DM Chapter 64

In Your Dreams!

Posted by April Fox, ? Views, Released on May 25, 2025

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Chapter 64: In Your Dreams!

The shareholders’ meeting lasted quite a while, accompanied by countless boxes of fries, chicken nuggets, and deep-fried monstrosities, laying the foundation for Nirvana Studio’s “greasy and slick” reputation.

The first shareholders’ meeting concluded successfully after an hour and forty minutes. President Jiang, still not satisfied, packed two boxes of spicy wings to go. As she walked back, she said to Jiang Bo: “Oh, right. President Jiang, when you go back over there in a couple of days, can you help me look for a suitable rental property?”

Jiang Bo pulled out his phone and flipped through a bunch of pictures, showing them to her: “Which one do you like? Pick one yourself.”

Jiang Xiaoyuan: “…”

“What’s wrong?” Jiang Bo raised an eyebrow. “Don’t I need to rent a place too? I haven’t had time recently, so I checked out a few. If you like any, you can take one. I can also ask the crew that’s fixing up the studio to tidy it up for you while they’re at it.”

Jiang Xiaoyuan: “…Is it expensive?”

Jiang Bo remained silent, glancing at Qi Lian. As an investor, Qi Lian chimed in, “The rent will count as part of the studio’s daily expenses. It’s an employee benefit. If we recruit talented people in the future, the studio can retain talent by offering employee housing.”

Jiang Bo scoffed: “Mr. Qi, you’re always opportunistic.”

With that, he sped up, leaving the other two behind, striking a dramatic “pure as a white lotus” pose in the chilly early winter breeze.

Qi Lian, unperturbed, said nothing. Jiang Xiaoyuan had been used to his sarcasm and didn’t bother to respond either. She quickly transferred all the rental information to her phone, planning to call her grandma the next morning to see what she thought.

Before she could even ask, Jiang Xiaoyuan was already dreaming by herself—what kind of house should I rent?

Ideally, it should be close to the studio, in a neighborhood with good security, have an elevator for her grandmother’s convenience, and be near a hospital. A nearby park for exercise would be a bonus… Could she ask for a three-bedroom apartment? Even a small one would do. One room for grandma, one for herself, and the last could serve as a tiny personal workspace.

Sigh… Am I asking for too much? Will it be too expensive?

The more she thought about it, the more excited she became, eager to follow Jiang Bo to see the houses in person.

Others might say that house hunting is a hassle, but Jiang Xiaoyuan didn’t feel that way at all. Ever since she arrived in this frustrating world, she had lived in city slums, shady internet cafes, a hair salon’s storage room, a vocational school dorm, and even the studio’s attic.

In short, none of those places were fit for human habitation.

After drifting around for so long, she often felt like a rootless wanderer. Now, suddenly faced with the prospect of having a proper home, she felt a strange, almost ritualistic excitement that she couldn’t put into words.

Even if renting a place was just like parking temporarily.

At that moment, Jiang Xiaoyuan suddenly felt someone’s gaze on her.

She paused, confused, and glanced around but saw nothing. She rubbed her neck and pushed aside her suspicions, trying to temper her excitement so she wouldn’t appear as overjoyed as someone who had just “passed the imperial examination like Fan Jin[mfn]The phrase “passed the imperial examination like Fan Jin” is a Chinese idiom that describes someone who has achieved great success or wealth suddenly and unexpectedly. It references the story of Fan Jin, a character from the Chinese novel “The Scholars.” Fan Jin was a poor scholar who studied for many years but failed the imperial examinations repeatedly. Finally, in his old age, he passed the exam and was appointed to a government position. His sudden rise to fame and fortune was so overwhelming that he fainted from excitement.[/mfn].”

“I’ll definitely have to have dinner with Boss Chen before I leave,” Jiang Xiaoyuan said to herself. “It would be great if I could trick him into joining our studio too. After all, I learned all my hairstyling tricks from him.”

Qi Lian: “His kid’s due in two or three months. Aside from me, who else would be willing to drop everything and run around with you?”

Jiang Xiaoyuan laughed. With company like this, winter didn’t feel cold at all.

The next morning, before even crawling out of bed, Jiang Xiaoyuan called her grandma.

She excitedly described each apartment in her usual clumsy way, talking herself hoarse, and finally asked, “Grandma, which one do you think is best?”

Grandma calmly said: “Find a cheap one.”

Jiang Xiaoyuan: “…”

Was it old age that had dulled her emotions, or was it that the older generation valued frugality? No matter if it was a reunion or a parting, a success or a failure, no matter how much Jiang Xiaoyuan exaggerated the events with her storytelling, her grandma always reacted as if it were just an ordinary day. Jiang Xiaoyuan could never hear a trace of excitement or indignation in her voice.

