Chapter 27
Translated by Anniegrace
Edited/Proofread by: Popeszere
“…… It’s finished?” Fang Miao’s voice instantly became high pitched as he questioned: “Mum left it in your car just yesterday. How can you tell me it is finished?”
Qin Shen replied: “You should have told me yesterday. I have already given it away.”
Fang Miao: “You gave it away?! To whom!?”
Qin Shen: “…… A friend’s kid.”
Fang Miao was not ready to give in: “You gave both boxes and didn’t even leave one box for me?”
Qin Shen took another glance through the rear-view mirror. He saw that the kid had finished the first box and was looking at the other box as if he was planning to continue.
“Mn, I gave it all away,” he replied as he turned his gaze away.
Fang Miao strongly reprimanded Qin Shen for his actions and hung up the call with a heartbreak.
Upon reaching the hospital’s entrance, it was still raining. Jiang Yu only remembered that he had given Xiao-Fang his umbrella when he was getting off the vehicle.
There was only one umbrella in the car, which Qin Shen took when he alighted. Jiang Yu thought for a moment before he prepared to brave the rain and make his run into the hospital. He took the first step forward after opening the car door and his wrist was caught by Qin Shen immediately: “Why are you running?”
Qin Shen bent over into his vehicle to take the last box of chocolate and straightened back with the umbrella upright: “Move closer.”
Jiang Yu was distracted for a moment before he quickly moved closer under the shelter.
Qin Shen’s umbrella was quite wide and was able to shelter two people who stood closer. Jiang Yu focused on his steps and Qin Shen could see the younger person’s neck that was slightly bent and those slightly long hair that smoothly covered the back of the neck.
Qin Shen’s grip on the umbrella tightened as he recalled the very night on the cruise. It had already been a few months, but he still could not find the person from that night. The impression this kid gave him was similar to the person from that night…
Lost in his thoughts, he did not notice what was in front of him. Jiang Yu came to a sudden stop and grabbed Qin Shen’s arm: “Watch out.”
Qin Shen recovered from his thoughts as he saw the big puddle of water in front of him. He was one step away from stepping into it.
“You gotta watch where you’re going.” Jiang Yu mumbled softly as he looked up and locked his gaze with Qin Shen. The latter took a quick glance at the hand that was gripping his arm. Jiang Yu embarrassingly let go.
Qin Yunshan stood by his ward’s window as he looked down. He could see from afar the two figures walking over and sharing an umbrella. The guy on the left was tall, well-built, and looked just like his older grandson, while the guy on the right seemed familiar too. He mumbled to himself: “Who did Ah-Shen come with?”
When the two figures came to a sudden halt, the person on the right grabbed his grandson’s arm and shifted the umbrella a little. He then could clearly see both faces. He could not help but gasp in surprise – wasn’t that the kid from that time? How dare his grandson tell him they were not familiar with one another. Tsk tsk tsk.
Next door in another building, Qiao Mo laid back on the hospital bed as he played with his phone. His assistant asked as he peeled the apple: “Qiao-ge, why did you tag Jiang Yu on that post, isn’t that helping him to increase his exposure?”
His assistant wanted to say more but held back. There were many other junior artists in the same company who were begging to get an exposure with Qiao Mo. Yet he ended up helping an artist from the rival company. Could it be that Qiao Mo still has his previous company’s best interest in mind?
Qiao Mo put his phone down as he laughed softly. He returned the question with another: “Do you think that Jiang Yu will become famous after this drama’s broadcast?”
Despite his unwillingness to admit, his assistant replied honestly: “Definitely.”
With that appearance alone, Jiang Yu would definitely become famous. Moreover, his performance in the filming was decent and the few emotional scenes had some of the crew members moved to tears.
Qiao Mo answered: “That’s why. Even if I do not give him any exposure, he would surely become famous sooner or later. So, I might as well help him with some exposure in advance and let the netizens know how helpful I am by supporting my junior. That way, no matter what happened in the future, the netizens would stand on my side first.”
