The smile on Assistant Xu’s face remained unchanged as he said, “I believe Mr. Li is smart enough to make the choice that is most beneficial to himself.”
Li Shu didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he took another look at the contract. Indeed, as Assistant Xu had said, this contract was extremely beneficial to him, almost like a gift. He didn’t have to give up much, so no matter how you looked at it, signing it would be a win for him. Holding up the contract, Li Shu asked, “Mr. Mo is a businessman. Why is he engaging in such a loss-making deal this time?”
In this contract, there were various benefits that Mo Yanzhi needed to provide to him, with high constraints on Mo Yanzhi himself. For Li Shu, it was quite the opposite. He didn’t need to do much except refrain from developing relationships beyond friendship with anyone other than Mo Yanzhi during the contract period.
“It’s not a loss.” Mo Yanzhi replied calmly.
“Most of the obligations there are yours to fulfill. Compared to that, what both sides have to offer is not equal.”
Anyone would say that this contract was unequal. The contract term was five years, during which Mo Yanzhi must not do anything to upset Li Shu and must ensure his development in the entertainment industry. Even how much money Mo Yanzhi had to give Li Shu each month was clearly stated.
For Li Shu, the requirements were much simpler. With over a dozen pages of the contract, most were demands on Mo Yanzhi. Li Shu only had to do two things: besides the small things like answering Mo Yanzhi’s calls and texts, he was not allowed to get too close to anyone else during the contract period, and the two of them had to live together. It didn’t require Li Shu to live with Mo Yanzhi every day, just at least five days a month.
At the same time, Mo Yanzhi’s compensation was very generous. Housing, resources, money… everything that needed to be considered, Mo Yanzhi had taken care of it all. To be honest, it didn’t feel like he was bringing back a little lover for himself; it was more like he had brought back a little ancestor.
“I believe it’s fair. Compared to you, what are these things?” Mo Yanzhi’s tone was calm, but if you listen closely, you could hear the tension underneath. He looked at Li Shu, his eyes reluctant to move away even for a moment.
Today, Li Shu wore a simple white T-shirt paired with jeans. The T-shirt was loose, revealing a large expanse of fair skin and delicate collarbones, while the jeans were tight-fitting, outlining perfect leg curves, he looked both pure and alluring.
Li Shu had good facial features, especially his eyes. The ends of his eyes are tilted upward, looking captivating even when he wasn’t making an expression. Mo Yanzhi liked these eyes the most, he enjoyed the feeling of being watched by them, liked that these eyes only contained him.
He still remembered that night, when those eyes gradually became moist because of his movements. Under the ambiguous light, he could see his own reflection in those eyes. At that moment, it felt like this person’s eyes and heart contained only him.
Just thinking about that scene made Mo Yanzhi unable to control the speed of his heartbeat, and the eyes looking at Li Shu gradually became heated. As long as Li Shu signed the contract, he wouldn’t need to restrain himself anymore.
“Are you so sure that I will agree to this?” Li Shu pretended not to notice the change in Mo Yanzhi’s gaze towards him. There was a smile on his face, but the smile did not reach his eyes.
“You will agree. You need this now.” Mo Yanzhi placed the black card in his hand next to the pen and said, “As long as you sign the contract, the money in this card is at your disposal.”
This card was Mo Yanzhi’s secondary card. Li Shu picked up the card, not denying that this card could solve his urgent need for money, and that it came just in time.
The black card danced between his fingertips, contrasting with the hand that held it mad making it look whiter and more translucent like jade.
Mo Yanzhi’s eyes fell on that hand uncontrollably, his expression drifting slightly. Those hands seemed weak and boneless, but they had caused him quite a bit of suffering. Of course, he also enjoyed it.
“President Mo knows that I need money now?” Li Shu’s hand paused slightly as he held the card, then he casually placed it back on the coffee table.
“Your father’s situation…” Before Mo Yanzhi could finish, Li Shu straightened up, narrowed his eyes slightly, and said in a dangerous tone: “Did you investigate me?”
“…” Mo Yanzhi was speechless. Knowing about Li Shu’s father’s situation was purely coincidental. It just so happened that he was troubled by the possibility of someone else occupying Li Shu’s heart, and he accidentally discovered the condition of Li Shu’s father. He immediately felt that there was a lot to gain from this matter.
At least he could use this opportunity to bind Li Shu to him. No matter who the person in Li Shu’s heart was, he would find a way to replace them. Whether it looked despicable or shameless, he would never let him go.
Li Shu could only be his.
Avoiding this topic, Mo Yanzhi said, “I’ve already arranged for someone to go to your father’s side. You don’t have to worry.”
Li Shu stared at the man in front of him and said nothing.
Mo Yanzhi’s hand hanging at his side curled slightly, his expression tense. After a while, he saw the person opposite smile slightly, as if a breeze had swept by, melting the ice and snow, creating ripples.
Li Shu picked up the pen and signed his name without hesitation.
It is said that a person’s handwriting reflects their character. Li Shu’s handwriting and his temperament always made Mo Yanzhi feel a sense of disharmony. He vaguely felt that Li Shu’s handwriting shouldn’t be like this.
This feeling came suddenly, so much so that clues appeared on his face. Li Shu looked up and happened to see the expression on Mo Yanzhi’s face and was slightly surprised.
