After Wu Xiaojun introduced Zhang Weixi to everyone present, he invited him to sit down with them at the table.
As the host of this gathering, Wu Xiaojun’s seat was right next to Jing Li, with Wang Lele and Zhang Shuo sitting in order on Jing Li’s other side.
The chair that the waiter had added earlier was placed right beside Wu Xiaojun’s seat.
When taking his seat, Zhang Weixi instinctively wanted to walk towards the chair right next to Jing Li but was subconsciously blocked by Wu Xiaojun.
“Xi-ge, sit over here.” Wu Xiaojun smiled and guided him to the newly added chair beside him. “These are all things I’ve used. You sit here, these are all newly added utensils that I just had the waiter bring.”
Zhang Weixi paused in his spot, then subtly glanced at Wu Xiaojun, clearly somewhat dissatisfied with his obstruction.
But faced with his gaze, Wu Xiaojun showed no intention of backing down, instead smiling at him with a persistent look on his face.
Their gazes intersected in the air, as if engaging in a silent confrontation.
“Alright.”
In the end, it was Zhang Weixi who compromised first, not wanting to arouse suspicion from the others. He pulled out the chair and sat down as Wu Xiaojun wished, but not before giving him a threatening look before sitting down.
The confrontation between the two lasted just a few seconds, and the others didn’t notice the undercurrents surging between them.
But Jing Li, who had been paying close attention to Zhang Weixi’s movements, took in the entire scene before his eyes.
Although he didn’t know what purpose Zhang Weixi harbored, he could be certain that the other party had come for him.
He also noticed Wu Xiaojun’s protectiveness toward him, which made him feel even more puzzled by his behavior.
Judging from Wu Xiaojun’s words and actions, it was clear that Zhang Weixi’s arrival was within his expectations, or rather, it was a play that the two had planned together from the start. But Wu Xiaojun’s intentional shielding seemed genuine, as if he had to cooperate with Zhang Weixi for some reason but didn’t really want to put Jing Li in danger.
This may sound a bit contradictory, but upon careful consideration, it wasn’t entirely unreasonable.
Jing Li had long seen through Wu Xiaojun’s desire to use his influence to climb higher, but this also made him wary of Jing Li’s background and not dare to easily offend him.
Although he didn’t know why Wu Xiaojun suddenly pulled this stunt, since he had taken this step, Jing Li directly categorized him as part of the opposing side, and his vigilance in his heart grew even stronger.
However, the current situation was unclear, and there was obviously something unusual about Zhang Weixi. Plus, with Wang Lele and Zhang Shuo beside him, even though he was on edge, for safety’s sake, he had no choice but to continue holding back for now.
“Jing-laoshi, when are you joining the crew?” Just as he was pondering this, he heard Zhang Weixi, who was sitting beside Wu Xiaojun, suddenly speak up. “These past few days, the people in the crew have been gradually assembling. The official filming starts tomorrow, do you want to go take a look?”
“I won’t go.” Jing Li returned to his senses and glanced at him, smiling gently. “I don’t have many scenes, it will probably be filmed all in one or two days.”
“Ah, that’s quite a pity,” Zhang Weixi said with an air of seriousness. “I thought since we have the rare chance of being in the same crew, we could get to know each other better.”
“There will be opportunities.” Jing Li smiled and gave a polite reply, not giving a specific attitude.
With the conversation reaching this point, anyone with a bit of sense should be able to hear the tactful refusal in the other party’s words. But Zhang Weixi acted as if he couldn’t sense it at all. Upon hearing this, he even scooted closer and said with shining eyes, “Does Jing-laoshi really think so too? Then how about we add each other on WeChat first, it’ll be more convenient to contact each other later on?”
As he spoke, Zhang Weixi made a show of taking out his phone to pull up the friend interface and have Jing Li add his WeChat.
This overly familiar behavior instantly made the other people present look at him with subtle expressions. Wu Xiaojun even frowned in his heart, worried for Jing Li while also feeling a bit embarrassed, after all, on the surface, Zhang Weixi had appeared here as his friend.
Jing Li also didn’t expect him to try to suck up to himself like this and was stunned for a moment.
“Speaking of which, I’ve been following Jing-laoshi for a long time and have always admired you in my heart. To have the fortune of meeting you tonight, I’ll probably be too excited to sleep the whole night.”
However, Zhang Weixi acted as if he couldn’t sense the subtle atmosphere around him at all. While fiddling with his phone, he kept talking to himself, “It’s truly fate that we meet. Before coming, I just heard Director Yan praising you, and here we are meeting today.”
As he spoke, he finally pulled up the QR code interface on his phone, then reached out and handed it to Jing Li, indicating for him to scan the code.
Wu Xiaojun glanced at him and subconsciously leaned forward, as if wanting to block his phone, but after moving slightly, he abruptly stopped himself. In the end, he only pursed his lips and turned his head to look at Jing Li, hoping that Jing Li would refuse.
But to his disappointment, under Zhang Weixi’s expectant gaze, Jing Li also took out his phone, seemingly not thinking that adding a friend was a big deal.
Jing Li indeed didn’t think it was a big deal and even decided to play along to see what the other party was up to.
