LOI Chapter 60 — Daddy Will Take Care of You

“The call won’t go through.”

In Zhuang Kang’s office, Jiang Si anxiously chewed on his thumbnail while making calls.

No matter how many times he dialed, only a cold automated message greeted him.

“If Liu Qing really leaked it,” Zhuang Kang remained calm as ever, unlike Jiang Si’s agitation, “he probably won’t answer your calls.”

“How could he possibly leak this!” Jiang Si shouted in desperation, “Does he think censoring the name means people won’t recognize him?”

“Yelling at me won’t help,” Zhuang Kang said coolly. “We should figure out why Liu Qing did this.”

“He must want to drag me down with him,” Jiang Si’s leg bounced anxiously. “He can’t stand seeing me succeed after his career tanked. I should’ve made him sign an NDA!”

Seeing this speculation was going nowhere, Zhuang Kang asked, “Liu Qing hasn’t shown up. Is he still with Director Wen?”

“How should I know?” Jiang Si snapped, then analyzed more rationally, “But if Director Wen dumped him, he’d probably be cozying up to someone else by now.”

“So, assuming he’s still with Director Wen, he has no reason to sabotage you,” Zhuang Kang said. “You’re Director Wen’s chosen lead. Exposing your affair is opposing Director Wen.”

Hearing this, Jiang Si suddenly calmed down. “That’s possible.”

“He once complained to me that if he messed up, Director Wen would lock him away. If he’s been isolated and didn’t know that I’ve become the rising star, once he got his phone back and found out, he might have impulsively decided to take revenge on me and Director Wen.”

“If that’s the case, Director Wen should handle this,” Zhuang Kang said.

“Right, that makes sense.”

Jiang Si nodded, finally relaxing a little, but then Zhuang Kang’s tone shifted. “But Mr. Zou received a call from Director Wen saying he wants to replace you.”

“What?” Jiang Si shot up from his chair. “Impossible!”

He frantically dialed Wen Cheng’s number. This time, the call connected quickly.

“Hello?” Wen Cheng’s lazy voice came through.

“Director Wen, it’s about…” Jiang Si hadn’t prepared what to say, and now that the call had connected, he didn’t know where to start.

“You mean the online rumors, right?” Wen Cheng chuckled like a caring elder. “That’s how public opinion works. It spreads fast.”

“No, I wanted to ask,” Jiang Si hesitated, then pressed on, “Do you know these are conversations between Liu Qing and me? It looks like he sent them to the paparazzi…”

“I know,” Wen Cheng’s tone remained relaxed. “He’s just naughty like that. I can’t help it.”

Jiang Si froze. “…What?”

He couldn’t understand why Director Wen would still indulge Liu Qing so shamelessly, even after admitting he was being “naughty.”

“Speaking of which,” Wen Cheng’s smile faded as he said, “You should be quite familiar with paparazzi and gossip accounts, right?” His friendly tone suddenly cooled, “Otherwise you wouldn’t have landed the lead role in ‘The Tempest’.”

Before Jiang Si could react, Wen Cheng’s tone softened again, comforting him. “Well, if not this time, we can always work together in the future. Focus on improving yourself; it’ll benefit your career.”

“But Director Wen…” Jiang Si wanted to say more, but his mind was in chaos and he didn’t know what to say. Before he could continue, Director Wen had already hung up.

“He knows,” Jiang Si stared blankly at his phone, muttering to himself.

“Knows what?” Zhuang Kang asked.

“That I ruined his collaboration with the Fashion Group.”

A fleeting, almost imperceptible hint of regret flashed across Zhuang Kang’s stoic expression.

She had seen too many artists outsmart themselves, only to face the consequences. She had warned Jiang Si to focus on self-improvement rather than fixating on others, but he didn’t listen. As she predicted, Jiang Si’s acting career was now over.

“Your contract with the company expires in six months,” Zhuang Kang said, setting aside her regret and speaking professionally. “Mr. Zou doesn’t plan to renew. You should make arrangements soon.”

