Chapter 65
Zong Mo moved from An Lan’s house to a one-bedroom apartment in the same complex. It was well-decorated, fully furnished with household items, and had been cleaned, ready for move-in.
Hmm… but he didn’t even have a bag. He completed the move in just over ten minutes.
The apartment he had lived in alone before was about this size. Though small, it had everything he needed. It was convenient to live in and gave a great sense of security.
But after a few months, he was completely unaccustomed to it.
For several days, Ruan Chi had not contacted him again. And as An Lan had said, Ruan Chi’s threat was to get him back, and he would never really post those private things.
This time, he was truly free.
There was no longer a contract to bind him, no one to control him. He also had his own place—although it was rented like before, he was now an artist with millions of active fans, and could easily save enough money to buy the things he had once longed for but could not afford.
In the long period of cooling down, he had even thought of a more effective threat for Ruan Chi.
Ruan Chi was An Lan’s boss. He could completely forbid An Lan from helping him. He could also use his money to blacklist him, cutting off all his paths in the entertainment industry, forcing him to go back and seek help.
But everything was so calm and peaceful, as if nothing had happened.
An Lan even brought him a new job: [A kitchenware brand wants you to be their spokesperson. Are you interested?]
Zong Mo replied with mixed feelings: [I’m not in the mood to cook lately.]
He had been casually eating takeout every day.
Ruan Chi didn’t eat properly to begin with. Without him at home to cook on time, he would only torment himself even more.
[They don’t need you to cook, just pose for pictures,] An Lan said. [And you should be very short of money now, right?]
Zong Mo: …
Not only was he out of money, he was so poor he was clanging. Even the deposit and three months’ rent had been paid for him by An Lan first.
But he still refused: [I don’t really want to shoot.]
He asked again: [Has CEO Ruan contacted you?]
An Lan: [No.]
Zong Mo: [Mm, I see.]
An Lan stared at her phone for a long time. They weren’t chatting face to face, so she couldn’t see Zong Mo’s current state. From the words alone, he seemed to have calmed down a lot.
But to suddenly start slacking off and refusing work, that was not okay.
The dutiful, motherly manager let out a long sigh and chose to go out.
An Lan made a last-minute appointment at the front desk and waited for over an hour before successfully arriving at the chairman’s office door.
The secretary opened the door for her and then quickly left with her head down, looking as if she were timidly escaping a monstrous beast.
An Lan walked into the room and finally saw Ruan Chi, who was buried in his work.
He was dressed as seriously and formally as ever, his head lowered, and he was wearing a pair of non-prescription glasses, making it hard to tell his expression.
An Lan, for some reason, didn’t dare to speak first and stood silently to the side with her hands behind her back, waiting.
After about ten minutes, Ruan Chi looked up, shot her a look, and asked in an unfriendly tone, “What are you here for?”
Even from a distance of several meters, An Lan could see the fatigue hidden under his lenses.
…So what was the point of these two?
An Lan asked helplessly, “CEO Ruan, do you like Zong Mo?”
“What’s it to you?”
“Feelings don’t come from threats,” An Lan said. “Nor from benefits.”
Ruan Chi said coldly, “Are you teaching me how to do things?”
“Zong Mo also has feelings for you,” for the sake of her future peaceful life, An Lan boldly continued to persuade. “He just can’t swallow this anger. Why don’t you… apologize to him?”
“Are you done talking?” Ruan Chi clearly had the attitude of turning a deaf ear to her words, his voice deeper and colder. “If you’re done, get out. Scram.”
An Lan trembled in fear and fled the office, just in time to meet the eyes of the secretary who was waiting by the wall.
It was clearly their first time meeting, but they exchanged their thoughts tacitly.
…How could anyone like such a fierce guy?
An Lan’s message seemed to have had no effect. Zong Mo was unaware and did not receive any contact from Ruan Chi in the following week.
Zong Mo didn’t have much money now, but his lifestyle had always been simple. His biggest expense every day was food. Most of the time, he sat at home in a daze, lay in a daze, or walked around.
He would check his phone from time to time. This day, he found a call invitation pop up on his WeChat interface. The name in the center of the screen was Ling Han.
The last time Ling Han had contacted him on WeChat was during the recording of Island Diary, to send him the audio of the song he had recorded.
They hadn’t contacted each other again after the show. To suddenly call after over a month was very strange no matter how you looked at it.
Zong Mo pondered for a moment.
The plot had already collapsed beyond repair. Did he still have to go through the part where Ling Han’s coercive love fails and instead helps the main couple to fall in love voluntarily?
He had already made things clear with Lu Bo, and he was now in a cold war with Ruan Chi. If Ling Han really wanted to force him, who could stop him?
His hesitation caused him to miss the call. A few seconds later, Ling Han called again.
One missed call followed by another. It was very likely an emergency.
Zong Mo decided to answer the phone first, “Hello?”
What he got was a long silence.
