In the morning, Su Chengyang and Xiao Lu spent time at the gym. After having lunch and resting for an hour, the two of them took a car to the company.
On the way, Su Chengyang’s originally calm mood became restless again.
She didn’t want to overthink and become fearful, so she took out her phone and started browsing Weibo.
Yesterday, Song Mingan’s performance was very successful. His cross-dressing look left a deep impression and gained popularity online. The news about the appearance of the cast of <Travel> at the theater was also widely promoted, and someone even captured a picture of Su Chengyang and Lin Yu walking by the roadside.
Finally arriving at the company entrance, the two of them took the elevator upstairs. Upon reaching their destination, Assistant Xu led them to a separate desk, and soon after, President Lu, whom they had met before, walked in.
“I called you here today to talk about the endorsement matter.”
Upon seeing the person, Su Chengyang was taken aback, “Where’s Mr. Lin?”
During this period, no matter what happened, it was always Lin Yu personally who talked to her. How could it suddenly become President Lu?
President Lu said, “Mr. Lin is not in the company. He has other matters to attend to. It’s enough for me to talk to you.”
“Not in the company?”
Xiao Lu glanced at Su Chengyang and thought to herself, ‘With his cousin brother’s personality, he would definitely follow Chengyang even if it meant recording the program for two days. How could he possibly delegate this kind of thing to President Lu? There must be something fishy going on.’
“President Lu, Chengyang, you guys talk. I’ll wait outside,” Xiao Lu said.
Su Chengyang nodded, “Okay.”
Although Su Chengyang didn’t know if Lin Yu really had other matters to attend to, she didn’t want personal emotions to affect her work. So she didn’t think much about it and started talking to President Lu about endorsement matter.
After Xiao Lu left the office, she turned her head and headed towards Lin Yu’s office. From a distance, she saw that the door was closed. She grabbed an employee nearby and asked, “Is Boss Lin not in the company today?”
The employee looked confused and said, “Did General Manager Lin come today? His office door has never been opened.”
Never been opened? Didn’t cousin brother stay at the company last night?
Xiao Lu thanked the employee and walked quickly towards the office.
When she reached the door, she lightly knocked, “Boss Lin?”
There was no response for a while. Xiao Lu pushed the door open and stuck her head in, “Boss Lin, we have arrived. Where are you?”
She remembered there was a small rest area in the office. Could it be that Lin Yu was still sleeping after a hangover?
Xiao Lu walked quickly to the door of the rest area and tapped on it twice, “Cousin Brother, are you there? Chengyang has already arrived.”
There was still no sound inside.
Xiao Lu pressed her face against the door and listened carefully, but there was no movement.
“Can I come in?” Xiao Lu asked tentatively.
After a while, no one responded. Xiao Lu turned the doorknob and entered.
The resting area was empty, the bedding on the bed was messy, as if someone had recently slept on it. On the floor next to the wardrobe, there was a black tie lying there, as if it had accidentally fallen out.
“Brother?” Xiao Lu walked slowly forward, picked up the tie from the floor, and wanted to put it in the wardrobe. He absentmindedly opened the door on one side of the wardrobe and saw a person sitting inside, covering their eyes with their hands, looking exhausted.
“Brother…” Xiao Lu was stunned, staring blankly at the scene in front of her.
Lin Yu was still wearing the same coat as yesterday, his nearly two-meter tall figure curled up inside the wardrobe, his long legs unable to find a place to rest, so he could only slightly bend his knees. He opened his eyes and glanced behind Xiao Lu, relieved to see that there was no one else.
He lowered his hands from his face, wanting to straighten up, but bumped into the wooden board on the top.
“You should come out first,” Xiao Lu said, wanting to laugh but hesitating, as she helped Lin Yu out of the wardrobe.
“Where’s Chengyang?” Lin Yu asked.
Xiao Lu replied, “She’s talking with President Lu about the endorsement.”
Lin Yu let out a sigh of relief.
Xiao Lu glanced at the wardrobe and said, “What exactly happened between you two? You hid in the wardrobe just to avoid her.”
Rarely seeing her cousin brother in such a disheveled state, Xiao Lu had a smug smile on her face.
Lin Yu didn’t respond and took the tie from her hands. After a long while, he said, “I’m not avoiding her.”
“Then what?” Xiao Lu asked curiously.
