Chapter 276 - Marshmallow

Si-Han looked at his phone. As an artiste, he was busy. How was it that a CEO of a large consortium was less busy than him? Didn't CEO Zhu have millions of people to manage and huge projects to oversee?

Sugar Daddy: Hey, baby boy! I heard that you were coming to China for a tour. Can I be your city guide?

Conflicted, the pop idol stared at his phone. While Si-Han had his fair share of crazy fanatics because of his pretty face and quiet nature, it was the first time he had been so confused. Wasn't CEO Zhu dating Scarlet? He didn't think that the man was gay. He even had a fiancee even if she was a criminal. Why would CEO Zhu ask him out and flirt with him?

"Tom," Si-Han called out to his partner.

"What is it?" Tom groaned as he removed the make-up from his face. That interview was hell. He wanted to throw up when the interviewer batted her lashes at him, reeking of perfume.

Si-Han hesitated. Tom was the lady charmer and an expert at social relationsh.i.p.s but Si-Han didn't know if he knew what to do when it came to dating men. After all, Tom was 100% straight and didn't look like he would ever bend for another male.

Deciding against it, Si-Han shook his head. If there was someone he could ask for more information about the CEO, it should be Scarlet.

Edward blinked when Scarlet's phone buzzed. Ever since Hopper Inc. was founded, his girlfriend hardly had any time to rest, much less go on dates with him. It made Edward slightly lonely but there wasn't much he could do. Scarlet's friends and family were important to her and retiring from the showbiz takes time.

Still, whoever it was, he didn't expect the Korean idol to text her. 

"Scarlet! You have a text from the pretty boy!"

Scarlet who was editing her blog looked up and reached for the phone. Edward passed it to her and peered over her shoulder, resting his chin on it like a needy puppy. She felt bad for him. Edward had been rather patient and quiet for the past three hours while she worked on her writing. He only disrupted her concentration because of a text.

"Si-Han? That's rare..."

Edward made a noise to agree and blinked when Scarlet opened the message.

Si-Han: What kind of man is CEO Zhu?

Scarlet stared at the message and re-read it. Then, she shared a look with Edward.

"He was checking pretty boy out at the party. You shouldn't be surprised that the snake is finally making his move. A man who has someone in his sights won't just let it be. They'll hunt and chase their targets down."

Scarlet raised her brow. "Jasper didn't pursue Alex," she reminded and Edward shrugged.

"He did. It just wasn't obvious. If he wasn't interested in her, would he work so hard to quickly catch up to her family status? It's obvious that he wants Wilmer's approval more than Alex's. Besides, your sister is very forward with her affections. There wasn't a need for Jasper to feed that fire. She only has eyes for him anyway."

Scarlet laughed. Indeed, that was true. CEO Zhu wasn't a bad person in Scarlet's books. However, she wasn't sure if she wanted to support the relationship between CEO Zhu and Jin Si-Han. The CEO was in a tight spot because of the scandal with his fiancee and Si-Han was only starting to gain popularity in his career. Getting involved in a relationship with CEO Zhu would only affect them both terribly.

"What is going on in that pretty head of yours?" Edward asked when the frown on Scarlet's face became deeper.

"Should I support this ship or discourage Si-Han from accepting CEO Zhu's advances? Neither of them is in a good spot now for a high-profile relationship."

Edward shrugged. "It's up to them. They're both grown-ups who are more than capable of making their own decisions. I guess what pretty boy wants to know is if CEO Zhu was going to be worth his time. Apart from you and Alex, I doubt anybody else knows him better."

Scarlet hummed. Indeed, this wasn't her decision to make. CEO Zhu did help her with the Anastasia case and she was indebted to him. Si-Han was her friend and she wanted him to be happy even if the road that he was about to choose might be a difficult one. If they really ended up together, she would give them both her full support.

As Scarlet composed her reply, Edward decided to act a little more spoiled. His girlfriend was way too busy and he needed his fix. Snuggling into her small back, Edward inhaled the scent of her shampoo and closed his eyes. Now that he wasn't a spy, he was still finding it difficult to get accustomed to the life of a regular student. He might take on small jobs on the side as an informant contact but that was nothing compared to when he had to invade mafia territory.

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Si-Han didn't know what kind of magic Hopper Inc. pulled but after his brief chat with Scarlet about two weeks ago, the manager in charge of their promotional activities cleared a week for him and Tom.

Tom was more than happy to finally get some time to tour China with local guides. He was definitely going to pick up chicks even if he didn't speak the language and Si-Han decided to stay out of his partner's way. In fact, CEO Zhu found out about his schedule from unnamed sources and kept his word to act as Si-Han's private personal guide.

"Thank you for accepting my offer," the CEO smiled as Si-Han got into his car. For some reason, the CEO was dressed to look younger and Si-Han felt slightly shy. The man was a lot older than he was and Si-Han still couldn't understand why this man insisted on flirting with him.

