The warm sunshine shone through the window and illuminated the smile on Ji Liyun’s face, which he only showed to Mu Qingyan, making his handsome face even more attractive.
Recalling all that Ji Liyun had done for him, Mu Qingyan felt that he would be too ungrateful if he didn’t follow the path that Ji Liyun had given him.
But he was fearless and wanted to play a little.
After all, it was Ji Liyun who said “I like you” and then acted as if nothing had happened, causing Mu Qingyan to keep thinking about that sentence, making him both thrilled and depressed.
“Mr. Ji,” Mu Qingyan deliberately used the name that Ji Liyun disliked the most and said sarcastically, “It was you who didn’t reply to my messages first. Why do you blame me for being cold?”
When Ji Liyun heard him say that, he not only didn’t think that Mu Qingyan was being ungrateful, but instead smiled even more happily. “So, Ah Yan cares so much about me not replying to your messages?”
“Hmph.” Mu Qingyan decided to ignore him and got up to return to his desk, but Ji Liyun grabbed his hand.
The warmth in his palm made Mu Qingyan tremble, and although he wanted to retract his hand, as soon as he moved a little, Ji Liyun’s hand firmly held it.
At this moment, Ji Liyun had hidden his smile, and his crimson lips were slightly parted, as if he wanted to say something, but Mu Qingyan preempted him, “I have to go to a meeting.”
“Oh.” Ji Liyun let go of his hand.
Mu Qingyan left the office with his tablet, while Ji Liyun remained in his seat, contemplating something.
Knowing that Mu Qingyan didn’t like smoking, Ji Liyun had quit smoking after returning to the country.
But at this moment, he was filled with indescribable confusion and frustration, and finally couldn’t help but walk out of the office and stand in front of Ye Qiqi’s desk, “Do you have a cigarette?”
Ye Qiqi’s desk faced Mu Qingyan’s office, and she had long since seen the strong emotional changes between Xiao Mu and Mr. Ji through the glass wall.
She opened a drawer and took out a flat wooden box, and asked after opening it, “Which brand does Mr. Ji like?”
The box contained eight packs of cigarettes with different brands and five brand-new cigars.
Ji Liyun casually took a pack of cigarettes with a light taste and asked with a smile, “Didn’t Ah Yan forbid anyone who visits for business talks to smoke? How did you prepare so much?”
Two months ago, Xiao Mu said, “I remember that you, President Ji, like to smoke, so I’ll keep some just in case,” as Ye Qiqi took out a brand new ashtray and said, “So all the cigarettes in this box are for you. I’m afraid you’ll get bored waiting for him and want to smoke.”
“Okay,” Ji Liyun’s face showed no emotion, but he felt happy inside.
He took a cigarette out and put it in his mouth, then walked to the window in the tea room with the ashtray and lighter before lighting the cigarette.
MU Company was very large, with 400 square meters on each floor. On the 16th floor, where Mu Qingyan’s office was located, there were only five people if there were no security guards or cleaning ladies. Besides the spacious President office, a large and a small conference room, a luxurious tea room, and a restroom, there were Ye Qiqi and three other secretaries’ desks.
Apart from Ye Qiqi, who was a personal secretary, the other three secretaries were her subordinates. They were very reserved because they had received instruction from Ye Qiqi. Even if they knew General Ji’s prominent identity, they would only politely greet him when they met, without deliberately trying to get close to him like others.
So Ji Liyun didn’t feel awkward or uncomfortable when he stayed on the 16th floor of MU Company with nothing to do.
He leaned against the window sill in the tea room, slowly exhaling smoke outside the window.
My confession is useless. How can I win Ah Yan’s heart?
Mu Qingyan, holding a tablet computer, stood in the elevator for a long time because he had no meeting, but he felt upset and didn’t want to be alone with Ji Liyun.
He was also confused about what he really wanted.
So he chose to escape.
The elevator stopped on the eighth floor. Several employees from the design department saw Mu Qingyan with a cold face in the elevator and were too scared to enter. They just politely said, “Hello, President Mu.”
Mu Qingyan nodded slightly in response.
The eighth floor was where the design director, design department supervisor, and several chief designers worked. He walked out of the elevator when he saw the employees hesitating outside and came to the design department supervisor’s door.
Sun Qian, the design department supervisor, saw Mu Qingyan walking towards him and immediately greeted him, “Xiao Mu, what brings you down here? Is there anything I can help you with?”
“Oh,” Mu Qingyan casually said, “I remember that the deadline for the final draft of the Spring Festival Special Edition is on the 10th of next month. I want to see how the design is progressing and what the theme will be.”
Sun Qian immediately said, “I think next year is the Year of the Rabbit. We can incorporate rabbit elements, which are cute and stylish. How about I bring in a few designers responsible for the Spring Festival edition to report directly to you?”
“Okay.” Mu Qingyan thought to himself that it was good enough to spend two hours on the eighth floor.
After receiving a call from Sun Qian, Fei Zhe led several designers into the conference room on the eighth floor.
Mu Qingyan looked at the initial designs and listened to Sun Qian, Fei Zhe, and other designers explain the design concepts for the Spring Festival special edition, but Ji Liyun’s hesitant face kept appearing in his mind.
He sense of career would not allow his to drift off during the meeting, but Ji Liyun’s face just wouldn’t go away.
In the past, he could sit through meetings for two or three hours without feeling the time pass by, but now even an hour felt unbearably long.
