Ge Xiu accepted the change very well.
This kind of role where he can get money without acting is really suitable for him.
He sat beside the set on a small stool with his name on it, and yawned while watching the crowd of actors in cheap costumes come and go in front of him.
According to the following plot in the script, there was only one last scene left today that required Ge Xiu to appear.
After saying those two lines, he didn’t need to appear on the set for the next half a month.
Ge Xiu lowered his head and fiddled with his mobile phone in boredom.
At this moment, a careful and familiar voice came to his ear: “Lu, Lu Nan…”
Ge Xiu narrowed his eyes and looked in the direction of the voice.
Fang Zhengye was standing a few meters away from his stool with a reluctant smile on his face, he stood with his back bowed with respectful and fearful look.
Ge Xiu raised his eyebrows in surprise.
He thought that based on the character that this person showed before, he would not appear in front of him at least until the situation calmed down.
Fang Zhengye brought the ice water he just bought from outside and put it on the small table beside Ge Xiu and asked with concern: “You’re still filming on such a hot day, are you thirsty? How did the filming go? Is it not going well? If you have any dissatisfaction, just say it, and I will communicate with the crew…”
Ge Xiu watched Fang Zhengye’s enthusiastic performance with interest, the corners of his lips rose slightly.
——He really had to admit that in terms of acting skills, he indeed couldn’t compare.
Under the mocking eyes of the other who seemed like he was watching a play, the smile at the corner of Fang Zhengye’s mouth became more and more rigid, and the corners of his eyes began to twitch slightly.
Finally, he cautiously went straight to the subject:
“Lu Nan, in all fairness, during the time we were working together, I wasn’t really bad for you, right? Although I may have had a bad attitude towards you sometimes, it’s also because I had high expectations to you and felt responsible for you, it’s all because I had a parent-like affection wanting all the best for you. This incident was indeed my fault. I was too impatient. I was worried that those black materials on the Internet may have an impact on your career and as if bewitched I came up with a crooked way — but you have to believe me, I have always had good intentions for you and I really did not know that Wang Xuejiu was actually that kind of person in private, otherwise I wouldn’t dare to send you to such a fire pit even if I died…”
Fang Zhengye rambled and expressed his loyalty.
The more Ge Xiu listened, the more impatient he became. He frowned and interrupted him bluntly: “What exactly are you trying to say?”
In the next second, Fang Zhengye knelt down with a “pop”.
Ge Xiu was taken aback.
Before he could react, Fang Zhengye began to howl: “I have seniors and juniors, I can’t lose this job…”
The chaotic scene caught the attention of the entire set, and the noisy set quietened down a bit. Countless eyes were cast in their direction, openly or secretly, and some people even took out their mobile phones and started recording.
Fang Zhengye’s eyes flashed with a hint of obscure smugness.
That’s what he was counting at — if the emotional card at the beginning didn’t work, then try to use public opinion to achieve his goal.
In fact, at the beginning of Wang Xuejiu’s dinner, he was really frightened, thinking that this person in front of him was a hidden master, or a young master from some family who came out to play have fun. If this was the case, then he would be done for.
Until today, when he received a notice that Lu Nan’s contract was going to be transferred to the economic company under the Zuo Group and that he was fired due to performance issues on the same day, but because he had a little friendship with the company’s top management, the other party hinted that he must have offended someone who he shouldn’t have offended.
Fang Zhengye pondered for a while and felt that something was not quite right.
So he went to check Lu Nan’s whereabouts during this period, and found that the hotel he went to meet Wang Xuejiu that day was owned by the Zuo family. The next day, he was photographed coming out of the hotel dishevelled, with red marks on his neck. He didn’t return to his home at night, he also happened to have lost his whereabouts in the Zuo family’s property.
Based on more than ten years of his experience in the entertainment industry, he quickly figured out the key points.
He had no background to speak of until he met someone from Zuo family.
Level of director would be impossible, but an executive was still possible.
