I Rely on My Versatility to Reach the Top of the Entertainment Industry [Ancient Times to Modern] - Chapter 52

It wasn’t mealtime, so Jing Yi didn’t have much of an appetite. He ate quietly in small bites, but from time to time, he saw wine glasses clinking in front of him.

Louis would always toast Lu Yuzhi, with various excuses. He even started discussing Lu Yuzhi’s past works with him, and after hearing them mention over a dozen titles, Jing Yi silently memorized the names.

Aside from Liao Chen in Seduce the Monk and Hua Xiangrong, Jing Yi hadn’t seen any of the other characters Lu Yuzhi had portrayed.

As he ate, he noticed Lu Yuzhi’s eyes growing increasingly unfocused. Jing Yi tugged at his sleeve. “Don’t drink anymore. It’s bad for your health.”

Hearing this, Lu Yuzhi lowered his gaze and took Jing Yi’s hand. “Alright, I won’t drink anymore.”

Louis didn’t find another excuse to toast Lu Yuzhi but smiled and said, “Mr. Lu is very fortunate. Yi cares deeply for you. I wonder if I’ll ever have the chance to experience the same happiness as you.”

Lu Yuzhi immediately understood the implication behind Louis’s words, a cold glint flashing in his amber eyes. “I don’t think you’ll get that chance.”

Louis’s expression instantly turned sorrowful. “Mr. Lu, why would you curse me like that? Am I really that terrible? Yi, do you think I’m terrible too?”

His blue eyes were filled with wounded fragility.

Jing Yi frowned slightly.

Though Louis maintained a sad expression, he felt a hint of smugness inside. But the next moment, he heard Jing Yi’s reply: “I’m sorry, but this is our first meeting. I don’t know you well enough to judge.”

Louis: “…”

What kind of brutally honest answer was that? And one that was impossible to refute!

Louis looked at Jing Yi’s delicate, classically Eastern face and smiled with utmost sincerity. “Then it seems I’ll have to work hard over these three days to show you what kind of person I am.”

“Alright, do your best,” Jing Yi replied again, going along with Louis’s words. Suddenly, his palm was lightly scratched. He turned to look at Lu Yuzhi beside him.

The man with amber eyes looked completely dazed, as if he hadn’t done anything.

But beneath the table, his fingers continued their mischief.

The persistent tickling was unbearable, even for someone who had trained in palm techniques.

Jing Yi couldn’t help but grab the offending finger and whisper, “Yuzhi, are you drunk?”

Lu Yuzhi didn’t answer. Instead, he brought Jing Yi’s hand to his lips and kissed it. “Are you done eating?”

Jing Yi nodded. “You ordered too much. It’s wasteful.”

Lu Yuzhi smiled. “It won’t go to waste. Our hotel partners with farms—leftovers are sorted and sent there.” He rubbed his temples. “Mm, my head hurts a little.”

The association president finally seized the chance to speak. “Mr. Lu seems a bit drunk. Perhaps you should rest?”

“I’m not drunk,” Lu Yuzhi said with a smile, leaning into Jing Yi.

The president immediately winked at Jing Yi. “Mr. Jing, why don’t you accompany Mr. Lu to rest? We’ll take care of showing Brian around.”

Jing Yi felt Lu Yuzhi’s palm growing warmer by the second and nodded. “Then I’ll take my leave. Enjoy your meal.”

He stood and helped Lu Yuzhi up, but the man seemed genuinely drunk, pressing half his weight against Jing Yi.

“Mr. Lu can’t hold his liquor. I must have been too enthusiastic,” Louis said, looking at Jing Yi with apologetic eyes. “I’m sorry, Yi, for causing you trouble by making you take care of him.”

Jing Yi had to turn slightly to reply. “Taking care of Yuzhi isn’t a bother. You don’t need to apologize.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Lu Yuzhi’s arm tightened around his waist.

Remembering how being held like this often led to kisses, Jing Yi stiffened and quickly helped Lu Yuzhi out of the room.

After they left, Louis took another sip of wine and continued chatting amiably with the others at the table.

Jing Yi guided the unsteady Lu Yuzhi out of the private room when a middle-aged man in uniform appeared. “Mr. Jing, is the boss drunk? He has a reserved suite on the top floor—Room 8. Here’s the key card. Thank you for your trouble.”

Jing Yi took the card and followed the man to the staff elevator.

