The New Boss
“Are you really being kept by President Shen?”
Xiao Jinghan’s agent, Li Jin, showed up at his apartment first thing in the morning. He wanted to know if what Xiao Jinghan had said on the phone the other day was true.
Xiao Jinghan’s apartment was a tiny place, less than twenty square meters, with only the barest furnishings. The living room was nearly empty. There were just two chairs to sit on, one occupied by Xiao Jinghan and the other by his beloved pet, a seal-point ragdoll cat.
Xiao Jinghan didn’t invite Li Jin to sit, nor did he plan to shoo the cat off its chair to make room. He reached under the cat’s chin and scratched it with his fingertips. The cat narrowed its eyes in pleasure, purring softly.
“If you don’t believe me, you can ask Shen Sining himself.”
Li Jin wasn’t about to actually ask Shen Sining. His expression was sour. Ever since he’d walked in, Xiao Jinghan hadn’t even looked him in the eye. So he’d found himself a patron and grown a backbone, had he?
Li Jin put on a fake smile. “Of course I believe you. It’s just, if you’re already with President Shen, why are you still living here? Hasn’t he found you somewhere else to stay?”
Xiao Jinghan replied coolly, “He asked me to move in with him. He’s getting a room ready for me these next couple of days. Once I’ve packed up here, I’ll move over. What, do I have to report that to you too?”
Li Jin waved both hands. “No, no. I was just curious and asked without thinking. Don’t take it the wrong way!”
Xiao Jinghan stopped petting the cat. It had been enjoying itself, and when its owner’s hand went away, it gave a soft, displeased meow. Then it fixed its round blue eyes on the unwelcome guest who’d interrupted its time with its owner.
The cat’s pupils were narrow slits, giving it an eerie look. Li Jin couldn’t believe a cat’s glare had managed to make him uneasy. He looked away and turned to Xiao Jinghan, pasting on another insincere smile.
“Jinghan, your Brother Li may not have made you a star all these years, but I’d say I’ve done my best to look after you. Maybe a few misunderstandings have made things a little awkward between us. I came today to apologize. You’re a big-hearted guy, so don’t hold it against me, okay? We’re at the same company, after all. We need to get along from now on, don’t we?”
Xiao Jinghan picked up the glass of water on the dining table and took a sip. “Don’t worry. I definitely won’t forget how well you’ve ‘looked after’ me.”
The weight lifted from Li Jin’s heart. Before coming, he’d been worried Xiao Jinghan would hold a grudge over all the years he’d kept him down. Seeing Xiao Jinghan act this way put him at ease.
Sure, Xiao Jinghan was being kept by his boss, but he was already thirty. Even if he looked a little younger, his youth would only last another year or two. Once Shen Sining lost interest, Xiao Jinghan could be tossed aside at any moment.
Then Xiao Jinghan would be right back to being a small-time actor under Li Jin’s thumb. Xiao Jinghan must have understood that, too. That was why he wasn’t burning his bridges.
Holding the cat, Xiao Jinghan got up to feed it. He wore nothing more than casual home clothes, but even those looked high-end on him.
By entertainment-industry standards, Xiao Jinghan had everything going for him. His proportions were the textbook golden ratio, nine heads tall, and at thirty, he could hold his own against a crowd of young hunks barely in their twenties. It was just that he was too proud. With a personality like his, he was bound to hit walls in this business.
Li Jin reassured himself that every newcomer went through a period of being squeezed by their agent. What he’d done to Xiao Jinghan was no different from what every agent did to the new talent under their wing.
“Well, get some rest. I already turned down that drama you didn’t want to do. Honestly, I thought it was terrible too. The production was shoddy, the director was a rookie. I’d been wanting to keep you off it for ages.” Li Jin smiled. “I’ve arranged to have dinner with an investor tonight. He’s about to fund a new drama, a big-budget production. I looked at one of the roles, and it’s perfect for you. How about I come pick you up and we go together?”
“Thanks, but there’s no need.” Xiao Jinghan crouched down and rubbed the ragdoll’s head as it ate. “President Shen will be handling my contract from now on. He’s having dinner with Director Qin tonight and asked me to come along.”
“Qin Heng? The Qin Heng who directed Wildfire?” Li Jin was taken aback. Qin Heng was a renowned director throughout the Chinese-speaking world. He’d just won the Oscar for Best Director and was at the height of his fame. Was Shen Sining really willing to go to so much trouble to promote Xiao Jinghan?
If Qin Heng took a liking to Xiao Jinghan, he’d be on his way to the top!
With his back to Li Jin, Xiao Jinghan said, “Is there another Qin Heng in the world of film?”
Li Jin glared at Xiao Jinghan’s back with venom in his eyes, then forced a laugh. “President Shen treats you well. Jinghan, you’ll put in a good word for me with him, right? Your Brother Li’s future is all in your hands!”
Xiao Jinghan stood and turned around. He looked at Li Jin, then suddenly smiled. “Of course. I’ll make sure to put in a good, good, good word for you with President Shen.”
Seeing that Xiao Jinghan had no desire to talk, Li Jin tossed out a few more flattering remarks and left.
Once he was outside the apartment, Li Jin turned back and spat viciously at the door. In a low voice, he cursed, “Pah! You think you can give me that attitude? You filthy whore, sucking up to your rich patron. Let’s see how long you stay so pleased with yourself!”
* * *
In just two days, Shen Sining had gotten to know every last detail about the entertainment company he was planning to acquire. He’d worked in the industry before coming here and had even set up his own studio. Running a small entertainment company like this was a piece of cake.
