Chapter 12 – Century-class Jerk

Jiang Heng placed the tray on the table and politely said to Muran Jinhuan, “We’re together. Could you please make way for us?”

【Muran Jinhuan】: According to the established patterns found in numerous romance novels for CEOs, this sure seems like an act of playing hard to get.

Muran Jinhuan smiled. “No problem, three people can still sit here, and there’s space for the food.”

This square table, with one side against the wall, had three available sides for seating. The tray could accommodate three portions of food. Muran Jinhuan and Shen Fubai facing each other, and Jiang Heng on the outside—there was nothing wrong with the seating arrangement.

Wordlessly, Jiang Heng turned around, got a new tray, and piled on a heap of food at the food section, returning with a fully loaded tray. “Now there’s no room.”

Muran Jinhuan was left speechless.

Muran Jinhuan couldn’t help asking, “Can you really eat so much without any problems?”

Jiang Heng smiled. “No problem at all.”

Muran Jinhuan could have sworn he saw a hint of murderous intent in that seemingly gentle smile.

“Well, it’s a real pity then; we can’t dine together.” Muran Jinhuan flashed a smile at Shen Fubai, scooped up his tray, and quickly made a beeline for the exit.

As the assistant saw Muran Jinhuan’s disappointed retreat, he was on the brink of offering some words of consolation, when Muran Jinhuan proclaimed arrogantly, “I’ve already given him my business card. I’ve taken the first step towards success. He will definitely contact me.”

The assistant had witnessed Shen Fubai casually toss the card into the trash bin in the next instant.

Staring at his boss’s back as he faced away from Shen Fubai, completely oblivious to his failed plan and filled with self-assurance, the assistant opened his mouth, hesitated, and ultimately decided to keep silent.

Jiang Heng saw Shen Fubai throw the card into the trash can. Unfazed on the surface, his heart soared with delighted glee.

After Shen Fubai disposed of the card out of habit, noticing Jiang Heng’s gaze on him, he hurriedly explained in fear of being misjudged as the kind of person who rudely tosses away others’ belongings, “I generally don’t add strangers to my contact list.”

Jiang Heng swallowed the words of asking if he could add Shen Fubai on WeChat that had been on the tip of his tongue.

He remembered Shen Fubai’s previous polite rejection—a clear indication that he still considered Jiang Heng a stranger.

Jiang Heng’s inner world, now a vast expanse of ice and snow, filled with a melancholic solemnity, almost broke into a performance of “Moonlight on the Second Spring” with an erhu.

Then he heard Shen Fubai hesitantly suggest, “But…we’re not really strangers. Since we didn’t manage to yesterday, how about we try again today? Shall…I scan you?”

Jiang Heng exclaimed in his mind, “!!”

Spring returned to the land, the warmth of spring filled the air in his heart!

He even wanted to play an oboe tune of “Good Fortune Galore!”

After twists and turns, the two finally managed to add each other on WeChat.

Shen Fubai was still so jittery when locking the screen of his phone that he accidentally hit the volume button.

Trying his best to appear composed, he searched for a topic to bring up, “You…can you finish all this food for breakfast?”

Jiang Heng had indeed ordered far too much—enough for three people. While Shen Fubai could eat quite a bit, his appetite was within the realm of what would be considered normal for someone, never venturing into the territory of a gluttonous champion.

Jiang Heng, of course, couldn’t possibly finish the food.

He had ordered such an excessive amount solely for the purpose of chasing away the man who was trying to hit on Fubai.

But wasting food was a bad habit. Jiang Heng motioned for Xiao Zhang to come over, and passed him the extra tray of food. “This one’s for you. Find another spot to eat it.” The further from him and Fubai, the better. He shouldn’t act as a third wheel.

Xiao Zhang stared at the heap of food in dismay. “I can’t even finish all this by myself…”

Shen Fubai quickly added, “Then take Xiao Lin with you.”

Xiao Lin was at the table behind Shen Fubai; upon receiving the unexpected command, he was left in a state of bafflement.

One minute later.

Xiao Lin and Xiao Zhang stood speechless before the table piled high with food.

Xiao Lin bemoaned, “…What could your idol Jiang have possibly wanted with all this food for? It’s as if he’s dragging me along to keep you company with this breakfast, specifying that he doesn’t want me getting involved in his intimate meeting with me and his idol.”

Xiao Zhang responded, “…That, you’ll have to ask him.” It’s all for your idol, Shen Fubai. Now, look at the miserable state he’s put me in.

The two assistants, facing each other, evolved from holding grudges against one another to understanding that they were both victims of the same fate and shouldn’t harm each other any further.

