Chapter 17.2
In this industry, feelings between an artist and manager were easily developed. In some ways, the relationship between the two was incredibly intimate; they spent all day, every day together, and the manager had to take care of the artist in every aspect of life. Such close proximity inevitably fostered emotional bonds.
Ling Jiayi lay on the bed, staring unblinkingly at Xiang Qingwei.
"Close your eyes. Let's remove the eye makeup first," Xiang Qingwei said.
Ling Jiayi obediently closed his eyes.
Xiang Qingwei placed two damp cotton pads on his eyelids, gently pressing them into place with a light touch.
"You haven't removed my makeup in a while..." Ling Jiayi said, his voice muffled as he remained with his eyes closed. Ever since the start of the year, Xiang Qingwei had become increasingly busy. After he began filming, she'd practically abandoned him to the production team. The last time they'd spent quality time together like this felt like an eternity ago.
"If you're ever too tired, you can have Xiao Mei remove your makeup instead," Xiang Qingwei offered as she bent down to remove his eye makeup.
Ling Jiayi's chest grew tight and sour; he was in a depressed mood, unwilling to speak.
Xiang Qingwei expertly removed his eye makeup, then began to take off the foundation on his face.
Ling Jiayi opened his eyes, but still didn't speak, instead fixing his gaze on her.
Xiang Qingwei skillfully removed all the makeup on his face, then asked, "Do you want to take a bath before bed?"
Ling Jiayi's skin was virtually flawless even after removing his makeup, but it appeared even more deathly pale in comparison. He nodded, then struggled to crawl off the bed, heading directly into the bathroom to shower.
Xiang Qingwei let out a helpless sigh, then got up to find a soft cotton T-shirt and long pants from the wardrobe, along with a pair of underwear, and walked toward the bathroom. The sounds of water splashing came from inside, yet Ling Jiayi hadn't even locked the door, seemingly not worried at all about Xiang Qingwei barging in.
Xiang Qingwei knocked on the door twice, then opened it slightly, turned her head away, and stuffed the clothes inside. "Your clothes."
Ling Jiayi reached out with his wet hand, brushing against her hand in the process as he took the clothes from her.
Xiang Qingwei closed the bathroom door, quickly drying the water that had splashed onto her hand on her dress, then walked out.
Ling Jiayi finished showering, changed into clean, fresh clothes, haphazardly dried his head with a towel, and grinned as he eagerly rushed out of the bathroom. When he discovered the room was empty, the smile on his lips froze, and his expression instantly darkened.
He searched everywhere in the suite but couldn't find Xiang Qingwei, panic setting in as he opened the door and walked out.
As soon as the door opened, Ling Jiayi saw Xiang Qingwei standing in the corridor talking to Xiao Dong. The two stopped talking and looked over upon hearing the door open.
"What are you doing up? Shouldn't you be asleep?" Xiang Qingwei walked over, staring at the young man standing shakily by the door, his hair still wet.
Ling Jiayi fixed his gaze on Xiang Qingwei, waiting for her to come closer before abruptly grabbing her arm and pulling her into his room.
The door slammed shut behind them.
Xiao Dong, left alone in the corridor, stared blankly at the closed door, stunned.
Xiang Qingwei was startled by the violent tug, eyes wide as she stared at Ling Jiayi. "What are you doing?"
Ling Jiayi gripped her wrist tightly, the softness of her skin making him reluctant to let go. He towered over Xiang Qingwei, looking down at her from above, taking in the clear shock on her face reflected in those wide eyes.
Quite adorable.
A strange tingling sensation stirred within his chest.
He then noticed her lips, lightly painted with a thin layer of lipstick. The shape of her lips was pleasing to the eye—not thin, but full and soft-looking, with a slight pout... Ling Jiayi swallowed hard, feeling an intense thirst suddenly consume him. His head spun slightly, and he abruptly let go of her hand.
"Blow-dry my hair."
Ling Jiayi stiffly tossed out these words and turned to walk into the bedroom.
Xiang Qingwei accepted her fate and walked into the bathroom to retrieve the hairdryer.
Ling Jiayi sat on the bed, legs crossed, eyes drifting everywhere but toward Xiang Qingwei.
Xiang Qingwei walked over, plugged the cord into the socket beside the nightstand, then stood up to blow-dry Ling Jiayi's hair.
Over the past year, she had meticulously cared for him, taking charge of everything from his work to his daily life. Helping him remove his makeup and blow-drying his hair had become routine tasks for her.
Ling Jiayi slowly moved until he was facing Xiang Qingwei. He squinted, feeling Xiang Qingwei's gentle strokes on his head, her fingers occasionally touching his scalp, making it tingle. His ears also grew warmer as her movements continued. As if possessed, he leaned forward, raised an arm, and carefully wrapped it around Xiang Qingwei's waist. Then, he bent down and buried his face in her soft belly.
Xiang Qingwei froze, holding the hairdryer in her right hand and lifting her left stiffly into the air. When she lowered her head, she saw Ling Jiayi's face buried in her abdomen, only revealing a slightly damp black head.
"Ling Jiayi?"
"Stay still." Ling Jiayi's muffled voice seeped out from beneath her. "Let me hold you for a little while...just a little while, I'm really sad."
As he spoke, he nervously swallowed, his heart beating wildly in his chest. Whether it was from nervousness, excitement, or something else, he was unsure, but he feared Xiang Qingwei would realize that he wasn't sad at all. It was just that he suddenly...suddenly wanted to hug her.
