novelraw Chapter 53 Tch! ...He must have seen it!
Chapter 53 Tch! ...He must have seen it!
The streetlights flashing past the car window reflected in Shu Qi's somewhat hazy eyes.
With a temper she couldn't quite explain, she had the driver stop the car and immediately contacted Robert Chen, the personal butler for Li Shuo's room at the Peninsula Hotel.
Now, she's more familiar with the staff at the Peninsula Hotel than Li Shuo, the actual person involved.
A short while later, the black Rolls-Royce Silver Spur silently glided to the side of the road again.
Under Shu Qi's hazy, stubborn yet pitiful gaze, Li Shuo shook his head helplessly and got into the car with him.
They remained silent the entire way, still using that private passage.
When I stepped back into the suite overlooking Victoria Harbour, the butler, Robert Chen, had everything prepared and then silently withdrew.
As soon as the door closed, Shu Qi kicked off her high heels and, as if returning to her own home, "removed her armor" as she walked, heading straight into the bathroom.
When Li Shuo finished walking around the room and sat down on the sofa, she was wearing a bathrobe, her hair was slightly damp, and her cheeks were flushed.
Li Shuo guessed there was nothing under the bathrobe...
A hot shower didn't seem to dispel her strange drunkenness; instead, it seemed to catalyze some long-suppressed emotions.
She ignored everything and sat down directly on the coffee table in front of Li Shuo.
They were so close, the hem of her bathrobe was open, and she didn't care about the glimpse of her skin.
"You know about it and you've seen it, right?" She spoke so fast that her logic was somewhat incoherent.
"When I was little, my mom was young and didn't know how to raise children. She would beat me for the smallest things... I could only hide in the closet. Later, I found a 'good way' to escape those days!"
She let out a self-deprecating laugh.
"That's... hiccup... it's just that I came out to be a model, doing all those random photoshoots and movies... you've seen them, haven't you? Heh, because I was poor, I needed money, I needed to be famous! Everyone thought that's what I was like. You thought so too, that day you were just pitying me, a rich kid like you pitying pathetic cats and dogs on the street... right?"
She was panting, as if trying to empty all the pent-up emotions from the past few days or a long time ago.
"Recently, while filming that movie, the male lead, a superstar, was making advances, and Uncle Wen from the company wanted me to cooperate in creating hype... I didn't think much of it at first; it's the rule, I accepted it a long time ago."
Shu Qi suddenly grabbed his hair and looked somewhat frantic!
"But...but why are you helping me? You're so kind, so outstanding...I was thinking I wouldn't be at a disadvantage!"
Her voice rose, trembling with grievance.
"You helped me... but then you ignored me completely!? I wish you were a bad person too. What do you want from me? I have no qualms about it... The way you are, I feel like I'm..." She became more and more agitated as she spoke, her eyes red-rimmed, her tone carrying an aggressive edge of collapse.
"So you might as well be a little rotten too! What's so great about photo albums and movies? I'm right in front of you right now..." She lost control of her emotions and reached out to pull at her already shaky bathrobe.
At that very moment, Li Shuo, who had been silent all along, suddenly raised his right hand.
Shu Qi's pupils contracted instantly, and the stress response he had since childhood kicked in!
She closed her eyes tightly, her shoulders hunched, awaiting the familiar pain or humiliation.
However, none of the expected events occurred.
A warm hand, with a reassuring gentleness, landed on the top of her head, stroking her slightly damp hair.
Could it be? Sure enough… Shu Qi's lips curled into a cold smile as he prepared to release himself!
Wait a minute!? This action didn't have a next step; it was just a simple act of comfort.
This purely benevolent touch actually gave her the illusion that perhaps being petted by him like a stray cat or dog wouldn't be so bad!
So there was no expected slap... or progress... only a tingling, warm current that spread from the top of my head to my limbs.
Her tense body froze instantly, then began to tremble slightly uncontrollably.
Only her gradually calming breathing remained in the room.
After a long while, the hand left.
"Sister Qi!" Li Shuo's voice was devoid of judgment and pity.
"You're overthinking it... It's really not as complicated as you think."
