When Ji Xing blurted out that polite “Teacher Hu,” the other trainees in the training room nearly failed to hold back their laughter. Hu-ge’s nickname originally sounded rather imposing, but the moment Ji Xing addressed him that way, it instantly took on the vibe of a gentle kindergarten teacher.
“Eat up, and don’t choke.” Wearing an expression of utter defeat, Hu-ge walked over and took a seat. “Just do whatever you were doing, pay me no mind, I am just going to sit over here.”
His declaration only added to the kindergarten teacher impression.
Mindful of Hu-ge’s presence, the trainees were somewhat reserved at first. However, realizing the man genuinely intended to just sit there and do nothing except play on his phone, the tension gradually dissipated as time wore on.
Of course, while Hu-ge appeared absorbed in his device, he was actually keeping a close eye on Ji Xing the entire time.
With only five trainees left in the training room, observing their individual differences took very little effort. After a brief period of observation, Hu-ge noticed that compared to the others, Ji Xing was remarkably reserved, steering clear of initiating conversations and avoiding the spotlight.
At first, he suspected the younger man might be putting on an act, perhaps toning down his behavior because of his presence, but as time dragged on, he realized he had overthought it. Ji Xing simply hugged his script, listened to the others debate for a while, and eventually ended up leaning against his chair and dozing off.
A sense of bafflement stirred in Hu-ge’s mind, wondering just how sleep-deprived young people nowadays could possibly be.
Then it dawned on him: Ji Xing had spent the previous night in the company of He Mingchen, making the root cause of his exhaustion painfully obvious. That fellow He Mingchen had spent years single, and now that his iron tree had finally blossomed, he was clearly showing no restraint, likely keeping the poor kid awake into the wee hours.
The realization left Hu-ge’s expression turning even uglier.
Unlocking his WeChat, he pulled up He Mingchen’s chat window and dispatched a grumbling sticker. Still unsatisfied, he followed it up with a disdainful rolling-eyes emoji before finally calling it quits.
[He Mingchen: ?]
[Hu-ge: How is the event going?]
[He Mingchen: Fine, proceeding as scheduled.]
He Mingchen’s personal engagement today involved attending a high-end luxury brand gala, followed by a meet-and-greet activity scheduled for tomorrow noon. Knowing full well that the actor wouldn’t return until after tomorrow’s event concluded, Hu-ge had seized the opportunity to come conduct a “site inspection” at the production set.
Naturally, He Mingchen remained completely unaware that Hu-ge had already infiltrated the program.
[Hu-ge: Keep it up.]
Perfunctorily closing out the exchange, Hu-ge once again pivoted his gaze from his phone screen to steal glances at Ji Xing.
Learning about the two men’s relationship straight from He Mingchen’s mouth the previous night had genuinely shocked him, keeping him awake all night with insomnia. As a seasoned manager, Hu-ge hadn’t managed an overwhelming number of artists, but every single one of them stood at the pinnacle of the industry.
And He Mingchen sat comfortably at the absolute top of that elite tier.
Hu-ge harbored no objections to his artists dating; given that He Mingchen relied purely on his stellar body of work, a relationship would at most result in shedding a few fans without impacting his commercial value or resource pool. However, his precondition for a relationship was simple: it had to be entirely devoid of high risks.
He Mingchen and Ji Xing, however, unquestionably fell into the high-risk category. For the sake of He Mingchen’s career and future prospects, he needed to intervene forcefully and minimize any potential fallout.
Fortunately, Ji Xing appeared gentle by nature and likely possessed minimal ambition, making him manageable to deal with.
While Hu-ge plotted quietly, Ji Xing remained far from idle.
He harbored no shortage of vigilance toward this uninvited guest. The moment he learned He Mingchen’s manager had descended upon the production set, his immediate instinct whispered that the visit was meant for him.
Could last night’s trending topic have infuriated the man, prompting him to come deliver a stern warning today?
To his surprise, not only did Teacher Hu refrain from targeting him, but he even brought afternoon tea for the entire room, proving to be surprisingly amiable. Convinced he had simply overreacted, Ji Xing reasoned that someone of Teacher Hu’s stature as a top-tier manager had witnessed every storm imaginable and would hardly care about a minor trending search.
The reassurance allowed Ji Xing to drop his guard entirely.
When filming wrapped for the afternoon, he even initiated a greeting upon “accidentally” running into Hu-ge on the way to the cafeteria. He reasoned that since Teacher Hu managed He Mingchen, establishing a solid rapport might prove useful if He Mingchen ever went off the deep end in the future, giving him someone to lean on for backup.
