Chapter 135: The Record-Breaking Cover Figure

“Xueyan~ Do you like Fourth Brother’s new hairstyle?”

The moment Xueyan appeared, Lu Huai grinned smugly and opened his arms toward the stairs.

Lu Li, whose expression was somewhat unsightly, looked down at Xueyan. As expected, in the next second, Xueyan ran straight to Fourth Brother’s side.

Lu Li instinctively reached out to grab Xueyan to stop him, but Lu Huai was faster, proactively running over to scoop the little guy up.

Held in his brother’s arms, Xueyan quietly stared at his brother’s white hair with big eyes, thinking his brother looked so good!

Even though the white hair looked a bit strange, appearing on his brother’s head made it look wonderful.

“Touch it if you want, just touch it freely. If it gets messy, I’ll just go get it styled again,” Lu Huai urged impatiently, sensing Xueyan’s hesitation.

Only then did Xueyan purse his lips and reach out to touch the tips of his brother’s hair. He found that Fourth Brother’s white hair was stiff and a bit prickly, unlike his own, which was soft and fluffy.

“Probably sprayed a bit of hairspray on it? Hehe, do you like it, hmm? Do you like it, Xueyan?”

Lu Huai leaned in close to Xueyan’s ear and asked repeatedly, rubbing his face against the child’s cheek as he spoke. His breath tickled Xueyan so much that the boy instinctively giggled and hid in his brother’s embrace:

“I like it!”

He liked it very, very much.

“Brother’s hair changed color too, and it’s real,” Xueyan summarized seriously.

Last night, when Third Brother took a shower, he had to remove his makeup and take off that wig, which had shocked Xueyan for a long time.

In the end, Xueyan had put the wig on the big bear Third Brother gave him, turning the bear into a white-haired, long-haired big bear.

“Haha, then from now on, we’ll both have white hair together. Does that mean you don’t have to wear a hat when we go out anymore? If anyone asks, just say it’s inherited from your brother!”

Lu Huai was incredibly happy, feeling like a total genius.

This left Dad very silent.

Inherited from a brother?

He was the one who gave birth to the kid, so what the hell is he inheriting! Does the No. 1 Middle School not teach biology at all!?

“Also, Old Fourth, do you not plan on going to school today?”

Lu Jing questioned coldly. With hair like that, Lu Huai might not even make it past the school gate.

Lu Huai, realizing this a second late: ?

School? Hehe, how could school be as important as making Xueyan happy!

Dyeing hair was just a small trick—if he really couldn’t get in, he’d just climb over the wall. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] He tossed the thought behind him instantly.

“Let’s go! Today, Fourth Brother will take our Xueyan to kindergarten—let’s look so cool we blow everyone away!”

After giving Xueyan a firm kiss on the cheek, Lu Huai shouted triumphantly, ignoring everyone else.

This brat…

Lu Ting felt his fist tightening.

“Eldest, you absolutely cannot follow suit and dye yours, do you hear me?”

A second later, Lu Ting turned to the eldest, Lu Xun, with high alert.

He simply couldn’t imagine his most reliable eldest son showing up at the office the next day with a head of white hair. If that happened, would anyone even work? The whole company would probably just gather around to gawk.

Regarding this, Lu Xun kept his lips pressed thin and did not respond.

He indeed didn’t have the luxury to be so willful, but that didn’t mean he was unmoved.

******

Today, the moment Lu Huai appeared at the kindergarten gate holding Xueyan, he became the center of universal attention.

“Oh my god—”

“Such a handsome big brother!”

“He’s a god!!”

A group of little cubs couldn’t help but scream the moment they saw him. They didn’t even enter the kindergarten gates; they just stood there staring blankly at Fourth Brother. Some naughty boys even yelled “Male God—” at the top of their lungs.

In a sense, Lu Huai’s white-haired cool-guy style was indeed the undisputed “god among gods” in the eyes of kindergarteners, looking like a protagonist from a cartoon stepping into reality!

Even Song Zhi’ang, who happened to be getting out of his car, was stunned when he caught a glimpse after hearing the commotion.

Is—is this Xueyan’s brother!?

Is a specific hair color a prerequisite for being a boss? No wonder Xueyan and his brother are both so smart!

“I… I give up. You little snot-noses, don’t you dare reach out and touch!”

Lu Huai hadn’t expected his new white hair styling to reach its peak popularity in a kindergarten. Amidst the cheers and screams of “Male God,” his movements grew stiff.

Xueyan, on the other hand, was laughing uncontrollably. He shyly let go of his brother’s hand and looked back at Fourth Brother every few steps, as if he couldn’t see enough of him.

“What’s going on?”

The teachers were alerted and rushed over, only to find that it was Xueyan’s fourth brother—who had actually dyed his hair white just like Xueyan’s!?

