Yan Su got out of the car and opened the rear door, but Gu Weixuan did not move.
"President Gu?"
Gu Weixuan came back to himself, gave Butler Yu two brief instructions, then walked to the car, got in, and closed his eyes to rest.
He had gone to bed late the night before and was inevitably a little sleepy.
Yet not long after the car left the villa district, Gu Weixuan suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Yan Su in the front passenger seat.
"Yan Su, has he called?"
Yan Su paused before realizing whom he meant. "No. Neither Mr. Chu nor his agent has called you."
Gu Weixuan was referring to the work number printed on his business card. Calls to that number went through the secretarial department. Yan Su or one of the secretaries would answer first, then decide whether to ask Gu Weixuan if he wanted the call transferred into his office.
Gu Weixuan's attitude had been difficult to read. After ordering Yan Su to investigate Chu Qing, he had received the results.
At first, Gu Weixuan had been furious, as though he intended to deal harshly with the young man the moment he came looking for him.
Later, for some unknown reason, his anger had faded considerably. He had even specifically instructed Yan Su to hang up if Feng Qiang called, but to transfer the call to his office if Chu Qing called.
The difference was so obvious that Yan Su had privately wondered whether President Gu had taken a liking to the little actor.
Of course, he merely thought it. He had told no one. Yan Su was extremely discreet.
Gu Weixuan frowned. Chu Qing had truly done exactly what he said and shown no intention of contacting him. As for Feng Qiang, that man was probably too guilty and afraid of retaliation to dare call.
But when Gu Weixuan thought that Chu Qing might be deceived by Feng Qiang again and sent into someone else's bed, he inexplicably felt irritated.
"When we get to the company, find out what Chu Qing is doing," Gu Weixuan said coldly.
Yan Su: "…"
He was an assistant, not a private investigator.
After silently complaining, Yan Su kept a straight face. "Yes, President Gu."
• • •
After eating the free breakfast, Chu Qing rode to the set with Weng Kai and Su Xiaona. Zhuo Fan and Fang Feiyan had their own production vans.
Chu Qing waited until Weng Kai finished his makeup, then asked Sister Hu to do his.
He had barely sat down when a sharp voice sounded nearby.
"Move. How can you be so blind?"
Through the mirror, Chu Qing saw Shi Menglian, the actress playing the second female lead, lifting her pointed chin and glaring at Su Xiaona.
She clearly disliked Su Xiaona and was deliberately making things difficult for her.
"I'm sorry, Sister Menglian, I…" Su Xiaona had not finished when Shi Menglian raised a hand and cut her off.
"Stop. Don't call me sister. I don't have a rustic little sister like you."
Su Xiaona bit her lip, not knowing how to respond.
Chu Qing frowned slightly. A production crew truly contained every kind of person.
Su Xiaona had only just graduated and had not even signed with a company. How could she possibly have money to package herself professionally?
Chu Qing was not in a much better position himself, but since Sister Hu was almost finished with his makeup, he called over to her.
"Xiaona, I'm almost done. Why don't you come over here and let Sister Hu do your makeup?"
Su Xiaona looked at him gratefully. "Thank you, Brother Chu." She hurried over.
"You don't need to thank me. Thank Sister Hu." Chu Qing turned to Sister Hu. "Sorry to trouble you afterward."
Sister Hu smiled. "It's no trouble." She told Su Xiaona to sit in the chair beside them and wait.
"Thank you, Sister Hu," Su Xiaona said sincerely.
Shi Menglian had not expected Chu Qing to step in and help Su Xiaona. She glared at him and was about to speak when her assistant caught her arm.
"Sister Menglian, say a little less."
Shi Menglian shook the assistant off unhappily. "What's so great about him? He's only relying on Director Chen's favor. Who knows what methods he used? Maybe…"
Afraid she would say something outrageous, the assistant grabbed her again and lowered her voice. "Sister Menglian, don't spread nonsense. Everyone knows Director Chen doesn't play those games. If he hears that you're gossiping about him, you'll be in serious trouble."
