It could be said that the new IUD became popular overnight and Hu Biao was bursting with work invitations. Among them, Xie Yang was the most popular and most of the invitations were directed at Xie Yang.
Xie Yang had Hu Biao reject all his invitations. Hu Biao thought it was a pity and tried to persuade him. "You really want to reject all of them? In fact, I think you can take one or two high quality jobs to let the public know you better."
Xie Yang insisted on rejecting all the jobs on the grounds of 'I would rather be a rich boss than a popular entertainer.'
"..." Hu Biao was so choked up that he directly hung up.
Xie Yang had nothing to do and took the job of screening resumes. He sat at home every day and often cheekily asked Liu Sha for opinions. Liu Sha had experience in senior management and helped look at people. She was also willing to help him. The two people gathered to discuss the recruitment and their relationship subconsciously got closer.
On the weekend, Xie Yang went with Qiu Xing to see Feng Qinglin.
Once they got in the car, Qiu Xing suddenly spoke coldly, "I see that you've been chatting well with Liu Sha recently. Why not let Liu Sha go and help you?"
Xie Yang was surprised. "Really? My company happens to be missing a vice president."
The corners of Qiu Xing's mouth lowered. "Fake."
Xie Yang didn't care and took the opportunity to ask, "Do you have any other talents who aren't useful? Recommend one to me."
Qiu Xing sneered. "I never raise idle people in my staff."
This wouldn't work. Xie Yang leaned back against his seat, worrying about where to go to recruit talents. He had no energy to spend in the company all day long but he wasn't relieved about handing the company over to someone who had just been hired.
Qiu Xing glanced at Xie Yang several times before his expression inexplicably darkened. Finally, he leaned back against his chair and closed his eyes.
An hour later, the car stopped in front of the door of a quiet tea room.
Qiu Xing was the first to get out of the car and he closed the door particularly loudly. Xie Yang glanced at the door before getting off, following behind Qiu Xing and next to Zhou Miao. At first glance, he looked like Qiu Xing's assistant.
The three people came to the door of the box Feng Qinglin book. Just then, the employee leading them glanced at Xie Yang hesitantly before asking, "Are you Xie Yang? I-I'm your fan? Can you give me an autograph?" As she spoke, she became tearful and whispered an apology.
Qiu Xing, who had already half entered the door, stopped moving and glanced back at the staff member.
Feng Qinglin came to the door and was puzzled. "Uncle, why aren't you coming in?"
Qiu Xing waved a hand for him to shut up. Feng Qinglin's expression was ugly for a moment before he walked to Qiu Xing's side. He followed Qiu Xing's gaze and saw Xie Yang and the staff member.
Xie Yang looked at the young girl in front of him. "Are you my fan?"
The girl nodded hard. She was afraid Xie Yang didn't believe her and added, "I am also a fan of IUD. Your Reincarnation is particularly nice!"
"Where do you want the autograph?"
The girl froze before realizing that Xie Yang had agreed to give her a signature. She quickly took out a small book that was like a memo book from her pocket. She deliberately turned to a page with a more beautiful pattern and handed it to Xie Yang along with a pen. "Just sign here. Xie Yang, thank you very much."
This was the first time Xie Yang was signing something for a fan and he felt it was very novel. His mood was good as he took the book and told her, "This is my first time signing. Don't dislike it if my signature is too ugly."
The staff member stared at Xie Yang's smile for a moment and her face suddenly turned red. She shook her head hard. "No, I don't dislike it. Absolutely not!"
Xie Yang placed the pen against the paper to sign. Just then, a hand reached over. The tip of the pen poked the back of the hand. Xie Yang's actions paused and he glanced at Qiu Xing who had stretched out his hand.
The staff member also looked at Qiu Xing with a puzzled expression.
Qiu Xing grabbed Xie Yang's hand and told the staff member to wait for a moment. He left Zhou Miao outside to appease the staff member and pulled Xie Yang into the box. He closed the door and released Xie Yang before touching himself all over.
Feng Qinglin glanced at Xie Yang before asking Qiu Xing, "Uncle, what are you looking for? Do you need my help?"
Qiu Xing ignored him and took out the only foreign object on his body except for his clothes and mobile phone. It was his wallet. He opened it and looked inside before pulling out a photo and handing it to Xie Yang. "Sign."
