LOI Chapter 14 — Three Rules of Engagement

Yan Zhi’s home boasted a modern French style, with light renovations and heavy decorations. The overall color scheme was predominantly orange, giving it a bright and flamboyant appearance.

The underfloor heating was on full blast. Rong Ke changed into slippers and took off his coat. Thinking that Yan Zhi would need some time to prepare breakfast, he asked, “Do you have any tape?”

The torn letter pieces still had coffee stains on them. If not dealt with soon, the writing might become increasingly blurred.

Yan Zhi found some clear tape in the TV cabinet and handed it to Rong Ke. “Need any help?”

“No need,” Rong Ke said. “Just prepare breakfast.”

Five minutes later.

Rong Ke, sitting on the carpet, looked at the cup of coffee and two slices of toast on the coffee table. After a moment of silence, he asked, “This is what you call ‘breakfast’?”

He had imagined that the prince’s breakfast would be very sumptuous, with healthy carbs and protein being essential, nutritious fruits as a bonus, and at the very least, an egg. Instead, it turned out to be so rudimentary.

“You should have told me in advance that you were coming,” Yan Zhi said, sitting across the coffee table and elegantly sipping his coffee.

“…You invited me up, thank you,” Rong Ke replied.

“Is it challenging?” Yan Zhi changed the subject.

The letter had been torn into pieces the size of fingernails, making it quite labor-intensive to piece together.

Thinking that the content of the letter wasn’t particularly confidential and that it would be easier to have Yan Zhi help rather than struggling on his own, Rong Ke said, “Can you help me find the missing piece in the middle?”

With two people working on it, the process sped up considerably. In less than ten minutes, the letter was completely restored.

This was a handwritten letter from one of the fans whom Rong Ke was familiar with. The gist was that they were happy to see Rong Ke gain more recognition, but they were about to start an internship and wouldn’t have as much time to follow him in the future. They hoped he would continue to do well.

Yan Zhi didn’t intentionally read the letter’s contents, but inevitably caught glimpses while piecing it together. Biting into his toast, he asked, “You even sponsor your fans’ education?”

“Just this one,” Rong Ke folded the letter and put it back in the envelope. “She graduated high school but couldn’t afford college, so she planned to find a job. I told her to finish her studies and sponsored her first semester’s tuition and living expenses. Later, she worked part-time and paid me back. She’s probably looking for a job now.”

Yan Zhi looked at Rong Ke, slowly swallowing his food before saying, “You’re so good to your fans?”

“No one should like you for no reason. It’s good to give back a little if possible,” Rong Ke paused, then looked at Yan Zhi and asked, “So why did you suddenly decide to promote me? Don’t say it was out of altruism.”

Instead of answering, Yan Zhi opened a shopping page on his phone and showed it to Rong Ke.

It was a pearl hairpin from the luxury brand BEJ, the same one Rong Ke wore on the MQ cover. He hadn’t looked into it before and was surprised to see it cost over 200,000 yuan.

“…Sold out?”

“Yes, all gone,” Yan Zhi put his phone away and continued, “This year’s January issue of MQ doubled in sales, and annual subscriptions increased by 20%. These are solid numbers.”

“I see,” Rong Ke knew these weren’t all due to him; clearly, Yan Zhi played a major role.

But Yan Zhi didn’t seem to think so.

“I wouldn’t have had such inspiration without you,” Yan Zhi said. “I believe you have unlimited potential.”

Rong Ke took a bite of toast and brought up a practical issue, “But my agency won’t let me go easily.”

“Terminating the contract is manageable. I can negotiate if needed,” Yan Zhi stood up, fetched paper and pen, and returned. “What’s important now is how we’ll collaborate.”

The atmosphere suddenly turned serious. Rong Ke put down his toast, wiped his hands and mouth with a napkin, and said, “Go on.”

“I know you want to act. I can bring you exposure, but I can’t get you roles by investing in productions,” Yan Zhi said, twirling his pen. “The roles you get will depend on your own abilities.”

“Alright,” Rong Ke agreed.

Investing in productions for roles meant resource exchange – getting something by giving something. Rong Ke just wanted to act, plain and simple.

Yan Zhi’s implication that he wouldn’t interfere was perfect.

“As your fame grows, I’ll give you the best fashion resources, including endorsements, red carpet events, and so on. But when it comes to clothing and styling, you must listen to me. Don’t question my aesthetic judgment.”

“Mm,” Rong Ke didn’t think he had the expertise to question Yan Zhi anyway. But a thought occurred to him, and he asked, “What if we disagree?”

“Rock-paper-scissors.”

“…Fair enough.”

“What about profit-sharing?” Rong Ke inquired.

“I don’t need money.”

“…Oh.”

Yan Zhi clicked his pen and began writing on the paper:

Three Rules of Engagement
1. Regarding his acting career, Yan Zhi will not interfere with Rong Ke’s decisions.
2. For matters outside his acting career, Rong Ke will follow Yan Zhi’s arrangements.
3. If the two parties disagree, the matter will be decided by rock-paper-scissors.

After finishing, Yan Zhi added a few words to the last rule: Best two out of three.

Rong Ke: “…” Thorough.

After signing his name at the bottom, Yan Zhi turned the paper around and pushed it towards Rong Ke.

It was only then that Rong Ke got a clear look at Yan Zhi’s handwriting. It was vigorous and powerful, with sharp strokes, far more beautiful than Rong Ke’s own.

— So he’s a fake foreigner, right?

Before signing, Rong Ke pointed at the second rule and said, “Isn’t ‘matters outside his acting career’ too broad?”

“Is it?” Yan Zhi replied, “I’m not even taking your money.”

Fair enough.