His assistant felt enlightened by the explanation: “Qiao-ge is very thoughtful as expected.”
Qiao Mo smiled as he got up from his bed and walked towards the window. There was another reason for him to do so – he wanted to use this chance to befriend Jiang Yu and find out the reason why Qin Shen had appeared at the filming site and looked for him.
Jiang Yu was young and appeared to be naïve and innocent. All he needed to do was to probe further and he would surely find out the real reason.
He looked outside the window and saw the two men sharing the umbrella at the short pathway not too far from the next building. The shorter man was gripping on the taller man’s arm and they were standing awfully close to each other. He continued watching and his heart sank when he caught the sight of their faces as the umbrella shifted.
Qin Shen sent Jiang Yu to the other building’s entrance. Jiang Yu said: “Thank you.”
He moved away from the umbrella and was entering the building when Qin Shen stopped him and passed the box of chocolate to him: “You helped my grandfather the other time, this is for you.”
Jiang Yu hesitated for a moment before he shook his head: “I’ve already eaten one box; I can’t have this.”
Qin Shen did not plan on allowing any rejection as he simply pushed the chocolates into Jiang Yu’s arm, turned around and left.
Jiang Yu pursed his lips speechlessly by the actions. He did not want to meet Qiao Mo alone, so he decided to wait for Xiao-Fang to arrive as he hugged the box of chocolates.
Qin Shen made his way up to his grandfather’s ward as he planned to discharge the elder from the hospital today. The nurse had already finished packing the elder’s belongings and they were ready to leave. Then, he saw his grandfather watching him in disbelief.
Qin Shen: “…… Grandpa, why are you looking at me like this?”
Qin Yunshan replied with a heart-broken tone: “Ah-Shen, you actually lied to grandpa.”
Qin Shen: “…… When did I lie to you?”
Qin Yunshan replied: “That young friend. You told me that you have only met him a few times but were not close at all. But from the way it looked, it is the complete opposite. I saw everything; he was hugging your arm.”
“…… Grandpa,” Qin Shen tried to explain but was quickly interrupted by Qin Yunshan sighing: “I have longed for you to get married, to birth a child for the Qin family. Yet after all these years, you did not even bother to bring a dating partner to see me, much less a marriage. Nowadays, I have already opened my mind that regardless of their gender, I will be satisfied so long as you bring a person back to see me before my death bed. You have good judgement in people, and that child is a good person, but……”
The elder paused and questioned worriedly: “Is that child even an adult yet? It’s a no-go if he is a minor.”
Qin Shen was left speechless as he rubbed his temples: “Grandpa, you have it mistaken.”
“Mistaken?” Qin Yunshan glared at the younger man: “Don’t tell me you have mastered the act of playing with people’s emotions.That child is too innocent for that, don’t you dare try to hurt him.”
Qin Shen explained patiently: “Grandpa, you are thinking too much. We are not in that kind of relationship.”
“You’re seriously just playing around?” Qin Yunshan retorted angrily.
The more he explained, the messier it got. Qin Shen decided to end his explanation and instructed the staff to carry the belongings out. Qin Yunshan had both his hands behind his back as he followed along. The elder continued his nagging and not forgetting to give his troublesome grandson a lecture.
Jiang Yu waited for about half an hour before Xiao-Fang reached. The latter gave him a bitter look upon arrival.
Jiang Yu: “……What’s wrong?”
Xiao-Fang: “Since when did you become so close with Chairman Qin? You even got to take a ride in his car.” The assistant answered and grudgingly added: “and you didn’t tag me along.”
“…… We have merely met a few times, not close at all. Let us quickly make our way to visit Qiao Mo.” Jiang Yu laughed awkwardly as he pulled the other man towards the ward.
When they arrived at the ward, Qiao Mo’s expression was already back to normal. He even looked up and smiled at Jiang Yu when they entered the room: “Why did you come when it is raining outside.”
Jiang Yu replied: “We happen to have time as the crew gave us a day off.”
