“I know traveling is nice,” Liang Xiao said, tugging on Duan Ming’s sleeve and trying to persuade him good-naturedly. “Seeing the aurora in autumn, skiing in winter, visiting the coastal islands in summer.”
Duan Ming replied dryly, “And running a breakfast cart in spring?”
“Spring is the season for new beginnings,” Liang Xiao said sheepishly. “I… want to make some money.”
Duan Ming understood and sighed. “Every penny counts.”
Even though earning more money would barely make a dent in their financial situation, Liang Xiao never let any opportunity slip by. The fact that he could now resist taking complimentary toiletries from hotels was already a significant improvement.
Hearing this reminded Liang Xiao of something. “By the way… Brother Duan.”
“If you’re thinking about frying dough sticks, forget it,” Duan Ming interrupted. “Neither Xiao Gong nor I have the skills for that.”
“No…” Liang Xiao choked on his words before continuing, “I mean the money we’ve saved up—I’d like to leave it untouched for now.”
“Then don’t touch it,” Duan Ming said matter-of-factly. “Why are you reporting this to me?”
“I originally thought about giving you all bonuses,” Liang Xiao said with a small smile, lowering his head slightly. “Xiao Gong kept saying he wanted one of those automatic coffee machines.”
“That spoiled brat,” Duan Ming scoffed mercilessly. “He can’t even tell the difference between instant coffee and hand-brewed coffee.”
He waved it off. “Keep it for yourself. It’s not easy earning money.”
Noticing that Liang Xiao seemed to have more on his mind, Duan Ming probed further: “Do you need money for something?”
Liang Xiao smiled faintly. “I’m not sure if I’ll need it yet; I’ll see when the time comes.”
—
Huo Lan’s plan to acquire Longtao wasn’t as simple as it sounded. Longtao’s assets were worth billions, and Liang Xiao wasn’t sure how much leverage Huo Lan could exert or whether Xingguan had enough liquid funds to pull off the acquisition.
He knew full well that his own savings were just a drop in the bucket.
But now that he had an opportunity, he wanted to seize the momentum from his rising popularity and take on as many projects as possible over the next two or three years without rest.
If he could contribute even a little toward acquiring Longtao, he would do so. And if not, Xingguan would inevitably face a period of financial strain after completing the acquisition anyway.
Many entertainment agencies rely on a single top-tier artist to sustain them. While Xingguan was a massive company, Liang Xiao didn’t consider himself capable of being the face of the brand just yet. However, he believed that finding his niche quickly could secure him a place within the company.
“You don’t need to report how you spend your own money to us,” Duan Ming said casually, patting Liang Xiao on the shoulder. “Once you’re famous enough, we’ll be walking around like kings. Why rush things now?”
Liang Xiao lowered his head and smiled faintly.
Duan Ming, having worked with him for years, was well aware of his habits and took the opportunity to lecture him. “You’ve got to stop thinking you can’t owe people anything. If you insist on repaying every little thing, it’ll strip away all the goodwill in relationships.”
Liang Xiao knew exactly what Duan Ming was hinting at. His ears turned red as he fiddled with the small box in his pocket and mumbled, “I don’t… repay everything.”
Duan Ming clicked his tongue in disbelief.
Liang Xiao: “…”
Having partnered with Liang Xiao for so long, Duan Ming could easily read his thoughts. “You don’t want to touch your savings, so now you’re trying to earn as much as possible in these few days—even cashing out that 10,000 yuan from the production team…”
Liang Xiao corrected him honestly: “That 10,000 doesn’t count.”
“Fine, earn as much as you can,” Duan Ming relented, shifting his tone. He glanced at Liang Xiao’s jacket pocket and asked knowingly, “Is it because you want to give Huo Lan a gift in return?”
Liang Xiao’s eyes widened in shock. “Brother Duan, how many *smutty novels* have you been reading?!”
“…Not many,” Duan Ming replied with a straight face. “I’m just naturally gifted.”
Liang Xiao didn’t believe him. “Most of mine are just ‘car’ scenes; there’s barely any plot. Less than one-fifth even have proper backstories…”
Unwilling to continue this conversation, Duan Ming tore open a small bread packet and stuffed it into Liang Xiao’s mouth. “What are you planning to buy for Huo Lan?”
Flustered again, Liang Xiao stayed silent and focused on chewing the bread.
Over the past five years, Liang Xiao had never been in a relationship. Seeing this, Duan Ming worried that he might pick an inappropriate gift. He pointed at the box in Liang Xiao’s pocket and offered advice: “It’s best if your gift matches what Huo Lan gave you.”
