The barbecue shop Xie Lan mentioned was just an ordinary chain restaurant. Considering Shen Que had just recovered from his illness, Xie Lan thoughtfully ordered him a clay pot of tofu.
The steaming hot clay pot gradually dispelled the chill from Shen Que’s spine, yet he couldn’t shake off the memory of that scent of pheromones in the room.
That alcoholic aroma felt strangely familiar to him.
“Does Mr. Xuan often have various omegas coming and going at his home?”
“Not many. Before you, there was only Nuo Feng.”
Nuo Feng? An exquisitely beautiful face flashed through Shen Que’s mind. He was currently the hottest omega celebrity in the entertainment industry—delicate and adorable on screen, with a sweet, charming way of speaking that made him widely beloved.
“He’s quite popular now, isn’t he?” Xie Lan poked at the white tofu in his bowl. “When Mr. Xuan first took an interest in him, he was just someone hanging around the gates of Hengdian Studios begging for extra roles—not even considered a proper extra.”
Nuo Feng had been famous for over two years now. So, for the past two years, Mr. Xuan had been quite close with Nuo Feng?
Then what did that make him?
Mr. Xuan had wealth and power. How many lovers he kept by his side was something Shen Que had no right to know, nor any right to feel upset about.
But the thought of sharing a man with other omegas made Shen Que feel as if a lump of cotton had been stuffed into his chest—an uncomfortable, astringent sensation.
“Are you going back to the Xuan residence tonight?” Xie Lan ate quickly and asked him while settling the bill.
Shen Que stood to the side, unsure where he should go.
He truly didn’t want to return to the Xuan residence. He was afraid that if he saw Mr. Xuan or Nuo Feng, he might vomit from disgust.
“How about staying at my place?”
Shen Que instinctively looked at him in shock.
Xie Lan awkwardly rubbed the bridge of his nose, realizing his suggestion might have been too forward, and quickly explained, “My place is nearby, and I have a spare guest room…”
As they walked to the roadside, Shen Que knew he couldn’t let Xie Lan take him home, nor could he casually sleep over at the house of someone he had only known for a day.
Just then, a taxi approached. Shen Que waved it down. “I’ve caused you enough trouble today. But I think I’d like to go back to my own place and get a proper night’s rest.”
“Stay safe. Send me a message when you get home.”
Shen Que nodded.
Upon arriving at his grandmother’s house, Shen Que took the note from his pocket and dutifully sent Xie Lan a message to confirm his safe arrival. Then he lay down on the bed and quickly fell asleep.
Xie Lan looked at Shen Que’s message, adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, and glanced at the wall covered in lifelike masks. The corners of his mouth lifted in an irrepressible, subtle smile.
The next day, Shen Que was jolted awake by a barrage of calls from an unfamiliar number.
“Mr. Shen, this is Mr. Xuan’s assistant, Bian. Where are you?”
“At… at my own home.”
Assistant Bian’s tone was stiff. “Mr. Shen, Mr. Xuan is very upset that you did not return home last night. He hopes that in the future, you will not make decisions on your own to stay elsewhere. Let this be the last time. I will come to pick you up in half an hour to meet your new agent.”
All traces of drowsiness fled Shen Que’s mind. He scrambled out of bed to wash up and had just finished dressing when a knock sounded at the door.
“So soon?” He glanced at the clock. Less than fifteen minutes had passed since the call ended.
He hurried to open the door. Assistant Bian stood outside with a strained, insincere smile. “Mr. Shen, let’s go.”
Shen Que had thought Mr. Xuan might be there, but after getting into the car, he found only the two of them inside. The atmosphere was eerily quiet.
When they arrived at the entertainment company, before Shen Que could even step out of the car, He Yuan was already blocking the passenger-side door.
Seeing the situation, Shen Que had no choice but to exit the car from the other side. He Yuan, watching Shen Que about to leave, quickly stepped forward to block their path. “Assistant Bian, I want to ask—what does it mean to replace Shen Que’s manager with Dong Xiangyu?”
Dong Xiangyu?!
Hearing the name, Shen Que’s body trembled slightly. His new manager was the legendary figure who held up half of the entertainment industry in Country C—a manager whose every artist, without exception, skyrocketed to fame!
Assistant Bian didn’t want to waste time with him. “Mr. Xuan has already compensated you with company dividends. If you keep making a scene, it won’t look good.”
He Yuan was left speechless. Back when Mr. Xuan had offered dividends in exchange for Shen Que’s contract, he had assumed it was to sideline Shen Que. He never expected that Mr. Xuan intended to hand Shen Que over to the industry’s most renowned manager for training. With Mr. Xuan placing such importance on Shen Que, the meager dividends were likely nothing compared to the share of earnings He Yuan would receive from Shen Que’s future projects.
All the way, He Yuan trailed behind the two of them. “Assistant Bian, why not reconsider? Dong Xiangyu has so many top-tier artists under him. If he’s tasked with training a newcomer, he might overlook…”
Seeing He Yuan plead so desperately, Shen Que felt an inexplicable sense of smug satisfaction. In the past, it had always been him begging He Yuan, who couldn’t wait to push him away. Now, the tables had turned.
“He Yuan, once Mr. Xuan makes a decision, no one can change it.”
With a cold finality, Assistant Bian closed the door to Dong Xiangyu’s office, leaving He Yuan isolated and alone outside.
Employees passing by stole glances at him.
“What the hell are you all looking at? Never seen someone fighting over talent before?” He Yuan roared, causing the junior employees to clutch their files and scurry away in fear.
