Translator-Rhapsodite
Editor- yuki_shuichi, Proofreader- adjective
Chen Yan snatched Ruan Song up for a late-night chat. After hastily eating Japanese food and washing up, they didn’t even have time to tidy up the table before falling asleep.
The next morning, Ruan Song received a call from the hospital and felt completely disoriented and groggy.
Luckily, it was the voice of a nurse at the hospital reception, not a salesperson, saying, “Excuse me, is this Mr. Ruan? Someone is here to visit your mother at A City First Hospital.”
Ruan Song almost blurted out the name of Ren Qinming and cleared his throat while nestled under the covers, asking, “…Is it a man?”
The nurse denied it, saying, “A lady surnamed Xu, claiming to be your colleague, chatted with Auntie for a while and asked us to call you. She wanted to talk to you but couldn’t reach you.”
Ruan Song, with his eyes closed, gave a slight nod and then suddenly asked, “Do you think the gift she brought to visit my mom is expensive?”
Nurse. “?”
……..
Ruan Song was originally quite anxious, but as soon as he received the nurse’s confirmation that the gift was “very expensive,” he immediately calmed down.
Whoever it was, since they brought such a valuable gift, they must have something to ask of him.
And this matter was not easy to handle.
Ruan Song decided to give the other person the cold shoulder for a while and asked the nurse to tell the lady that he was currently busy and would arrive later. Then he got out of bed, picked out his clothes, and even leisurely took a shower. He was completely unhurried and even smoothly woke up the fatty as well.
Chen Yan, still groggy, leaned against the bathroom door frame and said, “The woman surnamed Xu, who brought valuable things to visit your mom, must be Ren Qinming’s manager, right? Is she asking you for a favor?”
Ruan Song, with his hands on his waist, brushed his teeth and asked, “What’s she like? What kind of impression did you get from her?”
Chen Yan burped from the satisfying meal he had last night and said, “She’s quite impressive. Yesterday, she didn’t even respond to Ren Qinming’s words, but she wasn’t angry. I’ve even tasted her melons before. All the currently popular female stars born in the ‘80s, she discovered and helped them rise to fame.”
Ruan Song pondered for a moment and said, “Then why didn’t she continue to work with those idols and instead switch to Ren Qinming, who is known to be difficult?”
It wasn’t a secret in the industry that Ren Qinming frequently changed managers.
Chen Yan lowered his voice slightly and said, “Hey, don’t tell anyone, but I asked around. According to my friend, the version they heard is that Xu Lan was too ambitious in her work, using her connections to secure resources for her artists and blocking others’ paths. Then a few veteran managers or some other people teamed up to blacklist her for a while, forcing her to resign.”
Ruan Song held back the foam in his mouth. “What a legend, so why’d she come out of retirement?”
“Her savings are probably in a state of emergency. It’s not easy raising a child alone. The salary for being Ren Qinming’s manager is twice the amount of other roles, she probably couldn’t resist it.”
Chen Yan, never one to hold back on gossip, shook his head with a sigh. “Back then, it seems they forced her to resign by taking advantage of her pregnancy. If I recall correctly, her child should be turning five this year and about to start elementary school. The perfect time to burn money.”
“Oh, I also heard that her husband cheated on her with a former artist she used to manage before their child was born. It’s really unfortunate.”
Ruan Song paused after hearing the other finish and felt as if he couldn’t keep brushing his teeth. “You’re guilt-tripping me, making me feel bad for making things hard for her…”
After listening to Ruan Song’s words, Chen Yan patted his shoulder sympathetically and said, “We’re just ordinary working people, let’s do what’s convenient.”
Ruan Song quickly stopped hesitating, spat out the foam in his mouth, blow-dried his hair in front of the mirror, and got ready to go out.
Before leaving, Chen Yan quickly handed him a slice of bread, saying, “Even though you ate a lot last night, it’s good to have something to start the morning.”
Ruan Song, “Got it, I’m leaving.”
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.