Xie Yang was stunned. "You-"
"Quickly sign it!" Qiu Xing interrupted Xie Yang and threatened, "If you say one more word, your vice-president is gone."
Xie Yang immediately shut up and bowed his head to write his name on the back of the photo that was obviously years old. Qiu Xing immediately took the photo back after it was signed. Then he turned around and opened the door, throwing Xie Yang out before slamming the door shut.
Feng Qinglin, "......"
The staff member and Zhou Miao stared at Xie Yang who was suddenly thrown out.
"...Cough." Xie Yang sorted out the jacket and hat that were a mess due to Qiu Xing pulling him and told the staff member, "My elder at home doesn't have a very good temper. You should know that I have a bit of tension with my family because I insisted on joining the entertainment circle."
The staff member was immediately anxious. "Were you told off by your elder? I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have talked casually. I'm sorry for making trouble for you. I'm to blame." She cried again.
Xie Yang quickly appeased her. He returned the book and pen to her after signing his name and advised her not to do any personal affairs during working hours in the future. The staff member was so moved that she was persuaded to leave while holding the notebook and pen.
Xie Yang returned to the box and found that Qiu Xing and Feng Qinglin were already sitting at the tea table. However, the atmosphere between the two people was very wrong. Feng Qinglin looked embarrassed while Qiu Xing's expression was cold.
Xie Yang came in and Qiu Xing told him, "You talk to him."
Feng Qinglin looked at Xie Yang.
Xie Yang sat next to Qiu Xing but didn't immediately speak to Feng Qinglin. He instead asked Qiu Xing, "My vice-president?"
Qiu Xing's tone was a bit worse than usual and he was obviously suppressing his anger. "If you delay things, it will be gone again."
Xie Yang shut up and glanced at Feng Qinglin. "Speak, what problems did your company encounter? What do you want from your uncle? Why are you so old yet you don't know how to figure out a way out of trouble yourself, honing yourself. Instead, why do you only know how to find a parent for help?"
Feng Qinglin almost couldn't maintain his expression. He couldn't understand Xie Yang and spoke to Qiu Xing. "Uncle, I know you are angry but the Feng family is my father's family after all. They are suppressing my new company because they want to force me back. I think-"
"Enough." Qiu Xing stood up coldly. "Since you think so, there is nothing to talk about between us. Please help yourself." He turned to leave and slammed shut the door of the box.
Feng Qinglin got up, clearly wanting to chase.
Xie Yang stretched out his legs to stop this person. "Why are you chasing? Doesn't your uncle clearly care about you? He left me to talk to you."
Feng Qinglin stopped and glanced at Xie Yang.
Xie Yang directly told him, "Feng Qinglin, I don't have any kinship affection filters for you. The indirect, psychological method or the warm method are useless on me. If you want to talk about business then sit down. If you don't want to talk about it, you can leave. Don't bother your uncle. he isn't in good health. If he gets mad at you then I'm afraid he'll only live for a few more years."
Feng Qinglin was able to endure it. He didn't sneer but was silent for a few seconds before putting on a caring attitude, "What's wrong with Uncle's body? He always avoids this topic in front of me."
"Do you really care about your uncle's body or do you just want to explore how close my relationship is with your uncle?"
Feng Qinglin's fingers moved to cover his emotions. "You are called Xie Yang right? Xie Yang, don't put your boring speculations on me and my uncle."
Xie Yang laughed loudly. "I will advise you not to put on such boring acts in front of me. I'm a student of acting. Can you play me?"
Feng Qinglin frowned and didn't speak.
It seemed the male lead had only listened to play games and pretend to be deep after living one lifetime.
Xie Yang's attitude toward the male lead was a bit different and his words changed. "My mother was born in a teacher's family. My grandparents wanted her to find a civil servant to marry but she fell in love with my father, who was a rich second generation. Later, my mother eloped with my father regardless of her parents' opposition. She had me in the second year of marriage and my father cheated in the third year. My mother became mentally ill in the fourth year. In the fifth year, my mother regretted it and returned to her parents, only to learn that her parents had already died in a car accident. My father had learned the news a long time ago but concealed it from my mother. My mother collapsed and committed suicide. In the sixth year, my father married another woman. In the next three years, my stepmother gave me a pair of siblings and since then, I became an outsider in my own home."
Feng Qinglin frown deepened.
