Chapter 232: The No-Name Star Beckons, the Benefactor Becomes a Simp 5

Chapter 232: A Nobody Snaps His Fingers and the Sugar Daddy Comes Running 5

"Haha! Tell me about it—I feel relieved too."

"Right? Well, I'll drop you off here. See you at the next collaboration!"

"Mm! Goodbye!"

After wrapping up the TV drama shoot, Lin Huaiqing found himself with free time again.

The Xurong Entertainment Company he was currently signed with wasn't what it used to be.

There were basically no good opportunities left, and even if there were, they'd been snatched up by others before they ever came his way.

In his spare time, all he could do was pick up a few print ad gigs to earn some extra cash.

His contract with the entertainment company had less than a year left—by early next year, he'd be a free agent again.

Thinking back six years, the original Lin Huaiqing and Fei Xiu had both been roped in by their agent, signing a six-year contract with Xurong Entertainment all at once.

It wasn't until they became Xurong's talent that they truly understood just how cutthroat this industry really was.

The company was struggling, and neither of them got much traction at first.

Later, Fei Xiu was scouted by Huiling Entertainment—which now dominates half the industry—and jumped ship. That's when his acting career really took off.

Of course, switching companies wasn't that simple. Terminating a contract required paying a buyout fee.

At the time, the two of them were still just kids from the countryside who'd come to the city to work. How were they supposed to afford that kind of money?

Huiling Entertainment only covered half, and the remaining half came from the original Lin Huaiqing's savings from years of work—he handed it all over to Fei Xiu, and it still wasn't enough.

In the end, the original Lin Huaiqing had to ask his family for more to cover the shortfall.

Unexpectedly, once Fei Xiu got over there, he blew up. The company built a persona for him, and after one drama, he'd already gained his first batch of fans.

Within a few months, Fei Xiu paid Lin Huaiqing back.

Unfortunately, the original Lin Huaiqing refused—he told Fei Xiu to send the money to his family instead.

As time passed, the matter quietly fizzled out.

By all rights, once Fei Xiu had established himself at Huiling Entertainment, he should have brought Lin Huaiqing over too—after all, the penalty fee was pocket change to him by then.

But he never did, because he needed to distance himself from Lin Huaiqing publicly. And Lin Huaiqing never brought it up either. The two of them had somehow reached an unspoken agreement.

For Lin Huaiqing now, that was probably for the best.

At least he didn't have to see Fei Xiu's god-awful face during work hours.

Otherwise, his mood would be shot for the rest of the day.

During the few days he rested at home, Lin Huaiqing went on a shopping spree at the supermarket and tried all the local food spots nearby.

It was the capital city, after all—even outside the city center, there was no shortage of good food.

After meals, he'd head to the nearby gym, where he'd gotten a VIP membership, and work out whenever he had time.

In less than half a month, he'd actually put on a few pounds, and he felt stronger in his arms and legs than before.

The best news was that his payment from the last TV drama had landed in his account.

On closer inspection, it was actually five figures.

He'd only worked two days and earned that much—maybe this acting gig really does pay well!

Even though he couldn't keep the money, just seeing the balance in his bank account made him happy.

But his good mood didn't last long.

"Hey! Lin Huaiqing?"

"What—" Lin Huaiqing was caught off guard by the call from Fei Xiu and was annoyed, but remembering what the system had told him about breaking character, he forced himself to change his tone.

"Ah Xiu... is something up?" Lin Huaiqing got goosebumps.

The person on the other end was slurring his words—clearly wasted.

"You... come to Haoyue Hotel right now... pick me up immediately! If you're not here soon, I'm not waiting! Don't... don't take too long, let me..."

Even through the phone, Lin Huaiqing could practically smell the strong smell of alcohol coming off Fei Xiu. Just hearing it annoyed him.

Still, Lin Huaiqing kept his cool. "Are you drunk? Is Xiao Li there? Put him on the phone."

Xiao Li was Fei Xiu's personal assistant, in charge of his day-to-day stuff.

"He's not here! I said come get me now!" Fei Xiu's tone sounded absolutely commanding.

In the background, the drunken laughter of men drifted in from time to time.

Lin Huaiqing frowned deeply, steeling himself, yet forced to sound genuinely concerned:

"Alright, hold on. I'll be right there. Stop drinking for now, or you'll have a stomachache later."

With that, he hung up.

Meanwhile, in a private room at the luxury hotel, a table full of rich second-gen heirs from the capital sat around.

Many of them were Fei Xiu's drinking buddies, and they partied hard—into both men and women.

"Whoa! Film Emperor Fei, patched things up with the missus that fast?" one of the guys teased.

After hanging up, the last traces of drunkenness in Fei Xiu's eyes vanished completely—it had all been an act.

"Hmph! I'm giving him a chance. I've left him hanging for half a month. People like him—you can't spoil them. Otherwise, they'll get too big for their boots."

Fei Xiu said this looking pretty smug.

"Still, our Film Emperor Fei sure knows how to keep his wife in line! Hey, I don't think I've ever met the missus—only Young Master Sun has, once. He keeps telling me she's a looker. This time I've got to see for myself."

"No problem! I figure he'll be here within twenty minutes. You all just watch—see how I deal with him! Cheers!"

"You got it! With Fei-shao on the case, we'll just sit back and enjoy the show!"

Back at the hotel, under bright lights, a group clinked glasses and toasted in high spirits.

Meanwhile, under the dim glow of a streetlamp, Lin Huaiqing waited in the biting cold wind for the last bus.

He'd checked the map—from his place to Haoyue Hotel, a taxi would cost forty yuan. The bus was only two yuan.

Sure, it was a bit slow, but did he really need to hurry to see that sorry bastard?

A full hour later.

Fei Xiu had already put away most of the booze, but Lin Huaiqing still hadn't shown. Even the rest of the guys were starting to get antsy.

"So, Xiu! Is your wife gonna show up or what? I've got stuff to do later!"

"Yeah, is he a no-show or something?"

Getting grilled like that, Fei Xiu felt a little embarrassed in front of his boys.

Usually, no matter where he was, with just one phone call, Lin Huaiqing could basically make it within half an hour.

What was up today? Did something happen on the road or what?

"What's the rush? Let me ask."

But the second Fei Xiu called, Lin Huaiqing hung up on him.

Fei Xiu wasn't having it and called again. This time, he finally heard a ringtone coming from the doorway.

A waiter led Lin Huaiqing all the way to the private room door. He hadn't expected there to be this many people inside.

As soon as he stepped in, everyone was eyeing him up and down in a way that made him uncomfortable.

Being a man himself, Lin Huaiqing knew exactly what those looks meant.

He'd rushed out today without bothering to clean himself up. His hair was a bit messy from the wind, and he'd just thrown on an overcoat before leaving. He hadn't given his outfit a second thought.

But even this simplest of outfits, worn on Lin Huaiqing, with that face that could make the mundane look magnificent, looked remarkably elegant.

Maybe this was what people online meant by "even a sack looks good on you"...