Ling Yan, impatient with explaining to her assistant, walked directly towards the control room.
"Injured? I... can't see it?"
The assistant stared wide-eyed at the stage, only to find that Gu Zhong's performance was as usual, and couldn't see any injury.
The director knew that Lingyan was no ordinary person, so he dared not neglect her request. They were also very experienced in handling unexpected situations, and the recording was soon stopped.
"Sister Ling, ten minutes."
This is the amount of time the director allows for pausing the broadcast.
"Sister Yan? What's wrong?"
Gu Zhong walked over, looking puzzled, and asked in a soft, gentle voice.
"Sit down." Ignoring the crew's helplessness and dissatisfaction, she shoved Gu Zhong onto the off-white fabric sofa.
"?"
"You sprained your ankle and didn't utter a sound. Do you think you have superhuman healing abilities or are you Captain America?"
Lingyan pulled a spray bottle from the large bag that resembled Doraemon's anime pocket, squatted down, and took off Gu Zhong's brown-red platform high heels.
"Hey? Sister Yan!"
Gu Zhong panicked and tried to stop her.
"Don't move!"
But Ling Yan suppressed him with an extremely intimidating gaze.
A slender ankle, as bright as the moon and as white as jade, lay in Lingyan's palm, with a patch of red that was easily overlooked if one did not look closely, and a soft bulge in the middle.
"Ah Chong, when did you sprain your ankle? Why didn't you say anything?"
Ge Tan also ran to their side, his face full of worry, but his words sounded reproachful.
"We're just worried about delaying the recording..."
As Gu Zhong said this, he glanced at Ling Yan and shrank back into the sofa.
Lingyan was spraying the medicine evenly onto her injured area, then placed her palm on it and gently massaged it, her movements extremely gentle, as if afraid of hurting her.
Gu Zhong felt as if her previously aching ankle had lost its sensation of pain, with only the warmth of her palm rubbing against her skin, causing an itch that went straight to her heart.
Looking at Ling Yan's serious face, Gu Zhong somehow saw a hint of heartache in her eyes, and a sense of guilt for doing something wrong rose up in his heart.
"Sister Yan, how did you find out I sprained my ankle?"
He rolled his dark eyes and began to talk to Lingyan in a conciliatory manner.
"Look at the way you walk."
Lingyan glared at her irritably and uttered only a few simple words.
While offstage, Lingyan noticed that after a running game segment, Gu Zhong, who had been hopping around, suddenly slowed down.
A sudden change in a person's behavior must mean something has happened.
But perhaps only someone like Lingyan, who stares intently at a person the entire time, could notice such subtle differences. She didn't need to explain such infatuated behavior to Gu Zhongting.
"Sister Yan really cares about Ah Chong."
Ge Tan, feeling utterly useless, could only utter a dry, uninspired remark.
"Ten minutes are almost up!"
The director started urging them on, and Lingyan carefully put Gu Zhong's foot down.
"Put on these shoes..."
As she spoke, she pulled out a pair of prepared flat canvas shoes from her bag and, once again, transformed into a nagging old mother, giving instructions.
"I've already spoken to the director about the games later, and all the overly strenuous ones have been canceled. Stop jumping around like that, do you want to keep your feet? Gu Xiaozhong?"
"Okay, Sister Yan, is your bag really not Doraemon's magic pocket?"
Gu Zhong covered his ears, looking like he couldn't stand it, and changed the subject with a grin, which earned him a flick on the forehead from Ling Yan.
After recording the program, it was almost midnight. Gu Zhong, who had been forcing himself to stay awake, was so sleepy that he could barely keep his eyes open and yawned repeatedly as he got off the stage.
Ge Tan followed closely beside her, seemingly worried that she might accidentally fall asleep and drop to the ground.
"Ge Tan!" Lin Lin called out from not far away in a bad tone. Ge Tan hesitated for a moment and saw Ling Yan walking towards him.
"Sister Yan, please take care of Ah Chong."
He looked at Ling Yan apologetically, with the polite manner of a host, as if Gu Zhong had already been designated as his property.
“I will naturally take care of my artists.”
Ling Yan supported the dazed Gu Zhong, showing him no mercy. Her cold tone startled Ge Tan. Before he could figure it out, Lin Lin called his name again.
He glanced at Gu Zhong one last time, still worried, before rushing towards Lin Lin.
"So sleepy..."
Gu Zhong muttered something to himself, then leaned softly against Ling Yan's shoulder as she caught him, clinging to her like a koala.
Looking at Gu Zhong so close to her, her nose filled with the fragrance of his hair, Ling Yan's heartbeat slowed involuntarily. She reached out and slowly wrapped her arms around Gu Zhong from behind.
"Sweetie~ Get in the car and sleep again~"
I tried to coax him gently, but he didn't respond for a long time.
Ling Yan turned her head to look and was both amused and exasperated. This little rascal was breathing heavily and had actually fallen asleep standing up.
