Chapter 38 Chapter 38
Soon it was time to discuss the contract.
Lu Yanxi lives in a very confidential community, where she has several neighbors who are in the same profession.
Cen Xue didn't ask about the old house in City S. After knocking on the door, Lu Yanxi came to greet her quickly. It seemed that she had been guarding the door.
Lu Yanxi: "Good morning."
At such a close distance, I couldn't help but glance up and down.
Cen Xue discovered that he seemed to have dressed up at home. His clothes were just as casual as the last time he was in the teahouse...even giving him a pure and innocent look. His hairstyle was just the right amount of messy hair, with a few strands slightly covering his eyes, looking breathable and harmless.
Cen Xue: "...Good morning."
Now he was sure that Lu Yanxi did it on purpose.
The stylist didn't hide the truth today, and there were traces of hair straighteners on Lu Yanxi's hair.
Lu Yanxi had been stared at for quite some time, and a subtle expression appeared on her face.
Cen Xue: "Aren't you going to invite me in?"
Cen Xue's response was a dog barking.
He lowered his head when he heard the voice.
"Wow," Cen Xuebang read, "Good morning to you too?"
"Feel sorry……!"
Lu Yanxi bent down and began to entangle with this unexpected visitor. It seemed that it should not be here. He was afraid that it would run away. He subconsciously wanted to close the door, but then he remembered that Cen Xue was still outside. He was suddenly in a state of confusion as to whether to open or close it.
He tried to deal with it, but the animal was too noisy. Finally, he picked it up and said to Cen Xue, "You come in first."
In complete agreement, Cen Xue and a pitch-black Chinese pastoral dog looked at each other in bewilderment.
"Don't tell me that not only has Puff's name and gender changed, but also its breed?"
"...It's a long story. Here are the slippers," Lu Yanxi stepped back to let Cen Xue in. "This is the puppy Puff injured earlier. I healed it and then adopted it."
Not actually a puppy.
This would be considered a medium-sized dog.
People who keep pets will have this kind of filter, Cen Xue understands.
Lu Yanxi held it in her arms, with most of its upper body covered. It must have done this more than once. She skillfully found a place to put her feet, and then tried her best to twist her neck and look at Cen Xue with a gasp.
The location of the wound is very obvious, there is a scar on the right eye.
Cen Xue guessed, "Call him Pirate?"
"no."
Lu Yanxi was a little embarrassed to speak again. His arms were particularly pleasing to the eye with their tense and taut muscles and blue veins against the background of the dog's fur. Feeling that the dog's butt was about to rub against him, he secretly lifted it up again.
He said, "My name is Chengtie."
Following the tradition of Big Brother Puff, Steel is one family.
Cen Xue: "..."
The dog heard his own name and answered loudly again.
Seeing something in his meaningful eyes, Lu Yanxi hurriedly explained: "Maybe it's because of Puff, it only recognizes this name..."
It's definitely not because of some bad naming habit!
Cen Xue couldn't say whether sharing a room with the cat that had beaten it up was a high-pressure environment.
However, when the black dog really saw the long-lost long-haired big white cat walking out from the depths, it struggled to jump down. Lu Yanxi let it go, and it pounced on the white cat happily, jumping left and right excitedly until it was calmed down by the white cat's raised paws, and then it curled up on the ground obediently, turning into a doggie donut.
The cat stepped on its belly nobly and found a comfortable position to lie down.
He swept his tail and glanced over casually, examining Cen Xue.
Well, Cen Xue thought, I’m already a complete bootlicker… no, little brother.
The luggage was put aside and Cen Xue approached cautiously.
Why do I feel a little inexplicably homesick?
The big white cat didn't move at all, ignoring Cen Xue's faint excitement, as if meeting him was just part of the cat boss's busy schedule.
Cen Xue held out her wrist and kept a safe distance from it.
"If I call it by its original name, will it respond?"
He didn't need Lu Yanxi to answer. He just muttered nervously to himself, and finally called out the new name that he had practiced countless times in his mind but was difficult to say: "Lu... Lu Chenggang?"
