Chapter 1: Wiping Butts Actively
“All beauty, but actually a fool.”
Chen Shuo’s gaze was focused, re-watching a classic palace drama. Coincidentally, as the concubine in the drama finished this line, his phone, resting on the coffee table, rang.
Seeing the last few digits of the caller ID, he knew his holiday was most likely ruined.
Time to pack up and go out to wipe his benefactor’s butt.
The persistently ringing ringtone was the soundtrack of a certain palace drama, the crisp and melodious zither gradually becoming more intense.
Chen Shuo enjoyed listening to it, having set it specifically. Mainly because every time he heard this little tune, it made wiping butts a bit more enthusiastic.
He didn’t answer the call, calmly turning off the TV, getting up to open the wardrobe, and taking out a suit from the identical sets.
Once fully dressed, Chen Shuo finally ended the little tune that had been looping for five times. After answering, he immediately moved the phone away slightly, still unable to block the heart-wrenching roar from the other end.
“Assistant Chen! I want to see CEO He!!!”
His ears almost deafened, Chen Shuo’s face darkened.
Before he could speak, noisy crying came from the receiver, the man pleading with him to help contact CEO He.
“Please, Assistant Chen, I can’t live without CEO He! Did I do something wrong? If I can’t see him today, I… I won’t live!”
The “CEO He” in the man’s mouth was Chen Shuo’s benefactor of nearly five years, his boss, He Yan.
As for the sobbing man on the phone, he was CEO He’s recently dumped lover, named Lin Yuzhi, a C-list actor.
CEO He’s busy schedule was comparable to an emperor’s. The difference was that he didn’t have a harem, preferring one-on-one relationships, and never indulged in beauty, only having eyes for business.
As CEO He’s personal assistant, Chen Shuo’s job was actually quite simple, specifically responsible for receiving and managing each of CEO He’s lovers, plus some messy situations that required him to clean up.
Lin Yuzhi was no longer within his management scope, but having interacted with him for a month initially, he guessed the other party would definitely create a big mess for him today, one he couldn’t avoid cleaning up, lest his salary be docked.
Driving to Lin Yuzhi’s residence, Chen Shuo went straight to the point after entering, reminding him politely, “Mr. Lin, the two million severance fee was transferred to your account yesterday.”
“I don’t want money!”
Lin Yuzhi’s eyes were filled with eye drops, his mouth reciting lines about love and affection, crying with a fresh and refined air, crying with the momentum of someone who regards money as dirt.
“Sob…sob…sob…”
In just a moment, Lin Yuzhi’s demeanor changed drastically. As if unable to accept reality, he rushed to the balcony in front of Chen Shuo, opened the window, and with a fierce face threatened to jump to his death, using death to mourn his lost love.
“I don’t believe CEO He is so heartless.”
Watching the drama queen’s clumsy acting, Chen Shuo suddenly recalled the line from the palace drama.
Lin Yuzhi had a good appearance, but unfortunately, like the previous one who cried and made a scene at CEO He’s company, he was a fool.
“I said I want to see CEO He! I gave him my heart and soul, and this is how he treats me? Call him quickly, or I’ll really jump!”
“Jump then,” Chen Shuo said, his tone indifferent.
“You…” Lin Yuzhi was startled, his voice agitated, “You think I don’t dare to jump?!”
“No,” Chen Shuo took a few steps forward, “I just want to tell you, jumping from the fifteenth floor will be a very gruesome death. If you land feet first, the violent impact with the ground will cause your limbs to twist or break; if you land head first, your brains will splatter everywhere, ruining that face of yours, and then the media will take pictures…”
“…” Lin Yuzhi was terrified. Having finally latched onto a wealthy sponsor, he was waiting to soar in the entertainment industry, but two million wasn’t enough.
The cold wind howled outside the window. Seeing Lin Yuzhi visibly shivering, Chen Shuo knew when to stop.
