PTBLSI chapter 58

 

Qi Xi and Cheng Shu agreed to meet at a cafe on the commercial street. When he went downstairs, the driver was still waiting for him in the garage, so he asked the driver to take him there.

Cheng Shu and Bai Peiyong arrived first and chose a window seat to wait for Qi Xi. It was the first time Qi Xi had been in this situation alone. As soon as he walked in and saw Bai Peiyong waving at him, he became nervous and wanted to run away.

“You’re going to scare him off!”

Cheng Shu scolded Bai Peiyong in a low voice. Bai Peiyong looked like he was about to spread his feathers like a peacock. Then he stood up and called out to Qi Xi from a distance: “Qi Xi, over here.”

Thinking of Fu Yanchuan, Qi Xi lifted his foot and walked over. Before coming, Cheng Shu had told him that Bai Peiyong would also be there because he was the investor of the animation. However, Qi Xi still disliked him very much.

When he reached the table, he bowed to Cheng Shu. “Hello, nice to meet you.”

Hearing such a stiff greeting, Cheng Shu almost laughed but held it in. “Don’t be nervous. Although our ages might not be very appropriate, just treat us as friends. What would you like to drink?”

Qi Xi nodded, sat down on the other side of the booth, clasped his hands tightly on the table, and answered, “Milk tea.”

Cheng Shu had wanted Qi Xi to order it himself, but after he said it, Qi Xi didn’t move anymore. Cheng Shu had no choice but to look at the menu. “It seems they don’t have milk tea here. Is a brown sugar latte okay? It should be similar to milk tea, though I haven’t tried it myself.”

Qi Xi nodded again. Cheng Shu felt like he was looking after a child, for some reason. He ordered with his phone, then finally looked at him properly.

Qi Xi looked over with an expression as if he were facing death and asked, “Before we talk, shouldn’t we first agree on the conditions?”

Cheng Shu had never heard an opening like this before and didn’t know how to respond. He asked curiously, “What conditions do you have?”

Qi Xi didn’t actually know what conditions to discuss, but he vaguely remembered some of the things Fu Yanchuan had told him. In short, he didn’t want to suffer a loss.

Imitating Fu Yanchuan, Qi Xi stiffened his neck and replied, “First, we need to agree on where the animation will be made, when it will be finished, how you’re supposed to draw it, how the payment will be handled after it’s done, and whose responsibility it is if something goes wrong. All of that needs to be made clear first.”

Bai Peiyong pretended to drink coffee, but he couldn’t help but laugh once.

Cheng Shu shot him a look and said, “These things do need to be clarified, but the project team is still being set up, so I can’t tell you exactly when it’ll be finished. As for the location, I have an office. Of course, you don’t have to draw in the office if you don’t want to. We can discuss payment when we sign the contract.”

“Oh.”

Qi Xi replied with a single word and fell silent. He wasn’t sure if there was anything wrong with what Cheng Shu said, so he didn’t know how to respond.

At that moment, Cheng Shu understood what Bai Peiyong meant when he said that Qi Xi lacked confidence. From his perspective, however, he felt that Qi Xi was pure—something even rarer than artistic talent. In other words, he was untainted by worldly things.

The existence of such a person is contradictory to society because humans are social creatures. Once people live together in groups, all kinds of interests inevitably become entangled, and no one can completely escape it.

This wasn’t necessarily a good thing or a bad thing. The difference lay in whether someone could protect him and keep him pure forever.

With this in mind, Cheng Shu spoke to Qi Xi with extra patience. “Do you know how animations are made?”

“Is it drawing every movement? I’ve drawn it for fun when I’m bored. Would you like to see them?”

Qi Xi finally managed to respond properly. He quietly let out a breath and hurriedly took his sketchbook out of his backpack. “It’s the one in the corner.”

Cheng Shu took the sketchbook and immediately understood when he opened it. He quickly flipped one corner of the book, and the little figure inside started to move. Though they were just sketches, the lines of the movements and backgrounds were smooth, with a tension that made it seem as if they were about to leap off the page.

He had originally thought that Qi Xi might not be suited for animating. Now, he felt like he had discovered a treasure, and he was amazed by Qi Xi’s talent.

Qi Xi thought his drawings weren’t good. Looking at Cheng Shu, he nervously asked, “Did I draw it badly?”

Cheng Shu closed the sketchbook and returned it to Qi Xi, saying solemnly, “Teacher Qi Xi, please join our project. I guarantee I’ll write a story that best fits your drawing style.”

In his office, Fu Yanchuan received a call from the driver who had picked up Qi Xi. He hadn’t deliberately wanted to control where Qi Xi went, but he had told the driver to call and inform him if Qi Xi went somewhere he didn’t usually go or met people he didn’t know.

The driver said, “One of the people he met had previously harassed him at school. His surname seems to be Bai.”

Fu Yanchuan hung up the phone, picked up his unfinished work, and went to find Qi Xi. Along the way, he focused on the things in his hands. It wasn’t until the car arrived at the café that he put them down, got out, and went inside.

As soon as he walked in, he saw Qi Xi. However, Qi Xi had his back to Fu Yanchuan and didn’t notice his arrival. As Fu Yanchuan got closer, he stopped suddenly and quietly looked at Qi Xi.

Qi Xi was chatting animatedly with the people across from him. He was clearly interested in what they were talking about; his eyes overflowed with brilliance.

After pausing for a moment, Fu Yanchuan decided not to disturb him. He turned around and sat down behind Qi Xi, listening to their conversation over the back of the booth. When he heard them talking about animation, he understood why Qi Xi had mentioned wanting to do animation at noon.

In the end, Qi Xi was completely persuaded and blurted out, “Director Cheng, I want to join! Even if there’s no payment, I—”

“Qi Xi.”