Still basking in the afterglow of the "head pat," Shu Qi tilted her head back, and the collar of her bathrobe slid open, outlining a breathtaking curve under the light.
"...How simple is that?" she murmured, still somewhat unconvinced.
Li Shuo chuckled softly, sighed, and remained undistracted.
"Okay, okay. I helped you out of the blue that day, because I felt you shouldn't have been treated like that. There's no need for all that nonsense."
At this moment, Li Shuo was thinking that although he was a "useless" person whose future was ruined in his previous life, he was still a rich second generation. He had seen all kinds of spring scenery and was not a virgin.
There are many important things to do next, and since we are going down this path, we are well aware of certain hidden dangers.
The system may have its own constraints, but it's not a form of forced brainwashing to gain loyalty.
Having experienced all sorts of gossip in the entertainment industry in his previous life, he knows all too well that if he, a minor, seeks momentary pleasure, it will lead to a huge pitfall in the future.
Ambiguous relationships are fine... Having been reborn, he'll have plenty of opportunities if he really wants to after he grows up.
Right now, the most important thing is to elevate one's status and lay the groundwork for one's position in this lifetime.
He thought about how to properly develop the good relationship he had been considering recently regarding the connection with the actress's sister!
His gaze fell intently on her face.
"What others think of you doesn't matter. Sister Qi, if you trust me, I'll help you put your clothes back on, one by one. So... let's talk again when I get back from America. I just feel a connection with you and I'll make all the arrangements for you, as long as you believe me... I'll help you seize any good opportunities that come your way."
These words instantly dispelled the effects of the alcohol from Shu Qi's muddled mind.
How did he know... that I was keeping this thought to myself, wanting to put the clothes back on piece by piece? ...Even though I encourage myself like this every day, I've never shown it to myself?
Watching Shu Qi freeze on the coffee table and then slide onto the carpet, seemingly lost in thought as he pondered his words.
"Alright, that's all. Qi-jie, you should get some rest."
Li Shuo stood up and left her in the Peninsula Suite once again?
From afar, he could hear him simply instruct Robert Chen, who was waiting outside, to "take me home," before the door was gently closed.
In the luxurious suite's living room, she sat there blankly.
The bathrobe was disheveled from the earlier movements and shock, revealing large expanses of warm, snow-white skin that gleamed under the suite's crystal chandelier.
Suddenly she remembered the way the boy had looked at her earlier... It wasn't that disgusting, lewd look; there was no deliberate avoidance, it was even quite bold...?
Thinking back to that calm look in his eyes, there was also a strange sense of understanding?
Then, belatedly, she remembered that Li Shuo had offered to help her put her clothes back on…!
"Tch! He must have seen it...!"
He muttered to himself, but surprisingly, Shu Qi didn't feel the usual disgust. Instead, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
Li Shuo, sitting in the car on his way home, closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat.
Deep within his consciousness, on the scales of entanglement, the side belonging to "Shuqi" suddenly lit up, and his human-shaped chip was gently pressed down.
This is exactly the change he made when he told Shu Qi he would help her seize the opportunity. The same progress bar as Zheng Xiuwen's after the last delivery of the work appeared, along with 10 treasure chests in different positions on the progress bars!?
And there's another chance for a ten-pull lottery!?
He thought to himself silently.
In 1999, Ang Lee's first choice for the role of Yu Jiaolong in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" was Shu Qi, as the original plan was to cast her!
However, due to her family situation, she didn't want to waste her rising career by having to spend more than a year preparing and training for joining a production... She accepted several roles but turned down this opportunity in order to earn more than five million Hong Kong dollars quickly.
As a result, Zhang Yimou pushed him hard, and Zhang Yimou, who was still a nobody at the time, was caught up in it and soared to great heights!
It has fully benefited from the huge dividends of its international reputation in the domestic market, and has maintained its leading position for many years.
Shu Qi later realized this and desperately tried to make all kinds of award-winning works, but he could no longer reach such a peak opportunity.
Since the changes in this system prove that this is the beginning of a great karmic connection, he must rewrite this history for the sake of his future "power".
Casting will be done next year; there's still time.
Let's make proper plans after we get back from America.