Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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Si Huang picked up her phone and saw that it was Mi Lu calling. Her eyes darkened.
“Hello?”
“…”
Si Huang heard a slight gasp from the other end of the line, guessing that Mi Lu was probably nervous. This was a good sign, indicating that the other person was still under her control.
She glanced casually out the window, her tone cold but with a hint of a firm command, “Speak.”
This unusual attitude made Qin Fan, sitting opposite her, give her a closer look.
“…I’ve finished work. I wanted to ask when you’re coming back to China?”
“Want to come back with me?”
“Is that okay?” Mi Lu’s tone gradually regained its usual vitality, tinged with anticipation.
Si Huang was silent for two seconds. She wasn’t thinking about Mi Lu’s question, but something came to mind that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. She couldn’t help but tentatively ask, “Do you really want to go back?”
The person on the other end of the line gasped, the sudden breathlessness making a sound that Si Huang heard clearly.
A realization flashed through her mind. Her intuition was right; Mi Lu’s roots were abroad, not in China.
“I…” Perhaps the long silence made Mi Lu nervous again, and she said hesitantly, “I have indeed thought about not going back to Z country.”
“Hmm.” Si Huang responded, gesturing for her to continue.
Mi Lu, also in Los Angeles, stood before the floor-to-ceiling window of a hotel room. Her face was pale, but her eyes shone with an unsettling brightness, almost sickly, a strange longing and anticipation.
“Actually, my maternal line is in France. So even if I don’t go back to China, Dongyu Media can’t do anything to me.”
“Oh,” Si Huang replied calmly.
Mi Lu couldn’t decipher her meaning, thus feeling a mix of fear and disappointment. “…Aren’t you going to persuade me to go back to China?”
“Why should I?” Si Huang countered.
This cold tone made Mi Lu’s heart clench. But before she could react, the words had already slipped out, “Don’t you want me anymore?”
The words left her mouth, and she froze.
She trembled, almost dropping her phone, unable to believe she had said such a thing.
What did she mean by “Don’t you want me anymore”? Wasn’t it better if Si Huang became tired of her? That way, she wouldn’t have to live in fear anymore, her life wouldn’t be threatened, and… after returning to France, she might even find a chance to get revenge on Si Huang!
“Did I say such a thing?” Si Huang’s soft laughter reached her ears, a cruel warmth tinged with tenderness. “Don’t entertain such thoughts, or you’ll upset me.”
“I understand.” Mi Lu’s heart, which had just plummeted into despair, soared back to heaven. This intense emotional shift left her no choice but to accept it. So she gripped her phone tightly, her body trembling with a mixture of excitement and fear. The mere thought of Si Huang abandoning her left her feeling utterly drained, filled with unease and uncertainty. “I won’t say such things again, and I won’t think about them anymore.”
“Hmm, would you mind if I visited your home next time?” Though the question was casual, there was little politeness in her tone.
Mi Lu’s eyes widened in surprise. “Yes! Anytime is fine!” She hoped it would be soon, much sooner.
“That’s settled then. You decide whether to stay or leave.” Si Huang said calmly and hung up.
In the hotel room, Mi Lu listened to the dial tone for a long while before finally coming to her senses. She then slowly bent down, holding her phone in a daze.
“I want to… I want to, I want to, I want to…”
She longed to see Si Huang again, to be with him.
“Mi Lu!? What’s wrong?” Her manager opened the door and saw Mi Lu curled up on the floor.
If Si Huang were here, she would recognize that her posture was almost identical to when she was locked in the closet.
Mi Lu heard the sound and turned to look at her.
The female manager was terrified. “Why are you crying? Did you fall? I’ll go call!”
“No need.” Mi Lu said and stood up on her own.
She touched her eyes and found that they were indeed wet. Thinking back, it seemed that she thought Si Huang didn’t want her anymore, and tears welled up in her eyes without her even realizing it.
“What’s wrong with you?” The female manager was still worried.
Mi Lu suddenly said to her, “Terminate your contract with Dongyu Media and stay with me.”
“Huh?”
Coffee shop.
“Whose call was that?”
Si Huang had just hung up the phone when she heard the man on the other end ask indifferently.
“No one.” Explaining this matter would be too troublesome, and seeing that Qin Fan didn’t seem very interested, Si Huang just showed an indifferent attitude.
Qin Fan glanced at her twice but didn’t ask any further questions.
The two continued their lesson, but after only two or three minutes, Si Huang’s phone rang again.
Knowing it couldn’t be Mi Lu calling again, Si Huang gave Qin Fan a reassuring look, then took out her phone to check. This time, it was Simon calling.
