“Then I’ll try my best not to make you angry in the future.”
Leaving RH in a humiliating state, Nie Tao was genuinely aggrieved.
Since his debut, he had enjoyed smooth sailing. Not long after entering the industry, he encountered Shen Xingfeng. While others in the same company were still running around auditioning for insignificant minor roles, he had already landed the role of the second male lead. When had he ever suffered such humiliation?
His manager chattered incessantly in his ear, urging him to restrain himself and not provoke Yan Chi again. The other party was no pushover but a tough nut to crack picking a fight with him would only lead to trouble.
But Nie Tao simply couldn’t swallow this anger. After much deliberation, he couldn’t hold back his temper and posted an ambiguous, somewhat manipulative message on Weibo.
Surely the company couldn’t control this, could he?
[@Nie Taotao: When I was little, I thought growing up meant living the life I wanted. But when I grew up, I realized everything was still the same [depressed]
He had just gained popularity, and his fans were all active. Within seconds, the post garnered thousands of comments.
[Ahhh, baby, what’s wrong?]
[Is someone bullying our baby? Who could bear to hurt such an adorable boy.]
[Protecting the best Taotao! Can Haihui do something about it? Taotao is suffering grievances every day at your company!]
Seeing his fans rallying to defend him, Nie Tao felt much better. However, his joy didn’t last long before Shen Xingfeng’s call came rushing in.
“Nie Tao, delete your Weibo post immediately and come back to the company. I won’t say it twice.”
Beep beep!
The call ended.
The manager sensed something was wrong, immediately snatched Nie Tao’s phone, his face pale with panic as he frantically deleted the post.
He cursed inwardly, what a troublesome star!
“Brother Chang, you’re really overreacting. I didn’t mention anyone by name. I can just explain to the fans later that it was a sad quote I copied from somewhere else,” Nie Tao said dismissively.
The manager rubbed his forehead, thinking he should get some blood pressure medication after work.
As for returning to the company, Nie Tao assumed Shen Xingfeng just wanted to scold him a bit over the contract termination. He thought that a little acting cute would solve the problem, and there were countless endorsements and film offers waiting for him afterward.
It wasn’t until he entered Shen Xingfeng’s office that Nie Tao realized the situation was quite different from what he had imagined.
“Explain to me why the collaboration with RH fell through,” Shen Xingfeng said in a low voice.
Nie Tao pretended to be clueless: “Brother Shen, you know, Teacher Yan is a bit too demanding. We just had a minor conflict”
“Then tell me, why did this involve Changying?” When mentioning “Changying,” Shen Xingfeng could no longer remain calm.
“This President Ji of Changying seems to know someone at RH.” Sensing the rising concentration of alpha pheromones in the room, Nie Tao instinctively took half a step back.
He didn’t want to endure the pressure of an alpha again, but Shen Xingfeng didn’t care about his feelings. “Knows who? Yan Chi, right? You’re really something. Did you think you were hot stuff just because I gave you a little leeway on set last time?”
“Brother Shen.” Staring at the alpha’s ferocious expression, Nie Tao was filled with fear.
“You idiot, do you have any idea how many companies have called to terminate their collaborations with Haihui just now? TV dramas, movies, variety shows all gone! Of all the people you could provoke, how dare you go up against Changying? And you even had the nerve to post nonsense on Weibo are you in such a hurry to die?” Shen Xingfeng’s true nature was fully exposed.
Keeping an omega as a lover was just a casual pastime for him. With his status, anyone he wanted could be his with just a snap of his fingers. But when it came to Yan Chi, who had always been cold and distant, Shen Xingfeng couldn’t help but feel resentful. That was why he had allowed Nie Tao to act out on set last time without intervening.
He just never expected Nie Tao to turn around and cause such a massive mess for him!
Nie Tao hadn’t expected Shen Xingfeng to be so heartless, and he timidly asked, “Brother Shen, what about my endorsements?”
“Endorsements? Ji Yueting can ruin your career in this industry with just one word, and you still want endorsements?” Shen Xingfeng angrily ran his fingers through his hair.
It was the same back then, and it’s still the same now.
Ji Yueting. Why does Ji Yueting always have to stand in his way?
Shen Xingfeng wanted to stand his ground, but Haihui was just an entertainment company. How could it possibly compete with Changying? It would be like throwing an egg against a rock utterly futile and self-destructive.
At this moment, Shen Xingfeng thought of Yan Chi’s face and suddenly felt a chill of fear.
He had thought Yan Chi was just a perfumer with some connections in the industry, but who would have expected Ji Yueting to intervene halfway through… Damn it! What exactly is the relationship between these two? Just a minor conflict, and Changying is already going to such lengths to protect RH.
There was no room for negotiation now. Since Changying had made its stance clear, he had to pay a heavy price to satisfy them, or Haihui would never know peace again.
In less than half an hour, his phone had been flooded with calls from shareholders! If this matter reached his father. Shen Xingfeng felt his heart sink.
He had to cut the Gordian knot.
Having made up his mind, Shen Xingfeng rubbed his temples and coldly informed Nie Tao, who was trembling with fear, “Starting today, you don’t need to work anymore.”
“Whatever was between us is over.”
RH’s public relations department was on full alert today, prepared to work late into the night and even pull an all-nighter.
