Chapter 6
Xia Wansheng stared blankly at the red exclamation mark for a long time, fiddling with his phone, trying to re-add his “long-lost” agent.
Hopefully, he was still salvageable in his eyes.
After searching for a while and finding he couldn’t send a message, just as he was about to give up, he finally found his agent’s avatar in the blacklist.
Could he have blocked him himself?
Xia Wansheng opened his computer to check the chat logs, and found the last message the original owner sent to his agent was: “I disdain pandering to those ignorant fools.”
The tone was arrogant and rebellious, extremely unruly.
Xia Wansheng sighed, thinking who the fool was was yet to be determined.
He had originally thought the agent, unable to stand the original owner’s fabrication, had deleted him. But after all that effort, he found it was the original owner’s own doing.
The original owner probably got angry after running out of lies.
The verification message was almost instantly replied to.
The agent, Ji Yang’s, words were cautious: “Wansheng, don’t be impulsive about the lottery. The PR department is already suppressing the trending topic. Just focus on writing songs.”
Xia Wansheng replied calmly: “This lottery is to give back to the fans, I wasn’t being impulsive.”
Ji Yang, fearing he would cause more trouble, directly initiated a video call.
Then he was met with a close-up, high-definition shot of Xia Wansheng’s face.
Ji Yang: “…”
Xia Wansheng sat upright at the table like a primary school student, ready for the coming storm.
Although the original owner had deleted the agent, he was the original owner now.
Taking the blame was something he was getting used to; Xia Wansheng, a wage slave for many years, was already experienced.
Xia Wansheng naturally raised his hand in greeting: “Long time no see, Brother Yang. I’m turning over a new leaf and making a comeback, do you think I still have a chance?”
Ji Yang hesitated: “During the time you were out of contact, did you go inside…”
He hadn’t heard any recent entertainment news about Xia Wansheng. Could it be he had foolishly broken the law?!
Ji Yang struggled to speak: “Don’t worry, I’ll explain everything to your fans. You don’t have to hide your time of reformation…”
“Wait, wait,” Xia Wansheng originally intended to wait for the other party to finish before speaking, but the more he listened, the more wrong it sounded. He interrupted, “Brother Yang, you misunderstood, I didn’t break any laws, I just saw the light.”
Thinking of the original owner’s arrogant attitude, Xia Wansheng tried to act more like him: “What’s the point of arguing with these snobbish people? Once I become a world-famous star, they’ll all come begging me to write albums for them.”
He touched his nose guiltily after finishing.
Seeing him so ambitious, Ji Yang finally breathed a sigh of relief, saying with satisfaction: “It’s good that you didn’t go inside. As long as you’re willing to cherish your opportunities to appear in public, you’ll definitely have a chance to become popular again.”
Ji Yang looked at the young man on the video call. Even in standard definition, his handsome features were still evident. If he toned down his temper, he would be the perfect face of the company.
Ji Yang had watched Xia Wansheng grow. He used to be the hardest working one in the company, and his debut was quick. If it weren’t for his unyielding personality, he wouldn’t be facing so much online backlash now.
Although he had offended many investors with his harsh words before, it was good that he had come to his senses.
“I’ll come to your house tomorrow. The relationships within the industry have shifted recently, some details are difficult to discuss over the phone.” Ji Yang was very thoughtful.
Xia Wansheng was about to agree, but halfway through saying “No problem,” he realized the location was not quite right.
He was still at the Yu family villa.
Yu Congyan’s bedroom was right next door, and it was easy to walk into the wrong room at night without the lights on.
“Brother Yang, I’m staying at a friend’s house now. My place is a bit messy, how about I send you the location and you come find me?” Xia Wansheng suggested.
The CEO, Yu Congyan, would be at the company during the day, not at home.
Ji Yang readily agreed: “Okay, see you tomorrow.”
It wasn’t until he heard the “beep” after hanging up that Ji Yang truly processed it. Xia Wansheng had actually contacted him on his own initiative.
He wondered what had triggered this sudden change, learning the rules of the workplace so quickly.
Ji Yang sighed, pulling out a long-unopened folder from the corner of his computer. He thought he hadn’t misjudged Xia Wansheng after all, he was finally willing to focus on his career.
He took a satisfied sip of his favorite iced Americano, sighing with emotion.
This was a young singer-songwriter with a promising future.
A new message popped up on his phone screen.
Ji Yang assumed it was Xia Wansheng sending his address. He reached out and unlocked the screen without a second thought, his gaze landing on a somewhat unfamiliar place name?!
He spat out his iced Americano.
The usually calm and good-natured Ji Yang choked, coughing and spluttering. Through his blurry vision, he double-checked the location Xia Wansheng sent, still unable to believe his eyes.
Wasn’t this the location of the Yu family villa?!
He originally thought Xia Wansheng had turned over a new leaf and decided to kowtow to the powerful, but he had found himself a backer instead?
Ji Yang’s emotions were complicated. Emotionally, he hoped their relationship was genuine love, despite the difference in status, but rationally, he was acutely aware that this might involve a quid pro quo.
As a competent agent, he rarely interfered in his artists’ private lives. But Xia Wansheng was still young, and as his guide in the workplace, he had a responsibility to protect him from going astray.
