Chapter 407: Smas.h.i.+ng the Flowers On Chu Ling’s Face
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Slowly, s.h.i.+ Jin reached out to Chu Ling’s flowers.
At that moment, Yao Jiahong arrived. He said, “I thank you on behalf of s.h.i.+ Jin…”
He reached out to take the roses. He had also considered that it would not be good to spread the scandal abroad, so he decided to settle the matter first. If he was the one who took the flowers, it naturally wouldn’t be tied to s.h.i.+ Jin.
Before his hand could touch the roses, a familiar low voice sounded. “Are you celebrating for s.h.i.+ Jin? As a fellow countryman, I also want to celebrate for s.h.i.+ Jin.”
It wasn’t loud, but everyone’s attention was drawn to it. All eyes were on the speaker.
Everyone saw a tall figure appear in front of them. Under the dim lights, his defined and handsome features were outlined with a strong aura.
The crowd involuntarily parted to give him a path. No one knew who he was, but no one could ignore his aura. He walked towards Chu Ling and s.h.i.+ Jin.
Chu Ling recognized him. He was the man who sang the birthday song for s.h.i.+ Jin. However, after searching through all his memories, he could not find a name that matched this man’s ident.i.ty in the capital.
s.h.i.+ Jin retracted her hand. Fu Xiuyuan’s arrival stopped her from throwing the flowers at Chu Ling’s face.
Yes, Chu Ling’s face was temporarily preserved.
“Everyone, as a citizen of Country S, s.h.i.+ Jin has received an award. As a fellow countryman, I would like to celebrate for s.h.i.+ Jin like this fellow countryman.” This time, he spoke Polish.
Everyone and the reporters had heard clearly that the man holding the flowers wanted to celebrate s.h.i.+ Jin because they were from the same country. It was the same for this person. Therefore, it wasn’t a romantic confession. Even if s.h.i.+ Jin accepted the flowers, it didn’t mean anything.
However, the staff were still a little confused. This was a situation that they had rehea.r.s.ed many times… Why did it suddenly change?
Fu Xiuyuan walked up to s.h.i.+ Jin and handed her a bouquet of flowers. “Will you dance with me?”
The coldness on s.h.i.+ Jin’s face faded, and her eyes reflected the light of the colored lights.
She watched as the man handed her the flowers and placed his well-defined palm in front of her, making an inviting gesture.
The dance music was still going on, and so was the lively atmosphere. What happened before seemed like a joke.
And with his arrival, it became romantic and celebratory.
She reached out to take Fu Xiuyuan’s flowers, held it to her nose and sniffed it before turning to hand it to Yao Jiahong. “Brother Yao, please help me keep it.”
Turning around, s.h.i.+ Jin reached out and placed her hand in Fu Xiuyuan’s palm.
From the moment he arrived, her gaze was on him. She did not even look at Chu Ling from the corner of her eyes.
Chu Ling’s hand, which was holding the flowers, remained frozen in midair until now.
Following Fu Xiuyuan’s actions, s.h.i.+ Jin entered the dance floor.
The music was reaching its climax. As soon as they entered the dance floor, they caught up with the rhythm. They spun their bodies, stepped forward, and joined the music.
It was hard to imagine this was their first dance. They were well-coordinated and seemed to have practiced each move many times.
Fu Xiuyuan placed his palm on her waist, his gaze deepening. He had never thought that his dance with s.h.i.+ Jin would be so intimate…
1
s.h.i.+ Jin looked at him, her slightly raised eyebrows revealing her flirtatious and affectionate eyes.
“Why are you here?” She remembered his important contract was still in the tense discussion stage before she left.
“I missed you.” He wanted to be by her side when she received the award.
He was just in time to witness her win the Chopin Award before rus.h.i.+ng to the venue of the Ivy League award ceremony. To accompany her at every important moment of her life.
1
s.h.i.+ Jin placed her hand on his shoulder. She did not shy away from the intimacy at this moment. Under the cameras of the reporters, she was also natural and unrestrained, her eyes filled with deep affection.
Fu Xiuyuan suddenly lowered his head and leaned closer to her earlobe. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m afraid I won’t be able to resist kissing you.”
“I don’t mind.” s.h.i.+ Jin chuckled and curled her fingers around his shoulders.
Fu Xiuyuan tightened his grip on her waist and pulled her closer to him.
