Nie Luo had been so busy lately that he was completely overwhelmed.
After setting up his studio, he had taken on a large number of jobs to stabilize things. His schedule was packed nearly every single day, and the results were immediate.
But there was also a huge problem.
He had gone one full day and twenty-three hours without seeing A-Qing.
Thinking about this, Nie Luo took the cup his assistant handed him and took a sip.
The taste was familiar.
It was the tea blend A-Qing had specially prepared for him.
Nie Luo asked, “What’s today’s effect?”
The assistant answered without hesitation, “Clears internal heat.”
Nie Luo: …
No wonder.
No wonder he thought it tasted a bit bitter.
“Clearing heat???“
The actress resting nearby froze when she heard that, her face full of shock.
She looked at Nie Luo, who was wearing only a thin jacket, then looked down at herself, bundled up like a walking ball of cotton.
…Sorry to bother you!
Turns out she was the only one personally experiencing winter!
She couldn’t help sneaking off to the side to whisper with her assistant.
The assistant couldn’t resist gossiping either.
“But seriously, isn’t Teacher Nie only in his twenties? Having a lot of internal heat at that age is pretty normal, isn’t it?”
As she spoke, she quietly flashed a knowing, gossipy smile.
“And Teacher Nie has had zero scandals all this time, right? Then he’s probably single. If that’s the case, having excess heat is totally normal.”
The actress shot her a flat look.
“You can drive on roads this broken? The car just ran me over, right across my face!”
The assistant burst out laughing. “If you couldn’t understand it, would the car even be able to hit you? Isn’t it because your brain is unhealthy? Let me pry it open and see—probably all yellow inside.”
The two laughed and messed around, but the actress still couldn’t help casting a curious glance in Nie Luo’s direction.
Honestly, Nie Luo really hadn’t had any proper male–female scandals since debut. But he was already in his mid-twenties, wasn’t he? Could it really be that he was relying solely on the Five-Finger Lady?
As she was thinking this, she leaned in again to whisper with her assistant.
“Hey, what kind of person do you think Teacher Nie actually likes? I wonder if he likes men or women.”
When it came to gender, the industry was actually pretty open-minded—after all, plenty of people didn’t limit themselves to just one.
But the moment she finished speaking, the assistant—who had just been joking around with her—suddenly turned serious.
The assistant looked at her solemnly.
“You can gossip, but don’t go there. The manager already warned you—your career is on the rise right now. Don’t touch this kind of thing, or you’ll regret it.”
After saying that, she seemed to feel her tone had been too harsh, and softened into a more earnest, coaxing expression.
“The manager is doing this for your own good. And think about it—Teacher Nie has gone so many years without any scandals. That shows he takes this kind of thing seriously and keeps himself clean. Your status isn’t on his level yet, so it’s best not to provoke Teacher Nie.”
The actress stuck out her tongue. She had just been casually gossiping, after all.
But seeing how serious her assistant was, she could only lower her voice and promise,
“I know, I know. I was just gossiping a tiny bit. Just a tiny bit. I’m not interested in him.”
The one she loved was the twenty-plus husbands in her games!
And not a single one repeated! Every single husband treated her with care and affection—why would she go like Nie Luo and his ice-cold face?
Aside from acting, had she ever seen that icy expression of his thaw in daily life?
…Hmm?
Now that she thought about it, he was actually kind of similar to several of her domineering CEO husbands in games.
But those guys all started off cold and later turned into sweet, considerate little padded jackets. Not comparable, not comparable.
Just then, a bit of commotion arose outside.
Both the actress and her assistant grew curious. What was going on?
Nie Luo and his assistant also subconsciously looked over.
The next second, Nie Luo’s eyes lit up.
He handed the teacup to his assistant and hurried forward.
“Looks like someone came to visit the set—no idea who they’re here to see…”
The actress was in the middle of speaking to her assistant when her voice abruptly cut off.
Her eyes widened slightly.
Who was that person with a smile on his face, smiling like a warm spring breeze?
Her assistant was a little surprised too—
but she quickly reacted.
“Oh, it’s Agent Fan. No wonder Teacher Nie is so excited.”
She said it casually, but the actress was instantly scratching at her heart in curiosity.
“Agent Fan? Who’s that? Why does Teacher Nie look so excited when he sees him? This is the first time I’ve ever seen Teacher Nie make that kind of expression.”
That icy high-and-mighty flower face could actually look that gentle?
Being pestered nonstop, the assistant had no choice but to explain.
“I only know because before we started working with Teacher Nie, I went to check his super topic. Agent Fan—Fan Qing—used to be Jian Feiyang’s assistant. Jian Feiyang originally had the same manager as Teacher Nie, so the three of them all know each other.”
Huh?
The actress whispered,
“But usually when people are under the same manager, don’t they compete for resources and end up with bad relationships?”
The assistant gave her a strange look.
“Did you forget? Teacher Nie left his old company back then precisely because his manager gave all the resources to that Jing Yuan guy. That’s why he decided to go independent. I’m guessing Jian Feiyang was in the same situation—didn’t get much either. In that case, there wouldn’t be much conflict. They might even feel a bit of shared resentment?”
She paused, then summed it up.
“Anyway, from what I dug up before, during the Lunar New Year, Fan Qing even went out of his way to visit Teacher Nie on set. So their relationship probably isn’t shallow.”
Another bite of melon successfully eaten.
The actress felt deeply satisfied. Watching Fan Qing walk toward Nie Luo, she couldn’t help sighing.
