Chapter 61 - 2#
Jing Shun didn’t want Xu Jia to know about Chi Gui’s existence, fearing it would cause unnecessary trouble. “I live with a friend, life is pretty convenient.”
Xu Jia asked again, “How’s your leg? Can it get better? I see you’ve started taking on TV dramas again?”
“Still in rehab, not sure how much I can recover.”
A flicker of consideration passed through Jing Shun’s lowered gaze as he deliberately blurred his current situation. “I spent a lot of money on surgery a while back. Now I have to take whatever work comes my way, and I’ll need to pay it back later.”
Hearing this, Xu Jia’s tone shifted slightly. “Is that so?”
Jing Shun looked up at her. “Yeah, what’s the matter?”
No sooner had he spoken than Xu Jia pulled a bank card she had prepared earlier from her bag.
She handed it to him with concern. “Xiao Shun, there’s some money on this card. It’s not much, but it’s a little token of my feelings and compensation. The PIN is your birthday.”
“…”
Jing Shun stared blankly at the bank card, unable to snap out of it.
Before entering the restaurant, he had braced for the worst, even imagining that Xu Jia might play the family card to ask him for money or favors.
When talking about his current situation, he had deliberately mentioned being heavily in debt, hoping to discourage her.
But Xu Jia did the complete opposite.
Not only did she not ask for money, she actually gave him a bank card?
Jing Shun was overcome with unexpected bewilderment. “I—I don’t need it…”
“Xiao Shun.”
Xu Jia’s eyes reddened easily as she choked out an apology. “All these years, I’ve let you down. I was wrong.”
“I know I owe you so much that this little bit of money can never make up for it.”
“I’m not asking you to forgive me right now. I just hope that if you have time, you’ll let me see you more often, okay?”
The apology, so long overdue, struck Jing Shun’s ears without warning, making his eyes and nose sting with emotion.
He lowered his gaze, not wanting to reveal his true feelings in front of Xu Jia.
“Xiao Shun, is that okay?”
“…”
After a long pause, Jing Shun handed the bank card back without directly answering. “The food’s getting cold. You should eat more too.”
…
Chi Gui waited in the car for nearly an hour before he saw his lover walking back on crutches.
Jing Shun got back into the car and shut the door.
Chi Gui was immediately concerned. “How did it go? Are you okay?”
With his lover, the tension in Jing Shun’s heart finally eased.
He roughly recounted the conversation between him and Xu Jia, feeling that his own thoughts had been too negative. “…I was too extreme. Beforehand, I thought she was approaching me out of self-interest.”
At least during that one-hour meeting, he had genuinely sensed Xu Jia’s guilt. Still, her apology had come far too late.
Jing Shun had also long since passed the stage of needing his parents’ care and attention.
Chi Gui had never experienced real maternal love and didn’t know how to judge or handle such a situation.
He could only stand with his lover and support whatever decision Jing Shun made. “Baby, what are you thinking now?”
Jing Shun shook his head. “I don’t know.”
Between him and Xu Jia, there was hardly any question of forgiveness to begin with.
Jing Shun fastened his seatbelt with one hand, then suddenly thought of something. “Chi Gui, can you do me a favor?”
Chi Gui smiled. “Of course, tell me.”
“Look into Yan Qingfeng for me.” Jing Shun retrieved the name from his memory. “He’s my mom’s current husband.”
If he remembered correctly, Yan Qingfeng used to be a film producer. Xu Jia had mentioned just now that he had lost a lot of money on investments in the past two years.
Jing Shun privately wanted to check if that was really true.
He also wanted to know what kind of life Xu Jia was living after her remarriage.
Chi Gui roughly guessed his lover’s thoughts and agreed. “Okay, I’ll have Yi Ming investigate and get back to you as soon as possible.”
“Mm.”
Jing Shun glanced at the time and changed the subject. “It’s not even three yet. Will you go with me to the Bamboo Forest Agency to see Brother Yu?”
Chi Gui started the car. “Sure.”
The black luxury car worth millions sped away. Only then did Xu Jia, dressed in red, emerge from the small restaurant.
She silently stared in the direction the car had gone, her gaze deep and unfathomable.
Suddenly, a phone call came in. Xu Jia saw the caller ID, suppressed her emotions, and answered.
“Hello.”
“Yeah, I’ve already met him.”
“What are you rushing for? The son I gave birth to—don’t I know his temperament better than anyone?”
Xu Jia recalled the distance and indifference Jing Shun had shown in the restaurant, and a trace of helplessness flickered across her brow. “He hasn’t forgiven me that quickly.”
Xu Jia fingered the bank card in her hand, then adjusted her emotions in the blink of an eye.
“We’ll wait a bit longer. Xiao Shun is soft-hearted. I’ll find a way to rebuild our relationship.”
The person on the other end hung up first, clearly not patient enough to listen much more.
“…”
Xu Jia frowned slightly.
She took out the sunglasses she had prepared earlier from her bag, covering her reddened eyes from the earlier tears at the table, before turning and walking in the opposite direction.
