Chapter 4 There’s nothing wrong with sleeping with a beauty once.
Zhou Jinbai did not answer her question, but looked away from her puzzled and helpless eyes, looking as if he didn't want to talk to her.
After a moment's silence, he spoke coldly, "Zhang Qingchi is one of my good friends. He said this drama has good prospects and hopes I can invest some. He has come to me to invest, so I definitely can't refuse him. He also helped me a lot in the early years, so I invested. I happened to know that you are also in his media company. We should keep the wealth within the family. If others can act, I believe you can do it too."
After saying that, he looked at Su Li again with a faint gaze. Su Li blinked her beautiful eyes and looked at her father-in-law who didn't look at anyone as if they were human beings.
"So you designated me to play the female lead? I scolded your son like that, and you're not angry at all?"
Zhou Jinbai's eyes showed no sadness or joy, and were unusually indifferent.
"That's what he deserves. He deserves to be scolded."
Su Li felt a little sad when she heard this.
"I scolded you before."
His mood hadn't changed.
"I didn't teach my son well, so I deserve to be scolded."
“…”
Su Li didn't know what to say for a moment. Although Zhou Zexi didn't do anything about his infidelity, Zhou Jinbai, as his father, did a lot.
It can be said that there is nothing to criticize. Even though Su Li hates Zhou Zexi, she still has to respect Zhou Jinbai. She didn't think Zhou Jinbai was that good before, but after the divorce, she really saw the true face of this man.
Zhou Jinbai is different from the elders in ordinary families. In any other family, even if the son does something wrong, the parents will naturally protect him.
I have seen many examples of infidelity. Even if the man was at fault first, it was the woman who was always blamed by the elders in the family. Not only that, they would also make up many lies to excuse their son and put all the blame on the woman.
If Zhou Zexi had a mother, Su Li would definitely have gone through this ordeal as well. Fortunately, Zhou Zexi didn't have a mother, he only had a father.
There are fewer problems where there are fewer women. She has been married to the Zhou family for three years and has hardly ever quarreled with anyone in the family. Zhou Jinbai is the only elder in the family, and she usually doesn't talk to him and keeps a certain distance from him.
Su Li felt it was not bad, at least she lived a comfortable life. If Zhou Zexi didn't cheat, she could live in such a family for the rest of her life.
Unfortunately, things did not go as planned.
Su Li lowered her eyelashes and didn't look at Zhou Jinbai. The atmosphere was a little awkward for a moment.
She sat there for a while, feeling very uncomfortable, not used to being alone with Zhou Jinbai.
But since I'm here, it would be unreasonable not to sit for a while.
Zhou Jinbai noticed Su Li's awkwardness and saw that she was unable to sit still, so he said, "I'm just telling you to work hard and not feel any pressure or burden. I think you have great potential. Just don't let my money go to waste and don't let me down."
Su Li felt her nose a little sour, "I understand, I will work hard."
After sitting for a few more minutes, Su Li got up and left. Zhou Jinbai then breathed a sigh of relief and loosened his tie.
Not to mention that Su Li was not used to being alone with him, he was not used to being alone with Su Li either.
Being in the same space, even he, who had experienced many ups and downs, would break out in a cold sweat due to nervousness.
After Su Li left, she closed the door. Zhang Qingchi was leaning against the corridor smoking a cigarette. When he saw her come out, he squinted his eyes and smiled and asked, "How is it?"
Su Li didn't answer, but just asked, "Now that I've met him, can I leave?"
Zhang Qingchi casually put out his cigarette on the trash can in the hallway. "What did he say?"
Su Li showed no emotion. "What else can I say? It must be to encourage me and let me perform well."
Zhang Qingchi found it strange, "He didn't say anything else?"
Su Li asked, "What else?"
Zhang Qingchi said mysteriously, "You should have heard of his name, Zhou Jinbai, a big shot in the Beijing entertainment industry who's been single all his life. Now he's specifically asking you to play the female lead. He must like your face. If you can control him, who in the entertainment industry will be able to compete with you for resources in the future?"
Su Li, "..."
Zhang Qingchi said, "I've known him for almost twenty years. He's been single since his ex-wife passed away. He's been chaste and doesn't care about anyone. Do you really have no feelings for him? He's only forty years old this year and has only one son. As for who that son is, I won't tell you."
