Early in the morning, before the sun had even risen, Lin Yue Shu was dragged out of bed by a call from his manager, Liu Yao.
He tossed his phone aside, mumbling groggily, “I’ve been scolded for so many days, I’ve already received my due punishment. Can’t you just let it go?”
Liu Yao, suppressing his voice, said, “I’m too tired to scold you anymore, but Lin Yue Shu, your chance to turn things around has come. I need to see you at the company within half an hour.”
Yawning, Lin Yue Shu wondered what could be so important. It wasn’t until he got to the company that he found out a director of a certain BL drama had extended an olive branch to him.
To be able to go against the tide and offer him a role while he was being attacked online, Lin Yue Shu respected this director as a real man.
“Brother Yao, you like this crispy duck literature so much, why don’t you act in it yourself?” Lin Yue Shu said succinctly.
“You ungrateful brat, beggars can’t be choosers!” Liu Yao jumped up and scolded him.
Lin Yue Shu waved his hand dismissively, slapped a contract down, and pointed to a clause: “Without the consent of Party B, Party A cannot assign various work tasks against Party B’s wishes.”
Liu Yao rubbed his hands, his fire extinguished, and with a mysterious smile, said, “Mr. Lin, don’t look down on this film. Let me tell you, the producer and investor, his surname is Huo.”
Lin Yue Shu’s eyebrows lifted. Huo? Huo Yuanjia? Huo Yi Sen?
“This big shot named Huo is willing to back you up, so just take the money!” Liu Yao laughed as if he was the one making the money.
Lin Yue Shu was silent for a moment, then picked up the script proposal and flipped through it.
In short: BL, ancient style, a chaotic battle between an emperor’s guard and a prince, with a bit of court intrigue, ending in a perfect BE.
He flipped through the tentative cast list and saw that the prince was to be played by a man named Huo Xiao.
“Who is Huo Xiao?” Lin Yue Shu pointed to the name and asked.
Liu Yao spat out his tea five meters high: “You don’t know Huo Xiao? Are you crazy?”
Lin Yue Shu: “Yes, I’m crazy, and now I want to bite someone, woof woof.”
Liu Yao took small steps to dodge, hiding behind the desk with only his head showing: “Huo Xiao is a famous quality inspector for rising stars in the industry. Anyone who has appeared in a drama with him has basically skyrocketed to fame.”
Lin Yue Shu almost laughed. Such an amazing person only lives in small niche literature, how rare.
Lin Yue Shu asked again, “Am I playing the emperor?”
“No, you’re playing the guard. Don’t underestimate the guard role, but you have a bed scene with Huo Xiao, who plays the prince.” Liu Yao was excited, his eyes full of “we’re going to make a fortune.”
He added, “Even though your acting skills are crap, just being able to act with Huo Xiao is enough. The dogs that acted with Huo Xiao before are now worth millions! Isn’t that exciting?”
Lin Yue Shu slowly raised his eyes, his gaze as gentle as a spring knife. He dusted off the proposal, chuckling softly, “Is that so? Then I must thank the great Mr. Huo for thinking so highly of me.”
He was curious to see just how amazing this person was.
*
Sunday, not a cloud in the sky, a rare sunny day in late autumn.
Lin Yue Shu got up early, did a facial spa, soaked in the bathtub until the freesia scent was thoroughly absorbed, then got up and rinsed off.
Next, he was to meet with the vice president of Alder Jewelry again. It was also Huo Yi Sen who helped arrange the meeting, and the vice president, who had been beaten like a mole by Lin Yue Shu, reluctantly agreed to meet.
According to the original text, the original owner had a fling with the vice president at the spokesperson meeting, and the vice president, having tasted the sweetness, found an excuse to throw the original owner to the wolves of public opinion. The original owner had no choice but to beg the vice president for mercy, which was exactly what the vice president wanted.
The vice president proposed a meal to resolve the grudge, and the original owner happily went, only to end up unable to smile later.
There were about a dozen pig-headed monkeys, turning an apology banquet into a fest of corruption. The original owner was unconscious in the private room for most of the day, and halfway through, a waiter who came to check on the situation had a good time, leaving a roll of cash in the original owner’s flower.
Lin Yue Shu imagined it briefly: a dozen fat pigs, he couldn’t beat them.
He knew very well that once the “husband” matter was exposed, with Huo Yi Sen’s high moral standards, he definitely wouldn’t come today, at most he would have spoken to the chairman of Alder behind the scenes.
But in the eyes of the fat pigs, what difference did it make if he had spoken? Huo Yi Sen wouldn’t even show his face, how important could Lin Yue Shu be?
Lin Yue Shu’s mind was racing.
Then, he called Huo Yi Sen’s secretary: “Hello, Secretary Brother, this is Lin Yue Shu.”
“Hello, Mr. Lin, what brings you to call me?”
