After Transmigrated as a Black-Hearted Entertainment Boss [Transmigration] - Chapter 22

Gu Nan slumped onto the bed, still thoroughly shaken, staring at Tao Zui who stood at his bedside laughing until he doubled over.

“Hahahahahaha… your expression… was too hilarious! I thought you were fearless, but who knew you’d actually be scared of ghosts! Hahahahahaha!”

Gu Nan denied it almost reflexively, “I am not!”

“Right, right, you’re not. Then what was that scream just now?” Tao Zui raised his eyebrows mischievously. “What a shame I didn’t record your reaction. You shrieked even louder than the female lead~”

Gu Nan: “Who told you to scare me on purpose?!”

Tao Zui: “I was just asking what you were doing in a perfectly normal way. How is that on purpose?”

Gu Nan: “I…”

Seeing Gu Nan at a loss for words, Tao Zui grew increasingly smug. “It’s completely normal to be afraid of ghosts, I understand. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. It’s just that, your shriek just now was really too… pfft!”

Gu Nan’s wildly pounding heart had finally managed to calm down, only to be triggered again by Tao Zui’s deliberate snicker. His adrenaline instantly went from zero to sixty, prompting him to bolt upward, grab Tao Zui by the neck, and fling him down onto the bed.

In his imagination, this should have been a slick grappling move—pinning this exasperating man who mocked him onto the mattress, then ruthlessly pressing down on his neck to interrogate him.

However, after enduring the weight of two grown men, the plush mattress provided by the company displayed an unexpected flexibility and bounce. It launched them right back up, completely throwing off Gu Nan’s rhythm. The pinning hold that was supposed to form vanished entirely, and the two instantly rolled into a tangled heap on the bed.

“Holy crap!” Tao Zui only had time to let out a sharp cry before he was pinned beneath Gu Nan, flailing around to get up but finding no leverage anywhere.

Gu Nan had it even worse. The moment he pressed down on top of Tao Zui, he detected an unfamiliar body temperature and scent. The young man, who had never been in such close physical proximity with anyone since childhood, instantly panicked. He tried to prop himself up against the mattress to rise, but due to the struggles of the person beneath him, his hand landed squarely on Tao Zui’s chest, forcing him to feel the soft texture of a thin layer of pectoral muscle.

The next second, Tao Zui—who was still trying to rise—went entirely rigid, and Gu Nan bounced up using pure core strength as if he had touched a live wire. Right at that moment, Su Jiqiu’s voice suddenly echoed from the doorway.

“Brother Nan, I heard a scream just now. Are you—what’s going on here? Papa Tao?”

Su Jiqiu looked at Tao Zui, who was lying flat on Gu Nan’s bed, and then at Gu Nan, who for some reason was facing the corner of the room contemplating life. He was entirely filled with confusion.

Tao Zui let out a light cough, rising with a sheepish laugh. “It’s nothing. I was just playing a joke on Gu Nan… ahem, I think I scared him… Go back to sleep quickly. Don’t you have classes tomorrow?”

Su Jiqiu gave an “Oh,” glancing at Gu Nan who still kept his back turned to them. He felt something was off but couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Left with no choice, he said, “As long as everything’s fine. I’ll head back then,” before turning to leave.

Once Su Jiqiu left, the atmosphere in the room grew even more awkward. Tao Zui desperately wanted to just dust off his hands and leave, but looking at Gu Nan’s completely shut-down, self-contained posture, he felt that if he walked out like this, how would they interact in the future? They still had to go to Qing City together in a few days…

What a disaster! Why on earth did I let an impulse blind me earlier? Why did I have to scare him?!

“Ahem,” Tao Zui cleared his throat, feigning nonchalance. “It’s fine, it’s fine… Young people… are prone to impulse, I understand…”

Save me! What am I saying!!!

Controlling the urge to bury his face in his hands, Tao Zui forced himself to keep talking through his burning scalp. “Um… don’t take it too much to heart… Scaring you just now was my fault… T-Tomorrow I’ll treat you to something delicious! What do you want to eat? Twice-cooked pork or boiled beef? Or we can order takeout—KFC or McDonald’s, whichever works…”

“Shut up. Get out.” Really not wanting to hear Tao Zui’s voice, Gu Nan spat out four words through his teeth, wishing a meteor would strike at this exact moment to take both of them out.

Hearing this, Tao Zui felt as though he had received a royal pardon. He immediately marched toward the door. “Right, right, right, I’m leaving right away!”

Reaching the doorway, he was about to close the door when he caught sight of Gu Nan’s back as the boy pressed his forehead against the corner of the wall. His brain short-circuited, and his mouth slipped: “Kid, you’re surprisingly well-developed…”

“Get out!”

“Right away!”

The moment the door shut, both men inside and outside went weak at the knees at almost the same time, crouching onto the floor. One was filled with chagrin, exasperated at his own lack of composure, while the other had a face flushed completely red, desperately wanting to punch himself twice.

Gu Nan & Tao Zui: Why can’t I control myself?

Gu Nan: Even if I’m gay, I shouldn’t get an impulse just from a brief rub, right? How am I going to film scenes in the future?

Tao Zui: Actually, you can’t blame me. The kid really is well-developed… What did he eat to grow that big?

Gu Nan turned and flopped onto the bed, grabbing the tablet that was still emitting various screams. He stared dead at the bloody, horrific images on the screen, trying to forget the soft touch that had filled his hands earlier. Yet, for some reason, upon seeing the pale, bloodless face of the female ghost, he recalled that smooth, luminous skin he had witnessed… Consequently, a certain part of him grew increasingly spirited. Combined with the terrifying visuals of the horror film, he looked exactly like a deviant with some highly specific kink.

