I've got terminal laziness

It was clearly still summer, but Xu Su felt a winter wind sweeping toward the wild forests of the northern frontier.

He forced a hint of a smile and instantly adjusted his tone, sounding exactly like an old eunuch who had been castrated thirty years ago:

"Brother Nan~ Hehe, I'm so sorry. I wasn't fully awake just now. That was all sleep talk, so please don't take it to heart."

"...Are you sure you don't have schizophrenia?" Cheng Nan was a little at a loss.

Xu Su ignored that remark. "Don't worry. I'll head over right away. I guarantee I'll be there in front of you within half an hour."

After hanging up, Xu Su immediately broke up with his bed, quickly got ready, and raced toward his destination. His mind was filled with Cheng Nan's remark about "making ten million or paying thirty million," and he completely forgot Huo Yuchen existed, let alone that he still had a job as his assistant.

At five thirty in the morning, he arrived at the shoot location in Huai'an.

Inside the studio, Cheng Nan was discussing something with the photographer. Seeing that Xu Su had finally arrived, he immediately called for the makeup artist to get to work:

"Move, move! Time is like a scumbag in heat. It won't stay put and wait for us to get a grip on it!"

The makeup artist was a pretty, innocent young woman with extensive makeup experience but little romantic experience. At these words barreling straight into dirty territory at a hundred and eighty miles an hour, her earlobes instantly turned red.

So much so that when she invited Xu Su to sit at the makeup table, she looked exactly like a novice soliciting her first customer in a red-light district.

Relieved that Cheng Nan currently had no time to scold him, Xu Su was in an excellent mood and kindly reassured the makeup artist.

"Xiao Jing, don't listen to Brother Nan's nonsense. Time is clearly like a scumbag who's constantly popping pills. As long as you're willing, you can't go back to the past, but you can absolutely get a grip on it again, starting from the 'head.'"

"..."

Xiao Jing's ears grew even redder. She stamped her foot and chided him, "Mr. Xu, what nonsense are you talking about!"

Xu Su blinked. "Am I wrong?"

"You!"

Xiao Jing was too embarrassed to find any words.

"What are you dawdling for!"

Hearing the two of them muttering away without getting started, Cheng Nan shouted irritably from across the room, "The person in charge will be here any minute. Get a move on!"

"Okay, right away!"

Xiao Jing was timid. She immediately began rummaging through her bag, not daring to waste another second.

Xu Su, on the other hand, unhurriedly yawned before listlessly asking which brand's endorsement they were shooting today.

Cheng Nan had more or less finished talking to the photographer, too. He walked over with the contract and explained that this endorsement was for a highly recognizable domestic jewelry brand.

Normally, an opportunity like this would never have gone to Xu Su.

But times had changed. Xu Su was no longer a rat crossing the street that everyone wanted to beat. His popularity had returned to its peak, so similar endorsements were already lining up.

Keeping his temper in check, Cheng Nan earnestly reminded him, "As long as you work hard and stop being so love-brained like before, I guarantee your popularity will stay strong."

Xu Su tilted his head up slightly to look at him. "Don't worry, brother. I won't be love-brained anymore."

"Good!"

Cheng Nan was deeply gratified.

He had waited an entire year for those words. Now that Xu Su had finally come to his senses, he could hardly contain his excitement.

"And don't you worry either. I'll take your opportunities to the next level as soon as possible!"

He made that promise with soaring confidence, his mind full of plans for Xu Su's future, only to hear Xu Su say a moment later:

"But I don't want to be a celebrity anymore, either. Can I leave the industry right now?"

"..."

Cheng Nan's expression froze on the spot.

He could not understand why Xu Su, whose body temperature held steady at thirty-seven degrees Celsius, kept coming up with such cold ideas.

To him, an entertainer choosing to retire at the height of his popularity was like choosing to become a monk when faced with a lovely wife, choosing to donate when faced with cultural relics, or choosing unemployment when faced with a promotion.

