Chapter 103
Shao Mian, having successfully snatched back the trending spotlight, saw his and Lin Ran’s names linked together again and, for the first time, immersively discovered how interesting the human internet was.
He hadn’t realized there were so many interesting people among human netizens before?
Almost every comment made Shao Mian’s lips curl up in satisfaction. If the internet had a reward function, he would probably want to reward every single comment.
[OMG, this photo is wallpaper-worthy, absolutely stunning]
[I’ve already come up with a novel idea, I’ll start serializing it if the comments get 100 likes!]
[So how did they meet? Is A-Ran’s background really extraordinary?]
As for the demons who saw the trending topic at the same time, they wished they could report it to the Demon World.
Why was this guy’s progress faster than theirs!?
Did he really have cheat codes?
[Some demons haven’t even met A-Ran yet, while some are already qualified to watch a movie premiere with him (crying)]
[At least he’s not directly holding A-Ran’s hand, there’s still a little cub in between, otherwise I would really be mad with jealousy]
[Envious to the point of deformation… so what level of interaction is this?!]
Of course, regarding the countless netizens’ speculations about Lin Ran, the demons had long since accepted that A-Ran’s background was definitely not ordinary.
After all, the consequence of having a group of devoted demon fans all over the world was that any jealous posts online trying to steer public opinion were usually drowned out as soon as they appeared.
The appearance of Morson’s capital indeed added a layer of mystery to the explosion of “Mountain,” even though many people immediately tried to verify it and found that Morson wasn’t among the investors.
But the fact that he personally accompanied Lin Ran to the premiere became indisputable because of this photo.
[I admit that Lin Ran, this newcomer actor, acted well, but based on the previous rumors about the casting change, is there really no suspicion of him using his connections to get the role in “Mountain”?]
[Yeah, before, they marketed him as an ordinary college student? Now, it seems he’s not ordinary at all, truly enviable]
So An Xun happily browsed his phone, reading the praises for A-Ran, but then he unexpectedly frowned, seeing some malicious comments finally appearing, and he couldn’t help but jump in.
Someone even posted the news about Huang Ziyan being forced to retire after the casting controversy.
An Xun was instantly enraged, like a little snow leopard whose tail had been stepped on.
However, before An Xun could react, Director Ma Sai had already issued a clarification statement with his official account.
He stated that he welcomed any formal investigation and that there was absolutely no exchange of benefits in the process of hiring Lin Ran for the role.
“At that time, Lin Ran was working as a tutor for An Xun on set, and their interaction was very natural and consistent with the film’s setting, so I invited him to participate. [Photo]”
“If anyone still tries to make a fuss about this, even if Lin-zai is busy with school and doesn’t have the energy to deal with it, I, this old man, will definitely pursue it to the end!”
Director Ma Sai’s reputation in the industry was well-known, but his protectiveness this time was unexpected for many people.
However, besides immediately suppressing the haters, fans were also captivated by the tutoring photo released by Director Ma Sai.
This photo was very casual, but the two protagonists still looked very eye-catching.
It could be seen that An Xun seemed to be doing exercises at his desk, and A-Ran hadn’t even taken off his costume yet, looking down at the content of the exercise book and patiently drawing something with a pen.
An Xun looked up at A-Ran’s profile, as if listening to him, or perhaps just staring at his face in a daze.
[Lol, it feels like he doesn’t know what A-Ran is talking about, just that A-Ran looks good]
[So does A-Ran still tutor college students? If my tutor looked like this back then, I would have also gone to S University, really, no joke TWT]
[And this really matches the previous rumors. We fans also know that An hired a tutor during filming, I didn’t expect it to be A-Ran!? Fainting from happiness]
Not to mention that having A-Ran as a tutor already sounded incredibly blissful, it also confirmed the previous rumors from the film set.
An Xun’s tutor was actually A-Ran!
But before everyone could finish gossiping, another extremely mysterious protagonist personally stepped forward.
As soon as the news came out, netizens knew that many reporters had rushed to Morson headquarters, but no one expected Shao Mian to personally respond.
After all, the information about him online was so scarce and mysterious that the possibility of him personally responding was even smaller.
It was even more likely that the photo would be completely scrubbed from the internet the next day, and the trending topic would be removed.
Therefore, when this interview video appeared online, the views immediately exploded.
The interview video was very short, just a scene of Shao Mian being surrounded by reporters as he was about to get into his car. His first response after a cold sneer immediately ignited attention.
