Daily life

Wang Xiang froze. Was he about to be called to account?

He immediately turned around and bowed repeatedly to Zheng Xing, utterly abject. "I was wrong before. I was a snob who looked down on others. I was blind to have slighted Mr. Su. I'm sorry! I'll never dare do it again. Please spare me!"

His voice verged on tears.

Seeing him like this, Zheng Xing sneered. "Good, you know what a lowly cur you are. If Master hadn't said you were still useful, I'd have finished you off long ago."

Wang Xiang grew even more terrified, trembling like a leaf.

"Enough. I'm not here to kill you. You're a top variety show director now, so you still have some value. Master hopes to make use of you in the future. Understand?" Zheng Xing looked down at him.

Hearing that he wouldn't have to die, Wang Xiang felt as though he had been granted a pardon. "Thank you, Mr. Su, for overlooking the past and sparing my life. Thank you!"

"Um... I understand! Whatever variety show Mr. Su wants to appear on in the future, I'll make it happen. If Mr. Su wants to enter the film or television industry, I have some connections there too. I'm at his command!"

He didn't mind being threatened into working for Su Li. After offending that demon king, he was lucky just to survive.

Only then did Zheng Xing nod in satisfaction. "That's more like it."

Inside a private room at a hot pot restaurant.

Su Li, An Hui, Cheng Sirong, and Chen Zhuo were all there.

Their luggage had already been taken to their vans by their assistants, after which the four of them had come to this hot pot restaurant.

As for Su Li, on Zheng Xing's very first day as his assistant, he had suggested buying a van for Su Li to use.

Su Li had provided the money. Getting money was easy for him. With Yuan around, he could make plenty simply by trading stocks and investing.

The interior of the van wasn't fully fitted out yet, but it was usable.

Thanks to this variety show, Su Li's Feibo follower count had reached 1.4 million.

That was the good thing about a phenomenal hit variety show: it drew plenty of attention. The Eye of Emotion had evolved again, greatly increasing his strength.

Chen Zhuo tipped a plate of meat into the bright red beef-tallow broth, muttering, "I'm going to eat my fill this time. The last time I had hot pot was over six months ago, and even that was clear broth!"

A knock came at the private room door.

"Come in."

A man with an extremely pale face, wearing a long-sleeved, high-collared top, entered carrying chilled milk tea, fruit tea, and desserts.

He took the items out one by one. "Boss, I saw you were having hot pot, so I bought these. The fruit teas are for the others."

He, Zheng Xing, had to serve his boss well at all times. He had to attend to these little details.

Only then did the others realize this was Su Li's assistant, Zheng Xing.

"Thank you. Xiao Su, your assistant is so thoughtful! He even lets you have desserts!" Cheng Sirong's face was full of envy.

"It's my duty." Zheng Xing even put a straw into the milk tea before handing it to Su Li.

"Boss, do you have any other instructions?" Zheng Xing bowed.

Su Li smiled as he accepted the milk tea. "No." Having him as an assistant really was a good choice. He was very dedicated.

"Yes. Then I'll take my leave." Zheng Xing respectfully withdrew from the room.

This was the first time An Hui and the others had seen what Zheng Xing looked like, and they were surprised by his words and behavior toward Su Li. He seemed less like an assistant than a servant.

Remembering how Xiao Qian had told him before that Zheng Xing was strange, and thinking of what made Su Li unusual, Chen Zhuo couldn't help asking, "Brother Su, can I ask whether your assistant is..."

He still had a youthful disposition and plenty of curiosity.

After all, Zheng Xing didn't look quite like a normal person. Who wore long sleeves and a high collar in the height of summer, with such a pale face too?

Although An Hui was curious as well, he felt this would be difficult for Su Li to talk about, so he changed the subject. "The meat should be cooked. Get it out before it gets tough."

Only then did Chen Zhuo realize he shouldn't have asked, and he hurriedly said, "Right, it's finally cooked."

Su Li chuckled, picked up a slice of meat, and answered casually, "Zheng Xing is indeed a ghost."

Since they already knew ghosts existed, this was a good chance to see how they would react.

An Hui and the others froze. They had thought Zheng Xing was someone with special abilities. They hadn't expected him to be a ghost.

And Su Li had admitted it outright?

Cheng Sirong was dumbstruck and could barely get her words out. "But... he can come outside. Isn't he afraid of sunlight?"

They weren't frightened; they simply found it inconceivable.

Su Li ate with relish and replied offhandedly, "He's different from those wandering ghosts. He's relatively strong."

"Are all powerful ghosts unafraid of sunlight?" An Hui thought it would be terrifying if someone around him turned out to be a ghost.

"Don't worry. Zheng Xing is an exception." Su Li sounded very confident.

Chen Zhuo's face was full of admiration. "Brother Su, are you from some ghost-hunting family? That's so cool! If my house ever has a ghost, can I come to you?"

"Of course. If you hear any rumors about hauntings anywhere, you can tell me too. My ambition is to catch ghosts." Su Li's eyes lit up.

Now they all thought Su Li had known the Manor was haunted and had come on the variety show to catch ghosts.

Their conversation turned to their careers, and An Hui said to Su Li, "Xiao Su, your popularity has gone up a lot this time. You're practically on par with second-tier celebrities now. You should get some good opportunities."

Su Li shook his head. "I want to set up my own studio."

"That's good too. If you're short on money, you can come to me." An Hui felt that Su Li would become famous no matter what he did.

"I can put up money too!" Chen Zhuo raised his hand.

"I'm not short on money either. Your big sister will definitely back you. But speaking of careers, one of you acts in movies and the other is in a popular boy band, so neither of you lacks opportunities. Xiao Su has a bright future too."

"I'm different from you. Although I'm a queen of song, and appearing on this variety show has boosted my popularity a little, what matters most for a singer? Songs."

Cheng Sirong sighed. "I've held that title for a few years now, but since then, I haven't made the top five on the Seasonal Music Chart. No matter how popular I am, without songs to back it up, the title of queen of song is gradually losing its worth."

"The music our company's top composers write doesn't really suit my style."

Chen Zhuo couldn't help asking, "Then what about finding other composers?"

Cheng Sirong grew even more dejected. "It's not as though I haven't tried. But singing mediocre songs would only ruin my own reputation. Some looked promising, but after the albums came out, the response was lukewarm."

"I might be famous, but I still have a long wait ahead." Her position among the queens of song really was awkward. Even some first-tier singers had released better songs than hers in recent years.

Su Li's gaze shifted. Blue Star didn't seem to have Earth's songs. He had found another good way to harvest emotional energy.

He could easily write a few songs for Cheng Sirong. As a queen of song, she had no shortage of fans, and when she sang songs he had written, he would receive emotional energy too.

With that thought, Su Li asked, "Does anyone have a pen and paper?"

"I do. I carry them around to jot down inspiration for my roles." An Hui took a notebook out of his bag.

They didn't know what Su Li intended to do and watched him tear three sheets from the notebook.

Then he began writing and drawing nonstop on the paper.

Chen Zhuo leaned over for a look. Were those... musical staves?

He said to An Hui and Cheng Sirong in surprise, "Brother Su seems to be writing songs!"