Jiang Xiaoyuan: “It’s on the studio’s tab…”

Grandma: “Then don’t be too picky. When you’re out in the world, don’t take advantage of the company.”

Jiang Xiaoyuan: “…”

What does she mean by “the company”?

Jiang Xiaoyuan: “Grandma, we started our own studio, and we even made it to the finals of the National Hairstylist Competition. Isn’t that impressive?”

Grandma replied: “Well, your second uncle sells vegetables at the market, and people call him ‘boss’ too. Keep working hard; there are many people better than you.”

Jiang Xiaoyuan: “…”

Grandma: “Alright, alright, impressive enough for you?”

Jiang Xiaoyuan buried herself under the blanket, rolled around three times, and then reluctantly got up. After all, this was a reality she couldn’t refute. Their studio currently only had a chairman, an executive director, and a general manager. With no staff, Jiang Xiaoyuan, beneath her grand title, had to double as an assistant, secretary, accountant, the entire tech team, receptionist, customer service rep…and even the janitor and delivery person.

To get out of this “schizophrenic” state as soon as possible, General Manager Jiang had to inject herself with motivational pep talks every day.

After a meal with Chen Fangzhou, Jiang Xiaoyuan received the semi-final topic for the National Hairstylist Competition.

The organizing committee was very thorough, providing her with the full competition schedule and pre-competition guidelines, including online registration, reporting, model selection, and other details.

The grand final would be similar to the preliminaries, consisting of two parts: a “themed runway” and an “on-the-spot challenge.” However, both the theme and challenge had been announced in advance on public platforms.

The runway theme was “Life as Bright as Summer Flowers,” while the on-the-spot challenge involved special effects makeup for films. Contestants had enough time to prepare.

“Generally, there are evil winds in small temples,” Jiang Bo warned her. “This time, it should be relatively fair, so don’t try any tricks in front of a national audience. Go home and think it over carefully.”

Jiang Xiaoyuan thought all night and then told Jiang Bo the next day: “For the ‘Life as Bright as Summer Flowers’ runway, I want to use male models. Is that okay?”

No one is without weaknesses, and Jiang Xiaoyuan knew hers well. The only way to deal with them was to face them, work on them, and overcome them.

If she had this kind of spirit back when she was in school, maybe she would’ve become a top student.

Jiang Bo unceremoniously poured cold water on her: “Sure, why not? Pick a demon model, ghost model, pig model, or sheep model; no one cares. Just don’t cry when you get eliminated in the first round.”

Jiang Xiaoyuan laughed: “Mr. Jiang, let me tell you, there’s nothing in this world that can make me cry anymore.”

There’s a saying that some things are better left unsaid, like when people boast about never getting sick and then catch a cold the next day, or claim they never lose anything and then have their phone stolen.

It’s as if an invisible hand that was usually hidden in people’s lives was always waiting to smack you down.

The studio’s lease was about to expire, and Jiang Bo was leaving in two days. Jiang Xiaoyuan had to stay behind to handle the handover and collect the deposit.

Early in the morning, after sending Jiang Bo off to the airport, she started packing up the studio’s finances. She packed up what could be shipped, keeping only a few simple clothes and minimal belongings, along with her suitcase.

Qi Lian stood off to the side like a statue. He couldn’t sit down because ever since Jiang Xiaoyuan decided to use male models in the semi-finals, she had been experimenting with him every day. Today, she had wrapped his legs in some steampunk contraptions, making it impossible for him to bend his knees.

Suddenly, Jiang Xiaoyuan asked, “Do you think the virus is dead?”

Qi Lian, finding it hard to speak: “Has it stopped bothering you for a while? When can I take this off?”

“Ever since it realized that harassing me was pointless, it hasn’t bothered me again.” Jiang Xiaoyuan tied up a bundle of old magazines to sell off. “You can take it off now!”

Qi Lian sighed with relief as if he had been pardoned.

Jiang Xiaoyuan: “Shall we try to make ‘The Nutcracker’ tomorrow?”

Qi Lian nearly tripped over his stiff legs.

It felt like it wouldn’t be long before he’d end up as the “March Hare” or the “Mad Hatter.”

Qi Lian: “Do you still want to go back? I mean, if you didn’t have to pay any price.”

Jiang Xiaoyuan paused for a moment—if she could go back without any cost, would she want to?

Of course, she would be willing. Looking back now, her life had been so smooth—paved with wealth. Anything she wanted to do, she succeeded at. There was no failure.

