“Are you talking about Su Qing?” Li Shu said coldly.
He knew that it was the bodyguard that had talked to the man about this. He wasn’t really disgusted, but he felt somewhat repelled. After so many years of living, he had never been controlled by anyone like this before, and for a moment, his attitude became somewhat distant.
‘So, that person’s name is Su Qing?’ A dark light flashed in Mo Yanzhi’s eyes where Li Shu couldn’t see. He didn’t notice Li Shu’s change in demeanor, as he brushed against the young man’s hair and murmured softly, “Shu Shu just needs to focus on me.”
In the evening, after a shower and dinner, Mo Yanzhi sat with Li Shu on the spacious and comfortable sofa and watched a movie. This was Li Shu’s compulsory night routine. He was good at imitation, but he couldn’t perform a role well just by imitating, there must also be an emotional interpretation for a role to be deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.
There were many outstanding films and television works in this world, and Qin Ran had listed some for Li Shu to study. At the same time, he also used his connections to find a veteran artist to give Li Shu lessons.
Li Shu wasn’t a professionally trained artist; everything he had achieved was through his own exploration. It wasn’t that he wasn’t good, but it was easy to fall into misunderstandings this way. During the shooting of the MV, Qin Ran had noticed this and had him study the system after he returned.
As usual, Mo Yanzhi leaned over to try to kiss Li Shu, but unexpectedly, Li Shu avoided him.
Once could be considered an accident, but when it happened repeatedly, Mo Yanzhi knew that Li Shu was angry with him. However, he couldn’t figure out what he had done to upset him. He reluctantly pulled the person who was about to slip out of his embrace back and asked, “Shu Shu, what’s wrong?”
Li Shu was immersed in the movie. This was a very classic film and Fu Xilan’s masterpiece. Fu Xilan had won five major awards at home and abroad with this film, establishing his foothold in the film industry. His achievements today were owed to his portrayal of the character in the movie. He was no longer Fu Xilan and had transformed into the character. Every action and even a glance could move people’s hearts, making viewers believe that he was the person in the story.
In this movie called “Hidden Blade”, Fu Xilan portrayed the protagonist’s restraint, pain, and outburst to the fullest. Li Shu lacked the emotional rendering power displayed in this movie.
As the movie approached its end, Li Shu pulled himself back from his thoughts and said “hmm” inquiringly.
The movie ended and the last scene showed the protagonist kneeling in the rain, weeping silently, and the sensor lights lit up immediately. Under the dim light, the brightness in Li Shu’s eyes dimmed.
He asked, “President Mo, did you send someone to follow me because you’re afraid I’ll do something to betray you?”
Li Shu’s tone was very light, devoid of resentment or grievances about being monitored. It was precisely because of this that Mo Yanzhi felt even more scared. After spending some time together, he knew that Li Shu was someone who didn’t care about many things. He was indifferent to the world, and beneath his gentle façade was a cold indifference that didn’t bother with pretense.
—He had no regard for this world.
Neither fame nor fortune could move him back. The more Mo Yanzhi understood him, the more uneasy he felt. Li Shu could leave at any time, but he was already deeply entangled. The more entangled he became, the deeper he fell.
He couldn’t control It, nor did he want to. He saw himself falling into the bottomless abyss, but it was only a thin thread pulling him in. As long as he gave up Li Shu, he could escape from this predicament, but he couldn’t, nor did he want to.
Almost reflexively, Mo Yanzhi retorted, “I didn’t mean that!”
Li Shu turned his head, and met his dark eyes. They were a pair of very beautiful eyes. Under normal circumstances, Mo Yanzhi would have wished those eyes could always be on him. But now, when those eyes met his, he only felt a chill rising from the bottom of his heart, spreading around him like he was falling into an ice cellar.
“Then why did you send those people to follow me? Haven’t they reported my every move to you?” Li Shu narrowed his eyes, and the flowing light from his eyes was captivating.
Indeed, besides the bodyguard who doubled as a driver, there were four other skilled bodyguards by Li Shu’s side. These people had been ordered by their employer not to show up in front of Li Shu. They had excellent hiding skills, and if they hadn’t met Li Shu, they wouldn’t have been discovered easily.
“I didn’t mean to monitor you. I’m just worried that you’ll be harmed,” Mo Yanzhi said, lowering his eyes and hiding his emotions. There were people in the family who were itching to make a move, and there were also outsiders eyeing them covetously. Li Shu was his only weakness, as well as the only flaw in his eyes in the eyes of those people.
He was well-guarded, and those people couldn’t do anything to him. Now, with Li Shu as such a big target, how could those people not rush in like hungry beasts smelling blood?
Li Shu was a star, and his schedule couldn’t be hidden. It would be easy for those people to do something to him.
After picking up some reasons and talking to Li Shu, Li Shu’s expression softened a lot, “Is everything okay on your end?”
In the original plot, either the protagonist shou was kidnapped or the protagonist gong had a car accident. The source of the trouble stemmed from here—the struggles within the family and the business war. Mo Yanzhi had been in charge of Mo Group for several years, he could clean it up regardless of family ties, but he couldn’t clean up the family as quickly.
“I’m afraid they’ll come after you.” Mo Yanzhi pursed his lips. Li Shu shouldn’t have been exposed easily. It was his action against the Chen family that gave away the clue, showing that Li Shu was more than just a plaything to him.
