After Sharing Senses with the Paranoid CEO, the Infamous Starlet was Forced into Pampering Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Put it On, It’s Cold Outside

“The clothes don’t fit?” Li Yanzhou’s gaze fell on the slippers on Xia Mu’s feet. “Or is the shoe size wrong?”

“Neither. I wanted to ask if you could change these for something… normal?” Xia Mu said, looking up at him.

Li Yanzhou didn’t understand. Were the clothes Qin Yu bought abnormal? He had seen photos of them before they were purchased—weren’t they just a simple shirt and trousers?

“I mean, can you change them for clothes with a normal price tag? There are too many people at the airport. If I’m photographed wearing these, I won’t be able to explain it… I need to lie low for a while.”

“Understood. I’ll have Qin Yu exchange them.”

Xia Mu let out a sigh of relief. He was quite grateful that Li Yanzhou respected his wishes on this point.

“Sorry for the trouble. Thank you.”

Li Yanzhou glanced at Xia Mu. He wanted to tease him, but seeing the sincerity in the boy’s eyes, he decided against it.

After Xia Mu changed his clothes, the three of them went to have breakfast. Qin Yu drove them to the airport, where they went directly through the VIP channel.

Once they were in the first-class cabin, Li Yanzhou noticed the curiosity in Xia Mu’s eyes and couldn’t help but ask:

“Does your company not book first class for your usual schedules?”

“No. The company is stingy as hell; we don’t even get business class. Zhu Yunhong said sitting in economy brings me closer to the fans and lets me interact with them more.”

“And him?” Li Yanzhou narrowed his eyes.

“Business, probably? He sits in the front, not with me.”

Xia Mu looked indifferent. He was used to it by now. It was fine if the people around him were fans, but there were always “sasaengs” who knew his every schedule, including private ones. In those situations, Xia Mu usually just put on his headphones and pretended to sleep.

Li Yanzhou didn’t speak further. He could imagine the scene of Xia Mu being surrounded by a crowd of fans.

But as Xia Mu thought about it more, things felt off. He suddenly turned to Li Yanzhou:

“Wait, who booked my ticket?”

Qin Yu’s voice came from the corner: “I did.”

Xia Mu looked back, asking in confusion: “How did you know my ID information?”

“After Zhu Yunhong was taken by the police, all your documents ended up with me.”

Qin Yu’s reaction was lightning fast. He had all of Xia Mu’s information, though his ID card was currently in Li Yanzhou’s hands.

“Oh, thanks.” Xia Mu believed him.

He had just found a comfortable position to nestle into his seat when he suddenly jerked upright:

“If Zhu Yunhong was arrested, does that mean my manager is going to be changed?”

Li Yanzhou watched Xia Mu’s startle-and-jump behavior in silence.

After hitting Zhu Yunhong yesterday, he had already told Qin Yu to evaluate several gold-medal managers in the company to see who was best suited to manage Xia Mu.

Li Yanzhou didn’t trust leaving Xia Mu with that agency anymore. He knew Xia Mu’s contract was nearing its end, and that entire company had hardly produced any successful artists.

As for the reason they didn’t want to let Xia Mu go, it was simply because he supported the entire agency single-handedly. It could be said they relied almost entirely on him as their “cash cow.”

To drive down the price for his contract renewal, they had sat idly by while so many defamatory comments appeared on the trending searches.

At this thought, Li Yanzhou let out a cold sneer. How could that agency’s disgusting little backroom tactics ever be hidden from him?

For a small agency like that, if you didn’t renew, you got no roles. If you didn’t renew, they’d buy smear campaigns. Weren’t these the standard methods they used to force artists into signing low-priced renewals?

If Li Yanzhou remembered correctly, Xia Mu hadn’t joined a new film set for three or four months. Although he usually only filmed during winter and summer breaks to complete his university studies, he was about to graduate now. His academic load wasn’t heavy, so his schedule shouldn’t be this empty.

Li Yanzhou looked at Xia Mu, who was sitting a short distance away. Just a moment ago, he had been worrying with a long face about his manager; the next second, he had pulled his mask over his eyes to use as an eye mask, ready to sleep.

Tsk. This kid’s mindset is pretty good.

Heaven knew how bored Xia Mu was. He didn’t have a phone; what else could he do besides sleep or look at the scenery?

Li Yanzhou opened the laptop beside him and began to process the mountain of accumulated files.

Four hours later, the plane landed. Xia Mu had slept through the whole flight and followed behind Li Yan while yawning. Qin Yu handed him a down jacket, and Li Yanzhou spoke flatly:

“Put it on. It’s cold outside.”

Xia Mu obediently put it on, zipping it up as he walked, when someone suddenly shouted:

“Xia Mu!!”

Xia Mu reflexively looked up and instinctively distanced himself from Li Yan. Despite wearing a mask and a baseball cap, he had still been recognized by a fan.

“Stay away from me. I’m covered in scandals right now. I don’t know if they’re fans or anti-fans; don’t let me drag you down.”

As long as they weren’t sasaengs, it was fine. Xia Mu was truly terrified of their pervasive presence.

Li Yanzhou had thought Xia Mu was afraid of fans thinking he was his “Gold Master,” but it turned out to be for this reason. Not only Li Yanzhou, but even Qin Yu felt a pang of sympathy.

Xia Mu lowered his head and walked past Li Yanzhou like a stranger, heading straight for the fans who had called his name. Regardless of the situation, he had to fulfill his professional duties.

However, as he drew closer and saw the person standing at the very front, he froze. He remembered this girl; he had seen her years ago. For every public schedule and every event, she was always at the front with her camera.

Now, she was holding an airport pickup sign with a cartoon version of his face: [No matter how many 8-year periods pass, we will always be here.]

Xia Mu instantly broke down. Tears blurred his vision, sliding down continuously behind his mask. From the time he shot that commercial in the eighth grade until now, eight whole years had passed. He hadn’t expected them to still remember.

Seeing Xia Mu cry, the fans panicked as well, frantically pulling tissues from their bags to hand to him.

Xia Mu’s hands were stuffed with a pile of tissues as he wiped his eyes, caught between laughter and tears. When his vision cleared, he noticed several other fans holding signs:

[Do you know we love you?]

[Just three seconds of eye contact, and I’ll be happy for 365 days~]

[…]

Xia Mu’s voice was a bit choked as he pulled off his mask:

“Thank you… thank you all. I’m really surprised and touched. To be honest, I thought you were anti-fans at first, but then I saw so many familiar faces. With so many scandals these past few days, I thought surely no one would be left…”

Li Yanzhou and Qin Yu stood not far behind Xia Mu, watching him chat with the fans. Qin Yu said with a sigh of emotion:

“Eight years… how many eight-year periods does an artist have to waste? I’ve watched Xia Mu come all this way too. If it weren’t for his agency being so incompetent, he would have been a superstar long ago. Ah, sincerity is always the ultimate weapon… even with all the insults on the trending searches, there are still fans coming to meet his flight. If he could just get a good script, he would have leveled up his status ages ago.”

Li Yanzhou glanced at Qin Yu, his voice cold and thin:

“Are you blaming me?”