To Set the Record Straight, He's Really Gay [Entertainment Industry]

March 8, 2024: First version of the blurb finalized. April 9, 2024: Second version revised and screenshotted.

A producer who spills the dirt for cash, and an Emperor of Film who's rumored to be homophobic but is actually a scheming, bona fide gay man.

There's a saying in the entertainment industry: producers and directors hear all kinds of juicy, behind-the-scenes gossip.

So, to get the upper hand over their rivals, all kinds of celebrities paid Liao Zhuti for information. The more they paid, the more he was willing to say.

One day, a paparazzo paid him to ask, "Know any dirt on the Emperor of Film, Chen Yiqiu?"

Thinking of her husband, who was dead boring, Liao Zhuti replied offhandedly, "Oh, him? He's homophobic and likes pretending to be gay."

When the man he'd slandered came looking for him, Liao Zhuti was dancing up a storm on a tabletop in the hottest gay bar near the set, hundreds of kilometers from home. Chen Yiqiu glowered as he yanked him down.

He buttoned up Liao Zhuti's undone shirt one button at a time, then gripped his chin and demanded, "I hear you've been telling everyone I'm pretending to be gay. Are you really homophobic?"

Liao Zhuti's glazed eyes flew open. "I'm not! I didn't! Don't make things up!"

But he never imagined that this damn husband would go after him by announcing the very next day that he was joining the variety show Liao Zhuti had planned!

This homophobic man kept breaking the rules and making trouble for him. Finally, unable to take it anymore, Liao Zhuti confronted Chen Yiqiu.

"We're already in the post-divorce cooling-off period! What do you want from me?"

Chen Yiqiu: "Just clearing things up: I'm not homophobic. I'm actually gay."

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A new variety show burst onto the scene. What audiences loved most was watching the Emperor of Film, who'd never appeared on a variety show before, break the rules in all sorts of creative ways and cause the production team every kind of headache.

While fans marveled at Chen Yiqiu's cleverness and his potential as a comedian, some people noticed something else.

Chen Yiqiu often glanced away from the camera, his gaze focused and tender.

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One day, after losing a game on the show, Chen Yiqiu was getting the equipment ready for a livestream and failed to notice the little red light.

Millions of viewers pouring into the livestream heard Liao Zhuti's crisp, breathy voice.

"Honey, where did my underwear go? Help me find it."

They saw the usually aloof and refined Chen Yiqiu raise an eyebrow, his voice playful. "Go commando. You're taking them off anyway."

The fans: Huh? You have a husband?! Aren't you homophobic and pretending to be gay?

Less than half an hour later, Chen Yiqiu posted on Weibo:

[Sorry, just clearing things up: I'm actually gay. @Braised Pig Trotters is my partner.]

Under his husband's threatening, coaxing gaze, Liao Zhuti tearfully typed out the words:

[Hello, everyone. I'm (sobbing) Liao Zhuti. Just clearing things up: my husband is actually gay.]

Theme: Still thinking about it.