Meanwhile.

After hanging up, Wen Cheng looked at the pretty waste beside him and said, “A script tailored for you is already being written.”

Liu Qing nodded numbly, his eyes vacant. “Okay.”

–

Rong Ke and Yan Zhi had been discussing the situation for a while but still couldn’t figure out what really happened behind the scenes.

Did Liu Qing deliberately drag Jiang Si down? Or did Wen Cheng sacrifice Liu Qing?

Regardless, judging from the online backlash, Jiang Si’s entertainment career was essentially over.

[Another one bites the dust. I’m never stanning anyone again. /Goodbye]

[So Guatian’s leak was true. JS and RK dated. I’m shook]

[Poor RK, how did he end up with such a scumbag]

[Damn, I used to ship them in “Inferno Case”. Never imagined it was real. Why did it have to end so sadly?]

[Suggest the cheater and homewrecker pack up and leave showbiz]

[If I remember correctly, JS and LQ went public last October, then JS lost his New Year’s cover. Was YZ standing up for RK?]

[JS also lost his CVV endorsement later. YZ must’ve been avenging his wife!]

[Damn, this makes the ZhiKe ship even sweeter]

[ZhiKe Syrup yyds¹]

[…]

“In the end, I still got dragged into this mess,” Rong Ke said with a sigh.

However, with Jiang Si and Liu Qing now on the brink of leaving the industry, they could no longer smear his reputation as they had before.

It could be said that the timing of this exposure was impeccable. If it had been any earlier, Rong Ke might have been caught in the crossfire.

“Karma always catches up²,” Yan Zhi said. “Liu Qing saved you millions in contract breach penalties.”

“That’s true,” Rong Ke nodded.

In fact, the best way to get back at Jiang Si and Liu Qing would have been to expose them as a cheater and a homewrecker. However, to terminate his contract with his former company, Rong Ke had to sign a non-disclosure agreement, allowing the two to carry on for so long.

Perhaps the kind are truly blessed by heaven. The truth finally came to light, and Rong Ke no longer had to be bothered by those two.

Just then, his phone chimed with WeChat notifications. Rong Ke opened it to find a flood of unread messages.

[Patchwork Family Traitors Group] – ‘Traitors’ referring to their private alliance with Sha Ya.

[Zhou Lin: You’re so miserable. Ge feels fucking sorry for you]

[Xin Ran: No wonder Liu Qing was so hostile to you when we were filming. Now it makes sense]

[Zhou Lin: How did you even survive being in the same crew as Liu Qing? Your professionalism is next level.]

[Xin Ran: [Pats Zhou Lin] Remember when Jiang Si visited the set?]

[Zhou Lin: Damn! How low can they get! @Rong Ke How did you endure it?]

[Xin Ran: But Yan Zhi showed up the next day. Boyfriend power max! I support them]

[Zhou Lin: Me too. I even sent a red envelope, okay?]

[Rong Ke: It’s all in the past]

[ZhiKe Syrup Studio Group]

[Luo Tuo Xiangzi³: !]

[Luo Tuo Xiangzi: I think I’ve discovered something incredible!]

[Ordinary Joe: The gossip on Weibo?]

[Blind with Eyes Open: We’ve all seen it. Poor boss]

[Luo Tuo Xiangzi: No, on Yan Wang’s first day at MQ, he said he wanted to shoot a cover with Jiang Si’s boyfriend!]

[Luo Tuo Xiangzi: I brought him Liu Qing, but he wasn’t satisfied. I was confused back then]

[Luo Tuo Xiangzi: So he was looking for Boss Rong from the start!]

[Descendant of Emperors: Ugh, you’re making me feel unexpectedly touched]

[Filial Son: Daily reminder: our two bosses are too sweet]

[Luo Tuo Xiangzi: That’s not the point!]

[Luo Tuo Xiangzi: The point is Jiang Si and Liu Qing hadn’t even announced their relationship back then!]

[Luo Tuo Xiangzi: Which means]

[Luo Tuo Xiangzi: Yan Wang had his eye on someone else’s wife way back!]

