Then are you willing?
Ugh! Disgusting! So disgusting!
Old Zhou really couldn't listen any longer. He got up and went to find Long Ziqiang, while also deciding that they needed to get the rented office set up as soon as possible. They couldn't keep squeezing into Bai Youlou's crappy apartment to discuss things every day.
He had actually noticed that Bai Youlou didn't seem to have won over Zhang Xiaorong yet. The two of them weren't a couple.
But the way they talked made it sound like they were about to get married.
Could they hurry up, sleep together once, and start acting normal? Were they putting on some idol drama just to disgust these single dogs?
Bah!
He would never admit that he was a little envious of Bai Youlou's skill at flirting with girls.
Just think about it from the other side. After that move, what girl wouldn't he be able to win over?
First, he laid the groundwork by talking about "fighting the whole world," frantically raising the stakes, then narrowed the perspective and shifted it onto the girl, highlighting her importance.
It was all a routine!
But from the girl's perspective, it was overflowing with sincerity and trust.
With that seamless one-two punch, anyone would have been swept away.
There was no solution!
Zhang Xiaorong was merely quiet by nature. It wasn't as if she were frigid.
In any case, before Old Zhou got up and went to the balcony to find Long Ziqiang, her face was already flushed.
Bai Youlou could finally appreciate what complete, crystalline radiance looked like.
Her already pale, almost glowing, and full skin showed a faint blush, making people want to lean in and gently bite it.
At that moment, beauty seemed to have transformed from a visual experience into one of taste and smell.
She really looked fragrant and delicious.
Then Bai Youlou finally touched her little hand for the third time, and even used "Are you feeling unwell somewhere?" as an excuse to touch her cheek. Zhang Xiaorong quickly pulled away, though.
So smooth!
And Zhang Xiaorong could no longer continue looking at Bai Youlou as easily as before.
"I—I'll think about it."
Meanwhile~
Old Zhou found Long Ziqiang looking at sheet music and muttering to himself, so he went over and interrupted him directly.
"A Qiang, stop looking for now. Let's talk."
"Huh? About what?"
Old Zhou didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point. "Director Bai has prepared all your songs for you. Have you thought about what path you want to take from here on?"
The question left Long Ziqiang somewhat lost because he truly hadn't thought about it. For now, he was just taking things one step at a time. Later, he would have to endure scolding alongside Bai Youlou, and might even face online abuse. He didn't know whether he could withstand it.
However, after filming Whiplash, Long Ziqiang felt that his ability to endure pressure had become explosively strong, so there probably wouldn't be a problem.
After thinking for a few seconds, he still couldn't come up with any particular path and could only shake his head. "I'll just sing."
"Forget it. I won't waste my breath on you. Here's a contract. Take a look."
What Old Zhou gave Long Ziqiang was naturally an artist management contract. The Party A was the shell company Bai Youlou had started only a few months ago.
Old Zhou had worked as a manager before, so he knew this sort of thing inside out. He could have typed up a contract himself from memory.
Bai Youlou had given Long Ziqiang an opportunity to realize his dreams.
But Old Zhou felt that, as the "head steward," he needed to be more practical.
Damn it, scattering piles of gleaming silver among the poor. What a sin!
Bai Youlou could be generous and not care, but Old Zhou felt that he had to play the "bad guy."
So he gave Long Ziqiang a "sell-yourself contract," then struck while the iron was hot. "You should know what I used to do, A Qiang—an agent. I know everything there is to know about this industry. Going it alone definitely won't be as easy as having someone familiar to show you the way. Of course, it doesn't matter whether you sign this contract or not. I'm not forcing you. You can still sing those few songs Old Bai gave you, but you'll have to find your own way from then on. If you sign, though, you know how talented Old Bai is. He could give you dozens more songs—"
"Brother Zhou—bah! Old Zhou, stop talking. My head hurts!" Before he could finish, Long Ziqiang cut him off, sounding rather impolite.
Instead, a smile appeared on Old Zhou's face. He cursed him with a laugh. "If your head hurts, then hurry the hell up and sign. Once you do, I'll take you flying with me."
"Sign, sign, sign. You could've just said you wanted me to keep clinging to Director Bai's coattails. Why spout all that other nonsense?"
Grumbling and cursing, Long Ziqiang signed the contract and even pressed his fingerprint onto it.
"Is that good enough?"
"It's done. We're all on the same side now. We'll face anything together."
"Since we're all on the same side now..." Long Ziqiang suddenly sat up straight and asked in a furtive, lowered voice, "I've been wondering, did Director Bai actually sleep with that who?"
"Which who? Teacher Zhang?"
"I mean that female celebrity. The one who caused such a huge commotion before."
Clearly, gossip was human nature.
So even Zhang Xiaorong didn't rush to interrupt their whispered conversation.
She might not have been very interested in this sort of topic before, but now she wanted to listen for a little while.
Then Old Zhou opened his mouth and immediately said, "He did. He admitted it himself."
"Really?! So the internet wasn't deliberately smearing him?"
Long Ziqiang smacked his lips, seeming a little disappointed. He had thought there might be some unknown inside story.
Wasn't that how stories usually developed? There had to be some sort of twist.
Fortunately, Old Zhou didn't disappoint him. He had seen Zhang Xiaorong's reflection in the mirror, and while pretending not to notice her, he added, "What he actually told me was: 'Just assume I slept with her. It doesn't matter.'"
"That's so carefree. Typical of a director. So did he sleep with her or not?"
"Why are you so concerned about what happens in other people's pants?"
"I'm curious."
"All right, all right, I'm not teasing you anymore. He was falsely accused. He was drunk that day. He didn't sleep with anyone."
"I knew it!" Long Ziqiang suddenly became excited.
The outburst startled Old Zhou. "What are you doing?"
"That's how it's always written in novels! The male lead, burdened by a false accusation, goes through a series of events, clears his name, then makes a powerful return and humiliates everyone who wronged him. The more I think about it, the more exciting it gets! It's a classic power fantasy plot!"
"Heh, he isn't even thinking about clearing his name. Don't get your hopes up, and read fewer webnovels." Old Zhou sneered.
"Huh? So he'll just keep being falsely accused?"
Long Ziqiang couldn't understand. If he were carrying such a huge black mark, he would do anything to clear his name.
Old Zhou couldn't answer that, because he didn't know what Bai Youlou was thinking either.
Although Bai Youlou had gone all out these past few months, working like a beast, Old Zhou knew very well that his motivation definitely wasn't that he had been falsely accused.
There was always a feeling that he actually enjoyed dancing around in this muddy pit. If he ever sat on the "throne," he might suddenly stand up and take a piss in front of everyone.
What an absurd sense of déjà vu~
So what exactly was this "little lunatic" thinking? How could a normal person possibly guess?
By the time they reached this point in the conversation, Old Zhou had finally "noticed" Zhang Xiaorong.
"Oh? Teacher Zhang, did you need something from me?"
Zhang Xiaorong's smile at that moment seemed different from usual. Before, her smiles had mostly been maintained out of politeness. Now, they seemed more heartfelt.
The light tone in which she spoke seemed to prove it as well.
"Give me a contract too."
"Does Old Bai agree?"
"You can give it to me. I'll take a look first."
Old Zhou pretended to hesitate, but naturally he wouldn't disagree. After all, he was a qualified agent and partner.
As for Zhang Xiaorong's claim that she would "take a look first," it took only a few minutes before two identical copies of the signed contract were completed.
Old Zhou felt it was a pity. Girl, Bai Youlou is a real bastard these days.
You came too late.
Thanks to Black and White Are Also Colors for the 1,000-yuan tip. May the boss never die.
Before you continue