Ju Li and Chen Haoyu stood at the elevator entrance. As the elevator approached, she suddenly turned back to him, hesitation flickering in her eyes.
“What’s wrong?” He raised an eyebrow.
“Teacher Chen, can you wait two minutes before going downstairs?” she asked earnestly.
“Call me Haoyu.” He nodded slightly, his voice soft yet commanding.
“Can you?” she pressed, growing anxious.
“Why?” he asked.
“I came straight to find you without reporting to the boss first, and now you’re going to see him directly. From his perspective, he might think I acted on my own without consulting him… This job is really important to me. I’d like to go down first and report to him. Is that okay?” She gazed at him pleadingly.
Convincing Chen Haoyu to resolve the issue was a major achievement, but if her oversight made the boss think she was overstepping, wouldn’t she end up offending him instead?
And it wasn’t just anyone, it was the president…
That would be a huge loss.
Just then, the elevator doors opened in front of them.
Chen Haoyu blinked at her, barely suppressing a smile. But seeing her serious, nervous expression, he held it back.
Stepping back, he gestured toward the open elevator doors like a gentleman.
“Thank you.” She smiled at him and quickly stepped inside.
Chen Haoyu smirked mischievously. Just as she turned around to press the floor button, he suddenly lifted his leg, pretending to step in.
Ju Li was stunned. Didn’t he agree to wait a few minutes? What was he doing?
Seeing her face change, he burst into laughter. “Relax, I’m just joking. I won’t go in. You go ahead, I’ll head down in two minutes.”
“…” She twitched the corner of her mouth in exasperation. This guy… was he a little too playful?
As the elevator doors closed, he waved at her, still suppressing his amusement.
The elevator soon arrived at the floor where she and Zhong Liyan were staying.
Ju Li rushed out, peering down the hallway. Seeing that the producer, director, and two others were still waiting at the boss’s door, she knew he hadn’t left yet.
She sprinted to the door and was about to ask the others if they were planning to knock when, unexpectedly, all four of them, who had probably been waiting for over half an hour, stepped back in unison, making way for her.
They didn’t even dare knock…
The producer, Bai Meng, pretended to check her phone, standing just outside the door. She didn’t lift her head but kept sneaking glances at Ju Li.
She couldn’t understand, why would this little secretary come looking for the boss so early in the morning?
Everyone knew that people could be grumpy when woken up. Their boss already had a terrible temper, who could imagine how bad it would be if he were disturbed in his sleep?
And if he found out that Xiao Yun was completely immovable, his anger would be unbearable for everyone here.
Just as they were mentally betting that Ju Li wouldn’t dare ring the doorbell and would probably wait like them, she pressed it without hesitation.
Ding-dong.
Even through the door, the sound made everyone stiffen.
Slouched postures straightened instantly, and they all snapped to attention, staring at the door.
Internally, they admired Ju Li’s courage, but they also pitied her.
Unless the boss had explicitly instructed her to wake him up, she was doomed.
As they cast sympathetic glances at Ju Li, footsteps sounded from inside.
One step.
Two steps.
Three steps.
Like the tolling of a funeral bell.
The four people at the door felt their scalps tingle. The thought of facing the president’s wrath made them clench their fists or take deep breaths.
Bai Meng and Director Zhang exchanged uneasy glances before instinctively stepping closer to each other, as if drawing strength from one another. No matter what, they had to face it together.
The door swung open. Zhong Liyan stood there in an iron-grey shirt and black trousers, his short hair neatly combed.
He exuded a sharp, imposing presence, his expression unreadable. Even with the soft lighting from the hallway illuminating his face, he seemed cold and intimidating.
Ju Li had rehearsed her greeting in her head, but the words stuck in her throat.
Zhong Liyan’s gaze flicked over her before shifting to Bai Meng and Director Zhang behind her.
“What?” His deep voice carried a chill, sending a shiver down their spines.
“Good morning, Zhong zong~” Director Zhang blurted out, his smile looking more like a grimace.
“Morning,” Zhong Liyan responded stiffly with a single word.
Bai Meng studied his face. Seeing that his expression didn’t soften at all, she realised that pleasantries wouldn’t work. Gritting her teeth, she got straight to the point.
“Screenwriter Xiao refused all our proposals, every single one.”
As she spoke, her mouth twitched downward involuntarily, forming a crying expression.
She hadn’t slept well for days, and last night, she hadn’t slept at all.
Now, she had to face the hammer of fate. It was pure misery.
“Hmm,” Zhong Liyan responded indifferently as he bent down to change his shoes. “That’s all. You can all leave now.”
Bai Meng exchanged a blank look with Director Zhang. Neither of them understood the situation.
What did that mean?
Why wasn’t the boss angry?
He was never the type to bottle up his frustrations.
Was he just holding back for now, brewing a bigger storm?
They both licked their lips nervously, their mouths going dry.
