I’m Keeping the Overbearing CEO After He Went Bankrupt [Rebirth] 7

Chapter 7: The Overbearing CEO Gets Jealous

Perhaps it was the silent, burning emotion in Huo Li’s eyes. Chu Qing stood up, turned his head away, unable to look at Huo Li, and ran off.

Bang! Chu Qing ran into his room and slammed the door shut, acting just like a little kid who couldn’t face their parents.

Huo Li stood there, still a bit stunned.

This…

Tsk, tsk.

Huo Li reached up and wiped his face.

He was far too cute.

That night, Chu Qing finally made up his mind. He contacted the assistant from Starry Sky, saying he hoped to schedule a time to sign the contract.

Starry Sky truly valued Chu Qing and treated him exceptionally well. It wasn’t long before a manager contacted him.

“You’re Chu Qing, right? My name is Wu Yueshan. I’ll be your manager from now on. It’s a pleasure to work with you.”

Chu Qing’s eyes widened.

Wu Yueshan was one of Starry Sky’s top-tier managers. A woman in her thirties, she was sharp, capable, and known for her straightforward and generous nature. She had managed numerous Best Actor and Best Actress winners, as well as Golden Melody singers.

“H-Hello, Sister Yue.” Chu Qing practically stood up on the spot.

“Hello,” Wu Yueshan said with a smile. “We can meet to discuss your future development and upcoming business deals, is that okay?”

“Yes.” What have I done to deserve having Wu Yueshan arrange things for me? Chu Qing thought.

“However, there is one business deal I can tell you about first. This one is pretty much confirmed, so you can start preparing.”

“Hmm…?”

“It’s a perfume ad. You’ll be the ambassador for Falegence’s new winter product next year.”

To be honest, this perfume wasn’t a top-tier luxury brand, the role wasn’t exactly a full endorsement, and it was only for a single winter product. But for a little-known celebrity like Chu Qing, it was like a pie falling from the sky.

“Ah… m-me?”

“Of course.” Wu Yueshan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Just how much has this kid suffered at his old company? she thought. He clearly has the looks and the talent.

Chu Qing said blankly, “But I heard it was originally supposed to be Xie Yunzhou…”

“Shh. You can’t just say that kind of thing outside,” Wu Yueshan said with a laugh. “What’s yours is yours.”

Isn’t this Chu Qing’s now? Wu Yueshan thought. It could only be his, especially since Shao Fanxing’s assistant went to negotiate in person.

In truth, this deal had originally belonged to Xie Yunzhou. But Shao Fanxing had suddenly given the order to switch to Chu Qing. The director at Falegence had a good relationship with Shao Fanxing, and seeing that Chu Qing’s image was similar to Xie Yunzhou’s, they had made the change just like that.

Wu Yueshan was puzzled. After doing some digging, she found out that Xie Yunzhou had previously intercepted Chu Qing’s mentor position on the show Sing It Beautiful. She roughly understood then that this was to help Chu Qing get some payback.

Whether it was to boost their own company’s prestige and assert power, or purely to help Chu Qing, she couldn’t know for sure. But Wu Yueshan made a mental note to herself: Chu Qing had someone backing him, so he couldn’t be neglected.

“Thank you, Sister Yue.”

“Don’t thank me,” Wu Yueshan said. “I’ll send you the brand and ad details privately. Remember to check your email.”

“Okay.”

Chu Qing clutched his phone. I can’t let Huo Li down…

I’ll try. I’ll work hard.

Curled up in his blanket, Chu Qing opened his phone and scrolled through it. Subconsciously, he opened his WeChat conversation with Huo Li, wanting to send a message.

Mr. Huo, I’ve successfully signed with a good company and got an amazing manager.

…

Ah, wait.

Chu Qing froze.

He wasn’t stupid. He knew this opportunity was something Huo Li had fought for him. And right now, Huo Li was sleeping in the guest room next door.

So why was he sending a message…?

Chu Qing didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. It was just a habit.

He stared at the WeChat screen, lost in thought.

Ever since that performance at the gala, after he had gotten to know Huo Li, Huo Li had exchanged WeChat contacts with him.

From then on, Chu Qing would report to Huo Li on WeChat. He never expected Huo Li to reply with anything; he just treated Huo Li as a source of support.

—Mr. Huo, I released a new piano piece called “Stillness.” It broke a million views in a single day. I received an invitation to a singing competition show. I’m so happy. I want to try.

—Mmm.

—Mr. Huo, I participated in the show and got first place in the first round. A company wants to sign me.

—Keep it up.

—Mr. Huo, I released an album and was nominated for a Golden Melody award. I’m so happy.

—Mr. Huo…

Huo Li would always reply with just a short “Mmm” or “Got it,” but Chu Qing treated this chat window as his check-in spot.

Chu Qing didn’t know what he was hoping for, but reporting like this made him feel grounded, as if he had a purpose in life. He didn’t know if Huo Li cared or if he even read what he wrote carefully, but Chu Qing didn’t mind.

He just wanted to convey it.

Maybe doing this is selfish of me. I’m using Huo Li, Chu Qing thought. But on second thought, it was just a simple text message. Huo Li wouldn’t care, and it wouldn’t affect him in any way, so he continued with a clear conscience.

Until this year, when the chat window suddenly went silent. The last date was from the previous year.

It wasn’t that he was tired of it, just that there was nothing good to report, and Chu Qing didn’t want to tell Huo Li about all the bad things.

