The elevator stopped on the 27th floor, but Pei Junhai didn’t speak, and no one dared to go out first.
He always wanted to take another look at Qi Feng, feeling a strong sense of familiarity, but couldn’t remember where he had seen him before. He was also afraid that if he spoke, the boy would misunderstand, so he explained, “I am the chairman of this company and have the authority to decide on the spokesperson. Do well.”
Qi Feng swallowed down the sourness stuck in his throat, and said: “Thank you…” Uncle Pei.
He called out this name silently in his heart. “But my qualifications probably aren’t enough for your company’s endorsement, I’m still…not famous.”
“There are actually stars who say they are not famous.”
Pei Junhai couldn’t help laughing. He raised his hand and patted the boy’s slender shoulder, saying: “Just for your modesty I’ll hire you. As long as you don’t do any messy things to ruin your reputation, and work diligently in entertainment, even without fame I can make you famous.”
Usually he disliked people from the entertainment industry, but upon seeing this child he somehow couldn’t bring himself to dislike him at all, unconsciously saying such things.
He just found this child to be well-behaved, and there was even a hint of tenderness in his heart.
“Thank you…”
Qi Feng suppressed the lump in his throat, and pointing at the opened elevator doors, softly asked: “Then should I still go in to audition?”
Only then did Pei Junhai realize the doors were opened; he had been distracted looking at the boy and forgot about it. He asked his secretary: “Who are the interviewers today?”
Secretary: “There are President Pei and several directors of the advertising department.”
“Pei Yan still has time to meddle in this matter?”
Pei Junhai clicked his tongue and furrowed his brow, saying, “Go tell them that the position has already been filled. There’s no need to interview anyone else.”
—
Five minutes had passed since the audition time, and Qi Feng still hadn’t arrived.
Director Liu concealed a sense of satisfaction in his eyes, coughed lightly, and turned to look at Pei Yan, who emitted a continuous cold air like an underground ice cellar. He said, “President Pei, I will submit today’s audition results to the advertising department for the selection of a spokesperson.”
Pei Yan remained silent with a stern face, gripping his phone so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
Qi Feng would go to a nightclub to meet someone like Li Junzhuo for the endorsement of a mere piece of clothing. It’s impossible for him not to care about a ten-million-yuan endorsement for Donghai Investment. If he didn’t come today, it should be… because he’s angry.
Soon, Pei Junhai’s secretary knocked on the door and came in: “President Pei, Director Liu, the chairman personally decided on the spokesperson just now. It’s Qi Feng.”
“What, what?” Director Liu’s sorted materials scattered all over the floor with a ‘crash’, and asked him in astonishment: “What did you say? The chairman decided on Qi Feng? When did he meet Qi Feng?”
“Just now, in the elevator. The chairman talked to Qi Feng for a bit and thought the kid was good,” the secretary replied.
After hearing Pei Junhai refer to Qi Feng as ‘the kid’ several times, the secretary also started calling him that. “He gave the endorsement to that kid. He has already been sent back. President Pei, you don’t have to wait for him to come for the audition anymore.”
“Where is he now?” Pei Yan’s voice was hoarse, suppressing his anxiety.
Secretary: ???
“Are you asking where the chairman is?”
Pei Yan clarified, “Qi Feng!”
“Oh, him… he… just left the building,” the secretary replied.
Seeing Pei Yan’s unfavorable expression, the secretary assumed that he was angry because Pei Junhai had interfered in the selection of the spokesperson without his knowledge.
After all, this young and capable president had shown his harsh methods and firm stance on competing for power with the Chairman since he first joined the company.
To prevent an internal power struggle between father and son, the secretary cautiously said, “The chairman didn’t know you were in charge of this matter and didn’t mean to interfere with your decision… ”
“I understand,” Pei Yan replied calmly, neatly collecting Qi Feng’s resume from the table, and gave a cold glance at Director Liu before leaving the room.
Leaving Director Li fuming, who exclaimed, “How could the chairman choose Qi Feng! With so much dirt on that little star, aren’t they afraid it will affect the company’s reputation? What’s so good about Qi Feng that both father and son are interested in him!”
He angrily rummaged around on the table, only to find that even Qi Feng’s profile had been taken away by Pei Yan! He was so angry his hypertension nearly acted up!
—
Ning Yufei was one of the actors who participated in the audition. After it ended, instead of leaving directly, he sat in his nanny car, watching the activity at the underground parking lot of the building of Donghai Investment.
He pointed at the only elevator leading up to the office building and asked his assistant, “Did you see Qi Feng come in from there?”
Assistant: “Yufei-ge, Qi Feng and Fang Cheng must have taken a taxi here. They came in from outside. He doesn’t even have his own car. We won’t spot him by waiting here.”
Ning Yufei shook his head.
When he saw Qi Feng’s name on the audition list, he had guessed that it must have been Pei Yan who recommended him for the opportunity. If that’s the case, then after Qi Feng finished his audition, Pei Yan would send him out.
Assistant: “Yufei-ge, I saw that the senior executives of Donghai Investment were very satisfied with you during your audition. This time, they will definitely choose you. There’s no way they’ll choose Qi Feng.”
Ning Yufei said: “Don’t underestimate him. He was able to get an endorsement from Gourmet Boutique just by doing one livestream.”
