LOI Chapter 45 — Fifteen Minutes

After redrawing the topic, Rong Ke had to perform as a lion discovering its prey. He placed his ten fingers on the ground, leaning forward, mimicking the posture of a predator cautiously observing its quarry.

He didn’t deliberately emphasize feline characteristics because his focus was on hunting rather than the lion itself. With a cool gaze fixed on an imaginary prey, he embodied a fierce beast poised to strike at any moment.

As the brief performance concluded, the audience obligingly offered a round of applause.

Next up was Jiang Si, who had to portray a dog waiting for its owner to return home. Unlike Rong Ke’s approach, he simply stood there, acting cute and coquettish. His strategy proved correct, eliciting excited screams from the audience.

The warm-up interlude quickly passed, and teams A and B received their official competition topics.

The first challenge was a duo performance: two people stranded on a deserted island with only one piece of dry rations left. Each team had to stage a complete scene.

With only fifteen minutes to prepare, Rong Ke’s team unanimously chose him to perform. They all thought that Rong Ke performed better than Jiang Si during the warm-up act. They also recognized that this challenge was obviously prepared for Liu Qing and Jiang Si.

“Ge, I’ll partner with you,” Qin Sui volunteered. “How should we perform?”

Rong Ke glanced at Liu Qing and Jiang Si, who were already discussing their approach, then said to Qin Sui, “Just be yourself.”

Qin Sui asked, “What do you mean by myself?”

Rong Ke patted Qin Sui’s shoulder. “A straightforward young man.”

The rest of the team laughed, teasing, “Captain, see, even others think you’re a simple-minded big guy.”

“What simple-minded big guy?” Qin Sui protested. “I’m clearly a naive sweetheart.”

Liu Qing and Jiang Si finished their preparations first. They decided to play a couple.

Qin Sui whispered to Rong Ke, “I knew they’d act out a lovers’ quarrel. They’ll definitely make some trending topic later to claim they had a fight when it was just for the show.”

Rong Ke wasn’t surprised, either. “Let’s see how they perform first.”

“Is there any food left?” Liu Qing sat listlessly by the shore, his eyes vacant as he gazed at the endless sea.

“Just this last piece of dry ration.” Jiang Si placed the imaginary food between them and said, “You eat it.”

Liu Qing replied, “Okay.”

As Liu Qing reached for it, Jiang Si suddenly asked, “You didn’t hesitate at all?”

“Hesitate about what?” Liu Qing retorted. “I’ve always said we should ration our food. You’re the one who kept saying someone would find us soon.”

“I just didn’t want you to go hungry. What about you? It’s the last piece, and you’re ready to eat it just like that.”

“…”

They proceeded to argue about who was more selfish, and they acted pretty convincingly.

Rong Ke knew Liu Qing’s acting skills were sufficient for a quarrel scene, but Jiang Si surprised him.

From what Rong Ke knew of Jiang Si, he shouldn’t have been able to act with such genuine emotion unless… he harbored actual resentment towards Liu Qing.

“Fine, then, let’s both starve!” Jiang Si finally threw the rations into the sea, ending the scene.

When Rong Ke and Qin Sui took the stage, they didn’t introduce their roles, but within a few lines, the audience understood their relationship.

“Ge, it’s the last piece of food. You should eat it.”

“You eat it. Save your strength, don’t talk.”

“No.” Qin Sui looked at Rong Ke, his eyes filled with sadness and resolve. “I’ve always been sickly. Even if I eat it, I won’t last long. After I die, you should eat me. You might survive until rescue arrives.”

“Silly boy, what are you saying?” Rong Ke stood up, ruffling Qin Sui’s hair. “Eat quickly. I’ll go look for more food.”

Rong Ke walked towards the rainforest behind them, but instead of searching for food, as he claimed, he picked up a large rock and crept quietly behind Qin Sui.

Realizing his intention, the audience gasped.

Suddenly, Qin Sui turned his head and exclaimed, “Ge! Rescue’s here!”

Rong Ke instantly dropped the rock behind his back and returned to Qin Sui’s side. “Where?”

“Look! Over there!” As Rong Ke scanned the horizon, Qin Sui’s expression changed. He pulled a rope from his pocket.