Jtfc Tjc rabbv ja atf vbbg, kjamtlcu tlw fcafg atf fifnjabg klat atf jqqfjgjcmf bo j ibsji oglfcv. Dea jr rbbc jr atf fifnjabg vbbgr mibrfv, tf delmxis asqfv j wfrrjuf bc QfJtja.
[Fat Man Weighs Over 1000jin, and His Face Accounts for 800jin: Sister Lan, done! Song has left.]
C gfqis mjwf ogbw atf batfg fcv.
[Xu Lan: “Okay, let me know if you want to eat any melons later, just message me directly.”]
Aera cbk, Jtfc Tjc kjrc’a wjxlcu eq rabglfr ab obbi Eejc Vbcu.
It was all true, and the friend who told him all this gossip was none other than the person involved, Xu Lan herself!
Who would’ve thought that even though he appeared tough, Ruan Song was softer at heart than anyone else?
…………..
Ruan Song hadn’t exercised in a while, so he was a bit out of breath running from the subway entrance to the hospital.
But once he took the elevator to the designated floor, all the rush disappeared.
Without realizing that his friend had betrayed him, Ruan Song stood at the door, inhaling deeply, and adjusting his clothing. He casually pushed open the door and said, “I apologize, I was discussing work affairs with someone in a location that was a bit far from the hospital, so I arrived late.”
At that moment, Xu Lan was sitting by Mother Ruan’s bedside, peeling a pear.
The man who entered had a face that was much prettier than she had expected. It didn’t have any traces of the torment of life, nor did he have any superfluous decorations. He was better looking than his photos by leaps and bounds.
She finally understood why Wang Duan had absolute trust in Ren Qinming’s loyalty.
If this were any other place and she had met Ruan Song in any other way, Xu Lan would utilize every fiber of her being to successfully convince Ruan Song to become an artist under her management. She would use her best resources to promote him.
But the current circumstances were inappropriate.
The sunlight outside the window shone through the frame as Mother Ruan laid on the bed with her eyes shut.
“I chatted with Auntie for a while, and when she got tired of talking, she fell asleep. She asked me a lot about your work because you never bring it up with her.” Xu Lan sliced a whole pear and placed it in the fruit tray.
As Ruan Song approached, he could see the valuable cordyceps and bird's nestnext to the bedside table. He spoke softly, “If you wanted to find me, you could have just called. Ren Qiming does have my phone number.”
“But you could have easily hung up on me as soon as you heard who I was.” Xu Lan casually adjusted Mother Ruan’s bedsheet and stood up, taking the initiative. “Let’s talk outside.”
………..
Outside the hospital’s inpatient department, there was a flower garden where nurses and family members often bring patients for some fresh air.
Ruan Song and Xu Lan sat in a coffee shop across the street from the flower garden, both ordering iced Americanos.
Xu Lan didn’t hold back her praise, saying, “Before I came, I thought I was just seeing a handsome man who only looked good in photos. Who would have thought the actual person is stunning.”
“Let’s get straight to the point. It’s not the first time I’ve been approached by his manager.” Ruan Song raised his hand and stirred the ice in his cup, directly jumping over negotiation procedures and getting straight into the promise.
“I won’t get back together with Ren Qiming, I won’t come forward and say that I’m the other person mentioned in the gossip, I won’t publicly make any negative comments about Ren Qiming, and I won’t spread the news about our past relationship everywhere. Is there anything else I need to clarify? If you don’t trust my words, we can also sign an agreement.”
Ruan Song, just like Ren Qiming, naturally assumed that managers were always out to cause trouble.
Xu Lan replied kindly, “I think you may have misunderstood my intentions. With your attitude towards Ren Qiming, it would be pointless for me to come and talk to you if I didn’t want you to get back together.”
Ruan Song thought in his heart, Isn’t it because you all believe Ren Qinming is carrying the position of the emperor on his back, and everyone wants to harm him?
He jokingly said, “If not for that, what else could it be? It can’t be to help reconcile, right?”
Ruan Song said it as a joke, never expecting that Xu Lan would respond with, “Actually, it is a reconciliation. Our company wants you and Ren Qiming to appear on a popular dating show together.”
