Demon Consort Runs into the Beijing Crown Prince - Chapter 3

“Sir, please don’t…” The assistant frowned slightly. He’d dealt with plenty of people like this before, persistence wouldn’t work on his boss.

“Three minutes,” Lu Hanzhang suddenly interrupted, turning to glance at Chu Muyun. “You have three minutes to get from here to the parking lot.”

The assistant’s eyes widened in shock, but he silently stepped aside.

Only three minutes? Chu Muyun hurried forward. Lu Hanzhang moved with the speed of the wind, not slowing for him, forcing Chu Muyun to jog to keep up.

“My name is Chu Muyun. I’m an actor currently with Tiansheng, but my contract expires at the end of the month. I don’t have any projects lined up and I’m looking for work,” he said quickly.

“The Lu Clan doesn’t have any entertainment divisions,” Lu Hanzhang replied coldly, tilting his head slightly to look at him. “If you want a job, you should talk to Zhou Wei.”

“Well, I can always find another job. What I really want is a chance to get to know you better. Could I get your contact information? Let’s be friends,” Chu Muyun said, pulling out his phone.

It doesn’t matter if the Great King doesn’t remember me now. The more time we spend together, the more likely he is to recall.

Lu Hanzhang stared at him.

Chu Muyun’s eyes burned with fervent intensity. Despite his captivatingly alluring appearance, designed to dominate hearts, his eyes sparkled like those of a small animal. Lu Hanzhang had encountered countless individuals who sought his attention, their sweet words masking ulterior motives. This little-known nobody was no different, yet Lu Hanzhang found himself strangely unbothered. Chu Muyun gave him the illusion of genuine sincerity, as if he desired nothing more than Lu Hanzhang himself.

The Lu Clan had no involvement in the entertainment industry, but Lu Hanzhang had witnessed countless skilled actors in the business world. He inwardly scoffed.

Good acting, but not good enough.

He wasn’t so easily swayed.

“There’s no need,” Lu Hanzhang said, his brow furrowing slightly. “I’m very busy and have no time for socializing.”

Undeterred, Chu Muyun glanced at the assistant trailing behind them. “That’s okay. Then…”

They had reached the elevator. Lu Hanzhang glanced at his assistant and instructed, “Take the next elevator.”

“Understood.”

The elevator doors slowly closed, leaving only Lu Hanzhang and Chu Muyun inside. A little nervous, Chu Muyun took a deep breath and blurted out, “If you don’t have time for ordinary friends, then just keep me. I’ll be good. You only need to spend time with me when you have time. If you’re busy, I’ll stay out of your way.”

If he were speaking to a stranger, Chu Muyun’s words would have been quite bold. But this was no stranger, it was his Great King. The Little Demon Consort had to be brave and pursue his love!

“…” Lu Hanzhang’s expression shifted to surprise. He paused briefly before replying, “No, I’m not in the habit of keeping kept men.”

That’s good, Chu Muyun thought. If the Great King turned into a playboy, I’d hesitate to rekindle our past connection.

“Never kept anyone before? You could give it a try,” Chu Muyun said, winking suggestively. He knew plenty of tricks. He was too embarrassed to mention them now, since Lu Hanzhang had no memories of their past life and might think he was promiscuous. In truth, he’d only ever played around with the Great King.

“No,” Lu Hanzhang refused again, his voice growing colder. “Is that what you were thinking when you went to dinner tonight?”

Huh?

“No, I went to find opportunities. I think I’m a decent actor, and I’m not bad-looking. I hoped to meet someone who’d recognize my potential, but I never wanted to be kept. Only you… I’ve only ever said something like this to you.”

Chu Muyun possessed a uniquely beautiful and expressive face. The teachers at the Beijing Film Academy were highly impressed during his entrance exams, privately telling him it would be a waste if his face never graced the silver screen. His acting skills had also been praised by his instructors. In his third year, he signed with Tiansheng, believing his path to stardom was assured. Little did he know he would end up in his current predicament.

Meeting the Great King at his lowest point, only to have the man not recognize him and assume he was someone easily swayed, left Chu Muyun blinking back tears, a hint of hurt in his eyes.

