As Shen Zhe descended the stairs, he started hearing gasps in the once-pin-drop-silent set. By the time he reached the bottom, whispers of “What the hell” filled his ears.
He looked toward the scene. The props, originally arranged to suit the boy’s pure image, were now scattered all over the floor. The previously immaculate setup had been completely ruined.
If the boy had just moments ago been standing or lying on the white backdrop, looking as pure as an angel who had accidentally fallen from heaven, now, lying on the dirtied canvas, the smile tugging at the corners of his lips resembled that of a little devil who had escaped from hell.
Even more alluring, it evoked a stronger desire to destroy.
This time, Grant had so much confidence in the young man that he didn’t provide him with a script, leaving everything up to his improvisation. The scene was arranged by Nina, who catered everything to match the boy’s temperament, simply telling Wei Xicheng to act freely. In Nina’s eyes, the boy’s face and his natural aura were the greatest weapons, so during the brief week of special training, her only requirement was for him to maximize his strengths.
Everything had been going smoothly until a staff member accidentally tripped over a prop stand while moving a camera.
In such situations, the standard procedure would be to stop and reset the props.
However, without a moment’s hesitation, the boy immediately shifted into a different pose.
“Perfect! Baby!” Grant’s enthusiastic shout brought everyone back to their senses, prompting them to resume their duties, but with renewed focus on the young man in the scene.
A person who is both attractive and adaptable tends to thrive the longest in this industry.
Shen Zhe watched as the boy kicked off his obstructive shoes, half-closed his eyes, and sensually licked his fingers by the corner of his lips, casting a seductive gaze toward Grant’s camera. Shen Zhe suddenly felt the urge to cover the boy up completely.
He clenched his fists but stayed in place, waiting for the shoot to finish. However, as Grant’s cries of “baby” grew louder, Shen Zhe’s expression grew colder.
Wei Xicheng paid no attention to Shen Zhe, standing in the corner. When he was in the midst of a photoshoot, striving for the perfect shot, he fully immersed himself in the required emotion.
At this moment, he wasn’t the timid and pitiful Qi Chen, but the dazzling Wei Xicheng.
Under the bright lights of the studio, the temperature rose, and tiny beads of sweat began to form on Wei Xicheng’s face.
The layer of sweat on his face didn’t diminish his beauty in the slightest. Instead, it added a touch of sensuality, as though a little demon was indulging in worldly pleasures.
His chin, held high towards Grant’s camera, exposed his delicate neck, his gaze filled with arrogant disdain. He looked down on everyone present, mocking them for being shackled by heavy chains, afraid to unleash their true sinful selves.
A gasp snapped Shen Zhe back to reality.
When he noticed the staff around him staring intently at the boy, veins began to throb on his forehead, and he was on the verge of losing control.
“Break!” shouted the director, who had been pulled over by Grant, bringing everyone back to reality.
Shen Zhe could no longer hold back. He strode toward the boy, swiftly pulling off his jacket and, from three or four steps away, accurately draped it over Wei Xicheng’s head.
Before Wei Xicheng could process the sudden darkness, he felt hands under his knees and back, lifting him off the ground.
What the hell
Instinctively, Wei Xicheng twisted hard on the man’s firm chest muscles, making him stiffen.
He hated it when Sheng Huasen carried him like this—it made him feel weak and effeminate… Wait.
Wei Xicheng pulled the jacket off his head and was stunned to see Shen Zhe’s grim face.
What should he do now, having accidentally offended his sponsor? Or maybe he should wonder if his boss was trying to hit on him?
“Uh…”
“Shut up.”
Wei Xicheng obediently shrank back. Fine, big boss, whatever you say.
Wei Xicheng’s hands were covered in dust from the shoot, and the evidence of him”violating” his boss was blatantly printed on Shen Zhe’s white shirt.
As a result, Boss Shen forcefully occupied Wei Xicheng’s dressing room to change.
Wei Xicheng sat in his ultra-luxurious dressing room, nervously sipping from his cup, even though it had long since been emptied of water.
