This Isn't a Kiss, It's an "Occupational Injury"

The first ray of morning sunlight streamed through the gap in the curtains, falling on Jian Ning's face as he buried himself in his pillow.

Jian Ning was awake, but he did not want to open his eyes.

Because the moment he did, that suffocating, slightly out-of-control kiss in the car last night would replay in his mind like a movie on loop.

He unconsciously raised a hand and touched his lips.

They were still a little swollen, even a little numb.

Ahhh! Huo Si, are you a dog or something? If you're going to kiss me, why are you using your teeth?!

It's over, it's over. I'm no longer pure. My first kiss actually went to a thirty-year-old old man! Sure, this old man has a great body, is handsome, and has money... but that's no reason for him to act like a hooligan!

Jian Ning rolled himself into a sushi roll beneath the covers, frantically giving himself a pep talk.

Calm down! Jian Ning, calm down! Just treat it like a dog bit you! No, treat it as a work requirement! An occupational injury! That's right, sacrificing a little sex appeal for a five-figure French meal is perfectly in line with market principles.

As long as I'm not embarrassed, the embarrassed one will be someone else. When I go downstairs later, I'll act like nothing happened!

After mentally preparing himself, Jian Ning took a deep breath, threw off the covers, and charged into the bathroom with the air of a warrior cutting off his own arm.

While brushing his teeth in front of the mirror, he deliberately leaned closer for a look.

Thankfully, aside from his lips being a little red, there was also something on his neck...

Holy shit! Is that a red mark?!

Jian Ning stared at the suggestive hickey above his collarbone and nearly collapsed.

It would be perfectly covered by a T-shirt, but if he wore a dress shirt and undid even one button... it would definitely show!

Huo Si! Damn you! You did that on purpose, didn't you?!

Twenty minutes later, in the dining room.

Huo Si was already seated at the head of the table, eating breakfast. Dressed in casual loungewear and wearing gold-rimmed glasses, he was reading financial news on his tablet. He looked abstinent and refined, completely unlike the "beast" who had pinned Jian Ning against the car seat and kissed him last night.

Jian Ning buttoned his collar all the way up and even wrapped a poorly matched thin scarf around his neck. Like a guilty thief, he slipped inside along the wall.

"G-good morning, Mr. Huo," Jian Ning said in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

Huo Si lifted his eyes above the screen. His gaze swept over Jian Ning's tightly wrapped neck, and a trace of nearly imperceptible amusement flashed through his eyes.

"Morning."

His tone was calm, giving away no emotion whatsoever.

Jian Ning let out a breath of relief.

So the big boss also thought last night had been an impulsive mistake and intended to turn the page? Great!

He pulled out the chair farthest from Huo Si, sat down, and lowered his head over his porridge, trying to make himself as invisible as possible.

However, Huo Si clearly had no intention of letting him get his wish.

"Why is your voice hoarse?" Huo Si asked casually.

Jian Ning nearly inhaled a mouthful of porridge into his windpipe. "Cough, cough! It's nothing! Maybe last night... the air conditioning was too dry!"

Isn't it because of you?! You kissed me so hard last night that I could barely breathe! And you have the nerve to ask?!

Huo Si nodded thoughtfully. "Mm, indeed. It was quite 'hot' in the car last night."

Jian Ning's face instantly flushed crimson. He wanted nothing more than to bury his face in the bowl.

Please shut up! I'm begging you, leave the kid some dignity!

Seeing that he had teased him enough, Huo Si stopped while he was ahead. He set down his tablet and returned to his businesslike tone.

"Go to the company after breakfast. Zhao Gang has been fired. Your new manager will be waiting for you there."

At the mention of business, Jian Ning finally looked up, his eyes lighting up. "Fired? That's great! So who's my new manager? Are they easy to get along with? They won't be another ruthless taskmaster, will they?"

Huo Si watched him instantly switch into worker mode and shook his head helplessly.

This little thing's brain worked faster than anyone else's, as long as romance was not involved.

"You'll know when you get there." Huo Si stood up and paused as he passed Jian Ning.