Lu Hanzhang watched the young star’s reddened eyes, like a rose glistening with dew or a pitiful little white fox.

Just because he was rejected? Why the dramatic display? Didn’t he consider the possibility of rejection when he made his move?

Lu Hanzhang didn’t think he would soften.

This is absurd. Agreeing to give this small-time actor three minutes was already a lapse in judgment.

Yet his lips twitched, and he couldn’t resist the urge to say something, anything, to break the tense silence.

He didn’t get the chance.

Chu Muyun composed himself, quickly glancing at the elevator panel. They had entered on the 32nd floor. Though high up, the elevator descended rapidly, and his time was running out.

Since the Great King didn’t remember him, telling him about their past lives as the Tyrant and the Demon Consort would likely earn him a look of disbelief, as if he were insane. It would be futile.

When words seemed inadequate, Chu Muyun abandoned them altogether. Seizing his last chance, he leaned in decisively.

He kissed him!

He felt the man’s body tense, his breathing falter. The cool, woody scent filled his nostrils, and his lips met a soft, slightly warm surface. The sensation was exactly as he remembered.

Before he could be pushed away, Chu Muyun quickly retreated a step.

“Chu Muyun, you’ve gone too far,” Lu Hanzhang said coldly.

“Mhm, mhm, sorry,” Chu Muyun mumbled absently, thinking, At least he remembers my name. I wonder if this is the Great King’s first kiss in this life?

He glanced at the elevator display. The number was changing from 2 to 1, indicating they were almost at the underground parking garage. With nothing to lose, Chu Muyun leaned in again, wrapping his arms around Lu Hanzhang’s waist and tilting his head up for another kiss. This time, he kissed with greater passion, his tongue nearly forcing open the man’s teeth.

Chu Muyun knew his actions were excessive. To a stranger, this would be considered sexual harassment.

If Lu Hanzhang was angry and wanted to blacklist him, so be it. A barefoot man fears no one in shoes. He was already a nobody in the entertainment industry, so there was nothing left to lose.

He had simply fantasized that a kiss might trigger some memory in Lu Hanzhang. Back then, when his Great King was reviewing memorials in the Imperial Study, Chu Muyun would sit on his lap. When the Great King had been working too long and needed a break, Chu Muyun would wrap his arms around his neck and kiss him. No matter how focused the Great King had been on state affairs moments before, Chu Muyun’s kiss would instantly ignite his desire. The Great King would part his legs and fuck him until he begged for mercy.

Alas, Lu Hanzhang showed no sign of recognition.

Lu Hanzhang shoved him away, turned his back stiffly, and refused to acknowledge him further.

Chu Muyun could only console himself, at least he had wanted that kiss, and he had gotten it. It wasn’t a complete loss. Though his heart had never forgotten the Great King over the years, reality had kept them apart for over two decades.

He had thought they were separated by life and death, yet here they were, reunited. He couldn’t help his overwhelming emotions.

Ding. The elevator stopped. The doors opened, and Lu Hanzhang strode out immediately, his footsteps swift as if he couldn’t wait to shake Chu Muyun off.

Moments later, the other elevator carrying the assistant arrived.

“If we can’t reach an agreement, then we can’t,” Chu Muyun said, feeling too embarrassed to bring up the “sugar daddy” arrangement in front of the assistant. He hurried after Lu Hanzhang, pleading, “Just give me your contact information, Crown Prince! How else are we supposed to stay in touch?”

Lu Hanzhang ignored him and quickened his pace. The assistant followed close behind.

Waaah.

Chu Muyun’s lips trembled. After finally managing to see him, the Great King wouldn’t even give him a phone number or WeChat ID?

Could it be that the Great King in this life is so pure-hearted that my forceful kiss scared him? A carnivorous Great King turned into this kind of character? How unexpected.

Reluctantly, he stared at the receding tall figure. Suddenly, he noticed Lu Hanzhang subtly turn his head to glance at the assistant. The assistant turned around and walked toward him.

“Mr. Chu,” Xiao Dezi… no, the assistant said, presenting a business card with both hands.

Chu Muyun eagerly accepted it.

