Chapter 12 – A Great Love
Hearing this, E Yuezhang was completely stunned. By the time Lin Ganzhi nimbly walked inside, he was still in a daze and was carried back outside by the revolving door.
Hmph, what a moron!
Lin Ganzhi categorized anyone who teased him about his marriage to Yan Shengping as a moron, and the best way to punish a moron was to ignore them. He paid the man no mind, put away his phone, and headed straight for the 12th floor where Zhang Dianhuai was.
The security guard at the entrance looked strangely at E Yuezhang, who had just been pushed out, making him both annoyed and angry. When he entered again, Lin Ganzhi was already more than ten meters away. He quickly chased after him.
“Lin Ganzhi, we’re colleagues, for goodness’ sake. Don’t you have any manners?” E Yuezhang caught up to Lin Ganzhi and was about to slap him hard on the shoulder, but Lin Ganzhi spun around, causing him to miss. He nearly stumbled onto the marble floor.
When he steadied himself and looked at Lin Ganzhi again, he couldn’t help but be taken aback.
Was this still the same Lin Ganzhi who used to be as stiff as a bad actor and wore gaudy makeup?
The Lin Ganzhi before him was bare-faced. Without the exaggerated makeup, his skin was still excellent. Beneath his thick eyelashes were a pair of lively, clear almond eyes, and the red at the corners of his eyes added a touch of beauty. His clean, chubby cheeks were cute but not cloying. Now that he wasn’t wearing any garish lipstick, his cherry-pink lips and plump lip bead were very pleasing to the eye. Most importantly, his entire demeanor had changed. The old Lin Ganzhi always had a deliberate, vulgar charm, but the current Lin Ganzhi had a clean aura and a strong sense of youthfulness. Without the heavy perfume, he exuded the scent of a well-behaved kid, like coconut milk.
He looked like a high school student of seventeen or eighteen.
Damn!
E Yuezhang was so shocked he was once again speechless.
Hiss. Lin Ganzhi gave him a sympathetic look, then turned and walked away.
Dressed like a lacquered cockscomb flower, and on top of that, he’s a bit of a fool. Never mind, I won’t bother with idiots!
By the time Lin Ganzhi was standing at the elevator bank, E Yuezhang had just barely come to his senses. His heart was now filled with rage. Just because he married that scumbag, sickly Yan Shengping, he dared to be so rude to him?
As the only two remaining from their debut period, it was clear that he was doing much better now. Which of the juniors didn’t call him ‘Senior’?
E Yuezhang suppressed his surprise and faint jealousy and strode over angrily.
“Lin Ganzhi!”
Ding!
The elevator from the basement level arrived just then and the doors opened. Inside stood a middle-aged man in a suit and a handsome, younger-looking man.
E Yuezhang’s anger was instantly extinguished. He darted in front of Lin Ganzhi and politely greeted the man as “Director.”
Lin Ganzhi wasn’t really paying attention. He was just here to sign a contract, to prove how “passionate” he was about working in the entertainment industry. Ugh, he was really going to great lengths to not break character.
The elevator doors closed. They were all going to the twelfth floor.
Lin Ganzhi lowered his head and continued looking at his phone.
Suddenly, Tian Nini sent him a message: [Ganzhi, are you free to go shopping today?]
A friend!
Lin Ganzhi’s expression immediately softened.
“Ganzhi, I heard you’re going to be on a variety show. Isn’t most of that show outdoors? The thought of you being willing to go really surprised me,” E Yuezhang said, acting like they were best buddies.
Lin Ganzhi kept his head down, furiously typing: [Sure! I happen to be downtown on business. I need to buy some clothes later. Are you coming out?]
Tian Nini: [Send me your location. Sis will be there in half an hour!]
Lin Ganzhi quickly sent his location, feeling delighted. Wait, sis?
Lin Ganzhi fell into a brief moment of confusion.
The elevator was silent for a few seconds. E Yuezhang’s face turned red with shame.
“Lin Ganzhi!” E Yuezhang’s voice sounded particularly abrupt in the elevator.
Lin Ganzhi looked up in the direction of the voice. “Are you calling me?”
E Yuezhang’s lips trembled. He silently chanted to himself that he couldn’t break character in front of these two big-shot directors and continued to smile. “Yes, Ganzhi. You just got married and now you’re ignoring me~”
Ew, a big lacquered cockscomb flower acting cute is terrifying!
“Do you remember that time we were on the same set for a night shoot? You had a breakdown after just a little while by the lake, saying you hated mosquitoes. I really can’t imagine you participating in that variety show,” E Yuezhang said, subconsciously glancing to the other side.
The two men who had gotten on from the basement level cast an inconspicuous glance at Lin Ganzhi.
He looked pretty good, but they wondered about his adaptability.
The signal in the elevator was poor. Lin Ganzhi had to send his location three times before it went through. To avoid being annoyed by the big cockscomb flower, he had no choice but to patiently reply, “It’s fine. You’ll see when it’s broadcast live.”
Pfft!
…
E Yuezhang’s expression began to sour.
“What I mean is, don’t you hate the outdoors the most?”
Lin Ganzhi, satisfied to see Tian Nini give him an “OK” sign, put down his phone and said thoughtfully, “You’re right.”
That’s more like it! E Yuezhang’s face lit up with joy.
The middle-aged man on the side frowned slightly.
Suddenly, Lin Ganzhi smiled shyly. “But ever since I started planting vegetables in the yard Shengping and I share, I’ve been filled with a new yearning for the jungle!” Lin Ganzhi didn’t miss a single opportunity to broadcast his Love Brain persona.
“Really? I didn’t see any sign of that,” E Yuezhang retorted.
