Demon Consort Runs into the Beijing Crown Prince - Chapter 24

The next day, as soon as Chu Muyun arrived on set, he ordered milk tea for the entire crew.

He made sure to order a separate cup for Lu Hanzhang.

If everyone else was getting one, his Great King certainly deserved one too!

But when he opened the Ele.me app, Chu Muyun suddenly realized that each milk tea cost 12 yuan. With just over 500 yuan left in his account, it was going to be tight. The payment for the Shu Meijia commercial was still being processed and hadn’t arrived yet. Maybe I should just order Mixue Ice Orange instead…

In the end, he maxed out his balance and bought around 40 cups, completely emptying his bank account and leaving him with exactly 5 yuan.

This 5 yuan was the prize he’d won from a lottery ticket he’d bought before filming started. He’d promised to use his earnings from this project to buy Lu Hanzhang a rose bear, so that 5 yuan represented a single petal of the bear—absolutely untouchable.

Half an hour later, the delivery driver arrived with a box of milk tea.

Chu Muyun grinned brightly, “Nothing special,” he announced. “I’m just in a good mood today, so I’m treating everyone to milk tea.”

The director paused, then chuckled helplessly and shook his head. He walked over and grabbed a cup. “Alright, I was getting thirsty anyway.”

Chu Muyun had a decent personal relationship with producer Shao. Shao had hinted that Chu Muyun’s backing was formidable and that they were planning to target Luo Yi, whose days ahead would be difficult. The choice between them was crystal clear. Moreover, as an actor, Chu Muyun was far more talented and dedicated than Luo Yi.

Cheng Yu, the second male lead, also came to grab a cup, “Thanks!”

With their lead, the others quickly followed suit, and the milk tea was soon gone. Of course, Luo Yi’s team was excluded, their faces growing darker with each passing moment.

Chu Muyun happily sipped his milk tea while checking the delivery order to Lu Group Headquarters.

Hmm, the front desk signed for it. It won’t be easy to get it to Lu Hanzhang directly. Otherwise, anyone could just order President Lu a takeout meal.

He opened WeChat and messaged Li Weide: [Assistant Li, I ordered a milk tea for the Boss. How can I get it to him?]

Li Weide replied promptly: [Send me the order number. I’ll pick it up from the front desk and deliver it to him.]

[Okay, thanks for the trouble. Order Screenshot.jpg]

A few minutes later, Li Weide knocked on the president’s office door, carrying a milk tea that originally cost 18 yuan but had a 4-yuan coupon applied. The order note read, “For the best Boss in the world.”

Lu Hanzhang looked up from a stack of reports, his brow furrowing at the brightly lit milk tea bag in Li Weide’s hand.

“Boss, Mr. Chu ordered this for you,” Li Weide said quickly.

“Oh, just set it down,” Lu Hanzhang replied, his expression softening instantly and his tone becoming gentle.

Li Weide silently placed the milk tea on the boss’s desk and turned to leave.

A while later, Special Assistant Li entered with some documents. Glancing sideways, he noticed the milk tea cup already had a straw inserted, and the liquid level had dropped by about a third.

…Mr. Chu is amazing. He even got our boss to drink what might be his first-ever milk tea.

Throughout the rest of the day, Chu Muyun was in high spirits, throwing himself into his role as the scheming Gu Minglun with gusto.

Luo Yi’s team glared at him, their eyes practically spitting fire, their faces screaming “little bitch,” but no one dared voice the insult aloud.

This only made Chu Muyun even happier.

After wrapping up filming that evening, Chu Muyun returned to his hotel, showered, and sat on the bed, opening WeChat.

Instead of sending a message, he initiated a video call.

Lu Hanzhang answered.

This time, the angle wasn’t the unflattering upward shot from before. He looked handsome, likely having adjusted the camera before answering.

“Boss, did you enjoy the milk tea I ordered for you?”

“Hmm, it was alright.”

“Thank you for sticking up for me! Now I can strut around the set like I own the place,” Chu Muyun said with a smug, arrogant grin. That’s exactly how a favored, nation-toppling beauty would smile, he thought. I’m living proof.

“Good,” Lu Hanzhang replied, a faint smile flickering in his eyes. “Tell me if anything happens during filming.”

