Chapter 6: “Cowardly” Assistant, Lifeless
The man was handsome and tall, especially his eyes and brows, which were particularly striking. He wore an ivory shirt with casually rolled-up sleeves, revealing half of his forearms. His trousers weren’t neat, slightly wrinkled.
But the aura he exuded was unusual, a roguish air that Chen Shuo could directly sense, making him slightly uncomfortable.
The man had one hand casually tucked into his trouser pocket, the other smoothly hanging up the phone, his appraising gaze fixed on him and the small director.
He seemed to have something to say.
The small director, having had the honor of meeting the boss of Gewu Media, suddenly seeing Li Ge, his eyes lit up. He hurriedly put away his phone and went over to greet him, vigorously wiping his hands on his pants before extending them, afraid of being disliked.
“Hello, Mr. Li! I’ve been waiting for you, I’m Director Liu’s junior, my name is Jin Hu, you can call me Xiaohu, I’ve been waiting here for you.”
“…” The lingering dizziness from the alcohol, which Chen Shuo hadn’t yet shaken off, was abruptly suppressed by the small director’s obsequious greeting, like a servant welcoming an emperor. He sobered up considerably.
His impression of Li Ge wasn’t deep. He only remembered glancing at him from afar in the parking lot when he went to pick up He Yan two years ago. He hadn’t expected to run into him again in a parking lot so soon.
Since he was his boss’s cousin, Chen Shuo immediately straightened up, with the respectful attitude of a subordinate to a superior, slightly bowing and proactively greeting Li Ge, “Hello, Mr. Li.”
He was unaware that his respectful demeanor appeared meek and timid in Mr. Li’s eyes, no wonder he only did butt-wiping work.
The little assistant “cowardly” lowered his head, not daring to look at him. Li Ge felt a bit better, mainly because Chen Shuo was fair and handsome, pleasing to his eyes. He had just been carefully observing to recognize a familiar face.
He nodded in acknowledgment without holding a grudge and offered some advice, “As an assistant, the most important thing is to be observant.”
“…” Chen Shuo couldn’t immediately respond, then heard Li Ge continue in a condescending yet casual tone,
“Not only observe, but also listen. Understood?”
After graduating from university and entering society, Chen Shuo had only been mistreated in his first job, first being undermined by his colleagues, then being called into the office by his team leader for a lecture.
But having worked alongside He Yan for many years, he had never been lectured like this, in front of other people.
Seeing this scene, Jin Hu on the side didn’t dare to utter a word, wisely keeping his mouth shut, waiting to be lectured. After all, the investor was the boss.
The designated driver arrived late on his electric scooter. Chen Shuo controlled his emotions, maintaining his respectful attitude, lowering his head and expressing his gratitude.
“Thank you, Mr. Li, I’ll be going back now.”
Just like the voice he heard on the phone, monotonous and without inflection, like a robot.
Li Ge found it somewhat unpleasant and asked Chen Shuo directly, “Are you doing this on purpose, or do you always talk like this?”
The designated driver was setting up the electric scooter. Chen Shuo was about to get into the car, his hand tightening on the door handle. After a two-second pause, he replied, “Not on purpose.”
Finding Chen Shuo’s speech clumsy, Li Ge didn’t have the patience to stand around in the night breeze. He impatiently said, “Alright, hurry back,” and turned to leave.
“Hey, Mr. Li! I’ll show you the way!” Jin Hu quickly chased after him to curry favor.
Li Ge: “I know this place better than you, get lost!”
Jin Hu: “…”
The sixty-square-meter studio apartment was a large open space with an open kitchen and no extra partitions, arranged in an orderly manner.
A single bed was placed by the floor-to-ceiling window, next to it was a modular wardrobe. In the corner on the other side were a desk and Chen Shuo’s most prized dust-proof display cabinet.
He walked past the bed straight to the balcony, without any warm-up, and punched the hanging punching bag. After a muffled thud, the bag swayed violently, the chain creaking as if protesting.
The protest was ineffective.
When decorating this apartment, Chen Shuo had ensured good soundproofing, even the ceiling.
Ignoring the stinging pain in his fist, he punched the bag a few more times before stopping, then steadied the wildly swaying bag, letting everything return to calm, including himself.
After everything calmed down, Chen Shuo took off his suit and shirt, which he didn’t like wearing, freeing himself from the feeling of constraint. Bare-chested, he went to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water, drinking it all in one gulp, then went to feed the fish.
He was angry tonight.
Very inappropriate.
He stared at the eight small fish swimming nimbly in the tank, acknowledging his negative emotions, accepting them before processing them, slowly and naturally digesting them.
