Now, You're the One Who Needs to Curry Favor with Me

Song Mingzhou was shocked. "So soon?"

"You were lost in thought. Look at the time." Duan Xun walked toward him.

It really was getting late.

"Come on, let's get some rest."

"Mm, okay."

Song Mingzhou had no energy left to fool around either, so he obediently went to sleep. Duan Xun did nothing more, and the two of them slept peacefully.

When he woke up in the morning, Duan Xun had already left. There was a note on the bedside table saying he had something to do and had left first.

Oh.

He was all alone now.

Song Mingzhou rubbed his messy hair and shuffled out in his slippers, only to see breakfast still sitting on the dining table, kept warm.

"This..."

He went over to check and, sure enough, found another note: Eat your breakfast properly. Be good.

The familiar handwriting made the corners of Song Mingzhou's lips curl up uncontrollably, putting him in a good mood for the entire day.

After washing up, he sat alone at the table. Before eating, he took a photo and sent it to Duan Xun: I'm eating breakfast. What is big brother doing?

Duan Xun replied instantly: Shooting a cover.

Okay, then big brother should get busy. I'm going to the set later too.

Mm.

Song Mingzhou smiled and put down his phone. Then, remembering something, he sent his assistant a message asking him to drive over and pick him up before finally starting on breakfast.

By the time he was ready, Chen Fei had arrived as well.

Though curious, Chen Fei did not ask any questions. He drove straight to the set, where Song Mingzhou was immediately met with the director's enigmatic stare.

Song Mingzhou:!!!

Don't look at me like that. I'm scared.

Song Mingzhou hunched over, intending to sneak away quietly, but the moment he took a step, someone called out to him. "Mingzhou, come here. There's something in the script I want to discuss with you. Come take a look."

Song Mingzhou:...

Fine.

He forced himself to walk over, wearing a proper, sunny smile. "Good morning, Director. Is there something that needs revising? Please tell me."

The director narrowed his eyes, thinking, This little brat was quite good at pretending, just like his boyfriend.

A big fox and a little fox.

"Director?"

"Oh, it's here." The director put on a show of taking the script and called him aside. He casually pointed to a passage, then said sternly, "Look at this. Isn't it bad?"

"Hm?"

Just as Song Mingzhou leaned in to inspect it properly, he heard the director's low, ghostly voice. "How did you and Duan Xun meet?"

???

[ Ding, a plot point has been triggered. Faced with the director's gossiping questions, the host must conceal his sugar daddy-lover relationship with Duan Xun. He cannot reveal their true relationship, but he also cannot lie. It is recommended that he muddle through. ]

Fine, fine, fine.

As Song Mingzhou considered how to answer, the director gossiped again. "I'd never heard that you two knew each other before. Could it have been that variety show last time? Hey, then what's going on between you and Gu Yanting?"

"..."

For heaven's sake, wasn't this a little out of character for a dignified, serious director?

Song Mingzhou maintained his smile as his mind raced. He spoke respectfully. "Director Han, my relationship with Teacher Duan is exactly what you see."

"What do I see?"

"Uh, I'm a little embarrassed." Song Mingzhou let his face flush at just the right moment.

The director clicked his tongue, wanting to press further, but worried that Duan Xun would come after him. Besides, he already knew what their relationship was. The two of them had admitted it, so there was no need to keep asking.

So he changed the question. "Did you know each other before?"

Song Mingzhou shook his head. "No. We met on that show."

"Love at first sight!?"

"Yes, love at first sight." Song Mingzhou went along with it. The director gave two noises of understanding and quietly gave him a thumbs-up. "Impressive. You do have the looks for it."

Song Mingzhou smiled shyly. "Thank you, Director."

"No problem, no problem. I'll look after you on set from now on. Go get ready. Your scene probably won't be for another hour."

"Okay."

Song Mingzhou obediently left, only to run into Shen Qing walking this way. They approached each other head-on, Shen Qing's calm gaze falling on him.

Just as they were about to pass each other, Shen Qing suddenly reached out to grab Song Mingzhou's arm. Song Mingzhou dodged to the side. "Bro, don't touch me with your filthy hands."

"??" Shen Qing laughed in anger. "Don't think you're so impressive just because you've latched onto Brother Xun. I'm telling you, Brother Xun doesn't like your type. He's only playing around with you."

Song Mingzhou raised a brow. "Oh? Then what type does he like? Your type?"

"You..."

"Right, he likes my type."

"Song Mingzhou!"

"That's hilarious. Why haven't you and Gu Yanting gone public yet? The whole internet is saying you're dating. Dragging it out too long isn't good, you know."

Song Mingzhou left after saying that, leaving Shen Qing standing alone with an ever-changing expression.

The online rumors had been deliberately leaked by Song Mingzhou from the start. There had already been plenty of people shipping the couple, but when truth and lies were mixed together and someone provided proof that it was real...

Shipping a couple and having a real sister-in-law were not the same thing.

Especially when it was a mixture of truth and lies, while the people involved never responded. Everything was vague and hazy, looking exactly like the truth, yet never receiving confirmation. That was what fans found hardest to bear.

Even passersby's goodwill would gradually be worn away by one news story after another.

Song Mingzhou curled his lips.

He took out his phone, walked to an empty corner, and made a call. "Release another portion of what was photographed."

He hung up.

Song Mingzhou then called his manager, Lu Fenghai.

[ Ding, a plot point has been triggered. The host has angered Lu Fenghai and completely offended his manager, Lu Fenghai. ]

Song Mingzhou was mildly surprised.

Just as he was about to lay his cards on the table, this mission arrived. What a coincidence.

The moment the other party picked up, the familiar roar came from the other end. Song Mingzhou's voice remained calm, carrying a chilling coldness. "I've prepared the penalty for breaking the contract on that program we discussed last time. Tomorrow, I'll go with you to handle it."

He no longer trusted this man.

Lu Fenghai had not expected him to actually gather the money. His voice rose several pitches. "Where did you get your money from?? Who exactly did you latch onto?"

"Do you need to know?"

"What do you mean, do I need to know? I'm your manager. I need to know everything about you. You have to tell me who you slept with and how many times, otherwise how am I supposed to handle the PR if something happens!!"

"Heh, PR?" Song Mingzhou sneered. "Are you planning to sell me off, or handle PR?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Don't think I don't know what you've been doing behind my back. I'm warning you, I can come up with the money for this matter, but that might not be the case next time. If I'm finished, I'll definitely drag you down with me."

"Are you threatening me?" Lu Fenghai calmed down as well.

Song Mingzhou asked calmly, "What if I am?"

Lu Fenghai gave several helpless laughs, turning the pen in his hand. His eyes and brows were gloomy. "Do you know what you're saying? Song Mingzhou, don't forget that I've managed you since your debut. I know so much about you. If I leak a mix of truth and lies, tell me, do you think you'll still have a day to jump around?"

So they were tearing their faces apart.

Song Mingzhou wanted that too.

He was not frightened in the slightest, and his tone did not change at all. "Is that so? Your memory is really terrible. You just asked who I'd latched onto. If you dare touch me, tell me, will the person behind me let you off?"

Sure enough.

At that, Lu Fenghai's expression changed. He had indeed wanted to make a move against Song Mingzhou these past few days, but he had received a warning. There really was someone behind Song Mingzhou.

"Manager Lu, we'll talk in person tomorrow. I hope you can recognize reality. Isn't this the lesson you taught me? In this industry, those with power and influence are king. Now, I'm not the one who needs to curry favor with you. You're the one who needs to curry favor with me."

"You..."