Mr. Zhou Doesn’t Want to Work Hard Anymore!

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Once you have expectations about something, time flies by. Zhou Chenxi had been rolling and tumbling on the set for over two months, and he was beginning to resemble a piece of coal from all the sun exposure.

Director Luo was always pursuing perfection. Some of the big scenes required outdoor shooting, which was the most costly part of the whole movie production. Director Luo saved these scenes for later, after all the filming in the studio was complete, and the entire crew had to move to the outdoor locations for the final touches.

Between the end of Zhou Chenxi’s studio scenes and the transition to outdoor filming, he returned to participate in his brother’s birthday banquet.

During those days, “Journey of the Immortals” was reaching its exciting climax.

The rights to “Journey of the Immortals” had been purchased by Watermelon TV, and initially, they aired only two episodes per week.

When the show first aired, it didn’t generate much buzz. Gong Rui didn’t follow the idol route, so his character as the male lead didn’t bring much initial attention to the script. However, many fans who had just finished watching “Carp” had nothing to do and decided to check out Zhou Chenxi’s performance on Watermelon TV.

Unexpectedly, as the story progressed, the characters’ personalities and stories gradually unfolded, and everyone began to feel that this drama was exceptionally well-done.

This is the drawback of ensemble dramas; they require a lot of background setup and character development at the beginning. So, a few weeks later, “Journey of the Immortals” started gaining popularity. The rating on a certain website gradually rose from the initial five-point-something to six-point-something, and more viewers began rating the show, pushing the overall score higher.

Because another popular drama was still airing in Watermelon TV’s prime time slot, “Journey of the Immortals” initially aired only two episodes a week as a test. However, viewers quickly grew dissatisfied with this slow pace and surpassed the ratings of the drama about to conclude. Watermelon TV’s official account was flooded daily with fans requesting faster releases.

The demand was so high that Watermelon TV had to release a statement, assuring viewers that once the other drama concluded, “Journey of the Immortals” would be aired on weekends with four episodes per week, during prime time, which finally satisfied the audience.

This level of excitement and enthusiasm continued to rise until Zhou Chenxi’s appearance, which reached its peak.

Zhou Chenxi’s character, Luli, didn’t appear until the sixth episode. He portrayed Luli as a mischievous and endearing character in the beginning, which won the hearts of the viewers. In the later part of the story, Luli went through torment and suffering.

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The storyline of “Journey of the Immortasl” had not yet reached its middle and later stages, and every day, Luli would be seen plucking celestial fruits in the heavenly palace, causing chaos in the celestial garden. Despite this, viewers couldn’t bring themselves to blame him, and some even wished to take him home as a pet.

Watermelon TV’s streaming platform featured trailers for the later episodes of “Journey of the Immortals,” and viewers with VIP access could watch the full trailers for the entire series. VIP viewers saw the full process of Luli’s character development, from “discovering that his beloved mentor was actually his family’s enemy,” to “experiencing the trials of earthly karma, witnessing his beloved Fuzheng’s death in front of him,” “resolving to seek revenge for Fuzheng and the deer clan, clashing with Immortal Flow Sovereign, and ultimately being killed by him with a single strike,” and “showing mercy from the Queen Mother, collecting his soul, and wishing to grant him celestial status, but Luli declined, jumping from the Execution Platform as his soul scattered, following Fuzheng into the fight.”

Originally, Luli’s role didn’t have that many scenes, but Director Qin was so impressed with Zhou Chenxi’s performance that he rewrote the script and added some scenes to make the character more well-rounded.

As a result, Luli became even more heart-wrenching.

As he acted in the later stages of the drama, Zhou Chenxi could only remember that he was spitting blood and crying every day. His eyes swelled up like two large walnuts, requiring several ice packs to reduce the swelling.

Viewers who had watched the trailers experienced an emotional rollercoaster. One moment, they were watching the lively and adorable Little Deer Immortal, and the next moment, they were witnessing him coughing up blood.

One moment, Luli was playfully teasing Immortal Flow Sovereign, and the next moment, he was shedding tears as he was pierced by Immortal Flow Sovereign’s arrow.

Viewers were ecstatic and claimed that they were on the verge of splitting apart emotionally. With topics like “#Luli Crying for the First Time” and “#Luli’s Tearful Scene” constantly trending, discussions about Zhou Chenxi’s performance skyrocketed, sometimes even surpassing the main actor, Gong Rui.

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On the day Zhou Chenxi returned from the filming location, “Journey of the Immortals” had just reached the episode where Luli descended to the mortal world to experience karmic tribulations. After drinking the wine offered by Immortal Flow Sovereign, he turned around, and tears streamed down his face.

Director Qin was very particular about the aesthetics of the shots. He would have the actors perform multiple takes for various angles, and he would choose the most suitable and beautiful one in the end.

