Chapter 3
Y City, the headquarters of Tangyi Performing Arts Company.
Tang Chaobai looked at the earnings for this quarter, then handed the documents to his assistant. “File these.”
“Sure.”
The assistant walked to the door but was stopped by Tang Chaobai. “By the way, how’s the production team doing?”
“I’ve already informed the producers and the director. They agreed to keep the second male lead role for Xi Yan. But he needs to come over for a costume test. Also, there’s a new actor in the company who successfully auditioned for the role of the male fourth lead. The shooting is scheduled to start around August, and they asked if you’re attending the launch ceremony?”
Tang Chaobai usually didn’t get involved in such matters. With the company investing in so many films and TV shows every year, he couldn’t attend every launch ceremony or premiere. However, this time was different.
“Go ahead. Tell them I’ll attend.”
The assistant nodded. He wasn’t surprised. Over the years, he had learned that Tang Chaobai, who was normally reserved, was quite indulgent with his troublesome younger brother. This was obviously a deliberate move to support Xi Yan.
“And tell Xi Yan’s manager to keep him from going out for a while. We don’t want any trouble.”
Outside, very few people knew that contemporary idol singer Xi Yan was actually surnamed Tang and was the second young master of Tangyi. Xi Yan had grown up as a free-spirited person. Even with him becoming a public figure, Tang Chaobai still had to help clean up after him from time to time.
The assistant also had a headache. How could the Demon King of the World stay home for two months? Not to mention his manager; sometimes even Tang Chaobai couldn’t keep him in check.
After the assistant left, Tang Chaobai received a bank deduction message for a card he rarely used, showing a charge of over 5,000.
Not long after, a photo was sent to him, a picture of a pair of earrings.
Fang Yingying: “Do you like them?”
Tang Chaobai: “They look great.”
Fang Yingying: “I wanted to buy you a watch too. What style do you like?”
Tang Chaobai actually had a lot of watches, many of them sent to him by brands. He wasn’t lacking in that department, and this time, he used his rarely used card.
Tang Chaobai: “Any style is fine.”
Fang Yingying: “Hehe, I’ll buy you one then. I just saw a handbag that’s really nice, but it’s a bit expensive.”
Her intentions were clear, and Tang Chaobai couldn’t miss them. However, he had more than enough money for this, and this girl had saved him that day. He wasn’t going to be stingy about this amount of money.
Tang Chaobai: “If you like it, buy it. You might need to wear something a bit less ordinary when you debut.”
Fang Yingying: “Thank you, Big Brother Tang!”
Fang Yingying put her phone away, her high heels clicking as she walked into a luxury brand handbag store. “Wrap up the bag I saw earlier.”
“Sure, Miss. Will you be paying with a card or cash?”
“Card.”
Qu Di came from a unusual family. His mother had remarried, and he had a stepfather and a 10-year-old Alpha stepsister named Wan Yunong. Unlike Qu Di, Wan Yunong excelled academically from a young age and didn’t need her parents to worry about her. She was truly a child from another family, and her presence made Qu Di, a beta, even less noticeable in the household.
In fact, Qu Di’s stepfather treated him fairly well. He provided for Qu Di to finish his college education and didn’t mistreat him in terms of food and shelter. However, he couldn’t bring himself to be close to Qu Di. Qu Di didn’t blame him. He had arrived at this family when he was twelve, a relatively awkward age when it was difficult for his stepfather to know how to get close to him.
After graduation, he had originally planned to return home and discuss his plans to go to Y City with them. However, when he got home, he found that no one was there. Even the table had gathered some dust, indicating that they had been gone for at least a week. He called and found out that his stepfather, a civil servant, was on a business trip, and his mother had gone with him.
“We’re in H City now, and Yunong is at her grandmother’s place. Do you need anything?” His mother hadn’t attended his graduation ceremony and hadn’t even inquired about it. It seemed she had genuinely forgotten.
“Mom, I’m going to Y City in a couple of days.”
There was a brief silence from the other end. After a while, his mother’s tone was unexpectedly gentle. “You… graduated?”
“Yes, I received my diploma a few days ago.”
“Go ahead, try your best. And take good care of yourself. Oh… I don’t have much to give you, but I do have some money. I’ll transfer it to you, and you can use it.”
Qu Di suddenly felt a lump in his throat. “Mom, you don’t have to. I still have some money left from my part-time job, enough to get by.”
“Don’t be polite. Over there isn’t like here; it’s a big city, and you’ll have expenses. What can you do with that little money?”
“Okay, thanks, Mom.”
“Alright, let’s not talk anymore. He’s calling me. If you need anything, send me a message.”
The person on the other end called for her, and she hung up.
Qu Di looked around the empty house, and a tender place in his heart was touched. His mother still cared for him, and he was grateful that he had family.
Two days later, Qu Di packed his few belongings and set off for Y City. Before boarding the plane, he received a message from Qi Shan.
For the past few days, Qi Shan had been bombarding him with messages. At first, Qu Di would respond, but eventually, he stopped paying attention. If it weren’t for work, Qi Shan might have come to the airport to kidnap him.
“Would you like to reconsider? This place is quite good too.”
“Competition in City Y is fierce. You’re just a script writer; why do it there?”
“Qu Di, say something, don’t just stay silent.”