Ruan Song, “?”
He couldn’t believe his ears, it was like a repeat of yesterday with Ren Qiming. “So… You’re telling me, you not only have no intention of clearing up that photo, but you’re also planning to make it public?”
Either you guys have lost your minds or I have.
Xu Lan immediately smiled understandingly and said, “No wonder Ren Qiming was so resistant. It seems like the previous manager didn’t hesitate to interfere in his personal life.”
Ruan Song felt this was all too outrageous. “Is it that Zhongrui Entertainment’s boss isn’t surnamed Wang anymore and was directly changed to Ren Qinming’s surname Ren?” Only then could such an unreasonable request be given the green light.
Xu Lan directly took out a stack of printed PPT project promotional materials and spoke openly, “Take a look at this variety show first. The participants are fixed, which is better than having someone always trying to ride on their coattails. The company also plans to help him transition.”
With this explanation, Ruan Song could somewhat understand.
There have been many people who have tried to use their previous relationship with Ren Qiming for publicity. There have even been several instances where they were being attentive and sending flirtatious messages by accident on the other person’s phone.
The document in front of Ruan Song had the name of that variety show written in big letters as the first line, [‘19 Days of Cohabitation.’]
As the name suggested, it invited several pairs of men and women as guests to participate in a series of team-building activities, including travel, to complete various tasks together for a total of 19 days. It was like a live observational reality show.
The guests could be real couples, temporary pairs, or even married couples.
Every time, the program group was able to attract a large amount of popularity even before they began broadcasting due to the reputation of the guests they invited, and the live format didn’t allow for editing to create fake personas.
Although Ruan Song had never attentively watched the show before, with that level of popularity, it was impossible not to know of its existence. Nor was it a trivial matter that one could be invited to the show.
Ruan Song has always adhered to the attitude of not wasting everyone’s time and keeping personal and professional matters separated. He straightforwardly said, “Let me be frank. If you want me to be a variety show writer, that might be fine, but being a guest is not something I’m interested in. Regardless of how you want to handle Ren Qiming, that’s your company’s internal matter, and I don’t have any obligation to be involved in your business affairs.”
Xu Lan seemed to still want to negotiate, “Is there no room for negotiation? It’s just cooperating for 19 days on this variety show. After the show ends, we won’t interfere if you get back together or stay separated.”
Ruan Song burst into laughter, leaning back on the chair. “Why would I have any room for negotiation? Anyway, it’s all acting. You can just find any pretty girl in the company to pair up with him, it’s not a big deal. Someone like that would be easier to manipulate than me.”
Xu Lan, “Do you think Ren Qiming can act with someone else?”
Ruan Song was starting to get impatient, realizing that it had nothing to do with him. “Then let Ren Qiming give up the Best Actor award.”
They’ve already separated, and he didn’t even respond to Ren Qiming’s messages. Yet, he still expected them to go on a variety show and show affection? Only a crazy person would do that.
But after Xu Lan looked at him for a few seconds, she took out her phone and tapped a few times, then showed the screen. “Are you not considering it anymore?”
Ruan Song was a bit near-sighed, and would usually wear glasses when working.
He currently had his arms crossed and calmly leaned forward to see that a calculator was open on the phone screen.
And the figure inputted into the calculator began with the number ‘2,’ followed by a long tail of ‘0’s.
Ruan Song squinted his narrow eyes and counted the digits of hundreds, thousands, and millions several times, only to discover that it was two million. He couldn’t believe it. “Is the production team crazy? They’re offering such a high salary???”
With his current quote for writing TV screenplays, two million was equivalent to writing for nearly 100 episodes!
Now, many TV series weren’t allowed to exceed forty episodes, and even if he picked up two different projects in a row with no gap, and wrote an episode a day without facing writer’s block, he still would have to write for over a hundred days.
This didn’t even include the endless revisions and edits. It would take a whole year to complete these hundred episodes.
It was quite a daunting task!
