The “Sasaeng” Next Door

A gentle breeze blew by, sending a rustle through the leaves.

Walking along the path, the scenery of the entire villa complex was a sight for sore eyes. The crisp, fresh air seemed to wash away the exhaustion Ji Fengjing had accumulated from a full day of missions.

The car pulled up outside a villa, and Ji Fengjing hopped down from the off-road vehicle, looking up at the new home he was about to move into. The villa was quiet; it hadn’t been lived in for a long time. The flowers in the garden were somewhat withered, their heads drooping listlessly.

Ji Fengjing felt a flicker of worry, wondering if he would be able to nurse these little guys back to health.

A head popped out from behind him as Zhang Donghao hopped off the car as well, staring wide-eyed at the grand villa with an exaggerated expression. “Holy crap, Boss! I’ve worked with you for two years and I never knew you were this loaded! To think you have a massive villa like this here!”

Ji Fengjing gave a helpless smile. “Until last week, I didn’t know my dad had left me such a big house either.”

Zhang Donghao’s tone turned sour with envy. “Boss, is your dad looking for any more sons? What do you think of me? Can I be your younger brother?” He desperately wanted to live in a house like this too!

Ji Fengjing froze for a moment.

Realizing his slip of the tongue, Zhang Donghao’s face paled. He hurriedly stammered, “Uh… Boss, I’m sorry. My mouth just ran faster than my brain. I…”

Ji Fengjing let out a light laugh. “It’s fine. Even if my father were still alive, you couldn’t be my brother. Don’t forget, you’re four years older than me.”

Zhang Donghao was instantly flustered. “Boss, you didn’t have to remind me of that. A man’s age is a secret, too!”

With a smile, Ji Fengjing turned around to start unloading the luggage.

Watching his profile and his build, Zhang Donghao felt even more envious. He was indeed four years older than Ji Fengjing, but sometimes Heaven was truly biased. Look at the Boss—clearly younger, yet holding a higher rank in the department. He was the Captain of their team and was about to be promoted to Department Director.

Most importantly, that face of his was frustratingly handsome!

It wasn’t a feminine sort of beauty, but rather a sharp, heroic handsomeness. His features—somewhere between a boy and a young man—were deep and rugged, the kind that made people’s eyes light up at first glance.

Then there was his stature: tall, upright, and dashing. Every movement carried an air of grit and fortitude. As the “Number One Blade” of the Special Combat Division, their Captain’s looks alone were enough to drag the department’s average appearance score up to a solid 80!

Ji Fengjing didn’t have much luggage. Just three scattered suitcases made up his entire worldly possessions.

The villa was vast. Crossing through the entrance garden and opening the front doors, the massive, empty house was revealed. The foyer was vacant; there was no sofa in the living room, only dining chairs in the adjacent dining area.

Ji Fengjing had expected the house his father left him wouldn’t be small, but he hadn’t expected it to be this large—or in this neighborhood. It was quite beyond his expectations. His father wasn’t the type to be corrupt, so how could he have afforded a villa in this area?

A thick layer of dust sat on the dining chairs; clearly, no one had lived here in a long time. However, Ji Fengjing didn’t mind. He could add furniture slowly. He didn’t spend much time at home anyway.

He walked over, opened one of his suitcases, and took out a framed photograph.

In the photo, a teenage Ji Fengjing was smiling brightly. Beside him, a tall man in military uniform had an arm around his shoulders, facing the camera. Though his expression was stern, there was a hint of a smile in his eyes.

Looking at his father in the photo, Ji Fengjing’s expression softened.

“AHHHH! BOSS!”

Just then, Zhang Donghao, who was still moving things outside, let out a sudden, startled shriek.

Ji Fengjing immediately dropped what he was holding and sprinted outside. His speed was incredible; in a literal blink, he had “teleported” to the garden gate.

“What happened?” Years in the field had conditioned him to respond with hair-trigger alertness to any disturbance.

However, Zhang Donghao said excitedly, “Look at whose car that is! My idol! Wen Xingshen! Holy crap, my idol actually lives next door to you!”

Ji Fengjing was momentarily blank. “Wen Xingshen?”

Zhang Donghao grew frantic—how could anyone not know his idol?! “Boss, did you forget? The man who takes up an entire wall of my house! Wen Xingshen! My male god!!”

Ji Fengjing remembered now.

Wen Xingshen—an incredibly famous star and Best Actor winner. He was also the idol of most of the men and women in their unit.

It was often said that in the entertainment industry, male stars have more female fans, while female stars have more male fans. But with Wen Xingshen, that rule didn’t apply. His male and female fanbases were split down the middle. Furthermore, because he had debuted so early, half the celebrities in the industry today had grown up watching his work and had publicly declared him their idol.

Consequently, fans in the “fandom circle” were either Wen Xingshen’s own fans or fans of Wen Xingshen’s fans.

Zhang Donghao was one of those die-hard supporters. Whenever he was on leave, if he wasn’t at a fan meeting, he was attending some promotional event related to Wen Xingshen. His “fanboy” behavior had always been a source of deep bewilderment for Ji Fengjing.

Seeing the car next door come to a complete stop, Zhang Donghao grabbed Ji Fengjing’s hand. “Boss! Quick, quick, quick! Let’s go over and get an autograph!”

Before Ji Fengjing could react, he was dragged toward the neighboring property.

Inside the black luxury van, the junior assistant was scrolling through the day’s top trending topics.

#RichHeirStalkingTurnedSasaeng# #FilmQueenHanXingerDenouncesSasaengs#

The assistant said, exasperated, “Look at these trends. A rich heir spent a fortune to buy the house next to Film Queen Han Xing’er just to stalk her. Then he used his position as a neighbor to sneak into her home… Han Xing’er was scared out of her wits. That’s terrifying!”