"Does this story sound familiar? Just change the details and it will be similar to your life experience. However, you are luckier than me. In the process of growing up, you had your grandmother and uncle to protect you."
Feng Qinglin finally managed to speak. "What do you want to say?"
"I would like to say that we have the same growth environment but my career is now on track. My scum father is desperately making money for me. Meanwhile, my stepmother and step-siblings are suppressed by my scum father and don't dare to provoke me at all. I have abducted your uncle as my big backer. On the other hand, your career hasn't improved. If your father wants to bully you then he will bully you. If your stepmother wants to look down on you then she will look down on you. Your brother and sister are fearless in front of you. You came to ask your uncle for help but he is still unwilling to straighten out your position... Feng Qinglin, you are four years older than me. Aren't you ashamed?"
Feng Qinglin clenched his hands and the eyebrows that were similar to Qiu Xing were pressed down. A storm was coming.
"Do you want to refute me?" Xie Yang stood up and looked at Feng Qinglin. "Don't live your life in the dog's stomach. Look at the essence of everything, not the appearance. Your uncle loves you and doesn't want to hurt you. If you want to pit your uncle then you have to get past me first, understood?"
He patted Feng Qinglin's shoulder with a tolerant smile. "Children who are disobedient because they are brainwashed need a good thrashing. If you really have a backbone then you must rely solely on your ability to get what you want."
Feng Qinglin's voice was cold. "Didn't you get what you want now by relying on the Qiu family?"
"I rely on my own ability. Do you have the ability?" Xie Yang wondered. "Or do you want to pay nothing and just suck out your uncle's blood using the fact that half your blood is the Qiu family?" He smiled and placed his business card into Feng Qinglin's shirt pocket. "Good nephew, people are under no obligation to treat you well. Nothing is natural. Life or death in business is all up to you. Who can you blame if you lose?" After these words, he directly left.
Xie Yang got in the car. Qiu Xing looked at Xie Yang a few times like he wanted to ask something but was holding back.
Xie Yang taught Feng Qinglin a lesson but this increased his own anger. "Do you know the saying that a loving mother will lose? If your nephew becomes a thankless ingrate then it is because you spoil him."
Qiu Xing was stiff as he looked out the window. "I don't spoil him."
"All parents of spoiled children say so." Xie Yang was expressionless. "If Feng Qinglin was my nephew, I will guarantee that he is crushed along with the family. What type of blood is dirty blood? He is just a child from another family who you don't know well."
***
Xie Yang and Qiu Xing stopped talking to each other. They were obviously in a Cold War.
Liu Sha saw the two people who went straight through the door at home while ignoring each other. Then she found Zhou Miao and asked, "What happened to them? They were fine when they went out."
Zhou Miao wiped the sweat around his neck and briefly outlined the discussion between Xie Yang and Qiu Xing about whether Qiu Xing was spoiling his nephew or not and if his nephew should be spoiled.
"In the end, the boss was so angry by the little boss that he couldn't speak. The little boss seemed to be in a better mood and took the initiative to talk to the boss. However, the boss ignored him so the little boss ignored the boss as well."
Liu Sha endured it but she couldn't hold back her smile.
Zhou Miao was anxious. "How can you be smiling? They are fighting!"
"It's fine!" Liu Sha waved her hand. "Arguing is also a way of communication and can increase understanding and peace of mind."
Zhou Miao became more anxious and his heart was full of bitterness.
The bosses were communicating but when the boss was in a bad mood, it was the subordinates who were unlucky!
After returning to his room, Xie Yang sat at his desk and carefully recalled the two conversations with Feng Qinglin and Qiu Xing.
The plot needed to change a little bit. He didn't know if the things instilled into the uncle and nephew would affect the development of the plot. And... he sat up straight, opened his laptop and clicked on Yang Xing's official website.
The sales volume of the mini digital album had broken through three million during the time he went out. It officially pushed the sales volume of the luxurious album Huangtian made for Ji Zehui, Broken Cocoon, below it.
Xie Yang exited the official website and opened Weibo. In the past few days, the topics created by IUD disbanding continued to increase and Weibo's hot list was occupied by various IUD performance video clips. Among them was the song 'IUD' being sung in two different styles. This was praised by countless music critics and had even been affirmed by several national media.
