【Come to my company tomorrow.】
When Xie Guan woke up and saw this message out of the blue, he thought he hadn’t fully awakened yet.
He stared at the unmarked number for a moment, and then hesitantly sent a question mark: “?”
The response from the other side was surprisingly quick and concise: 【I am Huo Mingjun.】
Xie Guan’s hand slipped, and the phone fell on his face with a smack.
His phone vibrated again, and Huo Mingjun replied with the company address, instructing him to go to the front desk tomorrow and ask for the executive assistant, Zhong Heguang.
Xie Guan asked, “Can I inquire about what this is regarding?”
Huo Mingjun originally intended to speak directly, but Xie Guan’s question sparked a tiny hint of amusement from the typically serious and unsmiling ‘big devil.’ He teased, 【You’ll find out when you get here.】
Xie Guan rolled his eyes. “Oh.”
Hengrui Headquarters was located in the core area of the Eastern CBD, occupying an entire premium office building and serving as a landmark for the district. Xie Guan only ever saw it from a distance and never imagined that he would have dealings with this place one day.
After clarifying his purpose at the front desk, the receptionist politely asked him to wait and made a phone call to Zhong Hengguang. Upon hearing the other party’s request, he looked at Xie Guan in surprise and quickly said, “Certainly, please wait. I’ll escort him over.”
She hung up the phone while giving Xie Guan a professionally trained smile, and then led him to the elevator. “Sir, please follow me this way.”
At this moment, there were quite a few employees moving around the building. Seeing an unfamiliar face being escorted to the executive elevator by the receptionist, many couldn’t help but look around curiously.
Xie Guan wasn’t afraid of being scrutinized. However, he knew that in the eyes of someone like Huo Mingjun, his status didn’t qualify him as a respectable ‘friend,’ but rather resembled a speck of dust accidentally caught on the hem of a garment.
Wasn’t he afraid of getting entangled and possessing ulterior motives?
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.
The receptionist politely pressed the elevator button for him and Xie Guan nodded in thanks. The doors closed slowly, shielding him from all the inquisitive glances.
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“Hello,” Xie Guan shook hands with him. Zhong Hengguang led him towards the chairman’s office, saying, “Mr. Huo is in a meeting and it might take a few more minutes. Please wait in the outer room while I inform him.”
While they were talking, the door to the assistant’s office suddenly opened from the inside. Holding a glass of water, Fang Hui walked out and exclaimed, “Mr. Xie?”
“Assistant Fang, hello,” Xie Guan smiled, “What a coincidence to meet you again.”
Fang Hui liked men with gentle and tolerant personalities such as Xie Guan. Aside from Huo Mingjun, Xie Guan was the person she interacted with the most, and while she was not too bothered when they separated on Hong Kong Island, meeting again now instantly brought them closer. Her gossiping instincts kicked in, and she completely ignored Zhong Hengguang, amiably asking Xie Guan, “Why do you have time to come over today? Are you here to see the boss?”
Xie Guan nodded and was just about to speak when Zhong Hengguang suddenly coughed lightly behind him, a warning in his tone.
Fang Hui quickly stood upright and said, “Ah, you’re busy, I won’t disturb you… I’ll leave right away, immediately!”
After saying this, she dashed away. Her speed of disappearance was so fast that it seemed she performed a “phantom transformation” right on the spot.
Zhong Hengguang maintained an expressionless face, his aura of intimidation disappearing as quickly as it came. He calmly said, “Mr. Xie, please.”
Xie Guan held a disposable paper cup and sat on the sofa. During the period in which Zhong Hengguang and Fang Hui went to find Huo Mingjun, he casually glanced around the assistant’s office. Besides being impressively furnished, he didn’t have any particular feelings about it and out of politeness, he didn’t look around too much. When Zhong Hengguang and Fang Hui returned, they saw Xie Guan with his eyes lowered, quietly observing the tea in his cup. His gaze and movements were meticulous, making him appear as serene as a painting.
Zhong Hengguang’s opinion of him rose a notch. “Mr. Huo has finished his meeting. Please follow me.”
The chairman’s office occupied nearly a quarter of the floor, as vast as a hotel suite. The three office buildings in the CBD were all built by Huo Mingjun’s grandfather. Although the interior decor of Hengrui Group’s headquarters underwent several changes, the layout of the chairman’s office still maintained the style from the time the old man was in charge.
After passing through three generations and enduring decades of ups and downs, this office naturally exuded a heavy and dominant aura. It was the kind of place that made one’s legs weak upon entering. The decoration mainly featured deep original wood colors; even during the daytime. The lights were on and yet, it still appeared dim. In recent years, along with the trend of fancy titles like “director,” “president,” and “CEO,” there was also a preference for European-style designs among the nouveau riche, who would often opt for Baroque sofas or French court coffee tables. Although Huo Mingjun’s office had a complete set of Western furnishings, he retained from using any intricate decorations. Instead, it resembled Ming and Qing dynasty furniture, where the wood seemed as if it didn’t cost a penny. Amidst the simplicity, there was a sense of sternness, each piece silently oppressing the nerves of the visitors.
The thick carpet completely muffled footsteps and as Xie Guan walked in, he didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly. Passing through the living room to the office area, the entire floor-to-ceiling window finally brought some brightness. The decoration here somewhat reflected Huo Mingjun’s personal preferences: predominantly black and white with a stronger sense of modernity, and few furnishings. Thus, it appeared exceptionally spacious, with a simple and consistent style, even more… devoid of human touch than the outside world.
