Since the shoot finished yesterday, Wei Xicheng had been in an exceptionally good mood. He had an uncertain thought, and although he wasn’t entirely sure, his intuition told him it was real.
During a break in today’s practice, Nina sat in front of him, watching the bored boy fiddling with his fingers, lost in his thoughts.
“You did well yesterday. Smile more in the future, and stop avoiding people all the time.”
Yesterday, in order to confirm the specific source of energy, Wei Xicheng didn’t maintain the former habit of avoiding contact with people. He actively interacted with the others on set, which altered everyone’s previous impression of the original persona’s solitary nature.
“Mm,” Wei Xicheng nodded. Since he wanted to clear the name of the original owner, he couldn’t continue acting in that same withdrawn manner.
“You and President Shen…” Nina probed cautiously, “Did you know each other before?”
“No,” Wei Xicheng looked up at Nina, an unreadable expression flickering in his eyes. “Nina, could you do me a favor?”
“Not acquainted?” Nina eyed the boy carefully, sensing he wasn’t being entirely truthful. “What kind of favor?”
“Could you help me contact a reliable lawyer?” Wei Xicheng lowered his head. He currently didn’t have a penny on his name and could only rely on Nina for this.
“A lawyer? Why?” Nina tensed up. When she had first taken on this boy, she had carefully reviewed his background, and it was because there were no major issues that she had felt comfortable proceeding. Now that he was suddenly bringing up a lawyer, she felt a pang of unease.
“I just want to consult on some matters.” The boy bit his lip. “About my father. Could the consultation fee be deducted from my pay for this shoot?”
“That’s fine, but you’ll have to give me more details. I need to know what the fallout could be if this becomes public.” Nina’s expression grew serious. This shoot had gone very well, and she had already anticipated the stir it would cause once the magazine was released. She needed to be prepared for anything.
Although the boy was just a trainee, with his talent, joining Jingnian wouldn’t be an issue, and his future looked even brighter. Any previous scandals wouldn’t pose a significant problem for Jingnian’s public relations team, but she was worried that the boy might get entangled in something bigger.
“Nina, I want to move out.” Wei Xicheng’s eyes reddened, and the carefree joy he’d shown during the shoot yesterday faded into a gloomy, suppressed demeanor.
The boy’s striking appearance, combined with his pitiful expression, ignited Nina’s protective instincts. She felt an overwhelming urge to shield him from harm. ‘Who would dare to bully this child? I’d fight them to the death!’
But when she noticed President Shen standing in the corner, silently observing, she hesitated and withdrew her hand from the boy’s shoulder.
“Tell me what’s going on, and I’ll help however I can,” Nina reassured him.
‘Even if I don’t help, there’s someone else who definitely will.’
“Nina, I feel miserable. I’m miserable at home,” Wei Xicheng’s mind flashed to the basement and his father’s repulsive face, making him feel nauseous. His eyes reddened further.
Shen Zhe stood in an inconspicuous corner, just close enough to overhear Nina and Qi Chen’s conversation. Although he could only see half of the boy’s face, it was enough to clearly discern the sorrow there.
“Investigate further, the information isn’t complete yet.”
Yesterday, he had gone through all of the boy’s files and realized that this child wasn’t always this way. He had once been carefree and innocent on stage, a few years later, he became more reserved and distant, and a few more years after that, he grew timid and sensitive.
If you looked carefully, the change was obvious. Shen Zhe hadn’t found any clear trigger for this transformation in the documents. He suspected the boy might have some psychological barriers—an aversion to physical contact, an emotionally closed-off nature, and a suppressed personality.
Thinking back, Shen Zhe realized that Qi’s father must have played a significant role in these changes. He recalled that Qi’s father had once asked him to introduce some “big boss” to Qi Chen, and Shen Zhe’s expression turned cold. ‘Damn, how could I have forgotten that?’
He glanced once more at the side of the boy’s face before turning to leave.
Wei Xicheng seemed to sense something, turning his head just in time to see a figure disappearing around the corner.
“Alright, don’t worry. I’ll figure out a way to help you get in touch with someone. Just tell me everything you need,” Nina comforted him.
“Nina, it’s really tough at home,” Wei Xicheng said, his eyes growing even redder at the thought of the basement and his father’s disgusting behavior. He felt sick to his stomach, and his emotions were clearly written on his face.
“I understand,” Nina reassured him, noticing the shadows of pain and frustration in his expression.
‘In this industry, I’ve learned to protect myself first, but maybe this time, I’ll make an exception for him.’
As she shifted her gaze from Shen Zhe’s disappearing figure to the boy’s smooth, youthful face, she couldn’t help but think that this gamble might just result in a promotion and raise for her.
Wei Xicheng nodded. As, Wei Xicheng he had every means to resolve this matter with his father on his own. But as Qi Chen, he knew seeking help was his limit.
He didn’t want to go back to live with Qi’s father after three months, and he couldn’t break character too much all at once. Certain things needed to be prepared in advance.
