“Qingqing is my boyfriend. There seemed to be no problem that I came out of his room.”

“Since this is Mr. Qi’s interest, Mr. Qi can take his time here, while Qingqing and I will go play something else.”

…

Jiang Siyu only felt like he was having a heart attack.

What did he say in front of Qi Zeyu? No wonder Qi Zeyu’s gaze was as alert as if he was guarding against thieves.

Jiang Siyu: “…”

Lu Zeqing looked at him inexplicably, “What?”

“My heart feels a little cold.” Jiang Siyu sighed.

Lu Zeqing: “…?”

“Is it because of my brother?” Lu Zeqing thought for a moment and explained, “Actually, he has no other intentions. He is not targeting you, so you don’t need to take it to heart.”

Jiang Siyu was not comforted.

Lu Zeqing found it funny, and Jiang Siyu’s slightly disappointed look was a bit cute.

It can be translated as:

It’s just like…

A peacock whose proud, beautiful tail feathers have been dampened by rain, feeling disheartened, withdraws into itself and refuses to show it.

“There is the second thing I want to tell you.”

Jiang Siyu: “…I’m not sure I want to hear it.”

He always felt that the second thing might be even more discouraging.

“My brother misunderstood our relationship, so he’s… Not very friendly towards you,” Lu Zeqing rephrased, “He doesn’t have any issue with Mr. Jiang.”

Jiang Siyu thought to himself: Yes, Qi Zeyu doesn’t have any issue with him; he has an issue with ‘Lu Zeqing’s boyfriend.’

But that’s still an issue with him.

Jiang Siyu continued to withdraw into himself.

Lu Zeqing joked.

“…No way, Mr. Jiang’s mental endurance is so weak?”

Jiang Siyu nodded and looked even sadder.

Lu Zeqing: “…”

“I went back home this morning, and grandma happened to mention you.”

Jiang Siyu’s heart tightened again; he didn’t want to endure so many blows in one day.

“They all think we’re dating.”

“I haven’t told them about the agreement yet, wanted to ask your opinion first.”

“Can I tell them about our agreement?”

Jiang Siyu nodded. “You can. But…”

“But what?”

“Will the fact that we’re faking a relationship affect your parents’ impression of me? Will they think we’re… Deceiving people?”

“They won’t.”

Lu Zeqing gave him a reassuring look.

“Mr. Jiang also mentioned that there are many people in the entertainment industry who fake relationships for publicity. And because of Mr. Jiang’s agreement, we’ve gained quite a few CP fans, so I’m benefiting too.”

“It’s because of Mr. Jiang that I received magazine cover shoots and this audition opportunity. If it weren’t for Mr. Jiang’s recommendation, I wouldn’t have had the chance to audition.”

Of course, the most important thing is… Jiang Siyu has given too much.

Lu Zeqing couldn’t help but be moved.

“You’re still my ‘benefactor’.”

Jiang Siyu couldn’t stand the term “benefactor.” They could joke about it, but if their elders found out, it would surely lead to negative associations.

“Mn, you’re right. Then you can tell uncle and aunt.”

Jiang Siyu’s mood instantly brightened. With the Qi family just bringing Qingqing back home, and now with an additional “boyfriend,” they would surely be concerned. He could understand if they weren’t pleased. There was probably a feeling of having their child “taken away” once again.

“When I have time, I’ll visit your family.”

While Jiang Siyu enjoyed the role of being a boyfriend, he realized that it wouldn’t make things easier for him to pursue Lu Zeqing. Instead, it might upset Qingqing’s family.

Jiang Siyu decided to clarify things first and then find a time to visit Lu Zeqing’s family to change their impression of him. He didn’t just want to date Lu Zeqing; he wanted to spend the rest of his life with him.

He needed to be more cautious and patient.

Suddenly, Jiang Siyu remembered when Qiao Anran mentioned Lu Zeqing’s identity. Lu Zeqing’s reaction was calm, probably because he was the protagonist of the gossip.

“Am I the first one to know?”

Lu Zeqing immediately understood Jiang Siyu’s question.

“Yes. I only told you.”

Jiang Siyu asked again, “…Are they treating you well?”

Thinking about Qi Zeyu’s attitude, Jiang Siyu felt that the Qi family would probably cherish their recovered child.

The Qi family indeed treated everyone well. They were known for their harmonious family and were considered a model family in high society. Jiang Siyu believed they would treat Qingqing well.

But the Qi family didn’t just consist of Qingqing and Qi Zeyu. There was also another child, Qi Nan.

Qi Nan and Qingqing didn’t have a good relationship. While Qingqing could ignore him, what if Qi Nan actively caused trouble?

