The Male Stand-in Just Wants to Make Money – Chapter 27

Gao Qian instinctively felt that whatever this person said couldn’t be trusted,

But she also didn’t think he was lying on purpose.

The Pink-Haired Man lowered his hand, which had been gesturing at his imaginary microcosm,

Then pulled out his phone to check the time.

Gao Qian glanced at him sideways. “What’s up?”

Chen Bai answered matter-of-factly, “I should go home and cook.”

In this glamorous, high-stakes environment,

Where everyone was striving to become the next big star,

His words felt almost jarringly out of place—

Too simple. Too grounded.

A moment ago, these people had been dreaming of fame and fortune.

Now, they were being forcefully reminded of reality.

One by one, they silently pulled out their phones to check their lunch plans.

Gao Qian frowned slightly.

“It’s already late. Let’s find somewhere to eat first.”

Then, as if sensing his hesitation, she added a crucial detail:

“You don’t have to pay.”

Pink Hair nodded immediately—without a second of hesitation.

Hesitating even a moment longer would be disrespectful to a free meal.

“…”

Gao Qian felt like she was finally starting to understand this person completely.

The Cultural Park didn’t have many fancy options,

But there were a few decent restaurants nearby.

Since neither of them were picky eaters,

They quickly found a place to settle their lunch situation.

During the meal, Gao Qian suddenly remembered something.

After swallowing the bite in her mouth, she casually said,

“The EV magazine issue you shot for is coming out in a few days.”

Chen Bai lifted his gaze slightly.

“That fast?”

With his jam-packed schedule,

Days blurred together without him noticing.

Time had passed faster than expected.

Gao Qian nodded.

“The magazine will handle its own promotions. The cover star is pretty famous, so sales and exposure shouldn’t be an issue.”

That was their problem to worry about—

All he had to do was his part.

She took a sip of water and continued,

“I’ll manage your Weibo account for now, but you can log in anytime.

When you have time, reply to a few comments—just be careful with your wording.”

Only then did Chen Bai remember that he had even set up a Weibo account.

Although he didn’t quite understand

Why people followed an account that had literally zero posts,

He still nodded in agreement.

The meal wasn’t anything special—

But it was enough to fill him up.

After lunch, his agent sent him home,

And once he got back,

He immediately took on a lock-picking job.

That day, the landlord stopped by again,

This time bringing along his eldest grandson.

The neighbors, curious about the little guy,

All took turns patting his head—

And, of course, Chen Bai did too when he passed by.

Two days later.

That evening, just before his livestream,

Chen Bai received a package from his money-making partner.

It was light and thin.

When he opened it—

It turned out to be a magazine.

The latest issue of EV.

The one he was in.

Flipping to the cover, he didn’t recognize the featured celebrity.

But the guy was pretty handsome.

So it was already out.

Since the money-making partner had handled everything,

He hadn’t really paid attention to the release schedule.

All he knew was that she seemed very satisfied with the final product.

It was almost time for the livestream,

So without even flipping through it,

He set the magazine aside,

Closed the door,

And turned on his computer.

City B.

The roar of a motorcycle engine echoed through the streets.

The sleek bike pulled up in front of a warmly lit flower shop.

The rider swung a long leg over the seat,

Reached up to remove his black helmet,

And shook out his messy hair.

Li Qingzhou casually ran a hand through his tousled locks,

Helmet in one hand,

And strode into the shop.

“Flowers delivered. I’m heading back to prepare for my livestream.”

Usually, someone would be by the flower shelves,

Busy arranging fresh bouquets.

But today,

No one responded.

Frowning slightly, he glanced around.

It wasn’t until he looked toward the counter

That he finally spotted someone.

As he stepped closer,

The person behind the counter finally noticed him and said,

“You’re back already?”

Li Qingzhou removed his apron.

“Want me to go again?” he joked.

Sister Li, however, wasn’t paying attention to him at all.

Instead, she waved excitedly,

Face flushed with excitement,

And said,

“Come here! Look at this!”

Pausing for a moment,

Li Qingzhou walked over to take a look.

The woman behind the counter was holding a magazine.

Even though he hadn’t paid attention to the cover star,

He was so used to it by now that he didn’t even react.

