Chapter 3
1786 Words
Su Chen - Du Yu: [Sorry for the last-minute notice, my apologies. I'm in a rush and joining the crew today. I wanted to apologize in person, but I couldn't find you on set.]
Yun Yu narrowed his eyes.
He wasn't blind to Su Chen's intentions.
His face cold, he typed slowly: [I'm asking the director.]
Su Chen - Du Yu: [The director is busy. I have some free time. The breach of contract fee will be transferred to you soon. Don't worry. This is the group chat. Let's talk privately if there's anything else.]
Yun Yu didn't care about the breach of contract fee.
That amount of money wasn't even enough to buy a watch he liked.
Yun Yu was about to reply when a system notification popped up, informing him that he had been removed from the group.
Yun Yu wasn't too bothered by this. The role was gone, and he had learned something from the past month of filming. He just wanted a formal notification from the crew.
Not from Su Chen, who had taken his role, and was now subtly criticizing him.
Though they were from the same company, Yun Yu and Su Chen had never even met before.
Yun Yu narrowed his eyes, no longer caring about Su Chen.
He didn't have the director's WeChat, only the assistant director's. When he tried to message the assistant director, he found he had been deleted as a contact.
No one from the crew had formally notified him about this.
A moment later, Yun Yu found a number in his contacts and dialed it.
In the hotel room, Lu Jue leaned back on the sofa, resting his eyes. He had come straight here after landing and hadn't had a proper rest yet.
An assistant was talking to him.
"The show is still filming, but I heard that Young Master Yun Yu's role has been replaced."
Hearing this, Lu Jue opened his eyes.
No wonder Yun Yu had arrived so quickly. Normally, even if Yun Yu was willing to see him, he would have to wait a long time.
It seemed Yun Yu's bad mood wasn't directed at him?
Seeing that Lu Jue remained silent, the assistant asked, "Brother Lu, should we help Young Master Yun Yu get his role back?"
"He'll take it back if he wants it." Lu Jue lowered his gaze, looking at the single-word reply for a few seconds, then asked, "Who took it?"
Assistant: "……"
Assistant: "It's a star from Young Master Yun Yu's company, named Su Chen."
"Never heard of him." Lu Jue said casually. After a moment, he got up and swept everything on the coffee table into his suitcase.
Seeing this, the assistant hurriedly asked, "Brother Lu, where are you going?"
Lu Jue put on his hat and sunglasses, quickly covering his face with a mask. He let out a soft "Ah," "Going home, where else? No matter how expensive the hotel is, it's not as comfortable as my warm home."
Assistant: "……?"
The assistant remembered that Lu Jue rarely stayed at home, and the old man of the Lu family often called to scold him for it.
When Lu Jue was unmarried, he was very free. Every time the old man called, Lu Jue would say he was alone and it was cold at home. After getting married, his excuse became that it was too far and inconvenient, and he had no time to rest.
The journey was indeed quite far.
By the time the assistant drove to the villa district, Lu Jue had already napped, and it was late at night, the area pitch black.
Lu Jue went home alone, his steps lightening as he entered the gate. He left the suitcase in the foyer.
Yun Yu was a light sleeper. In the past, he was picky about beds, but after becoming an actor and following the crew, he had to sleep wherever he could. But once he was home, his sleep became very light again.
Even though the footsteps were very quiet, Yun Yu was woken from his sleep.
The lights were off. It was already midnight when he came back. The company dormitory was uncomfortable, and his mood was bad, so he didn't want to stay there.
Too tired, he entered, took off his shoes, and lay down on the sofa.
He fell asleep without knowing when, and didn't know what time it was now.
In the darkness, a figure seemed to be approaching. Not fully awake, Yun Yu instinctively grabbed the hardest thing within reach.
His back pressed against the sofa, and he threw his phone at the figure.
There was a thud, and his wrist was caught at the same time.
The phone must not have hit, and Yun Yu struggled, kicking the person.
Lu Jue grunted, "Ouch, why kick so hard? A bit higher and you'd be keeping a living celibacy."
Yun Yu: "……"
Hearing the familiar voice, Yun Yu stopped struggling. His hand was still held by Lu Jue, and he retracted his foot, glancing down at where he had kicked Lu Jue. He wasn't as assertive, "Why didn't you make a sound?"
"I was afraid to wake you up," Lu Jue's voice sounded fine, even a bit amused, "Didn't expect you to bite the hand that feeds you."
What kind of biting the hand that feeds you?
