Huayu: Traffic is king

Chapter 128 All I want is for you to be by my side.
The monitoring room was completely silent, with everyone watching Gu Jingyi switch between the surveillance footage at double speed without saying a word.

The next day, Gu Jingyi went to the rehearsal for the private shoot. Almost as soon as he left, he came back and swaggered in by swiping his room card.

Gu Jingyi glanced at the time; it was 2:30 PM.

After entering, the stalker walked easily to Gu Jingyi's wardrobe.

Upon opening it, they found it completely empty. Gu Jingyi, being a germaphobe, would never leave his clothes hanging in a hotel wardrobe.

He simply folds them up in his suitcase and takes them out only when he needs them.

After failing to get anything from the illegitimate child, she went to Gu Jingyi's suitcase.

The suitcase had a combination lock, and she tried to open it two or three times but couldn't.

They tried probing again using Gu Jingyi's birthday, but still got nowhere.

She wasn't angry at all, and simply sat on the edge of the bed and put them on one by one.

After she entered the number "172", the suitcase loosened.

This is the timeline when Gu Jingyi was reborn and returned, February 2017.

At that time, he was still recording the ranking announcement for "Produce 202". After the third performance, when his overwhelming lead in votes was announced, Gu Jingyi, who had been reborn, announced his withdrawal from the competition on stage.

17.2 represents both an end and a new beginning.

"It took her more than thirty minutes to figure out the password. Isn't your hotel supposed to be very clean? Why didn't you come at this time?"

Gu Jingyi was seething with anger, but had no way to vent it.

The staff members exchanged glances, all looking at each other in bewilderment.

What happened next is self-explanatory; after the stalker opened Gu Jingyi's suitcase, he didn't rush to rummage through it.

Instead, she seriously took out her phone and took a picture of the clothes he had packed in his suitcase.

It seems that preparations for recovery were made from the very beginning.

Needless to say, what happened next was that the stalker took clothes out of Gu Jingyi's suitcase like they were buying new goods.

She picked through the items as if no one else was around, stuffed them into her bag, and swaggered out.

"Teacher Gu, I'm sorry..."

The security team responsible for security patrols awkwardly stuck their toes in the ground.

Gu Jingyi ignored him, his eyes fixed on the screen.

With more than a dozen split screens working simultaneously, he could clearly see all the recordings of the other party entering and leaving.

It was also clear that she had come to the room as usual last night, having carefully planned her arrival.

This time, she didn't touch the clothes in Gu Jingyi's suitcase.

Having probably already succeeded during the day, her goal this time was to target Gu Jingyi.

In the surveillance footage, she walked step by step toward Gu Jingyi, wearing a pocket.

Gu Jingyi, lying on the bed, closed his eyes and slept soundly, completely unaware of the approaching danger.

The moment she turned her face, the faint light from the screen shone on her face.

Surprisingly, this person, who appears to be over 1.7 meters tall, looks unexpectedly young despite having a face illuminated by the light.

No matter how you look at it, he's just a student who's at most in junior or senior high school.

It's like a student-aged intruder excitedly grinning at the camera, first flashing a V-sign with a happy and triumphant expression.

She then squatted down next to the sleeping Gu Jingyi and silently switched to making a heart shape with her hands to take a photo with him.

The other person's radiant smile under the surveillance camera, and their face illuminated by the phone screen in the pitch-black environment, coupled with Gu Jingyi sleeping soundly and oblivious, created an indescribably eerie and terrifying scene, sending chills down one's spine no matter how you looked at it.

It was like a silent film, giving one a jolt.

The staff quickly realized what was happening and went to the control panel to pause the video, take a screenshot, and zoom in.

"Why does this look so familiar..."

The staff member with long curly hair frowned and recalled for a few seconds, then suddenly opened her eyes wide in surprise.

"I understand, I've seen her before!!"

Upon hearing this, all the staff members and Gu Jingyi immediately turned to look at the speaker.

The long-haired staff member scratched her head blankly, looking utterly bewildered: "Oh, don't you all remember? This girl booked a suite here a week in advance, a presidential suite. She said she was a student who had a fight with her family, and she booked it specially using her elders' card. She said she'd go home after a week when both sides had calmed down..."

As she spoke, the staff member with long curly hair recalled something.

"I was the one who checked her in. She's very tall and has a sweet smile. She seems a bit shy; she's a very reserved girl..."

This time, she truly understood what it meant to "know a person's face but not their heart." When she interacted with the other person, they seemed very approachable, and their smile was quite charming.

She had also seen the other person's personal information; he was only 15 years old.

