Release that Man

“Celebrity Luo?” Ye Shuang carried two bags of vegetables that she had bought at the supermarket and was on the way home when she saw the handsome man who was covered in blood. “Why are you here?”

“Just finished a shot.” Luo Mingxin shrugged off the ‘blood’ on his body with some disgust, and he looked equally surprised. “Xiao Shuang, why are you here? I didn’t hear you say that you’re coming to Feng Yuan City.”

“…It was a temporary decision, something related to work.” Ye Shuang was slightly conflicted. “Brother Luo, why didn’t you change if you’ve already finished work?”

Luo Mingxin’s expression was colored with regret, and he sighed. “Don’t remind me, the reporter that came to the set today was an intern and a fan of mine. It’s one thing for her to hide inside my dressing room for some scoop, but even after she was discovered, she had a hard time managing her emotions… The director told me to get away from the set as fast as I could, so in the hurry, I forgot to grab my shirt…”

“…” Ye Shuang moved her silent gaze to the assistant who was trying to keep up with Luo Mingxin. Luo Mingxin also turned around with confusion, and then it seemed like something hit him as he lowered his head to look at himself, then at the man, and then at himself again…

The assistant in a suit was shivering under his boss’ gaze, and he stopped involuntarily. Luo Mingxin then turned around with sadness. “You think faster than I do. How come I didn’t realize I can swap clothes with him?”

When did I say that? Ye Shuang felt so guilty under the assistant’s saddened and accusatory gaze. “Cough! I wasn’t looking at him because of that… I mean, I just wanted to say, it’s one thing for you to forget about it, but it’s wrong for your assistant to miss that as well…”

Luo Mingxin shrugged and sighed. “Never mind, after all, we’ve already reached the apartment.”

The assistant instantly sighed with a look that said, “I’m saved.” However, he still ran over to shrug off his vest and cover Luo Mingxin’s body with it.

“Apartment?” Ye Shuang and Luo Mingxin walked into the elevator together and asked in shock.

“Yes, this building is private property of the boss of a media company, and the artists that he signed live here. However, most of them are newbies who are trying to save their rent. The real celebrities will have their own place for the sake of privacy… Don’t you know that?” Luo Mingxin watched his assistant press the button for their floor and then looked at Ye Shuang with confusion. “By the way, I haven’t asked why you are staying here. Are you or Xiao Ye involved in the boss’ project?”

“No, already told you, I’m here for work.” Ye Shuang only then realized why she felt the tenants that she saw that day all looked so familiar. Her memory had not failed her—that was because she had seen most of the tenants on television before, but Ye Shuang did not specifically memorize their faces and never once thought about that.

Then again, just from the aspect of safety and privacy, an artists’ building was indeed not worse than a military base. She wondered how the middle-tier agent managed to do this, could it be that he had worked with the media company’s boss before?

…

She returned home, lugging the bags, and it was Han Chu who helped her open the door. The man did not want to eat outside, so it was Ye Shuang’s responsibility to handle their dinner. Since she was handling the food, it was Han Chu who worked to prepare everything before their infiltration, or else why would Ye Shuang be daring enough to tackle such a complicated mission alone?

“Didn’t you say you just want to buy some vegetables?” Han Chu turned and saw the bags Ye Shuang was holding… There was an extra bag compared to when she just returned from the supermarket. The content of the extra bag was red, a bright contrast to the other bags with contained green vegetables… It was a bag of red sauce.

Ye Shuang had dark lines on her face. “Don’t remind me. I ran into Celebrity Luo when I came back, and he said that he wanted to come over for dinner as well.”

Then, she carried the bags to the kitchen and found a big bowl to put the red sauce in. “This is the ketchup that his film crew used at the crime scene. He asked for some when he got off from work. He initially wanted to use it to cook some noodles…”

Then, on his way home, he picked up a girl who had unlocked the cooking skill, so Celebrity Luo naturally handed the ‘sauce’ over to Ye Shuang and then decided when he would come for dinner himself.

Han Chu was speechless for a long time. “Such is the quality of celebrities these days.”

Ye Shuang was speechless as well. “It’s fine, I hear this ‘blood’ is made from ketchup and honey. Since the crew also plans to use it for cooking, they did not use any artificial coloring.”

“That is not the part that I have an issue with.” Han Chu rolled his eyes.

“I know, but the more the merrier, right?” Ye Shuang sighed. She knew what Han Chu meant, but the problem was that Luo Mingxin was not a stranger, and as a friend, she could not critique the man in good conscience. Then again, she realized that there were not many normal people around her.