Ever since that day when Shen Zhe, for reasons unknown, had personally taken over Nina’s job and showed him around the company, Wei Xicheng hadn’t seen this supposedly “elusive” movie star and top-tier boss.
Not just the movie star—he hadn’t even seen his cheap dad. Not a single call.
Maybe he realized there was no money to squeeze out of him.
Wei Xicheng narrowed his eyes. After today’s shoot, it would be time to say goodbye to that cheap father of his.
Two long legs passed in front of him, and the sofa beside him sank as their owner casually folded them up.
Wei Xicheng quickly concealed his thoughts.
Shen Zhe emerged from the bathroom, immediately spotting the boy staring at the cup as if he intended to spend eternity with it.
“Give it to me.”
“Oh.” Wei Xicheng handed over the cup, and Shen Zhe’s long, well-defined fingers refilled it and handed it back to him.
“Talk.”
“Talk, about what?” Wei Xicheng averted his eyes and subtly shifted a little farther away.
“Didn’t you have a lot of guts earlier?” Shen Zhe, who had wanted to see the boy’s spirited side, now felt a strange urge to laugh, even though he was still irritated.
He reached out and pulled, and the distance the boy had painstakingly created was closed in an instant. “Hm?
“Sweetheart? Baby?”
“I’m sorry.” Wei Xicheng felt wronged.
Shen Zhe’s moves were so smooth that he hadn’t even seen them coming, and in a daze…
Wait, what was going on?
Wei Xicheng noticed that his system’s energy had visibly increased. The energy he had inexplicably gained in the previous world was enough for him to jump through two more worlds. He hadn’t planned on continuing the missions, but now, the energy was slowly replenishing itself.
“Cat got your tongue?” Shen Zhe gently patted the boy’s fluffy head. The boy, who had been focused on drinking water, lifted his head, looking at him in confusion.
“What’s with that look?”
Suppressing the strange feeling in his heart, Wei Xicheng glanced at Shen Zhe, raising an eyebrow.
At the moment Shen Zhe touched him, the system’s energy had risen by 0.3%.
“Nothing..”
“Who were you thinking about earlier?”
The sudden warmth at his earlobe startled Wei Xicheng, and he almost threw another rebellious punch. Luckily, he managed to control himself in time.
He tilted his head, trying to escape the hot breath at his ear. As he moved, the warmth brushing against his earbone made Wei Xicheng’s heart skip a beat. He immediately checked the system’s energy
-it had increased even more this time, by 0.5%.
Shen Zhe observed the boy’s small, flushed ear. The brief touch just now had made it feel hot. If it were a bit more tender, it might even be steaming right now.
The boy’s well-shaped side profile also flushed slightly, and his reluctance to turn back made Shen Zhe’s throat feel a little itchy, as if he craved something.
“Speak.” Shen Zhe rested his arm on the back of the sofa behind the boy, giving the impression that he was holding him, though there was no actual contact.
“Shen, Mr. Shen, I wasn’t thinking about anyone.”
“Really?” His already magnetic voice took on a teasing lilt, his relaxed tone hinting that he was in a good mood.
Shen Zhe shook his head and withdrew his hand, feeling like he might be losing his mind.
While he had always believed in fighting hard for what he wanted, teasing a kid like a schoolboy wasn’t something he should be doing, especially with the other’s thoughts stirring in his mind.
“Rest here for a while. Someone will come to get you later.” Shen Zhe stood up, smoothing out the wrinkles on his shirt, and quickly left the room.
Once the man’s figure completely disappeared, Wei Xicheng stared at the cup in his hand. Could contact with someone else really increase energy? Was that how the energy came in the last world too?
With this question in mind, Wei Xicheng kept a close eye on the system’s energy bar during the rest of the shoot, testing it by touching Nina, Grant, and others.
No change.
Wei Xicheng looked up at the observation room upstairs, seeing only the faint silhouette of a man behind the one-way glass. Although his figure was vague, Wei Xicheng felt an odd sense of familiarity.
