Chapter 54: No Need to Trouble You

“After graduating from university at twenty-two, I started as a publicity assistant, then became an executive agent, and then worked my way up to manager.”

In a private room at a café, Ge Lanjing listed several artists’ names and didn’t hide her current situation at all. “Now I’m thirty-six. My advantage is my rich experience, and I’ve accumulated quite a network in the industry. But I have a one-year-old daughter with poor health. I’m not married—I’m a single parent. Although I have my mother and a nanny at home, I can’t completely let go. I’ll have to devote part of my energy to my family.”

Shen Xici nodded. “I understand. I also don’t need a manager who follows me around twenty-four hours a day. I only need a manager to help me handle big-picture matters, such as screening and negotiating scripts and endorsements, publicity and public relations, and so on.”

Ge Lanjing caught on: “You’re not planning to sign with a company?”

“Right. I want to establish a personal studio, but I’m usually on set, so if we work together, Sister Lanjing, you’ll need to take charge of all the studio’s affairs.”

Shen Xici had already thought it through. Given his current situation, not signing with a company was the best choice. Because no matter which company he signed with, he wouldn’t be able to select roles and scripts according to his own ideas. For example, Lu Jiming’s “Fleeting Life”—this kind of crew that looked like a rich second generation playing around, prone to collapse and disbandment with no prospects—a company would absolutely not agree to let him act in it.

After talking until now, Ge Lanjing was quite certain in her heart that Shen Xici was different from other newcomers. He had a very clear and mature plan and ideas for his career, so he didn’t need a strong manager to “lead” him. He just hoped to find a manager he could “collaborate” with.

“May I ask, before I came to you, what was Sister Lanjing’s career plan?”

Ge Lanjing smiled bitterly and didn’t avoid the situation she was facing: “I approached several management companies, but none had follow-ups. I can’t go back to my old employer, Linrui Media, either.”

She held the stirring spoon, carefully sorting out her thoughts. Her gaze gradually became resolute. “I should establish my own studio and work, and sign artists myself. Anyway, there will always be a way out—if not here, then there.”

This was also why Shen Xici had always admired Ge Lanjing. She wasn’t someone who would be bound by the difficulties before her. After a brief moment of despair, she could quickly continue moving forward.

He had asked her before if she regretted giving birth to her daughter. Otherwise, she could have stayed at Linrui Media, and the one sitting in the “Manager Director” position might not have been Yan Chao, but her.

Ge Lanjing shook her head, saying that after her father passed away, she had always wanted a blood relative, but she didn’t want to get married. It wasn’t until she was thirty-four that she finally decided to do IVF.

Since she had made this decision, she had to bear the consequences, whether good or bad. Regret was the most useless thing; what was useful was solving problems.

Shen Xici said sincerely, “You will definitely do well.”

“Why do I always feel like you have a filter when it comes to me?” Ge Lanjing looked at the traffic outside the window. After a while, her tone was complex. “Do you really want to work with me?”

Shen Xici gave a definite answer again: “Yes, I really hope you can be my manager.”

After thinking for a few seconds, Ge Lanjing made up her mind. She extended her hand and said solemnly, “I’ll do my best.” She sighed. “I admit, what you said ignited all my ambitions.”

Shen Xici clasped her hand and smiled. “Then let’s work hard together to turn those ambitions into reality.”

At least in this life, their starting time and starting point were much better than in the last life.

After seeing Ge Lanjing off in her car, Shen Xici replied to Sheng Shaoyan’s message and went home to change into slightly more formal clothes.

The crew’s dinner party was at a private restaurant in a villa district, occupying an entire detached building with three floors. The place was spacious and owned by a longtime friend of Director Wan Shan, who often hosted people in the industry.

When he was still some distance from the entrance, Shen Xici saw Zhong Yue striding toward him. “I was afraid you couldn’t find the way and was thinking of coming to pick you up. I didn’t expect you’d already be at the door!”

As the two walked inside together, Zhong Yue asked with concern, “How’s the new show going? Is everything smooth?”

“Pretty smooth. We should wrap by the end of this month.” As he spoke, Shen Xici suddenly stopped and turned his head toward the bushes, uncertain. “Teacher Zhong, was there someone taking pictures of us just now?”

Zhong Yue followed Shen Xici’s line of sight for a while, but the bushes were too dark to tell if any reporters were hiding there. “Are you an eagle? Your night vision is so good! But we haven’t done anything illegal or improper. If we’re photographed, so be it.”

Shen Xici withdrew his gaze. The movie had just premiered and was at its peak popularity. It was normal for reporters to be staking out here. He laughed and responded, “True. Maybe the reporters are frustrated—they wanted to shoot some explosive news but after squatting for hours, they only captured us walking here.”

Zhong Yue chuckled and said, “But it’s good that Teacher Shen can give me a boost. Your trending topic started climbing from midnight yesterday and by now has firmly settled in the top three. It’s all genuine discussion—I don’t know how many people are envious.”

