SECRET UNION - SEASON 19 EPISODE 9

Compared to the environment of a lively bar, this was a cold and lonely studio.

It was so dark that no light came into the room.

A young man curled into a fetal position in a corner as a mist-like spider web covered his hair and body.

Beside the young man was his phone that had gone flat. The whole room had scattered messy drafts, while blots of ink and multiple pens were strewn everywhere on the floor. As a gust blew into the room, the sound of the draft papers rustling echoed through the empty room…

The studio was pitch dark when Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao arrived. It was as though no one was there.

“Is Ze here?” Ning Xi asked hesitantly.

This place exuded a vibe that it had been vacant for a very long time.

After Spirit had expanded and moved to a bigger company, only Gong Shangze remained there to design. He said that he could only find inspiration there. Ning Xi had not forced him at that time and he was still here after a year.

“According to the assistant, he’s been keeping himself in here 24/7,” Lu Tingxiao replied.

Ning Xi frowned.

Lu Tingxiao shielded Ning Xi and pushed the creaking door of the studio open.

He searched around and switched on the lights. The light bulbs flickered several times before emitting a dim light.

Ning Xi’s pupils shrunk the moment she saw the condition of the studio.

Drafts were scattered everywhere in the room. From the half-completed drafts, the messy lines, and the destroyed sketches, it was obvious that the creator had gone through a difficult struggle.

The young man was lying down in the corner of the room. He did not move at all as if he was slowly becoming a part of the room.

Before going over, Ning Xi had prepared herself that Gong Shangze might not be in good shape, but she did not expect to see such a heartbreaking scene.

When she had picked him up back in Los Angeles, even though he was a disheveled beggar, he was very critical towards her outfit, yet the person in front of her right now was like a person who had been robbed of all his talents, dropping from the stage of heavens to the realm of mortals.

As if he was a child of faith being abandoned by God…

The young man did not notice someone was there. Ning Xi was not even sure if he was conscious.

After some time, Ning Xi came back to her senses from the mess she saw in front of her. She took a deep breath and walked slowly to the young man.

Ning Xi squatted down slowly and used her hands to remove the cobwebs on the young man’s hair. She was afraid to startle him, so she called out to him gently, “Ze…”

The young man’s body shivered the moment Ning Xi called him as if his soul had just received a shock.

“Ze… I’m back…”

The young man raised his head from his knee mechanically. His dead-looking eyes were staring at Ning Xi like a never-ending abyss.

The next moment, the young man covered his eyes with his arm.

Ning Xi then saw big drops of tears start to plop down on the drafts, blurring the painful colors and lines…

The young man did not say anything or make any sound. He just covered his eyes with his arm as he wept.

Ning Xi had never seen a man cry like this before. She never knew that a man could weep this much either, so she freaked out and turned around to Lu Tingxiao when she realized she had just made a grown man cry. “Uhh, darling… What should I do?”