Chapter 13 Hello, I am her boyfriend
The online discussion about the drama is still in full swing, so much so that Li Ji's popularity has also increased a lot. The variety show he and Duan Ming starred in has also been broadcast. Undoubtedly, some people complained about Duan Ming while others felt sorry for Li Ji.
——'Duan Ming is such a feminist, I'm going to turn against her.'
"Why do you keep picking on him? I always thought he was just standing there quietly but he kept getting called out. It's really speechless."
"It's not that bad, right? Duan Ming is probably just a simple straight-laced woman. You're taking it too far."
"I thought Li Ji was a really cool guy, but now he looks so cute standing there. I'm about to become his fan."
"Ahhhhh Li Ji is just a god-like beauty!!! It's so beautiful, I want to lick it."
"Does anyone think Li Ji is too eccentric? Emmmm... It feels like he's always pretending to attract attention, a bit like a green tea. His appearance is really unpleasant. He feels like the kind of campus idol who would bully others..."
"I feel the same way as the person above... He seems like a bit of a gangster who smokes, drinks, and has tattoos. I'm really afraid of that aura he exudes."
…
Variety shows + ancient idol dramas, with the blessing of these two popularity, Li Ji's popularity is also rising. Perhaps it is because of his figure and appearance, he is almost a person who specializes in this field, so his fans are increasing very quickly, and there are a lot more announcements and scripts than before. Sheng Zhao is busy, and she carefully selected a lot of them before deciding on them.
Li Ji continued to live his previous life, taking photos and attending classes, and he also made rapid progress.
He has always been indifferent to the positive comments about him online. He only reads a few comments occasionally and just glances over them. Instead, he has been trying hard to maintain his own pace of life.
Sometimes Sheng Zhao would hold the comments in front of him before he would take a serious look at them.
This time, Sheng Zhao picked out two scripts for him - one was a movie about school bullying, which had a deep meaning and ended with the death of the protagonist. The script was well-polished, but the director was worried about the lack of funds. Sheng Zhao was confident that with the support of Huayun Entertainment and Li Ji, this movie would cause quite a discussion.
——The second one is a serious male villain. His evilness is justified and even taken for granted. He is not deliberately whitewashed. The plot and character settings are all carefully polished. If he plays the role well, he will be a very popular character.
Sheng Zhao preferred the first option, but Li Ji chose the second one without hesitation.
Sheng Zhao paused, then put away the first script with a hint of regret, muttering to himself, "Why? It's clearly going to be a huge hit."
"...Then I'll make the second character a big hit."
Li Ji was silent for a moment and said this.
Sheng Zhao tilted her head slightly and murmured, "So confident." She smiled broadly and didn't ask why.
Although Li Ji's fame has increased, it is normal for Sheng Zhao to be busy as his agent, but Li Ji feels that Sheng Zhao is a little strange recently. She seems... too busy.
I can't see him during the day, and sometimes he doesn't come back for dinner at night, or even all night.
Every time after filming, Li Ji would look at the empty villa and frown slightly, but he would still wash up and go to bed as usual. Without Sheng Zhao at home, he was too lazy to even eat salad.
At this time, Sheng Zhao really had something to do.
Because I have been away from the company for a long time and have been doing nothing as the manager, the company has also encountered some problems.
For example, the shareholders completely disowned Sheng Cehan and deliberately went against him in an attempt to drive him out, which resulted in significant business problems. For the stability of Huayun Entertainment, Sheng Zhao had to step in to resolve the matter.
After all, in the eyes of the shareholders, Sheng Cehan is just a man without many shares. He dares to point fingers at them and act arbitrarily just because of his blood relationship with Sheng Zhao. Who does he think he is?
But if Yu Shiyun hadn't told her about this, Sheng Cehan would have had to hold on for a long time.
When Sheng Zhao returned, Sheng Cehan's eyes lit up the moment he saw her, but then his joy faded away. Like a child who had done something wrong, he lowered his head slightly, his Adam's apple trembling slightly, and said in a hoarse voice, "I'm sorry, brother didn't do it well."
Sheng Zhao did not comment, but sat lightly on the seat in the office, looking sideways at Sheng Cehan who looked like a child who had done something wrong.
