sbdcsierra Chapter 156 Childish
Chapter 156 Childish
It wouldn't have been so bad if Zhou Yanruo hadn't come to visit the set. Although Shang Yibo felt a little disappointed, he understood that Zhou Yanruo was busy preparing for her new company. But now that he had returned to Beijing, and they were about to face a hectic work transition with time slipping through their fingers like sand, leaving only two short days as a buffer. Within this limited time, two important advertising shoots also had to be interspersed. After careful consideration, Shang Yibo's truly free time was compressed to almost half a day.
Regardless of anything else, shouldn't his agent at least show some concern, offer a greeting, and express gratitude for his hard work?
Shang Yibo was unsettled; the feeling of being ignored made him quite annoyed. He realized that he was probably always at the bottom of Zhou Yanruo's list of tasks, or perhaps Zhou Yanruo was currently engrossed in her own world and had no time to pay attention to the outside world. But either way, Shang Yibo felt a strange sense of loss and frustration, especially since he had been hoping to feel a sense of presence in Zhou Yanruo's eyes. This self-doubt made his mood even heavier and more complicated.
Almost without thinking, he immediately dialed Zhou Yanruo's number, hoping to receive a greeting or even just a few words of casual conversation. However, he was met with a cold, disconnected tone on the other end of the line, and his face immediately darkened.
"Huh? What is she trying to do?" Shang Yibo felt a surge of resentment. He didn't want to believe that Zhou Yanruo would treat him like this. In a fit of anger, he dialed the number twice more, but each time the same thing happened—the call was quickly hung up again.
Annoyance and confusion mingled, bringing Shang Yibo's emotions to a boiling point. He took a deep breath and tried dialing again, but this time he only heard the message, "The number you dialed is currently unavailable." After a brief moment of stunned silence, Zhou Yanruo's unusual attitude brought him back to his senses. He tossed his phone onto the bed, paced barefoot around the bedroom a few times, then laughed self-deprecatingly, finding his earlier childish and impulsive behavior somewhat laughable.
If Zhou Yanruo had answered his call, what would he have said? Should he ask about her upcoming work schedule in a serious tone? Or should he say, "Where are you? I want to see you?" "Tch," he thought, secretly relieved that she hadn't answered earlier, avoiding a potentially awkward conversation.
Shang Yibo was defeated by his own self-deceptive "Ah Q" mentality, and his mood became much lighter.
After the sudden realization, a wave of hunger washed over me, and I realized that I had no food in my stomach and was starving.
He put on his slippers and shuffled toward the refrigerator. He hadn't been home for over a month, and the refrigerator was empty, but luckily there was still a bag of frozen wontons left in the freezer.
As the water boiled for the wontons, Shang Yibo took the opportunity to return to his bedroom, pick up his phone, and play the demo of "Ling Bo Jing." This character song, meticulously crafted by Cheng Ye for Ling Shao Jing, had a soothing and lingering melody that instantly filled the entire space.
Listening to music, staring at the lyrics on my phone screen, and eating steaming hot wontons.
Just as he was engrossed in his music, the phone rang abruptly, interrupting the music. Shang Yibo glanced at his phone screen; the caller ID showed Zhou Yanruo.
"This guy remembered to call me back? Tch, if he's so capable, then don't call back!" Shang Yibo curled his lips, muttering to himself. Although he said this, his fingers had already unconsciously swiped the screen to answer the call.
"Hey..." Shang Yibo deliberately dragged out his voice, his tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible arrogance.
On the other end of the phone, Zhou Yanruo's voice was slightly hoarse: "Shang Yibo, you've called several times in a row. Is there something urgent? I've been busy and haven't had a chance to answer."
After hearing this, Shang Yibo's tone was somewhat reproachful: "If it were really urgent, your actions would have delayed things. Not only did you hang up on me, but you also turned off your phone later."
Zhou Yanruo quickly apologized, "I'm so sorry, I was just dealing with the bank about extending the loan term, and I was really busy and pressed for time. I know you've returned to Beijing, and I already confirmed with Ding Jiajia this morning that you don't have any scheduled activities until this afternoon. So..."
Shang Yibo interrupted her, saying with slight displeasure, "So, you think I'm making trouble for no reason and that calling you is affecting your work? Since you've already communicated with Ding Jiajia, you don't need to communicate with me anymore? Whose manager are you anyway? Why don't you just let Ding Jiajia handle my schedules from now on?" He knew that his words were somewhat unreasonable, but he still wanted to cover up his previous impulsiveness in this way.
Zhou Yanruo: "......"
Noticing the silence on the other end of the phone, Shang Yibo couldn't help but ask, "Did I say something wrong? Why are you silent?"
Zhou Yanruo coughed lightly twice, cleared her throat, and said, "I'm sorry, it was my oversight. I apologize. So, what do you want to see me about?"
Shang Yibo wanted to blurt out, "Can't I call you if there's nothing wrong?" but then he thought about it and realized that would be too unreasonable. So, he softened his tone: "I called to ask you to have lunch together."
Zhou Yanruo was slightly surprised upon hearing this and repeated, "You specifically called to invite me to lunch? Just for this?"
Shang Yibo quickly explained, "I have a schedule this afternoon, and besides, I don't need to sign any company documents, so let's have a meal together."
Zhou Yanruo suggested, "That's a good idea. How about we choose a restaurant near Rushang Building? It'll be so convenient to sign the documents right after lunch. Or, even better, let's go to Yishang Hotel. It's more private there, and we won't have to run back and forth to sign the documents. What do you think?"
Shang Yibo had expected Zhou Yanruo to make excuses about being too busy, but she readily agreed to have lunch with him. He didn't want to bother choosing a place anymore, and besides, his own hotel was the best choice for privacy. "Let's go to the Yishang Hotel. The Huaiyang cuisine is quite good. You can reserve a private room at 'Qinchun Fuyuan'."
Zhou Yanruo replied, "Okay, I'll book a small private room. By the way, Ding Jiajia should be waking up around noon, should I invite her along too?"
Although Shang Yibo was not very willing to accept Zhou Yanruo's suggestion, he couldn't find a suitable reason to refuse, so he could only vaguely say, "Well, whatever."
After hanging up the phone, Shang Yibo's mood instantly brightened, as if even the air was filled with a joyful atmosphere. He took the bowls and spoons from the table to the sink, turned on the tap, and amidst the gurgling water, he threw a series of punches into the air. Finally, he stopped, struck a cool pose, and then made a big "V" sign in the air. At that moment, his happiness was so real and pure that it made everyone's heart soar as well.