Mad Dog

Chapter 6: Confession Box

“Phew, finally finished shooting this scene—Brother Qi, what do you want to drink? I’ll go buy it!”

A slender figure jumped out of the swimming pool, Jiang Qi’s handsome face soaked pale by the cold water, his clothes dripping wet. Not far away, his assistant, Qiu Mi, quickly handed him a large towel.

While helping Jiang Qi dry his hair, Qiu Mi asked, very perceptive, and handed him a cup of warm water.

The young man took a sip, lowered his eyes without answering. Qiu Mi, seemingly accustomed to his silence, continued, “Bro, it was tough shooting the underwater scene today. We’ll have to go down several times later. How about buying some ginger tea? It’s good for dispelling cold.”

He let Qiu Mi chatter on.

After a while, Jiang Qi spoke in a low voice, “Milk tea, red bean flavor.”

“Oh, okay, I’ll go get it now.” Qiu Mi responded, but in his mind, the phrase ‘red bean milk tea’ seemed familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere recently.

However, even after buying the milk tea and handing it to Jiang Qi, he couldn’t recall where he had recently encountered this term. Without using a straw, the young man tore open the cup lid and drank the tea in big gulps, his distinct Adam’s apple moving up and down. Soon, the cup was empty.

At this moment, the photographer in charge of taking pictures sent an assistant to urge him.

Jiang Qi frowned, removed the wet towel draped over him, and got up to dive back into the pool. Strands of his jet-black hair clung to his pale face. As he gracefully approached the pool’s edge about to submerge, he looked like a ‘merman’ in the clear water.

Just a male merman, and in black.

Dangerous and rebellious in appearance.

Several hours later.

“OK!” With the photographer’s gestures and excited cheers, the hours-long shoot in the pool finally concluded.

Jiang Qi’s lips were devoid of color from the cold, but his amber eyes remained clear.

“Not bad at all.” Photographer Ji Ting walked over, giving sincere praise, “This will definitely be the most stunning cover of the year when the final shots are done.”

Ji Ting was the big shot at Calle Magazine. This time, he personally took on the task of shooting for the recently famous ‘Purple Micro Star.’ After a whole afternoon of shooting, he couldn’t help but marvel at the inherent plasticity and camera sense of individuals. The cold and proud young man before him hadn’t shot many magazine covers, but his natural performance in front of the camera surpassed even those senior colleagues who had been in the industry for over a decade and were still stuck in posing.

It had been a long time since he had enjoyed such a satisfying and exhilarating photoshoot. Looking at Jiang Qi’s sharp and delicate facial features, Ji Ting deeply realized the meaning of the phrase ‘God-given talent.’

This is what they call talent.

Perhaps God is unfair, no wonder the young man’s first attempt at a challenging and abnormal movie role brought him both fame and fortune, making a big splash at the box office. At the same time, he was recognized by the industry as the existence of the ‘Purple Micro Star,’ maintaining a calm and composed demeanor.

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What Ji Ting was truly interested in was the young boy’s apparent indifference to all of this.

Facing his praise, Jiang Qi just nodded slightly and softly asked, “Can I smoke now?”

They didn’t let him smoke for the past few hours.

…

Seeing the young man’s serious amber eyes with dark ring, Ji Ting couldn’t help but laugh.

“Go ahead.” He patted the boy’s slender square shoulders, “Change into some dry clothes first.”

In the dressing room, Jiang Qi changed into a set of dry clothes, feeling quite impatient with Qiu Mi’s constant admonishments from behind, like ‘make sure not to be photographed,’ ‘bro, there’s another shoot tomorrow, stay in the zone in front of the camera, no late-night snacks,’ and so on.

Ever since he was recruited by Shen Lei to act in some movie, he felt like his whole being was restrained.

It was as if someone was watching his every move.

Frowning, Jiang Qi deliberately avoided Qiu Mi, who was wearing a mask, and slipped out. In reality, he was still a young man in his twenties. Although his temperament was cold, he occasionally couldn’t help but break free. What annoyed him the most was being constantly watched.

Jiang Qi frowned, intentionally avoiding Qiu Mi, and sneaked out wearing a mask.

The studio was located in the suburbs, surrounded by open fields. After coming out, he could only see a row of nanny cars. Jiang Qi knew that Qiu Mi would soon call him to remind him to go back. So, he decided to go to the nearby supermarket.