However, just as he unlocked his phone and tapped into WeChat, a call suddenly came in, with Gu Tingshen’s name displayed on the caller ID.
Naturally, Wu Xiaojun and Zhang Weixi, who were sitting close by, also saw it. Zhang Weixi had no expression on his face, but Wu Xiaojun secretly breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, feeling grateful to Gu Tingshen for the first time.
“Sorry, let me take this call first.” Jing Li nodded apologetically to everyone with a smile, then picked up the phone and left the private room.
After Jing Li left the room, Wu Xiaojun hurriedly urged everyone to continue eating.
However, Zhang Weixi slightly narrowed his eyes as he watched Jing Li’s departing figure. After a moment, he reined in his expression and returned to normal.
Outside the private room, Jing Li smiled and answered the call, his voice gentle as he said, “Shen-ge.”
Gu Tingshen also responded in a low and gentle voice, then asked, “Are you still at the gathering? Is it convenient to talk?”
Hearing that Jing Li had left the room, he instantly let out a sigh, “I miss you, baby.”
This one sentence carried endless longing and love, infinitely amplified in this quiet corridor. It instantly enveloped Jing Li’s entire body, making him feel as if he was soaking in sweet soup.
The smile on the corners of Jing Li’s mouth also widened, and he softly replied, “I miss you too.”
As soon as he finished speaking, out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone walking over from the other end of the corridor. He hurriedly stepped towards the direction of the restroom and said, “It’s not very convenient to talk here, how about we video call when I get back later?”
“I’ll wait for you.” Gu Tingshen responded, then urged, “You need to be careful and stay safe there. In the future, try not to go out as much as possible. I always feel uneasy when I’m not by your side to watch over you.”
Jing Li agreed with a smile, chatted with him for a few more sentences, then simply hung up the phone.
Looking up, he saw that he had already reached the restroom door. After a moment of thought, he went in and washed his hands.
Seeing his furrowed brow in the mirror, and thinking about the suspicious Zhang Weixi in the private room, he took out his phone again and sent a message to Wang Lele, telling him to find an excuse to leave with Zhang Shuo immediately.
If the situation were to change later, he could at least ensure the safety of the two of them.
Just as Jing Li put away his phone after sending the message, he sensed a presence approaching from behind. Looking up, he saw through the mirror that Zhang Weixi was leisurely striding towards him with a relaxed expression on his face.
Meeting his gaze in the mirror, Zhang Weixi even grinned at him.
“Jing-laoshi, so you’re here.” Zhang Weixi quickened his pace as he approached. “I thought you had slipped away quietly.”
These words seemed like a joke, but they also conveyed some other information.
Jing Li looked at him without speaking.
However, Zhang Weixi didn’t mind. He walked straight to Jing Li’s side and stood there, naturally resting his hands on the sink, still looking at him through the mirror.
“Jing-laoshi really has a great relationship with President Jing and President Gu. I’m extremely envious just seeing it.” Zhang Weixi praised with a grin, but there was no trace of admiration in his eyes.
He turned sideways, leaning his back against the sink, and shifted his gaze from the mirror to directly look at Jing Li. Leaning closer, he whispered with a smirk, “But how come I heard that a little over a year ago, Jing-laoshi and President Jing’s relationship was at odds with each other?”
“And it seems like you never had any interactions with President Gu either?”
As he finished speaking, Zhang Weixi looked at him, slightly raising his eyebrows. The expression on his face conveyed curiosity, but his eyes revealed a completely inconsistent playfulness. “And I heard that even your personality is vastly different from before.”
“If it wasn’t for Jing-laoshi’s face that hasn’t changed at all, I would’ve thought these were two completely different people.”
As he spoke, as if finding it amusing, he stared intently at Jing Li’s expression and chuckled softly. “I wonder if I could ask Jing-laoshi, how exactly did you manage to do it?”
Jing Li also looked at him. From beginning to end, the expression on his face didn’t change in the slightest, but his heart instantly became vigilant and guarded.
Judging from Zhang Weixi’s words alone, it wasn’t hard for him to understand that this person had investigated his information before, and it could even be said that he knew it like the back of his hand.
Rather than probing, it would be more accurate to say it was a threat.
Not to mention, as the other party spoke these words, Jing Li saw with his own eyes that a thick black mist once again rose around him.
It seemed like he was going to directly make his intentions clear?
“What do you want to say?” Jing Li gave him a light glance and then took a step back to distance himself from him. He was secretly mobilizing the spiritual energy in his body, ready to deal with the other party’s attack at any time.
“Right now, it’s just the two of us here. Jing-laoshi feigning ignorance is a bit uninteresting.” Zhang Weixi was still chuckling softly. Seeing that Jing Li remained unmoved, the smile on his face couldn’t help but widen. “Or should I ask how your recent retreat in the Green Forest was?”
The implication in these words was too obvious.
Jing Li’s heart trembled instantly.
But before he could think deeply, he saw the other party suddenly raise his hand like a claw and pounce towards him. The black mist surrounding his body also instantly spread out, enveloping the two of them in a matter of moments.
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