Lin Yu paused, the wound on his tongue still not fully healed and hurting.
After a moment of silence, he said, “I’m afraid to see her.”
Xiao Lu became even more curious, “Then what? Did you do something to hurt her?”
Lin Yu nodded, “Yes.”
“Then apologize to her. Avoiding her like this isn’t a solution. Chengyang will be sad.” Xiao Lu felt a rare opportunity to educate Lin Yu and had a sense of holding a chicken feather as an arrow.
Lin Yu took out a new set of clothes from the wardrobe and hesitated for a moment before asking, “Is she… mad at me?”
Xiao Lu said with malicious delight, “A little bit. She looked pretty upset last night when she went back.”
Lin Yu paused his actions, “What did she say?”
Xiao Lu deliberately tormented him and sighed, “Dealing with this might not be easy.”
“What do you mean?”
“Last night, Chengyang asked me why you accompanied her to the play. I said it was because you liked her. Can you guess what she said?”
Lin Yu couldn’t afford to investigate how she revealed his feelings to Su Chengyang. He stopped and asked, “What did she say?”
“She said…” Xiao Lu’s playful expression gradually turned serious, “…if you want to know what she said, shouldn’t you ask her directly? But I can tell you this, Chengyang was angry last night, not because of anything you did to her, but because you suddenly left.”
Lin Yu remained silent. The education he had received in the past made it unimaginable for him to have done such an excessive thing to her against Su Chengyang’s will. At that moment, he couldn’t control his emotions and, after regaining his senses, felt nothing but shame.
He didn’t dare to see Su Chengyang.
Seeing his hesitation, Xiao Lu chuckled and said, “Bro, I never expected you to be so cowardly.”
Lin Yu glanced at her sideways, and Xiao Lu immediately shut up, mimicking the action of zipping her lips.
“Get out.”
“Got it,” Xiao Lu shrugged and replied.
As Xiao Lu walked out, she suppressed her laughter. If she were to tell Auntie about her cousin brother doing something bad and hiding in the closet because he couldn’t face anyone, they would definitely not believe her and think she was talking nonsense.
If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she wouldn’t believe it either.
Her cousin brother, who was usually composed and excellent, had such a pathetic day.
After discussing an endorsement matter with a international brand, President Lu was very satisfied with Su Chengyang’s image. So far, the brand had only hired three Asians, one of whom was Chinese.
The brand’s conditions were favorable in all aspects, and Su Chengyang had no reason to refuse, especially since it would bring benefits to the company. She asked President Lu to make the decision, and she could sign the contract anytime.
When she came out of the office, Xiao Lu was waiting outside the door.
“Finished talking?”
“Yeah,” Su Chengyang nodded and asked, “Is Manager Lin really not here?”
Xiao Lu vaguely nodded and said, “You have an event in the afternoon. Let’s go back and change clothes first. He will also come later.”
Su Chengyang nodded reluctantly and said, “Then let’s go.”
Leaving the company, Xiao Lu drove her home. After doing her makeup, they would head to the event venue. It was an award ceremony, but Su Chengyang had little to do with it. The drama <Sludge> would premiere in the middle of this month, and she didn’t have any works yet. She was just there to make up the numbers and show her face, but her position wouldn’t be too prominent.
Assistant Xu borrowed a white dress and invited a few fashion and makeup artists to Su Chengyang’s home to do her makeup.
After everything was properly arranged, Xiao Lu pulled out a Rolls-Royce Phantom from Lin Yu’s garage. It looked cool and impressive. Su Chengyang had never received such treatment at previous events. Even if she did, it would have been a temporary rental by the company.
Assistant Xu sat in the front seat, while Su Chengyang and Xiao Lu sat in the back. She changed into a white evening gown and wore a coat over it, which she would take off at the event venue.
As the weather gradually cooled down, Su Chengyang wrapped her exposed white legs with a blanket and engaged in casual conversation with Xiao Lu.
“When will Manager Lin come?”
Xiao Lu shook her head, “Not sure. You’ll be having dinner after the event anyway. It’s no use if he comes early. Do you really want to see him that much?”
Su Chengyang tidied up her messy hair from behind without saying a word.
Her look today was relatively simple, with black wavy curls and a strapless evening gown. She didn’t wear many pieces of jewelry. She was purely there to make up the numbers, and it would be disastrous if she accidentally stole the limelight. Moreover, everything she wore was borrowed and had to be returned later.