He restrained the urge to kiss her. He didn’t want to lose his cool in front of the reporters’ cameras and put her in a situation where more people were talking about her.
He lowered his voice and complained, “Just now, you almost took someone else’s flowers…”
“You got here a little too early,” s.h.i.+ Jin whispered.
When his body stiffened slightly, she continued, “Otherwise, I would’ve used his flowers to smash his face.”
Fu Xiuyuan imagined that scene and couldn’t help but laugh. He seemed to have forgotten that she was a wild cat. In front of him, she was as gentle as a harmless little bunny, but towards others, she had never been stingy with showing her claws.
“I did get here too early.” Fu Xiuyuan’s voice was full of regret.
“Mr. Fu,” s.h.i.+ Jin called him softly.
Fu Xiuyuan lifted his head.
s.h.i.+ Jin tiptoed lightly.
It appeared as if she raised her head and her lips accidentally touched his chin.
Only Fu Xiuyuan knew that she did it on purpose.
His breathing paused for a moment, and the music once again entered a new climax. His chest was surging with some sort of emotion, bringing s.h.i.+ Jin along to keep up with the rhythm. Because of the dance, the two of them were even closer.
Fingers intertwined, knuckles intertwined, hooked, fingers locked, then parted again because of the dance.
They clasped hands again, rubbing and tangling together.
As the music became more intense, s.h.i.+ Jin’s breathing became heavier.
Poles love romantic and s.e.xy music.
Fu Xiuyuan and s.h.i.+ Jin started the dance and the others joined in, turning the place into a dance floor.
As the crowd increased, even the staff could not help swaying.
Chu Ling held his flowers and was pushed to the periphery.
Yao Jiahong reached out to protect the flowers in his arms and retreated.
The reporters also smiled kindly. The venue became a real dance floor. Everyone followed the music and hugged each other to their heart’s content as they danced.
In the darkness, no one noticed that Fu Xiuyuan had brought s.h.i.+ Jin away from the dance floor.
In an empty corner, he pressed her against the wall and kissed her lips.
The beat of the music was still playing and he followed it, kissing her and wanting her.
His well-defined fingers wrapped around her slender fingers and climbed up the gaps between them. He held them tightly and sealed them with a kiss, forcing her voice back into her mouth.
The duet produced a soul-stirring yet pa.s.sionate dance tune.
***
After s.h.i.+ Xuexin walked out of the award ceremony, there was still some liveliness outside, but everything had nothing to do with her anymore.
She came back to her senses and ran towards the hotel.
s.h.i.+ Baozhi was pulling her luggage out.
“Auntie!” s.h.i.+ Xuexin rushed towards her. Chu Ling ignored her. If s.h.i.+ Baozhi gave up on her, she would have nothing left.
s.h.i.+ Baozhi looked at her coldly and continued walking out.
“Auntie, let me explain. I really never plagiarized s.h.i.+ Jin’s things… I found those things at home. They weren’t s.h.i.+ Jin’s at all…”
s.h.i.+ Baozhi had a complicated look in her eyes as she said, “Go find Hu Lai. I’m going back now.”
She still had many things to settle, so she was not in the mood to waste time with s.h.i.+ Xuexin.
s.h.i.+ Xuexin slumped to the ground.
s.h.i.+ Baozhi’s phone rang and she picked it up immediately. “Is there a problem? Did Sheng Tian agree to learn from me?”
Her reputation had been completely wasted by s.h.i.+ Xuexin, and her status had plummeted. She had to find a student with excellent results as soon as possible to reverse the situation. And Sheng Tian was the best choice. He was the contestant closest to the grand prize. All he lacked was opportunity.
The other party said something, and s.h.i.+ Baozhi asked, “Previously, he took the initiative to contact me. It’s obvious that he doesn’t have a teacher.”
Following that, s.h.i.+ Baozhi raised her voice. “What? He rejected me?”
s.h.i.+ Baozhi took the phone and got into the taxi. She could not understand why Sheng Tian would reject her.
After she hung up, Manager w.a.n.g called. “Teacher s.h.i.+, I have something to discuss with you!”
“What is it?”
“The stock price of Thousand Fortune Jewelry has dropped by more than ten points! Teacher s.h.i.+, why are you scamming me like this?” Manager w.a.n.g’s voice came from the other end.
s.h.i.+ Baozhi hung up the phone and pinched her aching eyebrows.