From when Shen Xici woke up in the afternoon until now, he hadn’t had time to check Weibo. Upon hearing this, he quickly said, “I should be thanking Teacher Zhong for giving me a boost. If it weren’t for Teacher Zhong and Teacher Wen, this movie wouldn’t have this much attention.”

The smile on Zhong Yue’s face deepened. Thinking of something, he restrained his expression. “Did you see the trending topic Xu Lingjia bought a few days ago? Director Wan only said one sentence, and he couldn’t wait to claim that title. His fans keep using me as a stepping stone, saying things like Xu Lingjia’s acting was guided by me on set, so his performance in the movie definitely won’t be bad. So unlucky.”

Shen Xici didn’t respond to this. He knew Zhong Yue was just casually complaining and didn’t want any feedback or agreement from him. When they knocked on the villa door and went in together, Zhong Yue’s face already wore a bright smile. “Director, I brought Shen Xici! Is the barbecue ready? I’ve been craving it for half an hour. You didn’t finish everything, did you? At least leave me a few skewers!”

However, unexpectedly, even just walking around, those reporters could make up explosive stories.

When he saw a marketing account confidently write sentences like “Zhong Yue and Shen Xici secretly meet late at night holding hands,” Shen Xici almost dropped the grilled corn in his hand.

Wen Yage enlarged the photo posted by the marketing account. “Hey, no wonder these reporters have a knack for photography. Looking at this, it really does look like holding hands!”

Shen Xici quickly asked Zhong Yue, “Teacher Zhong, should I post on Weibo to explain?”

Wen Yage sat across from them, curved her red lips, and said meaningfully, “Who are you in such a hurry to explain to?”

Zhong Yue thought of the man who appeared in Shen Xici’s room at the Qintai Film City hotel. The impression was truly deep. Hearing Wen Yage’s tone, it seemed he wasn’t the only one who knew?

He also deliberately teased Shen Xici: “So anxious—are you worried someone will misunderstand? Quick, quick, quick, explain clearly?”

“I’m afraid Teacher Zhong’s fans will misunderstand.” Shen Xici had absolutely no intention of hyping up a CP. The gap between his and Zhong Yue’s status was too large, and “Capital City Massacre” still had to be released. He should avoid what needed to be avoided.

There were too many people around, so they didn’t continue pressing. Wen Yage drank half a glass of wine, clicking her lighter repeatedly, suppressing her cigarette craving. “It’s fine. Later tonight or tomorrow morning, the crew can post a big group photo from the gathering, and these marketing accounts’ fabricated stories will collapse on their own. There’s no need to specifically respond.”

Outside the villa.

Under the dense tree shadows, a black Maybach sat quietly. Sheng Shaoyan sat in the driver’s seat, also looking at the same photo.

After driving the car to the villa district at breakneck speed, in the half hour or so, he had calmed down.

Shen Xici said he had work-related matters to handle, and today was the first day “Mountain Range Line” premiered, so it was very likely the crew was getting together to celebrate.

Moreover, during the filming of “Mountain Range Line,” Shen Xici and Zhong Yue had almost no interaction and weren’t familiar at all. Later, when filming “Capital City Massacre,” Shen Xici was only with the crew for less than a month. After that, Shen Xici had been busy with the movie “Fleeting Life” and hadn’t left the set.

He kept listing various different reasons to convince himself, but Sheng Shaoyan still couldn’t control thinking—what if they became familiar during that month or so filming “Capital City Massacre”? And Shen Xici had even saved Zhong Yue.

What if knocking on hotel room doors at dawn to deliver things didn’t happen just that one time—

It wasn’t completely without trace.

Shen Xici’s message replies had been inconsistent in speed lately. He kept the keychain Zhong Yue gave him hanging without taking it off. When mentioning Zhong Yue, his tone was very familiar. They were people in the same circle, so they surely had many common topics when chatting—at least it wouldn’t be as boring as chatting with him.

A pale crescent moon hung in the sky, as cold as the sparse distant stars.

At this moment, as if sensing something, Sheng Shaoyan looked up and happened to see Shen Xici walking out from the villa entrance. Wearing just a simple black shirt, he had an upright posture that immediately caught the eye.

Just as Sheng Shaoyan was hesitating whether to open the door and get out to find Shen Xici, or pretend he had never come here, another person walked out from the main door, quickened their steps, and caught up to Shen Xici who was walking ahead.

It was Zhong Yue.

The hand reaching for the car door withdrew. Sheng Shaoyan leaned against the driver’s seat backrest, his gaze deep, watching from afar.

The distance was too far, and separated by glass, he couldn’t hear their conversation. He could only see Zhong Yue say a few words, and Shen Xici was amused, laughter diluting all the coldness at the corners of his eyes and brows. Under the warm-colored lights, he was so beautiful he seemed like an exquisite oil painting.

After walking slowly for a few more steps, the two stopped. Among the hedges and flowering trees, Zhong Yue suddenly reached out, placed his hand on Shen Xici’s arm, and hugged him.

And Shen Xici didn’t refuse.

The two figures overlapped. This scene was like the sharp thorns of brambles, fiercely piercing Sheng Shaoyan’s heart. The pain was acute. All considerations and calmness were pierced through. He could no longer restrain himself, directly opened the door and got out of the car, striding over.