Clutching his phone, Chu Qing drowsily fell asleep, then woke up again in a daze. He spent the afternoon drifting in and out of sleep.

Later, he was fully woken up by the vibration of his phone.

He saw the WeChat screen on his phone flash, and a new message popped up.

Huo Li: You’re awake? Come out and eat.

Chu Qing stared blankly at the screen.

Then, the bedroom door was pushed open, and Huo Li stood by the doorway. “If you still want to sleep, eat first, then go back to sleep.”

Chu Qing jumped. “How did you know I was awake?”

He suddenly realized that Huo Li could hear everything he did in his room.

Huo Li explained, “The soundproofing in your apartment is just so-so.”

Even if the soundproofing is so-so, an ordinary person wouldn’t be able to hear, right? Chu Qing thought. It’s not like I was doing anything loud in my room, like listening to music or playing games.

What Chu Qing didn’t know was that Huo Li’s limbs were agile and his senses were sharp; he was definitely not an ordinary person. Generally speaking, anyone in his line of work who had learned self-defense was highly sensitive to their surroundings. Who knew if there was a gun pointed at their back? Unless they were one of those who hired a large posse of bodyguards, but Huo Li didn’t like having people follow him too closely.

“Come on, don’t just sit there in a daze.” Huo Li walked over and pulled Chu Qing out of his blanket cocoon.

“Time to eat. After we eat, we need to pack.”

…Pack?

Chu Qing looked up blankly. “Are we on the run?”

Had the debt collectors caught up to them?

Huo Li: “…”

Huo Li explained, “Did you forget? You got an ad shoot. We have to leave tomorrow.”

“Oh.”

Wait.

After a pause, Chu Qing looked up and asked, “How did you know?”

Huo Li: “I’ve already applied with Wu Yueshan. From now on, I’ll be your driver, bodyguard, and assistant. Wu Yueshan has also sent me your schedule. But to outsiders, just say I’m your bodyguard.”

Chu Qing was dumbfounded.

A three-in-one?

Starry Sky just let Huo Li join so casually??

Ah, wait, the CEO of Starry Sky was Huo Li’s “frenemy,” so that probably wasn’t hard.

“Didn’t you say I could do this?” Huo Li raised an eyebrow. “It was the sponsor’s order.”

“…I wasn’t insisting.”

“It’s fine. This way, I can accompany you wherever you go,” Huo Li said, his gaze lowered. “I can provide services to my sponsor at any time.”

“…”

In any case, Huo Li was determined to stick to Chu Qing, and so he accompanied him on the plane to the filming location.

Winter had just begun. The snow wasn’t deep yet, but a cold wind was blowing.

Chu Qing stood by the pier, wrapped in a thick overcoat and a down jacket, waiting for the staff to set up the scene.

The ad was about a man who meets a snow spirit by the pier. The snow spirit emerges from the water.

Snow melts into water, and water freezes into ice. The ad had a beautiful, aesthetic theme.

Chu Qing was playing the snow spirit, and his partner was the currently popular rookie actor, Sheng Lingfei. He was a second-generation star; his father was a famous director, so his starting point was where many people’s finish line was. Because of this, even though he had only acted in one show… yes, the very one that got Chu Qing cursed to hell and back, Sword Saint… he was now partnering with Chu Qing again for this ad.

Sword Saint was a major IP with two male leads, a huge fan base, and massive anticipation. It was later taken on by Sheng Lingfei’s father, Director Sheng. When Director Sheng cast his own son, people mostly just grumbled a bit. After all, Sheng Lingfei’s looks and temperament matched the character, and with Director Sheng personally coaching him, his acting couldn’t be that bad.

But the audience already had some complaints. Then, the investors—to put it bluntly, Huo Liao—insisted on casting Chu Qing, whose acting was like a static image and whose temperament and looks were ten Sheng Lingfeis away from the original character, as the second male lead. That was when the audience completely exploded. On top of that, Chu Qing’s performance on a variety show aired, and it was not well-received.

And when the “kept man” scandal broke, it was the final straw that broke the camel’s back, plunging Chu Qing into a situation where he was blacklisted by the entire internet.

Seeing his former co-star Sheng Lingfei again now, Chu Qing’s feelings were also complicated.

He didn’t dislike the show or Sheng Lingfei. On the contrary, Chu Qing felt a little guilty towards them, as if he had become a stain on their work.

“Teacher Chu!” Sheng Lingfei arrived, surrounded by his assistants. As soon as he saw Chu Qing, he greeted him enthusiastically.

“Have you been okay lately?” Sheng Lingfei was referring to the online hate. After leaving the set, Sheng Lingfei had tried to contact Chu Qing, but Chu Qing had changed his number.

“Mmm,” Chu Qing nodded.

Huo Li stood behind Chu Qing, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at Sheng Lingfei.

The young “fresh meat” was tall and handsome, with tinfoil-permed hair. When he smiled, two canine teeth showed.

“I’m so happy to be working with you again,” Sheng Lingfei said, looking at Chu Qing. “You didn’t even come to the wrap party. I wanted to have a few words with you…”

Chu Qing asked, “What did you want to say?”

“Just… I wanted to tell you not to mind or believe what they say online. I enjoyed working with you,” Sheng Lingfei said, scratching the back of his head. “I had a great time filming with you, so I hope you can give me your new WeChat contact. I want to be friends with you!”

Chu Qing was stunned, flattered. “Thank you…”

Sheng Lingfei’s eyes shone brightly.

Huo Li’s smile didn’t reach his eyes.

Heh.