“That person… right, the class teacher, Teacher Jiang!”

Lu Huai spotted Xueyan’s teacher and immediately treated her like a savior, lifting Xueyan and handing him directly into Jiang Xian’s arms.

He was afraid that if he were a step slower, he’d be completely submerged by the surging crowd of little snot-noses. He couldn’t exactly hit them, and his attempts to look scary didn’t frighten a single one; instead, they got more excited, acting as if they were playing a game.

“Teacher Jiang! [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] Brother grew white hair with me.”

Xueyan smiled as he was held in Jiang Xian’s arms, softly explaining on his brother’s behalf.

Ah?

These words made the teachers suddenly realize something.

Could it be that the family realized Xueyan felt nervous because his hair color was different from others?

Is that why this fourth brother didn’t care about being misunderstood as a delinquent and dyed his hair just to accompany him?

Heavens, that’s too heart-warming… what kind of brother spoils a sibling to this extent?

So, who on earth was spreading rumors that the Lu family Alphas were all ill-tempered and violent? To the teachers at Princeton, those were clearly lies—this was a family of big, warm-hearted Alphas!

Lu Huai looked on in confusion as a group of teachers looked at him with newfound respect. He was baffled.

Wait, does wearing the same hair color as Xueyan really come with a halo?

Pei Shuo, who had just jumped out of his car as the driver opened the door, was also stunned by the scene.

Why didn’t I think of this method?

Having the same hair color as Xueyan!

That way, Xueyan would never feel like his hair stands out again.

Though that might mean he wouldn’t get to help Xueyan take off and put on his little hat every day.

All the way into the kindergarten, Pei Shuo was lost in thought, which left the driver behind him—who watched the young master’s “CEO-in-training” persona—somewhat confused.

At least the driver always felt that the most pitiable thing about his young master was that from the moment he was born, he never even had the chance to experience what “worry” felt like.

******

“Xueyan, Xueyan! Was that really your fourth brother just now?”

“Xueyan, how come your brother’s hair turned white too?”

Once in class, feeling the continued enthusiasm for his white-haired brother, Xueyan finally couldn’t help but remind everyone:

“Actually, there’s going to be a magazine featuring a white-haired brother very soon.”

“Though it’s Third Brother, not Fourth Brother. And I’m in it too.”

As he finished, Xueyan smiled.

“What! A magazine? Xueyan, you really went to be a model?”

Teacher Jiang Xian was moved.

To be honest, if Xueyan was in a magazine, she would definitely buy a few copies to keep at home. She couldn’t afford the clothes from before, but surely she could afford a couple of magazines?

“Whoa, Xueyan, you’re a model!?”

Louis, who had almost been late because he stayed in bed too long, was instantly electrified by the news.

Then I have to buy a lot!

At this moment, Louis could suddenly empathize with why his mom bought so many albums at once. If Xueyan’s photo was printed on it, he would definitely want to buy enough to fill an entire warehouse!

Xueyan hadn’t expected Louis to shout the news so loudly. His face flushed a little as he tried to tell Louis to be quieter.

Besides, he only showed his face a little; the focus was mainly on his brother.

Unfortunately, Louis was completely immersed in the fantasy of making Xueyan’s magazine the sales king.

“It’s still going to be a long wait…”

Xueyan could only weakly add a disclaimer. Seeing Louis starting to count the days on his fingers made him even more nervous.

What if it doesn’t look that good?

“But the poster you did before with the cat named Charlie was really beautiful,” Teacher Jiang couldn’t help but mention.

“How does Teacher Jiang know it was me?”

Xueyan’s eyes widened. Didn’t the Crayon Uncle get very angry and say another friend had replaced him? Even Charlie’s name had been stolen by another cat.

Regarding the impersonation, Dad Lu Ting had been guilt-stricken and furious. Because of that, he had rarely given in and agreed to Simmons’s request for a shoot.

The protagonist himself, Xueyan, didn’t feel the disappointment or regret everyone imagined.

Xueyan just couldn’t understand one thing: why would a friend in this world be unwilling to be themselves and instead pretend to be a stranger?

At least, Xueyan felt he would forever be the Lu Xueyan of his Papa, Brothers, and Sister, not someone else’s Lu Xueyan.

“That guy who took your name will be finished very soon.”

Suddenly, Pei Shuo—who was sharpening a pencil for Xueyan’s upcoming art class—dropped a cold, harsh sentence.

Teacher Jiang Xian looked at this scene speechlessly.

Young CEO, if you weren’t holding a little crocodile pencil sharpener but instead slammed a pile of meeting documents onto the desk, it might be more convincing.

Xueyan blinked, thinking Pei Shuo sounded exactly like his brother and dad.

Did Pei Shuo already know about the magazine shoot too?

