Lu Qin never expected that he would come to this big rural area twice in his life for personal reasons, all because of someone who refused to return to the city for some reason.
It wouldn’t be accurate to say that the person was hiding. Pei Rong officially finished filming the last scene of the drama yesterday morning and spent an extra day sleeping in the dormitory on the set.
But Lu Qin was clear that Pei Rong’s attitude was leaning towards giving up halfway, unwilling to cooperate.
He might have gone too far on the island last time; at that time, he had a premonition that the next time would be difficult. It turned out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
So, shouldn’t he just go and pick him up personally?
Lu Qin finished work early, took a plane, and when he landed, he called Pei Rong, hoping to meet the other at a downtown hotel as the studio was too far from the airport.
Pei Rong didn’t answer the phone; his assistant said he was sleeping.
Lu Qin endured, thinking that he shouldn’t let Pei Rong sleep in the car. When he arrived at the dormitory, it was close to ten in the evening.
The security guard saw Lu Qin and immediately turned on the lights in the corridor. “President Lu.”
Lu Qin nodded at him, quickly went upstairs. He didn’t return the key from last time, so he opened the lock skillfully. He entered, locked the door, undressed in the dark, and slipped into Pei Rong’s bed, embracing the person he had been thinking about day and night.
His movements were gentle, but Pei Rong had been awake since the car stopped at the door. He had slept all day and was lying in bed listlessly, playing the role of a lazy fish.
When Lu Qin came in, Pei Rong closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep, lying on his side facing the wall, both hands resting on his abdomen.
If Lu Qin dared to do something inappropriate...
Lu Qin wanted to sleep while holding him, but Pei Rong refused to let go of the hand on his stomach, so he had to turn him over.
“Don’t pretend to be asleep.”
Originally, he didn’t want to expose him, but since Pei Rong didn’t let him hold him, his basic needs were not being met, and Lu Qin felt very aggrieved.
Pei Rong slowly opened his eyes; those eyes, bright as stars in the darkness, showed no sign of sleepiness. “President Lu, how can you sneak into someone’s house like this? I’m going to call the police.”
Lu Qin: “I used the key to enter.”
As he spoke, he tried to pull Pei Rong into his arms again.
Pei Rong simply sat up on the bed, letting Lu Qin miss his mark.
There was no way; the annoying fetus now seemed to have ADHD, moving now and then. If Lu Qin held his belly, it would definitely be exposed.
Lu Qin remembered the unaccounted-for radish sticker pack the other sent and angrily turned on the bedside lamp. The warm yellow light illuminated half of the bed. When he saw Pei Rong, his anger slowly dissipated, disappearing without a trace.
Lu Qin had always known that Pei Rong was very beautiful. Seeing him under the light made him even more beautiful. But today was different. His face had a delicate and soft pink pearl-like luster.
Normally, after ‘exercising’, Pei Rong was like a vitalizing medicine to Lu Qin. Today, there was an inexplicable charm added to him.
A myriad of charms, yet he discovered another layer today.
Lu Qin immediately entered the state of “once every half month” - if not detoxified, death would follow. His eyes, like a dead warrior, fiercely stopped the divine physician and beautiful woman from giving medicine.
Pei Rong coldly glanced at the ‘helpless’ Lu Qin, so angry that his calf twitched, and he even got a cramp again.
He quickly straightened his curled leg. The bed space was small, and he put his leg on the blanket, right next to Lu Qin’s thigh.
Using his newly learned technique, he awkwardly massaged it. Pei Rong frowned lightly, unconsciously blowing air onto his leg.
Thinking that the culprit was sitting next to him, Pei Rong planned to kick Lu Qin off as soon as his leg felt better.
Lu Qin grabbed his ankle and, following Pei Rong’s method, clumsily massaged it, asking, “Numb?”
Pei Rong responded to his words, “Mm.”
Lu Qin said, “Not exercising regularly can cause varicose veins when lying in bed. Starting tomorrow, swim with me... It’s hot, suitable for swimming.”
He emphasized, “I know all the swimming postures. I can teach you.”
Pei Rong thought, “You know nothing.”
Perhaps because Lu Qin’s hands were a bit rough, the friction had a double heating effect. The symptoms quickly eased. Pei Rong wanted to retract his leg, but Lu Qin pressed it.
Lu Qin only noticed when massaging the other’s leg that Pei Rong’s calves seemed no longer as thin as before, but overall, they were still slender and symmetrical, like two white radishes.
The lighting obscured part of the truth. He didn’t think about the possibility of swelling; he assumed that the chef assigned to Pei Rong was just making him gain weight, and he should be rewarded.
Lu Qin’s movements became heavier, and Pei Rong felt that even after this round of massage, he wouldn’t get cramps for half a month.
“Let go.”
Lu Qin took a deep breath and said, “Do you remember the sticker pack you sent me?”
Pei Rong tilted his head, amused. “What’s the matter? Can I be punished for sending that?”
Lu Qin: “No, I just wanted to remind you that it’s been half a month.”
Pei Rong, decisive: “Not tonight.”
And not in the future.
Lu Qin’s voice became increasingly hoarse as he tightened his grip on Pei Rong’s calf. “Let’s try a different approach.”
Pei Rong: ?
He looked at Lu Qin in disbelief. To draw inspiration from such an image, you must be really bold, or rather, truly eccentric.
Pei Rong swiftly pulled out a pair of scissors from under the pillow. “Stay calm.”
Yes, he did have scissors.
Lu Qin held his hand holding the scissors and coaxed, “Give it to me.”
Pei Rong couldn’t bring himself to engage in a dangerous struggle for the scissors. He was easily disarmed.