Xu Lan confidently took out the contract and pen, saying, “That’s because you haven’t seen Ren Qinming’s salary. If you change your mind now, I can help you negotiate with the platform. Five million shouldn’t be a problem.”
Ruan Song fruitlessly sighed. “……How much?”
Xu Lan maintained her smile and repeated that unreasonable figure, “5 million. As long as you scatter candy throughout the 19 days of the live broadcast, the 5 million is yours. Also, it’s just you and you don’t have a company that you need to split the profit with. You just need to pay tax when the time comes. And if you sign your name right now, you can immediately get the down payment of 30%, your mother’s surgery…”
Ruan Song, “Deal.”
“Ah?” The quick change in his attitude caused even Xu Lan to be surprised.
Ruan Song decisively signed his name on the contract, and with a mixture of speechlessness and self-mockery, he lowered his head and said, “A real man knows when to stand tall and when to bow and submit. I can’t earn that much money for the surgery, and I can’t bring myself to sell my body. Having the opportunity to endure 19 days of painless dog bites is not bad at all.”
At least it was better than the worst outcome he anticipated after his fight with Liu Dezhong yesterday, which was finding Ren Qinming and borrowing money from him.
Xu Lan held the signed contract, feeling a bit uneasy. “Don’t you want to take a look at the specific payment terms in the contract?”
Ruan Song simply waved his hand while holding his coffee. “Trust those you hire, and don’t hire those you doubt. Since I’ve signed, I trust that you won’t deceive me.”
Xu Lan was momentarily stunned but summarized her countless thoughts. “Alright, I’ll arrange for the platform to transfer the payment to you today.”
………………
On the other hand, Ren Qinming had a busy schedule today. But ever since he found out in the morning that Xu Lan was going to persuade Ruan Song to cooperate with him in acting, his mind has been elsewhere.
Now, as he rushed to the shooting location for the advertisement, he sat in the car, lost in thought the entire way.
Xiao Lu repeatedly reminded the other that he would be surrounded by the paparazzi, and finally, right before he exited the car, he managed to adjust his mood.
Upon arrival, the outside of the car was surrounded by three layers of media reporters.
With the later incident of his reporting the assault, everyone’s enthusiasm for his tabloid news increased even more, and the shutters and flashlights never stopped.
But just as Ren Qinming opened the door, he was about to take the first step down, Xu Lan sent him a photo—a photo of Ruan Song’s signature on the contract to participate in the filming.
In theory, in a situation where one was surrounded by countless cameras, Ren Qinming would never reveal any abnormalities.
But he really… couldn’t help but smile upon seeing Ruan Song’s signature.
Ren Qinming’s smile was like pressing the pause button on the scene, all the noise disappeared, and everyone couldn’t remember the last time they saw him smile…
And this smile was not just an ordinary smile.
It was a genuine smile that came from deep within. Even if you covered his mouth, his eyes would still reveal a smile. It was completely unprecedented!
“Did something good happen to Teacher Ren?” someone from the media boldly asked.
Having seen it all, the media present didn’t expect any hopeful answers from Ren Qinming.
But this time, it seems he encountered a huge stroke of luck. The usually poker-faced King of Hell unexpectedly shared openly, “Actually, it’s nothing much. I just convinced my partner to join me on a dating variety show, [‘19 Days of Cohabitation.’]
Media reporters, “?????”
The hot search lived up to expectations, and it once again exploded.
The author has something to say:
Song: We already broke up, I’d have to be crazy to go.
Song: I’m crazy, I’ll go TT
Thank You for the new chapter（*’∀’人）♥
Aaah that’s so cute, I’m weak for the stoneface except around their love trope ><
Can’t wait for next chapter! Thanks for the update 🤣❤️🤣❤️🤣
ahhhhhhhhh
😄😄😄
I’m being fed dog food despite this being one-sided (at the moment). (—_—)
they should really check the contract first before signing…
For 5 million? I would do almost everything, don’t even talk about just going to pretend with an ex, I’ll do it too!
These two…. was really similarly simple.. tsk tsk tsk