Ji Xing’s mental abacus clicked away happily, completely oblivious to the fact that he was the one currently being sized up.
“I wanted to try the cafeteria food here, is it straight ahead?” Hu-ge asked.
“Yes, take a right at the end of the hall and you are there. I am heading to dinner too, just follow my lead.”
And just like that, Ji Xing naturally transitioned into Hu-ge’s temporary tour guide.
“Are the dishes here any good? Our Teacher He has a notoriously picky palate and struggles with ordinary food, so I have been worried about how he is eating on set.” Hu-ge dropped the remark as a subtle probe to test whether the two frequently dined together.
“The food here is fantastic, I heard the production team specifically hired a private chef for the mentors. I have no idea whether Teacher He likes it, but I certainly enjoy it.” Upon stepping into the cafeteria, Ji Xing’s eyes lit up with enthusiasm as he enthusiastically briefed Hu-ge. “There are a few classic dishes here you simply have to try.”
Reaching for two trays, Ji Xing handed one directly to Hu-ge.
“They have sweet and sour fish today, the texture is phenomenal with meat that is tender and fresh without a hint of fishiness.” Familiar with every offering on the menu, Ji Xing practically wanted to pile the plate for Teacher Hu himself. “The stir-fried shrimp is wonderful, and you have to try the wok-fried beef. Most importantly, you must finish with their pumpkin porridge; it is sweet without being cloying, I can easily polish off two bowls every time.”
Hu-ge shot Ji Xing a meaningful look. “You look so slender, I never expected you to have such a healthy appetite.”
“I used to eat like a bird, but the chef here must be magic because my appetite has just exploded lately.” Nowadays, Ji Xing felt like eating five meals a day and secretly worried he might balloon in weight once the show wrapped.
After gathering their food, the pair settled at an empty table.
Ji Xing’s tray was stacked to the brim, and the moment he sat down, he buried his head to focus entirely on eating.
Hu-ge nibbled on his meal while contemplating the best conversational opening to probe his companion.
“I actually have a couple of drama projects recruiting actors right now, and I am looking to cast a few suitable roles from among you trainees.” Hu-ge laid the stepping stones out explicitly. Anyone with a shred of ambition would take the opening to recommend themselves, creating a natural segue that avoided awkwardness while paving the way for a closer relationship.
“Mm.” Swallowing his mouthful of rice, Ji Xing replied, “Plenty of trainees here have incredible acting skills, I am sure Teacher Hu will find someone who satisfies you.”
Outwardly maintaining his composure, Hu-ge muttered inwardly: This kid knows how to hold his cards close.
The opening had been handed to him on a silver platter, yet the youngster completely refrained from mentioning himself.
“What kind of roles are you best at playing?” Hu-ge decided to spell it out more clearly.
“Um… I am not really sure.” Too engrossed in his food to chat, Ji Xing paused to reconsider. On second thought, this man was He Mingchen’s manager, and maintaining a good relationship might prove useful down the line, so he forced himself to answer seriously. “I have not acted in many projects, Teacher He mentioned that I am an experiential actor, meaning I perform well when someone leads me through the scenes.”
“For these upcoming projects of mine, He Mingchen might participate as well, so he could always guide newcomers then.”
“Haha, that sounds wonderful.”
Hu-ge: ……
What on earth did that sounds wonderful even mean?
“The filming schedule for one of the projects aligns right when your show wraps up.” Hu-ge refused to give up.
Chewing thoroughly before swallowing his food, Ji Xing clapped his hands in enthusiastic support. “Wow, I am looking forward to it!”
Hu-ge: ……
Wait, why was this entirely contrary to his script?
Ji Xing completely refused to play by the rules!
Could it be that he sneered at these resources and planned to leverage He Mingchen for something even better?
Meanwhile.
Carrying his meal tray toward Ji Xing, Pei Yun suddenly noticed that the tattooed man sitting opposite the younger trainee looked oddly familiar.
Hu-ge?
What was He Mingchen’s manager doing at the production set?
Finding a corner table to sit at, Pei Yun immediately messaged his shocking discovery to He Mingchen.
[He Mingchen: Impossible. You must be seeing things.]
[Pei Yun: I am not blind, the full-sleeve tattoos, leopard-print trousers, and a gemstone stud earring bigger than a peanut, if that isn’t Hu-ge then who is?]
