The sharp sound of knocking echoed through the quiet hotel corridor.
Thump. Thump.
In the stillness of the evening, every knock sounded unusually loud.
Standing outside the door, Dong Jie instinctively pulled her mask a little higher, her eyes nervously scanning both ends of the hallway. Even though she wasn't yet a top-tier celebrity, caution had already become second nature to her.
In this industry, one careless mistake could become tomorrow's headline.
She had worked too hard to climb this far.
The last thing she wanted was for gossip and scandal to bury her future.
A moment later, the door opened.
Before Luo Zheng could even say a word, Dong Jie slipped inside quickly, almost as if she were escaping from the corridor itself.
Her body collided directly into his chest.
The room was warm, the heater running at full blast, and Luo Zheng was only wearing a thin shirt. The moment she pressed against him, Dong Jie could clearly feel the firmness beneath the fabric.
Solid.
Warm.
Hard.
Her heart skipped a beat.
A strange mixture of nervousness and anticipation rose inside her.
Luo Zheng looked down at the woman practically buried in his arms and lightly tapped the top of her head with the folded newspaper in his hand.
"Have you hugged enough?"
His tone was calm, teasing, almost amused.
Dong Jie immediately stepped back, hurriedly removing her mask, lowering her gaze as a faint blush crept onto her cheeks.
"I'm sorry, Director Luo… I was too forward."
Her voice was soft, carrying both embarrassment and tension.
She removed her thick overcoat and carefully hung it on the rack beside the entrance.
The moment the coat came off, Luo Zheng's eyes sharpened slightly.
He had to admit—Dong Jie truly knew how to present herself.
The fitted gray wool dress hugged her figure perfectly, tracing every curve with subtle elegance. The hem stopped at the upper thighs, revealing long legs wrapped in sleek black stockings.
The stockings had delicate lettering patterns running down the sides, making them look both refined and dangerously alluring.
The contrast between her innocent face and mature appearance created a striking visual.
For a moment, even Luo Zheng's gaze lingered.
Then he calmly looked away.
He took a slow breath and suppressed the dangerous thoughts beginning to rise.
Without saying much more, he led her into the living room.
The two sat opposite each other on the sofa.
Silence stretched between them.
Dong Jie stole a glance at him.
Luo Zheng didn't speak.
He simply sat there, cigarette between his fingers, quietly watching her.
The pressure of that silence made her chest tighten.
After a moment of hesitation, she finally gathered her courage.
"Director Luo… about what happened yesterday…"
Her fingers nervously tightened over the edge of her dress.
"At that time, I…"
Before she could finish, Luo Zheng casually raised his hand and interrupted her.
A faint stream of smoke escaped his lips.
"There's no need to explain."
His voice was steady, indifferent.
"When I judge someone, I don't listen to what they say."
His eyes met hers.
"I look at what they do."
The meaning behind those words hit Dong Jie immediately.
Her cheeks flushed red.
For a moment, she didn't know whether to feel ashamed, embarrassed, or relieved.
This industry had taught her long ago that emotions alone weren't enough.
Every decision had to be weighed.
Every opportunity had a price.
If she hadn't learned to calculate gains and losses, she would have been discarded long ago.
But then, Xu Jinglei's face suddenly flashed through her mind.
That calm smile.
That closeness with Luo Zheng.
The confidence she carried.
Dong Jie's eyes slowly hardened.
No.
She wasn't willing to lose.
Time passed.
About half an hour later, the room had fallen quiet again.
A thin trail of cigarette smoke curled upward into the warm air.
Luo Zheng leaned back lazily, his expression relaxed.
Dong Jie, still trying to steady her breathing, looked at him with a soft smile.
"President Luo… are you satisfied with my apology?"
There was a playful note hidden in her voice.
Luo Zheng glanced at her and gave a faint smile.
"You were quite sincere."
Her eyes immediately brightened.
"Then… what happened yesterday…"
He exhaled smoke and said lightly,
"Yesterday?"
A pause.
Then he smirked.
"I don't really remember."
The moment those words fell, the tension in Dong Jie's body visibly disappeared.
