Pretending Not to Love You [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Zuo Qiu was very well-behaved when drunk; he simply slept quietly. Xiao Bojun carried him to the bed, wiped his face, hands, and feet, and Zuo Qiu showed no reaction.

Xiao Bojun poured a glass of water and placed it on Zuo Qiu’s bedside table, rubbed Zuo Qiu’s curly hair again, then turned off the light and left the bedroom.

Zuo Qiu slept soundly all night. When he was woken up by his biological clock the next morning, he found himself lying in his own bed. Guessing that Xiao Bojun must have moved him to the room, a smile appeared on Zuo Qiu’s lips as he remembered Xiao Bojun taking care of him yesterday. But the smile froze halfway—I didn’t say anything I shouldn’t have, or do anything I shouldn’t have… did I?

With a nervous heart, Zuo Qiu got up to make breakfast.

Half an hour later, Zuo Qiu’s breakfast was ready, and Xiao Bojun also got out of bed.

Zuo Qiu served Xiao Bojun a bowl of preserved egg and lean pork congee and two meat buns. Xiao Bojun hadn’t slept well last night, dreaming about sexual encounters all night. He was sitting at the table, yawning and looking a little listless.

“What’s wrong? Didn’t you sleep well?” Zuo Qiu asked him.

Xiao Bojun looked up at Zuo Qiu. “I’m fine.”

Zuo Qiu hesitated and asked, “Yesterday… I didn’t cause trouble while drunk, did I?”

His last memory was him feeling dizzy and lying on the table, with Xiao Bojun asking him if he had any wishes he wanted to fulfill. But whether he answered or how he answered, he had absolutely no memory.

Xiao Bojun took a bite of the bun and looked at the slightly evasive Zuo Qiu. He decided to tease him to wake himself up.

“You were very noisy yesterday, singing and dancing. And you held onto me and wouldn’t let go, saying you liked me a lot and wanted to be with me.”

Zuo Qiu’s chopsticks dropped directly to the floor, and his face turned pale. “No… no way?” He rarely got drunk and genuinely didn’t know if he would be noisy when drunk, or even… spill the beans when drunk?

Seeing Zuo Qiu’s huge reaction, Xiao Bojun found it amusing. “That’s right. You said I was the most handsome man in the world, and you were completely infatuated.”

Zuo Qiu listened to him, then carefully observed Xiao Bojun’s expression. He realized Xiao Bojun was lying, as although he liked Xiao Bojun, he wasn’t his dream man. After confirming that he hadn’t spoken nonsense while drunk, Zuo Qiu finally relaxed. He picked up the chopsticks on the floor, took them to the kitchen, came back with a fresh pair, and began to enjoy his breakfast.

Xiao Bojun saw his lie was exposed and wondered which word gave it away. He decided to probe Zuo Qiu’s feelings: “I’ve been classmates with you for three years, and I haven’t seen you date or get close to anyone. Haven’t you ever developed feelings for anyone?”

Xiao Bojun automatically excluded himself, who stuck to Zuo Qiu every day, classifying their situation as mere roommate friendship. After all, it was perfectly normal for people in the same university dorm to go in and out together.

Zuo Qiu’s right hand paused, and he told a little lie: “No.”

Xiao Bojun felt a little disheartened, but then he thought that even though Zuo Qiu didn’t like him, he didn’t like anyone else either, so he still had a chance. He slowly regained his confidence. After all, proximity gives the advantage! With him clinging to Zuo Qiu every day, what wild man would dare to steal him away!

…

After breakfast, the two went to Bailuo. Today, they were going to discuss the specific debut procedures with Xiao Bolin and their manager.

Upon entering Xiao Bolin’s office, Xiao Bojun frowned as he saw Zhao Zhixian stand up to greet him. Although Xiao Bolin said Zhao Zhixian was the best manager in the company, Xiao Bojun still held a grudge over Zhao Zhixian’s previous deception of Zuo Qiu.

Zuo Qiu had no strong feelings about Zhao Zhixian. In his view, the previous incident was a misunderstanding. Since he was their manager now, it was right to foster a good relationship. So, Zuo Qiu nodded and smiled at Zhao Zhixian before sitting down next to Xiao Bojun.

Zhao Zhixian felt uneasy. The boss trusted him enough to manage the Second Young Master, which would undoubtedly advance his career and connections, but because of the previous misunderstanding, the Second Young Master was prejudiced against him. This would inevitably affect the smooth progress of future work.

Shaking off his worries, Zhao Zhixian took his seat.

Xiao Bolin took in everyone’s expressions, clasped his hands, and went straight to the point: “From now on, Lao Zhao will be responsible for managing you two. Everyone should let go of any grudges. Speak up if you have any problems. If there are knots in your heart, the work won’t go well in the future.”

Hearing this, Zhao Zhixian immediately apologized: “Second Young Master, Zuo Qiu, the previous incident was my fault, but please be assured that I will be devoted to you both in the future and will never deceive you.”

Zuo Qiu smiled and said, “Brother Zhao, you’re making too much of it. The past is the past. We’ll just cooperate well from now on.”

Seeing his younger brother remain silent, Xiao Bolin called him out directly: “Junjun, what do you think?”

Xiao Bojun leaned back. Since Zuo Qiu didn’t mind, he had nothing more to say. “Just go with it.”

Zhao Zhixian breathed a huge sigh of relief. Although Xiao Bojun’s words weren’t pleasant, they at least meant he was accepted.

…

After everyone cleared the air, Zhao Zhixian began to outline the plan for the two of them: “Within the next week, you need to record a new song and a music video. Afterward, marketing accounts will help promote you. Then, striking while the iron is hot, I’ve secured a reality show and two TV dramas. You will each take the male lead role…”

“Two?” Xiao Bojun interrupted Zhao Zhixian.

Zhao Zhixian reviewed his plan and confirmed: “Yes, two.”

Xiao Bojun: “I think one is enough. I can’t act, so just find me a supporting role in the drama Zuo Qiu is starring in.”

“This…” Zhao Zhixian looked at Xiao Bolin, waiting for his decision.

Xiao Bolin understood his brother’s intention perfectly. Firstly, he was indeed lazy. Secondly, his brother probably didn’t want to be separated from Zuo Qiu. Since Junjun agreed to the other demands, Xiao Bolin felt it wouldn’t hurt to agree to this small matter, as his brother wasn’t relying on this for his livelihood anyway.

“Fine, we’ll listen to Junjun. Since they are a duo, try to put them in the same production in the future. Find Junjun roles with few scenes that are still good for attracting fans.”

My brother understands me best. Xiao Bojun shot Xiao Bolin an approving look as encouragement.

Zhao Zhixian was a little surprised. This result would inevitably lead to unbalanced development for the duo, and the boss certainly knew that. So, what was the meaning behind this?

Xiao Bolin looked at Zhao Zhixian and said, “Junjun’s strengths are in singing and dancing. You can shift his focus to those areas in the future.”

Zhao Zhixian understood the boss’s intention and nodded in agreement. Since the two were debuting as a duo, they would inevitably go solo later. Having different focuses was normal.

…

After discussing their immediate work, Zhao Zhixian immediately handed the sheet music for the new song to the two of them, asking them to learn it as quickly as possible.

Zuo Qiu: ⊙０⊙

Xiao Bojun: (︶︿︶)=凸

To Zuo Qiu, the musical staves were indistinguishable from gibberish. As for Xiao Bojun—it was enough that he could sing. Why did he need to understand sheet music? What was the connection!