Chapter 13#
【Chapter 013】#
Jing Shun didn’t expect Yu Xiuzhu to have an idea so quickly, a glimmer of joy flashing in his eyes. “A show?”
Yu Xiuzhu put down his coffee cup and stood up. “Wait for me a moment.”
“Alright.”
Jing Shun watched as Yu Xiuzhu left the lounge and walked toward the office not far away. Within three minutes, he returned with a few thin sheets of A4 paper.
“Xiao Jing, take a look?”
Yu Xiuzhu handed over the freshly printed paper proposal. “It’s an observational workplace reality show.”
Hearing the type of show, Jing Shun’s brows furrowed slightly, but he didn’t rush to question it. Instead, he carefully began reading the proposal—
The full name of this variety show was “This is the Real Workplace!” From the title alone, it wasn’t hard to guess the core content of the filming.
The show would focus on the hottest workplace topics of the moment, selecting benchmark companies in the Imperial Capital and Harbor City as the workplace backdrop. Using a one-on-one mentoring model of “newcomers” paired with “veterans,” it would reveal the real workplace environments within different industries.
It was planned to have eight main episodes plus two bonus episodes.
Seeing that Jing Shun was still flipping through the proposal, Yu Xiuzhu took the initiative to share what he already knew. “This show uses a dual structure: a workplace reality segment plus an observation room segment.”
This was the most common studio format nowadays.
“The workplace segments have already been mostly filmed, and the main episodes are more than halfway edited. The first round of observation room guest recordings will begin mid-month.”
“I heard that one of the originally scheduled artists suddenly had a scheduling conflict and couldn’t make it. The production team is in a bit of a rush, so they asked me to help find a suitable replacement.”
Jing Shun looked at Yu Xiuzhu. “Brother Yu, are you thinking of having me be an observation room guest?”
Yu Xiuzhu didn’t deny it. “The observation room recordings are relatively simple and better suited to your current situation.”
You could sit in the studio, watch the main episodes, express your opinions, and then engage in effective discussions with the other guests.
Generally speaking, it didn’t require much physical exertion.
Jing Shun understood the subtext. The thing was, he’d spent all these years focusing solely on acting and had never participated in any reality show recordings before.
Seeing that he was still hesitating, Yu Xiuzhu decided to lay out everything he knew:
“Xiao Jing, this show isn’t just streamed online—it’s also a satellite TV production from Harbor City TV Station, an S+ level project. I’ve heard the workplace segment guests are both good-looking and highly capable.”
The station was aiming for a breakout hit for the new year. Once it aired, there was bound to be plenty of promotion.
Even if the observation room guests weren’t the main focus, they wouldn’t lack exposure or topics of discussion.
Objectively speaking, with Jing Shun’s current physical condition, it was hard to find a suitable script and return to the screen.
If he could participate in this variety show, it would ensure a certain degree of public visibility while also securing appearance fees relatively smoothly. It was indeed the best option for now.
Jing Shun rubbed the paper still warm from printing, feeling a warmth in his heart. “Brother Yu, I understand what you mean, but given my current physical condition, would the production team be willing to let me be an observation guest?”
Yu Xiuzhu, seeing that he’d accepted the idea, smiled. “Didn’t you say your legs could get better? There have been plenty of cases in the industry where people broke bones, were in wheelchairs, and still participated in shows. You’re not that unusual.”
In every word, he made no effort to single Jing Shun out or treat him differently.
Jing Shun felt a warmth in his heart and tried to seize the opportunity. “I want to give it a shot, but I’m afraid the production team won’t want me.”
Yu Xiuzhu said, “I don’t mind telling you—one of the producers of this show is my aunt, which is why she asked me to recommend suitable artist guests.”
“If you’re interested, I’ll go talk to the production team. Your chances of getting selected are still better than most people’s.”
“But I really can’t guarantee anything. I’ll contact you when I know more?”
