“Nie Ge, here’s the latest script.”
“Alright, put it here… Ah Qing?”
Nie Luo’s head shot up in surprise.
That voice—who else but Ah Qing?
Sure enough.
Fan Qing stood before him, a faint smile on his face.
“Ah Qing, what brings you here?”
Nie Luo pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and stepped around the desk.
“Just wanted to see what my busy man has been up to lately.”
Wait, Nie Luo wears glasses?
How did Fan Qing not know?
He followed the movement of the frames with his gaze.
Nie Luo noticed and explained briefly,
“Just ordinary blue-light glasses. I usually only wear them when looking at my phone or computer.”
“Is that so?”
Fan Qing couldn’t resist trying them on.
Sure enough, they were simple non-prescription lenses.
But then…
Fan Qing turned to look at Nie Luo.
“You haven’t worn these at home, have you?”
Nie Luo froze, answering instinctively.
“Well, at home I’m always looking at you, Ah Qing.”
He didn’t look at screens much, so why wear them?
His honesty, even occasional, was somehow more disarming than sweet words.
Fan Qing appreciated it, though he felt a little regretful.
Nie Luo’s office was only separated by a thin layer of frosted glass. If he did something more intimate here…
Tsk, that wouldn’t be appropriate.
Or maybe he should test the waters in his office?
The thought flashed through his mind, but he couldn’t resist.
He leaned in and gave Nie Luo a kiss.
Shallow, uncharacteristic of him, signaling just how unsuitable the office was for anything more.
As their lips parted, a faint trace of disappointment crossed Nie Luo’s mind.
Fan Qing was already happy just that Nie Luo had come to see him!
“By the way, Ah Qing, do you have time?”
Nie Luo looked at Fan Qing eagerly.
He’d been so busy lately!
But Ah Qing had seemed busy too!
Both of them were busy… but now Ah Qing came to see him, does that mean he’s not busy anymore?
Nie Luo’s anticipation grew.
His expression was easy to read.
But…
Fan Qing was a little helpless.
“Yes, I have time, but not completely free.”
He sighed, then walked over to the scripts he had brought earlier.
“I came this time because I have something I need from you.”
“Something from me?”
Nie Luo blinked, and then saw Fan Qing pull a script from the pile and hand it over.
“What’s this?”
Nie Luo glanced at it.
Invincible Manager?
He instinctively looked at Fan Qing.
“Ah Qing, what’s this?”
“This is a new script by a recently signed screenwriter. Tenghuang is producing a new film, funded by the company’s general manager. All that’s left is a male lead. So… would you be interested?”
Fan Qing said this with a teasing glint in his eyes.
He sidled up to Nie Luo, letting his fingers drift over his chest.
“So, what do you think? Big actor, interested?”
Nie Luo’s previously poised words flew right out of his mind.
He wanted to grab the fingers on his chest, but at the same time… didn’t want to.
Ah Qing hadn’t teased him like this in ages.
A familiar warmth rose to his ears, but he tried to stay composed.
“Th-then, what would it take for you, Fan Qing, to let me do this?”
Huh?
“Fan Qing?”
Fan Qing paused, looking up at him.
Nie Luo avoided his gaze, ears red, yet wore a brave expression as if bearing some burden.
What was this?
Playing along with his little “script”?
Fan Qing’s eyes lit up.
But the script was wrong.
His fingers grew bolder, sliding in from the collar.
“Actor Nie, you really know how to joke. Our Tenghuang is just a small company—how could we ever negotiate terms with you?”
Nie Luo’s eyes widened in confusion.
Huh? Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around?
The next second, he realized his chest had been pinched.
He was in his office!
Quickly, Nie Luo turned his back to the door, using his body to shield Fan Qing entirely.
His expression, now, could not be seen by anyone else!
Shyness mixed with determination, his mind raced, still trying to go along with Fan Qing.
“So… what’s your point?”
His point?
Seeing Nie Luo cooperate so willingly, Fan Qing couldn’t resist going further.
“My point, of course, is… what does Actor Nie think of me?”
His fingers mischievously wandering, he tilted his chin up.
His eyes shone with affection and playful challenge toward Nie Luo.
“Wh-what do you mean?”
Nie Luo stammered.
Ah… Ah Qing really wants to do this here?
B-but the office isn’t soundproof, and the glass is frosted!
“Of course… what does Actor Nie think of how I look?”
Fan Qing grabbed one of Nie Luo’s hands and placed it on his face.
Nie Luo considered withdrawing it.
But if he did, Ah Qing might get angry?
So he held still, just nodding.
“You’re… definitely the best looking.”
Even better than him.
Nie Luo nodded as he said it.
Fan Qing: …?
This scene almost made him break character.
He laughed helplessly but refused to lose now that it had come this far.
