Chapter 5: Reselling Autographs
Zhu Minglang was thirty-five this year, with a round beer belly, a corporate drone whose edges had been smoothed by work. However, beneath his serious professional exterior, he actually had a hidden comedic heart.
The ice between him and the aloof Boss Min had broken during a celebratory banquet.
The drunk Zhu Minglang, his face flushed, plopped down on his knees.
In the two years since he took charge of Min Zhi, Min Zhi’s career had skyrocketed, bringing him along for the ride, allowing him to pay off his mortgage early and stop arguing with his wife!
Zhu Minglang hugged the cash cow’s leg, looking up at him with watery eyes. Drunk, he felt that the fierce and intimidating handsome face looked incredibly adorable, completely forgetting their formal superior-subordinate relationship: “Boss, can you tell me the story of how you chose me out of a bunch of managers?”
Min Zhi didn’t seem drunk, his face was still pale, and his speech clear: “Do you want to hear the truth or a lie?”
Zhu Minglang’s grin almost reached his ears, eager to hear: “The truth, the truth.”
Min Zhi took another sip of wine with a blank expression, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly. He pondered for a while before speaking: “The truth is, you’re the biggest and most conspicuous.”
Zhu Minglang choked: “…What about the lie?”
“The lie is—you look the least punchable, now get off!”
Their interaction pattern had continued like this ever since.
Min Zhi finished showering, lay down in bed, and checked the unread message from Zhu Minglang.
Lao Zhu: 【Boss, look at this, doesn’t it look like your male fan’s jacket? [Picture]】
Lao Zhu: 【If I lose my job someday, reselling your autographs should be quite profitable [/Grinning]】
Min Zhi naturally didn’t want to pay him any mind, but his gaze inadvertently swept over the picture, his finger lingering there, inexplicably clicking on it.
Then, a long silence.
He quickly downloaded the secondhand trading app Xianyu from the app store, registered and logged in, and following the screenshot Zhu Minglang sent, found the person selling the signed jacket.
Min Zhi was straightforward, sending a private message: 【Meet-up, OK?】
After a while, the other side replied with two messages, equally straightforward and refreshing.
【Can do】
【But you pay for my travel expenses】
Min Zhi was silent for a moment, a thousand words condensing into another “OK.”
Xi Leng had never gotten Min Zhi’s personal autograph in his past life. He searched online to understand the market price. The authenticity of the various autographs online was difficult to determine, and the prices varied greatly, but he estimated he could sell it for upwards of three hundred.
He hadn’t found anyone selling signed clothing, however. The authenticity of the signature on the jacket was hard to verify, and it also included the price of the jacket itself. He didn’t expect that just after listing it past midnight, a decisive buyer would appear.
The only trouble was that the other party requested a meet-up, probably to inspect the item, and was willing to cover Xi Leng’s travel expenses. Xi Leng naturally had no objections.
The parking garage chosen by the buyer for the meet-up happened to be near the archery range. After work, Xi Leng walked over to the appointment.
The underground parking garage was silent, filled with an astounding array of luxury cars. Xi Leng kept his distance from these mobile gold bars, finding a cement pillar that matched his own worth, leaning against it leisurely as he waited.
He held the paper bag containing the jacket, wondering if he had sold it too cheaply, when he saw the flashing high beams in the distance. He raised a hand to shield his eyes. A low-key black SUV was reversing into a parking space. From his blurry vision, a tall figure gradually emerged.
Xi Leng first noticed his left ear, the cold glint of the swaying metal chain.
His languid posture straightened. Under Xi Leng’s surprised gaze, the man in the distance locked eyes on him, walking straight towards him.
“…?”
Min Zhi reached him in a few strides, casually scrutinizing him for a moment: “It really is you.”
Xi Leng quickly composed his surprise, feigning a stunned expression just right, his surprise gradually turning into delight, his hazel eyes brightening, as if with shimmering ripples.
“…Min-shen?”
It wasn’t until their second encounter that Min Zhi sensed a hint of joy from this fan.
The corners of his lips curved upwards in a good mood as he asked: “Did you bring the jacket?”
