Chapter 93: It Is Jumping Right Now

People really could scare one another to death. Chu Luoxi’s mind was full of the trouble Wang Yanan had stirred up, and she also did not want anyone overhearing what had happened to Ye Xin, so she had been completely absorbed. Then, when she turned around and found another person there, the fright was far worse than usual.

“Hiss!” She sucked in a sharp breath and patted her chest before finally calling her wandering soul back. “Senior Brother Xiao, what are you doing? Trying to stage a midnight fright?”

It was not yet midnight, but the sky had already gone dark. Under the bright glaze of the lamps and the classical decor, Xiao Jingxuan’s almost immortal bearing looked even more dazzling. Chu Luoxi had no time to admire it or sigh over it; she was still busy calming herself down. This time, she had truly been startled badly.

Seeing that it took Chu Luoxi quite a while to regain her composure, Xiao Jingxuan rubbed the bridge of his nose, a little embarrassed. Yet he was also puzzled. When he had come over just now, he had clearly seen her turn her head once, and had assumed she had noticed him, so he had not deliberately tried to scare her.

“I thought you saw me. I didn’t expect to frighten you.”

He was also helpless. He did not know whether Chu Luoxi had been so focused on the call that she had simply failed to notice him, or whether his presence was still too weak and he needed to work harder. Standing there with graceful ease, he stroked his chin with long fingers, seriously considering the issue of his own presence.

“Forget it. Are you having dinner here, Senior Brother Xiao?” Chu Luoxi quickly let it go once she recovered. In truth, she felt that she should not argue with the great Xiao; otherwise, the one who would end up embarrassing herself would probably be her.

“Mhm. A bunch of people from the company are getting together.” Xiao Jingxuan said it offhandedly, as though he were not particularly interested in the gathering. Most likely, if the company had not been his and still in its early stages, requiring social obligations and appearances, he would not even have shown up.

Still, when he had just caught sight of Chu Luoxi by chance, he had thought it might be an illusion.

“Aren’t you back home? When did you come here? The Imperial Film Academy hasn’t started classes yet, has it?” Xiao Jingxuan tilted his body and leaned leisurely against the corridor wall. His tall figure was bathed in the mottled light, relaxed enough to make people envious.

The sight was so pleasing that Chu Luoxi’s eyes brightened. Realizing from their positions that she could not get past him, she gave up on returning to the private room immediately. She had only been out for a few words anyway, and the dishes would not be served that quickly.

“I arrived yesterday. I went to visit the set of Crystal Love today. I only just arranged to have dinner with someone tonight, and then I heard some not-so-good news. Sigh, life always has so much trouble.” Chu Luoxi sighed sincerely, completely unaware that she had just reported her entire schedule to him without hiding a thing.

Hearing this, Xiao Jingxuan actually felt rather pleased, and asked casually, “You arranged to have dinner with someone? Someone from the industry?”

The people who could dine here were usually the sort who did not want to be exposed. It seemed that in the two months since he had seen her, Chu Luoxi’s network had expanded quite a bit. Of course, he only thought so because he still did not know who the other person was.

“Yes. Xiaojin owed me a meal ages ago and should have paid it back long since. Today I finally remembered to make him treat me.” Chu Luoxi nodded and, without the slightest awareness, spilled the “secret,” never once considering just how innocent she appeared in Xiao Jingxuan’s eyes.

Sure enough, Xiao Jingxuan’s face darkened subtly at once, even his relaxed posture stiffening a little. Of course he knew exactly who the “Xiaojin” she mentioned was.

“Just the two of you?”

“Huh?” Chu Luoxi blinked in confusion, then nodded anyway. “This meal is something he owes me. Heh, but I don’t know many people in the circle yet, and the crew of Kingdom is still filming. Aside from him, there’s no one else.”

Xiao Jingxuan opened his mouth, but in the end he remained speechless. He could not help thinking that his own presence really was not enough; otherwise, how could there be no one else besides Ji Yanjin?

Feeling the temperature around her drop all at once, Chu Luoxi rubbed her arms and muttered inwardly that the restaurant’s air-conditioning was set far too low.

“Senior Brother Xiao, is it all right if you don’t go back?”

“It’s fine.” Xiao Jingxuan did not seem to be looking at anything in particular, a little distracted. Even his answer came out somewhat stiffly.

Now Chu Luoxi was nearly crying without tears. It might be fine for him, but it was not fine for her. If she did not go back soon, who knew whether Ji Yanjin would start jumping again? That fellow could not sit still and would surely get bored out of his mind.

“What bad news did you just mention?” Xiao Jingxuan asked as if he had not noticed her anxiety, speaking at an unhurried pace. “It seems I know a private investigator named Ye Xin...”

“Huh?” Chu Luoxi was a little embarrassed that her call had indeed been overheard by the great Xiao, but she was even more surprised. “You know him too?” So Ye Xin’s business must be very large indeed, if even someone of Xiao Jingxuan’s level had dealings with him.

“We know each other. But since you’ve gone to him for help, the matter must not be simple.” Xiao Jingxuan did not dwell on how Chu Luoxi had come to seek out that man. No one knew Ye Xin’s abilities better than he did, which was why he felt a trace of concern.

During this period, Fengjing Entertainment had seized the moment and, before the competition in the entertainment industry could react, completed the most crucial step in its planned expansion. Everyone, himself included, had been so busy they had scarcely touched the ground, and it was only today that things had finally come to a pause, allowing them some leisure to gather and celebrate.

It seemed that while they had been too occupied to pay attention, something unexpected had happened on Chu Luoxi’s side, and he had not even known about it. He only hoped it had not become too serious to save.

Chu Luoxi did not think too much about it. She simply poured out everything from beginning to end in one breath, and then spread her hands. “So I have no idea exactly what that woman said. If it isn’t dealt with properly, it’ll become a big problem, so I asked Ye Xin to investigate first. Sigh, I really don’t understand this insane world.”

“What are you planning to do?” Xiao Jingxuan’s gaze deepened, his eyes dark and unreadable. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking, but he asked the question sincerely. After all, Wang Yanan was her roommate, and he did not know how the two of them usually got along.

“Me?” Chu Luoxi looked at her nails, smiling with open mischief and no attempt to hide it. “I’ve never been soft-hearted. Since she’s done this to me, how could I possibly not return the favor?”

Seeing Chu Luoxi’s bright, calculating expression, Xiao Jingxuan could not help smiling. For the first time, he felt that a woman’s ruthlessness was not always so detestable.

“Be careful. A cornered dog can still bite.”

“Hm?” Chu Luoxi lifted the corner of her eye, all charm and sharpness. “She’s already biting, isn’t she?”

Without a patron to back her, and now knowing about Zhu Xueshuang’s and Liu Yujia’s opportunities, Wang Yanan would be jealous, resentful, and unwilling to accept it all. If she were not anxious, why would she come looking for trouble with Chu Luoxi? That woman had no intention of reflecting or repenting at all. Zhu Xueshuang’s good intentions were probably wasted.