When Hu Lai returned with the doc.u.ments, she saw s.h.i.+ Xuexin still sitting on the ground. People pa.s.sing by would occasionally look at her with disdain.
Actually, a lot of people could not tell the difference between Asian faces and could not tell that it was her. However, her princess dress was too eye-catching. Many people remembered that she was wearing this dress.
“Sister Lai!” s.h.i.+ Xuexin seemed to have found a straw to clutch at. “Brother Chu Ling refused to answer my calls. He’s angry. What should I do, Sister Lai?”
Hu Lai stared at her. “Isn’t that normal?”
s.h.i.+ Xuexin cried, “Please help me. I’m sure you can help me, Sister Lai. You can help me suppress the public opinion and turn the situation around, just like how you were Brother Chu Ling back then…”
“Don’t spout nonsense. Chu Ling didn’t plagiarize. The person who plagiarized was Deng Yufei. That’s how he got out of his predicament. Besides, how can you compare to his fan base?” Hu Lai waved the lawyer’s letter in his hand. “s.h.i.+ Jin and Supreme Entertainment have already sent the lawyer’s letter over. You’re on your own now!”
Hu Lai pushed her hand away. “By the way, prepare the compensation when you get back. Your 200,000 CDs…”
Not only would s.h.i.+ Xuexin have to compensate, Hu Lai would also be held accountable by the company.
She was the one who convinced the company to prepare 200,000 soundtracks in advance. She was prepared to reap a huge profit when s.h.i.+ Xuexin became the champion.
1
Just paying for the 200,000 copies of the CDs would leave her with nothing, but her underwear, and they had to compensate s.h.i.+ Jin as well. Now that she was in a terrible fix, how could she have the time to care about s.h.i.+ Xuexin?
***
s.h.i.+ Jin and Fu Xiuyuan went back to the villa together.
Yao Jiahong opened the door for them with a dark expression. “s.h.i.+ Jin, do you know that it’s dangerous to leave your manager’s sight in a foreign country…”
Before he could finish speaking, he met Fu Xiuyuan’s cold gaze. Yao Jiahong swallowed the rest of his words and moved aside to welcome them in.
s.h.i.+ Jin leaned on Fu Xiuyuan’s arm and smiled. “I feel like I’m standing at the top of the food chain now.”
Yao Jiahong, who was at the bottom of the food chain, sighed silently and said faintly, “Director Ji asked for you just now, do you want to go down?”
“Later,” s.h.i.+ Jin said.
She met Fu Xiuyuan’s probing gaze and said, “It’s the director I told you about. He’s staying with us. He might be looking for me for something. I’ll go take a look.”
“Go ahead.” Fu Xiuyuan did not refuse.
After taking a shower, s.h.i.+ Jin changed out of the long dress that had been crumpled by Fu Xiuyuan before heading downstairs.
Ji Hanxue was reading the script when he looked up and saw her. He called her over. “s.h.i.+ Jin, I’d like to invite you to play the mother-son xun with me to use in my movie. See if you’re interested.”
“Was it the score from that day?”
“Yes, and there’s another song. Take a look,” Ji Hanxue said. “Congratulations to you for winning the award today, the double champion.”
“Thank you.” s.h.i.+ Jin took the score and looked at it for a while. It was another song. It seemed grand and majestic and had a strong foundation. She liked music to begin with, so she immediately said, “Alright, I’ll take this.”
“I’ll get someone to send you the contract.”
“Just get them to give it to Brother Yao another day,” said s.h.i.+ Jin.
“Are you alright today? I heard that there’s a popular celebrity here to send you flowers.” Ji Hanxue was also very concerned about her award ceremony, but because he didn’t book tickets in advance, he couldn’t enter the venue.
Even Ji Hanxue knew about this matter. It could be seen that Chu Ling had caused a huge ruckus.
Fortunately, Fu Xiuyuan had come over tonight. Otherwise, even though s.h.i.+ Jin could have handled the matter well, it would have caused an uproar.
s.h.i.+ Jin smiled. “It’s already settled.”
“You have no idea. After Yan Chu heard about it, he wanted to come over to help. Ask him.”
Yan Chu strode towards them and smiled. “I was too late. When I arrived, you were already gone.”
s.h.i.+ Jin appreciated their kindness and thanked them with a smile.