Being caught red-handed reselling an autograph by the idol himself, this was a situation Xi Leng couldn’t have dreamed of, but his emotional fluctuations were always subtle. Not knowing what to do, he’d just take it one step at a time.
“I brought it.” He handed over the paper bag.
Min Zhi didn’t take it, but simply said: “My autograph is worth more than you think, and I never sign fans’ own clothes. This signature is one of a kind.”
Even the fake fan Xi Leng was well aware of Min Zhi’s bad temper. He lowered his eyes slightly and kept silent.
After a moment, Min Zhi suddenly asked: “What’s your name?”
Xi Leng’s sense of boundaries was omnipresent, his self-introduction also reserved: “My surname is Xi.”
Min Zhi didn’t ask further about this topic, but leaned over, took the white jacket out of the paper bag in Xi Leng’s hand, removed the cap with one hand, and added a salutation to the signature: To Xi.
Xi Leng anxiously observed his expression. Fortunately, the next thing he said was: “How do I pay?”
Xi Leng relaxed, getting down to business: “Scan the code. Going through the platform incurs a handling fee now.”
Every little bit counts, he was desperately short of money in both lifetimes.
“…”
Xi Leng displayed his WeChat payment code, holding it with both hands, his eyes lowered in an extremely polite manner: “Please scan.”
His throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton, choking back the words Min Zhi wanted to say. He pursed his lips, took out his phone, and scanned the code without a word.
Xi Leng’s phone notified him of a three-thousand-yuan payment, a full six times the price he’d listed.
He froze slightly. The man in front of him, his face gloomy, had already spoken, his tone brooking no argument: “Keep the jacket with my signature.”
They were close together for the scan, and as he spoke, his lips parted and closed. For a few moments, Xi Leng seemed to see that tongue piercing, the round silver bead, shimmering with a watery glint.
Xi Leng felt a force on his arm and looked down to find the jacket he had just handed over back in his arms.
The man’s silent figure gradually receded into the distance. The fake fan Xi Leng, deeply moved by the three-thousand-yuan fan benefit, stroked the jacket that had become a personalized autograph, gradually coming to his senses. Suddenly, a thought struck him. He raised his hand to his lips and called out loudly: “Thank you, Min-shen! I will definitely treasure it!”
…This solitary and taciturn fan was truly impossible to deal with.
Min Zhi let out a soft hum.
Zhu Minglang was once again driven to distraction by Min Zhi’s foul temper.
He finally had a day off, but his ancestor wouldn’t give him a break. He drove off somewhere, and crucially, for some unknown reason, his ancestor rolled down the window for some air by the roadside, coincidentally running into a live streaming team of internet celebrities dancing in the square.
The internet celebrity was the platform’s top anchor with millions of followers, and also a well-known fan leader of Min Zhi. However, there was a gap between internet celebrities and celebrities, or rather, between internet celebrities and top-tier celebrities like Min Zhi, at least eight hundred meters thick. Discovering Min Zhi by the roadside, the small-time internet celebrity was naturally overjoyed and swarmed him with a large group of people.
In order to capitalize on this unexpected opportunity, the small-time internet celebrity was unscrupulous. Min Zhi had just put out his cigarette and was preparing to leave when two lighting and one camera person blocked the front of his car. The small-time internet celebrity, holding a live streaming phone, squeezed towards his car window, preventing him from leaving or closing the window.
The small-time internet celebrity passionately confessed her admiration, but Min Zhi consistently ignored her. However, even just his refined profile was enough to make the viewers in the live stream scream and send gifts, the number of online viewers multiplying several times over.
“Min-shen, I’m your fan, I’ve liked you since your debut, everyone in the live stream knows, can you say hello to them?”
The woman’s sweet nothings were practically whispered in his ear, the pungent fragrance from her low-cut top wafting into the car. Min Zhi turned a deaf ear and a blind eye, but he really couldn’t leave. After a long standoff, he had to turn and look at her.
The small-time internet celebrity was ecstatic and immediately launched into another round of sweet confessions.
Min Zhi lifted his eyelids slightly. His double eyelids weren’t prominent, only appearing as a narrow, deep crease when he raised his eyes. His pupils were dark and opaque, a naturally world-weary face.
But undeniably handsome.