Well, his mood instantly improved. At least now he had the assistant’s contact information, which, if rounded up, was practically the same as having Lu Hanzhang’s.

He stood rooted to the spot, watching Lu Hanzhang get into the car and drive away. A fleeting glance at the car’s emblem told him it was a vehicle he couldn’t afford even if he worked at Tiansheng for another hundred years.

Meanwhile, inside the luxury car, Lu Hanzhang sat in the back seat, his eyes lowered and his expression cold. Only his tightly clenched fingers betrayed his inner turmoil.

In the dim interior, the perfectly tailored trousers revealed a distinct bulge.

He struggled to control his breathing, desperate not to let the driver and assistant in the front hear anything amiss.

He had actually… felt something from that kiss.

The small-time actor’s offer of “sponsorship” flashed through his mind, along with that bright, striking face. A stifling heat surged in his chest. How could he possibly agree to such a cheap transaction—a vulgar exchange of power, money, and lust?

Yet the desire that had been stirred was undeniably real. Lu Hanzhang couldn’t help but recall the kiss in the elevator. The actor’s lips, as soft and crimson as rose petals, and that faint, intoxicating fragrance. Shamefully, he had grown painfully hard, like a beast.

Damn it.

If Lu Hanzhang were a playboy like his cousin, he could have summoned someone with a single phone call to satisfy his physical needs. But he had no such contacts and had always disdained such arrangements.

Lu Hanzhang returned to the company by car. He had a meeting early the next morning and still needed to review reports.

Known as the “Beijing Crown Prince,” he not only came from a wealthy family and possessed exceptional abilities but also worked relentlessly, pushing himself harder than anyone else.

Yet this time, he didn’t immediately dive into work. Instead, he took a shower in the private bathroom attached to his presidential office. Half an hour later, he emerged wrapped in a bathrobe, his body radiating heat, cheeks flushed, and forehead glistening with sweat.

“President Lu, here’s the information on Chu Muyun from tonight,” Li Weide, his assistant, said, placing a stack of papers on the desk, pretending not to notice his boss’s disheveled state. The boss had only been in the elevator for two minutes, yet he looked as if he’d been drugged. Li Weide didn’t dare imagine what had happened inside and wisely kept his questions to himself.

It was nearly 11 o’clock, but as President Lu’s special assistant, earning a six-figure monthly salary, Li Weide was naturally expected to work as hard as his boss.

“Meddling,” Lu Hanzhang frowned. He hadn’t ordered an investigation into Chu Muyun.

Li Weide remained silent, watching his boss set aside the financial reports he had been reviewing and flip through the stack of documents.

The little-known starlet was telling the truth, he would be terminating his contract with Tiansheng at the end of the month and had no new agency lined up. His listed representative works were unremarkable, and his billing was low. If entertainment companies were packaging and selling artists as products, this one was clearly not a bestseller.

Lu Hanzhang silently finished reading the file.

Li Weide stood by, awaiting his next instructions.

After a moment of contemplation, Lu Hanzhang suddenly said, “Huashi’s recent performance has been poor. Zhou Wei wants me to invest and help them through this crisis. Prepare an evaluation report on Huashi for me within the next two days.”

His cousin, Zhou Wei, was Huashi’s major shareholder. Recently, two of Huashi’s dramas had flopped, leaving the company struggling with cash flow. Zhou Wei had been begging Lu Hanzhang for assistance. Lu Hanzhang had originally refused; Zhou Wei was a hopeless case, utterly incapable of managing anything. Helping him now would only lead to more trouble down the line.

But now, a different idea had suddenly occurred to him.

Perhaps he could use this opportunity to negotiate a lower price and acquire Huashi under the Lu Clan’s umbrella.

Chu Muyun didn’t return to the dinner party, instead taking a taxi straight home. There was no point in going back, he’d chased after the Crown Prince like a desperate fool, making himself a target for ridicule.

No need to invite humiliation, he thought.

Sitting in the ride-hailing car, Chu Muyun gazed out the window at the neon-lit streets.

It’s alright, he told himself. At least I found him.

