LOI Chapter 53 — Yan Wang Steps Down

“What did Wen Cheng say?”

On the way back, they hit the evening rush hour. The powerful sports car was stuck in traffic, and Rong Ke, with nothing to do, kept checking his phone.

He glanced at his silent WeChat and said, “No reply yet.”

When Wen Cheng returned to the private room after his call and asked how their chat went, Rong Ke didn’t express his position. He rambled about his days filming “Inferno Case” instead.

His lack of outright refusal seemed to give Jiang Si false hope. Throughout the rest of the dinner, Jiang Si was overly attentive, while Wen Cheng subtly supported him, discussing the film’s business model and such. But even as the dinner ended, Rong Ke didn’t say whether he would let Jiang Si play the second male lead.

Of course, he had no intention of letting Jiang Si take the role.

Aside from not wanting to see the man, this film was funded by Yan Zhi’s investment. How could he let Jiang Si benefit?

However, as a decent person, Rong Ke didn’t reject him outright. Firstly, to spare Wen Cheng embarrassment, and secondly, to avoid Jiang Si’s persistent pestering. It wasn’t until he got into Yan Zhi’s car that he messaged Wen Cheng, reiterating his stance: it’s either him or Jiang Si, not both.

“Don’t worry,” Yan Zhi said, restraining himself as he pressed the gas, closely following the car in front. “He won’t give you up for Jiang Si.”

“I’m not worried at all,” Rong Ke replied.

It wasn’t a matter of worry, really. Rong Ke simply didn’t care.

Even if Wen Cheng chose Jiang Si, he wouldn’t feel at a loss. It would free up his time to act in Jiang Hua’s film.

“But did Jiang Si really kneel before you?” Yan Zhi seemed skeptical. “It’s hard to imagine.”

“Probably because he’s truly at rock bottom,” Rong Ke recalled the scene with disbelief. “If he can’t act in this film, he’ll likely end up in web dramas.”

While some web dramas were well-produced, Rong Ke knew all the good scripts were in Zhou Lin’s hands. Jiang Si’s resources had plummeted. If he couldn’t make a comeback with Wen Cheng’s film, he’d fade into obscurity.

Just as he thought this, Rong Ke received Wen Cheng’s reply on WeChat.

[Wen Cheng: I understand.]
[Wen Cheng: Looking forward to our collaboration. /handshake]

–

Yan Zhi’s employment period ended.

Despite MQ headquarters’ strong insistence that he stay on, even offering to double his annual salary, Yan Zhi remained unmoved. Without hesitation, he announced his new role to the public—Rong Ke’s exclusive agent.

Or perhaps “house husband” would be more fitting.

On Yan Zhi’s last day, the MQ office threw a small farewell party.

Although it was obviously a day of separation, but Rong Ke, who came to join in the fun, found the entire office brimming with joy.

“Wishing the Yan Wang couple boundless success and invincibility!” Editor-in-Chief Chen Wen led the charge, twisting open a party popper. The spacious conference room echoed with a series of “pop-pop” sounds as colorful confetti rained down.

Rong Ke had heard of Yan Zhi’s nickname before but never imagined they would dare use it to his face. He found it a bit funny for some reason.

No wonder MQ’s staff seemed so cheerful today. They were probably glad to escape Yan Wang’s oppression.

“Isn’t that nickname a bit too comfortable on your tongues?” Yan Zhi put his arm around Rong Ke’s waist and said to the employees.

“It’s a term of endearment.” Chen Wen pretended to wipe away tears. “Honestly, we are still very sad to see you go.”

“Yeah, our covers might get trashed again without you.”

“When I visit clients, they’re reluctant to invest in ads now that Yan Wang’s leaving.”

“Come on, don’t get discouraged. Yan Wang’s still in the country. We can always reach out to him.”

“Exactly,” Chen Wen chimed in. “Great Yan, we can still come to you if we face difficulties, right?”

Yan Zhi nodded slightly. “Don’t do it too often.”

Rong Ke suddenly discovered that Yan Zhi was quite aloof in front of his MQ colleagues, acting every bit the unapproachable leader.

He wondered if they’d be shocked if they knew how often Yan Zhi clung to him, whining about not wanting to work.

After taking group photos and cutting the cake, everyone in the conference room chatted in small groups while enjoying their cake.

A young man with glasses approached Rong Ke and handed him a tablet. “Director Wen’s team sent over the contract.”

The young man, Luo Fei, was Yan Zhi’s former assistant. After stepping down, Yan Zhi poached him for Cough Syrup Studio. Now he was Rong Ke’s executive agent.

On their first day working together, Rong Ke realized Luo Fei was the “Fallen Poop” who leaked the Zhi-Ke Syrup story. However, Rong Ke wasn’t angry. Instead, he felt a little bit of familiarity.

“I’ve highlighted important details like payment and filming schedule. Please review when you have time,” Luo Fei said. “I’ve also cc’d Legal. They’ll review it too.”

Rong Ke nodded. “Alright.”

Yan Zhi saw the two of them having a business talk and came over. “What’s up?”

“The contract’s almost finalized,” Rong Ke said. “I’ll be on set soon.”

“Mm,” Yan Zhi replied. “I don’t have any other work recently, so I can go to the set to accompany you.”