Shi Menglian realized she had nearly crossed a line and spread a rumor about Director Chen.
She did not dare cause any more trouble. She sat down and ordered the makeup artist to hurry.
Chu Qing could tell that whatever Shi Menglian had been about to say was unpleasant, but he did not care much.
"Brother Chu…" Su Xiaona looked apologetic. If it had not been for her, Chu Qing would not have attracted malicious remarks.
"It's fine." Chu Qing stood. "Hurry and get your makeup done."
Then he left the room.
Today's scenes involved Xia Qing successfully passing an interview at Sheng Ye's company, meeting her new colleagues, and then discovering at lunch that Sheng Ye, the president, was the person who had hit her precious electric scooter.
Chu Qing went to wardrobe and changed into a new suit the costume department had specifically chosen for him. After changing, he read through the script again.
He had already memorized the lines, but reading them several more times still helped him find the right feeling.
Director Chen had praised him. It would be embarrassing if his performance failed to live up to that praise.
Chu Qing had already lost his ambition to compete for first- or second-tier celebrity status and wanted an easy life, but an easy life still required money. For now, earning money came first.
Once everyone had finished makeup and costumes, Chu Qing followed them to the office building where filming would take place.
He had heard that the building belonged to a large corporate group. If Director Chen had not used connections to rent part of it, the crew would never have been able to film there.
• • •
When they arrived, Chu Qing got out and followed everyone inside.
Director Chen had rented the tenth floor. The crew could take the elevator directly there, but they were not allowed to wander through the other floors.
Chu Qing was walking toward the elevator when he suddenly stopped.
He had seen a somewhat familiar back.
It couldn't be this coincidental, could it?
The elevator doors opened with a ding. The man stepped inside and turned around. When he saw Chu Qing, surprise flashed across his face before his expression returned to indifference.
Chu Qing: "…"
He had truly never expected to meet Gu Weixuan here.
Was this building part of Gu Group?
"Brother Chu, hurry up and get in."
Hearing Su Xiaona call him, he quickly followed her into the elevator.
Some people behind them headed toward another elevator while others continued filing into theirs. Su Xiaona and Chu Qing, who had entered first, naturally had to move farther inside.
As he got closer and closer to Gu Weixuan, Chu Qing stopped and deliberately maintained some distance.
The others glanced at Gu Weixuan and tactfully looked away.
He was handsome, but his cold expression, sharp gaze, and powerful presence made people reluctant to stare.
Chu Qing turned sideways and looked in another direction.
Gu Weixuan watched him from barely half a step away. He had mentioned Chu Qing on the way to work, and now the young man had appeared inside his own company.
Had Chu Qing regretted things and finally come looking for him?
But when Gu Weixuan saw the young woman beside Chu Qing and the staff carrying equipment, that explanation seemed unlikely.
Chu Qing lowered his head slightly and said nothing. Gu Weixuan simply stared.
From this angle, he could clearly see Chu Qing's smooth, fair neck.
Looking at it, Gu Weixuan remembered leaving several marks there that night.
After so many days, not a trace remained.
He also remembered how inexperienced Chu Qing had been. Gu Weixuan himself had little experience, and his movements had been rough. He could not remember whether he had actually injured him.
At the time, Gu Weixuan had been angry and had not considered such things. Now that the anger had passed, his mindset was different.
Seeing Chu Qing again, he still could not remember whether he had hurt him.
Gu Weixuan's gaze deepened and drifted lower.
Chu Qing stood stiffly inside the elevator, feeling tormented.
Perhaps it was only because they were so close, but he had the strange impression that Gu Weixuan was staring at the back of his neck.
Then his body went even more rigid as he sensed Gu Weixuan's gaze move downward.
Chu Qing was wearing a fitted suit today, one the costume department had deliberately selected because they said it would look especially good on him.
He had not examined it closely after putting it on. He did not realize how sharply the cut emphasized his narrow waist and well-shaped hips once the jacket was buttoned.
Gu Weixuan's eyes therefore swept almost involuntarily over Chu Qing's waist.
