Pretending Not to Love You [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 64

Chapter 64

Xiao Baijun washed his face and returned to Zuo Qiu’s side. He leaned close to Zuo Qiu’s ear and teased softly, “Are you rushing to please your in-laws and grand-in-law before you’ve even been ‘married’ into the family?”

Zuo Qiu blushed slightly at the word “married” but refused to back down, “Who says? I’m clearly trying to please my mother-in-law.”

Xiao Baijun found the pretending-to-be-calm Zuo Qiu exceptionally cute at the moment and didn’t argue over who was marrying whom. He pinched Zuo Qiu’s thick earlobe and said, “My Grandma and Mom are already on our side.”

There are only five people in the Xiao family. Xiao Bailin had been their accomplice for a long time. Now that Grandma and Mom weren’t opposed, getting Dad Xiao on board would be a matter of minutes.

Zuo Qiu’s eyes sparkled as he turned to ask Xiao Baijun, “Really? You’re not lying to me?”

Xiao Baijun spread his hands, “Do I need to lie to you?”

Zuo Qiu confirmed that they had successfully conquered two major mountains and was so excited he nearly got burned by the oil. He asked Xiao Baijun, “Do you think I should go downstairs and buy some more breakfast? Do you know what your Grandma and Mom like to eat?”

There was already a table full of breakfast. Did he still need to buy more? Xiao Baijun immediately stopped him, “This is more than enough, and since you made all of it yourself, they will definitely love it.”

Zuo Qiu saw the certainty in Xiao Baijun’s tone. Though hesitant, he didn’t insist on going out again.

Just as the meal was ready, Guo Chen walked in. When she learned that Xiao Baijun’s grandmother and mother had arrived, she understood the meaning of Zuo Qiu’s early morning cooking. She tactfully made an excuse that she had an appointment to eat out.

He Can got up early and performed a round of Tai Chi with her mother-in-law. Just as she was about to go downstairs to get some breakfast, she heard a knock at the door. She opened it and saw her own son standing outside, holding a tray of breakfast.

“Good morning, Mom.” “Good morning, Auntie.”

He Can couldn’t help but smile, looking at her beaming younger son and Zuo Qiu standing next to him like a young daughter-in-law.

“Who is it?” Yin Qiushui’s voice came from inside the room.

“Mom, it’s Jun-jun and them,” He Can replied to her mother-in-law, then turned back to the two at the door and said, “Come in quickly.”

Zuo Qiu followed Xiao Baijun inside. After Xiao Baijun set down the tray, Zuo Qiu arranged the breakfast on the dining table, serving a bowl of porridge and a bowl of fried noodles.

Meanwhile, Xiao Baijun went to the sofa, linked arms with Yin Qiushui, and walked her toward the dining table.

“Grandma, you must eat a lot. Zuo Qiu got up very early to make this. Look, he made all this with his own hands.”

Yin Qiushui glanced at her grandson. She hadn’t thought much of it when her grandson spoke of Zuo Qiu’s merits before, but now, hearing it again, she understood perfectly.

After Yin Qiushui and He Can were seated, Zuo Qiu placed a small bowl of fried noodles in front of Yin Qiushui and handed the bowl of porridge directly to He Can.

Yin Qiushui looked at the food in front of her and was increasingly pleased with Zuo Qiu. Eating fried noodles every morning was a habit she had maintained since she was young. However, as she got older, her son and daughter-in-law worried that eating too much oily food in the morning would affect her health, so they only allowed her to have it once a week. The fried noodles in front of her smelled fragrant, but the seasoning wasn’t excessive, which Zuo Qiu must have done intentionally.

Looking at the vegetable porridge in front of He Can, which was conducive to weight loss, Yin Qiushui had to praise Zuo Qiu’s keen observation. Zuo Qiu had only been to the Xiao family’s home a few times, yet he had figured out preferences that even Xiao Baijun didn’t know—it was quite remarkable.

“These fried noodles taste too bland, Zuo Qiu. Did you forget to add salt?” Xiao Baijun’s voice wasn’t loud, but everyone at the table heard it.

He Can and Yin Qiushui exchanged glances, both with a look of helplessness. Compared to the meticulous Zuo Qiu, Jun-jun was simply clumsy and careless.