His voice remained calm and flat.

“Congrats. Your favorite celebrity made the cover again.”

The numbness in his tone was undeniable.

He had seen this far too many times to be surprised.

“That’s not what I wanted to show you.”

Sister Li quickly flipped through the pages,

Found the exact spot she had been reading,

And handed him the magazine.

“Look at this.”

Li Qingzhou took the magazine,

Lowered his head,

And gave it a quick glance—

Fully prepared to hand it right back.

“…”

His gaze locked onto a pair of light-colored eyes under soft pink hair,

Illuminated by the natural light breaking through the clouds.

The person in the photo was walking toward the camera,

A bouquet of flowers in one hand.

His radiant smile exuded a warmth so vibrant and full of life,

It was like the first breeze of spring.

A gaze like looking at someone you love.

The smile was as bright as ever,

As breathtaking as before.

The hair color had changed.

The clothing style was different.

But Li Qingzhou recognized him immediately.

This was the person he had once given flowers to.

They hadn’t seen each other since that day on set.

No news.

No updates.

He had assumed they would never meet again.

Yet now—

He found him here, on this page.

“…?”

Sister Li, noticing how he was still staring at the page,

Raised an eyebrow and grinned knowingly.

“Ohhh—so this is your type?”

Hearing her voice,

Li Qingzhou snapped back to reality.

He immediately denied it.

“No.”

He cleared his throat and muttered,

“I was just thinking—he’s the one I gave flowers to on set.”

His words were firm,

But his ears burned red—

A stark contrast against his usual pale skin.

For the first time ever, Sister Li discovered that her brother was surprisingly easy to read.

She had only asked casually, just for fun—

Yet, he had rushed to explain himself—

Face blushing uncontrollably.

Almost like… there was something real there.

“So, the flowers were given to him back then?”

A good sister knew when to stop.

She didn’t mention the red ears—

Simply smiled and said, “So he’s filming a drama?”

Then, with an amused grin, she added,

“If it airs in the future, I’ll have to remember to watch it.”

Li Qingzhou lowered his head,

His gaze flickering back to the magazine.

Beneath the photo, there was a small caption listing the photographer, the editor—

And the names of the people featured in the image.

【Chen Bai】

Li Qingzhou quickly retracted his gaze.

Then, without hesitation, he declared:

“Sister, I’m taking your magazine.”

Sister Li raised an eyebrow.

“You always buy two copies anyway. If I take one, you’ll still have the other.”

Then, as if offering further justification, he added:

“I made three deliveries this afternoon—the farthest one was six kilometers away.”

Sister Li waved her hand dismissively.

“Fine, take it.”

Li Qingzhou took off his flower shop apron,

Grabbed the magazine,

And headed home.

By the time he got back,

It was a little earlier than usual for his livestream,

So he decided to start it ahead of schedule.

As always,

He hopped on a call with someone,

Loaded up the game,

And while waiting for the match to start,

He noticed a familiar name on the player list.

Casually, he asked,

“Why is Erbai called Chen Erbai?”

From his earphones, a familiar voice answered:

“Because my last name is Chen, and I’m poor as hell. ‘Chen Yiqiong’ (Chen Too Poor) didn’t sound good, so I went with ‘Chen Erbai’ (Chen Poor and White).”

Simple and easy to understand.

Then, the other party asked,

“Why do you suddenly care?”

Li Qingzhou exhaled lightly,

Then smiled faintly.

“No reason. Just curious.”

There were no such coincidences in this world.

Erbai had mentioned before that he worked in City A.

And now…

Even his in-game name perfectly reflected the reality of being broke.

While he casually explained his username,

The game lobby was already buzzing.

By the time Chen Bai looked at the chat,

People were changing their usernames on the spot.

[Then I should be called Zhen Meiqian (Really No Money).]

[My last name is Bai, and I love reading—guess I’ll be Bai Dushu (Bai Loves Studying).]

[I saw a super handsome guy named Chen Bai today. My first thought was: Chen Erbai x]

[Wait, I KNOW who you’re talking about! That EV photoshoot was insane! I was rolling on the floor from how good it was.]

[WHERE?! WHERE IS THIS HANDSOME GUY?! LET ME SEE!!]