******

Under Simmons’s intense promotion, the magazine’s printing and distribution moved far faster than Xueyan imagined. It was as if a top-tier accelerator had been activated, pushing everything forward with the highest priority.

It was officially set for release the day after the magazine Jia Shang—a major resource that Chasing Light Entertainment had fought hard to secure for Fu Yao and the others—was released.

******

“Captain Fu! Stop drinking, look! The magazine Lu Li shot has officially announced too!”

When a staff member fearfully knocked on the door of the private room to remind Fu Yao and the others to check their phones, the three were still having a celebration banquet.

For the first time, with Lu Li gone from the team, Fu Yao felt his future was a smooth path. So, what if that cunning guy had taken the copyrights to so many songs? Did he really think everyone would be paralyzed without him?

Just like this magazine shoot—didn’t the company turn around and help them secure the even higher-spec Jia Shang supplement?

Though it was a group cover for the three of them and didn’t carry as much weight as a solo cover, being able to land a supplement of one of the “Big Five” magazines at such a young age gave the fans plenty of bragging rights.

After the official announcement, various rising topics and data made Fu Yao and the others extremely smug. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] Many of their worries regarding Lu Li’s departure had dissipated.

Magazine sales were a hard metric for measuring fan bases; in a sense, it was a practical tally of loyal fans with purchasing power. After all, if they weren’t die-hard fans, who would buy a pile of expensive, useless magazines to store at home just for collection?

“Lu Li announced too? Let him. What does it have to do with us? He already went solo, is he still trying to latch on?”

Xia Jue grew wary, suspecting Lu Li had deliberately chosen this day to piggyback on the group’s former popularity.

Without even checking, he knew the trending searches would definitely put the two magazines together for comparison. Truly, the man was like a ghost that wouldn’t leave even after going solo.

The staff member, seeing Fu Yao and the others nonchalantly popping champagne midway, was so anxious they didn’t know how to speak:

“Yes, theoretically the announcement has nothing to do with us, but Lu Li announced the main issue of EW at the same level! Right now several platforms have been overrun, and we can’t even control the comments!”

Xia Jue suspected he was hallucinating.

“How is that possible? When has the main issue of a magazine of that caliber ever chosen such a young cover figure!?”

Unless the magazine was suicidal and willing to lower its own prestige just to force a promotion.

How much money did Lu Li’s family dump into this?

However, the expressionless Fu Yao picked up his phone. Under the push of big data, the very first item was Lu Li’s official announcement copy.

《EW: Between light and shadow, a fragrant moment. ELLW cover figure — @LuLiV is about to debut. Stay tuned. 》

This concise and powerful announcement from EW directly tagged Lu Li’s main account. Crucially, there was no ambiguity in the wording—it confirmed Lu Li’s status as the cover figure.

Consequently, it wasn’t just the anti-fans who exploded; the fans, who were completely unprepared, exploded even harder.

Wait, after being quiet for so many days while everyone was worrying, Lu Li directly dropped a year-end bombshell!?

【Why does being a “Pear” fan for Lu Li feel so easy? We haven’t even done anything yet, and Lu Li himself has already hopped on a rocket and started soaring!??】

【Holy crap, it’s true! This is really the official ELLW account? My god! Lu Li is officially the youngest cover face in history!]

The fans were excited, but also terrified that the official account had been hacked.

If they claimed it now and a reversal happened—if it turned out there was a mistake—wouldn’t they be mocked even harder? Lu Li, please, go online and confirm this right now!

To their surprise, Lu Li saw the comment and actually forwarded it with a reply.

Lu Li: The magazine cover is real, but let me correct one point: I am not the youngest. // Forward: Holy crap, it’s true…

This reply didn’t answer many questions; instead, it pushed the topic to a new climax.

【Not the youngest!?? That’s impossible. I’ve gone through every single cover figure since ELLW started. Pear, you are clearly the youngest!?】

【Yeah, what does this mean? Quick, tell us, we’re dying here!】

The fans, in a mix of nervous anticipation, performed a “carpet search,” confirming again and again that if all this was true, Lu Li was indeed a record-breaking existence.

How could there be an even younger face?

The anti-fans, who had been stirring the pot, concentrated on this point to make an issue out of it.

【Interesting. Before the thing is even out, the fans have already hyped up the titles! Who knows what kind of shady business is going on here?】

【True. What happens if he gets slapped in the face by an actually younger cover figure later? Hilarious.】

The eldest brother, Lu Xun—who had started browsing Weibo after holding the “press conference” for Old Third—saw these “face-slapping” comments from the anti-fans. He looked up silently to glance at Lu Li, who was just walking back while holding Xueyan.

If Xueyan really wanted to slap someone, Old Third would probably stick his own face out proactively.