I really didn't intend to make a living based on my looks.

Chapter 121 Sober Momo

Mao Xiaotong's face was so hot it could fry an egg.

She tried to push against his chest, but couldn't budge him. In desperation, she lowered her head and bit his arm.

"Aww————"

Jiang Chen winced in pain and finally released his grip.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Mao Xiaotong broke free from his embrace, took several steps back, her chest heaving violently, and her cheeks flushed red as if on fire.

She glanced down at his arm; there was a deep ring of teeth marks on his forearm, not only stained with her saliva but also appearing to be bleeding.

Pah! Serves you right!

You pervert!

Jiang Chen leaned back on the sofa, staring at her with a bewildered expression, his eyes unfocused, as if he had no idea what had just happened.

Mao Xiaotong took a deep breath and suppressed her surging emotions.

She walked over and placed the water glass in his hand: "Drink some water. Then go to sleep."

Jiang Chen obediently took two sips.

Mao Xiaotong went to the bathroom and wrung out a hot towel.

She knelt down in front of him and wiped his face little by little.

Forehead, eyebrows, eyes, nose, chin—the warmth of the towel made him squint comfortably.

She took off his coat and hung it on the hanger.

He then squatted down to untie his shoelaces, took off his leather shoes, and neatly placed them at the doorway.

Should I take off my shirt?

She hesitated for a moment, then only unbuttoned the top two buttons to make it easier for him to breathe.

She couldn't bring herself to touch the pants; she hadn't moved them.

Jiang Chen was being manipulated like a giant doll, letting her do whatever she wanted with him.

Only after he finally lay flat on the sofa, closed his eyes, and his breathing gradually became even, did Mao Xiaotong stop what she was doing.

She squatted down beside the sofa, quietly watching him.

The lights were turned down to the dimmest setting, and the faint light outlined the contours of his profile.

When he's asleep, he doesn't have the dazzling aura he has on stage, nor the arrogant and cocky demeanor he displays at the dinner table; he's as quiet as a big boy.

Mao Xiaotong squatted there and watched for a long time.

Her fingers unconsciously rose and gently touched his brow bone.

"Jiang Chen," she whispered, her voice so soft it seemed she was only speaking to herself.

Why are you so kind to people?

Her fingers slid from his eyebrows to his cheek and then withdrew.

"You put in a good word for me in 'Gu Jian Qi Tan,' which helped me get the role of Xiang Ling."

"My followers have grown from several hundred thousand to ten million!"

The TV series "Swords of Legends" was the king of dramas during the summer of 2012.

Not only Jiang Chen, but also Chen Weiting, Yang Mi, Ma Tianyu, and Mao Xiaotong, all five of them ascended to immortality.

In particular, her portrayal of Xiangling, with her round face, almond eyes, and soft, cute fox ears, is both innocent and charming yet humble in love, with an extreme sense of brokenness hidden beneath her sweet appearance.

He doesn't compete or fight for anything, nor does he overshadow the female lead, yet he manages to win the favor of everyone.

Coupled with the national popularity accumulated from another drama, "Empresses in the Palace," the successive hits completely broke her career deadlock, allowing her to firmly secure a place in the fiercely competitive group of actresses born in the 85s.

After a long while, she gazed at the sleeping Jiang Chen, her eyes welling up with warm, bittersweet emotions.

"I no longer have to wander aimlessly from one film set to another, having to read people's faces, hitting walls everywhere, and humbly begging for a chance to appear on screen, like before."

"You recommended this role for me again. I have a feeling this drama is going to be a hit. You always have such a good eye."

Jiang Chen rolled over, mumbled something incoherently, and didn't wake up.

Mao Xiaotong looked at him, her eyes beginning to redden.

"And another thing, sometimes you do things but don't say anything."

"You helped me sort things out with my dad, right?"

Her voice became even softer, as if afraid of waking him, or as if confirming something she already knew.

"Did you contact Wang Sicong and have someone take care of him? It seems he's been locked up again—"

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she blinked to keep them from falling.

"Why are you so good to your friends? And why don't you say anything about it?"

"You're like this—" Her voice finally choked up, "I'll fall in love with you."

Tears finally streamed down my face.

"But you—you have a girlfriend."

She bit her lip, and more tears welled up.

She wiped her eyes haphazardly with the back of her hand, but the tears just wouldn't stop, falling one by one.