“I discussed with Representative Huo before, today I’m meeting with the jewelers at Guanlan Hall Hotel, but the representative didn’t give me the room number, and I can’t reach him. Could you please pass on a message for me?”
The secretary readily agreed.
Lin Yue Shu asked again, “Thank you, Secretary Brother, sorry to trouble you. How have you been lately?”
“Pretty good, pretty good, how about you?”
“I’m doing well too, just had some fruit beer with friends a few days ago, and found out I’m not only allergic to alcohol, but also to fruit beer.” Lin Yue Shu chuckled bitterly.
“Ah? Alcohol allergy is no small matter, you need to be careful. Are you feeling better?”
After a few more pleasantries, the secretary finally hung up.
Then, a cold voice from Huo Yi Sen came from the side: “Take the call outside.”
The secretary knew, he was deliberately saying it for Huo Yi Sen to hear! He wasn’t afraid of being fired by Huo Yi Sen, labor laws would equally save every hardworking person.
The secretary cheekily leaned over: “Representative Huo, Mr. Lin wants the room number for tonight’s banquet. I heard he’s allergic to alcohol, hopefully those people won’t give him a hard time.”
Huo Yi Sen casually said “3207,” continuing to type away at his computer, as if the rest of the matter had nothing to do with him.
*
At seven o’clock, Lin Yue Shu arrived as promised.
Pushing open the private room door, the scene was not much different from the book’s description.
A dozen fat maggots, each fatter than the last, the fattest being the maggot king vice president born from a green-headed fly, with a plastered right hand, smiling smugly with hidden intentions.
Lin Yue Shu quietly averted his gaze. Author, you have no heart.
Lin Yue Shu greeted them with a smile and sat down, all eyes glued to him.
Oh my god, this waist, this butt, these long legs, these tender hands, this… my fat maggot is going to feast today!
Fat Maggot No. 1 spoke leisurely: “Mr. Lin, I’ve heard about you and Mr. Smith. Mr. Alder’s chairman, Mr. Kant, asked me to accompany you. It’s all a misunderstanding, let’s talk it over, everything is in the wine.”
Fat Maggot No. 2 echoed: “Mr. Lin, the one who started it was wrong. According to the rules, we should punish ourselves with three glasses. Mr. Smith isn’t a petty person.”
Vice President Smith raised his glass, smiling smugly, “Cheers~”
Lin Yue Shu looked troubled: “I was wrong to start it, I apologize to Mr. Smith, and thank you all for speaking on my behalf. I’m really allergic to alcohol, how about I use tea instead of wine to apologize to everyone?”
Fat Maggot No. 3’s face darkened, he put down his glass, and said stiffly: “Mr. Lin, in the entertainment industry, you can’t avoid these occasions. So many artists are lining up, why should they give you the good resources? I say, the future is more important, overcome this small allergy, don’t let us who took time out of our busy schedules lose face.”
Lin Yue Shu was amazed, couldn’t help but sigh: What a way to overcome, when heaven is about to bestow a great responsibility on a person, it must first distress their mind, tire their muscles, and starve their body. Why don’t you share your money with everyone for success, can’t bear it? You overcome it too.
But he still wore a flawless smile.
He raised his glass, stood up, and said to everyone present: “Dad, Mom, your son is unfilial, can’t take care of you in old age. But your son left a large sum of money for you, after I finish this glass, remember to ask everyone here for it.”
In the midst of N confused faces, Lin Yue Shu downed the glass of wine.
After a glass of red wine, Lin Yue Shu, who couldn’t handle alcohol, was clearly tipsy, dazed, his eyes unfocused.
Seeing this, the fat maggots’ faces turned greasy red, their hands eagerly reaching for their belts.
One by one, they left their seats, surrounding the dazed Lin Yue Shu.
Vice President Smith reached out his greedy hand—won’t let me eat? Playing hard to get? Surrounded by a dozen strong men, let’s see where you run, today you have to serve us all well, you little slut!
The vice president grabbed Lin Yue Shu’s collar and tore it apart.
The thin fabric ripped with a loud “rip,” buttons flying everywhere.
The group leaned in with lecherous smiles—
And then stopped.
Vice President Smith stared for a while, a minute, two minutes, five minutes passed…
Smith silently buttoned Lin Yue Shu’s shirt back up.
The group was left in disarray.
They thought this little slut’s so-called alcohol allergy was a made-up excuse, who would have thought it was real.
Who would have thought, after an alcohol allergy, the skin would be covered in a rash, making it unappetizing!
Wait, could this thing be contagious…
The group moved in unison, retreating to hide in safe corners.
Fat Maggot No. 1 couldn’t hold it anymore, picked up his briefcase, smiling awkwardly: “Well… I think today really isn’t suitable for drinking poetry, why don’t we find another opportunity to meet?”
No. 2 and No. 3 nodded repeatedly.
