Ling Wei realized that she had indeed thought too simply before. She had assumed that as long as they appeared together in public a few times and put on a show to let everyone know they were no longer single, that would be enough. She had not expected Xie Qingyan’s requirements to be so detailed, even including coquettish text messages in the agreement.
As expected of a successful businessman, he really did think more thoroughly than others.
But knowing full well that their relationship was fake, would he not feel awkward receiving sugary, overly sweet messages every day?
Since Xie Qingyan had made the request, she would certainly cooperate. Still, she needed to understand the reason.
A faint smile lingered at the corner of Xie Qingyan’s lips, and he appeared to be in an excellent mood. Casually, he stood with one leg on the floor and the other slightly bent as he leaned against the desk, turning his head to look at her. “If we’re going to pretend to be lovers, of course we have to make it convincing. Miss, you’re a professional actress. You should know that details matter in performance. Of course, anything too intimate naturally won’t happen, such as kissing.”
Ling Wei knew she was at a disadvantage in this round, so she retorted without backing down. “As a professional actress, I usually don’t fuss over something like kissing.”
“Oh?” Xie Qingyan raised an eyebrow and leaned slightly closer, lowering his voice with a half smile. “Then shall we try now? I quite like that shade of lipstick you’re wearing.”
Ling Wei: …
What does it mean to court death? This is the textbook example.
After two rounds of sparring, Ling Wei had to admit that her cultivation was still no match for Boss Xie’s. She could only concede defeat.
“Let’s continue discussing the agreement.” Ling Wei lifted the contract in her hand and stiffly changed the subject.
Xie Qingyan curled his lips, took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, pulled one out and held it between his lips without lighting it. Ling Wei noticed a custom Zippo on the table and casually picked it up to hand it to him. Unexpectedly, after taking it, he simply played with it in his hand and did not light up. “I’m trying to quit. Holding it in my mouth helps curb the craving.”
Ling Wei nodded in understanding and continued the earlier topic. “Since Mr. Xie’s requirements are so detailed, can I make a request as well?”
Xie Qingyan sat in a completely unrestrained manner, a cigarette still hanging from his mouth. It was hard to associate him with the stern and serious demon king from the conference room earlier. And this time when he met her, his attitude seemed even more casual and uninhibited. Was it because they were about to sign the agreement? She was really curious which personality was the real him.
He tossed the lighter from his left hand to his right, then from his right back to his left, several times in a row. Without waiting for her to state her request, he said directly, “As long as I consider it reasonable, I will cooperate unconditionally.”
“I only have one request. I hope that when necessary, you can visit my film set.”
“What do you mean by necessary?”
“For example, if I run into a tricky problem on set, or get bullied, or someone pesters me relentlessly, it would be best to have a reliable man step in and help resolve it.”
After listening, Xie Qingyan put on an expression that said he understood. “So you want me to take control of the situation. Don’t worry, bullying the weak with power is what I do best.”
Ling Wei: …
Big brother, is that how you use that idiom? What misunderstanding do you have about the phrase bullying the weak?
“You don’t need to bully anyone. You just have to show your face and people will automatically be afraid of you.” The big boss of the Xie Corporation, a man who came with his own aura, his name alone was enough to be thunderous. She could argue for three days straight and it would not be as effective as Boss Xie simply showing up.
Xie Qingyan frowned and casually lit the cigarette between his lips. After taking a drag, he said listlessly, “Boring.”
So bullying the weak on a film set would be interesting? Big brother, that mindset is dangerous.
“Mr. Xie, didn’t you just say you were quitting smoking?” Ling Wei kindly reminded him.
Xie Qingyan glanced at the cigarette in his hand and was momentarily stunned. Then his brows knit tightly, his gaze deepened, and with great regret he raised the cigarette and sighed softly. “It’s hard. I’ll quit next time.”
Ling Wei had no idea why he suddenly lifted the cigarette. Was he going to crush it?
Then she watched with widened eyes as he shifted the raised hand slightly to the side and elegantly flicked the ash into the white porcelain ashtray.
Ling Wei: …
Why does even flicking ash feel so theatrical?
Seeing her stunned expression, Xie Qingyan could not help laughing. He said to her, “Come, let’s take a photo together.”
“What kind of photo?” Ling Wei felt helpless. This constant inability to keep up with his rhythm made her feel defeated. But she consoled herself, how could the thought process of the boss of a major conglomerate be the same as that of an ordinary person? Failing to keep up was not too embarrassing.
“Give me your phone.” Xie Qingyan extended his hand toward her.
Ling Wei unlocked her phone and handed it over. It was still on the WeChat page. Xie Qingyan glanced at it, his expression turning slightly subtle. “You want to check out my Moments?”
Ling Wei looked up at him. “I didn’t see anything. You set restrictions.”