“…”

At first, Chen Bai wanted to joke that his name was just really common.

But then, as he continued reading,

He silently reached out and pushed the magazine further away—

Making sure it was completely out of the camera’s frame.

Aside from seeing his real name pop up in chat,

Which gave him a strange feeling for a moment,

It was just another normal livestream.

The stream wrapped up at 2 AM.

Since he had drunk black coffee earlier,

Chen Bai wasn’t sleepy yet.

So, instead of reading a book or annoying his good neighbor with texts,

He decided to log into his Weibo account.

It had been a while since he last checked it.

At first glance—

Aside from the familiar avatar of the God of Wealth and the three words [Chen Yibai],

Everything else about the account felt…

Different.

Somehow, a little yellow verification badge had appeared next to his name.

His follower count, once zero, had skyrocketed.

His activity feed, which had previously been empty, now showed double-digit posts.

The only thing still at zero?

The number of people he followed.

His money-making partner had mentioned before—

Since this was his personal account, they had chosen not to follow anyone.

Trying to figure out what had happened,

Chen Bai clicked on his activity feed.

There were over a dozen posts now.

The one with the most engagement was the most recent one—

A simple repost that had already gained hundreds of thousands of likes.

Every time he refreshed, the number jumped even higher.

It was a repost from EV’s official account.

A post containing several photos of him.

Recalling what his money-making partner had advised—

That he should check the comments when he had time—

Chen Bai flipped over in bed,

Tapped on the comment section,

And started reading.

The vibe was completely different from his usual chatrooms.

In his livestream,

People joked, teased, and spammed laughter when he messed up.

When he pulled off a good move,

They gave him symbolic applause.

Most people just called him “Erbai.”

Here?

It was a flood of “husband” and “wife” comments.

He hadn’t seen those words in years.

It took him a full moment to realize—

They were calling him “wife.”

“…”

Even after all these years,

He still couldn’t keep up with internet trends.

Even someone as deeply immersed in social media as Chen Bai

Had no idea how to respond to these comments.

So he simply set his phone down,

And picked up his book instead.

After spending over an hour trying to feel sleepy,

Pink Hair finally fell asleep.

While he slept soundly,

Others stayed online, wide awake.

Once the EV photoshoot was released,

It exploded in popularity.

The hashtag #EV再出神图# (EV’s Legendary Photos Return)

Skyrocketed on the trending list—

And was still climbing.

A flood of new fans scoured EV’s official page,

Tracked down his personal account,

And successfully found it.

Though the account was barely active,

Thankfully, there were at least a few photos.

As netizens downloaded and shared them,

His comment count soared.

The next morning,

Pink Hair dragged himself out of bed,

Threw on a coat,

And headed to his usual breakfast shop.

As always,

He read a book while keeping an eye on the locksmith shop.

But something felt off.

For some reason,

There were way more customers than usual.

Most were young people—

Likely college students from nearby universities.

They didn’t need locks changed.

They didn’t need locks opened.

They just bought a keychain—

Then asked for a photo together.

Taking photos didn’t take much time,

So Pink Hair didn’t turn them down.

That morning, he didn’t get a single lock-picking order—

But he sold a ton of keychains.

That evening, he also had a shift at the restaurant.

At noon, Chen Bai handed over his store duties to the landlord, went home for lunch, and then made up for lost livestream time in the evening.

By afternoon, a new employee had been hired to watch the store,

And the number of keychain buyers dropped drastically.

One Week Later.

The audition results were finally out.

And just like that, Chen Bai was meeting his money-making partner again.

This time, they met near the company,

In a business district at the heart of the city.

Before heading out, Pink Hair made a big investment—

He bought a hat.

As always, his partner seemed insanely busy.

Every time they met, she rushed in,

And the first thing she did after sitting down was take a deep breath.

The man in the hat kindly handed her a glass of water.

After downing half the glass,

The agent finally looked alive again.

She set down the documents and paper bags she was carrying,

Then looked at the person across from her.

At first, she didn’t recognize him—

There was no familiar pink hair in sight.

But after a brief pause, she understood immediately and said nothing.

After ordering a drink,

She jumped straight to business.

“I have one bad news and two good news for you.”