“If he had used his connections to join the cast, he wouldn’t be playing this role.”
In the interview video, Shao Mian’s voice wasn’t deliberately raised, but it carried an undeniable dangerous undertone.
His light golden eyes seemed to be looking at those who were trying to manipulate public opinion through the camera, issuing a warning.
And this answer instantly silenced the originally noisy reporters.
Because after thinking about it carefully, they realized that his words seemed to make sense?
[Yeah, let’s be reasonable, everyone. If he really had Morson’s backing, “Mountain” could have been rewritten to start from the childhood of A-Ran’s character, there wouldn’t be any need for other actors!]
[Lol, then wouldn’t our An Xun become a supporting character who only appears at the very end?]
[Oh no, I’m actually starting to look forward to this big shot using his money to convince Director Ma Sai to film a movie starring A-Ran.]
“But since you didn’t directly invest, why did you personally accompany him to the movie premiere? Are you and Lin Ran relatives, or what is your relationship?”
Seeing that the car was about to leave, the reporter hurriedly broke the silence and asked.
But as soon as this question came out, Shao Mian gave him a disdainful and questioning look, and the reporter subconsciously held his breath, thinking that he had asked a stupid question.
After a few seconds, this evil golden tabby licked his teeth, knowing that he would be reprimanded for saying this, but he still couldn’t help but show off:
“We’re in the probationary period, not officially together yet. I’m pursuing him, is it that hard to tell?”
After all, when browsing the comments online, Shao Mian had seen countless speculations about their relationship, and he felt that these humans were simply clueless, incredibly foolish!
So, unable to resist, he secretly registered an account and personally replied to some comments under the trending topic: “Tsk, he’s pursuing him, is it that hard to tell? [Smug sunglasses]”
But a few seconds later, when Shao Mian checked his account again, he found 99+ notifications.
But all of these 99+ messages were criticizing him. Whether they were haters or true fans, they were all collectively attacking him!
Haters said that he was really getting into character, fantasizing about a background resource person, and true fans were horrified, saying that this must be a hater in disguise, we Lin fans never spread such rumors, even if we ship them, we wouldn’t do it in front of the person involved!
Although Shao Mian didn’t understand much professional fan terminology, it didn’t prevent him from realizing with fury that everyone was opposing him!?
What, was it their place to object?
So the enraged Shao Mian decided to personally enter the arena and force everyone to ship them.
But the impact of this interview trending online was truly unexpected for Shao Mian. He could only say that he had underestimated the enthusiasm of these humans.
It was still trending and hadn’t dropped yet, and Lin Ran’s phone was completely unusable, having been bombarded with messages.
“…”
So Shao Mian, who had returned to his hometown, obediently squatted on the ground, refusing to transform back into human form no matter what Lin Ran said.
“Quickly transform back, Yuanbao, did you hear me?”
Lin Ran’s tone was very gentle, but the gentler he was, the less Shao Mian dared to move.
The small golden retriever lion wagged his tail.
He instinctively felt that the consequences of transforming back into human form wouldn’t be good.
Even Snowball, who had been brought back, was quietly standing beside him with Sootball and Little Feather, not daring to make a sound.
Sigh, A-Ran seemed a tiny bit angry.
QwQ
A-Ran rarely got angry, but once he did, no one at home dared to move.
“It’s fine if you don’t transform back, then I’ll leave, I’ve already bought the high-speed rail ticket back to school.”
So Lin Ran said this and quietly started packing his luggage.
No matter how the golden tabby tried to help by carrying things to the suitcase, he was slapped away and ignored!
Shao Mian, who had never experienced this kind of treatment, truly felt like the sky was falling.
Seeing Lin Ran about to leave with his suitcase, he finally couldn’t help but transform back into human form and hug him.
“Cheep!” “Mew?” “Ee…”
However, the three little ones who were trying to watch the fun were immediately swept out of the room by golden demonic aura.
“I was wrong.”
He started apologizing for the first time, his tone full of guilt.
“Where did you go wrong?”
Lin Ran looked up at Shao Mian, who was leaning over, feeling helpless and speechless.
But Shao Mian seriously thought for a long time, rarely reflecting on himself, and felt that he hadn’t said anything wrong.
“So the probationary period doesn’t count?” But he had clearly said that at the time!
When he asked this question, a certain golden tabby felt his heart breaking and turning dark.