Qiao Mo gave his assistant a glance which he quickly understood and approached Xiao-Fang: “Qiao-ge have not had his meal yet. Is Jiang Yu hungry too? Let’s head out and buy something for them to eat.” With that, he hurriedly tugged Xiao-Fang out from the room.
“Come have a seat.” Qiao Mo patted on the empty space beside him. He saw the box of chocolate in Jiang Yu’s arms and held his hand out to receive it: “Is this for me?”
Jiang Yu hugged the box of chocolate tighter to himself and pushed the container with fish soup forward. He explained: “This isn’t for you. That is yours.”
Qiao Mo did not feel awkward at all as he calmly retracted his hand to open the container. He asked as he scooped a spoonful of the fish soup: “Why did Chairman Qin come here as well?”
Jiang Yu looked at the person before him.
Qiao Mo smiled lightly as he replied: “I saw the both of you earlier. Did he come just to send you here? I didn’t expect that you are so close with Chairman Qin.”
His tone was filled with curiosity and closeness that made people comfortable being around him. However, Jiang Yu could hear the deep-seated malice from the conversation.
If someone were to ask the same question, Jiang Yu would explain a little further. But looking at Qiao Mo, he decided to remain silent.
Seeing Jiang Yu’s silence as if agreeing tacitly, Qiao Mo almost broke his fingernails that were hiding in his sleeves.
Jiang Yu did not stay for too long and left after Xiao-Fang returned.
The crew’s shooting continued as per normal and Qiao Mo returned after a few more days at the hospital. His patient and considerate behaviour towards everyone regardless who they were, either the directors, or even a minor crew member, gained him a good reputation among the entire cast. On the day he returned, they even had a small welcome-back celebration for him.
When the crew members were taking photographs, Qiao Mo purposely pulled Jiang Yu to his side. Not only did Qiao Mo fans think that they were close to one another, even the crew members thought so.
The filming progressed smoothly and after almost two months of stay in the village, the outdoor shooting was coming to an end. Everyone started to pack their belongings as they prepared to return to Linhai City.
There were a few more scenes left to shoot that needed to be done at the film and television town. As they finished shooting the last scene, the entire crew prepared for the wrap-up party at a restaurant not too far away.
After experiencing several months of hardship together, everyone did not go slow with their alcohol. Lin Zheng did not allow Jiang Yu to touch the alcohol and gave him a bottle of coke instead. Jiang Yu was then dismissed to help finish the food which had a wide spread of seafood delicacies that he gladly enjoyed.
Qiao Mo made his round of toasts from the investors to the director before he returned to his seat. His gaze swept from Jiang Yu who was focused on his food, to Chen Rui who had been quietly eating at the side. He could not help himself from feeling curious as he remembered how Chen Rui was against Jiang Yu from the beginning when he joined the crew. However, due to some unknown reasons, Chen Rui stopped picking on Jiang Yu and seemed to be avoiding him.
Qiao Mo swirled his wine glass as he got up and made his way to sit beside Chen Rui. He smiled towards Chen Rui and said: “Why are you eating alone?”
“Qiao-ge.” Chen Rui saw Qiao Mo and quickly put his chopsticks down.
“Here’s a toast to you. Thank you for your hard work.” Qiao Mo took the wine bottle on the table and poured him a glass.
“Not at all. It’s my first-time filming. Thank you for all the advice, Qiao-ge. Here’s a toast to you.” Chen Rui promptly took over the glass offered and bottoms up.
Qiao Mo poured him another glass as he laughed: “I didn’t do that much. It is also because of your hard work and efforts. There are many newbies like yourself in this industry, yet there are very few as hardworking as you. Continue to work hard, you have a bright future.”
Chen Rui felt excited to be praised by a senior as he replied: “I will. I hope that there will be another chance to work with Qiao-ge again in the future.” With that, he emptied the glass of wine again.
Qiao Mo continued to fill the glass of wine again and Chen Rui quickly got drunk with his guards down. Qiao Mo then settled the wine bottle down and asked: “Chen Rui, what happened to you and Jiang Yu?”
