My Idol System: An Idol, But Also A Savior-Chapter 197: Passing Each Other By

[Images, images. Earlier he climbed up so confidently, and after that... there was no "after that" anymore, hahaha.]

[Why is it always Joshua? I thought he was a chill guy?]

[A chill guy who isn’t chill is just like anyone else.]

[Forests and mountains really are the key to unleashing Joshua.]

[hahaha, but it seems like Joshua is mad at Luther.]

[Honestly, he deserves it. Joshua was already calling for help and he could still laugh.]

[Justice for Luther. He clearly told Joshua to come down, but Joshua just wouldn’t listen, hahaha.]

[In the end, it just gave Henry the chance to play the hero saving the beauty, hahaha.]

Because of this sequence alone, the ratings for the new season of City to Countryside were predicted to skyrocket. After all, even on the way back to the city, there was still a smile on Ben’s lips.

Since Joshua had suffered an allergic reaction earlier, and the hop garden had not yet been fully harvested, they were transported directly by vehicle.

On the bus, Joshua stared out the window, while Luther sat beside him, endlessly whining, "Joshua, I’m sorry, alright? Don’t be mad anymore."

From yesterday until now, Joshua had not spared Luther even a single glance. On one hand, Luther was secretly scrolling online and saving pictures of Joshua, and on the other, he kept begging for forgiveness.

But Joshua simply leaned his head against Henry’s shoulder, completely ignoring Luther.

Henry gently stroked Joshua’s hair, lowering his gaze to glance at Luther clinging to Joshua. Clearly, that face showed no expression at all, yet Luther felt as though he were being blatantly provoked.

Damn Henry!

In the end, just as predicted, the ratings for this season of City to Countryside truly soared when it aired, especially the livestock-feeding task and the final episode featuring Joshua’s tree-climbing scene.

It was unclear whether the show had heard Luther’s pleas, but in the edit they put together a nearly three-minute-long video entirely made up of Luther apologizing and trying to make up with Joshua. The whole clip was just him whining and clinging to Joshua, and the fans really could not hold back, especially since the video opened with the scene of him laughing and teasing Joshua up in the tree.

[Hahaha, this pair of besties.]

[Hope the show edits more videos of this bestie duo, it’s super entertaining.]

[hahaha, is there really no one speaking up for Luther?]

[They probably already made up.]

[Maybe they’re waiting for things to cool down online before making up. Joshua gets embarrassed really easily after all.]

[That day he really looked like he was about to cry. Maybe when he buried his face in Henry’s shoulder, he was already tearing up, hahaha.]

[And you people can still laugh.]

[But he’s cute, hahaha. Thin-skinned but loves stirring up trouble.]

[Really want to take him home and raise him.]

After this incident, invitations from other variety shows also began pouring into ShineOn’s studio one after another. There were even quite a few invitations that named Joshua specifically, even though Joshua did not yet have a solo career apart from a film that had not been released.

Elly could not help but sigh inwardly. Joshua really was destined to become famous. When the time came, he truly shone without even trying.

Even so, Elly could only turn down all of them, because they had already begun preparing for another comeback for ShineOn. Two years would pass very quickly. They needed to continue releasing music, participate in music events, and prepare for a world tour next year.

Moreover, appearing on too many variety shows might increase recognition, but it would also dilute the sense of novelty. At present, the company was focusing on cultivating Joshua’s core fanbase, and naturally would not let him appear so easily.

On top of that, toward the end of the year, Joshua would also participate in another variety show recommended by the film crew to promote the movie. The guests there would all be actors, which would be more beneficial for Joshua’s reputation.

...

ATA had just finished the promotional stage for their latest comeback. As usual, ATA’s comeback and ShineOn’s were scheduled very close to each other, if not practically overlapping.

Although ATA lost every time, the fans from both sides would curse at each other with great enthusiasm, so much so that it fueled their motivation to stream and buy albums. In the end, the biggest winner was still the company, training fans without spending a single cent.

At this moment, ShineOn and ATA appeared at the same time. Fans screamed loudly, but the reporters swarmed around ATA, or rather, around Lucas, the main character of several hot topics recently.

