âThatâs enough! Iâm not angry, okay? Stay away from me and donât come pestering me.â
She then pushed him away, her face filled with disgust.
âThat wonât do! I like sticking close to you.â Happiness streaked across Hua Jinâs eyes upon hearing that she was no longer angry with him.
âBy the way, I watched your movie!â
âOh, okay.â
âI even booked the whole theater and treated the crew to your movie for the sake of supporting you!â He cooed in an attempt to coax her.
She remained indifferent about it, though. âOh.â
âWhy are you being so aloof?!â He was somewhat dissatisfied with her lukewarm reaction. âDonât you feel the slightest bit moved when Iâm being so supportive of you?â
In response, she made an exaggerated, amazed expression at him and gushed, âIâm so touched!â
She held the expression on her face for a second before it returned to neutrality. âDoes that satisfy you now, kiddo?â
The doleful idol whined, âWoo... How heartless of you! The look in your eyes tells me that youâre not at all touched by my actions.â
â...â
âYour acting is marvelous, though! After watching your movie, I realized that you look uniquely charming in a school uniform!â The man was dishing out compliments while cajoling her.
It made her merely exasperated, alas. âJust speak your mind if you have something to say! Thereâs no need for you to keep buttering me up!â
âWhat do you mean by buttering you up? Canât you think on a brighter side and accept a simple compliment?â
âHowâs that a simple compliment? As the saying goes, âone who is unaccountably solicitous is hiding evil intention.â I bet youâre up to no good again!â
Her accusation hurt him. With his lips in a pout, he stared at her with his glistening eyes, as though in silent protest.
The woman no longer paid him heed and proceeded to do her things.
Nevertheless, the actor continued chattering away at the side. âOh, my! How capable you are to be hitting the hundred-million mark in ticket sales on your debut piece! I dare to say that your movie will surely set a new box-office record.â
â...â
âYouâll be an A-lister with a bright future ahead!â
â...â
Thereâs no need to flatter me to this extent, surely?
Besides, the high box-office sales arenât based on my sole effort.
n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Bluntly put, the combined audience appeal of Gu Xingze and Lin Fengtian is enough to warrant such results. I can only be considered the icing on the cake at most. Iâm more than happy to receive recognition from the audience. I donât dare to wish for more.
Words continued flowing out of his mouth like a torrent. âNot only do you have such superb acting skills, you also have naturally good looks. If you achieve such great results on your next few movies, youâll be hitting the billion-mark in ticket sales in just a few years!â
â...â
âI have a feeling that youâre going to get the award for âBest Rookie Actressâ at the Golden Phoenix Award!â
â...â
Deeply annoyed, a frown settled on her glabella as she applied her makeup while looking in the mirror.
As Hua Jin peered at her, his gaze suddenly landed on the diamond ring on her finger. He was thoroughly surprised by the sight of it.
âWhy are you wearing a ring on your ring finger?â
âPardon?â
He spaced out for a few seconds before he broke into a smile.
âWhat a fool you are! Youâre neither engaged nor married, so why are you wearing a ring on your ring finger?â
All of a sudden, the female artist turned to look at him.
âWhat does it have to do with you?â
He felt even more aggrieved than ever. âIâm only being concerned!â
As he spoke, he reached out for her hand. âYou canât just anyhow wear it on your ring finger! Should any reporter capture this image, theyâll surely publish articles about you and speculate that youâve secretly gotten married!â
Deftly avoiding his hand, she retorted, âDonât touch me!â
âYouâre not really engaged, are you?â He jested half-heartedly with a smile as he carefully probed.