I Truly Never Intended to Have a Contract Marriage with a Big Shot - Chapter 5

The dim lighting on the second floor hid the deep flush creeping up Sheng Mingzhi’s ears.

His emotional transitions required no buffer. The moment he detected the biting sarcasm in Lu Jiayan’s voice, he flipped from mortified to furious in a single second.

However, upon seeing the dark circles under Lu Jiayan’s eyes and his exhausted expression, a tiny shred of conscience flickered back to life.

…Was I really that loud just now?

His anger flickered out, replaced by a subtle pang of guilt.

“I didn’t know you were home,” he muttered.

The last sentence was meant to be a silent thought, but it slipped out as he continued: “Next time you come home, please give me a heads-up so I don’t disturb your sleep.”

He was still in a defensive huff from being caught in his “unfiltered” state. For someone as prideful as Sheng Mingzhi, his tone wasn’t particularly soft. Consequently, it sounded like a mix of complaint and impatience as if Lu Jiayan was the one in the wrong.

Lu Jiayan had a notoriously bad “waking temper.” Having been startled awake, his head throbbed. His restraint lasted less than ten seconds before his patience for Sheng Mingzhi completely evaporated. Without thinking, he shot back: “Sheng Mingzhi, did you forget something? The prerequisite for me contacting you is that I’m not currently blacklisted on your phone.”

The man’s voice was like ice. With the added weight of irritation, it sounded even more indifferent.

Sheng Mingzhi sensed the sparks of a looming explosion between them. If Lu Jiayan hadn’t mentioned it, it might have passed, but the reminder of the blacklist brought back the original reason for the block.

If you hadn’t come back and immediately sparked a scandal, would I have blocked you?! Why don’t you ever reflect on your own problems?!

It was as if the thin veil of a peaceful facade had been ripped away. The small thorn buried in Sheng Mingzhi’s heart was exposed, standing sharp and jagged.

He raised his voice: “Why don’t you think about why I blacklisted you?”

You think you’re the one with a grievance?

Lu Jiayan was nearly pushed to a sarcastic laugh. The moment he returned to the country, he had gone to the Haicheng Film Festival to wait for him so they could go to the family dinner together. He had fed mosquitoes for hours, only to be told that Sheng Mingzhi had long since left Haicheng. When he tried to call, his number was blocked.

Even with the tempered patience Lu Jiayan had cultivated in adulthood, he found the situation absurd. This young master’s talent for twisting right and wrong and shifting blame was simply unreasonable.

“Sheng Mingzhi, I hope you can understand that not everyone is as carefree as you are,” Lu Jiayan said. His voice was deep and lacked the overt sarcasm of Sheng Mingzhi’s, sounding more like he was stating a fact. However, that detached, punchable tone only fueled the fire.

“I am very busy. I don’t have the time to guess what you’re thinking every day.”

The sheer arrogance of it! As if anyone was desperate for the scraps of time he deigned to offer.

Sheng Mingzhi rolled his eyes. Yes, you’re busy. Assembly line workers aren’t as busy as you!

Busy dealing with the board of directors on one hand, and finding time for your little lover at the film festival on the other. You’re so busy you don’t have time to check if your legal spouse is being bullied? Can’t you see what my relationship with Qiao Yan is? You’re so eager to give him “face” that you’d let him step on my head?!

A bellyful of fire raged within him, but by the time it reached his lips, the flame died out. It felt hollow. He suddenly realized that their “plastic” relationship didn’t warrant such a discussion. They were merely a “strategic alliance” brought together by business needs.

It wasn’t even a marriage; it was more like “The Chinese Partners.”

After a few seconds of silence, Sheng Mingzhi muttered disdainfully, “Who wants you to guess? Don’t flatter yourself.”

BANG!

The door to the other master bedroom on the second floor was slammed with enough force to shake the house.

In just three days back in the country, they had fought twice.

Once he calmed down, even Lu Jiayan felt it was surreal. He usually kept his temper in check and was loyal to his commitments. He had never slighted Sheng Mingzhi—providing unlimited funds, planes, yachts, luxury cars, and watches. Whatever he wanted, he got.

