Chapter 24

The guy’s hands were really big, almost covering more than half her face. There were some calluses on it, and a soapy smell lingered.

Su Yi followed it up, and put her hands on the guy’s arms, treating his body as the back of a chair. Chu Ying could feel her closing her eyes, her eyelashes tickling the palm of his hands; it felt a little itchy.

The people beside them were all staring blankly at them.

Wu Xue had on an expression clearly said ‘you young people sure have your ways of playing’.

Chu Ying allowed her to hold him. “How did you know it was me?”

Su Yi opened her eyes, her eyelashes brushed his palm once more, then she cracked her lips open and said, “Next time, I’ll send you a bottle of the shower wash I use.”

Chu Ying lost it. He slowly shifted his hand away, Su Yi reclined on her chair’s backrest, still looking at him. Her eyes were filled with mirth. “Why are you here?”

“Checking up on you,” Chu Ying said simply, sitting beside her.

The actors and the main crew had met him yesterday. When they saw him now, they all came up to greet him.

The Assistant Director came up, a smile on his face. “Why, it’s Director Chu! If you’d said earlier, I would have picked you up myself. We just finished shooting the first scene, it’s still a little messy…”

“I’m just dropping by,” Chu Ying said. “It’s quite good.”

It’s unclear whether he was talking about the set or the scene.

The Assistant Director saw how close the two were sitting, and barely refrained from asking. The relationship between celebrities and bosses was a real minefield and he was afraid of saying something he shouldn’t.

But there were clearly people who were not afraid. After thinking about it, Tu Jinglan gritted her teeth, adjusted the slit of her Qipao, and made sure to sway her hips while walking over to the Director, pretending that she wanted to see the replay before exclaiming in surprise. “Director Chu? You’re here to visit Yi-jie?”

She really wanted to know if Su Yi was with Chu Ying. She was of the belief that not many men could reject a woman who was offering herself to them. Someone like Chu Ying, who refused to even give out a phone number, was either someone with a girlfriend, or a wife.

She did not expect Chu Ying to merely glance at her coldly, not even making a sound. She kept the curve on her lips for almost a minute before she awkwardly stopped smiling.

Su Yi ignored her too, turning to ask, “Didn’t you say you were exercising?”

“Yeah,” Chu Ying said. “When I sent you that, I had just finished.”

The next scene was for the two main characters; the next time Su Yi was needed was a few scenes away. As if she’d remembered something, she asked, “You saw the first scene?”

Chu Ying said, “I saw it.

“How was it?” Su Yi tilted her head to the side and got closer. Her smile was sweet and silly, without a trace of the seductiveness she’d just portrayed. “Was I pretty?”

While the two of them whispered, Tu Jinglan’s face was green for a while, and then white for another while. As if remembering something, she blurted out. “Yi-jie, Liang Bo-ge came to find me earlier and asked for our filming location. Is he coming to look for you?”

“Lan Lan.” Lin Xia’s voice sounded, halting this topic in time. “You’re going to be up soon, hurry up and go touch up your make-up.”

The two concertedly tossed the question down and ran.

Barely a few steps away, Lin Xia couldn’t help scolding her in a low volume. “What are you trying to do with Chu Ying?”

“I’m not trying to do anything to him.” Tu Jinglan pursed her lips. “I’m just trying not to let Su Yi take advantage of him.”

“We just started filming, you got this role after so much struggles, don’t lose it.” Lin Xia had many celebrities under her, she could not stay here with Tu Jinglan in Shanghai every day. She had just left for five minutes when Tu Jinglan did something silly. She was really starting to worry about what would happen after she left. “Tomorrow, I need to go back to Beijing for half a month, don’t get involved in anything in that time, just focus on filming. Can you do it?”

Tu Jinglan understood the other meant for her to ‘obediently’ do nothing.

She did not understand why Su Yi could sit beside the Director and watch her direct the show, and have Chu Ying come visit her on the set. And what she’d said about Liang Bo was not a lie either, he did ask her for their filming location.

So, were all the good things in the world only for Su Yi?

When she did not reply, Lin Xia repeated. “Got it?”

Tu Jinglan stopped looking at her, and unwillingly said, “Got it.”

“And,” Lin Xia opened her message, and said, “Director Qi wants you to go find him tonight.”

…

Su Yi had totally not expected Chu Ying to come visit her. From the moment he’d arrived up until now, the tip of her mouth was curved up. It was not until the second scene was wrapped that she thought of something and walked around Chu Ying, checking him.

Chu Ying raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”

Su Yi said, “You came here with nothing?”

It was the first time Chu Ying was visiting someone at work, he had no idea there would be an etiquette he had to observe. “What do you want to eat?”

Su Yi smiled as she raised her hand and spread it in front of him.

They had really just gotten to know each other recently, but they already had a sort of ability to know what the other wanted to do. Before Su Yi spoke, Chu Ying had already placed the phone in her hand.

Su Yi opened the memo, and keyed everything one by one.

Five minutes later, when Chu Ying took it back and looked, there were plenty of things on it. Strawberries, some brand of drinks, cornetto… it was obvious that these were what she liked to eat.

“Little Yi.” Li Min extricated herself from the discussion and noticed that Chu Ying was sitting beside Su Yi. She hastily greeted him, before turning her attention back to Su Yi. “Go touch up, after the next scene it’s your turn to go up.”

Actually, Su Yi’s make-up had not been messed up in anyway. Every well-known director had that one or two strange obsession though, and Li Min’s was no exception. Regardless of how perfect each actor’s make-up was, she expected them to do a touch up before filming their scene, even if it was just dusting over their make-up with some powder.

Su Yi had worked with her before, so she did not say anything more than necessary as she got up. “I’m going to the make-up room.”

