Chapter 54: Chapter 54 Don’t you think we’re too close?

“Mr. Ji, someone visited the house yesterday, and they seemed quite familiar with Miss Lin.”

The housekeeper had been holding back all day, but ultimately couldn’t resist; she still reported the situation to Ji Zeqiu.

Mr. Ji was so good to his employees, he paid her such a high salary, and he was out there working diligently to shoot films and make money to provide for the family. If she kept this from him, she wouldn’t be able to live with herself.

Ji Zeqiu, who was shooting a film, seemed very busy and didn’t reply until an hour later.

“What guest?”

Upon reading the message, Ji Zeqiu was also somewhat puzzled.

Lin Xu had been living in the apartment for about a month now, and he hadn’t heard her mention any friends. He even suspected that this woman didn’t have any friends at all.

Suddenly, he remembered that yesterday was Lin Xu’s hospital discharge day.

Could it be someone visiting her?

Thinking of Lin Xu’s discharge, Ji Zeqiu’s mood became complicated.

Lin Xu was injured while saving him. Logically, he should have visited her once she was discharged, or at the very least, he should have helped her with the discharge process and taken her home.

But instead, she mocked him, and in a fit of anger, he didn’t even want to go to the hospital.

Couldn’t that woman speak more nicely? How was he behaving like a simp! Were there any simps as handsome as him?

Ji Zeqiu thought angrily, then the housekeeper’s message came again.

“It was a man, tall and handsome, I remember Miss Lin seemed to call him something with ‘Yang’.”

Ting Yang?!

Ji Zeqiu immediately thought of him.

Had Ting Yang found out about Lin Xu getting hurt?

But if he knew since yesterday, why hasn’t he come to question him until now? It seemed his feelings for Lin Xu weren’t that deep.

Ji Zeqiu snorted coldly, then suddenly realized something and quickly sent a message to the housekeeper.

“Remember this man, if he comes again, chase him out with a broomstick!!!”

As if Ting Yang would be allowed in his house!

The housekeeper received Ji Zeqiu’s message, full of rage and capped with three exclamation points, and hurriedly agreed.

With her around, nobody would even think about stealing Miss Lin away!

Having received the housekeeper’s assurance, Ji Zeqiu finally felt at ease, picked up the script again to study it but then saw his agent rushing over.

“Brother Zhao, what’s the hurry?”

His agent caught his breath twice, “Just got the notice, the new script we signed last week is changing the male lead.”

Ji Zeqiu was to play the male lead in that drama; saying they were changing the male lead meant they were planning to replace him, didn’t it?

Back when he was a newcomer, without power or connections, it was common for his roles to be taken over. But ever since he became a top star, this hadn’t happened again.

No one dared to offend a first-line artist, nor did anyone dare to mess with Xie’s.

Yet, unexpectedly, someone now dared to so brazenly snatch his role?

“Who is replacing me?” Ji Zeqiu’s face turned cold.

“It’s…” The agent sneakily glanced at him, hesitating, “It’s an entertainment company under Ji’s.”

Ji’s.

Ting Yang.

Ji Zeqiu immediately thought of him; his contract was already signed, and changing the actor at this time, it was hard to believe Ting Yang wasn’t behind it.

He furiously pulled out his phone and dialed a number, “Ting Yang, what are you doing with your pathetic company, stealing my role!”

Although Ji Group does have a subsidiary in the film and entertainment industry, that’s not the main focus of Ji Group, and there aren’t many top artists in the company. It wasn’t worth Ting Yang spending a lot of money just to take a role.

The moment the call connected, Ji Zeqiu cursed aloud.

“I’m willing,” Ji Tingyang said indifferently.

“…Are you sick?!” Ji Zeqiu grimaced, managing to squeeze out a sentence.

“Film sets are so dangerous, you should call Lin Xu to visit less.” Ji Tingyang’s bland tone concealed a trace of displeasure.

Ji Zeqiu was taken aback, “You knew?”

“If you let her get hurt again, next time it won’t be as simple as snatching a role,” Ji Tingyang said before hanging up the phone, with no intention of further indulging in brotherly affection.

Ji Zeqiu, annoyed, scratched his head, messing up his handsome hairstyle.

He knew it. How come Ji Tingyang showed no reaction when he found out Lin Xu was injured? He had been scheming behind his back all along.

He hadn’t even started to take revenge on Ji Tingyang, yet Ji Tingyang had beaten him to it.

With a mindset bent on revenge, Ji Zeqiu sent him a message.

Zeqiu: [This is blatant jealousy, jealous that Lin Xu protects me, loves me more than you!]

The sentence was somewhat dazzling.

Just yesterday, Ji Tingyang had even thought of bringing Lin Xu back to the villa because of this idea.

But mother had said, her favorite person was him, not Ji Zeqiu.

Saving Ji Zeqiu was only because of that bit of blood relation.

He certainly wasn’t angry.

Ji Tingyang replied with the word “Childish” and turned off his phone, continuing with his work.

Ji Zeqiu sent many more provocative messages, but received no reply from Ji Tingyang for a long time, as if punching into cotton, making him feel powerless.

That’s when he stopped his torrent of cold jeers and hot jibes.

However, not even half a day passed before his agent looked at the phone and delivered more bad news, “That secondary male role with Director Chen, it’s been snatched up by someone from Ji’s.”

Ji Zeqiu clenched his teeth in fury and sent a voice message to Ji Tingyang, “You bastard!”

——

Lin Xu was bored in her apartment, with injuries on her face not yet healed, preventing her from going for beauty treatments, so she went to the mall to buy some clothes.

The weather was fickle; one minute it was clear skies and the next a torrential downpour.

Lin Xu raised her bag over her head to shield herself from the rain and headed toward the mall entrance with her head down.

After only a few steps, she bumped into a body, stumbled, and sat down on the wet ground.

The heavy rain immediately soaked through her clothes.

“Are you okay?”

A large black umbrella landed over her, shielding her from the pouring rain.

Lin Xu looked up to see Xie Changyan watching her with a smile in his eyes.

“Miss Lin, we meet again. It seems every time I see you, you’re somewhat disheveled.”

It was the man who looked like her husband.

Lin Xu was startled until he extended his hand to her. Only then did she snap back to reality and took his hand.

His hand was well-defined and sturdy, with a gentle force lifting her off the ground.

She was led forward a few steps, and a fresh pine scent mixed with a man’s fragrance entered her nostrils.

Lin Xu looked dazed, her heart skipping a beat.

“Miss Lin, don’t you think… we’re a little too close?” Xie Changyan raised his eyebrows, his deep voice drawing out a lengthy tone, teasing her.

Lin Xu sharply regained her senses, quickly stepping back two paces, releasing his hand that she still held and saying an embarrassed apology, then hastily thanked him for his help just now.

The palm of his hand still retained the warm, delicate touch, and Xie Changyan, his deep eyes slightly downcast, smoothed his palm nonchalantly, as if to rub away that uncomfortable sensation.