--------------------
Author's Note:
Gu Zhong's personality has changed.
Chapter 31 Agent and Movie Queen (Part 3)
============================
It took a lot of effort for Lingyan to move Gu Zhong into the silver-gray van without waking her up.
She pulled down the black curtains on the car window to block out the city lights, and let Gu Zhong rest his head on her lap. The little boy was sleeping soundly, looking very tired today.
The car drove smoothly, and the interior was quiet, with only the scraping sound of the wheels rolling over the asphalt road and Gu Zhong's shallow breathing.
Lingyan raised her hand, hesitant and conflicted, and carefully touched Gu Zhong's porcelain-like cheek with her fingers. Since coming into this world, she had never been able to get so close to Gu Zhong, to take a good look at her, or to touch her.
Sleeping Beauty's long, thick eyelashes fluttered slightly, as if she were about to wake up at any moment.
Feeling guilty, Lingyan hurriedly withdrew her hand, but couldn't suppress her racing heart.
Gu Zhong didn't wake up. She unconsciously murmured in her sleep, then restlessly turned over, facing Ling Yan's lower abdomen. Her long arms wrapped around Ling Yan's perfectly slender waist, and she fell into a deep sleep again.
Ling Yan, stiff and leaning back in her chair, dared not move, letting Gu Zhong's hot breath spray over her, bringing an unbearable heat and itchiness that flowed down her lower abdomen and into her limbs, leaving her feeling utterly drained.
After rounding a bend, the van came to a smooth stop in the underground parking lot of a luxury apartment building in the city center. The sudden braking and forward tilting pulled Lingyan out of the unbearable atmosphere. She wrapped the sleeping Gu Zhong in her coat and gently picked him up.
"Sister Ling—"
The driver walked up to him and stretched out his hands, intending to help.
Ling Yan shook her head, indicating that she was fine, and sent the driver away. She exercised regularly; her arms looked slender, but when she took off her coat, smooth, well-defined muscle lines were visible, revealing a hidden, powerful physique.
Holding Gu Zhong, she stepped into the grand and luxurious apartment, where the security guard who had been on duty all night pressed the elevator button for her.
The apartment building has extremely comprehensive security, effectively eliminating the possibility of paparazzi following and taking photos. As artists signed with Starlight Entertainment, almost everyone can enjoy the right to reside here—including many top actresses who, after becoming famous, still keep a place to stay here for convenience, even if they have bought several villas elsewhere.
Ling Yan swiped the black fingerprint keypad door and, in order not to wake Gu Zhong, found her bedroom in the dark and placed her on the large bed covered with velvet fabric.
Her hands lingered on Gu Zhong's body for a while before she finally took off his coat, carefully tucked him in, and left quietly.
In the days that followed, like other busy celebrities, Gu Zhong had an endless stream of engagements, which resulted in her seeing Ge Tan less and less.
This was also the severing of ties that Lingyan and Linlin had agreed upon. The two no longer frequently attended business events together, and the popularity of their CP (couple pairing) would naturally fade away.
After the initial buzz of his sudden fame subsided, Gu Zhong finally had the opportunity to calmly consider and choose his next project.
She has a genuine passion for acting, but she is also genuinely picky. When she had plenty of options, the number of scripts she rejected could pile up to a person's height.
"Sister Yan, haven't there been any good scripts lately?"
Gu Zhong slumped on the sofa, idly swinging the folder in his hand.
"This is the best script I could get from the company."
Lingyan rubbed her forehead, seriously considering whether she should acquire the company while simultaneously opening a drama studio.
Look at how picky Gu Zhong is; she doesn't even look at the ordinary ones. But the best scripts are all kept by the top people in the company and don't end up in her hands.
"If you don't like any of them, take your time to choose. It's okay. There will probably be other scripts in a few days."
Now we can only wait to find a bargain; ultimately, it's because the power of capital is not yet sufficient.
"Sister Yan, I want to go out today..."
The screen of Gu Zhong's phone, which was lying to the side, lit up. She quickly opened it and checked the messages.
"Ge Tan invited you?" Ling Yan paused, her hand still flipping through the papers.
"Yes, he asked me to go to the movies this afternoon."
Gu Zhong was radiating happiness, and although Ling Yan felt very uncomfortable, she could only nod in agreement.
She had planned to go with them, both to keep an eye on them and to ensure their safety. But just before she left, an urgent phone call came through.
"Mr. Ling, there's been a slight problem with the acquisition..."
The assistant on the other end of the phone sounded very anxious.
"I'm coming right away."
Lingyan glanced at Gu Zhong, who was enthusiastically changing his shoes at the door, and sighed helplessly.
As a qualified CEO, she sometimes can't just focus on playing the role of a manager in a game of pursuing a wife.
"Gu Xiaozhong, I suddenly have something urgent to attend to. You guys can have fun on your own this afternoon. I'll have Xiao Wang accompany you."