“What are you watching?… Is this Director Yang’s new drama?” The man embraced the slender youth from behind.
“Yeah, Shan-ge was able to get it so easily, I want to give it a try.” The young man, held by him, leaned back into the man’s arms, and looked up at him with shy and admiring eyes.
The man’s heart trembled under his gaze. He reached out and took away the script in his hand. He lowered his head and kissed his lips. “If you like any role, just tell me directly. I’ll have Jing Li get it for you.”
These words would be tempting to any struggling actor in the entertainment industry.
“Really?” The young man blushed, full of surprise and gratitude, and took the initiative to kiss him on the lips, “Thank you, Liang-ge1哥 -ge is a common suffix used to address an older male, usually with affection or respect. It can mean “elder brother”, “big brother”, or simply “bro”. However, in some contexts, it can also be used to address a lover, especially if he is older. When the characters address their boyfriend or love interest as “ge,” it should be understood as a caring way of addressing one’s male companion rather than denoting an actual sibling relationship. I chose to keep the original term “ge” instead of using brother, to avoid confusion or awkwardness when it is used to address a boyfriend/lover..”
The man was pleased by his initiative and was about to exchange a lingering kiss with him. However, the young man’s face suddenly showed a bit of struggle, as if still carrying a hint of conscience, he hesitantly said, “…Liang-ge, is it not good for us to treat Jing…Er Shao2二少 -er shao is a term used to address or refer to the second son of a wealthy or influential family. It implies respect and admiration, as well as a certain degree of familiarity. The term can also be used as a nickname or a title for a young and successful man. I will be using the pinyin for statements, while I will keep second young master/young master for narration. like this?”
“What’s not good? If it weren’t for him forcibly breaking us up in the first place, would you have suffered so much?” The man seemed indifferent, with a hint of contempt in his eyes, “So no matter what you want, he can only bring it to you without complaint. Since he desired something that didn’t belong to him, he should be willing to pay the price.”
If it weren’t for his usefulness in his current position, which could bring him significant benefits in the upper circles, he wouldn’t have bothered to flatter him.
The man was extremely disdainful.
Of course, these matters were clear in his own mind, there was no need to let the person he liked know.
The man’s mood sank, but when he looked up again, all that remained was the gentle warmth for the person in his arms. He lowered his head and rubbed the young man’s cheek, “Alright, let’s not talk about this. It’s rare to see you. Let’s not spoil the mood, okay?”
The young man seemed highly reliant on the man, and when he heard this, he agreed and kissed the man’s lips.
The two figures quickly entwined with each other, the scene looking intense and magnificent, exuding a strong sense of ambiguity.
A slender, fair hand tapped the screen, freezing the video on the image of entangled figures.
With the pause of the video, the air in the lounge became eerily quiet, everyone holding their breath and not daring to breathe.
“Er Shao, don’t be angry. What if there’s a misunderstanding in this matter?” After a while, the hotel’s most experienced manager spoke softly. He cautiously looked at the silent young man on the sofa and flattered, “I feel that Mr. Zhong is not that kind of person. There might be some other hidden story behind this.”
“Besides, who doesn’t know how much you like Mr. Zhong. It’s possible that someone is trying to cause trouble, intentionally fabricating this video to provoke you.”
The manager spoke, and the others immediately followed, “Yes, Er Shao, you treat Mr. Zhong so well, how could he possibly betray you?”
“I think those envious of the way you treat Mr. Zhong intentionally created these things. You must not be fooled, Er Shao.”
…
Seeing the young man still not speaking, the manager discreetly nudged the assistant’s elbow, signaling him to persuade him to speak up.
“Manager Wang is right,” the assistant, though also resentful of the scene in the video, was clearly more aware of the man’s temper. He still had to swallow his anger and persuade, “Anyone who cares to investigate even a little could easily uncover the prior relationship between Mr. Zhong and Lin Xiao. And didn’t Mr. Zhong already explain to you that now they are nothing more than just friends? ”
“If you make Mr. Zhong unhappy because of this, wouldn’t it damage your relationship?”
“Moreover, you just had a quarrel with Mr. Zhong a few days ago. If you upset him again…”
“If you’re still worried, I can find someone to talk to that Lin Xiao and make him be more sensible?”
…
Jing Li still did not speak.
But from the words of these people by his side, it was not difficult to see that “he” had an almost abject demeanor in front of the man named Zhong in the video.
However, if it were the former “him,” he would probably have been overwhelmed by anger and rushed to the man, causing a scene, only to end up having to humbly beg for forgiveness and pretending as if nothing had happened.
It’s a pity, this shell had already changed people.
He not only had no interest in that man, but he even wanted to sever all ties with him immediately and never see him again.
With this in mind, he looked to the hotel manager beside him, “No one’s here yet?”
