Do you care that much about Xu Shi?

Xu Shi followed Song Zhixing's gaze.

The lighting in the corner was too dim for him to see clearly. All he could make out was the back door moving.

It seemed someone had left.

Was it a staff member?

"Nice performance." Song Zhixing suddenly spoke, interrupting Xu Shi's curiosity.

"Thank you."

Xu Shi quickly put on a polite, faint smile. His long hair slid onto his shoulders as he bowed.

Xu Shi was a Beta, tall and slender without looking frail. His loose suit paired with his long, straight black hair gave him a cool, refined air.

Song Zhixing's appraising gaze remained fixed on Xu Shi's face.

I'm kind of tempted to steal my buddy's man.

After a few seconds, he looked at the wedding ring on Xu Shi's ring finger and suddenly asked, "Xie Yanci is married. Did you know that?"

"Huh?"

Xu Shi had thought they would be discussing the audition he had just finished. He hadn't expected him to suddenly mention Xie Yanci and was a little stunned.

Did this have anything to do with Xie Yanci?

Seeing his reaction, Song Zhixing raised an eyebrow.

Did Xu Shi not know Xie Yanci was married?

Had his buddy tricked him into being the other man?!

Xie Yanci, you scumbag!

Song Zhixing was furious. The thought of such a beauty being ruined by a two-faced beast like Xie Yanci made him feel that the heavens were unfair.

"It's normal for young people to want a shortcut, especially someone as good-looking as you. You're the most likely to be taken in by some scumbag's sweet talk."

"Regardless of how this collaboration turns out, you can come straight to me if you ever run into any trouble."

Song Zhixing went on at length, moved by his own words.

Xu Shi didn't understand a word of it. He forced an awkward smile. "Th-thank you, Director Song."

What on earth was that about?

After leaving the stage, Xu Shi let out a heavy sigh of relief. He had been even more nervous than during his exams back in the day.

"How did it go?" Xiao Chi immediately came over. "What did Director Song say? Was he happy with it?"

Xu Shi slowly unfastened his microphone. "Judging by his expression, I think so."

Xu Shi himself wasn't sure.

He couldn't tell whether Song Zhixing was happy with his acting or his face.

[He isn't trying to get me on the casting couch, is he?]

[If I had both President Xie and Director Song, how would I choose...]

That was a difficult question to answer.

Xu Shi actually began giving it serious thought, until Wen Yu walked past him.

He instantly scrambled into a corner. "Let's watch his audition before we leave."

Xiao Chi promptly nodded. "Okay."

Wen Yu was the second to audition, performing the same scene.

Despite the identical styling, Song Zhixing didn't think he had the same striking quality as Xu Shi.

He was certainly pretty, but his features were too gentle, and he wasn't quite tall enough.

His air wasn't cool enough.

Song Zhixing turned a page in his notebook and put a check mark on the acting line.

As expected of a professionally trained actor, his acting left Xu Shi's a hundred miles behind.

Xu Shi's performance had been far too affected.

Song Zhixing could tell at a glance that he was playing Xie Yanci with an air of forced profundity.

Xie Yanci's personality, paired with Xu Shi's gorgeous, seductive face...

Song Zhixing nearly laughed out loud.

"..."

Crouching in the corner and secretly watching, Xu Shi silently shook his head. He finally understood why students shouldn't be allowed to compare answers after an exam.

He stood up and sighed. "Let's go. I don't think there's any hope."

Judging by Song Zhixing's ear-to-ear grin, he probably liked Wen Yu a lot.

Xiao Chi sighed too. "It's okay. We can try out for other supporting roles. Keep getting your face out there, and you'll succeed someday."

Xu Shi said, "...Yeah."

A cannon fodder character like him wouldn't live that long.

Only Xu Shi and Wen Yu had auditioned for the second male lead that day.

"Director Song, here's a new batch of shortlisted candidates. I'll arrange times to invite them for interviews." His assistant reported each item in turn.

"Mm." Song Zhixing nodded.

He never considered an actor's star power when casting, only whether they fit the role.

"Also, President Xie is waiting for you in the lounge." His assistant lowered their voice.

"Oh?"

Song Zhixing raised an eyebrow.

Someone really does care about his little lover.

Handing his notebook to the assistant, Song Zhixing headed straight to the VIP lounge.

He pushed the door open.

The Alpha stood by the window, the late-autumn afternoon sunlight spilling over his finely sculpted profile.

Seeing Song Zhixing enter, Xie Yanci gave the person on the phone a few instructions before hanging up.

"You're so busy, President Xie, yet you still have time to come see me?" Song Zhixing reached the sofa in a few strides and flopped onto it.

"I didn't come to see you," Xie Yanci corrected him.

Xu Shi had taken this audition opportunity very seriously. He happened to have some free time, so he had come to take a look.

"So you care that much about that Xu Shi?" Song Zhixing popped a segment of mandarin into his mouth.

"No." Xie Yanci refused to admit it. "I was just passing by."

He happened to have time and happened to come take a look. He hadn't come specifically for anyone.

Song Zhixing raised an eyebrow but didn't expose him. He simply lay on the sofa, eating his mandarin at a leisurely pace.

After a long while, the normally mature and composed President Xie finally lost his patience. "What did you think of Xu Shi's audition?"

There was a slightly probing note in his voice.

Song Zhixing burst out laughing. "President Xie, I never thought I'd see the day!"

His usual lofty, unquestionable authority was nowhere to be seen. His thoughts were laid bare.

Xie Yanci frowned, realizing he had just lost some of his composure.

He shouldn't care about such trivial things.

It didn't befit his status.

Xie Yanci warned himself not to meddle. Glancing at his lit-up phone screen, he rose to leave.

"Actually..." Song Zhixing's voice sounded behind him.

Xie Yanci instinctively stopped.

Song Zhixing raised an eyebrow. So this really could stir the CEO's emotions.

He whistled and deliberately said, "I think Wen Yu's acting was a little better."

The moment he finished speaking, Xie Yanci turned back with a frown. "Why?"

His gaze instantly met Song Zhixing's amusement-filled eyes.

He realized he had lost control again.

He also belatedly realized that Song Zhixing was playing him.

Xie Yanci narrowed his dark eyes, a cold sneer slipping from his thin lips, then slammed the door behind him.

The elevator was especially quiet. The glow of his phone screen reflected in the Alpha's pitch-black eyes.

Xie Yanci opened WeChat, automatically ignoring Xu Shi's messages in the pinned conversation, and opened his chat with Secretary Zhou.

His long fingers tapped the screen: [Tell Mr. Song that if he dares invest in his son's new film, Xie Corporation will block every business partnership his company pursues from now on.]

Out of consideration for their families' longstanding friendship, he had put up with Song Zhixing for a long time.

Other than Xu Shi, no one had ever dared take such liberties with him.

As he looked at Secretary Zhou's reply of "Understood," Xie Yanci's emotions gradually settled.

He didn't understand why he had been losing control of his emotions so easily lately.

He clearly shouldn't concern himself with these trivial matters.

Ding-

The elevator stopped on the first floor. Before the doors even opened, a voice reached him.

[Why the hell hasn't that damned Xie Yanci replied to my messages!]

[Other people's husbands know to drive their darling spouses to and from work every day, but someone won't even give me a word of encouragement.]

[He's going too far.]

[Doesn't he know I'll be hurt!]

Was that Xu Shi's voice?