Chapter 20#
When Jing Shun returned home from the hospital, he was greeted enthusiastically by Gou Bao.
“Owoo~ Woof!”
In just half a month, Gou Bao had grown quite a bit, pawing at Jing Shun’s knees, begging to be held. “Whimper whimper~”
Jing Shun stroked Gou Bao’s head. “Baby, did you miss Jing Dad? Hmm?”
Hearing his gentle tone, Gou Bao wagged its tail like a propeller but pretended to be wronged, whimpering softly.
Yes!
Bao missed you!
Bao missed you the most!
“Oh, this dog, putting on a good act now, huh?”
Uncle Lin laughed, calling out Gou Bao’s true colors. “Mr. Jing, when you weren’t here, it was tearing through the house like a wild thing. The first day, it even argued with the master—quite bold.”
Gou Bao’s ears drooped. Bad review. Bao isn’t listening.
“Now it’s cuddling up to me.”
Jing Shun let Gou Bao burrow into his arms, maneuvering his electric wheelchair toward the inner rooms. “Uncle Lin, is… is Mr. Chi still busy overseas?”
“Funny you should ask.”
Uncle Lin pressed the elevator button for him. “The master is landing in Haishi tonight. He’ll be back soon.”
Hearing this, Jing Shun’s eyes lit up involuntarily.
Uncle Lin noticed the shift in his expression, as if sensing something. “Mr. Jing, why don’t you go upstairs and rest? Later, when the master returns, you can have dinner together?”
Jing Shun pinched Gou Bao’s soft ears. “Mm.”
Gou Bao had been taken out for a bath by Uncle Lin just yesterday, so it smelled nice and was clean.
After Jing Shun managed to get himself onto the bed, he didn’t mind letting Gou Bao, holding a toy slipper in its mouth, roll around and make a ruckus at the foot of the bed.
He picked up his phone and, after a long while, opened Weibo.
Jing Shun had had his own Weibo account for a long time. During his child star days, his publicity and marketing were mostly managed by his mother, Xu Jia.
After he turned eighteen, he took back control of his account from her and changed the linked phone number.
His follower count hovered around just over a million, unchanged for several years. His last post was from half a year ago, but the retweets and comments had surprisingly exceeded ten thousand.
The reason? A minor trending incident after the film crew accident.
As one of those involved, netizens had expressed quite a bit of sympathy for Jing Shun. Of course, such attention didn’t last long.
Jing Shun searched for and followed the official Weibo account of This! Is the Real Workplace! and scrolled to the official announcement of the guest lineup.
The five studio observers, including Fu Changting, had already reposted and promoted it. Fans of each star were going all out to boost their idol’s data, and the total repost count had already exceeded one million.
“…”
Thinking of the instructions Yu Xiuzhu had sent him via WeChat that morning, Jing Shun casually reposted the post:
#This! Is the Real Workplace!# Hello everyone, I’m actor Jing Shun. From today onward, come with me to experience the power of the real workplace!
Not long after he posted, fans flooded the comments:
— Ahhhh baby! Long time no see!
— Jing Bao! I’ve already seen the trailer! You look like you’ve lost a lot of weight! But you’re still stunning! [Photo]
— Oh, it’s been almost half a year. You’re finally here [crying]. Baby, are you feeling better? Mom misses you so much!
Unable to escape the label of “child star,” most of Jing Shun’s fans referred to themselves as “mom fans,” calling him “baby” or “Jing Bao.”
Jing Shun was used to it. He earnestly replied to a few concerned comments but didn’t reveal too much about his physical condition, to avoid worrying his fans.
However, soon enough, some different voices appeared in the comments:
— Who’s this guest? Looks kind of familiar?
— Doesn’t seem very famous? Did the show force him in?
— Wasn’t there an accident before? Did he recover and come back to work?
Jing Shun had mentally prepared himself. Seeing these comments from strangers, he felt little emotional fluctuation.
After all, without any blockbuster film or TV works after coming of age, coupled with the filming and accident of his last movie, he had been forced into silence for nearly nine months. In an industry like entertainment, where things change rapidly, being forgotten was perfectly normal.
For Jing Shun, being able to reappear in the public eye and earn appearance fees from this show to prepare for the future was more than enough.
He wasn’t anxious about his popularity or Weibo stats. Putting down his phone, he lay down to rest.
Gou Bao quietly crept over with its little toy, nestling beside his hand, cuddling up to sleep.
