Chapter 11: I Like Being a Little Assistant the Most, President Lu

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Shi Qiu lowered his head, flipping through the contract. Yuan Lingzhu walked over and sat beside him, asking, “Are you Shi Qiu, little brother?”

“Yes, Teacher Yuan.” Shi Qiu was wearing a mask, his tone soft and gentle, even more youthful than Jiang Fengmian, who was about to play a high school student.

“You’re really cute, little brother. Do you know how to read a contract?” Yuan Lingzhu glanced at the contents on the A4 paper and asked, “I know a reliable lawyer. Do you want me to introduce you?”

“No need, I can read this kind of contract.” Shi Qiu gave a small yawn. “Hiring a lawyer costs money.”

Seeing his sleepy look, Yuan Lingzhu teased, “Why are you so tired?”

“You’re the one. How do you still have so much energy?” Shi Qiu glanced at Yuan Lingzhu, who still had light makeup on, and said with some despair, “Did you sleep for two hours?”

“I slept for three.” Yuan Lingzhu did not insist on helping him find a lawyer. They never intended to trick him anyway, and the contract was completely legitimate. Having a lawyer review it was just an extra precaution.

“Your brother’s image and temperament are perfect, even better than I imagined. Originally, we couldn’t find anyone suitable for the male lead. We were ready to give up. Casting was such a nightmare, but now it feels like a weight has been lifted.” Yuan Lingzhu then asked enthusiastically, “Our crew is going to a club tonight to celebrate. Are you coming?”

Shi Qiu gave her a baffled look, wondering if this woman didn’t need to sleep.

“Don’t worry about spending money, Director Chang is treating. We’re just going to eat, drink, and sing. We’re all proper people, with our own private room.” Yuan Lingzhu nudged him with her elbow, trying to persuade him.

Shi Qiu nodded weakly. “Then I need to catch up on sleep during the day.”

“Alright.” Yuan Lingzhu smiled and patted his shoulder. “Shi Qiu, little brother, you look even better than I expected. You’re not planning to debut?”

Shi Qiu touched the mask on his face and shook his head.

A game you’ve already cleared once is no fun to play again.

“That’s a pity.” Yuan Lingzhu saw that Director Chang Tianhe had finished speaking with Jiang Fengmian, so she patted Shi Qiu’s shoulder again and said, “Get a good nap. I’ll call you at seven tonight. Remember to come.”

“Okay.” Shi Qiu turned another page of the contract, still looking listless.

Yuan Lingzhu found his little expression unbearably cute. Her hands itched to ruffle his hair, but since they weren’t close enough yet, she held back and started packing her things to leave.

Jiang Fengmian sat down beside him, watching him read the contract. “You and Teacher Yuan seem close. Did you know each other before?”

“No, we just talked once last night,” Shi Qiu replied.

“Once? How long did you talk?” Jiang Fengmian was puzzled.

“From eight last night until three-thirty in the morning. And it was a voice call.” Shi Qiu yawned again. “Now I even know that last month Chang Tianhe had a fight with his wife and they lived apart for half a month.”

Jiang Fengmian didn’t know what to say. Seven and a half hours on a voice call… he had to hand it to them.

“Alright, there’s no problem with the contract.” Shi Qiu handed the finished contract to Jiang Fengmian, tilted his head onto his arm, and said, “I’m so sleepy…”

Jiang Fengmian wrapped an arm around his shoulder and lifted him up. “Then I’ll take you home to sleep.”

“Okay. Tonight Teacher Yuan invited me to a club for dinner, said it’s the crew having a gathering. I agreed.” Shi Qiu leaned lazily against Jiang Fengmian as he spoke.

Jiang Fengmian paused for a moment. “What club?”

“I don’t know. She said she’ll send me the location later,” Shi Qiu mumbled.

“Alright.” Jiang Fengmian helped him into the car and fastened his seatbelt.

When they got home, Shi Qiu fell into a deep sleep and didn’t wake until nightfall.

When he opened the door, he was greeted by a delicious aroma.

“Brother, you made braised pork?” Shi Qiu went over to the kitchen doorway, eyes sparkling.

“Mm, you’re awake?” Jiang Fengmian, still wearing an apron, glanced back at him with a smile. “It’s ready. If you want to eat, go wash your hands.”

“Okay.”

Shi Qiu sat down and happily began eating braised pork with rice. The rich sauce soaked into the rice, making it irresistibly fragrant. Since arriving here, this was the first time he had eaten something like this, and he was moved to the point of almost crying.

“Yuan Lingzhu sent me the location. The club is called Chun Qu Ye,” he said as he ate.

Jiang Fengmian froze for a moment.

Chun Qu Ye was a property of the Lu Corporation, famous for burning money.

Still, it was relatively clean compared to other places, without the same chaos.