The hotel manager, caught in his gaze, instantly trembled, and hurriedly said, “I will ask right away.”
He pressed his Bluetooth earpiece and inquired. Soon after, he received a response, acknowledging and respectfully approaching Jing Li, “Er Shao, the person just arrived in the room.”
“Let’s go.” Jing Li got up from his seat.
“Er Shao.” The manager stared at the handsome young man in front of him, hesitated for a moment, then said, “Have you really made up your mind?”
Jing Li looked at him without saying a word.
“I know you really want to find out the truth, but we can wait until after the banquet…”
When his gaze met Jing Li’s, the manager felt anxious; after all, this young master was known for his bad temper. However, he mustered the courage to continue, “You also know how important tonight’s banquet is to the Jing family. If it gets out, it might not be good for the reputation, let alone the conflict with Da Shao3大少 -da shao is a term of respect and endearment for the eldest son of a rich or powerful family. The term implies admiration and closeness, as well as acknowledgement of the person’s status and achievements. The term can also be used as a nickname or a title for a charming and successful man. Unlike 二少 -er shao, which is used for the second son of a wealthy family, who may be less respected or influential than the eldest son, da shao is often the leader or the heir of the family.…”
After all, catching an affair was not a good thing, especially as the other party had also invited a group of media reporters to expose it.
He was really worried that he would instantly lose his temper and make a huge mess that would be difficult to resolve.
Besides, they would still have to go begging the person to come back afterwards when his temper subsided. So why bother?
Also, it was not suitable for him to cause trouble with tonight’s occasion.
Today was the banquet that the Jing Family had been preparing for nearly a month, and it was being held in their hotel. As the Jing Family head’s only brother, if word got out that he caused such a scandal on an occasion like this, it wouldn’t just be bad PR with outsiders, it’d reflect poorly in their social circles too.
Most importantly, this was happening in their own hotel. Who could shoulder that kind of responsibility?
The manager looked visibly distressed; he had gotten himself into quite a mess!
Even the previously disgruntled assistant, who now had come to his senses, hurriedly tried to appeal, emphasizing the importance of tonight’s banquet to the Jing family and how angry Da Shao would be.
Jing Li paused, and when they mentioned Jing Yu, his somewhat expressionless face softened a bit. Thinking of the one person who had made him feel safe and reassured in this world, his eyes finally showed a rare hint of warmth.
“Don’t worry, it won’t affect tonight’s banquet.” He would never allow it.
Having said that, Jing Li reached out and patted his assistant’s shoulder, then strode towards the exit by himself.
Seeing this, the assistant could only reluctantly follow along.
The hotel manager, however, did not receive the familiar burst of fury and scolding. For a moment, he was still taken aback, and only after a moment did he realize that Jing Li had already walked away. He hurriedly caught up.
……
The elevator slowly ascended, the space inside quiet enough to hear each other’s breathing.
Jing Li stared at the numbers jumping on the screen, when his thoughts couldn’t help but drift back to his original world.
He was originally a koi from the Tianling Sect in the Spiritual Realm. He transformed into a human body by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. He was also taken under the care of his master and was accepted as his direct disciple. But when his tribulation failed, he was sent into this strange world, where his soul merged with this body, becoming the younger son of an old wealthy family.
Although he didn’t entirely understand the reasons behind this, let alone why the original owner looked exactly like him, he still had to fulfill this karmic debt. He felt obligated to help the original owner resolve the greatest crisis in his life.
Thinking about this, Jing Li couldn’t help but sigh.
It was unclear what kind of fate the original owner had, to encounter people with such corrupt morals that even Jing Li was at a loss to describe his experiences.
The original owner’s tribulations were all because of a man named Zhong Liangchen.
According to the novel, this person was a typical “phoenix man,” abandoning his long-time partner for his own future, then turning to a wealthy young master who pursued him. He tricked the other party into providing him connections and capital to establish himself, becoming a rising star in high society. Yet after achieving wealth and fame, he turned back to his lost love, while scheming to take over the family of the young master and ultimately reuniting with his first love.
And the unfortunate wealthy young master climbing up that ladder was the original owner of this body, a foolish and naive person who was well-known in the upper class circles for his blind devotion to a scumbag, who did not hesitate to turn against his family for the sake of a scumbag. In the end, he was cheated by the other party and his family was ruined.
In the cultivation world, this was like a mighty cultivator willingly sacrificing everything for a small insignificant being kept as a pet.
Truly pitiful and tragic.
However, dealing with this matter wasn’t that difficult for Jing Li. Simply severing all connections with the scumbag and living out his life properly was all that was needed.
Therefore, this was the reason he decided to end his relationship with this scumbag.
The numbers on the screen stopped at the 18th floor, then with a gentle ding, the elevator doors slowly opened.
Jing Li put aside his wandering thoughts, stepped out, and directly headed for room 1818.