Stepping back, he silently raised his hands to loop the rope around Rong Ke’s neck. However, Rong Ke suddenly exclaimed excitedly, “The rescue really is here!”

Qin Sui quickly withdrew his hand. Seeing the approaching rescue boat, he, too, became excited. “It really is a rescue boat!”

The brothers exchanged a meaningful glance before heading towards the rescue boat…

After both teams finished performing, it was time for the judges’ comments.

A mild-mannered director offered a tepid comment. “Liu Qing’s group performed with more genuine emotion, while Qin Sui’s group had a more complete story.”

Another director said, “The two teams had different styles. Both performed well.”

A third director glanced at Wen Cheng and said, “Rong Ke and Jiang Si acted in your ‘Inferno Case’. You’re familiar with them. Why don’t you comment?”

“Alright.” Wen Cheng pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses and looked at Liu Qing. “Why did your argument happen on a deserted island?”

Liu Qing answered, “Because the conflict arose from the last piece of food, we naturally thought about the issue of compromise between couples…”

“Is your relationship as a couple the most important issue right now?” Wen Cheng interrupted calmly.

Liu Qing visibly tensed. “It’s about survival.”

“In Qin Sui’s group, facing the challenge of survival, their core conflict was who would eat whom. It’s brutal but very on-topic.” Wen Cheng tapped his finger on the table. “Your quarrel seemed ridiculous to me. If you’re nearly starving to death, would you have the energy to argue?”

The audience burst into laughter.

Liu Qing looked embarrassed. Jiang Si stepped forward to respond, “The teacher is right.”

“This argument could happen at dinner time too, arguing over who eats the last piece of meat. Why must it be on a deserted island?” Wen Cheng continued, “Given the ‘deserted island’ and ‘last ration’ scenario, you should analyze the characters’ most fundamental need: survival.”

“Qin Sui and Rong Ke pinpointed the core conflict and amplified it, creating two layers of twists.” Wen Cheng looked at them. “Whose idea was this performance?”

Qin Sui answered, “It was Rong Ke’s.”

“I’ve always seen your solid foundation.” Wen Cheng’s gaze settled on Rong Ke. “We should discuss my new project later.”

“Wow, Director Wen,” the other three judges chimed in, “that’s unfair! Everyone knows Rong Ke is in high demand lately.”

Wen Cheng smiled slightly. “First come, first served.”

In subsequent rounds, the two teams competed on other topics. For some reason, Liu Qing’s performance deteriorated. With Rong Ke leading the other team, Qin Sui’s group naturally won in the end.

After the show’s recording, Liu Qing quietly approached Wen Cheng’s dressing room.

He stood nervously at the door. “Teacher, you asked for me.”

Wiping his gold-rimmed glasses with a cloth, Wen Cheng said coolly, “Get over here.”

Liu Qing swallowed hard, approaching Wen Cheng anxiously.

Wen Cheng unhurriedly put on his glasses, then suddenly kicked Liu Qing, sending him sprawling to the floor.

“Did you have someone switch Rong Ke’s topic?” Wen Cheng asked.

“Teacher, I was wrong,” Liu Qing trembled, enduring the pain.

“You know I despise those who treat work frivolously,” Wen Cheng looked down at Liu Qing. “I don’t care who you’re targeting, but today’s recording was delayed by twenty minutes because of you.”

“…It was Yan Zhi,” Liu Qing’s voice quavered. “He disrupted the recording.”

“You’re the fool,” Wen Cheng said. “If you’d just behaved, I promised to promote you and would have. Even the SPL endorsement wasn’t impossible. But if you keep wasting effort on stupidity, I’ll remove you from my sight.”

Liu Qing cowered, head down. “I’m sorry, I know I was wrong, Teacher.”

“Your performance today was terrible. I’m very disappointed,” Wen Cheng sighed, shaking his head. “Turn around. I’m going to kick you again.”

“Teacher…” Liu Qing pleaded, “Can we not do this? The kicks really hurt…”

Wen Cheng raised an eyebrow, holding up two fingers. “Now it’s two kicks.”

Liu Qing gritted his teeth and turned his back.

