After Dumping the Scumbag Top, I Was Relentlessly Chased by a Top-Tier Idol - Chapter 8

“I said earlier that I only came because the others were busy, but in truth, I fought for this opportunity.”

“I wanted to see you.”

The young man’s smile reached his eyes; his words were blunt, passionate, and sincere.

However, Lin Yizhou did not look at him. After meeting his gaze for a second, he looked away, feeling as though the other man had been joking with him the entire time.

He packed his belongings and, once the other man finished speaking, stood up. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going now.”

He had another interview at a different company at 2:00 PM. If he left now and grabbed lunch on the way, the timing would be just right.

Shen Xu extended his arm to block him, then stood up while grabbing the folder on the table. He flipped it open and presented it to him. “I’m not joking with you. Shall we sit back down and continue talking?”

Lin Yizhou glanced at him, his expression still skeptical. He lowered his gaze to the contract inside the folder, leaning in to read the text as Shen Xu held it up.

As he remained still, Shen Xu also held his posture, tilting his head with his gaze lingering on Lin Yizhou’s face.

The summer sunlight filtered through the glass window, golden rays flowing quietly over Lin Yizhou’s profile, clearly illuminating the fine, soft hairs on his face.

It wasn’t through a screen, it wasn’t a dream, and it wasn’t an illusion.

This was the real Lin Yizhou.

The long but not curled eyelashes, the rosy and full lips, and the slender, delicate neck.

He wanted the eyes beneath those lashes to look only at him; he wanted to grind against that tiny mole on the lower lip and steal away all his breath; he wanted to leave marks on that neck to tell the whole world that he belonged to him; he wanted to…

Suddenly, the eyelashes fluttered—like a butterfly spreading its wings, yet the butterfly’s antennae seemed to brush against his own brow.

Shen Xu subconsciously frowned along with him, his wandering thoughts snapped back to reality in an instant.

His fingertips moved slightly as he raised his hand to block the piercing sunlight for him.

The light suddenly dimmed. Lin Yizhou looked up and bumped right into the smile spreading in Shen Xu’s eyes. The distance between them had suddenly become extremely close—close enough to feel each other’s breath. His fox-like eyes trembled slightly, and he hurriedly took a step back to widen the gap.

“Finished reading?” Shen Xu asked composedly, a faint smile on his lips.

“No,” Lin Yizhou replied with equal naturalness, as if the person who had just retreated in a panic wasn’t him.

Shen Xu placed the folder back where Lin Yizhou had been sitting and thoughtfully opened it for him. “Then take your time. If you have any questions, you can ask me.”

Lin Yizhou gave a slight nod and sat back down.

He skimmed through the remaining content. When he reached the profit-sharing section, he paused for a moment and asked, “A 60/40 split? Is this a mistake?”

Under normal circumstances, when a company signs a new artist to a nine-year labor contract, the split for the first three years is usually 80% for the company and 20% for the artist. A better deal would be 70/30. A 60/40 split was a luxury that usually required an artist to have been with the company for at least three years.

He was currently plagued by negative scandals and had been “blacklisted” by Song Chizheng. On top of that, the company had to help him pay off a sky-high termination fee. In this situation, he would have been satisfied if the company offered an 80/20 split; he wouldn’t have dared to dream of 60/40.

Suddenly thinking of something, he said, “If this is because of what happened in the hospital garden, there’s no need. I won’t say anything.”

He only wanted to resolve his own problems and didn’t want any involvement with unrelated people or matters.

Shen Xu leaned against the table watching him. Hearing this, he raised an eyebrow. “You think I’m trying to bribe you?”

Lin Yizhou returned a cool gaze that seemed to say: What else?

Shen Xu chuckled. He pulled out a chair and sat down, crossing his hands on the table and leaning forward slightly in a lazy, relaxed posture. He smiled. “Of course not. What happened in the hospital garden… that was a tactic for a ‘bad guy.’ This move is only for someone I like.”

Lin Yizhou met his gaze for a moment and flatly refused: “I won’t like you.”

“That’s okay,” Shen Xu shrugged slightly. “Didn’t I say I was going to pursue you? I’ll make you like me.”

Lin Yizhou wanted to refuse again, but Shen Xu pressed an index finger to his own lips and made a “shh” sound. “Don’t be in such a hurry to reject me. Give me a chance?”

“I’ll listen to whatever you say. If you don’t want me to pursue you publicly, then I’ll wait until I’ve won you over before going public.”

“I hope you don’t pursue me at all,” Lin Yizhou said, his eyes dull and his voice devoid of emotion.