I never expected that someone so young would dare to break into a male celebrity's room in the middle of the night.

Did she really come out after arguing with her family? Now it seems like maybe she argued with her family because she was too obsessed with celebrities. She just grabbed her elders' cards and waited here for them to come.

It's even possible that this argument was premeditated by the other party from the very beginning. Their goal was to make their family feel guilty and stop caring about the fact that she had run away from home.

"Didn't you call the other party's parents to confirm? The presidential suite isn't cheap."

The foreman was very unhappy and started to criticize.

“I asked, and her mother answered. She said she knew about it and told me to let her do as she pleased. The card can be used, and then she hung up.”

The staff member with long curly hair felt a little wronged and quietly retorted a few words.

Suddenly, the staff gasped.

The girl in the surveillance video saw that Gu Jingyi showed no signs of waking up.

She grew bolder and bolder, reaching out and touching Gu Jingyi's face with affection.

From his full brows to his straight nose, he finally pressed lightly on Gu Jingyi's cupid's bow.

She stared straight at Gu Jingyi, her eyes filled with infatuation and a kind of incomprehensible fervor.

Then, she lowered her head and gently kissed him.

Gu Jingyi took out a tissue and wiped his lips with a look of disgust. He wiped hard, and his bad mood was clearly visible.

The staff standing in the room looked at him with some pity, even though the illegitimate child was indeed quite good-looking. But this kind of surprise attack was incredibly disgusting.

The other person is 15 years old, that's true, but Gu Jingyi is only 19. They're both just over 10 years old, yet they've endured so much.

He stood here from three or four in the morning, and stayed for two hours to check the surveillance footage before finally finding the mastermind behind it all.

Even a slight attempt to put myself in Gu Jingyi's shoes would make me feel sorry for him.

"Investigate again how the items went missing."

This time, the staff also went their separate ways to continue reviewing the surveillance footage, with each person watching the footage from yesterday to today at a speed of more than ten times.

After sneaking a kiss to Gu Jingyi and leaving, she secretly came to his room again during his tour.

The most dangerous moment was today. She had only been in her room for a short while when Gu Jingyi returned the moment she heard him open the door.

The other person reacted quickly, hiding behind the sofa. After Gu Jingyi took his change of clothes into the bathroom, the person hiding behind the sofa silently stood up. They stood silently beside the sofa, watching Gu Jingyi go in and leave.

The other person kept staring intently at the washing machine.

She dared not suddenly press the stop button, fearing that Gu Jingyi in the bathroom would notice something amiss.

They waited for more than twenty minutes before tiptoeing closer.

I opened the washing machine lid and picked through the items, taking a few that wouldn't be easily noticed.

She put the rest into the empty basket. Gu Jingyi's clothes were stolen by the stalker!

After investigating everything, the staff assured Gu Jingyi that they would take serious action and give him an explanation.

"But Teacher Gu... I advise you to be mentally prepared."

The staff looked at Gu Jingyi with apology, a touch of sympathy, and a hint of embarrassment.

"The problem is that the other party is just a high school student. He is under sixteen years old, it's his first offense, and he only stole clothes, which are not expensive, so it's difficult to hold him accountable... At most, he will just receive a reprimand."

There are no relevant laws governing minors, let alone students.

Even though Gu Jingyi's clothes are all luxury brands, the other party specifically targeted short-sleeved shirts and underwear.

The total amount wasn't very high, although it reached the threshold for prosecution. Furthermore, due to his status as a minor, pursuing the matter is extremely difficult.

If the other party directly says, "I didn't know it was a luxury brand, I just thought it was ordinary clothing," they can be even more likely to clear their name.

The other party is staying at a hotel and has complete information and home contact details.

Parents who can afford to let their young children stay in a presidential suite for a week are certainly not ordinary people.

Furthermore, Gu Jingyi is a public figure, and the other party did not cause any substantial physical harm. Even if this behavior causes some psychological trauma to the victim, Uncle Hat would not likely impose any severe punishment if he were to intervene.

Most likely, it will be... ideological education and a written apology, at most the parents will be responsible for compensating for some emotional distress.

Gu Jingyi didn't care about these amounts; the other family could easily afford them.

What's even more frightening is that because Gu Jingyi is a public figure, this matter is destined to be resolved privately to avoid escalating.

The Asian boy band suffered lasting effects after being poisoned and fed superglue by anti-fans. They simply smiled and forgave the incident in front of the camera afterward.

Gu Jingyi at most lost some clothes and got scratched.

He pursed his lips and lowered his eyes: "Yes, I understand."

