An Unwanted Contract
“Brother Fu, there’s a contract back home…” Song Tao, Fu Li’s nervous young assistant, glanced at the man seated before the makeup mirror, looking a little guilty. “I… I need to tell you about it.”
The man was tall and silent, with a handsome, sharply defined profile. His eyes were closed, one leg crossed over the other, his hands folded on his thigh. He sat like a solemn, immovable Buddha, letting the makeup artist dab and brush at his face.
This was the set of a shoot for an internationally renowned luxury perfume brand’s campaign for next season.
“Go on.” Fu Li’s firm lips barely moved. His voice was low and rich.
Song Tao hesitated again. He opened and closed his mouth twice, but couldn’t bring himself to say it.
Fu Li opened his eyes and glanced at him. His sharp gaze held no particular emotion, but Song Tao still felt a chill run down his back. Even though he knew Brother Fu only seemed aloof and was actually a good person, Song Tao still blurted it out on instinct.
“Ji, Ji Ziyi… he… last week, he signed a contract with Apple TV Station for a variety show. The contract says you… have to take part too.”
Sure enough, Fu Li’s long brows furrowed. Then he said calmly, “Turn it down.”
Song Tao had known he would say that. He swallowed and said, close to tears, “We can’t, Brother Fu. The contract’s already in effect.”
“Just pay the penalty,” Fu Li said. “That won’t work?”
“They knew you might not honor it,” Song Tao said. “They set a trap in the contract. Breaking it would affect more than just money. It would damage your business reputation, too.”
If money could solve the problem, it wasn’t a problem.
To lock in the deal, the production team had posted a cryptic announcement on the show’s official account the very day the contract was signed, leaving viewers eager for more. Fu Li was now caught in a bind.
Fu Li came from a prominent family. As the Fu family’s only child, he had been the center of attention since birth. His father was a banking magnate, and his mother an internationally renowned movie star. He made his screen debut at seven in one of her films. At seventeen, he starred in a landmark work by the famous director Gao Yan, which won that year’s global box-office crown and earned him the International Best Actor award. From then on, his career had soared, sweeping up major international awards. At twenty-seven, he had more than earned the title of film emperor.
Yet aside from his work and the occasional campaign for a major brand, he rarely even gave interviews. His fans could hardly keep track of what he was doing, let alone expect him to appear on a variety show. Apart from acting, he might as well have been an outsider to the entertainment industry.
The production team’s announcement had been deliberately vague, but its hints all pointed to Fu Li, the film emperor who rarely appeared in public. The post already had hundreds of thousands of comments, all expressing eager anticipation.
And none of this could be separated from the scheming of a petty man called Ji Ziyi, his newlywed wife, whom he had met only once, in passing.
Vain, cowardly, hypocritical, affected: that was the only impression Fu Li had of him. He had used his petty cleverness to marry into the Fu family, and now he wanted to tie Fu Li to him even more tightly.
“Hmph.” Fu Li’s lips twitched, his face showing his impatience.
Dream on.
Song Tao broke out in goosebumps and quietly edged farther away.
Everyone knew his boss’s temper wasn’t the best.
Fu Li stood and straightened his suit cuffs. A crowd immediately gathered to escort him to the set. His voice was as cold and sharp as an ice pick, heavy with scorn.
“Let’s see what kind of creature he really is.”
* * *
In a villa on the outskirts of the city.
The production crew for Heart-Knot Silk Robe, a new variety show carefully planned by Apple TV Station, had gathered in the middle of the living room with their cameras, filming a pilot interview with one of the guests, Ji Ziyi.
“When you signed the contract last time, you said you and Mr. Fu were each other’s first love. Could you tell us about the first time you met?” the director asked.
Ji Ziyi glanced at the camera, uncomfortable, and lowered his long lashes.
How was he supposed to answer that?
He had only transmigrated here last week. He had spent three days in a daze before he slowly made sense of what had happened. He rarely read novels and hadn’t fully grasped the situation, and it had taken the whole week just to barely get used to life here.
The moment he arrived, fragments of the novel’s plot had hazily surfaced in his mind. Ji Ziyi knew he had transmigrated into a supporting character. Only belatedly had he realized he was probably supposed to play the part, then find a chance to change the original plot and avoid repeating the same mistakes.
But given his personality, that task was asking far too much of him…
“You don’t have to be nervous. This is just a promotional pilot. We’ll edit it later,” the director said with a reassuring smile.
At the same time, the director couldn’t help wondering why Ji Ziyi seemed so different from the last time they’d met to sign the contract. It was as if he’d become a completely different person.
Before the camera, Ji Ziyi’s small, palm-sized face was faintly flushed. He really did look rather fragile and endearing.
“Okay.” Ji Ziyi let out a soft breath and curved his lips at the camera, seeming to have been reassured. For an instant, a pure, unguarded smile lit up his face.
The entire crew fell silent for a second.
Then they all looked a little awkward and sheepish. The young man shouldering a camera stood closest and had the clearest view, and even the roots of his ears had turned bright red.
“We… first met beneath the flower trellis in the courtyard,” Ji Ziyi said softly, with a faint smile.
He was… trying very hard to make something up.
Who could remember a little detail like where the original Ji Ziyi had first met Fu Li? Still, Ji Ziyi felt a little pleased with himself. He didn’t know, and neither did the production team, so, ahem, he’d just make something up for now.
What he didn’t know was that the director was a shrewd operator. Since he had managed to team up with “Ji Ziyi” to reel in Fu Li, whose star power was off the charts, he naturally knew how to maximize the buzz, stir up discussion, and land on the trending topics.
Honestly, who didn’t know there was something fishy about their marriage? Why would the Fu family have accepted someone from “Ji Ziyi’s” modest background? There had to be some juicy story behind it! Whether the couple got along didn’t matter. If they didn’t, even better. That was a surefire ratings draw. The show was bound to be a hit!
So the director immediately asked Ji Ziyi to call Fu Li and ask him the same question, to see whether they had the kind of unspoken understanding a married couple should.
“Huh?” Ji Ziyi looked a little dazed. “Call him?”
His reluctance was plain on his face. His pale fingertips nervously twisted together, and his light pink lips were pressed into a small, plaintive pout. Seeing him like that, those nearby couldn’t help feeling a little sympathy for him, and instinctively cursed the director for being so heartless.
“You’re embarrassed?” The director kept egging him on with a smile. “You really do look like newlyweds, hahahaha…”
Ji Ziyi lowered his head, flustered.
In the world he came from, men weren’t allowed to marry men. Besides, he was twenty-one and had never even dated anyone. Now, the moment he’d transmigrated, he had a newlywed… husband.
Seeing that the director wasn’t going to back down, Ji Ziyi didn’t want to make things difficult for him. So many people were watching and waiting. He obediently picked up his phone, found Fu Li in his contacts, and called.
Five seconds later, the other end hung up with a sharp click. It was so quick, as if Fu Li had touched something filthy.