Strictly Managed

"Wait, where did you two go?" Director Zhu looked around, then turned and spotted Jiang Tingxu and Si You coming from the dormitory direction. His expression changed at once.

Jiang Tingxu said softly, "Bathroom."

Director Zhu: "...Are you two elementary schoolers? You need company to use the bathroom?"

Si You: "..."

Jiang Tingxu shot him a cool look, and Director Zhu quickly waved his hands. "Fine, fine. Hurry up, next scene."

Director Zhu had been coordinating Journey since filming began. Saying he wasn't tired would be a lie. Jiang Tingxu was treating everyone to dinner tonight, and he wanted to wrap up quickly so they could go have a good meal.

Si You didn't move. He leaned against the wall and took a while to calm down on his own.

No, was this really normal? In his previous life, Si You had either been grinding away or on his way to grind away. He had social interactions too, but he had never... Thinking of the warmth against his waist just now, the repeated contact while his back was stroked, Si You felt heat blaze up from those two spots. Trying to cover it up, he looked around, sniffed, and scratched at his hair like he had ADHD.

"Si You." Huahua stepped forward, her inscrutable expression carrying a trace of lewdness.

Si You saw it coming. "If you say I'm blushing again, I'll have Linzi replace you."

Huahua immediately raised two fingers toward the sky. "I swear I'll never say that again! You're radiant, poised, and elegant—the very model of a handsome man!"

Si You silently conceded that this flattery was decent enough.

The rest were all scenes between Jiang Tingxu and Lu Xiangrong.

The emperor was only forty, yet already showed signs of weariness. He was suspicious and sensitive by nature. Whether it was the veteran ministers left behind by the late emperor or his own sons, he trusted none of them completely. He clung desperately to the dragon throne, savoring the taste of power with all his might every day. Yet there was something in this world called "natural talent." Feng Emperor looked at Lu Tu standing below. Though the other man knelt with his head lowered, his spine remained incomparably straight, as if nothing could crush him.

I am already the emperor. What could I possibly fail to obtain?

Yet in Feng Emperor's eyes as he looked at Lu Tu, a flicker of envy remained impossible to suppress.

Why did Heaven send down such a son?!

Feng Emperor slowly sat down, supporting himself on the dragon throne. A flash of killing intent passed through his eyes.

"Cut!" Director Zhu sprang to his feet. "That's good!"

Lu Xiangrong was a seasoned actor, and acting opposite him went very smoothly.

Jiang Tingxu turned around and found Si You still standing there.

"Let's go." Jiang Tingxu approached him and said, "Go change and get dinner."

The makeup artist helped them remove their wigs first. There wasn't time for a shower, so Si You carried a bottle of shampoo to the public faucets to wash his hair. Passing a makeup room, he saw Su Ya and Sun Wenzhu touching up their makeup side by side.

Su Ya noticed Si You and greeted him warmly. "You're done already?"

Si You nodded. "I just need to blow-dry my hair."

Su Ya looked Si You up and down, then seemed to notice something. Her expression turned wistful.

Like Jiang Tingxu, Si You had the kind of looks that suited makeup and the camera without much embellishment. Su Ya and the others still needed to touch up their makeup and style themselves to make sure they looked presentable at dinner. If paparazzi happened to catch them, they couldn't afford to look embarrassing. But Si You had clearly removed his makeup, casually washed his hair, and gotten several patches of his T-shirt wet. His fair skin was nearly flawless, his hair slightly messy. He looked exactly like the eye-catching campus heartthrob from one's college days, brimming with youthful energy.

Naturally beautiful. No helping it.

"Why did you wash your hair outside?" Jiang Tingxu asked as soon as Si You entered the room.

"No one was out there. It was faster."

"Was there hot water?"

"Yeah."

Jiang Tingxu nodded and gave him the hairdryer.

After drying his hair, Si You sat on the bed and stretched his limbs comfortably. Wearing the costume for too long had weighed on his shoulders too.

Jiang Tingxu went into the inner room. When he came out, he was wearing black pants and black boots, a white base layer beneath a light blue leather jacket. His tousled bangs brushed his eyelashes. It was a very casual outfit, but it somehow made Si You's thoughts short-circuit.

Jiang Tingxu fiddled with his phone, messaging Sister Chen. He didn't even look in this direction, but suddenly smiled.

Feeling guilty, Si You quickly looked away.

"Let's go," Jiang Tingxu said. "Take my car."

"What about Sister Su and the others..."

"They'll probably need a while longer to get ready. No need to wait."

Jiang Tingxu's van was larger and roomier. When Si You bent down to get in, he found an acquaintance inside and greeted her. "Hello, Sister Chen."

Sister Chen smiled. "Hello."

Si You sat in the row in front of Sister Chen. When Jiang Tingxu got in, Sister Chen's eyes practically contorted into countless shapes. She was one step away from grabbing him by the collar and demanding answers, but Jiang Tingxu acted as if he saw nothing and sat down beside Si You.

Sister Chen: "..." There was so much space, and he just had to squeeze in there?

There were only two seats in Si You's row. Both men had long legs, and with their relaxed sitting postures, their knees inevitably pressed close together.

Si You coughed lightly and didn't move.

Otherwise, pulling back now would look too deliberate.

The scenery flashed past outside the window. On a massive screen in the plaza, Si You saw an advertisement for the luxury watch Jiang Tingxu endorsed. The man had his hair slicked back, looking mature and imposing. Si You had played domineering CEOs before, but he had always felt such characters were somewhat ridiculous and detached from reality. Bringing something from the two-dimensional world into the three-dimensional one was bound to create a barrier. Yet at that moment, he found himself wondering whether Jiang Tingxu would look like that when he inherited the family business someday.