The elevator was empty.

Out of habit, Jing Yi stood at the back to make room for anyone who might enter.

“Are you okay?”

The question went unanswered.

Jing Yi guessed Lu Yuzhi might be the type who grew quiet when the alcohol hit.

When the elevator reached the top floor, Jing Yi found Room 8 and swiped the key card.

The décor resembled Lu Yuzhi’s home—minimalist, dominated by black and white. The only difference was the patterned bedsheet, unlike the standard hotel linens.

Jing Yi carefully helped Lu Yuzhi sit on the bed and was about to stand when his hand was grabbed.

The grip was strong, but Jing Yi remained steady.

He turned and looked at Lu Yuzhi in confusion.

The man on the bed had inexplicably pressed his lips into a thin line, a flicker of awkwardness in his eyes. After a moment, he coughed lightly. “I want you to sit down.”

Jing Yi obediently sat.

Lu Yuzhi didn’t let go, still debating whether to proceed with his earlier fantasy—pulling Jing Yi into his arms, indulging in intimacy, and then expressing his displeasure with Louis.

He’d forgotten how strong Jing Yi was.

“I was going to get you some water,” Jing Yi offered. “And order some hangover soup.”

Delivery services made everything convenient these days.

Faced with Jing Yi’s initiative, Lu Yuzhi smiled. “No need. I’ll be fine after resting a while.”

Jing Yi stood and pulled back the covers. “Then rest, Yuzhi.”

“What about you?”

“I—”

Before Jing Yi could finish, Lu Yuzhi sat up and patted the space beside him. “Rest with me.”

“I’m not tired,” Jing Yi said.

Lu Yuzhi lowered his gaze, his eyes and expression radiating hurt.

Jing Yi immediately felt that refusing Lu Yuzhi would be a grave mistake.

With a sigh, he took off his shoes and jacket.

Only then did Lu Yuzhi’s brows lift in a smile. Wearing a black undershirt, he lay down contentedly, pulling Jing Yi into his arms when the latter joined him.

Jing Yi pulled up the thin blanket and patted Lu Yuzhi’s back soothingly.

But Lu Yuzhi murmured, “Do you know what Louis wants?”

“No,” Jing Yi replied.

“He… wants to do the same things I do.”

Lu Yuzhi’s voice dropped lower, laced with a tantalizing implication.

Jing Yi looked up at the man beside him and asked, “What things?”

Lu Yuzhi smirked triumphantly, leaning over without hesitation to cage Jing Yi beneath him.

The kiss was heavy, tinged with the scent of alcohol.

When he ran out of breath, Jing Yi couldn’t help but think: He had sinned greatly. Originally, he’d intended to fulfill his past self’s wish and return to a life of solitude with the Buddha. But out of pity for Lu Yuzhi’s sorrow, he’d entered a romantic relationship with him.

Now, in the midst of such intimacy, it seemed he’d gotten drunk again.

The taste of alcohol was strange.

“Things like this… and this…” Lu Yuzhi murmured, kissing Jing Yi’s earlobe.

The unfamiliar sensation made Jing Yi’s eyes fly open in alarm, his dark, watery gaze filled with confusion.

It was too strange.

Jing Yi couldn’t help but wonder.

But… there was also a faint lightness in his chest.

Was he drunk?

Bewildered, Jing Yi curled his toes under the blanket, his body growing weak.

Lu Yuzhi, venturing beyond Jing Yi’s lips for the first time, felt the darkness in his eyes deepen. Every part of the young man beneath him was just as delectable.

All his.

Lu Yuzhi took Jing Yi’s hand, kissed his flushed lips, then moved to his damp, innocent eyes—eyes that stirred sinful thoughts.

Dazed, Jing Yi was forced to close his eyes as another wet sensation trailed down his neck, even more intense than before. The strange new sensations made him feel as if he were floating on clouds.

This surreal feeling prompted Jing Yi to wrap his arms around Lu Yuzhi’s narrow waist.

Lu Yuzhi stiffened, bracing himself on his arms above Jing Yi, his brow furrowed in restraint.

After a long moment, he sighed.

“I’m going to take a shower.”

The sound of running water filled the bathroom, leaving Jing Yi perplexed.

It was strange. Lu Yuzhi had kissed him, so why did he seem unhappy? Jing Yi touched his ear and throat, then glanced down at another part of himself that had reacted, his frown deepening.

