The Gift

Brimming with confidence, Yu Ping drew up a proposal on the spot, ready to report to his superiors. He was determined to have Yan Ningke seize this opportunity and make a name for himself in one fell swoop.

To his surprise, the frazzled executives told him to handle it himself and dismissed him with a few words.

Yu Ping stood outside the office, dumbfounded.

What did that mean? Were they not interested in making money anymore?

He couldn't make sense of it.

Green Tangerine Entertainment had a good eye, preparing to strike while the iron was hot and collaborate with Yan Ningke.

They would create a win-win situation.

They were all anxious, but Yan Ningke acted as though nothing had happened. He went home, took a shower, burrowed under the covers, and fell peacefully asleep.

Late that night, the bedroom door slowly opened.

A tall figure appeared in the doorway. The person on the bed seemed to be having a nightmare, waving his hands wildly and mumbling in his sleep.

"No... Mom, save me."

"It hurts. Stop hitting me..."

Someone caught his flailing hands in a firm grip.

As though he felt safe, he gradually calmed down.

Thirst woke Yan Ningke. His throat was painfully dry, so he got out of bed and opened the door to find some water.

Unexpectedly, the man sitting on the sofa drinking coffee caught his attention first.

"When did you get back!?"

Yan Ningke blinked in disbelief, afraid he was imagining things.

Shao Ke looked up at him and said flatly, "If I hadn't come back, this place of mine would've turned into a haunted house."

Great. His tongue was as sharp as ever.

"Mr. Yan, you're awake. Do you still have a fever?"

The housekeeper emerged from the kitchen carrying a clay pot and hurriedly asked the moment she saw him.

Only then did Yan Ningke realize that he had developed a fever in the middle of the night.

No wonder Shao Ke had said that.

Breakfast was red date and Chinese yam porridge. Somehow, the housekeeper had concluded that he was a little anemic and had made a separate pot of medicinal broth for him.

The smell of Chinese medicine filled the house.

Yan Ningke tried to refuse with a miserable expression. "Can I skip it? I feel perfectly healthy! Really, I could kill a cow with one punch."

"No, you couldn't."

Shao Ke looked at him sternly and said in a low voice, "I was gone for two days, and you managed to get yourself into this state. If I were gone for two years, would you manage to get yourself killed?"

That was an exaggeration. He valued his life, thank you very much.

With that stern face, Shao Ke looked exactly like a school disciplinarian. Yan Ningke only dared to grumble under his breath.

Under that piercing gaze, he obediently drank it all in one go, then held up the bowl for inspection. "All done."

It wasn't as bitter as he had imagined.

A box of Belgian chocolates appeared on the table, and Shao Ke offered a single word. "Reward."

Yan Ningke's eyes lit up. "For me?"

He'd even remembered to bring him a gift from his business trip!

Shao Ke picked up his tablet. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the young man clutching the chocolates in delight, and his lips curved slightly.

After resting for a while that morning, Yan Ningke received a call from Green Tangerine Entertainment inviting him to do an artistic photo shoot.

Yan Ningke thought it over and agreed.

He got straight to it, changing his clothes, letting Shao Ke know, and heading out with a little backpack.

Using the address they had provided, Yan Ningke had the driver take him there.

The studio was on the twenty-first floor of a commercial building. Yan Ningke found the elevator and pressed the button for his floor. Just as the doors were about to close, a hand blocked them and stopped them.

Then a fashionably dressed young man wearing sunglasses stepped inside.

Seeing someone else in the elevator, he inexplicably paused.

Thinking he was worried there wasn't enough room, Yan Ningke politely stepped back.

Unexpectedly, a man appeared out of nowhere and said to Yan Ningke, "You, get out. Wait for the next one!"

Yan Ningke was speechless. Sure enough, being considerate never paid.

He stepped into the middle of the elevator and pressed the close-door button. "Take it if you want. If not, take the stairs."

Spoiled brats!

The two men caught in the doorway hurriedly pulled themselves back out.

The one who had been shouting pointed at him furiously. "Do you have any consideration for others? If you hurt my idol, just wait until you get dragged online!"

Yan Ningke rolled his eyes at him.

What a nutcase! Where did that sense of superiority even come from?

Qiao Xi was already waiting by the elevator doors. Seeing him arrive, she hurried forward. "Hello, Teacher Yan. I'm from Green Tangerine Entertainment."

After they exchanged greetings, Qiao Xi led him to a lounge.

"I'm sorry, Teacher Yan. We were short on time and couldn't book another studio. This one had an opening, but we'll need to wait a little longer."

Yan Ningke waved it off. "It's fine. I understand."

That was how the internet worked. If they didn't capitalize on this wave of traffic, people would have forgotten all about it in a few days.

Deeply grateful for his cooperation, Qiao Xi had an employee buy some snacks and drinks for Yan Ningke while she anxiously kept checking with the staff outside, hoping their turn would come as soon as possible.

Yan Ningke thought their turn would come soon, but the wait dragged on for over an hour.

Qiao Xi hadn't come in for a long time.

Aside from him, there was only an assistant in the lounge.

"Teacher Yan, please wait a moment. I'll go take a look."

Yan Ningke stopped her. "Let's go together. Sitting here is pretty boring anyway."

The assistant nodded, opened the door, and led him toward the shooting area.

Just past the corner, they heard an argument up ahead.

Listening closely, they picked out Qiao Xi's voice.

The two exchanged a glance and quickened their pace.

"We were clearly here first! Why are you letting them shoot before us?"

A staff member replied dismissively, "They booked in advance."

Qiao Xi shot back, "When I paid just now, you never told me anyone had booked this time slot. I saw the schedule myself. We were the ones listed!"

Just a moment earlier, someone had told her to get ready because they were next.

Then a group had come up and whispered a few words, and that person had told them to wait a little longer.

Anyone could see that someone had cut in line.

Normally, Qiao Xi would have put up with it, but Yan Ningke was now the key to whether their company could turn its fortunes around in one go.

Even a moment's delay could change things fundamentally.

Most importantly, if they were going to cut in line, they could at least have a decent attitude. Instead, they were not only rude but also looked arrogant and impatient.

Qiao Xi simply couldn't swallow the insult.

Yan Ningke arrived to find a crowd clustered together and asked, "Qiao Xi, what's wrong?"

The crowd parted, and his gaze met that of the man in sunglasses opposite him.

Yan Ningke: "..."

Of all the people to run into.

The other man saw him too, and his cold, haughty expression instantly turned into a mocking smile.

Suppressing her anger, Qiao Xi forced a stiff smile. "It's nothing. Sorry to trouble you, but please wait a little longer. I'm sorting it out. It'll be ready soon."

"Pfft."

Wei Xinghe took off his sunglasses and smiled smugly at Yan Ningke, though he addressed the staff. "Can you hurry up? I have an interview later."

The staff member smiled ingratiatingly. "Of course, of course. Everything's ready. We can start anytime."

The assistant who had been throwing his weight around downstairs joined in. "Our artist is very busy. If you hold him up, can you afford to compensate him?"