Upon arriving at the venue, Su Chengyang glanced outside. It was a large conference hall with a long red carpet at the entrance and a signature background wall in the middle. Some artists were already there, preparing to enter.
The award ceremony invited around three hundred artists, and Su Chengyang’s entry number was fifty-four. It would still be a while before it was her turn.
Shortly after, artists ahead of her started walking the red carpet one by one, stopping at the signature wall for photos before being ushered into the venue to rest.
With the weather turning cooler, everyone was dressed lightly. It would be better to enter early. The artists who entered ahead were all familiar to Su Chengyang, but they had never met before.
After waiting in the car for nearly an hour, Su Chengyang finally arrived at the venue around number forty-something. She got off the car and prepared herself nearby, while Xiao Lu tidied up her hair and clothes. After confirming everything was fine, she handed her the jacket.
“These reporters are really cunning. After the first ten or so celebrities went in, they couldn’t be bothered to take more photos. No wonder it suddenly went so fast.”
“Please welcome guest number fifty-three.”
A male celebrity walked the red carpet, left his signature on the signing cloth, took a photo, and then entered the venue. It was soon Su Chengyang’s turn.
“Chengyang, we’ll be waiting for you inside the venue.”
“Okay.”
“Please welcome guest number fifty-four.”
Su Chengyang was wearing a strapless evening gown and black high-heeled shoes with a ten-centimeter heel. As soon as she stepped onto the red carpet, there was a commotion among the onlookers.
“Su Chengyang!”
“Look this way, female goose!”
Su Chengyang didn’t expect to have fans here. She turned her head and waved her hand. Several cameras snapped photos of her. Calmly, Su Chengyang walked to the middle of the red carpet, took the pen from the etiquette lady, and left her name on the signing cloth. She originally wanted to take a quick photo and hurry inside, but the nearby reporters had other plans.
“Chengyang, look this way.”
“Look over here, look over here.”
“Turn your body to the side, this way.”
Su Chengyang maintained a smile and changed a few poses, finally with the help of the host, she left the red carpet. Most of the celebrities who came after her would only stay on the red carpet for a few seconds before being asked to leave.
Walking into the venue, unexpectedly, Su Chengyang’s seat was arranged in the middle of the second row. You see, in general award ceremonies, seating arrangements are based on the level of fame. Su Chengyang didn’t expect the organizers to think so highly of her.
After taking her seat, Xiao Lu placed her coat on Su Chengyang’s lap and left the main hall.
Su Chengyang looked around but didn’t see anyone she knew. She began the long wait, opening her phone and staring at Lin Yu’s WeChat for a while. The chat history was still from yesterday, and her finger hovered over the screen, contemplating whether to send a message. In the end, she resisted the urge, feeling that it would be better to talk about it in person.
“Hi, how are you?”
Su Chengyang was lost in thought when a girl next to her greeted her.
Su Chengyang raised her head in confusion and replied, “Hello.”
“Are you Chengyang? I’ve watched your variety shows, they’re really entertaining. Yesterday, I even mentioned in the group chat if there’s any chance of collaborating with you, and here we meet today.”
Su Chengyang chatted with the person for a while, and during that time, some reporters came over to interview her. Su Chengyang responded fluently.
After a long time, all the artists arrived, and the organizers finally began announcing the awards.
Su Chengyang had nothing to do with what was happening. She was like an emotionless applause machine, not doing anything except clapping.
Finally, she endured until the end of the event. The organizers arranged for them to have dinner in the restaurant. Su Chengyang sat with a table of strangers. As they ate, they exchanged WeChat contacts. Su Chengyang even ended up adding a few people she couldn’t recognize, not knowing their names.
When it was time to leave after dinner, it was already dark outside.
Xiao Lu had sent a message earlier, saying she would wait for Su Chengyang at the entrance of the venue. However, when Su Chengyang went out, she didn’t see any sign of Xiao Lu or Assistant Xu. She looked around and still couldn’t find them, but she did spot Lin Yu, who was surrounded by several managers.
Lin Yu also noticed Su Chengyang. He said something to the people around him, and they all turned to look at Su Chengyang. She didn’t know what they said, but Lin Yu walked past the crowd and came toward her.
Su Chengyang felt a bit nervous all of a sudden. As he approached, she called out softly, “Manager Lin.”