This scene is really weird.
Because the first two characters of the word "cat" are the same, the dog's ears stand up excitedly until the word "gang" appears, and then retract after it appears.
However, the white cat just sniffed and didn't react in any other way.
This was different from the Puff in Cen Xue's memory. Seven years ago, it was a spoiled creature, but it could recognize people and was very smart. When you waved your hand, it would plop down on the ground and meow for humans to pet it.
He was afraid that this was a sign of aging and fading vitality.
What I’m more afraid of is forgetting him.
Suddenly feeling a little bewildered, Cen Xue turned to look at Lu Yanxi: "He ignored me."
Lu Yanxi was also confused. If her memory served her correctly, this master was parkouring on the refrigerator and cabinets yesterday!
This is different from what we agreed.
When he saw Cen Xue, he panicked a little and squatted down to check if the cat was feeling unwell.
She tried everything, but the cat still didn't respond. In the end, Lu Yanxi was helpless and said, "Puff, you really don't know me..."
White cat: "Meow."
Lu Yanxi and Cen Xue looked at each other: "?!"
What the hell, it turns out this name requires double unlocking?
Cen Xue reacted quickly: "Puff? Puff!"
Puff: "Ahhhhh!"
It's hard to say, you can actually see the changes in emotions from a cat's face.
But at this time, people should react more strongly than cats.
Cen Xue felt relieved, and he boldly picked up Puff - just like seven years ago, he lifted the two front legs first, and the cat turned into a long cat strip and dangled. Cen Xue realized later that he was much stronger than before, and no longer needed to change postures in such a roundabout way.
There are patterns in Puff's eyes due to aging.
Only then did Cen Xue feel the passage of time. In an instant, he seemed to have forgotten everything that happened seven years ago and returned to the afternoon when he first met Puff.
He put his unfinished lunch box on the ground, and the big white cat stole half a chicken leg.
Buried in Puff's furry chest, Cen Xue couldn't help but feel a sour feeling in her nose. A meme she had accidentally seen flashed through her mind: People, you can always cry in the cat's broad chest.
So it became a dilemma.
"Great, it recognized you."
The two of them sat on the floor, unable to hide their joy. Lu Yanxi felt as if she were in another world, as if everything had stopped at the brief period of cohabitation. For a long time afterwards, whenever she couldn't hold on any longer, she would rely on this memory as an anchor for her mental state.
He couldn't help but lean towards Cen Xue, his breath getting hotter—
"Ahem."
The illusory and beautiful scene was shattered.
Caught off guard, they looked up and saw a man with an imposing aura standing at the door of the study.
"Should we finish talking about this sooner rather than later?"
It’s Zhang Yan.
Cen Xue had only dealt with her formally twice, but her image of being smart and capable was too deeply impressed.
Time has left traces on her appearance, with white hair visible, but her spirit seems to be sharper than a sword. Looking into her eyes, Cen Xue subconsciously shrank back a little, and the scene of waiting in the deserted Lu family for four days came to his mind. Soon he realized that time had passed and there was no longer any targeting on her face.
Those emotions seem to have been smoothed out over the years.
For her, it was all over.
Cen Xue read it out and wrote about the atmosphere of peace.
Lu Yanxi stood up and introduced: "This is my agent, you should have met him once."
once?
Cen Xue put the cat down, and Puff and the dog were circling around his feet, noticing the inconsistency in the details.
"Hello, long time no see." Zhang Yan said.
"……haven't seen you for a long time."
Cen Xue shook hands with her.
Zhang Yan led them into the study: "Sorry, there have been some personnel changes in the company, and I have to go and take care of it later."
After all, it was their own company, and Lu Yanxi also understood: "Is Zhou Hang still leaving?"
Then he whispered to Cen Xue, "An agent. I don't know who poached him, but he wants to change jobs."
“That’s too much.”
Zhang Yan was somewhat disdainful, but there was nothing he could do. Everyone wanted to make more money, and super high salary was a shameless and obvious move, because everyone knew that the old employer would not give more for him, so job hopping was natural.
