Knowing Liang Xiao was coming, Jiang Pingchao specifically waited at the entrance with his manager to greet him.
“Long time no see.”
Chi Che took the initiative to approach and lightly embraced Liang Xiao: “I originally wanted to send you the invitation directly, but Xingguan happened to ask about it, so it went through them instead.”
Liang Xiao smiled: “Has your health improved?”
The young elite manager had evidently moved beyond the shadow of the inducing agent incident. Being asked about it, he unconsciously glanced back before coughing lightly and nodding.
“I was being overly sensitive. You had a much harder time than I did back then.”
Chi Che, who had researched Liang Xiao’s background, remembered his own extreme reaction at the time and said sheepishly in a low voice: “I didn’t even know…”
Liang Xiao gave him a brief hug on the back: “We all get through it.”
–
“He can handle himself well.”
Huo Lan frowned slightly and explained his scientific approach to relationships to the butler: “I can’t control him in every situation. He’ll feel constrained.”
The butler sighed: “In what context did Mr. Liang teach you this?”
Huo Lan: “When I told him to keep his back straight while copying text.”
“…” The butler nodded: “Then you wait for Mr. Liang in the car, and I’ll go inside to check on things.”
Huo Lan: “…”
Huo Lan was becoming restless, frowning as he sat up straight.
“Mr. Liang has a very low alcohol tolerance. The last time he drank was at the hospital, and he got drunk, ran outside, and cried heavily.”
Having chatted with the manager for an entire evening, the butler had learned much about past events: “Mr. Duan said that Mr. Liang was simply at his breaking point back then.”
Huo Lan’s chest tightened as he said softly: “He—”
The butler continued: “Mr. Duan mentioned that the last time Mr. Liang attended our banquet, he didn’t interact with anyone the entire time and just focused on his own activities.”
Huo Lan clenched his fist: “Why?”
Mr. Duan had said it was to sell the hotel’s disposable shampoo and shower gel, but the butler chose not to mention this. He shook his head and sighed: “Some people just aren’t good at socializing.”
This struck Huo Lan’s knee hard, and he fell silent.
The butler didn’t try to persuade him further and spoke honestly: “Mr. Liang was very reluctant to remove the bracelet. He only agreed to change it when he heard the watch was from you.”
Huo Lan’s shoulders tensed slightly: “…”
The butler added: “Before leaving, Mr. Liang left a message for you.”
Huo Lan’s voice grew hoarse: “What did he leave?”
The butler handed him the voice recorder, opened the car door, and swiftly walked away.
—
The cocktail party.
The supposedly unsociable Mr. Liang, holding his grape juice, navigated through the crowd with ease. He politely bid farewell to a group of fellow artists who had come to connect, only to be surrounded by several directors who had worked with him before and regarded him with affection.
The assistant was almost dizzy just counting the people and whispered to Duan Ming in amazement: “Brother Liang knows so many people!”
“After being on hundreds of film sets, faces become familiar,” Duan Ming said, taking a sip of his drink and slightly loosening his collar to breathe. “He followed several productions from start to finish. Back when he had no fame, being well-known just meant more introduction opportunities, nothing particularly visible.”
Liang Xiao had only started gaining traction in the past few months, but he had been known in director circles much earlier.
There were very few who could serve as stand-ins for Omega actors. Someone with good qualities and high on-screen presence was rare. After being used once or twice on set, directors would recommend him to each other, establishing connections early on.
In recent years, with capital entering the industry, directors’ authority had relatively declined, and they had limited power to independently select actors or promote characters. Seeing Liang Xiao finally make it through the hard times, most felt genuinely happy for him.
Duan Ming watched vigilantly and tugged at the assistant who couldn’t help but stare at the celebrities: “Pay attention—this group has a potential drama situation.”
The assistant immediately became nervous: “Why? Did Brother Liang secretly say bad things about them?”
“No,” Duan Ming said with a headache, sighing as he held his forehead. “See those five directors in the circle?”
The assistant nodded: “Yes.”
“Of the five directors, there’s one we haven’t worked with—”
Duan Ming: “The other four are each considered by your Brother Liang to be the most excellent he’s ever met.”
The assistant: “…”
Director Jin and Director Song, who were still at the film set, couldn’t even be counted in this group.
Before Liang Xiao’s career started gaining traction, when he had to search for filming opportunities everywhere and put all his energy into making money, Duan Ming hadn’t really been too concerned about this situation.
