— Ying Shi Entertainment Company.
Xu Tian played with a lighter in his hand, looking at his agent standing across from him. “Give me an explanation?”
“Explanation?” Zhao Yaozu sneered, his tone neither friendly nor hostile. “Isn’t it for your own good! Wings grown stiff, and you want to fly away?”
“For my good?” A crisp sound as the lighter slammed onto the table. Xu Tian crossed his arms. “Do you think everyone is as foolish as you? You say something, and everyone believes it? Now, it seems everyone is watching me make a fool of myself!”
“For my good?” A crisp sound as the lighter slammed onto the table. Xu Tian crossed his arms. “Do you think everyone is as foolish as you? You say something, and everyone believes it? Now, it seems everyone is watching me make a fool of myself!”
Zhao Yaozu, seemingly refined, touched a nerve. “Foolish like me? If we didn’t act first, wait for the production team to release news about you being arrogant. Let’s see how you handle it! Don’t think I don’t know why you didn’t go on the show back then, it was because you couldn’t get out of bed due to what the Jia Tai CEO did to you!”
Hitting a sore spot, Xu Tian sneered. “Who knows who set me up with that connection? Didn’t you take money from it too?”
Zhao Yaozu had the nickname “Zhao Pimp” in the industry because he liked to send his artists to the “buyers’ bed,” earning kickbacks from it.
Although he had a bad reputation, there were still many newcomers or faded artists willing to use his connections. He believed in the exchange of money and favors, considering it acceptable.
Xu Tian had previously connected with the CEO of Jia Tai through Zhao Yaozu, obtaining plenty of resources and endorsements in the past two years. Having tasted success, he found this path too smooth to give up, so he hadn’t planned on falling out with Zhao.
However, he only learned about the current situation after Zhao Yaozu posted on Weibo today. If this matter wasn’t brought to light, Zhao might have thought he was an easy target.
Seeing that Xu Tian was indeed angry, Zhao Yaozu changed his tone. “Xu Tian, your fans might help you fight back. Maybe we still have a chance. Besides, having headlines and attention isn’t bad, right?”
Xu Tian smiled, stood up, and walked straight to the door.
Just as he reached the doorway, he heard Zhao Yaozu raise his voice from behind.
“It’s not like I didn’t tell you. The company and Yuzhi Entertainment have been at odds for a long time. Regarding the sudden replacement this time, the company is planning to shake things up, suppress Yuzhi Entertainment’s new artist, you handle it yourself. If you put more effort into it, maybe they’ll give you that new drama.”
Looking back at Zhao Yaozu, Xu Tian walked out without saying a word.
Ten minutes later, Xu Tian updated a Weibo post, claiming he couldn’t participate in Challenge 48 Hours due to health reasons, dispelling rumors about a last-minute replacement. He thanked Ye Shanshan for stepping in promptly, preventing the program from facing unforeseen circumstances. Finally, he expressed gratitude to his fans for their support.
As soon as this clarification Weibo was posted, everyone was taken aback. Something was off with the rhythm.
Half an hour later, the headlines on various major news platforms changed.
“Xu Tian and his agent contradict each other. Is the truth like this, or is there internal pressure?”
“Serious disagreement between Xu Tian and his agent; a contract termination is imminent.”
Xu Tian looked at the screen filled with his name and put his phone back in his bag—this agent might be foolish, but he was still useful.
※※※
When Xu Luoyang rushed into Zheng Dong’s office, he was surprised to find Zheng Dong leisurely sipping coffee. He immediately felt like stomping his feet.
“What time is it now, and you’re still in the mood for coffee?”
Zheng Dong raised an eyebrow. “Did you expose the scandal about Ye Shanshan’s private photos?”
“…” Xu Luoyang found a seat and replied indifferently, “Are you overthinking things?” Without even having a partner, how could there be a scandal about private photos?
Perhaps it was Zheng Dong’s calm demeanor that gradually helped him calm down. Without hesitation, he poured himself a cup of coffee, finishing it while enduring Zheng Dong’s disdainful gaze.
“What happened with Xu Tian? I saw him clarifying things himself when I was in the car.”
“He clashed with his agent,” Zheng Dong put down his cup.
“This Xu Tian isn’t stupid. Zhao Yaozu claimed the program suddenly changed participants, but where’s the evidence? He has none. However, the program surely has evidence proving Xu Tian refused to participate. Such lies are easily exposed. Even if Zhao Yaozu insists and doesn’t back down, this news will likely turn into a scandal.”
“So, Xu Tian stepped forward by himself?”
“Yeah, it’s good to stand up for himself. Didn’t you see it’s trending now? Headlines are all about him. That’s what we call boosting visibility.”
Giving Xu Luoyang a stern look, Zheng Dong furrowed his brows. “You both share the same surname, Xu. Why are you so foolish? If you were half as smart as Xu Tian, I wouldn’t have to babysit you, and you wouldn’t age ten years in just one.”
Ignoring the last comment, Xu Luoyang redirected the conversation. “I suddenly feel it was a mistake to go to Ye Shanshan for help. He got involved, and now Xu Tian is stepping on him.”
“This drama isn’t entirely useless,” Zheng Dong tapped his phone a few times and handed it to Xu Luoyang. “Read this.”