One was a biological child who had been lost for over a decade, and the other was a child who had been raised by their side since childhood.

Who would the Qi family lean towards?

Thinking about this, Jiang Siyu furrowed his brows again.

At the banquet last night, Qingqing seemed off. Jiang Siyu knew he didn’t want to talk about it, so he didn’t ask. And when they went to toast, Lu Zeqing referred to the Qi family members as “uncle” and “aunt.”

Could it be that the Qi family doesn’t want to publicly reveal Lu Zeqing’s identity?

Even if they were his biological parents, he wouldn’t allow Qingqing to be mistreated. He had been through so much suffering when he was lost. Now that he’s back, of course, no one should bully him.

However, Qingqing seems to like them very much.

Jiang Siyu is sure that he knows Qingqing better than the Qi family, and they have been getting along for two years.

Qingqing didn’t say anything, but Jiang Siyu could tell. He was very happy that Qi Zeyu sent him back.

He hoped that the Qi family would not make Qingqing sad.

“Can you help me ask Auntie when it’s convenient for me to visit?”

Jiang Siyu brought it up proactively. He hadn’t been in a rush to visit or to change the Qi family’s impression of him. But he just wanted to understand the Qi family’s attitude towards Qingqing.

While the Qi family could evaluate him, he could also evaluate them. If they weren’t treating Qingqing well enough, Jiang Siyu wouldn’t hesitate to take him away.

Lu Zeqing didn’t expect Jiang Siyu to be so eager about this matter.

“Mn, I’ll ask later.”

Jiang Siyu nodded and didn’t say any more about this topic.

If the Qi family really cared about Qingqing from the bottom of their hearts, they would definitely agree immediately. From a parent’s perspective, if you find that your child is in love, you will definitely want to know more about it.

Not only would they not refuse, they would even invite him to their door with extra “enthusiasm”.

“Now that the matter is over, let’s talk about the script.”

“Okay.” Lu Zeqing sat upright. “Teacher Jiang, please start.”

Jiang Siyu was amused by his true feelings.

“You really think of me as a teacher.”

“Mn.” Lu Zeqing nodded and explained seriously.

“You give me lessons and teach me acting skills. To me, you are my teacher.”

Jiang Siyu paused for a moment. He taught acting classes out of selfish intentions, but Lu Zeqing’s serious explanation also surprised him.

In the circle, he is often called “Mr. Jiang”. It is just an honorific title given to him by everyone, and it does not mean anything. Jiang Siyu has never been proud of this.

He knows very well that many people call him this, but they may not be convinced in their hearts. Jiang Siyu was also ridiculed by artists who debuted earlier than him.

“Who doesn’t know that in this circle, anyone with a higher status or background than you can be a Laoshi (Teacher/Mister)?”

He said it behind Jiang Siyu’s back, and Jiang Siyu didn’t care. He doesn’t care what others say about him behind his back. At least he loves “filming” more than most people in the circle.

What he love is the process of filming and the sense of accomplishment after the filming of a drama. This sense of achievement has nothing to do with the box office or external evaluation.

This is Jiang Siyu’s own evaluation of himself.

Jiang Siyu doesn’t accept works very often, and he doesn’t care about exposure. He just wanted to take filming seriously. He doesn’t particularly care whether people in the circle call him by his first name or “Mr. Jiang”, and he doesn’t feel that he is really the “Mr.”.

However, Jiang Siyu felt that…

He can still afford to be called “Teacher” by Lu Zeqing.

“Do you know why this role has been delayed?”

Lu Zeqing shook his head.

“During the early stages, this character is somewhat naive and romantic… quite foolish.”

For the early stages of this character, Lu Zeqing felt that it might not be difficult for artists in the industry. “And for the later stages?”

“Paranoid and fanatical.”

The difference between the early and later stages is particularly significant, making it challenging to cast. In terms of appearance, for the early stages, it must fit the image of ‘foolish and innocent.’ A too soft and gentle appearance would suit the early stages but not the later paranoid and darkening phase.

Facially handsome and stern individuals could play the later paranoid and darkened phase, but their appearance wouldn’t match the ‘foolish and innocent’ image of the early stages.

Lu Zeqing fell silent. “Do I look both ‘foolish and innocent’ and ‘paranoid and fanatical’?”

Jiang Siyu smiled.

“Your appearance is quite versatile.”

Lu Zeqing is very handsome and can appear gentle. But he also has a cool and attractive side that can be assertive.

Acting skills can be honed, so compared to acting, the director’s choice based on appearance holds more weight.

