“The thing about the apartment—I’ll give you a rough idea.”
“To be honest, you trust me, but I can’t take advantage of you. If you’re going to sell the apartment, give me the ownership documents and we’ll sign an authorization agreement.” Bo Rui got straight to the point. Even with his closest friends, he preferred clarity. He was acting out of goodwill, but he wasn’t about to deceive Yu Junqing—best to lay everything out from the start.
“Mm.” Yu Junqing nodded.
He understood perfectly. Rui Ge was helping him out of kindness, but the formalities still had to be respected.
The two of them were essentially talking past each other: one concerned for the safety of the other’s property, the other for the other’s interests—but somehow, it worked.
“As for buying a new place, if your budget allows, I suggest looking at safer communities. That old place of yours… it’s basically lawless. Totally unreliable—any kind of trash can end up there.” Bo Rui thought of what Liang Xin had told him—people had apparently been loitering there, waiting for Yu Junqing. That neighborhood wasn’t trustworthy.
If any media tried sneaking in, Lao Li at the gate would never allow it. It had happened before. Some residents were quite well-connected, and Lao Li had blocked everyone at the gate, eventually calling the police to remove the troublemakers.
Bo Rui glanced at Yu Junqing, who looked lean, and reckoned he wouldn’t be able to withstand any real trouble.
Yu Junqing obediently kept nodding. When he had bought that apartment, it was mainly because it was cheap. He hadn’t considered safety—probably because he wasn’t famous yet and had never had fans camped outside.
“Also…” Bo Rui was about to continue when his phone suddenly rang.
Yu Junqing, knowing how to behave, gestured and stepped out onto the balcony.
“What is it?” Bo Rui guessed it was Liang Xin calling.
“Boss, I’ve found the info you asked for.” Liang Xin flipped through files on his computer, astonished. It was his first time diving into this world—he realized just how messy it was.
Xu Zong, ostensibly Yu Junqing’s manager, was acting like a trafficker, treating people as commodities! Liang Xin shook his head. That rotund man had clearly made a lot of money exploiting someone as gentle as Yu Junqing.
“Okay, send it to me in a bit.” Bo Rui nodded, ending the call quickly.
Liang Xin’s efficiency was as impressive as ever, and his gossip skills were top-notch.
“My… rations!” Liang Xin groaned, looking at his now-dead phone. His boss had no mercy. He shrugged, gathered the files, and dutifully sent them to Bo Rui’s inbox.
Still, why was Bo Rui so concerned about Yu Junqing? Liang Xin’s curiosity flared briefly before being snuffed out. He longed for the food his boss had withheld for two days—poor Mi Huang was almost starving! Soon, he promised, his rations would be delivered.
The one who hung up the call silently sneezed, suspecting Liang Xin would have to go without for a couple more days to keep him from doing reckless things.
Yu Junqing was still dazed on the balcony when a hand gently patted his shoulder.
“Rui Ge.” He turned, surprised that the call had ended so quickly.
The man’s expression was clear, and Bo Rui explained, “Nothing major. I had my people dig up some info. Once it’s ready, I’ll send it to me.”
“Info?” Yu Junqing’s mind raced to the phone call he had overheard in his bedroom—could it be about him?
“Forget that for now. I might have a decent apartment. I’ll check first, and when there’s confirmation, I’ll let you know.” Bo Rui led him back inside and poured a cup of tea.
“Okay.” Yu Junqing nodded again.
In truth, he didn’t care what Bo Rui did—he trusted him.
Just as he had immediately sensed Xu Zong was untrustworthy, the first impression of Bo Rui told him he was genuinely good—a rare kind of good person. Yu Junqing ignored the slight, indescribable stir of emotions in his heart, but a faint smile appeared on his lips.
Bo Rui acted decisively. Yu Junqing wouldn’t be moving out to a hotel; it wasn’t practical. With no relatives or friends to turn to, he could stay at Bo Rui’s temporarily.
