What is the position of Xihua Entertainment in the industry?
It is currently recognized as one of the most promising entertainment companies in China, backed by Xihua Group, and has produced ‘One Emperor, Two Queens’ before. Even top-tier stars like Zhou Xiaoqi, who are on par with Zhong Guanhua in terms of popularity, are only considered upper-middle class within the company. If Xie Guan joins Xihua Entertainment, his former manager Wang Zhe would have to address him with respect the next time they meet.
“This… this is too…” Xie Guan seemed baffled by the unexpected opportunity, “Do you really know the owner of Xihua? I mean, is your word really that influential?”
Initially finding his dumbfounded expression amusing, Huo Mingjun grew more concerned as the conversation progressed. He tapped his fingers on the table and said calmly, “Xie Guan, do you have any misunderstandings about me?”
This was no joke. The older brother of the owner, and the Vice Chairman of Xihua Group, Ye Jun had to address him as Mr. Huo. The relationship between the Huo family and the Ye family spanned for many years and arranging a few things was a piece of cake. Yet this kid was actually suspicious!
“No, no,” Xie Guan hurriedly reassured him with a smile, “Mr. Huo, you generously offered to help. How could I doubt you? Haha…”
Huo Mingjun felt a lump in his throat. He had a premonition that if this clueless guy stayed any longer, his entire morning would be ruined.
He gave Xie Guan an email address. “Go back and send your resume to me. The staff from Xihua will contact you directly. Anything else? If not, disappear from my sight.”
Xie Guan smiled, thanked him again, and left. Huo Mingjun called in Zhong Heguang to see the guest off. After everyone left the office, he found himself unable to concentrate on work. Leaning back in his chair, he recalled Xie Guan’s words and actions, unable to stop himself from laughing.
But amid his laughter, a bitter taste surged in his chest like an unstoppable tide, gradually engulfing his heart.
It was just too similar.
He kept thinking about that person. If that person were still alive, would he be like this? His face, his features, the subtle movements of his eyebrows — even the curve of his eyes and lips when he smiled.
Perhaps he wasn’t very clever, nor likable. But as long as he lived a peaceful life, Huo Mingjun would protect him and let him live the rest of his life without worries.
The road didn’t even have a chance to unfold, and it was already overgrown with weeds; the story hadn’t been given an opportunity to be told, and the next page was torn away.
Even if Huo Mingjun tried desperately, even obsessively, to compensate, expanding it to someone like Xie Guan who resembled the person he lost, what good would it do? The departed could never receive it.
No matter how much he did, it was just a consolation for the living.
Lost in his thoughts, Huo Mingjun was interrupted when Zhong Heguang returnedt. Snapping back to reality, he focused his gaze on the computer screen and said, “Come in.”
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.
“Dbrr.”
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The usually composed chief assistant hesitated for a moment, “Something seemed odd just now, but I’m not entirely sure. Please bear with me and listen.”
“I remember you saying that after the incident, you were hospitalized, and Second Master Huo handled all the aftermath,” he paused, observing Huo Mingjun’s increasingly grim expression, then continued, “including the news of that person’s death, which he witnessed and relayed back.”
“What are you suspecting?” Huo Mingjun said coldly. “Besides him, there were his subordinates and the police forensic experts at the scene; they can all testify that the person did die.”
That incident from ten years ago was a sore spot for Huo Mingjun, a trigger for a storm. But the conversation started and Zhong Heguang had to press on: “I’m not talking about that. You might not have noticed, but when I brought Mr. Xie to your office today, Second Master Huo and Mr. Xie exchanged glances.”
This morning, Huo Zhongting, the second son of the Huo family and Huo Mingjun’s uncle, came to discuss matters with him. Their relationship was less than amicable — indeed, the entire Huo family had strained relations with Huo Mingjun.
Huo Zhongting’s son was involved in the case from back then and was forced to flee to Europe, not daring to return to China. As a result, he loathed his nephew, but due to Huo Mingjun’s position in the group, he could only tolerate it.
Most of Huo Mingjun’s father’s generation in the family were weak-willed, but in his generation, ambition ran wild, so Huo Mingjun knew his second uncle couldn’t stir up much trouble. He gestured for Zhong Heguang to continue, “So?”
“You noticed Mr. Xie, and even asked me to investigate because he resembles the child from back then,” Zhong Heguang said, “You are the only person who was in contact with that child and remembers him so clearly. You dare not draw a conclusion about Mr. Xie, which means that his appearance is not just similar…there’s at least an eighty to ninety percent resemblance, right?”
Huo Mingjun’s eyes turned icy cold.
The office fell unnaturally silent. Zhong Heguang carefully said, “Second Master Huo didn’t recognize Mr. Xie. He didn’t even give him a second glance. Isn’t that a bit unusual?”
When Huo Mingjun first saw Xie Guan, he was so shocked that he immediately went to question him. What about Huo Zhongting? He went to personally confirm the death of that person back then. Now, why didn’t he show any surprise upon seeing Xie Guan, who looked so much like the deceased?
Huo Mingjun said, “When the incident happened, my father was under house arrest, and my grandfather sent my second uncle to handle the aftermath in H province. Although his son was involved later, it was discovered only afterwards. At that time, there was no reason for him to tamper with an unfamiliar rural family.”
“And…” He closed his eyes, calming himself, “they later told me that the child fell off a cliff, his body unrecognizable. It was only confirmed through clothing and DNA testing. It’s normal for Huo Zhongting not to recognize Xie Guan; even if he saw pictures or visited the scene, he might have forgotten due to the amount of time that has passed.”