“Was that a rabbit or something just now? This place has quite good biodiversity. The small animals are all quick.” Shen Xici looked at the slightly swaying bushes and stood up straight again. Just now, while he was talking with Zhong Yue, something had quickly scurried past from the side. Startled, he instinctively moved half a step to the side and happened to step on a shallow pit under the grass leaves. Fortunately, Zhong Yue reached out to steady him.

“It’s too dark. I didn’t see clearly either. As long as it’s not a snake or rat, it’s not a big problem.” Zhong Yue withdrew his hand from steadying Shen Xici. “You didn’t twist your ankle, did you?”

“No, thank you Teacher Zhong for lending me a hand.” Shen Xici finished thanking him with a smile. “Then I’ll head out first?”

“Okay.” Thinking of the screenshot the crew had shown him earlier—on just the first day of the movie’s release, Shen Xici’s Weibo followers had increased by nearly 500,000, a frightening number—the more Zhong Yue thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. With Shen Xici’s face, he was too recognizable on the street. He suggested, “Should I drive you home?”

“No need to trouble Mr. Zhong.”

A voice sounded from the side. As soon as the words fell, a tall man in a dark handmade suit stood next to Shen Xici, in a faintly defensive posture, meeting Zhong Yue’s gaze. “Thank you for taking care of him tonight, Mr. Zhong. I’ll take him now.”

Shen Xici looked in surprise at the man who suddenly appeared. Sheng Shaoyan? How did he get here? No—how did he know where he was?

He glanced around several times, suspecting whether there was a portal hidden in some corner nearby. Otherwise, how did Sheng Shaoyan manage to appear out of nowhere?

Seeing Sheng Shaoyan, Zhong Yue thought, now that the boyfriend has come to pick him up, naturally there’s nothing for him to do. He was about to say to be safe on the road when he saw Shen Xici being led away by his boyfriend, holding his wrist—

Wait, something was off. Why did he feel that Shen Xici’s boyfriend’s gaze toward him was practically overflowing with hostility?

Shen Xici also hadn’t quite reacted. His gaze fell on the hand gripping his wrist. After a while, he quickly turned back to wave goodbye to Zhong Yue.

Not long after sitting in the passenger seat, Shen Xici saw the door on the other side open. Sheng Shaoyan got in, and with a “bang,” the car door was closed again.

The space became enclosed. Shen Xici clearly felt that Sheng Shaoyan was in a very bad mood—extremely bad, particularly bad, so bad that he wanted to ask: with such an ugly expression, did your family go bankrupt?

Just as he was about to break the silence, Sheng Shaoyan suddenly leaned toward him from the driver’s seat. Instinctively holding his breath, the next second, Sheng Shaoyan reached over to pull the seatbelt and fastened it for him with a “click.”

The two were extremely close. Shen Xici only felt himself enveloped airtight by the scent that belonged to Sheng Shaoyan, even his heartbeat getting faster and faster.

He saw that Sheng Shaoyan was also looking at him.

His eyes were like the sea surface before a storm—with a kind of somber and dangerous beauty.

This kind of Sheng Shaoyan made his heart palpitate while also making him lighten his breathing unconsciously. His slightly curled fingertips couldn’t help but exert force, sinking into the leather cushion of the seat.

It was only a few seconds of eye contact, but it seemed stretched out countless times. It wasn’t until Sheng Shaoyan sat back properly and started the engine that Shen Xici broke free from that strange state.

His breathing finally became smooth. His throat felt dry and tight. Shen Xici deliberately turned his face toward the car window. However, the streetlights flew past, the night was like water, and Shen Xici only looked at the virtual reflection of Sheng Shaoyan’s profile on the glass.

The entire ride was silent. The car with black lines stopped at the entrance of Shen Xici’s residential complex.

The night air was clear and the wind was calm. Shen Xici had determined that Sheng Shaoyan was in an extremely bad mood this time. He didn’t know who had angered him so badly that even the surrounding air was tense.

He wanted to ask, but Sheng Shaoyan hadn’t said a word the entire way and didn’t seem to want to talk about it, so Shen Xici hesitated again.

Slowly unbuckling his seatbelt, Shen Xici spoke: “Then I’m going home?”

“Mm.”

“Thank you for coming specially to pick me up.” They had eaten together and watched a movie together—they should be considered friends with a pretty good relationship, right? Shen Xici deliberated: “If you’re in a bad mood and it’s convenient, you can also tell me about it.”

Sheng Shaoyan turned his eyes over, looking at him with an ambiguous meaning.

Thinking Sheng Shaoyan wanted to confide, unexpectedly after waiting, Sheng Shaoyan still said nothing.

Shen Xici opened the car door, preparing to get out. The door had just opened a crack when the person beside him suddenly spoke.

“Shen Xici.”

Shen Xici turned back: “Mm?”

Sheng Shaoyan’s eyes seemed like a deep sea filled with undercurrents, gazing at him, his voice hoarse and deep.

“Shen Xici, what exactly do you consider me to be?”