Yun Yu pursed his lips, sitting up, not wanting to argue with Lu Jue. He changed the subject, "Why are you back?"
"Been away for so long, can't always stay in hotels." Seeing Yun Yu's softer attitude, clearly more awake, Lu Jue let go of his hand, sat down next to him, and asked with a smile, "I haven't asked why you're sleeping on the sofa. Did you know I was coming home and waited for me here?"
In the dark, Yun Yu couldn't see Lu Jue's expression, but the tone of his voice was annoying. Feeling Lu Jue sit beside him, Yun Yu moved over, pressing against the corner of the sofa, "How thick-skinned are you?"
The wrist Lu Jue had held still felt warm, making Yun Yu feel uneasy.
They had never met twice in a day before, let alone such physical contact.
Lu Jue laughed, "Is that so? Besides being thick-skinned, I have other thick places. I haven't asked why you're home. Shouldn't you still be filming?"
The crew was far from home, and Lu Jue's question was reasonable. But whether because he was woken up or for other reasons, Yun Yu felt even more uncomfortable. He glared at Lu Jue in the dark, "The role was given to someone else."
He didn't know if Lu Jue was aware, but there was no need to hide it from him.
Besides, Lu Jue could put Su Chen in his own movie, so it didn't matter if he knew or not.
But usually, Lu Jue wouldn't stay here.
This villa was a wedding gift from Lu Jue's parents. The location was excellent, better than Yun Yu's previous villa. All the furniture was chosen according to Yun Yu's preferences, from the ceiling lights to the fluffy carpet, all picked by Yun Yu and paid for by Lu Jue.
Yun Yu was very satisfied with it and lived here almost every day after getting married.
After joining the company, Gu Lin, seeing Yun Yu always alone and without his own transportation, arranged a dormitory for him.
The company dormitory wasn't great, just a small, old apartment. Yun Yu had never lived in such a place before, but he didn't want to waste Gu Lin's thoughtfulness, so he moved a few things in and occasionally stayed there after work.
But it wasn't as comfortable as home.
Especially when he was in a bad mood, he wanted to be in the most comfortable place.
He didn't expect Lu Jue to suddenly come home today.
Yun Yu kept his head down, not speaking. He wanted to leave, but then thought if he went to the room, would Lu Jue follow him? He didn't want to go.
Before coming, he had the housekeeper change the bed set, custom-made by a designer he liked, not wanting anyone else to lie on it.
That bed was meant for both of them, but they had never slept together.
Even when Lu Jue came home, they never met.
After a while, the dark room lit up with the light from a phone. Lu Jue was messaging someone. Soon, he asked, "Need help?"
"What?" Yun Yu didn't understand.
Lu Jue let out a soft "Ah," "If you want the role... call me big bro, and I'll get it back for you."
For Lu Jue, this was easy.
After all, he was a renowned actor and the younger son of the Lu family.
Even without his achievements, no one in the entertainment industry would dare to slight him.
The Lu family had two sons. The elder, Lu Qianning, was thirty-five, married with children, which allowed Lu Jue to pursue his male interests in the entertainment industry.
Yun Yu also had an older sister who advocated for no marriage and no children. She had revealed her s****l orientation to the family when told about the arranged marriage. Yun Yu's parents were accepting and quickly switched the potential female partners to males.
Unlike Lu Jue, Yun Yu's parents protected him well. Even though people knew he existed, no one had seen him in public. With his mother's surname and his dislike for social events, his identity was well-kept even in the entertainment industry.
Thanks to this, Yun Yu could live freely in the entertainment world.
Hearing Lu Jue, Yun Yu retorted, "Are you drunk, Lu Jue?"
How could he say such nonsense?
He didn't need Lu Jue's help.
As for Lu Jue...
Yun Yu frowned, his voice cold, "You should focus on your own movie. Don't let its reputation be ruined."
With that, he ran upstairs, not wanting to breathe the same air as Lu Jue.
Yun Yu wasn't usually short-tempered, but today, facing Lu Jue, he was.
He reflected, probably because of Su Chen.
Not Su Chen himself, but the two incidents related to him.
No one could remain calm after their role was taken and the person who took it was in their husband's movie.
Especially since Lu Jue always emphasized the importance of acting. What about Su Chen's acting?
On the way back, Yun Yu watched Su Chen's shows. He was clear about his own acting, but Su Chen's was just as mediocre.
Downstairs, Lu Jue frowned, then smiled.
Young Master Yun Yu's scolding had no power.
He couldn't even be fierce.
But what had he done to offend Yun Yu?
- Writer