The hotel manager cautiously followed behind him, not daring to even breathe for fear of offending the man if he said anything wrong. But privately, he quickly arranged for everyone to be on high alert, ready to control the reporters and delete today’s scandal as soon as possible to avoid affecting tonight’s banquet.
Standing outside room 1818 were several black-clad bodyguards, and a group of reporters dispatched to capture the scene.
A group of people saw Jing Li coming over and awkwardly greeted him. After all, they were there to film someone being cheated on, so more or less everyone felt a little uncomfortable.
But Jing Li didn’t have time for such thoughts. He only nodded briefly at them before instructing his bodyguards to swipe the room card and open the door.
As soon as the door opened, ambiguous moans could be heard from inside. Jing Li didn’t even bat an eye. He kicked the door wide open, then paused for a few seconds to give the people inside time to make themselves decent and avoid scarring everyone’s eyes.
The reporters’ eyes lit up with excitement, but since the main character hadn’t made a move yet, they didn’t dare overstep. Even though they were itching to see more, they could only crane their necks and peek inside.
But a few seconds was a very short time. By the time they followed Jing Li into the room, the two people inside were still hastily straightening their clothes. In the end, they could only stand there looking disheveled and flustered. The bed was still a mess, with suspicious wet stains on the sheets.
It was obvious something had happened. The reporters immediately started madly snapping photos since Jing Li wasn’t stopping them.
Upon seeing Jing Li’s face and the crowd of media behind him, the slender young man instantly turned pale. Shock and panic flashed across his face, but he still tried to stay calm. He stood up and greeted Jing Li, “Jing Er Shao, what a coincidence. I was just discussing the script you sent over with Liang-ge… I mean, Mr. Zhong. May I ask what brings you here?”
With that innocent, harmless look on his face, he seemed even more innocent than Jing Li, the supposed victim.
In contrast, the legendary boyfriend, Mr. Zhong Liangchen, was much more straightforward. He reached out and pulled the young man behind him protectively. Frowning at the reporters taking photos everywhere, he looked at Jing Li unhappily and said, “What are you up to now? Bringing a bunch of reporters to make trouble, as if you haven’t embarrassed yourself enough out there?”
“Have I been too tolerant of you recently, Jing Li? That’s why you keep pushing my bottom line again and again?”
“If you really distrust me that much, just break up! I’m tired of you stirring up trouble over and over like this!”
He then turned to the reporters who were still filming and shouted angrily, “What are you filming for? Get the hell out of here! Who allowed you in!”
He had no intention of being polite to these reporters or taking them seriously. As long as he could control Jing Li, with the Jing family’s status, he only needed to say the word to shut these people up.
But Jing Li clearly had no intention of paying him any mind. His gaze didn’t linger on their swollen lips for even half a second. He casually went over to the single armchair and sat down, even lazily crossing one long leg over the other. “Oh, it’s nothing major. I’m just here to return something Liang…Zhong Liangchen forgot.”
There was no way he could force out the intimate term “Liang-ge”. To be honest, even hearing that name made him uncomfortable.
“What thing? You’re making such a big fuss just to return something?” Zhong Liangchen didn’t buy his explanation at all. Over the past year or two, the other party had always been able to stir up some kind of trouble based on all kinds of excuses. He was long used to it by now.
But considering there were so many reporters present, he still had to coax the other party and use the Jing family’s influence to suppress this incident. So even though he was extremely disgusted on the inside, he still forced himself to soften his tone. However, his words were still firm:
“Put down whatever you’re returning and take these people out of here immediately. Then I’ll consider not making a big deal out of this incident with you.”
Naturally, extorting…no, securing some deserved resources on his part was an absolute necessity.
The entitlement and nonchalance on his face made it seem like he wasn’t speaking to his boyfriend but rather some random housekeeper or subordinate.
This shameless behavior irritated all the reporters present. They also felt Jing Er Shao was wasting himself. With the Jing family background, he could have his pick. Not to mention, apart from his bad temper, Jing Er Shao was exceptionally good-looking – more eye-catching than most fresh meat celebrities. Why was he still with this morally bankrupt scumbag?
In an instant, everyone’s impression of Jing Er Shao improved quite a bit. They even secretly blamed his bad temper on Zhong Liangchen. After all, no one would stay even-tempered after liking such an unfaithful jerk who cheated at the drop of a hat.
But thinking about it and saying it openly were two different things. On the surface, everyone maintained a neutral observer’s stance. The main character hadn’t spoken yet, so it wasn’t their place to meddle.
“No need to rush. We can watch together first.” Jing Li didn’t seem to mind Zhong Liangchen’s attitude at all. He casually took out his phone, unlocked it, and the previously paused video immediately appeared on the screen.
He tapped the screen, and the same ambiguous moans instantly sounded, identical to what they had heard right before entering the room.
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