Chapter 11 The cold-faced boss laughed twice today

How did he end up as the female lead’s man? What a catch—she wanted one like that too! But it was just a thought. If she remembered correctly, by this point in the story, Jiang Fei had already won over half the male lead’s heart. She was happy to compete in career matters, but when it came to competing over a man—she really didn’t have the interest. Besides, there were so many men out there…

But this one was really handsome.

Especially that feeling when she had just held his waist—Jiang Qingrou remembered it vividly. That touch was so good, it had even briefly distracted her from the rats earlier. She could imagine, once his clothes were off, it’d be even more impressive.

Just thinking about how he’d later be manipulated by Jiang Fei made a hint of pity flicker in Jiang Qingrou’s eyes. A face like that with the intelligence of a floor mop. But at least he’d saved her. She whispered, “Sorry about earlier, I was just really scared.”

She deliberately softened her expression, feigning a fragile wariness. Her big eyes were red-rimmed from crying, making her look pitiful. Her long black hair fell over her back, highlighting her porcelain-egg-shaped face. In her small hands, she carried an oversized bag—clearly the dance costume she had just changed out of.

Cen Shi exhaled a puff of smoke. His voice was even colder than his temperament. “It’s fine.”

Looking at her like this, he couldn’t help but feel—why did she suddenly seem like such a pitiful creature? Were rats really that terrifying? What if he told her that, back when he was stationed in the mountains, he’d roasted and eaten rats just to survive?

And why did this woman’s gaze keep changing when she looked at him? Was she… pitying him? She’d looked at him the same way on stage too. Pitying what, exactly?

Cen Shi couldn’t help but grow a little curious about Jiang Qingrou.

Then he noticed her waving the smoke away in front of her face. With a long-fingered hand, he pinched the cigarette out. That small gesture actually made Jiang Qingrou warm up to him a little more. When she’d read the script, it had said the male lead had strong animosity toward her. But now… he didn’t seem so bad?

Could she have misremembered the plot?

Was he not under Jiang Fei’s control yet?

That thought made something dark and calculating flicker in her heart—but it vanished just as quickly. No, she couldn’t have remembered wrong. The leak about the exam changes had come from the male lead, and that’s how Jiang Fei had aced the test and gotten first place.

This man would later help the female lead fight against her!

Thinking of that, Jiang Qingrou’s gaze turned slightly cold. But nothing had happened yet, so she quickly returned to her usual expression.

Better keep an eye on him, she thought. I mustn’t let him fall completely under Jiang Fei’s influence. If he does, I’ll be the one who suffers.

Yu Siming was one of the most influential figures in the performance troupe. If he chose to side with Jiang Fei, Jiang Qingrou wouldn’t survive there—she might even get reassigned to the countryside.

No way! She wasn’t going to let that happen!

She quickly put on a big, sweet smile. “Thank you for earlier, Director Yu. Please take care of me from now on. It’s getting late, I’ll head back first!”

Even though she wanted to build goodwill, she couldn’t rush it. Better to leave a good impression first.

Cen Shi’s brows slightly furrowed. Director Yu? Yu Siming? The name sounded familiar.

Before he could say anything, the girl scurried off again. She even glanced once at the bushes before she ran, as if scared it might still hold danger, and then sped up even more.

Cen Shi’s lips curled slightly. Quite different from how she’d looked on stage.

“Commander! What are you doing here?” He Zhi came running over, out of breath and looking flustered.

Cen Shi’s voice was calm: “Something wrong?”

He spoke while bending down to pick up a small knife that had fallen on the ground—but then his eyes caught on a tiny cloth pouch nearby.

Must be hers, he thought.

He picked it up as well, and when he saw the clumsy embroidery on it, he couldn’t help but chuckle.

“What’s that?” He Zhi leaned over, curious. He thought Cen Shi seemed to be in an unusually good mood today. This was already the second time he’d seen the man smile. That was rare. Cen Shi was nicknamed the “cold-faced devil”—any facial expression other than a scowl was a miracle.

Cen Shi had intended to hand the pouch to He Zhi and let him return it to the girl. But instead, his hand moved on its own and slipped it into his own pocket.

He paused for a second, then said, “None of your business.”

Maybe he’d find a time to return it himself?

But then again… it had those crooked little embroidered letters on it. Something that was probably personal or even private. All his subordinates were men—it didn’t feel right.

Suddenly, Cen Shi felt a little troubled.

He Zhi glanced in the rearview mirror while driving, sneaking a look at Cen Shi in the back seat. He was still hesitating whether to bring up the subject with the commander.

Maybe I should ask directly?

He Zhi cleared his throat, but perhaps a bit too hard—Cen Shi actually looked up, concern in his voice: “You feeling unwell?”

He Zhi quickly replied, “No, no! I’m fine!”

If he weren’t holding the steering wheel, he’d be wiping cold sweat from his forehead.

Still, it made him think clearly again. Cen Shi might be in a good mood now, but if he brought up that blind date stuff again, the commander would definitely flip.

Every time the higher-ups tried to set him up, Cen Shi would outright refuse—and he wasn’t shy about showing his impatience either.

If he asked directly, “Commander, what do you think of Jiang Qingrou?”—he’d definitely raise the man’s guard.

He Zhi thought for a moment and decided not to say anything after all.

When they arrived at the base, He Zhi parked the car and walked with Cen Shi toward the administrative building. But when they reached the entrance, he stopped. “Commander, you go on ahead—I’ve got something to take care of.”

Cen Shi turned back, giving him a cool glance. Even that was enough to make He Zhi nervous.

He forced himself to stay calm and blurted out a reason: “Commander Liu asked me to bring him the list of candidates who made the cut today—you know, for the New Year’s Gala program planning.”

Commander Liu was the head of the performance troupe, so it wasn’t a stretch.

Cen Shi nodded. “Get some rest early.”

He Zhi was flattered and nodded quickly, “Yes, sir!”

Cen Shi turned and walked off with long, powerful strides.

He was a commander, after all—he didn’t live in the regular dorms. His assigned house was a spacious one with its own courtyard right beside the base.

He Zhi couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy. But what could he do? He didn’t have that kind of rank!

Once Cen Shi was out of sight, He Zhi hurried over to knock on the commander’s office door.