LWDC Chapter 19

Chapter 19 – Exchange

Chapter 19 – Exchange

Chapter 19 – Exchange

After Ning Fei was dragged by Duan Yunhong from underwater to the shore, he completely abandoned the idea of going downstairs for a spa.

He lay sprawled on the bed in his bathrobe. Duan Yunhong walked back in from outside the room and said, “The hotel has already taken your clothes. I guarantee you’ll be able to wear them when you leave tomorrow, okay?”

“If you hadn’t dragged me straight into the water, would this have happened?” Ning Fei squinted at him and complained, “Playing with you is costly in terms of clothes.”

Duan Yunhong sat on the bed, his tone seemingly casual: “Playing with me is costly in terms of clothes, what’s it costly to play with others?”

“What’s it to you?” Ning Fei kicked him lightly, then got up and got out of bed on the other side. Before Duan Yunhong could take a closer look at his kick, his attention was diverted: “Where are you going? Don’t say I’m kicking you out again.”

Ning Fei waved his hand: “Suddenly wanted a cigarette, afraid you’d nag me, I’m going to the balcony outside.”

Duan Yunhong said, “No need to go outside, the window here is fine.”

For the Nth time, Ning Fei felt that this man was a bit magical. He didn’t seem to like secondhand smoke, but he wouldn’t let him go outside to smoke. What was this, a subtle “clingy” attribute?

But since the other party didn’t mind, Ning Fei didn’t bother walking any further. He picked up a cigarette from the hotel table, neatly tore open the packaging, tapped one out, and, with a lighter and ashtray, walked to the window.

Duan Yunhong stared at his bare feet, silently watching him step onto the carpet. It wasn’t until Ning Fei sat on the bay window, placing one foot on it as well, that Duan Yunhong inconspicuously withdrew his gaze.

Ning Fei didn’t seem to notice Duan Yunhong’s gaze. He lit the cigarette, tossed the lighter aside, and his eyes drifted out the window.

The room was quiet for a while, then Ning Fei suddenly heard a “click.”

He turned his head to look at the “culprit” on the bed, raising his eyebrows slightly: “Director Duan, next time you take a sneaky photo, remember to use a phone that doesn’t make a shutter sound.”

Duan Yunhong’s expression remained calm. He put down his phone and asked casually, “Did you teach Su Cenxi how to smoke?”

“No, I had him learn it by looking at other people’s photos and videos.” Speaking of this, Ning Fei got a little annoyed. “But Director Duan, putting me in your teaching case PPT is a bit much, isn’t it?”

“You have powerful methods, so naturally I have to let my subordinates learn more.” Duan Yunhong said, “If you were a few years younger, I’d even think you could try debuting as a star.”

“So, I should thank you for complimenting my looks?” Ning Fei tilted his head, chuckled, “But I’ll pass, I don’t want to go on stage.”

“Behind the scenes, you also have better choices.” Duan Yunhong couldn’t help but bring up this topic again. “Chen Xi Studio had such a decisive falling out with you before, not leaving you any face. Now you’re just simply going back? You’re a smart person, betrayal only happens zero times or countless times, you should know that.”

“Director Duan, you’re making it sound like a trashy, melodramatic drama, and I’m the ‘trash’ in it.” Ning Fei exhaled a puff of smoke and chuckled. “But this isn’t about feelings, it’s about business. If the benefits are right, people will be in place.”

“Even if Chen Xi is offering you a high price, it doesn’t guarantee that they won’t use even harsher methods against you next time.” Duan Yunhong said, “And no matter how high Chen Xi’s price is, it won’t be as high as ST’s upper limit. ST will give you a broader future.”

“Stop drawing cakes, Director Duan!” Ning Fei saw that one excuse wasn’t working, so he simply changed another one. “Actually, I have a bet riding on this. I have to prove myself, so stop trying to lure me.”

Duan Yunhong: “What bet?”

Ning Fei: “That’s confidential.” A lie made up on the spot, how could he possibly have the details ready?

Duan Yunhong frowned and asked, “Just because of this bet, it has to be Su Cenxi?”

“Ah, it has to be.” Ning Fei smiled and stubbed out the half-smoked cigarette. “So, we’re destined to be rivals, loving and killing each other, isn’t it tense and exciting?”

“Work is work, fun is fun.” Duan Yunhong called back this sentence again, his tone indifferent. “If I squeeze you to tears in the future, don’t come to blame me.”

“Then I must cry in front of you.” Ning Fei jumped down from the bay window, walking towards the bathroom as he casually replied, “What if you take pity on me and give a position to someone on my side?”

Duan Yunhong watched him walk past the foot of the bed barefoot: “Where are you going again?”

“Washing my feet and brushing my teeth, afraid you won’t let me on the bed, Director Duan.” Ning Fei said and went into the bathroom. The wall between this bathroom and the bedroom was made of glass, with a special button to “fog up the glass.” Ning Fei deliberately didn’t press it. He stood barefoot on the bathroom floor, first simply brushed his teeth, and then washed his feet. His posture for washing his feet wasn’t strange or sexy. He just grabbed the hem of his bathrobe with one hand, exposing part of his thigh, and used the showerhead to rinse his feet with the other. But Duan Yunhong seemed unable to resist the sound of the rushing water, silently looking askance as Ning Fei rubbed his left foot against his right foot, and his right foot against his left foot.

It wasn’t until Ning Fei finished washing his feet and went to turn off the water that Duan Yunhong woke up as if from a dream and quickly turned his gaze away.

But a few seconds later, the sound of knocking on the glass came from the bathroom.

Duan Yunhong turned his head to look again. Ning Fei was looking at him from the other side of the glass, raising his voice a little: “Director Duan, help me kick the slippers over here!”