The choices made in the past two months have selected several candidates whose appearance somewhat fits the bill, but their acting skills are lacking, and they lack charisma. They don’t have the feeling that the director wants.

This feeling is quite personal.

As a director, Zhen prefers not his personal feeling but rather an abstract shadow in his mind, matching the most suitable person based on that shadow from a reader’s perspective.

“You have a great advantage in terms of appearance, but that can only get you audition opportunities. It won’t fully make you stand out among other artists.”

“I’m teaching you with a selfish motive.”

“What is it?” Lu Zeqing was somewhat surprised.

“I’m not asking you to try. I want you to secure this role.”

Lu Zeqing had never acted in a film before, yet Jiang Siyu seemed to have high hopes for him. He didn’t understand why Jiang Siyu held him in such high regard.

“You know that this drama has a romantic storyline, right?”

Lu Zeqing knew. Jiang Siyu had participated in a dating show for this reason. He was particularly concerned about the role of the “gong” in the relationship.

“By taking on this drama together, we maximize our benefits through our CP hype. Of course, this is my first romantic role, so it’s also a test for me. There’s almost no need for adjustment between us, so the collaboration would be much easier.”

Lu Zeqing nodded in understanding.

“This drama is adapted from a novel. I’ve selected a few passages for you to read first.”

It’s only two pages long.

The character Lu Zeqing is going to play is the most beloved young prince by the emperor. He was raised by his birth mother since childhood. When other princes reach adulthood, they have to move out of the inner court, which is also known as establishing their own residence.

After reaching adulthood, the young prince also has his own mansion, but the emperor is reluctant to let him move out of the palace and insists on keeping him there.

Because his birth mother protected him, and the emperor favored him, and the youngest prince didn’t participate in the struggle for the throne, no one in the palace targeted the young prince.

He also became the only person in the deep palace with a simple nature.

From extreme kindness to extreme wickedness, the difficult part is the process of transformation.

Lu Zeqing turned to the second page, which contained an excerpt from the novel.

The young prince imprisoned the national teacher.

He locked the person in his own bedroom, not allowing anyone to approach, and only opened the door at night.

“Today is the Qiqiao Festival. The princes all have companions, should the national teacher also… Take the initiative?” 

The national teacher lowered his eyelashes, not looking at the young prince, not resisting his touch, nor making any response.

“The national teacher once taught this king that if you like something, you have to fight for it yourself.”

“By hiding the national teacher here, can it be considered as fighting for it myself?”

The national teacher remained unmoved, as if he hadn’t heard anything.

The young prince smirked and continued speaking to himself.

“The national teacher said he likes it when this king smiles. Why doesn’t he look at this king?”

The little prince who received no response raised his hand and pinched the national teacher’s chin, his eyes filled with coldness.

“It’s true that the national teacher is still playing hard to get.”

The little prince leaned against the ear of the national teacher and whispered in a low voice, as if he was speaking love words, but the words he spoke made the national teacher’s expression change.

“If the national teacher makes me unhappy again, I don’t know what I might do. Maybe I’ll kill one person, or maybe I’ll kill ten people, or perhaps…”

“I’ll kill everyone the national teacher cares about. That way, in the national teacher’s eyes, there will only be me.”

“Is the national teacher angry?”

“Seeing you angry also makes me feel excited.” The young prince chuckled lightly, leaned down, and bit open the tie around the national teacher’s waist, his eyes filled with allure.

“Not killing can also work, but you’ll need to use your body…”

“To please me.”

Lu Zeqing finished reading the excerpt from the novel, his face filled with shock.

“Is the content that explicit?”

Jiang Siyu had already read the initial draft of the script. “The content is quite subtle.”

Lu Zeqing: “?”

It seems like they have a significant difference in their understanding of “subtlety.”

“So, I ‘imprisoned’ you?” Lu Zeqing asked again, somewhat uncertain.

“You couldn’t have my love, so you grew resentful, ‘imprisoned’ me, and possessed me.”

Lu Zeqing seriously doubted if the script had been mixed up.

“The national teacher you’re playing… is the gong?”

Jiang Siyu pondered for a moment. “Perhaps you’ve heard of the frail beauty gong?”

Lu Zeqing: “I haven’t.”

“It’s okay. Let’s try a scene first and see how it feels.”

Jiang Siyu looked quite enthusiastic. He sat down on the sofa, placed his hands on the armrests, pretending to be ‘imprisoned.’

“I’m ready, you can start now.”

Lu Zeqing: “…”

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The author has something to say:

Xiao Jiang fell in love with the script the first time he saw it.

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Pao: Uwaaaaah, if only all the chapters were this short instead of double and even triple this amount…ㅠㅠ