She narrowed her eyes slightly and tilted her head. "You've been ostracized for so long, and you didn't even tell me?"
"I..." He pursed his lips, "I don't want to cause you any trouble. I'm sorry, Zhao Zhao, I didn't do well..."
The man who had been bearing the pressure from shareholders alone without changing his expression now looked a little pitiful.
His appearance is not as sharp and cold as Li Ji's, but he is cold - yes, just a kind of coldness. The corners of his lips are pursed when he has no expression. He does not have too many emotions normally. Under his handsomeness is indifference, and his eyes are filled with cold indifference and arrogance.
Maybe he was reliable when Sheng Zhao was a child, but now Sheng Zhao sometimes feels pity for him.
It’s hard to explain how pitiful it was... So Sheng Zhao just laughed softly, as if helpless and joking, playing with the pen on the table with his fingertips, and his feet were shaking from time to time.
"Brother is really useless... It's okay, I will take care of it."
Hearing these words, he trembled even more violently, pursed his lips, lowered his head and said nothing, his face becoming even paler.
It was also a little bit of a bad taste. She had known for a long time that if she let Sheng Cehan handle the company's affairs, the shareholders would definitely deliberately make things difficult for him.
So Sheng Zhao waited for him to show weakness, but he didn't... He stubbornly and pitifully held on.
Did he want to show his sister that he was useful? But didn't he still make a mess?
The mess was not entirely his fault; the undisciplined and stubborn shareholders were the key to the problem. Sheng Zhao darkened his eyes slightly, but there was no doubt that Sheng Zhao would be busy for a while.
Her feet were just swaying slightly as if she was bored, but her eyes were fixed on the information. Sheng Cehan approached carefully, knelt on one knee, held her ankle, and tied her slightly loose shoelaces.
He said in a low voice, "Zhao Zhao, brother is not useless. I will be more useful than them, so..."
Sheng Cehan lowered his head, his voice hoarse, "So... don't think that brother is useless."
The end of his voice trembled slightly, as if he was about to cry.
Then tears dripped onto his shoes.
She could only see the top of her head.
Sheng Zhao paused, lowered his eyes and looked at him, as if he understood his panic a little. His sister, who had relied on him to grow up, was now better than him and understood his thoughts, so she tried to find something to do to prove her own value as if she was not being relied on.
For example, interfering in Chen Shuoxing's affairs without authorization.
She even felt sorry for him.
Then he whispered, with something like compassion, "I forgive you."
Sheng Cehan frantically wiped the tears from Sheng Zhao's shoes, then suddenly looked up, his eyes red, and his voice hoarse with disbelief, "Really? Really? Have you forgiven me completely?"
Sheng Zhao nodded, but she paused, her expression remaining the same.
"But if there's a next time... you're old enough to get married, right? The eldest daughter of the Shen Group seems to have always liked you. The opportunity to devote yourself to Huayun Entertainment wouldn't be bad."
Sheng Cehan paused, his fingertips trembling as he wiped away his tears, panting tremblingly, "No, no, there won't be a next time... Zhao Zhao."
When Sheng Zhao finished speaking and was about to leave, he met Yu Shiyun as soon as he went out.
He was holding coffee and dessert, his face expressionless, his voice as flat as ever, "Oh, Boss, you came at an untimely time. I thought Mr. Xiao Sheng was the only one here, with only one cup of coffee."
Sheng Zhao smiled, reached out for a small piece of cake, and took a bite. "But you know I like desserts the most, and Mr. Sheng doesn't eat sweet things."
Yu Shiyun remained silent for a moment before saying, "I thought you would take some time to come back and deal with this mess."
Sheng Zhao remained silent, his expression unchanged. He simply glanced at Yu Shiyun, swallowed the cake in his mouth, and said in a faint voice, "It's best not to go in now. He's crying."
"...Okay." Yu Shiyun lowered her eyes, looking gentle and respectful.
After a pause, he stretched out his slender white fingers and wiped the cream from the corner of Sheng Zhao's lips.
Her voice was calm, yet still sarcastic. "It's certainly tough going back and forth between two men, Boss. You've been doing fine without me as your personal secretary. I guess he's a gentle man."