Out of cigarettes.

Entering the store, Jiang Qi saw the boss sitting cross-legged at the entrance playing a game. He lowered his voice and said, “Luxurious Gate.”

The boss didn’t lift his head or open his eyes, “Sixteen or twenty.”

Jiang Qi: “Sixteen.”

Perhaps due to the habits formed in his childhood environment, Jiang Qi never had the habit of spending money extravagantly. When buying things for himself, he usually chose items in the middle to lower price range, even though he actually… had some money now.

As the boss reached out to hand him the cigarettes, there was a ding-dong sound at the entrance, and another man, fully ‘armed’ with a mask and a hat, walked in. Perhaps because the supermarket was located next to the studio, the boss was used to people who could be compared to the ‘mafia’ coming in and out of his store every day.

The man walked to the shelf next to the counter, skillfully took a box of condoms, and placed it on the table. The voice behind the mask was straightforward, “Ring it up.”

This is the latest retro-style condom. It has a dark green striped packaging with a pattern on the box depicting a woman’s foot beneath a rose-colored skirt, adorned with black nail polish. The combination of red, black, and green creates a strong and intriguing color contrast.

The boss, who was just focused on playing games, noticed the condom box and jokingly said to the man, “Checking out the packaging? This one’s been trending lately.”

The man, harboring a hidden foot fetish, was indeed intrigued by the packaging.

Jiang Qi took the cigarette handed to him by the boss, diverted his attention from the box, and left. Though his eyes remained calm, at a certain moment, Jiang Qi’s gaze was captivated by that foot.

He, too, had a foot fetish, but unlike others, he only felt something for Zhi Qi’s feet. The delicate jade-like feet on the packaging somewhat resembled Zhi Qi’s. Well, this is getting crazy.

Jiang Qi chuckled, tore open the cigarette box, took one out, and bit it between his lips. The calm look in his eyes was disrupted when he thought of the name Zhi Qi; waves of emotions surged within.

If someone approached him at this moment, they would undoubtedly sense danger from the young man. His aura wasn’t chilly and murderous; instead, it exuded a sense of possessiveness forcibly restrained by its owner. As a cigarette burned out, Jiang Qi returned to his usual aloof and solitary demeanor. After extinguishing the cigarette butt and tossing it into the trash, he emerged from the shadows.

He headed towards what seemed like a bright future but was shrouded in darkness.

*

[Jiang Qi, my little dolphin is sick, and it’s really annoying.]

[It’s super cute.]

[DAY.30]

Zhi Qi, while sending direct messages like a Weibo tree hole to Jiang Qi, anxiously watches the small dolphin ‘Lang Lang’ in the pool.

Lang Lang is still sleek, but its condition, maintained by the staff in the pool, is evidently not as lively as when Zhi Qi last saw it. It accidentally entered the shallow water area and almost dehydrated, making its blood viscous. Fortunately, it was noticed in time.

“It’s okay.” Jiang Ying, wearing white overalls, walks over from behind, patting Zhi Qi’s shoulder reassuringly, “Lang Lang was discovered and rescued in time. It will be fine soon.”

“Jie.” Zhi Qi turns around, seeing the woman with a hat forcing a smile, “Thank you.”

Today, she received a call from Jiang Ying during class and rushed to the ‘Marine Animal Rescue Station’ center upon learning the news.

Both she and Jiang Ying became volunteers for the Wildlife Conservation Association a year ago, specializing in the research of marine life. They naturally became close, and when they saw the nearly lifeless Lang Lang a few months ago, they went through the proper procedures to ‘adopt’ this young dolphin.

Adopting rare animals is essentially a way of providing financial assistance, with the added supervision to ensure that the dolphin is not sold or mistreated during its growth. Over a year has passed, and the once lifeless Lang Lang is now lively and energetic. Zhi Qi can’t help but feel like a parent, and seeing the child get sick naturally makes her feel uneasy.

“Don’t mention it.” Jiang Ying smiles, lowering her head to look at her arm. She takes off her hat, revealing a lush and fluffy mane of hair.

The woman is a few years older than Zhi Qi, currently working at this rescue center, mature and charming. She is delighted to see Zhi Qi, with dimples appearing at the corners of her lips, “Shall we have a meal together?”

Zhi Qi has no reason to refuse.

The two of them go to the staff cafeteria, and it’s not Zhi Qi’s first time eating here. She takes the familiar route, holding a tray to queue at the counter.

