Ling Che: “What?”
Xu Tangzhou turned down the Mist advertisement?
After learning of the news that the contract wasn’t signed yesterday, Ling Che asked Situ Ya to find out what exactly happened.
Situ Ya was also baffled upon hearing the news.
As a top agent in the industry and a partner at Star Realm, she had gone to great lengths to secure this endorsement deal, which she then handed over to Huang Qian to follow up on.
After Ling Che spoke to her, she was shocked and made a special trip to ask what had happened. How could a contract that was almost certain suddenly fall through?
The person in charge on the other side was also helpless. They were very fond of Xu Tangzhou, but if the artist himself couldn’t accept the terms of the contract and was unwilling to sign, there was nothing they could do.
Situ Ya was baffled, hardly able to believe that such a childish incident could actually happen.
When Huang Qian reported back to her, he initially wanted to cover up for Xu Tangzhou and keep it a secret. After being scolded by her, being asked whether he was acting as an agent or as a father, and whether he had any sense of professionalism, Huang Qian finally came to his senses and revealed the reason.
“Zaizai makes it hard to be strict with him,” Situ Ya sighed, “I’m considering whether to assign him a new agent. Huang Qian has business skills, but he can’t control him. He can’t bring himself to be harsh, always letting him do his own thing. It’s the same with filming, and with commercials. How is he ever going to become a star at this rate?”
Ling Che understood this kind of Xu Tangzhou all too well.
He made people unconsciously soften their hearts and follow his lead, a loss that Ling Che experienced more than once.
Every time he thought about it afterward, he would be annoyed at himself for being soft-hearted the last time, but when he saw that look in Xu Tangzhou’s eyes and his obedient demeanor, he couldn’t help but want to indulge him once more.
“Why would he do that?” Ling Che frowned.
Xu Tangzhou told him that he didn’t sign with Mist because they were dissatisfied with his pheromones, but that wasn’t the truth at all.
This meant that Xu Tangzhou had lied.
Situ Ya was silent for a moment before saying, “One of the terms in the contract is that the artist cannot be completely marked during the contract period, otherwise it would be considered a breach of contract. These conditions targeting omega products have always been very strict, and this time Mist was actually quite lenient…”
Situ Ya continued to speak, but Ling Che was no longer listening.
Xu Tangzhou refused to sign the contract because of that clause?
So, did that mean… Xu Tangzhou wanted to be completely marked by him?
Thinking of the way the other looked at him with those clear black and white eyes, watery as if filled with emotion, something filled Ling Che’s heart in an instant.
But then it grew heavier and began to sink into an unseen abyss.
Xu Tangzhou didn’t know yet that they were fundamentally unable to completely mark each other.
Situ Ya also mentioned this point: “It’s such a pity to lose this opportunity. I’ve talked to the other party, and they are willing to give a few more days to reconsider, so there’s still room to maneuver. Previously, when you two participated in the program, President Ling showed support with the intention of promoting him, but who would have thought you would deliberately underperform on the program, handing over the Baofenni endorsement contract to someone else.”
The official announcement of Ling Che and Xu Tangzhou’s participation in the program coincided with Baofenni strongly sponsoring 《Our Perfect Journey》 for their son.
Ling Zhi never went easy in this regard, making full use of her own company’s influence.
However, Ling Che’s beta mother, Shi Qianmi, had always liked Xu Tangzhou.
Ling Che wasn’t an extroverted person, and he never mentioned to his parents why he and Xu Tangzhou broke up in the first place. Even if he was the one who was dumped, he didn’t let it tarnish Xu Tangzhou’s image in his parents’ eyes. At that time, he just felt that since he was already unhappy, it was nice to leave his elders with some happy memories.
But a mother knew her child best. It was obvious why her usually stubborn son was willing to participate in a reality show. As soon as Shi Qianmi and Ling Zhi discussed it, they simply offered an additional contract for what they called a “visual image spokesperson.”
How could Ling Che not understand?
But at that time, he was indifferent about whether Xu Tangzhou could secure the Baofenni contract or not, until after the first marking, he began to ponder the significance of the matter.
The growth trajectory of an artist was very important.
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.
Ling Che himself was a spokesperson for Baofenni. If Xu Tangzhou also got the contract, it would mean that he was tied to him. Whatever achievements he made in the future would not be truly recognized. This was the reason he let Lu-Mi win the show, and also why he discussed with Situ Ya about letting Xu Tangzhou start over with a role as the third male lead.
