Bonus chapter for Aer. Thank you for the kofi.
After the livestream ended, Qi Feng’s throat was inflamed as expected. The tip of his tongue and throat felt painfully hot, and it was somewhat difficult for him to speak. Fang Cheng ran to buy him a large cup of icy yogurt drink, letting him sip it through a straw the whole way home. As soon as they got home, he quickly gave Qi Feng some anti-inflammatory medicine to take.
He held a few pieces of ice, and with concern, said, “You clearly can’t handle spicy food, but you ate so much! Food livestreams are just for show, you’re supposed to take a few bites and be done.”
“It’s fine,” Qi Feng gently exhaled, “Actually, that little spicy hot pot was pretty tasty.”
He had always eaten bland food before and had never experienced such a spicy yet flavorful dish. It was both fragrant and numbing, leaving him wanting more. Despite the tears and the pain in his throat, he still craved it.
Fang Cheng: “You still say it’s delicious after crying from the spiciness! Quickly suck on a piece of ice, it can ease some of the pain.”
Ice.
Qi Feng lowered his eyes and saw the small square ice cubes in the glass bowl. He suddenly thought of someone.
He picked up his phone and saw a message from Pei Yan: [The company is busy today, I’ll come pick you up tomorrow.]
On their chat history, there was only this one sentence, the orderly square texts exuding a feeling of utter indifference. As if last night’s intimate actions and this morning’s dominance were just an illusion.
Qi Feng picked up a piece of ice and put it in his mouth. It was also ice, but it couldn’t bring back the refreshing and pleasant feeling of his childhood.
Qi Feng didn’t have any schedules for the next two days, so he stayed home to rest his throat. In his free time, he played the guzheng, drank tea, and spent the rest of his time reading and scrolling through his phone, quickly grasping the rules of this world.
It turned out that the more shows and movies an artist like him participated in, the higher their screen time, and the more famous they became, leading to higher income.
When the original owner debuted, he became popular overnight because of his handsome appearance. At that time, there were still quite a few shows inviting him.
But after experiencing a few incidents that led to him being labeled as ‘an embroidered pillow, empty inside’ ‘no acting skills, no culture, no EQ’ ‘fake smile with a paralyzed face’ and so on. This resulted in fewer companies looking for him to do shows. The only endorsement for men’s clothing was also facing the risk of being terminated. He checked the original owner’s account, the finances did not look great.
Fang Cheng was also at his home.
The lean and muscular man lay slumped on the table, scrolling through his phone and watching entertainment news, his brows knitted in worry. “Being idle like this makes me anxious. I feel like I’m wasting my precious youth for nothing.”
“Ah, the live broadcast you did last time received quite good feedback, I wonder if it could help turn things around?”
“Live broadcast?”
Qi Feng plucked at the strings of the guzheng, thinking of the various videos he saw online. He asked, “Considering my status, am I allowed to casually open a live broadcast channel?”
Fang Cheng asked him in surprise, “You can apply to the company to open one. Do you want to do live broadcasts like Ning Yufei?”
Ning Yufei often live broadcasted his daily life to increase engagement with his fans.
Qi Feng shook his head, “Not that kind. I want to play the guzheng.”
Fang Cheng immediately perked up, “I’ll go and apply to the company right away. Once we sign the contract, we can start live broadcasting.”
He thought: Many people don’t know that he can play ancient musical instruments. If he shows it on live broadcast, it will definitely let the public know more about Qi Feng and change his ‘flower pillow’ image.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Qi Feng’s indifferent lips. “That’s good. Go ahead and apply.”
Fang Cheng got up to work, “Okay!”
Soon after, Tang Jun called.
Whenever he saw this iron-blooded manager, Fang Cheng would get nervous and quietly ask: “It’s Manager Tang’s call. I… I wonder if something has happened again?”
Seeing his curiosity, Qi Feng directly put the call on speakerphone. “Manager Tang, what can I do for you?”
“There are two things.”
Tang Jun got straight to the point, “The live broadcast you did for Gourmet Boutique last time had a good effect. They want to invite you to be their spokesperson. The endorsement fee is 2 million for two years, with twenty four live broadcasts and your promotional photo on their food packaging.”
“With your current value and market reputation, it’s considered high.”
A new endorsement opportunity!
Fang Cheng’s eyes widened in pleasant surprise.
This price offered was higher than Yipin Men’s Clothing. And although he had to do twenty four live broadcasts, Gourmet Boutique’s live broadcasts already had a lot of fans. It was an important opportunity for Qi Feng to gain exposure and attract more fans.
He was just excited, but then he thought: Gourmet Boutique’s target customers are young people, and their signature dishes leaned towards numbing-spicy Sichuan cuisine and barbecue.
