Chapter 37 Cowardice and Sincerity
You can't judge a book by its cover.
Fu Yanle clicked his tongue in amazement.
“Thank you for your kind words, but I’m not single.” He raised his left hand, his ring finger slightly hooked. “I should be wearing my wedding ring here, but for privacy reasons, I usually don’t wear it in public. But I do have a partner.”
"That's such a pity." Song Xueyan nodded regretfully, then magically produced a white rose and handed it to Fu Yanle. "This is a testament to our first meeting."
"Thank you." Fu Yanle accepted the white rose and bluntly stated, "However, I don't think Mr. Song is that disappointed."
Song Xueyan raised an eyebrow slightly and said, "You caught me. Okay, I was just teasing you. I can tell you have someone."
Fu Yanle asked in surprise, "Is it really that easy to tell at a glance? Are there different physical signs between single people and non-single people?"
“There’s no definite sign.” Song Xueyan pointed to Fu Yanle’s neck. “You have a hickey here, it’s very faint, but you can still see it.”
Upon hearing this, Fu Yanle instinctively reached out to cover the side of his neck, then rubbed it haphazardly, laughing as he said, "I was careless."
Song Xueyan shook her head, turned around and gestured for Fu Yanle to come along, "You must be here to accompany Xiao An to the audition, right? Sit with me?"
Fu Yanle said, "Okay."
Fang Zhouji always preferred open auditions, starting with the smallest roles. Actors who had auditioned could leave or stay to observe. This served two purposes: firstly, it tested the actors' mentality, and secondly, it ensured that he, as the director, was at least impartial.
Having already tried three supporting roles, Tang Wanbai glanced at the number 5 card in her hand, clasped her hands together, made a sincere wish, and blew a breath of immortal air into the gap between her palms.
Seeing this, An Shigou quickly followed suit.
Fu Yanle sat down, and Tang Wanbai turned her head at the sound of his voice. She smiled halfway, but was startled by Song Xueyan who sat down next to her.
Damn! Song Xueyan!
An Shigou covered her mouth in excitement, her face turning pink at an indescribable speed.
Wow! This is the closest I've ever been to Song Xueyan!
Song Xueyan seemed to sense something and turned to nod slightly at the two of them.
Hiss! The two of them gasped immediately.
"Look at you all, so useless," Fu Yanle said sarcastically in a low voice.
Tang Wanbai tried her best to shrink her ignorant eyes and leaned close to Fu Yanle's ear to ask, "Yanle, Yanle, why is Teacher Song sitting with you?"
“We have a history in the restroom,” Fu Yanle glanced at the front of the line. “How much longer until it’s your turn?”
"I'm the next one." Tang Wanbai's eyes swept past Fu Yanle, then cautiously looked at Song Xueyan. "Yanle, could you get me an autograph?"
An Shigou quickly joined in, his eyes hungry, and whispered, "I want one too!"
No, I just met them too!
Fu Yanle coldly rejected him, but the next second Tang Wanbai grabbed his arm and started rubbing and bumping him like a spoiled child. An Shigou couldn't reach Fu Yanle and could only stand there performing a series of throat-slitting acts.
“…I’ll give it a try.” Fu Yanle turned to Song Xueyan and asked, “Um, can I ask you for a couple of autographs?”
Song Xueyan looked over, and An Shigou and Tang Wanbai immediately looked away, sitting up straight with their faces flushed and ears perked up. Seeing this, Song Xueyan said, "If you pass the audition, you'll get a contract."
Tang Wanbai and An Shigou's ears perked up, their eyes met, and they both gasped: They'd do anything for an autograph!
Fu Yanle pursed his lips and took out his phone.
There are still quite a few unread messages on WeChat.
Xiao Lu: [It's my husband's friend's 70th birthday, and I'm going to fly to Slovenia with him. I probably won't be back for another week. Do you want me to bring you anything back?]
Fu Yanle replied gently: 【Just bring your brain with you, and bring it back later. (Little bunny pole dancing.gif)】
Ji Ming: [Yan Le Ge? Are you free tonight? I'd like to treat you to dinner. (Little rabbit pops up.gif)]
Brother Meng: [Yanle, there's a really good dance performance tonight, want to go see it together?]
Fu Yanle deleted the two WeChat friends without expression.
Yu Jingchen's chat list was still on the first page. Fu Yanle thought for a moment and then pinned it to the top. He browsed Yu Jingchen's Moments for nothing, and accidentally tapped the pink profile picture as he exited.
Fu Yanle glanced at the time and guessed that Yu Jingchen should be in a meeting, so he didn't pay any attention. Unexpectedly, Yu Jingchen replied less than two minutes later.