The small-time internet celebrity, full of anticipation, watched as Min Zhi, in front of her, and even in front of hundreds of thousands of viewers in the live stream, slowly raised a slender finger in slow motion.
His left middle finger.
Then, ruthlessly—
“Fuck off.”
Immediately followed by several honks of the horn, conveying the driver’s intense impatience.
The three people blocking the car met his cold and sharp gaze, not doubting that he would step on the gas pedal the next second. They hurriedly scrambled to the side. At that moment, Min Zhi’s car roared to life and sped away, leaving them in the dust.
This “live stream accident” trended that night.
The small-time internet celebrity capitalized on the popularity and posted a lengthy essay complaining about how her years of genuine fandom had been cruelly trampled upon.
“She keeps riding on my coattails, I haven’t bothered with her, and now she’s playing the victim?”
Min Zhi squinted, his dark eyes glaring at Zhu Minglang in displeasure.
“Several marketing accounts also jumped out to ride the wave, some deliberately manipulating public opinion, they definitely got paid,” Zhu Minglang said with a miserable look. “See, your past scandals of being cold-faced have been dug up again, someone even compiled a list of ‘One Hundred Sins of Idol Dereliction of Duty’…”
Min Zhi interrupted coldly: “I’m not an idol.”
“Fine, you’re not.” Zhu Minglang said. “But Boss, you have the face of an idol, don’t you?”
This flattery appeased Min Zhi somewhat.
Zhu Minglang struck while the iron was hot: “Boss, look, there’s a variety show offer for us. ‘Unlimited Escape Room’, a puzzle-solving and deduction type show, it’s said to be quite mentally challenging, just right for your IQ.”
Seeing that Min Zhi wasn’t opposed, Zhu Minglang continued: “A total of five guests, some celebrities and some ordinary people. I discussed with them, and we can bring an ordinary person. My plan is to find one of your fans. You can guide them on the show, help them with the puzzles, not only will you shine, the fan will be happy, and the fan-loving persona will be established.”
Min Zhi lazily crossed his long legs, two fingers pressed against his temples, the other hand scribbling on paper.
Zhu Minglang leaned over for a peek and found that his boss was so bored he had started playing with prime factorization. In that case, wouldn’t a puzzle-solving variety show be perfect? So, he said with satisfaction: “But I’m afraid an ordinary person might cause trouble, so I plan to find a newcomer from the industry. I’ve picked a few, take a look at their photos and profiles.”
Zhu Minglang spread out three resumes with photos on the table and introduced them one by one: “Girls are too prone to dating rumors, so I ruled them out first. These three boys are all your fans. Especially this newly signed artist from Star Entertainment, Luo Jiayan. This kid has been your fan since high school, and he hasn’t changed his Weibo account after debuting, completely open and aboveboard. Good-looking, no scandals, good personality too.”
Zhu Minglang talked non-stop, while across the table, a hand with a ring tattoo supported his chin, his eyelids drooping languidly, his fingertips tapping his cheekbone absentmindedly.
Zhu Minglang’s round face suddenly crumpled like a bitter melon: “Take a look? We can’t have none of them work, right? Look at Luo Jiayan again…”
“If you’re not satisfied with even him, then there’s no one more suitable in the whole industry. We can’t really find a completely ordinary fan, right? Besides, how good-looking can an ordinary person be?”
“Eh?” Noticing the change in Min Zhi’s expression, Zhu Minglang’s small eyes lit up. “Could there really be a suitable ordinary person?”
Min Zhi then became aware of his unconsciously moving tongue, the hard tongue stud repeatedly scraping against the inside of his mouth, his cheek occasionally puffing out slightly, clearly deep in thought.
A good-looking ordinary fan, even one more handsome than a celebrity. Zhu Minglang felt it was impossible, yet a cold face appeared in his mind.
“Hey, right.” Zhu Minglang suddenly slapped his thigh. “That male fan who went to the airport pickup last time, what do you think of him in person? Do you remember him?”
“You’ve said it all.” Min Zhi raised his head, unexpectedly revealing a rather amiable smile. “Since you understand me so well, then you can handle it yourself.”
Zhu Minglang: “…?”
