The next morning, Gu Weixuan woke, washed up in the bathroom, and changed into a suit.
When he went downstairs to the dining room, he greeted his parents and sat down. Seeing Gu Yazhen making faces at him again, he asked, "When are you moving out of my place?"
He was referring to his large apartment.
Gu Yazhen immediately put on a flattering smile. "Brother, don't be so stingy. Let me stay a few more days."
Xu Wanhua spoke at the right moment. "Xuan'er, let your cousin stay a little longer. Your place is close to her office."
Gu Yazhen chimed in, "Exactly. Let me stay a few more days. Once I buy a place, I'll move out."
Gu Yazhen might also be a company president, but she ran an entertainment company. Her position was nothing like Gu Weixuan's. The money on the company's books was meant for investing in television dramas and developing artists, so she could not simply use it for herself. Her personal assets were limited, and she refused to buy a secondhand home, so she had no choice but to save for a while first.
Gu Weixuan picked up his chopsticks and ate a bite of food without saying anything.
Xu Wanhua knew what he was worried about. "Don't worry. If you feel it's inconvenient, you can come back to the old residence whenever you want. I promise I won't bother you again about what happened last night."
Gu Weixuan found her words rather puzzling.
He could not tell whether his mother had genuinely decided to stop introducing women to him or whether she was only trying to placate him.
Still, he did not bring up making Gu Yazhen move out again.
After breakfast, he stepped outside the villa and saw that the driver, Wu Jie, had already brought the car around.
Yan Su got out when he saw Gu Weixuan emerge and opened the rear door.
Gu Weixuan got in. Yan Su followed, took out his phone, and began going through the schedule.
"There's a meeting after we get to the company. This afternoon, a foreign businessman also wants to meet with you. The meeting place has been set at the hotel where he's staying. What do you think…?"
"That's fine." Gu Weixuan closed his eyes to rest.
He had gone to bed rather late and was inevitably a little tired.
• • •
Chu Qing spent half the day at the film studio complex, looking to see which production teams were filming there.
He figured that even if Feng Qiang could not be relied upon, he could still earn enough to support himself by working as an extra. He had done extra work when he first graduated, so he would not feel awkward about it at all.
Besides, his contract only said he could not jump to another entertainment company without paying an enormous contractual penalty. It did not say he was forbidden to work as an extra.
That was enough for him. Extras did not get much screen time and certainly did not earn much, but there was no contract to sign, which meant Feng Qiang did not need to be involved. The money would still be enough to cover food and basic living expenses.
If enough time passed and Feng Qiang saw that Chu Qing was not making him any money, perhaps he would eventually give up on him. At the very least, he would not keep watching him so closely forever.
These past few days, aside from researching this world, Chu Qing had been trying hard to remember the plot of the novel.
There was a storyline in which, sometime after the New Year, the entertainment company behind Feng Qiang was sued and Feng Qiang himself was arrested. As long as Chu Qing could hold out until then, he would be free of both Feng Qiang and that company.
The plan sounded good to him, so he decided he would start working as an extra at the film studio complex the next day.
But that evening, just as Chu Qing returned to his apartment building and stepped out of the elevator, he saw Feng Qiang standing outside his door.
"Where have you been? I called and you wouldn't even answer. You're getting more and more out of line. Do you really think you're some big star now? With those tiny roles you've played, the audience probably doesn't even remember who you are."
Feng Qiang, his hair greasy, walked over to him. "You need to know your place. If you want to get ahead, you have to work for it. There's a dinner tonight. You're coming with me."
Chu Qing frowned. "I'm not feeling well, so I'm not going." He moved toward the door, but Feng Qiang grabbed his arm.
His face remained calm, but inwardly disgusted, Chu Qing forcefully shook off Feng Qiang's hand.
"Well, well. Your ability hasn't improved, but your temper certainly has." Feng Qiang grew angry when Chu Qing looked at him coldly.
"What are you looking at? Do you know how rare an opportunity this is? Why are you so stubborn?" The more Feng Qiang spoke, the angrier he became. "President Gu was such a good opportunity, and you actually ruined it. How can you be so useless?"
Seeing Chu Qing take out his key to open the door, Feng Qiang hurriedly blocked it.
"Why won't you listen? If there's a shortcut, why insist on taking the long way around?" When Chu Qing remained unmoved, Feng Qiang grabbed his arm and dragged him toward the elevator.
