The man's cool fingertips made Lin Xingwan tremble unconsciously.
But the hand covering the back of her head showed no sign of loosening.
This uncomfortable feeling disappeared when Zhou Jinbai's palm rested on her waist.
The tacit understanding between them was as exhilarating as the joy of fish and water.
However, good times were short-lived. This lingering, passionate kiss, which hadn't lasted even a minute, was interrupted by an old but angry voice.
"Who's in there? Stealing in broad daylight? How dare you!"
Lin Xingwan, like a startled rabbit, somehow found the strength to push Zhou Jinbai away.
She hastily wiped her mouth, quickly tidied her disheveled clothes, and neatly buttoned up the front of her blouse.
As soon as she finished, an old man in a security uniform appeared before them.
"Who are you? What are you doing hiding here in broad daylight?" The security guard looked at Lin Xingwan and Zhou Jinbai with great vigilance. Judging by their attire, they didn't seem like people who couldn't afford a room and were here to satisfy their physical needs.
"We were looking for someone. We didn't expect to come here and find it empty," Zhou Jinbai explained, his expression calm. He then turned the question to the guard, "Old man, do you know where the people from this company went?"
Upon hearing this, the security guard's face lit up with gossip. "The people from this company left half a year ago. It's quite a sad story. Top Entertainment was once the most famous company in this building. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they made a fortune every day. Who would have thought that due to the boss's wrong decisions, the company became heavily indebted, with debt collectors showing up frequently? The company sold off various assets, and the celebrities left. Only three old, weak, and disabled people remained, unable to even pay rent."
"Old, weak, and disabled?" Lin Xingwan frowned, a vague sense of foreboding rising in her heart.
"Yes, an old man who can't lift anything, his ten-year-old daughter, and a seventeen or eighteen-year-old youth who always seemed to be injured whenever I saw him. When the old man was healthy, he could still work to pay rent. But later, his health deteriorated, and his mental state wasn't good. It's a pity for his daughter, who is only ten years old..."
The security guard's words made Lin Xingwan feel very depressed.
"Old man, do you know where this elderly gentleman is now?"
"Of course, I do." The security guard gave Lin Xingwan the address where they were staying.
No matter what, Lin Xingwan had to meet this elderly gentleman.
Twenty minutes later, in a narrow alley, Lin Xingwan and Zhou Jinbai stood before a dilapidated wooden door.
Through the cracked gap in the door, Lin Xingwan could see a frighteningly thin old man holding a ruler, hitting the palm of a little girl.
"How many times have I told you, dot, stroke, turn, vertical, hook, flick, left-falling, right-falling – each stroke must be practiced correctly. If you don't endure the hardship of practice now, you'll have to endure the hardship of life later." After the old man finished speaking, he coughed violently. The girl, who was in a horse stance, looked at her father with great concern but dared not move.
"Ranran knows she was wrong, Daddy, don't be angry." The little girl's eyes were tearful, and her voice was pitiful.
This scene reminded Lin Xingwan of her deceased mother.
Her mother loved her dearly, but when she was playful and didn't complete the tasks her mother assigned, her mother would educate her sternly.
Lin Xingwan once felt her mother was too strict with her, but the older she got, the more she understood that her mother's harshness was to prevent her from making the same mistakes her mother had made and suffering less hardship.
The old man before her gave Lin Xingwan the same feeling.
A parent who loves their child plans for their future.
Knock, knock, knock—
Knock, knock, knock—
Lin Xingwan knocked on the dilapidated wooden door. Both the old man and the little girl turned their gaze towards the door, where no one had been seen for more than ten days.
Soon, the old man opened the door. Upon seeing the strikingly beautiful couple before him, like radiant pearls, the old man tentatively asked, "Are you... President Lin Xingwan?"
"Elder, you recognize me?"
Lin Xingwan was surprised because she had no impression of this old man.
The old man nodded repeatedly, "Of course, I recognize you. I've been at Top Entertainment for over twenty years, and I remember everyone in the company. However, I was just an insignificant little star, so it's normal that you don't remember me."
After speaking, he introduced himself, "My name is Ye Zong, and this is my daughter, Ye Ranran."
"Hello, beautiful sister, hello, handsome brother," Ye Ranran greeted them politely and gracefully.
"Go wash some apples," Ye Zong said.
Ye Ranran quickly nodded and ran towards the kitchen with light steps.
Ye Zong welcomed Lin Xingwan and Zhou Jinbai into the living room. There was a small table with long wooden chairs on both sides. The walls were covered with posters of various martial arts stars.
Next to the television, a yellowed portrait was displayed, showing a man in a dancing pose.
Ye Zong's face was filled with confusion. "I wonder what brings President Lin to see me?"
Lin Xingwan didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the point. "I've come to talk to you about work. I understand that Top Entertainment hasn't paid you for over two years. During these two years, you not only didn't leave Top Entertainment but also used your savings to pay the company's rent. I will transfer the wages the company owes you, as well as the money you paid for the company, to your account."
