You hidden in my heart - Chapter 65.4
Chapter 65.4
It was Sunday and Li Xining’s mother sent her to Teacher Zhou’s studio before 8.30 a.m.
Now Li Xining had her own workplace at the studio, and she could do her work without getting interrupted. At 8:30 in the evening, she left the studio and took a taxi to Lu Yuling’s house.
Lu Yuling had not returned home yet, so Li Xining took a shower first. While eating some biscuits she browsed Weibo laying on the bed.
All she scrolled through were Weibo posts related to Lu Yuling. And while she was scrolling her phone, her eyelids began to droop, and before she knew it, she fell asleep.
Time passed, and after some time, she felt someone cradling her in his arms. She wanted to keep dozing off and even shifted to a comfy position to snuggle closer, but after a few moments, she abruptly opened her eyes. “What… time is it? When did you get back? Have you eaten? Why didn’t you wake me up? So annoying!” Her sleepy voice echoed in the room.
“…” Lu Yuling didn’t utter a single, but she directly said, “So annoying.”
Li Xining glanced at the clock on the table and saw it was already ten o’clock. “Have you eaten?” she asked, looking at her boyfriend.
“I already ate,” he replied.
“Did you take a shower?” she asked, frowning.
Lu Yuling had just finished showering but playfully replied, “What if I didn’t?”
“Then you need to shower now, or you can sleep on the sofa.”
“Li Xining, I’m telling you, I will never sleep on the sofa in my life.”
“Did you actually wash?”
Lu Yuling sighed, and muttered, “I did!”
Li Xining rolled her eyes at him before saying, “It would have saved us all this trouble if you just said you were done earlier. Why all the extra chatter!” As she said this, she reached under the pillow, pulled out a condom, tossed it onto Lu Yuling’s chest, and said, “Put it on.”
Lu Yuling: ‘…So domineering?’
“Wear it!”Seeing he silently looked at her without moving, she nudged him.
Lu Yuling looked at her and told her the truth, “Wife, I’m a little nervous now.”
Li Xining didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Why are you so nervous? Is this your first time?”
Lu Yuling: “From the look of your attitude, 80% of you want to squeeze me dry, and the remaining 20% want to eat me.”
“Hateful!” She became furious.
Lu Yuling still didn’t move. “You do it,” he muttered as he looked at her with burning eyes.
Li Xining replied with a red face. “I won’t touch you.”
Lu Yuling: “It’s not like you haven’t touched it before.”
Li Xining glared at him but finally did as he asked.
***
It was almost twelve o’clock when the game ended, and both of them were sweating profusely.
Li Xining huddled in Lu Yuling’s arms with a red face, and it took a long time for her to catch her breath. Then she hesitated for a long time before she spoke nervously, “When is the next game?”
Lu Yuling: “Next Friday.”
“Oh.” Li Xining paused and asked, “Has another agency contacted you?”Lu Yuling was honest: “Yeah.”
Li Xining inquired, “Which company?”
Lu Yuling replied, “Qiying Entertainment?”
He couldn’t even recall the company’s name, which clearly showed he wasn’t interested in it. Then, Li Xining asked, “Are there any other companies you actually like right now?”
There were plenty of companies eager to sign him, but he was currently in a wait-and-see mode. After all, it was wise to compare options before making a decision.
After pondering for a bit, he said, “Ruiguo Entertainment seems decent to me.” He paused again and added, “Honestly, if it weren’t for Zhao Hailan, I think Zhengxing would be the best choice.”
Zhengxing Entertainment was a large group including film and television companies, independent agencies and record labels. Moreover, it was definitely a standout leader in the entertainment sector. There was hardly any other company that could rival it; otherwise, it wouldn’t be called an entertainment empire.
Lu Yuling wasn’t naive. He knew what was best, but he just couldn’t stand Zhao Hailan. If it weren’t for Zhao Hailan, he would have signed with Zhengxing ages ago. Because of Zhao Hailan, he felt like a piece of rat droppings ruining the whole soup. He’d rather pass on Zhengxing than deal with Zhao Hailan.
Li Xining was also aware that his reluctance to sign with Zhengxing stemmed from Zhao Hailan, but she had never asked why before. Today, she couldn’t help but ask, “What is it about Zhao Hailan that you dislike so much? Do you two have some kind of history?”