As soon as Nie Tao posted on Weibo, they were ready to spring into action.
But shortly after, the post was deleted.
“Huh?”
The entire PR team was left bewildered.
What on earth was that guy trying to do?
They didn’t dare let their guard down, treating it as a prelude to something bigger. Only Yan Chi, watching the slowly rising “Nie Tao Deletes Weibo Post” hashtag on his phone, understood.
Ji Yueting’s actions were truly swift.
Whenever he made a promise, he always followed through, never breaking his word.
Promises from someone who values them carry weight. Yan Chi felt a sense of calm, along with a flicker of joy.
But even he didn’t know that Ji Yueting’s impulsive declaration of “getting even” wasn’t just aimed at Nie Tao it had nearly crippled Haihui.
Truth be told, Yan Chi himself wasn’t afraid of anyone.
Back in Grasse, he had already made a name for himself, collaborating with many fragrance companies. Several of today’s popular perfumes on the market were created by him as an anonymous perfumer. Because of this, well-known fragrance companies in the fashion industry treated him with respect and courtesy, as did the luxury brands associated with them.
Although Yan Chi’s influence didn’t extend as far as the film and television industry, if he were to anger him, his path in the fashion world would be completely cut off.
However, taking matters into one’s own hands and knowing someone else is standing up for you felt entirely different.
Yan Chi found it novel.
Ji Yueting was truly a very loyal person.
Another adjective had been added, but Yan Chi didn’t feel anything was off.
In the evening, Nie Tao’s studio posted a statement on social media a white background with black text, stamped with the company’s red seal. With just a few words, it caused an uproar.
[@Nie Tao Studio: Due to health reasons, artist Nie Tao will cancel all upcoming filming schedules, with no definite return date.]
[The road ahead is long and winding; we shall meet again if fate allows.]
Fans exploded, flooding the official account with over a hundred thousand angry comments, yet receiving no response. Just as they were left bewildered, a subsequent paparazzi exposé directly ignited the trending topics.
[#Nie Tao High School Bullying Video Leaked#]
[#Nie Tao Haihui CEO#]
[#Nie Tao Being Kept as a Mistress#]
Regardless of the chaos on the trending lists, RH remained peaceful and harmonious.
Not only did Nie Tao apologize, but they also received an extremely sincere and formal apology from Haihui, along with financial compensation.
Such an attitude was unprecedented, leaving everyone at RH stunned.
“Was the Haihui CEO possessed? Someone like him actually gave in willingly?”
“No idea. I also saw paparazzi reports claiming Nie Tao was involved with their CEO, with video and photo evidence, described in vivid detail. Once something like this breaks out, even if the artist denies it, the consequences are severe. Thankfully, we don’t have to work with him anymore.”
Yan Chi, the only one aware of the inside story, remained silent. He looked up at the sky, then down at the ground, rubbed the tip of his ear, and headed home.
With the busy period temporarily over, Yan Chi lay sprawled on his soft bed, scrolling through his phone, when he received a message from Lawyer Xu.
She informed him that the matter with his aunt had been smoothly resolved, and he need not worry about it anymore.
One by one, everything seemed connected to Ji Yueting.
It felt as though ever since Ji Yueting re-entered his life, all problems ceased to be problems, and every difficulty resolved itself effortlessly.
A notification popped up.
As if sensing Yan Chi’s thoughts, Ji Yueting appeared: [Teacher Xiao Chi, are you asleep? Have you calmed down?]
Yan Chi replied: [I stopped being angry a long time ago. I don’t bother with people like that. But the way you say it makes it sound like you’re the one who made me angry.]
Ji Yueting seemed to ponder for a moment: [Then I’ll try my best not to make you angry in the future.]
Yan Chi smiled, hugging the rolled-up blanket, thinking to himself how could Ji Yueting ever make him angry? It was hard to find any flaws in him at all.
Although Liu Muqing often said Yan Chi had too much of a “white moonlight” filter for Ji Yueting, Yan Chi didn’t think so.
Ji Yueting was simply good.
Yan Chi: [Lawyer Xu just gave me good news my aunt’s situation is settled too. As we agreed last time, once everything was resolved, I’d treat you to a meal. Have you decided on the time and place?]
This time, the other side was surprisingly reserved: [Not yet. I’ll let you know when I’ve decided.]
Yan Chi said okay and buried his face in the fragrant blanket.
The scent of sunshine blended with laundry detergent, forming a gentle hand that patted him softly. The exhaustion of the past few days dissipated like light clouds, leaving Yan Chi feeling only relaxed and at ease.
Coincidentally, moments later, Liu Muqing called, asking if he wanted to attend their high school reunion over the weekend.
Yan Chi’s high school classmates were always keen on organizing such gatherings. They held them every year, but Yan Chi had never attended. Liu Muqing was just casually asking, expecting Yan Chi to decline as usual.
But today, Yan Chi was in an exceptionally good mood. The mention of “high school” stirred something in him, as if the warm summer evening breeze from the old school building had traveled through time to gently brush against his cheeks.
Amid the bustling crowd after school, he still vividly remembered the scorching warmth of the alpha he had brushed past by chance.
And so, almost as if possessed, the words slipped out:
“Muqing, I’ll go.”