The manager, Zhou Kong, had also seen the news. He said calmly, “Every star has crazy fans. You should also pay more attention to the people around Xingshen from now on, just in case.”

The assistant felt a lingering fear. “Luckily, no one lives next to Brother Shen.” He glanced back at the man sitting in the back row with his eyes closed. “Brother Shen, we’re home.”

The man’s eyes remained shut. His facial features were handsome and profound. His long legs were bent in the back seat, making the spacious interior look cramped. The evening glow filtered through the window, casting shadows that made his facial lines appear even more perfect. He seemed to have just finished an awards ceremony; he was still wearing an expensive suit, his tie fastened meticulously.

Hearing the assistant’s voice, he opened his eyes slightly, a hint of fatigue lingering in them. “Mm.”

Just as the car stopped and the assistant was about to open the door, muffled shouting could be heard from outside. The manager and the assistant froze simultaneously.

Having been in the industry for over a decade, the manager, Zhou Kong, had a hyper-sensitive radar for anyone appearing nearby. Even though the van was well-insulated, he could still vaguely hear words like… “Wen Xingshen! My male god!”

Zhou Kong immediately held the door shut, his brow furrowed. “Xingshen, don’t get out yet.”

The assistant’s eyes widened. “Did a fan manage to sneak in?!” That seemed unlikely; the security in this villa complex was top-notch. Moreover, this wasn’t a high-density celebrity residential area. The people living here were either extremely wealthy or highly influential. How could a fan get in?

The assistant peeked out and discovered that the house next to Wen Xingshen—which had been vacant for two full years—now had its front doors wide open!

“Brother Shen,” the assistant said blankly, “someone actually moved in next door?!”

Outside the van, Zhang Donghao had already excitedly dragged Ji Fengjing over.

Standing before the car door, Zhang Donghao finally started to feel shy. “Hello… Are you Brother Shen? I’m a fan…”

The manager looked behind them. Seeing no one else, he breathed a sigh of relief. He turned back to Wen Xingshen. “Xingshen, there are only two of them. Want to give them an autograph?” Dealing with just two fans was easy enough; once they were handled, Xingshen could go inside and rest.

Wen Xingshen pressed his fingers to his brow. “Let’s get out.”

The door slid open. After the assistant and Zhou Kong stepped out, Wen Xingshen followed.

Ji Fengjing looked over. When he saw Wen Xingshen’s face clearly, he also instinctively dithered for a second.

He had seen plenty of Wen Xingshen’s photos, posters, and advertisements. The former were constantly posted in the department group chat by colleagues, and the latter were plastered all over the streets. Ji Fengjing knew Wen Xingshen was good-looking. “Haozi” had told him that before becoming a serious award-winning actor, Wen Xingshen had been the visual “top-tier” of the industry.

He used to think it was an exaggeration, but seeing him in person today, Ji Fengjing had to admit that Wen Xingshen possessed a natural aura that commanded attention. One couldn’t help but look twice.

Seeing Wen Xingshen, Zhang Donghao’s face flushed red. It was really his idol! He gripped Ji Fengjing’s hand tightly, afraid he might lose control and charge forward.

“Brother Shen,” Zhang Donghao stammered, “I’m a die-hard fan… I… I’ve watched every single one of your shows!”

Seeing how nervous he was—to the point where his palms were sweating against his hand—Ji Fengjing simply stood by silently.

The corners of Wen Xingshen’s mouth quirked up slightly. “Thank you.” He pulled out a marker. “Where would you like the autograph?”

Zhang Donghao rolled up his T-shirt sleeve, revealing a sturdy, thick arm. He spoke incoherently, “Sign—sign—sign it here!”

Wen Xingshen followed his request and signed his name on the arm. Then, he turned toward Ji Fengjing.

“I—”

Ji Fengjing was about to say he didn’t need one, but Wen Xingshen had already smoothly placed one hand on Ji Fengjing’s shoulder and used the other to scrawl his grand signature on the skin of Ji Fengjing’s arm, just below the sleeve.

Ji Fengjing: “…”

Having finished the signature, Wen Xingshen looked at him. “Yes?”

Ji Fengjing looked down at the signature on his arm, then silently swallowed his original words. “Nothing. Thanks.”

Once the signing was done, the assistant immediately stepped in front of Wen Xingshen to block him.

The assistant frowned at Ji Fengjing and Zhang Donghao. “Thank you for liking Brother Shen, but we hope you won’t follow him to places like this in the future. Brother Shen has his own life, too. Doing this interferes with his privacy.”

Though the assistant spoke diplomatically, Ji Fengjing and Zhang Donghao both understood the implication instantly… They were being treated as obsessed sasaeng fans!

Zhang Donghao grew anxious. “No, no, you’ve got it wrong! We’re fans, but definitely not sasaengs! We… we just moved in here.” He pointed to the villa next door and tugged at Ji Fengjing. “Right there, next door.”

Ji Fengjing didn’t want to be misunderstood either, so he nodded helplessly. “We really did just move in today.”

As soon as he said that, Ji Fengjing noticed the assistant and the manager, Zhou Kong, immediately looking at them with even stranger expressions.

Ji Fengjing: ??? What’s with those looks?

At that moment, the assistant and Zhou Kong’s minds were filled with today’s headlines.

‘Rich heir buys villa next to Film Queen to stalk her…’

The two of them immediately went on high alert.

Great. They didn’t think the “Trending Topic Sequel” would arrive so quickly! Another rich heir had actually copied the tactic and chased Wen Xingshen all the way home!