Chapter 84: The Duty of the Beautiful Guardian

A half glass of vodka was placed in front of Lin Zhiwei. The young bartender leaned in with enthusiasm, “Sir, would you like some plum in it?”

“No need, thank you. Just put it on his tab,” Lin Zhiwei replied with a sly curl of her lips, nodding toward Chu Chuo, who was fast asleep and dead to the world beside her.

The bartender nodded and withdrew, quickly busying himself elsewhere.

Lin Zhiwei shifted slightly, swirling the glass under her nose. The harsh, potent scent of vodka filled her senses. With a devilish smile, she suddenly, without the slightest hesitation, splashed the icy liquor straight onto Chu Chuo’s sleeping face.

Qin Meng, seated nearby, nearly jumped out of her skin. Director Lin… that was way too bold…

Doused in strong alcohol, Chu Chuo snapped awake instantly. The intense fumes of vodka filled his nose and mouth, forcing his mind to clear in an instant—sleep evaporated, gone without a trace.

He was about to explode in anger, ready to curse, but when he saw the man seated on the barstool before him, he was struck dumb with shock.

Lin Zhiwei? What sort of act was this? What was she even doing here? Was it some kind of trap?

He propped himself up, vodka dripping down his face, eyes narrowed with displeasure. The air around him grew instantly frigid and menacing.

“Brother Chu, sorry to disturb your rest, but the TV station… they’re pushing for rehearsal…” Qin Meng hastily interjected, sensing the tension in the air. “I thought… you should get some practice these next couple of days.”

But Chu Chuo ignored her, eyes fixed on Lin Zhiwei. She, however, simply snapped her fingers and, exuding confidence, called out to the bartender across the room, “Hey, do you have orange juice? Bring me a glass, please.”

The bartender, in the midst of tallying up liquor sales, nearly dropped the bottle in his hand. This guest was truly something else—she’d just splashed Brother Chu with vodka, and now, utterly unfazed, she was ordering… orange juice? He hurried to respond, “Yes, yes, coming right up!”

After leisurely enjoying her glass of orange juice, Lin Zhiwei pulled a hundred-yuan bill from her pocket, set it on the table, and shot the bartender a flirtatious wink. “Great service, little brother. Next time, I’ll bring friends.”

With that, she rose to leave. The bartender, still reeling from shock, stammered, “Th-thank you, sir…”

Director Lin was simply too cool, Qin Meng thought in awe. Such audacious behavior was unprecedented. She couldn’t help but gape, glancing at Chu Chuo, unable to imagine how furious he would be in a moment. Director Lin… she might be in danger.

Chu Chuo, still groggy from sleep and now drenched in vodka, saw Lin Zhiwei strutting off after her act of bravado. He immediately chased after her and intercepted her at the door.

“What’s the meaning of this?” Chu Chuo’s voice was low and rough. Though he’d spent the night drinking, he was still as arrogantly handsome as ever. His eyes were narrowed with suspicion, fixed keenly on Lin Zhiwei.

She brushed past his hand, utterly unconcerned. “It doesn’t mean anything. How you play is your choice. But if the show fails to record smoothly, it’s everyone’s livelihood at stake. I just hope you have a shred of professional integrity left.”

After a nod to the pursuing Qin Meng, she strode off, started her bike, and disappeared in a flash.

Chu Chuo watched her go, anger flaring in his chest but unable to argue. Lin Zhiwei was not wrong—the company had gone to great lengths to secure him a spot on Masked King of All Talents.

He turned back, weary. “You asked her for help?”

“No, no, Director Lin just saw I didn’t drive and offered a lift,” Qin Meng quickly covered. Chu Chuo was proud—she couldn’t sell out Director Lin.

“Hmph.” Chu Chuo snorted coldly. “Let’s go.”

Seeing him relent, Qin Meng beamed. “Old Zhang’s already waiting at the door. Brother Chu, let’s go home, get changed, get some rest.”

Chu Chuo didn’t reply, but accepted the arrangement all the same.

Qin Meng let out a huge sigh of relief. She knew Chu Chuo’s temper—unyielding, never listening to anyone. Yet Director Lin had resolved things with a single sentence. It was unbelievable.

She had tried to talk sense into him countless times, but he’d never listened.

Meanwhile, Lin Zhiwei, the valiant guardian, sped through the bustling city streets, feeling a pang of guilt. She couldn’t tell if her actions had helped or made things worse. She knew she shouldn’t have antagonized Chu Chuo, but dumping the vodka on him had been so damn satisfying. She doubted she’d ever find such a direct and gratifying way to get back at someone again.

Thinking this, her mood brightened a little. Humming a tune, she raced all the way to the studio.

“Brother Lin, Brother Lin! So, how did it go? Did everything work out with the station?” Mei Ning paced anxiously in the lobby. Seeing Lin Zhiwei’s relaxed demeanor, he guessed things had gone well.

“Not bad,” Lin Zhiwei replied.

“Tell me, what did Chu Chuo’s team wear? Did their designer make something as outrageously cool as mine did for Brother Ling?” Mei Ning was beside himself with excitement, itching to trounce Chu Chuo’s team.

Though his own design for Movie King Ling Ziheng at the Starlight Night had brought him fame and industry-wide acclaim, Chu Chuo’s otherworldly charisma was also rare. His designer, J, was Mei Ning’s archrival.

Mei Ning specialized in embroidery and rare silks, skillfully blending traditional elements of Huaguo into modern fashion. J, on the other hand, was a wild child—creating on a whim, with no rules, matching perfectly with Chu Chuo’s unyielding, dominant persona.

Zhao Lei and Xiao Yu, seeing Lin Zhiwei return, emerged from their offices as well. Since Mei Ning had asked, they too wanted to gauge the competition.

Lin Zhiwei shot him a glance. “I regret to inform you…”

“Wait—Brother Lin, don’t tell me their design is better? No, no, no, I don’t want to hear it!” Mei Ning clapped his hands over his ears, face full of dread.

“I’m saying that Chu Chuo’s team hasn’t even decided on a program yet, let alone the costumes,” Lin Zhiwei replied coolly, tossing out the words as she headed back to her office.

The three of them stood dumbfounded. Mei Ning thought he was hearing things. He looked at Zhao Lei in horror. “Brother Lei, did I hear that right… Chu Chuo’s team…”

Zhao Lei turned away, unfazed. “You heard right.”

Xiao Yu gave a snort, thinking this was typical of Chu Chuo, then returned to her office.

Mei Ning was left standing alone, feeling utterly adrift. My god, he’d been rushing the whole week, only to find his opponent had defeated him without even making a move. What a waste of all his anticipation.