“Who brings family to filming?” Rong Ke laughed. “Just wait for me at home.”

“Who said I’m going as family?” Yan Zhi raised an eyebrow. “Take another look at Wen Cheng’s contract.”

Luo Fei prompted, “The boss is the costume designer.”

Rong Ke: “…” Well, okay then.

He could already imagine how chaotic the set would become.

But before entering the turbulent world of filming, Rong Ke had a crucial event to attend—the Qianhua TV Drama Awards.

As this year’s hottest hit, “Patchwork Family” was favored across the board. Zhou Lin and Rong Ke were the favorites for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, respectively.

Naturally, Yan Zhi chose Rong Ke’s outfit for the event. For a formal event like this, guests typically dress conservatively. Yan Zhi selected a relatively understated—only in comparison to SPL’s other offerings—black suit from SPL. Its longer hem and wide legs still hinted at the brand’s rebellious spirit.

Since it was a cast event, Yan Zhi dropped Rong Ke off at the hotel and left.

Despite his brief appearance at the hotel entrance, reporters swarmed him, asking about his future plans.

“What are my plans?” Yan Zhi lowered his car window, answering warmly, “The most important one is getting married.”

When Rong Ke saw the viral video on the business van, his temple throbbed for a good ten minutes.

“Your partner really can’t keep his mouth shut, can he?” Zhou Lin, who was sitting beside him, had also seen the video and was very amused. “When’s the wedding? I’ve already given you a red envelope, you know.”

“It’s not even close to happening,” Rong Ke said, exasperated. “Don’t listen to his nonsense.”

“Everyone knows he brought in the Fashion Group’s investment just to get you on board,” Zhou Lin criticized mock-seriously. “If you don’t commit yourself to him now, it’s a bit unfair, Xiongdi.”

“Don’t measure emotions with money,” Rong Ke temporarily revoked Zhou Lin’s ‘good gay’ status and changed the subject. “By the way, isn’t Liu Qing coming today?”

The main cast members were all on the business van, about to arrive at the venue, but Liu Qing was nowhere to be seen.

If Rong Ke remembered correctly, Liu Qing’s fans were eagerly awaiting his appearance at the Qianhua TV Drama Awards. His absence would undoubtedly disappoint them.

“He won’t be coming,” Xin Ran turned around from the front seat. “Haven’t you heard? He offended his agency. Apparently, he skipped an event arranged by his agency.”

“I know about that. It’s after the endorsement scandal, right?” Hearing gossip, Zhou Lin chimed in eagerly. “I heard he bought that outfit himself. If I were him, I’d be too embarrassed to show my face too.”

SPL quickly traced the origin of Liu Qing’s clothes. Although there was no official statement, the news spread like wildfire. Many of Liu Qing’s fans felt humiliated, and even his most devoted fan site admin announced they were no longer supporting him.

Some fans were still holding out hope, and the TV Drama Awards was their last chance. But now, it seemed even these remaining fans would likely run away.

“That’s not all. I heard a rumor,” Xin Ran leaned in mysteriously, lowering her voice. “He missed the event because he was serving his sugar daddy, but now even the sugar daddy has abandoned him.”

“Who’s his sugar daddy?” Zhou Lin asked, then mentioned a tycoon known for keeping lovers. “Isn’t that the big shot he clung to when he first debuted? They split up ages ago, right?”

“No, no, that’s old news,” Xin Ran said. “I don’t know who the new one is.”

Rong Ke realized he really wasn’t gossipy enough. Apparently, Liu Qing had a history of being kept, and quite a few people in the industry knew about it.

If anything, Rong Ke could understand Liu Qing’s association with Jiang Si, given the need for publicity. But Wen Cheng really didn’t seem to be very picky…

Regardless, as the director of his new film, Rong Ke refrained from participating in the gossip.

However, just because he did not participate didn’t mean he was invisible.

“Oh, right,” Zhou Lin turned to Rong Ke. “I never had the chance to ask you before. Guatian reported that you and Jiang Si had a thing. Is that true?”

Rong Ke deflected, mimicking Yan Zhi’s style. “When does filming for ‘Patchwork Family’ season two start?”

“It’s a bit complicated now,” Xin Ran said. “The fans want Lao San to be written out. Director Luo and the writers are revising the script. We don’t know where it’s heading yet.”

“Oh yeah, speaking of that,” Zhou Lin, successfully sidetracked, followed Xin Ran’s lead. “I think Director Luo seems to want to bring Sha Ya back to life. Has he contacted you about it?”

Revive Sha Ya?

Rong Ke inwardly winced. He wasn’t particularly keen on being resurrected.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to act in TV dramas anymore. He just felt he had graduated from this role. For him, continuing to portray this character had lost its challenge.

“I knew you had no ambition!” Zhou Lin, seemingly reading Rong Ke’s thoughts, chastised him. “With your current status, you could name your price. How can you turn down money that’s handed to you on a silver platter?”

Rong Ke chuckled, “Making money isn’t the purpose of my work.”

“Forget it, I can’t reach your level,” Zhou Lin glanced at the red carpet appearing ahead and adjusted his mood. “Alright, let’s get out. Tonight is our night to shine!”