A bright smile bloomed across her face.
"That's good."
She sat up a little too quickly, only to wince slightly.
The movement clearly caused some discomfort.
Seeing this, Luo Zheng couldn't help but laugh inwardly.
His current twenty-one-year-old body truly was in peak condition.
Still…
With the system in hand, his ambitions had naturally grown.
Twenty-one?
No.
If possible, he wanted to remain forever eighteen.
Especially if one day the system rewarded something absurdly overpowered…
That thought alone made him amused.
He checked the time.
He still had an important meeting in the afternoon.
There was no time to linger.
After Dong Jie finally drifted off to sleep from exhaustion, Luo Zheng got dressed and quietly left the room.
By the time he stepped outside, the air had already turned cooler.
Calculating the schedule, Luo Zheng took Liu Xixi with him and headed toward the café across from the hotel, where he was supposed to meet Zhao Benshan.
The moment they entered, a blond waiter greeted them in English.
Before Luo Zheng could even respond, Xixi eagerly stepped forward, proudly using her broken English to communicate.
Her serious expression almost made him laugh.
Just as he was about to tease her, his gaze suddenly froze.
A familiar figure had entered his line of sight.
Liu Xiaoli.
His eyes narrowed.
Sitting across from her was a middle-aged man in a sharp suit, his hair slicked neatly back.
The two seemed to be finishing their conversation.
The man reached out as if to help her with her bag, but Liu Xiaoli subtly avoided the gesture.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Seeing that they were about to leave, Luo Zheng immediately pulled Xixi toward a blind spot near the corner, avoiding an awkward collision.
Liu Xiaoli walked quickly toward the exit.
But just before reaching the door, she seemed to sense something.
She turned her head casually.
Her eyes instantly met Luo Zheng's.
For a brief moment, time seemed to stop.
Mockery.
Meaning.
A knowing look.
The expression in Luo Zheng's eyes made her heart skip violently.
Why was he here?
And with Xixi?
Panic flashed across Liu Xiaoli's face.
Her heel slipped.
Her body tilted sideways.
Fortunately, the man beside her reacted quickly and caught her arm.
"Are you alright, Xiaoli?"
"I'm fine."
Her voice came out too quickly.
She pulled her arm away almost immediately and hurried out of the café.
Not long after, Zhao Benshan appeared with his usual hearty smile.
"Brother Luo, why are you sitting here? I already reserved a table inside."
Luo Zheng casually put away his phone.
He had quietly taken a photo just moments earlier.
A useful piece of evidence.
He smiled faintly.
"Just resting for a bit."
Then he followed Zhao Benshan inside.
As he walked, a rather dangerous thought surfaced in his mind.
When the right time came, that photo might become… extremely useful.
The thought alone almost made him grin.
Once seated, the conversation quickly shifted to business.
Zhao Benshan nearly choked on his water when he heard Luo Zheng's proposal.
"Sino-U.S. co-production?"
He stared in disbelief.
"And you want me to star in an award-contending film?"
His expression was almost comical.
"Brother Luo, don't joke with an old country man like me."
Luo Zheng smiled calmly.
"I'm serious."
"The cooperation is real."
"The film is real."
"What I need to know is whether you have the time."
Zhao Benshan immediately sat up straight.
"I have time!"
His voice rose several degrees.
"I absolutely have time!"
Then, almost afraid Luo Zheng might change his mind, he added quickly,
"I don't even need a salary."
Luo Zheng laughed.
"The salary will be whatever it should be."
Then he reached into his bag and took out a script.
He placed it on the table.
"Take this back and read it first."
Zhao Benshan stared at the script in shock.
"You're just handing this to me?"
"No contract first?"
Luo Zheng leaned back calmly.
"I trust your character."
"We'll sign the contract after I finish talking with China Film Group."
After all, the copyright had already been registered.
There was no need to worry.
Zhao Benshan carefully accepted the script, almost reverently.
Then, unable to resist, he opened it right there and began reading.
The excitement in his eyes was impossible to hide.
The future was beginning to move again.
And this time—
the storm was about to reach the mainland entertainment world.