"He's in charge of the boy band, and there are a lot of things that need to be coordinated. Plus, some members are unruly, so finding someone who can control them is not easy."
Zhang Yan cue the process, "Let's get started. Mr. Cen, take a look at this contract."
"Mr. Cen".
Cen Xue got goosebumps when an elder, who she thought was quite oppressive, called her that.
He took the contract and read it carefully, during which time Zhang Yan made many apologetic phone calls.
She is really busy.
Just like seven years ago, Cen Xue's mind had wandered a little. When she met her face to face, she always seemed to be preoccupied with important matters.
…
"Yanxi and his father went to work in another place, and the house here needs cleaning."
"...What do you mean by cleaning?"
"It means he won't be coming back, at least for a long time."
Cen Xue was stunned, unable to comprehend what she meant for a moment.
He couldn't ask directly about the kiss with Lu Yanxi. He wasn't stupid enough to tell others about his sexual orientation which was not widely accepted.
As if seeing through his defense, Zhang Yan sighed, frowned, and walked past him to a corner of the living room.
Then he pointed to the clock on the wall, facing the sofa.
"It's a hidden camera, used to prevent theft and track fans," Zhang Yan said tactfully. "We knew about it the first day you moved in, but we didn't think of stopping it, except for that day."
That day, no doubt, was the day they kissed.
The surveillance camera was facing them and captured everything.
Cen Xue's blood nearly froze at her voice.
Puff fell to the ground after he unconsciously let go of her hand. She was afraid of strangers and meowed as she fled into the bedroom.
At this moment, Cen Xue hated herself for not being a cat, so that she wouldn't have to face what was in front of her.
"I..." His jaw opened and closed stiffly, and one could even hear the clicking sound. "I'm sorry, I, I--"
Zhang Yan didn't say anything too final: "Would you mind packing up your things? The cleaning staff will be here in two hours."
"...Okay." Cen Xue obeyed the order mechanically.
He went to the bedroom to find the bag. Puff didn't understand what was going on and thought she wanted him to play with her, so she kept jumping in.
"Stop it."
Cen Xue took the cat out and his voice startled even himself when he spoke. It was as hoarse as if he had a high fever and hadn't drunk anything for three days. When he touched his face, he was covered in cold sweat. But perhaps he was already terrified to the extreme, far beyond what he could handle and bear, and he fell into a strange calm.
Touch your eyes and don’t cry.
After packing up his things, Zhang Yan said he would drive him there and asked where his home was.
Cen Xue only mentioned a bus stop.
The Lu family was about a quarter of an hour's drive from the station. Cen Xue sat in the car, holding her backpack in her arms, watching the scenery passing by outside the window.
Listening silently to Zhang Yan answering countless calls.
She is very busy.
In addition to the company, the people who called her might also be some reporters and paparazzi who were looking for information.
Zhang Yan's blunt, harsh rebuke assaulted Cen Xue's eardrums. "They're talking bullshit! They're just talking nonsense! What's there to say about a few photos of the crew?! Where's your PR?"
"...You were the one who reported it, right? I'm warning you, stop harassing me, or I'll call the police."
"Why do you care if I'm his mother? Are any woman close to Lu Fengjun the subject of your speculation? I have no idea who Lu Yanxi's mother is!"
"What do you mean by 'using an amateur to hide the real relationship'? I think you're out of your mind...!"
The car stopped in front of the bus stop.
Zhang Yan was furious at the harassment on the other end of the phone. Seeing Cen Xue's pale face, he calmed down a bit and said, "Sorry, I'm too busy. If possible, please don't tell anyone about this."
Cen Xue avoided her: "I won't tell."
There was silence between the two for a few seconds.
Then Cen Xue heard Zhang Yan suddenly say, "Do you also think I'm his biological mother?"
As luck would have it, Cen Xue knew some rumors.