Ever since discovering that Director Song and Director Jin knew each other, the manager had been constantly anxious, fearing that someday the directors might chat at the dinner table about a recently popular, talented, and hardworking omega actor.
Liang Xiao, far more composed than his manager when facing crisis, seamlessly charmed the directors until they left with broad smiles. He sighed in relief: “That was close.”
“Be careful with your words in the future,” Duan Ming ordered him another glass of grape juice. “They didn’t ask you anything unusual, did they?”
Liang Xiao shook his head: “Just encouraged me to work hard and not waste opportunities.”
“They’re all senior veterans,” Duan Ming relaxed. “When we have time in the future, we should visit them more often.”
Liang Xiao nodded, accepting the drink. Just as he was about to drink it, he frowned and looked down at the glass.
Duan Ming was startled: “What’s wrong?”
Liang Xiao scanned the crowd without touching the drink and gently set it aside.
Duan Ming took it and sniffed, unable to help wrinkling his nose at the strong alcohol smell: “Did they bring the wrong one? I’ll ask them to change it…”
“No,” Liang Xiao said, removing his watch. “Brother Duan, stand a bit further away in a moment.”
Duan Ming was startled: “What’s going on?”
Liang Xiao removed the watch from his wrist and put it in his pocket before raising his head to meet a male artist who was walking straight toward him. He smiled: “Mr. Chai.”
The assistant looked puzzled: “Who is that…”
“The male lead from Under the Willow, Chai Ke,” Duan Ming recognized the person, frowning as he lowered his voice. “He’s probably here to cause trouble—stand back.”
Among the productions where Liang Xiao had worked as a stand-in, Under the Willow had the highest ratings. The male lead had shot to fame through this drama and had been doing quite well in recent years.
Xingguan’s recent efforts to drive traffic to Liang Xiao’s Weibo had encountered some resistance. Besides Long Tao’s lingering interference, many of the obstacles were small maneuvers orchestrated by this Chai Ke.
The assistant couldn’t understand: “Wasn’t Brother Liang just a stand-in?”
“For all the martial arts scenes and wire stunt work,” Duan Ming explained quietly. “All background shots and most scenes where only his back was shown.”
The assistant’s eyes widened in shock: “So the actor only showed his face?”
Duan Ming’s expression darkened as he pushed the assistant behind him.
After Chai Ke shot to fame, he leveraged his popularity to transition to variety shows. The two had developed in completely different directions, and outsiders weren’t even aware they had any connection.
Even if Jiang Pingchao’s studio had conducted thorough research, they wouldn’t have imagined that Chai Ke and Liang Xiao could have any grudges.
“Mr. Liang seems to be riding high on success,” Chai Ke approached and raised his glass slightly. “Won’t you have a drink with me?”
Liang Xiao nodded: “Thank you for ordering me a drink…”
Looking up at him, Liang Xiao smiled: “I’m not used to grape juice mixed with vodka.”
Chai Ke’s face darkened as Liang Xiao exposed his trick in one sentence, and he heavily slammed his glass down.
The atmosphere grew tense, and people gradually became aware of the situation. Not wanting to get involved, they moved slightly away.
Duan Ming was shocked by what he heard and couldn’t help but tug at Liang Xiao, whispering: “How did you know he mixed in vodka?”
Liang Xiao: “…”
He had noticed because of his habit of observing his surroundings. While chatting with the directors, he had seen a lunatic inexplicably asking the server for a glass of grape juice and a glass of vodka.
Liang Xiao decided not to tell his manager and gently pushed away the drink, ordering a glass of water instead: “May I substitute with water?”
He didn’t want to escalate the situation, but to Chai Ke, this undoubtedly seemed like another allusion to his past as a stand-in, causing his expression to darken further: “What do you mean?”
Worrying that Chai Ke’s next move might be to throw the drink at him, Liang Xiao inconspicuously stepped back half a step and gave his watch to Duan Ming for safekeeping.
“What did you tell those directors? That I was difficult to work with? That you shot all those scenes?”
Chai Ke’s expression was somber as he threatened coldly: “Were those films I was dropped from also your doing? I shouldn’t have given you a chance back then—you’re ungrateful…”
“Mr. Chai,” Duan Ming couldn’t listen anymore and spoke firmly, “Accusations require evidence.”
Chai Ke sneered coldly: “What evidence is needed when dealing with an omega who’s being kept?”
His voice was neither loud nor soft, and many people nearby heard him, causing their expressions to change.
