Ai Xuan ladled out a bowl of congee and took it to Gu Heng’s room along with a few plates of lightly seasoned dishes.
He was propped up against the headboard. When he saw her sigh as she looked at her phone, he took the opportunity to ask, “What’s wrong?”
“They’ve put off filming again and told everyone to wait for further notice.” Ai Xuan had been worried about leaving him anyway. Now she didn’t have to go.
Gu Heng gave her a questioning look.
“Lu Yuchen is directing this series. Apparently, he’s hard to get along with. He’s a young master who does whatever strikes his fancy.” Ai Xuan wasn’t quite sure what to make of him. “I’ve heard the new crew is pretty good. I just hope it doesn’t turn out like his earlier projects, or there goes my reputation.”
The pay didn’t matter much. She could take less, but she couldn’t afford to be in a lousy production. Lu Yuchen had resources and connections, and with a good script on top of that, the odds of success were decent. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have taken the chance.
Gu Heng took small spoonfuls of congee and said softly, “Lu Feng was already getting on in years when Lu Yuchen was born. By then, most of the Lu family’s resources had already been divided up. He gets to live quite comfortably just fooling around.”
Ai Xuan didn’t quite understand.
Gu Heng briefly explained the Lu family’s situation. Lu Yuchen’s birth mother was Lu Feng’s fourth wife. Lu Yuchen had three older half-brothers and four older half-sisters on his father’s side. Things were never simple in a family that big.
As long as Lu Yuchen stayed out of the competition and didn’t make much of a name for himself, no one would pay him much attention. If he wanted to use the Lu family’s resources to get ahead, though, he’d have to think very carefully.
Ai Xuan came from an ordinary working family. Even after she became famous, she’d had little to do with powerful families like these and knew next to nothing about them. Come to think of it, wasn’t the Gu family one of those families, too?
Gu Heng had little interest in discussing it further and changed the subject. “You’re such a good actress. What are you worried about?”
“How do you know I’m good? Have you seen anything I’ve been in?” Ai Xuan pressed.
“I’ll watch something later.”
“I knew you weren’t the type to keep up with TV dramas,” she said with certainty.
Gu Heng pressed his lips together without answering and went on eating his congee. There seemed to be a faint smile at the corners of his mouth.
Ai Xuan watched him. His expression was soft, with just a hint of amusement. Her own smile gradually faded as she began to have doubts.
Did he actually watch her shows?
She couldn’t imagine someone as busy as him following a TV drama just to pass the time.
It was several hours before the IV was finished. By the time Ai Xuan came in with his medicine and a glass of warm water, Gu Heng had already closed his eyes and fallen asleep.
She walked quietly to the bedside and looked at his drawn face for a long moment. Then she lifted his hand, tucked it gently beneath the covers, and pulled the blanket up a little higher.
The sunlight outside was rather bright, so she went over and drew the curtains.
As the room darkened, Gu Heng’s fingers curled slightly beneath the covers. He kept his eyes shut until he heard the door close softly.
He turned his head and saw the water and medicine on the bedside table. His brows lifted a little as a tender smile slowly spread across his face.
Of course she had no idea he watched her shows. He never missed a single one. He’d even watched her variety show appearances and interviews over and over, more times than he could count.
Watching her grow more famous and seeing more and more people come to love her drove him mad with jealousy. He wanted to hide her away. But when he saw how happy it made her, all he could do was tamp down his anger on his own.
He was sick, and she was his cure.
It took two days of IV drips and medication for Gu Heng’s fever to break.
Ai Xuan had stayed with him the whole time.
Lunch that day was lightly seasoned. He told her she didn’t have to put herself out on his account.
“You’re sick. I can’t eat something tempting right in front of you.” Ai Xuan took a sip of her plain congee. “Besides, it’s no fun eating by myself. You barely ate when I was recovering.”
He’d lost quite a bit of weight, too. Thinking of that, she couldn’t bring herself to be so ungrateful.
Gu Heng chuckled softly. It had all been well worth it.
She really was too kind and softhearted.
“Drink your medicine after lunch,” Ai Xuan reminded him.
