After Fu Chen blocked Gu Chuyi on social media, he found himself consumed by longing during the late hours of the night. He kept reminding himself with one mantra: A bootlicker never gets the house.
Opening Weibo, he searched for Gu Chuyi's account, hesitated for a moment, and finally clicked on it. The last update was from when they had gone on a date. The memories brought a bitter frustration to his heart.
Fu Chen closed the app, put away his phone, and tried to refocus as he returned to the set.
"Master Fu, what's going on with you?" Director Zhang abruptly stood up, pointing at him furiously. "You're completely out of it, and if we film like this, it'll bring down the quality of my work!"
The manager standing nearby broke out in a cold sweat, trembling nervously.
Hearing this, Fu Chen's face darkened with sorrow. "Sorry," he said, spitting out the word.
Director Zhang scratched his head in frustration. But what could he do? Fu Chen was a top-tier star, irreplaceable. He was the box office guarantee—any movie featuring Fu Chen was sure to be a hit, famous everywhere.
Letting out a deep breath, the director spoke more calmly, "Xiao Fu, let's make this one a success together."
After a long pause, Fu Chen finally replied, "I'll do my best."
The manager, fearing an outburst from the director, was caught off guard by Fu Chen's simple refusal. She took a sharp breath, expecting the worst.
Moments later, Director Zhang's angry voice echoed again. "You're doing it again! I need deep, emotional expressions, eyes that captivate the audience. Right now, you look like you're heartbroken, not in love! You..."
He angrily threw the script to the ground with a loud thud, the tension in the air growing palpably colder.
The actress standing beside him glanced at Fu Chen meaningfully. She had been expecting to kiss him in this scene. In pursuit of authenticity, Director Zhang had refused to use a body double, opting for a real kiss instead.
She had prepared extensively for this, studying kissing scenes, and nearly fainted with excitement when she learned she'd have one with Fu Chen. Today, she had dressed and groomed herself to perfection, even avoiding strong-smelling foods for days. But now, Fu Chen’s icy demeanor made it feel like kissing a dead fish. No emotion at all.
The actress felt a pang of bitterness. She had been the campus beauty back in college, and after becoming a star, her popularity only grew. Her skin was fair, her features beautiful—could Fu Chen really not be interested in her at all?
"Sorry, I need to take a few days off," Fu Chen's cold voice suddenly broke the silence.
Everyone was shocked. His manager hurried over, whispering in his ear, "Are you crazy? How dare you provoke Director Zhang? You should be smoothing things over, not making them worse! Just say you're not taking time off."
But Fu Chen, his face clouded with stormy emotions, glanced at his manager and shrugged indifferently. "I'm taking time off. Sorry."
Before the director could even approve, Fu Chen walked off, leaving the director standing there, stunned, his chest heaving with anger.
The manager offered a pained smile. "Director Zhang, I'm sorry, I..."
Director Zhang's face darkened, and with a cold snort, he too stormed off.
The manager wiped the sweat from her brow, feeling utterly frazzled and helpless.
Fu Chen left the set, heading to the parking garage and driving away.
His limited-edition Bentley roared down the road, but he slowed as he passed a high-end five-star hotel, glancing up instinctively.
Memories of him and Gu Chuyi flashed through his mind—their loving moments together filling him with desolation.
"Heartless woman," Fu Chen muttered under his breath. It turned out that in this game, he had been the only one taking it seriously. Gu Chuyi had only been playing with him; otherwise, why would she avoid him so completely and subject him to such cold treatment?
It's not shameful to fail at love for the first time. What’s shameful is not realizing it. She wanted out of the game but didn't want to be the bad guy, so he would step up and be the one to leave. A man should be generous, he thought.
How cold-hearted must a woman be, to just cut off all contact without a second thought? What kind of one-man show was he still trying to put on?
The honking of a car behind him snapped Fu Chen back to reality. He slammed on the gas and sped away.
He had no intention of returning to the Fu family mansion. Instead, he drove to the luxurious villa he had purchased a few years ago as an investment.
Once inside, Fu Chen yanked off his tie, shrugged out of his suit jacket, and rolled up his sleeves, revealing his strong, muscular arms. He walked over to the wine cabinet, poured himself a glass of red wine, and drained it in one gulp.
Pouring another, he downed it just as quickly. A wave of bitterness welled up in his heart. He hadn’t expected the aftermath of a breakup to be this powerful, slowly corroding his soul.
Ding dong, ding dong—
Fu Chen frowned. Who would come by at this hour? He opened the door to find his manager standing there, looking grave and troubled.
"Why are you here?" Fu Chen asked, his voice heavy.
"Why am I here?" The manager repeated incredulously. "Do you even know what you're doing? There are only three months left before the movie wraps. Can’t you just hold it together and focus on work?"
Fu Chen said nothing, sitting elegantly on the sofa, his face expressionless.
The manager, practically begging, pleaded, "Master Fu, I’m begging you. Please stop causing trouble for Director Zhang. When you took on this role, you swore you'd give it your all to make this film a hit. Have you forgotten your original goal?"
My original goal? Fu Chen paused for a moment. Yes, he had made that promise, back when he was still with her. His goal had been to make her admire him, to win her favor. But now?
"I’ve forgotten," Fu Chen finally replied in a cold voice.
The manager felt like she had just been struck by lightning. Does he even realize what he's saying?
Heart racing, she steadied her breathing and spoke earnestly, "Forgotten? Do you know that breaking the contract with Director Zhang will cost you a billion yuan? A billion!"
"A breach is a breach. I have the money."
The manager was speechless, her face turning green. Her lips trembled, and for a moment, she couldn’t speak. She stared at Fu Chen, exasperated.
After a long silence, she sighed in defeat, speaking slowly, "I know you're upset because of this relationship stuff. When I spoke to Gu Chuyi back then, she promised me everything would be fine."
Gu Chuyi? Fu Chen's brows furrowed, his gaze darkening. "What do you mean? You spoke to her?"
The manager stiffened, stammering, "Y-yes. I was just trying to help you. I fought hard to get you this role, and I didn’t want to see all my efforts go to waste."
A menacing, bloodthirsty glint flashed in Fu Chen's eyes as he stepped forward, exuding a dangerous aura. "What exactly happened?" He grabbed the manager's arm, shaking her, his voice trembling. "Why did you reach out to Chuyi? What happened?"
A strange sense of hope bloomed in his chest. Could it be, just as he had suspected, that Gu Chuyi didn’t really dislike him after all?
Comments
Post a Comment