Being praised was a joyful thing. Jing Li shook his head delightedly and smiled at Ji Yunzhang. “Thank you for the praise.”
Ji Yunzhang watched the little tuft of hair on his head bob along with the motion. Amused, he reached out and patted it down.
His gaze drifted a bit lower, meeting Jing Li’s eyes. They were a pale shade, clear and bright like translucent amber. Ji Yunzhang paused, then withdrew his hand. “Any parts that need changing?”
Jing Li instinctively touched the spot where Ji Yunzhang had patted him, his thoughts still lingering on the gesture. “Mm… no, nothing needs changing.”
He picked up the water glass from the table, pressing his lips to the rim as he lowered his gaze to watch the water level.
This was the second time Ji Yunzhang had patted his head.
He secretly lifted his eyes to glance at Ji Yunzhang. The man’s expression hadn’t changed—his brows and eyes held a faint smile, the curve of his lips just right.
Jing Li blinked, then suddenly grinned. He took a big gulp of water. What on earth was he thinking?
Ji Yunzhang didn’t stay long. Since there was nothing to revise in the script, he soon stood to leave. Jing Li walked him to the door.
“See you tomorrow,” Ji Yunzhang said.
Jing Li waved. “See you tomorrow.”
After seeing Ji Yunzhang off, Jing Li picked up their romance script again and kept reading until he had it memorized backward and forward. Only then did he set down his phone, wash up, and go to bed.
In the middle of the night, it started raining in A City. The next day, a light drizzle continued.
After breakfast, Jing Li grabbed his umbrella and headed downstairs, then took a cab to Ji Yunzhang’s Studio.
Ji Yunzhang had called ahead, so Jing Li passed through without a hitch and soon entered the studio. There weren’t many people there—just over thirty, mostly young. Somehow they’d gotten wind of his arrival, and from the moment he walked in, they were sneaking glances at him. Some of the girls whispered to each other, occasionally stomping their feet in excitement.
Ji Yunzhang hadn’t arrived yet. An assistant led Jing Li to his office to wait. Jing Li hesitated for a second. “Is this really okay?”
The girl covered her mouth and giggled. “Totally fine, totally fine.”
With that, she dashed off, rejoining her friends. They chattered away, and soon they were all wearing strange smiles.
Jing Li: “…”
Carrying a touch of bewilderment, Jing Li sat quietly in Ji Yunzhang’s office to wait. During that time, the door opened and closed repeatedly as one girl after another came in with things.
Tea, drinks, coffee, fruit platters, snacks—one item per visitor.
Their antics piled more question marks on Jing Li’s head. He was about to ask the latest girl, who’d brought tissues as an excuse to peek at him, when Ji Yunzhang appeared in the doorway.
The girl spotted Ji Yunzhang and bolted without a backward glance.
Jing Li: “…”
He looked at Ji Yunzhang. “The girls here are kinda cute.”
Ji Yunzhang walked in, and the door shut automatically behind him. Smiling, he said, “She’s got a boyfriend.”
He shrugged off his coat and hung it on the nearby rack. Beneath it was a high-necked wool sweater that gave him a mature, steady air. Jing Li tilted his face up, meeting the man’s smiling eyes. “Teacher Ji, don’t twist my words.”
Ji Yunzhang settled into the single sofa beside him and chuckled lightly. “My mistake.”
Jing Li realized Ji Yunzhang wasn’t quite as mature as he seemed—he was capable of harmless teasing, like now. That attitude was anything but apologetic.
“Teacher Ji, you’re breaking character,” he said.
Ji Yunzhang rested his arm on the armrest, his posture casual yet elegant, with a hint of laziness. He raised a brow. “What kind of character do you think I have?”
“Mild-mannered, mature, in control, an elegant gentleman.”
Ji Yunzhang shook his head. “Not many people call me mild-mannered.”
Jing Li tilted his head.
“Usually it’s aloof.”
Jing Li figured Ji Yunzhang was just teasing him.
Jing Li didn’t buy it, but Ji Yunzhang didn’t correct him. He changed the subject. “How’d you get here so early?” It was just past nine.
“Because of the rain, I was worried about traffic. So I left early.”
Ji Yunzhang hummed in acknowledgment. “An Jiaming will be a bit later.”
Jing Li joked about himself. “No worries. I’ve got nothing but time.”
Ji Yunzhang smiled faintly. “Starting tomorrow, you won’t.”
Jing Li was puzzled. “Why not?”
Ji Yunzhang picked up the untouched cup of coffee Jing Li had been given. “I’ve found you a performance coach. Starting tomorrow, you’ll have classes every day.”
Jing Li blinked, then his eyes and the corners of his brows lit up with delight.
He sat up straight and said solemnly, “Thank you.”
The corner of Ji Yunzhang’s mouth curved up. “I told you, no need to be so formal.”
Jing Li pressed his palms together and flashed him a brilliant smile. “Last time, I promise. Won’t happen again.”
Ji Yunzhang looked away from his smiling face, lowered his gaze, and rubbed his fingertips. After a moment, he asked, “Do you have a driver’s license?”
“I do, but I haven’t driven on the road since passing my road test.”
Jing Li finished speaking and looked at him. “What’s up? Do you need me to drive?”
“No, the company assigned you a car. If you know how to drive, I can have someone bring the keys right now. You could drive it straight out later, and it’ll make it easier for you to get to classes afterward.”