"Why are you so interested in me? Apart from offering to be my private tour guide, my sugar daddy and my sponsor, what would you gain from this? I'm a male, I cannot marry you or give you heirs."

CEO Zhu chuckled. "Do you always think that far ahead on first dates?"

Si-Han blushed and looked away. After a while, he admitted that he never dated before and CEO Zhu grinned.

"Glad to be your first date," the CEO smiled.

Si-Han was an interesting soul. Although quiet and often expressionless, he didn't seem to be affected by many things. It was as if his mind was separated from the world and Si-Han was only watching it from a third party's perspective. CEO Zhu found him very different from Scarlet who tried to be strong and wore her heart on her sleeve to those who knew her well enough. Si-Han caught his eye at the Recovery Party and CEO Zhu has been trying to figure out what goes on behind the mind of this pretty face. He mistook this pop idol for a lady at first and that was when it all started. His offer to bring him out on dates, sponsor him and be his sugar daddy was just a way to kill time and find out what makes Si-Han tick. Yet, as they spent more time talking, CEO Zhu couldn't help but feel more drawn towards Si-Han as an individual.

The date was simple. Si-Han didn't want to go anywhere crowded. Despite his status as an up and coming pop star, he was still very much an introvert. Si-Han didn't have many interests and getting him to give CEO Zhu a list of things he would like to try while in China took a long time. Thankfully, Scarlet was a good cupid who knew her friend well enough to suggest something Si-Han might enjoy.

They stopped outside somewhere that looked like a warehouse and Si-Han paused. Was this how rich Chinese tycoons treat their lovers? This looked shady as hell and Si-Han wondered what his sugar daddy had in mind. When he said that he didn't like crowded places, he didn't mean take him to a deserted industrial warehouse where bodies could possibly be stored without anyone knowing any better.

CEO Zhu gestured for Si-Han to enter first as he held the door and Si-Han wasn't expecting whatever he saw inside.

"What's this?" he asked, stumped by the grand interior decor. There were at least ten people lined up to greet him and the pop idol wanted to back out of it.

"Hm? Oh, just some special venue I booked for a private dining experience. I heard that you missed Korean cuisine ever since you signed a contract with Hopper Inc. Here are some of the best Korean cuisine chefs I invited from Korea to prepare you a course meal."

Unable to react to the scale of this date, Si-Han allowed CEO Zhu to take the lead. He mirrored the man's actions and couldn't help but look at the amount of money this man was throwing just to make a first date memorable.

The food was great and Si-Han found himself enjoying it despite the awkward silence on occasion. He didn't know what was going through this man's mind but CEO Zhu was interesting. He must be really bored if he went all the way out to plan such a thing. Their conversations were also a tug of war between getting to know the other person and anticipating their next move. It was weird but not unwelcomed.

CEO Zhu took a sip of the rice wine and smiled to himself. Si-Han was exactly like what Scarlet described. He was like a marshmallow, plain on the outside but soft and slightly sweet. Compared to his disgusting ex-fiance, this pop idol was nice. He wasn't arrogant, vain or narrow-minded. In fact, his disinterest towards the wealth and status that CEO Zhu had made the man more interested. It was very rare to find someone unaffected by everything that he had and owned.

"Thank you for the meal," Si-Han said once they got into the car.

CEO Zhu smirked. "It's still too early to thank me. Did you think this would be the end of the date?"

Si-Han raised a brow. "We're not heading back to the city?"

CEO Zhu laughed. "No. You said that you wanted to see some pandas in your interview so I arranged a trip to the panda conservatory."

Si-Han's eyes widened slightly and there was a slight boyish expression on his face as he became excited at the thought of seeing live pandas. CEO Zhu felt the corners of his lips curve upwards when he was rewarded with that cute expression. If Si-Han continued to remain so unguarded around him, CEO Zhu would have to apologise to Scarlet. He wouldn't be able to keep his distance from the pop idol even if it meant that the media was going to try and ruin them.

At the other side of the world, Scarlet sneezed. It was past midnight and Edward frowned.

"Time to sleep," he told her. "You're going to fall ill if you don't rest."

Scarlet sighed and looked over to her doc.u.ment. "I need another three more chapters to complete today's word target."

Not listening to her, Edward shut the laptop screen and looked at her firmly. "Brush your teeth and head to bed. This can continue tomorrow."

Reluctantly, Scarlet did as she was told. As she snuggled into bed with Edward, Scarlet kissed her boyfriend. She wasn't lying about needing three more chapters. The progress of her new book wasn't going very well but at the very least, her Love Journal was gaining viewership rapidly as she embarked on a new chapter of her life with him.

Author's Note: The special song parody for Love Journal is finally up on my Youtube. Please search [Love Journal] Want You Now - A Lady Antebellum Parody. Also, don't forget to like it and follow my social media for updates about my upcoming books! Any amount of donation to my [email protected]+re0n is also very encouraged <3