[Spoiled Disciple: Xiang-ge, this is the main group. Boss can see this]

[Luo Tuo Xiangzi recalled N messages]

…

Meanwhile, Yan Zhi was also checking his phone and leisurely sent a message: [Any objections?]

[Luo Tuo Xiangzi: Long live ZhiKe syrup! \( ^▽^ )/]

–

As the year drew to a close, after Rong Ke’s eighth wrap-up, “Express” finally reached its true conclusion.

Only when the familiar sets were dismantled did all the actors, who had been strung along by Jiang Hua, dare to believe the filming was actually over.

At the wrap party that night, Rong Ke was in high spirits and drank a bit too much. He was carried home by Yan Zhi in a daze. Although he was put to bed, he stubbornly got up to check his emails on his laptop.

“Chocolate endorsement… can proceed with negotiations.”

Yan Zhi approached the desk, looking at Rong Ke curiously. “Didn’t you say you didn’t want to take on endorsements?”

“What do you know,” Rong Ke said with a pout. “I need to work hard and earn money. You don’t know how wasteful my partner is.”

“I’m wasteful?” Yan Zhi leaned on the desk and pointed at himself, amused. “Me?”

“He buys clothes without checking prices, wears them twice and never again. When Jiang Hua cries about being poor, he just hands over three million. Does he think he’s rich?” Rong Ke grumbled. “Now there’s no other work, so I have to support the family. I can only earn quick money.”

“Baby,” Yan Zhi said, torn between laughter and exasperation, “Have you considered that the three million might actually turn a profit?”

Discussing this serious topic, Rong Ke sobered up a bit. He sat up straight, crossed his arms, and started calculating. “After deducting theater cuts, marketing costs, and so on, the box office needs to hit twenty million to break even. Do you think it can reach twenty million? I’d be impressed if theaters even agree to screen it.”

“You have so little confidence?” Yan Zhi asked.

“Mainly because I have no idea what kind of movie I made,” Rong Ke shook his head heavily. “I should have been firmer with Director Jiang. I shouldn’t have let him do whatever he wanted. I barely took any pay for this film, and you threw in an extra three million. It’s like we worked these past few months for nothing. If we keep working like this, we’ll soon run out of savings.”

“I don’t think that’ll happen,” Yan Zhi tilted his head, considering his bank balance. He felt that even if Rong Ke stopped working, they wouldn’t run out of money anytime soon.

“It’s okay,” Rong Ke stood up, patting Yan Zhi’s shoulder. “I’ll work hard to support you. You just focus on being pretty.”

Yan Zhi chuckled, wrapping an arm around Rong Ke’s waist. “I have faith in Director Jiang.”

“You’re an outsider, you don’t understand,” Rong Ke said worriedly. “His style is too eccentric. Even if I try to boost ticket sales, if the film itself doesn’t appeal to the audience, they won’t buy it.”

“Are you so sure it won’t appeal to the audience?” Yan Zhi said. “The final cut isn’t even out yet. You’re worrying too early.”

Rong Ke shook his head. “I don’t know what the final edit will look like.”

“Speaking of that,” Yan Zhi said, “I’m meeting with Director Jiang tomorrow to discuss post-production issues.”

Rong Ke’s brain stuttered. “What?”

Was Yan Zhi going to be involved in the entire film production process?

Rong Ke suddenly remembered his time working at the bar, curious about every job, even learning to strip…

From this perspective, Yan Zhi was just like him, interested in trying new things.

“Then I’ll go too,” Rong Ke said immediately. “We can’t let Director Jiang run wild again.”

“Baby,” Yan Zhi said with a conflicted expression. “I’m going as the main investor.”

The implication was clear: You’re no longer involved in this part.

“You…” Rong Ke raised his index finger, pointing at Yan Zhi, but couldn’t finish his sentence.

“Forget it,” he huffed, walking to the bed and flopping face-first onto it. “Daddy’s not taking care of you anymore.”