“Jiang Yu……” Chen Rui mumbled as his grip on his wine glass became unstable. He shook his head and smiled giddily as he whispered into Qiao Mo’s ear: “I… I’ll tell you. Don’t be deceived by Jiang Yu’s looks. He… He’s more than that…”
Qiao Mo felt his heart beating faster as he lowered his voice: “What have he done?”
“He… He knows hypnotism.” Chen Rui breathed into Qiao Mo’s ears as the latter frowned and forced himself to continue listening: “All he needs to do is to whisper your name and you’ll be hypnotised by him. It’s as if your soul is under control… and you’ll be manipulated around…”
Hypnotism? Qiao Mo found it ridiculous that someone would know such powerful hypnotism which only appears on television and fiction stories. It was impossible for hypnotism to exist. Plus, he had seen Jiang Yu’s profile and knew that the young actor was a kid from an unknown fishing village. How could he have any chance to learn hypnotism at all.
“D-Don’t doubt it…” Chen Rui explained in his drunk state as he noticed Qiao Mo not responding to his reply: “I got hypnotised once and g-got scolded by the director. Even the crew staff were spreading rumours that I’m on drugs…”
Qiao Mo was disgusted by Chen Rui’s intoxicated behaviour and wanted to push the latter away. But upon hearing that last reply, he paused and recalled the incident where Chen Rui and Jiang Yu had a scene together and Chen Rui became very absent-minded after that. The symptoms lasted till the second day and it was after that incident that Chen Rui no longer picks on Jiang Yu.
Chen Rui dropped his head on the table and fell asleep as he finished talking. Qiao Mo then turned to look at Jiang Yu who was diligently peeling the prawns. A glint of detest flashed in his eyes as he thought to himself. He wondered how this person appeared out of nowhere, had an unknown relationship with Qin Shen and even knew some ridiculous hypnotism. What secrets is he hiding from everyone?
Chapter 27
Translated by Anniegrace
Edited/Proofread by: Popeszere
“…… It’s finished?” Fang Miao’s voice instantly became high pitched as he questioned: “Mum left it in your car just yesterday. How can you tell me it is finished?”
Qin Shen replied: “You should have told me yesterday. I have already given it away.”
Fang Miao: “You gave it away?! To whom!?”
Qin Shen: “…… A friend’s kid.”
Fang Miao was not ready to give in: “You gave both boxes and didn’t even leave one box for me?”
Qin Shen took another glance through the rear-view mirror. He saw that the kid had finished the first box and was looking at the other box as if he was planning to continue.
“Mn, I gave it all away,” he replied as he turned his gaze away.
Fang Miao strongly reprimanded Qin Shen for his actions and hung up the call with a heartbreak.
Upon reaching the hospital’s entrance, it was still raining. Jiang Yu only remembered that he had given Xiao-Fang his umbrella when he was getting off the vehicle.
There was only one umbrella in the car, which Qin Shen took when he alighted. Jiang Yu thought for a moment before he prepared to brave the rain and make his run into the hospital. He took the first step forward after opening the car door and his wrist was caught by Qin Shen immediately: “Why are you running?”
Qin Shen bent over into his vehicle to take the last box of chocolate and straightened back with the umbrella upright: “Move closer.”
Jiang Yu was distracted for a moment before he quickly moved closer under the shelter.
Qin Shen’s umbrella was quite wide and was able to shelter two people who stood closer. Jiang Yu focused on his steps and Qin Shen could see the younger person’s neck that was slightly bent and those slightly long hair that smoothly covered the back of the neck.
Qin Shen’s grip on the umbrella tightened as he recalled the very night on the cruise. It had already been a few months, but he still could not find the person from that night. The impression this kid gave him was similar to the person from that night…
Lost in his thoughts, he did not notice what was in front of him. Jiang Yu came to a sudden stop and grabbed Qin Shen’s arm: “Watch out.”