Qi Feng had a throat inflammation after eating spicy food once. If he accepted this endorsement, wouldn’t he have to suffer twenty-four episodes of eating spicy food on live broadcasts?
He looked at Qi Feng with worry.
He saw Qi Feng nod calmly and say, “Okay, what’s the other thing?”
Tang Jun: “Donghai Investment has selected four candidates for their endorsement, and is preparing a selection audition for the four of them. Our company has you and Ning Yufei, and there are also two other stars from other entertainment companies.”
“Your status and value are the lowest. It’s not even certain if you can make it past Donghai’s interview.”
Donghai Investment’s audition.
Qi Feng recalled the last time Pei Yan had come to his training room, making a big fuss and saying to him, “Even if you want it, I might not give it to you. I might give it to someone else.”
Testing him like that, trying to make him submit.
Qi Feng pursed his lips and asked, “The interviewers… is Pei Yan one of them?”
“It should be President Pei and a few directors from the publicity and advertising department.”
Tang Jun sneered, “Did you think you could easily secure the endorsement from Donghai? Capitalists aren’t fools. They won’t just hand it over. They want to know if the one they’re giving ten million to is worth it or not?!”
Tang Jun implied, “Qi Feng, whether you can get it or not, whether you want it or not, it’s up to you.”
“The endorsement fee is ten million per year.”
Fang Cheng couldn’t help but gasp, then quickly covered his mouth to stay quiet, eyes wide open.
Ten million per year, that’s the price of an A-list celebrity, ten times higher than what Gourmet Boutique would offer. For an ordinary person like him, if he could get that kind of money, he could live comfortably for a lifetime.
After hanging up, Fang Cheng looked at Qi Feng’s expression and tentatively asked: “That night you had a fever, I saw President Pei was very attentive to you. How come he hasn’t contacted you the past two days? Could it be that you two…”
Qi Feng gave a cold laugh. “Are you trying to say, it’s because I didn’t serve him well and offended him? So, he’s deliberately ignoring me? Therefore, I had better take the initiative to curry favor with him?”
His voice carried a hint of cold self-mockery.
“No, no.” Fang Cheng heard the faint anger in his tone and quickly explained, “I meant to say that this kind of thing needs mutual affection. If you don’t like him, it’s better to end it.”
“But if you think he’s alright…”
Fang Cheng stammered hesitantly, trying to advise: “Then…then take the initiative a bit, dating a man like him would be quite beneficial for us too.”
Qi Feng: “How is that any different?”
Although he still held a glimmer of hope, the truth was, Pei Yan was no longer the brother he remembered. He now saw himself as a benefactor, asking Qi Feng to submit to him, to depend on him.
Qi Feng understood this clearly, yet still needed to repeatedly remind himself, in order to truly believe that this was the real relationship between them.
Fang Cheng still tried to persuade him, “There are four people auditioning, two top stars, and one is Ning Yufei who is on the rise. They are all better than us. But you have a…ahem, history with President Pei, so we still have an advantage to get the endorsement.”
“Aside from the ten million, Donghai Investment’s advertisements will be displayed in major financial institutions, airports, business venues, etc., attracting more fans like investors and improving your value and impression among netizens.”
“You could just…” Fang Cheng was extremely cautious, “give President Pei a call, and ask him about it?”
Qi Feng gazed out the window, his voice distant: “You’re speaking for him again.”
Manager Fang was sent by Uncle Pei, and was a slave of the Pei family. He had been with him for eight years, but he always stood on Pei Yan’s side in everything. Even when Pei Yan drank and made trouble and fought with people at the music hall, Manager Fang had to call him out to persuade Pei Yan. And say things like only he could dissuade the young master of their family.
Again?
Fang Cheng was completely confused, “I’m doing this for your career. Just think about it, being with someone like Pei Yan would be a huge help to your career.”
“I’ve investigated President Pei. Apart from being a bit domineering and arrogant, he has no messy relationship history. He’s not like other rich sons who do whatever they want.”
Qi Feng lowered his gaze, hiding his disappointed expression, and softly said, “You can go back now, I’m tired today.”
He reached out and pinched Fang Cheng’s sleeve, pulling him towards the door. He didn’t use much strength, but his expression was stubborn, as if he had been wronged.
Fang Cheng’s heart skipped a beat and he became flustered, “Xiao, Xiao Feng. If you don’t want to take President Pei’s endorsement, then we won’t take it. We still have the Gourmet Boutique anyway, we’ll just earn a little less… Hey, Xiao Feng… Xiao Feng!”
With his head lowered, Qi Feng pushed Fang Cheng outside and closed the door.
He leaned against the door, listening to Fang Cheng’s shouts from outside.
He felt his throat hurting even more.
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.
