Chapter 15
Zong Mo was not the stubborn mule that Yu Chi was. He cooperatively called out, “Big brother.”
Ruan Chi was relentless. “Doesn’t sound good. Say it again.”
Zong Mo: ?
“Big brother.”
“Again.”
“Big brother?”
“Again.”
…
“Big brother~~”
“Heh.”
After calling him “big brother” dozens of times, he was finally able to return to the hotel, completely exhausted.
The acting practice at night suddenly enlightened Zong Mo.
“Just let me sleep tonight, okay, big brother?”
Isn’t it just acting cute? A real man should know how to act cute.
“Okay, Ruan Chi big brother?”
Ruan Chi let out a “mm.” “You sleep. I’m tired too.”
Zong Mo: …
So CEO Ruan also gets tired. Unbelievable.
The next day, Ruan Chi continued to supervise at the film set.
Yu Chi was a student, after all, so there were many scenes of him in class at school.
Ruan Chi requested to be an extra, sitting in the same classroom as him.
CEO Ruan in a school uniform also looked quite like a student, and the kind of good student with excellent character and grades!
The extra, Ruan Chi, and the female lead both sat in the front row. Yu Chi, who fought all day, was of course in the back row corner, the designated seat for underachievers.
He stared at the two people in front of him a hundred times more intently than he listened to the lecture, his gaze switching back and forth.
As he watched, his eyes narrowed.
This was a math class, which already had an excellent hypnotic effect. The teacher was also a randomly hired actor, like a ruthless line-reading machine.
Zong Mo wasn’t sleepy at all and watched even more intently.
…What is CEO Ruan writing?
Horizontal lines, vertical lines, and circles, triangles, strange symbols.
Is his CEO Ruan actually doing the high school math problems that were props?
After filming this scene, Zong Mo took a moment to search for Ruan Chi online. As expected, the mysterious and wealthy sponsor couldn’t be easily found.
He could find the Ruan family, Old Master Ruan, and the little grandson he often flaunted in interviews.
The glorious academic and professional history nearly blinded Zong Mo.
Zong Mo’s understanding of Ruan Chi deepened a little more.
Although such a life experience was brilliant, it must have been very tiring.
No wonder he had to vent through acting.
After work, the two of them, along with the now-accustomed manager and assistant, rode back to the hotel in the nanny van.
Ruan Chi settled down early today. Zong Mo asked curiously, “Why don’t you want to ‘review’ that borrowing money scene?”
“…The five thousand yuan one?” Ruan Chi frowned. “Is that interesting?”
Zong Mo: …
“What if it was fifty million?”
Ruan Chi sneered and said, “I’ll lend you fifty million just for calling me big brother?”
Zong Mo: ?
“Hehe, I wouldn’t even lend you five thousand yuan.”
Zong Mo: ??
“I don’t do charity,” Ruan Chi said. “If you want to borrow money, sign a contract first.”
Zong Mo: …
Now he was certain. He definitely had some unspeakable contract in Ruan Chi’s hands.
Ruan Chi suddenly said, “Call me big brother for me to hear.”
Zong Mo: “No! You’re not lending me money anyway!”
Isn’t it just acting? He’ll play along!
Sometimes he could also pretend to be acting to vent a little temper.
Ruan Chi didn’t press further, but requested to review the kiss scene again.
As they were kissing, this time he didn’t slap Zong Mo, but pushed him away and said heartlessly, “Get out.”
Zong Mo: ?
“Where to…?”
“Wherever you want. Just get out of the room.”
It was clearly Zong Mo’s room, but he had no choice but to leave.
He stood alone in the hallway, hard.
He could go to An Lan’s room for a while, but An Lan was a woman, after all. Little Wan was a man, but they weren’t that familiar, and Zong Mo wasn’t thick-skinned enough.
He looked up at the surveillance camera in the hallway.
What kind of situation is this?
At least there was no one in the hallway. If he went downstairs, it would be even more embarrassing.
He called from outside the door, begging, “CEO Ruan…”
“Little Mo?”
Zong Mo: …He knows!
“Let me in, okay, big brother?”
When he woke up, Ruan Chi said he was going back to City A.
He had come all this way to stay for three nights. At least he was in a very good mood from the acting, his face beaming with spring, without a trace of fatigue.
After seeing off his sponsor, Zong Mo rushed back to the set.
Now… he’s really free, right?
When Ruan Chi left, he even told him that he probably wouldn’t be video calling for a while. The company had a lot of business to handle at the end of the year. Even if the CEO didn’t need to personally handle it, he still had to review it, which would take a lot of effort.
Life on the set finally got on the right track.
The following week was not calm either. A small off-screen incident occurred: the female lead, Yin Qiao, who had always been very low-key, her husband had cheated on her during her pregnancy!
What a scumbag!
The entire crew was scrolling through the trending topics. No one dared to ask her how she was feeling.
Yin Qiao didn’t come the next day. She flew to City A and then flew back, decisively getting a divorce.
Zong Mo: ?
As expected of the world of a novel, drama is everywhere.
“Fuck, he still thinks I’m controlling him.” At the dinner table, the usually gentle and amiable beauty cursed loudly.
“Doesn’t even look at what kind of trash he is. Is he worthy of my control?”
“Only an idiot gets married! Damn it, I am that idiot!”
Yin Qiao was nine-tenths drunk. Director Yang didn’t stop her, just drank with her and listened to her curse.
