I’m Keeping the Overbearing CEO After He Went Bankrupt [Rebirth] 8

Chapter 8: The Overbearing CEO is Angry

Sheng Lingfei took out his phone and waved it in front of Chu Qing with a smile. “Come on, scan my QR code.”

Chu Qing paused for a moment and said, “Sorry… I deleted my WeChat account and haven’t registered a new one. I don’t use it anymore.”

In reality, Chu Qing had two accounts: a private one where he had only added Huo Li, his former teachers and classmates from the orphanage, and Yu Weixi; and a work account that he had already deleted.

Standing behind Chu Qing, Huo Li heard this and immediately sneered, extremely satisfied.

Sheng Lingfei was a little disappointed, but since Chu Qing had already refused so tactfully, there was nothing he could do.

Sheng Lingfei noticed Huo Li standing behind Chu Qing. Although Huo Li was wearing a black mask that covered half his face and was dressed very discreetly, his aura was still hard to ignore. So he asked, “And this is…?”

Chu Qing lowered his head. “My new bodyguard.”

“Ah.” Sheng Lingfei thought that given Chu Qing’s current situation, hiring a bodyguard was reasonable.

But this bodyguard… hiss, he looked expensive.

Just as Sheng Lingfei was about to say something, the director called them over to start filming.

“This shot is very simple, but it’s going to be tough on our Chu Qing.”

Chu Qing had to get into the water and submerge half his body, while Sheng Lingfei would crouch on the pier, look down at Chu Qing, and reach out to take his hand. The water was icy cold in the middle of winter, but thankfully, it wouldn’t be for long.

“Ready—!”

As the director shouted “Action,” Chu Qing, dressed in a thin, white silk robe, entered the water with Huo Li’s support.

He first dipped his feet in, and the cold immediately shot up from the soles of his feet, making him shiver involuntarily.

“Be careful.” Huo Li half-held Chu Qing, allowing him to enter the water slowly, his eyes full of heartache.

He desperately wanted to tell Chu Qing, Why don’t we just not do this? Let’s go home and rest.

But he couldn’t.

Chu Qing said in a small voice, “It’s okay…”

His face was already pale from the cold, and the hand gripping Huo Li’s arm was trembling slightly.

Sheng Lingfei stepped forward, wanting to help, but Huo Li turned his back to him, blocking the space between him and Chu Qing.

“It’s okay now, you can let go,” Chu Qing said, a little embarrassed. “People are watching…”

He wasn’t that delicate.

“Alright,” Huo Li said with a frown.

A lifting platform had been placed underwater. Chu Qing stood on it, and the water came up to his chest.

“Okay, action!”

In the shot, the tall man, dressed in a trench coat, walked from the far end of the pier through the snow.

His face was expressionless, with snowflakes settled on his shoulders.

Then, the man stopped at the end of the pier and looked down at the water below.

Splash—

A figure with pointed ears and silvery-white hair emerged from the water, looking up at him with a bewildered expression.

Those eyes were so pure, as if untainted by a single speck of worldly dust.

Then, the platform slowly rose until the snow spirit gradually surfaced. The man gently took Chu Qing’s hand, bowed his head, and closed his eyes.

The camera froze on the image of the man leaning his head lightly against Chu Qing’s shoulder.

“Perfect! Very good!” The director was very satisfied. “Take a break, warm up, and we’ll try one more time.”

Huo Li, who had been standing to the side, immediately covered Chu Qing with a towel and a large coat as soon as he got out of the water, handing him a thermos and a hot water bottle.

Chu Qing was a little surprised.

“Thank you…”

“Are you cold?” Huo Li saw that even Chu Qing’s breath was turning into white vapor. He had him hold the hot water bottle while he himself firmly warmed Chu Qing’s hands.

“I’m not cold.” As soon as he was on shore, Chu Qing drank the hot water Huo Li gave him, so content that his eyes narrowed.

“Mmm.” Huo Li adjusted Chu Qing’s coat and stuck a heat pack on him to warm him up.

“Teacher Chu, here.” Sheng Lingfei, who was nearby, also handed over his own coat with a smile. “Add another layer.”

But just as Sheng Lingfei was about to place the coat on Chu Qing, he felt a chill run down his back.

He turned and saw Huo Li seemingly looking at him. At that moment, Huo Li’s entire body seemed to be coated in a layer of ice, colder than the seawater under the pier. The mask hid his features, but one could just make out the eyes, partially hidden under his bangs, carrying a hint of killing intent.

Sheng Lingfei paused, thinking that maybe he was overthinking it. After all, bodyguards… they were trained.

With that thought, he found his coat blocked by Huo Li.

“That’s enough,” Huo Li said, nonchalantly pushing away the coat Sheng Lingfei was offering.

Sheng Lingfei was stunned. Chu Qing, a little slow on the uptake, looked up and saw Huo Li standing between him and Sheng Lingfei, his gaze lowered, looking almost angry.

“Ah… okay,” Sheng Lingfei said, completely baffled.

