Chapter 70 – Anger

But with so many people watching, Lin Ganzhi couldn’t openly ignore Shi Wending. Director Fang was still there. At most, Shi Wending would just be a jerk with his words; he couldn’t do anything too outrageous.

Lin Ganzhi reassured himself.

“You flatter me, Young Master Shi. I haven’t had any formal training. I just grew up wild at home. It’s nothing impressive,” Lin Ganzhi forced a smile.

Shi Wending tutted. “Ganzhi, you can’t say that outside. So many young girls are into your type right now. You young people, you just underestimate your own assets. You’re just over twenty-three this year, right? It’s truly enviable for people our age. Don’t you think so, Director Fang?”

Shi Wending put his arm around Director Fang and smiled.

Director Fang had been drinking and his mind wasn’t as clear as usual. He had only caught the tail end of what Shi Wending said, so he sighed and said, “Young Master Shi, please don’t compare an old bone like me to you young people. You’re not old either, just turned thirty-two this year. In the prime of your life, hahaha.”

Shi Wending laughed along, but his gaze remained fixed on Lin Ganzhi, greedily tracing every inch of his exposed skin.

“Ganzhi looks good without makeup. He looks good on camera, but out of the camera, he has even more flavor. My dad has invested in a few more dramas. I’ll recommend you for them later. You’re hot right now, so you should quickly take on more roles while you have the momentum. Youth only lasts a few years, don’t you think?” Shi Wending took a sip of wine, his words becoming more and more explicit.

Some of the young women from the production team who hadn’t been drinking could hear it, and they looked at Lin Ganzhi with troubled expressions. They wanted to speak up, but they didn’t have the status.

“Young Master Shi, I’d like to toast you. Thank you for your support of this show.” Qi Yushuo, who had been quietly eating, stood up. At over 1.8 meters tall, he had an imposing presence. He was holding a glass of white wine that was about to overflow.

Interrupted, Shi Wending lazily glanced at Qi Yushuo, all interest gone from his face. “You’re the young man from the show who’s particularly good at finding paths, right? I’ve had a bit too much to drink just now, so I can’t drink anymore. I’ll just watch you drink this one.”

The difference in treatment was obvious to anyone who wasn’t blind.

Qi Yushuo’s expression turned ugly for only a moment before he raised his glass and downed it in one go.

Fuck! Wasn’t this going too far?!

Lin Ganzhi’s whole body was bristling with anger. When Qi Yushuo sat down, he quickly reached out to steady him and poured a cup of tea, holding it to Qi Yushuo’s lips.

“Drink some tea to recover.”

Qi Yushuo grunted in agreement, his tone surprisingly a little happy. Had the alcohol gone to his head?

“So, Ganzhi, what kind of role do you think you’re suited for? I’ll recommend you to my dad later,” Shi Wending said, his audacity practically written on his face.

Lin Ganzhi took a large gulp of his happy water, then said coldly, “Young Master Shi, I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you. I’m not a person with such lofty ambitions. After getting married, I just want to slack off. Tending to my vegetable garden and playing games at home is my life goal. You should find actors who actually want to act for those roles.” Lin Ganzhi deliberately emphasized the word “married.”

After Lin Ganzhi finished speaking, Shi Wending’s expression turned ugly for a moment, but the colleagues from the production team felt a surge of excitement. Well said, that was so satisfying!

“Still too young. It’s fine, Ganzhi, you can think about it more,” Shi Wending said with a smile, but this time the smile didn’t reach his eyes.

Lin Ganzhi grunted rudely and stopped paying attention to Shi Wending.

In the middle of the meal, Lin Ganzhi noticed that Que Jin and Wenren Yi still hadn’t returned, so he made an excuse to go out for some air and use the restroom.

The restrooms in a high-end hotel were truly different. The urinals were even painted with gold dust, sparkling brightly. Lin Ganzhi suspected he could see his own reflection if he looked down.

The second before he zipped up his pants, he clearly felt someone standing behind him. Lin Ganzhi vigilantly zipped up and turned around. It was that lingering ghost, Shi Wending!

“Young Master Shi, take your time. I’ll be leaving now.” Lin Ganzhi turned to leave, but his wrist was easily grabbed by Shi Wending.

“…I haven’t washed my hands.”

Shi Wending smiled. “I don’t mind.”

Fuck! Fucking pervert!

Lin Ganzhi violently shook his hand free and glared at Shi Wending. “What do you mean by this?”

“Ganzhi, if I didn’t know that you were involved in Luan Yuanzhou and Zhong Jingyi’s relationship before you got married, I would really think you were just an innocent little boy.”

That was the original owner’s fault, thank you very much.

Seeing that Lin Ganzhi wasn’t saying anything, Shi Wending continued, “Don’t look at me with such hostility. What I want is actually very simple. I don’t need your feelings. If you’re with me, the resources you’ll have will be far more than what you’ve had since your debut. You’re still young, are you really going to spend the rest of your life with that useless husband of yours? Can you stand it? Mmph!”

Shi Wending let out a final groan and then dropped to his knees.

Lin Ganzhi retracted his foot with a dark expression. “Keep your mouth clean. Is my husband someone you’re qualified to talk about? Didn’t you understand what I said during dinner? It’s not that I don’t have resources, it’s that I don’t give a damn about them! All you do is talk about your dad. Without your dad, you’re just a fucking piece of trash. You think you can come after me with your rotten dick? Save it for a latrine, you garbage!”

Lin Ganzhi couldn’t help but kick Shi Wending again before turning to leave, but the fire in his heart couldn’t be extinguished.

Yan Shengping was so good, and this piece of trash was qualified to talk about him!