He had a rough idea about the apartment situation. Selling Yu Junqing’s place immediately wasn’t feasible, and it wasn’t worth much, so Bo Rui could hold onto it for the time being.
As for buying a new apartment, Bo Rui had a solid plan. He had a friend in the art world who traveled constantly and rarely stayed put. That friend owned a property in a high-end community—Bo Rui had previously helped watch over it. Since the friend hardly used it, Bo Rui thought to see if it was available.
Bo Rui, accustomed to acting swiftly, soon obtained Yu Junqing’s documents. He didn’t plan to sell immediately—now was not a good time, with the area gaining popularity. It could be handled later.
Yu Junqing didn’t know that Bo Rui intended to advance the money for him. But for some reason, staying at Bo Rui’s felt safe and stable.
Meanwhile, his filming wasn’t complete. Privately, he had called Director Wang.
Wang somehow knew about the conflict with Xu Zong and had kindly warned him to be cautious. Yu Junqing understood he couldn’t act against Xu Zong yet.
In this fast-moving industry, staying at Bo Rui’s for a night turned out to be a stroke of luck, helping him considerably.
After trending on Weibo, besides Yu Junqing, the other annoyed party was Zhu Wen.
He had done nothing, yet everyone on set assumed he was responsible. Even his foolish manager subtly hinted at it.
Ridiculous! Yu Junqing didn’t need to do anything. He was a third-rate actor of nearly ten years, only once lucky enough to win an acting award. His fanbase was negligible.
Zhu Wen was furious. He couldn’t stand the set anymore. He had been cast in a lackluster role he feared would tarnish his image and lose fans. With Yu Junqing out of the picture, he decided to negotiate with his benefactor, Zhong Feng, to switch roles.
He arranged to meet Zhong Feng at the usual private spot. No worries about exposure. He even changed into a ‘presentable’ outfit in the restroom before opening the door.
“Zhong Ge, you lied again! You said he wouldn’t do better without me, but he’s dressed much more provocatively.” A sweet, teasing voice rang out. Zhu Wen immediately recognized it—this wasn’t Zhong Feng’s voice.
Looking up, Zhu Wen saw Zhong Feng lying on the bed, with a somewhat familiar young man beside him. Zhu Wen vaguely remembered—a recent newcomer under Star Entertainment named… Meng Ziyan?
Meng Ziyan pouted. He wasn’t very old, and the action looked age-appropriate. Zhong Feng seemed to enjoy kissing his small, puckered mouth.
“Zhong Ge, this is…?” Zhu Wen tried to control his anger and speak calmly.
“Wen Ge, don’t misunderstand. Zhong Ge waited here for you. I just happened to pass by, so I came to say hi. You two continue.” Meng Ziyan said, clinging to Zhong Feng while putting on his clothes.
Faint traces of bruises in shades of blue and purple were visible; dressing seemed weak and clumsy, and he occasionally pressed against Zhong Feng. Zhong Feng’s arousal responded, and his hands wandered.
“Zhong Ge, since someone’s here, I’ll leave. You two continue.” Zhu Wen stiffened, turning to leave.
“Wen Ge, are you mad about the filming?” Meng Ziyan watched Zhu Wen’s stiff retreat and smirked inwardly. He pressed against Zhong Feng’s chest, feigning innocence.
“Hmph! Wasting resources! I finally got him the male second lead, and he messes it all up.” Zhong Feng had already heard about Zhu Wen from Meng Ziyan. He knew Zhu Wen had enjoyed the young man’s little temper. He had arranged a male second lead role for him, only for him to ruin it. Zhong Feng’s three million investment in the production felt wasted.
“I’m leaving now.” Zhu Wen clenched his fists. He couldn’t imitate Meng Ziyan’s gentle tone and feared he’d lose control if he stayed. He abandoned Zhong Feng and stormed out.