After Sharing Senses with the Paranoid CEO, the Infamous Starlet was Forced into Pampering Chapter 17

Chapter 17: What Are You Afraid Of?

After all, Xia Mu had been knocking around the entertainment industry for so many years. If he didn’t have a good mindset, how could he have held on this long with that do-nothing little company of his?

Qin Yu took out his phone to report Xia Mu’s situation to Li Yanzhou. According to the team at EK, the new product launch and Xia Mu’s posters would be made public the day after tomorrow. Qin Yu sensed that the trending searches would be a storm once again.

However, Li Yanzhou seemed to have flown into a rage over Zhu Yunhong’s actions. Xia Mu’s manager would be changed. Given that Shengyi Entertainment was such a tiny company without any good managers, he didn’t know how Li Yanzhou would arrange things next.

Just as he was thinking this, Li Yanzhou walked in. Qin Yu tactfully stepped out and closed the door.

“The flight is tomorrow morning. We’ll go back together.”

Li Yanzhou sat on the chair beside the bed, his gaze falling on the tablet in Xia Mu’s hands. Qin Yu said he had uninstalled all the relevant apps before giving it to Xia Mu; the man didn’t have anything to worry about when it came to how Qin Yu handled things.

“Why go back together? Aren’t you here on vacation?” Xia Mu asked back.

“The company has some matters to handle.” Li Yanzhou glanced at Xia Mu. When the boy faced him, he really couldn’t hide a single thought on his face. “What, you don’t want to go back?”

“No, I just thought I’d be going back with my manager.”

“He can’t go back for the time being. It’s just us.”

Xia Mu didn’t speak again. He was pondering the suspicious points in Li Yan’s words. It had been four or five hours since Zhu Yunhong was taken out. During this time, he hadn’t left this floor of the hospital, nor had he seen anyone other than Li Yan and Qin Yu.

Recalling Li Yan’s forceful attitude and the respectful way the EK people had followed behind him, Xia Mu frowned slightly. He stole a glance at Li Yan, who was looking down and replying to messages, and didn’t see any tattoos on his exposed arms or calves.

Xia Mu hesitated a few times before finally speaking up:

“Um, you… that company you opened, it’s not,” Li Yanzhou suddenly looked up at him, causing Xia Mu to feel a surge of fear. He bit his lip to bolster his courage and continued, “Are you part of the mob or organized crime?”

Xia Mu’s words were disjointed, but Li Yanzhou understood. Although he didn’t show it on his face, he was momentarily stunned.

What on earth was going on in this kid’s head? Was he really that scary? Why would he ask such a thing?

“How did you reach that conclusion?”

Li Yanzhou didn’t deny or confirm it, simply throwing the question back to Xia Mu in an ambiguous manner.

Hearing this, Xia Mu’s heart skipped a beat. Could he have actually guessed correctly?

Li Yan was a mob boss. To avoid suspicion and facilitate his operations, he had opened a company as a front. And Qin Yu was his most capable assistant, which was why he was always by Li Yan’s side.

Xia Mu felt that this logic was sound. So, Zhu Yunhong must have already… been “kacha-ed”? Would he be next?

Wait, that wasn’t right. If Li Yan wanted to kill him, he wouldn’t have jumped into the sea to save him.

Xia Mu’s mind was a mess. Especially with Li Yan staring at him, it made his skin crawl. He bit his lip and didn’t dare say another word.

What if he said the wrong thing and displeased Li Yan, and the man killed him too? Or perhaps he saved him just because he was good-looking and wanted to keep him close and slowly torture him?

Li Yanzhou looked at the expressionless Xia Mu but sensed a growing fear through their connection. What was Xia Mu afraid of?

“Why aren’t you answering?”

Li Yanzhou asked out of curiosity, only to see Xia Mu tremble. The boy then exited the match-3 game on the tablet and pushed it toward his hand.

“What is it?”

Li Yanzhou had never seen someone with such volatile emotions. He had just been joking with him, and now he was suddenly like this.

Li Yanzhou had never raised a pet. Previously, he had only heard Qin Yu’s reports about Xia Mu. Now that he was interacting with him face-to-face, why did it feel so difficult?

Li Yanzhou couldn’t help but lean in closer, wanting to see exactly what he was afraid of and find the answer in Xia Mu’s eyes:

“Did Zhu Yunhong threaten you again?”

It would have been better if Li Yanzhou hadn’t spoken. Hearing this, Xia Mu reflexively hunched his shoulders and stole a quick glance at the man before whispering: “No.”

“Then what are you afraid of?”

Li Yanzhou could clearly sense that as soon as he spoke, the fear in Xia Mu’s heart deepened.

“Nothing, I’m just a bit sleepy.”

Xia Mu shrunk himself under the quilt, covering everything except his head. That way, if Li Yan started hitting him, the quilt would act as a buffer and it wouldn’t hurt as much.

Suddenly, Li Yanzhou recalled Xia Mu’s previous words. Could he have actually believed it? He laughed helplessly:

“I’m not in the mob. You don’t have to guard against me like this.”

“Then tell me where Zhu Yunhong is?” Xia Mu asked softly. He looked at Li Yan, trying to find a flaw in his expression.

Li Yanzhou went stiff for a moment. Zhu Yunhong had been taken down by the bodyguards to treat his wounds. He had only instructed them to leave him with his life. This approach was indeed quite similar to the “mob” Xia Mu spoke of.

Seeing Li Yan like this, Xia Mu became even more certain of his guess. He bit his lip and whispered: “People in the mob never admit they’re in the mob.”

Li Yanzhou looked away, taking a deep breath to try and keep himself calm. He had thought that almost nothing could cause a ripple in his heart anymore. Yet he had only been with Xia Mu for three days, and the boy already had a knack for provoking his anger.

“Qin Yu, get in here!”

Li Yanzhou stood up suddenly. Xia Mu was so scared that he pulled the quilt over his head, not leaving a single strand of hair exposed.

It was over. Was he going to be beaten for saying the wrong thing?

“President Li, you called for me.”

Qin Yu entered the room politely, only to be surprised by the sight of Xia Mu curled into a ball on the bed. What had these two just been doing?

Li Yanzhou pressed his temple with a headache and pointed at the large lump on the bed:

“Go explain to Xia Mu. I’m going out to cool my head.”

“Ex—explain what?”

Qin Yu was utterly confused, but Li Yanzhou had already left him behind. Xia Mu wasn’t going to answer him either.

Qin Yu had no choice but to squat by the bed so that he was at the same height as Xia Mu and asked tentatively:

“Xia Mu? President Li has already gone out. Do you… want to come out first? It’s not breathable under the quilt; don’t suffocate yourself.”

After some rustling, Xia Mu lay on the bed and quietly lifted a corner of the quilt. He peeked out his head and looked around. Seeing that Li Yan had truly left, he let out a cautious sigh of relief.

Watching the whole process, Qin Yu felt as if he was forgetting how to breathe. How… how could someone be this cute? It was no wonder someone as cold and heartless as Li Yanzhou had fallen for him.

But then again, Li Yanzhou had been listening to reports about Xia Mu for over ten years; it was only natural to fall in love. Thinking this way, Qin Yu had already begun to view Xia Mu as his “sister-in-law” and the future lady of the company.