He sighed, as if on purpose, and adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses. His voice was light, "But I also hope you will keep Mr. Sheng and me in mind while we stay at home."
Yu Shiyun glanced down at her watch, then watched Sheng Zhao finish the cake. She said softly, "It's late now, shouldn't you go home? If you don't, it will be considered as cheating."
"You mean stealing the cake?"
Sheng Zhao smiled, pointed to the corner of his lips, and ignored his sarcastic words.
Although there were still a lot of messes waiting to be dealt with, dealing with Sheng Cehan was also a solution to the problem. She hummed a song and pressed the elevator button, preparing to go down to the president's office on the top floor.
The elevator arrived with a "ding dong" sound and then opened.
The person standing inside slowly appeared with the sound of the elevator ding-dong—
Then Sheng Zhao's expression did not show much emotion. Instead, his hand that was pressing the "〈〉" button slowly moved to "〉〈" and pressed it frantically, making a crackling sound.
“…So ruthless.”
Chen Shuoxing suddenly leaned forward, used his hand to hold the elevator door that was constantly extending and retracting, then took a step forward and used his foot to hold the door to ensure that the elevator would not extend, and then looked up at Sheng Zhao.
"Aren't you looking forward to seeing me?"
He tilted his head slightly and asked softly, his expression very similar to Sheng Zhao's usual one.
The light from above shone on his handsome face, making him look dreamy, detached and clear, like a fairy in a painting. His calm eyes were like an abyss, filled with strong emotions.
"You didn't expect to see me?"
Sheng Zhao didn't answer, but just looked at him quietly.
Chen Shuoxing seemed to understand something, and frowned slightly. He stretched out his fingertips and gently touched her lips, "You just ate the cake."
It seemed that Yu Shiyun deliberately did not wipe it clean.
Chen Shuoxing frowned and retracted his fingertips. Then he lowered his head and licked the slightly buttery fingertips. He paused and commented, "...It's not very tasty."
Sheng Zhao still didn't speak.
"...It seems like he doesn't even want to talk to me." Chen Shuoxing tilted his head slightly and looked at Sheng Zhao, who had an expressionless face, and sighed inaudibly.
His hair was a little light under the light, but his face had the calm and noble aura of a son of God.
"One day you'll be willing to come to me."
Chen Shuoxing spoke slowly, then retreated back into the elevator, muttering to himself, "I've been waiting for you for a long time, and I only met you once... and you didn't even say a word to me."
He seemed to be watching a child having a tantrum.
The two of them were still facing each other. Chen Shuoxing pressed the elevator button, paused, and then spoke to Sheng Zhao in a calm voice.
"By the way, don't press the elevator button outside like you did just now. I'll press it myself. I'm afraid it will break down and crash, and then I won't be able to see you next time."
As the elevator door slowly closed, his voice gradually became quieter and finally disappeared.
Sheng Zhao watched the floors above him decrease one by one and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
When Sheng Zhao returned with his tired body, Li Ji had already been waiting for a long time.
He looked at the cold food expressionlessly and went to the balcony with a cigarette to get some fresh air. Just as he leaned on the balcony and was about to light the cigarette, he searched all over his body but couldn't find the lighter.
In fact, he smokes very little now and is slowly quitting.
But now I just want to smoke one.
His expression became even darker, and just as he was about to turn around to get his lighter, a hand holding a lighter suddenly reached out to him.
Li Ji paused, then leaned over slightly and let her light a cigarette.
As the flames grew, the smoke slowly enshrouded his handsome features. His eyes were as hazy as moonlight, and he spoke in a hoarse voice, "Are you willing to come back?"
Sheng Zhao put away his lighter and shrugged, "Why don't you come back?"
"...Don't answer a question with a question, my dear lady."
He held the cigarette nonchalantly and exhaled a puff of smoke. He spoke in a hoarse voice, paused, and then put the cigarette out.
He leaned against the balcony railing with his eyes lowered casually and helplessly, looking up at the stars in the sky. From this angle, Sheng Zhao could easily see his Adam's apple and slightly open thin lips.
His Adam's apple trembled slightly, and he seemed helpless. After a moment, he spoke softly.
"...I hate caring about you like this, and I shouldn't ask you why you came back so late."