Zhong Heguang said, “If it were an unimportant person, it’s normal not to recognize them after ten years. But that person was the most crucial figure in the whole incident. Second Master Huo personally handled the matter. Even if he didn’t deliberately pay attention, repeated mentions of this person would leave a deep impression.”
Huo Mingjun frowned. “Are you suggesting that Huo Zhongting pretended not to recognize Xie Guan? What’s his motive? Or do you think there’s something wrong with Xie Guan?”
Zhong Heguang shook his head, looking serious. “I don’t know the details of the past, so I shouldn’t make unfounded speculations. But boss, what I mean is… Second Master Huo might genuinely not recognize Mr. Xie.”
Behind this statement hid a terrifying conjecture. Before the words settled, Huo Mingjun’s expression completely changed.
“It’s been ten years,” he stared at Zhong Heguang, his voice sharp and cold like a razor, “I won’t allow anyone to disturb his peace, whoever they are, for whatever reason.”
“You may leave.”
Zhong Heguang knew Huo Mingjun’s temperament well. He rarely interfered with his boss’s personal life and wouldn’t directly confront him when he was angry. Yet today, he managed to hit two of his sore spots at once.
“Boss…”
“I said, leave.” Huo Mingjun raised his eyes, his anger genuine. “What, do you want to quit?”
Zhong Heguang, seemingly emboldened by an unknown force, retorted right there, “If you think this matter is settled and done with, why do you still favor Xie Guan? No matter how much he resembles the person from the past, he is not that person. Why are you fixating on a high-quality replica?”
Huo Mingjun’s anger flared. “Zhong Heguang!”
Defiantly facing his superior’s wrath, Zhong Heguang said firmly, “You’re repaying your debt through Xie Guan, Mr. Huo. Forgive me for not understanding whether you’ve truly given up or if you simply can’t accept it.”
Huo Mingjun raised his hand, and a folder crashed into Zhong Henguang’s chest, causing dozens of white papers to scatter before fluttering to the ground.
As the pages floated down, they revealed Huo Mingjun’s ruthlessly cold expression behind the desk.
“I can handle my own affairs. It’s none of your business to pry into them,” he said. “Take a week off for reflection and forfeit half a year’s bonus. Leave.”
Swiftly, Xihua Entertainment took action. The next day, Xie Guan received a notice to attend an interview at the company headquarters.
The company’s professional and businesslike approach put him at ease. Xie Guan was afraid that Huo Mingjun might follow the pattern of rich second generations: throwing money and resources that might not guarantee success but would certainly lead to problems.
On the day of the interview, three agents, a talent director, and an assistant general manager responsible for performing arts were present. Xie Guan felt relaxed due to Huo Mingjun’s assurance. He smoothly answered the questions thrown at him during the interview, and the expressions of the interviewers gradually softened.
Being an artist, nervousness and impatience were their worst enemies. Having experienced a lot recently, it made me much calmer, and his demeanor matched the interviewer’s preferences.
The talent director glanced through his resume and complimented, “Your resume is well-done.”
Xie Guan was slightly surprised but politely replied, “Thank you.”
His computer skills were mediocre, and he used the software’s default templates for his resume. It seemed that Huo Mingjun asked someone to improve it.
The only female agent, Lin Yao, asked, “I noticed you’ve worked as a martial arts substitute for quite some time. Do you have any martial arts skills?”
Xie Guan replied, “I haven’t formally studied martial arts and I learned some routines from the instructors while filming. I don’t have a problem performing regular martial arts scenes.”
Lin Yao asked, “Can you demonstrate?”
Xie Guan stood up, took off his suit jacket, loosened his tie, rolled up his sleeves a bit, and stretched his wrists and neck. He was a semi-professional martial arts substitute, tall and graceful with a mature charm. His casual movements exuded the allure of a mature man, distinct from the current popular trend of delicate pretty boys.
The agents’ eyes lit up. With his excellent appearance, decent skills, and suitable marketing, he could easily become the next heartthrob.
The three agents exchanged glances, each calculating their own schemes.
With no suitable equipment at hand, Xie Guan performed a set of punches on the spot. It was a routine he compiled himself, incorporating traditional Tai Chi, Southern Fist, Wing Chun, and some modern martial arts like Sanda and Muay Thai. While it lacked practical combat effectiveness, his graceful movements captured attention, appearing calm as water yet swift as lightning – an appealing sight.
The people who usually worked with artists immediately noticed that his skills far surpassed those of ordinary actors and felt like they discovered a treasure. Xinghui was indeed a famous talent scout in the industry; their choice of talents was always accurate. Unfortunately, most of the people they scouted were used to enhance others, often becoming stepping stones for someone else’s career.
This time, they went a step further, pulling a valuable seedling from their own backyard.
The first agent who laid eyes on him, Lin Yao, didn’t give the others a chance this time. She smiled gracefully, “Perfect timing. We have a project this year, a significant investment by the company. It tells the story of a youth martial arts team, and the director is currently selecting actors. If you’re interested, I can arrange an audition for you.”
The other two agents gasped, their eyes locked on Xie Guan.
Internally, Xie Guan was in turmoil. He took a deep breath, stood up, and bowed respectfully to the interviewers.
“In that case, I am grateful for your support.”
The mystery deepens.. My guess is xie guan probably forgot about the incident due to amnesia
Same
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