Chapter 25: Plans for the Future

「Ding~」

In the living room, the telephone rang.

His long fingers fumbled blindly across the carpet, grabbed the phone, and Xu Qing panted as she pushed it forward: «Here, it’s for you.»

Wait until Li Luo took the phone.

Then she collapsed again, her back slick with sweat.

«Hello.»

Seeing the number on the screen, Li Luo hesitated, then pressed answer.

«I’m Wu Dun.»

The voice on the other end chuckled a few times, then shouted loudly: «Xiao Luo, you haven’t gone to bed yet, have you?»

«Hello, Boss Wu.»

Li Luo leaned back against the sofa arm: «Not yet, I just got out of the shower.»

Hearing that title,

Xu Qing lifted her head curiously.

«Don’t move.»

He mouthed the words, gently pinching his thumb and index finger together.

She stiffened.

Her strength drained like a receding tide.

«Good.»

Wu Dun laughed again, his voice booming from the speaker: «Bro Wu’s planning a second round—there’s a nightclub nearby with some great girls. Come out and have a few drinks with me, how about it?»

His voice was so loud, Xu Qing heard every word clearly.

She smirked playfully.

Her finger slid down, as if to say, «Try saying yes and see what happens.»

«Thank you, Boss Wu.»

Knowing his leverage over him, Li Luo felt a pang of regret but politely declined: «But I’ve got a stomachache—I can’t join you tonight.»

«Alright.»

Wu Dun’s tone was equally disappointed: «Then rest well. We’ll make plans another time.»

«Of course, definitely.»

With just a few words, the call ended.

Staring at the darkened screen, Li Luo was baffled.

«Can you let go now?»

He looked at Xu Qing, sprawled across his lap, and sighed: «With you right here, how could I possibly care about any outside flings? That’d be throwing away a watermelon to pick up a sesame seed.»

He wasn’t lying.

A stunningly beautiful woman lay beside him, her curves enough to make any man’s blood boil.

Glistening sweat coated her entire body.

From her slender waist, her figure curved into an astonishingly dramatic line.

That firm, rounded buttocks—

Any man would be unable to let go.

Unless he was an idiot, no one would abandon Xu Qing for roadside weeds right now. His brief hesitation had only been to keep in touch with Wu Dun—all for work.

«Good. You finally get it.»

Xu Qing smiled contentedly, her two dimples deepening. She asked curiously: «Did Wu Dun call you?»

«Yes.»

He tossed the phone aside, puzzled: «Could it be… I’m just too handsome, and he’s into me?»

«Hahaha~»

Xu Qing burst out laughing, her chest trembling with each chuckle.

«I think so too.»

Adjusting her position, the beauty grinned: «A boss that big wouldn’t randomly call you out of nowhere—Wu Dun’s definitely interested in you!»

«Huh?»

Li Luo’s buttocks tightened.

«Interested in you as a person,» Xu Qing sat up and walked toward the liquor cabinet: «If I’m not mistaken, he knows you don’t have an agency yet—he wants to sign you.»

She bent over, grabbing a bottle of red wine and two glasses.

Li Luo sat up straight, admiring her exquisite back—the pair of pale, slender legs seemed to pierce straight into one’s heart.

Her hips were round as a full moon.

«I’ve been thinking about this for you these past two days.»

Carrying the wine back to the sofa, Xu Qing plopped down: «What’s your plan for the future?»

He took the corkscrew and opened the wine.

Li Luo poured the deep red liquid into a wine glass with a steady stream: «Before the call, I planned to lie low for a while—after this drama airs, opportunities should pick up.»

«But now?»

He set the bottle down and looked at Xu Qing: «Would signing with an agency be a better choice?»

«No.»

She took the glass and shook her head firmly.

Li Luo sipped the wine: «Because of Wu Dun’s background?»

«So you know.»

Xu Qing swirled the wine, pursing her lips: «But it’s not about him—he came here to do business, not to act like a thug.»

«Do you trust me?»

She paused slightly, blinking her eyes.

As for the answer to that question,

Li Luo said nothing—he showed it instead.

He reached out and pulled her close.

He held her tightly against his chest.

The glass tilted slightly, a thin stream of wine trickling into the hollow above her collarbone—he sucked it up with a soft «psst.»

«Listen to me.»

Her movements made Xu Qing’s eyes flutter shut as she murmured: «Go to school in Beijing!»

His roaming hand froze.

Li Luo turned her around, astonished: «You mean school? Did I hear you right?»

Right now, they were free and easy.

What school?

That’d be inviting unnecessary suffering!

«Exactly.»

Seeing his resistance, Xu Qing hurried to explain: «You must listen to me—if you’ve decided to do this, you should go to school. This is crucial.»

«And you can’t just enroll anywhere.»

Seeing her seriousness, Li Luo grew focused—by industry standards, Xu Qing was unquestionably his senior.

She would never harm him.

After her explanation, Li Luo finally understood.

Though this world seemed vast, it was actually small—no matter where you turned, you’d always bump into graduates from Beijing Film, Central Drama, or Shanghai Drama—the three major art schools.

They dominated nearly half the entertainment industry.

Even Xu Qing herself

was a graduate of Beijing Film.

In martial arts terms, students from these three schools were like disciples of orthodox sects—ordinary villains dared not touch them.

Not only that.

When traveling outside, you’d constantly run into fellow alumni.

Just saying «Senior Brother» or «Senior Sister» could instantly build rapport—not to mention help, but at least they’d be more reasonable than outsiders.

Just avoiding being sabotaged was a huge advantage.

«Mm.»

After a moment’s hesitation, Li Luo downed a large gulp of red wine: «Fine, I’ll listen to you—I’ll go to school.»

Though it’ll delay things a bit,

the benefits outweigh the costs—and it gives my family something to show for it. Running around as a high school student in this industry? That’s embarrassing.

In the end, the benefits outweighed the drawbacks, and it gave his family a satisfactory explanation; pretending to be a high school student while mingling in the circle was indeed a bit embarrassing.

Thinking of Li Luo staying in Beijing often, Xu Qing’s eyes crinkled into crescents: «Apply to Beijing Film—I still have some connections there. It’ll be much easier than the other two schools.»

Thinking that Li Luo would often stay in Jingcheng, Xu Qing smiled, her eyes curving into crescents: “Just apply to North Film Academy—I still have some connections there, and it’ll be much easier than the other two schools.”

"Don't you believe in my ability?"

He wrapped his arms around her, pressing her tightly against his body.

“Of course not.”

Feeling him stir powerfully awake, Xu Qing swallowed hard, her eyes quickly flooding with moisture: “It’s just because Central Drama Academy has stricter rules! Going to Beijing Film Academy won’t stop you from taking on outside roles.”

This unexpected good news filled Li Luo with joy.

He feared that spending years in school would waste all his current gains!

Amid his excitement,

His fingers dug in hard, sinking deep into her buttocks.

He lifted.

Then he let go.

The living room immediately echoed with a deeply satisfied cry!