“He’s just an agent? That feels kind of wasted. He’s actually pretty good-looking. Way better than that guy I worked with before—the one whose fans hyped him up to the heavens.”
The assistant hurriedly covered her mouth.
“My ancestor, just say that stuff in private, okay?”
So many people were around—if someone overheard and it got spread, wouldn’t that be another round of scolding?
The moment Fan Qing saw Nie Luo approaching, he couldn’t help smiling.
But…
After walking a few steps aside with Nie Luo, he raised an eyebrow.
“Looks like quite a few people in this new crew are pretty curious about you, huh?”
And by extension, curious about him too.
Nie Luo knew exactly who A-Qing was talking about.
He leaned in a little closer, their arms brushing.
“Just a kid with a strong curiosity. Why did you come, A-Qing?”
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly remembered something.
“So that Agent Jiang Mian—her work ability is pretty good?”
He remembered A-Qing mentioning her before.
Back then, A-Qing’s exact words had been—
If Jiang Mian is capable enough, I’ll be able to squeeze out more time to come visit you on set.
Feeling the arm brushing up against him, Fan Qing’s mood instantly lifted.
His boyfriend was just too adorable—adorable enough that he almost wanted to recruit a few more Jiang Mians.
That way, wouldn’t he be able to visit set every single day?
After indulging in that little fantasy, Fan Qing finally nodded.
“She’s decent. I told you before—Yuan Jing’s family situation? She handled that really well.”
And the arrangements on Hual’s side were also done neatly. Even though he had given a push from behind the scenes, Jiang Mian always managed to think through all the small details, front to back, once she got a job in hand.
A real talent for getting things done.
Come to think of it, he really should thank Wan Lianlian.
And that idiot company that had talent in its hands and didn’t know how to value it.
Yeah—she really was quite good.
A-Qing even looked noticeably more relaxed.
Nie Luo watched Fan Qing’s expression intently. Meanwhile, off in a corner, someone else was secretly watching too.
“Yuanyuan, you’re still staring?”
You Yuanyuan’s assistant finally couldn’t take it anymore.
She tugged at You Yuanyuan’s sleeve. “Take it easy. What if you accidentally make Teacher Nie unhappy later?”
Right!
You Yuanyuan shrank back instinctively.
But only a few seconds later, her gaze drifted back over again.
The assistant was at a complete loss for words.
You Yuanyuan gave an awkward laugh.
“Well… uh… maybe my eyes have ideas of their own…”
Damn it!
She really wanted to look!
Teacher Nie’s expression was just so gentle.
And she didn’t know if it was her imagination, but even though it wasn’t obvious, she felt like she saw a trace of deep affection in Teacher Nie’s eyes!
And the way Teacher Nie was looking at that friend of his—wasn’t that way too focused?
Like his entire attention was fixed on Fan Qing!
“You…”
The assistant watched her eyes darting everywhere and stopped, then started, then stopped again.
She wanted to scold her—but couldn’t.
In the end, she silently pulled out a small notebook and made a note—the manager will definitely chew her out later.
“Just be careful. If you really do offend Teacher Nie, we’ll go apologize immediately, got it?”
After jotting that down, the assistant decided to give up entirely.
You Yuanyuan hurriedly nodded.
She even put on a bit of an act, pulling out her phone and pretending to play a game.
Except she kept looking up in that direction every few seconds—far too frequently.
At this point, the assistant was genuinely speechless.
What was this—covering her ears while stealing a bell?
“The kids in your crew have way too much curiosity.”
Fan Qing was sharp by nature. With those glances constantly flying over, he couldn’t pretend not to notice even if he wanted to.
Nie Luo frowned slightly.
A-Qing was distracted.
A-Qing’s attention should have been on him alone.
Thinking that, Nie Luo was just about to look over at You Yuanyuan’s side—
when Fan Qing stopped him.
“A-Qing?”
Nie Luo looked confused.
Why wasn’t A-Qing letting him warn that kid?
Fan Qing thought for a few seconds, then suddenly lowered his voice.
“Nie-ge, what do you think about giving your fans a little… preventative shot?”
A preventative shot?
Nie Luo froze for a moment. Then his eyes lit up.
“A-Qing, you mean—?”
“Exactly what you’re thinking.”
The smile at Fan Qing’s eyes spread wider.
He had wanted to boil the frog slowly—but it was about time he taught a portion of Nie Luo’s fans how to properly ship their official CP.
“!”
Hearing Fan Qing confirm it, Nie Luo’s heart skipped a beat.
His excited voice came out slightly hoarse.
“Okay.”
Fan Qing smiled.
And this time, his smile was almost unfairly beautiful.
Not only did Nie Luo freeze, even You Yuanyuan, who was secretly watching, couldn’t help freezing too.
Th-this was really an agent?
That smile was way too good-looking—way too bewitching!
Even Teacher Nie was staring, totally stunned!
Wait.
You Yuanyuan quietly sucked in a breath.
Teacher Nie… was stunned too?
Was she seeing things?
That aloof, high-and-mighty, distant, ice-cold Teacher Nie?
Her gaze landed on Nie Luo’s expression.
Three parts gentleness, three parts smile, four parts lingering affection.
In that instant, a thought flashed through You Yuanyuan’s mind—
She shipped it.
She shipped Teacher Nie’s face!
And not just that—she shipped Agent Fan’s face too!
But most importantly…
She thought she had just shipped a newly rising CP!