Looking at Gu Jingyi's tired and tense expression, the staff felt a pang of sympathy and tenderness.

Oh, what a sin.

The illegitimate child who sneaked into the room was fourteen or fifteen years old, and Gu Jingyi was not much older than her.

Even with his strong mental fortitude, the scene he had just witnessed still had a powerful visual impact on him.

He definitely wouldn't be able to sleep after that, and I wonder if it will leave him with psychological trauma. From then on, he had difficulty falling asleep in hotels and couldn't get a good night's sleep for a long time.

Thinking about it, the staff softened their tone and said many comforting words to reassure Gu Jingyi.

"Don't worry, she will definitely not have another chance to get close to you."

"We will definitely take this matter a million times and ensure that nothing like this happens again. The main problem is that we never expected such an absurd issue to arise; it was completely unpredictable..."

"Security will definitely be strengthened..."

The supervisor was wearing a name tag and looked like a manager.

His mouth kept moving, but Gu Jingyi had a splitting headache.

Despite being extremely angry, Gu Jingyi did not turn around.

He needs to stay put, stabilize the hotel first, and then let Huace make a counterattack.

"If you're worried, we can arrange for you to meet her."

"We'll definitely make her destroy all the photos in front of you. We'll also make her apologize, and we'll help you get back what you lost..."

The supervisor was still talking non-stop, and his attitude was very clear in his words.

Minimize the issue and handle things vaguely.

After all, this is a resort hotel known for its high-end amenities. If the fact that Gu Jingyi was attacked by a stalker is really exposed, they can forget about continuing to operate smoothly.

The anger of top fans, and the distrust of customers who feel that even the most basic privacy and security cannot be guaranteed.

It's easy to put this resort hotel in the eye of the storm.

"No need, please just throw away the clothes for me. Just put them in the trash can, thank you."

The supervisor was taken aback, but quickly realized his oversight. He nodded repeatedly, indicating that there was no problem.

He really didn't think things through. How could Gu Jingyi possibly ask for the things back under these circumstances?
Just seeing the returned items makes me involuntarily think about how they were stolen. I even keep imagining what the thief did to the clothes after they were taken.

He would naturally be in a bad mood, so it would be better to just give up on it altogether.

“Jingyi, about this matter…”

The supervisor knew he was in a difficult position, but he still forced a smile and observed Gu Jingyi's expression. "This was indeed a mistake in my simulation, but I hope you understand. This isn't what the hotel wanted either, and we were unaware of it... Fortunately, it didn't cause any real consequences, so let's... let's not bring it up again?"

Gu Jingyi understood what he meant; the incident was due to negligence on the part of the hotel's front desk and security. But it was indeed something that was difficult to predict, and there was little point in pursuing it further.

At most, the hotel will fire a few employees to appease Huace's anger.

It's unlikely the hotel did this intentionally.

A major mistake is simply catastrophic.

What could Gu Jingyi do? He was all alone now. If he was in the monitoring room, he wouldn't be able to secure the hotel first.

By the time Huace arrives, the monitoring lines may have been burned out for no apparent reason.

Even when she woke up the next day, there were still many rumors online about Gu Jingyi at the hotel.

Things like "selecting concubines" or "not returning home at night" could all be orchestrated by the hotel.

Gu Jingyi didn't know what he was feeling when he returned to his room. After arriving at the suite, his first reaction was to grab his phone and go to the bathroom to tell Lin Ze what had happened.

The other person's voice sounded somewhat distracted, as if they were doing something else at the same time and were somewhat distracted.

"Hey, Ze-ge, were you listening to what I just told you?"

Gu Jingyi continued to confirm, still somewhat uncertain, but there was a sudden silence on the other end of the phone.

After a long while, Lin Ze finally spoke.

"Jingyi, don't look at the trending topics yet."

"The incident of a stalker breaking into your room has become a trending topic."

"What?" Gu Jingyi was somewhat incredulous. Hadn't the hotel been keeping quiet all along? How could they possibly let such news get out?

Lin Ze remained silent for a long time before speaking: "It might sound a bit outrageous, but the stalker who stole your underwear posted several boastful updates on her WeChat Moments. When questioned by her fellow stalker, she directly posted her own proof."

"The detailed process has been widely circulated on Douban. But I advise you not to read it, otherwise you won't be able to sleep for a while."

"Brother Ze, do you think I can fall asleep right now?"

Gu Jingyi was speechless; this was truly an undeserved misfortune.

"That's true, but there's no need to be too anxious. Judging from the trending topics, the general public feels sorry for you. Not to mention your fans, they're already at your company and hotel."