——In this case, it would be much easier to deal with.
No matter what, Fang Zhengye had been playing with Lu Nan in his palm for so many years, he was confident that he could completely control the other’s psychology. In addition, according to the timeline, Lu Nan should have just hooked up with the gold master not long ago. Although the enthusiasm has not dissipated, but the relationship was not stable enough. If he was a discerning plaything he’d know that it would be the best to avoid troubles now. The attention of public opinion and being entangled in black material would be the last things he wanted to see.
He was very pleased with this idea of his own.
But after howling for a while, the other didn’t move, and he didn’t act like Fang Zhengye planned, letting go of all the past grievances and grudges to let bygones be bygones, nor helping him up and comforting him.
Fang Zhengye felt a little uneasy.
He carefully looked in the direction of the young man through his fingers, and he met the dark eyes of the other party.
The young man stared at him condescendingly, darkness in the depths of his eyes was covered under the drooping eyelashes, in there was a certain indifference and feeling as he didn’t even participate in this matter. The corners of his pale lips evoked a faint arc and if he was watching dying prey struggles.
An instinctive fear of danger hit him, making him subconsciously shudder, cold sweat oozed from his back.
Ge Xiu reached out and picked up the ice water on the table, the water droplets condensing on the wall of the ice-cold cup slid down, leaving a dark circle of water stains on the table.
He twisted the lid of the cup, took a sip, moistened his throat, and then said slowly:
“Why are you worried about your career?”
Fang Zhengye felt a chill down his spine subconsciously, and the speech he had prepared a long time ago felt as if it stuck in his throat, he couldn’t spit out a word for a long time.
“Didn’t you destroy it yourself?” Ge Xiu smiled slightly.
Fang Zhengye was stunned for a moment, a strong sense of unease struck him, the mobile phone in his pocket began to vibrate wildly. As if he finally realizing something, he took out his mobile phone tremblingly from his pocket. The content on the screen made his sight darken and he fell into stunned stupor.
The evidence that he had sold, entrapped in dishonest contracts and betrayed many starlets, received bribes, and even cheated, were all sent to all the contacts in his mobile phone and email, and it was his own account that sent these evidences. The sending time was actually—
five minutes ago.
This time, Fang Zhengye’s legs really went soft.
——Ever since last night, Ge Xiu had been waiting for the moment when Fang Zhengye took the initiative to find him.
He had always been very vengeful.
Fang Zhengye and Wang Xuejiu. These two people had always been at the forefront of Ge Xiu’s list, and Ge Xiu was not going to let any of them go from the very beginning.
Wang Xuejiu valued his reputation and authority in front of his friends.
So Ge Xiu let him be disgraced and lose face under the gaze of those close* friends.
*酒肉朋友 – meat and wine friends (friends only for partying and companionship)
On the other hand, Fang Zhengye was hypocritical and wanted to harm others by pretending to be a savoir.
So the best way was to let him tear up his fake mask with his own hands and expose his dirty and ugly face to everyone.
Ge Xiu designed the backdoor of the automatic sending program very early, even before collecting Fang Zhengye’s criminal evidence.
All he needed was an opportunity.
— or a close-up viewing position.
Ge Xiu admired the other party’s ashen and despairing face, his eyes narrowed happily, and the smile on his lips was pure and innocent, like a child’s.
To be honest, he did not expect the other party to come to his door so quickly.
Moreover, the matter of unemployment was indeed not arranged by Ge Xiu.
Before he could think about it, at this moment, a familiar electronically synthesised voice suddenly sounded in Ge Xiu’s ear— “Warning! Warning! Long-term mission: repayment of debt, about to fail!”
… Fail?
Ge Xiu was slightly taken aback.
Almost instantly, he realised the connections behind it.
Firing the agent who had treated him unfairly and dealing with the debts he owed before—except for the gold master he had just found for himself yesterday, he estimated that no one else would do such a meaningless thing.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, took out his mobile phone and wanted to call Zuo Yan, but just opened the screen, he suddenly remembered—
He, seems to have, forgotten to save Zuo Yan’s phone number.
