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

Advertisement

The fireworks event hadn’t completely ended, but Zhou Chen had to leave. So, he and Lujin quietly slipped away from the crowd. Fortunately, they were in the farthest corner of the square, making it easier to leave. Many people around the perimeter also realized that the event was ending and anticipated the crowd would be extra packed when it disbanded, so they took advantage of this time to head back.

Zhou Chen walked with Lujin in the sparse, scattered flow of people. He asked, “Are you leaving tomorrow morning?”

Lujin replied, “Yes, I have a flight in the morning, and there are still some things I haven’t finished.”

Zhou Chen felt very disappointed and said, “Oh.”

He had night scenes to film, and he didn’t know when they would finish. Perhaps by the time he was done, Lujin would already be on his way to the airport.

Why couldn’t Lujin stay a bit longer?

Zhou Chen wished he could do what he had said before, give up all his work, and not film the movie, all for Lujin.

However, he knew he couldn’t. Lujin had been working hard, and he couldn’t just give up.

Outside the set, with some time to spare, Zhou Chen stood there to say goodbye to Lujin. He kicked a pebble under his foot and asked, “What did you say earlier in the square? I couldn’t hear it.”

He had a vague idea of what it might be, but he wanted to hear Lujin say it in person.

Lujin teased, “I’ve already said it once. If you didn’t hear it, I won’t say it again.”

Zhou Chen pouted, “Why? Is it something difficult to say?”

Advertisement

Lujin replied, “Yes, it’s something that can only be conveyed through a kiss.”

Zhou Chen blushed instantly.

“You’re so stingy… Well, maybe it’s a good thing I didn’t hear it,” he murmured.

Zhou Chen’s hands were tucked in his pockets, and Lujin noticed that he was feeling cold. Lujin pulled his hands out of his pockets, warming them in his own. He said, “Your clothes are all wet. Make sure to change into dry clothes at the set, have a hot drink, and don’t catch a cold.”

Zhou Chen savored the warmth of his hands.

The time was almost up, and Zhou Chenxi’s phone started ringing. He assumed it was Xiao Liang urging him to return, but he didn’t answer the call. He hung up the phone and said, “I should get going now.”

“Okay,” Lujin stood still, watching him.

Zhou Chenxi grabbed his hand, reluctant to leave, and scratched his palm. “I’m really leaving, you know.”

Advertisement

Lujin smiled and nodded.

With a heavy heart, Zhou Chenxi let go of his hand and quickened his pace, running back to the film set.

Several days of intense shooting had left everyone exhausted. The final days of filming in the city were particularly demanding. However, since his meeting with Lujin on New Year’s Day, Zhou Chenxi had been energized and performed enthusiastically each day. He gleefully checked his phone during breaks and regained his energy when back in front of the camera.

In this way, the originally extended filming schedule in the city was successfully completed, thanks to Zhou Chenxi’s high level of cooperation.

The upcoming shooting schedule in the capital would not be as demanding for Zhou Chenxi. The main scenes would focus on James and Li Pei Ni, giving him some flexibility in his schedule, as well as the opportunity to rest at home.

The day Zhou Chenxi returned home happened to be a Saturday. Zhou Mingxuan rarely left work early, so he was sitting in the living room dealing with work-related emails. When Zhou Chenxi walked in, he immediately noticed something was different about him.

“What’s got you so happy?” Zhou Mingxuan asked.

Zhou Chenxi paused, wondering if he had displayed his happiness so blatantly. After bringing his luggage inside, Zhou Mingxuan came to help. He continued, “Why are you smiling? Did the shoot go well? Did the director praise you?”

Zhou Chenxi instantly shuddered and touched his own face.

“I wasn’t smiling…” Zhou Chenxi replied in a subdued voice. “Did you see wrong, big brother?”

Advertisement

“I saw your tail wagging in the air,” Zhou Mingxuan said, casting a glance at him as he helped move the luggage upstairs.

Zhou Chenxi shivered at the mention of his tail.

There was a full-length mirror in the hallway, and he walked over to it. Indeed, although he hadn’t intentionally smiled, his eyes and lips were curved in a cheerful expression that he couldn’t hide.

