Chapter 8 – I Just Won’t Work with Him

The day after Guan Lan had dinner with Chen Jin, photos of them were taken by a passerby and uploaded online.

Of course, it wasn’t really a random passerby. If it had been an innocent bystander, they would have seen that there were four people at the table, with Guan Lan and Yang Peiqing being colleagues from the same company. Four men having a meal together would naturally be seen as a friendly gathering. But this “passerby” had a peculiar perspective—their photos only captured Guan Lan and Chen Jin, the two of them acting intimately and looking ambiguous. From dining together to leaving in a luxury car, the series of photos could easily inspire a 10,000-word fanfiction.

As for this matter, both parties involved didn’t seem to care much.

Guan Lan already had a reputation, so one more rumor didn’t bother him—it was like adding one more louse to a head full of them, and he wasn’t afraid. For Chen Jin, it was just a harmless piece of gossip, and it couldn’t even be linked to any shady dealings. He and Guan Lan weren’t even in the same circle, so there was nothing to exploit.

The reactions from other interested parties varied.

Ren Xiaofei: Weren’t you supposed to be holed up at home working on your compositions? Why are you out there expanding your harem! If you have the guts to drive a Cayenne and pick up men, why don’t you have the guts to come to work!

All these years, you’ve ignored the pretty flowers and tender grass around you, but now you’re chasing after a clown who acts like an idiot on a variety show? Boss, your taste is quite unique!

Yang Peiqing: Damn it, I’m so pissed!

I’m such a big person sitting right across the table, and you just ignore me? There’s a photo where I’m clearly in it, but they Photoshopped me out! That meal was already frustrating enough, and now I have to deal with this the next day! So mad!

Zhuang Lin.

Zhuang Lin was beyond furious.

He knew Guan Lan was insincere, but he didn’t expect this man to have no heart at all.

He had just finished scheming with him, and then immediately went off to flirt with someone else.

What was he to Guan Lan? A character in a dating sim to be conquered, and once conquered, not even worth saving the file before moving on to the next one?

The routine was the same! First, he’d invite someone to a meal, pick them up and drop them off, which was fine—

But why did Chen Jin get a Cayenne, while I got a Q5!

Is there some kind of hierarchy here?

Am I only worthy of a budget-friendly car and a cheap restaurant?

In his rage, Zhuang Lin didn’t even realize where his anger was misplaced.

And—and that gentle expression, that ambiguous gaze, that intimate behavior—none of that had been directed at him!

So Guan Lan had only used 30% of his effort on him. Forget whether he had successfully “conquered” him—of course, he hadn’t succeeded—but the fact that Guan Lan thought he could win him over with just 30% effort was infuriating!

His anger was seriously misdirected—he was mad that Guan Lan didn’t value him enough, but he himself was completely unaware of it.

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Guan Lan had no idea about the intensity of Zhuang Lin’s inner turmoil. He went to work and started arranging for Ren Xiaofei to draft Zhuang Lin’s contract.

Ren Xiaofei: How many people did you manage to attract during your two-day “creative retreat”?

The usual process for poaching someone goes like this: First, he’d secretly communicate with the singer and establish a private agreement. Once the singer was on board, he’d contact their manager. By then, the artist’s side was already compromised, and usually, the manager couldn’t do much. When the company found out, it was already too late, and the deal was done. The best outcome was a smooth transition; otherwise, it’d be a legal tug-of-war between the two companies.

Guan Lan arranged to meet with Zhuang Lin’s manager.

Managers were actually much easier to deal with. Especially given Guan Lan’s current status in the industry, most managers would flatter him and greet him with a polite smile, which was far more pleasant than dealing with a prickly artist like Zhuang Lin.

Guan Lan had heard of Zhuang Lin’s manager, Qi Fei, a very capable woman who had nurtured a few rising stars who were doing quite well. He didn’t know about Qi Fei and Zhuang Lin’s familial relationship and simply thought the company had assigned a suitable manager to Zhuang Lin, indicating they valued him.

Qi Fei was surprised when she received Guan Lan’s invitation.

After their conversation, she was even more surprised.

When had these two connected? She had no idea, and Zhuang Lin had kept it completely hidden from her.

There were two possibilities: either the two had already developed some unspeakable relationship and reached an agreement, hence keeping it from her; or Zhuang Lin had softened his stance and agreed to collaborate but was too embarrassed to tell her because he had previously been adamant against it.

Based on her understanding of her brother, she thought the second scenario was far more likely.

She went back and briefly told Zhuang Lin about her meeting with Guan Lan.

Zhuang Lin: “No, I don’t agree.”

Qi Fei was completely confused: “Why? Teacher Guan said you already agreed.”

Zhuang Lin: “No, he misunderstood. I didn’t agree.”