This type of matter was usually acknowledged but unspoken; hearing it was one thing, but saying it outright was taboo.
Liang Xiao’s recent sudden rise to fame, combined with his close relationship with Xingguan’s CEO, as evidenced by their frequent appearances together, plus previous trending topics, had indeed caused suspicion among many. However, no one had dared to say it so publicly.
“What’s wrong with having a drink? Won’t they like you more after drinking?”
Chai Ke continued sarcastically: “After you properly entertain them, they might give you more resources…”
Chai Ke’s manager, who had just been sent away by him, nearly had a heart attack upon returning to this scene. He rushed over and sternly commanded: “Stop talking and come back!”
“Why can’t I speak the truth?”
With variety show approvals becoming stricter over the past half year, Chai Ke’s career transition had been obstructed. He hadn’t received any drama invitations for six months. Watching Liang Xiao’s smooth and rapid rise, his eyes turned red with jealousy: “Just climb into someone’s bed effortlessly and you get roles—what are you afraid of people saying?”
People from Jiang Pingchao’s studio had also noticed the situation. Chi Che’s expression turned solemn as he quickly approached with his team: “Please escort Mr. Chai out.”
“He was just my stand-in back then! I helped him enter the industry!” Chai Ke, who had drunk quite a bit, raised his voice even higher. “I’m just helping him! Have a drink, cling to someone, take off your clothes and roll around once, and everything—”
Chai Ke’s voice suddenly froze, his gaze narrowing as he opened his mouth but couldn’t make a sound.
Liang Xiao, who had been contemplating how to beat up Chai Ke without causing a commotion, was pulled twice by Duan Ming. Just as he was about to tell his manager to prepare black gloves and a sack, he also froze in surprise.
Huo Lan approached, his face as cold as water.
No one had expected Xingguan’s CEO to be at the cocktail party. Chai Ke’s manager broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly bowed in apology: “He’s drunk and talking nonsense. We’ll handle this when we get back—”
“Mr. Liang doesn’t have special privileges,” Huo Lan said impassively, not looking at him. “Any artist with sufficient cultivation value and potential will receive matching resources from Xingguan.”
Huo Lan rarely spoke at such informal occasions. Concerned that these people might not understand, he frowned slightly and added an explanation: “Because Xingguan has more than enough resources.”
Chi Che, who had been personally running around for half a year to connect two productions: “…”
“In recent years, Xingguan has been committed to getting capital to retreat and return to its proper place, giving the market back to creators and audiences, restoring a healthy ecosystem where quality prevails over mediocrity.”
Huo Lan looked at Chai Ke: “The fact that you can’t get roles proves our efforts are already showing results.”
Chai Ke’s face turned bright red. Intimidated by Huo Lan’s presence, he didn’t dare speak and swallowed his words through clenched teeth.
Huo Lan closed his eyes briefly, trying hard to suppress his anger before continuing in a deep voice: “Also.”
Liang Xiao placed his hand on Huo Lan’s back, gently pressing twice.
Huo Lan’s shoulders tensed briefly, his intimidating aura gradually softening, though he didn’t turn around: “Mr. Liang is not being—”
He couldn’t bring himself to say such offensive and vulgar words. He paused and turned to look at Liang Xiao.
Liang Xiao thought for a moment before helping to translate: “A transactional relationship involving body and money.”
“…” Huo Lan still couldn’t say it. After a long silence, he said word by word: “Mr. Liang has promised me.”
“Mr. Liang promised me, not because of a contract, not as a transaction.”
“Not… because of money.”
Huo Lan, with his gaze lowered, insisted firmly: “Mr. Liang also likes me and is willing to become family with me, to spend the rest of our lives together.”
Liang Xiao looked at his sharp, almost knife-like silhouette and before he could fully process the words, his heart ached. He tugged on Huo Lan’s sleeve twice.
Huo Lan’s hand was cold. He briefly touched Liang Xiao’s hand before trying to move away, but Liang Xiao took hold of it.
As Liang Xiao grasped his palm, Huo Lan closed his eyes briefly, and his overall demeanor gradually calmed.
Huo Lan said: “These words can be shared with the outside world.”
“No, no,” the head of Jiang Pingchao’s studio nervously assured him, “Not a single word of what happened today will be leaked.”
Huo Lan: “…”
Huo Lan frowned deeply: “But—”
“President Huo,” Duan Ming reminded him quietly, “Both Mr. Liang and Xingguan are in a growth period. There’s no rush.”
