You Rong's heart leaped, his pupils shrinking. For someone usually so composed, his face now betrayed undisguised shock.
He wasn't the only one astonished. Lin Qinghe's voice, neither too loud nor too soft, carried to Yuan Xiao Ai and Hu Xiao Bei in the back seat. They, too, wore expressions of utter bewilderment.
Good heavens!
Had they heard correctly? Lin Qinghe said she liked You Rong?!!
Yuan Xiao Ai and Hu Xiao Bei exchanged glances, seeing the same shock in each other's eyes. They instantly realized it wasn't their mishearing, but that Lin Qinghe had indeed confessed her feelings for You Rong!
You Rong lowered his gaze to Lin Qinghe, his lips parting slightly but no sound emerged. Perhaps overcome by shock, he didn't know what to say.
Lin Qinghe narrowed her eyes, quite pleased with You Rong's reaction. She continued to murmur, "You Rong, I like you... I actually liked you a long time ago, hehe... You didn't know, did you..."
You Rong finally came to his senses, his brows furrowed, and he looked at Lin Qinghe with a complex gaze. "...You're drunk."
"No!" Lin Qinghe suddenly sat up straight, her eyes slightly red as she stared at You Rong, her voice laced with grievance. "I'm not drunk! I just said... I like you! You don't know, why else would I have gone on 'Simple Life' and filmed 'Ask the Heavens' if I didn't like you? I wanted to make amends for my mistakes, to get closer to you, I..."
As Lin Qinghe spoke, she let out a rather convincing hiccup. White mist gathered in her eyes, slowly turning into tears that welled up. "But all of this... all of this... you don't know... you still hate me just like you did two years ago, you haven't changed at all, you still dislike me..."
Seeing her pour out her feelings and look so wronged, You Rong's brows remained tightly knit, and he stayed silent.
Yuan Xiao Ai grew anxious and, steeling herself, interjected, "Um... Sister Qinghe, sorry, but Sister Qinghe must be drunk, just saying nonsense. You... you shouldn't take it seriously... hehe..."
"Who says! I'm not drunk!" Lin Qinghe stared intently at You Rong and repeated, "You Rong! I like you!"
Yuan Xiao Ai was now frantic, completely at a loss. Although there were several people in the car, a profound silence fell, creating an unspeakably awkward atmosphere.
Lin Qinghe had expected You Rong to say something, even if it was a rejection. However, he remained silent throughout. The subtle tension was broken only when they arrived at the hotel and the driver stopped the car. Yuan Xiao Ai then hastily got out, rushing to help Lin Qinghe.
"Sister Qinghe, we're here... I, I'll take you back to your room to rest!" Su Dan Novel Network
You Rong remained seated in the car. Hu Xiao Bei scratched his head. "Um, Xiao Ai... should I help carry Sister Qinghe up?"
Yuan Xiao Ai, flustered by Lin Qinghe's confession, shook her head vigorously. "No... no need! The hotel staff are here, I'll have them help Sister Qinghe up!"
If they were photographed returning to the hotel in You Rong's car, it could lead to all sorts of rumors. And if You Rong's assistant helped Lin Qinghe back to her room, it would be even harder to explain.
Especially considering Lin Qinghe's feelings for You Rong!
Hu Xiao Bei understood and nodded. "Then be careful going upstairs."
"Okay, we're leaving! Goodbye!"
Lin Qinghe was supported by Yuan Xiao Ai and the hotel staff as she walked away. She hadn't expected a response from You Rong with this confession; her goal was simply to make him aware of her feelings, and that had been achieved.
After Lin Qinghe left.
You Rong sat in the car, his eyes downcast, lost in thought. Hu Xiao Bei tentatively asked, "Brother? Shall we go up and rest too?"
You Rong didn't answer. Just as Hu Xiao Bei was debating whether to ask again, You Rong suddenly looked up and said, "Call Brother Gu. I have something I need to ask him."
Hu Xiao Bei was taken aback. "Ah? Call Brother Gu? Why? It's so late, Brother Gu should be resting. How about we call tomorrow?"
You Rong's gaze was inscrutable, his tone unusually firm. "Call Brother Gu!"
"Then... alright, I'll call Brother Gu now."
Hu Xiao Bei took out his phone and dialed Gu Wen Sheng's number. When Gu Wen Sheng answered, Hu Xiao Bei handed the phone to You Rong. "Brother, it's... Brother Gu."
You Rong took the phone. "Brother Gu."
"Oh, You Rong. Aren't you still filming with the 'Ask the Heavens' crew? Why are you calling me so late? Is there something important you need to tell me?"
You Rong pursed his lips and voiced the suspicion that had arisen the moment he heard Lin Qinghe's confession. "Brother Gu, why did Shang Hua Pictures sign me? Is it related to Director Zhang? It was Director Zhang's idea, wasn't it?"
Gu Wen Sheng, on the other end of the line, was secretly astonished.
You Rong found out?
No, he had strictly followed Director Zhang's instructions and hadn't revealed the slightest hint that Shang Hua signing You Rong was his doing. Had You Rong caught wind of something from someone else?
However, being someone who had been in the entertainment industry for over a decade, Gu Wen Sheng reacted quickly and feigned ignorance. "What does Director Zhang have to do with Shang Hua signing you? Don't tell me you think that because Director Zhang is a major shareholder at Shang Hua, signing you was his idea? You're thinking too much. Signing you was a decision made after careful consideration by many company executives. Of course... it wasn't Director Zhang's idea, but Director Zhang was aware of it and approved it."
Was he overthinking things?
Shang Hua paying his breach of contract fees and temporarily settling his debts were all coincidences, unrelated to anyone else?
Hearing You Rong's silence, Gu Wen Sheng finally realized that You Rong had been trying to trick him.
Fortunately, he had reacted quickly and hadn't followed You Rong's lead, otherwise, Director Zhang's instructions would have been exposed.
Gu Wen Sheng said, "You Rong, I don't know if you've heard something, but I can tell you responsibly that although you are an artist under Shang Hua, Director Zhang has very high requirements for the roles in his productions. So, if you want to be in his plays, there are no shortcuts other than diligently improving your acting skills. Furthermore, if you work hard, the company won't mistreat you."
You Rong gathered his thoughts and said in a low voice, "Alright, Brother Gu, I understand. I'll take my acting seriously."
"Good, it's best that you understand. Well... it's late, and you have filming tomorrow. Get some rest early."
"Okay, sorry to disturb you so late, Brother Gu. Get some rest, goodnight."
After hanging up, Gu Wen Sheng immediately called Zhang Shang Hua to inform him that You Rong seemed suspicious. Zhang Shang Hua dismissed it, telling Gu Wen Sheng to continue as instructed.
After hanging up, Zhang Shang Hua grumbled with dissatisfaction, "Where is that brat You Rong so good? My precious darling daughter is dead set on this one, and seeing the online discussions these past few days makes me so angry..."
...
You Rong handed the phone back to Hu Xiao Bei and got out of the car, returning to his hotel room to rest.
In his hotel room, he recalled Lin Qinghe's tearful words, his brows furrowed.
He didn't like Lin Qinghe, nor did he need her to do anything for him.
After much deliberation, You Rong decided to try and explain things to Lin Qinghe as gently as possible tomorrow.
Meanwhile, on her bed in her room, Lin Qinghe, who had held out no hope, suddenly heard a system prompt: "Progress bar increased by 5%, total progress bar at 15%."