At the temple, newly ordained monks who hadn’t fully embraced the precepts would sometimes joke, “I’m thinking of a girl.”

He wasn’t thinking of a girl.

He was thinking of Lu Yuzhi.

Jing Yi pulled the blanket over his eyes, hiding his flushed face, and suddenly remembered the abbot’s expression when he’d left the temple. He truly needed more spiritual cultivation… No wonder the abbot had said he had to return to secular life.

When Lu Yuzhi finished his cold shower, he lay back down without immediately reaching for Jing Yi.

But just as he settled in, the blanket-covered figure beside him suddenly sat up. “I’m going to shower too.”

The water ran for a while before Jing Yi returned to bed.

Lu Yuzhi instinctively reached out to pull him close, but his arms met empty air.

Jing Yi’s voice was soft. “Let’s just sleep like this.”

Lu Yuzhi frowned, then felt a slightly cold hand slip into his.

…Had Jing Yi used cold water too?

Lu Yuzhi enveloped Jing Yi’s hand in his.

At first, Jing Yi didn’t understand why, but soon, warmth surged through him. “I’m not cold.”

Lu Yuzhi didn’t let go. “Good. Sleep now.”

He closed his eyes and, under the influence of alcohol, quickly drifted off.

But Jing Yi remained awake.

He secretly traced Lu Yuzhi’s features with his gaze, thinking every part of his face was perfect. Yet it was Lu Yuzhi’s smile that comforted him most—any discomfort from him felt unbearable in a way others’ didn’t.

Jing Yi smiled slightly.

—Next time he visited the temple, he’d have to confess to the Buddha and ask for leave.

With that thought, Jing Yi closed his eyes and, lulled by Lu Yuzhi’s steady breathing, fell asleep as well.

…

Louis was also staying at the Radiance Hotel.

True to his promise of hospitality, Jing Yi didn’t renege. But when deciding where to take Louis, he first sought Lu Yuzhi’s opinion.

Without hesitation, Lu Yuzhi said, “The basketball court. I’m sure Mr. Brian would like to see how we play basketball here?”

Louis raised an eyebrow and readily agreed.

If Lu Yuzhi wasn’t afraid of causing a stir, neither was he. It would also give Jing Yi a chance to see how popular he was—after all, who in basketball didn’t idolize NBA stars?

The three took Lu Yuzhi’s car to the court, where Lu Yuzhi entered first.

As the capital, Beicheng was home to many elite families. This private court was frequented by affluent enthusiasts, and Lu Yuzhi occasionally visited. Most players here were upper-class with a passion for the sport.

Spotting Lu Yuzhi, an acquaintance called out, “Look who’s here! If it isn’t our martial arts film emperor? Got time to play today?”

Lu Yuzhi smiled and introduced Louis.

Basketball fans would recognize an American star, but given their upbringing, no one made a scene.

This disappointed Louis.

Lu Yuzhi seated Jing Yi and kissed his forehead. “I’ll go play with Louis.”

Jing Yi’s eyes brightened slightly. “You play basketball too?”

“Yes. I lived in the U.S. for a while and trained under a coach.” Lu Yuzhi ruffled Jing Yi’s soft black hair. “If you’re interested, I can teach you.”

“Okay.” Jing Yi nodded eagerly. “Go on.”

Lu Yuzhi took off his jacket and left it beside Jing Yi.

He was already wearing a sports T-shirt, with loose-fitting pants and sneakers.

Seeing Lu Yuzhi’s attire, Louis realized the Chinese actor had come prepared. But what did it matter? In acting, he could never match Lu Yuzhi, but in basketball—how could an actor compare to him?

“One-on-one?” Lu Yuzhi caught a ball tossed by a friend, lips curving.

His smile usually softened the sharpness of his handsome features.

But those who knew Lu Yuzhi shook their heads sympathetically at Louis.

“Sure. How about a wager?” Louis glanced at Jing Yi. “The loser stays away from Yi?”

Lu Yuzhi didn’t answer, merely dribbled slowly toward Louis. “We have a saying in my country: ‘A man’s greatest wisdom is knowing himself.’”

Louis, without his assistant today, didn’t understand the phrase but sensed it wasn’t complimentary. His brow furrowed deeply.

The two faced off at center court as the makeshift referee signaled the start.

The one-on-one match had begun.