Fearing He Mingchen wouldn’t believe him, Pei Yun snapped a stealthy photo and sent it over.
[Pei Yun: Look, he is having dinner with your little snail right now.]
The moment the image went through, He Mingchen’s phone call rang out.
Half a minute later, Hu-ge’s phone chimed. Glancing at the screen, he summarily rejected the call.
Seconds later, it rang again, prompting him to flip the phone to silent mode.
“Prank call,” Hu-ge offered Ji Xing a smile before shifting topics. “What do you think of He Mingchen as a person?”
“Teacher He is wonderful, he takes very good care of me,” Ji Xing answered honestly.
“Oh?” Highly sensitive to the word care, Hu-ge instantly parsed it through his managerial lens. “How does he take care of you, exactly? Does he hand you roles? I recall you landed the lead role in the upcoming short film.”
“No, no, Teacher He is completely impartial, our character assignments for this short were ranked strictly by our previous scores.” Fearing Hu-ge might doubt him, Ji Xing quickly elaborated. “I didn’t even get a role during the last showcase, I spent half a month acting as Teacher He’s assistant instead.”
Digging into his bag, Ji Xing pulled out his personal notebook and offered it as proof.
Having followed the program closely, Hu-ge had initially assumed Ji Xing’s stint as an assistant was merely for show, but flipping open the notebook left him genuinely surprised. Ji Xing’s handwriting was neat, elegant, and meticulous, with detailed notes proving the task hadn’t been treated as a perfunctory chore.
Given that Hu-ge’s own handwriting resembled chicken scratch, he held a soft spot for people with beautiful penmanship. If he were currently auditioning artists, Ji Xing’s handwriting alone would secure his approval. Still, Hu-ge reined in his personal biases to prevent them from clouding his judgment.
“If he didn’t even hand you a role, how is that taking care of you?”
“Hehe.” Ji Xing offered an embarrassed smile and lowered his voice. “Teacher He doesn’t care for snacks, so he let me eat all the treats in his lounge, and even told me to take the leftovers back to my room.”
Hu-ge: ……
What kind of logic was that?
He Mingchen, a reigning Best Actor, used snacks to bribe a kid into falling asleep?
Hu-ge remained deeply skeptical.
He simply refused to believe things were that simple.
On the other end.
Receiving Pei Yun’s text left He Mingchen sitting on pins and needles, but with the brand commitments completely non-negotiable, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and wait until the following afternoon to return to the set.
Knowing Hu-ge’s personality, he was a veteran of the entertainment industry who operated with ruthless efficiency, someone ordinary people stood no chance against, let alone someone like Ji Xing.
Throughout his return journey, anxiety consumed He Mingchen, while Hu-ge stubbornly screened his calls. The only potential ally, Pei Yun, shared mutual bad blood with Hu-ge, meaning the two of them actively avoided each other whenever their paths crossed…
“Old He!” The moment He Mingchen stepped off his transport, Pei Yun waylaid him in the corridor.
“Where is he?” He Mingchen was still dressed in his high-end bespoke suit, having bypassed his hotel room entirely to rush straight to the set.
“Right after wrap-up today, without even waiting for dinner, Hu-ge dragged him straight to a private club.” Pei Yun texted him an address. “I had a driver trail them the whole way, and they haven’t come back out since going inside. I sent you the location, so try to keep your cool when you get there.”
Without wasting words, He Mingchen forwarded the coordinates directly to his driver.
En route, he pulled up information regarding the establishment, his frown deepening with every second.
What was Hu-ge planning?
Why would he take Ji Xing to a place like that?
A dark, dangerous undercurrent filled He Mingchen’s eyes as the worst-case scenario flashed through his mind. Fortunately, the club wasn’t excessively distant, and under his constant prodding for speed, the vehicle arrived in record time.
Anticipating a grueling obstacle course, he was surprised to find that Hu-ge had thoughtfully stationed a receptionist in the main lobby, allowing He Mingchen to be escorted smoothly straight to the door of a private VIP suite.
“Teacher He, Hu-ge is right inside, please,” the guide prompted with an inviting gesture.
“Who else is in there?” He Mingchen asked.
“As for guests, only Hu-ge and Mr. Ji.”
“What does that mean?” He Mingchen’s tone dropped to sub-zero temperatures.
“Aside from the two guests, Hu-ge specifically requested ten male models to broaden Mr. Ji’s horizons.”
He Mingchen: ???