Yet, whenever they were together, it was like a fuse meeting a powder keg. Instant combustion. Even without a point of comparison, Lu Jiayan could feel that their marriage was unhealthy.

His head still throbbed. He hadn’t eaten a proper meal in two days, and after the argument, his stomach began to ache. Lu Jiayan pressed a hand to his stomach and leaned down to pick up the remote Sheng Mingzhi had dropped.

The electronic screen displayed the playlist Sheng Mingzhi had been blasting. The song titles were neatly arranged:

• Argument with My Wife
•
• What Kind of Man (by Jay Chou)
•
Lu Jiayan: “…”

At this, he let out a dry laugh, and his anger dissipated. Remembering Sheng Mingzhi’s appearance just now, he had to admit that even in a rage, that face was vivid and exquisite. Sheng Mingzhi wasn’t short for the entertainment industry. Though he insisted he was 180cm and had even shamelessly listed 181cm on Baidu Baike, he was actually two centimeters shy of the mark.

Compared to Lu Jiayan, he was about half a head shorter. Consequently, when they argued, Sheng Mingzhi had to tilt his chin up slightly to meet his eyes. Those fox-like eyes had been brimming with fury, lashes long and straight, the corners of his eyes flushed red with anger.

When he looked up, the upper eyelid line was prominent, and a tiny mole sat on the left side of his nose, lending him a fragile, glass-like quality.

Clearly, at the end of their spat, Sheng Mingzhi had something more to say. But he had swallowed it, choosing silence instead.

Lu Jiayan leaned back on the sofa in a lazy posture, rubbing his temples. This disastrous marriage was giving him a headache. Even this arrogant young master held back during a fight—a testament to how “unfamiliar” they truly were.

________________________________________

Buzz—

His phone vibrated. It was his private phone, unrelated to work. A Weibo push notification popped up.

Perhaps because he had mentioned “Sheng Mingzhi” too many times, the AI monitoring had picked up the keyword. Lately, it had been frequently pushing news related to his spouse.

Lu Jiayan knew Sheng Mingzhi worked in the entertainment industry, but in his eyes, it was just the young master’s whimsical hobby. Moreover, he had never liked the industry, so he hadn’t paid attention to what Sheng Mingzhi was actually doing for the past few years.

Suddenly, Sheng Mingzhi’s “vivid” performance in the living room replayed in his mind. “Teacher Sheng’s” few minutes of solo performance were truly shocking and brainwashing. The fragmented singing echoed in his ears, specifically the bizarre line: “Friends in the back, raise your pianos!”

That “little flower peacock’s” narcissistic personality hadn’t changed; he’d been like that since childhood. “International Superstar” and “Three-time Best Actor” came out of his mouth so easily, yet with acting skills that practically shouted his emotions on his face, he was at best a “vase” in the industry.

However, Sheng Mingzhi was a limited-edition, ultra-luxury vase that no one else could afford.

He chuckled, but his smile froze when his eyes caught the actual content of the Weibo push.

[@Entertainment Little Goose Leak: Sheng Mingzhi is in trouble AGAIN. Wearing fakes on the red carpet and mocking Qiao Yan? Is being ‘the other man’ this high-profile nowadays? (Laugh-cry emoji)]

The comments were a wall of vitriol:

• “Flop and a drama queen.”
•
• “Sheng Mingzhi, as expected of you, never a disappointment. (Dog head emoji)”
•
• “@ShengMingzhi come out and take your beating.”
•
• “Sina’s KPI for this year relies entirely on him.”
•
• “Where does this flop get the nerve to be so arrogant? Is being the other man something to bring honor to your ancestors?”
•
• “Lmao, let him mock Qiao Yan all he wants. Qiao Yan has already hooked into the Shengjia network. [Sheng Mingzhi Powerless Rage.jpg]”
•
• “Does anyone not know that the male lead #2 for the new Hemu film is already set for Qiao Yan?”
•
• “Hemu is controlled by Shengjia, right? I really believe Qiao Yan has connections now.”
•
________________________________________

After the fight, Sheng Mingzhi stopped coming home altogether. From head to toe, he radiated a clear message: I’m furious, don’t provoke me, contact me via message in a bottle if it’s important.

