Crack.
Lu Yanchu felt as though he had heard something shatter. An icy chill surged into his chest a moment later, stabbing viciously at his heart.
Utter disgrace? Him?
Lu Yanchu had never imagined those words could apply to him. Throughout his years in the entertainment industry, he had kept his conduct clean and weighed every word and action carefully. He had built his career through his own hard work, one step at a time. He had even scorned so-called shortcuts. What could possibly destroy his reputation overnight?
At that thought, Lu Yanchu's brow suddenly twitched, and his darkened gaze turned to the script on the coffee table.
Ji Ting's inner voice seemed surprised by when he had signed on for "Wind's Edge." Could the problem lie with this film?
But even if it did, how did Ji Ting know?
Too many doubts and suspicions crowded Lu Yanchu's mind at once, yet when he turned to Ji Ting, his expression became even more natural. "How about this? There's no need to trouble anyone else. I originally scheduled my follow-up appointment for tomorrow, but I have nothing else to do today. I might as well head back to Ruihe with you."
As he spoke, he casually turned his face slightly, revealing the scar on his ear.
Ji Ting was just about to politely decline when Lu Yanchu smiled at him. "Give me a moment. I'll go upstairs and get my car keys."
Whatever happened, he couldn't simply let Ji Ting leave. Even if he couldn't uncover the whole truth, he at least had to dig up a few clues.
After Lu Yanchu went upstairs, Ji Ting picked up the script on the coffee table.
He flipped through a few pages, then put it back exactly as it had been.
The screenplay itself was fine, and the original novel had even won the Mao Dun Literature Prize. But the problem seemed to lie with...
Upstairs in his room, Lu Yanchu's heart abruptly seized, and even the fingers hanging at his side clenched.
Ji Ting frowned slightly. If I remember correctly, the book never went into any detail.
A book?
What book?
Another mystery slammed into Lu Yanchu, making the whole affair even more bewildering. He desperately wanted to hear more, but Ji Ting's inner voice suddenly vanished.
It wasn't that Ji Ting had broken off his train of thought. He genuinely didn't know what had caused it.
Everything at the heart of "Out of Control, Lost in Love" served the romance plot. Three of the tops held lofty positions and wielded immense power, but each suffered a setback at the most critical point in his career.
Why did those setbacks happen? Did the reasons make any sense? None of that mattered.
What mattered was that whenever these tops hit rock bottom, the protagonist bottom was always by their side, helping them regain their confidence, dispel the gloom, and find salvation from their darkened lives.
In the process, their relationships with the protagonist bottom naturally reached major new milestones, which then, as a matter of course, intensified the four tops' rivalry over him.
Every time Ji Ting read those parts, he found the logic an utter mess, harder to understand than any experiment.
Lu Yanchu timed his return downstairs and raised the car keys in his hand. "Let's go."
They went outside and got into Lu Yanchu's car. At first, both were preoccupied with their own thoughts, and neither spoke. When they reached the first intersection, Lu Yanchu broke the silence. "Ji Ting, if you want to know how Ling Xi is doing, you can contact me anytime."
He had intended to use this as a way to get Ji Ting's contact details, making it easier to invite him out again later. Little did he know that his excuse had hit Ji Ting's sore spot squarely.
"No, thanks. Since you said he's doing well, I'd better not bother him." The reason Ji Ting had wanted to decline the ride was precisely that he knew Lu Yanchu would talk to him about the protagonist bottom on the way.
Lu Yanchu glanced toward the passenger seat, a complicated feeling stirring in his heart.
After a moment of silence, he said gently, "Actually, a lot of things in life aren't as terrible as you imagine. As long as you don't give up, things might clear up for you in the near future."
Ji Ting's brow shifted slightly, confusion showing in his eyes. Was Lu Yanchu... encouraging me?
Lu Yanchu left it at that and didn't pursue the subject. What concerned him more now was his impending disgrace.
"Ji Ting, are you interested in investing in films?"
Ji Ting shook his head. "No."
He never ventured into things he didn't understand, and he didn't have any money right now, either.
Lu Yanchu kept his tone conversational, as though he were merely trying to prevent an awkward silence between them. "My next film is about to get off the ground. People in the industry are very optimistic about its return on investment, so I'm planning to try my hand at producing, too."
His next film?
Ji Ting thought, Even if I had the money, I couldn't invest in that.
Lu Yanchu's fingers tightened slightly around the steering wheel. Now he could be certain: the problem lay with "Edge of the Wind" itself.
But where exactly did the problem lie, and how could he coax the answer out of Ji Ting? For the moment, Lu Yanchu couldn't think of a suitable approach.
The villa was only a few kilometers from Ruihe, so they arrived shortly afterward. Ji Ting said goodbye to Lu Yanchu, opened the door, and got out.
As he watched Ji Ting climb into his red sports car, Lu Yanchu's trademark smile slowly faded.
He sat quietly in the car for several minutes, then suddenly started the engine and drove out of the parking lot.
Lu Yanchu had thought of something crucial. He had been able to hear Ji Ting's voice from his bedroom earlier, which meant those thoughts could travel at least seven to ten meters.
In that case, he could try his luck at the Ji Family Manor. If he could hear Ji Ting from outside, he was sure to gain something unexpected.
Partway there, Lu Yanchu suddenly turned into a shopping mall.
He waited in the car for about fifteen minutes before his manager got in, carrying a bag.
"Good thing I was running errands nearby. Otherwise, you'd have had to call Xiao Ma or one of the others." His manager handed over the bag. "Here. What you wanted."
"Thanks."
"What are you buying a new phone for?" His manager suddenly paused, then immediately reminded him, "Don't use it in public. The phone brand you endorse is a competitor of this one."
Lu Yanchu smiled. "Don't worry."
More than forty minutes later, Lu Yanchu parked near the Ji Family Old Residence.
He knew the manor would be covered by security cameras without a single blind spot, so he made no attempt to hide. He simply parked openly not far from the gates.
Lu Yanchu sat in the car for nearly an hour, but unfortunately, he heard nothing.
Just as he was considering whether to leave, the Ji Family's gates suddenly opened, and a bodyguard came out.
The bodyguard approached and knocked on his window. Lu Yanchu lowered it, and the man said, "Sir, this is a private residential area. If you have no business here, please leave as soon as possible."
Lu Yanchu took off his sunglasses and smiled. "I'm waiting for Ji Ting. He left his phone in my car, and I can't reach him."
The bodyguard recognized his face immediately, and his tone became less stern. "The Second Young Master is already back. I can call the main house for you."
Lu Yanchu hesitated slightly. "If it's convenient, I'd rather go in and return it to him in person."
The bodyguard suspected nothing. After all, someone of Lu Yanchu's standing certainly wouldn't do anything dangerous. "Then please come with me."
Lu Yanchu got out of the car and followed him toward the gates.
They had only taken a few steps inside when the gates opened again, and a black Cullinan drove in.
The moment Lu Yanchu saw the car, he knew things were about to go wrong. Sure enough, the Cullinan stopped beside him a second later.
The window slowly lowered, revealing Ji Yanzhi's cold, stern face.
"Lu Yanchu?"
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