Sighing in unison, they picked up their chopsticks. “Salut!”

While the two assistants cherished a profound bond and were on the verge of developing a revolutionary friendship, Shen Fubai and Jiang Heng remained silent, quietly eating their meals without a word.

There was honestly no way for them to start a conversation without stumbling over their words, so they opted to avoid any potential awkwardness by focusing on eating to preserve their dignified appearances.

Jiang Heng had arrived earlier than Shen Fubai and was already halfway through his meal. In order for Shen Fubai to eat at a relaxed pace, Jiang Heng deliberately slowed down his own.

As Shen Fubai neared the end of his meal, Jiang Heng finally voiced the words he had hesitated over for the entire duration of the breakfast, “Why not go together to the set later? We’re going in the same direction, let me give you a lift.”

Although they each had their personal van, a single one could easily seat multiple passengers.

Shen Fubai stuffed a forkful of food into his mouth, lifting his head in a dazed manner and mumbling, “Uh?”

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

Heng Heng was inviting him to ride in the same car!

Seeing Shen Fubai’s reaction, Jiang Heng tried to cover up his preemptive intentions with an explanation. “For the environment, for the low-carbon lifestyle. Fewer vehicles mean fewer exhaust fumes.”

To add, Jiang Heng had even served as a spokesperson for environmental campaigns.

Shen Fubai was now filled with profound respect. “Impressive.”

Jiang Heng cleared his throat. “You flatter me.”

Peeking their ears from the corner to eavesdrop, Xiao Zhang and Xiao Lin were left speechless.

Brother Jiang had clearly exhausted considerable effort to spend more time with his idol Shen Fubai, going as far as concocting such a lame excuse. Xiao Zhang was deeply impressed.

Xiao Lin maintained a smile. Because Jiang had served as an environmental representative advocating for green transportation, would Shen Fubai fervently adhere to that concept to the point of strictly using bicycles even when going out in private? Xiao Lin, however, had his own thoughts and concerns.

After finishing their meal, Jiang Heng and Shen Fubai took the elevator together, making for a dazzling duo of handsome men greeting the scene.

Muran Jinhuan watched their departing backs, filled with overwhelming despair. “I’m a failed domineering CEO. I couldn’t captivate that vexing little darling.”

Upon discovering his card amidst the trash, he had been engulfed in a profound state of disconnection that lingered even to this moment.

His life of pride and achievements had encountered its first stumbling block.

The assistant reasoned, “No problem in the world is too daunting, given one is willing to put forth the effort to relinquish it.”

“No, I will never give up. He’s so pure and unpretentious, unlike the cheap and sluttish women I encounter elsewhere. He has successfully caught my attention.” Muran Jinhuan’s eyes gleamed with determination. “I must win him over.”

His life of pride could not withstand the stain of failure.

The assistant reminded him, “This is quite the jerk-like behavior of yours.”

Muran Jinhuan was puzzled. “What makes me a jerk?”

The assistant might as well have been emboldened by the hearts of victory or the hides of leopards. “Yearning for that which one does not have while occupied with a different commitment—this is none other than the act of a jerk.”

Muran Jinhuan was bewildered. “What could you possibly mean by being ‘occupied with a different commitment?'”

The assistant responded, “Have you forgotten how, last night, you were with a minor celebrity in the entertainment industry…He’s still ensnared in your room, barely able to muster the strength to rise. As for your past affairs, they need not be mentioned any further.”

Muran Jinhuan fell silent for a moment. “Oh yes, I had forgotten about him.”

Drawing attention to his lapse, the assistant expressed, “Listen to that! Can you imagine the audacity and utter disregard of this man of the century!”

Muran Jinhuan retraced his steps back to the restaurant. “I wonder if he’s awake. I should bring some food for him.”

Upon hearing this, the assistant voiced his thoughts, “Tsk, tsk, tsk…Such treatment, it may even give the impression of a typical warm-hearted man.”

Room 502.

Muran Jinhuan opened the door, and directed his voice toward the bulge within the bed covers. “Awake? Time for breakfast. Hello? Good morning?”

After calling out three or four times, the bed suddenly stirred. A youthful face, delicate and refined, yawned and sat up. “Good morning, President Mu.”

Indeed, Muran Jinhuan’s surname was Mu, his given name being Ranjing Huan.

He himself wasn’t clear why his mother had chosen such a name for him—it was possible that she harbored a deep affection for compound surnames.