Su Li, "..."
Entering the elevator with mixed feelings, Su Li finally said, "Don't say such outrageous things in the future. Even if I don't make movies, I'm not short of money. Acting is just my passion. If you really want me to sell my body for acting, it's absolutely impossible."
Not to mention that such a thing would never happen to her, even if she had such an idea, she would not dare to set her sights on Zhou Jinbai, because he was her ex-father-in-law!
Zhang Qingchi looked Su Li up and down again. She was wearing a red one-shoulder evening dress, which made her skin look dazzlingly white, without a single flaw.
She is really good-looking, but has a really stubborn temper.
If Su Li is willing to be with Zhou Jinbai, it would be a pleasure to be kept by Zhou Jinbai.
The difficulty lies in the fact that Su Li is very stubborn and doesn't know how to adapt.
Zhang Qingchi sighed, "Such a good opportunity slipped away from you. I've been friends with him for so many years, and I've never seen him with a woman. If you can make him fall in love, all the glory and wealth will be yours."
Su Li stopped him, "Stop talking now. He's the type of person who doesn't deserve to be by his side. Besides, he's so devoted to his first wife that it's not uncommon for him to remain single for his whole life. He's a truly unique person, so don't harm him."
Just because she can't make her relationship with Zhou Jinbai clear doesn't mean she won't speak up for Zhou Jinbai. Based on her understanding of Zhou Jinbai, no one is worthy of standing by his side.
Seeing that Su Li was not understanding, Zhang Qingchi didn't say anything.
After the banquet, Zhang Qingchi went to see this good friend and asked him what his impression of Su Li was and whether he had any thoughts about her.
Zhou Jinbai's mood was cold and indifferent. He drank afternoon tea with him and asked, "What do you want me to think?"
Zhang Qingchi gestured, "You're not tempted? You're so beautiful, with such a great figure, are you a monk? Spending so much money, sleeping with you once is nothing."
Zhou Jinbai paused in his tea-drinking movements and looked up at him with a cold expression, "Is this how you see her?"
Zhang Qingchi was frightened by the coldness in his eyes and stuttered, "I, I didn't, it's just that everyone thinks so, it's her fault for looking so ostentatious."
Zhou Jinbai suppressed his emotions. "Being beautiful is her badge of honor, not a reason for others to stare at her. I don't want to hear such frivolous words from you again."
Zhang Qingchi knew when to stop and quickly changed the subject, "I know you're a serious person, I was just joking. Look, I finally met a woman who is more to my liking, and I thought of you. I'm doing this for your own good. Since you don't want to hear it, let's not talk about her. Let's talk about your son. He's been involved in another scandal recently."
Zhou Jinbai poured the tea into a teacup and handed a cup to Zhang Qingchi. "He didn't have much to say. I just want to say one thing: after filming starts, please take good care of Su Li when we're out on location."
Zhang Qingchi paused holding the teacup. "Why do you care so much about her? Old Zhou, honestly, if you really like her, I can help you win her over. We've known each other for so many years, and this is the first time I've seen you pay attention to a woman. So Su Li's looks really suit your taste, right? You're young and rich. If you really like her, it won't be a problem to pursue her."
Zhou Jinbai didn't answer, but took a sip of tea.
Zhang Qingchi whispered, "She has been signed to my company for five years. Although she is good-looking, she doesn't have the resources, so she is not very famous and no one sees her. She is clean."
Zhou Jinbai, "..."
Zhang Qingchi said seriously, "If she becomes famous next, she'll have more sponsors. I don't know if you'll still be around by then."
Zhou Jinbai still didn't say anything. Zhang Qingchi waited for a long time, but didn't get a single word of response from him, so he finally lost his temper.
"Forget it, it's pointless to say anything to you. I'll help you watch it first. I have a question I want to ask you, Lao Zhou."
After hearing this, Zhou Jinbai finally spoke.
"ask."
Zhang Qingchi organized his words.
"You gave birth to Zhou Zexi when you were fifteen, and you haven't married in all these years. Are you really staying virgin for your first love?"
Zhou Jinbai's expression did not change when he heard this.
“There is no first love.”
Zhang Qingchi was also stunned when he heard this.