Zhou Chenxi quickly relaxed his facial muscles and performed a set of facial relaxation exercises before sitting down with his brother at the dining table.

Zhang Yi served two bowls of dessert, as usual.

While Zhou Mingxuan enjoyed his late-night snack, he said, “You’ve put on some weight, which is just right. In the future, try to avoid roles that could harm your health. We can afford to take care of you at home.”

Zhou Chenxi responded with vague sounds of agreement, clearly not interested in the conversation.

Zhou Mingxuan was used to his brother’s dismissive attitude, knowing that he was unlikely to engage in a meaningful discussion. He sighed in resignation.

After a while, Zhou Chenxi asked, “Have you found out anything about Lujin? How is he doing?”

Lujin hadn’t shared many details about his situation that day. He seemed unwilling to reveal too much, and Zhou Chenxi was largely kept in the dark. Nobody had provided him with a detailed explanation, and he was concerned that Lujin might be facing more challenges than he let on.

Zhou Mingxuan said, “He divided the shares with his family, and after the split, the Lujin Company is solely under his control. He’s detached from the part his father left him, starting anew with the company.”

“So, it’s an internal family division?” Zhou Chenxi asked.

“Of course,” Zhou Mingxuan said, glancing at him. “Although Lujin has control of Lujin Company, he still bears the Lujin family name. His grandfather couldn’t have left everything solely to him; other relatives surely wanted their fair share.”

“That ‘fair share’ might involve some parasitic relatives,” Zhou Mingxuan chuckled. “I heard Lujin has an interesting cousin who likes to use the Lujin name to swindle people and even sponsors minor celebrities…”

Zhou Mingxuan’s expression suddenly changed, and he continued, “You shouldn’t associate with such people.”

Advertisement

Zhou Chenxi nonchalantly replied, “I’m not a fool.”

Besides Lujin, who else could captivate him?

While enjoying his rice dumplings, Zhou Chenxi happily pondered this.

Zhou Mingxuan added, “Now that the company is independent and separate from the original Lujin Group, in the future…”

But Zhou Mingxuan stopped abruptly, his expression frozen.

“What about the future?” Zhou Chenxi asked, puzzled.

“Ahem, ahem, ahem…” Zhou Mingxuan suddenly choked on his food.

He remembered what Lujin had said on his birthday, and it finally hit him. He understood Lujin’s plan!

This guy had been scheming all along, extending his influence to such an extent, and it was all to pursue something devious related to his younger brother!

Zhou Mingxuan lost his appetite and set down his bowl and chopsticks. He said, “I’m done eating. You should rest early.”

After Zhou Mingxuan hastily finished speaking, he hurriedly went upstairs.

Zhou Chenxi absentmindedly scratched his head, puzzled by his brother’s sudden exit.

Back in his room, Zhou Mingxuan took out a business card, which contained Lujin’s contact information. He grabbed his phone and attempted to add Lujin as a WeChat friend.

After a few days of rest at home, Zhou Chenxi was preparing to leave for the capital to continue filming.

“The Legend of the Cat Demon” was ready to start its promotional campaign, with many theaters releasing trailers and posters in advance to build anticipation for the movie’s release during the Chinese New Year holiday season.

Zhou Chenxi took some time to share the newly released trailer for “The Legend of the Cat Demon” directed by Luo, in which he wore a black and gold-trimmed ancient costume. In the trailer, he stood on the rooftop of a palace, and a lifelike black cat appeared at his feet.

Although the black cat was a special effect, it looked exceptionally real.

“Your Majesty,” the small black cat rubbed affectionately against Zhou Chenxi’s leg and stretched lazily, saying, “Little Black is hungry. There’s been a locust plague outside, and the people are dissatisfied with Emperor Huizong. The meows haven’t had anything to eat for days.”

Zhou Chenxi turned his palm over, conjuring a fishbone with a chunk of meat on it. “This is from the palace’s kitchen. Have it for now.”