-They were all sick choices!

Frowning, he studied Xu Su as he pondered deeply, then cautiously asked, "Have you... been diagnosed with... some terminal illness?"

Xu Su discreetly rolled his eyes, then answered in the affirmative. "Yes, that's right. I have a terminal illness."

"!!!"

Cheng Nan instantly paled with shock.

He had never expected a random guess to hit the mark. He was practically a divine fortune-teller.

Suppressing the urge to go buy a lottery ticket, he hurriedly asked, "What illness?"

Xu Su answered without so much as blinking, "Terminal laziness."

Cheng Nan: "...?"

How the fuck did that count as an illness?

Listening nearby, Xiao Jing wore a complicated expression, shock mingled with confusion, regret mixed with contemplation.

After hesitating for quite a while, she asked uncertainly, "Mr. Xu, does... that count as an illness?"

Cheng Nan abruptly raised his head and gave her a look that said "+1," while thinking that her question would have been perfect with an added fuck.

Xu Su nodded calmly. "I think it does. It's just that my cancer doesn't harm my body or affect my lifespan."

"..."

Xiao Jing was speechless, while Cheng Nan exploded.

"If it doesn't harm your body or affect your lifespan, how can you call it 'cancer'!!!"

Looking at the flames shooting up Cheng Nan from head to toe, Xu Su really wanted to shut his mouth, but still failed to stop himself:

"...Nobody said DIY had to be limited to cakes and accessories..."

"Xu Su!!!"

"Yes, yes, brother. I'm right here."

"Tell me just what kind of ideas you've got in that head of yours..."

For the next half hour, Xu Su felt as though his ears were being gang-raped.

By the time Cheng Nan was more or less done scolding him, Xu Su's hair and makeup were finished, too.

A simple style, light makeup, and an air of refined nobility.

Beneath his carefully styled hair were features so perfect that not a single flaw could be found, his deep-set, sharply defined eyes and brows brimming with ease and languor.

Only a few buttons on his styled shirt had been casually fastened. Beneath his long, slender neck lay a stretch of fair, delicate collarbone, his exposed skin as tender and clear as a baby's.

Although the studio staff had all seen Xu Su far more than once, his looks still stunned them.

Especially now that he had shed his tarnished reputation and become popular, his beauty seemed to have risen another level in everyone's eyes.

Cheng Nan turned back after drinking some water and saw him, his eyes flashing with irrepressible shock and delight.

"Fuck, what exactly happened? You clearly haven't had plastic surgery, so why do you seem so different from before?"

Xiao Jing had done Xu Su's makeup before, and she felt it strongly, too. "Yes, Mr. Xu, you really are more... um... than before."

She wanted to say something, but could not find the right words.

Xu Su could not explain that the Xu Su they had seen before and the Xu Su standing in front of them now were not the same person.

He could only make something up. "It must be because Xiao Jing's makeup skills have improved again."

He looked at Xiao Jing, the corners of his lips lifting slightly. "Tell me, did you go abroad for further training?"

At his praise, Xiao Jing's little face immediately reddened, and she shyly turned away. "Of course not!"

Unable to stand them wasting time (flirting) here, Cheng Nan hurriedly waved Xu Su toward the center of the set. "Go, go, go. Make the most of our time!"

Xu Su obediently walked over, briefly greeted the photographer, then stood in the designated spot and quietly waited for the shoot to begin.

Just then, Xiao Jing suddenly ran over. "Mr. Xu, your phone's ringing. Do you want to answer it?"

Xu Su took the phone and looked closely. It was Huo Yuchen calling.

In that instant, like an amnesiac suddenly recovering his memories, Xu Su abruptly remembered that he had left in such a rush, and Huo Yuchen had still been asleep, so he had not had time to tell Huo Yuchen before leaving.

He tapped to answer. "Hello, um..."

He had barely begun his explanation when a low voice laced with anger came from the other end. "Where are you."