His hot breath puffed against Xiang Qingwei's abdomen through the thin fabric of his shirt, causing her to stiffen instinctively. The hand holding the hair dryer froze for a moment, then relaxed when she recalled how clingy he'd been when sick in the past. She rubbed soothing circles into his back, continuing to blow-dry his damp hair.
Ling Jiayi's heart pounded wildly in his chest as he hugged Xiang Qingwei. Her waist was so thin that it could be encircled with one hand, and her stomach was so soft, looking flat and devoid of any fat, yet it yielded comfortably under his palm...
Unable to resist, he took a sniff of her scent. It was pleasantly sweet and nice.
Ling Jiayi's face heated up, suddenly feeling like a creep. His face burned, his ears blazed, but fortunately, his face was buried against her abdomen, so she couldn't see.
Xiang Qingwei diligently finished drying Ling Jiayi's hair, then turned off the hair dryer. As she saw Ling Jiayi still buried in her lap, unmoving, she wondered if he had fallen asleep.
"Ling Jiayi?" Xiang Qingwei gently patted his head, which was still fluffy from the dryer.
Ling Jiayi abruptly let go of her, then quickly burrowed under the covers, tugging them up to his head.
These actions caught Xiang Qingwei off guard, and she stood dumbfounded for a few seconds before pulling the cord out of the wall, intending to put the hair dryer back into the bathroom.
Yet upon hearing her footsteps, Ling Jiayi swiftly pulled the covers back down, leaving only his pretty eyes exposed as he watched her cautiously. "Where are you going?"
"... I'm putting away the hair dryer."
"Oh." The covers were pulled back up.
By the time Xiang Qingwei emerged, Ling Jiayi had tilted his head, looking her way. Upon noticing her approach, his head swiftly corrected itself.
"Then you go ahead and rest for a bit. I'm going out," Xiang Qingwei said.
"You're leaving?" Ling Jiayi abruptly sat up, staring at her.
"I'm going to go find Xiao Dong and the others," Xiang Qingwei said.
"I feel uncomfortable." Ling Jiayi's face was pale, and he looked at her with vulnerability. "Can't you stay with me?"
Who could resist Ling Jiayi like this?
Xiang Qingwei couldn't.
So, she once again accepted her fate and sat back down by the bed, making Ling Jiayi lie down obediently and tucking him into his blanket. "I'll leave after you fall asleep."
"Then I'm not going to sleep..." Ling Jiayi mumbled.
"Hm?" Xiang Qingwei looked at him.
"Can you not leave tonight?" Ling Jiayi asked, looking up at Xiang Qingwei with half-lidded eyes.
"I have an appointment tomorrow morning," Xiang Qingwei explained. "It's too congested in the morning, so I won't be able to make it back in time."
"What appointment is more important than me?" Ling Jiayi complained. "Think about it carefully. More than half of the year has passed, and how many days have you spent here?"
"Jiayi, I have more than just you under my management, and on top of that, I need to take care of various affairs on the outside as well," Xiang Qingwei said patiently. "Right now, you're staying on the set, so all you need to do is focus on your acting every day. With Xiao Mei and Xiao Dong taking care of you, there's no need for me to be here..."
"Who said there's no need for me?" Ling Jiayi stared at her. "Who said there's no need for me?"
Xiang Qingwei didn't respond.
"Did Tao Yuner earn as much money as I did for you?" Ling Jiayi asked unhappily, still staring at her.
"The money you earn isn't for me, it's for the company," Xiang Qingwei corrected him.
Ling Jiayi said, "You got so much bonus last year, even got a new car, and you think that's not because I brought in so much money for the company?"
Xiang Qingwei remained silent.
Ling Jiayi's eyes lit up. "Why don't you transfer Tao Yuner to someone else? I'll give you the bonus she earns, no, I'll double it for you!"
Xiang Qingwei paused, then asked, "Are you not tired?"
It was better when she hadn't spoken. The moment she did, Ling Jiayi's eyelids began to droop heavily, but he forced himself to keep his eyes open as he looked at Xiang Qingwei. "Are you leaving as soon as I fall asleep?" he asked.
"Should I call Xiao Dong or Xiao Mei in to keep you company?" Xiang Qingwei asked, concerned.
Ling Jiayi stared at her, then became upset, rolling over to face away from her. He sneered coldly, "Go ahead, leave. Even if I get sick and die, it's none of your business."
Xiang Qingwei didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Why are you getting upset all of a sudden?"
"Everyone is more important than me now... I'm sick like this... cough... and you still want to leave... cough cough cough..." Ling Jiayi began coughing violently, his body curled up in pain.
Xiang Qingwei poured him a glass of water, then bent down to tug on his shoulder. "Get up and have a sip."
Ling Jiayi pulled away. "Cough cough... Don't mind me. Just let me cough until I die..." The more he spoke, the more violently he coughed.
Listening to the sound of his coughs, Xiang Qingwei felt increasingly distressed. "I won't leave tonight. I'll stay here to keep you company. I'll leave tomorrow once you're feeling better, is that all right?"
"Cough... cough cough." Ling Jiayi turned around and cast her a suspicious glare. "Cough... Really?"
Xiang Qingwei looked back at him helplessly. "Yes, really. Now can you get up and drink this water?"
Ling Jiayi's coughing abruptly stopped as he sat up and downed nearly half the cup in one gulp, his pale face flushed red from the exertion of his coughs moments ago. After gulping down the water, he lay back down and stared at Xiang Qingwei with eyes that glimmered. "You promised you'd leave tomorrow."
"Mm-hmm. I promised," Xiang Qingwei confirmed.
Ling Jiayi could no longer stay awake and fell into a deep slumber.
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