Taking a look, Xu Luoyang found a lengthy Weibo post. He read the title aloud, “Could that agent please check the facts before speaking? Who said our idol only has one work?”
After finishing, Xu Luoyang burst into laughter. “Ah, Ye Shanshan’s first role has been exposed? Who’s so sharp-sighted? Truly a dedicated fan!”
Continuing to read, Xu Luoyang discovered that Ye Shanshan’s fans had an unconventional style. Picking out a few sentences, he read aloud:
“Our idol’s appearance, taking on the male lead right after debut, is something he can handle. But! But! Look, look, look! What’s the first role he played? It’s not the male lead; it’s an extra, right? More like supporting character number forty. Does this count as having a powerful background? That background likely went bankrupt.”
The comments below were also unconventional:
—”This kind of background, we don’t need it! ”
—”Raise money to fund our idol’s movie! By the way, do we still need an army of online warriors? I’ve saved up five dollars!”
—”I just rewatched that episode. That character didn’t even speak, although it was through a veil, the silhouette under the candlelight was so beautifully tragic! Now, let’s imagine our idol’s looks…”
—”I’m already nosebleeding!”
—”Am I the only one thinking of working hard to earn money, then directly sponsoring our idol, providing plenty of resources, and sending him straight to the throne of the Best Actor?”
After finishing, Xu Luoyang couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “What should we do? If Mr. Gong sees this, will he get angry and produce a blockbuster film for Shanshan?”
Looking at Xu Luoyang’s amused expression, Zheng Dong winced. “Enough, stop laughing. If Ye Shanshan can’t be reached, what about the program team?”
“They issued a statement, explaining the situation and firing back. But Xu Tian has already distanced himself from this matter. At most, they’ll attack that agent. They can’t tarnish Xu Tian’s image, and most likely, they provided an assist.”
“Well,” Zheng Dong nodded. “I’m worried about a counter-move. Over at Ying Shi Entertainment, they seem determined to face off against us. Ye Shanshan is too talented; they fear we’ll overshadow them. It seems they won’t withdraw easily.”
※※※
Bedroom.
Serious and earnest, Ye Shanshan continued counting Gong Yue’s eyelashes back and forth until the 83rd time when Gong Yue opened his eyes again.
“Bro, you’re awake?” Ye Shanshan lowered his voice to a whisper, as if sharing a secret. After speaking, he looked at Gong Yue again, feeling that his own sovereign had a kind of mature and handsome charm.
Gong Yue nodded. He hadn’t just woken up; it was because he felt Ye Shanshan had been staring at him the whole time. His body couldn’t help but react subtly, so he had to open his eyes.
“Aren’t you going to sleep?”
“Not anymore.” When Gong Yue sat up, he still held Ye Shanshan’s hand and tightened their interlocked fingers. “Get up and eat.”
Ye Shanshan didn’t object, rubbing his stomach. He felt genuinely hungry and needed to replenish energy. He hadn’t felt hungry before—probably because he had watched Gong Yue enough to be satisfied?
Following Gong Yue to the bathroom, Ye Shanshan couldn’t help but glance at Gong Yue through the mirror while brushing his teeth with a green frog cup. He then took out the toothbrush, forcibly opened his mouth, and spoke, “One hundred and seventy-four.”
“Hmm?” Gong Yue was shaving, his slender right hand holding a razor, his gaze focused, giving off a mature and vigorous vibe.
Ye Shanshan spat out a bubble and said seriously, “Bro, you have a total of one hundred and seventy-five eyelashes. Just lost one, so now you have one hundred and seventy-four.”
Speaking, he reached out his empty hand and carefully took down an eyelash under Gong Yue’s eye. “See, it fell.”
Gong Yue cooperatively took a careful look, “Hmm, the one hundred and seventy-fifth.”
Satisfied, Shanshan continued brushing his teeth.
After eating, Ye Shanshan rubbed his stomach, feeling like he had accidentally eaten too much, and the blood had flowed into his stomach. Therefore, his brain wasn’t working well. He took a few steps, then collapsed onto the sofa in a prostrate posture, not wanting to move.
Gong Yue stood by the sofa, pulled him a bit, “Get up and walk, help with digestion.”
Ye Shanshan turned over, facing Gong Yue with the back of his head, pretending not to understand what Gong Yue was saying.
Gong Yue, feeling helpless but unable to be too harsh, could only look at him like that.
Feeling guilty under the gaze, Ye Shanshan, realizing that even an alloy helmet couldn’t withstand such penetrating eyes, recalled seeing his sovereign looking tired when he woke up this morning. Feeling sorry for him, he sat up on his own.
Running his fingers through his long fringe, thinking about getting a haircut one of these days, Ye Shanshan took a moment and then picked up a black hair tie for Gong Yue.
“Bro, tie up the bangs; they’re blocking your eyes.”
Gong Yue hesitated for a full five seconds before taking the hair tie. Awkwardly reaching out, he carefully, using minimal force, tied a small ponytail for Ye Shanshan.
Due to nervousness, his arm muscles became stiff.
After tying it, the sensation was compared to acquiring a hostile company – that challenging.
1TL: YSIAD “You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you ❤️”
