Ling Wei knew her performance that morning had been poor. As a professional actress, her acting had been completely off. Aside from staring blankly, she had done little else. The rhythm had been entirely controlled by Xie Qingyan, an outsider to her industry. Although they were on his turf and he had the home advantage, her showing had been far too weak, far inferior to his. That was not right.
Still, Xie Qingyan’s behavior today had truly surprised her. On the night of the ball, when she proposed pretending to be lovers, it had been a hasty decision. His immediate agreement had already astonished her. She never expected the follow up to unfold so dramatically. Not only had he helped her secure a decent role, he had also drafted a contract quickly. His proactive attitude made it seem as though he was rushing her onto the stage. It made Ling Wei wonder whether he had taken a liking to her earlier. But they had never even crossed paths before, so that guess made no sense.
In any case, the agreement had been signed. She should dutifully play the role of fake lover and real shield. As for everything else, she should not overthink it.
The place Xie Qingyan took Ling Wei to was a very famous Chinese restaurant located in the city center, where land was worth its weight in gold. It occupied a sizable area. One look at the décor told you the prices would be high. Upon entering the front hall, the walls, pillars, and corridors were all carved with exquisite motifs and then coated with a layer of gold powder, real gold. The other decorations were either top grade redwood or pure gold ornaments. The entire place exuded the heavy air of newly acquired wealth. In short, when the owner renovated the restaurant, the guiding principle must have been to dazzle diners blind with sheer opulence, so that when it came time to sign the bill, they would be too dazzled to feel the pain.
Although the prices were truly steep, the restaurant’s business was still booming. Besides the delicious food, the main reason was that there were simply too many rich people in the city, and they were all willing to spend money here. Because there were so many easy marks, reservations were generally required. Otherwise, no matter how much money you had, you might not get a table.
In her previous life, Ling Wei had also been a regular customer here, one of the many free spending patrons, so she was quite familiar with the place.
Unexpectedly, Xie Qingyan was even more impressive. He was actually friends with the restaurant’s owner. As expected, the friends of the wealthy were also wealthy.
A black Bentley delivered them to the entrance of the restaurant. The attendant at the door courteously opened the car door for them. As they walked up the steps, Ling Wei had a sudden thought and naturally reached out to take Xie Qingyan’s hand. Acting was acting after all. In her previous life, she had played countless ornamental girlfriend roles. It came easily to her.
Xie Qingyan paused slightly when she took his hand and turned to look at her. A trace of amusement gradually spread in his eyes. Then, with practiced ease, he clasped her hand in return, his fingers sliding through the gaps between hers until their fingers interlocked.
It was the most intimate way of holding hands.
Ling Wei’s eyelid twitched slightly, but unwilling to be outdone, she continued acting. “Darling, I heard you have to book this place many days in advance.”
The word darling made Boss Xie’s expression subtly complicated. But he was a man who had weathered many storms and quickly adjusted. Lowering his head, he leaned close to her ear and whispered softly, “Baby, from now on you can come eat here anytime. There’s a private room reserved just for me. Just sign it to my account.”
Ling Wei broke out in goosebumps at the word baby, thinking, is this a showdown of acting skills?
“Darling, you’re so good to me.”
“If I’m not good to you, who else would I be good to?”
Ling Wei cast him a shy and flirtatious glance, then lowered her head and stifled a laugh. After all that darling and baby talk, her teeth were practically aching from the sweetness.
As soon as they stepped into the front hall, several people came forward to greet them. The man in front was very tall, sporting a shiny bald head and dressed head to toe in designer hip hop streetwear. He looked unconventional and distinctly individualistic.
Ling Wei guessed this must be the friend Xie Qingyan had mentioned, the owner of the restaurant.
Before he even spoke, the owner let out a chuckle and said to Xie Qingyan, “You come here to eat and don’t call me? Good thing I happened to be here handling something today, otherwise I would have missed you.”
Xie Qingyan shot him a sideways glance. “I didn’t call you because we don’t need a third wheel.”
The bald man was not offended. He lifted a hand and rubbed his bald head as if he were touching a lightbulb, then laughed. “I see. If I can’t eat with you, at least introduce me to this beauty.”
Xie Qingyan turned to look at Ling Wei. She happened to raise her eyes to meet his. Her clear gaze shimmered, and anyone could easily read the tenderness flowing within it.
They looked at each other for a full few seconds before snapping back to reality at the bald man’s exaggerated cough.
“This is Ling Wei, my… baby,” Xie Qingyan said briefly, not forgetting to add that saccharine note. He was fully immersed in the role.
The two people being introduced waited awkwardly for a moment before he continued, “Zhou Jian, the owner here, my good for nothing buddy.”
Zhou Jian: …
Ling Wei: …
Zhou Jian immediately burst into hearty laughter, breaking the strange silence. Turning to Ling Wei, he said, “Hello, hello, very nice to meet you,” and enthusiastically extended his hand.
Before Ling Wei could respond, Xie Qingyan said, “A greeting is fine. No need to shake hands.”
Are these two really friends?
