Chapter 2 Graham is a straight man

"Ugh..."

Adrian had already opened the social media chat page for the seventh time.

The night had fallen around him, and the studio was lit with high-powered spotlights, rushing to finish the last scene. Thin snowflakes, like tiny bits of cotton candy, had started to fall from the sky, melting into water upon touching the ground.

He had no more scenes tonight—so, should he go have dinner with GrahSpectrum Group?

But the social media account sent by the other party didn''t even ask for his opinion, acting as if the decision was already made.

　　Hmph.

　　A hard object poked his back, and he quickly turned around to see Cody holding an umbrella:

　　"Adrian, what are you standing around for? Hurry up and catch the crew''s bus back to the hotel, or you''ll have to squeeze in with the second group and there won''t be any seats."

　　This lousy crew, so poor.

　　But then again, the two of them were also poor, not even having a nanny car, so they had to squeeze into the crew''s bus.

　　Adrian handed him the social media account page: "Someone wants to have dinner with me."

　　Cody saw that GrahSpectrum Group wanted to see Adrian and was overjoyed, almost kneeling down to say:

　　"Congratulations, Your Majesty, the Emperor is coming to our palace!"

　　But seeing Adrian''s unhappy face, he swallowed his words and cautiously asked, "So... are you going?"

　　Adrian stuffed his phone into his down jacket pocket, his delicate face looking indifferent: "I''ll go."

　　After all, he hadn''t had a proper meal in a long time, so he might as well take this opportunity to improve his diet.

　　...

　　After a while, GrahSpectrum Group''s car arrived. At Adrian''s request, it stopped in a secluded spot far from the crew, as if GrahSpectrum Group was someone who couldn''t be seen, afraid of being noticed.

　　Cody originally wasn''t going to go, holding the umbrella to send Adrian off, greeted GrahSpectrum Group, and was about to leave when GrahSpectrum Group called out to him:

　　"Cody, you come along too."

　　Cody glanced at the back seat of the Mercedes where his little buddy was sitting properly, saw him give a signal, and got into the car as instructed.

　　The car started, driven by GrahSpectrum Group''s secretary, Elijah Brown.

　　The Mercedes had excellent sound insulation, and the car was quiet, with only the rhythmic sound of the wipers against the windshield and the engine. The air conditioning was set just right, neither too cold nor too hot.

　　GrahSpectrum Group looked at Adrian, who was sitting properly and not looking around, and after some thought, asked, "Is it cold outside? Why don''t you wear more?"

　　Adrian finally turned to look at him, seeing his handsome, stern face expressionless, as if going through the motions, and replied coldly, "Not cold."

　　GrahSpectrum Group saw he was unhappy, his face darkened a bit, and asked, "Are you doing well in the crew?"

　　Adrian''s expression didn''t change: "Very well."

　　Sitting in the front passenger seat, Cody was almost dying of anxiety: Little ancestor, is that what you call living well? Hurry up and act cute for me!

　　You were so good at acting cute with me just now, why are you so cold to your rich husband?

　　Quick, act cute with your husband! Ask him to invest and improve your conditions!

　　GrahSpectrum Group saw Adrian''s cold expression, not wanting to talk to him, so he stopped asking.

　　He actually knew in his heart that Adrian probably didn''t want to marry him—if it weren''t for the arranged marriage set by their grandfathers and the unanimous request of all the elders in The Whitney Family, Adrian probably wouldn''t even look at him.

　　The Whitney Family was a prestigious family, known as the top family in Maple City. The main family later moved to Noble City but remained a prominent family in high society, with descendants in politics and business. Adrian''s father was the famous painter Clarence, his uncle Christian was a renowned aerodynamics expert, and Adrian''s mother was the daughter of the famous entrepreneur Eric Jones and the renowned translator Bella.

Adrian wanted to major in acting at university, but Clarence was against it. It was Bella who finally persuaded him to agree. However, after Adrian started his studies, his grades were not outstanding. Even his teachers said he had no talent in this area but showed a natural flair for visual composition and suggested he study directing or become a painter like his father. But Adrian wouldn''t listen; he was determined to be an actor.

Because of this, Clarence had a huge argument with him. In a fit of anger, Adrian ran away from home, insisting on making a name for himself in the entertainment industry to prove his father wrong. Clarence, being a stubborn father, refused to back down. The two hadn''t seen or spoken to each other for a year.

GrahSpectrum Group was unlucky. The moment they saw Adrian, they liked him—clean-cut, as delicate as a porcelain doll, with a stubborn yet spirited look in his eyes, and a soft voice. Any leading man would be smitten with such a treasure!

Unfortunately, while GrahSpectrum Group had Adrian''s body, they couldn''t win his heart—Adrian was wholly absorbed in pursuing his dream of becoming an actor and had no interest in this sudden arranged marriage partner.

GrahSpectrum Group glanced at Adrian, who was sitting far away from them, and their face grew even darker.

...

They soon arrived at the restaurant.

Adrian took off his down jacket, revealing a beige turtleneck sweater. He propped his chin on his hand, waiting for the food. His family had strict rules: no phones at the dinner table. Well-mannered, he adhered to this rule wherever he went.

Cody and Elijah went to a private room next door to eat, leaving Adrian a bit bored. He asked curiously, "Why aren''t Cody and Mr. Brown eating with us?"

GrahSpectrum Group looked at him, their handsome face expressionless, and said, "I don''t like it."

Adrian: ...

This bossy CEO is quite willful.

Fine, it''s your money anyway.

Adrian looked around, noticing the grand and luxurious private room. The chandelier was exquisite and bright, the table was covered with a red tablecloth embroidered with peonies, and the tableware and teacups were all very refined, clearly indicating a high-end restaurant.

The private room was very quiet, as was the room next door, with no noisy toasts, cheers, or laughter.

Sitting in such a quiet place for a long time, Adrian couldn''t help but feel bored. He glanced at GrahSpectrum Group beside him, who had a serious expression as if contemplating some major company decision, and couldn''t help but ask, "Do you have unfinished work?"

If you have unfinished work, why did you come all this way to have dinner with me?

"No, I finished it before coming." They had rushed to finish it just to come.

"Oh," Adrian nodded, making small talk, "Why did you suddenly come to have dinner with me?"

GrahSpectrum Group was stunned for a moment, then said stiffly, "Business trip, just passing by."

But after saying that, their expression grew even stranger, as if annoyed with themselves.

Adrian didn''t notice their expression and thought they were really just passing by, so his face grew colder—

He knew it. How could GrahSpectrum Group possibly come specifically to see him? It was just a coincidence.

He remembered when his mother told him about the arranged marriage and that his partner would be GrahSpectrum Group, he was quite happy because GrahSpectrum Group was tall, very masculine, and exactly his type.

But later, GrahSpectrum Group''s sister told him that GrahSpectrum Group was straight and was only marrying him to fulfill a family obligation.

At that time, he thought, fine, the marriage would only last two years, just a formality to fulfill the elders'' will. After all, who wasn''t completing a family task?