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Situ Ya continued: “It has to be said sooner or later. I’m not against you two being together. But he has amnesia, and you don’t. He needs to know about the 18% compatibility rate.”
Ling Che simply responded with a “Hmm.”
Uncertain whether he had taken her words to heart, Situ Ya did not say more.
Their last breakup was because of the compatibility rate, so it was understandable that Ling Che would have reservations this time and might not want to talk about it.
It was difficult to face something again that had already failed once, and Situ Ya understood that feeling—the more you cherish something, the less you could bear to see it damaged, not even a little flaw was permissible.
“Don’t worry. We can make it happen,” Situ Ya softened her tone for once, “He likes you so much now that he dares to turn down such a good opportunity just because he wants to be with you, not everyone can do that.” She tried to adjust Ling Che’s mood, “Times have changed. After all, you are God Che.”
In a place where Situ Ya couldn’t see, Ling Che clenched his phone because of that sentence.
Times have changed?
It hit right where it hurt, because it was the current Ling Che? He didn’t know what to call the surging emotions in his heart.
“Try to deal with it in the next few days. You’ll have to face this matter sooner or later,” Situ Ya repeated, before saying, “Zaizai said when he debuted that he wanted to make money. He talked about buying a house and such. The endorsement fee from Mist is not a small amount, even after the company’s cut he would still get a lot…”
Ling Che spoke up: “Buying a house?”
Situ Ya said: “Yes. It seems to be his father’s shop that’s currently in business. The land it’s on is going to be auctioned at a high price, but their family doesn’t have enough money. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have thought of entering the entertainment industry.”
Ling Che asked: “What kind of shop?”
Situ Ya: “A motorcycle shop. It was opened a few years ago. My friend said it’s quite famous in Qinan, and you can easily find out about it with a simple inquiry.”
Ling Che: “Motorcycle shop.”
If he remembered correctly, Xu Tangzhou’s father, Xu Wei, had become an alcoholic and was in a state of decline after retiring due to an injury, which was why Xu Tangzhou had such a troubled youth. He had seen the man a few times, and he was always drunk.
If the motorcycle shop was opened a few years ago, then it meant that it happened after they had broken up. What had made Xu Wei pull himself together?
Was it because of Xu Tangzhou’s experiences, or was it something else?
Situ Ya realized what she was saying and reacted: “What are you planning to do? Your tour isn’t over yet. The Huai City concert is coming up soon, and your new song is also going to be released in the next few days—”
“Don’t worry,” Ling Che said in a deep voice, “I know what I’m doing.”
As soon as Xu Tangzhou landed, he was met by fans who had come to pick him up at the airport.
The enthusiasm was unlike before. They were so passionate that even after Xu Tangzhou had gotten into the car, he still rolled down the window to say goodbye to them in a friendly manner.
“Ahhhhhhh!!”
The fans didn’t expect him to do this and were so excited that they couldn’t contain themselves. Most of them had youthful faces, clearly still students, and a couple of familiar ones were Xu Tangzhou’s long-time fans.
Xu Tangzhou himself wasn’t a fan chaser. Only after entering the industry did he realize what these fans would do to stake out their idols.
“It’s late. Everyone should head back early,” he said, removing his mask, which triggered another round of screams. Blushing, he asked, “How long have you all been waiting?”
“I’ve been waiting for an hour!”
“Half a day!”
“Five hours!”
“Two days now! I knew you took a leave!”
The fans were incredibly well-behaved.
Xu Tangzhou said: “I see some of you are students. You should be in school at this time. How did you end up chasing me all the way to the film city? You should study hard, and those who are working should also do their jobs well. Don’t skip out just to come see me like a truant spirit.”
He himself was a poor student, yet there he was, earnestly lecturing others.
“Okay!!!!” the fans answered with laughter.
Someone said: “Zaizai, you haven’t posted personal updates on Flow for a long time, and you don’t do live streams anymore! You’re the real truant spirit!”
Another person also shouted: “We want to see a bit of your daily life!”
Xu Tangzhou was truly busy: “I protest, I’m not a truant spirit. As a rookie actor, I don’t deserve to have a daily routine.”
A rookie needed to work hard to make up for inexperience.
Alright, he admitted, he had recently been busy following Qin Bao around, asking this and that, to the point where Qin Bao was thoroughly annoyed.