Xie Guan thought that if he were to work as Huo Mingjun’s assistant and faced this room and the person in it every day, he would probably have fallen into depression and didn’t want to live anymore.
Huo Mingjun was currently occupied with a previous visitor, a middle-aged man in a suit. He stood up to bid farewell when Xie Guan arrived and as he walked toward Huo Mingjun, the man prepared to leave. The two of them brushed past each other at the office door. This moment seemed entirely ordinary and natural, but Zhong Hengguang subtly flinched nearby.
Huo Mingjun didn’t notice the change in Zhong Hengguang’s expression. He asked him to see the guest off and pointed to the opposite sofa, saying to Xie Guan, “Please, have a seat.”
“Would you like something to drink?”
“No need to bother,” Xie Guan waved his hand, “I don’t want to take up too much of your time.”
An awkward and unfamiliar atmosphere hung between them. The time they spent together on Hong Kong Island seemed like an illusion. In retrospect, they shouldn’t have had any connection in the first place.
Huo Mingjun was indeed busy. Even though the mood made him feel uneasy, he could only set it aside for now. “Alright, let’s get to the point. You’ve severed ties with your original company and the people on Hong Kong Island. You should be completely free now. What are your plans? Will you continue acting?”
“Yeah, I’ll continue,” Xie Guan thought for a moment and replied in a self-deprecating manner, “After all, I don’t have an education. Besides acting, I don’t know how to do anything else.”
Huo Mingjun said lightly, “Skills can be learned. That’s not a reason. If you don’t want to leave this circle, there are many other jobs besides being an actor.”
“I usually don’t use words like ‘dream’ casually; it might sound fake. But you’re not just anyone, so I’ll be honest,” Xie Guan leaned slightly forward, using subtle movements to conceal his embarrassment, “I really… love acting. It’s not for fame, and it’s not just for money. I just really enjoy it…”
As he claimed, Xie Guan was indeed not someone skilled at expressing genuine emotions directly. Some things were better left unsaid, and bringing them up might seem like an attempt to elicit sympathy. Besides, he was dealing with Huo Mingjun, someone who embodied the idea of ‘make your emotions grounded through sheer strength.’ No matter how flowery his dreams might be, they wouldn’t be as convincing as practical value.
Huo Mingjun saw this kind of situation countless times, yet he showed no disdain for Xie Guan’s insignificant ‘liking.’
He remained noncommittal. “It’s up to you.”
“Regarding your future direction, I have two backup options here that you can consider,” Huo Mingjun said, leaning comfortably against the backrest with both elbows steady on the armrests, his fingertips forming a pointed tower. “First, I have a friend in the entertainment industry. His company is quite large and they aren’t afraid of offending any big shots. If you’re interested, send me your resume, joining their company shouldn’t be a significant problem.”
“Second, Hengrui plans to fully acquire a film and television company this year, and we are in the preparation stage. After the acquisition is complete, they will need experienced individuals from the industry for management positions. If you are willing to work behind the scenes, I can directly make the decision here.”
He paused and added, “I thought you might need some time to decide, but I guess you already made up your mind.”
Huo Mingjun’s two options completely caught Xie Guan off guard.
His original plan was to leave City B and start anew at the famous film and television base in Z Province. Even if he had to start as an extra, as long as there was a chance to act, he could struggle and climb back up.
He stumbled along this path, even falling so hard that his head was bloodied. He thought he would have to endure hardships and challenges, but with just a few words, Huo Mingjun swiftly removed the towering obstacles in his path.
The question that was hovering in his mind on Hong Kong Island resurfaced: Why did Huo Mingjun help him again and again?
Xie Guan looked up at Huo Mingjun, but the man didn’t meet his gaze. He was staring into the empty space outside the window, seemingly lost in thought with his mind elsewhere.
Despite knowing this was a pure win-win situation, Xie Guan planned to refuse. No one in this world would be kind to you without reason; pies don’t just fall from the sky, and even if they do, they wouldn’t land in the same mouth multiple times. Without knowing the reason, he couldn’t accept this without reservation.
“These two opportunities, no matter which one, are incredibly valuable to you,” Xie Guan politely declined. “Honestly, I’m not worth so much of your effort…”
Huo Mingjun seemed impatient with his exaggerated reaction and cut him off curtly, “It’s not a matter of worth or not. These opportunities are precious to you, but for me, it’s just a matter of a few words. If a child stumbles on the road, is there a need to explain why you reached out to help?”
Xie Guan was rendered speechless.
Something felt off.
The person who forcefully questioned him, “Are you a three-year-old child?” in the beginning… seemed like, perhaps, possibly… was also Huo Mingjun.
Huo Mingjun shifted his gaze back from the window, meeting his eyes with indifference. Although he maintained his usual imposing demeanor, Xie Guan felt as if he could see in his eyes, “Don’t make a fuss over nothing.”
“Well… um, alright,” Xie Guan said dryly, “Can I ask which company your friend mentioned belongs to?”
Huo Mingjun calmly replied, “You’ve probably heard of it before. The owner’s surname is Ye, and it’s Xi Hua Entertainment.”
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