The food is good today, and there happens to be sweet and sour meatballs that she likes. However, during the meal, her phone on the table keeps vibrating incessantly. Zhi Qi can’t resist unlocking it to check, making her eat somewhat absentmindedly.

“Qiqi.” Jiang Ying senses that something is off and looks at her with some confusion, “Why are you so into your phone now?”

One distinctive trait she remembers about Zhi Qi is that, in this digital age, the girl isn’t reliant on electronic devices. It’s a stark contrast to other young people who can’t be separated from their phones for eating or sleeping – how did she change so much in just a few weeks?

“Jie.” Zhi Qi awkwardly smiles but with sparkling eyes, “I’m chasing stars now.”

…

Jiang Ying began to doubt if she had misheard.

However, Zhi Qi had no time to consider her petrified expression. She finally understood, through the lively discussions in the added fan group, that they were currently discussing the [Gazing at the Sky drama group’s fan meeting].

Based on her recent ‘research,’ she learned that because Jiang Qi’s movie had become a genuine dark horse, breaking 1.5 billion in the first month of release, it was a milestone success for a niche suspense thriller. Therefore, it seemed like the drama group was planning to hold a fan meeting.

As the absolute male lead of the movie “Gazing at the Sky,” Jiang Qi would definitely attend the fan meeting.

If she could somehow get tickets… wouldn’t that mean she could see Jiang Qi up close?

Thinking about this possibility, Zhi Qi became so excited that she couldn’t sleep. Although she had clearly seen him hundreds or thousands of times before, thinking about not seeing him for four years, she truly felt a kind of ‘star-chasing’ excitement facing Jiang Qi.

But now, Jiang Qi was not in the state of having no fans like a month ago; he was now ‘hot,’ and naturally, fan meeting tickets would be even harder to buy. Even a small group of three hundred people had more than half planning to snatch the tickets at midnight, not to mention the countless other similar groups.

And there were only a thousand tickets for the fan meeting, and she had no experience in ticket snatching. Every time she thought about this, Zhi Qi couldn’t help but sigh with worry.

“Qiqi, tell me about it.” Jiang Ying, watching the girl’s alternating happy and sighing expressions, found it amusing. It reminded her of her own star-chasing journey a few years ago when she chased stars day and night. She couldn’t help but teasingly ask, “Which young man has captured your heart? Sister might be able to help you.”

Zhi Qi used to be a girl who turned a deaf ear to outside matters, so Jiang Ying was quite curious about which male celebrity could attract her. Upon hearing Jiang Ying’s words, Zhi Qi remembered that Jiang Ying had mentioned having a brother involved in the entertainment industry before. She wasn’t interested in the specific details of his work at that time, but now…

Zhi Qi’s eyes suddenly lit up, and she excitedly held Jiang Ying’s hand, asking, “Jie, can you help me get tickets to the fan meeting?”

Jiang Ying was a bit stunned by Zhi Qi’s sudden burst of enthusiasm but couldn’t help but laugh. They had known each other for over a year, and when had this gentle and calm girl ever been so eager?

Jiang Ying: “There might be a way, but you have to tell me whose fan meeting you want to attend.”

“Him, him, him!” Zhi Qi pushed her phone in front of Jiang Ying, blushing like a maiden in love, “Jiang Qi.”

Jiang Qi?

Jiang Ying paused, suspecting that she might have misheard. Because she remembered her brother Jiang Chi, who worked as a manager in the entertainment industry, had been complaining vehemently a few days ago about wanting to ‘take down’ someone named Jiang Qi.

Later, curious about what was going on, Jiang Ying asked him. He explained that this Jiang Qi was a rising star in the entertainment industry, extremely talented, and had already gained popularity even before signing with any company. This was like a huge pie falling from the sky for entertainment companies, and many of them were competing to sign him.

Jiang Ying’s brother’s company was one of the competitors, and he was specifically assigned to ‘take down’ Jiang Qi. However, her brother incessantly complained that Jiang Qi had great acting skills but a terrible personality, stubborn like a dog, making him angry for quite a while.

However, it seemed her brother’s disgruntled words were not suitable to be told to a girl who was now eagerly chasing stars.

Facing Zhi Qi’s expectant gaze, Jiang Ying smiled and said, “Okay, I’ll go back and ask my brother.”