No matter how clearly things were explained, there would always be malicious people online. Liang Xiao was in a better position, but Xingguan’s reputation was being targeted by Long Tao. With so many voices potentially distorting the truth, there was no telling how it might be twisted.
Huo Lan spoke: “Xingguan—”
“No need for Xingguan… we’ll handle this seriously when we get back.”
Chai Ke’s management company was small, and his manager was so frightened he could barely stand. His voice already had a hint of tears: “We absolutely won’t let him speak nonsense again…”
Huo Lan remained silent for a long moment as snow began to fall. He lowered his gaze and said nothing more.
The cocktail party’s rhythm had been disrupted by the unexpected incident. Security dragged Chai Ke out, the disturbance subsided, and the atmosphere gradually returned to normal.
President Huo’s snow couldn’t stop immediately. Liang Xiao and the butler, who had hurriedly arrived, pulled him to a corner.
“We really didn’t anticipate this…”
The butler had specifically screened for security issues several times but never imagined a problem would arise in this way. After accepting Jiang Pingchao’s apology, he returned, flustered: “It was our oversight.”
“I’m in a rising period in my career with many past connections, so it’s easy to attract trouble.”
Liang Xiao smiled: “If Xingguan could anticipate even this, you might as well go into the detective business.”
Despite calculating everything, the butler had never considered Chai Ke as a factor. He gave a bitter smile: “At least nothing serious happened… Rest assured, nothing about this will leave this room.”
President Huo had spoken clearly. Those who needed to understand would grasp what was really happening.
If Liang Xiao were merely a casually kept omega, someone with loose lips might spread rumors. But now that Huo Lan had publicly acknowledged him, anyone thinking of gossiping would have to consider Xingguan’s formidable influence.
The industry and the public were almost two separate worlds—99% of what outsiders saw was deliberately shown. Everyone here understood this code, and not a whisper would leak out.
Liang Xiao understood but still had to remind him: “Perhaps don’t discuss this right now…”
The butler, noticing his feet buried in snow, snapped back to reality and quickly closed his mouth.
“It’s alright,” Liang Xiao looked at Huo Lan and couldn’t help but smile, quietly reassuring him: “I really am not with you for the money.”
Liang Xiao had thought they understood each other well enough to avoid such sentimental declarations. But seeing Huo Lan’s still-hardened expression made his heart ache a little.
Liang Xiao coughed lightly, tugging at Huo Lan with slightly reddened ears: “Even before coming to Xingguan, I wasn’t interested in the money—I was interested in Xingguan’s CEO.”
Caught off guard by this flirtation, the CEO of Xingguan looked up in surprise, meeting Liang Xiao’s gaze.
Liang Xiao looked at him, feeling a warmth spread through his chest: “Don’t believe me?”
“President Huo probably does believe you,” the butler, who had been with Huo Lan for many years and understood him better, explained. “He’s angry at Chai Ke’s offensive remarks.”
Liang Xiao paused in confusion: “About how I easily climbed into bed? That is offensive—I put in so much effort…”
The butler pressed his forehead, unable to deny it: “Yes…”
Liang Xiao continued indignantly: “And even if I got drunk and clung to President Huo—”
“If you’re drunk, I won’t take advantage of you,” Huo Lan interrupted, holding his hand and speaking softly. “I would ask for your consent before helping you undress.”
Liang Xiao: “…”
Huo Lan, unwilling to let Liang Xiao be influenced by such crude talk, remained silent for a moment before forcing himself to overcome his reservations: “If you had alcohol on you, I would carry you to the bathroom, clean you up together, kiss you, and ask where you felt uncomfortable.”
Liang Xiao: “…”
“You can cling to me, and I will hold you the entire time without letting go.”
Not wanting to frighten Liang Xiao, Huo Lan squeezed his hand gently: “I would have them prepare a sobering soup, and if you refused to drink it, I would take a sip first and coax you to open your mouth…”
Liang Xiao said in a muffled voice: “Huo Lan.”
Huo Lan paused, looking up at him.
Liang Xiao reached for the glass of grape juice mixed with vodka. Like a warrior cutting off his arm to save his life, he threw his head back and downed it in one gulp.
(advanced chapters available on kofi)
![After losing all his wealth, the ancestor rose from his coffin [BL]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Your-paragraph-text-1.png "After losing all his wealth, the ancestor rose from his coffin [BL]")