Tao Zui, on the other hand, quickly collected his thoughts after his near-fatal embarrassment passed. He returned to his room to pack his luggage, not dwelling on the incident. He had gone through his own highly sensitive and impulsive puberty, knowing that guys at this stage could easily experience a reaction from external stimuli; he didn’t link the matter to himself at all. Moreover, Gu Nan was the Protagonist Gong—a natural-born gay man. It was only normal for him to find a man’s body stimulating.

To put it plainly, impulses happen easily, but interest is the foundation of affection. Tonight was completely different from that night—the one he suspected his brain had polished in his dreams. There was no ambiguous prelude, nor any emotional transition; it was merely a spark triggered during a rough-and-tumble scuffle.

Standing beneath the running shower, Tao Zui couldn’t quite pin down the feeling in his heart. Compared to the despondency he felt last time upon realizing his dream had polished his memory, this time felt less vivid, yet far more complex.

In the end, he let out a sigh, offering a self-deprecating conclusion:

“After all, he’s someone else’s prize pig…”

Early the next morning, Tao Zui crawled out of bed with immense agony just to catch breakfast with Gu Nan and the others. It wasn’t that he had suddenly decided to turn over a new leaf and work hard; he was worried that if he didn’t seize the moment when everyone was present to break the ice, the awkwardness between him and Gu Nan would deepen. If they grew distant over this, how was he going to cling to those legs?

Fortunately, his timing in getting up was handled perfectly. It was right when Gu Nan and Su Jiqiu had gone over to the younger boys’ dorm to prepare breakfast but hadn’t sat down to eat yet. This avoided the awkwardness of a one-on-one encounter with Gu Nan while allowing him to use the three younger boys to shatter the silence.

Yet, the moment he appeared, the three younger ones looked as if they had seen a ghost.

“Papa Tao?!” Diwu Zou, who was sitting at the table waiting for food, caught sight of Tao Zui. Before his smile could even reach his eyes, his entire body gave a violent jolt. “Wait, what time is it? Where’s my phone?!”

Zeng Yinuo frantically scrambled for his phone, letting out a sigh of relief upon checking the time. “It’s not even seven yet, don’t panic.”

Chen Xing, who had already grabbed his backpack and stood up, breathed a sigh of relief and silently sat back down.

Tao Zui stole a glance at Gu Nan, who sat sideways at the dining table, eyes glued immovably to the tabletop ever since he walked in. He cleared his throat affectedly. “Ahem, what’s with the reactions from you three? Is it really that rare for me to wake up early?”

The three younger ones nodded in unison, and Diwu Zou delivered a savage blow: “You’ve lived here for nearly two months. Have you ever woken up before nine in the morning?”

“…Who are you looking down on? If I need to wake up early, I can do it!” Tao Zui walked over and took the head seat, deliberately avoiding looking at Gu Nan who sat right beside him.

“Then why are you up so early today? Does it have to do with going to Qing City? The Afterlife?” Diwu Zou grew increasingly excited as he asked, and even Gu Nan couldn’t resist stealing a swift glance at him.

Excellent. Although the opening was a bit skewed, at least the topic is back on track. Tao Zui let out a silent sigh of relief, bringing out the explanation he had prepared long ago. “Yeah. Things are mostly settled with The Afterlife crew. We’re officially processing the contract starting today, so I need to go to the office early for a meeting with Legal.”

With that, he looked toward Gu Nan naturally, speaking as if he had just remembered, “By the way, you and I are heading to Qing City together at the end of the month to meet the main creators. I’ll forward the script to you in a bit; read it carefully. The casting is basically a done deal, but we still need to go through the motions.”

Gu Nan hadn’t expected to secure an acting opportunity so smoothly this time. He instantly forgot his previous rigidity and awkwardness, pressing for details: “So fast? What are the specifics? When does it start filming?”

The corners of Tao Zui’s lips curved upward. “You could say we hit it off immediately. They plan to start shooting in July and are currently looking for the lead. I’ve read the script; it’s very solid. You can look through the details slowly in a bit.”

Hearing this news, the three younger ones seemed even happier than Gu Nan, instantly erupting into cheers.

Diwu Zou: “That’s awesome, Brother Nan!”

Chen Xing: “Congratulations, Brother Nan!”

Zeng Yinuo: “Qiu-qiu, Qiu-qiu! Brother Nan’s role in The Afterlife is locked down!”

Su Jiqiu: “Really?!”

Hearing Su Jiqiu’s voice, Tao Zui shouted toward the kitchen, “The Case Files of Dali Temple has also been approved! Directed by Yao Qiang, filming is projected to start in late June. Your portfolio has already been sent over; if nothing goes wrong, you should be the second male lead!”

“Really?!” Su Jiqiu ran out of the kitchen holding a plate of pan-fried buns, his black-rimmed glasses completely unable to mask his sparkling eyes.

Tao Zui gave a firm nod, drawing another round of cheers. In such a joyful atmosphere, the slight awkwardness between Tao Zui and Gu Nan was completely washed away. During the commute to work, they could even chat a bit about the small misunderstanding that occurred in Qing City.

The subsequent contract process went very smoothly. He even managed to secure a gig for the three younger boys to compose and perform the movie’s promotional song. However, this news was temporarily kept confidential internally; after all, exam month was right around the corner, and Tao Zui didn’t want them to lose focus.

Seeing that everything was ready and he was set to fly to Qing City with Gu Nan tomorrow, Tao Zui received a phone call from Zhou Fanghong at this critical juncture. The moment the director spoke, he dropped a bombshell—

“CEO Tao, Xincan Entertainment contacted us saying they can invest one hundred million yuan into the movie, but the condition is that You Hui must play the male lead.”