She didn’t bother playing the usual game of

“Do you want the good news or the bad news first?”

She simply moistened her throat and said:

“The bad news is, the third and fourth male leads have already been cast. You didn’t get them.”

Straight to the point.

No buildup.

No time for mental preparation.

Chen Bai calmly lifted his gaze,

Waiting for what was next.

His agent smiled,

Picked up a document, and waved it slightly.

“The good news is—Director Zhang wants you to audition for the second male lead.”

The jump from third or fourth male lead to second male lead was a massive leap.

Not only in terms of screen time—

But also in terms of paycheck.

The sudden change caught him off guard.

Chen Bai raised an eyebrow.

“How did that happen?”

“Well, Director Zhang originally described the second male lead as someone with weak health who spends most of his time sitting or lying down.”

The agent barely held back a smirk.

“He said, ‘That old waist of yours is perfect for the role.’”

“…”

There was obviously more behind the decision,

But the director hadn’t explained further.

This was all he chose to say.

Some directors looked serious and strict,

But behind the scenes, they actually had a sense of humor.

Chen Bai hadn’t expected his casual “old waist” comment during the audition to be remembered this long.

He wiped a hand over his face and muttered,

“Thanks, Director Zhang, for saving my waist.”

His agent chuckled, took a sip of her drink, and continued,

“Once the contract details are finalized, they’ll send you the full script. You can review it before filming starts.”

Director Zhang wasn’t just a director—

He was also a producer.

His decisions held weight,

And he was known for supporting newcomers.

If he personally chose someone,

He wouldn’t change his mind easily,

Even if external pressure came knocking.

So if he had already decided—

The role was basically set.

Chen Bai nodded in acknowledgment,

Then asked about the second piece of good news.

“The second good news—”

His agent paused, then smirked.

“Your EV magazine shoot was a huge hit. A fantastic debut.”

Then, as if remembering something,

She added,

“Do you remember the outfit you wore in the shoot?”

Pink Hair had a pretty decent memory.

He nodded.

His agent grinned.

“EV’s new collection included a design very similar to the one you wore. It sold out.”

The magazine had only been out for a week.

And the clothing line was still selling like crazy.

Both the magazine and the brand were making a killing.

Everyone involved was thrilled.

For a split second,

Pink Hair’s eyes lit up.

Noticing his expression,

His agent quickly shut down his hopes.

“We don’t get a commission.”

Chen Bai: “Oh.”

The light in his eyes immediately dimmed back down.

——Never try to understand this person.

His agent raised an eyebrow,

Patted the pile of paper bags beside her, and said,

“No commission, but—these were sent over.”

EV had delivered every new item from their latest season.

Since they didn’t have Chen Bai’s home address,

They shipped everything to her office instead.

Which was why, when she had rushed into the store earlier,

She had been out of breath—

From frantically unpacking and organizing all the clothes.

She felt that Pink Hair desperately needed these.

Recently, photos of him with fans had been circulating online.

And in every single one,

His outfit was as plain as could be.

Especially when standing next to well-dressed fans,

The contrast was striking.

Luckily, his face was so good-looking

That he could pull off anything.

It wasn’t money,

But it saved him money on clothes.

Which meant…

His wallet was happy.

Chen Bai genuinely thanked his agent—on behalf of his wallet.

Beyond those two good news,

There was also an additional update:

The previous drama he filmed had officially wrapped up.

Post-production was underway,

And promotions would begin in a few months.

After finishing her drink,

His agent checked her phone, then looked up and said,

“My next meeting got canceled. I’ll drive you home.”

Pink Hair shrugged. “Okay.”

And just like that, they left the café.

As they went down the escalator,

Pink Hair, now wearing a hat and carrying two paper bags,

Glanced at the mall’s structure and the bustling crowd.

A light flashed from one side, catching his attention.

He turned his head—

And his light-colored pupils reflected the image on a large electronic billboard.

He slightly lifted the brim of his hat.

The person on the screen looked familiar.

His agent followed his gaze and asked,

“Looking at Xu Sinian?”

Pink Hair nodded without hesitation.

Then turned around and asked,

“Can you take a photo for me?”

A photo—meaning,

A picture with the big electronic screen.

His agent sighed internally.

