Chapter 37 - I Can't Be Without You

Fu Xingyun, who had the phone abruptly hung up on him:...

The next day, upon arriving at the film set, Wang Cheng approached and cautioned, "The actors you'll be acting with later are all famous celebrities. Make sure you don't offend anyone."

Lin Qiong patted his chest, "You can trust me with this."

Wang Cheng: "If I could trust you, why would I bother telling you all this?"

"..." Lin Qiong grumbled discontentedly, "You don't trust me."

Wang Cheng: "I don't."

Lin Qiong took a step forward, "I sense a hint of guilt in your eyes."

"You're mistaken."

"Then why are you telling me all this?"

"A well-intentioned reminder."

"..."

A stylist walked over, raised a hand to mess with Lin Qiong's hair, and said, "It's good now, just like this."

Wang Cheng, puzzled, looked on, "Is this hairstyle okay?"

The stylist, after carefully examining Lin Qiong, nodded, "Exactly, the next-door gege vibe is precisely what he needs. He's perfect like this now."

Not long after, the actress playing the female lead arrived. After chatting with the director for a few moments, she glanced in Lin Qiong's direction.

The director beckoned Lin Qiong over, "Come, let's get to know each other."

Lin Qiong extended a friendly hand, "Hello, I'm Lin Qiong."

Although the other person was already a well-known figure in the industry, she didn't act aloof, "Hello, I'm Bai Ying."

Then Bai Ying had her assistant bring the script, "We'll start filming soon; let's go over our scenes now."

"Sure."

After agreeing, Bai Ying waited for Lin Qiong to take the script, but he hesitated.

"Don't you need to look at the script?"

"I read it yesterday."

Bai Ying had actually gone through her own lines the day before, but due to her busy schedule, she sometimes got confused with her work. So, she liked to rehearse her scenes with someone before shooting.

Hearing that Lin Qiong had already memorized his lines, she asked, "You've memorized all your lines?"

"Yeah, I have."

Then, as a senior, Bai Ying suggested, "It's better to review your lines again before shooting. Take out the script and go through your lines."

Lin Qiong politely declined her offer, "No need."

Bai Ying, observing Lin Qiong's confident demeanor, commented, "It seems like you have a good memory for lines."

Lin Qiong, feeling a bit embarrassed, scratched his head, "It's not really that."

Bai Ying smiled, "You don't need to be modest."

Lin Qiong replied, "I really don't have any lines in this scene."

"...,"

Bai Ying's smile froze on her face. She then raised her hand and flipped through the script, and indeed, there wasn't a single line for Lin Qiong.

Lin Qiong, portraying the next-door gege, had only one scene, which required him to smile.

Lin Qiong said, "Let's start our scene."

Bai Ying composed herself, "Okay."

Ten minutes later, Bai Ying looked at Lin Qiong, "Did you study acting professionally?"

Lin Qiong shook his head, "No."

Bai Ying was somewhat surprised, "Your understanding of the script is quite good. I thought you had formal training."

After rehearsing their scene, they began the formal shooting.

In the morning, the girl hurriedly finished her breakfast, put on her shoes, and rushed out of the house, afraid of missing the brief encounter with someone before going to school.

Fortunately, the girl didn't leave too late. Just as she ran out of the intersection, she saw a tall figure waiting for a car by the roadside.

"Brother Mu Bai!"

The girl's heart raced with excitement. The breeze blew, tousling the boy's hair. Hearing the voice from behind, the boy turned around. Upon seeing the girl waving at him at the intersection, a smile appeared on his face, radiant in the sunlight.

Director: "Cut! This take is good, tidy up and take another one."

Upon hearing the instructions, the makeup artist and stylist hurriedly approached to touch up the actors.

Lin Qiong, enviously watching Bai Ying surrounded by four people across from him, then glanced at his own stylist.

The stylist raised a hand and ruffled Lin Qiong's hair, "Done."

"..."

Simple and straightforward.

After finishing his scenes, the director, just like the day before, requested Lin Qiong to stay on set to observe other scenes and get a feel for the atmosphere.

While Lin Qiong focused on his work, he also made time to send messages to Fu Xingyun.

"On the first day of work, miss you~"

Fu Xingyun, who was currently in a meeting at the company, glanced at the suddenly lit phone on the table.

Fu Xingyun cleared his throat, ready to ignore this small interruption and continue the meeting.

"Birds can't be without the sky, the sea can't be without storms, and I can't be without you. Miss you~"

"Fu Xingyun, are you there?"

"Why aren't you replying to my messages?"

"Do you not miss me at all?"

Seeing Fu Xingyun's phone bombarded with messages:...

The secretary on the side noticed that his boss kept glancing at his phone. Having keen insight, the secretary suggested, "Boss, how about pausing the meeting for ten minutes before continuing? It's a good time for you to take a break."

Due to Fu Xingyun's recent marriage, he hadn't been able to come to the office, so Fu Xingyun attended the meeting the day after Lin Qiong left, and it lasted the entire day.

Fu Xingyun said, "Sure, let's take a ten-minute break."

He picked up his phone, glanced at it, and after tapping the keyboard for a while, he managed to type four words, "Was busy just now."

One minute, two minutes... ten minutes passed, and there was still no reply.

The secretary, anxiously watching, said, "Maybe the other person is busy."

Fu Xingyun raised his eyes and glanced at him, "Really?"