He continued, “Besides that fee, CEO He also secured an audition opportunity for you, but with you making such a fuss today, if CEO He finds out, you’ll probably lose both the money and the opportunity.”
Hearing this, Lin Yuzhi quickly closed the window, slid to his knees in front of Chen Shuo, repeatedly apologizing to CEO He, then apologizing to Chen Shuo, asking this and that about the opportunity.
There was no audition opportunity. Chen Shuo was purely lying, just to quickly resolve the matter and give himself a long vacation to go home and rewatch old dramas.
So he said the film project needed to be kept confidential for now, and he would contact Lin Yuzhi on the day of the audition. Before leaving, he added, “The opportunity is in front of you, whether you can grasp it depends on you.”
With that, this mess was considered cleaned up.
Outside, it was freezing cold. Chen Shuo quickly returned to his car and first sent a text message to his boss, briefly reporting Lin Yuzhi’s suicidal drama, saying that all that was needed now was an audition opportunity, and if there were no problems, he would arrange it as soon as possible.
He waited, but there was no reply.
It wasn’t until the afternoon of the third day that Chen Shuo received orders to go to the group headquarters to see CEO He.
Entering the office, seeing CEO He on the phone, he quietly waited aside. Listening to the conversation, it seemed he was arranging an audition opportunity for Lin Yuzhi.
“Didn’t you invest in a movie recently?” He Yan instructed his cousin on the other end of the phone, “It’s a small favor, do it for me.”
“Whoa, you’re well-informed, did you install surveillance on me?”
He Yan didn’t have time to joke with his cousin, saying briefly, “That’s it, my assistant will contact you later.”
“You’re really wicked, knowing I invested in a bad movie, and still shoving people my way.”
He Yan knew exactly why his cousin invested in this bad movie. He dropped the line “Not as wicked as you” and hung up the phone directly, then took out a business card from the drawer and instructed his assistant.
“The audition is after the New Year. This is Li Ge’s business card. Contact him later.”
Lin Yuzhi readily accepted the money. Regardless of whether there was an audition opportunity, he didn’t dare to cause trouble with his former wealthy sponsor again. He Yan, for the sake of convenience, personally put in some effort.
Chen Shuo also aimed for convenience, trying to resolve issues peacefully without resorting to force if possible.
He felt apologetic, slightly lowering his head, “CEO He, you’ve gone through a lot of trouble.”
“It’s alright, you did well.” He Yan checked his watch, stood up and said, “It’s almost New Year’s, take your vacation starting today. The bonus will be directly transferred from my account.”
“Okay, thank you, CEO He.”
Without any messes to clean up, Chen Shuo was effectively on vacation. If it coincided with CEO He’s downtime, it directly became a long vacation, allowing him to stay home for months.
He couldn’t say he loved it, but he was very satisfied with this job, planning to work until retirement, though he didn’t know if CEO He could last until then.
Glancing at the envelope on his desk, He Yan called his assistant back, handed him the invitation letter sent by the musical organizers, and gave further instructions.
“Just right, deliver this invitation to Li Ge, and bring that kid’s information, so we don’t have to contact him again after the New Year. Don’t worry about anything else.”
Chen Shuo disliked doing work that was a waste of effort and was very satisfied with CEO He’s thoughtful consideration.
If he could complete tasks in one trip, he would never leave them for the next day. Since he was already out, he might as well take care of everything, so he could enjoy his vacation with peace of mind.
However, he didn’t expect his words to be prophetic. Not only was his wonderful vacation ruined, but he was also repeatedly toyed with by someone, wasting a lot of his effort.
In the deep winter of Beicheng, the sky darkened completely by six o’clock. The roads were bustling with traffic, the peak hour.
Chen Shuo parked near Bar Street, sitting in his car, browsing drama fan forums on his phone, while waiting for someone surnamed Li who would probably appear around half past six.
Although they hadn’t formally met, Chen Shuo had heard of CEO He’s flirtatious cousin.