Fu Yanchuan stood up and interrupted Qi Xi. He didn’t care how much Qi Xi would be paid, but he didn’t want him to degrade himself like that. He wanted Qi Xi to understand his own worth and how worthy he was of others lowering their heads to ask him.

“Brother Yan, why are you here?”

Qi Xi was extremely surprised to see him. Fu Yanchuan turned and sat down beside him naturally, holding his hand.

Cheng Shu was also surprised. He was familiar with Fu Yanchuan—anyone involved in business knew of him—but he hadn’t expected him to appear so suddenly. He also didn’t know when Fu Yanchuan had arrived. Judging from Qi Xi’s reaction, it seemed that he didn’t know Fu Yanchuan was here either.

He took a deep breath and greeted him. “President Fu, hello.”

Fu Yanchuan didn’t look at Cheng Shu. He stared at Qi Xi, looking him over. “That happy?”

“Yes, Brother Yan. I’m going to work on an animation with Director Cheng.”

Qi Xi said, pointing toward Cheng Shu. “This is Director Cheng.”

Fu Yanchuan only looked at Cheng Shu then. Cheng Shu hurriedly took the chance to speak. “Hello, President Fu. My name is Cheng Shu. Have you heard of God of the Abyss? It’s a film I directed, and it received a pretty good response.”

Qi Xi explained, “God of the Abyss is an animated film. It tells the story of a wolf living in the deep forest and a little girl who lost her family. It’s very touching.”

Fu Yanchuan had never really watched animations and had barely watched movies. Naturally, he took Qi Xi’s hand and used his other hand to search for God of the Abyss on his phone. He quickly looked through the reviews and style, then told Cheng Shu, “Give me your project proposal and the cooperation contract. I’ll reply after I’ve looked them over.”

Cheng Shu understood what Fu Yanchuan meant. Bai Peiyong had told him before coming that if Fu Yanchuan didn’t agree, he wouldn’t be able to invite Qi Xi. Bai Peiyong said that Qi Xi was Fu Yanchuan’s brother. However, looking at the two of them, they clearly didn’t look like brothers.

Of course, this wasn’t something he could ask about. He could only agree. “That’s no problem. I’m sincere about inviting Qi Xi. Details and requirements can all be discussed slowly.”

Without showing any emotion, Fu Yanchuan took out a business card and slid it across the table. “Contact me when you’re ready.”

After saying this, he glanced at Bai Peiyong, pulled Qi Xi up, and led him away by the hand.

Cheng Shu picked up the business card on the table. It was something that many people might not obtain even after great effort. His gaze followed Fu Yanchuan and Qi Xi as they left. After they walked out the door, he saw that Fu Yanchuan’s hand holding Qi Xi had turned into an arm around Qi Xi’s waist.

Any adult wouldn’t need to think much to understand the nature of their relationship. For a moment, he felt regretful. How long would Qi Xi remain pure beside someone like Fu Yanchuan? By then, he might never be able to create works like he does now.

Bai Peiyong was even more blunt: “So that’s their kind of relationship. No wonder he looked at me like he wanted to kill me.”

Fu Yanchuan pushed Qi Xi into the car, but Qi Xi still wanted to get out and look for Cheng Shu. He felt this was his chance to stand out. The thought of an animation he drew being released nationwide made him feel awesome.

However, Fu Yanchuan had been so fierce and had dragged him away. What if Director Cheng got angry and didn’t want him anymore?

“It’s fine. He’ll come.”

Fu Yanchuan held down Qi Xi, who kept trying to jump out. He closed the car door, and the driver drove off.

Qi Xi was still holding the unfinished coffee, looking at Fu Yanchuan uneasily. “Really? But you were so fierce just now.”

“Xi Xi, you have to believe in yourself. He’s the one asking you right now. You can be a little proud.”

Qi Xi suddenly smiled and leaned toward Fu Yanchuan, his eyes sparkling. “Brother Yan, why do you believe in me so much?”

“Because you’re already outstanding and worthy of being believed in.”

“Don’t praise me like that. I’ll get embarrassed.”

Qi Xi blushed, shrank to the other side of the seat, and took two sips of his coffee. Turning his gaze sideways, he noticed Fu Yanchuan staring at him.

He looked away and took two more sips of coffee. Fu Yanchuan was still staring at him without blinking. He stared back. “Don’t keep staring at me!”

Fu Yanchuan still didn’t blink. He said again, “What are you looking at? Is there something on my face?”

“I’m looking at my Xi Xi, who’s getting more and more amazing.”

Qi Xi was praised so much that he felt a bit dizzy. He became proud and bumped toward Fu Yanchuan again. “I also think I was amazing today. Director Cheng messaged me, so I came to see him. He told me a lot about animation production. I think it’s really interesting! I hope that one day, the animations I create will be shown all over the world!”

Fu Yanchuan had never seen this look in Qi Xi’s eyes before. He asked, “You like it that much?”

“Yes! I loved watching animations and reading comics as a kid, but I never thought I could create them myself.”

As he spoke, Qi Xi started worrying again. “Will Director Cheng really come back for me?”

“Of course, because you’re one of a kind. He won’t find a second one.”

After Fu Yanchuan said that, Qi Xi suddenly burrowed into his arms. He pressed against his neck and asked, “Then do you like me a bit more now?”

He lowered his eyes and met Qi Xi’s gaze. Qi Xi had asked him this question many times before, but this time, Qi Xi finally asked it without being so cautious, exuding a bit of proud confidence.

He leaned down and lightly bit Qi Xi’s lips as he said, “Yes.”

Qi Xi immediately hid his face in the crook of his neck. “You’re so annoying. Uncle Driver is watching in front.”

The driver, who didn’t dare glance even with the corner of his eye, trembled.

 

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