The state-owned media praised the new IUD as four ideals with 'ideals, a bottom line, strength and character.' They hoped that more high-quality newcomers like Xie Yang would appear in the entertainment industry and that there would be more performers with a positive energy like the new IUD.
The image of the new IUD was completely elevated and IUD fans were flattered. They went to the official state-owned media to thank it for its affirmation and expressed that they would learn from the positive energy of their idols and strive to become better.
Xie Yang watched the fans' exaggerated praise and smiled before going to the major music-related video sites.
It seemed that the entire Internet and music side of things had become the world of 'IUD'. The super hot Broken Cocoon released half a month ago was put under pressure and the discussion and heat weren't as good as before.
This wasn't something that had happened in the novel. Ji Zehui's status in Huangtian wasn't low and it was unknown if he would be disturbed by this wave. Would there be a storm in the upper ranks of Huangtian and would this affect the female lead?
A butterfly kept flapping its wings. There might only be some peripheral changes but sooner or later, it would affect the centre.
Just before dinner, Xie Yang suddenly received a call from Hu Biao.
"Ke Lan's role was stolen and it was Huangtian's work. One of the investors in Director Bi's new drama is Huangtian's acquaintance. They dismissed Ke Lan for a newcomer of Huangtian using the grounds that Ke Lan's age doesn't match the role."
Xie Yang went downstairs and continued to speak, "What else?"
"How do you know there is something else?"
"A guess."
Hu Biao was relieved by Xie Yang's calmness and continued, "There is no news from a singing variety that I previously contacted for Tong Jian. The cover shot of a magazine I talked about yesterday is also gone. And..."
Hu Biao expressed a lot in one breath like he had been suffocating from the long air pressure. Then he summed it up. "In other words, we've lost contact with most of the high-quality work that we received during this period. Huangtian knows that we need quality new jobs to stabilize everyone's popularity after going solo. Xie Yang, if there is no work, no exposure or our popularity is consumed by low quality work, even popular artists will soon be forgotten by the public."
Xie Yang didn't speak.
Hu Biao's voice was filled with some anxiety. "It doesn't matter for Tong Jian right now. In any case, he is busy recording the new album and it is fine if he doesn't pick up any work for the time being. However, Ke Lan can't afford any delays. He might be popular now but his popularity is as a singer, not in the TV circle. He has to cross mountains and there aren't many good crews. Without the opportunity of Director Bi, it is unknown how long we will have to wait for the next good role. This is also my fault. I have always been an agent of singers and never thought about developing contacts in the TV circle."
Xie Yang finally opened his mouth. "I remember that Director Bi has an apprentice?"
Hu Biao was stunned for a moment. "Yes, there is an apprentice but he previously made micro-movies. It hasn't been long since he started following Director Bi. Why mention this?"
"Contact Director Bi and ask if his apprentice has any plans to make a TV series recently. IF so, I will invest in full as long as Ke Lan is the main character."
Hu Biao sucked in a breath. "Investment? Aren't you afraid of losing money?!"
"Direct Bi's techniques are excellent and he cooperates with golden screenwriters. I am certain that he will choose an apprentice with good skills. In addition, if his apprentice wants to make a movie then he will definitely help check the script. Now under Huangtian's pressure, Director Bi was persuaded to let go of Ke Lan. If you go talk to him about cooperation that will also help his apprentice, I'm certain he won't refuse. In addition, find an acting teacher for Ke Lan and polish his acting skills before starting the new job. We can't let him go out and be ashamed later."
Hu Biao still hesitated. "However, we haven't seen Director Bi's apprentice and don't know his shooting style. In addition, what if Huangtian acts again-"
"The entertainment industry isn't the world of Huangtian. They can throw money to snatch our chances and we can also throw money to create opportunities for ourselves. The famous directors all have a temper and Huangtian doesn't always dare use money. Additionally, Huangtian might not necessarily be optimistic about Director Bi's apprentice. If we invest, they might secretly laugh at us for being stupid."
"......" Hu Biao didn't dare say it but he also felt this type of investment was a bit silly. He wanted to talk for a while but he couldn't persuade Xie Yang and was ready to hang up.
"Wait." Xie Yang suddenly called out to Hu Biao again. "Once the negotiation is complete, arrange it so that I meet with Director Bi's apprentice as soon as possible."