“I’ll take you there later,” Jiang Fengmian said, eating the bitter melon and eggs in front of him. He was about to play a high school student, so he needed to keep his figure lean and youthful. Braised pork was completely off-limits.

“No need, Brother. That would tire you out. I’ll just take a taxi and send you a message when I get there,” Shi Qiu shook his head.

“Alright then.”

Full from dinner, Shi Qiu put on his puffy white down jacket, mask in place, and went out.

The moment he stepped into the club’s entrance, a wave of warm, faintly scented air hit his face.

As he thought to himself about the extravagance, he pulled out his phone to check his messages, then said to the approaching server, “Qushui Pavilion.”

“Qushui Pavilion? This way, sir.”

Walking along, Shi Qiu unzipped his down jacket. Once inside the private room, he took it off completely and handed it to the nearby server. Underneath, he wore a loose, soft white sweater.

Looking at the table, he saw most of the crew were already there.

“Hey, Shi Qiu, little brother, you’re so handsome. When you came in with the mask on, we thought some uninvited celebrity had shown up,” Yuan Lingzhu said with a laugh.

Shi Qiu’s eyes crinkled in a smile as he took off his mask and tucked it into his jacket pocket. “Sorry, I’m late.”

Seeing his face, the crew members froze. Wasn’t this supposed to be Jiang Fengmian’s manager’s little brother?

“Wait, with a face like yours, why aren’t you debuting? Why be a manager?” Yuan Lingzhu was stunned.

Wasn’t it said that people usually look better with a mask on?

How could this guy’s mask be sealing away his looks?

“I’m only a temporary manager. Once Jiang Fengmian signs with a company, I’ll focus on being his assistant. I like being a little assistant the most.” Shi Qiu smiled as he sat in the empty seat next to Yuan Lingzhu.

The warm light of the room fell on Shi Qiu, and in his eyes shone a glimmer of watery light. Anyone he looked at felt their heart skip a beat.

“No ambition!” Yuan Lingzhu sighed dramatically.

The others nodded in agreement.

Shi Qiu’s smile grew even brighter. He glanced over the dishes on the table and saw nothing he liked. They had looks but no flavor, nothing compared to Jiang Fengmian’s braised pork. And clearly, this meal was meant for drinking.

Drinking on an empty stomach was uncomfortable. People who socialized often knew to eat something first. Of course, coming already full like Shi Qiu wasn’t exactly ideal either.

“I came late, so I’ll punish myself with a drink.” Shi Qiu glanced at the table, picked up the white liquor decanter, estimated it at two taels, and downed it in two gulps.

Yuan Lingzhu quickly grabbed the decanter from his hand. “Do you even know how to drink, doing it like that?”

“I can a little.” Shi Qiu obediently gave her the decanter, coughing lightly twice.

A faint pink quickly spread across his fair cheeks. He already looked a bit tipsy.

“This silly kid, being so honest. Don’t drink anymore. I invited you here to have fun, not to bully a child…” Yuan Lingzhu raised her hand, and someone nearby handed her a glass of juice. “Just drink this.” She set the juice in front of him.

“Thank you…” Shi Qiu held the juice and sipped twice, then sat still in his seat, cheeks rosy, looking especially soft.

People around the table laughed, teasing Yuan Lingzhu for tricking a kid into coming.

Shi Qiu just sat there holding his juice, biting the straw, smiling and responding with “Mm, mm” whenever someone spoke to him. He was good at playing along.

He knew his own alcohol tolerance. With strong white liquor, he could drink up to two jin. Two taels was nothing. But there was no need to show off tonight. This was just for fun, so holding juice and pretending to be drunk was the best way to avoid drinking.

The conversation was lively, and Shi Qiu picked up a lot of gossip from the crew, some of it quite explosive.

The director and assistant director were soon singing together with microphones in hand. Shi Qiu finished two glasses of juice and told Yuan Lingzhu, “Teacher Yuan, I’m going to the restroom.”

“Alright, hurry back.” Yuan Lingzhu waved him off.

Shi Qiu wandered a bit to get some fresh air, used the restroom, and returned to the private room. But when he opened the door, something was off.

He didn’t recognize anyone inside… except one person. Lu Chengyan, President Lu, was there, sitting like the center of attention on the sofa.

“I didn’t call for anyone,” a young man said blankly.

“Sorry, wrong room,” Shi Qiu quickly apologized, intending to leave.

“Shi Qiu?” Lu Chengyan had already recognized him. He stood up and walked to the doorway. “What are you doing here?”

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Translator note: 📌

Thank you for reading 💖 see you again in the next chapter, my lovely cherries 😘

📍Note: I’m pretty free lately, so I will be posting 3  to 4 chapters a day. Enjoy 🤭