Zong Mo had originally refused this dinner gathering too, but the character Yin Qiao played, Yun Jie, was someone he had once loved unrequitedly, and their scenes together had been pleasant. Yin Qiao was 25, not very famous but very professional. She had filmed dozens of dramas and had helped Zong Mo a lot.
“Getting married is one thing, but sticking your nose into other people’s business and worrying for nothing is the most fucking idiotic thing!!!”
Zong Mo wanted to stop her from drinking, so he took the initiative to join the conversation, saying, “Sister Qiao, you’re so busy every day. You don’t have much time to control him, do you?”
“We chat on WeChat every night before bed about our lives and work, or we call or video chat,” Yin Qiao said, slamming the table. “Isn’t that normal? What couple doesn’t do that? Fuck! I shouldn’t have believed that scumbag’s bullshit and married him…”
Zong Mo: .
“It used to be common for us not to contact each other for a week or two when we were working. Now I’m pregnant and working at the same time, and we just say a few words every day, and he’s actually complaining about it??!”
“In the end, it’s just that he doesn’t love me anymore. Everything is just an excuse.”
“Someone’s controlling you too, right, Little Mo,” Yin Qiao suddenly changed the subject. “I can tell it hasn’t been more than three months.”
Zong Mo was dumbfounded. “Wh-what?”
Director Yang interjected with a cold laugh, “Heh.”
“Except for today, you never attend gatherings,” Yin Qiao said, pointing her finger at his nose. “You never come out of your hotel room once you’re back. Only a fool wouldn’t be able to tell.”
“But you’re really obedient.”
Zong Mo: How can I not be obedient? That’s my sponsor daddy.
The topic continued to unfold. Yin Qiao asked, “What was the deal with that handsome guy who was the kissing double last time?”
Zong Mo was speechless. Director Yang smiled without saying a word.
Yin Qiao asked again, “Director Yang, you know, right?”
Director Yang: “It’s just what it is.”
Yin Qiao also smiled without saying a word.
Zong Mo: ?
“Let me give you a piece of sisterly advice: don’t get married young,” Yin Qiao sighed and said earnestly. “Focusing on your career is the real deal.”
As she spoke, she patted Zong Mo’s shoulder heavily, then took a cigarette from Director Yang.
Zong Mo: ?
Drinking was one thing; after all, she needed to drown her sorrows.
He quickly stopped Yin Qiao. “Sister, you’re pregnant.”
Yin Qiao: “Tsk, almost forgot.”
Zong Mo only then learned that Yin Qiao had such a straightforward and bold personality.
Taking advantage of Director Yang going to the restroom, he said in a low voice, “Sister Qiao, I also feel very tired…”
Tired of being controlled. He had a similar experience to Sister Qiao’s husband.
Yin Qiao didn’t hit him. With the composure of a married person, she looked at him like an ignorant younger brother and asked patiently, “How so?”
“I have to be with him every day. When we’re not together, we video chat,” Zong Mo complained.
“That’s it?” Yin Qiao raised her willow-like eyebrows.
Zong Mo: “Hmm?”
Yin Qiao’s lips curled, and she spat out two words, “Scumbag.”
Zong Mo: ?
This week, Zong Mo, having had his meridians unblocked, made rapid progress in his acting. He was able to finish filming on time every day and occasionally received praise from Director Yang.
He didn’t know if it was because Ruan Chi had put in a good word.
He did look good on camera, with a very “shattered” beauty.
Ruan Chi said he was busy, but he still video-called twice, though not for long, just about an hour each time.
On December 24th, Christmas Eve, Zong Mo asked, “CEO Ruan, did you eat an apple?”
“Eat what apple?”
“You eat apples on Christmas Eve.”
Ruan Chi said, “I don’t eat apple peels.”
Zong Mo: “…Can’t you just peel it?”
Ruan Chi: “Me, peel an apple?”
Zong Mo: …
So why on earth don’t you hire a full-time nanny at home?
On December 30th, feeling it was a bit strange to just video chat without talking, Zong Mo tried hard to find a topic. “Tomorrow is the last day of the year. You must be very busy, right?”
Ruan Chi asked, “Busy with what?”
Zong Mo: “Like the company’s annual party?”
Ruan Chi: “Not going.”
Zong Mo: …
“If you could sing and dance, you could go to the annual party to liven things up,” Ruan Chi said, his tone making it hard to tell if he was joking.
Zong Mo: He didn’t want to continue this conversation.
Ruan Chi also fell silent. When Zong Mo looked over, the person in the video was gone, replaced by a view of the ceiling.
Zong Mo: ?
Ruan Chi was using his phone for the video call today. He had probably gone to do something else and left his phone on the table.
He tentatively asked, “CEO Ruan, are you still there?”
A few seconds later, Ruan Chi’s slightly hoarse voice came through, “Fell asleep.”
He turned the phone back to face himself. It turned out he had been lying in bed all along.
It was the bed in the master bedroom where they often slept together.
Speaking of which, this bed probably hadn’t been cleaned by the auntie for a while.
“Then I’ll hang up?” Zong Mo asked.
“No,” Ruan Chi immediately refused.
Zong Mo: …
“Just leave it on like this,” Ruan Chi said. “I’m going to sleep.”
Zong Mo: ?
He didn’t know how many hours his phone could last on a video call. Anyway, when he woke up in the morning, the battery had already dropped to zero.
He charged his phone and turned it back on. He didn’t see any missed calls from the phone shutting down midway.
What was this… sleeping together over the phone?