Vice President Smith swallowed, seemingly unwilling, glanced at the rash-covered person, quickly looked away, and closed his eyes.
He casually grabbed the most expensive bottle of red wine, chuckling: “Mr. Zhu is right, drinking is about happiness, wine that ruins the mood is bitter and hard to swallow.”
With the big brother speaking, the group rushed to squeeze out, a few getting stuck in the door frame, sucking in their stomachs to squeeze through.
The private room suddenly fell into silence.
Lin Yue Shu sat up straight, instantly breaking free from his semi-conscious state, casually took a few bites of food, and took the pre-prepared anti-allergy medicine.
The medicine needed time to take effect, he was itching all over, couldn’t help but scratch, the fragile thin fatigue leaving red marks under his fingertips.
Alright, that’s enough.
Lin Yue Shu took a few more bites of the most expensive dishes, got up, and went downstairs.
Halfway, a sneaky-eyed waiter approached with a smile, but upon seeing his rash-covered body, his gaze became firm and righteous, bowing and shouting, “Honored guest, please take care.”
By now, it was completely dark.
Lin Yue Shu didn’t rush to leave after going downstairs, his gaze discreetly scanning the area, spotting a Volkswagen with a license plate of six ones, standing out among a row of luxury cars.
Lin Yue Shu clicked his tongue.
Volkswagen Phaeton, about two million, with an unremarkable appearance, probably something Huo Yi Sen had dug out from the garage as a cheap option.
Too much of a cover-up, at first glance it looked like an ordinary Passat, but with a license plate of six ones, it was clear it belonged to a super-rich young master of a financial group trying to hide his edge.
Lin Yue Shu withdrew his gaze, swaying in an S-shape, then got into his own Buick.
The car started, a reverse gear, hitting the stone wall behind, then moving forward, grazing the Phaeton as it turned.
Screech—
“Beep—” The Phaeton’s horn sounded.
The hotel valet heard the commotion and quickly came to check.
The valet knocked on the car door: “Sir, you scratched another car, please come out.”
Lin Yue Shu turned off the engine, opened the door, and collapsed on the ground, unable to get up.
The Phaeton’s owner also got out, in the dark, his dark, neat coat almost blending into the night.
A pair of shiny leather shoes stopped in front of Lin Yue Shu.
Then, the Phaeton owner said to the valet: “This person drank, how do you handle drunk driving?”
The valet quickly helped Lin Yue Shu, asking: “Sir, are you okay, can you stand up, you scratched someone else’s car, you need to get up and resolve the issue.”
Lin Yue Shu clung tightly to the valet’s sleeve, seemingly exhausted, leaning sideways in the valet’s arms: “I didn’t drink…”
As soon as he finished speaking, a large hand pulled him up, forcefully dragging him into the Phaeton.
The Phaeton owner tossed Lin Yue Shu’s car keys to the valet, saying: “Please park his car properly, don’t block the way, I’m taking him to the traffic police for drunk driving.”
The valet quickly nodded, just sat in the car—
Wait, wouldn’t it be better to call the traffic police? What’s with taking him to the traffic police station?
In the car.
Lin Yue Shu leaned weakly against the seat, his eyes quietly opening a crack.
Through the rearview mirror, he saw a pair of pitch-black, cold eyes, immersed in the dim night.
He closed his eyes contentedly. Forgetting Huo Yi Sen’s appearance was one thing, but every time he saw him, it was enough to amaze.
“Lin Yue Shu, why is it you?” came Huo Yi Sen’s awkward line from the front seat.
Lin Yue Shu slowly opened his eyes, rubbing his temples: “You are… I scratched your car, right… let’s settle it privately, I’m really uncomfortable, I want to go to the hospital…”
Huo Yi Sen let out a cold laugh: “Privately, two million.”
Lin Yue Shu suddenly woke up, grabbing the door handle to escape: “You really have a scheme, extorting a drunk.”
A large hand from the front seat tightly wrapped around Lin Yue Shu’s wrist: “You said privately, I respect your choice.”
The last word suddenly softened.
The large hand also began to explore Lin Yue Shu’s wrist.
The next second, the car’s interior light turned on, Huo Yi Sen opened the door and got out, circling to the back seat, grabbing Lin Yue Shu’s arm and pulling up his sleeve to check.
Then, he tugged at his collar to check.
The dense red rash felt uncomfortable to touch.
Lin Yue Shu, with drunken eyes, clutched his collar tightly, shaking his head like a rattle: “I don’t… I don’t accept physical compensation…”
As the words fell, the car fell into an eerie silence.
After a long time, Huo Yi Sen left the back seat, returned to the driver’s seat, and started the car without a word.
Author’s Note:
Next chapter, more eating! No update tomorrow, the publication date was chosen too early, causing the V chapter to come too soon, so pausing for a day, rest assured with 300k words in stock, thank you for understanding, CEOs.