Over the past two days, she’d boiled the herbal remedy for him twice more. There were still some herbs left in the kitchen, so she’d asked if he wanted any more, mostly as a courtesy. He hadn’t turned it down either time.
“Mm,” he answered at once.
“You’re so eager to take your medicine. Being sick must feel awful,” Ai Xuan teased.
“It’s not too bad,” Gu Heng said.
When he finished eating, he drank the medicine down to the last drop again. He barely tasted the bitterness. If anything, he was getting a little hooked on it.
That afternoon, Gu Heng asked the kitchen to make a few of Ai Xuan’s favorite pastries and took them upstairs to her himself.
Ai Xuan had just woken up and was still bleary-eyed. After opening the door for him, she turned and went back inside. Still squinting sleepily, she shuffled toward the bathroom. “I’ll wash my face first.”
“Mm.”
Gu Heng looked around the room. The script was lying on the table, covered in densely written notes. It was clear how much effort she’d put into it. She really did seem to love this project. He looked at the script for a long while, then turned his gaze toward the bathroom.
“I forgot to tell you. Could you ask them to stop sending me clothes?” Ai Xuan called from inside. “The brands will be sending me clothes from now on, and I won’t have much chance to wear them on set anyway.”
Next to her bedroom was a walk-in closet filled with clothes and handbags for her. It was twice the size of the one she had at home, and every so often, the clothing stores would send over another selection for her to choose from.
Before her memory came back, Gu Heng had told her she’d always lived like this and that none of it was a big deal. She’d been so carefree that she hadn’t given it a second thought.
She did own a lot of clothes, but many of them were gifts from brands. Looking at the clothes and handbags that had arrived today, she felt that spoiling her barely began to describe what Gu Heng was doing.
The sight of the handbags she’d put away in the closet earlier gave her even more to think about.
Those bags were in a completely different league from the ones she had at home. Gu Heng thought they’d make her happy, so he bought her a whole lot of them. And she’d actually accepted them. With her memory loss, she’d had no idea what they cost. She’d happily thanked him, and that had only gotten her even more.
Just look at what she’d been doing. She ate his food, used the things he bought her, and let him care for and fuss over her, all while staying tangled up with Jin Yan. Then she’d gone running to Gu Heng for help. Ai Xuan felt she’d been more than a little ungrateful.
He might as well have built her a house of gold and tucked her away in it.
“It’s fine,” he said, unbothered.
Ai Xuan came out of the bathroom and said, half joking, “If you have more money than you know what to do with, how about investing in the series I’m in?”
Over the past few days, she’d gone back over the details of the novel. It hadn’t mentioned this series, but the project already had a huge audience online.
She thought it could be a hit and was sure it would make money. Lu Yuchen was probably short on funds, too. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have cut the cast’s pay.
It was also an important chance for her to take her career in a new direction.
“Okay.” Gu Heng agreed without a moment’s thought.
“At least think about it for a second.” Ai Xuan looked at him and made a point of adding, “You don’t have to say yes to everything I ask.”
She was starting to feel embarrassed.
“The shows you’re in all make money. Why wouldn’t I invest? It’s a chance to make a profit.” His dark eyes rested on her. His voice was gentle, and his reasoning made perfect sense.
Ai Xuan thought he looked at her a little too intently, and she couldn’t help feeling flustered. She quickly moved aside and sat down to enjoy her pastries. “You have a lovely temper, you know.”
“You’re the first person who’s ever told me that,” Gu Heng said.
“I knew it.” Ai Xuan turned back toward him, her eyes brimming with amusement.
“Oh, you knew that too?” Seeing how happy she looked, Gu Heng teased her back for once.
She kept eating, looking just as pleased, and let the remark pass. She held out a piece to him, her lovely eyes curving into crescents. “Here, try one,” she said softly.
Ai Xuan had exceptionally beautiful almond-shaped eyes. Whenever she smiled, Gu Heng’s heart melted.
He’d first seen her thirteen years ago, and that smile had stayed with him for years and years. At first, he’d simply thought it was pretty. Later, he realized how much he liked it. And somewhere along the way, it took root in his heart.
When Secretary Pei arrived, Gu Heng was printing photos.