“I’m the one who caused you trouble, right…?” Li Shu’s slender and delicate fingers pressed against his lips, interrupting Mo Yanzhi’s words. Mo Yanzhi was stunned for a moment, then he kissed the fingers on his lips with tenderness in his eyes.
“In the future, if there’s anything, just tell me directly. I don’t want to guess your intentions.” Li Shu looked into his eyes with a solemn expression.
“Okay.” Mo Yanzhi replied. The person he likes was never someone who could survive in this dirty world by only relying on other people’s protection; instead, he was someone who could stand side by side with him and face the world together.
After the conversation, the secret bodyguards no longer had to hide themselves like before, but to avoid attracting too much attention, they wouldn’t appear in front of people. Only the bodyguard acting as the driver remained as usual.
“I’m Not a Star” ended all recording in mid-September, and the MV shooting was also completed during this time. “Seeking the Sword” started filming in early October. During this period, Li Shu had to go to ZERE to complete the shooting, and also had to go to the veteran artist, Teacher Bo Zhou, for classes.
ZERE’s editor-in-chief is surnamed Zhu, and is a very intellectual woman. She recently rose to the position of editor-in-chief at ZERE. Before that, she had been in the industry for nearly ten years. She knew that ZERE had encountered many problems internally, and her first task as editor-in-chief was to reform the magazine.
She decided to change ZERE’s previous practice of only using established celebrities or models and instead focus on emerging artists. She knew that the present was different from the past, and sticking to the old ways would only lead ZERE downhill. It was time for a change.
Choosing Li Shu was actually a risky move because he had just started gaining popularity, and his fan base wasn’t stable yet. But so what? No risk, no gain. If they wanted to change, they had to make bold moves. Shrinking back in fear would never lead to success.
“Miss Zhu, we have a problem,” the assistant Xiao Wu said with a grim expression as she walked in. “Mr. Yin says there’s a scheduling conflict, and he can’t make it.”
“What’s going on?” Zhu Jinghe put down the pen in her hand and frowned.
The Mr. Yin mentioned by Xiao Wu was Yin Yixue, one of the hottest male stars this year. He had excellent external conditions, tall with long legs, deep facial features, and a kind of beauty reminiscent of a mixed-race. Zhu Jinghe had set her sights on him as soon as she became editor-in-chief, and planned to have him on the cover of the first issue after the redesign.
As his popularity grew, so did his demands. Despite ZERE’s invitation, his side had never given a definite answer. It was only as the shooting date approached that they suddenly said there was no availability. What kind of nonsense was this?
In order to wait for a response, ZERE couldn’t approach other celebrities. But now, as the shooting date approached, finding a male star comparable to Yin Yixue would be even more difficult.
Xiao Wu obviously understood this point well, and her tone was not good. “When we asked just now, they suddenly said that Yin Yixue had some urgent matters to attend to abroad. We can only hope for another chance to collaborate in the future.”
“I see,” compared to the assistant Xiao Wu, Zhu Jinghe appeared much calmer. “I’ll figure something out.”
It was just Yin Yixue. ZERE didn’t depend on him.
Zhu Jinghe called several backup celebrities, but they all politely declined. She sat at her desk, massaging her temples with a headache. Suddenly, her gaze stopped.
She leaned closer to her computer, opened a picture, and saw two identical men standing back to back. They had different clothes, makeup, and expressions. They were clearly the same person, yet they gave completely different feelings.
One was dressed in white, looking noble and aloof, while the other was dressed in black, tempting people and alluring.
At this moment, Zhu Jinghe had a bold idea in her mind.
She picked up her phone and dialed Qin Ran’s number. She knew her idea was crazy, but so what? What she was doing now might seem crazy to others as well.
When the phone rang, Li Shu was in a coffee shop. Opposite him was a beautiful woman with wavy hair and fashionable clothes.
“You can take the call first,” the woman covered her lips with one hand. Her fingers were slender and painted with bright red nail polish, accentuating the fairness of her skin.
Li Shu nodded calmly and walked to the side with his phone.
Qin Ran’s joyful voice came through the phone, “ZERE’s editor-in-chief, Miss Zhu, just contacted me.”
He conveyed the good news from the other end. Zhu Jinghe overcame all opinions and asked you to be on ZERE’s outer cover. Finally, he concluded, “This is a good opportunity, take advantage of it.”
When Li Shu returned, there were two cups of coffee on the table. The woman picked up the one in front of her, took a sip, and smiled, “Please excuse me, let me introduce myself first. My name is Chen Wanying, and I’m Brother Mo’s fiancée.”
After speaking, she looked at Li Shu, hoping to see something different from this man’s face. But she was bound to be disappointed. Li Shu’s face remained calm, as if what she said was just something as trivial as “the weather is nice today.”
Chen Wanying bit her lip. “I know about the deal between you and Brother Mo. As long as you agree to leave him, I’ll give you twice as much as what he’s offering you. You don’t want to be… forever, do you?”
“Fiancée?” Li Shu’s face turned slightly pale. “If you’re really his fiancée, I’ll leave him.”
When Mo Yanzhi arrived in a hurry, this was the first sentence he heard.
———————
The author has something to say:
Li Shu knew about Chen Wanying’s existence, but he’s pretending.