Sun Qian noticed Mu Qingyan rubbing his temples with closed eyes and asked with concern, “President Mu, what’s wrong? Do you have a headache?”
“Mm,” Mu Qingyan casually replied.
Sun Qian said, “Then maybe…”
“It’s alright, you guys keep talking, I’m listening,” Mu Qingyan’s sense of career would not allow him to quit the meeting halfway.
The meeting ended just before five o’clock, the peak hour for rush-hour traffic. It would take at least an hour and a half to get to the hotel for the wrap party.
Mu Qingyan went back to the sixteenth floor to get his handbag. He thought Ji Liyun might have left because of the awkwardness from over two hours ago, but he was still sitting on the couch.
Ji Liyun saw his coming and gave a faint smile, “Shall we go? I’ll take you there.”
As if the awkward conversation from earlier that day had never happened.
“Okay.”
On the way, Ji Liyun and Mu Qingyan talked and laughed, appearing to have recovered their past relationship, but they each had their own thoughts in their hearts.
Because of the large number of actors and crew members, Ji Group was exceptionally generous and provided ten tables for the wrap party.
Originally, Ji Liyun wanted Mu Qingyan to sit at the same table with him for his own reasons, but Mu Qingyan didn’t want to appear so special, so he went directly to the tables with the other lead actors.
When Lin Shuangshuang saw him, she warmly waved her hand, “Brother!”
Mu Qingyan sat down next to her and greeted her politely, exchanging a few pleasantries.
Ji Liyun didn’t know what to say when he saw this, so he went to the table with the director.
Luo Wenzhe arrived late and saw that Mu Qingyan was sitting on the left of Lin Shuangshuang and there was an empty seat on his right, so he thought to sit there. But Mu Qingyan was obviously unhappy, so when Luo Wenzhe approached, he waved to Mai Le An who was sitting nearby, inviting him to sit in the empty seat on his right.
Although Mai Le An didn’t have much of a relationship with Mu Qingyan, their only common ground was their dislike of Xie Ming, but when Mu Qingyan actively invited him over, he naturally wouldn’t refuse.
After all, he was the male lead, the general manager of MU Company, and the only heir of Mu Group.
“Having a good relationship is always right.”
Mai Le An sat generously next to Mu Qingyan and chatted with the male and female leads, Ye Qiqi.
Unconsciously, Luo Wenzhe was left out.
This scene was observed by Ji Liyun at another table, and he couldn’t help but let out a light laugh.
Sheng Guang Entertainment’s general manager, Zhou Xihang, caught Ji Liyun’s subtle expression change and smiled and said to him, “Mr. Ji, you seem to be in a good mood. Is there something happy?”
“No happy events, but there is one tiring thing,” Ji Liyun looked at Zhou Xihang and said, “I plan to buy the copyright of <Black Bone> and make it into a web drama. I’ll leave this matter to you.”
A producer at the same table said, “Black Bone? Isn’t that the hottest suspense novel on the internet this year? I heard the author is called Xu Yuan, he’s both stubborn and difficult to deal with. It’s not easy to get the film and TV rights from him.”
“Yes, when Flying Fish Entertainment wanted to buy the movie rights for Xu Yuan’s <Undying Soul> it took a year of negotiations to get it done. He has his own ideas about the adapted script and actor selection, and he must see the script and actors before he’s willing to sell the rights,” said assistant director Luo Yi.
Someone said, “But there’s no way, who made his novels so popular? There are so many original fans! Of course, including me. Haha.”
Zhou Xihang was full of confidence: “Don’t worry, Mr. Ji! The film and television rights of <Black Bone> are in my hands. Even if I have to negotiate with Xu Yuan every day, I will definitely get it.”
“I have faith in you. As for the lead actor, I have someone in mind. Come to the headquarters of Ji Group tomorrow, and I’ll tell you the details,” Ji Liyun said.
“Okay,” Zhou Xihang agreed.
While Ji Liyun was talking with the others at the table, his gaze remained on Mu Qingyan for a long time before moving away.
The wrap-up banquet lasted for more than three hours, with people drinking and toasting each other. Several people, including Mu Qingyan, who had a weak alcohol tolerance, were already drunk after just a few glasses.
Although Lin Shuangshuang was only 22 years old and looked petite and delicate, like a national goddess in the hearts of otaku, she had an amazing capacity for alcohol. Seeing Mu Qingyan getting drunk, she helped block several glasses for him.
Mai Le An, who was sitting on the other side, finally couldn’t stand it anymore and said to Luo Wenzhe, “Why do you keep making Mu Qingyan drink? Can’t you see he’s already drunk?”
Luo Wenzhe, as a film emperor, didn’t even consider Mai Le An, who was just a replacement for Xie Ming, and replied arrogantly, “I’ll do what I want!”
Feeling uncomfortable with the noise and secondhand smoke around him, Mu Qingyan stood up and said to Lin Shuangshuang, “I’m going out for some fresh air. I’ll be back soon.”
“Where are you going, brother?” Lin Shuangshuang asked.
“I just need some fresh air. I’ll be back soon,” Mu Qingyan replied, rubbing his head as he walked towards the lobby on the first floor.
However, as soon as he got to the waiting area and sat on the sofa, someone approached him from behind and wrapped their arm around his waist. They whispered in his ear, “Are you drunk? Come to my room and rest.”