[Ling Wangxing and Little Boyfriend Deeply Kiss] Explosive
Soothing light music filled the entire conference room. The middle-aged woman had a natural attitude, speaking in a kind and amiable manner with a hint of helplessness in her tone.
“Su Yihan has high popularity right now, and the investors need to consider all aspects when choosing people. The investors explicitly named him, so there is nothing I can do.”
“Director Yan is too stubborn and is now in a deadlocked feud with the investors. If your side voluntarily gives up, it will be easier for everyone to handle. Your contract with the company still has a few years left before it expires, right?”
The youth did not speak. His gaze landed on a green potted plant placed on the desk; its lush green leaves were wilted due to a lack of water, hanging their heads dejectedly.
The middle-aged woman earnestly tried to persuade him: “Su Yihan is so popular right now, and this is Director Yan’s movie. If you yield the resources to him, he can rise to an even higher level and come back to support you later. We are all in the same company.”
Xia Zhizhu had not spoken the entire time, quietly finishing reading the voluntary contract cancellation form and signing his own name on it.
His fingers were long and slender, and the back of his hand revealed a nearly transparent paleness under the glow of the setting sun.
The middle-aged woman did not expect him to be so straightforward, pausing slightly for a few seconds.
She took the contract, checked the signature, and after confirming there were no errors, offered a perfunctory pacifying remark.
“You are a smart person. Since the company can make Su Yihan popular, it will not treat you unfairly either.”
“Alright, if there is nothing else, you can head back first. I will notify you next time there is work.”
Xia Zhizhu nodded and then stood up to take his leave. From the moment he entered until he left, aside from signing his name, he hadn’t done a thing.
The middle-aged woman contentedly put away the contract. Hearing a sound, she glanced at Xia Zhizhu as he walked toward the door. Seeing his face, she still couldn’t help a moment of daze.
Xia Zhizhu was turned slightly sideways, and the fine, scattered hair across his forehead had grown a bit long. The glow of the setting sun faded at some unknown moment, leaving the youth with only a third of his face visible, yet his brows and eyes were alluring like some decadent flower bloomed to its absolute limit, and his crimson lips even carried a plumpness reminiscent of overripened fruit.
He possessed a radiance so striking that it could not be concealed even in a dim environment.
Even in the entertainment industry, where handsome men and beautiful women emerged in a continuous stream, he was one of a kind. The middle-aged woman regretfully shifted her gaze.
It was a pity he couldn’t become famous; moderate fame relied on backing, but massive fame relied on destiny.
Xia Zhizhu clearly did not have that destiny.
Stepping out of the conference room, his assistant, Xiao Lu, was waiting by the door.
“Brother, how did it go?”
Xia Zhizhu gently shook his head, his abruptly thinned face revealing a hint of exhaustion, and a sunken collarbone was exposed at his neckline.
Seeing this, Xiao Lu felt a pang of heartache and followed Xia Zhizhu toward the elevator direction.
He softly comforted him: “It is fine, Brother. Once you act in Director Yan’s movie, Sister Yun won’t be perfunctory with us like this anymore.”
Sister Yun was Xia Zhizhu’s manager. Aside from Xia Zhizhu, she managed several other artists, sometimes making it inevitable that she couldn’t attend to everyone. Especially since she managed a popular star like Su Yihan, whose supporting role in a costume drama made him skyrocket to fame overnight with what people online called rebirth-style acting.
Sister Yun’s resources were limited, and she always prioritized Su Yihan for the best picks. If Xia Zhizhu hadn’t had a good relationship with a co-director on set during his days as an extra, thus securing the audition opportunity for Director Yan from that person, he probably wouldn’t even have any work right now.
The elevator doors opened, and a crowd poured out. There were four bodyguards alone, plus assistant managers and others, packing the elevator to the brim. Xia Zhizhu and Xiao Lu stepped back to the side, waiting for this group to pass.
Protected in the middle by the bodyguards and wearing sunglasses was none other than Su Yihan, who had skyrocketed to fame not long ago. Surrounded by the crowd, he strode past Xia Zhizhu without sparing even a glance in his direction.
Xiao Lu looked indignant, glanced at Xia Zhizhu, and as he followed him into the elevator, angrily muttered: “What is with the high and mighty attitude? His tail is almost raised up to the sky! Back when he wasn’t famous, he used to call you Xia Xia so enthusiastically!”
Xia Zhizhu didn’t react much; Xiao Lu was almost used to it. Ever since Xia Zhizhu started dieting, Xiao Lu often got no response when talking to him. For an artist to slim down to a certain degree in a short period of time, there were only two paths: crash dieting or taking diet pills, both of which were extremely damaging to the body.
