Although rq hadn’t been around for very long, the way it appeared to the public was so unique. Especially since it went on to continuously sign artist after artist, each with significant potential for growth, it was no surprise that with rq’s financial power, the company forcibly carved out a new path in the entertainment industry. Many of the artists signed there quickly gained momentum and developed rapidly, their careers blazing hot.
As the most attention-grabbing company, its behind-the-scenes boss had always been impossibly quiet. The lower the profile, the more it drew people’s eyes. Many entertainment reporters had been secretly tailing this corner, hoping to break a big story—and unexpectedly, they actually succeeded.
The “big fish” was caught by a magazine that wasn’t particularly famous. Due to lack of strength, the magazine’s circulation had always been low, so naturally it wasn’t doing as well as other newspapers. But their staff had patience; ever since rq officially launched, they had been staking out its doors. Unexpectedly, they actually managed to catch a big fish!
“Boss Bo.” Liang Xin stood nearby, touching the scratch marks on his face left by Mi Huang’s angry paw. He had almost been too scared to leave the house today. Yet somehow, someone had leaked a photo of Boss Bo. Helpless, he had slapped on a Band-Aid and come over.
“Find out who did this. Also, suppress the news. Inform Naga on our side—have them help us suppress it. And that thing we prepared earlier? It’s time to release it.” Bo Rui’s expression wasn’t great. He had been a bit careless this time; he hadn’t expected to be photographed, especially at his own company’s entrance. This was an enormous embarrassment.
Though he already had a plan, this wasn’t part of it. Particularly worrying was that Da Bao Bei must have seen this photo.
“Yes, sir.” Liang Xin secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Even though he had followed Boss Bo for a few years, Bo Rui’s temper was enough to crush anyone when he worked seriously. Seeing him this angry, Liang Xin felt a little overwhelmed.
Bo Rui was in a bad mood. He tossed aside the magazine he had been scribbling in, hung up his phone with his right hand, and redialed.
Still, no one picked up. Bo Rui’s head ached. At a time like this, Da Bao Bei wasn’t answering—had they already seen it, or was it just because of filming?
He tugged at his tie, which was constricting him almost to the point of suffocation. There was nothing to do; he could only resolve these problems as quickly as possible and then head directly to the set.
Bo Rui made up his mind: he would throw himself entirely into work, hoping to settle these troubles quickly to prevent any misunderstandings with Da Bao Bei.
Meanwhile, Yu Junqing had indeed seen the news. On a whim, he even bought a copy of the magazine to look at. Xiao Yitong hadn’t initially understood why Brother Yu had asked him to buy such a magazine—it seemed like a third-rate publication.
When he saw the familiar photo on the cover, he realized half the truth: Brother Yu had wanted to see this news. The other half remained unclear to Xiao Yitong. Why was their boss so concerned about which male star was rumored to be involved?
Yu Junqing wasn’t performing at his best, but since this scene required him to play Luo Xu watching Luo Er’s actions and then suddenly falling into contemplative thought, his distracted state actually matched Shi’s requirements well. Director Wang Shilin was fairly satisfied with his performance. After this scene wrapped, Yu Junqing had some downtime.
Then, in the makeup room, everyone witnessed a rare sight.
Yu Junqing flipped through the magazine, gradually zoning out completely. His eyes clearly wandered far away, his expression vacant, lost in thought. A few staff members almost couldn’t resist taking a few photos, but after Wang Jin’s earlier warnings, no one actually did.
Xiao Yitong followed Yu Junqing for a while, noticing his dazed state, his eyes void, clearly inattentive to what was being said.
He wondered why Brother Yu seemed off after looking at that magazine.
Yu Junqing, zoning out, was approached by Lin Qing. Xiao Yitong hurriedly greeted him.
“What’s wrong with him?” Lin Qing asked, finding it strange.
“I’m not entirely sure… maybe he’s just tired from working too hard?” Xiao Yitong offered a weak excuse, not wanting to reveal it was the magazine.
