“Boss Ji, I heard you’ve come back?” Yan Yixuan’s voice was laced with a smile, but Ji Ling could tell it was a fake one.
He had been back for quite a while, so there was no way Yan Yixuan didn’t know.
“I’ve been back for a while now,” Ji Ling replied.
“Oh? Really? I thought Boss Ji was too happy in N City to think about coming back.”
Even though Ji Ling had gotten into Yan Yixuan’s car that day, he hadn’t followed him when they parted ways. After they went their separate ways, Ji Ling had no idea where Yan Yixuan went. Then, he got a call from Luo Tao, came back, and dove straight into work. He didn’t have time to think about Yan Yixuan.
Ji Ling mulled over Yan Yixuan’s words, trying to figure out what he was up to.
“I stayed a few extra days because I had the chance, and squeezed in a little bit of sightseeing,” Ji Ling said, lying through his teeth with a straight face.
Sure enough, Yan Yixuan laughed again, saying, “Boss Ji sure knows how to have fun. You come back and don’t even share your travel experiences with me?”
Ji Ling was taken aback, wondering what Yan Yixuan meant by that.
Was Young Master Yan so bored lately that he was trying to play games with him?
Ji Ling thought for a moment, and then it clicked. Yan Yixuan kept mentioning how he’d been back for a while — was he upset that Ji Ling didn’t notify him about his return?
Ji Ling couldn’t help but laugh and shake his head. Was Young Master Yan really expecting him to go visit him as soon as he got back?
Ji Ling explained, “It wasn’t on purpose. As soon as I came back, I got caught up in a case and have been really busy.”
“Oh, right. Boss Ji, always busy, making a fortune, earning hundreds of billions a year, so busy that you can’t even spare a minute for me, your sponsor.”
“…” Ji Ling sighed, “Young Master Yan, do you have to tease me like this?”
“I wouldn’t dare! Boss Ji does whatever he likes. When you need a consultant, this humble sponsor is at your service. When you’re done asking, I’ll vanish without a trace. You know, consulting firms charge a lot. I’m just wondering how much Boss Ji will pay me for the consulting fee?” Even over the phone, Ji Ling could hear the coldness in Yan Yixuan’s tone.
“……” Since when did sponsors ask for money?
“I… I wasn’t in the best mood at that time,” Ji Ling said, rarely willing to explain himself to Yan Yixuan. “I truly appreciate that Young Master Yan was willing to listen to my nonsense.”
The time he spent in N City was the most confused period of Ji Ling’s life. During that time, he was closest to Zong Bolin, but he wasn’t Zong Bolin. He couldn’t talk about this state with anyone. Now, just explaining it to Yan Yixuan was already pushing his limits.
When Yan Yixuan heard him, he felt a little relieved and continued, “I wonder what could have made Boss Ji feel so down? Maybe you could tell me about it?”
Ji Ling couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud, so he just answered vaguely, “It’s nothing, it’s all in the past. Just some business stuff.”
Even a fool could tell that Ji Ling was brushing him off. Yan Yixuan’s suppressed anger flared up again: “Yeah, Boss Ji’s a businessman, with deep pockets, throwing around sports cars like they’re nothing, and then expects me to sign the papers for him.”
Ji Ling heard this and couldn’t help but laugh.
“So, Young Master Yan has been thinking about that car? Are you blaming me for donating it? If you’d said earlier that you liked it, I wouldn’t have touched it,” Ji Ling teased. “But wait, isn’t Young Master Yan known for his charity work? If I donate your car, doesn’t that count as doing you a favor?”
Yan Yixuan snorted, saying, “You get to do a good deed, and I’m the one who has to pay? I’m the owner of the car, and you donate it. Then people come to me asking for my signature, is this how charity works?”
Ji Ling couldn’t help but imagine the scene and burst into laughter.
When Yan Yixuan had tossed him the car keys that day, it had been so casual. Ji Ling couldn’t refuse, but he didn’t want to accept anything from Yan Yixuan, so he just donated it. He didn’t expect Yan Yixuan to react like this.
Ji Ling said seriously, “Donating it to charity is more valuable than keeping it for myself.”
There was silence on the other end of the line. After a while, Yan Yixuan finally spoke up. “So, you’d rather rent a small, crappy house and drive a junk car than accept anything I offer?”
This time, Ji Ling fell silent.
It turned out that Yan Yixuan had thrown him the car keys casually as a way of ‘helping’ him.
That stung Ji Ling a little.
For Ji Ling, talking about sponsors was one thing, but actually accepting money from Yan Yixuan was an entirely different matter.
This was his bottom line, something he would never compromise on.
He owed Yan Yixuan a favor, and while he could think about repaying it in the future, once he accepted money, he would lose face in front of his own pride.
Yan Yixuan laughed again, but this time, the laughter was cold. “Fine, since you insist, I’ll give you another ride.” He said arrogantly, “The horse I keep at the stable—why don’t you take care of it for me? It runs just as fast as a sports car. Since you love sports, it’s a perfect chance for you to practice your equestrian skills. Just make sure you check on it every week.”
With that, he hung up.