…
Bamboo Forest Agency.
Yu Xiuzhu personally brewed coffee and flower tea to welcome the two guests in the office.
Seeing the crutches by the sofa, he was genuinely delighted. “Xiao Jing’s recovery is faster than I imagined. Soon, you should be able to walk without crutches?”
Jing Shun cupped the flower tea to warm his hands. “I can already walk a short distance now.”
He secretly glanced at Chi Gui beside him. “But Chi Gui is afraid I’ll fall without support, so he won’t let me try too much for now.”
Chi Gui took a sip of coffee. “The closer we get to the end of rehab, the less we should rush.”
Yu Xiuzhu sat down across from them, agreeing. “Right, don’t rush it. Take it steady.”
Jing Shun smiled and nodded, then brought up the main topic. “Brother Yu, I want to talk about my work arrangements going forward.”
Yu Xiuzhu asked, “Mm, what are you thinking?”
“There are only two months left in the year. Given my current condition, I probably won’t be able to take on suitable scripts.”
Jing Shun, considering his actual situation, tentatively proposed, “If there’s a crew preparing to shoot next year—whether for a TV series or a movie, lead role, supporting role, or even a cameo—”
“I’m willing to try taking it on!”
For Jing Shun, being able to stand in front of the camera and act again was what mattered most. As long as the role itself was decent, he was open to trying.
“We’re thinking along the same lines. No hurry this year. I’ll look for your next year’s scripts.”
Yu Xiuzhu knew Jing Shun didn’t care about status, but as a professional agent, he still offered his own opinion.
“However, given your qualifications, popularity, and acting skills, we can’t be too casual in selecting scripts.”
“Lead role first, then male lead or supporting roles. Even if it’s a cameo, the crew and production quality need to be good.”
In the entertainment industry, who wouldn’t want to aim higher? If a good script came along, they couldn’t settle for less.
Jing Shun understood Yu Xiuzhu’s reasoning and teased with a smile, “Brother Yu, I’m afraid you’ll be under too much pressure if we can’t find a suitable script.”
“I’ve been in this circle for years. I have plenty of connections with crews.”
Yu Xiuzhu wasn’t worried at all; instead, he promised, “As long as your health allows and you want to take on a new drama, I’ll find a good one for you.”
“At worst, you can get that big shot beside you to step in.” Yu Xiuzhu glanced at Chi Gui and joked deliberately. “Wouldn’t that let you fund your way into a production in no time?”
Given the Chi Group’s assets and strength, if Chi Gui invested and designated Jing Shun as the lead, the latter would probably have an endless stream of roles for the rest of his life.
Jing Shun knew Yu Xiuzhu was teasing and didn’t take it to heart.
He took a couple of sips of flower tea. “Brother Yu, do you have any current gigs or events I can participate in? Something short-term that gets me out of the house?”
Staying at home every day, with rehab nearly over, Jing Shun was getting a bit bored.
Yu Xiuzhu suddenly remembered something. “Oh, right. There is a charity event invitation. I was originally going to decline it because I thought it wouldn’t be convenient for you to leave Haishi.”
“But since you’re here, why don’t you take a look and decide?”
“A charity event?”
“Yeah.”
Five minutes later, the invitation was sent to Jing Shun’s phone.
Yu Xiuzhu briefly explained the content. “It’s a long-term film charity campaign jointly organized by the State Administration of Radio and Television and the three major academies: Haiying, Jingxi, and Huabiao.”
Simply put, it invites actors and artists who graduated from these three academies and are still active in the entertainment industry.
They follow the official charity organization into areas with relatively underdeveloped entertainment culture, distributing charity materials and organizing group movie screenings and other activities.
Most importantly, it aims to let children in these underdeveloped areas know:
What is a movie?
How are movies made and produced?
Planting a seed of artistic aspiration in the children’s hearts.
“This charity campaign has been going on for two months. Many celebrities have participated, and quite a few film-related companies have donated and joined in.”
“Of course, it’s not a formal gig. You follow the charity organizers, disperse to different parts of the country as volunteers, and organize activities. Each session lasts about three or four days.”
Thanks to the promotion and airing of Traces, Jing Shun’s popularity had rebounded. The charity organizers knew he graduated from Haiying, so they sent him the invitation.
Jing Shun was very interested. “This sounds great.”
He looked at Chi Gui, both reporting and asking. “I want to go.”
Ever since the Meng Zhide incident, Chi Gui had subtly started sticking close to him, following him everywhere, sneaking around even clingier than Dogbao.
Chi Gui saw the interest in his eyes and didn’t want to dampen his spirits. “Okay, if you want to join, then join.”
Jing Shun hadn’t expected him to agree so readily and asked instead, “Aren’t you worried about me going far away?”
So he wasn’t being clingy after all?
He was.
Chi Gui raised an eyebrow slightly, already one step ahead with a solution. “Isn’t it true that companies can donate voluntarily?”
“Mm?”
“I can donate to buy a participation spot and go with you.”