Jing Shun hadn’t expected to definitely land this gig. He immediately lowered his expectations. “Alright, then I’ll leave it to you, Brother Yu.”
“Don’t be so polite with me. Starting now, I’m your agent.”
“Mm.”
…
After meeting with Yu Xiuzhu, Jing Shun returned to his normal routine—
Although Professor Old Song had diagnosed that his legs had a high chance of recovery, the surgery wasn’t child’s play. The difficulty level was considerable, and the team needed to develop a rigorous surgical plan.
As the patient, Jing Shun cooperated with all the pre-surgery checks and preparations.
But the medication Dr. Wen had prescribed was also taking effect.
For a whole week, Jing Shun’s sleep quality improved significantly. He’d sleep deeply until he woke naturally, rarely bothered by nightmares anymore.
In the blink of an eye, another sunny day arrived.
With nothing better to do, Jing Shun picked two classic movie series to watch in the afternoon.
As an actor, Jing Shun had always maintained a steady intake of films. In the past, he’d even regularly deconstruct the pacing of each movie and find published script excerpts to analyze.
Back in college, he’d thought that even if he didn’t become an actor in the future, he could try switching careers and become a screenwriter.
Later on, that prediction came true in an ironic way—
During those years confined to a wheelchair in his previous life, Jing Shun had indeed lost the ability to act, no longer able to be an actor. So he’d tried writing an original movie script.
But no matter how he revised the ending, he was never satisfied with it.
“…”
Thinking about the script he’d never finished before “dying,” a hint of regret flickered across Jing Shun’s face. Before he could dwell on it further, a soft, milky puppy bark rang out from the backyard outside the window.
“Woo aoo~”
“…”
Jing Shun thought he was hearing things. He turned his head uncertainly toward the window, and soon, another faint bark came: “Woof!”
Unfortunately, due to the wheelchair’s limited height, Jing Shun couldn’t see what was happening downstairs. Since the movie was already nearing its end, he wheeled himself out of the room.
In the spacious and tidy lawn of the first-floor backyard, Uncle Lin, the butler, and a few servants were gathered in a circle, wearing varying degrees of smiles.
The butler noticed Jing Shun first and stepped aside to make room. “Young Master Jing, you’re just in time. Come take a look.”
Only then did Jing Shun spot a tiny puppy following at the butler’s feet. The puppy was completely cream-white, except for its ear tips, which had light yellow fur.
As if hearing the sound of the wheelchair, the puppy wasn’t scared at all. Instead, it trotted over eagerly.
It stopped by Jing Shun’s feet, tilted its head up, and barked: “Woof!”
Oh~
So fierce!
Jing Shun’s attention immediately locked onto it. He picked it up by the scruff of its neck. “Uncle Lin, where did this puppy come from?”
Although the Chi estate was huge, every corner was maintained and repaired. Stray dogs from outside couldn’t just wander in and give birth.
Suddenly caught by the scruff, the little one instantly changed its tune, whimpering softly as it obediently settled onto Jing Shun’s lap.
The butler stepped closer and explained the puppy’s origin. “It’s from a relative’s house. Only two months old. They said the mother dog had a big litter all at once, and they can’t keep them anymore. They’ve been selling them at the entrance of Songjiang Agricultural Market these past few days.”
“He insisted on giving me one and said if I couldn’t keep it, I should find someone who could take it for free.”
One of the servants chimed in. “Oh, this kind of native dog is so loyal and smart!”
As they spoke, the puppy in Jing Shun’s arms rubbed against him hard, its fluffy head brushing over the back of his hand, stirring up a familiar, nostalgic tingling sensation.
Jing Shun stroked the puppy’s fluffy fur, his fondness naturally spilling over in his eyes. “It’s a Chinese Chongqing Dog. I had one when I was little, very similar to this one.”
The butler understood. “Young Master Jing, you like it?”
Another servant jumped in. “Perfect, then! If Young Master Jing likes it, just keep it! No need to find it a new owner.”
