They couldn't possibly treat me like a person (Please vote for this chapter)

"No way. I charge for that. Why would I pay out of my own pocket?"

Wei Jianguo shook his head again and again.

He couldn't do business at a loss.

The truth was, no matter how enticing something was, it lost its charm the moment it became a job.

Wei Jianguo was sick of it, anyway. He'd had more than enough of that kind of work.

"I rented you a place near the university. Four hundred and fifty a month."

Huang Qidao hadn't made the decision on his own. Shen Qi had asked him to find one.

Classes had already started.

Shen Qi couldn't keep crashing in Huang Qidao's dorm.

A day or two was fine, but staying long-term would be shameless. Huang Qidao's roommates would definitely object.

So Shen Qi would have to rent a place sooner or later.

"You could just live with me. The place I rented used to be part of the Foreign Affairs Apartments..."

Wei Jianguo sighed, his voice heavy.

It felt as though they were drifting farther and farther apart.

Given Wei Jianguo's line of work, Shen Qi really should keep his distance.

Especially if Shen Qi planned to break into show business.

"Two grown men sharing an apartment? Forget it. People would think I was gay."

Shen Qi ran a curious hand over the leather seat, sorely tempted.

Unfortunately, after everything he'd been through, he only had three or four thousand yuan more to his name.

He still had rent to pay, along with Huang Qidao's assistant fee.

He had no idea when the first payment for The Return of the Condor Heroes would arrive.

"I don't drive this car much. If you ever need it, just have Brother Dao drive. He has a license."

Wei Jianguo didn't want to cut ties with Shen Qi and Huang Qidao.

He knew it was shameless and selfish not to put some distance between them himself.

But even a gigolo got lonely!

He didn't want to open his contacts and see nothing but wealthy women who wanted to sleep with him.

"Then remember to fill the tank. Otherwise I can't afford to use it."

Shen Qi didn't hold back.

Wei Jianguo had bought a luxury car. As his brother, Shen Qi was already being generous by not cutting him off.

What was wrong with driving his car?

And it had better come with a full tank.

The three of them joked and laughed just as they had when they'd shared a dorm. Before long, they reached the apartment complex where Huang Qidao had found Shen Qi a place.

"Damn, you rented His Lordship a place on the top floor? Brother Dao, you're a terrible assistant."

Wei Jianguo carried the groceries he and Huang Qidao had bought together. By the time he reached the top floor, he could barely breathe.

"Cheap and quiet..." Huang Qidao answered with a sneer. "Jianguo, you've only been doing this for six months. How are you already this worn out? Don't tell anyone you graduated from Beijing Sport University."

"Try it yourself if you're so tough. Fuck, I met this rich woman recently. She books me every day. She doesn't even treat me like a person."

Wei Jianguo sounded close to tears.

"That bad? What does she look like?"

Huang Qidao took out the key and opened the door.

"I'm telling you, all kinds of women hire gigolos. This rich woman is actually gorgeous. I can't even tell which of us is getting the better deal."

Wei Jianguo was suffering and enjoying himself at the same time.

Maybe this really would heal the hurt his first girlfriend had caused him.

"Not bad. There's no way this place costs only four hundred and fifty!"

Shen Qi walked around the apartment and found himself thoroughly satisfied.

The complex was beyond the Fifth Ring Road and wasn't particularly upscale. Parking was hard to find, too. But it was cheap.

So cheap that Shen Qi suspected Huang Qidao was paying part of the rent himself.

After all, it was a proper one-bedroom apartment with a separate living room.

A good thirty to forty square meters.

To his surprise, the top floor even had a terrace.

When a few friends came over, they could have a little barbecue. That would be great.

"Considering the floor and the size, four hundred and fifty is a fair price."

Huang Qidao had spent some of his own money.

Not on the rent, though, but on household essentials.

In effect, he had spent everything Shen Qi paid him back on Shen Qi.

Shen Qi looked at the brand-new fridge and washing machine, along with the pots, bowls, and utensils, but said nothing.

There were fresh groceries in the fridge.

Shen Qi planned to cook a few dishes as a proper thank-you to his two friends.

He was a decent cook. At least what he made was edible.

He had also invited Wen Jingrou, who had taught him martial arts.

He couldn't just turn to her when he needed something and forget about her afterward.

"Oh, there are other people here? I thought His Lordship had asked me over alone, especially since you invited me to an apartment complex."

Wen Jingrou carried a durian in one hand and a bag of apples in the other.

"I don't eat durian~"

Shen Qi eyed her gift with distaste.

He hadn't been able to afford it before. Later, Wei Jianguo had bought one to share with their roommates, and Shen Qi had discovered he was one of those people who couldn't stand it.

"I do. Eat it or don't."

Wen Jingrou wasn't about to indulge him.

She shouldn't have bought anything. She should have come empty-handed.