"And it's not all bad. Your underwear was posted on social media by a stalker. Eagle-eyed netizens recognized that you're wearing CK European size. Even among Europeans, that size is exceptionally good."

"Finally, is this secret going to be discovered by everyone? Who knows, every time I get you a large size of chewing gum, the convenience store clerk always gives me a strange look when I pay. It's like I'm some kind of 'Strong Man'."

As soon as Lin Ze brought this up, the topic veered off course again.

Okay, if you really can't sleep, go read the script. The director of "Ashes of Love" is already urging you to return; everything's been arranged, and it's scheduled for release during the winter break.

"Also, don't meet with that stalker. Like I said, leave everything to the company. Don't make any promises before then. The more you say, the more mistakes you'll make, understand?"

"I'll talk to you later, I'm going to drive. We're almost at the company gate, relax. It's just a case of a stalker entering, Lu Han and Chris have both been through it. It won't have much impact on your career. We've been monitoring public opinion, and the current trend is one of pity and astonishment at your size."

Gu Jingyi nodded and then hung up the phone with Lin Ze.

He glanced at the time on his phone; it was 6:30 in the morning.

Despite not having slept all night, he still felt no sleepiness.

After staying up all night, his heart was pounding unusually hard, and when Gu Jingyi lay flat on the bed, he could feel the deafening sound of his heartbeat.

Since he couldn't sleep anyway, Gu Jingyi simply picked up his phone and started browsing Weibo.

The top trending topic is "Gu Jingyi's size" (explosive)
Following closely behind were headlines such as "Gu Jingyi's illegitimate child" and "Gu Jingyi's underwear stolen."

Of the top five trending topics, three were related to Gu Jingyi.

He clicked on it and glanced at it, gaining a better understanding of the general course of events.

A fan account, [奕の私物], posted a picture of several pieces of clothing on a spacious bed. In the corner of the picture was a pair of underwear, placed to the side.

Caption: [Loot (heart)] #Gu Jingyi#
A single, concise sentence has unearthed countless stalker fans.

[Yi's Exclusive Beloved Wife]: Oh my god, you actually stole it? You couldn't have just taken a random picture, could you? It doesn't seem possible at all.

[Jing on top of me]: It looks fake at first glance. Gu Jingyi could never wear such a flashy CK.

[Jing Suihou]: No, it really does look a bit like it. Look, one of the clothes on the bed is a Dior all-over print jacket. My husband wore this outfit at the airport, so it might actually be real.

[Yi's fangirl]: Haha, does anyone actually believe that? Just by pulling out a few luxury brand clothes and wearing something similar to Gu Jingyi's, you think you've stolen something?
The stalker didn't reply at all, and directly posted a copy of her room key and her hotel check-in record in the next post.

Next up is today's latest update: she carried Gu Jingyi's pullover hoodie onto the bed.

Caption: "Tonight I'll fall asleep with my brother's scent in my arms."

This time, the sasaeng fans were furious because the clothes were exactly the same as the ones Gu Jingyi and the others wore in the group photo they posted in the car.

It was extremely rare to see Gu Jingyi, a male college student, wearing black-rimmed glasses and a hoodie.

The stalker's outfit matched Gu Jingyi's perfectly, and the background in the photo was also identified by fans who had stayed at the hotel as the presidential suite where Gu Jingyi had stayed.

As a result, "Gu Jingyi's size" immediately became a trending topic.

While fans outwardly condemn sasaeng fans, they are simultaneously flooding their Weibo and WeChat Moments with complaints.

"My God, it's huge! If I accidentally sit on it, I'll be in so much pain I'll faint!"

"There's a reason why some people can be Dior's spokespeople; Dior has never disappointed. Yes, you know who I'm praising."

"Ah, Gu Jingyi. Although what he did was indeed a bit unethical, as a 'mommy fan,' I really can't stand it. Give me back my 'mommy fan' filter! Jingyi, you've grown up after all. Mom is a woman too..."

After flipping through it briefly, Gu Jingyi lost interest.

He was relieved, as so far the discussion on Weibo about this matter hadn't reached the level of a scandal.

It seemed that it wouldn't affect business or advertising, but Gu Jingyi just couldn't fall asleep.

He always feels like someone is watching him whenever he closes his eyes.

So Gu Jingyi unconsciously opened his eyes after a short while, and after confirming that no one was around, he closed his eyes again, only to open them again a short time later.

After repeating this process many times, Gu Jingyi put his arm in front of his eyes. He didn't know what was wrong with him; for the first time, he was suffering from insomnia.