After all, the other person was a real weirdo who even felt like ‘bullying’ him just because of a radish sticker.
***
The next day, Lu Qin suddenly remembered to ask, “Why did you put scissors under the pillow?”
Pei Rong couldn’t say that after sending that picture, seeing Lu Qin neither getting angry nor replying, and with half a month passed while he lingered in the northwest, he guessed Lu Qin would sooner or later launch a surprise attack. So, he wanted to scare him by hiding a pair of scissors.
Little did he know that Lu Qin was already on his way.
Trying to sound casual, Pei Rong said, “Protection against wolves.”
Lu Qin skipped the topic. “I’ve booked your flight ticket.”
Pei Rong looked at him, somewhat determined. “What if I want to keep sleeping in?”
Lu Qin whispered, “I don’t have much time here.”
Pei Rong thought to himself, “It’s quite an honor that you came and picked me up yourself. But don’t waste any more of your time.”
Lu Qin asked, “Do you have anything to pack?”
Pei Rong replied, “No.” After all, he wouldn’t stay in S City for long.
Lu Qin instructed the bodyguards to buy a bunch of local specialties. Pei Rong was happy to stay here. The local customs and scenery must have surely captivated him. Buying some souvenirs would help prevent any emotional issues upon their return.
On the plane, Lu Qin held Pei Rong’s hand, a rare moment without dealing with business matters. He wanted to chat more with Pei Rong, so he brought up matters related to the entertainment industry.
“I guarantee you won’t see Jiang Tian on TV again.”
Pei Rong: “I don’t care.”
Early pregnancy symptoms had completely disappeared. Even if Jiang Tian stood in front of him cooking, he wouldn’t feel nauseous.
Lu Qin opened a tablet and enlarged a chart. “These few dramas are all good, especially this one. It’s in the preparation stage, ready to start shooting soon. You can choose any role.”
Listening to Lu Qin introduced a business drama, Pei Rong couldn’t understand why a big CEO like him would choose a low IQ business drama.
Lu Qin: “I can lend the 21st floor of the Lu Corporation to the production team for filming.”
The Lu Building was right in the financial center of the city, filled with iconic office buildings. Realistic scenes without the need for sets would greatly enhance the trendy value of the low IQ business drama.
Lu Qin was willing to lend the office space to the production team. The director’s joy could almost be seen rising from their ancestors’ graves.
Pei Rong: “...”
Would he have any time off in the future?
Lu Qin thought this arrangement was wonderful. With the drama taking half a year to film, he would have half a year to be in the same office building as Pei Rong. If Pei Rong finished filming and he didn’t have a meeting, he could call Pei Rong to his office to rest.
He had a highly comfortable lounge, with everything one could need—two rooms and a living room.
If someone finished work first, they could wait in the lounge, then drive home together at night.
In addition, Lu Qin had a hidden intention—wouldn’t Pei Rong admire the brutality of the low IQ business drama the more he understood them? And Lu Qin was, after all, a true powerhouse.
Lu Qin couldn’t wait to grab Pei Rong and seal the deal: “When the time comes, the film and television contract will be signed in the legal department of the Lu Corporation.”
Pei Rong looked at the continuous clouds outside the airplane window. Lu Qin was more persistent than Zhou Hang. At least Zhou Hang would ask if he wanted to act. He could only casually say, “I’ll think about it.”
Lu Qin, who was initially enthusiastic, calmed down a bit. Trying to salvage the situation, he said, “I won’t disturb you when you’re filming.”
Pei Rong silently rolled his eyes. For a laid-back person like him, the most important thing was the time outside of filming.
Lu Qin said he didn’t have much time, and it was indeed not a lie. As soon as he returned, he sent Pei Rong to Jianglu Entertainment and hurriedly set off to sign contracts.
Zhou Hang’s new office was filled with a gloomy atmosphere.
Pei Rong briskly signed stacks of termination and transfer authorization contracts without a pause.
In accordance with Secretary Gao’s new plan, Pei Rong resisted the pressure and delayed signing anything until now. It only required resolving previous issues.
Zhou Hang’s expression resembled that of someone going through a divorce. “Are you really leaving?”
Pei Rong: “Didn’t we agree on this earlier? Jianglu Entertainment has signed many promising newcomers now, and you’ve proven your capabilities...”
Zhou Hang: “But how do we explain this to President Lu?”
Pei Rong: “Deal with it first, explain later.”
This strategy couldn’t be exclusive to President Lu, right?
Zhou Hang: “Aren’t you afraid—”
Pei Rong: “I’ll find an excuse that doesn’t implicate the company.”
Zhou Hang: “And what about your fans?”
Pei Rong remained silent for a long time. “Don’t I still have a lot of unreleased stock? It’s enough for fans to watch for another three to five years. I’m just not coming out to do business; it’s not like I’ve been banned.”
“My fans have always been telling me not to overwork. I’m just listening for once.”
In the end, it was all self-consolation. Pei Rong knew he owed his fans, who just days ago were bravely supporting him on the front lines.
But all feasts must come to an end; one couldn’t avoid taking maternity leave or retiring because of that, right?
During his time in the entertainment industry, he worked diligently and with a clear conscience. As long as he didn’t let down his fans, it was enough.
He privately contacted the factory, arranged a large batch of free materials and apology letters, and planned to send them to the fans for free.
This would cost him a considerable amount.
Zhou Hang: “It’s just a matter of President Lu taking down all your works with a single command.”
Disappearing from the internet overnight, burying all past glory and effort—doesn’t he really mind?
Pei Rong’s smile was shallow. “Then it’s the end.”
Zhou Hang: “...”
It sounded like President Lu would be the one in trouble, judging by the other tone.
