Having taken full advantage of the situation with his tongue, Chu Chenfeng turned on his heel and drove off without looking back.
The result? He spent the middle of the night battling insomnia, waking up with dark circles under his eyes. Once at Fengqian, he kept his sunglasses welded strictly to his face all day long.
Ruan Qing finalized his deal with the dating reality show.
Before long, the official Weibo account for Heartbeat Experiment made an announcement introducing a few of their guests.
Heartbeat Experiment: Welcome @RuanQing to Heartbeat Experiment! We look forward to you finding a love that completely fills your heart!
Ruan Qing dutifully reposted it:
Ruan Qing: Looking forward to it. [smile] [heart]
The internet immediately erupted into a complete frenzy.
[Wait, bro, what about your crush?]
[What about that guy you used to harbor a secret crush on, huh? Sobbing uncontrollably]
[Baby, Mama doesn’t permit you to go on a dating show! You’re so sweet and docile, you’re going to get scammed!]
Ruan Qing offered a serious reply:
It’s alright, he never liked me anyway. I’ve moved on too~ It won’t interfere with my work; I’ll treat the dating show with all the care I give my regular job.
Even a sweet, soft-spoken artist harbored his own professional ambitions. He trusted Little President Chu’s keen eye—this dating reality show was guaranteed to be a massive hit.
With the immensely popular Drama King officially announcing his appearance on a dating show, the top three trending topics on Weibo exploded.
The absolute wildest part was that netizens started swarming Shang Ting’s comment section, propelling him onto the hot search as well.
[Film Emperor, the Drama King is going! Are you really not going?]
Shang Ting: Boring.
Trending topic hashtag: #WillShangTingEverEscapeSinglehoodInThisLifetime?
A few days later, at a banquet hosted by Star Pulse Records, Little President Chu didn’t merely attend in person—he brought along several of Fengqian’s artists as well.
Every one of these artists possessed impressive vocal talent, and Ruan Qing was among them.
Having downed two glasses of wine, Little President Chu secured a few audition opportunities for his company’s artists. Afterward, he found a private lounge, leaned back against the sofa, and lowered his gaze to scroll lazily through his phone.
Chu Xiyao—who had already transferred over to Qin Lianzhou’s studio—held a platter of fresh strawberries with a completely bootlicking demeanor, practically inches away from feeding them straight into his brother’s mouth.
“Why didn’t Qin Lianzhou come?” Ever since those two got together, they clung to each other whenever they had free time. Even Little President Chu found their clinginess somewhat overwhelming.
“Lianzhou-ge had a project wrap up today. The moment it ended, he said he’d come pick me up and take me home.” Qin Lianzhou’s studio was currently expanding, and he himself was packed with work, yet whenever time allowed, he made it a point to drive his lover home.
Chu Chenfeng took a light bite of the strawberry offered by his younger brother. “Oh.”
Chu Xiyao set down the strawberries, tore open a packet of biscuits, and passed one over to Chu Chenfeng.
Chu Chenfeng rolled over on his side. Finding the faint smell of alcohol lingering on his suit jacket annoying, he simply shed the jacket altogether, tossing it casually into the corner of the sofa.
He wore a fitted dress shirt underneath. As he rolled over, the hem rumpled slightly, exposing a sliver of slender, snow-white waist.
Like a tiny kitten cozying up to a bigger cat, Chu Xiyao snuggled close beside him to play games on his phone.
Halfway through his match, the secretary, Xia Yue, pushed open the door and stepped inside.
“President Chu, Ruan Qing is being cornered. It’s gotten a bit tricky.”
Chu Chenfeng set his phone down, rose to throw his suit jacket back on, and followed Xia Yue out the door. “What happened?”
Chu Xiyao scrambled up as well, continuing his mobile game while trailing closely behind his older brother like a shadow.
Xia Yue explained with hurried footsteps, “It’s the president of Daobi Media. The guy’s a nightmare to deal with and is forcing Ruan Qing to drink.”
Chu Xiyao let out a scoff. “Oh, him? He’s a notorious pervert in the industry—absolutely revolting.”
Little President Chu sneered coolly as well.
The president of Daobi Media was well over thirty. Completely incompetent in business, his primary talent lay in keeping mistresses number three, four, five, six, seven, eight, and nine.
His company had taken a steep nose-dive over the past two years, losing money on every single project they funded. Had it not been for the solid foundation built by the previous president, the company would have drawn its final breath long ago.
As they spoke, they reached Ruan Qing’s side.
Ruan Qing was currently being blocked from leaving by a middle-aged man who looked visibly worn out and kidney-deficient. His female companion stood by looking utterly embarrassed, receiving a harsh glare the moment she tried to smooth things over.
“What’s the matter? Is the Drama King too good for me?”
“Be a good boy. Drink this glass, and I’ll let you go.”