Lin Ran：……
“What are you thinking? Why would you say such things to a reporter? Now the whole world knows!”
Lin Ran blushed and wanted to slap Yuanbao.
When he saw the interview video, he knew something was wrong as soon as the reporter asked that question.
This guy Yuanbao didn’t seem like he could hold back.
But when he really heard that answer, Lin Ran found that his face was burning hot, and the barrage comments, as expected, also exploded.
“So it really is a probationary period, just short of becoming official?”
Shao Mian smugly rubbed against Lin Ran’s ear, wanting to do something more, but he didn’t dare to move and forcibly held back.
Like a big lion pacing back and forth, subconsciously wanting to be close and playful, but afraid of scaring him.
“…Then I’ll extend it for five years.”
Lin Ran was certain that Yuanbao’s ears had selectively heard his words.
“No!”
As soon as he finished speaking, his waist was tightly hugged by Shao Mian, so ticklish that Lin Ran subconsciously shrank back, wanting to avoid Yuanbao’s slightly hot palm.
“This absolutely won’t do, I can just have them delete the video?”
Shao Mian sullenly started to negotiate terms, sniffing the familiar scent on Lin Ran’s clothes, his mood calming down.
“Don’t be unreasonable, Yuanbao, you’re absolutely not allowed to accept any interviews next time…”
Lin Ran couldn’t help but push him away, his face red as he made the request seriously.
“Why?”
“Because we have to keep a low profile, there are many different kinds of people online, some might feel uncomfortable or dislike it after knowing.”
Teachers had always taught him this since he was young, and Lin Ran was also used to doing this, it had almost become a natural habit.
Or perhaps because his parents weren’t around, Lin Ran had realized since he was young that being inconspicuous could minimize trouble for Grandma and the others.
“But what does it have to do with me if they dislike it? I haven’t even taught those guys a lesson yet.”
Shao Mian was really a bit sullen.
He couldn’t tolerate those haters online making a fuss.
So Shao Mian felt that the human in front of him was perfect, except for one thing.
“There’s something not good about me?”
Lin Ran was speechless, not expecting Yuanbao to turn the tables on him.
“You’re not good to yourself, you always only know how to care for others, but you don’t know how to take care of yourself.”
Shao Mian “accused” him with a serious tone.
“If those rumors today were targeting that snow leopard, you would definitely defend him? But if it were you, you would feel indifferent, not wanting those around you to get into trouble because of you.”
“But if they cause trouble, so be it, what can those guys do? I can just find them all out.”
Frowning, Shao Mian’s tone became fierce again.
“…What kind of twisted logic is this?”
Lin Ran was stunned after hearing this twisted logic and softly retorted.
Although looking at Shao Mian in front of him, Lin Ran did realize one thing, that there was really no right or wrong in this matter.
A great demon like Yuanbao had never been disciplined by human society, so he always acted on his whims, which was naturally completely different from the choices Lin Ran would subconsciously make.
Even he would occasionally envy this kind of freedom…
“But I’ll definitely be surrounded when I go to class.”
Thinking of the frantic screams, warnings, and questions from the few people in the dormitory group chat, Lin Ran’s face was already red, and he had a headache.
It was a good thing Grandma and the others didn’t use their phones much, otherwise, explaining this would be really awkward.
Shao Mian, looking at the troubled Lin Ran, couldn’t help but smile, reaching out and gently stroking his hair.
“You can go to work as an intern until the heat dies down, Tao Shu wishes you could go there every day to help with overtime, saying that not only is your efficiency high, but the bug rate also decreases when you’re there.”
“And that snow leopard is about to renegotiate his contract, you can also go and see then, isn’t that good?”
Although Shao Mian also didn’t realize that he had also unconsciously learned to speak softly.
Even if it was only because of the human in front of him.
Lin Ran pondered silently for a while and felt that it wasn’t impossible.
But when he looked up, he realized that the distance between them had unknowingly become a bit close, he could even vaguely feel his breath.
“Then can I have a kiss once a week during the probationary period?”
“Ah?”
Lin Ran was stunned, hearing this, still not quite understanding how the topic had suddenly changed.
Shao Mian, with a smile in his eyes, was about to repeat it when he was firmly held down by Lin Ran, but the golden tabby still stared at the human.
His light golden eyes clearly expressed his desire for a kiss.
“…No!”
Grandma was still at home, what if she saw them?
And this guy had just caused trouble, how could he have the nerve?