[Brother Chen patted you]
Chen Ge: [What's wrong?]
Fu Yanle tucked his hands into his sleeves, leaving only his slender fingers to type: [No, it was an accident. I'm in the audition room. Didn't you go to the meeting?]
Chen Ge: [Xu Shuo is preparing, it'll be ready soon.]
Fu Yanle tapped the screen: [Do you know Song Xueyan?]
Chen Ge: [I know.]
Fu Yanle replied: [Let me tell you, some sour lemon was talking badly about him in the restroom, and it even dragged innocent me into it. I did a little dirty work and made the sour lemon's face turn green with anger, but I didn't expect Song Xueyan to be in the stall. Hahaha, he's sitting next to me now. (Little panda laughing heartily.jpg)]
Fu Yanle counted to 10, and Yu Jingchen replied: 【Do you think Song Xueyan is pretty?】
Huh?
Fu Yanle honestly replied: 【Of course he's handsome. I think even without period costume, he looks like a celestial being, with a cool and pure temperament, truly the kind of person you can only admire from afar. I've never seen that type before. Plus, his voice is very pleasant; it's quite comfortable to chat with him.】
This time, Fu Yanle waited about two minutes for Yu Jingchen's reply to the "typing..." message: 【Oh. 】
oh?
You only typed "oh" after two minutes?
What's the meaning!
Fu Yanle stared at the screen, lost in thought.
He's jealous.
A clear, melodious voice sounded beside him. Fu Yanle turned his head, and Song Xueyan gave him an apologetic smile: "Your phone doesn't have a privacy screen protector, so I saw it with just a glance."
"It's okay." Fu Yanle leaned closer, asking politely, "Is he jealous? What should I say?"
Song Xueyan looked at Fu Yanle for a few seconds and genuinely felt that this person who looked like a little devil was actually quite innocent.
“When he asks you if I’m pretty, it’s a test. You not only compliment me but also say a lot more, so of course he’s uncomfortable,” Song Xueyan said. “So this ‘oh’ expresses his dissatisfaction, jealousy, vigilance, and perhaps even anxiety.”
Wow!
Fu Yanle scratched his head. "But I'm telling the truth. I can't just lie and say you're not good-looking. My aesthetic sense doesn't allow me to say such a thing."
“You can tell the truth, but you have to be tactful.” As soon as Song Xueyan finished speaking, Fu Yanle blinked, looking eager.
He sighed softly and said, "It's simple, just say something sweet. Think about it, what kind of sweet talk can make him feel that no matter how good-looking other people are, they can't threaten his position? What words can both appease him and express your special feelings for him?"
Wow!
What profound knowledge!
Fu Yanle fell into deep thought again.
The other party is typing.
Yu Jingchen glanced at the time and found that Fu Yanle had already entered five minutes.
He knew Fu Yanle's bad habit—being obsessed with looks.
Objectively speaking, Song Xueyan is indeed quite good-looking. Now they're sitting together, while he's still in his distant office. I wonder if Fu Yanle's eyes are sparkling when he looks at Song Xueyan? What will they talk about? Will they add each other on WeChat...?
"..." Yu Jingchen put down his phone and pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance.
Just then, his phone vibrated slightly, and he quickly picked it up.
Little Lucky Bag: [From an objective aesthetic point of view, he's really good-looking. But from an emotional point of view, there's only one man in the entire universe who's even 0.1 points less attractive than me! (Heart-shaped wave.gif)]
"Probably another round of flattery." Yu Jingchen muttered to himself, poking Fu Yanle's profile picture in annoyance and patting it several times.
Little Lucky Bag: [Stop taking pictures, I'm getting dizzy!]
"Serves you right." Yu Jingchen slapped him again in retaliation.
Little Lucky Bag: [Go ahead and kill me! But, um, can I still have fresh and beautiful roses today? (shy.jpg)]
“…So cute.” Yu Jingchen chuckled, suddenly feeling less annoyed. “So cute, of course I’d like to have one.”
When Xu Shuo knocked and entered, Yu Jingchen's face was full of lust. Xu Shuo immediately understood, placed the documents on the table, and said, "President Yu, the meeting will begin in an hour."
"Okay." Yu Jingchen didn't even look up as he exchanged memes with Fu Yanle. "Has Song Xueyan completely severed ties with Huaying Media?"
"I don't know about that. Please wait a moment while I call and ask." With that, Xu Shuo left the office.
Fifteen minutes later, Xu Shuo returned to the office, by which time Yu Jingchen had already stolen more than fifty emojis from Fu Yanle.