"No first love? Then how did you get your son? Could it be that you didn't learn your lesson and brought disaster to some little girl?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Jinbai raised the corners of his lips slightly.
"You ask too many questions. These are not your concerns."
“…”
Well, after knowing each other for so many years, he still doesn’t understand Zhou Jinbai.
I don’t even know Zhou Jinbai’s love history.
Zhou Zexi was born at the age of fifteen, and he thought Zhou Jinbai had an unforgettable first love.
It was a surprise when he said no.
So you can have children even if you don’t love them, right?
Love is nothing in the circle of rich people.
Zhou Jinbai's words were as cold as his expression. In all these years, no one had ever seen Zhou Jinbai smile.
He always has a stern face, as if nothing in this world can make him happy. Even if he is very rich, he can't be happy. He is unpredictable and incomprehensible.
Zhang Qingchi has known him for such a long time but still can't understand him, let alone Su Li.
Su Li thought she knew her father-in-law very well, but in fact, she didn't know him at all.
No one knows what Zhou Jinbai is thinking.
Even Zhou Zexi couldn't figure him out.
As for the divorce, even if it was Zhou Zexi's fault, Zhou Jinbai gave Su Li too much compensation.
It would have been fine if he had just compensated Su Li with a luxury car, but he also compensated Su Li with five luxury houses. Zhou Zexi felt that Zhou Jinbai was going too far, and he had no right to any of these five luxury houses.
Zhou Zexi didn't know that Zhou Jinbai had transferred another 500 million to Su Li.
Su Li didn't tell him either, thinking that this was a form of compensation that both father and son agreed to.
The luxury is a bit scary.
However, Zhou Zexi didn't know. If he knew, he would definitely think his father was crazy.
Su Li has read the script and it is a main-theme work that can be broadcast on CCTV. If her performance is good enough, there is a high possibility that the drama will be broadcast on CCTV in the future.
This was her chance to step onto the screen and be known by the audience. After getting the script in advance, she began to memorize her lines. The male lead had not been decided yet. Zhang Qingchi said that the male lead was still being auditioned and no one knew who would get it.
Su Li gave some advice, "Don't look for a popular actor. I don't want my co-star to rely solely on their looks to attract attention. That would be a waste of this good script."
Zhang Qingchi said he understood, "I'll discuss it with the director. We don't look at the star status, we look at the ability. But you said it's all about the face to attract attention. Doesn't that sound harsh to you?"
Su Li retorted, "I'm not only good-looking, I also have acting skills. I'm so confident in myself."
Zhang Qingchi gave her a thumbs-up and said, "She's worthy of being the woman that capitalists favor."
Su Li knew who the "capitalist" he was talking about was, but Zhou Zexi had told her that Zhou Jinbai had a very hard life before he became rich.
She didn't know how hard it was. When she met Zhou Zexi, Zhou Jinbai was already at the top of the food chain.
Success doesn't come easy; it requires blood, tears, and sweat.
Before the male lead was decided, Su Li had been memorizing the script lines at Jiangshan Film. It is not easy to be a good actor, especially when you take on the role of the female lead, who has a lot of lines.
Su Li was memorizing her lines while acting in front of the mirror. She was performing a crying scene at home that day. She was so engrossed in the performance that she was only concerned with crying and paid no attention to the surroundings outside. She didn't even hear a car entering the yard.
It was a crying scene of betrayal by the male protagonist. Su Li lowered her voice, sat in the living room, her hair was messy, and she was crying like a ghost, out of the script.
When Su Li thought of Zhou Zexi's betrayal, she cried bitterly and fiercely.
"I was so blind to fall for someone like you. From now on, don't even try to get close to me. I don't want to see you anymore. Get out of here!"
He pointed at the door and cursed loudly. Just as he finished cursing, someone walked up the stairs and entered the house.
Su Li pointed at the door with her slender fingers and paused. Her nails were painted with cardamom, which made her whole hand look long and beautiful.
The person at the door paused, his expression slightly cold.
"You don't want to see me so much?"
Su Li quickly calmed herself down, got up from the ground, straightened her hair, wiped her tears, and stood up obediently.
"No, I'm memorizing my lines. Dad, what are you doing here?"
Zhou Jinbai walked in with a gift, no one knew what it was.