Zuo Qiu didn’t say anything; he just pushed a plate of fried steamed bun strips toward him, “You eat this. This suits you.”

Recently, Xiao Baijun had become obsessed with fried steamed bun strips. Spreading a layer of special sauce brought back from M City onto the golden buns made them taste wonderful.

Xiao Baijun stopped talking, drank a bowl of porridge, and only felt full after finishing the entire plate of fried steamed buns.

The atmosphere at the breakfast table was pleasant. Everyone chatted only about the weather and work, implicitly agreeing not to mention the couple’s relationship.

After breakfast, Guo Chen drove the group of four to the film set. Xiao Baijun, who didn’t have any scenes yet, guided his Grandma and Mom around the set to observe one scene. Then, he prepared to take the two out to visit the scenic spots.

Before leaving, Xiao Baijun pulled Zuo Qiu aside and instructed him, “You focus on filming here. I’ll take Grandma and Mom out sightseeing. If anything happens, you must call and tell me.”

Zuo Qiu found it a little funny. Xiao Baijun was being overly dramatic. What could happen to him here? Besides, if something did happen, wouldn’t there be Brother Sheng? He didn’t know what Xiao Baijun was so worried about.

“I know. Don’t worry, and take Grandma and Auntie out.”

Xiao Baijun walked a few steps forward but then turned back to look at him again. This lingering, reluctant look gave Ou Sheng a stomach ache.

“I never thought Xiao Baijun was so clingy. Did he take the wrong medicine today?” Ou Sheng couldn’t help but complain after Xiao Baijun’s figure disappeared.

Zuo Qiu smiled and didn’t say anything. He somewhat understood Xiao Baijun’s feelings. Having just received approval from their families, their revolutionary path had taken a huge step forward. Xiao Er was excited right now, and his desire to show off their affection in front of his family couldn’t have been more obvious.

Ou Sheng glanced at Zuo Qiu, guessing that something good must have happened to them, but he didn’t ask.

“I’ll be returning to B City tomorrow for my fan meeting,” Ou Sheng said. “I see the box office is close to 1.5 billion, not far from 2 billion. How are you two arranging the nude swim?”

Zuo Qiu had been following the box office. Fledgling Eagle’s luck was excellent. The recently released films were either animated or poorly received bad movies, with no strong competitors. Therefore, the box office was still holding steady at around 100 million per day. Reaching 2 billion before the film was pulled from theaters should be no problem.

“I can’t swim.” Zuo Qiu was a little embarrassed. The possibility of learning within the near future was too slim, so Zuo Qiu had never considered being able to swim a lap like Xiao Baijun, like a flying fish. His plan was to be the funny one, just thrashing around in the pool with a swimming ring a few times.

Ou Sheng recalled that Zuo Qiu had indeed mentioned in an interview that he couldn’t swim, so he said, “More than swimming, the fans want to see your bare bodies, so whether you can swim or not doesn’t really matter.”

Zuo Qiu nodded, inwardly thinking about whether he should start exercising soon to get into better shape.

…

Meanwhile, the three Xiao family members were in Guo Chen’s car. Xiao Baijun, in the passenger seat, turned back to Yin Qiushui and said, “Grandma, I’m planning to learn how to drive.”

He had originally planned to start driving lessons today, but with his Grandma and Mom visiting, the plan had to be postponed.

Yin Qiushui sighed. She knew that limiting Jun-jun’s driving was unrealistic. Fortunately, Jun-jun had matured a lot in the past six months, and with Zuo Qiu by his side to remind him, she thought the previous car accident incident wouldn’t happen again.

“Alright, go ahead. Safety first in everything. Don’t be impatient.”

Xiao Baijun quickly nodded, “I’ve memorized it. There definitely won’t be any incidents in the future.”

He Can’s brow hadn’t relaxed since she heard her younger son wanted to learn to drive, but since even her mother-in-law had agreed, she couldn’t say much. She decided in her heart that she would go to the temple to pray for a peace amulet for Xiao Baijun as soon as she returned to B City.