Ye Zong looked astonished, but Lin Xingwan continued, "From today onwards, I am the person in charge of Top Entertainment. If you wish to leave Top Entertainment, I will give you an additional two hundred thousand yuan. If you wish to continue staying at Top Entertainment, I would like to sign a new contract with you."
"Isn't Top Entertainment gone?" Ye Zong murmured, his expression lost.
"No, it has only been resting for a few years. The Top Entertainment of the future will surpass its past glory," Zhou Jinbai, who had been silent, said to Ye Zong with certainty.
"I don't want to leave Top Entertainment, but I'm over fifty now. For an actor, once their prime is over, there's no hope." Ye Zong's eyes were full of reluctance. In just a few seconds, he thought of his vibrant sixteen or seventeen years and his current struggle at over fifty. "Time wears away my youthful ambition, and the coldness of time extinguishes my heroic dreams. I have neither the talent nor the资格 to continue being an actor."
"An old steed in the stable still aspires to gallop a thousand miles; heroic dreams are always present, but youthful ambition is hard to come by," Lin Xingwan immediately retorted.
Ye Zong looked at the girl before him in shock. Despite the decades separating them, he felt as if he were seeing the woman from Top Entertainment who had once commanded willing respect.
She seemed to shine, illuminating their dark path.
The glory of Top Entertainment seemed to reappear before him. His voice carried a hint of excitement, "The flowing water before the gate can still flow westward! President Lin, I want to continue to stay at Top Entertainment."
"Daddy, I've washed the apples," Ye Ranran came in with a plate of apples, picking out two nice ones. "Beautiful sister, handsome brother, these apples are very sweet. Would you like to try one?"
Lin Xingwan then carefully observed Ye Ranran. Her brows revealed a sense of intelligence and spirit, completely outshining the child stars she had seen.
She took an apple and immediately said, "I would also like to sign a new contract with your daughter!"
...
After handling the matters with Ye Zong and Ye Ranran, Lin Xingwan transferred the wages owed to Ye Zong and his daughter by Top Entertainment before leaving, so that Ye Zong would have money for medical treatment.
For the next three days, she was busy with Top Entertainment matters.
Ge Xuan Temple's health had greatly improved, and several small companies wanted to cooperate with Ge Xuan Temple.
Lin Xingwan negotiated two brand endorsements for Ge Xuan Temple, and Ge Xuan Temple began to return to work.
As for Ye Zong and Ye Ranran, Lin Xingwan temporarily asked them to wait at home for notification.
The biggest problem that had been bothering Lin Xingwan was the selection of a site for the new company.
As Lin Xingwan sighed for the ninety-ninth time, Zhou Jinbai took off his apron and hugged her from behind the sofa.
"If you keep sighing, you'll get old," the man said, his face close to Lin Xingwan's, his movements very intimate.
They hadn't told Zhou Jinbai's grandmother about their marriage yet. Moreover, Zhou Jinbai had been leaving at night and coming back in the morning to cook for Lin Xingwan and clean the house for these three days.
Apart from not taking the final step, they were no different from a normal married couple.
In fact, when Lin Xingwan encountered many problems, Zhou Jinbai would handle them with ease.
Lin Xingwan loved this feeling so much that she selfishly wished Zhou Jinbai wouldn't look for a job and would maintain this state: she would be the breadwinner, and he would manage the household, being her capable assistant!
She wanted to earn money to support this man!
"It's so annoying. I've looked at so many houses, but there isn't one I like," Lin Xingwan said, on the verge of collapse. Zhou Jinbai then pinched her face, forcing her to turn around.
The next second, Zhou Jinbai kissed Lin Xingwan's lips. In the quiet apartment, there was nothing but their ragged breaths and the sounds of their kiss.
Lin Xingwan's frustration turned into passionate desire.
The man who had been behind the sofa, at some point, had replaced Lin Xingwan's position, pulling her onto his lap and holding her in his arms, kissing her wantonly.
Lin Xingwan tilted her head back, her waist-length hair cascading like a waterfall onto the sofa. The man's kisses traveled from her forehead down to her collarbone. She felt that even the sounds she hummed were soft and delicate.
Zhou Jinbai stopped kissing and held Lin Xingwan tightly. "Don't call out like that."
It was simply unbearable...
Lin Xingwan could clearly feel the man's arousal. She rubbed her soft body against him in his arms.
"Do you think that because I said I wouldn't touch you, you don't consider me a man anymore, hmm?" Zhou Jinbai's tone was full of threat.
He pressed his nose against her fragrant hair, sniffing it like a doting lover.
Lin Xingwan pinched the man's firm waist. "You dare!"
This look was exactly like a newborn kitten hissing at someone, completely lacking any deterrent effect on Zhou Jinbai.
"You've gotten so bold, then let's try it," Zhou Jinbai said, then directly picked Lin Xingwan up from the sofa and walked towards her bedroom.