When the woman’s figure had completely disappeared into the make-up room, Chu Ying stopped looking at her. Unlocking his phone, he searched ‘Liang Bo’.

After browsing through the first few news regarding Liang Bo, his eyes darkened though his expression remained unchanged.

A message came in.

[Chu Xi: Brother, you went to Shanghai?]

Chu Xi ignored her and continued to scroll through the page. It was not long before Chu Xi called.

He frowned, turned off the sound, got up and left before picking up. “What is it.”

“Brother –” Chu Xi dragged the last syllable. “I want to go to Shanghai too!”

Chu Ying paused in the act of hanging up, and asked “What for?”

“I haven’t been to Disney in so long.” Since that time, Chu Xi had been grounded. Not locked at home, per se, but all her cards and money was confiscated – how was that any different from being grounded!

“Oh.” Chu Ying sounded normal. “Is it fun?”

Chu Xi thought that there was a chance. “Really fun!”

Pa-da!

The other had hung up.

Chu Xi was confused.

The guy raised his hand and looked at the time, then turned and entered the set.

When he went in, Su Yi was already filming. She was tall, suited for wearing Qipao, and when she spoke her voice was soft and gentle, every sentence spoken to perfection.

Su Yi filmed two scenes in a row before finishing. When filming she dared not look towards Chu Ying, afraid that she would be off her game, and it was only now after she came down, did she realise Chu Ying was no longer there.

Wu Xue said, “He said he had a meeting and left.”

Su Yi opened her phone and looked at the message Chu Ying left.

[Chu Ying: See you in the afternoon.]

[Goddess Su Yi: Then you will come find me if you have time? I’ll mostly be at the set [obediently sitting on hunches.jpg]]

[Chu Ying: Okay.]

After getting a reply, Su Yi kept her phone and leaned against Li Min, watching the replay with her.

The actors were still preparing, so Li Min had some rare free time to chat with her. “When did you fall in love?”

Su Yi clasped her hands in front of her chest. “The moment I saw him.”

Behind her Wu Xue laughed. “Did you graduate from the school of extreme actors?”

The three of them chatted for a while when Wu Xue’s phone rang. Since the filming had yet to start, she picked it up on the spot.

After a few sentences, she side eyed Su Yi.

Su Yi was munching on an apple, and she could feel the eyes on her. After Wu Xue hung up, she asked, “What is it?”

Wu Xue said, “There’s a variety show looking for you.”

“Didn’t I say I’m not going to do any variety shows.”

“He offered a really high price.” Wu Xue gestured a number. “And he said that if you are interested and there’s anything you don’t like, you can discuss it.”

Su Yi was still not interested, and randomly asked, “What variety show is it that is so willing to spend?”

“Some love variety show, the kind where two stars pretend to be lovers.”

Su Yi paused. “Let me guess, the other celebrity is Liang Bo?”

Wu Xue patted her head. “You’re really smart.”

“What do you think those people online are thinking?” Su Yi said, looking confused. “If someone else admits to falling in love, they say it’s to get attention; I deny it, and they say I’m looking for attention too! No, we should go to the lawyer.”

Wu Xue lost it. “Who would go to the lawyers for this sort of things?”

“Why not?” Su Yi said. “Is the company going to let him tie me down in this? Little Xue Xue, you know me, I don’t like this sort of attention.”

“Alright, I’ll reject that variety show for you,” Wu Xue said. “Actually, I’m not too amenable about you going on variety shows too.”

Su Yi did not even look up. “Why?”

Wu Xue said, “You’re too impulsive, you’re suited only for scripted roles.”

“…”

During dinnertime, Su Yi was sitting alone in the make-up room. She was picking out the fatty meat in the bento when the door opened and suddenly, she was faced with a few more paper bags.

She looked up at the stranger, wearing a suit and dressed smartly.

“Hello Miss Su.” The guy smiled. “Director Chu is busy, and specially requested I send you these.”

Su Yi opened the bag. One bag of strawberries, and a few drinks from a certain brand.

The assistant had just left when Wu Xue entered.

“I’m impressed.” Wu Xue looked harried as she sat down next to Su Yi.

Su Yi was eating strawberries, and mumbled, “What is it?”

“…” Wu Xue picked out the company’s official Weibo. “Take a look.”

Su Yi looked at it off-handedly, then paused.

There was a notice posted to the top of the Weibo.

[Notice: Recently there are rumours regarding a celebrity from our company that are untrue. Here the company clarifies that Su Yi and Liang Bo do not have any relationship beyond that of friendship. The company refuses to be accomplice in attempts of garnering attention. We hereby thank everyone for their concern for Su Yi. Also, if there are still rumour-mongers, the company will take lawful action.]

Wu Xue said, “Receiving an official notice for this sort of things, with the male celebrity in question named, you’re probably the first and only.”

“…” Su Yi was surprised for the moment too. “What’s wrong with the company?”

“I called just now to ask,” Wu Xue said. “The boss said that the got a call from the Chu Corporation.”

Su Yi was confused.

“Didn’t the company ask you to sign another contract earlier, saying that some big corporation was about to buy the company?” Wu Xue said lightly. “Today, it’s released news internally that that big corporation has the surname Chu.”

Su Yi, “…”

“The first thing he had to do when taking over was to deal with this thing you did.” Wu Xue said with feeling. “I finally witness it in person – what ‘the overbearing CEO fell in love with me’ is like.”

Su Yi did not reply, instead unlocking her phone and quickly sending Chu Ying a message.

[Goddess Su Yi: Hi boss, I’m here to massage your shoulders [now we start sharing bedspace.jpg]

Two minutes later.

[Chu Ying: I’m busy, be good.]