Duan Yunhong: “Get them yourself.”

Ning Fei: “I’ve already washed my feet, am I supposed to step out wet? Am I sick? Either you help me kick the slippers over here, or you come and carry me over there, otherwise, you can wait for me to use your bathrobe to wipe my feet.”

Duan Yunhong narrowed his eyes.

Ning Fei: “If you don’t move, I’m really going to walk out like this.”

Duan Yunhong finally got out of bed with a cold face. Ning Fei thought that this great director would kick the slippers into the bathroom very rudely, but Duan Yunhong walked directly into the bathroom.

Ning Fei: ???

Duan Yunhong first took a bath towel and threw it at Ning Fei: “Dry yourself.”

“Wow, are you really going to carry me over?” Ning Fei wiped his feet while laughing. “After making so much noise so late, Director Duan’s stamina is still so abundant, so manly.”

“Stop talking nonsense.” Duan Yunhong saw that he was done wiping himself, and just as he bent down to carry him horizontally, Ning Fei spread his arms and proactively hugged him in a koala-like position. Duan Yunhong was a little surprised, but he still scooped him up under his buttocks and lifted him up.

From the bathroom to the bedside, it was only a short distance, and neither of them spoke. But these few steps actually dissipated some of the blocked energy in Duan Yunhong’s heart. He put the man on the bed and then spoke again: “I saw you smoking last time too, but you don’t seem to have much of a cigarette smell on you.”

“I don’t smoke much, you just happened to catch me both times.” Ning Fei took the opportunity to slump back on the bed. “Does a smoker not bring their own cigarettes? I basically just grab whatever I can get and smoke it for a bit, and then I’m done. I only smoked half of that one just now and I already felt like it was pointless.”

“Do you smoke when you’re stressed?” That was the only thing Duan Yunhong could think of. The last time he saw him smoking was on the night he was fired, and now it was when he was facing Su Cenxi’s mess.

Ning Fei looked at the ceiling, a little distracted: “Maybe, but not necessarily…”

Seeing Ning Fei unguarded like this, Duan Yunhong’s heart stirred, and just as he was about to lean down and say something, Ning Fei’s eyes suddenly focused on his face again: “Speaking of which, you secretly took a photo of me just now.”

Duan Yunhong paused, not knowing how the topic had come back to this: “So?”

“So… has the initial draft of this year’s MDC rankings come out yet?” Ning Fei looked at him. “You’re the director of ST, you must be able to get the initial draft, can you let me see it?”

The agitation in Duan Yunhong’s heart immediately died down.

“What do you want that for?” He didn’t answer whether he had it or not, but replied in a cold tone, “Even if it’s just an initial draft, there’s basically no time to earn more points.”

“I know, but I just want to see where Su Cenxi has fallen to.” Ning Fei said, “From another perspective, we’re preparing for next year’s MDC rankings the earliest, hahaha!”

Duan Yunhong ignored him, just turned around and sat down next to him.

“Director Duan, give it to me, anyway, the initial draft won’t change much, your big company bosses must have a copy each.” Ning Fei put his foot on Duan Yunhong’s leg and rubbed him with his heel. “I only have one person under me, there’s nothing to spread around, what’s the harm in taking a look?”

Duan Yunhong still turned his back and ignored him, even picking up his phone.

“Duan Yunhong!” Ning Fei simply withdrew his foot and stomped on his back, not too hard, not too soft. “Doesn’t our three times of sleeping together worth an initial draft? What’s wrong with letting me see it, am I going to kick all of ST’s people down?”

Duan Yunhong finally turned around, grabbing his foot with one hand and waving his phone with the other: “Sent it to you.”

“Wow, you’re so quick, darling, thanks!” Ning Fei winked at him, turned around and wanted to climb to get his phone on the bedside table on the other side. But before he could climb out, Duan Yunhong grabbed his foot and dragged him back.

Duan Yunhong: “The version with comments, one more time in bed.”

Ning Fei: “… What a great reason, what an animal you are.”

…

That night, Ning Fei ultimately failed to enjoy the excellent spa services downstairs.

*

Later, when Ning Fei really started studying the MDC rankings, he found it quite ridiculous.

Then, on an evening when Su Cenxi had no work, he summoned everyone in the studio to watch the initial draft of the rankings together.

“The MDC rankings?!” Su Cenxi was very surprised when he saw the projected content. “Hasn’t this come out yet? How can there be such detailed documents? Is this for this year?”

“Didn’t you see the title? It’s for this year, I got the initial draft.” Ning Fei sat next to the laptop, operating it with one hand. “Today I’m going to show everyone why the ones ranked at the top are able to get to that position, what work they’ve done throughout the year, how much value they’ve earned, and what the comments from people in the industry are. Let’s see where the gap is between us and others, stop being complacent just because you’ve landed an interview, a variety show, or a small magazine.”

Now, no one in the entire studio dared to object to him, so everyone could only sit down obediently and learn together. Ning Fei started from the top ten and looked at each one, commenting on the work of these supermodels, and occasionally mentioning some of their classic shots. The only one who could talk to him was Jia Silin, everyone else – especially Su Cenxi – could only nod like chickens pecking at rice.

But after watching for so long, having seen more than twenty people, they still hadn’t seen Su Cenxi’s name.

Su Cenxi was also a little tired and muttered softly, “When will it be my turn…”

“Is it that I don’t want to get to you sooner?” Ning Fei scoffed when he heard this. “Then why aren’t you in the top twenty? Is it because you don’t like it?”

Su Cenxi didn’t dare to speak.

Finally, at the very bottom of the list, they saw Su Cenxi’s name.

NO.49, barely making the list as the very last one.

Everyone in the studio who knew Ning Fei’s goals very well: Uh oh, someone’s in big trouble.