Ling Wei gave Zhou Jian an awkward yet polite smile. “Hello, Boss Zhou.”
Zhou Jian winked at her and grinned. “Feeling a bit disillusioned? The wise and mighty President Xie turns out to be this arrogant and punchable in private.”
Ling Wei laughed softly and shook her head. “I actually think he’s quite cute.”
The bald man’s eyes widened, then he erupted into loud laughter. “Hahaha, this is the first time in my life I’ve heard someone describe him as cute. That’s true love!”
Ling Wei blinked innocently. “Did I say something wrong?”
Xie Qingyan lifted their interlocked hands, lowered his head, and kissed the back of her hand. “Whatever you say is right.”
Zhou Jian rubbed his arms as if shaking off goosebumps. “So cheesy. Come on, come on, I’ll take you to a private room.”
The group then headed toward the private dining room.
Feeling the warmth of his hand in hers, Ling Wei secretly took a deep breath.
In the past, when acting, she had worked with many award winning actors, yet she had never felt as nervous as she did now. It was as if they truly were a couple. Ling Wei thought it might be because there was no camera set up beside them.
Once inside the private room, Zhou Jian did not rush to leave. He personally poured tea for the two of them and asked, “What would you like to eat?”
Xie Qingyan shifted his chair so that their seats were close together before saying, “Xiao Wei will be joining a production soon, so let’s have something light. Is that okay?”
Ling Wei nodded. “I’ll go with what you decide.”
Xie Qingyan placed a menu on the table, looking through it together with Ling Wei while introducing dishes to her in an extremely indulgent tone.
Sitting across from them, Zhou Jian covered his cheek as if his teeth hurt from all the sweetness. “So Xiao Wei is an actress. What dramas have you been in?”
“Just some minor roles,” she replied.
But Xie Qingyan focused on something else. “Is Xiao Wei a name you can call her?”
Zhou Jian finally lost patience. “Are you the king of jealousy? You won’t even let me say her name!”
“You can call her Ling Wei.”
Ling Wei: …
Was Boss Xie taking the act a bit too far?
After ordering several dishes, Ling Wei saw no sign of him stopping and had to intervene. “We can’t eat that much.”
“It’s fine. Even just a bite of each is good, we can try a bit of everything.”
“That’s such a waste.”
“It’s your first time here. Zhou Jian definitely won’t let us pay for this meal. It’s fine to order more.”
Zhou Jian: …
Ling Wei: …
In the end, Boss Zhou waved his hand grandly. “Yes, yes, order whatever you want. This meal is on me.”
After all the dishes were served, Zhou Jian tactfully stood up to take his leave. Before leaving, he said to Xie Qingyan, “You’re really something, hiding your girlfriend so well. Next time we have a gathering, you must bring Ling Wei along.”
Xie Qingyan took a sip of tea. “We’ll see then. She still has filming. She might not have time.”
Once the private room door closed, Ling Wei finally let out a sigh of relief. She lifted her cup and took a sip of tea. When she turned her head, she saw Xie Qingyan looking at her.
“What is it?” she asked.
Xie Qingyan smiled, half serious and half teasing. “Just now, I think you really shocked me. It felt like I was actually in love.”
Ling Wei smiled. “Really?”
He nodded solemnly. To emphasize the sincerity, he added, “When you took my hand.”
Her acting having been affirmed, Ling Wei felt pleased and returned the compliment. “Mr. Xie’s performance was wonderful too.”
Xie Qingyan raised an eyebrow. “I still prefer it when you call me darling.”
Ling Wei: …
He lit a cigarette and took a couple of drags before continuing, “Even if you don’t call me darling, you should change how you address me. Calling me Mr. Xie all the time feels too distant.”
Ling Wei thought for a moment, then called out sweetly, “Gege.”
Xie Qingyan’s hand jerked, and he almost burned himself with his cigarette.
Xie Qingyan: …
Having won back a round, Ling Wei burst out laughing.
After a long moment, Xie Qingyan rested one arm on the back of Ling Wei’s chair and said with satisfaction, “It seems our trial period has passed.”
After the meal, Xie Qingyan asked her, “What are your plans this afternoon?”
Ling Wei thought for a bit and said, “Shopping, buying clothes, getting some beauty treatments.” That was the standard answer for someone with a decorative beauty persona. A decorative beauty’s job was to shop and look pretty.
As soon as she said it, Xie Qingyan recalled how he had seen her by the roadside the previous afternoon and could not help laughing. “At a time like this, shouldn’t I be dramatically pulling out a card and tossing it to you?”
Ling Wei held back a smile. “No need. I’m actually quite well off.”
Bragging about being rich in front of a major boss, she had to admit, took some courage.
After a while, Xie Qingyan asked where she planned to go shopping. He could drop her off, though unfortunately he had matters to attend to that afternoon, otherwise he would have accompanied her.
Ling Wei realized she had once again shot herself in the foot and could only name a random mall for him to take her to.
It was not until Xie Qingyan’s car drove away that Ling Wei finally relaxed completely. Acting opposite him really was mentally exhausting.