Chapter 14

"Mr. Qin," Chen and the row of men in black suits behind him greeted him solemnly.

Qin Mu gave a slight nod. "Let's go."

Cheng Lang's ears perked up, and he turned to look. So this was Lu Chengxuan's first love!

With looks like those, no wonder Lu Chengxuan couldn't forget him.

Cheng Lang couldn't help thinking that, for all Lu Chengxuan's faults, his taste was really, truly excellent!

Come to think of it, Cheng Lang finally understood why the original stand-in romance, despite all its tortured passion, spent so little time describing the male lead's first love and devoted so much of its plot to one stand-in after another. He'd thought the author had overlooked him. Now it seemed the author simply hadn't wanted him to outshine the male lead.

After all, Qin Mu had the wealth and presence of a domineering CEO. He even had a row of underlings waiting outside when he went to the restroom. He was clearly leading-man material! Cheng Lang had met Lu Chengxuan, and comparing the two, he could hardly imagine Qin Mu taking the subordinate role. Unless Lu Chengxuan was actually...

A spark flashed in Cheng Lang's eyes. He felt as though he'd stumbled onto a juicy secret.

Sensing Cheng Lang's overly ardent stare, everyone present looked toward Qin Mu in unison.

Qin Mu's expression remained utterly still.

Chen cleared his throat. "If you're done here, hurry downstairs. Don't you still have work?"

Cheng Lang sighed regretfully and headed downstairs.

The moment he returned to the first floor, the shift supervisor pulled him into a corner and whispered, "Meng Tianye quit!"

Given that wild colt's temper, Cheng Lang wasn't especially surprised.

The supervisor clicked his tongue and shook his head. "That kid's got one hell of a temper. Wang went to so much trouble to invite General Manager Lü from Qin Dynasty Records here, and Meng Tianye chose this moment to throw a fit and walk out. Isn't that making Wang look bad?"

"Young people just don't know how to appreciate an opportunity. He'll regret it," the supervisor declared with certainty.

Cheng Lang sighed. "I really need to make more money!"

The supervisor looked at Cheng Lang.

Cheng Lang wallowed in self-pity. "Without money, I'd be too embarrassed to pursue someone who made my heart skip a beat."

The supervisor was completely lost.

Cheng Lang went on, "If someone like me ran over and told him I liked him, he'd just think I was after his money, wouldn't he?"

Cheng Lang sighed. He really was nothing more than an ordinary, disposable villain. Those plots where a domineering CEO fell in love at first sight and swept someone away by force would never happen to him.

The system: [ ...That's not what you were saying a moment ago! ]

Cheng Lang ignored the system's chatter and threw himself into work. When his shift ended, the supervisor cornered him in the changing room. "Did you know?"

The supervisor gave Cheng Lang a complicated look. "You made nearly five hundred thousand today!"

Cheng Lang: "???"

The supervisor nodded emphatically, looking at Cheng Lang with open envy. "That's your wages for tonight, your commission on drinks, and the guests' tips."

The supervisor paused, then added in an odd tone, "Those guests said the money was a reward for your comedy routine, not tips for drinking with them or taking song requests. The bar had no right to refuse it on your behalf. They specifically told us to make sure you got it."

Cheng Lang: "!!!"

The supervisor sighed in amazement. "General Manager Lü's two hundred thousand has been credited to you too. It's a large amount, so once everything's totaled, it'll be transferred to your account tomorrow."

The windfall was so sudden that Cheng Lang felt as if he were waking from a dream. It seemed his first little goal in life wasn't so far away after all.

"Keep it up!" The supervisor patted Cheng Lang's shoulder. "At this rate, you might become the first billionaire White Jade Capital has ever produced."

Cheng Lang cupped his hands in thanks, then left work with Shen Huaiyu, both of them walking on air.

While they waited for a ride by the roadside, Cheng Lang bought three roasted sweet potatoes and gave one to Shen Huaiyu.

"No need to be jealous of me!" Cheng Lang said between bites. "I'll go with you to collect that debt this weekend. Then you'll have money too!"

Chapter 14

Over the next few days, Cheng Lang was especially busy. He looked into Shen Huaiyu's uncle while searching online for the procedures and prices for running LED ads on commercial buildings and in shopping plazas. He even asked convenience stores and small restaurants along the street whether they'd play a recording for a fee. Shen Huaiyu assumed Cheng Lang was advertising the milk tea shop and didn't ask.

Saturday soon arrived. Cheng Lang and Shen Huaiyu got ready and went to Shen Huaiyu's uncle's calligraphy and painting exhibition.

Shen Huaiyu's uncle was named Shen Chengan. He was the president of the city's calligraphy and painting association, as well as a renowned artist and collector. These days, anyone involved in collecting was bound to have money. So Shen Chengan was holding his exhibition at one of the city's most prestigious private art galleries. Everyone needed an invitation to enter.

The exhibition was due to open at ten in the morning. Cheng Lang and Shen Huaiyu arrived at the gallery around nine fifty. Naturally, neither of them had an invitation. Looking at the security guards posted at the entrance, Shen Huaiyu frowned. "What do we do?"

"Go straight up to them!" Cheng Lang said as if it were obvious. "You're Shen Chengan's own nephew. You're not some outsider."

But as his nephew, he was probably worse off than an outsider! Shen Huaiyu stared at Cheng Lang in confusion, unable to guess what he was planning.

Cheng Lang didn't explain. He pulled Shen Huaiyu straight to the gallery entrance, where the security guards stopped them.

In front of the arriving guests, Cheng Lang declared in a ringing voice, "We're Uncle Shen's family. This is his own nephew. Surely a nephew doesn't need an invitation to see his uncle's exhibition?"

Perhaps Cheng Lang had spoken loudly enough, or perhaps the sight of two handsome men together drew attention. Either way, the guests still outside turned to look.

The security guard kept a perfectly polite smile and said gently, "I'm very sorry. Without an invitation, I can't let you in."

"Hey! Why are you being so inflexible?" Cheng Lang said. "We're Shen Chengan's family. Surely Uncle Shen wouldn't be so strict that he'd turn away his own nephew?"