“No.” Lu Yuling paused for a moment, frowned, and replied, “Maybe it’s because there’s a ‘Lan’ in his name?”
Li Xining couldn’t believe it. “Is that really the reason?” It seemed way too casual.
Lu Yuling was at a loss for words. He had a vague memory from his childhood of the first time his mother met Uncle Li. He couldn’t recall their exact conversation, but he distinctly remembered Uncle Li repeating the word “basket” multiple times.
[Note: 篮 (lán): This character means “basket”. If this is wrong, someone please put a comment.]
As a kid, he thought “basket” only referred to a vegetable basket. But as he grew older, he realized that “basket” might actually refer to his father.
With a sigh, Lu Yuling remarked, “Just think of it that way. I’m just annoyed with him, anyway.”
Li Xining was in a dilemma once again. She was afraid to bring this matter up anymore. ‘If I keep trying to convince Lu Yuling to sign with Zhengxing, will he be suspicious? But if I don’t persuade him, Lu Yuling will not get a chance to sign with a good entertainment company.’
The scales in her heart began to tip once more. Ultimately, Li Xining decided to prioritise Lu Yuling’s development. If it meant Lu Yuling would resent her later, so be it. As her mother had said, she could always bring this relationship to a perfect close, as long as he could achieve his dreams. Gritting her teeth, Li Xining steeled himself and declared, “I want you to sign with Zhengxing.”
Lu Yuling was taken aback. He stared at her in surprise and disbelief, because she had never talked about this before. “Why?”
Li Xining definitely couldn’t spill the beans, so she had a bunch of excuses ready. “I want you to team up with Wang He. He’s a top-notch agent in the entertainment world. There’s no superstar he can’t elevate. Plus, he thinks highly of you. He’ll surely put in the effort to map out your career path. If you stick with him, you’ll definitely hit the big time.”
Lu Yuling raised an eyebrow, and asked, “Is that all it takes?”
Li Xining felt a bit defeated. “Did I not win you over?”
Lu Yuling replied, “Close enough.” Truth be told, he would do whatever she asked, but he was curious to see how she would persuade him.
After a moment of thought, Li Xining added, “Since our family has some ties with the Zhao family, you’re now sort of part of the Li family. Zhao Hailan might not give you the time of day, but he will for us. He wouldn’t dare treat you poorly. I’ve already mentioned to my grandfather that if you sign a contract with Zhengxing later, I’ll have him talk to Zhao Hailan to ensure he looks out for you.”
Li Xining rambled on, but Lu Yuling focused on one thing. “So I’m just half a member of your family? Li Xining, am I only half a person in your heart? Half? Alright, now I’m upset, and it’s the kind of upset that’s hard to coax!”
‘What? What a stupid princess.’ Li Xining quickly backtracked. “I was wrong! Not half. The whole one. You are all mine from the beginning.”
Lu Yuling seemed pleased with his girl’s words. “Now that sounds better.”
Li Xining let out a sigh of relief and then asked nervously, “Have I managed to convince you?”
Lu Yuling reached out and pinched her cheek. “If you want me to sign, I will sign.”
Li Xining didn’t feel happy, but rather guilty. “Why do you listen to me so much?”
Lu Yuling replied, “You’re my wife, so who else should I listen to?”
Li Xining paused for a moment before asking, “Aren’t you worried I might betray you? What if Zhao Hailan comes to me and asks me to convince you to sign with Zhengxing? What if I take his bribes?”
Lu Yuling found his girl amusing. “How much does Zhao Hailan value me to come looking for you?”
Li Xining pretended to be dramatic. “You still don’t believe it?”
Lu Yuling said, “I don’t believe it. If he really valued me that much, signing with Zhengxing would make me feel like a big deal.”
“He really does value you that much,” Li Xining sighed, jokingly revealing. “I actually took his high kickbacks. He gave me several Hermès bags, and then I sold you out.”
Lu Yuling smiled and responded, “That’s not a loss, as long as my wife is happy.”
Li Xining suddenly felt like crying, feeling like a total traitor. She looked up at him and said with love and heartache. “You’re just a fool! A big fool!”
Lu Yuling lowered his gaze to the woman in his arms, and muttered, “So you like fools?”
Li Xining answered firmly, “I do!”
Lu Yuling hugged her tightly, and whispered, “As long as you like me.”
Have a nice day!