So Shao Mian sullenly kissed his wrist as “revenge,” even though he was hit the next second.
And the originally heated public opinion did gradually calm down as time passed.
One of the people involved personally clarified “I’m pursuing him, don’t bother us,” which directly silenced all the previous rumors and malicious posts, leaving them with no room to play.
Except for the fans who were like they had fallen into a honey pot, but they were still too embarrassed to show it in front of the people involved, even though they were very excited in private.
So the situation really did maintain an extremely delicate balance, and An Xun’s contract renewal negotiations were officially put on the agenda during this time.
This round of negotiations was crucial, and Lu Ya and her husband would both be present.
But as soon as Agent Fu Yan entered, she found that the atmosphere today wasn’t right.
Because the company’s senior executives were all present, and their faces were filled with smiles and flattery. Although An Xun was very popular, it didn’t seem to warrant this level of attention.
Not to mention that Lu Ya and her husband, who were usually arrogant because of their son, were absent-minded, their faces pale as they looked at the materials in their hands, not even noticing that Fu Yan had entered.
“So you and your husband have confirmed that these matters are correct, right?”
Secretary Ser stood beside them and expressionlessly handed them the last document.
“But how did you get these materials? Was it An Xun? An Xun told you to do this, right——!”
Lu Ya’s back felt cold.
She had been prepared to be courted for the contract renewal today. After all, the explosion of “Mountain” had directly raised An Xun’s status, and the room for negotiation had naturally increased significantly. Lu Ya had already thought about what conditions to propose.
But as soon as she entered, she was handed a document.
This document listed in detail her and An Hongyu’s various extravagant expenses, including the villa in the city center that they bought with two-thirds of An Xun’s earnings.
And the name on the villa’s deed wasn’t even An Xun’s, but solely Lu Ya’s, and the huge monthly loan payments were also directly taken from An Xun’s earnings.
Even without mentioning anything else, just exposing these expenses was enough to cause trouble for Lu Ya and her husband. After all, no matter how they looked at it, this seemed like something only parents who wanted to squeeze their son dry would do.
Not to mention that An Hongyu looked at Lu Ya guiltily, he hadn’t expected that his drug addiction, which he developed out of a sense of revenge while Lu Ya was pregnant with their second child, would be completely exposed.
In fact, Secretary Ser also knew that this couple’s biggest problem was their almost abusive behavior towards An Xun when he was young, after he became a mutated demon.
But An Xun’s ear had already been healed, and it would be a problem if they kept bringing up An Xun’s demon identity.
So he hadn’t planned to start from this aspect, but he didn’t expect other aspects to be so riddled with holes that even Secretary Ser couldn’t help but wonder if this was deliberately allowed by An Xun.
Just like the series of crimes committed by Agent Fu Yan.
Lu Ya, who was already a little distraught, subconsciously glared at An Xun not far away.
But she found that An Xun also seemed a little unresponsive.
The little guy looked at Secretary Ser and the big lion guardian, who was sitting casually in the main seat, he hadn’t expected them to actually come…
Did this mean that A-Ran would be here soon?
But An Xun was also a little hesitant because he didn’t really want A-Ran to see this side of him during the contract renewal negotiations. Would A-Ran think he was bad? Was he usually pretending to be good?
Secretary Ser, who remained expressionless, seemed to have guessed the little guy’s thoughts and smiled at An Xun.
“A-Ran is still on his way, it will take a while for him to arrive, if it’s fast, it will be settled before he gets here.”
Hearing this, An Xun immediately looked up, the emotions in his eyes calming down a bit.
As for Fu Yan, who was completely unaware of the danger she was in, she frowned, took a copy of the document, and the more she read, the more shocked she became.
“What is this? These things absolutely cannot be exposed, otherwise An Xun’s image will be affected! How much money do you want?!”
If the scandals of An Xun’s parents were exposed, it would definitely have a huge impact on his commercial value.
Fu Yan really didn’t expect there to be so much dirt and so many scandals.
“Sister Fu Yan.”
However, Lin Jiajia, the assistant, after confirming with An Xun with her eyes, walked out a little nervously but firmly.
“Lin Jiajia? What does this have to do with you, an assistant?”
Fu Yan was stunned to see Lin Jiajia and subconsciously reprimanded her. There were so many senior executives present, people she usually couldn’t even meet.
But the senior executives of the agency threw the evidence submitted by Lin Jiajia in front of Fu Yan.
