Chapter 102: All Men Are the Same
"Cut!"
Director Feng ran a hand through his hair, looking a little frustrated. It was one thing for Zheng Shuangshuang to keep messing up, but even Zhong Wei, who was always known for being steady and professional, seemed to be spacing out.
"Sorry, Director, I got distracted. Let’s do another take."
Zhong Wei snapped back to reality and quickly let go of Shen Xi, turning to Director Feng with an apologetic look. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the man standing nearby.
Huh? Since when did the crew have such a ridiculously handsome actor?
Wait... but why is he looking at me like I owe him five million yuan?
Director Feng waved his hand, deciding to take a break. He stole a quick glance at Gu Hanling, who was still standing off to the side, and after thinking for a moment, he made an announcement.
"Uh... someone in the crew's partner has generously treated everyone to iced coffee. Go grab one outside!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the atmosphere on set instantly lightened up. In this scorching heat, a cup of iced coffee was a dream come true.
The crew and cast members all got up, heading outside in small groups, chatting as they walked.
Some of them noticed Gu Hanling standing beside Director Feng and assumed he was an actor from another production who had come to visit.
"Damn, whose boyfriend is this? He’s loaded, and he even brought Starbucks!"
"Probably Shuangshuang’s boyfriend? Didn’t she treat the whole crew to fancy desserts last time?"
Outside, people who had already grabbed their coffee started whispering among themselves.
Shen Xi stayed frozen in place. For some reason, she suddenly felt guilty. Though she didn’t know why.
Then, she saw Gu Hanling shoot her a glance, subtly gesturing toward a direction before walking off first.
"Shen Xi, aren’t you going to get one?"
Zhong Wei had just taken off his wire harness when he noticed she hadn’t moved. Curious, he asked.
Shen Xi let out a dry laugh and quickly made up an excuse.
"I... don’t really like coffee. You go ahead, Senior Zhong."
While everyone else was distracted by their free drinks, Shen Xi quietly slipped away toward an abandoned building a little further from the set.
For some reason, sneaking off like this felt a little like an affair.
...And she had to admit, it was kind of thrilling.
By the time she got there, Gu Hanling was already inside. As soon as she entered, he silently handed her an iced coffee and a straw.
Shen Xi walked up naturally and took it, a little puzzled.
"Big brother, what’s up?"
She had a feeling that someone as busy as Gu Hanling wouldn’t come all the way here for no reason.
Shen Xi looked down at the coffee in her hand. It was her favorite, Mocha Frappuccino.
Technically, it wasn’t really coffee, more like a blended iced drink with coffee elements.
The only time she had ever brought one home was once when she took a to-go cup back to the villa. Butler Wang happened to see it.
She figured Gu Hanling must have just picked her favorite flavor by coincidence. Either way, she considered this a sign that her luck was pretty good today.
Across from her, Gu Hanling didn’t answer her question. Instead, he swept his gaze over her, his voice calm as he remarked.
"Nice outfit."
Hearing this, Shen Xi felt oddly pleased. Without thinking, she spun around once, the hem of her skirt fluttering lightly, like a beautiful flower in full bloom.
"Looks good, right? I think so too!" she said cheerfully.
"I heard the rental price is super high, so the crew only rented it for half a day. Once we finish shooting, we have to return it."
Suddenly, Gu Hanling stepped forward. Shen Xi instinctively took a step back, her heart skipping a beat as her eyes met his deep gaze. For some reason, she felt a little nervous.
"Big brother, I know I still owe you that last... thing... But now’s not the time. If my makeup gets messed up, it’ll be a pain to fix later."
The more she spoke, the softer her voice became. Having to say this herself felt weirdly awkward.
Gu Hanling’s lips curled slightly, as if amused. Then, in a casual tone, he said,
"Your jewelry design won first place in an international competition."
"I want to hire Miss Susie as Gu Corporation’s Chief Jewelry Designer. Annual salary, one hundred million."
"You should quit acting."
Shen Xi’s eyes widened slightly. Oh... so he wasn’t about to kiss her?
For some reason, she suddenly felt a little embarrassed, her face heating up.
She had already heard about the award a few days ago from her biological father, Edward, but since it was just an honorary title with no cash prize, she hadn’t been particularly interested.
But now, Gu Hanling, one of the only two people who knew about her secret identity as Susie, was offering her a job with a one-hundred-million salary?!
...Surely that didn’t include any “extra services,” right?