"It's only a meal, nothing else. Look at you, dragging your feet over everything."
This time Chu Qing tried to pull his arm free but could not. Feng Qiang forcibly dragged him into the elevator.
• • •
Downstairs, Feng Qiang shoved Chu Qing into a car.
Another young man with a heavily powdered face was already sitting in the back seat.
"Achoo!" The overpowering scent of face powder made Chu Qing sneeze.
The young man shot him a disdainful look, apparently thinking he was being pretentious. He turned to stare out the opposite window and could not be bothered to speak to him.
Chu Qing was perfectly happy with that. Rather than waste time chatting, he could think about how to get away later.
The car stopped outside a hotel. Chu Qing and the powdered young man followed Feng Qiang inside.
A waiter led them into a private room, where two middle-aged men were already seated. Their appearance was painfully flashy. They wore so much gold jewelry that they looked like newly rich businessmen trying hard to show off their money.
Chu Qing was speechless. When Feng Qiang started introducing him to the two bosses, Chu Qing did not even wait for them to speak. He clutched his stomach and grimaced.
"I'm sorry. I think something I ate at lunch disagreed with me. Please excuse me while I go to the restroom. I'm really sorry."
Without waiting for anyone to respond, Chu Qing turned and left the room.
He walked quickly toward the entrance, only for Feng Qiang to chase him down and block his path.
"Where are you going? Weren't you going to the restroom?"
Chu Qing: "…I'm looking for it."
Feng Qiang snorted and pointed at the restroom beside them. "You walked right past it."
Chu Qing turned and entered, only to discover that Feng Qiang followed him inside.
"Why are you following me?"
Feng Qiang looked Chu Qing over. His whole bearing seemed somewhat different now. "Don't think I don't know what you're trying to do. Are you planning to run again? I really don't understand you. This is such a good opportunity. Why don't you know how to appreciate it?"
Chu Qing's expression darkened. "I don't want this kind of opportunity."
If it had been an ordinary business dinner, Chu Qing would not have found it so repulsive. But this was obviously not a simple dinner, and he had no intention of stepping into muddy water.
"Why are you pretending to be so pure in front of me? Didn't you just accompany President Gu a few days ago…?"
The words made Chu Qing's temper flare. "Don't bring that up. If you hadn't pulled that trick, how could I have—"
A lock clicked.
Chu Qing froze. He had not realized there was anyone else in the restroom.
He turned toward one of the stalls. The door opened, and a tall man in an immaculate suit stepped out.
Chu Qing's eyes widened. He had never expected Gu Weixuan to be inside the restroom stall.
Gu Weixuan gave Feng Qiang an icy glance. Sweat immediately broke out across Feng Qiang's forehead. He abandoned Chu Qing without a second thought and fled the restroom.
Chu Qing's hands and feet went cold. He wanted to leave too, but when Gu Weixuan's deep gaze settled on him, his body stiffened and every hair on his skin seemed to stand on end.
Seeing that the young man appeared frightened, Gu Weixuan withdrew his gaze and went to wash his hands.
When he finished and turned around, the young man was still standing there.
Yan Su had already investigated both the young man and the middle-aged man. They were an actor and an agent from a rather disreputable entertainment company.
That company had a poor reputation in the industry. From what he had just overheard, the young man was being forced to do things he did not want to do.
So what had happened that night could not be blamed entirely on him.
Gu Weixuan walked toward Chu Qing.
Seeing him approach, Chu Qing lowered his eyes and backed away until his shoulders struck the wall. He instinctively shrank in on himself.
When Gu Weixuan raised a hand, Chu Qing thought he was about to hit him and squeezed his eyes shut.
Gu Weixuan looked at his posture and thought the young man had remarkably little courage.
He reached past him, pulled two tissues from the wall-mounted dispenser, and dried his hands. "Weren't you quite bold before? Why are you suddenly so timid?"
Chu Qing opened his eyes and forced himself to speak. "I'm sorry, President Gu. Please don't worry. I definitely won't bother you again or cause you any trouble."
With that, he slipped past Gu Weixuan and hurried out of the restroom.
Gu Weixuan watched him leave. His brows drew together, his gaze deepening.
He should have been pleased to hear Chu Qing say that. Yet seeing the young man flee with such obvious relief somehow left him inexplicably irritated.
