MTL - 33

I always can’t help but be curious—what does Tang Yu’s 10/10 affection look like?

It should be deep love, right?

— The Diary of a Little Rich Girl

When Tang Xin heard that voice, her entire body froze.

Her back was tightly pressed against the man’s firm chest, the back of her head resting against his neck. That familiar, low voice was right by her ear, piercing through her eardrums and straight into the depths of her heart. All around her was the man’s crisp, clean scent.

And let’s not forget—his hand was resting on her exposed, flat abdomen, gripping her waist firmly.

Tang Xin felt as though Tang Yu’s hand was scorching hot. Was it the alcohol talking, or was it pure infatuation? Just the simple touch of his hand against her waist made her feel like she was about to melt into a puddle. She stiffly tilted her head to look up at him.

Her cheek brushed against the collarbone beneath his open shirt, and for a moment, she froze.

Tang Yu’s fingers, which were curled around her waist, moved slightly. The sensation under his palm was smooth and silky, like milk, and the faint scent of alcohol wafted from her. He lowered his head, staring directly at her.

The night breeze drifted lazily, carrying with it an intoxicating air that made one’s heart sway.

Unfortunately, an oblivious little lamb stumbled over, breaking the atmosphere.

Tang Yu glanced sideways, raised his other hand, and pressed it against Tang Ting’s shoulder, pinning her in place.

Tang Ting looked pitifully up at him: “Brother…”

When Tang Xin heard Tang Ting’s voice, she snapped back to reality. This big jerk Tang Yu didn’t even like her five out of ten, yet he dared to hold her? Touch her waist? What was the difference between him and the pervert who had groped her in the dance floor earlier?

None!

All thoughts of fluttering hearts and emotional ripples vanished instantly.

Anger surged within her, rushing straight to her brain.

Suddenly, she broke free from his embrace and turned to deliver a forceful kick to his suit pants.

Caught off guard, Tang Yu managed to steady himself without stepping back, but his entire body visibly stiffened. He blankly glanced down at the gray footprint on his pants, then looked up at her. The softness in his heart had been completely kicked away.

He frowned at her, his voice cold: “Tang Xin, have you lost your mind?”

So he still had the nerve to call her crazy?

Tang Xin glared at him furiously: “You’re the one who’s lost it! Not only are you insane, but you’re also sick!”

In an instant—

Tang Yu’s face darkened completely.

You Huan watched the drama unfold for half a minute with great interest. Calmly, she stepped forward, pulled the stunned Tang Ting over, and let her lean on her shoulder, patting her head: “Come here, sweetie. Stay with Sister Huan.”

By now, Tang Ting had sobered up quite a bit after witnessing Tang Xin’s sudden move. She stared blankly at her brother’s blackened expression.

When had Tang Yu ever been hit or kicked by a woman? He stared intensely at the defiant young girl glaring back at him, his gaze icy enough to freeze her solid. Irritated, he pressed his dry lips together, tilted his head slightly, and turned his face away, taking a deep breath.

Damn it, she was driving him crazy.

“I’ll tell you, Tang Yu,” Tang Xin said angrily, fearlessly meeting his gaze, “a pervert touched my waist in the bar just now, and I kicked him. You touched me too. Don’t think you’re an exception just because you’re my ex-boss or because you’re handsome. Everyone gets treated equally.”

“…”

Tang Yu paused, his gaze falling on her delicate waist. He narrowed his eyes: “Who touched you?”

Tang Xin snorted: “The same kind of pervert as you!”

Tang Yu: “...”

She actually compared him to those men who preyed on women in bars?

People were constantly coming and going at the bar entrance. At first, no one paid much attention—they just thought these people looked striking and glanced a few times. But as they continued to watch, something seemed off. That man in the white shirt and black trousers looked strangely familiar…

Realizing the situation was turning unfavorable, You Huan quickly pushed Tang Ting aside.

Tang Ting stumbled into Tang Yu again, just as their designated driver arrived. You Huan said: “Alright, let’s go. It’s not a good look to stay here and be gawked at.”

If Tang Yu were recognized and someone captured the scene on camera, it would make for quite the spectacle.

This time, Tang Xin had truly delivered a blow to that pig-headed man.

Suppressing his anger, Tang Yu cast a cold, emotionless glance at Tang Xin, then looked at Tang Ting, who had sobered up significantly. Hands in his pockets, he icily dropped a single word: “Let’s go.”

The man turned around mercilessly and strode away with long steps.

Tang Ting looked at Tang Xin with a complex expression, then glanced back at her brother, who was already several meters away. Before she could ask anything, she stomped her foot in frustration: “I’m leaving first…”

You Huan waved her hand: “Go ahead, be good.”

