Huo Xun didn’t call but sent a message to ask Ding Yinan, expressing that he wanted him to think clearly and not to reply in a hurry.
Although Ding Yinan wouldn’t consider returning to Jiushan Office, he had to admit that being recruited by the former boss with a lot of money didn’t feel good.
He handed the phone screen to Huo Zhixiao and asked, “Did Mr. Huo giving a step in?”
In Ding Yinan’s perception, Huo Xun wasn’t someone who would give in to Huo Zhixiao. Perhaps, as Huo Zhixiao had said, Huo Xun initially thought that Huo Zhixiao’s resignation was a joke. But when he realized it wasn’t the case, he became anxious.
“This little concession means nothing,” Huo Zhixiao said. “I will publicly marry you in the future.”
“Publicly marrying means coming out, which is more difficult than quitting a job.”
Ding Yinan didn’t answer. He was much more realistic than Huo Zhixiao, and no one could say for sure about his feelings. Everything in the future seemed too far away, so it was better to live in the present moment.
The next morning, Ding Yinan received a call from Huo Xun. At that time, he was arranging hotels and flights for the invited guests when the word “Huo Xun” suddenly appeared on the screen of his mobile phone, momentarily unsettling him.
He had originally planned to reply to Huo Xun during the lunch break at noon, but he didn’t expect Huo Xun to be so impatient. Huo Xun called directly to urge him.
“Mr. Huo, hello,” Ding Yinan answered the phone.
“What’s your decision?” Huo Xun asked straight to the point.
Sure enough, it was the style of the former boss, not beating around the bush at all.
“I was planning to contact you at noon,” Ding Yinan said first, showing that he didn’t mean to ignore Huo Xun. “Mr. Huo, I’ve already started working in another place, and I don’t intend to leave the job in the short term.”
“I told you, you can name your annual salary.”
“It’s not a matter of annual salary.”
Now that he had resigned, Ding Yinan no longer needed to speak to Huo Xun respectfully. He continued, “My working environment here is very liberating, and I believe that’s more important than the salary.”
“You mean it wasn’t easy to move when you work around here?” Huo Xun asked.
“It wasn’t easy for me,” Ding Yinan pursed his lips and cryptically said, “… But it wasn’t easy for my boss either.”
There was silence on the other end of the phone for two seconds, and faintly, Huo Xun’s anger could be felt when his voice resumed.
“Did the two of you plan this?”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Rb,” Glcu Tlcjc abiv atf ageat yea mbcnfclfcais bwlaafv tlr gfijalbcrtlq klat Leb Itlzljb, “P vfmlvfv ab gfrluc olgra klatbea vlrmerrlcu la klat Zjrafg Leb. Zjrafg Leb wluta tjnf yffc lcoiefcmfv ys wf.”
“Yo mbegrf, tf kjr lcoiefcmfv ys sbe!” Leb Wec’r nblmf rtjgqis gbrf, yea tf delmxis mjiwfv vbkc. “Vfmgfajgs Glcu, P jqqgfmljaf sbeg kbgx jylilas, rb P ecvfgrajcv kts Itlzljb gfilfr bc sbe rb wemt.”
Ding Yinan’s heart immediately put up defenses. He had a premonition that Huo Xun was about to play the soft approach, and this kind of gentle persuasion was not easy to deal with and could be time-consuming.
“Perhaps you think I put too much pressure on Zhi Xiao, but if you put yourself in my shoes, you would understand that I was doing this for his own good.”
“Well…”
“Architectural design is also divided into mainstream and non-mainstream. His non-mainstream designs weren’t suitable for commercial use. Now, I’m letting him adapt to the business model to lay the foundation for him to take over Jiushan Office in the future. Do you think I want to see his whimsical designs be rejected by clients? Or not acknowledged by colleagues in the firm?”
Ding Yinan wasn’t a professional, and he didn’t know what constituted mainstream or non-mainstream. But he wanted to say that, at least, Huo Zhixiao had gained his approval.
Artistic creation didn’t have to be tied to business. Huo Xun’s words only reinforced Ding Yinan’s belief that Huo Zhixiao had made the right choice by leaving.
However, given his experience, Ding Yinan couldn’t argue with Huo Xun on this level of reasoning. So, he had no choice but to respond, “Mr. Huo, I think what you said is very reasonable, and public approval is indeed crucial.”
“It’s good that you knew,” Huo Xun said. “I contacted you suddenly last night because I found out that this brat had opened a studio by himself. Does he know how difficult it was to start from scratch?”
“It was really not easy,” Ding Yinan echoed and then changed the subject. “But Master Huo seemed to have received a new client.”
“Does he want to do interior design?” Huo Xun snorted coldly. “It’s a project that will not let him earn enough.”
“But…” Ding Yinan paused, speaking slowly on purpose, “Wasn’t the new project you arranged for him also an interior design?”
Many people always took it for granted to criticize others but completely forgot that self-reflection was a prerequisite for criticizing others. Huo Xun obviously didn’t realize that the job he had asked Huo Zhixiao to do was exactly what he said.
Ding Yinan’s words hit the mark. This time, the phone was silent for a long time.
“That’s different,” Huo Xun said slowly. His tone wasn’t as natural as before, and his voice wasn’t as strong as before. “I could provide him with financial security. Can interior design support his expenses if he goes out to work alone?”
“You’re right,” Ding Yinan agreed. “So why don’t you let him struggle for a while? When he realizes that he can’t support himself, he will naturally return to your side.”
