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Wu Fangyuan received the sixteenth phone call on Luo Ding’s behalf today.

From panic in the beginning to his calm now, he had quickly grown into a qualified assistant.

“Ah Ding is working now, yes. Ah, okay. OK.  What? Tonight? As luck would have it he still has to work tonight.” I have no idea what was said over the phone, Wu Fangyuan smiled and politely replied, “I am really sorry, Xie ge, it’s unfortunate but I have to apologize on behalf of Ah Ding.”

Hanging up the phone, his expression suddenly broke down into a wide smile. He returned the phone to Luo Ding and rolled his eyes: “A knot of toads wishing to eat swan meat.”

Luo Ding chuckled: “How much are they offering?”

Wu Fangyuan put the car into gear and started to drive: “15,000 yuan.” This price was already at the level of a third-tier star.

Luo Ding stopped talking. This price … he was ashamed at such a low price, but why did Wu Fangyuan’s expression look proud?

He turned on his mobile phone and navigated to his weibo page. The number of his followers had risen by nearly 100,000 within a few days. After reading the latest updates, he reviewed the comments below and then pulled up the weibo trending topics. Pan Yiming’s album news was still trending at the top.

The post had been sent from Pan Yiming’s own account and did not advertise the album in a straightforward manner. Instead, it said a sentence about how tired Pan Yiming was and then added a few words about the hard work involved in the recording of a new album. At the bottom of the post two photos that looked like candid pictures were attached.

It is exactly these two pictures that had caused heated discussions.

The sun was dazzling, and a tall man leaned leisurely against a low fence, a coffee pot in his hand while his clear features were illuminated by the light. He was wearing light-colored clothes, a smile on his face and he was smiling and saying something to someone in the distance. Through the screen, his refreshing and gentle disposition was unforgettable.

People with refreshing temperaments are naturally attractive, but just when people had begun to think that this was Luo Ding’s real character, the next photo did not hesitate to overthrow all the impressions that had just been created.

The lights were dim and warm, reflecting the disorder in the room. A man sat casually at the table, his back slightly bowed. He held a sharp knife and was expressionlessly looking down at a corpse lying in a pool of blood. Red blood flowed all over the floor and because of his long legs the tips of his toes almost touched the dark pool of red.

His expression on the other hand was very tranquil. His eyes held a calm light as if the body he faced could not evoke even a smidgen of compassion from him at all. The image, which only showed his profile, made his features look even more refined than a frontal photo would have done. His prominent eyebrows and high nose bridge were similar to that of a mixed-race person.

However, there was no trace of the warmth from the previous photo. He was like a man who had grown up in a deep valley and was imprisoned by thick shackles from his heart to his appearance. No further description was needed. Everyone could understand this man’s role in the MV from the composition of the photos.

This kind of personality that could transform freely from darkness to un-shadowed light was undoubtedly amazing. Pan Yiming’s female fans were suddenly bowled over and the comments and reposts of Pan Yiming’s Weibo post were all questions about Luo Ding’s origin.

Who is this person?

Soon Luo Ding’s Weibo was discovered by insiders. Three years after his debut, it had less than 50 posts, very few fans, expressionless selfies, and some shows that no one had ever heard of.  

In the shows and selfies, Luo Ding’s face held an unprecedentedly bored look. He never chimed in on the “brain-dead” topics introduced by TV hosts and just sat quietly rubbing his fingers together. Although his aura was not as powerful as that of the man in Pan Yiming’s images, this feeling of contrast … It’s so cute!

It must be said that the the original owner’s cold image had created a good foundation for Luo Ding. If as a result of youth, anger or confusion he had given some opinions on public affairs it would have been used against him when his popularity eventually rose. But with just these selfies, the meager content of his Weibo combined with Pan Yiming’s publicity, Luo Ding could start to take the path of a popular star.

Dazzling on stage yet shy and silent behind the scenes. The incalculable power of the contrast between his internal and external selves was especially lethal to female fans. The original owner’s personality used to covey that he was bored, shy and reticent and for now Luo Ding intended to continue with this style.

Comments like “So handsome” “Very cute”, “Small Face” and “No Flaws” on the photos made him smile. Turning to the homepage, he discovered that the news that he had participated in the filming of the MV had been revealed. However, because this news had just broken, though the trend was rising, it was not too intense yet.

The album news trended for three days. Luo Ding’s popularity rose, and he naturally attracted a group of fans like bees to honey.

At this time, the benefits of signing to a small studio was apparent. The small popular celebrities of large companies were often forced by their agents to appear at events to network and familiarize themselves with sponsors. However, in Yaxing, Wu Fangyuan obeyed his words and Gu Yaxing also hated the rules of the entertainment circle, so Luo Ding didn’t have to worry about this.

Luo Ding as a predecessor in the industry was more aware of the trends in the entertainment circle than Wu Fangyuan and Gu Yaxing. His current schedule were only events that he felt were necessary to accept.

Like today, Ji Jiahe was hosting a party out in the suburbs.

After the anniversary banquet, Luo Ding had begun to keep in touch with Ji Jiahe. After all, the latter is the editor-in-chief of Fashion magazine, and this position is so weighty that he was probably out of reach to many popular stars.