“Song Xueyan unilaterally proposed to terminate his contract with Huaying Media, with a breach of contract fee of 250 million yuan,” Xu Shuo said. “I have looked into it in detail, and the termination process between him and Huaying has been completed. His agent and assistant are both affiliated with Huaying, and he is now a freelance artist and has not found a new agent.”
Yu Jingchen asked, "Do you know the reason for terminating the contract?"
“That’s not confirmed yet.” Xu Shuo raised an eyebrow. “However, he’s been in the industry for three years and acted in five movies. 250 million is almost the total amount of his salary for those five movies. He doesn’t accept advertising endorsements, and his salary is subject to a company cut. In other words, this time he not only lost three years’ worth of savings but also lost a lot of his own money to terminate the contract. Paying such a high price to terminate the contract with Huaying means that his bottom line has been crossed.”
Yu Jingchen said, "Have Yaoguang go and talk to Song Xueyan."
“Song Xueyan is indeed a cash cow. He could easily be the top star in any major company, and to achieve such success in just three years since his debut, his future is limitless. He has a grudge against Huaying, so if he wants to sign with a company, Yaoguang is definitely his best choice. I will inform them and tell them to do their best to negotiate.” Xu Shuo paused, “But President Yu, why did you suddenly think of him?”
"Yan Le has a good impression of him," Yu Jingchen said. "Both professionally and personally, they can sign him."
Oh, I see.
Xu Shuo pushed up his glasses. "Song Xueyan is quite handsome, and I've heard he's gay. If we get too close to him, what if..."
Looking at the selfie sent by Fu Yanle, Yu Jingchen said, "Yanle has been used to being surrounded by people since he was a child, but he doesn't have many friends who can truly get along with him. With his personality, there are very few people who can leave a good impression on him. If they get along, Yanle will have one more friend. In the future, if he is unhappy, he will have one more person to talk to, and if he wants to do something, he will have one more person to accompany him."
“That’s rare,” Xu Shuo said with a smile. “I thought you didn’t want to share him with a second person.”
Yu Jingchen is a very controlling person; it's his nature and a necessary ability for him. Xu Shuo originally thought that given Fu Yanle's special importance in Yu Jingchen's heart, Yu Jingchen's possessiveness would only be stronger, and since Fu Yanle is also spoiled and domineering, the two would definitely have to work things out for a long time. However, he never expected that Yu Jingchen would take the initiative to back down like this.
“Of course I don’t want to share him with anyone.” Yu Jingchen leaned back, resting his head on the back of the chair, his face calm.
“But I know I can’t take up all his time, even though I really want to. Maybe other things are easy for me to get, and I can get whatever I want without hesitation, but Yanle is different.” A look of sorrow crossed Yu Jingchen’s eyes. “There is so little I can do for him. In front of him, I am just a cowardly timid man. Otherwise, he would not have gone to Su Fengyao’s side.”
“Of course you have the ability to stop it,” Xu Shuo said. “You just chose to respect Young Master Fu’s choice.”
"This kind of respect has become my constraint. Just like Yanle is with me now, I can do my best to pursue him and protect him, but if one day in the future he chooses to leave me, I will still be powerless to stop it."
Yu Jingchen rarely makes fun of himself.
"Actually, if that day really comes, locking him up is not a bad idea. This thought has even crossed my mind countless times."
Xu Shuo sighed, "I guess you definitely wouldn't dare."
“Of course I wouldn’t dare. If I did, I would never dare to look him in the eye again.” Yu Jingchen lowered his eyes. “Accepting his indifference already makes me admire my own courage, but I know I cannot bear his disgust.”
Or rather, he absolutely could not tolerate hurting Fu Yanle, regardless of the reason.
Yu Jingchen looked at the screen; Fu Yanle had not yet replied to his message.
“I’m jealous of everything that makes him like me, but I can’t take away his right to make friends freely. I’ll push whatever makes him happy in front of him. It’s not about flattery, it’s just that there’s so little I can do for him, so I don’t want to miss out on anything.”
"I hope he is joyful and happy every moment, even if the reason has nothing to do with me."
Yu Jingchen's voice, blocked by the door, was clear, melodious, gentle, and resonant.
Fu Yanle withdrew his hand from the door.
The peach-pink snow rose in her arms remained stunned for a long time.
Author's Note:
Two major charms of the older generation: restraint and appropriateness!
Even if it makes Chen Ge incredibly jealous, he won't cause any trouble for Xiao Fu. Of course, he wants to spend more time with Xiao Fu, but he also wants Xiao Fu to make more true friends, because he can't guarantee that he'll always be by Xiao Fu's side and needed by her. Now, Chen Ge is even certain that Xiao Fu will leave him one day.
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