There wasn’t even a breach of contract clause, so signing wouldn’t put Rong Ke at a disadvantage.

He signed his name below Yan Zhi’s and said, “That’s fine.”

Watching Yan Zhi stick the Three Rules of Engagement on the refrigerator, Rong Ke began to doubt whether this person was reliable at all.

But there was no turning back now. In any case, his situation couldn’t get any worse, so he might as well give it a shot.

“Alright,” Yan Zhi returned to the living room, looked Rong Ke up and down, and said, “Let’s go to my wardrobe first.”

Rong Ke followed him. “What for?”

Yan Zhi selected a V-neck sweater from his dazzling wardrobe, held it up against Rong Ke, and said, “Change into this. I’ll take a few photos for you to post on Weibo.”

Rong Ke: “…You’re still on about that?”

“Of course,” Yan Zhi crossed his arms. “I never do anything half-heartedly.”

Seeing Yan Zhi so serious, Rong Ke couldn’t refuse. He grabbed the hem of his shirt with both hands, about to take it off when he noticed Yan Zhi staring at him intently.

He paused and asked, “Aren’t you going to look away?”

Yan Zhi tilted his head, completely unapologetic. “You’re my artist now. Why should I look away?”

Fair point.

There was no need for two grown men to be so prudish.

Rong Ke took off his long-sleeved shirt, but just as he was about to put on the V-neck, Yan Zhi suddenly said “Stop.”

He paused and turned his upper body towards Yan Zhi, only to find Yan Zhi’s gaze fixed blatantly on his waist.

“Showing underwear is also a trend, but if you really want to show it, it’s best not to wear white. It looks…” Yan Zhi stared at Rong Ke’s waist, seemingly weighing his words, “a bit provocative.”

Rong Ke quickly pulled up his loose jeans. “I’m not trying to fucking show anything.”

What was supposed to be just a few photos turned into an endless photoshoot with Yan Zhi’s Hasselblad.

Rong Ke lost count of how many outfits he changed into, and by the end, he couldn’t be bothered to be shy about changing pants in front of Yan Zhi.

As noon approached, Yan Zhi finally put down his camera and said to Rong Ke, “I need to process the photos for a bit. Why don’t you watch some TV?”

Rong Ke was already hungry from all the posing. He checked the time and said, “I’ll go buy groceries.”

“You cook?” Yan Zhi asked.

“Unless you want to?”

Yan Zhi smiled and said, “I’ll wait for you.”

Rong Ke made a few simple home-style dishes. By the time all the food was on the table, Yan Zhi had selected nine photos.

These photos were mostly taken in the living room and on the balcony, emphasizing a casual and comfortable vibe, completely different from the vintage-style photoshoot on the ferry.

While sending the photos to Rong Ke, Yan Zhi instructed, “Put the V-neck sweater photo in the center. It should be the focal point.”

Rong Ke couldn’t understand why that one was the focal point and was afraid of messing up, so he simply handed his phone to Yan Zhi. “You post it.”

He added, “Don’t write any text, just post the photos.”

Yan Zhi gave an “OK” sign.

With the task completed, Yan Zhi returned the phone to Rong Ke and tasted the stir-fried beef in front of him.

As soon as the chopsticks entered his mouth, his eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Rong Ke. “How is this so delicious?”

“I learned at a restaurant,” Rong Ke said.

“Have you worked many jobs?” Yan Zhi said, “That’s so interesting.”

Rong Ke’s hand paused mid-bite as he suddenly remembered that while Jiang Si had disdained his part-time jobs, Yan Zhi found them interesting.

He opened up, “I’ve experienced pretty much every job you can see on the street – food delivery, security guard… Oh right, I even learned striptease, the masked kind. But the bar was raided just two days after I started.”

“Striptease?” Yan Zhi’s eyes lit up. “I want to see.”

The prince said it so matter-of-factly that Rong Ke almost felt like giving a private show was expected.

“Are you crazy?” Rong Ke said, “Who the hell does striptease at someone else’s house?”

Hearing Rong Ke swear, Yan Zhi laughed heartily but didn’t mention dancing again.

After lunch, Rong Ke tossed the dishes into the dishwasher before checking the Weibo comments on his phone.

What he saw made him go pale. He rushed to the living room and asked Yan Zhi, “Have you worn that V-neck sweater before??”

He thought the clothes looked familiar – it was the one Yan Zhi wore in his self-introduction video when he joined Weibo.

Now the CP fans were celebrating, and the comment section was filled with their couple nicknames.

[Damn, hubby really went to take photos with wifey, they’re spoiling us so much!]
[Am I seeing things, or are they wearing couple outfits?]
[Have you noticed the sofa looks familiar? Wasn’t wifey sitting on this sofa in the first video?]
[I have a bold guess – this sweater belongs to wifey]
[Rong Yan forever!!!]

“What’s wrong? You don’t like wearing clothes I’ve worn?” Yan Zhi said, “I’ll take you shopping for new ones this afternoon.”

“Is that the point?” Rong Ke had a headache. “So when you said you’d give me exposure, you meant by stirring up CP rumors?”

“I’m letting you be my husband in public. What more do you want?” Yan Zhi’s eyes were sincere. “Your public reputation only lasts fifteen minutes. Do you know how much I’m sacrificing?”

“Who the hell only lasts fifteen minutes…” Rong Ke wanted to drag Yan Zhi to bed and show him whether he only lasted fifteen minutes or not.

Forget it, stay calm, stay calm.

Rong Ke consoled himself that this wasn’t the first time Yan Zhi had pulled such stunts. Now that he was on this ship, he had to go along with it.

There was still a long time ahead to deal with this troublesome prince. He had to learn to stay calm.