Gu Tingshen smiled at him and then whispered his thoughts in his ear.
Jing Li’s brows arched, but his eyes flickered with a hint of approval, obviously satisfied with Gu Tingshen’s proposed solution.
“That method is indeed excellent.” Jing Li smiled at the man approvingly, praising, “I knew my boyfriend is the smartest!”
“Should your ‘smartest boyfriend’ receive a reward, then?” Gu Tingshen smiled along, tilting his head playfully.
Jing Li burst into laughter at his antics, instinctively replying, “What reward does my ‘smartest boyfriend’ want?”
“Of course, it’s…” Gu Tingshen arched his brow at him, then leaned in abruptly, caressing Jing Li’s face with one hand and kissing him deeply.
Startled by the kiss, Jing Li soon closed his eyes, reciprocating ardently as his arms wrapped around Gu Tingshen’s waist.
The two hadn’t seen each other for several months, and after experiencing a misunderstanding last night, they finally had a chance to be alone together. Their kisses grew increasingly passionate.
Initially intending a light kiss, Gu Tingshen’s gaze darkened as Jing Li responded so eagerly, and his kisses intensified.
Sunlight streamed through the windows, bathing the room in a sensual glow as the temperature rose.
Just as they were lost in their intimate moment, a knock sounded at the door, and the assistant entered.
“Er Shao, I had someone bring breakfast…” The assistant froze, eyes widening at the scene before rushing to block the server following him. “Just leave the cart here. I’ll bring it in myself later.”
The waiter, not suspecting anything, politely agreed and left.
After taking a deep breath, the assistant wheeled the cart inside, closing the door behind him. By then, the two men had separated and composed themselves, though their faces were flushed, and their lips were slightly swollen.
The assistant’s gaze lingered on their kiss-swollen lips, still reeling from the shocking sight as his mind raced.
How did the Second Young Master suddenly end up kissing Mr. Gu? Are they dating? When did they get together?!
He was with the Second Young Master every day and didn’t notice anything at all?!!
If the Eldest Young Master found out, would he explode in fury and declare war on the Gu family? Then, would the financial news start reporting on the crazy battle between the Jing and Gu families?
…
“Yes, we are dating.” Jing Li spoke up directly to end the assistant’s wild thoughts, likely prompted by his expressive face. “I just haven’t had a chance to tell you before, but it’s not too late now, is it?”
“…” The assistant was dazed for a moment before instinctively replying, “No, not too late.”
“Good. Now that you know,” Jing Li arched a brow, gesturing to the cart he was clutching tightly, as if afraid someone would take it away. “Can we eat breakfast?”
Following his gaze, the assistant finally snapped out of his daze. “Sorry, I’ll bring it to the dining table right away!”
He hurriedly pushed the cart toward the dining room, still wearing a bewildered “who am I, where am I, what am I doing” expression.
Amused by his appearance, Jing Li couldn’t help but chuckle before meeting Gu Tingshen’s amused gaze and teasing, “Look at how you’ve startled the poor guy!”
“Mmm, I’ll make it up to him later.” Gu Tingshen smiled naturally, taking Jing Li’s hand and kissing it gently. “Let’s go eat first.”
The three had an awkward “three-person film where I’m an extra without a name” breakfast before Jing Li and Gu Tingshen drove to the airport and returned to the capital.
The post-production of the TV series would take some time to complete, so after returning to the capital, Jing Li had no other plans and decided to relax at home for a while.
During this period, he sent the talisman charms he had made earlier to his brother under the guise of a temple donation. Hearing that his brother had also visited the temple specifically to get a protective amulet for himself, Jing Yu was naturally touched. Even seeing Gu Tingshen coming and going in the house more favorable, and his attitude was much warmer than before.
“Of course, Xiao Jing cares about you the most. When he requested the talisman, he asked for yours first and insisted they make it look nice.”
During these moments, Gu Tingshen seemed to have an endless will to survive. Even though he had already received his protective amulet when he went to pick up Jing Li from the set, he could still praise Jing Yu without changing his expression.
The effect of this excessive praise was evident. Jing Yu, who had gradually calmed down towards him, suddenly turned his head and showed a rare smile. He even patted Gu Ting Shen’s shoulder, as if comforting him, “Don’t feel too discouraged. After all, Xiao Jing and I are blood brothers who have depended on each other for over twenty years. It’s only natural that he cares about me more.”
The boastful undertone in his words was unmistakable.
It was almost as if he was on the verge of smugly slapping Gu Ting Shen in the face with the protective amulet and taunting, “Who do you think you are? How dare you come here and compare yourself to me?”
