"You should go."
Without explaining anything, Jin Si ordered Chang Xun to leave.
Chang Xun was unwilling to leave when a potential star was sitting there right in front of him. Despite Jin Si's oppressive glare boring holes into him, he persistently added, "Are you sure you don't want to be a star? You'll earn more money than you can make as a bodyguard."
He seemed to have hit the nail on the head with those words as Qi Wu immediately shot to her feet and repeated what Chang Xun just said. "Earn more money?"
Silence fell.
Jin Si, who was standing not that far away, pursed his lips. He stared at Qi Wu for a few seconds before looking away. He had forgotten that since that was the bait he used to lure her to his side, it naturally meant others could do the same.
Upon seeing a shimmer of hope, Chang Xun immediately stopped walking.
"That's right. You can earn a lot of money by being a celebrity, especially if you go on this show that I'm thinking of. Just by appearing in one round on the show, you can earn tens of thousands!"
Qi Wu nodded. "That's a lot."
Her voice was so calm that it was hard to tell what she meant by that.
Chang Xun froze. If not for Qi Wu's focused and solemn expression, he would have suspected her of toying with him.
"Does that mean you've changed your mind?"
As Chang Xun said that, Jin Si unwittingly turned to look at Qi Wu. To his surprise, his gaze met hers as soon he turned around.
She was looking at him with a serious look on her beautiful face as she gently asked, "Can I go?"
Suddenly, a thought popped into Jin Si's mind. Why do you want to go?
In the end, all he could say in his cold voice was, "It's up to you."
When Chang Xun saw that Jin Si would not interfere in this matter, he instantly got excited. "Jin, why not have her sign on with your talent agency? You're the only talent the agency has right now anyway."
Chang Xun had seen many promising talents over the years.
However, none of them were as enchanting as Qi Wu. She was like a blank piece of paper, enticing others to write on.
He adored talent so much that he naturally did not want to miss out on her.
"Not everyone can sign on with me," Jin Si coldly said.
Qi Wu merely tilted her head and did not respond to that declaration.
Chang Xun was worried she might not be scared away by Jin Si's sharp tongue, but soon stopped worrying when he saw that she was lost in her thoughts.
"What's your phone number? If you give it to me, I can send you the application form later."
"I don't have one," Qi Wu replied with another tilt of her head.
Once more, Chang Xun felt himself rendered speechless.
He forced himself to turn to Jin Si and ask, "Is she telling the truth? She's not pulling my leg, right?"
How was it possible for anyone to not have a phone number in this day and age?
Jin Si ignored him and pressed a button on the control panel next to him to open the door.
Lou Ying walked into the house. He was about to greet Jin Si but changed his greeting after he spotted Chang Xun. "Everything's ready, Mr. Jin."
"Let's go," Jin Si said to Qi Wu as he stood up.
Qi Wu obediently stood up without asking where they were going.
Instead, it was Chang Xun who asked, "Where are you going?"
"Just as you asked, we're going to get her a phone number," Jin Si languidly answered.
Chang Xun fell silent.
Why did Jin Si's answer sound hostile to him?
*
With the help of his connections, Jin Si got Qi Wu an identification document before leading her to a phone shop to buy a new phone as well as a new phone number.
As soon as the phone number was activated on Qi Wu's new phone, the first thing Jin Si did was save his number on it.
As he observed the quiet woman standing before him, he abruptly asked, "Don't you want to go home?"
Qi Wu tilted her head and pondered for a few seconds before shaking her head. "I don't have a home."
The family who took her in no longer had anything to do with her.
A thought struck her, and she added, "I'll work hard to pay the rent."
Jin Si's lips curled upward in a smile as he said with a dark look in his eyes, "You're quick to learn."
With his hands in his pockets, he slowly strode forward. "Let's go. It's time for our next meal."
Qi Wu followed him and tilted her head up to solemnly ask, "Do you still have the candy from yesterday?"
Jin Si did not respond.
He stopped and turned his head around to look at her. When he saw that she was still stubbornly waiting for his answer with a strand of hair playfully sticking out on the top of her head. He could not help but stroke it with a hand.
Unbeknownst to him, the unexpected smooth and silky quality of her hair and her overly obedient posture made joy flash through him.
His hand only lingered for a moment before he pulled his hand back and blankly replied, "I'll buy you some later."
Lou Ying, who was walking behind them, had been thoroughly relegated to the background.
He just could not imagine the arrogant and cold man he knew would actually handle all these trivial tasks himself. Had the ghost cast a spell on him?
Should Lou Ying push them together or not?
The trip ended with Qi Wu happily following Jin Si home with a jar of lemon drops.
After arriving back home, she promptly sat on the sofa and silently stared at Jin Si.
The look in her eyes was a clear message to Jin Si who then turned on the TV with a click of his tongue. He watched as Qi Wu continued to focus on her "studies".
"Do you know how to use your new phone?" he asked.
Upon hearing that, Qi Wu turned away from her "studying" and pulled out her new phone from the sling bag next to her. She then showcased her ability to turn on the phone.
She did everything with a serious look on her face, never once realizing the way she did that could be misinterpreted as the action of someone who was dim-witted. Not even the person watching her do that realized just how childish she was acting.
Jin Si's lips twitched upward imperceptibly as he casually asked, "Not bad. Do you know how to send me a message?"
Qi Wu silently fiddled with her phone in response.
Around ten seconds later, Jin Si received a new message.
Tiny Lemon Drop: ^_^
Jin Si was at a loss for words.
"Tiny Lemon Drop" was the nickname he gave to Qi Wu on his phone. The smiley face she sent him was also something she learned from him, but that smile… That was something he used when he was mocking the other person.
The fact that Qi Wu sent that specific smiley face to him made him feel like he had just shot himself in the foot.
*
Chang Xun was so very worried about his new talent that he forced himself to visit the very next day. Despite the death glare sent his way by Jin Si due to being woken up, he cautiously walked over to Qi Wu who was preoccupied with the show about the pink pigs.
Strangely enough, Jin Si's threatening glare vanished the moment Chang Xun got close to Qi Wu.
While he found it weird, he did not think too much about it and instead eagerly greeted Qi Wu. "Hi! Why didn't you accept my friend request? It's fine, though. I've already printed out the form. You just need to fill it in now."
Qi Wu patiently turned around and calmly responded, "Jin Si said I shouldn't add people who like to spin stories as friends."
Confusion was painted all over Chang Xun's face.
Despite the overwhelming heartbreak and bewilderment he felt, he did not dare question Jin Si about that response. Hence, his only choice was to suppress his negative feelings.
"I was not spinning a story back then! It's called coming up with a logical plan for the future. My name is Chang Xun, and you promised me you would go work on the show, remember?"