He held the stubbed cigarette butt between his lips, his lips slightly moist, and murmured indistinctly, "It's really weird."
"The food has been heated up twice and it's still warm. Go eat it."
Sheng Zhao could sense that he was in a very low mood. She paused, reached out and pinched the cigarette he was holding, then snatched it away.
"Although I'm very busy recently, it's okay to urge you to quit smoking. Quit smoking, my big star."
Then she took the cigarette and lighter, pointed at the trash can downstairs, closed one eye, aimed, and threw it down.
With a "bang".
She threw the cigarettes and lighter into the trash can downstairs.
Li Ji was a little stunned, his eyes were a little rippled, and then he raised the corner of his lips, "Why, don't you like men who smoke?"
"dislike."
She answered decisively, which made Li Ji pause. He casually tugged at his collar to get rid of the smell of cigarettes as soon as possible. His fair and beautiful collarbone was exposed because of the movement, and his Adam's apple slid up and down slightly, which was a bit sexy.
"Oh, then I won't smoke."
He had that flirtatious expression on his face again, even slightly raised the corners of his lips, and casually tossed his hair that was messy from the night wind, appearing a bit casually sexy.
Oddly enough, he was sometimes stern and indifferent, and sometimes playful, and even his emotions were vague, as if he was cautiously rubbing against others.
Sheng Zhao paused, tilted his head slightly towards him, and said softly, "I've been busy with my own things recently. I will arrange your work. Don't let your imagination run wild."
"…What can I possibly imagine?"
He pursed his lips and said this, almost quickly cutting off the topic and getting up to go into the house. Li Ji pursed his lips as if he didn't care and said nothing, "I don't mind you coming in and out early, and you don't have to explain anything to me. That's it, I will quit smoking, and you just go eat quickly."
Sheng Zhao just watched his back as he left.
It was very strange. He was clearly expressing his true feelings just now, and the atmosphere was very good. His eyes even looked a little pitiful, but when Sheng Zhao explained to him, he became like a cat with its fur standing on end.
That's really strange.
But Sheng Zhao never understood men, so he just went with him.
Just like Sheng Cehan is a poor madman and Chen Shuoxing is a poor inferior product, Sheng Zhao may be able to know what they will do next, but he actually never understands what they are thinking.
Sheng lowered his eyes slightly.
...I really hate this feeling of being out of control.
——————————
Chen Shuoxing said: "One day you will be willing to come to me."
Sheng Zhao only now understood what he was talking about.
He blocked all of Li Ji's notifications.
Although Li Ji had her as a support, she never used Huayun Entertainment to get notices for Li Ji. Instead, it was more directors and filming notices that matched Li Ji's fame that came to him on his own initiative.
Chen Shuoxing is currently the top star in Country A and is also well-known abroad, so it is possible that he can attract everyone's attention and make them ignore Li Ji, a young star who has just entered the entertainment industry.
...It's really frustrating.
Chen Shuoxing is currently also an artist under Huayun Entertainment. Although he is too famous to be under any control, Sheng Zhao can still make him suffer a little and directly cut off his company's announcements. Sheng Zhao is also overwhelmed by the company's affairs and has no time to find him as he said.
Besides, why look for him? Sheng Zhao hates him so much that he doesn't even have time to bother looking for him.
Since all the notices that came to him were gone, he would give the notices that Chen Shuoxing had stopped directly to Li Ji. Although most of these notices were endorsements from big names and movies directed by big directors, and specifically wanted Chen Shuoxing, there were always some that were worthy of Li Ji.
A foreign magazine originally wanted to invite Chen Shuoxing to be the cover of the magazine, but after seeing Li Ji's face and figure, they changed their mind and agreed to choose Li Ji after careful consideration.
Although Chen Shuoxing is more famous, he did not accept this notice. Li Ji's appearance is more recognizable, wild and aggressive, which caters to the magazine's taste. He is also a good replacement for Chen Shuoxing.
When Sheng Zhao finally finished dealing with the company's affairs and went home to have a good rest, the doorbell rang.
She was drinking hot cocoa with a small cake, curled up on the sofa in a blanket. It was drizzling outside, and it was a rare moment of relaxation and comfort.