He had heard that watching fish swim could help lower heart rate and blood pressure, improving physical and mental health.
And a calm environment could stimulate the body to release chemicals like endorphins, which helped people relax.
Chen Shuo himself enjoyed quietness. After learning about these things online, he went to the flower and bird market and bought eight easy-to-care-for Rhodeus fish, just to try it out. It turned out to be effective.
In the past, when he was in a bad mood, spending ten to fifteen minutes quietly with the fish would make him feel better.
But tonight, he had some alcohol, and there were too many small incidents, his mind was also dizzy. Chen Shuo didn’t even have the energy to do laundry. After taking a shower, he collapsed onto the bed and quickly fell asleep.
Three days later.
Chen Shuo received a call from the persistent Lin Yuzhi. This time, he wasn’t urging him, but excitedly telling him that the audition was tomorrow, and it was for the second male lead.
“I’m so excited, Assistant Chen, it’s my first time playing such a big role! Thank CEO He for me. When I become famous, I’ll give you an autograph! I’ll treat you and Director Liu to a meal!”
This troublesome matter had been so complicated, Chen Shuo asked one more question, “Just the second male lead?”
“Yes, I’ve acted in two movies before, playing small roles. Director Liu paid attention to me and specifically watched them. He said no one is more suitable for the second male lead than me, it’s definitely mine.”
“…” As expected. Chen Shuo played along, “I wish you success.”
“Thank you, I will cherish this opportunity!”
The troublesome matter was finally coming to an end.
Chen Shuo learned from Lin Yuzhi that the script excerpt Director Liu gave him was a crying scene at the beginning of the film. The audition would be held tomorrow at a hotel in the suburbs.
He hadn’t forgotten what Director Liu said at the dinner table, that the lead actor was Li Ge’s lover, and they were very much in love. It should be the squeaky voice who had provoked him on the phone.
If it weren’t for the incident in the Jinling Xuan parking lot, Chen Shuo would have planned to go and check on the situation, in case Lin Yuzhi suddenly went crazy and affected his boss.
Unexpectedly, before lunchtime the next day, he received a call from the small director.
“Assistant Chen, you can come over now.”
“Thank you, I won’t be going over.” Chen Shuo asked Jin Hu, “Does Lin Yuzhi know he’s playing a corpse?”
“He hasn’t arrived yet, you come over first, my senior also misses you, let’s have a meal together, it’s on him!” Jin Hu remembered something and added, “Oh, let me tell you some gossip, Mr. Li dumped the lead actor.”
Chen Shuo wasn’t interested in the lead actor and only asked, “Is Mr. Li there?”
“Of course not.” Jin Hu said, “Originally, they weren’t going to change the lead actor, but during the audition, my senior found that little star’s plastic surgery face unbearable. It would ruin the movie’s reputation. Then he heard that Mr. Li had dumped him before the New Year, so my senior quickly called Mr. Li and told him about it. Mr. Li told him to handle it, they’re currently looking for a new lead actor.”
Hearing that Li Ge wasn’t there, Chen Shuo decided to go and check on the situation after all, but Jin Hu surprised him with his words.
“Assistant Chen, why don’t you try out for the lead role? You’re so handsome, and your temperament kind of fits, all lifeless, you just need to be a bit more expressive, let my senior teach you.”
Chen Shuo: “…”
Jin Hu: “If you become famous, why would you still be someone’s lackey? Just open your own studio and be your own boss, I’ll work for you, we’ll turn the tables!”
Chen Shuo had never been so speechless. He gave up the idea again, using the excuse of being busy with work to end the call.
In the afternoon, he stayed home, watching dramas and waiting for updates. Lin Yuzhi didn’t call, and neither did Liu Dasen or Jin Hu, which meant everything went smoothly.
The troublesome matter was finally over.
Chen Shuo was in a good mood. After watching five episodes of the palace drama in a row, he realized it was getting late. The sky outside was darkening, and he had to go to the gym.
For the past three days, he had arrived at the gym on time at 3:30 pm every day, working out for an hour and a half, finishing at 5:00 pm, perfectly avoiding the evening rush hour.
It was a bit late today, and there might be a lot of members at the gym, but Chen Shuo could accept it. Because he was in a good mood, even the evening breeze felt gentle.
He went straight to his destination with his gym bag. While waiting for the elevator, he happened to run into a friend from his boss’s circle.
“Assistant Chen? What a coincidence.” Fei Fan recognized Chen Shuo and greeted him familiarly.
The next second, Chen Shuo noticed Li Ge behind Fei Fan.
