A group of people walked into Jingnian, and everyone in the lobby couldn’t help but glance their way. Shen, the movie emperor, was already stunning on his own, but now he had a radiant little follower by his side. Together, they were an eye-catching combination that defied reason.
Nina subtly took two or three steps back, distancing herself from the two in front. Ever since they left the cute boy’s apartment, her boss’s expression hadn’t softened. Now that there was finally a slight smile on his face again, she wasn’t going to risk getting in his way.
But beside her, Grant was foolishly about to go up and link arms with the young boy. Nina was almost brought to tears by the stupidity of this big bear.
She grabbed Grant’s arm. “Grant, come with me to choose the style for the set arrangement.”
“Huh?” Grant glanced at the two who had already walked far ahead, scratched the back of his head, and reluctantly agreed, “Oh, okay.”
He still hadn’t had the chance to bring up his bold idea.
Now that the annoying people were finally out of the way, the corners of Shen Zhe’s mouth lifted slightly, returning to the gentle and charming movie emperor everyone adored.
“Um, Mr. Shen,” came a soft voice.
The smile on Shen Zhe’s face grew. If he wasn’t mistaken, this was the second time this timid little quail had called him on his own initiative?
“What is it?” Shen, the movie emperor, turned his head to look at the little quail beside him.
This time, the little quail raised his head to look at him, his big eyes blinking, exuding such cuteness that it should be illegal. Shen Zhe had to try his best to keep his expression calm.
Controlling his facial expressions was easy.
“Thank you.”
This time, the boy’s gratitude flowed much more smoothly. His tone was more natural, and his feelings were even more sincere.
But Shen Zhe felt like something was off.
“Who are you thanking?”
Wei Xicheng lowered his head, confused by Shen Zhe’s question.
Suddenly, his vision went dark as Shen Zhe stepped forward, blocking some of the light. He was completely engulfed in the man’s shadow, and with just one reach, the man could pull him into his arms.
Wei Xicheng internally rolled his eyes, wondering why he was having such messy thoughts.
“Or, did I remind you of someone?”
Just as quickly, the light returned to his vision. After saying this, Shen Zhe stepped back, then pressed the button for the VIP elevator, entered, and hit the door close button.
“As an artist at Jingnian, you must understand that you need to hold yourself to high standards at all times. A mistake as obvious as this—entertainment reporters can spin it into 18 different versions.”
“You already have enough scandals. I won’t count the ones before, but if you don’t restrain yourself after joining Jingnian, I won’t sign you.”
Wei Xicheng watched the elevator doors slowly close in front of him, feeling as if a wild alpaca was galloping gleefully through his heart. He really wanted to point at this movie emperor, Shen, and ask: “We eat from the same bowl, is this necessary? Who doesn’t have a past? Huh?! And since when are entertainment reporters so dramatic, constantly guessing the expressions of a nobody like me, way down in the 180th tier?”
But no, he couldn’t do that.
Qi Chen would just stand there, his eyes reddening, and silently accept it.
Shen Zhe, alone in the elevator, looked at his reflection on the shiny elevator wall and clutched his chest. He watched his shadow, mimicking his movements, familiar yet strange. He hesitated, then let out a low laugh.
Wei Xicheng was considering whether to go back and find Nina and Grant when the private elevator in front of him reopened. The sharply dressed man reached out and pulled him inside.
Does this guy have some kind of illness?
Five seconds later, the elevator doors didn’t reopen, and the lobby exploded with chatter.
Wei Xicheng had absolutely no desire to know what they were gossiping about. But the darn lobby was open-air! Now, as he walked along the circular third-floor balcony, he could clearly see people below huddled in twos and threes, whispering.
Words like “boss,” “newcomer,” and “affair” kept drilling into his ears, impossible to block out.
They were so loud. Ha, don’t they fear being fired?
Wei Xicheng raised his eyes to glance at the man walking ahead of him. What’s so great about being a movie emperor? If he were still in his old world, he would be a movie emperor too, sooner or later.
“Come in and take a look.”
This was a lounge, not small by any means. To Wei Xicheng, it was at least twice the size of his basement bedroom.
Dark blue sheer curtains swayed gently in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, the sunlight streaming through them casting rings of blue light on the walls. The whole room felt like it was submerged in a shimmering lake.
A plush, elegant fabric sofa was placed in front of the windows, facing an ultra-wide TV on the wall. On the other wall was a giant mirror, next to a massive wardrobe, and beyond that was a sleek, minimalist vanity table. There was even a small bathroom inside.