Tang Ting hurriedly chased after him: “Brother, wait for me…”

Tang Yu slowed his pace, waiting for her.

Once they were out of sight, You Huan came over and pinched Tang Xin’s cheek, praising her: “Not bad. Tang Yu has probably never been kicked by a woman before. Even if he doesn’t end up with you, he’ll never forget you for the rest of his life.”

She recalled Tang Yu’s darkened expression earlier—he had clearly been furious but still managed to restrain himself.

It didn’t seem like he was completely indifferent to Tang Xin…

Tang Xin deflated, pulling You Huan’s hand closer and leaning in to whisper: “Sister Huan, what do you think Tang Yu’s four-point affection means?”

The designated driver stood by their car, waiting.

You Huan dragged her toward the car, unapologetically blunt: “A spare tire.”

Tang Xin: “...”

That stung.

You Huan glanced down at her, her tone softening: “Do you want to cry?”

Tang Xin huffed: “No.”

If she wanted to cry, she’d do it secretly at home. Crying in public would be way too embarrassing.

You Huan nodded, shoved her into the car, and seeing she was still relatively sober, gave the designated driver a few instructions. Leaning on the passenger-side window, she patted Tang Xin’s face: “I’m leaving. If you’re unhappy, come to the shop and take it out on the little lamb.”

Tang Xin leaned back in her seat and sighed: “Even the best little lamb won’t let me fleece her anymore.”

Tang Ting was now extremely wary of her, refusing to let her take advantage even if she had money.

You Huan chuckled: “I’m leaving.”

After Tang Yu and Tang Ting got into the car, they didn’t leave immediately.

Tang Ting buckled her seatbelt, still somewhat dazed from the alcohol. After waiting for a long while without the car moving, she grew nervous and afraid, peeking at Tang Yu and timidly asking: “Brother, are you alright?”

Tang Yu lounged back in his seat, indifferently glancing at the rearview mirror, watching You Huan shove Tang Xin into the car. Only when the white car slowly pulled out of its parking spot and disappeared around the corner did he turn to Tang Ting, his tone devoid of emotion: “What could possibly be wrong with me?”

“Tang Xin kicked you just now.”

“Mhm.”

Tang Yu responded indifferently and drove off.

Tang Ting: “...”

Was that it?

Her head was spinning, emboldening her. She twisted her body to look at him: “Brother, did you do something to upset Tang Xin?”

Tang Yu’s hands rested loosely on the steering wheel, his gaze stern as he stared straight ahead: “No.”

Tang Ting: “... You’re not telling me.”

Don’t think she was a naive child who could be easily fooled—something must’ve happened!

She’d ask Tang Xin another day.

She snorted, turned her face toward the window, and decided to ignore him. Closing her eyes, the effects of the alcohol returned, and she drifted off into a daze—

Tang Yu casually asked: “Did someone grope Tang Xin earlier?”

Tang Ting mumbled sleepily: “Ah, I think so, but she kicked him…”

Apparently, the guy had also tried to take advantage of You Huan, but she deliberately lured him into the women’s restroom, where several girls beat him up, drawing blood from his nose.

Tang Yu’s long fingers tapped rhythmically on the steering wheel. Most of the anger from being kicked by that girl had already dissipated.

He absentmindedly thought to himself—it wasn’t a bad thing for her to be feisty. She wouldn’t get bullied when she went out.

That night, he stayed at Tang’s house.

The next day happened to be the weekend. Tang Yu didn’t go to the office. Tang Ting woke up close to noon and nearly jumped out of her skin when she spotted the man sitting in the living room downstairs. She hesitantly called out: “Brother…”

Tang Yu had a laptop resting on his lap. He glanced up from the screen and looked at Tang Ting: “Stop thinking about Huo Chendong. You can’t handle him.”

Huo Chendong was the type of person who wouldn’t change his promiscuous ways unless he suffered a major setback.

Little lamb Tang Ting was no match for him—she couldn’t play his games.

Though Tang Yu and Huo Chendong were brothers, Tang Yu only had one sister. He would rather keep her locked away at home forever than let Huo Chendong ruin her. And Huo Chendong, mindful of their relationship and the bond between their families, wouldn’t dare touch her either.

Tang Ting met his icy gaze, lowering her head and avoiding eye contact.

She muttered softly: “I didn’t do anything…”

“If you dare do anything, I’ll break your legs.”

“…”

Tang Ting nodded reluctantly, reluctantly acknowledging his words. She turned and headed to the kitchen to find something to eat.

Halfway there, she suddenly remembered something and stopped in her tracks.