Zong Mo listened carefully and caught a faint whimper. It turned out someone was on the other end of the line.
Considering Ling Han’s awkward personality, Zong Mo took the initiative to ask, “Ling Han, what’s wrong?”
His calm and gentle voice finally broke the silence. After a few more seconds, Ling Han called out in a hoarse voice, “Zong Mo-ge.”
Zong Mo: …
This was the first time Ling Han had politely called him “ge,” but his voice was clearly not right, hoarse from crying.
He continued to ask, “What’s wrong?”
“My social media accounts have all been taken away by the company, and I don’t have any work now,” Ling Han said.
Zong Mo was slightly stunned.
The plot of Ling Han being shelved for refusing the casting couch had finally arrived, a few months earlier than in the novel. He should have just turned nineteen a few days ago.
A young man who was not very old, yet had to encounter such a thing.
In the novel, Gongs #1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 were ranked by their status and position. Ling Han was the only gong from an ordinary background, without a strong family background. Although he was a little better off than the main shou who was an orphan, their situations were completely different.
If the main shou had a charismatic Jack Sue script, then Ling Han had a beautiful, strong, and tragic realistic script.
Zong Mo suddenly remembered the sentence Yin Qiao had said, “You’re very lucky.”
When he first transmigrated, he had wanted to make a name for himself with his own abilities. At first glance, all the jobs he got were through his own skills, but Ruan Chi’s role in it was not small.
If there hadn’t been someone to protect him all along, in this world that was so real it didn’t seem like a novel, how could he have been “carefree”?
Zong Mo knew the inside story of the shelving, but Ling Han might not want to say it. So he only asked, “Ling Han, are you okay?”
Ling Han sobbed and softly called out “Zong Mo-ge,” then said no more.
Zong Mo patiently held the phone, waiting for him to open up.
After a long while, Ling Han spoke again, begging, “Can you come and keep me company?”
Zong Mo: …
How should he put it? Comforting in person would definitely be better, but according to the plot, it was very likely that Ling Han was trying to trick him into being forced.
Although the real development was already very different from the novel’s plot, even if there was only a tiny possibility of Ling Han ending his own life, he could not ignore it.
With his current height and build, Ling Han should not be his match.
Saving a life is important. Forcing is impossible. At worst, they could just have a fight!!
After a moment of hesitation, Zong Mo agreed, “Okay, where are you now?”
Ling Han sent him his address.
Zong Mo quickly changed his clothes and went out. Noticing that the sky was gloomy and seemed about to rain, he took an umbrella before leaving.
He found the residential complex where Ling Han lived. It was afternoon, but the sky was dim and lightless.
There was a vegetable market right below the complex, bustling with people. Fortunately, Zong Mo was well-covered, and his fan base had not yet spread to the middle-aged and elderly, so he was not recognized.
The company would not let an artist live in such an environment. This might be a place Ling Han had temporarily rented after being shelved and losing his source of income.
Zong Mo sighed lightly and bought some groceries before entering the complex.
Outside the complex could be said to be lively and full of life, but inside the residential building, there was only decay and desolation. The doors were covered with years of accumulated advertising strips, and the dilapidated couplets that had been there for years looked even more desolate.
The door was unlocked. Zong Mo walked into the room and closed the door.
Ling Han immediately came over and called out, “Zong Mo-ge.”
So obedient.
He hadn’t seen him in almost two months. Ling Han’s hair had grown a little, and he had lost some of his unapproachable coldness.
His eyes were red and swollen, looking quite easy to bully.
If it weren’t for having read the novel, Zong Mo would never have thought that the little brat in front of him would resort to such coercive tactics.
Zong Mo knew why Ling Han was crying. Even if he didn’t, and the other party didn’t take the initiative to bring it up, he wouldn’t deliberately ask, to avoid making him even more upset.
He only asked, “Have you eaten?”
Ling Han pursed his lips and shook his head, “No.”
He opened his mouth but didn’t have the courage to ask Zong Mo to cook for him. Even if someone could just quietly accompany him for a while, that would be very good.
Zong Mo asked again, “Where’s the kitchen? Shall I make you something to eat?”
Ling Han nodded vigorously and led him to the kitchen.
While he was cooking, Ling Han stood at the door and watched, just like when they were recording Field Diary.
Zong Mo couldn’t figure him out, but seeing that he didn’t make any strange moves, he focused on cooking, quickly stir-frying three dishes and cooking a bowl of clear soup noodles.
“I cook myself a bowl of noodles on my birthday,” Zong Mo said as he placed the bowls and dishes on the table one by one. “You eat the noodles first. They’ll get soggy in a bit. I made a few extra dishes. If you can’t finish them, you can put them in the fridge and eat them tomorrow.”
Ling Han was stunned for half a day before he picked up his chopsticks and started eating the noodles.
The moment he put the first mouthful of noodles into his mouth, before he had even chewed a couple of times, tears started to fall into the bowl.