“Little brother, how can someone be born looking so sweet and obedient—”
He tried to step forward, only to be blocked by Little President Chu raising a hand to cut him off. Ruan Qing had already downed two glasses of wine; his tolerance was low to begin with, leaving his face deeply flushed with intoxication at this point. Had they arrived a step later, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
“Oh, if it isn’t Fengqian’s Little President Chu!” The middle-aged man dazed for a moment upon spotting Chu Chenfeng. Forgetting all about Ruan Qing behind him, his greedy eyes swept over Chu Chenfeng—though disappointingly, he saw nothing he could take advantage of.
Chu Chenfeng pulled his lips into a dry, superficial smile. “My artist isn’t feeling well right now. I’ll drink this glass on his behalf.”
He shot a subtle glance over, prompting Xia Yue to quickly step forward and support Ruan Qing toward the lounge to rest.
Little President Chu lazily lifted his wrist with effortless elegance, the corners of his lips curving upward for a brief second as he downed the alcohol in the glass.
“As expected of President Chu.” The middle-aged man swallowed his saliva. The female companion beside him offered an awkward, accommodating smile.
When the man deliberately tried to draw closer, Chu Chenfeng imperceptibly stepped back a stride, bringing his younger brother along with him. The smile remained hooked on his lips. “Speaking of which, I happened to spot your wife on my way over just now. I reckon she’ll be arriving any second.”
The middle-aged man’s face instantly turned pale. He frantically slammed down his wine glass and turned on his heel to flee.
Watching the guy drag his female companion along as they bolted out of the hall like refugees, Chu Chenfeng raised his brows with a mocking curve.
Behind him, Chu Xiyao waved his phone at his brother. “His wife had no idea he was here just now, but I sent her a text message. She knows now.”
“I even made sure to emphasize that he brought a female companion along.”
Chu Xiyao’s eyes were practically beaming with Praise me! Praise me! Praise me, Gege!
Slightly lightheaded from the alcohol, Chu Chenfeng reached out to ruffle his younger brother’s head. “Good boy.”
That man played around ruthlessly on the outside, yet feared his wife to an extreme degree. Word had it that aside from the company’s solid foundation, the main reason Daobi Media managed to stay afloat was his wife.
His wife worked her fingers to the bone for the company, while he paraded around with pretty young companions, drowning in pleasure and alcohol—even going so far as to harass other artists at banquets.
“Hard to evaluate,” Xia Yue—who had suddenly materialized behind Chu Chenfeng—remarked gloomily. “Hard to evaluate scumbags, and equally hard to evaluate the brain-dead romantics who stay loyal to scumbags.”
Chu Chenfeng asked, “Where’s Ruan Qing?”
Xia Yue: “He’s heavily intoxicated, resting inside the lounge.”
“Don’t worry. Don’t you know Ruan Qing? He’s the most well-behaved artist in our entire company. Right now, he’s probably sleeping like an angel in the lounge.”
Finishing her sentence, she shot Chu Chenfeng a glance, signaling for him to look in a certain direction.
Chu Chenfeng looked over.
President Jiang who previously harbored zero desire to attend banquets was once again gracing an entertainment industry gathering with his presence.
He stood tall and straight, possessing broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and an exceptionally handsome face—dressed up like a proper gentleman (though that last part was Little President Chu’s internal slander).
The moment Jiang Mingshen appeared, a crowd immediately swarmed over to surround him.
President Zhao of Star Pulse Records, Fu Chengzhou, and Lin Huixing all strode over holding wine glasses, gesturing for their respective artists to come along as well.
Apart from Little President Chu who held zero interest and Shang Ting, who had just claimed the title of Film Emperor and was currently walking in the opposite direction with an arrogant demeanor, everyone else instinctively drifted toward or craned their necks in Jiang Mingshen’s direction.
However, Jiang Mingshen was a man of few words. Before long, the crowd surrounding him could only take the hint and disperse tactfully.
Even two artists who were eager to latch onto a big shot left the scene regretfully under the polite gesture of his assistant.
Watching this display, Chu Xiyao spoke up slowly: “Ge, who’s that guy? He’s so full of himself.”
Xia Yue was too busy trying to stop the young master to play along with any affectionate pretenses, tugging at the sleeve of the mini-President Chu to get him to hold his tongue.
Chu Xiyao continued, “Ge, he’s still staring at you. Is he trying to pick a fight with you or something?”
Xia Yue: “…”
A lingering blush from the alcohol still dusted Chu Chenfeng’s face, yet his words carried an icy chill: “Then he’d better not, or I’ll beat him to death.”
Gazing at her boss whose fierce threats sounded practically identical to pouting, Xia Yue offered a polite smile: “As long as you’re happy, Boss.” There is zero lethality in that—you might even end up getting flirted with, okay?