Not unaware of the oppressive atmosphere on the other end, Si Huang hesitated, wondering whether to answer or not. She compromised, hanging up and sending Simon a message saying she was busy.
He quickly replied, saying he’d be back tomorrow or the day after, and would treat Si Huang to dinner, also bringing her a surprise.
If a friend was so enthusiastic; there was no reason to refuse. That would be incredibly ungrateful and disrespectful.
Si Huang replied, telling him to send a message when he returned, and she’d pick him up at the airport.
Simon thanked her, seemingly flattered, and then said he wouldn’t bother her work anymore.
Their text message exchange ended after a few sentences. Si Huang then put her phone on the table and looked up innocently at Qin Fan.
“Who was it this time?” The man’s question was still calm.
However, Si Huang finally sensed something was amiss and replied, “A friend.”
Qin Fan choked for a moment and said coldly, “You have quite a few friends.”
“Hmm.” Si Huang responded calmly on the surface, but she was secretly delighted.
No matter how upset Qin Fan was, he had no reason to stop the child from making friends or from interacting with her friends. “You have to be selective about who you befriend. Don’t just make friends randomly.”
“Okay.” Si Huang agreed quickly and then smiled, “We’ll see him in a couple of days.”
During this time, Qin Fan had been by her side like a 24-hour bodyguard, so his seeing Simon was a certainty.
Qin Fan nodded and didn’t say anything more.
He opened the university textbook in front of him and was about to speak when the phone on the table started buzzing again.
Both of their eyes fell on it at the same time and saw the contact name “Second Young Master, Little Ice Cube” on the caller ID.
Both Si Huang and Qin Fan were stunned.
Oh no!
A thought flashed through Si Huang’s mind. She knew to some extent about Qin Fan’s prejudice against Dou Wenqing.
The man on the other end seemed lost in thought, probably pondering who this contact name represented.
A few seconds passed, and the phone rang twice. Si Huang snapped out of her reverie and reached for her phone. Qin Fan on the other end also reached out a large hand, as if to answer the call.
Whoosh— a snow-white hamster leaped onto the phone, landing precisely on the answer button.
Si Huang and Qin Fan: “…”
“Si Huang.” A clear, cool voice emanated from the phone, subtle enough for two people with exceptional hearing to hear.
Si Huang was about to reply helplessly when the clever little hamster squeaked twice at the other end of the line, then pressed the hang-up button with a paw.
“…”
The hamster puffed out its chest, staring at Si Huang with a smug look. Without a word, Si Huang understood its meaning— Your Majesty, I did a good job, didn’t I?
Si Huang pinched its head with two fingers, not wanting to discourage it. “Go back to eating.”
[At crucial moments, it’s still Five Treasure who needs to step in!] Five Treasure had remained silent for some time, afraid of interrupting the two’s intimate moment. Its prediction was correct; His Majesty’s gains these past few days had been phenomenal, and it had benefited immensely as well. So, seeing the situation was turning sour, it immediately offered its services: [Your Majesty, I’d like a cheese pudding too!]
Merit must be rewarded, and His Majesty certainly wouldn’t refuse Five Treasure’s small request.
In fact, Si Huang didn’t refuse, handing Five Treasure a banknote. “Here, go buy it yourself.”
Five Treasure: “Squeak!?”
Was this a new test from His Majesty?
Although Five Treasure’s clever solution seemed almost like acting stupid to Si Huang, its cuteness did indeed divert the two’s attention.
Si Huang figured no one would call again, and to avoid making Yu Xi and the others anxious, she couldn’t just turn off her phone. So she calmly put it away, pushing the textbooks on the table aside, and said to Qin Fan, “Let’s rest for a while.”
“…Okay.” Qin Fan lowered his eyelids, lost in thought.
….
Time passed quickly. Having not worked for two days, Si Huang devoted herself to tutoring.
However, Qin Fan, her tutor, didn’t follow Si Huang’s pace as readily as Yu Xi.
Ever since the phone call in the coffee shop a couple of days ago, Qin Fan had been like a beast in heat that night, kissing and nibbling at her incessantly. Even though they hadn’t gone all the way, Si Huang felt that several hours of intimacy might be more tiring than the final act. Then, when she woke up the next morning, she found that the man had changed the tutoring location to his room.
Why in his room?
Because the man solemnly set the rules, “Answering the phone is okay, but skipping class for one minute will result in a ten-minute penalty.”
Si Huang was both amused and exasperated. “Don’t try to trick me with your military training methods.”
Qin Fan remained expressionless and stern. “Questioning your superior will add ten minutes!”
Si Huang: “…”
Sometimes, you really can’t reason with soldiers.
What’s that saying again? A scholar encountering a soldier— reason is useless!