Lin Ganzhi chuckled twice, looking at him with an expression that said, how could a commoner like you understand the beautiful, tragic love between my husband and me? “Before I got married, I probably wouldn’t have known that love could be so great that it could actually change my preferences~”
???
Although he was clearly speaking to one person, the other two men felt like they were being force-fed a public display of affection.
By the time the conversation reached this point, the elevator had stopped on the 12th floor. E Yuezhang could only glare helplessly at Lin Ganzhi’s departing back.
As the company’s top agent, Zhang Dianhuai had his own private office. The original owner rarely had the chance to come here because he only got minor roles, and he didn’t even need to come in person to sign contracts. The 12th floor was mostly for the company’s mid-level management. The two directors from before were greeted politely by everyone.
But when they saw Lin Ganzhi, their eyes widened.
Did Lin Ganzhi get married and get plastic surgery at the same time?
How did he suddenly become so easy on the eyes?
That wasn’t all. Previously, Lin Ganzhi rarely had a chance to come upstairs, so when he did, he would try to curry favor with everyone. Even the secretary of a minor manager had received favors from him. But now, Lin Ganzhi walked with a detached air. When he noticed someone staring at him for a long time, he would give a distant, polite greeting. You could feel his respect, but not his intimacy.
Coupled with his much-improved appearance, many of the girls, and even some of the guys, couldn’t take their eyes off Lin Ganzhi until he disappeared into Zhang Dianhuai’s office.
The team that had worked overtime that day to deal with Lin Ganzhi’s mess now had their mouths hanging open in an ‘o’ shape.
“Holy crap, was that Lin Ganzhi who just went in? His whole vibe has changed so much.”
“Yeah, if I hadn’t seen that his facial features haven’t changed at all, I would’ve thought he had a twin brother!”
“So Lin Ganzhi is this good-looking without makeup?”
“Suddenly, I feel like Brother Zhang’s eye for talent is terrifying! As expected of someone he signed.”
“Yeah, yeah, I kind of want to have a good chat with him when he comes out!”
***
The private office insulated him from the discussions outside. Lin Ganzhi walked in, oblivious, and saw his cool and serious agent, Zhang Dianhuai, sitting behind the desk with his rimless glasses, along with the duo from the elevator sitting on the leather sofa.
Zhang Dianhuai’s reaction upon seeing Lin Ganzhi was much calmer than others, but it didn’t stop a flash of amazement from passing through his eyes, hidden behind his lenses.
Could it be that CEO Yan’s home is some kind of transformation camp? It’s only been two weeks, and the results are this significant?
“You’re here? Have a seat. Let me introduce you. This is the chief director of ‘Survive!’, Director Fang.”
Lin Ganzhi nodded politely at the man in the middle. “Hello, Director Fang.”
Director Fang was middle-aged and a bit chubby, but he had a kind and friendly smile.
“And this is the chief planner and assistant director of the variety show, Zhuang Wenduan.”
Lin Ganzhi’s eyelid twitched. Zhuang Wenduan, wasn’t he one of the heads of Zhong Jingyi’s fanboy group, a genius director? At fourteen, he won the Best Director award for his short film “Sugar,” breaking the record for the youngest award-winning director in film history. Since then, he had won various major awards with one high-quality film each year. Last year, one of his movies had also made Zhong Jingyi a star. The two became acquainted on set, and Zhong Jingyi’s hardworking, non-competitive nature secured his place as the white moonlight in this director’s heart.
And this year, he was even a year younger than Zhong Jingyi, only twenty-four. He wore a casual brown work coat, and his curly teal hair gave him a somewhat childish look, but his gaze was surprisingly sharp, looking at Lin Ganzhi without any reservation.
One of Lin Ganzhi’s rules: most of Zhong Jingyi’s fanboy group were blind. So, Lin Ganzhi didn’t show any particular warmth on his face either. He gave a polite greeting and sat on the other side.
Zhuang Wenduan, however, was a little surprised and looked at Lin Ganzhi with a playful expression.
Seeing that everyone was present, Zhang Dianhuai began to go over the important points in the contract. “Ganzhi, the first recording is in three days. It will last for a week. Except for sleeping hours, it will be broadcast live from 7 AM to 8 PM. Is that a problem?”
Lin Ganzhi wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he thought he heard Brother Zhang intentionally emphasize the last few words.
Oh~ Lin Ganzhi instantly understood.
“No problem at all!” Lin Ganzhi gave an “OK” sign.
Zhang Dianhuai snorted softly, then looked to the other side. “Do the two directors have anything to add?”
Director Fang smiled kindly. “Xiao Lin, is it? You have good potential, kid. Can you tell us what advantages you have for participating in this show?”
Oh, a routine interview question.
Lin Ganzhi felt he should respond seriously this time. After thinking for a long time, he answered calmly, “I’m not a picky eater. I’ll eat anything that’s edible.”
The room fell into an awkward silence for two seconds. Zhang Dianhuai’s face was dark. He really couldn’t expect this guy to say anything sensible.
Director Fang had seen it all. Hearing this, he laughed. “That’s a good quality. Hearing Xiao Lin say that puts my mind at ease. After all, we don’t know what we’ll be able to eat at our first stop, the Southern Archipelago. Not being a picky eater is a good thing.”
The seaside, huh~
Zhang Dianhuai coughed and then asked the other one, “Director Zhuang, do you have any questions?”
Zhuang Wenduan sat up a little straighter, a new, unreadable meaning in his lazy eyes. He then spoke, “I hear Ganzhi just got married. Coming out to work so soon, won’t it affect your relationship with your husband?”
Lin Ganzhi’s mostly idle brain started to spin.
As expected.
There was a reason this fanboy could become a leader. He was already trying to probe how far his relationship with Yan Shengping had gone!