“But don’t let this affect your training progress, understood?” Ever since witnessing his performance yesterday, Nina had raised her expectations of him. Fortunately, Wei Xicheng could keep up.
He was deeply interested in anything that would improve his acting skills and training.
———
Grant had been very attentive to the magazine shoot. As soon as the sample photos came out, he excitedly gave a copy to Wei Xicheng.
#Sin and Redemption#
“Qi, you pick a favorite too,” Grant said, sitting beside Wei Xicheng with his tablet. Ever since learning the boy disliked being touched, Grant had been careful to maintain his distance.
Wei Xicheng gave him a shy smile. Despite his large and rugged appearance, Grant was quite thoughtful.
The computer screen displayed a close-up of Wei Xicheng’s face. The angle from above fully captured the delicate flutter of his lashes, resembling black butterflies about to take flight. The boy’s eyes were half-lidded, exuding a divine, almost merciful expression.
“I really love this one. I barely had to retouch it. Qi, your skin is flawless,” Grant gushed as he swiped to the next photo.
He had also put great care into the photo order. The previous shot was like an angel with white wings; this next one, though shot from the same angle, conveyed a completely different mood.
In this shot, the boy’s eyes were fully open and looked up directly, carrying a defiant smile with a hint of challenge.
Grant continued to swipe, each two photos in sharp contrast with each other, until he reached the first pair again.
“I still think these two are the best. What do you think, Qi?”
‘So, what am I supposed to choose? Just listening to you praise every photo?’
“What are you doing?” Shen Zhe’s voice came from overhead.
“Shen! You’re just in time. I was about to look for you,” Grant said enthusiastically, holding the tablet up to Shen Zhe’s face. “Look, it’s perfect. I can’t decide!”
Wei Xicheng shivered as he watched Grant purse his fuzzy lips and put on a look of sheer admiration. After that, he noticed Shen Zhe smiling slightly as he took the tablet from Grant and began looking through it on his own.
‘Did he see it?’
Shen Zhe was incredibly handsome, with well-defined yet not overly sharp features, which softened the intensity of his appearance. When he smiled, it was easy to mistake him for a warm and gentle person.
That’s why his fans must be blind, constantly proclaiming that their beloved Shen Yingdi (Shen the Movie Emperor) was the warmest person in the world.
Wei Xicheng couldn’t find any similarities between the Shen Zhe in front of him and Sheng Huasen, not even in their personalities. Yet both managed to give people a sense of security.
Shen Zhe looked up and saw the well-behaved little quail (Wei Xicheng) tilting his head, staring blankly at him, seemingly lost in thought.
“Grant, just follow your plan,” Shen Zhe said, handing the tablet back to Grant. “Speed things up a bit. The response should be very positive this time, so focus on the online promotion when it’s released.”
“Shen! Don’t you trust me after all our collaborations?” Grant tucked the tablet away. If it weren’t for this collaboration, he wouldn’t have found such a good model.
“Shen! About the next issue of ‘People’…”
“We’ll talk about the next one later,” Shen Zhe cut him off mercilessly. “I think you should focus on making this one perfect and work with Qi Chen on his promotion.”
After successfully brushing Grant off, Shen Zhe walked over to Qi Chen, who had already stood up.
“Sit, no need to be so formal,” Shen Zhe said as he sat down first.
“Mm.” The boy’s voice was so soft that you’d miss it if you weren’t paying close attention.
“Would you like to participate in a variety show?” Shen Zhe asked gently, as if genuinely seeking Wei Xicheng’s opinion.
“I don’t really want to,” Wei Xicheng lowered his head.
“Why?” There was no hint of displeasure in Shen Zhe’s tone.
“I… I’m not good at it,” Wei Xicheng stammered, his face flushing as the redness crept up from his cheeks to his ears, turning them completely red.
“I’ll go with you.”
Shen Zhe crossed his long legs and fixed his gaze on the boy beside him. He knew exactly what he wanted and never doubted himself, but he didn’t want to scare the timid little quail just yet.
“Huh?” Wei Xicheng’s misty eyes turned to him, like the finest crystal shimmering in a soft fog.
“Yes, I’ll go with you,” Shen Zhe repeated, lightly rubbing his thumb and forefinger together. “The show features a clash between the new generation and veteran actors. There’s a spot for you. Would you like to go?”
As he spoke, Shen Zhe’s gaze was fixed straight into Wei Xicheng’s eyes, as if trying to peer into his soul.
“But aren’t you…” Wei Xicheng obviously wanted to go, this was the perfect opportunity to rise to fame.
“Even though I’ve stepped back from the spotlight, appearing on a show like this occasionally helps promote my company. You don’t need to worry about that.”
The assistant, who had just received the notice: ‘Boss, are you serious?’
________________________________________________________
*Author’s Note:* Yesterday’s chapter had some red envelope giveaways, so please check if you received one. Love you all!