Especially when this soldier is doing it on purpose, it’s even more impossible to reason with him.
Fortunately, for two consecutive days of make-up classes, Si Huang didn’t receive any more calls, leaving Qin Fan, who set the rules, unsure whether to be disappointed or happy.
Until today, when Si Huang received a message from Simon in the morning, and around noon, she received a call from Louis. She said, “I’ll go to the airport to pick up a friend first. The timing is just right. We’ll meet at the entrance of Fox Company at 1 p.m.”
Louis agreed.
Si Huang also told Yu Xi and his sister, then got ready and drove to the airport.
Qin Fan was also with her.
11:23 a.m. M time.
Simon’s plane arrived almost on time. Si Huang, standing in the waiting area, spotted him immediately in the crowd— a blond, blue-eyed young man, handsome and refined even among the crowds of the US.
“King!” Simon also saw Si Huang and shouted enthusiastically.
People around them turned to look.
Si Huang kicked Simon, who was running towards her, saying, “Keep it down.” She then saw Simon nimbly dodge, just as she had expected.
“With your looks, it’s impossible for you to be inconspicuous,” Simon retorted, quickly noticing Qin Fan standing beside her, but not offering a greeting or asking.
Si Huang didn’t rush to introduce him, first giving him a once-over, “No luggage?”
“It’s already been sent to the hotel,” Simon said.
“Then let’s go,” Si Huang said, leading the way.
The three got into the car, and Si Huang asked Simon, who was sitting in the back, “I still have work to do, how about I take you back to your hotel first?”
But Simon waved his hand, “No rush, I’m quite curious about how you work, we can go see it together.”
Hearing this, Si Huang didn’t refuse. And after driving for a while, she introduced them, “His name is Simon Dolly, a friend I met in Z country.” Seeing that Qin Fan didn’t react, she continued, “His name is Qin Fan, but here, you can call him Arnold.”
“Oh, Arnold, hello.” Simon extended his hand to Qin Fan.
Qin Fan shook his hand, “Hello.”
Neither of them sounded particularly warm or cold.
As soon as they let go, Simon laughed in Chinese to Si Huang, “So that’s why you’re so skilled, you know Mr. Qin.”
Si Huang didn’t turn around while driving, “You know him?”
“I’ve met him once, and heard about him many times,” Simon said with a grin.
Si Huang nodded, not asking any further questions.
There was some traffic on the way from the airport to Fox Company, so Si Huang specifically called Louis to explain the situation, and they didn’t arrive until 1:20.
In the lobby of Fox Film Company, Yu Xi and the others had already arrived and were waiting.
“It’s alright, the appointment was set for 1:30 anyway, you’re not late,” Louis comforted Si Huang. “As long as you demonstrate your value, no one will care about this little flaw.”
The group rushed to the audition venue, a performance classroom. When Si Huang arrived, there was no one else inside.
After waiting for about twenty minutes, two people arrived, a man and a woman, both of whom looked to be close to thirty.
“We don’t welcome arrogant and punctual newcomers,” the red-haired man said rudely as soon as he entered.
Louis said, “He’s not late.”
“Being later than us counts as being late,” the chestnut-haired woman retorted.
Louis was about to continue defending Si Huang when he heard her voice, “This is my fault, I’m sorry.”
Her pleasant voice immediately attracted attention, and the two auditioners couldn’t help but turn to look at her. Seeing Si Huang stand up and nod apologetically, their expressions softened— few people could feel disgusted by a beautiful face and a friendly demeanor.
“An apology won’t help,” Mark said, still rudely.
Si Huang’s expression remained unchanged. “At least let me finish this audition.”
The female audition officer, Yolanda, glanced at her watch. “The audition time has passed.”
Si Huang raised her eyes, meeting her deliberately regretful gaze. “No, I arrived here at 1:27. I believe the twenty minutes I waited for you two were your first test of my audition. Since you two are here, I can consider that I have passed the first round.”
“That’s just your wishful thinking!” Mark said disdainfully.
Si Huang wasn’t angry. “Perhaps my lateness has displeased you, but as someone with talent and ability, a little arrogance and minor flaws are understandable, aren’t they?”
Mark and Yolanda were dumbfounded, probably unable to believe that the young man before them was so ‘shameless’!
Louis and Yu Xi also looked surprised.
Mark’s dissatisfaction intensified, and he was about to say something when Si Huang interrupted, “Of course, whether I have the ability to be arrogant is for you to judge. If I don’t, you can more confidently lecture me, insult me, and reprimand me, making me too ashamed to continue arguing with you like this.”
“Please continue my audition.”
“Otherwise, I won’t leave so easily.”
“You will also lose a good actor.”
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