Zhou Chenxi’s performance in this particular scene had been repeatedly adjusted and guided by Director Qin. He remembered that he had prepared several different emotions for Qin Dao to choose from and almost couldn’t deliver the scene properly.

Therefore, the success of “Journey of the Immortals” was truly inseparable from Director Qin’s dedication.

On that day, topics like “#Luli Crying#” and “#Luli’s First Tear#” were constantly trending on social media.

Zhou Chenxi had a vague feeling that something was not right as soon as he got off the plane.

In the past, his airport appearances had always been smooth, with at most a few fans recognizing him and asking for autographs. Today, as soon as he stepped off the plane, he felt the arrivals hall was bustling with people.

He even saw people holding up signs with his name on them.

“What’s going on?”

Zhou Chenxi looked around and saw two elderly passengers from his flight peering out into the airport hall.

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One of the elderly ladies said, “Is a big celebrity arriving?”

“It’s Zhou Chenxi,” the elderly man next to her explained knowingly. “You know, the one who plays the little deer immortal in that TV series we watched yesterday. A flight attendant told me he was on our flight, and he was in business class.”

“Where is he?” the elderly lady quickly looked around. “Little deer immortal? Why haven’t I seen him?”

“Don’t bother looking; he’s probably already gone,” the elderly man confidently said. “Big celebrities have their exclusive exit. Let’s go back and watch TV; it’s better than joining the crowd.”

“Yeah,” the two elderly people carried their luggage and left.

Beside them, Zhou Chenxi, the “big celebrity with an exclusive exit,” muttered to himself, “…”

To avoid disturbing the two elderly passengers, Zhou Chenxi had been waiting at the luggage area until they left before taking a step forward.

As he walked, Zhou Chenxi felt a bit uneasy, fearing that there might be a pushing incident later. He wondered if he should call someone to pick him up when his agent, Zhi Qi, called.

“Zhou Chenxi, you’re about to become famous!” Zhi Qi exclaimed as soon as Zhou Chenxi answered the call.

Zhou Chenxi replied seriously, “I know I’m about to become famous. Can you send Xiao Liang to pick me up?”

“Haha, didn’t Xiao Liang prepare a car for you?” Zhi Qi asked. “You’re at H City Airport, right? What happened?”

“I wasn’t planning on having Xiao Liang pick me up, but…” Zhou Chenxi moved the phone away from his ear a bit, “you should listen first.”

The fans outside immediately spotted Zhou Chenxi and started screaming with excitement.

“Ah! Zhou Chenxi!”

“Xi Xi, Mommy loves you!”

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“Xi Xi, look over here!”

Zhou Chenxi moved the phone back to his ear and said, “Did you hear that? I’m already surrounded.”

Zhi Qi asked, puzzled, “What’s going on?” He was completely bewildered.

Zhou Chenxi, equally confused, replied, “How would I know?”

After a moment of mutual confusion, Zhi Qi finally explained, “I was just about to tell you that your search engine popularity index has been skyrocketing, and your Weibo followers have grown incredibly fast. You’re almost at five million followers now. I didn’t expect the fans’ response to be so enthusiastic. They’ve spontaneously organized to pick you up…”

“It’s my fault,” Zhi Qi quickly added. “I’ll immediately send Xiao Liang to pick you up!”

“No need!” Zhou Chenxi suddenly saw Zhao Yi and Qian Er in the crowd and waved at them. “My brother has someone coming to pick me up. I won’t talk to you now; we’ll chat later!”

He hung up the phone.

The two loyal and sturdy bodyguards, Zhao Yi and Qian Er, cleared a path through the crowd and safely escorted Zhou Chenxi out of the airport.

“Xi Xi! I love your portrayal of Luli!” a nearby fan exclaimed.

Zhou Chenxi politely replied, “Thank you.”

“Will Luli die?” another fan asked.

Zhou Chenxi couldn’t answer that one. Spoiling the plot didn’t seem like a good idea.

“Did you just come back from Director Luo’s set? When will ‘Cat Demon Chronicles’ be released?” a fan inquired.

Zhou Chenxi replied, “We haven’t finished filming yet!”

“Can I have an autograph?”

Zhao Yi gruffly interjected, “No, you can’t.”

The fan seemed disappointed.

Zhou Chenxi chimed in, “…”

They were being pretty harsh.

Then, one fan suddenly broke through the crowd, shouting loudly, “Xi Xi, when are you and President Lu getting married?”

Zhou Chenxi exclaimed, “!!!” Astounded!

Zhao Yi, however, calmly advised, “It’s not possible.”

The fan replied, “…”

Zhou Chenxi added, “…”

They were quite stern about it.

Another fan asked, “Tomorrow is Young Master’s birthday. Be careful not to let him hear anything like ‘when are you marrying President Lu,’ or he might get angry.”