"Jingrou, I love it. Let's eat it together and stink them out!"

Wei Jianguo eagerly offered to help.

Without hesitation, Wen Jingrou cracked the durian open with her bare hands.

Fortunately, she did it on the terrace, so the strange smell didn't fill the whole apartment.

She and Wei Jianguo ate it out there.

"What's got you so worked up? Did your coach give you a hard time?"

Shen Qi held a spatula, unsure whether he could beat her in a fight.

"Bald Xu keeps getting worse. He says I have a bad temper and need to change. Well, if his temper's so good, why can't he put up with it? I can't fucking change, so why can't he deal with it..."

Just bringing it up annoyed Wen Jingrou.

Martial artists got injured easily, and Wen Jingrou was no exception. She had been hurt several times before.

That was why she was also trying to get a position at the university.

Unlike Huang Qidao, though, it would be easier for her to stay on.

After all, she was a professional athlete who had won quite a few awards.

Unfortunately, her temper was explosive.

When she helped teach classes, she couldn't always stop herself from scolding people.

After teaching Shen Qi martial arts for a few days, she had a point of comparison, which only made her feel that those younger students were all useless.

You can't even keep up with a PE teacher who started late!

"Think about what your parents expect of you. You could at least pretend to be gentle and ladylike," Huang Qidao said, shaking his head.

"I don't want breast hyperplasia!" Wen Jingrou shot back.

Discussing breast hyperplasia with three grown men—her name really was wasted on her.

Once Shen Qi finished cooking, they all drank beer together.

Wen Jingrou drank too, of course.

And she could hold her liquor incredibly well, better than most men.

She had once performed a Drunken Sword routine at the university's welcome party and stunned everyone. As it happened, she really had been drunk that night.

After a little beer, the conversation flowed.

"There's been no news about that Dream China show you mentioned. But Super Girl on Hunan TV announced its results a few days ago. An Youqi won, and I think Wang Ti and Zhang Hanyun came second and third."

Huang Qidao was now acting as Shen Qi's assistant. Although it wasn't an official position, he still diligently gathered entertainment-industry news.

"Forget it. We don't need to follow those variety shows. That's not the route we're taking."

Shen Qi had never wanted to go that way.

"Well, look at you. You're doing well enough to choose which route to take now."

Wei Jianguo got a kick from Shen Qi for that remark.

"Just this morning, the media reported that someone on the set of Amazing Twins hit another actor during filming yesterday. The actor who got hit was Little White Dragon."

Huang Qidao brought up another news story.

"I heard about that. Is it true?"

Someone in the car had seen the report on Shen Qi's way back, and everyone had discussed it.

Unfortunately, no one with inside knowledge had spoken up.

"They say someone really hit him while filming a fight scene. Director Wong Jing called it a fuss over nothing."

Huang Qidao tried to keep his account fair and objective.

He had read reports from several outlets, each with its own angle.

"Those Hong Kong people come to the mainland and still act all high and mighty, like they're better than everyone else."

Wei Jianguo grumbled.

Perhaps he'd dealt with clients from Hong Kong and those encounters hadn't gone well.

"So should we rule out the talent agencies in Hong Kong?"

Huang Qidao didn't avoid the subject just because Wen Jingrou was there.

She might be fierce, but she knew to be discreet when Shen Qi and the others discussed business.

"Talent agencies from Hong Kong and Taiwan recruit over here too?"

Shen Qi hadn't considered that.

Connections in Hong Kong's entertainment industry were still highly sought after.

After all, its film industry might have declined, but it wasn't as though the money had disappeared.

Hong Kong investors were coming to the mainland themselves.

"Quite a few talent agencies have come over. Emperor Entertainment Group, China Star, Media Asia..."

Huang Qidao had been doing his homework lately.

He got along well with his advisor, who had no objection to his choice and had said outright that he would let him graduate without trouble.

"Forget it. We won't consider the Hong Kong agencies."

Shen Qi hadn't met many people in Hong Kong's entertainment industry, but he had no desire to join it.

Besides, they wouldn't be interested in him.

For now, discussing talent agencies was just that—discussion. Large or small, none of them would give Shen Qi a real chance.

Even if one signed him, the terms would be extremely harsh.

"The strongest talent agency on the mainland is naturally Huayi Brothers, but that company... is incredibly hard to get into."

Huang Qidao didn't need to explain why.

After Wang Jinghua joined Huayi Brothers with a large group of stars and became its head of talent management, the company had come to dominate the industry.

They had no shortage of talent.

"Hairun, Qianyi..."

Huang Qidao looked uncomfortable.

"Forget those. They're not options!"

Shen Qi rejected them at once.

People said Huayi Brothers was awful, with all kinds of demands for sexual favors, but Hairun wasn't much different.

And its attention was sharply focused.

It was practically a handsome-man trap. Sign with them, and you might wind up losing control of your bowels.