Li Ge’s family was in Jiangcheng. Two years ago, he came to Beicheng and started a media company. Ostensibly, it was to join his cousin, relying on a big tree to start a business, but in reality, it was to escape his family. He was often teased by CEO He’s friends.
Chen Shuo was grateful to have Li Ge help with the aftermath, saving him the trouble.
But as time ticked by, he waited until six forty-five without receiving a call. Thinking the other party might be delayed by traffic, he continued waiting until seven.
At seven oh five, Chen Shuo dialed Li Ge’s personal number, but it went through without being answered.
Three minutes later, he dialed again, and this time it was hung up directly.
At the same time, in a hotel room two kilometers away from Bar Street, the owner of the number was humming a tune while taking a shower. His lover rushed into the bathroom holding the sponsor’s phone.
“Honey, that harassing call came again! Did you forget to save someone’s number?” The lover pouted coquettishly, “Or are you secretly keeping someone else behind my back? I want to answer!”
Li Ge chuckled, raised his hand to wipe the water from his face, looked at the restless little vixen, and said generously, “Fine, you answer and see if it’s my other lover.”
The lover immediately answered and turned on the speakerphone, asking, “Who is this?”
The delicate voice mixed with the slightly ambiguous sound of running water, Chen Shuo heard it clearly in the enclosed car. After all, having worked for CEO He for five years, he had seen it all.
He still underestimated CEO He’s cousin’s level of promiscuity. He hurriedly replied, “Excuse me, I’ll contact Mr. Li later.”
The spoiled lover on the other end was unhappy, putting on the airs of a legal wife, and started interrogating him.
The sound of water was loud, and Li Ge didn’t hear who it was, so he let the kept little star make a fuss. He had just gotten his hands on him recently, and the novelty hadn’t worn off yet. Besides, unknown numbers were all considered harassment to him.
“Hey, who are you? Mr. Li is right next to me. Are you selling insurance or something?”
Listening to the squeaky voice provoking him, the gratitude Chen Shuo felt towards Li Ge vanished completely.
People who didn’t keep their time or promises were put on his “blacklist of untrustworthy people,” especially those who couldn’t control their lower bodies.
Chen Shuo changed his tone and said, “I am Chen Shuo, Assistant to CEO He of Hengxin Group. I contacted Mr. Li two hours ago. There’s a document I need to give him.”
“Ah? Oh, oh.” The lover didn’t dare to be careless about business matters and hurriedly handed the phone to his sponsor.
Reminded, Li Ge remembered his cousin He Yan. He seemed to have received a call two hours ago, but as soon as his lover came over, he had forgotten all about it, diving into the pleasures of the flesh.
Quickly wrapping himself in a bathrobe, he wiped his hands and took the phone, greeting the other side, “Assistant Chen, is it?”
Hearing the voice of the person in charge, Chen Shuo politely addressed him as “Mr. Li,” and then said, “I’m at the exit of Bar Street. When will you arrive?”
After a few seconds, Li Ge suddenly replied, “Oh, it’s really unfortunate, I have something urgent to attend to, I can’t get away.”
This Mr. Li wasn’t unable to get away; he clearly couldn’t get away from his lower body.
Chen Shuo wasn’t surprised, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t annoyed. He was also worried about whether Li Ge could handle the matter for CEO He.
“I can deliver it to you now.”
Having promised to take the little star out for dinner, Li Ge had already canceled his appointments, so he changed his tone, “Like this, you can send it to my company tomorrow, just give it to the receptionist. Do you know my company address? If not, ask your CEO He.”
“…”
The next second, the call was hung up from the other end.
Due to Li Ge’s status, Chen Shuo didn’t call back. The next morning, he went to the other party’s company, handed the invitation and Lin Yuzhi’s personal information to the receptionist, and specifically asked the receptionist for the landline number.
As it turned out, his worries were justified.