Zhou Chenxi sighed, “…”

He didn’t say that, so why did it concern him! QAQ

On the eve of his brother’s birthday, his brother was exceptionally busy, attending meetings in the company without a break. His mother was busy pruning the garden outside, something she always did whenever she had free time because she thought the gardener they hired wasn’t skilled enough. His father had recently become obsessed with building model aircraft carriers and stayed in his study.

Zhou Chenxi wanted to talk to them but couldn’t find the right moment.

Sometimes, Zhou Mingxuan would notice that Zhou Chenxi was feeling awkward and would help by making small talk. But their mother always seemed distant.

As their father had grown older, he had become more mild-mannered, but he still preferred to listen to their mother. So if their mother didn’t want to thaw the ice with Zhou Chenxi, there was little he could do.

This was probably what they called “awkwardness at home.”

Returning to his room, Zhou Chenxi lay on his bed, clutching his new pillow. He picked up his phone and clicked on the default profile picture of Lu Ji.

Zhou Chenxi: 【Lazy Xixi Pats on Lu Ji】

Lu Ji didn’t respond.

This was a new social feature on WeChat.

Lazy Xixi sent a “Cat Peeks” sticker.

After a while, Lu Ji’s chatbox popped up: 【Lu Ji poked “Lazy Xi Xi” on shoulder and said, “If you don’t want to work hard, I’ll support you.”】

Lu Ji: 【…】

Zhou Chenxi: 【Haha! You can use the poke feature too! My brother doesn’t even know how!】

On the other end, Lu Ji’s chat bubble indicated that he was typing. After a moment: 【It’s not difficult; I figured it out. Why, are you bored?】

Zhou Chenxi: 【Yeah, why do you ask? What time are you coming tomorrow? I can’t wait for tomorrow to come! [Cat eagerly anticipates.jpg]】

Lu Ji: 【I’ll arrive after the meeting tomorrow. I’m still in Y city today, and my flight back to H city is at 10 PM.】

Zhou Chenxi rolled over in bed and typed: 【You work so hard! [Shoulder rub.gif]】

Lu Ji smiled, and the clingy Zhou Chenxi began exerting his charm once again.

Lu Ji’s secretary had been reporting work documents to him all this time, but Lu Ji remained composed, listening attentively while quietly texting on his phone. 【Free tonight?】

Zhou Chenxi responded almost immediately: 【Yes! To be honest, I’m feeling quite annoyed! [Droopy bunny ears.jpg]】

Lu Ji imagined Zhou Chenxi looking disheartened and continued to discreetly slack off in front of his secretary’s watchful eyes. He asked, 【”What’s wrong?”】

The chat remained silent for a moment, and Zhou Chenxi sent a voice message directly: 【”Didn’t I tell you about my situation with my parents? They’ve returned from their trip, and they also want to celebrate my brother’s birthday. But I don’t know how to talk to them; it seems like they don’t want to engage with me.”】

Seeing this voice message, Lu Ji stood up.

Secretary: “?”

Lu Ji gestured for her to wait and walked to the window to listen carefully. Afterward, he replied, 【”Have you tried initiating a conversation with them?”】

Lu Ji’s voice was very pleasant, and Zhou Chenxi listened attentively. He replied, 【”No, I haven’t.”】

Lu Ji said, 【”How would you know if you don’t try? Be brave.”】

Lu Ji: 【Lu Ji patted Lazy Chenxi’s shoulder and said, “If you don’t want to work hard, I’ll support you.”】

He was comforting Zhou Chenxi, and Zhou Chenxi responded with a “pat” to indicate that he received the message and would try his best.

However, what happened next surprised him. He saw a message on the screen: 【Lazy Chenxi patted Lu Ji and said, “Sure, I’m willing.”】

Zhou Chenxi: “…”

Lu Ji was quite skilled at flirting!

Zhou Chenxi was startled by the sudden thought that he didn’t want anyone to ask when he and President Lu would get married. It seemed like there was already a budding relationship in his heart!

He realized that he must have been spending too much time on those super topics lately.

He tossed his phone aside, thinking that he needed to control himself and not indulge in those topics.

But he couldn’t help wondering what kind of girl Lu Ji liked.

For some reason, the thought of Lu Ji being with another girl in the future, telling her “It’s okay not to try hard; I’ll support you,” made Zhou Chenxi’s heart ache slightly.

It seemed like he needed to read fewer books like “Dominant CEO and His Contractual Male Wife” in the future!

Author’s Note: Lu Ji’s internet surfing skills are slightly better than his older brother’s.

Thanks to “Fairy Lin Qiao,” “Chubby Yu,” “The Undertaker,” “Potential Suitor for Jian Suiying,” and “Mysterious Passerby” for their support

1TL: YSIAD “You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you ”

1TL: YSIAD “You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you ”