Why did you provoke me?

Once she said those words, she finally couldn't hold back anymore, covered her mouth, and cried silently.

Her shoulders trembled slightly, and tears streamed down her face through her fingers.

She crouched beside the sofa, so close to him that she could see the curve of his eyelashes and count his every breath.

But that distance is so far.

After crying for a while, she gradually calmed down.

She wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, sniffed, leaned over, and gently kissed his cheek.

The moment her lips touched his skin, her heart pounded so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of her chest.

She stood up, took the blanket from the bed, and gently covered him with it.

I turned the air conditioner up two degrees and placed the water cup within his reach.

She walked to the door and turned off the light.

I glanced back.

That's it.

She remembered when she was little, her mother would hold her and count coins in their rented room, one yuan, fifty cents, to make enough for breakfast the next day.

She thought of her father, that bastard, who squandered all the family's money, went to a drug rehabilitation center, came out, started using drugs again, and went back in.

Her mother, still with her stitches in, picked her up from a trash can in the back alley of the hospital.

She recalled that when she was sixteen, she started working on film sets, being scolded by the assistant director, given the cold shoulder by the stylist, and ostracized by the actresses in her group.

She recalled those late nights when she sat alone in the hotel stairwell, gritting her teeth and telling herself: Mao Xiaotong, you can only rely on yourself.

She's not the kind of person who would put love first.

Her childhood experiences taught her that men are unreliable.

It is better to rely on yourself than to rely on anyone.

You have to buy your own house, earn your own money, and walk your own path.

What others give you can be taken back at any time.

Only what you hold in your own hands is real.

Jiang Chen was good to her, and she remembered it.

I will repay the favors I owe, and I will say thank you when I should.

But her focus is always on her career; relationships can be a bonus, but not a lifeline.

She doesn't need anyone to save her; she can save herself.

So let this kiss be a farewell.

It wasn't saying goodbye to Jiang Chen, but saying goodbye to that budding, inappropriate thought in my heart.

The next morning, Jiang Chen sat on the sofa, clutching his arm, looking completely bewildered.

He stared at the neat circle of teeth marks, his temples throbbing.

He slammed his phone on the table and dialed Bai Mengyan's number.

"Come here, now."

Five minutes later, Bai Mengyan pushed open the door and came in. Her hair was messy and her eyes were swollen, so she was obviously still half asleep.

"Boss—" she yawned, "What's up—"

"Did you take me back to my room yesterday?"

"Huh? — Uh-huh!"

Actually, Bai Mengyan didn't even know how she got back to her room yesterday; she had drunk too much.

She sat at the same table with her assistants, and she was definitely the brightest star.

A group of people were flattering her.

"Sister Bai, please take good care of me from now on!"

"Sister Bai, please put in a good word for Jiang Ge!"

"Sister Bai, this toast is for you!"

She got a little tipsy and unknowingly drank several glasses of red wine.

It seems she went back to sleep afterwards and forgot about Jiang Chen.

Of course, this is something that cannot be admitted.

"Boss, what's wrong?"

Jiang Chen finally figured it out: it was you, you silly roe deer?

If you dare to bite the boss today, will you be riding on his back tomorrow?

"Xiao Bai, don't do your front desk work when you get back to the company tomorrow."

Bai Mengyan was taken aback, then her eyes lit up: "Ah? Then I'll stay by your side?"

"No."

"That----"

"Go to the restroom first! It's your shift change!"

Bai Mengyan: "??????"

After filming wrapped on "My Love from the Star," Jiang Chen went back to his school.

It's not that he particularly loves studying.

As a third-year student, I naturally want to show up on campus whenever I have free time.

Final exams are approaching, and the female students are tired from studying and need a break. How can I live up to my reputation as the most handsome guy at Beijing Film Academy if I don't come back and show my face at this time?

The moment he appeared at the entrance of the teaching building, the air itself seemed to change.

"Jiang Chen! It's Jiang Chen!"

"Senior! Senior, look this way!"

"Senior, weren't you filming? Why are you back?"

Jiang Chen was surrounded by pretty female students who pressed themselves against him, each one as enthusiastic as fire.

"Everyone, I'm just here to give a lesson, not to hold a fan meeting."

Just one picture!

"Just one question!"

"Just one sentence!"