The fans burst into laughter.
Someone said: “Then post about your daily life with God Che!”
The joke was well-intentioned, but Xu Tangzhou couldn’t play along.
They didn’t directly ask about Ling Che, nor did they mention the Zero Sugar CP, as if they had accepted the fact that their idol was in a relationship, and even seemed to approve of them.
The fans were too well-behaved, and Xu Tangzhou couldn’t bear to just roll up the window and drive away.
Fortunately, Wu Nana reacted quickly, answering first: “Sorry, everyone. Zhouzhou hasn’t had dinner yet, and he has scenes to shoot tonight, so we have to go. You all should head home early so Zhouzhou won’t worry.”
Hearing that he hadn’t eaten, the fans naturally agreed, promising to bring him something tasty next time they visited the set, and they also said: “Wu Nana, you work hard. Take good care of our Zaizai. Don’t let him catch a cold again, we’ll bring something for you to eat next time too.”
Wu Nana, who was once a fan-chasing girl herself, didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
After being comforted by the fans, Xu Tangzhou felt a warm feeling in his heart as he returned to the set.
He sent a message to Ling Che: [Xu Tangzhou’s first day away, missing him.]
Ling Che: [?]
Xu Tangzhou: [I thought you might be too shy to say it, so I said it for you.【Clever】]
Ling Che: […No need for your help.]
Before Xu Tangzhou could reply, he received a voice message. When he played it and brought it to his ear, it made his ears tingle.
Ling Che’s deep and melodious voice came through the earpiece: “Haven’t missed you yet.”
What was that all about?
Xu Tangzhou was so annoyed he felt like throwing his phone, but then he thought about it—Ling Che had replied to his message instantly!
He listened to the voice message again and this time, he could hear that Ling Che’s tone seemed like he was grinding his teeth, as if he was dying to bite him.
There was still a fresh bite mark on the back of his neck.
So, Ling Che was being so contrary, he must be missing him so much that he couldn’t stand it, that must be why he said that!
Sure enough, Ling Che sent another voice message: “I’ll think of you when I’m free.”
Damn.
This tsundere’s sweetness was infuriatingly endearing.
Xu Tangzhou secretly saved the message and, after a quick tidy up, he prepared to go find Qin Bao to talk about his progress with Ling Che.
But Qin Bao wasn’t in his room.
According to the crew, he was suddenly taken away by someone, which caused the director to complain, but he still swallowed his anger.
Xu Tangzhou tried calling Qin Bao twice but couldn’t get through, so he gave up.
By evening, Qin Bao appeared in the top few spots of Flow’s trending searches.
#QinBaoSecretMarriage#
#QinBaoFengChengYu#
#QinBaoLilyPheromones#
These three hashtags made the discussion on Flow exceptionally heated.
And the hottest number one spot on Flow’s trending searches was #OmegaArtistPheromoneExposure#.
The most private details of omega artists were made public, and netizens who love a spectacle started a frenzy, pushing Flow’s servers to the brink.
Xu Tangzhou clicked in to take a look, and this hashtag #OmegaArtistPheromoneExposure# originated from a certain hacker.
It was claimed that he hacked into the databases of various talent agencies, releasing the profile of one omega artist each day.
Until the agencies paid him a hefty sum to stop.
The first to suffer from this misfortune was, coincidentally, Qin Bao.
His pheromone information, such a critical detail, could no longer arouse much interest among netizens because his profile clearly stated “Married, spouse Feng Chengyu.”
Feng Chengyu, thirty-seven years old.
The legendary former political heavyweight, known for his low profile and mysterious background, often imagined by people to be part of the black society.
Alpha pheromone information was public, and Feng Chengyu’s status allowed his pheromone details to be easily found on the encyclopedia: number 1034, Narcissus.
Netizens used the known pheromone numbers of the two individuals and plugged them into the compatibility formula, calculating that their compatibility rate was as high as 70%.
The entire internet was shocked.
Xu Tangzhou: “……”
So was Qin Bao taken away by Feng Chengyu?
Another trending topic online caught Xu Tangzhou’s attention.
#GuessWhosePheromonesWillBeExposedTomorrow#
One update a day until Wednesday 🙏
Well, fuck. What a convenient plot device
What a scum! ><
Thank You for the new chapter (๑°꒵°๑)･*♡