Lin Qing looked at Yu Junqing skeptically. He didn’t look tired; he seemed distracted by something else entirely.
“Forget it. Seeing him like this, I might as well explain it to you too.” Lin Qing shook his head and gave Xiao Yitong a briefing.
It turned out that as filming was nearing its conclusion, their team had worked hard to maintain secrecy. But they couldn’t avoid promotion forever. After filming wrapped, promotion work would begin. Lin Qing had nothing pressing; he was simply taking a breather to avoid the daily stress of acting.
“Alright, we’ll be fully prepared!” Xiao Yitong promised on Yu Junqing’s behalf. It was their duty, and seeing Brother Yu so distracted, he couldn’t let his image suffer in front of others. The warmer his expression, the more Lin Qing found it slightly odd.
Yu Junqing had no idea what was happening. His mind was filled with troubling thoughts, even some impulse to rush over to Rui Ge’s side and take out the man who dared approach him.
The next day:
The man he wanted to take down appeared at rq Company again, unaware of the secret surveillance around him. He wanted this effect.
After a quick check on his phone to confirm nothing was amiss, the man—now to be called Zhu Wen—relaxed as he stepped through rq’s doors.
“I have an appointment with Boss Bo. Please tell him Zhu Wen is here.” Zhu Wen approached the front desk boldly, his voice loud enough for everyone to hear, commanding the receptionist like he owned the place.
“Alright, please wait a moment.” Though a bit annoyed, the receptionist confirmed with Liang Xin.
“Sir, you can take the elevator to the sixteenth floor.”
“I know.” Zhu Wen didn’t expect things to go so smoothly. He nodded and entered the elevator. The transparent doors closed, shielding him from view, as he considered the probability of success.
According to his intel, Yu Junqing was stuck on set and unavailable. If he could deal with Bo Rui in the meantime, wouldn’t things be easier?
After several mental simulations to ensure nothing was overlooked, the sixteenth floor arrived.
“You must be Mr. Zhu?” Liang Xin said coldly, staring at the man in the elevator. No wonder Boss Bo had said he wouldn’t be mistaken—what a jaw! If it fell, it could pierce the floor. A perfect face, yet so sharply angular. Why?
Zhu Wen was thrown off by the icy tone. This didn’t match his expectations. Why was the assistant so cold? And why wasn’t Bo Rui himself here?
Liang Xin had been around Bo Rui long enough to read a man like Zhu Wen at a glance. He sneered inwardly. Even if his boss hadn’t seen through him, did Zhu Wen really think his own status warranted a personal welcome?
“This way. Boss is in an international meeting, about half an hour more. He asked me to bring you to the small lounge to wait.” Liang Xin lied smoothly. Zhu Wen had no way of knowing; initially annoyed at Bo Rui’s supposed meeting, he realized it made sense—this boss was powerful.
The “small lounge” was exactly that: a tiny single sofa and a mini tea table. Liang Xin ushered him in and made an excuse to continue assisting the meeting, leaving Zhu Wen alone.
Though Zhu Wen had worked in companies before, he rarely had access to upper management, so he didn’t realize how shabby this “lounge” was. He sat quietly on the small sofa, waiting for Bo Rui.
“Has he arrived?” Bo Rui looked up from his documents casually.
“Yes. I made minor adjustments to the unused tea room; seems suitable for him.” Liang Xin reported flatly.
“Well done. Keep an eye on him. Listen for anything he shouldn’t say.” Bo Rui groaned. He had heard from Ren Qingyun a snippet but still wasn’t sure of Zhu Wen’s intentions. Watching from the sidelines was safest.
Plus, he wanted to know why this man insisted on sticking around.
Liang Xin shrugged. Since he couldn’t work normally at rq anyway, he’d play spy for a while—getting paid without having to appear in public was not bad. With the scratch marks on his face, he certainly didn’t want anyone seeing them.
After a while, Zhu Wen grew impatient. Not used to waiting, he considered nudging things along but restrained himself, aiming to leave a good impression. Instead, he took out his phone to check yesterday’s news.
