As one of the Golden Eagle supervisors, Tang Can had always been very efficient in his work. At two o’clock in the afternoon, a man in black appeared in the president’s office on the tenth floor of Huasheng Entertainment Company.
Zhuo Yue, who was sitting on the sofa, stood up nervously when he saw him, and his lips turned a little white. This man worked for a loan shark company and had brought people to his door several times to collect debts. The last time, he smashed the cup and put a sharp glass against his eyes, threatening to stab him in the eye next time if he didn’t pay back the money.
The man only glanced at him and then looked away and said to Fang Mingyan respectfully, “Chairman Fang, I have offended you many times before. I didn’t know he was one of your people, so my methods were a little rough. I apologise.”
Fang Mingyan glanced at the embarrassed expression on Zhuo Yue’s face and smiled lightly, “How much is the balance left?”
The man in black put an IOU on the table and said, “Master Tang has instructed that the principal on the IOU can be repaid slowly. As for the interest, consider it waived.”
This means that not only is the amount of money to be repaid reduced but also there won’t be any further debt collection? Zhuo Yue’s gaze fell on that piece of paper, and there was a trembling excitement.
“Tang Chan has given us such a great deal. It’s embarrassing to keep on owing money.” Fang Mingyan signed a check and handed it to him, “This way, it’s settled. He is an artist under my company, and I don’t want to hear any rumours in the future about him having owed loan sharks.”
“I understand. That will never happen.” The man in black took the check and said goodbye politely.
Zhuo Yue was stunned in place, with confusion in his eyes, as if he still didn’t quite understand what was going on. It took him a long time to ask, “Why did you…”
“You’ve been called ‘my person’. I can’t have you owing external debts indefinitely.” Fang Mingyan casually threw the IOU into the drawer, “It’s just a change of creditor. From now on, I am your creditor, and you owe me this 1.3 million.”
Zhuo Yue knew that he was clarifying social relationships for himself, and a lot of gratitude surged in his heart. He said, “I will work hard to make money and pay it back to you.”
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t work hard.” The man curled his lips and smiled a bit evilly, “I can also open a back door for you to pay for it.”
When Zhuo Yue heard this, even the tips of his ears turned red. He didn’t know where to look and looked at the ground.
The knock on the door at this time solved his dilemma in time.
A woman in her thirties came in, wearing a tight black skirt and a pair of red high heels. Her makeup was exquisite, and she exuded a strong aura when she walked and stood.
“Meet Shen Luo, Director of the Artist Management Department.” Fang Mingyan turned to Shen Luo, “I mentioned him to you, Zhuo Yue.”
“Hello.” Zhuo Yue knew her. Although he had not interacted with her much, he often saw her attending various occasions and accepting interviews on behalf of Huasheng.
“I’ve seen your play, and your acting skills are average.” Shen Luo had no expression on her face when she spoke, with a cold air about her, “If you want to continue playing the role of a young master and live an easy life, I have no objection. After all, you are someone chosen by Chairman Fang. Special treatment will be given under special circumstances. Just let me know when you are willing to take on the role.”
“…Chief Shen, by no means I am… I joined Huasheng, and everything will be subject to the company’s arrangements.” Zhuo Yue became anxious and even spoke faster, “No matter what roles the company arranges for me, I am willing to work hard and perform well…”
Shen Luo seemed to be quite satisfied with his attitude, and her tone softened, “In that case, I will manage you as an ordinary artist. To be clear, my rules are very strict, and sometimes they may make you feel uncomfortable. When something unpleasant happens, I hope to resolve it through communication with you. I don’t like being accused.”
This statement clearly treated Zhuo Yue as a ‘favoured’ individual who was Fang Mingyan’s bed warmer. It was not a wonder for Shen Luo. The gay CEO unexpectedly and unilaterally signed a contract with a fading male actor. Considering the appearance of this male actor, anyone could easily jump to conclusions.
He couldn’t explain anything and anxiously asked Fang Mingyan for help. Unexpectedly, the man just sat leisurely and had no intention of explaining at all. Zhuo Yue was anxious and helpless, not knowing how to clarify. In the end, he lowered his eyes and said, “…I understand.”
“You can take a look at this.” She handed over the folder in her hand.
Zhuo Yue opened it and found a short movie script. He glanced through it quickly and looked up in confusion.
“The number three male member had not yet been decided. You will audition tomorrow.”
The third male? Zhuo Yue was stunned for a moment, then came back to read the script again and suddenly said in embarrassment, “That character is gay, I…”
“Don’t want to act?” Shen Luo looked at him coldly.
“…No,” a hesitant expression appeared on his handsome face, and he spoke softly, “I have never acted in movies, and I’m afraid I might not be able to handle this role.”
“The director of this movie is Xie Anqing, whose box office is guaranteed. With Golden Eagle’s investment, the quality of the movie will never be bad. Your acting career is too narrow. If you can get this role, it will also be a training for your acting skills.” With these words, she had already exhausted her patience, and she furrowed her brows, “If you don’t want to audition, I won’t force you.”
This was Zhu Yue’s first job after changing jobs. He had already said before that he would obey the company’s arrangements. Now he was in a difficult position and could only accept, “…I’ll go. Thank you, Chief Shen, for giving me the opportunity. I will prepare well and do my best to act.”
Shen Luozhuo breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him accepting it like this. She didn’t hate this handsome young man. What she said just now was forced because someone assigned her a task—let him accept the audition. She glanced at Fang Mingyan. The man was sitting leisurely, with an unpredictable smile on his lips and an attitude that had nothing to do with him. Facing such a boss, she only felt pain in her temples. Forget it; she was used to being a villain over the years anyway, so it was not bad if it could make Zhuo Yue feel fear and make him more obedient in the future.