Since Lu Jiayan was blacklisted on WeChat, he couldn’t see Sheng Mingzhi’s “Moments,” but through Shen Ling’s updates, he could see the young master hadn’t missed a beat in his leisure life. He was traveling everywhere heartlessly, looking as if “love is gone, and I don’t want a career either.”

It seemed Lu Jiayan was the only one who subtly cared about that unpleasant confrontation.

He closed his phone as Assistant Yao entered with a tablet, reading out his afternoon schedule. Lu Jiayan canceled two useless dinner meetings, but paused when he heard about the Hemu Media executive board meeting.

Since Shengjia transitioned from traditional industries to the internet, it had perfectly caught the wave of the film and television boom. As long as one was willing to invest, the profits were immense. Five years ago, Shengjia established Hemu Media. It had countless artists, produced many Best Actors and Actresses, and one of its commercial New Year films had broken the 4 billion box office record. Hemu was now a top-tier company.

Recently, Hemu intended to sign Qiao Yan and offered a generous package of resources.

When Qiao Yan’s name appeared, Lu Jiayan found it vaguely familiar. Assistant Yao, observant as always, dutifully presented all the facts—including Qiao Yan’s impending contract and the “scandal” involving Lu Jiayan at the film festival.

Lu Jiayan’s mind was suddenly assaulted by a memory of a certain “little flower peacock’s” furious interrogation: —Running straight to your “lover” the moment you land?

So, he was referring to this misunderstanding. A misleading screenshot by an unscrupulous marketing account had instantly fabricated a deep relationship between him and Qiao Yan. Whether Qiao Yan himself played a part in this remained to be seen.

Seeing the scandal, Assistant Yao’s back was drenched in cold sweat. As Lu Jiayan’s assistant, failing to delete negative news involving the boss was a major oversight.

However, this Qiao Yan had quite the nerve. Most people wouldn’t dream of a minor artist trying to leech off Lu Jiayan’s heat. Did he not know his own weight? Was the President of Shengjia someone he could use for clout?

Yao 深 (Shen) watched his boss’s face with trepidation. To his surprise, Lu Jiayan’s expression was one of sudden realization.

Assistant Yao was stunned. What’s going on? Is this a hallucination from working too much overtime?

Quickly, the expression on Lu Jiayan’s face vanished, replaced by his usual cold and sharp demeanor.

The next second, Lu Jiayan spoke indifferently: “It seems Hemu is doing quite well. They have so much money they don’t know where to spend it, signing just anyone into the company?”

A chill ran down Yao Shen’s spine. He bowed. “Understood, President Lu.”

The office fell into a long silence. Yao Shen’s sweat doubled, fearing Lu Jiayan would fire him out of irritation. After a long while, Lu Jiayan’s voice rang out again.

Assistant Yao, resigned to his fate, prepared for his punishment.

“Yao Shen, have you ever fought with your partner?”

“I’m sorry, President Lu, this was my major mis—… Huh?” Assistant Yao froze mid-sentence.

Lu Jiayan glanced at him idly. “Why are you looking at me? Don’t you have a partner?”

…What’s with this thick sense of disdain? Single people have dignity too, thank you.

Recovering, Assistant Yao recalled Lu Jiayan’s low mood lately. It turned out he had fought with the young master at home.

Assistant Yao hesitated. “…No.”

“Hm,” Lu Jiayan paused. “I can tell.”

…Why is his tone so annoying?

Assistant Yao said cautiously, “President Lu, if it’s a fight, usually just taking the initiative to seek peace and sending some gifts can ease the relationship.”

He had made the hint so obvious. Even if President Lu was a fool, he should know to send Young Master Sheng a gift! After all, coaxing a partner is a natural instinct for men.

“Is that so?” Lu Jiayan sounded genuinely puzzled. “But he hasn’t taken the initiative to speak to me, nor has he sent me any gifts.”

Assistant Yao: “…”

I think I understand why you two fought.

You deserve it.