Not Accepting a Stranger's Concern

A row of luxury cars sat in Shu Sizhuo's garage. He picked a Maybach at random.

Tong Zhao climbed into the passenger seat and quietly fastened his seat belt, his head lowered.

Shu Sizhuo glanced at him. "Splendid Residential Complex or the company?"

Tong Zhao had planned to check on Shi Ruohe first, but after a moment's thought, he decided to go to the company. "The company."

The Maybach pulled out of the garage. The car was unusually quiet. Tong Zhao stole several glances at Shu Sizhuo, wondering if, once he got out, he would never have another chance to spend time alone with him like this.

His fingers tightened around his seat belt. Smiling, he cast about for something to say. "President Shu, I heard you were abroad a while ago?"

Shu Sizhuo paused, then said, "Mm."

"Which country?"

"The United Kingdom."

The United Kingdom—that was where his uncle was. He wondered how Hua Ruolin had been doing these past eight years.

"Were you there on business, or do you have relatives there?" Tong Zhao asked, though he already knew the answer.

"I have a company there." Shu Sizhuo paused, then added, "And a relative too."

He turned and gave him an amused glance. "What? Interested in my affairs?"

"No," Tong Zhao said guiltily. "I was just asking."

Shu Sizhuo nodded and asked, seemingly offhand, "What about you? Are your parents here?"

Tong Zhao hesitated. "No... they're not here."

"Oh? Where's your hometown?"

Alarm bells went off in Tong Zhao's head. He averted his eyes and gave a vague answer. "It's pretty far away..."

Unless something unexpected happened, taskers were usually given the identities of orphans. The General Institute had several orphanages in every little world. Orphans were the easiest to get identity documents for, and an orphanage was also the most plausible place for someone to suddenly appear and disappear.

He had taken on Shu Sizhuo's task twice before, both times as an orphan. Although Shu Sizhuo hadn't recognized him this time, the more he said, the more mistakes he could make. He still had to be careful.

Fortunately, Shu Sizhuo didn't ask any more questions.

After they had driven a while, Tong Zhao struck up another conversation.

"President Shu, is it exhausting running such a big company?"

During the six months he had been away, he had missed Shu Sizhuo terribly. The General Institute had forbidden him from contacting Shu Sizhuo again. He had tried everything to get a task in this world, only because he wanted to sneak a few glimpses of Shu Sizhuo. Seeing that he was well would put his mind at ease.

Now, sitting in the car with Shu Sizhuo, he suddenly had so many questions he wanted to ask him.

Shu Sizhuo seemed to find the question amusing. Turning the steering wheel, he said leisurely, "Pretty exhausting. I'm always hungry and never know where my next meal is coming from. I also have to drink at business functions all the time. I've even developed stomach trouble."

"What?" Tong Zhao was heartbroken. He frowned and looked at him anxiously. "Your company's already so big. Can't you take it a little easier? At least eat three meals a day on time. You have plenty of standing in the business world, so why do you have to drink at those functions? Weren't you doing just fine drinking tea last night?"

As soon as the words tumbled out, Tong Zhao felt he had overstepped. Right now, he was just a washed-up celebrity who had met Shu Sizhuo once. Excessive concern would make it look as though he wanted something from him.

He promptly cleared his throat. "I mean, everyone needs to take care of themselves. Your health is the foundation of everything."

The light was red. The Maybach slowly came to a stop, and Shu Sizhuo turned to look at him intently.

His gaze was inscrutable. Tong Zhao unconsciously pressed his back against the seat and looked back at him, puzzled.

After a long moment, Shu Sizhuo tapped his fingers twice against the steering wheel and smiled. "Thanks, but I don't accept a stranger's concern."

Tong Zhao felt a breath catch in his chest, unable to come out or go back down. He couldn't say a word for a long while.

Not until the light changed and the car moved forward.

Tong Zhao stared at Shu Sizhuo's handsome, captivating profile, a jumble of emotions in his heart.

Although he knew it wasn't Shu Sizhuo's fault, the word "stranger" still stung.

After dropping Tong Zhao off downstairs at the company, the Maybach sped away. Watching Tong Zhao's figure grow smaller in the rearview mirror, Shu Sizhuo began breathing faster and faster, and his hand twitched more violently.

He turned a corner and pulled over. Frantically, he took some medicine from the center console, put a few pills in his mouth, and swallowed them with water. Only then did his symptoms gradually ease.

Shu Sizhuo closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat. He pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit it, the flame flickering gently.

He clamped his teeth around the filter, took a drag, and slowly exhaled, his long, thick eyelashes trembling slightly.

By the time the cigarette had burned halfway down, his heartbeat had gradually steadied. Shu Sizhuo dialed an overseas number, and soon a calm female voice came through the receiver. "Hello, Jor."

"Mia, how's it going?"

"It's still undergoing safety testing."

"How much longer?"

"About a month."

"Mm. As soon as possible."

After hanging up, Shu Sizhuo's face took on an impatient expression.

Why... another month?

Tong Zhao watched the Maybach turn the corner and disappear. He stood there for quite a while, his thoughts in turmoil, until someone accidentally bumped his shoulder and brought him back to his senses.

He took a deep breath, composed himself, and turned to enter the company.

It's all right. As long as I'm still in this little world, I can sneak off to see Shu Sizhuo.

Tong Zhao took the elevator to his agent's office. Sister Wan was on the phone with a hand to her head. When she saw him come in, she gestured for him to wait.

As the call was ending, Sister Wan let out a mournful sigh. "I really am getting old. I can't drink like I used to."

"Thanks for last night, Sister Wan. You really are a heroine among women."

"Give it a rest. You can use that mouth to sweet-talk other people, but don't try it on me."

Tong Zhao smiled. "Sister Wan, how did last night... go?"

Sister Wan looked at him and chuckled. "I just asked President Lu. He said there shouldn't be a problem, and to wait for word."

Tong Zhao breathed a sigh of relief too.

Good. That 17,200 meal wasn't for nothing!

Sister Wan tapped her leopard-print nails on the desk, her foxlike eyes curving. "President Lu said President Li wants to give you two a little taste of what's to come: two small commercial gigs."

"Really? What commercials?" It wasn't that Tong Zhao was eager to shoot commercials, but he was dead broke. If he was going to live in this little world, he had to earn some extra money!

"You've got shampoo. Shi Ruohe's got a space heater."

The corner of Tong Zhao's eye twitched.

"Be grateful. One of you is a newcomer and the other's a washed-up celebrity. Treat the little commercials as practice," Sister Wan said. "The contracts will be ready this afternoon. Tell Shi Ruohe to come to the company and sign his. You can shoot tomorrow."

He had heard commercials got made quickly, but he hadn't expected them to be this fast.

"Tomorrow?" Tong Zhao touched his hair. "Can I really do a shampoo commercial?"

"Of course." Sister Wan studied his hair. "It's so black and silky, and you're so handsome. You're more than fit for it. Have some confidence."

When Tong Zhao took the General Institute's exams, he had scraped a pass in every subject. As a tasker, he needed not only moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and practical skills, but also a strong ability to learn.

He had to know a little about every profession, as well as a bit about astronomy and geography.

Because you never knew what identity you would have for your next task.