Chapter 100 of 100

Chapter 100

17 min read4,329 words

"Cut!" With Wang Jing's voice, the crew temporarily stopped. Then, they saw this young man in his twenties, somewhat annoyed, come to Guan Zhilin's face: "Miss Guan, I need you to show a sad expression, not a blank face, okay!"

"But, director, I think I'm already doing pretty well," Guan Zhilin said, somewhat不服气 (unwilling to admit defeat).

"You being OK or not is for me to decide, not you, OK?!" Wang Jing said rather rudely. He was only 25 and hadn't reached the age where he could handle everything smoothly.

Guan Zhilin frowned, seemingly somewhat upset, but Wang Jing didn't give her a chance to speak. He immediately leaned in and whispered, "You better be more aware, Miss Guan. I don't care what you think of the boss, and I won't say that Deng Lijun is much more famous than you. I'll just remind you that this music video is specifically requested by the boss. If you continue to delay or mess it up..."

He shrugged and then returned to his position, beckoning to the male lead: "Jin, get ready."

"Sure thing, director." He Jiajin, who had been drafted directly from an acting training program, hurried over.

Although Guan Zhilin was increasingly annoyed, she glanced at the boss standing on the periphery and then at Deng Lijun, who was sitting on her chair with a calm expression. She didn't dare to act rashly and tried to concentrate as much as possible during the next shoot, finally finishing the segment within the planned time.

"Alright, that's it for today's rehearsal. Starting tomorrow, we'll increase the pace and aim to finish all the shots, including the outdoor scenes, within a week!" Wang Jing called out again.

Pouting, without bothering to remove her makeup, Guan Zhilin quickly came to Li Xu's side, bowed, and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Mr. Li, I held everyone up."

"It's fine," Li Xu smiled and waved his hand, "It's your first time shooting an MTV, so it's understandable. But next time, you need to be 100% committed."

"No problem, I will," Guan Zhilin nodded vigorously.

Then, Li Xu glanced to the side and continued, "Alright, we're done here. Go remove your makeup, and then let's go out for a coffee?"

He extended his finger and lightly traced it along Guan Zhilin's cheek, a very natural action as if it were completely normal.

Guan Zhilin was stunned for a few seconds, her face turning red, and she lowered her head in embarrassment. But then she lifted it again, "Sure... sure, I'll go remove my makeup right away."

She happily went to find the makeup artist, completely oblivious to Li Xu winking at Deng Lijun.

Afterward, she got into his car and went to the Peninsula Hotel, ordered coffee and pastries, and chatted about many things.

Most of the time, Guan Zhilin did the talking, and Li Xu listened. Whenever the conversation was about to run out, Li Xu would always change the topic at the right moment, and Guan Zhilin would become even more enthusiastic, not realizing it at all.

In short, they had a very pleasant chat, then went for a walk along the street, and drove to Victoria Peak for a scenic drive. They only came down when the sun was about to set.

"Um... Mr. Li, what kind of women do you like?" As they were about to arrive home, Guan Zhilin finally mustered the courage to ask.

"Women, hmm," Li Xu had a thoughtful expression, "First, they have to be beautiful; men like beautiful girls, right? Second, they should have grace and manners and be willing to listen. Third, they should be willing to work hard, even if they don't do it very well. People say that men who work hard are the most attractive, but women who work hard are also very charming."

After saying this, he looked at Guan Zhilin with an expectant gaze and leaned in to whisper in her ear, "Can you do that?"

The tickling sensation spread from her ear throughout her body, making the girl, who had been somewhat discouraged and dejected, shudder and breathe more rapidly.

"By the way, I heard you already have a boyfriend," Li Xu suddenly said, with a look of realization and regret.

"No! I... I don't have a boyfriend!" Guan Zhilin immediately denied it.

"No?" Li Xu had a disbelieving expression, "Really?"

"I... I... I do have a male friend, but... it's just a very ordinary one," Guan Zhilin explained, somewhat flustered, "He's not... the type I like."

"Really?" Li Xu stared into her eyes.

"R... Really!" Guan Zhilin puffed out her chest, trying to make her words sound credible.

"Alright, I believe you," Li Xu said gently after looking at her for a while.

Just then, the car stopped, and he leaned over Guan Zhilin, opening the door on her side. The girl, pressed against the seat by his body, felt a bit dazed and her heart rate increased.

"Thank you for spending the afternoon with me, Miss Guan," Li Xu said.

"No... no problem, also... also thank you," Guan Zhilin responded nervously and then climbed out of the Bentley.

