"Mr. Shao, you can't buy your candy anymore."
Yan Ningke pulled open the car door. Before he had even gotten in, he saw the handsome, cool figure in the back seat, and those were the words he most wanted to say.
Shao Ke turned his head. The boy stood backlit, his lips smiling, but the light in his eyes was a little dim.
Perhaps the sunlight had been just right that day. Shao Ke's eyelids suddenly fluttered, and he lowered his eyes to hide the stumble of his heartbeat.
"Make sweet-and-sour ribs for dinner."
Yan Ningke's smile instantly deepened. He bent down and got into the car. "Let's make fish too. I'm craving it. How about Sichuan boiled fish?"
"Mm. Whatever you like."
The car slowly started, turning toward the golden sunset and weaving through the bustle of everyday life.
It was already six when they got home. Shao Ke went upstairs, while Yan Ningke fussed affectionately over Lars for a while before running back to his bedroom for a shower.
Afterward, he went straight to the kitchen to cook.
Sichuan boiled fish, sweet-and-sour ribs, stir-fried water spinach, and a mushroom soup.
Over dinner, Yan Ningke boasted that his acting had impressed the director and landed him another role.
He had thought he would receive an approving look.
Who knew people could be so devious?
"So you took another side job behind my back?"
Yan Ningke was dumbfounded.
Shao Ke elegantly sipped his soup, his manner unhurried. "A ten-ninety split."
What!??
Yan Ningke could hardly believe his ears. "Why should I!"
That little moment of being touched this afternoon would've been better wasted on a dog!
The prettier the man, the more dangerous he was!
The ancients hadn't lied to me!
Shao Ke set down his utensils and raised his eyes to him, his tone flat. "Taking private jobs during your working hours is already a breach of our agreement. Letting you go at all is more than generous of me."
"Besides, your side job will interfere with your actual work. If you're gone for three days, what will I eat? Who will walk Lars? Who will clean the house?"
Yan Ningke wanted to argue but had no idea where to begin.
Even if you're right, you don't have to take that much of my money!
Shao Ke made it clear that he did. "So, a ten-ninety split. There's nothing to debate."
Just listen to that outrageous nonsense.
Yan Ningke really wanted to throw a tissue in his face.
"What are you looking at?"
Yan Ningke forced a smile and squeezed the words through his teeth. "Just seeing how thick-skinned you are!"
Shao Ke neither agreed nor disagreed. He backed his wheelchair away and chuckled. "Good night."
Aaaah, I really want to claw his face to shreds!
Helplessly furious, Yan Ningke flailed through a set of military boxing exercises in the dining room.
"Phew. That feels better."
That was how extroverts were. They never stewed over things.
Yu Ping called while he was walking the dog.
The company had received the production team's payment. He had indirectly asked whether Yan Ningke had caused any trouble, and they had enthusiastically said he had done well and that they would work together again if the chance arose.
That had sent Yu Ping over the moon.
This production team was a good connection. With this interaction, he had established a relationship with them.
If any more roles came up, they would think of him first.
Yu Ping did not think much of it. He was very satisfied with Yan Ningke's performance this time.
He offered a few insincere compliments over the phone, then began dangling empty promises in every other sentence.
Holding the dog's leash, Yan Ningke responded halfheartedly.
He was no fool. Since the other man had not mentioned the role Zheng De had given him, he certainly would not be stupid enough to bring it up himself.
Yu Ping rambled on about this and that, then gave him the usual warning to behave himself and said he would let him know when work came up before finally hanging up.
Yan Ningke put away his phone, crouched down with a foxtail grass stem between his lips, and began contemplating life.
He had been hotheaded when he first transmigrated here, and with his inclination to coast through life, he had signed a contract with Shao Ke.
Well, it was signed now. From what he had learned about Shao Ke over the past few days, the man was not that unscrupulous. His actions were still within reasonable bounds.
To sum it up: cold on the outside, warm on the inside.
That exploitative agency, on the other hand, was a headache.
The original owner had signed with the agency in his third year of college and graduated last year, so he had been there for three years.
In those three years, never mind commercials, he had barely played any proper roles. It had been nothing but bit parts and extra work.
The year he signed, the company had taken the original owner to a few social engagements.
They called it seeking opportunities, but it had really been about taking shortcuts.
The original owner had not understood at first. Only when that so-called producer's hand landed on his thigh had he realized.
Afterward, he had returned to the company and made a scene, borrowing someone else's clout by claiming he knew Shao Yang. The company had been skeptical, but they had not dared risk provoking someone powerful, so they had simply left him to fend for himself.
What opportunities could their company possibly have?
They were just selling one thing under the guise of another.
And so the original owner had remained saddled with an unfair contract, idly chasing after Shao Yang.
Until Shao Yang had hinted that he felt sorry for his older cousin living alone, that he wanted to look after him but had no time, and that the guilt kept him awake at night.
The original owner had foolishly believed him and volunteered, barging into the villa to apply for a caregiver position.
Then Yan Ningke had transmigrated here.
The chirping of crickets in the grass was exceptionally clear in the quiet night.
Every time Yan Ningke thought of the original owner, he was so exasperated he could laugh.
They were both born in the 2000s. Why was this guy so different?
Even I, an orphan, have never been this starved for love!
But looking at it another way, he could understand.
After all, the original owner had once had it.
That made the pain of losing it all the more unbearable.
As for him, he had never known what being loved felt like, so he never expected it either.
After turning it over in his head, he still had no way to resolve things for now.
With Shao Yang, that paper tiger, acting as a shield, he could at least live in peace for a while.
Yan Ningke sighed. He would coast through one day at a time.
"Lars, we're heading back!"
The husky raced back from the grass a short distance away.
His heart and eyes were full of nothing but Yan Ningke.
Yan Ningke's mood instantly brightened. Hehe, they were running toward each other.
"Let's go home!"
"Woof!"
The night passed.
After breakfast, Yan Ningke got ready to water the flowers. This time, he was smarter.
He shut the dog in his crate before pulling out the hose.
Lars howled in the crate, sounding utterly miserable.
"Awooo!"
"Stop howling. Even if you howl yourself hoarse, I'm not letting you out."
Lars refused to accept it and kept wailing.
Yan Ningke rolled up his sleeves. "Oh, so you won't behave?"
"Woof, woof, awooo!"
Fine, fine, fine. I'll show you just how cruel the world can be.
"Mr. Shao, look at your dog!"
Lars: "Woof?"
A few seconds later, a voice as clear and mellow as wine drifted down from upstairs.
"Lars."
Yan Ningke's eyes abruptly lit up.
That voice... yes, please!!
Even knowing he would not be able to see anything, he still turned sideways to look upstairs.
It was only because he had no tail. Otherwise, just like Lars, he would have been wagging it like a propeller.
Lars's verdict: never be a Yan Ningke!
The breeze was gentle, and the sun shone brightly.
That voice just now had left Yan Ningke itching for more.
He swept his gaze around the yard, the corners of his lips gradually curving upward.
Shao Ke was listening to his assistant's work report through his earphones with his eyes closed when he suddenly opened them wide and looked to his left.
"Mr. Shao, would you like to buy some flowers?"
At the window, Yan Ningke stood on a ladder, holding flowers in both hands, his smile bright and captivating.
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