Lin Yu’s expression remained unchanged, and he smiled and said, “Let’s go, back to the car.”
Su Chengyang obediently nodded and asked, “What about Xiao Lu and the others?”
Lin Yu replied, “I let them go back first.”
“Oh.”
Su Chengyang followed him to the parking lot, and during the process, neither of them spoke.
After sitting in the car, Lin Yu handed the blanket in the back seat to Su Chengyang, draped it over her, and then started the car to drive back.
Su Chengyang had been secretly observing Lin Yu’s expression. She didn’t know if he had noticed, but he remained silent.
Finally, it was Su Chengyang who couldn’t help but speak first.
“Manager Lin, about last night…”
“What happened last night?” Lin Yu asked.
Su Chengyang was taken aback, her eyes widened. “You forgot?”
Her voice unconsciously raised a few notches.
Lin Yu glanced at her sideways, unable to hold back his laughter at her surprised and angry expression.
How could he forget? He didn’t really get drunk last night, and he remembered everything he did clearly. It was precisely because he remembered so clearly that he dared not speak up.
“I didn’t forget.”
Lin Yu didn’t drive onto the main road, but turned into a shady path and parked the car by the side of the road. It was quiet and silent around, with only a few distant lights.
Su Chengyang looked at him suspiciously, unsure of what he intended to do.
Lin Yu turned to look at Su Chengyang and said, “I remember what happened last night very clearly. I know my behavior was bad and it may have left a psychological shadow on you, but I can’t argue that it wasn’t intentional.”
As Su Chengyang listened to his words, she became a bit confused. A psychological shadow? What kind of psychological shadow?
How could she have a psychological shadow when the person she likes kissed her?
“Chengyang, I’m truly sorry. I don’t want to force you or do anything you’re not willing to do.”
Su Chengyang could tell that Lin Yu was genuinely remorseful, and she couldn’t help but say, “Actually, I don’t mind.”
Lin Yu said, “Chengyang, you should mind. What I did to you was wrong, and maybe because you don’t dislike me, you thought it was no big deal. But such behavior in itself is a mistake.”
Su Chengyang was taken aback, realizing only then that Lin Yu had a broader perspective than she had thought.
She didn’t mind what Lin Yu did to her because she liked him, but what if she didn’t like him?
If someone she didn’t like did something like that to her, it would indeed leave a psychological shadow.
Such behavior is inherently wrong.
So, was that why he hurriedly fled last night?
Su Chengyang’s mood became a bit complicated. She looked at Lin Yu and asked, “Are you still hurt?”
Lin Yu paused for a moment and asked, “What?”
Su Chengyang’s cheeks were burning, and she whispered, “Tongue.”
The memories of last night seemed to resurface at this moment.
“It seems like there was bleeding in the end…” Su Chengyang’s voice grew lower and her head was almost buried in his arms.
She didn’t know that her words carried a seductive flavor.
Lin Yu looked at her crimson earlobe, his breath sinking. He covered his eyes with his hand and silently chuckled. He had to admit that his self-proclaimed self-control was nothing compared to Su Chengyang.
He came to apologize to Su Chengyang, swearing that he wouldn’t make the same mistake again. But upon seeing Su Chengyang for less than ten minutes, he couldn’t guarantee it anymore.
In the quiet car, in a secluded corner, Su Chengyang was defenseless, and that was so captivating.
Lin Yu’s Adam’s apple rolled, and he lowered his voice and said, “Aren’t you afraid?”
Su Chengyang shook her head, “If it’s others, I might be afraid, but if it’s you, I’m not.”
Su Chengyang remembered that she hadn’t explained herself to him yet, and she added, “I bit you last night just to make you stop, because there were other people around.”
With this statement, Su Chengyang’s seductive aura grew stronger.
She bit his tongue, not out of dislike or fear, but only because there were other people around.
But the environment they were in now was silent and deserted.
Lin Yu’s voice was hoarse, “Chengyang, have you accepted my apology?”
“Mm,” Su Chengyang nodded.
“Then do you want to apologize to me?”
Su Chengyang looked confused as she raised her head, meeting Lin Yu’s ink-like eyes. “Apologize for what?”
Lin Yu didn’t say anything. In the dim light, he cautiously stuck out the tip of his tongue, revealing the injured spot, then slowly released the seatbelt, saying:
“With your lips and teeth, apologize to my wound.”