He bent down slightly and spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"The scarf is ugly. And... that mark will fade in two days. Until then, you are not allowed to unbutton your collar."

With that, Huo Si strode away on his long legs, leaving Jian Ning with a dashing retreating figure.

Jian Ning froze in place, and the soup dumpling in his hand dropped into the dish of vinegar.

...He really did it on purpose! That scheming old fox!

Ten in the morning, Starlight Entertainment Tower.

The moment Jian Ning stepped through the company entrance, he sensed that the atmosphere today was especially strange.

The receptionists usually barely acknowledged him, but today, one of them actually stood up and bowed. "Morning, Brother Jian!"

The trainees and staff passing by also stopped one after another, their eyes filled with awe, curiosity, and a hint of... gossip.

"Hey, that's Jian Ning? I heard President Huo personally went to pick him up from the set last night?"

"More than that! I heard Shen Huai's scandal blew up because he offended him! The entire internet is cursing Shen Huai now, and Jian Ning gained three million Weibo followers overnight!"

"Oh my god, we'd better take detours whenever we see him. He's the future boss's wife..."

Jian Ning pretended not to hear the discussion and walked into the elevator with his head held high.

Heh, so this is what it feels like to borrow a tiger's power. Feels great.

But what the hell is 'the boss's wife'? I'm a serious artist! I'm going to make a living off my talent!

The system suddenly cut in: Host, please face reality. Your talents are currently limited to "gossiping" and "annoying people."

The elevator arrived at the top floor.

Jian Ning pushed open the director's office door and found someone already sitting inside.

It was a woman in a black business suit, with neat short hair, cool and striking makeup, and black-framed glasses perched on her nose. Her entire presence radiated the aura of a devilish boss who kept strangers at a distance.

Hearing the door open, the woman looked up. Her sharp gaze swept over Jian Ning like an X-ray.

"Jian Ning?" she said coldly. "You're three minutes late."

Jian Ning instinctively checked his watch. "Um... the elevator was a little slow."

What intense killing intent! Who is this lady? She looks even fiercer than a school disciplinarian!

The woman closed the folder in her hand, stood, and held out her hand. "I'm Su Mo. Starting today, I'm your manager."

Jian Ning froze.

Su Mo?

Holy shit?! Su Mo?! The legendary number one gold-medal manager in the entertainment industry?

The Su Mo who trained three Best Actors and two Best Actresses? The Su Mo who once insulted an investor until he cried because her tongue was too sharp?

Huo Si actually invited this great deity to manage an eighteenth-tier nobody like me? Is he trying to make me soar, or kill me at the starting line?

Jian Ning nervously reached out and shook her hand. "H-hello, Sister Su."

Su Mo withdrew her hand, sat down, and directly tossed him an extremely detailed schedule.

"I've reviewed your previous materials. Your acting is a complete disaster, your singing and dancing are barely passable, and your only strengths are your face and... your recent good luck."

She pushed up her glasses, light reflecting off the lenses. "But in my hands, luck is the most useless thing. Starting tomorrow, you'll get up at six every morning to practice your lines, work out for two hours in the afternoon, and study scripts at night. Also, delete all those messy social apps from your phone, especially your alt account."

Jian Ning looked at the densely packed schedule and felt like the sky had fallen.

Up at six? She's trying to kill me! I came here to be a star, not join the special forces!

Huo Si! I want a refund! I can't handle this blessing!

As Jian Ning wailed inwardly, he habitually activated his Gossip Sense and scanned the icy female devil in front of him.

Since they would be working together long-term, knowing his enemy and himself would ensure victory in every battle. Or make it easier to slack off.

The system notification sounded.

[ Ding! Scan successful! ]

[ Target: Su Mo. ]

[ Surface traits: Cold-blooded and merciless, workaholic, female devil of the entertainment industry. ]

[ Hidden traits: Serious plushie fanatic, veteran reader of shoujo manga, prolific webnovel writer. ]

[ Current major gossip: She appears to be reading a financial report, but beneath the folder is a copy of The Tyrant Prince's Runaway Little Wife. She stayed up until three in the morning writing fanfiction last night, and her dark circles are covered with concealer. ]

Jian Ning: "..."