“If he gives you cufflinks, you give him a brooch. If he gives you a pendant, you give him an amulet,” Duan Ming explained in detail. “Got it?”
Liang Xiao’s mind wandered as he imagined the butler opening a gift box only to find a nutcracker inside. “…Got it.”
Who knows? Huo Lan might even like such a practical gift.
Recently, Liang Xiao felt like everyone around him was acting strangely. Determined to stay rational amidst the chaos, he discreetly pulled out a walnut and ate it to calm himself down before saying, “I want to give Huo Lan a set of pajamas.”
“…” Duan Ming had just begun to relax when he froze again. “Did Huo Lan give you… a zipper from his pajamas?”
Liang Xiao took a deep breath. “No.”
Duan Ming looked puzzled. “Then why did you suddenly think of giving him pajamas?”
Liang Xiao couldn’t bring himself to explain that Huo Lan’s shirt was uncomfortable to hug—it left creases on his face in the morning. Instead, he calmly pondered for a moment and came up with an excuse: “President Huo’s pajamas don’t look good.”
Duan Ming: “…Oh.”
Duan Ming truly hadn’t expected their relationship to have progressed to this level, where even something as trivial as pajama aesthetics was within Liang Xiao’s sphere of influence. “Then pick a nice-looking set—and buy one for yourself too.”
Liang Xiao was busy organizing items for the breakfast cart when his hand trembled, nearly squeezing milk into an exclamation mark.
Duan Ming wiped the milk off the assistant’s face and said, “Isn’t it just a matter of time anyway?”
Liang Xiao felt he couldn’t let his manager keep making assumptions. His heart raced for a moment before he decided to clarify the situation once and for all. “Brother Duan, I haven’t sorted things out with President Huo yet.”
Duan Ming paused. “Sort out what?”
“I want to join Xingguan—not just because… I admire Xingguan,” Liang Xiao said softly, repeating the words to himself before suppressing the thought with a faint smile. “I wanted to explain this yesterday but didn’t get the chance.”
“Huo Lan also…” Liang Xiao hesitated, feeling it wasn’t appropriate for him to be the one saying this. But since no one else knew the full story, he coughed lightly and continued, “He hasn’t said anything to me either.”
Although he and Huo Lan had already done things like hugging, touching, holding each other on the couch, at the desk, and even sleeping in the same bed while wrapped in each other’s arms—there had been no actual progress in their relationship.
Thinking about it made Liang Xiao feel somewhat guilty. Embarrassed, he added vaguely, “On President Huo’s side…”
Duan Ming caught on quickly. “President Huo hasn’t given you a clear answer?”
Liang Xiao smiled faintly.
“This kind of thing… well, you can’t really blame President Huo,” Duan Ming said thoughtfully. “At his level, every word carries weight and can be dissected into eighteen different meanings by others.”
Frowning slightly, Duan Ming tried to convince himself first: “He probably can’t give you a definitive answer.”
He then attempted to comfort Liang Xiao: “Maybe Huo Lan is trying to protect you.”
Liang Xiao sighed gloomily. “That’s some serious protection…”
Duan Ming hadn’t expected this twist. Even though he could understand Huo Lan’s concerns, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for Liang Xiao. “You’ve had it tough too.”
Feeling a bit emotional, Duan Ming considered offering Liang Xiao a comforting hug. But just as he raised his arm, Liang Xiao’s phone buzzed.
The assistant picked it up and said, “It’s a text from President Huo.”
Duan Ming had initially imagined their relationship as sweet and romantic but now had an inkling of what was really going on. Seeing Liang Xiao still looking gloomy, he sighed deeply and said, “Read it.”
Since there was no one else there, the assistant made a small sound and moved closer with the phone: “President Huo says, after the variety show filming is done, he’d like to invite Mr. Liang over to read books together.”
The assistant added: “No… book report required.”
Liang Xiao was stunned, even a bit delighted: “Really?”
The assistant nodded.
His delight, when seen by Duan Ming, made the latter feel even more sympathetic: “Just that?”
Duan Ming could hardly bear to watch anymore. He wanted to speak with the butler, but remembering Liang Xiao’s situation, he reluctantly held back, sighing heavily as he reached out to Liang Xiao: “Never mind, come here—”
“There’s more,” said the assistant.
“…” Duan Ming hadn’t expected the assistant to be so tactless, and said somewhat impatiently: “What else?”
“President Huo asks if he can invite Mr. Liang to come home.”
The assistant continued: “He wants to hold Mr. Liang while reading to him.”
awww