There was a pungent smell of smoke inside the elevator. Forcing down the urge to cough rising in his throat, Xia Zhizhu said as if nothing were wrong.
“You don’t need to go to Director Yan’s movie anymore.”
The elevator just happened to emit a ding sound, and Xiao Lu stepped one foot out of the elevator, rapidly turning his head back. “What? What do you mean? Why don’t I need to go?”
“Is Director Yan’s side unsatisfied? Didn’t we already sign the contract, or…”
Xia Zhizhu couldn’t help coughing lightly. “Sister Yun wants to give this opportunity to Su Yihan.”
His tone was as calm as if he were asking what to eat today, but Xiao Lu’s expression changed instantly, his eye sockets turning red.
“Give it to Su Yihan? How could she do this? Director Yan’s movie is an opportunity you went to audition for yourself, Brother. For this movie, you’ve lost over ten pounds in a month, and now Sister Yun says she’s giving it to Su Yihan just like that…”
“How can they… Is it because we aren’t famous that we have to be bullied like this?”
In the scorching month of May, the blowing wind carried an irritating summer heat. Stepping out of the elevator, Xia Zhizhu still felt a wave of dizziness. Having the opportunity he had prepared so hard for snatched away felt like being hit over the head with a sack, and the top-heavy feeling was far from pleasant.
He fell silent for a moment, gently licking his dry lips. “Sorry for making you worry about me.”
Xiao Lu’s clenched fists immediately relaxed, and he turned his head away to quickly rub his eyes, his voice choked up. “It’s fine, Brother. If we aren’t acting in it, we won’t. We’ll definitely find something better. Exactly, you don’t have to diet anymore either; you can eat whatever you want.”
Adjusting his mood, Xiao Lu reached out to hail a taxi to send Xia Zhizhu back to the dormitory.
Xia Zhizhu still lived in a single dormitory arranged by the company. All the unpopular artists of the company were uniformly housed here, and only when they gained fame would rooms be reallocated to them.
The room was pitch black. Without even turning on the lights, Xia Zhizhu expertly threw himself into a five-foot single sofa. The familiar cramped feeling rushed in from all directions like water in a sponge, carrying a familiar sense of safety.
The phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated, the buzzing sound as annoying as a mosquito. Xia Zhizhu took out his phone and glanced at it; it was an unfamiliar number.
[Did someone steal your opportunity for Director Yan’s movie?]
[I told you long ago to follow me. If you had followed me, what kind of opportunity couldn’t you have?]
[Tonight at ten, Mingchao Hotel, room number XXX.]
[I’ll be waiting for you.]
A wave of nausea surged from his stomach, and his body felt as though it were wrapped by a bone-devouring poisonous snake. Xia Zhizhu pressed his lips tight, trembling as he added the number to his blacklist.
After completing this action, he abruptly released his grip, letting the phone slide from his fingertips and drop to the floor.
Having been forced to yield the opportunity he had acquired with such difficulty, a sense of realization that it was bound to happen arose in his heart.
His life seemed to have taken a turn at a certain turning point.
If the him who had just entered the entertainment industry was still dreaming the sweet dream of becoming an overnight sensation, he was now purely and ruthlessly awakened from that dream by the cold reality.
Every day, all sorts of people became famous in the entertainment industry. Countless people also stepped one foot into this massive dyeing vat, dreaming of instant fame, but the reality was that more people spent the youthful years of their youth before quietly leaving this circle.
Sleepiness gradually crept in. Though his reason told him the sofa wasn’t a suitable place to sleep, it couldn’t defeat his drowsy head.
.
“Brother, wake up! Something big has happened!”
When sunlight streamed through the window, Xia Zhizhu groggily opened his eyes.
An excited face abruptly appeared before his eyes. Xia Zhizhu stared at it for a long while before gradually coming to his senses. When he moved, his entire body’s bones felt rusty, stiff, and sore. “What time is it?”
“Brother, you’re awake? Why did you fall asleep on the sofa last night? Something happened!” Xiao Lu mumbled excitedly, glowing with health. “Brother, do you know you’re on the trending searches? Number one, it exploded!”
Xiao Lu was so excited he looked as if he had woken up to find his lottery ticket won five million.
Even if Xia Zhizhu still had sleep left in him, it was completely wiped out by Xiao Lu’s shout. He stood up to stretch his stiff limbs, temporarily unable to tell whether he or Xiao Lu was dreaming.