When he was in the school drama crew, he heard the gossip from the crew, saying that Lu Yanxi's biological mother was unknown, and according to them, she was born by Zhang Yan. She was so close to the Lu father and son. She had worked hard to raise the older one since he was in his twenties, and had been taking care of the younger one since he was just born. Now that they were filming together, Lu Yanxi was no different from her own son.
Cen Xue was inexplicably honest in front of Zhang Yan: "I just heard about it..."
Zhang Yan sighed tiredly.
She said: "I just want to be nice to the child I watched grow up. What's wrong with that?"
"That's right."
Cen Xue answered quickly.
Zhang Yan was surprised: "What?"
"You're not wrong."
Cen Xue tried to open the car door, but it didn't work the first time. It was the automatic lock inside the car. The second time, it opened. He unbuckled his seat belt and said to Zhang Yan, "I'm just being nice to one person."
"...I'm not your biological child either," he lowered his voice, "and my mother is very good to me."
Cen Xue got out of the car and thanked Zhang Yan solemnly: "Thank you."
"If possible, could you please say hello to Lu Yanxi for me?"
"...It's almost impossible," Zhang Yan came back to his senses, "You know."
Cen Xue: "Yeah."
He lowered his head again, put on his backpack, and walked towards the path on the distant street.
Zhang Yan didn't know why, but she only restarted the car after she couldn't see his back in the rearview mirror. All she could think about were Cen Xue's words of comfort... or was it comfort?
The mystery of the biological mother has been a long-standing news topic.
Not only her, many female stars have been targeted for whether they are the ones who "anonymously gave birth to a child for Lu Fengjun."
But in the end, she was the one who suffered the most suspicion and criticism.
A few days ago, Lu Yanxi finished filming, and Zhang Yan took him over according to Lu Fengjun's instructions. He said verbally that there were some scenes to discuss, but Lu Yanxi had no idea what he was actually going to face.
When he got off the car, he was still comforting Zhang Yan: "Aunt Yan, don't listen to what those people say. How can they know our own feelings?"
But she personally handed the child, whom she treated as her own, to the furious father.
For a long time afterwards, Zhang Yan and Lu Fengjun almost broke up, and the two became estranged. However, they had worked together for too long, and they both had shares in the company and could no longer avoid each other. Now they can only be regarded as business partners, and the trust and intimacy they had before can no longer be restored.
Until now, seven years later.
The child who was supposed to be asleep reappeared in front of the public.
Zhang Yan was always conflicted. On the one hand, she didn't want Lu Yanxi to repeat the same mistake, and on the other hand, what Cen Xue said that day -
It echoed in my ears again and again.
"Pay attention to these key points," Zhang Yan said, hanging up the work call and pointing out the important parts of the contract to Cen Xue. "Payment, working hours, agency fees... Oh, and we'll assign you an assistant to facilitate the crew's work."
Cen Xue looked at them one by one and had to say that they were already very good conditions.
He picked up the pen to sign. Zhang Yan looked at the date and said, "There's still half a month before you can join the team."
She took a deep breath—
"It's not convenient to stay in a hotel, why not stay at Yanxi's house?"
Zhang Yan had changed a long time ago.
My heart has long been biased.
Just like I warned Lu Yanxi before: Don’t think that you can act recklessly just because Lu Fengjun is recuperating and I can’t take care of you.
But now she feels that this sentence is right.
As soon as she said this, Lu Yanxi and Cen Xue looked at her in surprise. The former reacted faster and immediately seized the opportunity: "Stay at my house, Axue, you can stay with Puff for a few more days."
"Although I'd like to, but..."
Cen Xue pointed downstairs awkwardly.
"In fact, I have rented the house downstairs and plan to move there later."
Don't ask, the answer is that Fu Rouyun cried, made a fuss, and even threatened to hang himself. If they didn't live apart, he would swear to be a ghost that would haunt Cen Xue for three lifetimes. He used all kinds of tricks, such as kicking Lu Yanxi's house and punching the crew.
The house downstairs was also prepared by Fu Rouyun.
“Tsk.”
Zhang Yan glared at Lu Yanxi.
It was all in vain.
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