Chapter 21 Lions are also felines
North America, Southern region.
The night sky was covered with scattered stars; the long light streamed through the dome glass into the church.
A man in black clothes walked through the empty corridor, bowing respectfully.
“…Sir, it’s time.”
The man who was silently praying slowly opened his eyes. His pupils were a gentle, pure amber color, as if a grand autumnal leaf fall.
“Is it time?”
His voice was gentle and hoarse, “Today, God still gave me no answer.”
The bodyguard seemed hesitant to say something.
If receiving an answer would be a horror movie… right?
The man calmly interrupted, “It’s alright, I’ll wait.”
He raised his pale, clean hand, touching his forehead, the center of his chest, his left shoulder, his right shoulder, and finally clasped his hands together, kissing them.
“God loves the world.”
“I will wait for the echo of prayer.”
The devout believer murmured in the vague backlight, “Please give me the courage to change what I can change.”
“…”
The bodyguard pushed the man in black out of the church; the twilight stretched their shadows long.
“Sir,” the bodyguard respectfully said, “There was an unexpected incident at Xingyu Entertainment in China; the shareholders are waiting for you to make a decision.”
The evening wind blew through the rustling maple leaves; the man clasped his hands together on his abdomen.
Amber maple leaves reflected in his eyes; he calmly said:
“What’s wrong with him again?”
The bodyguard respectfully presented his phone with both hands, “Shen, the Emperor, has recently been caught in a scandal and terminated all his current contracts today.”
“Who did it?” the man asked in a warm and low voice.
He had a typical East Asian face, gentle and handsome, with an elegant temperament.
However, the bodyguard was always cautious in front of him.
“Fang Siqian,” the bodyguard replied, lowering his head, “According to Vice President Chu’s investigation, there are only two possibilities. First, someone inside the company leaked information; second, Fang Siqian had been to your office.”
The implied possibility of the second one made the bodyguard’s heart tremble slightly.
The man remained in his slightly tilted comfortable posture.
After a long time, he asked, “Who is Fang Siqian?”
“…”
Someone ubiquitous yet unknown.
The bodyguard silently pondered, “You once said that he looked three-tenths similar to Shen, the Emperor.”
“Three-tenths.”
The man slowly curled his lips, a gentle color in his amber eyes, “Indeed rare.”
Being three-tenths similar to that person.
Was enough to secure him a place in the bustling entertainment industry.
The white doves circling outside the church landed on the man’s pale hand.
He seemed to smile gently, looking at the beautiful neck of the dove, “He’s sulking.”
“He thinks I did it.”
The bodyguard didn’t speak, silently nodding slightly, “Should I tell Shen, the Emperor, that you don’t know anything about this?”
Although not the direct cause, it was an indirect cause.
However, Shen, the Emperor, holds nearly half of Xingyu Entertainment’s economic lifeline.
If he gives up.
Those old men on the board of directors will all be ruined.
“No need.”
The white dove on the man’s finger gently pecked at his ring, as if surprised by such an alluring scent; it was so hard that it almost cracked its beak.
It flapped its white wings and wanted to leave.
“Can’t you see, Mu Si?”
The man confined the dove in his palm, his voice elegant and gentle, “It wants to leave me.”
The bodyguard watched the dove gradually lose its life in his palm, silent and speechless.
“Let him try.”
The sound of the wheelchair rolled over the fallen maple leaves, heading towards the distance at the end of the church.
“Without my protection, he will be unable to move an inch.”
The bodyguard watched his figure disappear amidst the maple leaves before he followed.
As a not-so-dedicated NPC, he shrugged and sighed rebelliously.
“Who knows?”
“Perhaps Shen, the Emperor, leaving Xingyu Entertainment, will find that everyone outside is kind.”
He strode through the fallen maple leaves.
“Sir…wait for me.”
…
Early morning, Lan’an City.
Shen Jixing sat at the semi-open bar, eating slowly while his long fingers swiped through the unread emails on his laptop.
‘Shen Jixing, do you cry?’
His cold white fingers paused slightly; the hoarse and magnetic voice echoed in his mind again.
‘Then why…’
‘Did you cry when you first saw me?’
Shen Jixing’s long eyelashes drooped coldly; he had never thought deeply about his feelings at that time.
So his answer last night was, “Probably scared.”
Zhou Yili: “?”
The drunken little lion looked at him in bewilderment.
“Like now,” Shen Jixing’s gaze blurred, his head dizzy as he swayed on the swing; he lightly pressed his hand against Zhou Yili’s shoulder, seemingly trying to suppress something, “Get off, you’re going to make me throw up.”
Zhou Yili stared at him intently for a while.
He supported himself on one leg, steadied himself, then casually reached out and grabbed his thin waist, lifting him up.
“Spoiled.”
A little sway makes him feel uncomfortable.
What kind of paper person is this?
He coldly finished speaking, then didn’t wait for an answer, turning back to his room without looking back.