She turned her head to look at the man typing away and blinked, confused: “Brother, did Tang Xin really kick you last night, or was I dreaming?”

Tang Yu’s hands froze momentarily. Without looking up, he coldly replied: “You were dreaming. Go eat your breakfast.”

Tang Ting muttered to herself: “Was I?” She tapped her forehead, puzzled, and walked toward the dining room.

It all felt so real—it didn’t seem like a dream at all.

In the afternoon, she sent Tang Xin a WeChat message: “Tang Xin, did you really kick my brother last night?”

Little Rich Girl: “Guess.”

Tang Ting: “...”

...

A few days later, Tang Xin stuffed her computer, notebook charger, and other essentials into her bag. Laden with her things, she went downstairs, got into her car, and drove to Lu Zhixing’s studio.

Lu Zhixing’s studio wasn’t far from where she lived—it was in the opposite direction of Shiguang Pictures, with her home conveniently situated in the middle. This was her first visit to Lu Zhixing’s studio and also her first job change in three or four years since graduating. Facing a new environment, she was both nervous and excited.

As soon as she turned into the street, she saw Lu Zhixing’s tall figure standing by the roadside, hands in his pockets, lazily waving at her car.

Tang Xin pulled up beside him, rolled down her window, and smiled brightly: “Director Lu, good morning.”

Lu Zhixing gave a relaxed smile: “Morning.”

“Why are you here?”

“I was worried you’d have trouble finding a parking spot.” Lu Zhixing had just arrived himself and decided to wait for her to avoid any confusion. He pointed to a nearby parking space: “Just find a spot and park.”

Tang Xin smiled gratefully: “Okay.”

After parking her car, she grabbed her bag and hurried over to Lu Zhixing.

The young woman’s fair skin glowed radiantly in the morning light. As she approached him, she smiled: “Let’s go.”

Lu Zhixing chuckled, turned, and led the way. Glancing at her sideways, he joked casually: “The studio isn’t very big compared to Shiguang, but it’s fully equipped despite its size. Don’t judge it harshly, okay?”

Tang Xin quickly replied: “How could I judge it? The size of the studio doesn’t matter—it’s the capable people inside that count.”

Though she hadn’t visited Lu Zhixing’s studio before, she had heard about it. There weren’t many staff members, but each one was sharp and competent, which explained why everything ran smoothly. However, aside from making movies, Lu Zhixing didn’t have much ambition to expand into other ventures.

Lu Zhixing guided her through two turns past the greenery and stopped in front of an office building. They entered the elevator, and he pressed the button for the eighth floor.

Tang Xin glanced at him, puzzled: “I remember you just wrapped up a project recently. Did you manage to free up time so quickly?”

Lu Zhixing paused upon hearing this, leaning half his body against the elevator wall, his gaze fixed on the changing red numbers. He chuckled: “There were some new regulations recently. That film can’t be released domestically, so we’ll put it aside for now and focus on editing it gradually.”

That film was a work featuring same-sex themes—a borderline case that couldn’t be shown domestically. It might be submitted to international festivals or competitions in Taiwan and Hong Kong later.

It was also one of Lu Zhixing’s most rebellious works during his peak rebellious phase.

Every director, author, screenwriter, and artist encounters a creative bottleneck at some point.

Lu Zhixing had experienced poverty in his early years but became famous at a young age in the directing world, winning several awards. However, he eventually hit a creative block—a challenging period. During this time, he allowed himself to boldly shoot a film with a same-sex theme.

After completing that film, he felt empty, unable to find a sense of value. Eager to create something commercially viable, he sought to make another movie.

But he was picky—films others had made extensively didn’t interest him.

Tang Xin was surprised: “No wonder I haven’t seen any promotions for it.”

Ding—

The elevator doors opened. Lu Zhixing glanced at her, straightened up, and walked out, saying: “Such films aren’t suitable for heavy promotion. But our new film is doing well, trending multiple times online even before production begins.”

As he spoke, they reached the door.

A group of people swept their gazes over simultaneously.

“Director Lu,啧啧啧, you even personally went to greet someone? No wonder I saw you park earlier but didn’t see you come upstairs for a long time.”

Someone teased, their eyes darting to Tang Xin behind Lu Zhixing.

Tang Xin felt awkward as everyone stood up and stared at her like spectators at a zoo.

Lu Zhixing stood at the front, clapping his hands: “Come on, everyone, welcome Tang Xin.”

The group burst into applause: “Welcome, Tang Xin. We’re counting on you to lead us to success.”

Tang Xin: “...”

She awkwardly glanced at Lu Zhixing, who was smiling broadly, and blinked: “Isn’t Director Lu supposed to lead us?”