Lu Hanzhang still didn’t remember him, and asking to be his kept man right away would have been too hasty. Though he hadn’t gotten Lu Hanzhang’s personal WeChat, he had added his assistant. He could still reach him later, and it seemed Lu Hanzhang’s impression of him wasn’t entirely negative.

There’s plenty of time, he thought. Opportunities will arise.

Chu Muyun wasn’t one to dwell on things.

He picked up his phone and immediately added the assistant’s WeChat using the business card.

The name was Li Weide… Xiao Dezi indeed.

The request was still pending.

Chu Muyun then searched for the Lu Clan. Since he was terminating his contract with his current company at the end of the month anyway, he wondered if he could find a job at the Lu Group and have a workplace romance with the big boss.

As Lu Hanzhang had said, the Lu Clan didn’t operate in the entertainment industry. Chu Muyun scoured job websites but found no positions that matched his qualifications. His alma mater, the Beijing Film Academy, was one of the top three institutions aspiring actors desperately tried to enter (along with the Central Academy of Drama and the Shanghai Theatre Academy). But crossing industries was like climbing a mountain. Countless elite graduates from prestigious universities sought positions at the Lu Clan, giving him no advantage as an outsider. Moreover, his work history was… dismal, essentially five years of a blank slate.

If he were a woman, he could apply for a receptionist position, but that path was closed to him.

Chu Muyun looked away from his phone and pondered.

He still wanted to act.

It had been his dream since childhood. Even the five years wasted at Tiansheng, which had dulled his spirit, couldn’t extinguish his ambition.

He loved acting, wanted to become a star—it was both his passion and his dream. Now, there was another reason: when he achieved success, he could proudly stand beside Lu Hanzhang as an equal.

He wanted to be a gilded canary with his own career!

He’d send resumes to a few smaller entertainment companies. If that failed, he’d go directly to the film studios and look for opportunities, even if it meant starting as an extra…

Live streaming was Chu Muyun’s last resort. Overdoing it would dull his audience’s novelty, making it even harder to pursue an acting career later.

Back home, after changing into slippers, Chu Muyun first went to find the “Crown Prince.” The big rabbit wasn’t in its hutch; it always wandered around the house and randomly fell asleep anywhere. Every time Chu Muyun returned, he had to search the entire place.

He turned on the lights and looked in the living room, but the rabbit wasn’t there. Chu Muyun moved to the bedroom, checked behind the door, peered under the bed, and finally found the big rabbit curled up among the neatly folded clothes in the closet, looking like a self-storing coffee-colored plush toy.

Harry Potter wasn’t the only one who slept in the closet, his own rabbit did, too.

The rabbit woke up at the sound of the closet door sliding open and lifted its head to look at him.

“Crown Prince~” Chu Muyun picked it up, nuzzled it, and said with a smile, “I saw your ‘father’ today. He doesn’t remember me, but I won’t let him off the hook. We’ve been bound together and cursed for over a thousand years—breaking that bond won’t be easy!”

He carried the rabbit around the cramped bedroom, “Crown Prince, just wait a little longer. Someday you’ll have a huge mansion, dedicated groomers for your fur, and the finest rabbit feed!”

The Crown Prince let out a soft “gu.”

Chu Muyun put down the rabbit and checked his phone.

Finally, his WeChat friend request had been accepted.

The other party sent a message: [Mr. Chu, hello.]

Chu Muyun replied: [Hello.]

[I look forward to working with you in the future.]

[I’ll be counting on you as well.]

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Chu Muyun subtly sensed a change in Xiao Dezi’s… no, Li Weide, Lu Hanzhang’s assistant’s, attitude.

He asked:

[Is he resting?]

[He’s still working.]

[Is he at Lu Group headquarters? Should I bring him a late-night snack?]

[No need. The boss wants you to get some rest.]

[Alright.]

Chu Muyun had only asked casually. He figured the Great King in this life might not be able to handle his enthusiastic late-night snack deliveries, especially after being scared off by a simple kiss in the elevator.

It was getting late anyway. Time for some beauty sleep. As for Lu Hanzhang… that guy was as diligent as ever, still working at this hour.

[Tell him to get some rest, too. He needs to take care of himself.]

[Understood. I’ll pass it on.]