The assistant dismissed it: “How much money is that? We wouldn’t even look at those kinds of low-level endorsements. How could Qi Feng compare to you? Your worth is a hundred times more than his right now!”
Ning Yufei sneered coldly: “Then do you think if I was in Qi Feng’s situation now, I could still get endorsements?”
The assistant was taken aback. It just occurred to him that Qi Feng, despite being infamous on the internet, managed to get endorsements for Gourmet Boutique and the audition opportunity at Donghai Investment. Even the Yipin Men’s Wear, which faced backlash and insults from netizens because of Qi Feng, didn’t directly terminate his endorsement contract.
If it were anyone else, they would likely be blacklisted or disappear for a while.
A dark glint flashed in Ning Yufei’s eyes.
Qi Feng had this ability. Even if he fell into the mud, he could still shine brightly when covered in dirt.
As long as he could get endorsements in places where Ning Yufei couldn’t intervene, he could receive praise, gain fans, and even catch the attention of President Pei from Donghai Investment.
A person who debuted at the same time as him would never allow him to feel at ease. With just a slight slip, Qi Feng could easily surpass him.
Ning Yufeng pinched his fingers and thought sinisterly. Suddenly, through the car window, he saw a tall man emerge from the elevator.
Pei Yan!
Ning Yufeng looked closely – Qi Feng was not with him.
In an instant, countless questions raced through his mind about why Pei Yan did not come out with Qi Feng.
After hesitating for a few seconds, he got out of the car and headed towards Pei Yan with a handsome, cheerful smile on his face, saying modestly: “President Pei, hello. I’m Ning Yufei from the recent audition.”
Pei Yan glanced at him and continued to walk to his car, “What’s the matter?”
Ning Yufei followed him, patiently said: “I’m waiting for Qi Feng, is his audition over?”
Only then did Pei Yan pause and ask, “You know each other?”
Sure enough. As long as he mentioned Qi Feng to Pei Yan, he could attract his attention.
Ning Yufei continued, “I’m his good friend and I thought we could have a meal together after his audition today. But he hasn’t come out yet, so I wanted to ask you. I apologize for bothering you.”
“You’re his friend?” Pei Yan asked in return, “Why didn’t you call him personally?”
His deep and sharp gaze made Ning Yufei’s heart skip a beat. He stammered, “I… I was afraid that he might be in the middle of the audition, so I didn’t dare to call…”
Pei Yan didn’t answer him directly, only saying, “If you want to find him, just call him.”
Ning Yufei couldn’t figure out the man’s intentions and forced a smile on his face. He tentatively said, “Yes, I’ll call him right away. I promised to take him to meet Li Junzhuo from Yipin Men’s Wear. Qi Feng has been endorsing their brand before…”
Upon hearing this, Pei Yan’s cold, steady expression immediately darkened. He asked in a low, deliberate voice, “You said you want to take him to see Li Junzhuo?”
Every word was embellished with heavy and cold gloom. It was terrifying.
Ning Yufei retreated several steps, his legs trembling. In an instant, it was as if he was trapped in suffocating terror.
From Pei Yan’s attitude, could it be that he also had that kind of feeling for Qi Feng?
In his terrified state, there was a hint of malicious satisfaction.
Since it really is that kind of relationship, then if Pei Yan finds out that Qi Feng is still in contact with Li Junzhuo, how could Pei Yan, a young and proud president from a prestigious family, possibly want a man like Qi Feng, who didn’t respect himself just for benefits? How could he still give Qi Feng endorsements?
Ning Yufeng struggled to speak through his fear, “Yes…after all, he endorsed Yipin Men’s Wear… President Li is his investor…”
Pei Yan’s cold gaze swept over Ning Yufei before turning around and swiftly walking towards his own car, slamming the door shut heavily.
—
In the car, Pei Yan picked up his phone and dialed a number. After a few beeps, he heard a boy’s soft voice calling his name, “Pei Yan.”
Elusive calm, something he couldn’t even grasp.
“Where are you?” he asked in a low, hoarse voice.
Qi Feng replied, “Home.”
“Send me your home address.”
On the other end, Qi Feng remained silent.
“Send it to me. I’ll come find you.”
His low voice left no room for refusal.
Qi Feng paused for a moment before asking, “What’s the matter?”
Pei Yan: “Qi Feng, you know what our relationship is. It’s best if you listen and come out to see me, I have something to tell you.”
He spoke with such seriousness, each word suppressing the trembling in his voice and the emotions he couldn’t quite understand himself.
He wanted to know if Qi Feng was angry. Wanted to know if he would go see Li Junzhuo tonight.
He wanted to explain about the audition, wanted to coax him…
But he was trapped in his own muddled emotions, unable to find the right words.
“Pei Yan.”
The boy’s voice was calm, devoid of any emotion, “I hate this side of you.”
The clear, slow voice pierced through the phone and into the man’s eardrums.
Pei Yan’s heart suddenly stopped beating, and his breathing stopped for a moment. He opened his pupils and looked at a place without focus.
Qi Feng added, with more emphasis, “I really hate it.”
With a ‘thud,’ Pei Yan’s phone dropped into the gap between the car seats.
Author's Note:
Slight revision.
Pei Yan: My wife hates me? My wife actually hates me?!
I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. If you want to show your support, you can buy me a coffee. It would make my day! For every five coffees I get, I will release a bonus chapter.