"I'm really impressed by you guys. If it weren't for my junior, I wouldn't give you this face. Don't rush, take it one at a time!"

'

The third floor of the teaching building, at the end of the corridor.

Zhang Yisan leaned against the windowsill, looking down at Jiang Chen, who was surrounded by a huge crowd, his face full of jealousy.

"This kid is becoming more and more inhuman."

Yang Zi lay down beside him, looking resentful: "How long has it been since he came to school?"

"Two months?"

"67 days and 5 hours."

Zhang Yisan: "————"

"They're busy filming, singing, winning awards, and making it onto the Billboard charts. They don't have time to come to school."

"Then why did he come?"

"He's just putting on an act. He's a senior now, so he's back to make his presence known and let the younger girls see that Beijing Film Academy has someone like him."

"Hey, wait a minute, Zimei, something's not right!"

"What's wrong with me?"

"Are you feeling resentful?"

"Who's complaining!"

"You're so melancholy, like a woman confined to her chambers, longing for her husband."

"Little dwarf!"

"Alright, alright," Zhang Yisan raised his hands in surrender, "He's coming up, go take your anger out on him."

Footsteps came from the stairwell.

Jiang Chen finally shook off the group of female students, pushed open the door and came in, his forehead covered in sweat.

"Sigh—" He sighed dramatically, "The female students at Beijing Film Academy are getting crazier and crazier."

"That's all because you spoiled them," Zhang Yisan sneered. "They take photos with everyone they meet and ask for autographs from everyone they meet. No wonder they're going crazy."

"I've never been used to that—"

"You always agree," Yang Zi said, hands on her hips. "If you said no with a cold face, would they dare to surround you?"

Jiang Chen looked at her and suddenly laughed: "Oh, Miss Yang, you're holding a grudge."

"Who's complaining!"

"Your face screams it," Jiang Chen leaned closer, "a resentful woman confined to her chambers."

"Jiang Chen!"

Yang Zi raised his hand to strike, but he dodged it.

Zhang Yisan cheered from the sidelines, "Hit! Hit harder! I'll record it for you!"

"You two—" Yang Zi's face flushed with anger, "you're in cahoots!"

The group joked around for a while.

"Oh, right," Yang Zi suddenly remembered something, "Xiao Chenzi, is the school going to recommend you for graduate school?"

"Yeah, my teacher mentioned it to me last time. He said that my overall evaluation was good enough and the quota has been allocated."

"How did you know?"

"They've posted notices," Zhang Yisan interjected, "saying that you and He Xuanlin will be the counselors for the 2013 acting class."

"Isn't this standard procedure? The school is worried that your grades won't be high enough, so they'll give you some extra credits so you can stay for a few more years."

Jiang Chen leaned back in his chair and shrugged indifferently: "I don't care either. Even if I get a guaranteed admission to graduate school, I won't have much time to spend at school."

Zhang Yisan leaned over, giving him a knowing look, and patted him on the shoulder: "Brother Chen, stop pretending."

Jiang Chen was taken aback: "What? What did I pretend to be?"

Zhang Yisan winked and said, "Don't blame me for being disloyal, I've already found out everything for you."

"What do you want to know?"

"The new students taking the art exams this year!"

"There are several pretty ones!"

"He's from Northeast China, surnamed Meng, and he has incredibly long legs."

"There's another one surnamed Xu, I think she's from Jiangsu. And another one from Shaanxi, surnamed Sun, she's got a mature, sophisticated vibe."

"Oh, right, there's also a girl from Sichuan, surnamed Chen. She's sweet and definitely your type."

Yang Zi, who was listening nearby, turned green with rage. "You little rascal! You pervert! Xiao Chenzi isn't that kind of person! Don't talk to him about these things!"

Zhang Yisan looked completely innocent: "I was just helping him with the freshman survey. Shouldn't the counselor get to know the students beforehand?"

"Are you researching the face or the legs?"

"The face and legs are both part of the student's information."

Jiang Chen reached out and forcefully pushed Yang Zi's face away. "San'er, tell me in more detail."

Yang Zi: "....."

The days that followed remained busy.

Jiang Chen needs to coordinate with the Chengdu concert on June 28th.

Universal Music communicated with him, and the venue was adjusted to the Chengdu Sports Center, which can accommodate 4 spectators.

In other words, the final concert of "Evening Breeze and Youth" will be even larger in scale.