LWDC Chapter 12

## Chapter 12 – Work and Seeking Pleasure

Ning Fei truly rejoiced in his successful prediction, as he hadn’t directly held the phone to his ear.

Only after Gu Hechen stopped talking did Ning Fei bring the phone closer, leisurely saying, “President Gu, Su Cenxi keeps asking me what’s wrong. So, what’s the problem with me sending him photos of ‘what’s wrong’?”

He paused, gazing at the black car downstairs, and continued, “Or are you saying you want me to directly tell him that the root cause of all this is his boyfriend? Or should I be more law-abiding and send these photos to the police, telling them that someone is engaging in feudal superstition and even attacked me?”

“Ning Fei, do you think I don’t know the truth? Are you just spouting nonsense?” Gu Hechen’s voice lowered somewhat, clearly trying to avoid Su Cenxi hearing the call. “The injuries on your hand were clearly self-inflicted. You even put someone in the hospital and damaged their important belongings, and you still have the nerve to say someone attacked you!”

Ning Fei: “Oh, then go call the police.”

Gu Hechen: “…”

“Stop pretending, President Gu. If you could ruin me by calling the police, you would have done it already. I haven’t received a single call from the police in all these days, which just proves you don’t dare to call the police, and that charlatan doesn’t dare to either, right? Ah, could it be that you won’t let him call, afraid of being implicated?” Ning Fei chuckled. “If I told reporters that the esteemed Gu Hechen actually thought his boyfriend’s manager was possessed and hired a shaman to perform a ritual, ultimately leading to the manager’s injury… would that have a slight impact on Gu’s stock price?”

The moment he mentioned Gu’s, Gu Hechen reacted as if his tail had been stepped on, his tone immediately turning colder: “You wouldn’t think a small-time agent like you could shake Gu’s, would you?”

“Who knows?” Ning Fei flicked the ash off his menthol cigarette and took another puff. “However, although I don’t have the ability to swap bid documents, it’s very simple for me to poison those koi in the pond in front of Gu’s building. Since President Gu thinks I’m some kind of evil spirit, should I really give you a taste of this kind of ‘business warfare’?”

“Enough nonsense, Ning Fei. You just want to leverage Cenxi to get resources from me, right? You’re an unknown with no industry experience. If Cenxi hadn’t specifically asked for you before, Chen Xi Studio wouldn’t have hired an agent like you.” Gu Hechen said coldly. “I’m giving you some resources in exchange, out of consideration for Cenxi. But how did you repay me? Not only are you not grateful, but you’re trying to threaten and control us instead. It seems you won’t appreciate kindness!”

“Threaten and control?” Ning Fei stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, slowly saying, “Accusations out of thin air, worthy of being a CEO. Is this your style in Gu’s? Forget it, I’m too lazy to argue with you, otherwise you’ll say I’m defying you, which is also a crime. I’d die laughing. I’m hanging up if this call has no substance, truly unlucky.”

“After disappearing for so many days for no reason, and still having this attitude, you’re not qualified to discuss Cenxi’s career anymore.” Gu Hechen suppressed his anger and coldly announced, “I’m formally notifying you now: you’re fired! Go handle the handover procedures tomorrow, I can give you N+3. The studio will issue a statement saying you voluntarily resigned, giving you some face in the end, so we can part ways amicably. If you’re not stupid, you’ll know what to say and what not to say after you leave. You’re all alone, don’t forget that even in a society ruled by law, there are still many ways to deal with you.”

“That’s a blatant threat, President Gu,” Ning Fei scoffed. “Is this your decision alone, or does Su Cenxi agree as well?”

“I’m doing it for his own good, why wouldn’t he agree?” Gu Hechen’s classic overbearing CEO lines came again. “To tell you the truth, Cenxi originally wanted you to manage him together with someone else, but since you haven’t shown up for so long, it seems you don’t care much about this opportunity. In that case, let’s give the opportunity to someone else completely.”

He said this hoping to make Ning Fei regret it. But what Ning Fei cared about wasn’t the job, he cared about: “Oh? So, without me, Su Cenxi can still become TOP 10?”

“Who do you think you are?” Gu Hechen really fell for the provocation. “Without you, Cenxi can of course succeed, and even be more successful!”

Ning Fei looked at Duan Yunhong’s car downstairs: “But recently, Su Cenxi seems to be losing a lot of work.”

“Isn’t that because you suddenly disappeared! How dare you say that?”

“It’s all my responsibility? Is it my responsibility that Su Cenxi didn’t pass the audition? Is it my responsibility that his rank isn’t as high as ST’s supermodel?” Ning Fei’s fingers tapped on the railing. “President Gu, you just said it didn’t matter whether I was there or not, and now you’re starting to blame me. Have you been so busy lately that you’re starting to become forgetful?”

Gu Hechen’s tone turned sinister: “Ning Fei, do you think I really don’t dare to touch you?”

“How did President Gu forget again? You’re already touching me. Is it fun to trick me with my Bazi?” Ning Fei said. “I won’t only not go to handle the resignation, but I also demand you compensate me for medical expenses, lost wages, and mental distress. If you don’t agree…”

Before he could finish speaking, the other side hung up the phone.

Ning Fei looked at the phone interface, raising an eyebrow. Without a doubt, Gu Hechen should have lost his composure and was probably now raging in front of Su Cenxi. It was even possible that he directly smashed Su Cenxi’s phone.

However, Ning Fei was very calm. His only regret was not finishing his taunting lines. The phone screen showed that Duan Yunhong was still online. Ning Fei was somewhat surprised, but still tapped the return to call button and picked up: “Hello? Director Duan hasn’t hung up yet?”

Duan Yunhong’s voice was even calmer than Ning Fei’s: “I didn’t finish speaking just now.”