Everything started gaining momentum after he landed a supporting role in a pictorial directed by a mid-tier director in the industry. After that, rumors began to circulate that he might become the beauty-line brand ambassador for the Adonis Group. Although there was no official confirmation yet, recent photos of him appearing alongside the director of the Adonis Group sparked even more speculation, especially with news that the Adonis family might be preparing to enter the entertainment industry.

Fans were extremely excited, wondering whether Lucas was the chosen one to take the Adonis family’s first step into entertainment. Antis, on the other hand, mocked them for being overly delusional. Others felt that Lucas appearing with someone of such high status might be connected to some sort of shady deal. In short, speculation was endless.

"Lucas, regarding the information circulating online, how do you feel about it?"

Lucas smiled calmly at the media, his expression innocent and sincere. "Louis and I are just friends. He treats me like a younger brother. Maybe it’s simply fate that brought us together."

On the other side, Joshua felt like he had heard a name that sounded somewhat familiar. However, since he could not place it clearly, he did not pay it much attention.

As for Lucas’s answer, the fans were delighted.

[Lucas and Louis are friends, my god? And he even treats him like a brother. Be honest, Lucas, are you secretly a rich heir?]

[Hahaha, I’m suspicious too.]

[Everyone calm down for a bit...]

Naturally, there were also people who still remembered the previous incident. Fans who chose to continue placing their hopes on Lucas and waiting for him to change were clearly much more cautious this time.

[I heard that Running Actors has a segment where they invite outside guests. I bet when the time comes, Lucas will definitely be able to invite Louis.]

[We’ll know when the time comes.]

[I heard Joshua will be participating too.]

[Who’s mentioning my son? He’s acting in Lance’s film, of course he’ll participate, hahaha.]

[No one even said anything yet.]

[Just picking a fight for fun.]

Lucas had obviously seen these online discussions as well. Although after the last incident, his manager had reminded him not to browse the internet too much anymore, he could not resist.

When he saw fans speculating about his relationship with Louis, he could not help feeling pleased.

In truth, he and Louis were not that close. Still, Louis really would help him if he ran into trouble, even if the help was not particularly significant.

Recently, Lucas also knew that the Adonis Group was preparing to enter the entertainment industry. When it came to choosing brand ambassadors, they were extremely serious. Lucas knew very well that he would not receive any special treatment.

However, he could sense that Louis showed him a certain degree of concern. He wanted to make use of media discourse to promote himself. Even if he ended up not being chosen, there would still be fans to comfort him, and the attention would already be there. No one could really criticize him, because from the very beginning, he had never admitted that he would obtain anything.

As for Louis... Lucas could not help drifting into a bit of fantasy. Louis was truly a very good person, better than anyone Lucas had ever met. Unfortunately, Louis did not care about him in that way at all. Louis genuinely regarded him as a younger brother.

Obviously, Lucas feared repeating the state of being used from before, yet at the same time, he was also fascinated by the power and benefits that came with it.

He stared at his phone screen. In any case, with the upcoming variety show, as long as Louis appeared together with him, he would already be winning big. Joshua, I told you, you still haven’t pulled far ahead of me.

That night, in Louis’s office, an assistant walked in holding a stack of documents and said softly, "Director, these are materials on several idols and actors selected as potential brand ambassadors. There is one idol who is still very young, but his online metrics are really strong, so I added him in. You may want to take a look."

"Put them on the desk," Louis said briefly.

At this moment, the assistant spoke again. "Director, Lucas has sent an invitation for you to appear as a guest on the show Running Actors."

Louis paused for a moment, then nodded. "Accept it."

The assistant continued, "As for the online discourse—"

"If there is nothing negative for now, just leave it as it is." Louis knew about it, but he did not pay it much attention. What he cared more about were the benefits they would gain.

This was the first signal being sent that the Adonis Group would be entering the entertainment industry. Even his participation in Running Actors was meant to promote the group’s image.

As long as Lucas did not cause any trouble, Louis would not let things become too ugly.

But after Running Actors, he might need to suppress the discourse a little. He only knew that he did not want to become Lucas’s older brother either.