Ji Ling stared at his phone, not knowing what expression to make.
Was the young master calling him to scold him, then assigning him to be a stableman?
Ji Ling shook his head with a wry smile, gaining a deeper understanding of Yan Yixuan’s spoiled, capricious attitude.
After the phone call, Ji Ling found himself with no desire to continue working. He looked at the computer screen in front of him, where the webpage still displayed the ‘Confession’ novel.
A strange thought suddenly crossed his mind: Yan Yixuan must have had countless confessions directed at him, but did he ever confess to anyone himself?
Young Master Yan had a reputation for being a charming playboy. Ji Ling remembered how, at the banquet that day, Yan Yixuan had been incredibly gentle with his female companion, probably saying sweet things with ease.
Ji Ling tried to imagine Yan Yixuan smiling, speaking sweet words, all tender and affectionate.
He couldn’t help but smile, feeling amused.
It was so fake, wasn’t it? Hypocritical, even. He preferred the unpredictable, moody side of Yan Yixuan.
When he was happy, he would answer everything, but when he was upset, he’d toss Ji Ling out of the car, force him to drink, and throw sarcastic words at him. Sometimes Ji Ling thought Yan Yixuan had a bit of a childish side—reckless, willful, doing whatever he pleased.
Then Ji Ling suddenly remembered. The way Yan Yixuan had been so kind and caring to his female companion at the dinner—did she know the childish side of him?
Ji Ling was startled by the sense of superiority rising inside him.
He furrowed his brow, forcing himself to pull away from these strange thoughts. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t focus. After a moment, he decided it was better to just get some rest.
As for Yan Yixuan’s request, Ji Ling had no choice but to accept it. He visited the racetrack that weekend to check on the horse Yan Yixuan had bought.
Ji Ling remembered that after his rebirth, the first day he was discharged from the hospital, Yan Yixuan had brought him here.
That was when he met Yan Yili. To be more precise, Yan Yixuan had purposely brought Ji Ling along to run into Yan Yili.
That horse was like a prop that had finished its filming—Yan Yixuan had left it there, only paying the monthly boarding fees to keep it in good care.
It seemed that Yan Yixuan only remembered the horse when it was time for the monthly payment, and probably tossed the responsibility of it to Ji Ling then.
Ji Ling knew that if he didn’t dutifully follow Yan Yixuan’s instructions and visit the horse every week, Yan Yixuan would definitely find out, and he would definitely find another way to make trouble. It was easier to just go along with it, so no matter how busy he was, Ji Ling made sure to take one day each week to go see the horse.
The horse was innocent and actually quite handsome.
Though Ji Ling didn’t know much about horses, after being forced to go to the racetrack every week, he surprisingly began to take some interest in it.
Horses had a certain intelligence, and after regular meetings, the horse seemed to recognize Ji Ling. It had gone from being proud and aloof to accepting his touch and feeding.
Ji Ling thought to himself that maybe he should just take up horse riding for real. After all, this body was still young and could probably handle the training. Morning jogs were getting dull anyway. But lately, he’d been so busy that each trip to the racetrack felt rushed and exhausting.
There was also another concern—Ji Ling was wary of running into Yan Yili at the racetrack.
It was obvious that Yan Yixuan and Yan Yili didn’t get along. Ji Ling didn’t want to stir up trouble, so he preferred to avoid him as much as possible.
On the other hand, Ji Ling’s company was mostly focused on a low-budget film at the moment.
He had initially thought that filming would take some time, but to his surprise, the progress was quick. Many characters had finished filming their scenes one after another, which left Ji Ling feeling a little uneasy.
Was it really okay to be moving this fast?
He remembered that when he had invested in films before, the shooting process usually took one or two years. Sometimes, it would take so long that he almost forgot what movie he had even invested in.
Ji Ling didn’t really know much about film production. Although he’d crammed a lot of knowledge into his head, he’d never actually been involved in the process, so many things were still new to him.
Luckily, he had hired quite a few experienced subordinates who could explain things to him. They told him that urban romantic comedies were some of the easiest to make—no need for foreign locations, plenty of indoor scenes, simple dialogue that wasn’t hard to deliver, and no special effects required. So, unless something unusual happened, the filming usually went quickly.
Especially since the production company was originally in TV drama production, with plenty of experience in urban themes, so fast-paced filming was to be expected.
Seeing how quickly things were moving along, Ji Ling started organizing the promotional work for the film. Once the movie finished shooting and entered post-production, their marketing had to start alongside it.
Some of the product placements had been arranged even before the shoot began, and were inserted at the right moments during filming. Other placements were added in post-production, which was cheaper if they appeared for only a brief moment.
Urban romantic comedies were the easiest type to incorporate product placements. You could slap a brand logo on almost anything in the shot—just a quick flash of a logo would count towards the total seconds, turning it into advertising money.
However, too many placements could easily annoy the audience, so Ji Ling kept the number in check, making sure it was within acceptable limits.
Either way, Ji Ling had secured the advertising money for the production team, and now, it was just a matter of waiting for the film to finish shooting and complete the approval process, then they could begin building up the hype.
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