The more Lin Ganzhi thought about it, the angrier he got, and the angrier he got, the less he wanted to go back to that private room. Once upon a time, when he thought his career was slowly getting better, an old bastard like this had come to harass him and cut off his path, leaving him unable to even get a job as an extra. At that time, he could only swallow all his grievances.

From an actor to an extra, and from an extra to a model, in the end, he could only rely on odd jobs to buy medicine and get by.

Damn it, did being rich mean you could do whatever you want? Was there no law and order?!

Why was it always honest people like them who had to endure all this? Both him and Yan Shengping, their health had deteriorated for the sake of the company, yet they hadn’t gotten a single share and were left with a bad reputation. Now, even a small-time capitalist like this dared to talk about him so brazenly! And even said it to his face.

Lin Ganzhi went outside the hotel for a long time to get some air, his hands trembling for a long while. Finally, he sent a message to Director Fang, first apologizing, then saying that he was about to board his flight and wished him a good time.

Director Fang didn’t reply, probably still drinking. Lin Ganzhi then sent messages to Lu Xi and Qi Yushuo. Before he could tap on Wenren Yi’s profile, her call came through.

“Hey, Ganzhi, Que Jin isn’t feeling well, so I’m taking her back to the hotel first. Are you about to board your flight? Should I come out and see you off?”

“No need. Is Sister Que Jin okay? I saw that she didn’t look well just now.”

“Yeah, there are some things. We just talked for a while, and she’s asleep now,” Wenren Yi’s tone sounded a bit off.

Lin Ganzhi wasn’t in the mood to ask for details at the moment. He had to suppress his emotions while speaking, trying to use a normal tone. “Okay, it’s good that she’s asleep. You stay with her. I’ll take a taxi to the airport in a bit. I’ll message you guys when I land.”

After hanging up, the cold wind cleared Lin Ganzhi’s head a bit, but he felt a sense of oppression in his heart that he didn’t know how to relieve.

Suddenly, his phone vibrated again. This time it was an unexpected call from Yan Shengping.

Lin Ganzhi was stunned for a moment, then quickly answered his boss’s call.

“Hello, Yan Shengping. You… you’re not asleep yet?” Lin Ganzhi’s voice was a bit hoarse.

“When have I ever gone to bed at ten? What’s wrong with your voice?” Yan Shengping’s voice was low and steady, but his tone held a hint of concern. Lin Ganzhi’s tense shoulders relaxed, and because of that one sentence, his nose turned red.

“Maybe I drank too much Coke at dinner, and it irritated my throat,” Lin Ganzhi rubbed his eyes. He really wanted to ask Yan Shengping why he had suddenly called him, but he didn’t dare to ask.

“Hmph, that’s just like you. I’m telling Uncle Yan to give away all the Coke at home,” Yan Shengping was ruthless with his words.

Lin Ganzhi panicked at that and argued with Yan Shengping for a long time before managing to save the happy water at home.

“When… are you planning to come back?” When Yan Shengping asked this, his voice had a hint of awkwardness.

Lin Ganzhi paused, then couldn’t help but smile. “I’m about to go catch my flight now. I remember, tomorrow is your birthday.”

Yan Shengping’s eyes softened by more than a degree, but his words were still prickly. “To celebrate me getting another year older?”

Lin Ganzhi frowned and said, “Who thinks like that on their birthday? It’s to celebrate the twenty-ninth anniversary of you being in this world.”

Yan Shengping’s fingertips trembled uncontrollably, burning hot. He let go of his pen, leaned back in his chair, and looked up at the orange light fixture on the ceiling. “Only you would think like that.” After the live stream ended today, he had subconsciously waited for Lin Ganzhi to contact him, but until now, his phone had no notifications other than work-related ones.

Unable to hold back, he had made this call. But the reward far outweighed the awkwardness of taking the initiative.

“That’s not bad either. Then you must cherish this one-of-a-kind idea of mine. Wait for me to come back and celebrate your birthday with you!” As Lin Ganzhi chatted, a smile couldn’t help but appear in his eyes.

“…What time is your flight? Send me the specific details.”

Lin Ganzhi’s eyes lit up. “Are you coming to pick me up?”

A soft chuckle came from the other end of the phone. “Depends on my mood.”

That meant yes. Lin Ganzhi’s mood instantly improved by more than half. The sense of security he once had to gain through binge-eating was now healed by a single phone call.

After hanging up again, he heard footsteps behind him. Lin Ganzhi turned around nervously, and only when he saw Qi Yushuo’s face did he breathe a sigh of relief.

“It’s you,” Lin Ganzhi put his phone in his pocket.

Qi Yushuo walked up to Lin Ganzhi and said, “Shi Wending just went back to the private room, but he didn’t look happy. He asked about you, so I said I’d come out to look for you. Do you want to go back? I’ll take you to the airport.” His meaning was clear: he didn’t recommend Lin Ganzhi going back either.

Lin Ganzhi shook his head, a little embarrassed. Qi Yushuo was already a very good person, and it would be too much to trouble him at this point. “You should go back to the hotel and rest. It’s not far from the airport. I’ll just grab my luggage from the car and go.”

“I’ll take you and watch you get on the plane. This place isn’t safe, especially for someone like you,” Qi Yushuo didn’t specify, but it seemed he had said everything.

Shi Wending had indeed disgusted Lin Ganzhi, to the point that he was now a bit paranoid. Seeing Qi Yushuo’s serious expression, Lin Ganzhi finally relaxed and patted Qi Yushuo’s shoulder. “Thanks then, brother. I’ll treat you to a meal next time.”

Qi Yushuo smiled but didn’t say anything. He accompanied Lin Ganzhi to get his luggage, then called a car to the airport.