Land Of Settlement

On the other end of the line, there was a noticeable hesitation before a voice said, “Hello?”

Xia Qi felt like crying for real this time.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Lu, I’m so sorry. I only wanted to send you a text message, but I didn’t know why I ended up calling…” Xia Qi felt like hitting himself. He hurriedly continued, “Please… Please continue with your work. I’ll explain in the text message. I’m really sorry…”

Xia Qi heard the sound of a door closing on the other end, and Lu Xuan’s voice became slightly louder, “I’ve come out. Anything the matter?”

“Yes…” Xia Qi’s voice trembled. He tried to keep his explanation simple, not wanting to take up too much of Lu Xuan’s time. However, he was too flustered and could not find the right words. “I… I want to apologize to you. I’ve been trying to get this role for a long time, but when you asked me… I lied to you. I’m… I’m sorry.”

Uncertain if he heard it right, Xia Qi thought he heard a low chuckle from Lu Xuan on the other end. Nervously, he felt like crying, “And just now… I really only wanted to send a text message. Please believe me. I don’t want to cause you trouble or disturb you at work…”

“Please… Please forgive me. I will never lie again.”

Lu Xuan waited quietly until Xia Qi finished speaking, then chuckled lightly, “Are you crying?”

Xia Qi had not shed any tears, and he honestly shook his head, “No, Mr. Lu…”

“It’s not that much of a disturbance. Today isn’t exactly a formal occasion.” Perhaps because the Lu family had a background in industry and commerce, Lu Xuan carried a slight disdain for the entertainment industry from his childhood. He looked from afar at Xia Qi on the terrace at the other end of the corridor. “I’ve given you my phone number a long time ago. If you need anything, you can call me.”

Xia Qi’s eyes were red; Lu Xuan had been so kind to him, and yet he had still lied to him. He felt like he was truly a terrible person.

“However, you lying to me on purpose earlier is another matter,” Lu Xuan added.

As expected! Xia Qi felt frustrated and wanted to bang his head against the wall. He had just added another flaw to his long list: Deceit!

Now he did not need those female celebrities to compete for Mr. Lu. Mr. Lu would probably dislike him first! Xia Qi’s voice became nasal as he said, “I’m sorry, please forgive me…”

“I never accept verbal apologies. Yan Zhuo Yi will bring you home, and we’ll talk then,” Lu Xuan replied.

Xia Qi was puzzled. Bring him home? Which home?

Before Xia Qi could ask further, Lu Xuan had already hung up the phone.

“President Lu?” The executive director of Baying Company asked tentatively, “Can we start now?” Lu Xuan had taken an important business call just now. He frowned and shushed the staff. The crew was so frightened that they immediately paused everything. Even the actors were puzzled. Lu Xuan had left the set earlier and just returned now.

With a smile in his eyes, Lu Xuan seemed to be in a good mood. The executive director speculated that he must have had some good news related to the business.

Lu Xuan nodded politely and made a perfunctory response, “Sorry, I had some urgent matters to attend to. Apologies for delaying everyone.”

The executive director quickly replied, “It’s alright, Mr. Lu. We’re already honored to have you here.” With that, he signaled the actors to restart.

Lu Xuan was absent-minded, lightly playing with the pen cap. Originally, when he saw “Against the Wind” in Xia Qi’s bag, it did not mean much to him. Although Xia Qi was normally busy, he still did a considerable amount of reading, and Lu Xuan often came across various books from him, covering a wide range of topics. Coincidentally, the day before discovering that book, Lu Xuan had received an invitation from Baying Company, asking him to participate in the audition for “Against the Wind.” Putting the two events together, Lu Xuan naturally understood.

Lu An Qi was prepared to invest a substantial amount of money into “Against the Wind,” and everyone in the industry knew that Lu An Qi’s wealth was questionable. However, it was Lu Xuan after all, and the invitation from Baying Company to him was merely going through the process. Everyone knew that Lu Xuan would not pay attention to such matters. However, to their surprise, Lu Xuan actually agreed.

Recalling the phone call from earlier, Lu Xuan found it amusing. Xia Qi did not want to tell him about the audition, fearing that he might be given the role without going through the normal process. Lu Xuan could see his intentions. Among his lovers, Xia Qi was the most “noble.”

Ever since Xia Qi started following him, he had not asked for anything. Sometimes, Lu Xuan even suspected that this little guy had come to his bed, not wanting to climb up the ranks. This realization left Lu Xuan puzzled. If it was not for fame and fortune, then was it just to sleep with him? Who was taking advantage of whom?