Plus, this would perfectly fill the two-year gap after her contract expired!
Hehehe, sounds like a good deal...
Her first instinct was to say yes on the spot.
But then, she quickly snapped back to reality and poured a bucket of cold water on her own excitement.
Shen Xi, who do you think you are? If you take this, it’s basically fraud.
You barely have enough design drafts to count on one hand. You wouldn’t last a year. And also... a salary that high, can this really be a proper job?
Thinking this through, Shen Xi forced a smile, pretending to be relaxed as she said,
"Sorry, President Gu, but I think acting is pretty fun. Maybe next time, next time for sure!"
Gu Hanling let out a soft chuckle. But his eyes darkened slightly, and his voice was quiet as he remarked,
"You’ve lost weight."
Hearing those words, Shen Xi froze for a moment.
She looked down at the loose-fitting hanfu she was wearing, confused about how he could even tell she had lost weight.
"No way, I thought I gained weight."
With all the physical activity she had been doing every day, she was getting used to the crew’s catered meals. If she acted picky and didn’t eat, she’d have to starve through an entire filming session, so she never skipped a meal.
"Come here."
Gu Hanling’s deep voice had a slight commanding tone.
Shen Xi was still lost in thought, but out of habit, her body instinctively followed his words, stepping forward without hesitation.
The next thing she knew, his large hands rested naturally on her slim waist.
His sudden movement startled her.
She instinctively looked up at him, only to find that his gaze was still calm and cool, with no sign of any inappropriate intentions.
But in the next second, Gu Hanling tightened his grip. His hands completely encircled her waist.
The pressure on her waist caused Shen Xi a slight pain. Shen Xi frowned slightly and patted the back of his hand, unable to hold back a soft complaint.
"Big brother, not so hard! It hurts!"
She was utterly perplexed. First, he says she’s too skinny, and now he’s grabbing her waist like this?
Was he trying to strangle her or something?
But Gu Hanling didn’t let go. Instead, he spoke in a low, steady voice.
"Beg me, and I’ll let go."
Shen Xi pursed her lips. Gu Hanling was acting really strange today, but she'd given in to him many times before. It was not like she'll lose face by giving in to a big shot like him, right?
"President Gu, please let go."
"Not sincere enough."
Great. CEO Gu is acting like a typical overbearing boss again.
Like she didn’t know exactly what he wanted to hear? Shen Xi bit her lip and softened her voice, looking up at him with big, pleading eyes.
"Brother Gu... please, let me go. It really hurts."
But Gu Hanling just shook his head.
Huh?? Shen Xi was completely speechless. Even that didn’t work? What the hell?!
"Daddy! Please, I’m begging you!"
A sugar daddy is still a daddy, right?
Shen Xi went all in!
But instead of letting go, Gu Hanling’s face instantly darkened. His grip tightened even more, making Shen Xi feel like her tiny waist was about to snap in half.
In a panic, she played her ultimate trump card, the one thing that always worked.
"Darling! Hubby! Pretty please~"
Gu Hanling let out a small snort, but finally loosened his grip. Shen Xi rubbed her sore waist, glaring at him with a pout. She didn’t dare complain out loud, though.
Who knew if he’d dock her paycheck for "talking back to her big boss"?
But in her heart, she secretly rolled her eyes.
Men are all the same.
Even if they don’t like a woman, they still love hearing her call them "husband."
Meanwhile at another location, in a photo studio, Zheng Shuangshuang was filming a commercial.
During a break, she checked her phone and noticed that someone had tagged her in the crew’s group chat.
"Huh?? Thanks to my boyfriend for buying coffee for the whole crew??"
Feeling confused, she pulled out her phone and sent a message to a certain someone.
[I wasn’t at the set today. Why did you buy coffee for the whole crew?]
She even attached a screenshot of the group chat, along with a photo of Shen Xi dancing in her costume.
Elsewhere, Shi Jingyan received the message.
His brows furrowed in annoyance, and he impatiently typed out a two-word reply:
[Not me.]
Back when he was chasing Zheng Shuangshuang, he did anonymously send coffee a few times.
But after sleeping with her a few times, he quickly lost interest.
She wasn’t as pretty as Shen Xi, yet she was somehow even more arrogant, self-absorbed, and bad-tempered.
He opened the chat screenshot and immediately noticed the breathtakingly beautiful Shen Xi dancing in costume. His throat felt dry as he subconsciously swallowed.
By his estimate, she should be wrapping up filming soon.