If Gu Chen had known how much entanglement and resentment would later arise between them, he would have bought two bottles of Xiao Hei’s shoe polish that day and sent him on his way instead of introducing him to Lu Lianning.
But the strings of fate are invisible and unpredictable, tripping people up and pulling them along.
Lu Lianning was difficult to please, a fact that Xiao Hei realized all too clearly within less than a week of becoming his assistant.
Take today, for instance. At 2:30 AM, Xiao Hei had already run across three streets in the Western District to finally find the spicy crayfish Lu Lianning wanted from a night market.
Even though it was autumn and the breeze was cool, he was sweating profusely as he carried the crayfish to Lu Lianning’s place. He stood outside and rang the doorbell three times, but no one answered.
Xiao Hei pulled out his phone and called Lu Lianning, but still got no response.
The last message from Lu Lianning had instructed him to bring the crayfish at 1:30 AM.
Xiao Hei saw the light inside and hesitated momentarily before pressing the doorbell again.
Lu Lianning was asleep in his bedroom, his head buried under the covers. The persistent ringing jolted him awake. At some point, his phone had fallen to the floor, having been muted. Its screen lit up briefly before going dark again.
He threw off the blanket with an irritated look, completely forgetting he had asked Xiao Hei to buy him crayfish, and slipped on his slippers to storm to the door.
His hair stuck up in unruly tufts from just waking up, and he frowned in annoyance as he opened the door, only to find the clueless new assistant Gu Chen had found for him.
“Are you fucking crazy! Do you know what time it is!”
Xiao Hei held the bag of spicy crayfish, grease clinging to his hands. Confronted with Lu Lianning’s furious expression, he awkwardly clenched his fists and, mustering his courage, stammered, “But… but you said you wanted crayfish… You asked me to get it.”
At the mention of this, Lu Lianning’s memory stirred slightly.
His gaze dropped to the plastic container in Xiao Hei’s hands, the spicy aroma unmistakable.
His temper cooled a little, and he turned and walked back inside. “Well, hurry up and get in here. It’s already late. You’re so slow.” There wasn’t the slightest hint of remorse for having just yelled at Xiao Hei, even calling him crazy.
Xiao Hei followed him inside.
Now fully awake after his outburst and catching a whiff of the crayfish, Lu Lianning was more alert. He headed to the bathroom, washed his face, and wiped it dry with a towel before returning from the bedroom.
He saw that Xiao Hei had already peeled the crayfish for him, the spicy red oil glistening on the disposable gloves.
Lu Lianning chuckled ambiguously. “You sure know how to serve people. How much is Gu Chen paying you?”
Speaking of which, Gu Chen might have been worried that Xiao Hei would leave or had noticed his financial difficulties. He had paid Xiao Hei in advance, and after doing the math, Xiao Hei realized Gu Chen had guessed the amount of his three months’ salary.
Xiao Hei thought about it but said nothing. It didn’t seem to matter, as Lu Lianning wasn’t waiting for a response. The question felt more like a passing remark, something he didn’t truly care about.
Most of the assistants Gu Chen had hired before had quit long before Lu Lianning could even remember their faces.
Now, his attention was entirely focused on the neatly arranged plate of crayfish in front of him. He grabbed the nearby fork and speared three pieces of shrimp.
Seeing him start to eat, Xiao Hei finished peeling the last crayfish, cleared away the table, and went to the kitchen to wash his hands.
When he returned, he picked up the clothes scattered on the sofa and placed them in the laundry basket next to the washing machine.
Lu Lianning grabbed a bottle of liquor from the fridge, added some ice, and squinted at his new assistant moving busily around while he ate the crayfish.
Once Lu Lianning finished eating, Xiao Hei cleared the plate and washed it in the kitchen.
The kitchen was filled with high-end appliances he wasn’t familiar with. The first time Lu Lianning had asked him to cook, he had fumbled around for a long time and earned a scolding.
After washing the dishes, he came back to find Lu Lianning turning on the giant screen that dominated half the living room wall, a game controller in hand to start playing.
Xiao Hei, trying to minimize his presence, finished tidying up and took two bags of trash outside.
Just as Xiao Hei reached the door, Lu Lianning suddenly asked, “What’s your name again?”
Xiao Hei had been serving this young master for half a month, yet Lu Lianning still didn’t know his name.
Even now, his eyes were glued to the TV, hands gripping the game controller as blood exploded across the screen. Although he wasn’t looking at Xiao Hei, there was no one else in the room.
Xiao Hei, holding the two bags of trash, paused at the door and replied, “My name is Chen Miao. You can just call me Xiao Miao.”
The young master, apparently satisfied with the service, leaned back on the sofa. He grunted in acknowledgment and immersed himself back into the game.
Stepping outside, Chen Miao glanced at his phone—it was 3:40 AM. Ever since he started this job, his life had been turned upside down, with his days and nights completely reversed.
Lu Lianning had just wrapped up filming a drama and was caught in some scandalous rumors with the lead actress. He had planned to take a break, and Gu Chen had granted him a month off, which was now almost over.
Rumor had it that a new script had already been delivered to him.
Lu Lianning rarely participated in variety shows, only appearing at promotional events for his dramas. Apart from acting, he turned down everything else.
He always said he wanted to be an actor, not a celebrity.
He’d only been in the industry for less than two years, and while his acting was decent among his peers, his looks were simply too exceptional.
When he first started, he was cast in a supporting role, but his presence was so striking that it made the lead actor seem like an extra. The director commented that his remarkable appearance could actually be a disadvantage since his acting skills were still developing.
Viewers always noticed his face before they paid attention to his acting.
His features had a razor-sharp beauty that was impossible to ignore.
Despite his undeveloped acting skills, avoiding variety shows, refusing to sing or dance, and lacking a Weibo account, Lu Lianning, who had debuted less than two years ago, focused solely on acting. Nevertheless, he still managed to secure a steady stream of roles.
The company’s executives were caught in a bind. Everyone in the industry knew he was Lu Anling’s only son. The Lu family had a vast empire, and Lu Anling’s stance on his son pursuing an acting career had always been unclear. He hadn’t openly opposed it, but he hadn’t shown any support either.
The higher-ups were concerned. If Lu Lianning didn’t become successful, would the head of the Lu family be displeased? But if he did rise to fame and decided not to return to the family business, could Lu Anling really accept someone else taking over?
Rumor had it that father and son had fallen out over this very issue and hadn’t spoken in a long time.
Mingsheng Entertainment found themselves holding a hot potato, unsure whether to promote him or not.
Fortunately, Lu Lianning knew exactly what he wanted—he only cared about acting, nothing more. So, the company simply offered the young master roles to choose from. As long as he was content, it didn’t matter if he became famous.
Young Master Lu himself didn’t seem to care.
Apart from managing Young Master Lu’s negative press and dealing with his excessive pickiness when it came to scripts, there wasn’t much else to handle.
Gu Chen from Mingsheng Entertainment, who had previously managed two Best Actor winners, found himself as busy as a housemaid dealing with Lu Lianning. Lu Lianning was extremely uncooperative, and after several failed attempts to report the issue to his superiors, Gu Chen realized he shouldn’t push too hard.
Whether Lu Lianning would ever become a great actor or win awards was entirely up to him.