There was no answer either.
It’s just a physiological reaction to him, Shen Jixing thought.
“Why are your ears red?”
Lazy and casual footsteps approached. The young master, still tired from drinking, leaned against the bar and poured himself a glass of cold water.
Casually glanced at him and the breakfast in front of him.
“Drinking milk can burn you?”
Shen Jixing looked at him calmly and coldly, “Do you have any problem with milk?”
Why does this person always find fault?
Zhou Yili casually glanced at his pale lips, “No problem, I don’t like it.”
He tilted his head back and drank a glass of cold water.
When he raised his eyes again, there was a card in front of him; cold white slender fingers pushed it over.
Shen Jixing said concisely, “Three million.”
Zhou Yili raised his eyebrows, looked at it for two seconds, “Password.”
“1225.”
Shen Jixing said without raising his head.
The person opposite seemed silent for a few seconds. When he looked up, Zhou Yili had casually put the card into his pants pocket.
Announcing that he was officially penniless.
Shen Jixing calmly closed his eyes, “…”
Zhou Yili’s brain was still a little uncomfortable after drinking; he seemed to have come down just to drink water. He lightly licked his lips and was about to go upstairs again.
Suddenly, he seemed to remember something and tapped his long fingers twice on the table.
He lazily said “Ah.”
“You make money fast here; if you want to touch me again, come find me.”
Shen Jixing: “…”
Zhou Yili curled his lips into a happy chuckle, yawned lazily, and walked back with his flamboyant blue hair.
This person, both in appearance and personality, is very much like a little lion cub who likes to bite people.
He likes to cause trouble to attract the owner’s attention.
Lions are also felines, Shen Jixing thought casually.
Staring at the man’s slender and tall back, sweeping his cold and superior shoulders, he suddenly spoke calmly, calling out to him.
“Zhou Yili.”
Zhou Yili’s footsteps seemed to pause, but he didn’t turn around.
“The money’s given, I have a question,” Shen Jixing looked at him, as cold and straightforward as ever, “Why did you help me?”
Zhou Yili’s cold eyes slightly lifted.
In the atmosphere of their past ambiguous sweetness and their current estrangement, this question was overly blunt and explicit.
It’s almost equivalent to asking —
Do you still like me?
____________________
Chapter 22 Were you bullied by someone, Shen Jixing?
Zhou Yili stood there looking at him.
The man sat in front of the semi-open bar, dressed in casual white, one leg casually crossed, exuding a noble and arrogant aura of coldness.
As if the whole world should be prostrate at his feet.
“Who told you I was helping you?” Zhou Yili sneered in response.
Shen Jixing didn’t speak.
No one would deliberately pick a fight with a brand; that would be the stupidest act of self-righteousness.
He thought the result was self-evident.
It’s just that Shen Jixing wanted to know why Zhou Yili did this.
Zhou Yili leaned against the step, his black pajamas open in a lazy arc. His tone was emotionless as he sneered and asked, “Do you know who the Chinese agent for the YC brand is?”
“No.”
Shen Jixing never bothered to pay attention to people or things he didn’t care about.
“Alston Milton.”
Zhou Yili smoothly spoke an English name, “A blond, blue-eyed forty-year-old geezer.”
Shen Jixing’s eyebrows moved slightly.
As if wanting to say, forty years old doesn’t really count as a geezer…?
Zhou Yili continued, “Said he wanted to invite me at 3 am for a romantic discussion about the origins of humanity.”
“…”
“Do I look gay?”
“…”
“I figured his discussion about the origins of humanity was likely a desire to be reborn, so I kindly helped him for free.”
“…”
Zhou Yili lazily straightened up, walking towards him with long legs, his slender and muscular arms resting on the glass bar, his gaze burning with great aggression.
“Do you understand?”
It had nothing to do with him.
The young master was annoyed and decided to take care of things, and Shen Jixing just happened to benefit from it.
Shen Jixing: “Yes.”
He slightly averted his gaze; his judgment was rarely wrong; his ears were slightly flushed.
Fortunately, he was always calm; his face remained cold and expressionless.
Suddenly, his drooping chin was gently pinched, forcing him to meet those deep black eyes.
Zhou Yili’s eyebrows seemed weary, and there was a hint of cold, crimson redness in his eyes.
“Try using that look on me again; try acting cute and see what happens?”
Shen Jixing frowned slightly, not understanding.
“What look?”
The clear black eyes, like glazed water, were only a few centimeters from his.
Zhou Yili stared coldly at those beautiful eyes without speaking.
The look of looking at a dog.
As if he deserved to be toyed with, trampled underfoot, and the whole world knew he couldn’t live without him.
“Let go,” Shen Jixing felt a little pain and gently reminded him.
Being stared at for so long made him feel slightly uncomfortable.
Zhou Yili still didn’t move; Shen Jixing raised his hand to push him away. Although the gesture looked strong, he didn’t use much force to push him away.