Leaving Wen Cheng’s dressing room, every step Liu Qing took was painful. Yet he had to pretend nothing was wrong, greeting familiar faces as he passed by.

As he entered the lounge, he wanted to check if he was bleeding, but Liu Qing unexpectedly encountered the person he least wanted to see.

Rong Ke was equally surprised to run into Liu Qing. He couldn’t be bothered to even look at him, but for some inexplicable reason, Liu Qing blocked his path.

“Did you discuss the new project with Director Wen?” Liu Qing asked.

Rong Ke lazily tossed a paper towel into the trash. “How is that any of your business?”

“I’m just warning you, it’s not easy to curry favor with him,” Liu Qing said darkly.

“Oh, so that’s why you were so distracted in the second half. Afraid I’d steal your patron¹?” Rong Ke noticed Liu Qing’s terrible complexion and found it somewhat amusing. “What, did he just scold you?”

“None of your damn business,” Liu Qing spat venomously.

Rong Ke shrugged, walking out indifferently. “You’re right, it’s none of my business.”

“That’s right,” Liu Qing said to Rong Ke’s retreating figure, “Your patron follows you around like a lapdog. No wonder you’re so arrogant.”

Rong Ke paused as he was about to push open the door, taking a moment to realize Liu Qing was referring to Yan Zhi as the lapdog.

“Isn’t he supposed to be so powerful? He even blacklisted Jiang Si from fashion resources. Why doesn’t he blacklist me too?” Liu Qing sneered. “This show is sponsored by SPL. Doesn’t he want to?”

Rong Ke turned to face Liu Qing. “You’d better hold on tight to your patron. He doesn’t seem very pleased with you today.”

This comment clearly struck a nerve. Liu Qing’s face darkened. “We’ll see how long Yan Zhi can keep licking your boots.”

Rong Ke disliked others speaking ill of Yan Zhi.

Although he often complained about Yan Zhi being fussy and neurotic, it didn’t mean others could insult him to his face.

“You’ve got one thing wrong,” Rong Ke said. “He’s not my patron, and certainly not my lapdog.”

Turning to open the restroom door, Rong Ke looked back at Liu Qing. “He’s my boyfriend.”

With that, Rong Ke left the restroom.

He and Liu Qing were different types of people, and Yan Zhi was nothing like Wen Cheng. There was no point in comparing their situations.

But he couldn’t resist provoking Liu Qing. Who told him to badmouth Yan Zhi?

The oblivious prince was waiting around the corner. Seeing Rong Ke approach, his aloof expression instantly softened.

Rong Ke felt a peculiar emotion. He felt Yan Zhi was insulted because of him, and Liu Qing’s words were so harsh that he felt somewhat guilty.

Taking advantage of the empty corridor, Rong Ke asked Yan Zhi, “Does your previous offer still stand?”

“Yes,” Yan Zhi replied, then asked, “What offer?”

As someone passed by, Rong Ke didn’t answer. Instead, he walked straight toward the elevator.

Yan Zhi didn’t ask further, quietly following beside Rong Ke until they reached the underground parking garage. After confirming they were alone, Rong Ke casually said, “You said you could give me a blowjob².”

“Huh?” Yan Zhi faltered, quickly catching up to Rong Ke. “What did you say?”

“Let’s put the past behind us,” Rong Ke said, approaching the flashy Ferrari. “I’ll give you fifteen minutes. If you can make me finish, we’ll be together.”

——In fact, the duration and who did what to whom didn’t matter to Rong Ke anymore.

He just wanted an excuse to move past their previous issues. He even thought mutual oral wouldn’t be bad.

“Fifteen minutes?” Yan Zhi raised an eyebrow, his eyes betraying barely concealed excitement. He blurted out, “Who needs that long? Fifteen seconds is enough.”

Silence.

A deathly silence.

“Uh, baby,” Yan Zhi panicked inwardly, “I mean…”

Rong Ke calmly extended his hand towards Yan Zhi. “I’ll drive.”

Unsure of Rong Ke’s intentions, Yan Zhi hesitantly agreed, “Okay,” and handed over the car keys.

In the next moment, Rong Ke smoothly got in the car, locked the doors, slammed on the gas, and left Yan Zhi with a face full of exhaust.