After a few more takes, the work was finished. Chu Qing was so cold that his lips had lost all color.

“You’re still so hardworking,” Sheng Lingfei remarked while toweling his hair. “Just like before.”

“Ah…” Chu Qing shook his head. “I’m just doing my part.”

He wouldn’t call it hardworking. Could he have refused to get in the water?

Sheng Lingfei just smiled. “I still remember your waist injury and the wounds on your hands from last time.”

Not only that, Sheng Lingfei also remembered how hard Chu Qing had worked to memorize his lines and practice on his own back then. Because he had no foundation, he was almost always sleep-deprived, staying up all night trying to perfect his performance. But Chu Qing’s talent didn’t lie in acting, and the character was too different from him, so no matter how hard he tried, the result was still not good.

Chu Qing seemed to be serious about everything he did, Sheng Lingfei thought, but he rarely got the corresponding reward. Perhaps it was because he wasn’t very quick-witted and his personality was too introverted.

While Sheng Lingfei was changing, Huo Li came over, took a towel, and started drying Chu Qing’s hair while asking, “What was he talking about?”

“Nothing much. Just that when I was filming with him before, I fell off a horse and injured my waist, and got some other injuries from physical exhaustion,” Chu Qing said, shaking his head. “It’s very common.”

“Mmm,” Huo Li frowned.

After changing, just before leaving, Sheng Lingfei came over with an invitation. “We’re done! Teacher Chu, do you want to go for drinks with us?”

The director next to him also smiled. “Yeah, come with us, let’s celebrate.”

Chu Qing lowered his head. “No, thank you… I don’t drink.”

“You can have kebabs and juice! Just come talk with us and hang out!”

“I’m sorry…” Chu Qing was extremely embarrassed, but he still forced himself to say, “My flight is tonight…”

“Alright then.”

Sheng Lingfei, undeterred, said, “Since you’re not joining us for dinner, and you don’t have WeChat, why don’t we exchange phone numbers?”

Chu Qing paused.

Everyone has a phone number; there was no reason to refuse. And he had already refused several times in a row. Saying no again would seem too unfriendly.

So Chu Qing gave him his number.

Huo Li watched coldly from the side.

Huo Li wasn’t stupid. He naturally knew about Chu Qing’s tendency to be guarded with others, but the thought of Chu Qing giving his number to Sheng Lingfei made it impossible for him to control his rationality.

On the way back, the newly appointed driver, Huo Li, was at the wheel. Chu Qing, lost in thought about something, seemed to be in a somewhat good mood. He was huddled in the passenger seat, wrapped in his coat, his eyes full of a smiling light.

Huo Li was also lost in his own thoughts.

He was thinking, Am I going crazy?

He couldn’t even stand to see Chu Qing talking to someone else. He didn’t want Chu Qing to smile at anyone else, let alone share anything with them.

Chu Qing was his, and his alone.

He was going crazy.

But if you had personally seen the person before you lying in a coffin, lost to you forever, and could still remain calm and unaffected, then Huo Li thought, he wouldn’t be himself anymore.

Right now, he even wanted to lock Chu Qing up to protect him.

“Mr. Huo, let’s have dinner at the airport tonight,” Chu Qing said, interrupting Huo Li’s turbulent thoughts.

Huo Li turned his head and noticed the subtle shift in Chu Qing’s mood.

This made Huo Li even more dissatisfied.

“So happy?” Huo Li frowned. “Because of Sheng Lingfei?”

Chu Qing blinked, confused. “What?”

“I said, are you so happy because of Sheng Lingfei?”

Chu Qing was even more confused. “Why would I be happy because of Sheng Lingfei?”

…

Huo Li: “…”

The brilliant and invincible CEO Huo felt like he had become an idiot.

Chu Qing was completely baffled. “Is it because he didn’t blame me for ruining the box office? I don’t really care about that.”

“Mmm,” Huo Li grunted. “Whatever. He’s not important.”

Chu Qing asked, “Am I very happy?”

“Mmm.”

Chu Qing scratched his cheek. “I don’t think so… I was just thinking about the hot water today.”

“Hmm?”

Chu Qing turned his head away, embarrassed, and said in a small voice, “It was the first time I’ve had hot water to drink when I was cold on set.”

And there was a coat, and a towel, and warm heat packs, and when he got into the water… someone held him and asked if he could handle it.

Huo Li was stunned. “You’re happy because of that?”

“I-I’m not that happy…” Chu Qing turned to look out the window, his ears red.

I’ve signed a contract, Chu Qing thought, which means there will be a lot more work in the future, but Huo Li will be there to take care of me as my assistant and bodyguard… just like today.

But… Chu Qing’s gaze fell.

If Huo Li finds out I’m on medication, will he be disgusted?

But if he is disgusted, that would be good. This relationship could end.

Chu Qing felt a strange sense of glee.

While Chu Qing was lost in his wild thoughts, Huo Li, gripping the steering wheel, paused for a moment and let out a heavy sigh.

“Silly Qingbao.”