Damn. Wei Xicheng thought to himself. This was practically his dream private lounge.
“Do you like it?”
Shen Zhe didn’t miss the sparkle that briefly flashed in the kid’s eyes when they entered.
With such a setup, who wouldn’t like it? Wei Xicheng nodded. He didn’t just like it—he was practically infatuated.
“Hmm.” Shen Zhe handed the room card to the little quail who didn’t dare move around freely. “From now on, this will be your private lounge. You can come here to rest, discuss scripts with your manager, or study acting.”
Wei Xicheng stared blankly at the room card in his hand, then at Shen Zhe standing by the door. Is this what people mean by “foolish and rich, and quick to act”? Right now, it seemed like these words were written all over the CEO’s forehead.
Under the child’s gaze, filled with “emotion,” Shen Zhe shifted his posture uncomfortably, trying to look taller and more elegant, like when posing for a photoshoot. He subtly tensed his muscles to make his figure look more upright and slender.
After posing, the movie emperor realized how silly it was. He cleared his throat. “Let’s go.”
“Oh.” Wei Xicheng put the room card in his pocket, patting it carefully.
The small gesture warmed Shen Zhe’s heart—so thoughtful about the gift he gave.
——————————
Ever since picking Wei Xicheng up from his apartment that morning, the smile hadn’t left Nina’s face. Not to boast, but in all her years in the industry, she had only ever seen one other talent as good as this kid—and that was Shen Zhe, back when he shot to stardom while she was still finding her footing.
In just a week of training, Wei Xicheng had already convinced Nina that the previous company’s packaging and his former manager were both useless.
Nina, still smiling, patted the boy’s face. It wasn’t just that he was talented—just looking at this adorable face could melt hearts.
So what if he didn’t talk much? A shy, bashful boy could evoke even more… well, let’s just say, Nina was used to her sudden bouts of excitement. After a few days together, Wei Xicheng had grown accustomed to Nina’s occasional mood swings. Sometimes he thought she and Grant were true kindred spirits, both equally quirky.
“Come on, my little cutie. Grant’s been over the moon since yesterday.”
The crisp sound of Nina’s black professional heels echoed against the polished marble floor as they walked.
Everyone in the studio immediately looked over at the stars of today’s shoot. Nina, dressed in a black business suit, was exuding confidence, while the boy beside her—about her height—blushed and deliberately turned his head away, trying to avoid her gaze.
Shen Zhe’s assistant stood in the observation room upstairs, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. Who didn’t know that the boy down there was the boss’s little treasure? He hadn’t even been officially signed yet, but he had already received the best lounge, the one meant for the next movie emperor.
Now looking at the pair downstairs, the assistant couldn’t help but wonder if Nina, that little firecracker, had caused some trouble.
As he mused, he glanced at his boss sitting in front of him, who appeared perfectly calm.
Wei Xicheng stepped onto the set and bowed to the staff in all directions without saying much in the way of pleasantries. Grant was already front and center with a camera in hand.
This shoot only required one photographer, but Grant insisted on setting up multiple cameras for continuous shots and even brought in a director to ensure none of the beautiful moments were missed. He positioned himself at the main camera.
“Ready, sweetheart?” Grant called out, raising his hand to wave at Wei Xicheng.
Wei Xicheng nodded toward his camera.
If any skill had been honed during his years, it was his ability to work with cameras and body movement—no one was more adept.
The shoot was in full swing, and Wei Xicheng’s performance exceeded everyone’s expectations. When he first joined Jingnian, his past scandals had already been exposed, so no one had much hope for him. But now, as the shoot progressed, it became clear that this boy would shock everyone by the time it was over.
Nina knew this well. Watching the boy move fluidly in front of the camera, she eagerly anticipated the day he would stun the world.
…
“Sweetheart?” Shen Zhe rested his hand on the armrest of his chair, slowly rubbing it.
The assistant silently lit a candle for Grant.
Others might not know, but he did. His boss had been incredibly busy the past few days, flying to multiple meetings, just to free up time to watch this boy’s shoot today.
First Nina, now Grant—both stepping on the boss’s landmines. The assistant could already foresee how miserable they were going to be.
Just as he was thinking this, the boss suddenly stood up and hurried down the stairs.
It was only then that the assistant realized the studio, which had been so lively moments ago, had become unusually quiet. Before he could crane his neck to see what was happening, his always “gentle” boss shot him a sharp look that rooted him to the spot.