“Right,” a third servant agreed. “We’re hired by Mr. Chi to work in the house. It’s not really convenient for us to keep pets like cats or dogs.”
“…”
Listening to everyone chattering, Jing Shun didn’t agree immediately.
He still remembered a few days ago, when he’d brought up getting a dog in the car with Chi Gui, the latter’s expression had been very detached. Clearly, he wasn’t fond of the idea.
Jing Shun looked at the puppy in his lap. “I can’t decide this on my own. It has to be okay with Mr. Chi first.”
No sooner had he spoken than a question came from behind him. “What has to be okay with me?”
Jing Shun turned sideways and met Chi Gui’s tall figure approaching.
The butler and servants all suppressed their smiles, showing extra respect toward the newcomer. “Sir, why are you back so early today?”
Chen Yiming, who was following beside Chi Gui, answered in his place. “A meeting got rescheduled, so we came back early.” His gaze landed on Jing Shun’s lap. “Oh, Young Master Jing, where’d you get that puppy?”
“It’s from Uncle Lin’s relative. They wanted him to find someone to adopt it.” Jing Shun explained, then looked at Chi Gui. “I thought it was cute, so I’m just holding it for a bit.”
Even so, he couldn’t bring himself to give the puppy back to the butler. Since he probably wouldn’t be able to keep it anyway, he wanted to enjoy it for as long as he could.
Chi Gui asked, knowing the answer. “Do you want to keep it?”
Jing Shun pinched the puppy’s soft little paw, a hint of regret slipping through. “Better not. With my condition, it’s not convenient to have a dog.”
“Woo aoo~”
The puppy in his arms seemed to understand and tried desperately to cling to Jing Shun’s chest, even attempting to nuzzle and lick him as if to make him stay.
Jing Shun didn’t mind the mess. He tapped its nose with his fingertip. “Be good.”
The puppy was indeed clever. It immediately quieted down and behaved.
Chi Gui watched the scene. “If you want to keep it, then do it.”
Jing Shun was surprised. “Huh?”
The butler, skilled at reading the room, said, “There are plenty of people in the house. A single puppy isn’t a problem. We can take turns walking it whenever we have free time.”
Another servant added, “Exactly, Young Master Jing. I think this dog already has a connection with you.”
Hearing these persuasions, a spark of liveliness couldn’t help but creep into Jing Shun’s expression. “I really can keep it?”
Chi Gui met his bright eyes; he hadn’t intended to refuse in the first place. “You can. If you need any pet supplies, just tell Yiming, and he’ll go buy them.”
Chen Yiming thought about the pile of pet supplies already sitting in the car trunk, bought well in advance, and played along. “No problem.”
Jing Shun’s lips curled up. “Mm! Then I’ll think carefully and write up a list later.”
Good thing he’d raised a dog before, so he had experience.
Seeing the clear rise in Jing Shun’s spirits, Uncle Lin looked to Chi Gui for approval. “Should I build a doghouse for it in the yard?”
Chi Gui nodded. “Mm.”
He’d never been particularly fond of dogs. Allowing Jing Shun to follow the psychologist’s advice and keep a dog in the yard was already his limit.
“…”
Hearing the brief exchange between boss and butler, Jing Shun paused his hand stroking the puppy. He looked back at Chi Gui, a hint of audacity creeping into his voice, one he hadn’t even noticed himself.
“Mr. Chi, can I keep it in my room?”
“…”
Chi Gui was silent, unable to answer.
Jing Shun explained, “It’s still too cold out. Puppies are prone to getting sick if they’re kept outside. I promise I’ll teach it to go potty in a designated spot. I won’t let it make a mess in the house!”
He turned the chubby puppy around and held it up in front of Chi Gui, giving it a little shake. “Look, it seems really well-behaved!”
“Woo~”
The little one tilted its head back and let out a soft, milky bark, making its presence known.
“…”
Chi Gui stared at the one person and one dog who somehow looked alike, and his inner boundaries kept retreating. “Fine. Do as you see fit.”