Jian Feiyang hesitated, then stopped himself.
He peeked at Fan Qing, who was quietly resting nearby, looking like a guilty little puppy.
“What’s up?”
Fan Qing, having enjoyed Jian Feiyang’s silliness, finally spoke with a rare touch of generosity.
Jian Feiyang opened his mouth slowly, then carefully met Fan Qing’s gaze.
“A-Qing… does my contract need the company’s approval to be valid?”
Before Fan Qing could answer, he continued on his own:
“That’s probably right. And the manager would surely know, but the manager…”
He fell silent again.
“…he won’t approve of you going on this variety show.”
Fan Qing took over the explanation naturally.
“Not only that—he might be upset we contacted the show ourselves. He could even give us a lesson—like firing me and freezing you in a way that seems justified.”
“You mean that?”
Jian Feiyang’s eyes flickered nervously.
“I…I just thought he’d be mad…”
So the consequences could actually be that serious? Could Fan Qing really get fired?
Impossible!
He was about to protest, but Fan Qing interrupted smoothly.
“Relax. Thinking something is one thing. Being able to make it happen is another.”
Jian Feiyang froze.
Fan Qing gave him a sharp look.
“What, you don’t believe me?”
“No.” Jian Feiyang scratched his head sheepishly, then chuckled.
“I just… suddenly realized, A-Qing, you have so much presence. The way you just spoke… so cool!”
Fan Qing: “….”
He shouldn’t have asked that.
Jian Feiyang, seeing no response, didn’t mind and continued curiously:
“But A-Qing, what do you plan to do? Go back to the company to talk to the manager?”
A battle with the manager? Whoever wins, gets their way?
“No, first we’ll go to your dorm and wait a bit. Also, you should temporarily remove your brother from the blacklist.”
By the time he spoke, they were already downstairs at the company dorm.
Fan Qing pushed open the car door and stepped out, waiting a moment.
He bent down to glance inside.
“You been growing roots in the car or what?”
Jian Feiyang hesitated for a moment but obediently got out.
Fan Qing gestured for him to walk ahead toward the dorm.
“Still don’t want to take your brother off the blacklist?”
Jian Feiyang stammered but nodded. He just didn’t want to!
“Just this once, then. Don’t you want to feel what it’s like to use your brother and then toss him aside?”
Fan Qing followed behind, his sympathy for Jian Feiyang’s situation at the company growing stronger.
The dorm building had no elevator, and Jian Feiyang was assigned the top floor.
The hallway was narrow, cluttered with boxes and miscellaneous items, making the climb feel like scaling a mountain.
When they finally reached Jian Feiyang’s door, Fan Qing immediately recognized it as the worst room in the building.
Even his current rented apartment had at least a solid iron door.
Jian Feiyang unlocked the door. Inside, it was just as cramped and dim as Fan Qing had imagined.
Still, the room was clean and tidy, clearly cared for by its owner. Fan Qing glanced at Jian Feiyang’s back and allowed himself a small nod of approval.
Though a bit naïve, the boy had many redeeming qualities. Cleanliness definitely ranked high.
“A-Qing, sit.”
Jian Feiyang pulled out a cushion and handed it to Fan Qing, then sat down himself, his bright eyes sparkling with excitement.
“You just said, ‘use my brother and then toss him aside’?!”
He could do it!
He was willing!
Just then, Jian Feishuo, busy with work, received a call.
He frowned slightly as he answered—who was calling?
Ah, Jian Feiyang’s manager?
Seeing the caller ID, Jian Feishuo paused his work reluctantly and picked up.
“Ah-Yang agreed to leave the industry?”
The manager, intending to trip up Jian Feiyang, froze mid-sentence, then remembered—this person was Jian Feiyang’s older brother!
What he intended to say swirled in his throat, but when it came out, it sounded different.
“To be honest, there were signs before, but recently something new happened.”
Jian Feishuo’s eyes narrowed.
“What happened?”
The manager cleared his throat, feigning a sigh.
“Last time, we should’ve handled his assistant, but that person is cunning. He found an excuse to go to Nie Luo’s side, and somehow convinced Nie Luo to bring him back. Now, I had already found a new script for your brother, but he went and tried a variety show role—and lucked out. That show is quite demanding, and since he’s still young, he got the part.”
“What do you mean, ‘still young and lucky’?”
Jian Feishuo’s brow furrowed tighter.
He glanced at the clock—ten minutes before his next meeting, no time to dig deeper.
He tapped the desk, suppressing his irritation.
“So?”
Wasn’t that hint obvious enough?
The manager, slightly frustrated, still said with a flattering tone:
“I just wanted to ask your opinion. I’ve put the contract on hold…”
“Then why are you calling?”