The office was spacious, with a massive display cabinet facing the door, filled with various trophies. Dong Xiangyu sat on the sofa, casually greeting the two of them.
Shen Que had imagined a legendary manager as stern and imposing, but instead, he found a spirited middle-aged man with a cheerful glint in his eyes and a smile playing at the corners of his lips.
He quickly bowed to Dong Xiangyu. “Hello, Teacher Dong!”
“Haha,” Dong Xiangyu waved his hand, signaling Assistant Bian to attend to other matters. “I’ve seen your previous work. Your acting skills and appearance are both quite good. It’s a shame you were stuck with He Yuan.”
Shen Que had expected Dong Xiangyu to look down on him for climbing the ladder through connections or to simply toss him a few resources to appease Mr. Xuan. To his surprise, in just one day, Dong Xiangyu had laid out a nearly three-year plan for him.
“Do you think these arrangements are acceptable?” Dong Xiangyu asked earnestly, seeking Shen Que’s opinion.
Shen Que certainly had no objections.
Dong Xiangyu studied the omega before him—a strikingly beautiful person with bright, round eyes that held a natural liveliness rare among omega artists. Combined with his somewhat subdued temperament, Dong Xiangyu had already determined Shen Que’s path: a soft, adorable omega persona.
“If you have no issues, sign this contract. For the next ten years, even if Mr. Xuan stops supporting you, you’ll remain an artist under my management.”
Shen Que signed the contract as if in a dream. He never imagined he would one day sign with Dong Xiangyu. But he couldn’t help wondering if Nuofeng had gone through this same experience in the past.
Dong Xiangyu carefully stored the contract. “Next week, come with me to Beautiful Life to familiarize yourself with the filming process. Prepare to join as a guest for the next episode.”
Dong Xiangyu went on to explain more about the show’s creators and regular cast members, mentioning that there was usually a script. The next episode was likely to involve running a Western-style bakery, so he advised Shen Que to study a few baking recipes at home to avoid delaying the filming schedule.
After leaving the company, Assistant Bian drove Shen Que to the hospital, where he stayed with his grandmother for a while. On his way out, he stopped to pick up some baking supplies before hailing a taxi back to the Xuan residence.
Sitting in the back seat of the taxi, Shen Que lowered his head to study the baking recipes, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that a pair of intense eyes were fixed on him from the front. He checked the route—it was correct—but an uneasy feeling lingered in his heart.
Sure enough, when the taxi stopped at the entrance of the Xuan residence, the doors suddenly locked, trapping Shen Que inside.
“What are you doing?!” Shen Que nervously gripped the door handle, his palms slick with sweat.
“The fare from downtown to here is double the round-trip rate.”
“This… this isn’t even the suburbs yet. It should be charged by the meter.”
“I’ve picked up omega guests heading to the Xuan residence before, and they were always generous,” the driver’s tone grew increasingly strange. “I know you’re a celebrity. If you don’t pay up, I’ll record you and expose you, saying you’re Mr. Xuan’s little…”
The driver, as if accustomed to such schemes, smoothly raised his phone to start recording. Shen Que gritted his teeth, thinking it was better to avoid trouble, and reluctantly paid the double round-trip fare via his phone.
“Let me out!”
Upon hearing the payment notification, the driver unlocked the doors with a smug expression.
Shen Que grabbed his things and hurried out of the car. As he walked toward the Xuan residence, the driver also stepped out, whistling mockingly and jeering, “That amount is nothing compared to what you earn in a single night!”
“Woof! Woof!”
Suddenly, a dark figure shot out from the gates of the Xuan residence, leaped past Shen Que, and charged at the driver, knocking him to the ground.
A giant Doberman, nearly half a person tall, pinned the driver down, barking ferociously and terrifying him into a panicked scream.
Fearing for the driver’s life, Shen Que rushed over. The servants, having noticed the Doberman’s escape, also hurried to the scene. Together, they managed to secure a leash around the dog’s neck and pull it back toward the Xuan residence, narrowly preventing the driver’s face from being mauled.
“Damn beast!” the driver cursed angrily.
The Doberman stood proudly at the entrance, its leash pulled taut, emitting low growls as a warning for the driver to leave immediately.
“Woof!”
The explosive bark sent the driver scrambling back into his car in terror. The butler, hearing the commotion, approached and politely apologized to the driver while carefully noting down the vehicle’s license plate number.
Only after the car sped away did the Doberman gradually relax its guard.
“Dreamer, why aren’t you listening today!” one of the servants scolded.
Dreamer gazed at Shen Que with a soft whine, slowly circled him once, then plopped down squarely in front of him, panting happily and wagging its tail vigorously.
The butler tugged gently on the leash. “Mr. Shen, we apologize for the fright. We’ll take Dreamer back right away.”
Dreamer stubbornly refused to move, nudging its head toward Shen Que’s hand.
“Dreamer! Don’t scare Mr. Shen,” the butler admonished sternly.
“Woof!”
Dreamer’s deep, dark eyes sparkled with excitement. Shen Que, feeling fond of the dog, crouched down and gently rubbed its furry head. “Your name is Dreamer?”
“Woof!” Dreamer’s tail wagged so enthusiastically it seemed to blur into a phantom. It stood up and nuzzled into Shen Que’s embrace.
Dreamer nudged his nose into the shopping bag beside Shen Que, who immediately understood and took a strawberry from a small box to feed him.
“Dreamer has never been very affectionate. He once injured a friend of Mr. Xuan’s. I never expected him to be so close to you.”
In front of Shen Que, Dreamer showed not a hint of ferocity, instead acting like a greedy child, clinging to Shen Que and refusing to let go.