Chapter 6

Ji Qingyuan moved in, so Zhu Xinyue had every reason to go and greet him.

She put on her contact lenses and went downstairs to meet them.

“How’s your foot?” Ji Qingyuan remembered she had sprained it last night.

“Just a minor issue. The doctor said resting for a week or two should do the trick,” Zhu Xinyue replied, half-lying on the sofa, her gaze following Ji Qingyuan’s figure.

The manager glanced quickly at Zhu Xinyue, rubbed his palms together nervously, and followed Ji Qingyuan into the kitchen.

Ji Qingyuan had lived in Lishan before, but after he bought a house in Tianze City, he often lived in a villa close to the company.

He was familiar with the layout here and casually opened one of the smart refrigerators to find drinks to offer to his agent. “Brother Hu, what would you like to drink?”

“Anything is fine, I’ll drink whatever you give me.” 

Ji Qingyuan took a bottle of mineral water for his agent, and took two bottles of sparkling water of the same flavor from the refrigerator. He walked up to Zhu Xinyue and handed her a bottle of sparkling water.

Although Zhu Xinyue didn’t particularly enjoy drinking sparkling water, out of politeness, she accepted the bottle Ji Qingyuan handed her. However, she just held it in her hand and didn’t intend to drink.

Ji Qingyuan effortlessly swapped the uncapped bottle from her hand with the one he had already opened, then proceeded to open the one in his hand.

Zhu Xinyue held the opened drink that he had handed her, looking at Ji Qingyuan standing before her. Every move of his seemed so natural and logical, as if offering her a drink was something he had done hundreds of times before.

The chilled drink was surrounded by the hot air, and droplets formed on the bottle, trickling down her fingertips onto the plush carpet.

Ji Qingyuan raised his head and took a sip of the sparkling water. When he looked down and saw that she was still staring at him, he smiled heartily, pushed his bangs back, deliberately made a handsome move, and jokingly said, “Did you find that I’m handsome?”

Normally, she would be amused by him to the point of blushing and being speechless, but he saw Zhu Xinyue’s complicated eyes, which contained sympathy, sadness, and admiration, but not the shyness that he was most familiar with.

Ji Qingyuan’s smile froze for a moment, and he glanced past Zhu Xinyue to Brother Hu, who was sitting at the other end of the sofa. “Brother Hu, you say you had something to discuss with Xinyue?”

Zhu Xinyue squeezed the bottle, turned around, sat back on the sofa, and casually placed the half-empty sparkling water on the coffee table.

Brother Hu scratched his head, looked at Zhu Xinyue opposite him, and said, “Miss Zhu, are you interested in entering the entertainment industry?”

Zhu Xinyue thought, isn’t it a coincidence that someone gave her a pillow just when I felt sleepy?

In the novel, the original owner also entered the entertainment industry, but her acting skills were so poor, and she insisted on playing a couple with Ji Qingyuan. 

Netizens and Ji Qingyuan’s fans scolded her for being a resource-hungry person and a freeloader, and she was not even a vase. Later, it was revealed that she had snatched Jiang Rui’s role, which attracted countless abuses.

With the original owner as a control group, the female protagonist Jiang Rui and Ji Qingyuan’s ambiguous relationship in and out of the drama had also become a popular topic. The support from fans of their “Qingrui CP” exceeded that of their individual fans, and their careers soared to new heights.

Zhu Xinyue objectively analyzed that once she entered the entertainment industry as an actress, she and Jiang Rui would inevitably be placed on the same track. Resources in the entertainment industry were relatively fixed, and roles in movies and TV shows were unique and singular. If someone got there first, someone else would have to follow a different path.

The original owner squeezed out Jiang Rui to act as a couple with the person she liked and got the role. With her poor acting skills, she ruined the character, the drama, and even hurt the audience’s eyes. It was no wonder that netizens scolded her.

But…

Subjectively speaking, Zhu Xinyue realized that the original owner had given her a second chance at life. Even if others criticized her, Zhu Xinyue would cherish her deeply!

Therefore, this time, she would fulfill the original owner’s wish and let her see that even without Ji Qingyuan, she could live well and not sacrifice her own life for him.