Qi Shan always thought that Qu Di wanted to go to City Y for that scoundrel Yang Ji. She thought it was too impulsive. Was it worth going to such lengths for someone like him?
But only Qu Di knew he wasn’t doing it for someone; he was doing it for himself. City Y was the most developed place economically and the center of the entertainment industry in the country. There were opportunities everywhere, it depended on whether you could seize them.
He wanted to prove to Yang Ji that with talent, he would establish himself in this city one day. Today, what he called choices were just a joke.
As soon as the plane landed, Qu Di found the place he had previously arranged online. He and Yang Ji had withdrawn the deposit for that room. He happened to rent a place over here. After paying three months’ rent with his own money, he had only his mother’s ten thousand left.
If it wasn’t for the money his mother sent him, he might have starved as soon as he arrived here. He was indeed too optimistic, coming here with no preparation at all.
He was munching on a piece of bread while browsing some job postings online when he received a message from Qi Shan.
Qi Shan: [Tangyi Hiring a personal assistant.docx]
Qi Shan: [I got this from my dad. Why don’t you give it a try? The benefits are pretty good.]
Qi Shan’s family was relatively affluent. Her father was a well-known local car dealer, and she had some insider information. She was currently working as an assistant for variety show planning at a TV station, arranged by her father.
Qu Di: [Thank you, I’ll take a look.]
Qi Shan: [You finally replied to me? My goodness, if it weren’t for me sending you this, would you leave me talking to myself forever?]
Qu Di: [I just got off the plane and got back to where I’m staying. Sorry.]
Qi Shan: [Humph, I’ll forgive you.]
Qi Shan: [How’s your place? Take a photo and show me.]
Qu Di looked up at the flickering lights and silently finished the last bite of his bread.
Qu Di: [It’s not bad, but definitely not as good as your villa.]
Qi Shan: [It’s late; you should get some sleep. Work can wait.]
Qi Shan knew that Qu Di was the type to keep his good news to himself. She didn’t want to pry into his life if he didn’t want to share.
The next day, Qu Di submitted several resumes, including the position of a life assistant at Tangyi. Although he had strange feelings toward Tangyi because of Yang Ji, he couldn’t be sure he would be chosen. After all, they were only hiring one person, and who knew how many people would be competing for the job.
Two days later, at Tangyi headquarters.
Tang Chaobai’s assistant brought a stack of resumes to his office. “Mr. Tang, I’ve picked out the better candidates from these, a total of ten. Please have a look.”
Tang Chaobai, this rich young man, had already driven away three assistants, and his manager was almost at his wit’s end. This time, besides finding him an assistant, the main task was to keep an eye on Tang Chaobai and report on his life at any time.
In other words, it was to keep an eye on him.
Tang Chaobai flipped through a few pages and eventually pulled out one. “What about this one? Has his background been checked?”
The assistant was somewhat surprised. This person was a recent graduate, and while he was outstanding, he had the least experience among them.
More than eighty percent of the applicants had come because of the name Tangyi. Many of them were devoted fans, and the ones who were not betas have already been eliminated in the first round.
“His background has been checked. He’s from City P, and his family background is a little odd, with his stepfather working in a government position. They are relatively well-off. He just moved to this area recently, probably to find work.”
Such people were common. After graduating, they came to big cities with enthusiasm to “fulfill their dreams.”
“But… he has no experience at all.”
“With no experience, he will be easier to mold. Besides, don’t you think he looks kind of naive?”
“Naive…??” The assistant looked at the ID photo. Well, he didn’t look that bad… The young man smiled somewhat green, exuding the fragrance of sunshine, obviously an unworldly kid.
“I don’t need someone too clever.”
The assistant understood. As an artist’s assistant, many times, he would know a lot of things. Given the relationship between Tang Xi Yan and Tang Chaobai, if he wanted to find an assistant who was actually a monitor, he had to figure out a way to make him appear mute to the outside world. And someone with no background, no experience, and seeming naive was just the right fit.
He handed the resume to Tang Chaobai. “You arrange a second interview for him. If he passes, we’ll have someone train him.”
To excel in this job, the first thing was to learn how to endure Tang Xiyan’s harsh words, and training was undoubtedly essential.
That day, Qu Di had just finished an interview with a company. It was a scorching summer day, and as he walked down the street, he was about to buy a bottle of water for himself when he received a call from Tangyi’s HR department, informing him that his resume had been approved and scheduling an interview at the company.
Qu Di was in a daze for a while before he reacted.
“I… I have time now.”
“Can we schedule the interview for tomorrow afternoon?”
“Sure, thank you.”
“My number is…”
That evening, Qu Di bought himself a small cake with a rich layer of cream and fresh fruits on top. Although he hadn’t crossed any major hurdles yet, he decided to treat it as a reward for himself.
T/N: Hey there! There is plenty more where that came from, so stay tuned! And stay healthy! Straighten your posture, so some stretches and drink some water before continuing hehe~
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Also, check out the other series we have on HoH!
If you like cats, check out Revenge of the Garfield
If you like dragons, check out I’m Pregnant with the Hope of the Entire Planet and The Dragon and the ‘Princess’
How about some mystery or showbiz? Check out Morbid Addiction & Perfection
What about the perfect, most non-toxic male lead ever? Laws of Love
How about MC nursing ML back to health? Forced into the Deep
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