Ning Fei now felt that Duan Yunhong was truly wonderful, and couldn’t help but curl the corners of his lips: “Oh, what else do you want to say?”

Duan Yunhong said: “You didn’t take your bracelet.”

Ning Fei was stunned for a moment before remembering the bracelet he received after giving his Bazi. The bracelet was worn on his left hand before, so it wasn’t splashed with dog blood. Later, when bathing at Duan Yunhong’s house, Ning Fei took off the bracelet and left it in the bathroom. He hadn’t thought about this thing since.

“That one? I don’t want it anymore.” Ning Fei lowered his eyes, his tone mocking. “Throw it away.”

Duan Yunhong: “If you want to throw it, throw it yourself.”

This sentence was spoken inexplicably. Ning Fei pondered for a few seconds, then looked at the car parked downstairs without moving, and suddenly reacted a little.

—Ah, that’s what it was?

—But couldn’t he have said it directly?

—This person is too much!

A large pile of complaints turned over in his heart. Ning Fei tentatively asked the man on the other end of the phone: “You brought it? Then give it to me.”

Duan Yunhong said: “Come down and get it.”

Ning Fei smiled: “No, I won’t. You come up.”

Duan Yunhong: “…”

The two of them were in a silent stalemate for a dozen seconds over the phone. Finally, Ning Fei watched the back seat door of the car open, and Duan Yunhong got out of the car.

Ning Fei opened the door for him on his phone. A few minutes later, Duan Yunhong entered Ning Fei’s house.

“Welcome, Director Duan, to my humble abode, which is about the size of a corner in your house. Don’t let it cramp you.” Ning Fei leaned against the shoe cabinet, raising his chin. “And you have to change your shoes when you enter my house. They’re brand new. If they’re too short, just bear with it.”

Duan Yunhong glanced at the new slippers with cute patterns, not moving his feet. He only took out the bracelet from his pocket: “I’m not going in. I’m just returning your thing to you.”

“Pfft, Duan Yunhong, you’ve already come in, are you still pretending?” Ning Fei walked down the entryway, getting close to Duan Yunhong, directly pinning him to the back of the door. “It’s just the two of us left, aren’t you going to tell the truth?”

Duan Yunhong slapped the bracelet on him: “The truth is, I’m taking away your thing.”

“Tch.” Ning Fei took the bracelet, throwing it away casually, making a loud bang on the ground. “It’s just a deceptive thing that Gu Hechen gave me to deal with me, it can’t be considered my thing. If I had known, I would have stained this thing with blood too, and sent it back to him as a mascot.”

“You really did break up with Gu Hechen.” Duan Yunhong swept his eyes over the bracelet on the ground. “Then I can’t think of any reason why you wouldn’t come to ST.”

“If I break up with him one moment and go with you the next, wouldn’t I be confirming this betrayal?” Ning Fei casually made up a reason to perfunctorily brush him off, then changed the topic back. “Alright, let’s not talk about annoying things. Director Duan, you’ve been following me, just to deliver a bracelet?”

Duan Yunhong raised an eyebrow: “Who’s following you…”

“I’m giving you one last chance.” Ning Fei raised his index finger. “Are you leaving now, or should I tell your driver to leave?”

Duan Yunhong grabbed his index finger: “Are you sure? You just said getting close to me would confirm your betrayal.”

“Boomerang?” Ning Fei sneered. “Work is work, seeking pleasure is seeking pleasure. Just don’t let the paparazzi take pictures.”

Duan Yunhong sharply commented: “Sounds like an affair.”

Ning Fei laughed loudly: “Hahahaha, the esteemed ST director and the manager of the opposing side having an affair… mmm.”

Duan Yunhong pressed down on him and kissed him.

*

In the end, the driver didn’t go back on his own.

Duan Yunhong left overnight. It wasn’t because they had another fight leading to an unhappy breakup, but because Ning Fei didn’t want him to stay overnight.

Okay, there was a bit of an unhappy breakup as well, at least Director Duan couldn’t help but say before leaving: “You have to make up for me leaving your house in the middle of the night once? You weren’t even forced to leave that time.”

Ning Fei found it funny. If he hadn’t left on his own that night, was he supposed to wait for Duan Yunhong to mock him insincerely? And tonight wasn’t to get revenge, it was because Gu Hechen knew Ning Fei had returned and might find something to harass Ning Fei with. If Duan Yunhong was seen here, it would create unnecessary complications.

However, Ning Fei wouldn’t be foolish enough to explain it directly like that.

“Alright, my little temple can’t accommodate a great Buddha like you. Don’t come and take up my bed with your tall frame.” Ning Fei lay on the bed, supporting his chin with one hand and holding the other out to Duan Yunhong. “But Director Duan, you should give me your business card, right?”

“Haven’t I already called you?” Duan Yunhong replied, but still took out a business card from his jacket and handed it to Ning Fei. “Just use the number I called you with to find me. Sometimes my phone might be in my secretary’s hands for the number on the business card.”

“Oh, a director’s public number?” Ning Fei carefully looked at the business card. “Alright, I’ll treat it as a collectible.”

Duan Yunhong saw him waving his bare back around and went back to the bed, reaching out and pinching Ning Fei’s shoulder.

Ning Fei: “Hmm?”

Duan Yunhong didn’t explain, only saying: “I’m leaving.”

“Goodbye, Director Duan.” Ning Fei paused, suddenly remembering something. “Right, let me ask, so many supermodels at ST competing for fashion week work recently… it shouldn’t be because you’re angry at me, so you’re deliberately squeezing out Su Cenxi, right?”

“…” Duan Yunhong lowered his eyes to look at him, speaking lightly.

“Work is work, seeking pleasure is seeking pleasure.”