After Sharing Senses with the Paranoid CEO, the Infamous Starlet was Forced into Pampering Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Do I Look Like a Bodyguard?

“I wouldn’t dare.”

Qin Yu quickly lowered his head to avoid looking at the President’s face, though he did mean to complain a little.

If Li Yanzhou had snatched Xia Mu over earlier, with his professional ability and acting level, he would have been A-list long ago. Would he have needed to wait eight years without a single male lead role, still playing the third lead?

He wasn’t even playing a human—he was playing a fox spirit.

Though Qin Yu also felt that Xia Mu’s image fit a fox spirit perfectly. He played the part with such quirky, “green tea” charm. The drama was only halfway through, and that fox spirit was already calling everyone “Elder Sister” with such a sweet mouth.

Qin Yu looked at Xia Mu, who was still talking to the fans, and sighed in his heart. Actually, he understood the President’s thoughts. Xia Mu was still young; he wanted him to be tempered more in the entertainment circle.

If he hadn’t guessed wrong, Li Yanzhou was waiting for Xia Mu’s contract to end so he could sign him. He just hadn’t expected the agency to do something so low to force a renewal, so he had been forced to act early.

Case in point: yesterday he had ordered a search for a new manager. No one but a gold-medal manager would do; no one who hadn’t made an artist famous; no one with a bad temper; and no men…

Qin Yu had combed through the company’s managers and narrowed it down to three last night. Li Yanzhou had just picked one, and that manager was already at Xia Mu’s company waiting.

Li Yanzhou had been watching Xia Mu’s back without much concern, but when he saw him hugging the fans one by one, he became inexplicably irritable.

He strode over and yanked Xia Mu behind him. His 190cm height instantly shielded Xia Mu completely.

Li Yanzhou glanced at the stunned fans and realized he had been impulsive. He tried his best to make his tone sound less harsh:

“Xia Mu has a schedule to get to. That’s all for today.”

With that, Li Yanzhou grabbed the back collar of Xia Mu’s down jacket, intending to haul him away. He realized mid-turn that it was inappropriate, quickly let go, and used his arm to shield Xia Mu from the crowd instead.

Xia Mu stared at the back of Li Yan’s head with some dissatisfaction. What was wrong with this guy? Why was he hauling him around like a chick?

Even though he had grown to 181cm, because he was thin and lacked muscle, he always seemed a head shorter in front of Li Yan.

After just a few steps, Li Yanzhou heard the fans shouting from behind:

“Mu-bao, keep going! We love you~”

“Big Brother Bodyguard, take good care of him for us!”

Xia Mu waved back while unable to suppress a laugh. Even Qin Yu was struggling to hold it in.

“Do I look like a bodyguard?”

Li Yanzhou swept a cold glance over the laughing Xia Mu.

He looked down at his outfit—a long dark coat and black leather shoes. Where was even a hint of a bodyguard in this?

“Of course.” Xia Mu nodded as if it were only natural. “With your height, it’s a waste if you aren’t a bodyguard.”

Li Yanzhou didn’t speak, stepping onto the shuttle bus ahead of them. Xia Mu followed him in. The bus took them to the VIP building, where their luggage had already been delivered.

Experiencing this for the first time, Xia Mu found everything fascinating. He took a small plate of desserts and sat on the sofa to taste them.

“It’s a good thing Zhu Yunhong isn’t here, or I wouldn’t be allowed to eat anything.”

Xia Mu shoveled a large spoonful of cream into his mouth. With his diet being so strictly controlled, it had been ages since he had tasted such deliciousness.

Li Yanzhou remained silent, but Qin Yu asked curiously:

“Why can’t you eat?”

“Weight control. You look fat on camera. Zhu Yunhong was extremely strict about that.” Xia Mu talked as he ate.

“You’re already this thin and you still need weight control?” Qin Yu was shocked.

“I can’t help it. When I gain weight, it goes to my face first. All the meat just grows there.” Xia Mu looked helpless.

Li Yanzhou, who had been silent, suddenly stood up and went to the other side to bring a plate of chocolate Éclairs, silently placing them on the table in front of Xia Mu.

“You should like these.”

“How did you know? I didn’t even see those over there!” Xia Mu became visibly excited. “I’ve forgotten how long it’s been since I last had one.”

Li Yanzhou had no expression, but feeling the joy in Xia Mu’s heart through their connection, his own mood improved slightly.

“Mhm. Once you’re done eating, I’ll take you to your company.”

Xia Mu nodded. “My phone was probably locked in Zhu Yunhong’s office. I’ve been without it for two days; I don’t even know if the heat around me has died down.”

Li Yanzhou remained silent. Naturally, it hadn’t. It had even been fanned a little, burning brighter than ever.

“By the way, have you seen anything about me on the trending searches?” Xia Mu suddenly asked him.

Li Yanzhou wanted to say no, but with gossip about Xia Mu flying everywhere these past few days, it would be too suspicious to claim ignorance. He thought for a moment and said:

“I have.”

“What was it about? I asked my fans but they wouldn’t tell me. They just told me not to look and to focus on my own work. What exactly happened to me?”

Xia Mu was a bit troubled. Other than accidentally exposing his backside during the earthquake, he hadn’t dated, hadn’t smoked or drunk-driven, hadn’t slept with anyone, and had paid all his taxes…

So he couldn’t figure out what other “black material” could have been leaked.

“I suggest you listen to them,” Li Yanzhou replied without looking up.

“What’s going on? Don’t tell me I’ve really been blacklisted? What about the drama that’s still airing? If it gets taken down because of me, I’ll be a sinner for ages… Besides everything else, the lead actor’s fans alone would tear me apart.”

“It’s over. Is my entertainment career really finished? Xiatian’s snacks are going to have to be cut in half from now on.”

If that were the case, there was nothing he could do. He comforted himself that he could accept any outcome.

“You’re being blacklisted and all you can think about is Xiatian?”

“What about it?” Xia Mu looked at Li Yan blankly.

What about yourself? Li Yanzhou almost blurted out. Forget it. Even if Xia Mu didn’t stay in the entertainment industry, with his face and body, livestreaming or modeling would both be good options.

Seeing that Li Yan had gone silent again, Xia Mu turned back with confusion and finished his dessert.

He felt that Li Yan had been acting strange ever since they got off the plane.

Once Xia Mu was full, Li Yanzhou signaled Qin Yu to have the driver bring the car to the VIP building and took Xia Mu directly to his agency.

To Xia Mu’s shock, the boss of Shengyi Entertainment was actually waiting in the first-floor lobby. He was terrified, wondering if he really had committed some enormous crime.

In his memory, he had only seen the boss a few times. The man didn’t really manage things. Since Zhu Yunhong also held a significant number of shares, the boss rarely showed his face, leaving basically all of Shengyi’s management to Zhu Yunhong.

Xia Mu braced himself and went over to greet him: “Hello, President Wang.”

President Wang, however, smiled broadly and patted Xia Mu on the shoulder with a look of kind affection: “Welcome back.”