“The assistant I have arranged for you is called Lin Hui. He will pick you up on time at two o’clock tomorrow afternoon.” Shen Luo took a few steps and looked back with a smile, “By the way, if you don’t grasp the role well, you might as well ask Chairman Fang for advice. He has a lot of experience.” After saying that, she walked away on high heels.
Fang Mingyan: “…”
In the afternoon, Zhuo Yue followed Fang Mingyan’s female secretary, Julie, around the company to get familiar with the environment. Except for meetings, artists were usually away from the company. When they walked around, they only saw busy staff and trainees sweating profusely in various practice rooms. With nothing else to do, he found a quiet spot in the atrium to read the script.
The script had only a section where the male protagonist wanted to confess to the female protagonist but, afraid of failure, decided to rehearse with his best friend, who happened to be gay. The third male was a gay friend who had silently harboured feelings for the male lead. He endured the emotional pain and reluctantly agreed to practice with him. Emotions remained suppressed until the final rehearsal, when, during a kiss scene, the repressed feelings exploded, and he impulsively kissed the male lead.
How to act?
Zhuo Yue sighed in distress. Acting as a gay was already a challenge for him, but there was also a kissing scene…
He tried to calm down and treat the tall plant in front of him as the male protagonist, investing his emotions in it and reciting his lines line by line. However, when it came to the kiss scene, all he could think about was the scene of being pressed down for a deep kiss by Fang Mingyan on the sofa in the box last night, and even the slightly astringent taste of wine seemed to reappear in his mouth.
Damn it… Why do I keep thinking of this…
Zhuo Yue shook his head, trying to get the fragment out of his head. He tried a few more times, but his expression was still very stiff. It was difficult for him to get into the role for a long time, which made him feel anxious as he paced back and forth in frustration.
When Fang Mingyan came down to see him after finishing his work, Zhuo Yue was squatting in front of a pot of green plants with a frown on his face, twiddling the leaves with his fingers and muttering his lines. The man found it interesting and stood behind him and watched for a while. He saw an upset Zhuo Yue putting his hands on the edge of the flowerpot, frowning and sighing, “How to kiss? I feel like I’m going crazy…”
Fang Mingyan couldn’t help laughing. This was the first time he had seen Zhu Yue like this. The usually serious and cold-faced person went crazy, which was quite interesting.
Zhuo Yue was startled by the sound of laughter, turned around suddenly, and saw it was Fang Mingyan and he stood up in embarrassment, “Why…are you downstair?”
“It’s time to get off work.” The man looked at him jokingly, “Have you finished communicating with this potted plant? If not, I’ll have someone send it home, and you can continue your conversation.”
“…”
Sitting in Fang Mingyan’s car, Zhuo Yue returned to the lakeside villa area located in the east of the city. It was only now that he noticed the discreet and implicit words at the entrance. Unable to see them clearly last night and forgetting to check this morning, he now realised that the man lived in a place known as ‘Hanguan’, a part of the ‘mysterious rich people zone’. This property belonged to the Golden Eagle Group, with access granted only to acquaintances, making it a highly sought-after residence.
The car passed through the heavily guarded security facilities without any hindrance. Zhuo Yue saw the words ‘No. 15’ on the bronze plate hanging at the entrance of the courtyard.
Hanguan No.15.
Fang Mingyan’s home.
It was also where he temporarily lodged.
After dinner, Zhuo Yue offered to wash the dishes.
The servants exchanged awkward glances—the butler with a hesitant expression, the housekeeper with a troubled look. Fang Mingyan sat on the sofa, casually browsing through entertainment news without lifting his head, and said, “Let him wash it up.”
Zhuo Yue had a hard life when he was young. His single mother raised him until the age of six before passing away. No relatives were willing to adopt him, so his distant uncle Zhuo Qing took him in and raised him with his son Zhuo Hai. While the couple couldn’t be said to treat him well, compared to his own son, they really didn’t treat him as well as they treated their own son. Zhuo Yue was already sensible at that time and knew that he was living under someone else’s roof, spending other people’s money, and being taken care of by others, so he often took the initiative to help his adoptive mother with housework.
Zhuo Hai didn’t like his brother, who was one year older than him at all, especially because his mother always praised him for being sensible and studious, which annoyed Zhuo Hai even more. He often bullied Zhuo Yue in different ways, asking him to carry his schoolbag, do homework, and wash clothes for him. As he grew older, he spent his days hanging out with a group of rascals, leading a carefree life without any proper employment.
When Zhuo Yue was working part-time delivering food in high school, he was noticed by the editor-in-chief of a magazine because of his good looks and asked if he would like to be a graphic model. After gaining some experience in shooting, he decided to study acting and earn his tuition fees by himself.
Zhuo Yue neatly washed and dried the dishes and put them in the disinfection cabinet. He walked to Fang Mingyan and said, “If there’s nothing else to do, I’ll go back to my room.
“Are you ready for tomorrow’s performance?” The man raised his eyes and asked.
His expression froze, “Not yet.” He lowered his head in embarrassment, “I can recite those lines, but I don’t know how to put in the emotion…”
“Does kissing a man make you this flustered?” Fang Mingyan looked at him calmly, “As an actor, your duty is to play your role well and show some professionalism.”
Zhuo Yue pursed his lips, and with some shyness, he mustered up the courage to speak, “Can you… help me?”
The man’s lips curled up slightly, and he said, “Go get the script.”
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