Ren Muchen tossed the vibrating phone away. The poor phone bounced a little as it landed on the back seat.
"S-sir… Your manager is calling me…" the assistant pitifully whispered from behind the wheel.
"I see that bastard is bothering you as well." He glared at the phone.
"Ring… ring… ring…" the phone kept ringing loudly.
Grunting, he connected the call. "I won't do that script. You know why. Please don't force me."
"You lunatic, it's directed by Mister Darius! The Darius! This is the opportunity of a lifetime. You have to take it! It's just a small scene; you won't even have to touch the actor. We will hire a stunt double to do all the dirty work for you."
"You know I don't like doubles in my films," he said curtly, cutting his friend's rant. "I won't do this, and that is my final decision."
"Yah! Lunatic," he shouted, then suddenly softened his approach. "Don't be worried about the genre. It's very famous amongst young women."
"You want me to act in a gay movie, Shao? Do you even hear yourself?" he said, massaging his aching forehead.
That was one of the reasons why he did not wish to take up this movie. But there was another major reason.
He hated touching men. Even if it was for handshakes, he would feel deeply disgusted.
In this state, his manager wanted him to do an R-rated movie with another guy? This was atrocious.
"Chen-ah, please. Your family has cut off all routes. You have to cling to the strongest line. Director Darius is the best option you can find…"
Muchen cut the call, fed up with listening to his bullshit.
The car suddenly came to a screeching halt.
Ren Muchen jerked forward, but thankfully, his seatbelt kept him safe in his seat. His handler honked loudly as he cursed under his breath.
"What happened?" He glared at the new handler. If it was his assistant, he would have known that he hated sloppy driving like this.
"Sorry, sir. Some teenager just collapsed in front of our car," his handler said, getting out in a hurry to check on the situation.
He sat up straight to get a good view of what was happening. There was a crowd forming in front of him.
Soon, his driver came running to the back seat. "Sir… the kid is unconscious. I called an ambulance. We don't have to worry about anything," he said with an awkward smile.
Muchen's delicate eyebrows frowned slightly. He had already noticed a few people secretly taking videos of him. If this was posted, he would be criticized for being inhuman.
'Another one of my aunt's ploys. Ugh, I'm bored of playing her game,' he thought, rolling his eyes as he got out of the car.
A few gasps were heard around him.
He smiled at them and walked up to the crowd. It parted for him like the sea for Moses, and he got to the kid.
Muchen squatted down and gently patted the kid's bruised cheeks. "Everyone, please move back. Crowding like this will not help," he said, gazing at the girls around him with a soft smile.
Blushing, they moved back, giving him room to have a good look at the kid.
He looked like he was eighteen or nineteen and was wearing his school uniform. His chubby face was pale and bloodless.
Muchen took out his phone and called 112 right away. The bruising on the kid's face was not that bad, but he seemed to have fallen straight to the ground. There was a bleeding wound on the side of his head. The worst was that he might have a concussion.
"Oh, how kind… he is the best…" one girl whispered softly with a grin.
The others all squealed.
Hearing their subtle whispers, Muchen nodded to himself. He was pretty sure that every single one of the girls around him had got that on camera. Even if someone maliciously spread any rumors about him hurting this kid, he could definitely use it to defend himself.
Standing up, he patted his slightly blood-stained hands.
His new assistant was sweating profusely, looking his way. In his hand was a phone. It was most likely his manager calling his handler because he had blocked his calls.
Muchen gestured for him to hand it over.
With the call as his excuse, he walked away to his car.
"Muchen, did you block me?! Oh my god, my blood pressure is spiking because of you. I'm working for you and for your good. Why won't you ever listen to me? Ughhh, my head is hurting. Water, give me water," he shouted.
Muchen rolled his eyes. "I won't take the movie," he whispered with a smile and cut the call.
By then, the ambulance was already there and was loading the kid into the vehicle.
"Muchen~ you are the best. You are so caring even to a stranger," the girls in the crowd shouted loudly.
"Yes, Muchen! I love you!"
"We all love you so much!!"
Muchen calmly smiled back at the crowd. "Stay safe, everyone. I have a meeting with my manager. I'll get going now." He bowed slightly and closed his car door.
He heard a loud scream outside.
Grinning, he accepted the call.
His friend had sent him a message from someone else's number: {'Be careful; your aunt is planning something. Our men have seen her talking to a few strangers. I'll dig into it. Until then, stay safe.'}
Muchen rolled his eyes. This small trick might also be one of his aunt's works. She was desperately seeking ways to throw dirt on him.
He patted his manager's shoulders. "What's your name again?"
"S-sir, it's Xui Ma."
"Mister Xui, make sure to collect the videos from those girls."
"Yes, sir," the man nodded his head like he was pounding ginger. "T-then, sir, where to?"
Ren Muchen thought about it for a second. He did not have anything to do right now. He could go home, but he was sure his friend would be waiting at his home to convince him to do that movie. So, his house was a no-go. Since he was a moderately famous actor, he could not roam around freely. He was noticed anywhere he went.
It was hard to hide his tall figure even in a busy crowd.
"Follow the ambulance," he said without a second hesitation.
It was the best option out of all.
The car slowly followed the ambulance as it entered the nearby hospital.
From his window, he watched the young man being wheeled into the hospital.
After his assistant parked in an inconspicuous corner, he went in wearing his face mask and a hat. Just as he walked in, he spotted a few girls staring at him intensely.
'Ah, I'm caught~ That's good. Take as many photos as you can.'
If these photos and the previous video of him helping the young man went viral, he would be able to create a bit of hype for himself.
At least this much would protect him from the small trap his aunt had set up for him.
The young man was admitted into a common ward, and his guardians were called. Until then, he pretended to be caring by waiting in the waiting area.
He did not show overwhelming affection; he simply sat there waiting in the waiting room for the patient to be cleared.
The doctor soon came out and mentioned that the boy had simply fainted due to exhaustion and that he only needed to rest for a while.
'My job here is done.' He stood up, patting his butt. On the way, he noticed a few nurses taking a secret video of him, so he went overboard and paid off the hospital fees.
It was just a chump change for him.
All along, the new assistant followed behind him with a peculiar look on his face. He was surprised, shocked, and at the same time worried.
Muchen could feel his eyes focusing on him. "Wipe that confused look off your face. Oh, and send that boy fruit baskets and whatnot. Make sure you are noticed when you do so."
Xui Ma gazed at the cold-hearted actor with a sigh. "I'll do as you asked, sir."
Muchen noticed his gaze but did not bother with it. People who have not experienced his life would think he was a cold-hearted person. It's okay if they did. He was a cold-hearted and self-centered person.
But he was not always that way.
There was a time he remembered genuinely laughing and smiling at his dad's jokes.
It all seemed like a daydream to him.
Ren Muchen felt a wave of dizziness. He instantly sat up and took out a bottle of water from his bag and gulped it down.
Just last week, he had been poisoned by his own aunt. And it turned out his personal assistant had been working for his aunt all along. She had been monitoring him through that guy. He fired him instantly and hired this new guy, who had recently graduated from college.
Just as he was thinking about this, he got a call from a familiar number.
His cold eyes frosted over as he peered at his phone.
When he did not receive her calls, his aunt sent over a message kindly inviting him to meet in a private restaurant five days later.
Muchen scoffed. 'I have to deal with this woman as soon as possible.'