"The property management called me today and said there were some safety hazards in this building, so I came to take a look."
Su Li quickly moved aside and let him sit.
"What safety hazard?"
"The rooftop drainage system isn't working properly. Don't worry about it. Someone will come and fix it soon. Are you used to living here?"
Su Li asked him to sit wherever he wanted and turned around to pour him some tea.
"It's a good habit. It's quiet and undisturbed. The villas are far apart, so I can't disturb others when I'm memorizing my lines."
Zhou Jinbai nodded.
"That's fine. When will you leave the capital?"
Su Li brought the tea and placed it in front of him.
"I guess it's winter now, so I'm going to go to the mountain village to shoot."
"You're not used to it, are you?"
"No, it's not the first time I've gone to the mountains to shoot a scene."
"That's good."
Su Li sat on the sofa opposite him, feeling uneasy for a long time, and finally asked the question that had been bothering her.
"dad."
"Um?"
"Why are you so nice to me?"
“…”
"You treat me better than my own dad does. Do you like daughters? If you do, why don't you get married and have another one?"
“…”
"You're still young, really. In our circle, men in their forties are in their prime."
"Not interested."
"So what are you interested in? Making money?"
Zhou Jinbai picked up the tea and took a sip.
"I'm not interested in anything."
“…”
Then what’s the point of living?
Zhou Jinbai ended the conversation with just one sentence, and she didn't know what to say anymore.
Just when she thought Zhou Jinbai would not speak again, he suddenly spoke again.
The voice was still deep and cold.
"People like me are boring, right?"
"How could that be? Who dares to say you're boring?"
"But I'm really boring. If Zhou Zexi didn't need me, I would probably be a useless person."
“…”
Su Li felt that Zhou Jinbai's words were a bit heavy. She spoke cautiously, "Why do you say that?"
Zhou Jinbai was silent for a moment, then raised his cold eyes to look at her, "Sometimes, people cling to life because they are still needed."
Su Li blinked, not quite understanding, "That's too profound."
Zhou Jinbai nodded. "To be frank, if Zhou Zexi hadn't needed me, I probably wouldn't be alive today."
Su Li's heart skipped a beat. "Why? Isn't it good to be alive?"
The corners of his lips twitched slightly, "I thought it was boring before, but now I think it's pretty good."
Su Li rarely had long conversations with Zhou Jinbai, but after hearing his words, she couldn't help but say, "If you die if you're not needed, there will be too many people dying in this world."
Zhou Jinbai didn't answer, he knew Su Li couldn't understand his situation.
Although he has worked hard all the way and achieved his current success, it does not make him happy.
He is a cold and lonely person after all.
I have no expectations for life or anything.
But... he didn't know when it started, but he suddenly felt that being able to survive to this day was not bad.
The two were silent for a long time, and no one spoke anymore.
Su Li felt embarrassed and stood up to leave.
Zhou Jinbai called her.
"Will it kill you to let you sit for a while?"
Su Li had to sit back.
"That's not the case. You're not talking, and I don't know what to say. Let me find a topic for a while."
“…”
"Since there's nothing much to say, let's talk about my father's history of making a fortune."
"What's there to talk about in the past?"
"I want to hear it. I don't think I've ever heard Zhou Zexi mention his mother. She died quite early, right?"
"Well, she had a difficult birth and passed away after giving birth to him."
"Giving birth is indeed a difficult hurdle for women." She sighed and then asked, "Dad, did you really give birth to Zhou Zexi when you were fifteen?"
“…”
"He's... quite courageous. He's been promising since he was young."
Zhou Jinbai leaned on the sofa and looked at her coldly.
"You call this promising? I've suffered so much for him."
"If you don't raise your child, who will?"
"He is not my son."
Upon hearing this, Su Li widened her eyes, looking a little bit incredulous.
"Of course I know it's not your child. What I mean is..."
"I know. His mother and I grew up together. She's three years older than me. His mother died after giving birth to him, and no one took care of him. I was only fifteen at the time, and I took on the responsibility of raising him. Over the years, even if he's not my biological son, I've treated him as one."
Su Li was stunned when she heard this.
"Just because of Zhou Zexi, you haven't married in all these years?"
"Um."
"From fifteen?"
"Um."
"You won't still be a..."
An old virgin, huh?
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