“You think I don’t look as good as you?”
Fan Qing continued, ignoring him.
He hadn’t!
He hadn’t said that!
How could Ah Qing do this?
Nie Luo panicked.
Fan Qing tried not to look at his pitiful expression, then grabbed Nie Luo’s other hand.
“I admit my looks aren’t as good as yours. How about you try? My waist… can it compare?”
Nie Luo finally understood.
Ah, so this was the “script” all along.
Damn, he hadn’t seen it coming!
Still…
His fingers couldn’t help but spread, covering the slender yet strong waist.
Ah Qing, such a narrow waist.
Nie Luo thought quietly.
Though slender, it was surprisingly strong.
Every time Ah Qing was on top…
Nie Luo’s eyes reddened slightly.
He lowered his head and lightly kissed Fan Qing’s lips, the ones that always so easily teased him.
“Nie Ge, Fan Qing forgot to grab one of the scripts just now… huh?”
An employee pushed the door open, eyes wide.
…Holy—
Ning and the other person were playing so boldly?
This was the office!
The office had frosted glass!
And no soundproofing at all!
Her mind went blank, then a thought struck.
Damn!
If she had come a moment later, she could have seen everything!
Hah…!
She’d pay any price to watch this!
Meanwhile, Fan Qing, barely kissed and utterly oblivious to the employee’s thoughts: ?
Although he had no idea what the employee was thinking, he very much wanted to say: “Please, stay out of my head.”
Considering Nie Luo’s public image—though everyone in the studio already knew about their relationship—Fan Qing took a small step back.
“Bring it in.”
“Ah? Oh, o-okay!”
The employee hurried in with small, quick steps that looked fast but were actually slow.
She cursed the small size of the boss’s office!
Hoped the boss would earn more and soon move into a huge office!
One big enough for her to run a full three kilometers just to observe everything in detail!
Reluctantly lingering and glancing back every few steps, she finally left.
Too bad—she didn’t see anything more exciting.
Once she was gone, Nie Luo’s ears flushed a deep red.
“Ah Qing, I’ll go talk to them later. That was completely inappropriate.”
He had seen right through the employee’s stalling for gossip!
Fan Qing, however, didn’t mind at all.
In fact…
He couldn’t help but lean close and gently bite Nie Luo’s ear.
The redness was oddly cute.
“I don’t mind. The more curious they are, the better. Brother, did you forget I had Sheng handle the stuff in the fan forums?”
Of course, he hadn’t forgotten!
Those pictures, those articles… he’d seen them all!
Still, how did Ah Qing come up with all that?
And did he think about this stuff every day?
Nie Luo suddenly calmed down.
Which meant… had he been neglecting Ah Qing all this time?
His gaze fell on the person in front of him, and a trace of guilt appeared.
True, he did think of Ah Qing often, and of course, wanted to do certain things with him.
Ah Qing was a little younger, so it was natural for him to think about these things too.
Thinking of this, Nie Luo suddenly became interested in the script from earlier.
“Ah Qing, the script you mentioned—Tenghuang is producing it? You’re investing?”
“Huh? Oh, yes.”
Nie Luo’s expression made Fan Qing feel a little unreadable.
Just a moment ago, Nie Luo had been adorably shy.
But now?
He was suddenly no longer shy, even talking business seriously.
Did he miss a scene?
After a fraction of a second of indecision, Fan Qing quickly gave up worrying.
None of that mattered!
What mattered was the script!
He handed the script to Nie Luo.
“I really want you to be my male lead. It’s a little selfish, but I honestly think this script is excellent. Take a look—interested?”
“Okay.”
Nie Luo took it.
He read at a moderate pace, neither too fast nor too slow.
It took him nearly half an hour to go through the whole script seriously.
It really was a very good script.
Though the title seemed cliché, and the content almost suggested it—a big, satisfying story.
The script had only one main character: the manager.
Here, the manager was truly invincible. Whoever came into his care—actors or others—would find their fortunes reversed, shining bright where once overlooked.
From start to finish, the script could be summed up in one word: satisfying.
But it wasn’t completely without depth.
Every supporting character had a past.
They had run away or resisted, but under the manager’s guidance, they confronted and overcame their hardships.
Their growth, their effort—each could be a film, an autobiography.
But in this script, they were all supporting roles.
Because the manager was the true highlight.
He appeared invincible, but it wasn’t innate.
Behind every character’s growth, there was his effort and dedication.
His growth was just faster, more disciplined, harsher on himself.
It was a satisfying story, but if examined deeper, it had depth.
So it needed a strong male lead.
But none of that mattered.
Nie Luo saw something else in the script.
Too familiar.
The protagonist of the script was too much like Ah Qing.
So…
“Ah Qing wants to see… how I’d portray you?”