Shen Jixing got up to leave—
“Stop,” Zhou Yili stopped him, “Only you are allowed to ask?”
The young master obviously wouldn’t easily tell others about being flirted with by a foreigner.
Shen Jixing felt a strange sense of helplessness and amusement.
“What do you want to ask?”
“Will you answer honestly?” Zhou Yili’s words had a sarcastic tone.
This person never spoke truthfully.
Shen Jixing nodded, “Yes.”
But he never went back on his promises.
Zhou Yili’s expression gradually calmed down. It wasn’t easy to hear the truth from Shen Jixing. Many questions flooded his mind, but they were forcibly suppressed by his pride.
Self-esteem often drags people down, making their path tortuous.
Zhou Yili casually rubbed the rim of the cup and asked, “Were you really abandoned?”
Shen Jixing paused almost imperceptibly; the arc of his drooping eyelashes was light and beautiful.
He calmly admitted, “Yes.”
“Why?”
Zhou Yili stared intently at his face.
Seeming to want to capture traces of genuine emotion from his expression.
But there were none.
This person was calm and indifferent like a refined robot, but his words described a different scene —
“Their missing son was found; they didn’t need me anymore.”
Zhou Yili suddenly raised his eyes to look at him.
This was the first time Shen Jixing had stated this.
He always understood and accepted it. Even if he wasn’t old enough to understand when it happened, the Herbert couple wouldn’t expect their recovered son to be sensible.
So he was the one who had to leave.
Shen Jixing could naturally accept this outcome.
What he couldn’t accept was the false name given to him on his debut day and the long, silent, benevolent acquiescence from France.
As if his scars were healed.
And he, no longer had the occasional moments, late at night, when he might feel that he deserved to feel wronged.
Some people are born with sadness.
They are not even allowed to cry or feel wronged.
“…”
Shen Jixing was lost in thought.
Zhou Yili watched him, seeming not to experience the pleasure he had imagined of seeing him lose control emotionally.
He moved his lips, wanting to say something.
Shen Jixing suddenly raised his eyes to look at him, “Are you satisfied with this exchange?”
In a flash, he had adjusted his emotions, still calm and composed.
Zhou Yili coldly pursed his lips, “Barely.”
Shen Jixing’s story was clearly much more difficult than his.
This person didn’t seem to care much; he even found his answer somewhat funny.
Shen Jixing glanced at his messy blue hair and seemed to smile slightly, “Yes.”
Then he got up and went to the balcony to answer the phone.
Zhou Yili gripped the cup a little harder, his gaze following the man to the balcony, the emotions in his black eyes spreading silently.
“Were you…”
He didn’t know Shen Jixing very well.
This person hid his emotions so well, unwilling to open his heart to anyone.
But he at least knew that Shen Jixing, such a proud person, would not use his past identity as a stepping stone after being abandoned.
Then there was only one possibility.
Zhou Yili looked towards the balcony; under the pale golden morning light, the tall and delicate figure, “Were you bullied by someone, Shen Jixing?”
…
Shen Jixing seemed to sense something and looked back.
The living room was empty.
The little lion with messy blue hair and a tired face had already gone upstairs to sleep.
So, did he come downstairs in the early morning just to drink water?
What a weirdo.
“Ancestor, ancestor?”
Shen Jixing looked away, “Don’t call me that.”
“…” Pei Ming gave up, “No, are you really going to that obscure little variety show???”
He never expected that of all the choices, Shen Jixing picked the worst variety show.
Was he going to fight poverty???
“You may not have heard of this variety show, but you must have heard of the director,” Shen Jixing said calmly.
Pei Ming: “?”
He hadn’t really paid attention to the director.
He only remembered the terrifying name of the variety show — Happy Challenge.
A name that sounds completely unappealing.
Did you pay the copyright fee for Candy Crush?
Pei Ming asked, “So the director is…”
“The tenth-ranked Chinese entrepreneur on the Forbes list — You Qian,” Shen Jixing finished speaking and turned back from the balcony; his cold white fingers were about to land on his laptop.
Suddenly paused slightly.
…Did he close the laptop when he left?
“Oh, I remember, the director who impulsively entered the entertainment industry, invested in 800 projects, and all of them lost money. I heard that after countless failures, he became more and more courageous, the more he failed, the more courageous he became… I didn’t expect him to still not give up; he even bought the copyright for Candy Crush.”
“…”
Pei Ming smiled and asked, “You chose this variety show?”
Shen Jixing opened his laptop, faintly curling his lips, “Almost.”
Whenever he was desperate or urgently needed money, he had a strange little hobby.
That’s how he chose the Zhou family from countless people.
“I prefer…”
Shen Jixing’s thin white fingertips tapped on the keyboard, replying to the other party’s meeting time; a beautiful arc curved on his pale lips.
“A sucker.”
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