colleague gave him a questioning look.

Chen Bai, lowering his voice, asked carefully:

“Do you know what kind of salary Mr. Huo usually offers his employees?”

No other reason.

Just wanted to make a comparative analysis and see if his own wages had room for growth.

Colleague: “…”

Colleague: “???”

When faced with a knowledge blind spot, the colleague could only admit defeat.

Meanwhile, in the center of the crowd, Huo Chuan’s gaze shifted slightly, sweeping across the guests.

For a moment, his eyes landed on the pink-haired man sitting in the corner.

Beside him, Huo Qing, who had been half-listening to the polite conversations around her, followed his gaze—

When she spotted Chen Bai, she froze.

Then, her eyes lit up instantly.

She turned to her brother and excitedly whispered, “I’m going to go—”

Before she could finish, someone called Chen Bai’s name.

The pink-haired man stood up and left with the others.

Huo Qing, faced with her brother’s questioning look, simply said, “It’s fine.”

It was time.

Chen Bai went to prepare for work.

The band left, the guests took their seats, and the atmosphere quieted down.

A sea of flowers stretched across the lawn, the breeze lifting scattered petals into the air.

And amidst the falling petals—

The sound of the piano began.

Many guests had their phones raised, just like Huo Qing.

The young lady snapped photos rapidly, then said, “Send me a copy when you’re done.”

The music changed, signaling the arrival of the newlyweds.

While most cameras turned toward the couple walking down the aisle—

Huo Qing’s camera remained fixed on the person behind the piano.

A friend beside her glanced over and teased, “You’re really loyal.”

Still stationed at the front lines of filming, Huo Qing replied matter-of-factly, “That’s my friend. I have to take more pictures.”

Immediately, a few other young ladies turned to look at her so-called ‘friend.’

Smooth Execution

The ceremony flowed seamlessly—

A speech.
The champagne tower.
Another speech.

The piano accompaniment blended perfectly with the emcee’s hosting, just as rehearsed.

Everything went flawlessly.

As the ceremony concluded, Chen Bai’s job was mostly done.

Guests began to mingle on the lawn, enjoying the atmosphere while waiting for the band to take over.

Before Chen Bai could leave the piano, his colleague—who had been waiting nearby—immediately approached, eager to resume their earlier conversation.

However, someone got there first.

Halfway through his approach, the colleague froze.

A man in a tailored suit was already standing beside the piano.

His gaze was fixed directly on the pink-haired pianist.

It was none other than Huo Chuan.

The same Huo Chuan they had just been talking about.

The man’s voice was steady, neutral.

“Why are you here?”

It wasn’t an interrogation—just a casual inquiry.

But his tone carried an undeniable familiarity.

“…”

The people nearby stopped in their tracks.

Eyes widened.
Ears perked up.

‘There’s a piano right here. Isn’t it obvious why I’m here?’

But since this was Huo Chuan—

Huo Chuan, whose single game order had earned him 120,000 yuan—

Chen Bai put on a polite smile and answered, “I’m here for work.”

Then, with a teasing tone, he added, “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

When Chen Bai smiled, his peach blossom eyes reflected the soft light, carrying an undeniable warmth and sincerity.

For a moment, Huo Chuan held his gaze, not dodging nor avoiding it.

Then, he replied with equal lightness, “Qiao.” (Coincidence.)

Setting down the wine glass in his hand, he extended his hand slightly and said,

“Sitting too long isn’t good for you. Get up and move around.”

Chen Bai didn’t take his hand directly, but he didn’t reject the offer either.

Instead, he grasped Huo Chuan’s wrist, using the support to stand up before casually thanking him.

Huo Chuan’s brows shifted slightly.

“You’re welcome,” he replied.

This person was light—

Barely any weight at all when lifted.

But when he played the piano, his hands carried surprising power.

Huo Chuan glanced at the slender, pale fingers, the tips slightly reddened from playing.

The wind lifted the edge of his shirt slightly, revealing just a hint of his waistline.

A moment later, Huo Chuan looked away and said, “It’s windy here. Let’s move somewhere else.”

Intercepted by a Hurricane

As the two prepared to leave, a figure suddenly came charging over.

Her skirt lifted slightly as she ran—

Huo Qing.

The situation escalated faster than expected.

Before anyone could warn them, she rushed right between the two.

The colleague, who had been watching everything unfold, could only stare helplessly.

Was she about to cause a scene?!

Instead—

Huo Qing exhaled, looked up at Chen Bai, and asked,

“Second… Brother Bai, can we take a picture together?”

“My friends want a photo with you,” she added, tilting her head toward a group of young ladies.

It was just a photo.

Chen Bai didn’t mind.

Smiling, he nodded.

“Sure.”

A Strategic Retreat

Before Huo Chuan could say anything, Huo Qing had already dragged Chen Bai away.

As she left, she turned back for a moment, her lips parting slightly—

But in the end, she said nothing.

Being pulled away, Chen Bai caught sight of his colleague, who was still watching with an inexplicably complex expression.

He smiled, waved a hand, and said, “Sorry! Let’s continue our conversation later.”

Colleague: “…”

With his CPU overheating, the colleague could only nod.

Photo Session

The group of girls finally got their wish.

Taking casual photos and posing for magazines were two very different things.

Despite trying to act natural, Chen Bai couldn’t help sneaking in a “scissors” hand pose.

Final group photo:

Everyone did the scissors pose.

They laughed so hard they nearly fell over.

The Champagne Tower Crisis

As the photo session continued, the surrounding guests were deep in conversation.

Not Huo Chuan.

He simply stood nearby, taking a brief moment to rest.

Then—

“Pah.”

The sound of a falling phone cut through the air.

Someone had accidentally dropped their phone.

It wasn’t a big deal—the person simply bent down to pick it up.

However—

When they stood up again, their body tilted—

And they crashed straight into a nearby square table.

A muffled thud.

A sharp inhale of pain.

On the table sat a champagne tower.

But not a typical five-tiered one.

This one was ten stories high—so tall that the newlyweds had to climb stairs to pour the champagne.

The moment the person hit the table—

A faint, imperceptible scraping sound echoed—

Glass shifting against glass.

Something was moving.

Huo Chuan lowered his gaze.

Checked the time on his watch.

And then—

The subtle scraping noise rapidly escalated.

In the blink of an eye—

More than ten layers of champagne glasses tilted—

And collapsed.

Straight toward him.

The person who had knocked into the table froze.

Eyes widening in horror.

“…”

A sharp, piercing scream erupted.

In that instant—

A white blur shot through the air—

Swooping toward Huo Chuan.