Qin Shen recovered from his thoughts as he saw the big puddle of water in front of him. He was one step away from stepping into it.
“You gotta watch where you’re going.” Jiang Yu mumbled softly as he looked up and locked his gaze with Qin Shen. The latter took a quick glance at the hand that was gripping his arm. Jiang Yu embarrassingly let go.
Qin Yunshan stood by his ward’s window as he looked down. He could see from afar the two figures walking over and sharing an umbrella. The guy on the left was tall, well-built, and looked just like his older grandson, while the guy on the right seemed familiar too. He mumbled to himself: “Who did Ah-Shen come with?”
When the two figures came to a sudden halt, the person on the right grabbed his grandson’s arm and shifted the umbrella a little. He then could clearly see both faces. He could not help but gasp in surprise – wasn’t that the kid from that time? How dare his grandson tell him they were not familiar with one another. Tsk tsk tsk.
Next door in another building, Qiao Mo laid back on the hospital bed as he played with his phone. His assistant asked as he peeled the apple: “Qiao-ge, why did you tag Jiang Yu on that post, isn’t that helping him to increase his exposure?”
His assistant wanted to say more but held back. There were many other junior artists in the same company who were begging to get an exposure with Qiao Mo. Yet he ended up helping an artist from the rival company. Could it be that Qiao Mo still has his previous company’s best interest in mind?
Qiao Mo put his phone down as he laughed softly. He returned the question with another: “Do you think that Jiang Yu will become famous after this drama’s broadcast?”
Despite his unwillingness to admit, his assistant replied honestly: “Definitely.”
With that appearance alone, Jiang Yu would definitely become famous. Moreover, his performance in the filming was decent and the few emotional scenes had some of the crew members moved to tears.
Qiao Mo answered: “That’s why. Even if I do not give him any exposure, he would surely become famous sooner or later. So, I might as well help him with some exposure in advance and let the netizens know how helpful I am by supporting my junior. That way, no matter what happened in the future, the netizens would stand on my side first.”
His assistant felt enlightened by the explanation: “Qiao-ge is very thoughtful as expected.”
Qiao Mo smiled as he got up from his bed and walked towards the window. There was another reason for him to do so – he wanted to use this chance to befriend Jiang Yu and find out the reason why Qin Shen had appeared at the filming site and looked for him.
Jiang Yu was young and appeared to be naïve and innocent. All he needed to do was to probe further and he would surely find out the real reason.
He looked outside the window and saw the two men sharing the umbrella at the short pathway not too far from the next building. The shorter man was gripping on the taller man’s arm and they were standing awfully close to each other. He continued watching and his heart sank when he caught the sight of their faces as the umbrella shifted.
Qin Shen sent Jiang Yu to the other building’s entrance. Jiang Yu said: “Thank you.”
He moved away from the umbrella and was entering the building when Qin Shen stopped him and passed the box of chocolate to him: “You helped my grandfather the other time, this is for you.”
Jiang Yu hesitated for a moment before he shook his head: “I’ve already eaten one box; I can’t have this.”
Qin Shen did not plan on allowing any rejection as he simply pushed the chocolates into Jiang Yu’s arm, turned around and left.
Jiang Yu pursed his lips speechlessly by the actions. He did not want to meet Qiao Mo alone, so he decided to wait for Xiao-Fang to arrive as he hugged the box of chocolates.
Qin Shen made his way up to his grandfather’s ward as he planned to discharge the elder from the hospital today. The nurse had already finished packing the elder’s belongings and they were ready to leave. Then, he saw his grandfather watching him in disbelief.
Qin Shen: “…… Grandpa, why are you looking at me like this?”
Qin Yunshan replied with a heart-broken tone: “Ah-Shen, you actually lied to grandpa.”
Qin Shen: “…… When did I lie to you?”
Qin Yunshan replied: “That young friend. You told me that you have only met him a few times but were not close at all. But from the way it looked, it is the complete opposite. I saw everything; he was hugging your arm.”