But this was not Li Ji's time to get off work, and he would usually send a message back after get off work.
Sheng Zhao paused, thinking about who might come - Duan Jingrui, Duan Ming... ?
Then she opened the door. The person in front of her was holding a simple black umbrella, his hair was slightly wet, and his eyes, clear as moonlight, raised up and looked at her calmly.
He said—
"Good afternoon, Zhao Zhao."
He stood under the eaves at the door, folded his umbrella, and asked politely, "Did I disturb you?"
"Yes, can you go?"
Chen Shuoxing tilted his head slightly and replied softly, "Sorry, I can't."
Fortunately, this is a villa area, there are not many passers-by and it was raining, so no one saw Chen Shuoxing, otherwise it would have caused a sensation.
His hair was slightly damp, dripping with water, sliding down his perfect, noble and clear face. A drop of water fell from the tip of his pointed nose, and flowed down to his thin, pale lips, wetting them.
"Why don't you come to me?"
Chen Shuoxing was slightly dazed, his clothes slightly damp. He leaned closer to Sheng Zhao and said matter-of-factly, "If you don't come to me, I'll have to come to you."
Sheng Zhao still didn't speak.
He seemed a little helpless, lowering his eyes as if in compromise, his crow-feather eyelashes covering his pupils. He slightly opened his hands to let Sheng Zhao look at him, "I just got wet outside on purpose for a while, because I was wet... like a puppy. Will you relent and let me in?"
"……Won't."
"Oh." Chen Shuoxing responded, his expression still calm. Instead, he took out his phone and said softly, "I'll post my location on Weibo and ask my fans to come here quickly. Is that okay?"
"That's despicable."
Sheng Zhao paused and opened the door.
Chen Shuoxing acted as if he didn't hear anything. He took off his shoes and looked around the room. He looked at the furniture and appliances that brought a sense of life to the room. He paused, his expression unchanged, still clear and hazy like moonlight.
After a moment, Chen Shuoxing finally spoke, "He can cook, right? Can you treat me to a meal?"
"Can't."
The way Sheng Zhao and Chen Shuoxing get along is very strange, or rather, it’s better to say that both of them are very strange.
Chen Shuoxing lowered his eyes as if he was lost, and his wet hair made him look like a puppy.
"Stop acting. Your acting skills aren't needed here. Why are you so disappointed? Can't you mock him if you're disappointed?"
Sheng Zhao's words were sharp, and at first glance seemed like a merciless sarcasm, but her words were also very calm, as if she was stating a helpless fact, so that Chen Shuoxing restrained his pitiful expression, slowly revealing an indifferent and calm face, he murmured.
"Acting is really tiring..."
He has acted in enough dramas, with announcements, interviews, magazines all the time... He needs to act in everything, to portray a man who is as noble as the white moonlight.
But in fact, Chen Shuoxing is a very lazy person. Acting has consumed enough of his energy. Usually, he has a calm expression and look.
Chen Shuoxing extended his hand to Sheng Zhao and asked in confusion, "Why don't you come back with me?"
Sheng Zhao thought for a moment and spoke.
"Maybe it's because you're a relatively inferior piece of work. Seeing you reminds me of my own failures, and it's hard to face you."
Chen Shuoxing paused, tilted his head, and asked, "I'm already perfect. Perfect family background, perfect personality, perfect popularity and fame—I've become your favorite star, at the highest level."
"What about him?" Chen Shuoxing said calmly, "A rat-like family background, a dirty past, a dissolute character, a pitiful reputation—"
He did not exaggerate, it was just what was written in the information provided by Sheng Cehan.
“Will he achieve greater success than me?”
Sheng Zhao did not answer, but just narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Chen Shuoxing with a smile.
Chen Shuoxing lowered his eyes and was about to say something.
The door was flung open—
The three of them looked at each other, and the atmosphere suddenly became awkward.
The scene was familiar, with a sense of déjà vu.
It was Chen Shuoxing who spoke softly to break the silence in this awkward atmosphere. There was no ripple in his eyes and handsome face, but calm and indifferent as he spoke softly.
"Hello, I'm her boyfriend."
Li Ji suddenly raised his eyebrows and said nothing.
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