Chapter 2

Chapter Two

At the teahouse, Lu Miao took a gentle sip of tea, her demeanor graceful. "Shufang, thanks to you, I’ve tried most of the delicious food in City A recently."

Li Shufang smiled, her bright red lips parting generously. "City A is so big, there’s plenty of delicious food to try. Let’s check out Xinbei Street tomorrow. I know a new Japanese restaurant there, and I heard it’s really good."

Lu Miao agreed softly.

Lu Miao is a senior executive at the company where Li Shufang’s husband works. The two met at a company cocktail party a month ago and hit it off right away. Since then, whenever Lu Miao had free time, they would hang out to shop and eat.

While they were chatting happily, Li Shufang’s phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID and answered, "So, you finally remember your mom?"

The person on the other end said something that made Li Shufang laugh. "You’re coming home for at least three to five days at the end of the month, no excuses." She then decisively hung up.

Li Shufang sighed, "I wonder where he gets this troublesome streak from."

Lu Miao asked, "Gu Xu?"

Li Shufang replied, "Yes, it’s like we owed someone in a previous life, and now both father and son are here to collect."

Lu Miao chuckled, "It’s not that exaggerated. Didn’t Gu Xu start his own business?"

It wasn’t that Lu Miao was being nosy; everyone in the company knew about Gu Xu’s venture. Firstly, because Gu Xu once had a big argument with Gu Guozhong in the office, even breaking some things, all over the matter of his company. Secondly, because Gu Xu’s company had indeed developed quite well, going international in just a few years.

Li Shufang said, "Both father and son have quite the temper. Over some trivial matter... they started giving each other the cold shoulder, acting like children. Gu Xu has been living on his own for two years now. If I didn’t keep an eye on him and make sure he comes home regularly, they might’ve become strangers."

Lu Miao comforted her, "Don’t worry, fathers and sons don’t hold grudges forever. They’ll make up eventually."

"Lasting? It’s been a year already." Li Shufang sighed, "And what about you? With your personality, your kid must be doing great."

Mentioning her son, Lu Miao’s smile softened. "He’s very respectful and well-behaved, but he’s busy with work, just like Gu Xu. He lives on his own, and I only see him every couple of weeks."

Li Shufang asked, "Are all young people this busy nowadays? I thought it was just my troublemaker. What does he do for work?"

Lu Miao replied, "He’s an actor."

Li Shufang was surprised, "An actor? What’s his name?"

"He’s not that well-known," Lu Miao said with a hint of embarrassment. "His name is Lu Yan."

Li Shufang exclaimed, "Lu Yan? The same 'Yan' as in 'peaceful day'?"

Lu Miao nodded, "Yes, after I divorced his father, he took my surname."

"Really? That’s Lu Yan? You call that not famous? Even an old lady like me who doesn’t watch TV knows him." Li Shufang said, "He’s quite good-looking. Oh, I didn’t notice before, but you two do look quite alike."

"It’s not that exaggerated," Lu Miao laughed. "I don’t expect him to be a huge star. He’s always swamped with work, and every time I see him, he seems a bit thinner. He’s been sorting out his contract lately, and I’m not even sure if he’ll have time to come home this month."

Li Shufang caught the key point, "Contract issues?"

Lu Miao explained, "Yes, I think his contract is up."

Li Shufang asked, "Has he decided which company to go to?"

Lu Miao thought for a moment, "Probably not yet. He just told me about the contract issue the day before yesterday."

Li Shufang’s mind quickly turned. She lightly tapped the table, "Lu Miao, why don’t you have your son join my son’s company?"

Lu Miao was taken aback, "Gu Xu’s company? But isn’t his company mostly into real estate and finance?"

"He’s got a talent agency," Li Shufang said with a smile. "It’s something he just decided, and it seems they haven’t signed many artists yet."

Lu Miao was a bit hesitant: "We can’t really make that call for them, right?"

Li Shufang: "Lu Yan’s a big deal, so many companies must want to sign him. Gu Xu’s got it all covered, and don’t worry, Lu Yan will definitely get top-notch treatment there. Here’s an idea: you go back and mention it to your son first. If he’s on board, great. If not, no big deal."

Lu Miao hesitated for a moment, then said, "Alright, I’ll go back and ask him."

Not even half an hour after Xu Ze stormed out, Lu Miao called.

Lu Yan stood up and walked outside before answering: "Mom."

Lu Miao said gently: "Xiao Yan, are you busy?"

Lu Yan: "It’s alright, I’m on set."

"Am I bothering you? Are you free to come home this weekend?"

Lu Yan thought for a moment: "Most likely not, I’ve got meetings with a few agencies this weekend."

Lu Miao was quiet for a few seconds, then asked: "Have you picked a new agency yet?"

Lu Yan hummed in agreement, about to mention his plan to start his own studio, but Lu Miao interrupted him.

"A friend’s kid runs an agency, and she wanted me to ask if you’d be into joining his company."