Zhu Xinyue raised her head, looked directly at Brother Hu, and smiled, “To be honest, I have been an extra in variety shows, but my acting skills were so poor that I was not given any screen time.”

Ji Qingyuan sat on the long sofa between the two of them, with a relaxed posture, his left hand resting on the back of the sofa, right hand squeezing the sparkling bottle. Hearing this, he smiled and showed an “unsurprised” expression.

Brother Hu slapped his thigh, trying to make a regretful expression with his brows raised and eyes narrowed, but he couldn’t hide his joy as he had struck gold. His mouth downturned for a moment, then lifted up high again.

“You just haven’t found the right role. You and Young Master Ji have been good friends since childhood. Sign with our studio, and we won’t treat you unfairly.”

Zhu Xinyue looked at Ji Qingyuan, as if seeking his opinion.

Ji Qingyuan put down his drink, a smile on his face. “I can’t make this decision for you. This is your own career.”

“Our studio is backed by Jinhuan Group. We are all family members and will not cheat you,” said Brother Hu.

Of course Zhu Xinyue knew that they would not cheat her, and would provide her with a lot of resources, so much so that she would be called a resource-rich person.

“Send me the contract and I’ll think about it.”

Ji Qingyuan raised his eyebrows and looked at Zhu Xinyue with sparkling eyes and a bright smile.

“You’ve grown up and learned to think before you act,” Ji Qingyuan said.

Zhu Xinyue didn’t say anything, just smiled and looked down.

There was a hint of bitterness in her smile.

Anyone who has ever worked or rented a house will read the contract carefully.

Not only did she read the contract herself, but she also sent it to someone who understood the law to help her.

[Zhu Shilang: You want to enter the entertainment industry? No way! Is this what you call bravely pursuing love? Do you know what it’s like to be a public figure? Every little mistake will be seized upon and magnified. Can your personality withstand the scrutiny of so many people? You…]

Zhu Xinyue stared at the short essay that came through on her phone screen.

She didn’t feel impatient with Zhu Shilang’s excessive lecturing. Instead, she could stand back from the situation and calmly consider the different attitudes towards “Zhu Xinyue” entering the entertainment industry.

From her brief interaction with Ji Qingyuan, Zhu Xinyue understood clearly that Ji Qingyuan treated her as a friend slightly closer than ordinary friends. Those seemingly “ambiguous” gestures were also because they had grown up together since childhood and were used to this kind of close relationship.

In Ji Qingyuan’s eyes, perhaps “Zhu Xinyue” didn’t even have a gender.

Ji Qingyuan and “Zhu Xinyue” were like a bottle of sparkling water that was opened against her will.

He didn’t care whether she would drink it or liked drinking it, because their usual way of interacting was like this—he offered, and she accepted.

She forever followed him with eyes of admiration and adoration.

Just like his fans.

If he truly cared about “Zhu Xinyue,” he would weigh the pros and cons for her like Zhu Shilang did, instead of letting her make her own decision with a smile even though he knew she knew nothing about the entertainment industry.

Didn’t he know that “Zhu Xinyue’s” desire to enter the entertainment industry was for whom?

Zhu Xinyue was like an outsider, observing everything clearly.

The original owner’s beloved “little sun” was actually a cold person.

This kind of outward warmth but inner coldness, Zhu Xinyue was very familiar with.

She happened to be this kind of person too, and she wielded this skill to perfection.

[Zhu Xinyue: Brother, I sent you the contract because I believe you’re different from Mom and Dad. From childhood to now, only you will support me, and will be my backbone. I understand it very clearly. If I do poorly, being criticized is deserved, because I’m not worthy. If I do well, I have a clear conscience. If others criticize me, it shows they have malicious intentions towards “me,” regardless of who “I” am, so what relation do those who criticize me have with me?]

Zhu Shilang didn’t reply for a long time.

No news was the best news.

After all, this time he didn’t decisively insist on sending Zhu Xinyue back to the Zhu family, indicating he was considering what she had said, and he still had to deal with Zhu’s father on her behalf.

These past few days, Zhu Xinyue either shopped online or went out shopping, buying everything she had wanted in her previous life but couldn’t afford.