Here came the scissor hands again.

“…”

This time, she didn’t even try to correct him.

She just took the photo without complaint.

After the shot, Pink Hair put his hands down and ran back.

His agent handed him the phone and, curious, asked,

“Do you like Xu Sinian?”

She had always thought he was the type who only cared about work.

Turns out,

He was a fanboy too?

Chen Bai took the phone, glanced at the photo, and nodded.

“He’s a very nice person.”

Then, he put his phone away, smiled, and thanked her.

By the time they got back, it was already evening—

Time to prepare dinner.

Gao Qian had a rare break,

And had already made dinner plans with a friend.

So, after dropping Pink Hair off,

She stepped on the gas and drove off without hesitation.

Chen Bai took his time walking home,

Bags in hand.

Coincidentally, he ran into his good neighbor—

Who was also on his way back.

It looked like the good neighbor had gotten off work early,

And was carrying groceries for dinner.

Which meant—

Chen Bai didn’t have to go to the supermarket today.

Without saying much,

The helpful neighbor took the heavy bags from his hands.

And just like that,

One man carried groceries in one hand and a shopping bag in the other,

While the other carried two light, symbolic bags—

As they entered the apartment together.

After Dinner.

While taking a break,

His good neighbor finally asked about the pile of shopping bags.

“That’s a lot. What’s all this?”

Chen Bai casually replied,

“They’re from the brand I collaborated with for the magazine shoot. Free stuff.”

Each item came with fancy packaging—

A box. A paper bag.

Even if you resold them as scraps,

You could probably afford breakfast.

As he spoke, something suddenly came to mind.

He turned to his neighbor and asked,

“Wait—did I ever tell you about the magazine?”

The good neighbor looked up.

His expression said it all.

No, you did not.

Chen Bai scratched his head,

Then got up from his chair and walked to his room.

A few moments later, he returned—

Magazine in hand.

He held it out and said,

“Sister Qian gave me an extra copy. I don’t have much use for it. Want it?”

Xu Sinian took the magazine.

Chen Bai watched as he flipped through it and added,

“I haven’t checked it yet, so I don’t even know which page I’m on.”

Xu Sinian lowered his head,

Turning the pages one by one.

Until he stopped.

His fingers, lightly pressing the page, tensed slightly.

Chen Bai was already full,

So he lounged in his chair,

Sipping slowly from his cup.

When he noticed that his neighbor had been staring at the magazine for too long,

He raised an eyebrow and asked,

“What’s wrong?”

Xu Sinian closed the magazine and said,

“Nothing. It’s a great photo.”

The Pink-Haired Man holding the cup arched a brow slightly.

His good neighbor rarely used strong words like “great.”

If even he said it was good—

Then it must be really good.

Chen Bai squinted his eyes, smiled,

And casually brought up his little photoshoot from earlier.

Basically,

After his agent finished taking photos for him,

He realized his stock of selfies was running low—

So he went hunting for more.

“I suck at taking pictures,” he admitted.

His photo album was practically empty.

But he did remember one person who took quite a few…

Sure enough,

Xu Sinian’s phone had plenty.

From the first general meeting to recent hangouts,

His good neighbor had snapped pictures at every occasion.

Without hesitation,

Chen Bai moved closer,

Sat beside him, and leaned over to check the album.

Then, he gave a big thumbs-up.

“You should be a photographer.”

Every shot was good.

Way better than anything he could take himself.

Unable to choose just a few,

He sent them all to his money-making partner.

Well… not all.

He kept one.

It was a group photo,

Taken at the Yes Association headquarters.

Xu Sinian glanced at him.

Under his neighbor’s gaze,

Pink Hair quickly set the photo as his chat wallpaper and said,

“I’m keeping this one for myself.”

Then, without missing a beat, he added,

“Now that I’ve saved them, you can delete the rest. They’re just taking up storage.”

Xu Sinian frowned slightly,

Raised a hand—

And turned off the screen.

The cool gray watch on his wrist caught the light for a moment.

“No need.”

He said simply.

Author’s Note:

No need. Keeping it as a family heirloom. ✨

Good Neighbor: A man whose private photo collection far exceeds that of the God of Wealth girl. (Nods in approval.)