As he was relatively free these days, Lu Xuan decided to pay a visit and finalize the role, as well as tease Xia Qi a bit.

Although “teasing” eventually turned into “scaring” him and he nearly made the poor guy cry, Lu Xuan did not feel a hint of guilt. After all, Xia Qi had lied to him, and the little child needed to learn to be more disciplined. Otherwise, how would he manage him in the future?

Shortly after the call ended, Xia Qi saw Yan Zhuo Yi approaching. Xia Qi looked dazed, and Yan Zhuo Yi nodded at him politely, saying, “Mr. Lu asked me to take you back.”

Xia Qi stammered, “Go… where?”

“To Mr. Lu’s home,” Yan Zhuo Yi explained.

“My… my assistant hasn’t returned yet,” Xia Qi was completely out of sorts, “She… she went to see her friend.”

Yan Zhuo Yi smiled lightly, “It’s alright. You can have her leave with the company’s car. I’ll take you back.”

Essentially, Yan Zhuo Yi was following Lu Xuan’s instructions, and Xia Qi had no choice but to comply. He obediently let Yan Zhuo Yi bring him away.

It was almost noon, and Yan Zhuo Yi knew that Lu Xuan would not be returning home anytime soon. Therefore, Yan Zhuo Yi took the initiative to arrange a meal for Xia Qi from a hotel where the two often dined together. The food, along with Xia Qi, was delivered to Lu Xuan’s home, and Yan Zhuo Yi quickly left. Xia Qi was still in a daze, sitting in front of a table filled with dishes. Had Lu Xuan… forgiven him?

Cheese-covered Arctic Shrimp, Braised Sea Cucumber with Pomelo Peel, Sautéed Garlic Pork Ribs, Abalone Risotto…

Xia Qi swallowed his saliva. He felt like things might not be as bad as he had imagined. Perhaps he should just eat first.

“You actually went.” In the top-floor office of Shengshi Media, Lu An Qi looked quite surprised. She poured a cup of tea for Lu Xuan. “I always thought you were not interested in these things.”

Lu Xuan smiled, “I happened to have some time on hand.”

Lu An Qi raised an eyebrow, neither confirming nor denying anything. “How do you feel? The role should be almost finalized today.”

Lu Xuan remained indifferent, “I don’t understand filming. You guys can decide.”

Her curiosity piqued even more by his response, Lu An Qi asked, “You made a special trip there, if it’s not for work, then what’s it for? Got tired of Xia Qi and want to choose another young celebrity?”

Lu An Qi quite liked Xia Qi, and she felt like it was a pity. Lu Xuan shook his head and chuckled, “No, it’s almost mid-year, and work is still keeping me busy. Where do I have time to mess around with such things?”

“Alright, help me sign these documents.”

Lu An Qi handed a folder to Lu Xuan, who glanced through it and signed each one. Lu An Qi smiled contentedly, saying, “Ah… Finally, I understand how great it is to have a financial backer.”

Lu Xuan smiled and handed back the signed documents. Lu An Qi sighed, “The company has just started, and the funds are hardly sufficient. Thanks to you, in two years, things will be much better. We’ll make these few stars famous and sign a few more… Right now, shooting a TV series requires cooperation with several parties. When will we be able to produce our own shows without depending on others?”

Lu An Qi complained for a while before showing Lu Xuan the list of confirmed main actors from today. “See… we still need to rely on other company’s actors for the male lead. I wanted to promote Jiang Jiang, but the director immediately rejected him.”

The male lead, Haikun, from Baying Company had already been confirmed. The first and second female leads were also chosen. The only role left was the second male lead, which unsurprisingly happened to be Xia Qi’s role.

Lu Xuan was still holding his pen, and subconsciously, he put a mark in front of Xia Qi’s name, which happened to catch Lu An Qi’s eye.

“So, this is the reason you came here?” Lu An Qi teased with a smirk. “I didn’t expect… you actually quite like him?”

There was nothing embarrassing about being discovered, so Lu Xuan nodded openly. “Yes, I do.”

Lu An Qi chuckled, “Is he good at pleasing people in bed?”

Lu Xuan smiled, but remained silent.

Xia Qi who was “good at pleasing people” had a significant mood improvement after the sumptuous meal. He was not sure if the meal was arranged by Yan Zhuo Yi or Lu Xuan, but since he was brought back and fed well, the crisis should have passed. After all, why would Lu Xuan answer his call and bring him back if he truly disliked him?