Halfway through her shopping trip, Zhu Xinyue received a document from Zhu Shilang.

[Zhu Shilang: I had our family’s legal team review it. There are some areas that need modification. At most, sign for three years. Once three years are up, you must return to Qingyang immediately.]

[Zhu Shilang: Jinhuan Group is managed by your brother Linyu. If you encounter any uncertainties at work, ask him.]

Zhu Shilang sent her Ji Linyu’s friend business card.

Zhu Xinyue, carrying various shopping bags, sat in the restaurant of the mall and opened Ji Linyu’s business card.

His profile picture was a landscape photo. The photographer sat under the shade of a tree, the lens aimed at the sky. Sunlight filtered through the green leaves, the leaves lush and dripping with dew, the sky unbelievably blue, as if freezing the entire spring season in this photo.

It fit her impression of Ji Linyu perfectly.

Zhu Xinyue sent Ji Linyu a friend request.

Probably because he was busy, Zhu Xinyue finished her meal and was on her way back to Lishan when the other party accepted her friend request.

Zhu Xinyue pondered how she should approach Ji Linyu about this.

In the future, she will be Ji Linyu’s employee. Should she speak to him in the tone of an employee talking to their boss? But her brother and he were quite close. If she spoke to him like a boss, would it seem too distant?

There’s no need to be overly polite in dealing with acquaintances. Phrase it nicely and have Ji Linyu help her get some extra benefits in the profit division. It shouldn’t be a problem.

[Zhu Xinyue: Brother Linyu, are you busy? ]

She sent a cat peeking emoji.

On the other side, Ji Linyu had finished his business and was preparing to return to Tianze City, waiting in the waiting hall to board the plane.

After adding Zhu Xinyue as a friend, he set her nickname to “Zhu Xinyue,” and returned to the chat window, seeing her nickname switching between her name and “typing.”

Ji Linyu waited a while before she sent these six words.

He thought she was going to write some kind of essay.

[Ji Linyu: What’s the matter?]

This was Zhu Xinyue’s first time directly discussing her salary with the company’s highest leader. Moreover, she and this big leader were good friends with her brother, their relationship so good she could live directly in his house. It was difficult for her to grasp this balance, so she had to lay the groundwork first.

[Zhu Xinyue: I plan to sign with Jinhuan Group’s studio and debut as an artist! From now on, I’ll be Brother Linyu’s employee! (Excited.jpg)]

Ji Linyu’s eyelids twitched as he looked at the cute emoji she sent over, imagining how happy she must be on the other end.

Is it so exciting to be his employee?

Maybe it was because of their connection, she was this happy?

Ji Linyu opened the input box: It’s not like you said you don’t like me…

Wait a minute, this sentence seemed a bit strange, as if he cared a lot about her. Ji Linyu deleted it and retyped it.

Since she had said that before, he should treat her like an ordinary employee.

[Ji Linyu: Work hard, good luck.]

Zhu Xinyue looked at the big boss’s message of “good luck” that she had received. Originally, she wanted to continue with a friendly conversation, but she stopped halfway, deleted it, and re-entered it.

This sentence suddenly blocked what she wanted to say. What should she say? Indicate to him to discuss the contract profit split again? If she directly discussed money, her intentions would be too obvious, making her appear particularly pragmatic and likely to offend people.

Talk about favors? But favors are favors between Ji Linyu and her brother, and have nothing to do with her…

Ji Linyu thought their conversation had ended here, about to lock the screen, then saw “the other party is typing.”

He paid no attention, locked the screen, and closed his eyes to rest.

The phone remained silent for a long time.

Perhaps his indifference had struck a nerve.

Ji Linyu’s Adam’s apple bobbed.

His actions were a decisive move to cut through the chaos, keeping his distance from her and not giving her any false hope. He was right.

The phone vibrated slightly, and Ji Linyu opened his eyes to see a notification — bad weather could cause flight delays.

He furrowed his brow.

Another message popped up at the top of the screen from Zhu Xinyue. His brow relaxed slightly as he tapped into their chat window.

[Zhu Xinyue: I heard you’re heading back to Tianze City today, can I come pick you up?]

Ji Linyu chuckled softly.

Oh, the real purpose is revealed.