“…… Grandpa,” Qin Shen tried to explain but was quickly interrupted by Qin Yunshan sighing: “I have longed for you to get married, to birth a child for the Qin family. Yet after all these years, you did not even bother to bring a dating partner to see me, much less a marriage. Nowadays, I have already opened my mind that regardless of their gender, I will be satisfied so long as you bring a person back to see me before my death bed. You have good judgement in people, and that child is a good person, but……”
The elder paused and questioned worriedly: “Is that child even an adult yet? It’s a no-go if he is a minor.”
Qin Shen was left speechless as he rubbed his temples: “Grandpa, you have it mistaken.”
“Mistaken?” Qin Yunshan glared at the younger man: “Don’t tell me you have mastered the act of playing with people’s emotions.That child is too innocent for that, don’t you dare try to hurt him.”
Qin Shen explained patiently: “Grandpa, you are thinking too much. We are not in that kind of relationship.”
“You’re seriously just playing around?” Qin Yunshan retorted angrily.
The more he explained, the messier it got. Qin Shen decided to end his explanation and instructed the staff to carry the belongings out. Qin Yunshan had both his hands behind his back as he followed along. The elder continued his nagging and not forgetting to give his troublesome grandson a lecture.
Jiang Yu waited for about half an hour before Xiao-Fang reached. The latter gave him a bitter look upon arrival.
Jiang Yu: “……What’s wrong?”
Xiao-Fang: “Since when did you become so close with Chairman Qin? You even got to take a ride in his car.” The assistant answered and grudgingly added: “and you didn’t tag me along.”
“…… We have merely met a few times, not close at all. Let us quickly make our way to visit Qiao Mo.” Jiang Yu laughed awkwardly as he pulled the other man towards the ward.
When they arrived at the ward, Qiao Mo’s expression was already back to normal. He even looked up and smiled at Jiang Yu when they entered the room: “Why did you come when it is raining outside.”
Jiang Yu replied: “We happen to have time as the crew gave us a day off.”
Qiao Mo gave his assistant a glance which he quickly understood and approached Xiao-Fang: “Qiao-ge have not had his meal yet. Is Jiang Yu hungry too? Let’s head out and buy something for them to eat.” With that, he hurriedly tugged Xiao-Fang out from the room.
“Come have a seat.” Qiao Mo patted on the empty space beside him. He saw the box of chocolate in Jiang Yu’s arms and held his hand out to receive it: “Is this for me?”
Jiang Yu hugged the box of chocolate tighter to himself and pushed the container with fish soup forward. He explained: “This isn’t for you. That is yours.”
Qiao Mo did not feel awkward at all as he calmly retracted his hand to open the container. He asked as he scooped a spoonful of the fish soup: “Why did Chairman Qin come here as well?”
Jiang Yu looked at the person before him.
Qiao Mo smiled lightly as he replied: “I saw the both of you earlier. Did he come just to send you here? I didn’t expect that you are so close with Chairman Qin.”
His tone was filled with curiosity and closeness that made people comfortable being around him. However, Jiang Yu could hear the deep-seated malice from the conversation.
If someone were to ask the same question, Jiang Yu would explain a little further. But looking at Qiao Mo, he decided to remain silent.
Seeing Jiang Yu’s silence as if agreeing tacitly, Qiao Mo almost broke his fingernails that were hiding in his sleeves.
Jiang Yu did not stay for too long and left after Xiao-Fang returned.
The crew’s shooting continued as per normal and Qiao Mo returned after a few more days at the hospital. His patient and considerate behaviour towards everyone regardless who they were, either the directors, or even a minor crew member, gained him a good reputation among the entire cast. On the day he returned, they even had a small welcome-back celebration for him.
When the crew members were taking photographs, Qiao Mo purposely pulled Jiang Yu to his side. Not only did Qiao Mo fans think that they were close to one another, even the crew members thought so.
The filming progressed smoothly and after almost two months of stay in the village, the outdoor shooting was coming to an end. Everyone started to pack their belongings as they prepared to return to Linhai City.