It's really no big deal; he had already locked the door from the inside and even installed a security chain.

It's safe here, and no one can get in.

Even if she did get in, the other person would just be a very young girl.

Neither strength nor anything else could pose a threat to him.

So there's really nothing to be afraid of; Gu Jingyi is very clear that he is safe right now.

But the images he had just seen kept replaying in his mind. The surveillance footage played back in his mind frame by frame, like a PowerPoint presentation.

Suddenly, Gu Jingyi sensed something was wrong; it felt as if someone was gently stroking his hair in the darkness.

He opened his eyes and found that he was still alone in the huge room.

"..."

It's so strange, I was so sleepy before taking a shower. Now I can't fall asleep no matter how I try.

Footsteps echoed around him, and Gu Jingyi faintly heard the voice of the legal director of Huace.

The other party arrived at the hotel with their legal team to negotiate.

Not long after, a woman's voice rang out: "What are you doing? Why are you arresting me? Let me go, I can walk by myself!"

Gu Jingyi lay on the bed, listening to the footsteps fading into the distance.

He was somewhat dazed, but his mind was perfectly clear.

Gu Jingyi put on her headphones to listen to some music, but she only had AirPods Bluetooth headphones.

Wearing it while lying flat on the bed is a bit uncomfortable.

Not only were they uncomfortable, but they also had built-in active noise cancellation. After Gu Jingyi put on the headphones, the already quiet room became so quiet that even breathing could not be heard.

Before long, he couldn't stand it anymore and threw the headphones aside.

Time passed slowly, and the light filtering through the curtains into the room grew brighter and brighter.

After an unknown amount of time, Gu Jingyi thought he heard Liu Haojian's voice.

It's possible that he was hallucinating, given that he hadn't slept all night.

Is this an auditory hallucination? Liu Haojian should be filming "One Minute" at this time, not here.

She's already taking a break from her busy schedule to attend one show on the tour; how could she possibly attend two or three?

The knocking grew louder and louder, followed by Liu Haojian's voice.

"Gu Jingyi, open the door."

His distinctive boyish voice is easily recognizable.

At the same time, Gu Jingyi's phone rang.

It was Liu Haojian who called, realizing that she was indeed outside the door.

Gu Jingyi sat up and opened the door.

Liu Haojian, standing at the door, was visibly stunned for a moment, not expecting Gu Jingyi to appear so quickly.

Like Flash from Zootopia, he looks a bit silly and cute.

"Gu Jingyi, are you alright?"

Liu Haojian observed Gu Jingyi's expression and cautiously looked up at him.

"Okay"

Gu Jingyi, who hadn't slept all night, gave his answer without even blinking.

"Not bad? Gu Jingyi, the only thing you're good at is talking tough."

Liu Haojian immediately sensed something was wrong and pointed it out in one sentence.

Gu Jingyi has always been someone who speaks his mind. His line during the first ranking evaluation in "Idol Producer," "I am the standard answer to get an A," went viral.

When I was chatting with Gu Jingyi before, Liu Haojian asked him how the atmosphere was on set for "Ashes of Love".

Gu Jingyi always answered, "Extremely good."

If he really wasn't affected by the stalker's behavior, then "sleeping exceptionally well" would be Gu Jingyi's consistent style.

His personality is very distinct; he almost never uses ambiguous terms like "sleep okay."

However, after Liu Haojian noticed that Gu Jingyi was in a daze, he stopped teasing and acting cute in a boyish voice as he usually did when he started chatting with him.

"Gu Jingyi, may I come in and sit down?"

When Liu Haojian pouted, looking at him pitifully with his big eyes, and clasped his hands together, pleading and begging...

Even the most difficult questions only have one option: "Yes or Yes" in the "Yes or No" section.

The morning light enveloped her face, as if applying a soft-focus filter. The two small moles on her left cheek shone brightly in the dawn light.

Like two leaping flames, or like a little sun that warms the heart.

Gu Jingyi thought that he would find it hard to refuse Wen Nuan.

He didn't think too much about it and simply nodded.

"it is good"

As soon as he spoke, his somewhat hoarse and strained voice startled him.

He subconsciously looked at Liu Haojian's reaction, but the other party seemed indifferent.

She simply smiled and nodded as if she hadn't noticed anything amiss: "That's good. May I come in and chat with you for a bit?"

Ms. Buffett possesses a vibrant energy that is irresistible.

Gu Jingyi took a step back to step aside and followed Liu Haojian into the room.

Then, naturally, I closed the door behind me.

(End of this chapter)