Qi Fei’s expression turned serious: “What happened? Did he make any demands on you? Don’t be shy about it. We may not have much influence, but Guan Lan isn’t all-powerful either. I’m not a big shot, but I won’t stand by and let someone bully my brother.”

Zhuang Lin: “He didn’t. He only said he wanted to sign me, nothing else.”

Qi Fei: “Really?”

Zhuang Lin: “Really.”

Qi Fei studied his expression carefully and believed he was telling the truth.

Qi Fei: “Then I don’t understand. Tell me why you don’t want to. Give me a reasonable explanation.”

Zhuang Lin stiffened his neck: “I’ll write my debut album myself. I don’t want to sign it over to someone else.”

Qi Fei: “Did he say he wouldn’t use your songs for the debut album?”

Zhuang Lin didn’t respond.

Qi Fei: “Then he didn’t say that. Do you have any other reasons?”

Zhuang Lin: “…I don’t want to work with him.”

Qi Fei frowned, and Zhuang Lin’s heart tightened.

He knew she was about to start lecturing him.

Qi Fei: “Originally, I didn’t recommend you come to Huixin. You’re a singer, and you’ve been here for a while now, so you should know what the music resources here are like. But your mother was worried about you being alone in Beijing, afraid you’d be bullied or scammed. I thought about it—this industry is a mixed bag, and the waters are deep. If you’re under my wing, even if your progress is slow, at least you won’t be taken advantage of. As an employee of the company, I shouldn’t say this, but as your sister, I’ll tell you: Huixin’s music department is a shoddy operation. You’re a professional, so you know better than I do what level our music director is at. It’s true that you’re a creator, but are you never going to exchange ideas with others? Never seek guidance? Or do you think you’re already the best in the world the moment you step into the industry, and no one can guide you?”

Qi Fei: “I’ll also tell you this: if you want to sing and achieve something in music, the best place in the country is Tianlong, with Guan Lan. There’s no second option. His personality aside, his professional skills and market insight are undeniable. If he were ten years older, he’d be called a music godfather. Originally, my thought was that since he’s interested in signing you, you should sign both your management and recording contracts with him. Now that you have reservations, at least you should sign the recording contract. As long as the management contract stays with me, he can’t control you. I’ll review the contract for you to make sure you don’t suffer any losses and that he can’t exploit any loopholes to force you into anything. How does that sound?”

Zhuang Lin knew Qi Fei was making perfect sense. If he still refused, he’d be acting unreasonably.

He didn’t meet her gaze and remained silent.

Qi Fei was all too familiar with this stubborn expression of his—it was the same look he had as a child when he was told to share his snacks with other kids. You’re making a lot of sense, but I just don’t want to listen.

Her anger finally peaked, and she unleashed her ultimate move:

“When will you realize that the world doesn’t revolve around you? The people you don’t like, the people you can’t stand—are you going to avoid working or interacting with them for the rest of your life? Is that possible? Why are you, a grown man, so cowardly? Are you so afraid that Guan Lan wants to sleep with you that you’re willing to sacrifice your career development? As your sister, I shouldn’t be saying such harsh things, but I have to tell you: Guan Lan doesn’t sleep with just anyone. You’re over here worrying about whether you’re even qualified to be slept by him!”

She didn’t know that this was the last thing Zhuang Lin wanted to hear.

Zhuang Lin: “I know you’re looking out for me, but don’t I even have this much autonomy? If I can’t succeed without Guan Lan, then maybe I should just quit this industry altogether! I’m not afraid of him sleeping with me or exploiting me—I just don’t want to sign with him. Is that not allowed?”

Qi Fei had never heard him talk back before—he had always listened obediently. But this time, he was provoked by her words. The idea that he might not even be worthy of being slept with by Guan Lan was too much for him to bear.

Qi Fei was at a loss and had no choice but to call Guan Lan back.

Guan Lan was very surprised to hear that Zhuang Lin had changed his mind, and quite firmly at that: “That can’t be. We had a great conversation. Why is he unwilling now?”

Qi Fei: “I’ll try to talk to him again. Young people can be a bit stubborn. His artistic brain is something I often can’t figure out.”

Guan Lan knew Qi Fei probably couldn’t persuade him, which was why she was so quick to call him.

Guan Lan: “I’ll ask him myself. But since you said he’s quite resistant, he probably won’t agree to meet me. Give me his recent schedule, and I’ll see when I can ‘accidentally’ run into him.”

After giving Guan Lan Zhuang Lin’s schedule, Qi Fei couldn’t help but wonder:

Why is Guan Lan so interested in Zhuang Lin? Could he really be interested in him? Given how adamant Zhuang Lin is, it’s probably not just him overthinking things. I’ll have to keep a close eye on this.