The male planner and Xiao Qing instinctively took a step back, hoping to blend into the hallway wall and disappear.
Zhong Liyan had no intention of explaining to them. After changing his shoes, he grabbed his room card and was about to leave.
Ju Li, affected by the tense atmosphere, saw the big boss heading out and knew she couldn’t delay any longer. She hurriedly spoke up to stop him. “Boss, I have something to report to you.”
In an instant, the air seemed to freeze.
Everyone’s eyes turned to Ju Li in disbelief, did she really not notice Boss Zhong’s bad mood, or was she just too naive to sense it?
Right now, everyone was trying to avoid him, yet she was walking straight into the fire?
Couldn’t she wait a bit to report?
Couldn’t she wait until his mood improved?
Couldn’t she just not report it at all?
And she was actually blocking his way? Forcing a work report at this moment?
Even if she wanted to dig her own grave, did she have to do it in such a dramatic fashion?
The calm mask Zhong Liyan had been maintaining finally seemed to crack. He lifted his gaze and looked at her leisurely, but his eyes were frighteningly cold.
Ju Li swallowed nervously. She had intended to speak to him in private, but judging from his expression, he clearly had no intention of returning to his room for a quiet conversation.
She dared not push her luck and had no choice but to report in front of everyone.
“Boss, I’m sorry. After yesterday’s meeting, I took it upon myself to meet with Chen Haoyu and persuaded him to stay on and continue filming White Fan Strategist. But by the time we finished talking, it was too late, and I didn’t want to disturb you, so I couldn’t report to you in time.”
Fearing he might interrupt or scold her, Ju Li quickly said everything in one breath, words she had rehearsed in her mind countless times.
After exhaling deeply, she hurriedly added, “Chen Haoyu agreed to stay! He’ll get along with Teacher Xiao! No script changes, no trouble!”
After she finished, she blinked and took a deep breath, trying to read his expression. But she failed, he simply stared at her with those deep, all-seeing eyes that seemed to pierce through truth and lies alike.
Standing a step away, Director Zhang raised an eyebrow in disbelief and murmured in shock, “She actually settled things with Xiao Yun?”
“Not Xiao Yun, Chen Haoyu,” Bai Meng corrected.
Director Zhang’s eyes widened.
Who?
Ah?
Ju Li, noticing that Boss Zhong hadn’t said anything, felt awkward and spoke up again, hesitantly. “So, disturbing you this early–”
“How did you know where he was staying?” he interrupted.
Ju Li was momentarily stunned before answering, “During the banquet last night, he mentioned it himself, saying he was staying right below your floor. I guessed it was directly two floors beneath your room and knocked on the door. And… it turned out to be the right one.”
As her words fell, the room plunged into dead silence.
Everyone stared at Ju Li with wide eyes, their faces filled with incredulous expressions.
Bai Meng furrowed her brows. Her first thought was: Is this girl an idiot?
Why would she tell such an easily exposed lie?
But looking at Ju Li’s sincere and youthful face, her clear and unwavering eyes, Bai Meng hesitated, she didn’t look like she was lying.
But… how was this possible?
She had tried countless times to approach Chen Haoyu, his manager, and even his friends to persuade him, all to no avail.
That was why she had eventually given up on convincing Chen Haoyu directly. She was afraid that if she handled it poorly, it would backfire completely. After all, with Chen Haoyu’s popularity and influence, he could determine the fate of an entire production.
And yet, the thorn she had been too afraid to touch, some fresh-out-of-college rookie who didn’t even understand the ways of the world, had somehow done it?
Director Zhang, standing beside her, was equally shocked. For the first time, he gave Ju Li a serious look, but after sizing her up for a while, he still couldn’t see anything special about her.
Meanwhile, Xiao Qing, the executive producer standing nearby, had an even more obvious reaction.
Her lack of deep scheming made her expression all too transparent.
She tried to look happy for the project and for Ju Li, but the subtle lines on her face betrayed her true thoughts, she was clearly unimpressed.
Does this girl even know what she’s talking about?
She convinced Chen Haoyu?
With what?
They were already dejected enough about failing to handle Xiao Yun. Now, someone was stirring up trouble with such a ridiculous claim?
So annoying…
Xiao Qing ultimately didn’t believe it. After failing to maintain a fake smile, she frowned and glared at Ju Li irritably.
…
Zhong Liyan’s gaze swept across Ju Li’s face like an invisible touch. He pressed his lips together but didn’t speak.
Ju Li couldn’t decipher his expression or what he was thinking, but she could feel the cold chill creeping over her face from his stare.
Having finished her report, she quietly exhaled, straightened her back, and met her boss’s gaze, waiting for his reaction.
…
For everyone else, these few seconds felt equally excruciating.
Except, Bai Meng was waiting for Boss Zhong to reprimand Ju Li and call her out for talking nonsense.
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