He’d taken plenty of pictures of her in Haicheng, on the beach, in the villa, out on the lawn.
In some, she was sweet and playful. In others, she was bright and radiant, or coolly glamorous and alluring. Gu Heng looked through them one by one, his gaze full of fascination and tenderness. He could hardly bring himself to put any of them down.
When Secretary Pei held out the documents, Gu Heng’s expression became guarded. He took them with an indifferent look and picked up a pen.
“I happened to run into Young Master Lu on my way here,” Secretary Pei said. “He’d like to have dinner with you tomorrow.”
“I’m spending tomorrow evening with Xiao Xuan.” Gu Heng set the signed documents aside, then looked up at Secretary Pei. His gaze cooled, and he put all the photos into a drawer.
“…” Secretary Pei swore he hadn’t looked. He wouldn’t have dared, even if he’d had ten times the nerve.
Gu Heng handed him the documents and glanced at the door. The dismissal was clear.
Secretary Pei knew better than to wear out his welcome and promptly took his leave.
Before he reached the door, Gu Heng’s even voice came from behind him. “Go to dinner with him. Tell him that if he’s going to do something, he needs to take it seriously. He’d better do a good job with this series.”
“Understood, Third Young Master.”
The following evening.
Lu Yuchen looked across the table at Secretary Pei and still felt that something was off.
After thinking it over, he asked again, “Did Third Brother really say that?”
Old Master Gu’s youngest daughter had married into the Lu family, so the two families were related. Gu Heng was Lu Yuchen’s cousin, but Lu Yuchen thought Gu Heng treated him even better than his own brothers did.
“The Third Young Master sees potential in the entertainment industry, which is why he’s investing this time. You should give this your full attention, Young Master Lu, and live up to his trust in you,” Secretary Pei said, gently steering him along. “Once the company is up and running, we’ll still need you to keep an eye on things. Since we’re doing this, we should aim to be among the best.”
“Exactly! Third Brother believes in me!” Lu Yuchen vowed. “I’ll work hard and make sure I live up to his faith in me. I’ll grow the company until it becomes a giant in the industry!”
Gu Heng really did dote on him. He was putting money into Lu Yuchen’s series and starting an entertainment company on top of that. Lu Yuchen was deeply touched. He’d have more scripts than he could ever shoot. He was sure to become a renowned director!
Secretary Pei listened to these grand declarations with a professional smile.
“Everyone thinks I can’t make a good series, and none of them will invest. Third Brother’s the only one who will. I’ll show them what I can do!” Lu Yuchen was fired up now that he had someone backing him. “Let’s see who dares look down on me this time. I’ll shoot it however I want!”
“Young Master Lu,” Secretary Pei reminded him, “the production has plenty of funding, so there’s no need to cut corners. We need a polished series that’ll make a name for the company.”
“Right!” Lu Yuchen nodded emphatically. “I’ll cast some more actors, too. And that Ai Xuan. I’m replacing her!”
Secretary Pei’s expression changed at once. “Isn’t Miss Ai excellent?”
“I don’t like her. Now that I have the money, I’ll get someone else,” Lu Yuchen said, throwing his newfound financial weight around.
Ai Xuan had come to him willing to take less than she was worth. To him, that meant she looked down on him. He didn’t need the money anymore.
“No. Miss Ai can’t be replaced.” Secretary Pei shook his head and stressed the point again. “There’s nothing wrong with Miss Ai. She’s an excellent actress.”
“Don’t tell me you’re a fan of hers.” Lu Yuchen looked at him with disdain.
Worried for Lu Yuchen’s sake, Secretary Pei offered him some advice. “Miss Ai is very good, Young Master Lu. You can’t let prejudice cloud your judgment. That won’t do anyone any good.”
He wouldn’t presume to comment on Gu Heng’s private life, much less reveal anything about his feelings. Still, he knew that in Gu Heng’s eyes, Ai Xuan was flawless. From the little time Secretary Pei had spent around her, he’d found her polite, modest, and entirely unpretentious. Of course, for his own survival, he didn’t dare spend much time around her.
Lu Yuchen waved him off with a disdainful look and walked away.
The usually composed Secretary Pei rose quickly and hurried after him, his expression growing more serious.