However, the entertainment industry is frivolous. There were many people like Ji Jiahe who had a chaotic private life. Although Luo Ding did not like such people, he couldn’t completely exclude them from his social network. Naturally, he had developed methods to deal with them.

The car stopped at the back door of Tianmei Entertainment. Pan Yiming’s van had been waiting for a long time. As soon as Luo Ding’s door opened, Liu Yu assisted Pan Yiming inside.

“There was a bit of traffic on the way, did you wait for a long time?” Luo Ding glanced at his watch, there was still ten minutes before the time he and Pan Yiming had agreed on, but he still apologized profusely. Looking back at Pan Yiming, he exaggeratedly complimented, “Wow, so beautiful.”

For such parties, of course, it was natural to invite a female companion, but Luo Ding did not know too many people in the entertainment circles and Pan Yiming was the most sociable member of the opposite sex he knew.  He was very impressed by her cheerful atmosphere and her occasional aloofness.

Pan Yiming wore a snow-white, Grecian style floor length dress covered in a metallic tassel fringe. One rounded shoulder was exposed and coupled with her long black, shiny hair, it was no exaggeration to call her a goddess.

This goddess apparently did not intend to maintain her image in front of Luo Ding. On hearing Luo Ding’s words, a proud smile appeared: “Did you bring food? I’m starving. I came here directly after completing a cover photoshoot without eating lunch. I even borrowed these clothes from the crew. “

Wu Fangyuan was surprised at her words. On their way here, Luo Ding had deliberately asked him to swing by a Japanese sushi restaurant and purchase some sushi, yet Luo Ding had not eaten it after getting on the van and Wu Fangyuan could not understand why. However, it now seemed that Luo Ding must have known that Pan Yiming would be hungry before placing the order.

As the assistant who was in charge of such chores he was not as thoughtful as Luo Ding. Wu Fangyuan’s heart was filled with tears and he was embarrassed and unreconciled.

Japanese sushi was not as pungent as other meals and it was easy enough to eat without ruining your make-up. As she ate, Pan Yiming became even more fond of Luo Ding. Thoughtful men are welcome in any group, especially this attentive man with a handsome face. Even if Pan Yiming had no extraneous thoughts about him, from a purely appreciative point of view, his careful thoughts could not be ignored

The car exited at a steady pace, leaving behind a trail of dust.

In the parking lot at the back of Tianmei Entertainment, a dark black van was parked quietly in an exclusive parking space. Duan Xiubo, who had been napping, straightened up and leaned against the window to watch the Chevrolet van drive away.

He was very impressed with Luo Ding. From the first meeting at Gong Liangguang’s birthday party, he had had the feeling that this person shared the same characteristics as him. This was the first time he had ever paid such attention to a young artist in the entertainment circle. It was a very novel feeling.

Perhaps because the balance between enthusiasm and distance when they interacted with one another was just too suitable, he felt unprecedentedly comfortable.  Accordingly, his good feelings for Luo Ding were not shallow. Luo Ding’s attitude towards him was always calm and although his words were respectful, Duan Xiubo could feel that Luo Ding did not view him differently from others.

Duan Xiubo seemed to have found someone like himself who was indifferent and unafraid. This coincidence in a vast sea of people seemed liked God’s will.

Thinking of the smile that Luo Ding had just showed to Pan Yiming, Duan Xiubo frowned: “That Pan … Pan, what’s her name? That woman in the white dress is dating Luo Ding? I remember Luo Ding is younger than her, right? “

His agent, Mi Rui pushed up his glasses and felt helpless. What is Pan’s name? He remembered that in the morning they had met in the film studio and Xiu Bo had said two words to Pan Yiming. This indifferent gentleman, now he couldn’t even remember her name.

However, as his agent, this was not the first time he had seen Duan Xiubo’s true nature so he calmly analyzed the issue: “Ms. Pan’s current boyfriend is Shaodong Ansheng of Anshi Group. She and Mr. Luo are probably just friends.

“Seeing Duan Xiubo’s frown unfolding and the illusion of his mild temperament restored, he rolled his eyes in his heart:” Duan ge, you can’t be alone at the dinner party this evening, Can you?  Isn’t it rude to not invite a female companion?”

Duan Xiubo reclined in his seat and yawned: “Okay, come with me.”

Working overtime and being neglected again! Mi Rui’s hand which was holding the steering wheel suddenly tightened: “Duan ge … I have … had no time to accompany my girlfriend for three days … I want to get married this time …”

Duan Xiubo squinted and smiled at him.

“…” Mi Rui still insisted, “I really don’t …”

“Five times the pay.”

“… It’s not impossible.”

The car started slowly, and Duan Xiubo swayed for a brief moment and while holding on to his forehead to maintain his perfect smile he rolled his eyes in his heart.

For a person of Mi Rui’s appearance and temperament, five times the salary was really generous. However, if it wasn’t that he was too lazy to deal with those female companions who would assume that they now had a close relationship after the banquet, why would he even bother?

Unwittingly, he thought of the scene where Pan Yiming and Luo Ding had looked at each other and smiled.

Ugh …

Unhappy.

Translator notes: Duan Xiubo is so very cute.

One thing that appeals to my fan girl heart is the descriptions of what goes on behind the scenes with celebrities. Their thoughts on weibo trends etc. I’d imagine its all informed by reality

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