Qi Lian, although technically a second-generation rich kid with a small business, had never really focused on building wealth. The money he made was more a stroke of luck than the result of any solid accumulation. It was just enough to start their studio.

But they were still struggling, still as fragile and unsupported as any grassroots venture.

“I don’t think much about it anymore.” Jiang Xiaoyuan said suddenly.

Qi Lian was startled: “Why?”

“Because you’re not there, Mr. Qi.” Her tone was light and casual, but her head instinctively dropped, so she didn’t see the way Qi Lian’s eyes lit up.

He always wore those glasses, giving him a look of aloofness, probably to hide how expressive his eyes were. Though he remained silent, his eyes seemed to hold a thousand words, focused entirely on Jiang Xiaoyuan.

His sudden quietness made her glance back at him. Their eyes met, his deep and reserved gaze catching hers.

Standing in front of the studio’s floor-to-ceiling windows, with one hand in his pocket and the light framing his figure, Qi Lian seemed almost golden, the jewelry Jiang Xiaoyuan had placed on him glinting sharply in the sun.

Jiang Xiaoyuan found herself holding her breath: “What are you looking at?”

Qi Lian: “You…”

Before he could continue, her phone rang, cutting through the moment.

Qi Lian: “…”

He touched his nose awkwardly and waved to Jiang Xiaoyuan: “Go ahead and take your call.”

The call was from an unknown number, probably just spam. The interruption snapped her out of the moment, and she hung up without answering.

She looked at Qi Lian with a smile: “It’s fine, go on.”

But the moment had passed. Qi Lian, who had been ready to say more, found himself unable to continue after the interruption.

Sensing this, Jiang Xiaoyuan took a step closer: “What were you going to…”

The phone rang again, just as urgently.

Jiang Xiaoyuan glanced at Qi Lian, who had turned his head toward the window, and answered with a smilr. “Hello?”

On the other end, a man’s voice clumsily yelled into the phone: “Hello? Hello? Why can’t I hear anything? Hello!”

The voice sounded vaguely familiar, but with all the background noise, it didn’t quite register. “I can hear you. Who is this?”

The other person almost roared into her ear: “I am your Uncle Sun!”

It took her a moment to realize—it was the same Second Uncle Sun who had picked her up on an electric tricycle during New Year’s.

For a split second, an inexplicable sense of dread gripped Jiang Xiaoyuan. Her back tensed, and her hand tightened around her phone.

Jiang Xiaoyuan: “Uncle, what’s wrong?”

Her uncle yelled: “Your grandma fell! They’ve taken her to the hospital!”

Meanwhile, Jiang Bo had already arrived at the airport. He had time to spare, so he planned to grab something to eat before going through security. Just then, Qi Lian’s call came through.

Jiang Bo, pulling his suitcase behind him and searching for a place to sit, listened to the conversation.

As it went on, his brow furrowed. “Alright… no need to worry on this end. Trust me, I’ve got it covered…”

His voice trailed off as he spotted someone who made him freeze.

Fan Xiaoxiao. What was she doing here?

Jiang Bo said, “If anything comes up, just call me… Thanks.”

After finishing the call, he hung up and hesitated as he watched Fan Xiaoxiao approach him step by step.

She was holding a shiny pink patent leather bag, her whole appearance resembling a macaron with a head, overly sweet and eye-catching.

She didn’t look like someone ready for a long trip, nor did she seem to be there to see someone off. Her sudden appearance was odd.

Stopping just a few steps from him, Fan Xiaoxiao raised a hand and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

Fan Xiaoxiao: “This time, you’re leaving for good, right?”

Jiang Bo stayed silent for a moment, then nodded.

Fan Xiaoxiao smiled: “So, you’re planning to cut ties completely? Sever all contact?”

If Jiang Bo had the strange premonition that Jiang Xiaoyuan had, or Qi Lian’s high emotional intelligence, he might have sensed something was off. He might have softened the tension and avoided the question.

But whenever he faced this woman, it was always either fear or silence—he could barely look her in the eye.

She was like a rope binding him, keeping him from ever raising his head.

So, Jiang Bo remained silent and simply nodded again.

The smile on Fan Xiaoxiao’s face faded. Her deep nasolabial lines drooped, and even an inch-thick layer of makeup couldn’t hide the creases or the grayish tone of her skin. She looked like a zombie dressed in flowers.

Before Jiang Bo could even process what was happening, he heard a woman nearby scream as Fan Xiaoxiao suddenly pulled something from her bag and threw it at him, shouting hysterically, “In your dreams!”