While tidying his desk, Ji Yang struggled with his thoughts for a long time, silently adding a thick copy of the “Criminal Law” to the materials he was preparing for tomorrow.
Looking at his bulging backpack, Ji Yang encouraged himself, thinking he must act according to the circumstances tomorrow and not abandon any lamb lost in the world of fame and fortune.
Meanwhile, the lost lamb, Xia Wansheng, was in the kitchen holding a kitchen knife, trying to recall his improved recipe for stir-fried lamb with scallions from his memo.
Before, in his rented apartment, he barely had time for proper meals, often just grabbing a bite. Now that he had free time, Xia Wansheng suddenly felt the urge to cook a dish he loved.
Even if he couldn’t quite remember the recipe, he was determined to recreate this stir-fried lamb with scallions he had been wanting to make.
He even borrowed a small pile of red chili peppers from the housekeeper. These were rare items.
Everyone in the villa catered to the CEO’s delicate stomach, preparing bland dishes. After eating them for several days, Xia Wansheng felt like he was losing his will to live.
First, chop some scallions and ginger, prepare 200 grams of lamb… How much coriander did he use?
Xia Wansheng instinctively reached for his phone to check his memo, but halfway through, he remembered this was the world inside the book, and his memo wouldn’t be the same as the one he had.
The old housekeeper, waiting outside the kitchen, felt his heart skip a beat.
Xia Wansheng stopped chopping vegetables midway, staring blankly at the kitchen knife.
The old housekeeper didn’t even dare to blink, fearing that if he wasn’t careful, the kitchen would be splattered with blood.
“Housekeeper Zhang… what are you doing standing at the kitchen door?”
As soon as Yu Congyan returned from the company, he saw Housekeeper Zhang, who should have been preparing dinner in the kitchen, firmly blocking the kitchen door, looking like a human chimney.
Was there someone else in the kitchen?
Housekeeper Zhang turned around as if he had finally seen his savior, “Mr. Yu, you’re finally back!”
The nimble housekeeper quickly moved aside, allowing Yu Congyan to see inside the kitchen.
A gleaming kitchen knife lay in front of Xia Wansheng, who looked dazed, as if lost in some unpleasant memory. His gaze wandered among the ingredients, finally landing on his fingertips.
Forget it, whether or not he added coriander didn’t matter. He was determined to recreate this dish today.
Xia Wansheng held the chili pepper and was about to sharpen the knife when his wrist was suddenly grabbed. The action was so swift he couldn’t stop his momentum, and the grip caused a sharp pain.
Xia Wansheng hissed, looking up at Yu Congyan, who was holding his wrist, in confusion, “What’s wrong?”
Was he afraid he would poison him?
“Why are you in the kitchen? Aunt Liu will prepare dinner.” Yu Congyan stopped Xia Wansheng from continuing to chop the chili peppers, but his heart didn’t settle.
Could Xia Wansheng be allergic to chili peppers as well, trying to pull the same trick again?
Xia Wansheng, his wrist grasped, gave him a look as if he were an idiot: “I just want to cook a dish myself.”
He wasn’t the busy wage slave Xia anymore. He had money, leisure, and talent. What was wrong with cooking a few dishes he liked?
Surely the CEO wouldn’t deny him even this small freedom.
“You can tell Housekeeper Zhang if you have any preferences, there’s no need to cook yourself.” Meeting Xia Wansheng’s gaze, Yu Congyan realized his previous action was inappropriate. He coughed, releasing his grip as if nothing had happened.
“No need, I can do it myself.” Xia Wansheng thought no one could take away the sense of accomplishment from cooking.
Yu Congyan, a voracious reader, narrowed his eyes, interpreting this as a show of forced strength.
Was Xia Wansheng hinting at his difficult living conditions in the villa?
Yu Congyan looked at Housekeeper Zhang, who had been silent since earlier. Looking at his kind face, it was hard to imagine he would secretly discriminate against someone.
It was probably another clumsy lie.
Seeing Xia Wansheng reaching for the knife again, Yu Congyan had no reason to stop him, so he could only give the housekeeper a look, signaling him to watch Xia Wansheng’s every move.
Such unusual behavior must have a hidden motive. He couldn’t allow any more accidents before he uncovered the truth.
Finally able to return to his study to deal with the remaining matters, Yu Congyan leaned back in his chair and looked out the window, inexplicably recalling the day Xia Wansheng fearlessly opened the window and was about to jump.
The usually omnipotent CEO rubbed his temples in frustration.
What had happened to Xia Wansheng? Ever since that day, he had become a different person, his logic completely defying common sense, treating his life like a game.
It was too absurd.
Now, compared to investigating why Xia Wansheng betrayed him, Yu Congyan was more worried that he might suddenly die.
Xia Wansheng clattered around in the kitchen for a long time, finally managing to make his modified stir-fried lamb with scallions despite having mostly forgotten the recipe.
He generously added a large handful of fresh chili peppers and, quite inappropriately, splashed chili oil over it.
As soon as the dish was served, the bright red color and spicy aroma alone made it clear that this plate of stir-fried lamb clashed with the other dishes on the table.