"By the way," Li Xu suddenly called out, leaning out of the car, "In a few days, after this MTV is finished, I'm going back to the U.S. If you have time, would you like to go on a vacation?"

"R... Really?" Guan Zhilin's eyes widened.

"Of course, but you need your father's permission," Li Xu said with a smile.

"No problem, no problem," Guan Zhilin said excitedly, "My mom is in the U.S., and I can go see her."

"Remember to call me," Li Xu nodded, sat back in the car, and signaled to drive.

Guan Zhilin watched his car leave and then quietly cheered, skipping happily towards her home.

---

Compared to Guan Zhilin, who felt she was on her way to her dreams, Deng Lijun seemed much calmer. After completing the shoot, she was picked up by a driver and taken back to Victoria Peak. She waited for Li Xu to return and have dinner together, and then waited for Zhao Yazhi, who was busy with filming and hiding from reporters, to come back. After seeing her carried into the bedroom by Li Xu, she went to rest.

However, when she was alone in bed, she couldn't help but feel a bit aggrieved and unhappy.

Although she knew Li Xu wouldn't have just one woman, although she had seen how he dominated Lin Fengxiao and Zhao Yazhi, although she had long given up on leaving and knew that even after ten years, Li Xu wouldn't let her go, and although she had lowered her standards to accept everything, she still felt a bit jealous when a new girl appeared by his side and when he flirted with a new girl.

Zhao Yazhi was different; he had kept her for half a year before "eating" her, and since they were about the same age, she had eventually accepted her. So, it didn't matter much that Li Xu had spent several nights in her room.

But Guan Zhilin was different. Li Xu clearly had his eye on her and invited her for coffee right in front of her. It would be strange if she felt comfortable about it.

"I'm not upset at all," Deng Lijun muttered, but she couldn't fall asleep no matter how she tossed and turned.

After rolling around in bed for about ten minutes, she finally started to drift off to sleep. Suddenly, a hand reached out and covered her mouth.

"Ah!" Deng Lijun immediately screamed in fear, her body tensing up.

But the person pressed down on her, pinning her to the bed, and then laughed, "Little beauty, where do you think you can run now?"

Hearing this, the struggling Deng Lijun paused, then relaxed, opening her eyes wide in the dark and angrily calling out, "Edward! You scared me to death!"

The man immediately exclaimed, "Oh," and then said fiercely, "You actually know my name. I was going to enjoy a bit of pleasure and leave, but now I have to silence you. I have to do it before and after!"

"Stop... stop playing around!" Deng Lijun said with a pout, but soon let out a surprised cry as the two began to tumble on the bed and quickly engaged in a shameful activity.

When the nightingale's song finally stopped, the two on the bed panted and stopped, then embraced warmly.

"Theresa's voice is the best, especially that last one, it's truly enchanting," Li Xu said with a smile, kissing the still dazed Deng Lijun.

"Annoying..." Deng Lijun poked his chest with her finger and then started drawing circles, "Why didn't you go to her room tonight?"

"Yazhi has been busy with filming and is a bit tired. I just held her to help her fall asleep quickly, and then I came to find you," Li Xu said while caressing her body.

"Then... what about that new girl you like?" Because she had just come out of the afterglow, the jealousy in her voice was particularly evident.

"A materialistic little girl, I can eat her anytime, but this time I want to tease her a bit before I do," Li Xu chuckled.

"Don't you usually like to force women?" Deng Lijun huffed.

"Besides you, who have I forced?" Li Xu immediately countered, "You can eat anything, but you can't say anything randomly!"

Before Deng Lijun could speak, he continued, "Fengjiao, Qingxia, and Yazhi were done by Wang Chuanshu's group, and Baihui was done by my mother. None of this has anything to do with me!"

"Without your request, would they have done it?" Deng Lijun was clearly shocked by his shamelessness.

"At least not so violently," Li Xu said matter-of-factly.

Deng Lijun was speechless for a moment and then said, "Does this count... You make so much sense, I have no words to respond?"

"Congratulations, Theresa, you finally understand the true meaning of that phrase," Li Xu laughed and kissed her cheek.

Although she made a dodging motion, Deng Lijun, who was in his arms, couldn't escape the kiss and could only huff in dissatisfaction.

Then, she asked, "Your... the hype about Yazhi's scandal, how much longer will it last?"

"It won't be too fast. What's wrong?" Li Xu asked.

"I've noticed that Yazhi hasn't been in a good mood recently, not just because of the filming, but also because of the scandal," Deng Lijun said softly, "You... you shouldn't be reopening her wounds."

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