However, Lu Xuan had said “We’ll talk later” at Baying Company just now. What did he mean?

Was Lu Xuan going to do a bit of this and that to Xia Qi?

“Ahh…” 

Xia Qi covered his face. Lu Xuan had asked him to return home first to reflect on his actions! How could he think about such things!

Xia Qi pounded his head, he did not want to trouble the cleaning lady, so he tidied up the dining table. After he was done, he looked at the spotless dining table, feeling extremely satisfied. Therefore, he could not help but clean the entire dining room, then the kitchen, the bathroom… After cleaning every nook and cranny that might be overlooked, Xia Qi felt a sense of accomplishment. The only downside was that he was covered in sweat. He had already sweated during the audition, and he felt uncomfortable now, so he decided to take a shower.

After coming out of the bathroom, Xia Qi wrapped himself in an oversized bathrobe and looked at himself in the mirror from left to right. No matter how he looked at himself, he did not think he was particularly attractive. Today’s audition might or might not have been successful. If it was not, Mr. Lu would probably think he was worthless…

People who had crushes were always plagued by doubts and fears. Xia Qi suddenly felt a little disheartened.

The satiated stomach made Xia Qi feel a bit drowsy. Last night, he was too excited about the audition and could not sleep. Now, the sleepiness overwhelmed him. Unable to think of anything else, Xia Qi walked to the bedroom and crawled under the blanket to sleep.

Xia Qi had a dream.

In his dream, Mr. Lu was so gentle. He held Xia Qi’s hand and took him to the beach to see the sea and go surfing. They both wore masks and went to Disneyland, where they rode the pirate ship and were chased by Mickey Mouse. Lu Xuan even bought him a huge lollipop. Xia Qi was so happy that he felt like he was on cloud nine, surrounded by little angels, little stars, and countless candies – he felt sweet all over.

Xia Qi had a blast, but he eventually got tired. Lu Xuan took him back home.

At home, they had a big meal together, cleaned the kitchen together, took a bath together, and then went to the bedroom together…

Lu Xuan was a very sensitive and meticulous person, almost to the point of being demanding.

The moment he pushed open the door, he noticed that the room had been cleaned again, and it was obvious who had done it.

Was Xia Qi afraid that Lu Xuan might still be upset with him, so he cleaned the room as an apology? Lu Xuan chuckled. That was something Xia Qi would do.

Lu Xuan changed his clothes and washed his hands. The room was quiet, either someone was reading or sleeping. Lu Xuan dried his hands and slowly pushed open the bedroom door.

Xia Qi’s hair was still slightly damp, indicating that he had just taken a shower. He was wearing Lu Xuan’s pajamas, lying defenselessly on Lu Xuan’s bed, sleeping soundly.

Lu Xuan’s sharp eyes scanned over Xia Qi’s lightly furrowed brows and flushed cheeks, he immediately understood everything in his heart.

Lu Xuan was very satisfied with Xia Qi’s “apology.”

“Xia Qi is really well-behaved today…”

Afterward, Lu Xuan leaned against the bed’s headboard and lovingly let Xia Qi lie on his chest. Xia Qi’s face turned as red as a ripe apple. If he was caught having that kind of dream, it could make him blush till next year!

On the other hand, Lu Xuan seemed to be in a very good mood. Xia Qi desperately tried to recall if he had acted too lasciviously, while hesitating about asking Lu Xuan what happened today. However, it seemed like Lu Xuan could read his mind as he lowered his head and kissed Xia Qi’s lips, chuckling softly, “Don’t worry, I’m not angry today.”

Relieved, Xia Qi relaxed and enjoyed Lu Xuan’s kiss. Lu Xuan added, “But lying is not acceptable, and it shouldn’t happen again.”

Xia Qi obediently nodded, “Yes, I won’t lie to you again.”

Lu Xuan rubbed his head, the crisis was over, and Xia Qi finally gained the courage to ask, “Um… about the audition…”

Lu Xuan got up to prepare for a shower and sneered at his question, “With me around, do you think you would be rejected?”

Lu Xuan headed to the bathroom, and Xia Qi suddenly felt the little angels, stars, and candies that had just disappeared in his dream were reappearing. Wrapped in his blanket, he rolled around on the bed… What should he do? He was starting to like Mr. Lu more and more…

“Aren’t you coming?”

Xia Qi was bubbling over with happiness. He blushed and replied, “Coming!”