At the café, the boy looked awkward. He glanced at Fan Qing, wanting to speak but hesitating.
Fan Qing didn’t mind. He hadn’t ordered coffee, just a cup of hot milk, sipping a few mouthfuls.
Within moments, he had all the information he needed.
Yao Ge came from a family of tailors, graduated from a prestigious design school, trained in proper fashion design. His grandfather had raised him carefully—healthy and spirited—but deeply disapproved of Yao Ge not working a proper job, and of making… “improper” clothes.
But Yao Ge’s dream was exactly that—designing unconventional, fetish wear.
In his own words, normal clothes were too “normal,” so he wanted to make something different.
Fan Qing admired this. He loved young people with dreams, especially in this field.
After a long pause, Yao Ge finally spoke softly.
“So… dude, you’re helping me, right? Thanks. But maybe you don’t need to actually give out your card. My grandfather has a pretty good memory—he might call you to ask about me anyway.”
“Oh? You think I’m joking?”
Fan Qing raised an eyebrow, curious.
Yao Ge gave an awkward laugh.
“Well… who would be an agent for someone making fetish wear?”
“Is that so?” Fan Qing replied lightly. He never claimed to be a “proper” person anyway.
He glanced at his milk. Hmph… Nie Luo was still too shy. Otherwise, last time he might have succeeded. Too bad.
Fan Qing said nothing, and Yao Ge began to feel uneasy.
What if this guy really meant it? What if he wasn’t joking? Would he have offended him by speaking so casually?
Yao Ge froze. Had he just accidentally pushed a great opportunity—the kind he actually wanted—right into his own hands?
Could he still back out?
“Why don’t you take a look at my card first?”
Fan Qing moderated his tone slightly—Nie Luo had a night shoot tonight, and no one would put out the fire for him.
“Oh… okay.”
Yao Ge realized and felt a sudden gratitude toward his grandfather—for handing over the card.
He glanced at the name on the card and felt a strange sense of familiarity.
Where had he seen it before? He pulled out his phone and searched.
His jaw dropped.
He looked up at Fan Qing, stammering, “Y-you… you’re really an agent?”
He remembered! He recalled! This guy had been trending multiple times recently!
“No kidding! I thought he just looked familiar because he was handsome!”
“Now, can we talk about what I mentioned earlier?”
Fan Qing straightened, his demeanor instantly serious.
Yao Ge was startled.
“Y-yes… we can.”
This… was a real agent? Wow, the aura was intense!
Fan Qing quickly laid out his plan: Yao Ge would handle the designs, and Fan Qing would handle everything else.
“You have two options: one, you design, I take care of materials, manufacturers, and sales. Or, you go custom—design everything yourself, and I handle just the sales.”
Fan Qing didn’t wait for the young man’s thoughtful gaze to appear before adding smoothly,
“But I’m not offering the first route. I only want you to go with the second.”
Yao Ge froze.
He blinked, utterly baffled.
“Then… what was the point of mentioning the first route just now?”
He didn’t understand.
Fan Qing spoke slowly, deliberately.
“It’s just to show you what I could do. Doesn’t mean I actually want to.”
Yao Ge was left speechless.
…Well, he didn’t really want the first route either. He just wanted to design some clothes, keep it simple.
Fan Qing: “Do you agree?”
Yao Ge nodded slowly.
“Good.”
Fan Qing stood up.
Yao Ge blinked.
Fan Qing looked at him, “Take your clothes and your coffee. Let’s get started on your first and second orders.”
Yao Ge’s eyebrows shot up, a question mark clearly floating above his head. Then, he gathered the clothes and coffee and trotted after him, still slightly dazed.
—So soon? He wasn’t ready yet!
Half an hour later, Yao Ge was completely stunned.
In front of him, two men were chatting casually.
“I’ll take this set. Fits Sheng Ge perfectly.”
Jin Si held one piece with a faintly arrogant air.
Fan Qing held the other sleeve, his tone calm and measured.
“Nie Ge can wear this too, and he can pull it off with the right feeling.”
…Huh? Why did it feel like he lost?
Jin Si frowned, eyes landing on the shirt.
“Fine. This one’s mine then.”
Fan Qing opened his mouth to respond, but Jin Si deliberately dragged out his words.
“If I remember right, you came here to give a gift?”
He raised an eyebrow at Fan Qing’s back.
“Are you sure this is a gift, and not showing off?”
Fan Qing glanced and realized… maybe he did bring a bit much. Damn.
He sighed, letting go.
“Actually, Nie Ge is basically a clothes hanger. Everything looks good on him.”
Jin Si looked over the shirts a few times, finally letting out a chuckle.