“Fu Yan, you’ve disappointed us too much. Did we have you take over An Xun so that you could harm the company’s interests like this?”
Fu Yan thought that her kickbacks and bribery were seamless, but Lin Jiajia, this seemingly inconspicuous newcomer assistant who was always being ordered around, had become the key to gathering evidence.
Being stared at by Fu Yan with resentment, Lin Jiajia actually hadn’t expected An Xun’s prediction about Fu Yan to be so accurate.
After trying it once and succeeding, the amount had doubled repeatedly, and she became increasingly unscrupulous.
After being silent for a few dozen seconds, Fu Yan quickly realized that it was impossible for Lin Jiajia alone to be so skilled.
Unless it was An Xun.
But this thought made Fu Yan feel even more horrified.
It was as if every time she smugly made a phone call, she was actually being quietly watched.
He hadn’t exposed her, just so that she would become so bold that there was no turning back.
Before Fu Yan could finish speaking, the police came in and took her away.
The amount of money involved in the crimes committed by this once glorious senior agent had already reached a staggering amount.
Lu Ya and her husband, who were already barely maintaining their composure, watched as Fu Yan was taken away, their souls almost leaving their bodies, and they didn’t dare to make a sound.
But what made everyone even quieter was that no matter how much Fu Yan yelled and screamed when she was being taken away, An Xun didn’t react at all.
The little guy in front of them seemed to have planned this all along, just to end all of this during the contract renewal.
“Okay, let’s talk about the contract?”
Shao Mian, who had long been annoyed by the noise, looked at An Xun and raised an eyebrow, signaling.
If you have your eye on someone, just poach them and bring them to your side?
After all, for this kind of thing, Shao Mian felt that An Xun should have already made plans.
The sooner it ended, the sooner they could go home and eat.
An Xun had indeed seriously considered the idea of starting his own studio, but he had always been delaying it due to his age and Lu Ya and her husband.
Now that he suddenly had the opportunity to realize it, An Xun felt like he was dreaming.
The series of incidents involving Agent Fu Yan made the company wary and restrained, and Lu Ya and her husband, An Hongyu, were so scared that they didn’t dare to say a word, not knowing how An Xun had contacted Morson.
And to be fair, the contract and terms offered to An Xun by Morson, as the investor, were simply angelic.
Except for one thing, Lu Ya and her husband, as his guardians, had to obtain An Xun’s signed consent for every expenditure from now on, and it was treated as a loan.
Lu Ya gritted her teeth and had to sign the contract, even watching as An Xun didn’t even approach her after leaving.
Even though she and An Hongyu had long been used to not having this son around.
“I will work hard, I definitely won’t let you lose money.”
When he came out following behind Shao Mian, An Xun made a serious promise. Although An Xun also knew that this must have been instructed by A-Ran.
Shao Mian simply chuckled, looking at the little demon who was trying to prove his worth.
Although Shao Mian, who was holding An Xun’s hand and walking to the garage, immediately saw Lin Ran waiting by the car, clearly a little angry.
“You two, you did this on purpose so I wouldn’t make it in time.”
When he realized that he hadn’t made it in time, Lin Ran knew that this must have been intentional by the two demons, one big and one small.
“…”
An Xun, caught red-handed by A-Ran, was a little nervous and looked up at the big lion guardian.
He felt that Shao Mian should be more experienced when it came to A-Ran being angry.
Shao Mian coughed and signaled for An Xun to speak.
Weren’t cubs usually more favored?
“A-Ran… I can have my own studio now!”
So Snowball obediently spoke, reporting the latest situation to A-Ran.
Actually, when Lin Ran saw Shao Mian smugly holding the little guy’s hand and coming downstairs, he knew that the outcome must have been good.
He was just a little helpless and angry at the fact that these two deliberately didn’t want him to worry.
But at this moment, seeing Snowball looking at him a little nervously and excitedly, obediently reporting, Lin Ran’s heart melted.
He couldn’t help but squat down and hug An Xun, who pounced on him.
“Congratulations to our little star, you’ll be even more amazing in the future, baby.”
Looking at An Xun in his arms, Lin Ran sincerely gave his blessings with a smile, and the next second, he was kissed on the cheek by An Xun.
A-Ran smelled good, An Xun’s heart was bubbling with happiness.
Except for Shao Mian, who was really a bit unhappy and resentful.
Wasn’t he, who had been concerned the whole time, also worthy of a kiss?