Huo Xun fell silent again, and after a while, he uttered, “That’s it,” and hung up the phone.
Ding Yinan let out a long sigh of relief. He found that Huo Xun was strong, but he wasn’t an unreasonable person. When he realized that there was a flaw in the logic of his behavior, he would no longer be stubborn because it did seem a bit inappropriate.
It wasn’t easy to find loopholes in Huo Xun’s thinking, and Ding Yinan wasn’t sure if he could continue to handle things like this in the future.
If Huo Xun found out that his real identity wasn’t “assistant” but “daughter-in-law”…
Just thinking about it gave him a headache. Ding Yinan really hoped that day would never come.
As the weekend approached, all aspects of Lin Guo’s celebration party had been arranged, and all they had to do was wait for Lin Guo to confirm.
As expected of a big star, Ding Yinan hadn’t seen his clients until then, and Huo Zhixiao’s situation was the same.
“His assistant asked me to go to the location this afternoon.”
Huo Zhixiao leaned against the entrance wall, watching Ding Yinan get ready to leave.
“He’s returning to China today.” Ding Yinan adjusted his tie in the full-length mirror. “We had an appointment to see the party venue in the morning.”
“Then let me know beforehand,” Huo Zhixiao said. “Whether he is easy to get in touch with.”
“Okay.” Ding Yinan pecked Huo Zhixiao’s chin and hurriedly left the house with his bag.
The celebration party was held at an exclusive high-end bar located on the top floor of a certain building. It was highly private, and individuals without an invitation letter couldn’t even access the floor where the bar was situated.
Ding Yinan, Yuan Feng, and others waited for nearly an hour in the secluded bar before Lin Guo and his team arrived, arriving late.
Neither Ding Yinan nor Huo Zhixiao had seen Lin Guo’s films and television works before, but after receiving this job, they had watched Lin Guo’s award-winning film. It had to be said that even individuals as discerning as them couldn’t find anything to complain about in Lin Guo’s acting skills.
Watching him on the big screen still didn’t evoke much for them. However, upon seeing the real Lin Guo, even Ding Yinan, who wasn’t a follower of stars, couldn’t help but sigh. Big stars were truly different from ordinary people, exuding a sense of immortality in every gesture.
Lin Guo stood at around 1.8 meters tall, with delicate features and a slender physique. As soon as Ding Yinan laid eyes on him, a thought crossed his mind: This person met Huo Zhixiao’s aesthetic standards.
“How will you handle the media?” Lin Guo asked Yuan Feng, who trailed behind him as they wandered around the bar.
“After nine o’clock, we’ll kindly ask our media friends to leave,” Yuan Feng replied. “We’ve already informed them.”
“I see.” Lin Guo halted and gazed expressionlessly at Yuan Feng. “I was referring to those media ‘friends’ who weren’t invited.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Yuan Feng said. “We have arranged restrooms for the guests in the hotel downstairs. The paparazzi won’t be able to enter, and they won’t know who stayed in which room.”
The important thing is the last sentence, which implies that the guests can relax and enjoy themselves.
“Good,” Lin Guo responded satisfactorily and then inquired about the evening’s arrangements.
It was a formal celebration party with champagne towers and a celebratory cake, at least until nine o’clock. However, after nine o’clock, there would be several activities to liven up the atmosphere, such as pole dancing performances and more.
Yuan Feng had signed an agreement with Lin Guo, ensuring not only a good time but also avoiding any trouble, which justified the high fee for hosting the party.
Once everything was settled on the day of the event, the group planned to leave the bar together.
Ding Yinan happened to be walking diagonally behind Lin Guo’s assistant. He took out his mobile phone and messaged Huo Zhixiao: “Fortunately, he wasn’t that difficult to get in touch.”
During their earlier conversation, Yuan Feng had mentioned to Ding Yinan that some clients were very demanding, even specifying requirements for party lighting. Some clients would also change their minds at the last minute, suddenly requesting a venue replacement after already booking one.
Ding Yinan hadn’t personally met Lin Guo these past few days and always assumed that such a big star would be difficult to handle. However, he didn’t expect today’s process to go unexpectedly smoothly.
[Huo Zhixiao: I’m at the entrance of his new residential complex.]
[Huo Zhixiao: His assistant told me to come right away, but there’s no one here.]
[Huo Zhixiao: Are you kidding me?]
[Huo Zhixiao: Angry San Baisui.jpg]
Ding Yinan glanced at the emoji and felt like laughing. He continued to message Huo Zhixiao.
[Ding Yinan: We also waited for him for nearly an hour just now.]
[Ding Yinan: Our side is done now, so he should be heading to your side.]
As soon as the message was sent, Ding Yinan overheard the conversation between Lin Guo’s assistant and Lin Guo.
“Brother Lin, are you heading to the new house now?”
“Let’s eat first.”
“The interior designer recommended by Sister Song has arrived.”
“Then let him eat before coming back.”
“Why don’t you invite him to join you?” The assistant pushed his glasses up and lowered his voice. “I’ve met him before, and he totally matches your style.”
Yinan be like ‘ NOT INFRONT OF MY SALAD’
+1
hohoho
Uh-oh~ vinegar drinking moment time? 👀
Hoho 🤭
Mhhh~ 👀
Don’t worry Ding Ding!!
Thanks for the chapter 💞
A love rival suddenly appeared!