“That’s a no-go.” Shen Xu raised his finger and wagged it. His smile was radiant and his tone upbeat. “Anything else is negotiable, except for that.”

After saying that, he quickly changed the subject. “Since you put it that way, this split really is a mistake.”

“Back then… I mean, our boss said the split should be 50/50.”

“50/50?” Lin Yizhou repeated instinctively. His fox-like eyes blinked twice in disbelief; he looked less like a motionless, seductive spirit and more like a vivid, adorable creature.

Much like a startled kitten.

Shen Xu was charmed by his cuteness. He turned his head and curled his lips into a smile before quickly turning serious. “Yes. Wait a moment, I’ll have someone revise it and bring a new copy over.”

With that, he took the folder and left the meeting room. He was very efficient; about three minutes later, Shen Xu pushed the door open again. He placed the newly drafted contract in front of him and set a pen aside. “Look it over again. If there are no problems, you can just sign.”

“As for the Song family’s side, don’t worry. I… our boss has already sent someone to handle it.”

Lin Yizhou stared at Shen Xu for a while, then looked down at the contract in front of him. In truth, he felt somewhat dazed at this moment.

Years ago, when he was being cursed by the entire internet, Song Chizheng had appeared before him in this same “savior-like” manner.

The same overflowing passion, the same absolute preferential treatment, even the same words: “I like you, I want to pursue you.”

He didn’t know if signing this contract would be like jumping from one abyss into another.

But no matter what, his situation couldn’t possibly get worse than it was now…

Long afterward, when he recalled this moment, he realized he had overlooked one very important difference: he could be certain that the person who caused his current desperate crisis was definitely not Shen Xu.

But that was a story for later.

He read the contract carefully and, raising no further questions, picked up the pen and signed his name. He pushed the contract back toward Shen Xu.

Shen Xu looked at the elegant signature, a bright light flashing in his eyes before being quickly suppressed. He tucked the contract away under his arm as if afraid someone might snatch it. “The person the company sent to negotiate with the Song family is your new manager, Cui Sula. She might be quite busy these next few days, but she’ll contact you once she’s finished.”

Lin Yizhou was once again astonished. “Manager Cui?”

The most prestigious ace manager in the entire entertainment industry?

“Yes, exactly the person you’re thinking of.” As if reading his mind, Shen Xu answered with direct certainty. He propped his arms on the table and leaned forward slightly, his face glowing with a smile full of youthful energy. “If you have any thoughts regarding your future development, you can tell me first. I’ll help pass the message along to Sister Sula when the time comes.”

Without a second thought, Lin Yizhou spoke up: “I’m currently quite short on money, so I’d like to take on some projects that pay quickly.”

Shen Xu nodded thoughtfully. “That’s no problem. Anything else?”

Lin Yizhou shook his head. “Not for now.”

Shen Xu nodded. “If that’s all, then today’s interview is officially over. Do you have other plans? If not, how about I show you around the company?”

Lin Yizhou considered it for a moment and nodded. “Then I’ll trouble you.”

“It’s no trouble at all.” Shen Xu stood up, walked over to pull the door open, and stood by the side. With his head tilted slightly, the cartoon band-aid on his neck was fully visible as he watched the other man walk toward him with a smile. “It is my absolute pleasure.”

Lin Yizhou’s gaze swept over his neck as he murmured a “thank you.”

After taking a lap around the company and finishing the introductions, Shen Xu escorted him to the ground floor.

Just as they stepped out of the elevator, Lin Yizhou stopped. “This is far enough.”

Shen Xu knew what he was worried about. Although the company was strictly guarded against reporters, some were pervasive and found their way everywhere; someone might very well be crouching nearby right now to take photos.

He nodded, took out his phone to display his QR code, and smiled. “Teacher Lin, since we’ll be artists under the same company from now on, shall we add each other as friends?”

Lin Yizhou glanced at him and didn’t refuse. He took out his phone, scanned the code, sent the request, and changed the contact remark in one smooth motion.

Shen Xu looked at the little sun icon in the profile picture frame and said casually, “Your avatar is really cute.”

Lin Yizhou continued to ignore his compliments and said calmly, “Thanks for today. I’m leaving now.”

“Wait a moment.” Shen Xu quickly ran in front of him to block his path. The young man’s smile was uninhibited, and his peach-blossom eyes reflected a clear, transparent light. “I feel it’s necessary to emphasize that everything I said during the interview was serious.”

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t believe me now; let time prove everything.”