…
When he woke again, the sky was nearly dark. Not wanting to stay cooped up in his room, Jing Shun took Gou Bao downstairs.
The servants were still busy in the kitchen. Hearing movement, Uncle Lin leaned out. “Mr. Jing, you’re awake. Would you like something to drink?”
Jing Shun glanced toward the third floor. “Aren’t they back yet?”
Uncle Lin replied, “I just got a call from Yi Ming. They’re almost home. Mr. Jing, would you like to eat something first?”
“No thanks.” Jing Shun made up an excuse. “I’ll take the puppy out to do its business first.”
“Alright.”
Next to the North Pavilion was a large expanse of lawn.
As soon as they stepped outside, Gou Bao dashed off, completely unstoppable. Fortunately, it was their own land, so whether to leash it or not didn’t matter.
Jing Shun sat in his wheelchair at the edge of the lawn, but his eyes kept drifting to the main road on the other side. It was empty; no vehicles had entered yet.
“Whimper~”
Gou Bao came back with a small toy ball from somewhere and placed it on Jing Shun’s lap. “Woof!”
Snapping back to reality, Jing Shun caught on to its intention. He picked up the toy ball. “Baby, get ready!”
Gou Bao barked excitedly. “Woof!”
Jing Shun threw the ball with all his might. At the same time, Gou Bao shot off in that direction, grabbed the ball in seconds, and came trotting back, wagging its tail for praise.
“Again!”
“Woof!”
The two played happily together.
After who knows how long, the sound of a car finally came from behind.
Gou Bao, who had been playing, sprinted back and immediately positioned itself protectively beside Jing Shun, wagging its tail and barking at the black car not far away.
Spotting the familiar license plate, Jing Shun quickly calmed Gou Bao. “Be good, don’t bark.”
The black car didn’t pull into the garage as usual but stopped right in front of Jing Shun.
The door opened, and someone got out.
The sky had darkened, so Jing Shun could only make out the familiar silhouette by the car’s headlights, watching as the person walked step by step toward him.
It was Chi Gui.
For no reason, Jing Shun’s breath caught. For a moment, he didn’t know how to greet him.
The night was hazy, but Chi Gui noticed the fleeting awkwardness on his face. “Waiting for someone this late at the doorstep?”
“…”
Jing Shun tightened his grip on the toy ball and denied it. “Not waiting for anyone. I brought Gou Bao out to play.”
Chi Gui looked at him. “Is that so?”
Jing Shun avoided his gaze and was about to move his wheelchair. “We’ve played enough. I was just about to head inside.”
“Wait a moment.”
Chi Gui turned back to the car, took out a gold-embossed black paper bag, and then walked closer. “For you.”
Jing Shun looked at the bag handed to him. “For me?”
With Chi Gui’s silent permission, he opened it. Inside wasn’t anything expensive—just three tins of jasmine tea bags in a set.
Chi Gui asked, “I remember last time at your place, you said you liked jasmine tea?”
“…”
Jing Shun clutched the paper bag, his heart filled with indescribable emotion and joy.
He himself had almost forgotten that casual remark. Why did Chi Gui remember it?
Chi Gui’s gaze lingered on Jing Shun as he added, “I happened to come across this tea during my trip. Thought I’d bring it back for you to try. If you like the flavor, I’ll have Yi Ming buy more later.”
Gou Bao poked its curious little head over, sniffing eagerly at the bag and whimpering, as if complaining about not receiving a gift itself.
Jing Shun laughed, pushing its head away. He was in a good mood.
It had been a long time since he’d received a gift from anyone outside—not about the price, but the thought behind it.
“Thank you. I really like it.”
“You’re welcome.”
Chi Gui responded, then unexpectedly circled back to the topic. “Really not waiting for anyone?”
Jing Shun faltered, a little flustered. “…Really not.”
Chi Gui didn’t push him to say what he wanted to hear. “Alright, let’s go inside.”
“Okay.”
…
Dinner was plentiful.
Chi Gui sat at the head of the table but didn’t start eating right away. Instead, he subtly shot a glance at Chen Yiming.
With years of sharp intuition, the latter cracked the code. “Mr. Jing, has the variety show you’re on started yet?”
Jing Shun replied, “It just aired today. I haven’t had a chance to watch it yet.”
Chi Gui smoothly chimed in, “Do you want to watch it now?”
Jing Shun hesitated. “Now? Is that okay?”
Chi Gui gave silent consent, looking toward the dining room’s projector screen—usually just a decoration.