“Don’t worry, I never swallow my pride,” Chu Muyun declared.

Well, I used to before I met the Great King. But not anymore!

Lu Hanzhang stared at him intently, “You seem to have lost some weight.”

“Really?” Chu Muyun touched his face. “Probably from being so busy lately. I wake up at 5 every morning, eat breakfast, and head straight to the set. We film until 8 at night before I get back to the hotel. It’s a bit tiring.”

Every extra day of filming burned through more of the budget, adding another day’s wages for the crew. Rushed schedules were the norm. Some low-budget web dramas even filmed for twenty hours a day, treating their cast and crew like beasts of burden. Misaligned‘s funding wasn’t particularly tight, but with two of its leading actors being in-demand celebrities with packed schedules, the production team had to rush to accommodate them.

“Once you finish filming, make sure you get some proper rest,” Lu Hanzhang said, his brow furrowed with concern.

“Mm! I’ve been going to bed around ten every night, so I’m managing okay,” Chu Muyun replied. “Looking at your background, you’re still in the office? It seems like you work incredibly long hours every day.”

He strongly suspected that even though Lu Hanzhang owned multiple properties, the bed he slept in most often was the one in the living quarters attached to his office.

“I’m used to it,” Lu Hanzhang said.

“You need to take care of yourself, too.”

“I will.”

“I’ll keep an eye on you. If you feel unwell, I’ll drag you to the hospital,” Chu Muyun said. “Is that vase of orange roses by the camera the ones I gave you? They haven’t wilted after all this time?”

“They’re the ones you gave me… I had them preserved as eternal flowers.”

“Oh, oh!” The Great King cherished the flowers he’d given him so much that the Little Demon Consort’s eyes narrowed with delight as he purred sweetly, “Boss, you’re admitting you have feelings for me~ I like you so much, too! I miss seeing you~ Do you miss me?”

“…Yes,” Lu Hanzhang blurted out the word as if it burned his tongue. “When will you finish filming and come back?”

“I checked the filming schedule. I’ll be done with the shoot by mid-next month,” Chu Muyun said.

“Good.”

“I’ll come visit you at Lu Group Headquarters then!” Chu Muyun suddenly had a mischievous idea. He turned back to look at the air vent in the room, feigning surprise. “Hey, is the central air broken? It’s getting a little warm in here.”

Before Lu Hanzhang could respond, Chu Muyun’s hand had already reached for his collarbone. Two fingers fiddled with the top button of his pajamas, as if about to unbutton the garment and reveal his chest. His peach blossom eyes lowered, casting a sultry gaze, and his eyelashes fluttered delicately.

“…Chu Muyun!” Lu Hanzhang turned away, avoiding eye contact, his ears flushed crimson.

“Pfft,” Chu Muyun chuckled, stopping his teasing. “I wouldn’t show you anyway, unless you show me your abs in exchange.”

“Don’t even think about it.”

“Fine, I’m not in a rush. I’ll see them eventually.”

He didn’t just want to see the Great King’s abs—he wanted to touch them, kiss them, and lick them too. Hehe.

Chu Muyun had been filming in Shanghai for over a month, with only two weeks remaining until his mid-month wrap-up, as he had promised.

One day, while Lu Hanzhang listened to his assistant, Li Weide, report on work matters, the thought unexpectedly crossed his mind.

Chu Muyun sent him good morning and good night messages every day, and they even video-called occasionally. Yet Lu Hanzhang still felt as though they had been apart for far too long, and the remaining two weeks seemed… difficult to endure.

Li Weide was saying, “Boss, the Shanghai Communications Industry Symposium and the Hong Kong Investment Annual Conference have both sent invitations. You…”

Lu Hanzhang snapped back to attention, “I’ll go to Shanghai. Have Feng Yu attend the Hong Kong conference.” Feng Yu was the group’s executive vice president.

“Understood, Boss. I’ll arrange your schedule accordingly.” Li Weide was slightly surprised. His boss was incredibly busy, often having to decline less critical meetings or delegate conflicting appointments to the vice president. He had initially assumed Lu Hanzhang would prioritize the Hong Kong conference.

But… Mr. Chu was currently filming in Shanghai.