As he spoke, he held up his phone and waved the screen toward him. The contact remark on the screen read clearly: Future Boyfriend (Pursuing Version).

When he arrived home and saw the person standing at his door, Lin Yizhou couldn’t help but freeze on the spot.

Song Chizheng stood ramrod straight at his doorstep. Unlike his usual habit of leaning against the wall, his only point of contact with the place was the soles of his leather shoes on the ground.

There wasn’t a single wrinkle in his suit, and his polished leather shoes were free of dust; he looked completely out of place against the yellowed, mottled walls and the uneven flooring.

Seemingly hearing the movement, he turned his head. His expression was full of disdain. “It seems I guessed correctly. Without me, you really could only move back to this shithole.”

Pulled back to reality by his voice, Lin Yizhou retracted his gaze and treated the man like thin air, walking straight past him to unlock his door.

Before the key could even enter the lock, his wrist was seized. A sudden, massive force surged, and he was slammed violently against the wall. His back hit the surface with a dull thud, and the pain made him gasp. “Sss—”

Pieces of peeling wall paint crumbled and fell from the impact.

“Now that you’ve climbed onto Forever Star, you dare to ignore me? You even blacklisted all my contact info. Who gave you the courage? Hmm?” As Song Chizheng spoke, he pinched the corners of Lin Yizhou’s mouth, the strength in his hands increasing uncontrollably as the expression on his face grew more ruthless. “It’s only been a few days, and they’re already willing to pay a nine-figure termination fee to sign you away.”

“Nine figures!” He ground out the words through gritted teeth, his voice fierce. “So, Lin Yizhou, did you actually hook up with those people behind my back a long time ago? Is that it?”

Lin Yizhou’s face was squeezed out of shape. He grabbed Song Chizheng’s wrist, forcefully pulling the man’s hand down and pushing him away. His skin was naturally fair and usually showed color easily; now, after being grabbed so hard, red finger marks sat on his face like he had been severely slapped, looking quite horrifying.

He massaged his stiffened face and warned coldly, “You’d better not touch me again. Also, you aren’t welcome here. Get as far away as possible.”

Having said that, he turned back to open the door. Just as the door opened, he was pushed inside by the person behind him without warning.

With a bang, Song Chizheng kicked the door shut. He pinned Lin Yizhou behind the door, locking both of his hands above his head with one hand. He sneered, “Don’t ignore my question, Lin Yizhou. You’ve been hooking up with someone else behind my back this whole time, haven’t you?”

“Answer me!”

When Cui Sula came to find him today, he hadn’t cared at all—just a substitute; if he left, he left. But for some reason, the more he thought about it, the more suspicious it felt.

A nine-figure termination fee—if it were someone they just met, why would the other party be willing to pay that unless they were a fool?

And the executives at Forever Star were clearly not fools.

That left only one possibility: Lin Yizhou had been involved with someone else behind his back for a long time.

He grew inexplicably more infuriated as he thought about it—so angry he had almost mistaken Jiang Siyuan for Lin Yizhou. He couldn’t focus on work, and when he tried to call, he found all his contact methods were blocked. This only added fuel to the fire, leading him to show up at the door. He had intended to ask calmly and had been controlling his temper, but Lin Yizhou actually dared to ignore him and even warn him.

The person who used to be completely submissive had suddenly turned into a cat with tiger claws, attacking him in return. How could he possibly accept this?

Thinking of all this, Song Chizheng’s tone became venomous. “You say you love me and want to stay by my side, but behind my back, you’re doing all sorts of shady business, aren’t you? How cheap can you be?”

Lin Yizhou struggled to break free from the shackles on his hands, but the difference in their physiques was significant, and he was in a disadvantaged position. He raised his knee, intending to drive it into the other man’s abdomen, but his move was anticipated. Song Chizheng raised his own leg to pin him down.

He gave up the struggle and said coldly, “Let go of me.”

“Doing all this… isn’t it just to get my attention? I came here to find you; you must be overjoyed deep down.” As he spoke, his face approached Lin Yizhou’s, his expression a mix of undisguised loathing and possessive desire. He slid one hand under the white T-shirt to stroke his waist, completely disregarding the struggle of the man beneath him. His voice was a mere breath: “We were together for two years and I still haven’t tasted you. Before, seeing this face that looks like—yet doesn’t look like—his really didn’t pique my interest. Today, it’s rare that I’m in the mood. How about I satisfy all those times I didn’t satisfy you, all at once?”

With that, he leaned down to kiss Lin Yizhou’s lips…

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