Wei Di got up to turn it on. “Mr. Jing, what’s it called? I’ll search for it.”
Jing Shun told him the show’s name.
As soon as the smart TV’s homepage loaded, a promotion for This! Is the Real Workplace! popped up, clearly showing that Haishi TV was going all out in its marketing.
Clicking in, there was one trailer episode and one newly updated main episode.
The trailer was only half an hour long, introducing the workplace newbies and the four companies they would be working for.
Jing Shun thought for a moment and said, “Let’s watch the trailer? It should have content about the Chi Financial branch.”
But Chi Gui insisted, “Watch the main episode. Aren’t you a studio observer? Let’s see your part.”
“…”
Jing Shun took a quiet breath and said nothing.
Despite having shot numerous films and TV shows, he still felt a kind of nervousness, like being publicly examined.
The main episode started with the studio observers. Under the lead of the host, Brother Yong, everyone introduced themselves in turn from left to right according to their seats.
“Hello everyone, I’m actor Fu Changting. Nice to—”
Hearing this name, Chi Gui gave a faint glance.
Just so-so.
Having reached that conclusion, he lowered his head and nonchalantly continued sipping his soup.
Jing Shun assumed he wasn’t interested in the show and felt a slight relief.
Soon, the program reached Jing Shun’s self-introduction: “Hello everyone, I’m actor Jing Shun…”
Uncle Lin looked as delighted as if it were a family member. “Oh my, Mr. Jing looks so lively and handsome all dressed up.”
Chen Yiming, for the first time, had a real sense of “Jing Shun being an actor” and added, “Yeah, Mr. Jing is very photogenic.”
Hearing their compliments, Jing Shun sneakily glanced at Chi Gui—only to find that the man, who had been eating with his head down, had now looked up at the TV screen again, watching intently.
Jing Shun’s chopsticks hovered over his bowl, and he suddenly made small talk. “These days, shows always use skin-smoothing and beauty filters on guests. Everyone looks good on screen.”
Chi Gui disagreed.
He actually thought Jing Shun wasn’t as good on camera. Although the broadcast image was nice, it didn’t compare to the real person.
The show cut to another guest: “Hello everyone, I’m this season’s flying guest, Fang Lun from Xiaomai Technology.”
“Do you know this President Fang?”
Jing Shun took a sip of soup, a hint of curiosity in his voice. “I heard that each of the four companies sends a senior executive as a flying guest. Who is Chi Financial planning to send?”
Wei Di said, “It’s probably a branch matter. It hasn’t been reported to the group headquarters.”
Chen Yiming stared at the screen. “This President Fang is a tech upstart, under thirty, good-looking. He even has a decent fan base on social media. Seems like he’s on the show to gain followers?”
“If you ask me, President Fang’s features are just average—not very enduring.” Uncle Lin, with the aesthetic of someone who’s seen a lot, commented, “I think he’s not as good as the master. Mr. Jing, what do you think?”
“…”
Jing Shun hadn’t expected the topic to land on him. He couldn’t help glancing toward the head of the table. “Huh? What do I think?”
Chi Gui paused in lifting his chopsticks, not looking at him, and only reminded the butler, “Uncle Lin, there’s no need for comparisons.”
Uncle Lin, understanding his temperament well, explained with a smile, “Master, Mr. Jing is the only one at this table who’s seen him in person. I was just asking casually. Don’t mind it.”
After spending this time together, Jing Shun no longer felt the initial distance from Chi Gui. Indulging in a rare moment of playfulness, he seriously studied Chi Gui’s features.
“Wait, let me take a look—”
“…”
Chi Gui’s chopsticks hovered over his bowl aimlessly, losing all appetite for eating.
Then, he heard Jing Shun say with a smile, “Mm, I still think Chi Gui is better looking.”
The straightforward compliment hit him without warning.
The two assistants immediately forgot about eating, exchanged a glance, and silently waited for their boss’s reaction.
Chi Gui forced himself to stay composed, putting down his chopsticks and using a sip of water to hide the corners of his mouth.
After a few seconds, he hypocritically changed the subject. “I’m not going on the show, so there’s nothing to compare. Uncle Lin, could you add some more soup?”
Uncle Lin saw through it but said nothing, smiling as he replied, “Sure, right away.”
Seeing that Chi Gui didn’t react as he’d hoped, Jing Shun thought he didn’t believe it. “I’m serious.”
Chi Gui met his eyes. “Jing Shun.”
“Mm?”
“Eat your meal properly.”