There were a few more scenes left to shoot that needed to be done at the film and television town. As they finished shooting the last scene, the entire crew prepared for the wrap-up party at a restaurant not too far away.
After experiencing several months of hardship together, everyone did not go slow with their alcohol. Lin Zheng did not allow Jiang Yu to touch the alcohol and gave him a bottle of coke instead. Jiang Yu was then dismissed to help finish the food which had a wide spread of seafood delicacies that he gladly enjoyed.
Qiao Mo made his round of toasts from the investors to the director before he returned to his seat. His gaze swept from Jiang Yu who was focused on his food, to Chen Rui who had been quietly eating at the side. He could not help himself from feeling curious as he remembered how Chen Rui was against Jiang Yu from the beginning when he joined the crew. However, due to some unknown reasons, Chen Rui stopped picking on Jiang Yu and seemed to be avoiding him.
Qiao Mo swirled his wine glass as he got up and made his way to sit beside Chen Rui. He smiled towards Chen Rui and said: “Why are you eating alone?”
“Qiao-ge.” Chen Rui saw Qiao Mo and quickly put his chopsticks down.
“Here’s a toast to you. Thank you for your hard work.” Qiao Mo took the wine bottle on the table and poured him a glass.
“Not at all. It’s my first-time filming. Thank you for all the advice, Qiao-ge. Here’s a toast to you.” Chen Rui promptly took over the glass offered and bottoms up.
Qiao Mo poured him another glass as he laughed: “I didn’t do that much. It is also because of your hard work and efforts. There are many newbies like yourself in this industry, yet there are very few as hardworking as you. Continue to work hard, you have a bright future.”
Chen Rui felt excited to be praised by a senior as he replied: “I will. I hope that there will be another chance to work with Qiao-ge again in the future.” With that, he emptied the glass of wine again.
Qiao Mo continued to fill the glass of wine again and Chen Rui quickly got drunk with his guards down. Qiao Mo then settled the wine bottle down and asked: “Chen Rui, what happened to you and Jiang Yu?”
“Jiang Yu……” Chen Rui mumbled as his grip on his wine glass became unstable. He shook his head and smiled giddily as he whispered into Qiao Mo’s ear: “I… I’ll tell you. Don’t be deceived by Jiang Yu’s looks. He… He’s more than that…”
Qiao Mo felt his heart beating faster as he lowered his voice: “What have he done?”
“He… He knows hypnotism.” Chen Rui breathed into Qiao Mo’s ears as the latter frowned and forced himself to continue listening: “All he needs to do is to whisper your name and you’ll be hypnotised by him. It’s as if your soul is under control… and you’ll be manipulated around…”
Hypnotism? Qiao Mo found it ridiculous that someone would know such powerful hypnotism which only appears on television and fiction stories. It was impossible for hypnotism to exist. Plus, he had seen Jiang Yu’s profile and knew that the young actor was a kid from an unknown fishing village. How could he have any chance to learn hypnotism at all.
“D-Don’t doubt it…” Chen Rui explained in his drunk state as he noticed Qiao Mo not responding to his reply: “I got hypnotised once and g-got scolded by the director. Even the crew staff were spreading rumours that I’m on drugs…”
Qiao Mo was disgusted by Chen Rui’s intoxicated behaviour and wanted to push the latter away. But upon hearing that last reply, he paused and recalled the incident where Chen Rui and Jiang Yu had a scene together and Chen Rui became very absent-minded after that. The symptoms lasted till the second day and it was after that incident that Chen Rui no longer picks on Jiang Yu.
Chen Rui dropped his head on the table and fell asleep as he finished talking. Qiao Mo then turned to look at Jiang Yu who was diligently peeling the prawns. A glint of detest flashed in his eyes as he thought to himself. He wondered how this person appeared out of nowhere, had an unknown relationship with Qin Shen and even knew some ridiculous hypnotism. What secrets is he hiding from everyone?