Ji Yunzhang thought for a moment and said, “Here’s the plan: once the weather clears up, I’ll take you out on the road a few times. You should pick it up quickly.”
“You’re going to take me?” Jing Li asked, a little incredulous.
“Worried I won’t be a good teacher?”
“Of course not,” Jing Li said softly. “New drivers double the danger for the passenger seat.”
Ji Yunzhang’s gaze was gentle and steady as he met his eyes. “I trust you.”
That trust warmed Jing Li’s heart a little. He pinched his ear out of habit, thinking that Ji Yunzhang’s earlier claim of being aloof was clearly just messing with him.
Talk about living proof.
~~~
An Jiaming didn’t arrive until nearly ten. As soon as he did, he cut straight to the chase and started discussing Jing Li’s future plans with him.
An Jiaming’s blueprint was divided into three categories: variety shows, TV dramas, and endorsement deals.
“After the New Year, I’ll line up a collaborative variety show for you and Yunzhang. You two can…”
“Wait,” Jing Li interrupted, hesitating a bit. “Wouldn’t that be riding on Teacher Ji’s coattails?”
“Absolutely,” An Jiaming said without hesitation.
He could see Jing Li’s reluctance and added, “By then, you’ll have gone public as a couple anyway. You’re tied together no matter what. Even if you don’t want to borrow his fame, the media and marketing accounts will shove it down your throat. They chase clicks above all else—it won’t always be positive buzz. Better to do it on your own terms, make it count. Besides, you signed with the studio, so you’re Yunzhang’s artist. The bigger you get, the more money he makes.”
It made perfect sense.
Jing Li suddenly got it. Right—they were set to get their marriage certificate on the eighth day of the lunar new year. Any variety show would be in February or March at the earliest. He was already bound to Ji Yunzhang.
Literally, with a marriage certificate and all.
Still.
He turned to Ji Yunzhang. “Teacher Ji, don’t you avoid variety shows?”
“It’s not that I never do them; I just don’t see the point.” For him, they were an energy drain. He’d rather spend the time resting, hanging out with friends, or staying home with family.
Jing Li kept his eyes fixed on him. “Then…”
Ji Yunzhang replied, “But you’re special. I can make an exception.”
Jing Li’s ears burned for no reason. He touched them and couldn’t help muttering under his breath, “Why flirt if you’re not gonna marry?” That line about him being special was way too foul play.
Luckily, he knew full well that Ji Yunzhang didn’t like him. Everything between them stemmed from their contract.
Even doing a variety show together was just one way of fulfilling the original promise to make him famous. After all, the name “Ji Yunzhang” was a brand and a traffic magnet all by itself.
An Jiaming, who’d been ignored off to the side, finally cleared his throat to remind them of his presence.
He glanced at Ji Yunzhang again, his mind a whirlwind of shock. When had he ever seen Ji Yunzhang like this? In his mind, Ji Yunzhang was distant and aloof. Even his smiles were just innate politeness—his upbringing wouldn’t let him be rude.
He had strong boundaries and a clear sense of personal territory. Only those he counted as friends got to see his warmer side.
An Jiaming had already been stunned once by the warning over the phone, but that paled compared to this. Last time’s protectiveness could be chalked up to friendship or gratitude toward Jing Li. This was different. “Special” and “exception”—those words sounded like genuine flirtation to him.
As he was thinking that, Ji Yunzhang’s gaze suddenly swept over. It was mild, but it sent a chill through An Jiaming. He quickly looked away, composed himself, and continued to Jing Li. “Don’t overthink it. I won’t have you doing too many variety shows.”
“As an actor, you need to maintain some mystery to keep audiences curious about you. That’s the downside of variety shows—they close the distance with viewers, lock in your image, and create preconceptions that make it hard for them to immerse in your roles. Down the line, even if you want more, I won’t book them for you. This is a one-time thing. Right now, you need a platform to get recognized fast, and variety shows are the shortcut.”
Jing Li didn’t mind doing variety shows. He’d just been worried about dragging Ji Yunzhang into it. But since the man himself had no objections, Jing Li wasn’t about to play the noble card and turn down a deal that only benefited him.
Seeing that Jing Li understood and accepted his words, An Jiaming nodded in satisfaction. “As for film and television dramas, I’m currently picking out scripts for you. Until we find a suitable one, focus on your classes for now. You’ve got talent and real presence, but you’re still young, short on life experience, and haven’t had enough roles under your belt. Your acting isn’t flexible enough yet—proper training in some techniques will do you a world of good.”
Jing Li nodded. He knew that much himself.
“As for endorsements and commercial gigs, you don’t need those yet. We’ll circle back to them later. Once your name gets out there, the brands will come knocking on their own.”
……
An hour later, as eleven o’clock approached, An Jiaming hurried off again. He had a lunch meeting lined up with Brand A’s PR rep.
Ji Yunzhang rose from his seat, grabbed his coat from the rack, and turned to Jing Li. “I’ll drive you back.”
Jing Li glanced at the downpour outside and didn’t stand on ceremony. “Sure.”
The two of them walked out of the office side by side, drawing another round of stares. Noticing the looks, Jing Li sidled closer to Ji Yunzhang and murmured, “Did you say something to everyone?”
Ji Yunzhang’s gaze flicked toward the people stealing glances at them. “I told them you’re my partner. We’re getting married soon.”