After sharing some words, Ye Shuang turned into the kitchen to cook. Considering Edward’s appetite, she decided to cook spaghetti—it would be easier than cooking several separate dishes. Han Chu did not waste time either. Since another person was coming, he had to make use of the time to clear away the stuff lest they saw something that they should not.

Cooking the sauce and side dish took half an hour, and the noodles took ten minutes. When the noodles were ready to be served, the doorbell rang.

The door opened to reveal a freshly-showered Luo Mingxin. He raised his hand in greeting before walking in with a plate filled with milk-colored snacks. As he changed into slippers, he explained, “I asked my assistant to go buy some cream puffs—I hear they’re quite famous. We can try them after dinner.”

Seeing the snacks inside the transparent packaging, Han Chu’s expressionless expression instantly softened.

This man must have found the guide somewhere before coming here.

“It smells so wonderful.” After entering the room, the delicious smell that he already smelled at the door thickened. Luo Mingxin placed the dessert on the table and walked into the kitchen. “I’ve been eating the boxed lunches at the set for many days now, and I might’ve gone insane if I didn’t get to eat something good soon… Thankfully, I ran into you today, Xiao Shuang, because I really don’t have faith in the cooking skill of that assistant of mine.”

“If you two are hungry, feel free to eat first. I will go get Edward.” Ye Shuang planned to leave.

Luo Mingxin held the utensils that he had found in the kitchen and poked his head out. “There’s another guest, is there?”

When he asked that question, Luo Mingxin looked like he was ready to leave already. It seemed like what had happened with the reporter had left a huge scar on him, and he did not want to be watched during dinner.

“You can call him a half-colleague.” Due to the sake of the dessert, Han Chu decided to be kind for once. He called after Ye Shuang, “I made the call when you were cooking, so he will come up on his own later.”

Oh, in that case, there’s no need for me to go get him. Ye Shuang nodded and went back to her seat without saying anything.

The dinner was delicious. Plus, Han Chu was friendly, and the dessert was amazing.

One hour later, the three had eaten their fill. Since Luo Mingxin was there, the topic was on the lighter side, and they did not talk about work, so the atmosphere was friendly. However, Luo Mingxin had to leave an hour later. Even though this was a rare reunion for him and Ye Shuang, he had a shoot the next day, and he needed to study the script. Being a star was not easy—life was amazing under the spotlight, but no one really cared about the hard work that one had to put behind the scenes.

After Luo Mingxin left, Ye Shuang stood up to clear away the plates. Han Chu picked up the phone that he had placed on the table half an hour earlier to glance at the time. “Did Edward send you a message?”

“No…” Ye Shuang paused. Even though she did not carry her phone on her like Han Chu, with her super hearing, if her phone vibrated, she would not have missed it. She realized what Han Chu was hinting at, and she sat down to think, “Edward got off the plane with us, and the plane ticket was a last-minute purchase, so the chance of being discovered was low. Then, we left the airport with the car rented by Brother Han’s agent, and this place is rented by the same person as well. The chance of our trail being leaked is not high. Even if someone saw us, no one would have cared that much.”

“I think so too.” Han Chu frowned. “Before we make our move, theoretically, the three of us shouldn’t pose a threat to anyone, so the chance of us being spied on is low. However… could it be because Edward has something private to deal with? In any case, there is no reason for him to disappear without a trace.”

Ye Shuang sweated. “It’s early to call it that, perhaps he just forgot to send a message. Brother Han, do you want to call him, or should I go downstairs to take a look?”

“The last call I made was ten minutes before Luo Mingxin left, and then his number was offline no matter how many times I called. What kind of emergency do you think there could be for Edward to not even answer my call?” Han Chu huffed. “It’s fine if you want to go downstairs and check. Tell me if you notice anything.”

Ye Shuang was conflicted. “This is a private building of a media company, not a public space… There’s a four-floor distance between us. Who is so capable as to snatch Edward away without creating a ruckus?”

Indeed, who was so capable? If Han Chu knew the answer, he would not have been so conflicted.

He massaged between his brows, and then Han Chu stood up to sigh. “I’ll take the stairs, and you take the elevator. We’ll go separate ways to Edward’s room and see if we can find any clues along the way… You focus on the camera inside the elevator, and if possible, we’ll go to take a look at the building’s surveillance footage.”

This happened so strangely and suddenly that even Han Chu did not have a better idea.