The little black cat examined the fishbone and rolled on the rooftop. “Meow, meow,” it said, “It’s another fishbone. The meows might choke on it. We encountered a few stray kittens outside who have been eating anything they can find. They’re in bad shape.”

Zhou Chenxi quickly said, “Xuanxi.”

A flash of silver, and a Persian cat with heterochromatic eyes appeared at his side. A captivating female voice spoke, “Your Majesty, what can I do for you?”

“Take the cat clan outside the city to see if the kittens are truly in dire straits. I’ll go to the Three-Li Slope Trail in the east to try my luck. The Xuanwu constellation and auspicious signs are coming from the east. There might be dragon energy around the Three-Li Slope, offering hope to this world.”

With that, he vanished in a flash of golden light, leaving his fans to swoon.

Xuanxi sighed lightly and, along with the little black cat, leaped off the roof, heading toward the outskirts of the city.

In the radiant palace, where music and dance abounded, a deep-voiced narrator began speaking, “In the late years of Emperor Huizong’s reign, famine and hardships plagued the land. The imperial court’s astrologer, Liang Chao, studied the heavens at night and unveiled celestial secrets. He foretold the impending decline of the Great Geng Dynasty. In a desperate act to prove his loyalty, he reported his findings to the Emperor. As a result, Emperor Huizong executed Liang Chao, displaying his head at the Wu Gate as a grim warning to all.”

The camera continually switched between scenes, depicting the end of the Geng Dynasty, where nobles indulged in luxury while the common people suffered.

Then the lighting brightened up, revealing Zhou Chenxi, now transformed into a small cat immortal, dressed in white, timidly hiding and watching Xie Xueyu, who wore opulent court attire.

Xie Xueyu played the role of the queen, who had great affection for the little cat that Emperor Xuanzong, played by Zhu Ming, had once saved.

Because she knew that this cat was a demon, Emperor Xuanzong had a demon-sealing bell created for the cat and hung it around his neck.

The cat, now a cat immortal, was not bound by the demon-sealing bell’s magic but was suppressed in his form. Normally, he could only appear as a half-cat, half-human figure, except when he transformed.

As Queen Xie Xueyu squatted down and extended her hand to Zhou Chenxi, she smiled and said, “Kitty, come here; I have something delicious for you.”

Zhou Chenxi, with special effects on his ears, playfully meowed, transformed back to his original form, and jumped onto the queen’s lap.

This single scene melted the hearts of fans, and they couldn’t contain their excitement, flooding Zhou Chenxi’s Weibo with comments:

– “A chubby orange cat is a cat demon! I’m dying of cuteness! Big orange has taken my heart, it seems my allegiance to Geng is doomed!”
– “Zhou Kitty, come here; Mommy wants to feed you some little fish crackers! ”
– “Zhou Kitty is unbelievably adorable! Although I’m partial to my own Calico, under Director Luo’s camera, Zhou Kitty is more vibrant. Thanks to Director Luo!”
– “Can’t wait for the Chinese New Year release; I’m taking my whole family to watch!”

Many people retweeted the comments, expressing their excitement.

Zhou Chenxi was elated and packed his belongings to head to the capital.

Meanwhile, Lujin had been busy for several days when he unexpectedly received a friend request on WeChat, and the contact name was Zhou Mingxuan.

Lujin approved the request.

Half an hour later, Zhou Mingxuan sent a message: “Hehe. ”

Lujin: “…”

During their previous conversation at Zhou’s house, Lujin had found Zhou Mingxuan to be a decent person, someone who genuinely cared about Zhou Chenxi. He couldn’t understand why Zhou Mingxuan’s tone in this WeChat message suddenly became less friendly.

What’s going on with this big brother-in-law? Did I offend him at some point? Lujin stared at the message “Hehe” and the [smiling] emoji that seemed to carry a hint of sarcasm, suddenly finding this situation a bit tricky.

Author’s note: Bro: Using my internet surfing skills to counterattack the person surnamed Lu.

Special thanks to “Tianliao” for the thunder!

And thanks to “hhhhhaixiao,” “Money Money,” and “Little Friend” for the nutrients!

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 ️”