Jian Feishuo was visibly displeased.
He hated wasting time on trivial matters. This manager, known as top-tier in the industry, apparently didn’t follow basic procedure?
He forced himself to take a deep breath, while the manager tried to suppress his rising anger.
“My point is, it’d be better to handle the assistant situation. You see, if you really want Feiyang to quit, without the assistant, he might realize the difficulties faster…”
“No.”
Jian Feishuo’s voice cut coldly.
His frustration with the manager almost felt tangible.
Realize the difficulty?
There are countless ways to make Ah-Yang realize the challenge. Last time, temporarily removing the assistant didn’t work. Now the manager wants Ah-Yang to deal with everything alone?
Even Jing Yuan recommended someone like this?
Glancing at the time, Jian Feishuo left a cold final instruction before hanging up:
“Ah-Yang must have someone with him. If the assistant is dismissed, you follow him personally.”
Follow him personally?
The manager, phone still in hand, went from red to purple with fury.
Jian Feiyang, you want to join a variety show? With that assistant, you’ll never get ahead in this lifetime!
He took out his phone, coldly texted Ma Gong to say Jian Feiyang’s schedule wasn’t suitable, and naturally, the contract was left unresolved.
Ma Gong hung up and immediately dialed another number.
The person on the other end barely picked up when he exclaimed:
“You were right—the manager didn’t approve the contract.”
Fan Qing’s tone was calm, unsurprised.
“Of course. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have bothered making this arrangement with you, Ma Dao. Thanks, though.”
This confirmed Fan Qing’s suspicion: the manager truly was problematic.
He thought wryly—this industry was becoming harder and harder to understand.
Clearly a manager by title, yet not a single assistant seems to genuinely care—strange.
“Don’t rush to thank me. I can hold the contract for a few days, but whether it gets signed is up to you.”
Fan Qing: “Of course. We’ll arrange the signing as soon as possible. Don’t worry, Director Ma.”
The kid was surprisingly confident.
Ma Gong didn’t ask further.
“Good, I’ll give you two days. Let me know then.”
This director had more humanity than expected.
Fan Qing just hung up when Jian Feiyang suddenly let out a sharp “Ah!” and dashed over, gripping his phone.
“A-Qing! My brother—he actually called me!”
He really did! Why now? How did A-Qing know?
Everything was ready; now the final piece had arrived.
Fan Qing lightly pressed Jian Feiyang’s head.
“Alright, take the call.”
“…Oh.”
A-Qing seemed so cool and composed; was his own excitement a little foolish?
Clutching the phone, Jian Feiyang’s mood shifted completely. He glanced at the incoming call and quietly answered.
“…Brother.”
Jian Feishuo didn’t respond.
He’d rushed through the meeting, and now the call was finally going through—yet he didn’t know what to say.
“Brother?” Jian Feiyang’s tone was uncertain. He scratched his head.
“You didn’t dial wrong, did you?”
“How could I? Do you think I’m you?” Jian Feishuo’s voice carried a hint of disdain.
No wonder Jian Feiyang had blocked him.
Fan Qing observed thoughtfully from beside him.
Jian Feiyang sighed.
“Honestly, this is the only day you’ll get out of my blacklist, Brother. If it weren’t for A-Qing, I wouldn’t have.”
Then he handed the phone directly to Fan Qing.
“A-Qing, you take over. I can’t really talk to him. I just want to put him back on the blacklist afterward.”
He wasn’t angry—just calm and accustomed to it.
“What nonsense are you talking about? Who’s this A-Qing anyway…”
“Ah-Yang, Ah-Yang!”
“Hello, Mr. Jian. I’m Jian Feiyang’s assistant, Fan Qing. You probably know me, and also that the idea for Jian Feiyang to join a variety show came from me.”
Fan Qing took the phone and got straight to the point.
“I know you.”
At hearing the name, Jian Feishuo’s expression darkened.
“You were behind pushing Ah-Yang? What do you want—money? Or something else?”
Fan Qing shot Jian Feiyang a look.
The boy rolled his eyes dramatically. Naturally!
“I think you might be anxious, Mr. Jian. Perhaps it would help to see something first.”
Fan Qing didn’t wait for him to speak and continued.
“You probably don’t know just how much Jian Feiyang sacrificed for this opportunity, right?”
Jian Feishuo’s refusal was on the tip of his tongue. He wanted to say, the brat didn’t follow my plan and now suffers the consequences—so what? But for the first time, he held his tongue.
“…Send it over first, then.”
After all, it was just a small variety show.
Ah-Yang’s position, and getting this chance, shouldn’t be that difficult.