As he brought up the camera, Xie Qingyan said, “After we sign the agreement, I’ll open it to you.”
“So serious. Is there some unspeakable secret in there?” Ling Wei teased.
“You’ll know when you see it.” He kept her guessing.
Ling Wei: …
Xie Qingyan took two steps to her side, raised the phone high with his right hand, and placed his left hand on her shoulder. With a slight pull, he drew Ling Wei into his arms. Before she could react, she heard him say with a smile, “Look at the camera.”
Ling Wei hurriedly lifted her eyes and instinctively put on her most perfect smile. The camera clicked and the photo was taken.
Xie Qingyan withdrew his hand and looked at the photo, nodding in satisfaction. “Not bad. The lighting is just right.”
Ling Wei quickly leaned over to look. In the photo, she was nestled in Xie Qingyan’s arms, looking up at the camera with a sweet smile. Xie Qingyan, however, had his face turned slightly to the side, his eyes lowered as he looked at her. His gaze was deep and focused, as if in his eyes only she existed.
Anyone unaware of the situation would surely say the two people in the photo were deeply in love.
Ling Wei did not know what to say. She had only had one or two seconds to prepare, yet the result turned out so good.
Xie Qingyan casually sent the photo to his own phone and set it as his wallpaper before returning the phone to her. With great satisfaction he said, “Couple wallpaper.”
Ling Wei suddenly felt that the longest road she had ever walked was Boss Xie’s schemes, one trap after another. She was completely convinced, utterly convinced.
After going through all this, aside from kissing and sleeping together, they were no different from a real couple.
She took back her phone and looked at the photo again. The more she looked, the more amazed she felt. The photo had been taken so suddenly that she had only managed to put on a smile, yet he had instantly acted out a look of deep and boundless affection. That acting skill was comparable to a professional actor.
“Mr. Xie, are you an undercover agent sent from the entertainment industry to the business world? With acting like that, you’d rank among the top in showbiz.”
“Thank you for the compliment.” Xie Qingyan accepted her praise generously. “If you think there’s no problem, then sign the agreement.”
Ling Wei nodded, quickly reviewed the contract again, and then signed her name on the second page. Xie Qingyan’s bold and flamboyant signature was already written there.
In the short time it took her to sign, Xie Qingyan somehow produced a phone case out of nowhere and placed it on the desk. He held up his phone and took photos of the case. Apparently dissatisfied with how it looked lying flat, he picked up a paperweight from the side and propped the case against it at an angle, then snapped several more shots in quick succession, finally satisfied.
Ling Wei glanced at the phone case and was immediately startled. It was no ordinary case, but one encrusted with tiny diamonds and gemstones. It was definitely a money burning luxury item. The price of that single case could probably buy a dozen phones of the same model. Given Xie Qingyan’s wealth, he could certainly afford it. Still, with all those diamonds and gems, would it not look a bit overly flashy for a man to use?
“You use that?” she could not help asking.
Xie Qingyan shook his head. “Do you like it? I can give it to you.”
Ling Wei shook her head repeatedly. “The agreement we just signed clearly states that our cooperation is unpaid.”
“If I give it to you voluntarily, that’s a different matter. The agreement doesn’t say I can’t give you gifts,” he said.
Ling Wei still shook her head. “Holding a case like that must dig into your hand.”
Xie Qingyan held back a laugh and bluntly mocked it, “I think so too. The person who designed this must be an idiot.”
Ling Wei: …
If the designer was an idiot, then the person who bought it was not much better.
As if seeing through her thoughts, Xie Qingyan said, “I didn’t buy it. My subordinates collected it.”
“Collected something like this for what?”
“Guess.”
“For a collection?”
Xie Qingyan shook his head.
“To give away?”
“I just offered it to you. You didn’t want it.”
Ling Wei: …
With the thought process of an ordinary person like her, she could guess for a year and still not figure out what went on in the big boss’s mind.
Perhaps feeling that teasing her for so long was enough, Xie Qingyan finally said, “I just changed my Moments privacy settings. If you’re interested, you can take a look.”
They had clearly been talking about the phone case. Why did he suddenly bring up his Moments? Were the two related? Ling Wei was baffled. She picked up her phone to open WeChat, but he stopped her. “Take your time looking at it later. Let’s go practice now.”
“Practice what?”
“Our couple relationship, of course. Did you forget? I said before that after signing the agreement, there would be a trial period.”
Ling Wei remembered. On the night of the ball, when he drove her home, he had indeed said that. So she asked, “Then where are we going to practice?”
Xie Qingyan thought for a few seconds. “It’s about time for lunch. Let’s go to a restaurant owned by a friend of mine. We’ll practice while eating. If you perform well, you might even manage to get a free meal.”
Ling Wei: …
Will Boss Xie’s schemes ever end?