The company Xiao Jinghan worked for was tiny, and most of its artists were third-tier or lower, the sort of minor stars people might not recognize even if they passed them on the street. And if anyone did manage to make a name for themselves, they quickly broke their contract and moved on to a better agency. The company had no one to carry it forward.
The company had no resources, so its artists couldn’t land work or earn a living. Their agents squeezed them harder and harder, making them take all kinds of commercial appearances and shoddy scripts to bring in money.
Shen Sining had seen this sort of thing often enough. He renamed the company Siyi Entertainment, then deliberately waited two days after the acquisition was complete before showing up at the office.
For those two days, all the employees had been on tenterhooks, unsure what the new boss would do with them.
Of course, Xiao Jinghan wasn’t worried.
Xiao Jinghan arrived at Shen Sining’s new office right on time.
“You’re really planning to meet Director Qin dressed like that?” Shen Sining frowned at Xiao Jinghan, who was wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans. Xiao Jinghan had such a youthful face that he could pass for a college student in that outfit.
Xiao Jinghan plopped down on the sofa and stretched his long legs across the space in front of Shen Sining. He glanced up at him from the corner of his eye, his coaxing tone wildly at odds with his careless sprawl. “President Shen, I’ve never met an international director of that standing before. How am I supposed to know what to wear?”
“Don’t look at me like that.” Shen Sining’s hand shook as he held his coffee cup. Then he added, “And put your legs away. Sit properly!”
Xiao Jinghan obediently drew in his long legs and sat up straight, putting on the part of a well-behaved canary with great professionalism. “All right. Whatever you say. I’ll be whatever you want me to be.”
The words made Shen Sining cringe. He was about to lecture him when Secretary Zhou knocked and interrupted.
Secretary Zhou came in and eagerly set a cup of coffee in front of Xiao Jinghan. As someone close to his boss, Xiao Jinghan was not to be slighted.
“Thanks.” Xiao Jinghan accepted the coffee with a smile and took a sip. “Is this Javanese coffee from Indonesia?”
Secretary Zhou smiled broadly and nodded. “That’s right. You really know your coffee.”
Xiao Jinghan smiled faintly. “Women tend to prefer this kind of coffee.”
Secretary Zhou’s smile froze. He glanced at Shen Sining, then kept quiet.
Shen Sining waved for Secretary Zhou to leave. Xiao Jinghan set down his cup and turned to Shen Sining. “Do you like coffee? I’m pretty good at making it. I’ll make you some from now on.”
“You’re not my secretary. You don’t need to do that sort of thing.”
“But I’m your lover,” Xiao Jinghan said earnestly. “If it’s for you, I’m willing to do anything. And I’d enjoy it.”
So he was planning to keep this act up all the way through. Shen Sining rolled his eyes inwardly, though his face remained impassive. “Putting that aside for now, even if you’ve never met a famous director, you know you should dress formally for dinner, right?”
Xiao Jinghan’s gaze turned hesitant, as though he wanted to speak but held back. After a moment, he lowered his head and murmured, “I don’t have formal clothes.”
Shen Sining heard a hint of grievance in his voice and furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”
“I mean I can’t afford them.”
Shen Sining didn’t believe him. He was an actor, after all. How could he not afford a suit?
“I know you don’t believe me.” Xiao Jinghan spread his hands. “But you heard my agent the other day. I’ll soon be unable to pay my rent, let alone buy new clothes.”
“Where did all your money go?” Shen Sining asked, half convinced.
Xiao Jinghan sounded aggrieved. “My agent has it. He says company rules mean I won’t get paid until the end of the year.”
Shen Sining understood. Xiao Jinghan wanted to use him as a weapon.
When Shen Sining didn’t answer, Xiao Jinghan shifted a little closer and spoke in a low voice by his ear. “President Shen, my landlord’s going to kick me out next month. Where will you have me live then?”
Shen Sining set down his coffee cup without a tremor. “Where do you want to live?”
Xiao Jinghan was blunt. “Your place.”
Shen Sining turned and studied Xiao Jinghan’s eyes for a while. Was Xiao Jinghan really that convincing an actor, or was he that calculating? Shen Sining couldn’t see through to what the man was really thinking.
“No.” Shen Sining looked away and said coldly, “I’m used to living alone. I’ll find you an apartment. I’ll pay the rent.”
Xiao Jinghan said mournfully, “Really, you’re just afraid that if I’m around, I’ll interfere with your finding someone new, aren’t you?”
Shen Sining stared at him, baffled. “What?”
“We’ve only just started. Are you already tired of me?” Xiao Jinghan gazed at Shen Sining, a faint melancholy settling over his features. “If you’re sick of me, just tell me. I’ll leave on my own. I won’t cling to you.”
Shen Sining wanted to slap him and tell him to quit the act. Xiao Jinghan’s acting was so poor that Shen Sining couldn’t even convince himself to keep playing along with him. No wonder he was thirty and still hadn’t made it big!
Shen Sining took several deep breaths before he managed to stop himself from hitting him.
He rubbed his brow. “Don’t read too much into it. I’m not sick of you.”
“Really?” Xiao Jinghan’s eyes lit up at that simple reply, as if he cared deeply about Shen Sining.
Shen Sining nodded helplessly.
Xiao Jinghan stood up. “Then let’s go buy some clothes?”
“???” Shen Sining couldn’t keep up with Xiao Jinghan’s wildly shifting train of thought.
Xiao Jinghan’s expression brightened. “Wouldn’t I embarrass you if I went to dinner dressed like this? For your sake, President Shen, shouldn’t I change into something more suitable?”
It was the first time Shen Sining had heard anyone sound so unapologetic about living off someone else. He was at a loss for words.