Just as he was in a daze, the phone in his hand suddenly rang, it was a call from unknown number.
Ge Xiu paused, then answered the phone.
The man’s low and magnetic voice came through the receiver: “Come out.”
——Zuo Yan.
Ge Xiu narrowed his eyes.
He put the hung up phone in his pocket, no longer paying attention to Fang Zhengye who was slumped on the ground in despair, and walked quickly towards the outside of the studio.
A black car was parked in a hidden place in front of the studio.
Ge Xiu opened the door and sat in.
Zuo Yan raised his brows slightly, obviously a little surprised that he came out so quickly.
Ge Xiu’s face was as heavy as water, but before he could ask questions, he heard the other say to the driver indifferently: “Drive.”
The black vehicle moved slowly and drove steadily towards the distance.
Ge Xiu frowned: “Where are we going?”
“You’ll know when we get there.”
Zuo Yan withdrew his gaze unmoved, leaned back on the back of the chair and closed his eyes to rest.
After driving for nearly an hour, they finally reached their destination.
It was close to the edge of the city. Ge Xiu raised his head and glanced unfathomably at the large characters “Unsecured Loan” scribbled on the outer wall. Then he followed Zuo Yan towards the slightly dim and narrow corridor — there was such a place in his memory, and it seemed that Lu Nan had been tricked into borrowing from loan sharks here.
Combined with the sudden task prompt, Ge Xiu had a bad premonition.
Sure enough, when they walked into the spacious and empty room, he saw a group of people curled up in the corner of the room, with a few bodyguards in suits and leather shoes standing by. Among those people, Ge Xiu also recognized a few familiar faces. The bruises on their faces from a beating had not yet disappeared, and new wounds were added again.
There was a light sound of a lighter from behind.
Ge Xiu turned his head to look.
Zuo Yan stood at the door far away, his eyebrows lowered, a cigarette tucked between his slender fingers, and misty smoke rose, blurring his deep, dark eyebrows.
He said lightly: “Illegal loan sharks. The police will come to take notes later.”
Through the smoke, Zuo Yan stared at the young man not far away, his eyes darkening.
——His mind was by no means as calm as he appeared to be.
Zuo Yan started his career in army and was used to solving problems with such extreme means.
But since he established the Zuo group, began to control the power, whitewashed his wealth, and entered the upper class, he had never done such a thing again, let alone coming in person.
Because it was totally unnecessary. No one had the guts to challenge his authority anymore.
If someone told him that he would one day do this because of a little star who he had only known for a few days, Zuo Yan would definitely sneer contemptuously, thinking that this person was talking about some imaginary novel plot.
He asked someone to check Lu Nan’s background before, and he had not withdrawn his attention on this aspect.
So today he received the news — this group of people felt resentful because they failed to collect debts by force, so they decided to take the lead and tie up this daring little star to teach a lesson, and then throw it to the controlling above forces for them to solve it, having even contacted a buyer already.
Zuo Yan did not expect that he would be so angry.
Even break the habit and shoot directly without hesitation — just for a kept plaything.
To actually bring him here…
for what?
to take credit?
It was almost like a peacock trying to display its gorgeous tail feathers, eager to present an amusing dance to courtship.
This was too laughable.
Zuo Yan tried not to let himself continue to think deeply in this direction.
But… He couldn’t deny that, for some reason, every time he saw this person in front of him, he always had a strange and unstoppable urge in his heart.
He wanted to give him all the best things in the world and keep him firmly under his wings.
This impulse was almost instinctive, constantly stirring in the depths of Zuo Yan’s soul, burning his reason.
Certain dark desires surged up, never-ending devil’s whispers, bewitching him in a soft voice:
Don’t let anyone see him.
Monopolize him.
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The author has something to say:
It is love (certain