Zong Mo suddenly remembered the incident where he had been made to cry by the spicy soy milk and felt a little guilty.
“There’s no chili in the noodles, is there?”
“No,” Ling Han said with a sob, his voice hoarse. “Because it’s delicious.”
“That’s good then.”
Zong Mo quietly accompanied him as he finished his meal. Ling Han did not cry anymore. The sound of the pattering rain outside became clearer and clearer.
Zong Mo stood up, “It’s getting late. I should go back now?”
Ling Han quickly stood up and stopped him, “Ge, can you not go?”
Zong Mo: …
The address was suddenly two words shorter, which inexplicably gave him a sense of responsibility as a big brother.
He sat back down and asked patiently, “You can tell me if you have anything on your mind.”
Ling Han shook his head and said, “Can you stay with me for a little longer?”
Zong Mo: …
It was starting to get a little strange.
He made an excuse and said, “I still have to go back and cook. I’ll go first. Call me if you need anything.”
He stood up again. After walking two steps, he was suddenly grabbed by the arm.
The coercive love plot is really coming!!
Ling Han wanted to say something but held back several times. He finally mustered the courage to say, “Can you like me?”
Zong Mo: ?
“…What’s wrong with you?” Zong Mo was immediately on guard and tried to pull his hand away. “I really have to go back.”
He was ready to fight, but Ling Han let go of his hand himself and fell to his knees with a thud.
He clutched his pant leg, his eyes full of tears, his voice whimpering, “I’m begging you.”
Zong Mo: …?
“Wait, get up first.”
He reached out to help Ling Han up but couldn’t move him with one try. He switched to pulling, but still couldn’t move him.
“I’m begging you.”
Zong Mo: …
To get Ling Han up, Zong Mo had no choice but to sit back down in his chair, preparing to have a heart-to-heart talk with this broken kid who wasn’t following the script.
Seeing that he was not leaving, Ling Han immediately got up and came over.
“Ling Han,” Zong Mo no longer avoided the topic of being shelved and said persuasively, “You have a naturally good voice and a talent for writing. As long as you pull yourself together and don’t give up, you will be able to make a comeback one day and reach a higher level than before…”
“And you can produce and sell your own work, with the copyright all in your own hands. That’s great. You can also sell the songs you don’t like to others and only keep the best ones to sing yourself.”
“So what?” Ling Han said leisurely. “Can you like me?”
Zong Mo: …
If he said “no” directly, would this kid get depressed?
He thought for a moment and decided to be open and honest with Ling Han. He said seriously, “I’m a 1.”
Ling Han was silent for a long time, then suddenly smiled, which was very strange no matter how you looked at it.
“I thought you were a straight man, and those things were just forced. That’s great.”
Zong Mo: ?
Wait, something’s not right.
How is Ling Han also willing to be a 0 for love?
If it were the first day he had transmigrated, he might have considered it. But now, it was absolutely impossible, not even if he was killed.
Zong Mo was afraid Ling Han would get tough. He quickly pulled away from him and said, trying to hold back a headache, “Ling Han, do you know that a white moonlight is most beautiful when it’s kept in your heart?”
“White moonlight?”
“Mm, what I mean is, things you can’t have are the most beautiful and best, and can also inspire your creativity the most…”
Ling Han ignored his words and just asked stubbornly, “Can you like me?”
Zong Mo sighed, “Why do you like me?”
“I have no one else to like,” Ling Han said hoarsely. “And no one is willing to like me.”
Zong Mo was slightly stunned. This reason was easy to deal with. It was indeed a child’s mentality, a little extreme, but not hopeless.
“There are still many fans who like you and are waiting for you,” Zong Mo said. “You will also meet someone you like and who likes you, and who cares for you in the future.”
Ling Han only asked, “Why can’t that person be you?”
Zong Mo: “Anyway, it can’t.”
He was a peerless good husband who upheld his male virtue!
“Why?”
Zong Mo was silent. Ling Han had already spoken his mind for him.
“Do you have someone you like?”
Zong Mo let out a soft “mm.”
“Can’t you have one more?”
Zong Mo: …
Wait, this script has really collapsed. How can Ling Han’s storyline also develop a 3P tendency?
Isn’t he a possessive, crazy little wolf dog?
How did he become a pitiful, submissive little wolf cub?
Wait again.
Maybe Ling Han found that as long as he acted pitiful, he could keep him.
Zong Mo’s attitude became firm, “Think carefully about what I’ve said to you. I’m leaving.”
In an instant, the tears that had just stopped in Ling Han’s eyes gushed out even more fiercely. He cried and sobbed, his words incoherent.
Zong Mo didn’t hear what he said clearly, so he patiently waited a little longer.
“I’m begging you, like me.”
Zong Mo: …
He’s acting pitiful again!!
He quickly stood up, walked quickly to the main door, and thought of a way to get away and temporarily appease Ling Han. He said, “I’m leaving. Remember to eat properly. I’ll come and see you again when I have time.”
