Chapter 55 Picking Up My Ex-Boyfriend After Work

"Brother! That's a confidential script!"
Although he wanted the Best Actor Shen to take the role, a confidential script simply couldn't be leaked.
"Oh," Zhou Yili replied, his words sharp and unyielding, "So what?"
"If that script gets out, Director Sikong will go mad!"
Unable to persuade him, Xiao Mo could only invoke the name of that notoriously temperamental director.
Zhou Yili sneered at this.
In Sikong Xiu's mind, there was only one irreplaceable choice—Shen Jixing.
That sly fox of a man had always unwaveringly believed that Shen Jixing was his unattainable ideal.
Ridiculous.
Yet, there was nothing to laugh about.
"And who gave you permission to eavesdrop at the door?" Zhou Yili asked lazily, but with a hint of menace.
A chill ran down Xiao Mo's spine.
Though his brother's temperament was as laid-back as a sloth's, when it came to his bottom lines, he was truly terrifying.
"I-I-I was sent from the set to find you, I swear it wasn't my idea to eavesdrop," Xiao Mo vowed, raising his hand.
Zhou Yili couldn't be bothered to argue. With long strides, he made his way into the filming room.
At the same moment—
Shen Jixing was staring at the confidential script in his chat window.
As an actor, he knew exactly what that title implied, yet Zhou Yili had simply forwarded it to him without hesitation.
Did he think he would agree?
In fact, Zhou Yili was quite sure he wouldn’t.
He just wanted to keep Shen Jixing occupied, so he wouldn’t disappear the moment his back was turned.
After a moment’s silence,
Shen Jixing nonetheless accepted the script—"Loop."
...
Shen Jixing had always read quickly; it didn’t take him long to finish.
As a grand slam Best Actor in the domestic industry, he could only conclude—
Zhou Yili’s reputation as a devilish newcomer was well-earned.
There was always something in his work that struck straight at the heart.
He, a half-retired leading man, even felt a spark of desire to take on the role.
Just as Shen Jixing was about to reply in the chat window—
[You have received a new friend request]
[Fang Siqian: Do you have time? I’d like to meet you.]
Shen Jixing stared at the message for a few seconds, then calmly put away his phone and stood up.
He left Zhou Yili’s lounge.
In a certain café—
Fang Siqian’s current status was awkward, easily recognized out in public. To avoid this, he simply had his assistant rent out the entire café, just to prove to Shen Jixing that although he’d lost, he was far from pathetic.
At the very least, he was richer than Shen Jixing.
Shen Jixing sat across from him, sipping his coffee with an air of calm, not denying the fact.
"Yes," Shen Jixing answered coolly, "So what will you do next? Go work in a factory, tightening screws?"
Fang Siqian: "..."
Shen Jixing could start over from scratch, but Fang Siqian no longer had that chance.
"If it weren’t for you, would I be in this position now?"
Fang Siqian’s eyes were dark and twisted, as if he’d forgotten how breathtaking Shen Jixing had seemed at first glance—
Enough to make him want to enter this world himself,
To become someone who shone as brightly.
"It truly was because of me," Shen Jixing admitted bluntly.
"Did you think I was someone who would just swallow my losses?"
He had always known about Fang Siqian’s little tricks, but never bothered to even spare him a glance.
It was only when Fang Siqian repeatedly tried to attract his attention, believing he could overstep his role, that Shen Jixing realized a chilling truth—
If he wanted Fang Siqian gone, it would barely take any effort at all.
"I misjudged Ruan Jia..."
Fang Siqian’s face turned pale as he slumped into his chair. "I never thought she’d betray me so easily, that she’d turn on me the moment you offered her something. I was too naïve. If I’d known..."
His eyes flashed with malice, as if regretting the mercy he’d shown Ruan Jia.
"Offered her something?" Shen Jixing laughed with cold disdain. "You really do think everyone is as wretched as you."
He softly blew on his coffee.
As Fang Siqian glared, both angry and confused, Shen Jixing glanced at his watch and set his cup down.
"Those who act foolishly for love will only perish in that love."
For Ruan Jia, threats and bribes were useless.
The only thing that could wake her was the ugliness at the core of Fang Siqian’s nature.
Judging that enough time had passed, Shen Jixing stood.
Fang Siqian suddenly sneered, "Do you really think you’re the winner here?"
Shen Jixing glanced at him.
"You underestimate the hatred you attract, Shen Jixing."
Fang Siqian’s lips curled into a strange smile, as if he knew the answer to some hidden riddle, and he said, word by word,
"I wasn’t the only one who wanted to see you today."
A long breeze swept past the café window, setting the wind chimes to a bright, tinkling song.
Shen Jixing stood in the empty, elegant café, his profile pale and quiet as a statue, listening to the sound of a wheelchair approaching from the entrance.
Sunlight poured across the floor, slowly eclipsed by a growing shadow.
A gentle, lingering voice sounded, full of affection, "A-Xing, did you miss me these past weeks?"
The melodious chime shattered in an instant.
Shen Jixing slowly turned around, the crystals from the window falling behind him.
In the distance, the staff whispered among themselves.
"Did the wind chime break?" "How could it shatter all of a sudden?" "Aren’t they all from the entertainment industry? They’re all so good-looking!" "That man in the wheelchair doesn’t look like..."
At that,
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
The man in the wheelchair glanced over at the café’s bar; a few women quickly looked away and hurried off.
"No," Shen Jixing replied calmly.
"Mr. Bo, Mr. Bo," Fang Siqian called out like a drowning man grasping at straws, "I helped you get him here—could you help me, then..."
A slender, pale hand was raised, silencing his noise.
The man was exceedingly handsome, refined and elegant, his eyes the color of amber maple leaves. "I could, but I prefer to help people with value."
"You, however, have used up all your worth."
"So," the man smiled gently, "Mu Si, throw him out."
The bodyguard in black behind him stepped forward, seized Fang Siqian, and dragged him away. As he left, he cast a faint glance at Shen Jixing.
Silence fell over the café.
The man in the wheelchair smiled first and said, "I didn’t expect that after just two months abroad, things here would descend into utter chaos."
He leaned back against the chair, fingers interlaced over his abdomen, exuding the innate elegance of aristocracy.
"Enough, no more drama. I’ll handle everything from now on."
The avalanche of scandals,
The ceaseless abuse from netizens,
Or the current emptiness of his endorsements, forcing him onto an obscure variety show—
"I’ll take care of it all."
He reached out to Shen Jixing in a gesture of comfort.
"You’ve suffered enough lately, A-Xing."
His hand was long and pale, joints thin and sharp, as pristine as a vampire’s.
He felt the wind brush his fingertips—then a trace of warmth—
It was the coffee cup.
"No need," Shen Jixing looked down at him, aloof and proud. "The only thing you need to take care of,"
His cool gaze fell on the man’s legs beneath the elegant trench coat,
"Is your own third leg."
A faint, beautiful smile curled at Shen Jixing’s lips.
He released the coffee cup and walked out of the café, his expression unchanged even as the sound of heavy, labored breathing reached his ears.
Only when the man’s slow, smiling voice called out behind him,
"Aren’t you going to take me home? Where are you going?"
Shen Jixing didn’t pause, striding through the sunlit green café.
"To pick up my ex from work."
—
It’s always said that the man in the wheelchair is just another Xie Chen, but they really aren’t the same. At least Xie Chen… can use his legs :-D
Wuwuwu, has everyone started school already? Is there anyone left to send me little five-star ratings or free gifts?