Chapter Ninety-One: What

The restaurant known as the Leisure House was highly regarded in certain circles. It did not advertise any star rating, but it was excellent when it came to safety and confidentiality, so it had long been favored by people who preferred to keep out of the public eye. And since the surroundings were pleasant, the dishes distinctive, and the flavors refined, it had always done brisk business before Chu Luoxi’s rebirth.

In her previous life she had come here often, so she knew the place well. She did not even need to look at the menu to know what to order.

Fortunately, Ji Yanjin was not the sort to make a fuss. He only watched with a smile as Chu Luoxi rattled off a string of dish names. He had only just returned to the mainland and released one album, so the money he earned was actually pitifully little, but treating her to one meal was still within his means; he had no need to pretend poverty.

Of course, Chu Luoxi was not one to take advantage of people. A little was enough. She knew roughly how much one album could earn.

When the waiter had taken the order and left, Chu Luoxi studied Ji Yanjin for a moment. "How strange. How can your company let you be this idle? That makes no sense."

She had called so late because she had originally intended to set it for tomorrow, to leave at least some room to maneuver. Instead, this fellow had immediately chosen tonight, looking very much as though he had nothing at all on his plate.

"Pfft, what do you mean, no sense?" Ji Yanjin’s exquisite features curved into a peach-blossom smile. He always found it easy being with Chu Luoxi. "Because the album’s sales are doing well, the company decided to hold a small concert for me, to give the final push to album sales and, incidentally, make some money. We’ve been rehearsing and getting familiar with the venue lately, but I still have time to come out for a meal."

"Oh, so that’s why you’ve been hiding in Imperial City and not moving around. I was wondering why the company didn’t have you flying all over the place!" Chu Luoxi nodded in understanding. She had been worried he might not be here.

"If there were really such a great company, I’d have to open one myself!" Ji Yanjin said with a raised brow, looking extraordinarily pleasing.

Truth be told, Ji Yanjin had come from an idol group, so his looks were naturally excellent. Compared with the Wei Chi Hao she had just met, and not because of any prejudice on her part, she still felt Ji Yanjin was a little better. Especially since Ji Yanjin did not carry the same intense, over-trained air as Wei Chi Hao; naturally, he felt more appealing.

Besides, in terms of future achievements, Ji Yanjin was indeed far above Wei Chi Hao, and he could withstand the erosion of time much better too.

It seemed that when she was reborn in her previous life, Ji Yanjin was still thriving, even crossing between the music and television worlds. But Wei Chi Hao, who had risen to fame through Crystal, had by then vanished somewhere unknown for more than twenty years...

"Open one myself?" Chu Luoxi was speechless. Though most people entertained that idea, few had the ability to do it; not everyone was as formidable as Xiao Jingxuan. "How long have you been back on the mainland? Tsk tsk, your network hasn’t even taken shape yet. If the time really comes, opening a studio that serves only yourself would already be pretty good. A company? It would work you to death!"

For instance, Xiao Jingxuan’s Scenic Entertainment—outsiders apparently had no idea it was his, nor did he manage it personally. The degree of control and force of will required for that was not something everyone could pull off.

"Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. In the future, a studio would be fine, haha!" Ji Yanjin laughed a little foolishly, earning an eye-roll from Chu Luoxi.

Whenever Ji Yanjin made that slightly silly expression, Chu Luoxi could not help covering her eyes. It was too heartbreaking. He was utterly wasting that face; the damage was devastating.

Fortunately, few people in the entertainment industry wore only one mask. Usually, the sort of expression that made one cringe this badly was something shown only in private among friends. That made Chu Luoxi the unfortunate one, because seeing it so often gave her the constant sense of watching something precious being ruined.

"All right, all right, that day will come eventually. Just sing well!" Chu Luoxi said with a lifted brow, unable to suppress a smile. Having such hopes was actually not a bad thing.

"Of course!" Ji Yanjin huffed twice. "Since you’re free now anyway, why not come be my guest? It’s only a small concert, but it’ll still be lively."

"As a guest?" Chu Luoxi blinked. "Pfft, even if you were crazy, your company wouldn’t be."

She was neither a singer nor famous. There was no way an entertainment company would agree. They had finally gotten a concert off the ground, even if it was only a small one, and they certainly would not let the artist do as he pleased. In situations like this, they either pushed their own new talent or brought in some heavyweight to boost Ji Yanjin’s popularity. How could they possibly let her join in?

"How am I crazy? You’re a rising star. Maybe one day I’ll be the one taking advantage of you." Ji Yanjin frowned. "You can’t just forget your friends once you get famous!"

Chu Luoxi shot him a look and laughed in spite of herself. "What rising star? What fame? What are you even talking about? I don’t understand a word of it."

"Huh, you didn’t know?" Ji Yanjin looked at her laughing expression and immediately realized she really was unaware, which surprised him.

"What am I supposed to know?" Chu Luoxi asked in astonishment, suddenly feeling a bad premonition.

"Eh? You actually don’t know?" Ji Yanjin was equally amazed. "People have already noticed your performance in Dragon Roars Across the World, and then there’s the heroine in Xiao Jingxuan’s new album theme song. More recently, in Director Qiu Xian’s Mountains and Rivers, a lot of people have seen it. Quite a few entertainment companies have taken an interest in you, too. It seems many of them sent people to contact you, but since you never gave any reply, they all assumed you were waiting to bargain for the best price, holding out until your value rose."

"Contact me? Bargain for the best price? When did this happen?" Chu Luoxi widened her eyes, as though she had just heard something impossible. This was about her, and it had already developed to this extent, yet why had she not heard a thing?

After stroking his chin, Ji Yanjin immediately sensed there was a good show to watch. "Pfft, it should have started when you were filming Mountains and Rivers. Someone tried reaching out to you then. After you finished filming, some information about your performance leaked out, and before long a lot more people were looking for you. Especially recently—our company has even been considering it. My manager asked about you two days ago."

"What?" Chu Luoxi stared blankly. Had it already become this serious? After she finished filming, she went straight home, so she had absolutely no idea that such a thing had even happened.

Was this a joke? Where exactly were these people finding her? What did they mean, no reply? Could it be they thought she was still weighing her options? Damn it, was she trying to draw hatred or what? She was just a small actress with neither backing nor power, and yet she dared play coy with so many entertainment companies?

Almost at once, she realized the seriousness of the matter. For some reason, she suddenly thought of the phone call from Wang Yanan before she invited Ji Yanjin out. Normally, her private number would never have been leaked like that unless someone was deliberately stirring up trouble. So if these people could not find her by phone, the most likely place they would go was Imperial Film Academy.

Zhu Xueshuang and Liu Yujia were filming every day and probably had no idea about any of this. They hardly ever returned to the dormitory. The only one staying behind now was Wang Yanan.

In almost an instant, Chu Luoxi was certain that this matter was definitely connected to Wang Yanan...