He looked at Su Mo's frosty expression, then at the folder she was firmly pressing beneath her hand.

Pfft...

The Tyrant Prince? Runaway little wife? Fanfiction?

Sister Su, I really couldn't tell. Beneath that cold exterior, you're hiding a pink maiden's heart!

Most of Jian Ning's fear vanished in an instant.

As long as she had a weakness, this would be easy!

He suddenly dropped his earlier timid manner and put on a well-behaved, sensible smile.

"Sister Su, I know my foundation was poor before, and I'll definitely follow your arrangements from now on. But... I noticed you have some dark circles under your eyes. Did you work too hard last night?"

Su Mo's hand paused. "That is none of your business."

Jian Ning took an unopened limited-edition plush keychain from his bag, which he had casually grabbed from Huo Si's car earlier. It had originally been a free gift from Huo Si's gold trash can. He gently placed it on the desk.

"This is a little thing a friend gave me. I don't have anywhere to hang it. I thought this rabbit looked rather... imposing, and it really suits your aura, Sister Su. Would you like it?"

It was a pink lop-eared rabbit with angry eyebrows.

It was ugly in an oddly cute way.

Su Mo's gaze rested on the rabbit for three seconds.

Her fingers curled slightly.

That icy mask seemed to crack open a sliver.

"...Since you have nowhere to put it, leave it here." Su Mo's voice was still cold, but noticeably less stiff than before. "Don't bring useless things like this to the company again."

Yet as she spoke, she swiftly reached out, grabbed the rabbit, and stuffed it into her drawer.

She moved so quickly, as though afraid Jian Ning would change his mind.

Hahahaha! She took it! She actually took it!

Done! Looks like life won't be so hard from now on. As long as I cater to her preferences, even a female devil can turn into a cute girl!

Just then, someone knocked on the office door.

An assistant poked their head in. "Sister Su, Jian Ning, something's wrong! There's trouble at the set."

Su Mo frowned. "Is Shen Huai causing trouble again?"

"Not Shen Huai." The assistant looked awful. "It's the new investor. They said they want to pull their investment. Unless... unless Jian Ning is replaced."

Jian Ning was stunned.

Replace me? Huo Si has already spoken. Is there really someone who still dares to replace me?

What divine being has come to offer up their life this time?

Su Mo sneered, stood up, and unleashed her full aura. "Pull their investment? I think water has gotten into their brain. Come on, we're going to the set. I want to see who dares touch someone managed by Su Mo."

Watching Su Mo's fiercely protective back, Jian Ning suddenly found his new manager much more pleasing to the eye.

It feels so good to have a powerful thigh to cling to. Sister Su is awesome!

But what he did not know was that this investor with water in his brain was not targeting him at all, but Huo Si.

When they arrived at the set, a red Ferrari was parked arrogantly in the middle of the road, blocking everyone's path.

Leaning against the car was a young man in a floral suit with dyed blond hair. He tossed his car keys in one hand, wearing an utterly arrogant expression.

The system notification sounded faintly.

[ Ding! New character unlocked. ]

[ Target: Gu Yan. ]

[ Identity: Young master of the Gu Family in Beijing's elite circle, Huo Si's sworn enemy (self-proclaimed), and the "white moonlight" whom the original Jian Ning once had a crush on but was brutally humiliated by. ]

[ Gossip: He's actually a total bottom. He has always been secretly in love with Huo Si and sees you as a romantic rival. ]

Jian Ning looked at the flamboyant man, the corner of his mouth twitching.

...What a small world.

So he isn't here to pull the investment. He's here to steal a man?

Old Huo, isn't your romantic luck a little too strong? Why do you attract nothing but these weirdos?

Gu Yan removed his sunglasses and looked down at Jian Ning through his nostrils. "You're Jian Ning? You're nothing special. How could someone with Huo Si's taste fall for trash like you?"

Before Jian Ning could say anything, Su Mo had already strode forward in her high heels and said coldly, "Young Master Gu, this is a filming set, not a garbage collection station. If you don't want your car anymore, I can call a tow truck for you."