๐ The world inside the penthouse was silentโa heavy, suffocating silence that Huang Xing (A'xing) ๐ฆ preferred over anything else. It was exactly 5:15 AM. The sun hadn't risen yet over the skyscrapers of Shanghai. A'xing lay in his king-sized bed, his eyes open, staring at the grey ceiling. He didn't look like a CEO or a superstar; he looked like a ghost trapped in a beautiful cage. ๐ธ๏ธ๐
โ๐ Slowly, he sat up. His movements were fluid, like a predator masquerading as a prey. He walked to the kitchen, his bare feet making no sound on the marble floor. He didn't turn on the lights. He liked the dark. ๐ As the coffee machine began to hum, the blue light from his phone illuminated his faceโsharp jawline, cold eyes, and a gaze that could make a grown man tremble. ๐ฉโง๐ช
โ๐ฅ A message popped up from Eliot's private server: "Sir, the board members of the new project are asking for your presence. They still think you are just an actor hired for the role." A'xing took a sip of his black coffee, the bitterness hitting his tongue. A small, dark smile played on his lips. "Let them think that," he whispered to the empty room. "The best way to destroy someone is to let them think you are harmless." โ๏ธ๐
โ๐ He went to his massive closet. He didn't pick the expensive suits. Instead, he pulled out a black, oversized hoodie and baggy pants. He put on his round glasses. In an instant, the sharp, dangerous man was gone. In the mirror stood a fragile, tired-looking 28-year-old boy who looked like he hadn't slept in years. ๐โบ
โ๐ Across the city, at the Desire 4 headquarters, the atmosphere was the complete opposite. ๐ข๐ Qiu Dingjie (Qiuqiu) ๐ฆ๐ฆฎ was currently being chased by three stylists. "Qiuqiu! Stay still! We need to fix your hair for the press conference!" "Relax! I look good in everything!" Qiuqiu laughed, his voice echoing through the hallway. He was 185cm of pure energy. He winked at a passing intern, making her blush instantly.๐บ๐ But as soon as he entered his private dressing room and closed the door, the smile vanished.
โ๐ He sat down, gripping his knees. His hands were shaking slightly. Today was the first script reading for The Storm's Anchor. It was the first time in months he would see A'xing. He pulled a small, worn-out photograph from his wallet. It was a blurry photo of a man's back, taken on a rainy night three years ago. ๐ง๏ธ๐ธ "You still don't know it was me, do you?" Qiuqiu murmured, his voice cracking. "You think he saved you. You hate me because you think I was just a bystander." ๐ฉ๐๐ช๐
โ๐ A knock on the door startled him. It was Ocean. "Hey, Qiuqiu! Nong Zai and Jian Zai are here. Everyone is waiting. Even the 'Ice Prince' A'xing has arrived." Qiuqiu stood up, masking his pain with his signature bright smile. "Coming!" ๐๐ฅ
โ๐ He walked out, his heart heavy. As he reached the conference room, he saw him. A'xing was sitting in the farthest corner, his head down, looking at his script as if the rest of the world didn't exist. Qiuqiu's breath hitched. He wanted to run to him, to hug him, to tell him everything. ๐ฉโง๐ช But he stopped. ๐ฅ
โ๐ Because right next to A'xing, a man sat downโthe man A'xing believed was his savior. A'xing looked up, and for a split second, his cold eyes softened as he looked at that man. Qiuqiu felt like someone had stabbed him in the chest. Just as he was about to step forward, Nong Zai, the director, clapped her hands๐
โ"Everyone, sit! We have a special guest today. The secret investor of this series has sent a representative, and the rules have changed." ๐โ๏ธ A'xing's eyes flickered under his glasses. No one noticed the cold smirk on his face, but Qiuqiu noticed something elseโa small, dark bruise on A'xing's wrist that wasn't there yesterday. ๐ฉน๐ Before Qiuqiu could say anything, the door opened, and a shadow walked in that made everyone gasp... โ๐ฅ
โบโฑ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . โฐโบ
โ๐ The shadow that stepped into the room was none other than Li Peien (Seeky) and Jiang Heng (Ocean). The air, already thick with unspoken tension, grew even heavier. Li Peien's long, white Rabbit ears twitched beneath his stylish beret. He could feel the waves of sorrow coming from Qiuqiu and the ice radiating from Eliot. Ocean followed him like a protective shadow, his Silver Wolf ears sharp and alert, his eyes scanning the room for any potential threat to his partner. The D4 ensemble was finally complete, but the atmosphere felt more like a battlefield than a script reading. ๐๐บ๐
โ๐ "Alright, let's not waste time," Nong Zai commanded, her voice cutting through the silence. "Page 15. The 'Master and Servant' confrontation. A'xing, you are the servant.