Gu Tingshen: “…”
“Yes, of course.”
Gu Tingshen nodded humbly, his demeanor perfectly polite. This prompted Jing Yu’s beaming approval and even invitations for Jing Li and him to dine at their home in the following days.
Thanks to this excessive praise, Gu Tingshen instantly became the ultimate winner.
During their video chat at night, Jing Li couldn’t help but laugh and tease him for his clever tactics.
*
During his time off at home, Jing Li wasn’t completely idle either. His manager, Sister Wang, secured him two endorsement deals, which he filmed with Gu Tingshen’s “overprotective” company.
Once their plans for the new movie took shape, Jing Li focused solely on that project.
Since it was a collaboration with Gu Group, the cast was selected from Jing Li’s studio and Gu’s Tusen Entertainment.
Jing Li’s studio had few members besides himself and Wang Lele, with the other two being newcomers without much experience or fame. They landed small supporting roles through recommendations but had to prove their acting skills.
Even though they had only small supporting roles in a film directed by Wen Zheng, it was still a very good starting point. If it were in another company, they might not even have had the chance to meet Wen Zheng.
Even Wang Lele, who had been struggling for many years, only managed to turn things around and stand up again after getting to know Jing Li. So, the two were quite grateful for Jing Li’s guidance and treated their roles in this project with utmost seriousness.
As the entertainment industry leader, Tusen Entertainment naturally had an abundance of renowned actors and famous faces to choose from.
As soon as they heard that the director was Wen Zheng, everyone actively reached out to him, hoping to secure a role in the movie. After some fierce competition, the remaining actors were all talented individuals, some even possessing both good looks and talent, with Hu Li standing out the most.
However, Hu Li was someone who always played by his own rules.
Originally slated to play the male lead in the movie, Hu Li was undoubtedly the top male lead candidate, given his status similar to Jing Li’s in terms of fame, popularity, and acting skills.
However, after reading the script, he openly expressed his dislike for the male lead character and preferred to play the role of the second male lead, Jing Li’s character. He flatly refused to change his mind.
Eventually, Jing Li relented and auditioned for the lead, swapping roles with him.
This internal decision remained undisclosed to avoid criticism.
At the premiere press conference, a reporter raised the issue. “Hu-laoshi, why did you choose the undercover role? From what I know, it’s only a supporting part?”
As soon as the reporter’s question fell, there was a moment of silence at the scene, followed by more reporters sensing a potential big scoop and focusing their attention on Hu Li.
“Hu-laoshi, did you face any unfair treatment?”
“Hu-laoshi, don’t you feel it’s demeaning for someone of your stature to be given a supporting role?”
“Although the role seems quite interesting, it’s still just a supporting part. Were you forced to give up the lead?”
…
As some couldn’t get close enough to Hu Li, they turned their questions towards Jing Li.
“Jing-laoshi, how did you land the lead role? Is it true, as they say, that you bought it with your family’s money?”
“Jing-laoshi, it’s your first film yet you secured the lead. Aren’t you worried your lack of fame won’t draw audiences?”
“We heard you and Hu Li-laoshi are good friends. Did you persuade him to join this film to boost its appeal?”
…
That initial question was like poking a hornet’s nest, setting off a barrage of inquiries as microphones jutted precariously close to the two.
Hu Li quickly pulled Jing Li back, calling for the reporters to give them space before responding, “There’s no profound reason behind my choice for the undercover role. I simply like it.”
“Aren’t you all tired of seeing me in those upright, noble roles?”
“I certainly was. This undercover character is fresh and something I haven’t tried before, so I took it.”
Hu Li shrugged nonchalantly before glancing at Jing Li. “In fact, I practically snatched this role from Mr. Jing, so you can see how popular it is.”
Seeing him effortlessly diverting the topic, the reporters below were not satisfied and wanted to ask more, but Jing Li quickly spoke up, “This role is indeed popular, but not just this one – every part in our new film is outstanding. If you’re truly curious, I urge you to follow our upcoming release closely.”
With just a few words, Jing Li redirected the conversation back to the new movie, and no matter who asked next, he smoothly navigated the questions.
By the end of the press conference, the reporters had found nothing of substance and were bombarded with promotions for the new movie, leaving the media feeling frustrated.
However, the individuals involved were unaffected by the chaos.
After the press conference, Jing Li joined the film crew at Gu Group’s film studio.
On the evening of joining the set, he met the new demon sent by the Dark Forest.
At the first sight of the new demon, Jing Li raised an eyebrow in surprise.
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