Surprisingly, the story had already nearly faded. A famous director had been exposed for repeatedly coercing lesser-known actresses—overnight, “casting couch” became the hottest keyword.
Zhu Wen was irritated. He had spent huge effort to find this perfect timing, only to see the attention siphoned away.
He dialed a number. “Hey? Weren’t we supposed to keep this story hot for three days? Now it’s nearly gone!” His voice sharp.
“Don’t blame us! The money you gave was only enough for the off-season. You saw it, right? It’s not that we didn’t try, but there are only a few of us. Look at Weibo—it’s chaotic. Our people tried to dive in, almost got torn apart!”
Zhu Wen bit back his anger. Of course, these were leeches. Luckily, he had prepared. Once he produced a few staged photos with Bo Rui outdoors, he wouldn’t worry about this.
“First, push it into the top ten. I want to see results before deciding on more money. Your performance hasn’t been impressive so far.”
“Alright, just wait. But don’t back out on your promise.” The other party left an ambiguous warning before hanging up.
“Hmph. Worthless.” Zhu Wen cursed silently.
“Wow, this industry really is chaotic,” Liang Xin muttered, watching the monitors. He had heard the entire call, shivering at the complexity. This world surpassed even historical costume palace dramas.
But why was this person so intent on sticking to his boss? Liang Xin didn’t fully understand. If not for years of trust, he wouldn’t have realized Bo Rui had a fondness for a man, one immersed in the glittering, flashy world.
Bo Rui merely wanted him watched. Liang Xin’s imagination ran wild. Sometimes he admired Liang Xin’s brain—perfect for work, but during gossip, it spun wildly, often detached from reality.
Another call went unanswered. Bo Rui set the files aside to rest.
Though Da Bao Bei wasn’t answering, he wasn’t overly worried. Truthfully, Da Bao Bei was just a bit insecure. Once this matter resolved, they would understand the situation.
What worried him more was whether Da Bao Bei would forget to maintain proper meals. Had Xiao Yitong’s intervention helped? He hoped Da Bao Bei would take care of himself and not waste the carefully nurtured flesh he’d grown.
Deciding to handle it personally, Bo Rui went to see what Zhu Wen intended. Solving this would make things smoother.
Zhu Wen had nearly lost patience when the door opened—Bo Rui, rq’s CEO, stepped in.
His eyes lit up—not for any other reason, but because he noticed the subtly luxurious, custom-made foreign suit. Just this outfit alone was enough to employ the person he had sent out.
“Boss Bo.” Zhu Wen adjusted his expression, suppressing his voice slightly, his eyes sparkling like a long-time fan seeing their idol.
Bo Rui froze a moment. Ren Qingyun had said this person’s face differed from the image they had—this must be genuine.
Did this man ever look in a mirror? His tone and gaze, paired with a lifeless face, nearly made Bo Rui suspect his intentions.
Suppressing the urge to turn and leave, Bo Rui forced a faint, almost imperceptible smile.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. You said yesterday there was something about our artists? What is it?” Bo Rui extended his left hand ceremoniously, lightly brushing it against Zhu Wen’s. Misreading the gesture, Zhu Wen’s eyes sparkled with even more fervor.
“Yes… I’m your… fan.” Zhu Wen deliberately didn’t finish the sentence, eyes carrying subtle allure.
“Yesterday’s news—I’m truly sorry. I didn’t expect that just talking outside the door would get written like that. Did it cause you any unnecessary trouble?”
What? Bo Rui found this slightly off but continued calmly.
“No.”
“That’s a relief. I stayed up all night worrying about it. Now I can finally rest easy.” Zhu Wen’s innocent expression made Bo Rui even more suspicious. What was this person plotting?
Hadn’t he caught Yu Junqing’s weakness to act against him? Why was he now so fixated on Bo Rui? Bo Rui was confused; even Liang Xin watching the monitors was baffled. Boss, this wasn’t what we agreed on.