Easy to Keep

After washing the dog, he sat with Lars under the veranda, leisurely enjoying the breeze.

He had no idea his phone was practically blowing up.

Seeing that it was about time, he bent down to stroke the dog's dry fur, gave him a piece of beef jerky, and returned to the kitchen to start work.

After washing his hands, he took out the ribs to thaw and chopped the other ingredients. While the rice steamed, he went back to the bedroom to get his phone and put on a video.

To his surprise, dozens of missed calls greeted him.

Some were from unknown numbers, others from saved contacts.

Aside from a whole string from Yan Zhen, there was one from someone saved as "Brother Yu."

After a moment's thought, he called that person back.

The name Yan Zhen told him everything: that was the original owner's younger brother, who loved making life unpleasant for him.

If he was calling, it definitely wasn't for anything good.

This Brother Yu seemed more reliable.

"Yan Ningke, have you lost your fucking mind?!"

...Not reliable.

The piercing voice on the other end made him move the phone away from his ear.

"Yan Ningke, if you want out, just say so! Transfer the eight-million breach-of-contract penalty to the company account, every last cent! I worked my ass off negotiating a role for you, and you fucking stood me up! What, do you think you're some big shot?"

"I'm telling you, you're not famous yet, so behave yourself and do as you're told. Otherwise, I have plenty of ways to deal with you!"

Yan Ningke was dumbfounded.

Then he smacked his forehead.

Shit, how did I miss something this important?!

Before the original owner had even graduated from university, he had followed Shao Yang into the entertainment industry.

With no backing, he had muddled his way into signing with a shady, no-name outfit that had nothing going for it.

It had no reputation, no investors, and no big-name stars. It relied entirely on tricking people into signing contracts, then shelving them under various pretexts until they couldn't stand it anymore and terminated their contracts early.

In plain terms, it made its money from termination penalties.

What resources could a tiny operation like that have? The original owner had basically been playing bit parts on various productions.

At most, he had a line or two more than the extras.

Even so, the company thought it had given him an incredible springboard, and the original owner had been deeply grateful.

Yan Ningke's head throbbed. He couldn't understand the point of earning money that came with so much humiliation.

A ten-year contract, with seven years left.

What could he do?

"Sorry, Brother Yu, today I..."

Brother Yu was irritable. "No excuses! I'm telling you, report to the film studio complex tomorrow like a good boy, or wait for a court summons!"

Click. The call ended without giving him a chance to explain.

It had come full circle!

Yan Ningke's head hurt. Yesterday, he had arrogantly declared that he would send someone a summons, and today, that boomerang had come flying back.

Heaven was fair after all.

Worse still, he didn't know how to act at all!

And he had no memories of this part, either.

What was he supposed to play, and how?

Yan Ningke really wanted to curse the original owner. He had really screwed him over!

He remained distracted throughout the meal.

Shao Ke glanced at him indifferently. "Something wrong?"

Yan Ningke listlessly shoveled rice into his mouth. "Something big."

He looked up at his other creditor, and his worries only deepened.

"Mr. Shao, I might need to take some time off tomorrow. I'm not sure how long. It could be an hour, or it could be a whole day."

Shao Ke: "..."

Why don't you just ask for the moon?

Seeing his miserable expression, Shao Ke showed a rare burst of kindness. "What for?"

"Filming."

Silence hung in the air for a few seconds.

Yan Ningke argued his case. "Really!"

Of course Shao Ke knew it was true. Information on his entire life, from birth to the present, was on his computer.

Naturally, he also knew that he had signed with an unscrupulous company to become an actor.

Thinking of the reason he had become an actor, Shao Ke gave a mocking smile.

Yan Ningke thought he didn't believe him and hurriedly took out his phone to open the recent call log. "Look, this is the call my agent just made."

I'm not lying to you.

Shao Ke put down his chopsticks and wiped the corners of his mouth. "All right."

He agreed?

Yan Ningke was just about to marvel at what a good person the main villain was.

"But."

Shao Ke looked straight at him, expressionless. "Given your behavior yesterday, your credibility with me is zero. So I'll be supervising you."

Yan Ningke blinked. And then?

"You have to take me with you."

What could make a powerful figure who had lived in seclusion for years willing to emerge into the world?

Was it the collapse of morality, or the twisting of human nature?

It was the enormous breach-of-contract penalty hanging over Yan Ningke's head.

Yan Ningke put on a brave smile. This was fine. With two major creditors, even if his corpse rotted, he wouldn't have to worry about no one collecting it.

His creditors would surely go to any lengths to track him down.

How profoundly moving!

At Shao Ke's insistence, tomorrow's itinerary was happily settled.

It took Yan Ningke only three minutes to talk himself around.

He wasn't really trying to run away anyway. If Shao Ke wanted to tag along, so be it.

He would even get free rides in a luxury car. Perfect!

At eleven that night, after showering, he pulled up his chat history with Yu Ping and found his role and script.

After reading them carefully, all his mental pressure instantly vanished.

He would be playing an insignificant newspaper seller during the Republican era. The male lead was in a bad mood and happened to be stopped by the newspaper seller, so in a fit of anger, he simply ordered his men to beat him to death.

It was that simple. No twists.

Completely reassured, Yan Ningke tucked himself under the covers and fell peacefully asleep.

As for Yan Zhen and all that, he had long since put him out of his mind.

He hadn't seen any of those videos or filthy exchanges, either.

While he slept soundly, a group of men in black dragged Yuan Qirui out of his home, kicking and beating him as they took him away.

His parents were overwhelmed at the company.

They couldn't for the life of them understand how they were suddenly facing bankruptcy.

Everything had changed overnight.

The next morning, Yan Ningke turned off his alarm, sat up, and stretched luxuriously.

Breakfast was a lavish affair. He had prepared the dough and chopped the filling before bed last night, and now deftly steamed a basket of mushroom buns.

He cooked pumpkin and millet porridge and stir-fried a dish of three shredded vegetables.

Sitting across from Shao Ke, Yan Ningke watched him eat his buns in an unhurried manner.

For some reason, he felt that this man was really easy to keep.

He ate whatever he was served, and his table manners were excellent, making him a pleasure to watch.

That wasn't all.

Yan Ningke lowered his head to drink his porridge and thought, He's even a little cute.

Bit players couldn't compare to proper actors. Those actors received call sheets every day and only had to arrive by the specified time.

The other extras didn't have that luxury. No matter what time their scenes were, they had to arrive early and wait on set.

Yan Ningke had checked the address yesterday. It would take at least an hour to get to the film studio complex from here.

He quickly cleaned up the kitchen, pulled on a white T-shirt and black wide-leg pants, and headed out with a backpack.

Shao Ke was still drinking coffee in the living room.

"Stop drinking that! We're going to be late!"

He snatched the coffee cup from Shao Ke's hand, set it down, and pushed him toward the front door.

Shao Ke: "..."

Why did it feel like he had been reassigned?

The driver and car were already waiting outside the courtyard.

Yan Ningke glanced at the car's brand. Nothing special, a Volkswagen.

The driver took over, opened the door, helped Shao Ke into the car, then loaded the wheelchair into the trunk.

Yan Ningke shooed Lars back inside, closed the iron gate, and told him to guard the house before turning and getting into the car.

Only after the car started moving did he realize that, despite its unremarkable exterior, its interior fittings were very high-end.

Yan Ningke understood. Just as he had thought, the main villain was simply keeping a low profile. There was no way he was short of money.