Si You was thinking so seriously that if he had spared even a sliver of attention, he would have seen Jiang Tingxu staring at him in the window's reflection.

Sister Chen didn't even dare look up. Jiang Tingxu wasn't holding back at all!

She furiously jabbed at her phone screen, demanding to know what the hell was going on from the assistant?!

The assistant replied with a kneeling, sobbing sticker.

Jiang Tingxu's assistant was named Qian Su, a handsome twenty-six-year-old, but life had battered him too harshly, forcing him to weather this storm. The Best Actor had such a bright future ahead of him, so why did he insist on becoming friends with Si You? Besides, Qian Su had already reported it to Sister Chen, and Sister Chen had said it was fine. Why was she blowing up now?

Clearly, what had set Sister Chen off differed from Qian Su's understanding. The problem was that Qian Su was a straight man, and not as perceptive as a woman.

At that moment, Qian Su and Huahua sat in the front row. Seeing Qian Su sigh and put away his phone, Huahua pulled out a corn candy from her pocket and handed it to him. "Have one."

Qian Su accepted it out of politeness. "Thanks."

The car soon arrived at their destination, a rather secluded upscale club. Jiang Tingxu had booked out an entire floor, and a waiter immediately came over to help park the car.

Besides the main cast, Jiang Tingxu had also invited several supporting actors with smaller roles. With so many people gathered together, it was quite lively.

Si You found a sofa in the corner and sat down first. Not far away was a dance floor, with lights converging from all directions toward the center, though nothing had started yet.

Huahua had bought off Qian Su with a piece of candy. She decisively abandoned Si You and followed Qian Su to eat snacks.

Before long, Gao Jin arrived and sat on another sofa not far from Si You.

Si You glanced at him and ignored him.

Gao Jin's sharp, gloomy gaze landed on Si You from time to time, accompanied by sneers. Gao Jin had to admit that ever since the second season of Spring Heartbeat, Si You had undergone a complete transformation. He had become the kind of person who could seize one's attention at a single glance. Gao Jin's entertainment company wasn't that large, but it had still gone all out in promoting him, making him the undisputed authority within the company. People were easily trapped within narrow confines. Long-term arrogance could create the mistaken belief that "what I see is the whole world." Usually, newcomers at the company fawned over Gao Jin and tried every way to make an impression on him. Gao Jin welcomed everyone, men and women alike, and had played around with quite a few people behind the scenes.

Over time, he had grown bored, feeling that they were all the same. But the first time Gao Jin saw Si You, his heart had raced violently.

Gao Jin hadn't expected Si You to reject him. In his view, Si You simply didn't know his place. Did he think there was a chance between him and Jiang Tingxu just because Jiang Tingxu treated him a little better? For all he knew, Jiang Tingxu might just want to play around too.

A while later, Director Zhu, several assistant directors, and even the producer entered. Everyone immediately rose to greet them, and the chaotic revelry officially began.

Si You watched with his own eyes as the drama's fourth male lead sat intimately beside an assistant director. After taking two sips of wine, he even kissed the other man on the face.

Damn!

The assistant director had a huge belly, and years of drinking and smoking had left his eyes cloudy. Si You would rather quit the industry than let someone like that take advantage of him.

"Si You!" Director Zhu held a wineglass as he scanned the room, then spotted Si You behind the crowd and pulled him over. "You're the treasure of an actor Jiang Tingxu introduced to me. Come on, bottoms up!"

Si You was holding juice, which definitely wouldn't do.

Jiang Tingxu suddenly said, "He shouldn't drink. He just got out of the hospital."

Director Zhu didn't let Si You off. "Did the doctor say you can't drink?"

Not exactly.

Being appreciated by Director Zhu depended not only on one's own ability, but also on luck. Si You gave Jiang Tingxu a look that said it was fine, picked up an untouched glass from the table, lowered the rim half an inch, and lightly clinked it against Director Zhu's. "Thank you, Director Zhu. Cheers!"

Director Zhu was delighted. "All right!"

It was red wine, not too hard to drink, but the aftertaste was spicy and intense. Si You covered his mouth and coughed twice. A producer he had never met before stared straight at Si You. Seeing this, he also raised his wineglass and stepped forward. "Come on, let's..."

Before he could finish, Si You staggered backward, his back bumping into a chest. Jiang Tingxu's voice sounded above his head. "He's not drinking anymore."

Jiang Tingxu's tone was usually light, as though it could disperse in the wind. But when he got serious, his emotions came across with precise clarity. Like right now, Jiang Tingxu had no intention of negotiating. Literally speaking, Si You was done drinking.

The producer looked somewhat awkward. Su Ya smiled and clinked glasses with him. "Brother Wang, why are you only getting here now?"

The producer found his way out and began telling Su Ya about how busy and miserable he had been lately.

"Sister Su, she..."

"Su Ya is fierce as hell." Jiang Tingxu placed one hand on Si You's shoulder and led him out of the crowd. Seemingly recalling something, amusement and admiration surfaced in his eyes. "After the Thousand Colors Award ceremony, an investor got drunk and tried to take advantage of Su Ya. She beat him with her high heels until his face was covered in blood. And Su Ya has connections, so those people don't dare mess with her."

"Awesome!" Si You threw a punch at the air.

Jiang Tingxu took him to the quiet dining area. It was essentially a buffet, filled with an array of food.

"I'm hungry. What about you?" Jiang Tingxu took out a plate and handed it to Si You.

"I'm hungry." Si You took it, but after only two steps, he heard Jiang Tingxu say, "No crayfish."

Si You looked utterly despondent. "Boiled shrimp is okay, right?"

Jiang Tingxu nodded.