Second Take On Romance - The A-List Actor Wants Me
Chapter 205 : Repaying Kindness

Chapter 205: Chapter 205 : Repaying Kindness

Shen Jingwei and Yan Renzhong left the hotel room and headed toward CNC Hotel’s Business Center.

It was around dinner time, so most of the work chamber were empty. All save for one, which was brimming with people.

By the time the couple arrived, Zhu Dongyi, Wen Guilin, and Shang Ruohai were already among the crowd, speaking to each other in low, serious voices.

The door opened with a click, and everyone raised their heads at the same time to greet the newcomers.

Shen Jingwei, holding his phone in his hand, looked into the round and asked, "What happened?"

"It is what it looks like," Shang Ruohai said with an exasperated sigh and an eye-roll. "Sit down, both of you."

Shen Jingwei and Yan Renzhong took their seats. Shang Ruohai clapped his hands and began to talk into the round.

"As everyone knew, a huge bomb was dropped on Weibo tonight regarding a certain ’Handsome Butler Coffee Shop’, along with the names of several butlers who once worked there and had since risen to prominence."

Of all the names, three of them were signed with CNC Studio, including Jin Zhuo.

Two were signed with Yunhuan Entertainment.

One, Shen Jingwei, was signed with Beihai Entertainment.

The rest were signed with other minor entertainment companies.

"Of course, we cannot gather everyone here in a short time. Thankfully, we have Shen Jingwei and Jin Zhuo here to give an initial testimony about Handsome Butler Coffee Shop."

Shang Ruohai directed his eyes at the two aforementioned men.

"Is that true? Does Handsome Butler Coffee Shop engage in illegal prostitution?"

"No, of course not," Shen Jingwei said with utter conviction. "I was there for over three years. I can openly say that the coffee shop is clean and operates just like any other coffee shop."

Sitting some seats away from him, Jin Zhuo stirred. He looked extremely nervous.

"I have only been there on and off for less than a year. I haven’t done any prostitution."

Shang Ruohai narrowed his eyes at both actors.

"Investigation will be launched," he said. "Until then, I suggest both of you to stay away from the coffee shop. Also refrain from making irresponsible comments on the Weibo posts."

"Of course," Jin Zhuo quickly agreed, but Shen Jingwei remained silent.

His silence grated on Shang Ruohai’s nerves.

"Do you, or do you not understand, Shen Jingwei?" He asked loudly across the room.

"Head Butler Wu, the owner of the coffee shop, has been a dear friend of mine for over three years," Shen Jingwei pointed out. "We shared a lot of memories in that coffee shop. Now that it’s in trouble, I..."

"I insist that you do nothing at all," Shang Ruohai snapped. "I can make do with replacing an actor that has yet to appear across screen, but I can’t do that with the male lead of the drama."

Colors drained from Jin Zhuo’s face. He turned to Shen Jingwei and begged, "Brother Shen, please. Please stay put. Do not ruin this for me."

Shen Jingwei knew what Jin Zhuo meant. If he lost the Xie Jianzhi role, he might never again get another chance. His benefactor might refuse to help him one more time.

But Head Butler Wu...

Head Butler Wu’s coffee shop was his only financial support for a long time. Now that it encountered some trouble, he should...

As conflicting thoughts warred within Shen Jingwei, Yan Renzhong reached out and tapped lightly against his shoulder.

"There are ways to help without showing up personally," he whispered. "Let me take care of this matter. Do not do anything on your own accord yet."

Shen Jingwei fell silent.

He didn’t know what Yan Renzhong planned to do, but he knew that Yan Renzhong could do many things within a short period of time.

The gathering ended after some time, with a strict warning to all managers to keep both eyes on their protégés.

Afterward, they all returned to their own hotel rooms.

Yan Renzhong to his, and Shen Jingwei to his. Their rooms were at the ends of the same floor, with around twenty rooms standing in between.

That night, Shen Jingwei could not sleep at all.

He ended up switching on the lamp at the nightstand and scrolling through Weibo for news about Handsome Butler Coffee Shop.

The prostitution allegation originated from a single post by a gossip columnist.

It quickly became viral because the columnist mentioned several butlers who once worked in the coffee and shop and were now relatively known throughout the entertainment industry.

The most prominent one was undoubtedly Shen Jingwei.

If the post itself was scandalous, the comments beneath the post were like oil pouring into the flame.

First comment : "I knew that these actors do not get discovered by chance. But to think that they engage in prostitution..."

Second comment : "<replying to above message> What do you know? It’s all about connections and favors in the cutthroat entertainment industry. Can you even blame them?"

Third comment : "All of them are very handsome. If the coffee shop is any other coffee shop, why not receuit ugly butlers for once?

Fourth comment : "<replying to above message> The person who commented above me is a little dumb. Think about the name, ’Handsome Butler Coffee Shop’. Which one of you want to drink coffee served by ugly butlers???"

The more Shen Jingwei read, the more his head hurt.

He was tempted to add his own comment to defend Head Butler Wu for once, but Yan Renzhong’s warning flashed across his mind.

"There are ways to help without showing up personally. Let me take care of this matter. Do not do anything on your own accord yet."

Shen Jingwei paced in his hotel room, his phone tightly gripped in his hand.

He tried to come up with solutions, but his mind was too chaotic to put together a working plan.

Eventually, exhaustion claimed him and he fell asleep against the couch.

His sleep was restless, dotted with memories of the past.