"Really," the secretary nodded affirmatively, "Maybe Mr. Lin will find you when he has free time."

After hearing this, Fu Xingyun put his phone down, "Let's continue the meeting."

As soon as he finished speaking, the phone suddenly vibrated.

"Oh, have you finished being busy?"

"What did you have for breakfast today?"

"Do you miss me?"

Fu Xingyun: ...

The secretary on the side was also momentarily speechless – a perfect timing to miss each other.

After sending the message, Lin Qiong continued to watch the lead actors perform. The male lead, a rising star who had gained popularity in the past two years, came from a wealthy family, so he was quite assertive in the industry.

Apart from talking to the female lead and the director, he almost looked down on everyone else.

Lin Qiong didn't mind. During lunch, he followed to collect his meal and then sat on his own personalized small stool to eat.

Suddenly, he heard a disdainful chuckle. Looking up, he saw Qin Weichu looking down at him condescendingly.

"You can eat this?"

Lin Qiong glanced at him, then pointed in a helpful direction with a fair finger, "You can get it over there."

"...," Qin Weichu said, "Who said I wanted to eat it."

Puffing his cheeks, Lin Qiong asked, "Then why are you here?"

"The director asked me to come and get to know you," Qin Weichu replied.

Upon hearing this, Lin Qiong extended a friendly hand.

Unexpectedly, Qin Weichu turned his head away, "I don't shake hands with commoners."

Lin Qiong asked, "Are you nobility?"

Qin Weichu crossed his arms, "Aren't you?"

"Of course," Lin Qiong said.

"..." Qin Weichu looked at the food in Lin Qiong's hand, "How can you eat this stuff?"

Lin Qiong looked back at him, "Why can't I eat it?"

Qin Weichu arrogantly raised his head, "I never eat this kind of stuff."

Lin Qiong looked at his own bowl of rice, "Did you grow up eating bran?"

"...," Qin Weichu had his chair brought over, and compared to Lin Qiong's small stool, it was a massive piece of furniture.

"Bring my lunch here."

The assistant brought over the chef-prepared food, and Qin Weichu sat next to Lin Qiong.

Thinking that Lin Qiong would cast envious glances, Qin Weichu found him still contentedly enjoying his boxed lunch.

And it seemed quite delicious.

Qin Weichu swallowed, "Why don't you ask me what I'm eating?"

Lin Qiong was puzzled, "Why should I ask you?"

"Because I asked you just now."

With a gleaming, oil-covered mouth, Lin Qiong imitated Qin Weichu's expression, "Can you eat this kind of stuff too?"

"..."

It could be said to be a perfect replay.

On the side, Bai Ying, noticing that Qin Weichu was turning green with anger, quickly found an excuse to pull Lin Qiong away.

"Why did you provoke him again?"

Lin Qiong, still chewing on his food, swallowed quickly before responding, "I didn't."

Bai Ying glanced back, "Stay away from him in the future. His family background is influential, and he has a bad temper. If you offend him, your future path will be difficult."

Lin Qiong understood the reasoning and nodded obediently as Bai Ying advised.

Bai Ying added, "If he causes trouble for you in the future, just avoid him."

Lin Qiong said, "I'm afraid I can't resist."

Bai Ying replied, "If you provoke him and lose business, what will you do in the future without money?"

Suddenly, Lin Qiong thought of Fu Xingyun, "I'll go home and rely on my father."

"..."

In the evening, after finishing the meeting, Fu Xingyun returned home. The secretary happened to bring the dinner together.

Fu Xingyun glanced at it and thought of going upstairs.

The secretary quickly said, "Boss, are you not eating again today?"

Yesterday, when he brought dinner, Fu Xingyun didn't eat.

After all, being paid a salary, and it wasn't a small amount, the secretary was always diligent and responsible.

Fu Xingyun replied, "No."

This 'no' wasn't because he wasn't hungry but because he didn't want to eat.

The secretary noticed that since his boss married Mr. Lin, his appetite seemed to have diminished.

"If you don't eat, Mr. Lin will be worried if he finds out," the secretary said.

Fu Xingyun glanced at him, "He would worry?"

The secretary persisted, "Of course, Mr. Lin has always been close to you, hasn't he?"

Fu Xingyun remained silent for a moment, then turned and went upstairs.

The secretary looked at the food box and sighed. However, as the top henchman around the boss, he quickly regained his determination. He took out his phone and found Lin Qiong's number, planning to ask what the boss liked to eat.

He had saved Lin Qiong's number when he investigated him before.

The phone rang a few times and was quickly answered.

A young voice came from the other end, "Hello, not buying insurance."

"..."

"Mr. Lin, I'm not selling insurance."

The other person responded, "I already have a home in a prestigious area."

"..." the secretary said, "Mr. Lin, I'm not a real estate agent; I'm Mr. Fu's secretary."

Upon hearing this, Lin Qiong's small mouth formed an "O," "Oh, is that so? What's the matter then?"

The secretary got straight to the point, "These days, Mr. Fu has been unable to eat properly because you're not around. It might be because the food doesn't suit his taste. Mr. Lin, do you know what Mr. Fu likes to eat?"

"Is he with you?"

"No, he's not."

Upon hearing this, Lin Qiong whispered, "He's a picky eater, likes to be treated well, you know, enjoys a comfortable life."