“Even if he suits it, doesn’t mean you’ve had time to sleep with anyone recently.”
Bam—right on target. Fan Qing was left speechless.
Argue with him? Impossible.
Jin Si slowly strolled behind Fan Qing.
“So you could’ve just waited until Nie Luo had time, and had someone make it later. Looks good on Sheng Ge though—I’ll take it.”
Fan Qing’s face fell. He wanted to argue, but… powerless.
This is… the world of big shots?
Yao Ge was dumbstruck beside them. He didn’t know who Jin Si was, but he recognized the big company brand Fan Qing had brought him to.
And he… he was just some ordinary guy making slightly risqué clothes, and here he was, making clothes for big shots. Could this really be happening?
“By the way, where did you find this person? Clean background? Checked them?”
Jin Si suddenly spoke, his pale, delicate face thoughtful.
Yao Ge: !
W-what? What background? Checked what?
He instinctively looked at Fan Qing.
Fan Qing’s expression mirrored Jin Si’s seriousness.
“No need. I know where he lives. Clean background, can use him.”
Yao Ge: ???
!!!
“You sure? Want me to have someone double-check?”
Jin Si waved his index and middle fingers.
W-what?
Yao Ge gaped as a new figure suddenly appeared in the room.
A big man. Massive. Black suit, black sunglasses.
Check? Now?
“No need. Didn’t you give me the person? I can handle it if needed.”
Fan Qing shook his head.
“Alright then.”
Jin Si nodded, waved his fingers again, and the man vanished immediately.
Yao Ge was utterly floored.
Big bro? What big bro?
He took two steps back, pressed against the wall, and for a moment, visions of endless “undercover” scenarios flashed in his mind.
He started trembling.
Had he… boarded the wrong ship?
Meanwhile, Fan Qing glanced at Yao Ge, then at Jin Si, thinking, Look at how scared he is.
Jin Si exhaled softly through his nose.
If you hadn’t cooperated, could I have scared him?
Fan Qing silently looked up at the ceiling.
No choice—thinking that he couldn’t use these clothes tonight himself, he wanted someone to share the experience.
And there were only three of them here.
Couldn’t expect Jin Si to take it all, right?
So after splitting the spoils with Jin Si, Fan Qing decided to go all the way with the gifts.
“Sheng Ge… should we bring him over here?”
He hadn’t meant to, but as soon as he mentioned it, Jin Si’s expression froze.
The previously mild expression turned icy, and the air around him seemed to chill.
Like stepping on a landmine?
Fan Qing was a bit surprised.
He tried carefully:
“Could it be… Sheng Ge just doesn’t want to come over?”
Jin Si shot a glance at him.
Fan Qing fell silent.
No wonder.
Yao Ge didn’t dare breathe a single breath beside them.
He had completely fallen into his own storm of imagination.
It wasn’t until Fan Qing had the contract drawn up and Yao Ge had nervously signed it that he finally stepped out of the company.
He glanced at the blue sky outside, his expression blank.
He hadn’t realized… that chasing a dream could feel so heavy!
Back at the office, Fan Qing remembered Yao Ge.
“…They’re adults. Surely they’d realize it was a joke, right?”
Both he and Jin Si were in low spirits and had completely forgotten to clarify anything.
Still, it probably wouldn’t be a problem.
Thinking this, Fan Qing carried the clothes he’d received back into the office.
No sooner had he arrived than Jin Yi came rushing over.
“Fan Qing! Fan Qing! Yuan Jing’s side seems to have some trouble!”
“Trouble?”
Fan Qing frowned slightly.
“Weren’t you keeping someone on his side?”
Jin Yi’s previously panicked expression immediately flattened into extreme boredom. He snorted.
“Yes, but not fully.”
Fan Qing knew it.
Just as he was about to step inside, Jin Yi’s sharp eyes caught the black plastic bag in his hands.
His face froze.
Fan Qing… carrying a black plastic bag?
The scene was far too strange.
“What’s inside? Let me take a look…”
His words caught in his throat the moment Fan Qing pulled out a pair of pants with an unusually long zipper.
In that instant, Jin Yi felt alarm bells ringing frantically in his head.
He put it down, spun around, and bolted out!
“Wait! My competition isn’t finished yet! I better go back to finish it! Bye!”
Damn!
Couldn’t Fan Qing be more careful? Was this something one could even bring back to the office?
As he ran, Jin Yi rubbed his chin, slowing down.
Well… it seemed Nie Luo was having fun after all.
Maybe he could buy a box of those little umbrella-shaped nutrient drinks as a peace offering for Nie Luo?
If he did, could Fan Qing just pretend nothing had happened today?
Probably… yes.