Qiuqiu, you are the cruel master. Action!"๐ฌ
โ๐ฅ Qiuqiu felt his throat go dry. He had to act cruel to the person he loved most. He stood up, his golden retriever spirit mourning inside. He walked over to Eliot and grabbed his chin, forcing him to look up. It was then, as the sleeve of Eliot's oversized hoodie slid back, that Qiuqiu saw it clearlyโthe dark, purplish bruise on Eliot's wrist. It looked like a handprint. Someone had hurt him. ๐ฉน๐
โ๐ Qiuqiu's hand trembled. His eyes met Eliot's. For a second, the 'fragile' A'xing vanished. Behind those round glasses, Eliot's eyes turned into shards of crystalline ice. It was the predatory gaze of the CEO of Eliot Corp. "Stop looking at the bruise, Qiuqiu," Eliot whispered, his voice a lethal thread of silk. "Focus on your role, or you'll lose everything." ๐ฆ๐ธ๏ธ
โ๐ Suddenly, a high-pitched vibration echoed through the room. Eliot's phone, connected to a private, high-security server, lit up with a flashing red warning: [SECURITY BREACH: LEVEL 5- HEADQUARTERS]. Eliot didn't flinch. Instead, he slumped back into his chair, fake tears welling in his eyes as he looked at the directors. "I'm sorry... I can't... he's too rough," he sobbed, playing the victim perfectly so his "fake savior" actor would rush to his side and glare at Qiuqiu. ๐ญโ๏ธ
โ๐ As the meeting adjourned, the room cleared quickly. Eliot brushed past Qiuqiu, his shoulder hitting Qiuqiu's intentionally. A small, crumpled piece of paper fell from his pocket. Qiuqiu picked it up, his heart shattering as he read the elegant, sharp handwriting: "Don't come tomorrow, Qiuqiu. The butterfly's poison isn't meant for dogs. It's going to get bloody." ๐๏ธ๐ฅ๐
๐ป๐ฏ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ผ๐ป๐ฏ๐ถ๐น'๐บ ๐บ๐ฌ๐จ๐ณ: ๐ถ๐ฉ๐บ๐ฌ๐น๐ฝ๐จ๐ป๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐บ ๐
โ๐ฏ๏ธ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
โ ๏ธ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ & ๐๐๐๐๐๐'๐ ๐๐๐๐ โ ๏ธ
๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐จ๐ง๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ญ๐ก ๐ ๐ ๐ข๐๐ญ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฌ๐, ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ญ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐๐ฅ๐ค ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง. โ๏ธ๐ฆโ๏ธ
โ๐ ๐ป๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐:
โ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐น๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ (๐ซ๐๐๐๐๐ 4) ๐๐ฉน
โ๐ท๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ท๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐โจ
โ๐ถ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐พ๐๐๐๐ -๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ & ๐ณ๐๐๐ โ๏ธ
โ๐ต๐ ๐ฏ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๏ธ๐ฏ๏ธ
โ๐ ๐ป๐๐ ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐โ๐ด๐๐๐ (๐ด๐๐๐๐๐๐). ๐๏ธ๐ฅ
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ๐ธ๏ธ๐ฏ๏ธ