“I’ve brought you something to eat. Not knowing your preferences, I brought a little bit of everything.” Muran Jinhuan placed a heap of breakfast items on the bedside table. “Would you prefer oatmeal porridge or red bean steamed buns, or maybe sweetened pan-fried glutinous rice cakes? It wouldn’t be good to have a cream cake in the morning…how about we have some apple juice instead?”

The boy’s response was, “…What logic is there in your words?”

“You needn’t be so polite, President Mu,” the boy said in a somewhat flustered manner. “I haven’t done anything for you, after all.”

Muran Jinhuan replied, “No, you told me stories throughout the entire night. Your stories were so engaging that I fell asleep listening to them.”

The boy responded, “…Are you mocking my tales as boring?”

Muran Jinhuan spoke with sincere gratitude. “I am truly grateful to you.”

The boy exclaimed, “…Please don’t be like that, you’re scaring me.”

Lu Yunqian was an eighteenth-tier minor actor—a minor player who in essence, held no distinction from a mere extra. In the “Pear Blossoms” film set, he was playing the part of an extra—a young child praising the beauty of Yu Tang at the beginning.

Fine, if it’s an extra, then so be it. At least, this time, there were lines for the role, and it was a steady character—just a step above an ensemble member.

A hotel of this caliber was far beyond his means. It was all due to Director Xu’s generosity, who covered the entire accommodation expenses for the entire cast, that he could now marvel at what a $3000-a-night hotel looked like—this was merely the treatment allocated to an extra like himself. The main actors such as Jiang Heng and Shen Fubai stayed in luxury suites, at a rate of $8000 per night.

Lu Yunqian arrived at night and, by some mistaken twist, moved from room 602 to 502 due to pressing the wrong elevator button. With blurred vision due to his myopia, he failed to spot the room number, and coincidentally, the door of 502 was left open, and inside lay a drunk President Mu.

Do you think that what follows is a scenario in which an eighteenth-tier minor actor seizes the opportunity to sleep with the CEO and they play along with the situation, or the actor has no intention of doing so, but the CEO gives in to his primal instincts, resulting in an accidental encounter?

Naïve ones you are.

Upon realizing his mistake and entering the wrong room, Lu Yunqian aimed to leave immediately. Nevertheless, a certain besotted CEO crawled forward in despair, crying and clinging to his leg. “Father, do not abandon me. Father, narrate another tale. Father, demonstrate love for me once more.”

Lu Yunqian then, without further delay, exclaimed, “Forget it, father loves you.”

Perhaps out of pity, moved by the intense despair of President Mu’s weeping, Lu Yunqian had resolved to stay by his side, recounting tales of Snow White, Cinderella, the Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Sleeping Prince…

By the time they reached the saga regarding the Sleeping Prince, President Mu had finally drifted off to sleep.

With a yawn, Lu Yunqian, exhausted from the tale-telling, laid down at the edge of the bed, succumbing to his fatigue and drifting into sleep.

When Muran Jinhuan awoke during the latter part of the night and observed the boy lying at the bed’s edge, no fragment of his memories remained. Everything came flooding back. Even the image of his wailing and whining, addressing him as “father” and imploring him to tell stories was vividly engraved in his mind…

Muran Jinhuan proclaimed, “Regardless, I’m declaring a lost memory.”

President Mu cradled the boy into the bed and swathed him with the covers before making his way to the sofa to rest.

Suffering from severe insomnia, he required bedtime stories in order to fall asleep. The assistant suspected that Muran Jinhuan had previously invited handsome young men to his place with the intention of getting some shut-eye. However, in the aftermath, he often lost control, resulting in the presence of two sleep-deprived individuals with dark circles under their eyes the following day. In reality, these sleepovers usually entailed one of them spending the night narrating stories while the other stubbornly resisted the pressure of sleep, staying up late.

Muran Jinhuan was left with no other option—he would invite individuals over for storytelling purposes as a means to facilitate his sleep, though he refrained from inviting girls in order to ward off any potential biases. However, the invited young men invariably attempted to court his attention and capture his interest with their narratives, only to result in Muran Jinhuan lying awake through the entire night, eager to delve into discussions about the narratives alongside them at such late hours.

Gradually, a suggestion was floated by someone, recommending that reading novels featuring domineering CEOs would hasten his transition into sleep. He believed in the efficacy of this advice, but instead, his spirit became increasingly invigorated the more he read. Consequently, inundated by countless novels of this genre, he found himself frequently losing his bearings and slipping into the mindset of a domineering CEO while at work.

However, this so-called CEO exhibited no traces of dominancy.

He only had a trait of being somewhat foolish.