“Has your handwriting always been like this?” Mo Yanzhi looked at the name below his and suddenly asked.
“Why does President Mo ask?” Li Shu’s hand playing with the pen paused slightly.
“It’s nothing.” Mo Yanzhi shook his head, suppressing the sudden thought in his heart. He had seen Li Shu’s handwriting before, so why would he suddenly have such thoughts?
“Now that you’ve agreed to the terms of the contract, you should move in today.” Mo Yanzhi couldn’t wait to bring Li Shu into his territory.
Assistant Xu who was standing aside and seeing everything couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth. ‘Boss, are you really that impatient?’
Li Shu had no objections. Since he had signed the contract, he wouldn’t be pretentious.
“My parents will rely on you.” He was about to start shooting soon and definitely wouldn’t have time to take care of the original owner’s parents.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.” After all, they were the parents of the person he liked, he would definitely take good care of them.
Li Shu didn’t need to worry about moving; Mo Yanzhi had already arranged everything properly. By the time they finished their meal here, his belongings had already been packed and sent to Mo Yanzhi’s apartment.
The next morning, Qin Ran went to pick someone up only to find out that his artist had already moved. Standing in front of his artist’s new home, Qin Ran felt momentarily bewildered.
This place was a well-known wealthy area, and the residents here were either rich or noble. Li Shu did mention his intention to find a new place to live in, and he was helping him look for one. Of courses, none of the places he had seen matched the conditions of this area. And…
Qin Ran had a general idea of Li Shu’s family situation; it was just an ordinary family. Li Shu himself wasn’t someone pretentious, so why was he living here…?
Before he could figure out a reason, the door in front of him was opened. Mo Yanzhi, who was dressed casually, stood behind the door, looking at him coldly.
“President Mo?” Qin Ran was shocked, and the shock on his face could not be concealed.
Mo Yanzhi nodded slightly and stepped back a bit. “You’re here to pick up Li Shu, right? Come in.”
Entering the house in a daze, Qin Ran saw Li Shu coming down the stairs. He had already packed up. The two didn’t stay long, exchanging a few words briefly before getting ready to leave.
Mo Yanzhi escorted them to the door, then suddenly grabbed Li Shu, and seized the opportunity as he turned around to quickly kiss him.
Li Shu lowered his eyes and didn’t refuse.
The moving car was silent for a long time before Qin Ran snapped out of his shock. The assistant was driving in front and only he and Li Shu were sitting in the back. He put up the divider and looked at Li Shu, hesitating to speak.
“Brother Qin, if you have anything to ask, just ask.” Li Shu leaned back against the seat.
“You and Boss Mo…” Qin Ran knew about the relationship between Li Shu and Mo Yanzhi. He took on Li Shu because of Mo Yanzhi’s instructions. He just didn’t expect Li Shu to suddenly move in with Mo Yanzhi, especially since he had asked for help finding a house just a few days ago.
Li Shu: “As you can see, we’re living together now.”
The car fell into silence again. Qin Ran didn’t know what to say about this matter. He was just Li Shu’s manager, and besides, Mo Yanzhi was his immediate superior. Even if he wanted to intervene, he couldn’t.
They remained silent all the way.
Not long after they arrived, Wei Yangyun and Ming Xuan also arrived. Wei Yangyun was as enthusiastic as ever. Upon seeing Li Shu, he left his nagging manager behind and walked over to Li Shu in a few strides.
“I haven’t seen you in days, Shu Shu, did you miss me?” Wei Yangyun had a warm smile on his face. He was good-looking and dressed simply. When he smiled, he looked like a warm and cheerful boy next door. Of course, with a change of clothes, he could instantly become a high-and-mighty prince.
Li Shu smiled back. It was not the distant kind of smile, but a shallow smile that spread from the bottom of his eyes and was gradually spreading. “Of course I did.”
“Haha, I knew Shu Shu would miss me. Brother Ming, over here.” Spotting Ming Xuan getting out of the car, Wei Yangyun waved quickly.
The recording time for “I’m Not a Star” was three days, and this time they were going to a small town in Jiangnan. The town had a long history and the natural scenery was beautiful.
Blue sky, green water, far from the hustle and bustle. Fishing boats floated leisurely on the water, with shouts and hawking filling the air.
The feeling here was completely different from that of the big city, as if time had reversed a hundred years.
There were six guests in total, four men and two women. One female star was a variety show star, and the other was a newly emerging internet celebrity. Both of them were very friendly towards Li Shu. The four male stars were Ming Xuan, Wei Yangyun, Chen Yu, and Li Shu. Wei Yangyun had quietly reminded Li Shu to be careful around Chen Yu.
“I’m Not a Star” required guests to remove their star halo and live like ordinary people for three days. The program team gave each of them a starting capital of five hundred yuan, which they had to use to solve all their food and accommodation problems for the next three days. Except for Li Shu, none of the others were new to the program, and they knew the pitfalls of the program team very well. As soon as they arrived at their destination, they began discussing how to make money.
The program team didn’t have strict rules about grouping; they could act alone or together. There was no doubt that Wei Yangyun would move with Li Shu and Ming Xuan. The two female stars discussed it and felt it was better for everyone to stick together, so they decided on a plan for all six of them to act together.
Chen Yu walked up to Li Shu, smiling warmly and extending his hand. “Hello, I’m Chen Yu. Please take care of me in the days to come.”