Lu Yan was a bit surprised. He hadn’t heard his mom mention a friend in ages. Since her divorce, Lu Miao had almost completely immersed herself in work, keeping to herself, which had worried Lu Yan for a while.

He smiled slightly: "I see, which company is it?"

"I think it’s called... Mingsheng," Lu Miao said. "It’s a new company, but I think it has great potential."

Lu Miao, worried her son might dismiss it because it was a new company, shared her thoughts. She didn’t like meddling in her kid’s life, but she was quite satisfied with Mingsheng. They’ve got plenty of money, and Gu Xu had connections. Lu Yan wouldn’t be at a loss joining them.

Lu Yan agreed immediately: "Alright, I’ll get someone to reach out to Mingsheng later. Have you eaten?"

Lu Miao: "Just grabbed a bite with a friend. I’ll let you get back to work then, but remember to come home next week. It’s been more than two weeks since I’ve seen you."

Lu Yan smiled: "Okay."

Back in the dressing room, he tossed his phone onto the table and asked Lin An: "Has an agency called Mingsheng contacted you?"

Lin An: "Mingsheng? Maybe, I can’t remember. Probably not a major player, huh?"

Lu Yan leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes: "Reach out to them to sign."

Lin An, after hearing this, immediately tried to recall the details of the company, then widened his eyes: "What?! Sign? Wait, Mingsheng’s nowhere near as big as Star Entertainment! Why?"

Lu Yan, too lazy to explain: "I like its name."

"..." Lin An was used to his artist’s way of thinking. "So, we’re not opening the studio anymore?"

Lu Yan: "No, I wasn’t that into opening one anyway. Too much trouble."

Lin An, still not giving up, asked again: "You’re not going to reconsider?"

Lu Yan: "No, go ahead and contact them."

Lin An: ...

*

The bar was lit up with neon lights, buzzing with energy.

Xu Ze was downing his drink and said to his friend beside him, "Come on, it was just a one-night thing, right? I didn’t cheat on him in my heart, so why is Lu Yan so mad?"

It was supposed to be a friendly get-together today, but in reality, it was just a superficial gathering of heads from various talent agencies to expand their connections. Xu Ze originally wanted to drown his sorrows, but he ended up drinking too much and started rambling. The looks around him were telling.

His friend looked at him speechlessly, "If you keep it up, everyone’s gonna know about you and Lu Yan by tomorrow. Then see where Lu Yan throws that bottle."

Xu Ze was immediately frightened by these words and lowered his voice, "Damn it, he’s still trying to cut ties with me, and no matter what I say, he won't listen!"

His friend took his glass, "Alright, stop drinking, and keep it down. You don’t want anyone overhearing."

As soon as he finished speaking, a tall guy walked by and let out a scoff, indicating he had heard their conversation.

The man didn’t stop or look up, walking straight over and sitting across from them, apparently also an invitee to this gathering.

Xu Ze clearly heard the scoff and squinted in dissatisfaction, "Who's that?"

"Gu Xu, lower your voice."

Xu Ze, "Gu Xu? Who's that?"

"Gu Guozhong’s son, from the Gu family! I heard he recently opened a talent agency."

Xu Ze, "His dad is doing so well in the real estate business, what’s he doing messing with a talent agency?"

His friend, "Inside scoop, 100% legit!"

"Ugh, rich people problems." Xu Ze snorted.

As soon as Xu Ze finished speaking, Gu Xu sensed his gaze and glanced over.

His friend quickly smiled apologetically, "Mr. Gu, our bad. Xu Ze’s just going through a rough patch and had one too many."

Gu Xu gave an ambiguous scoff without saying a word, and Xu Ze, scoffed at twice by the same person in less than five minutes, felt particularly upset and took another big gulp of his drink.

A man stood up and said with a smile, "We've had enough drinks, how about looking for some other entertainment?"

Late at night, what kind of fun was implied, everyone knew without saying.

Gu Xu had just finished a phone call, he stood up and buttoned his suit one by one, "I’ve got other things to take care of."

Xu Ze, drunk, blurted out, "What could you possibly have going on at this hour? Way to kill the mood."

As soon as he spoke, the table immediately fell silent. They had all come tonight hoping to curry favor with this 'industry newcomer', but he didn't pay them any attention. Xu Ze, on the other hand, had just offended him with his words.

Just as everyone was ready to watch the drama, Gu Xu didn't get angry. He casually strolled over to Xu Ze, and up close, Xu Ze realized that Gu Xu had a face like a male model, with a nose that seemed to reach the sky.

Gu Xu looked at him, "Oh, I'm going to sign a contract with Lu Yan."

"..."

Half a minute after Gu Xu left, Xu Ze came back to his senses and asked his friend in disbelief, "Who did he say he's signing with, Lu Yan? Who’s he trying to fool?! Who signs contracts in the middle of the night?"

As soon as Xu Ze recovered, he borrowed a phone from a friend to call Lu Yan, but as soon as he said "Hello"—he got hung up on right away.