Xie Yang wasn't a philanthropist. Since he had decided to invest, he must make money. He also had other plans. The period of filming a TV series was too long and Ke Lan couldn't stay hidden. If a cooperation was negotiated, he would like to use Reincarnation as a background and let Director Bi first make a music micro-movie for Ke Lan. This could be regarded as letting the two people familiar with each other in advance. If things didn't work out then Xie Yang could stop the loss and terminate the cooperation in time.
After communicating all the details to Hu Biao, Xie Yang asked again, "Did Mo Bin sign with Huangtian?"
"It is unclear. Mo Bin recently had many activities suspended. He lost two endorsements and his personal image and commercial value aren't as good as before. I don't know if Huangtian will sign him. Why are you suddenly asking?"
"Find a way to let Mo Bin sign with another company. Don't let him enter Huangtian."
Hu Biao was surprised. "You want me to help Mo Bin?"
"No, it is for us. If Mo Bin enters Huangtian then Huangtian will definitely let Mo Bin keep stepping on our hype. We don't want to clean after him again in the future."
Hu Biao calmed down and gritted his teeth. "Okay! I'll help him!"
The call with Hu Biao ended. Xie Yang entered the dining room and found that Qiu Xing wasn't present. He asked the housekeeper who was serving the dishes, "What about Qiu Xing?"
Liu Sha, who followed Xie Yang into the dining room, replied instead of the housekeeper. "Ah Xing has gone to the sanatorium and shouldn't come back tonight."
Xie Yang nodded at Liu Sha to show he understood and sat down at the table.
"Ah Xing started to learn how to manage the company from a very young age. Everything in his life was under the heavy burden of taking over Rongding. His parents told him to support the Qiu family, save his nephew and don't let the Feng family get rid of the Qiu family's blood. He was under a lot of pressure."
Xie Yang put down his chopsticks and watched Liu Sha.
Liu Sha put a resume on the table and stated, "Your vice-president." Then she turned and left.
Xie Yang watched her leave for a while before picking up the resume. He took a look at it and froze in a stunned manner. He glanced at the empty seat on the opposite side, pointed a finger at the table and left the dining room with the resume.
***
Two hours later, Xie Yang sneaked into the sanatorium with the help of Zhou Miao.
Zhou Miao was very nervous. "Little boss, you have to make sure that the boss doesn't lose his temper because of this. I didn't want to do it but you kept calling me and-"
"I threatened to take you from Qiu Xing and abused you every day before you promised to help." Xie Yang interrupted Zhou Miao's words, his eyes locked on the terrace of the small building. "Don't be afraid, I won't really abuse you." Then he placed Zhou Miao's pass on his chest and entered the building.
On the terrace, Mother Qiu was watching the stars again. She tilted her head back and kept muttering something, her mind clearly in a daze.
Qiu Xing sat next to Mother Qiu, head bowed as he concentrated on cutting Mother Qiu's nails. His always straight back was bent slightly and his combed hair fell over his forehead, softening his eyebrows and eyes.
"Mom, I saw Qinglin today. He was bullied by the Feng family again."
Mother Qiu heard Feng Qinglin's name and finally reluctantly looked away from the stars. She grasped Qiu Xing's hand and asked, "Qinglin came home?"
"He turned." Qiu Xing squeezed Mother Qiu's hand and waited for her gaze to move back before bowing his head and continuing to polish her nails.
"I was going to clean up the Feng Company to give to Qinglin but a bad thing scolded me." Qiu Xing frowned and complained. "You said that you found an obedient child for me. How is that bad thing obedient? He even scolded me."
Mother Qiu suddenly stared at Qiu Xing. "Don't be fierce!"
Qiu Xing choked and his furrowed brow loosened. He continued to polish her nails and asked, "...Mom, why are you so partial to him?"
After being quiet for a while, Qiu Xing took his mother's hand again. "Mom, I hesitated. Qinglin is 24 years old. What should I do?"
Mother Qiu kept saying messy words such as 'bring your sister back', 'take Qinglin home' etc. Qiu Xing watched his mother for a long time before reaching out to pull Mother Qiu into his arms.
Xie Yang retracted the hand that was going to push open the terrace door and closed it again.
He turned to the car and threw the pass to Zhou Miao.
Zhou Miao grabbed it and looked behind Xie Yang, wondering, "Why did you come back alone? The boss?"
"He is acting spoiled with his mother."
Zhou Miao looked frightened.
***