Lu Zhixing leaned against a desk, accepting breakfast handed to him by a staff member. Opening the container, he picked up a fried dumpling with chopsticks, popped it into his mouth, and smiled at Tang Xin: “I’ve failed with two films already, so they’ve lost faith in me. After reading your book, everyone thinks it’s good and interesting.”

Of course, there were dissenting opinions.

But they were in the minority. Most people found it feasible.

After all, Lu Zhixing was the boss. Once he decided on something, opposition was futile unless someone wanted to quit.

Tang Xin noticed that almost everyone’s desk had a copy of Dreaming For You , all the new edition.

Feeling flattered, she looked around at everyone, smiled shyly, and said confidently: “I’ll do my best to cooperate with everyone and make the script work. Any problems we’ll solve together, striving to make this movie a hit.”

Feng Cheng walked over and smiled at her: “

Nice to work with you.”

Tang Xin recognized a familiar face and felt reassured. She smiled happily: “Nice to work with you too.”

After a while, Lu Zhixing led Tang Xin into the conference room.

As soon as they left, whispers broke out outside: “Do you think this will really work? She looks so young and doesn’t seem to have much experience.”

“I feel uneasy about it. Isn’t Director Lu taking a big risk this time?”

“Tang Xin does look young, but shouldn’t we give her a chance? After all, she has a best-selling book.”

A young man placed his copy of the book on the table: “Best-seller? This is more like a blockbuster. Recently, this book has ranked first on major sales websites.”

All thanks to Tang Yu’s free advertising.

Tang Xin’s book had indeed become a blockbuster again.

Inside the conference room, Lu Zhixing personally introduced her to the core members of the project team. The main screenwriters were Feng Cheng and Wan Li; she was considered a secondary screenwriter, though she held the advantage of being the original author compared to the other supporting writers.

Tang Xin asked curiously: “Isn’t there another screenwriter?”

She remembered that Lu Zhixing’s collaborative writing team consisted of two people—Feng Cheng and Wan Li.

The industry jokingly referred to them as “Feng Cheng Wan Li,” suggesting that with their combined talents, Lu Zhixing would continue to win awards.

Lu Zhixing’s expression turned slightly serious: “He was diagnosed with stomach cancer during the May Day holiday and is currently hospitalized for treatment. He won’t be able to participate in this project.”

Tang Xin was taken aback and softly asked: “Is he alright?”

“He was diagnosed early, so the situation isn’t too bad, but he needs surgery.” Lu Zhixing didn’t dwell on the matter. He glanced at her and smiled: “So, we’ll need to adjust the contract. Is that okay with you, Tang Xin?”

“Am I… getting a promotion?” she asked uncertainly.

“Yes.” Lu Zhixing leaned both hands on the table, bending slightly forward. He scanned the room, then looked at her: “You’re the original author. Want to give it a try?”

Tang Xin took a deep breath, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him. The next moment, she broke into a radiant smile: “Alright.”

Lu Zhixing straightened up and smirked: “I’ll treat everyone tonight to celebrate the official formation of the project team.”

Feng Cheng, sitting in the front row, couldn’t resist chiming in: “Whenever we ask you to treat us, you always say—save your money; making movies isn’t cheap. You’re such a miser. But now that Tang Xin is here, you’re treating us? Favoritism doesn’t look good, Director Lu.”

Lu Zhixing responded indifferently: “Well, do you want to treat us instead?”

Feng Cheng: “... Get lost.”

Everyone burst into laughter.

Tang Xin blinked: “Or should I treat everyone?”

Lu Zhixing laughed: “Forget it. How could we possibly let you pay? Don’t worry, we’re not that poor.”

…

At Shiguang Pictures.

Tang Yu was holding the data report handed to him by Gao Heng. As he flipped through it, Gao Heng stood in front of him, giving a brief summary: “Director Lu Zhixing’s previous film on same-sex themes was an adventurous move. No one invested in it, so he funded it himself. But since the film can’t be released, it’s likely all for nothing. His funds are probably tight now, so the new film will definitely require investment.”

He adjusted his glasses and cautiously asked: “Boss Tang, are you considering investing?”

________________________________________

Author’s Note:

Little Boss Tang: Report domestic violence, make her take responsibility for me.

Little Rich Girl: Go away (ノ｀Д)ノ

Little Lamb Ting Ting, you’re not dreaming—it really happened. Your brother got beaten up.

In this chapter, Little Boss Tang thought he was embracing his future wife, feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, only to be brutally kicked by Little Rich Girl. What a hilariously unconventional way to flirt! →_→ Tang Yu is probably torn between love and frustration right now~