Yin Qiushui and He Can stayed in S City for five days. Xiao Baijun took them to all the tourist spots in S City. Yin Qiushui was getting on in years and felt a bit exhausted after a few days of touring. After resting in the hotel for a day, she took He Can back to B City.

Before leaving, Yin Qiushui specifically called Zuo Qiu to her room for an hour-long heart-to-heart talk. When Zuo Qiu came out with red eyes, Xiao Baijun almost thought his own grandmother had bullied his “wife.” Only after Zuo Qiu repeatedly denied it, claiming they had merely reminisced about the past, did Xiao Baijun drop the idea of going in to have a “good talk” with his grandmother.

…

The day Fledgling Eagle’s box office broke 2 billion, countless fans tagged the @z.x duo, asking when they would fulfill their promise. The two discussed it with Zhao Zhixian and decided to ask the film crew’s cameraman to help shoot a video in two days. After filming, they would send it to Zhao Zhixian to post on Weibo.

That evening, Zuo Qiu received a call from Daisy.

“Hey, speaking of which, when exactly are you guys releasing that nude swimming video?” Daisy asked enthusiastically. Zuo Qiu’s figure was like a stick and not much to look at, but Xiao Baijun was different. His chest muscles, abs, and V-line—just looking at them was enough to make one crave food.

Daisy’s initial mistaken crush on Xiao Baijun was precisely because of his good physique. Even though Daisy was now taken, it didn’t stop her from enjoying eye candy.

“We’ll film in two days, probably release it two days after that.”

The exact release time depended on what Zhao Zhixian announced on Weibo tonight.

“Oh, that’s great. I have to express the fans’ sincere wish, which is to make sure it’s as steamy as possible!”

Zuo Qiu felt a bit speechless, as if they were filming a G/V.

Just before hanging up, Daisy added, “Oh, and I have one more thing to tell you. Thanks to you and Xiao Baijun, our TV series sold quickly while it’s hot! It sold to Z Channel and Y Network, and I heard the price was quite good.”

Zuo Qiu was a little surprised. Just a few days ago, Director Zhao said they were in post-production. It sold before post-production was even finished?

“I hope the ratings soar.”

If the ratings go up, Zhu Mao, as the supporting male lead, should also get more attention, and his and Daisy’s path together will be easier.

After hanging up, Zuo Qiu turned to look at Xiao Baijun, who was reading seriously.

“I haven’t asked you yet, how was today?”

Xiao Baijun started his plan today: driving lessons in the morning and learning at Cheng Ye’s company in the afternoon. With filming running late today and various other things, Zuo Qiu had been too busy to remember.

“It was pretty good.” Xiao Baijun said lightly. Learning to drive wasn’t a big issue for him, but going to Cheng Ye’s company… Thinking about how Cheng Ye assigned him to the marketing department today and even had a veteran employee take him out to run errands, Xiao Baijun wanted to chuckle bitterly. Was he really being treated as labor? Xiao Baijun didn’t say much to Zuo Qiu because he knew that if he told the truth, Zuo Qiu would support Cheng Ye with both hands and feet.

“Brother Ye’s business is doing very well. You can learn a lot from him.”

Don’t let Cheng Ye’s constant presence next to Brother Sheng fool you, looking as if he couldn’t live without his wife. He was actually very decisive and had excellent foresight. Zuo Qiu had secretly read on Weibo that someone had informed people that Cheng Ye’s net worth was now ranked among the top ten in the country. His and Brother Sheng’s successful coming out was inseparable from Cheng Ye’s financial and capability backing. After all, most netizens saw two such outstanding individuals choosing to openly be together, rather than having a chaotic private life like other wealthy people, and unanimously deemed it true love.

Xiao Baijun didn’t want to hear Cheng Ye’s name from Zuo Qiu’s mouth anymore, so he casually tossed the book aside, rolled over, and pinned Zuo Qiu down, “I’m very tired today. How about you reward me?”

Zuo Qiu wanted to say that he was also very tired from filming every day and didn’t think evening exercise was an appropriate reward. “I think a good night’s sleep is the best reward for yourself.”

“That’s right, but I’ll sleep better after eating meat first.”

Before Zuo Qiu could finish rolling his eyes, Xiao Baijun stripped off his pants, and the words of refusal died unspoken.