“If I’d been in time, it might have been me dancing with you.”
“Mr. Yan, don’t push me towards the fire.” s.h.i.+ Jin knew that Yan Chu was a male G.o.d in S Country. He had works that were highly acclaimed and had a lot of fans.
No matter what level of female artiste she was, if she took the initiative in front of him, it would look like she was taking advantage of his popularity..
Yan Chu smiled. “I don’t have that honor yet. I’ll invite you to dance with me next time…”
Before he could finish speaking, he saw a man walking down from the second floor and walking straight to s.h.i.+ Jin’s side.
As the national idol, Yan Chu’s aura couldn’t be underestimated. In front of him, everyone else paled in comparison, but when he saw the man walking towards him, Yan Chu felt a sense of pressure.
Under Ji Hanxue and Yan Chu’s gaze, Fu Xiuyuan calmly draped a coat over s.h.i.+ Jin’s shoulders before nodding and asking, “I believe these two must be Director Ji and Mr. Yan?”
Ji Hanxue and Yan Chu didn’t need to smile in front of the investors. They had also seen all kinds of big shots, but in front of Fu Xiuyuan, they didn’t dare to underestimate him.
They exchanged greetings and s.h.i.+ Jin introduced, “Fu Xiuyuan, my husband.”
Ji Hanxue and Yan Chu’s mouths were slightly agape, though it wasn’t a rare thing to get married in the entertainment industry. When they thought about how s.h.i.+ Jin was only twenty years old, they were indeed surprised.
The two of them searched through their minds, but did not find the surname Fu among the rich and famous in the capital. However, they did not dare to underestimate this man in front of them.
“You’re actually married? Congratulations.” Ji Hanxue spoke first.
“Thank you,” Fu Xiuyuan replied politely.
Fu Xiuyuan didn’t expect s.h.i.+ Jin to reveal his ident.i.ty to the two people in front of him. He had expected her to say something, but never expected this answer.
The moment these words were said, Fu Xiuyuan’s eyes became visibly warm and gentle, like a spring breeze.
Ji Hanxue and Yan Chu could read his expression and couldn’t help but click their tongues in wonder.
After Fu Xiuyuan and s.h.i.+ Jin bade them goodbye, they headed upstairs.
Yan Chu shook his head in surprise. “Getting married at such a young age.”
“To be able to find a suitable person, does it matter when you get married?” Ji Hanxue did not feel that it was a pity.
***
When they went upstairs, Fu Xiuyuan’s footsteps were steady and his expression steady.
When they reached the room upstairs, s.h.i.+ Jin and he entered the room one after another.
He closed the door and pulled s.h.i.+ Jin back into his embrace.
“What…” Before s.h.i.+ Jin could finish speaking, she was pressed against the door.
He looked down at her fair face and whispered, “I like what happened just now.”
“What?” s.h.i.+ Jin’s eyes lit up.
Fu Xiuyuan lowered his head and kissed her.
When she had just said the words “my husband,” he could not help, but want to kiss her. He pretended to be calm and returned to the room before he removed all his pretense.
Before s.h.i.+ Jin succ.u.mbed, she thought, how could someone who was cold and aloof in front of others be so different behind the door? However, Mr. Fu in his messy suit was really too charming…
***
“Still no news?” Chu Ling asked.
“s.h.i.+ Jin lives in the villa and refuses to answer my calls. I can’t contact her or Yao Jiahong,” Hu Lai said softly.
Chu Ling tugged at his tie in frustration.
At that time, s.h.i.+ Jin was dancing with that man and had disappeared, leaving him hanging on the spot.
He was not angry. Instead, he was worried about s.h.i.+ Jin’s safety.
It was only then that he realized that he had long been biased towards s.h.i.+ Jin. He had long regretted pus.h.i.+ng her aside.
“I’ll keep trying,” said Hu Lai. She realized this clearly now. It was a good thing that Chu Ling liked s.h.i.+ Jin. If the two of them were to be together, it would be a strong alliance. s.h.i.+ Jin would be able to bring more things to Chu Ling.
Hu Lai was still unable to contact anyone. She only asked, “Chu Ling, have you considered that s.h.i.+ Jin has really fallen for that man?”
“Impossible!” Chu Ling said firmly.
That man?
He admitted that the man was not to be underestimated.. He was a strong compet.i.tor.