Xiao Lu handed over his own phone, his hands shaking so much he could barely hold it. “Brother, look for yourself, look quickly!”
Driven by some unknown impulse, although Xia Zhizhu felt that an overnight sensation couldn’t possibly happen to him, he still took Xiao Lu’s phone and tapped open Weibo. “Shouldn’t you change your phone? It’s way too laggy.”
“It’s not that, Brother! Weibo is lagging, not my phone!” Xiao Lu was about to go crazy.
Xia Zhizhu’s fingertips paused, his cold face no longer able to maintain its expression, revealing a bit of soft bewilderment.
Beneath his fingertips were the top spots on the Weibo trending list.
[Ling Wangxing’s Relationship Exposed] Explosive
[Ling Wangxing and Little Boyfriend Deeply Kiss] Explosive
[Ling Wangxing Xia Zhizhu] Explosive
[Xia Zhizhu] Explosive
Immersed in the shock that his name could actually be placed right next to Ling Wangxing’s one day, his finger unconsciously clicked on one of the search trends, which happened to be the most explicitly titled [Ling Wangxing and Little Boyfriend Deeply Kiss].
In the photo, Ling Wangxing, dressed in casual attire, reached out to wrap his arm around the waist of the person in his arms. Approaching six feet two inches in height, he slightly lowered his head, a pair of peach-blossom eyes gazing at the person in his arms with overflowing tenderness. Meanwhile, the person in his arms wore a white shirt, their brows and eyes as decadent as a flower blooming in the middle of the night, their plump crimson lips stained with moist water droplets, the corners of their eyes flushed red. Their state looked exactly as though they had just finished kissing.
The photographer clearly understood the secrets of stealth photography: a dim hallway, an ambiguous atmosphere, plus Xia Zhizhu’s fingers tightening against the fabric over Ling Wangxing’s chest, making it look just like a young couple unable to contain their loneliness in the hallway, kissing recklessly.
Xia Zhizhu’s expression stiffened, as if he had been struck over the head with a heavy blow. He felt neither relief nor joy that he was actually linked to Ling Wangxing. After the shock passed, a sense of immense absurdity gradually welled up in his heart.
That was Ling Wangxing.
He was someone like Xia Zhizhu, a tiny transparent figure in the entertainment industry, could only look up to from afar.
His mother was a renowned movie star, and his father owned a top-tier listed company in the country, with countless industries under its umbrella.
Born into such a superior family, Ling Wangxing perfectly inherited his parents’ strengths. Since childhood, he had been raised according to the standards of an heir, but unfortunately, as soon as he finished college, he plunged headfirst into the massive dyeing vat of the entertainment industry.
However, his family background was no longer a secret, and even fans joked that if he couldn’t make it big, he would have to go home to inherit the family business. Unexpectedly, Ling Wangxing’s acting talent was exceptionally high, the type of person whom the heavens chased after to feed meals while holding a bowl.
In the short four years since he entered the industry, he had already starred in movies by several renowned master directors, winning awards until his hands went soft. And right now, he was only twenty-six years old.
Such a person, even with frequent rumors of acting like a diva, being unprofessional, or even absurd gossip about him suffering from a physical ailment, could still effortlessly attract fans based solely on his face.
Therefore, he would definitely, absolutely be torn to pieces by Ling Wangxing’s massive fan base!
Trembling, Xia Zhizhu used Xiao Lu’s phone to check his own Weibo. His Weibo was mostly managed uniformly by the company, and his newest post was still a selfie from a month ago.
The comments below had already reached hundreds of thousands and were still gradually increasing.
Xiao Lu couldn’t empathize with Xia Zhizhu’s mood at all and directly helped him tap into it, urging him, “Brother, hurry up and look!”
[Ahhhhh, I never expected I would actually live to see Ling Wangxing fall in love. Sob sob, Mom almost thought he was going to stay single forever.]
[Help, even Ling Wangxing has someone who wants him in this world, while I’m still single. Is this reasonable?]
[Sister-in-law, hello! I scrolled through sister-in-law’s Weibo, and sister-in-law is simply drop-dead gorgeous!! I’m going crazy, slurp slurp.]
[555 So Ling Wangxing can act emotional scenes well; it’s just that the partner wasn’t right. Thank you, sister-in-law, for letting me see what he looks like when he’s in love in my lifetime. I just want to say: Yi, you have today too!]
[Am I the only one who wants to know if the entertainment tabloids are telling the truth? Sister-in-law, quick, tell us: does Ling Wangxing actually work or not?]