When Little President Chu made threats during work, it looked entirely different: cold, sharp words delivered through a gorgeous face, carrying an immensely intimidating aura. Yet when facing this ex-boyfriend of his, President Jiang, even he himself likely failed to realize how every word was laced with an unintentional, spoiled arrogance.
Jiang Mingshen’s dark eyes were deep and profound. His gaze lingered for a long time on Little President Chu’s vivid, breathtaking face, before shifting to sweep over Chu Xiyao behind him and Secretary Xia beside him, who hadn’t even had time to resume her affectionate front.
His gaze paused briefly on Xia Yue and the young man who shared a subtle resemblance to Chu Chenfeng. As if piecing something together in his mind, the corners of his lips curved upward slightly. It wasn’t until Little President Chu shot him an utterly unceremonious glare that he finally averted his eyes.
The faint curve remained on his lips, looking in an exceptionally good mood as he whispered a few words to the assistant beside him.
Though bewildered, the assistant nodded and carried out his instructions.
Halfway through the banquet, several artists from Fengqian began making their exits one after another.
Little President Chu handed his wine glass back to a waiter. “Where’s Ruan Qing? Wake him up. He can go home to sleep.”
Xia Yue nodded. “He’s definitely still dreaming away in the lounge. Let’s grab him and take him along.”
“Otherwise, this kid might actually manage to get himself lost.”
Chu Xiyao started another match on his phone, following his older brother toward the lounge.
Pushing open the lounge door, Xia Yue remarked, “This kid is just too sweet and obedient—it makes him far too easy to pick on. We need to have a talk with him next time and tell him not to be so overly docile.”
“Oh right, I turned off the lights earlier; sleeping with the lights on is bad for the eyes.”
She flipped the lights back on and looked toward the sofa in the lounge.
“Huh? Why is there nobody here? Where’s Ruan Qing?”
Chu Chenfeng turned his gaze toward the balcony.
Chu Xiyao stared blankly toward the balcony as well.
Belatedly lifting her head, Xia Yue opened her mouth after a long pause: “Ah…”
Drenched in the hazy moonlight of the balcony, the curtains were thrown wide open, illuminating two figures locked in an embrace with absolute clarity.
Ruan Qing—the sweetest, most well-behaved artist in their entire company—was yanking at the tie of a man who looked to be pushing 190 centimeters tall while kissing him intensely.
The other man was cooperating with absolute devotion, bowing his waist as he passionately returned the kiss, even making an attempt to gather Ruan Qing completely into his embrace.
Two seconds later, Xia Yue muttered in a low voice, “Am I dreaming?”
“Or did I drop dead from overwork and stress?”
“Why am I seeing Ruan Qing swapping spit with someone?”
Chu Xiyao reminded her, “Yue-jie, you’re still alive.”
“Ruan Qing is kissing Shang Ting,” he added.
The game match on his phone had just concluded, penalizing him for going AFK.
Chu Chenfeng knitted his brows tight. “Go check if anyone downstairs caught this on camera.”
Half a second later, he changed his mind: “Forget it, don’t bother.”
He muttered with a sense of utter self-resignation, “How could anyone not have caught it on camera?”
Xia Yue asked, “Should we call out to them? They seem pretty deeply invested.”
The lounge was spacious; standing near the doorway put them a considerable distance away from the balcony.
Their failure to be noticed was partly due to the distance, but mostly because those two were kissing with absolute self-abandonment.
Just as the three people in the hallway prepared to turn their backs, Ruan Qing—held tightly in Shang Ting’s arms—seemed to sense something. He struggled, pushing the man away.
Shang Ting refused to let go, his breathing unsteady. “Didn’t you start the kissing first? You kiss me and then refuse to take responsibility?”
Compared to Ruan Qing’s deeply flushed face, he wasn’t nearly as intoxicated.
“Ruan-laoshi, did we meet a long time ago? Every time I saw you before, I felt your eyes—”
Ruan Qing suddenly shot a look toward the hallway. Pushing away Shang Ting—who was trying to lean close once again—his intoxication instantly vanished by half: “Chu… President Chu!”
Shang Ting snapped, “Why are you calling out someone else’s name?! Do you like Chu Chenfeng?! What kind of relationship do you have with him?!”
Chu Chenfeng’s intoxication vanished completely as well: “…” Impressive.
He turned on the main lights. “Finished kissing?”
Ruan Qing’s face flushed a deep crimson, not daring to utter a word.
On the contrary, it was Shang Ting who let out a response.
Irritated, Little President Chu said to Xia Yue, “Inform Lin Huixing that Shang Ting is here.” At a time like this, Fengqian wasn’t the only party who should be breaking out in a cold sweat.
Finishing his sentence, he looked down at his phone, whose screen had suddenly lit up.
Caller ID: Heartbeat Experiment Production Team.