Chapter 40

Chapter 40: A Bit Green on Top

Du An Rao choked on his question and forced down the urge to roast him. The corner of her mouth twitched as she said: “Just switch these two potted plants.”

Hong Shi Tao had calmed down by now. He asked again to make sure: “Just switch them and that’s it?”

“To change this layout, yes, you only need to swap these two pots. It’s just…”

“Just?”

“It’s just that I took a look at the dust gathered under that pot. This layout has clearly been here for a long time. The cause and effect are already formed. If you want to change the final result, you not only have to break this setup, you also have to see what choices the person inside the setup makes when they face all kinds of temptations. You should know everything has its own fate. Sometimes one wrong step is a bottomless pit.”

Because of Du An Rao’s words, Hong Shi Tao’s face grew darker and darker. But simple-minded in his own way, Li Zhao Yang did not connect any of this to himself at all. He only thought Hong Shi Tao must have been hit by some setback somewhere.

Comforting him was out of the question. After taking a few rounds of sharp looks like flying knives, Li Zhao Yang finally noticed that his cousin and the two people who seemed to be his cousins had a strange hostility toward Hong Shi Tao.

He did not know where that hostility came from, but at a time like this, his own little life was obviously more important.

After leaving the Public Relations Department, Li Zhao Yang took Du An Rao to a few more small departments. Luckily, no more trouble popped up.

They spent half a day walking around almost all the departments in the company. After that, it was time to go and take a look at the company’s entertainers.

But the entertainers who were still in the building at this hour, not out on schedules, were mostly nobodies who were not valued and left to sit on the bench.

At first, Du An Rao had been looking forward to finding that jack-su male lead who looked a lot like her second brother. But after circling the whole place, she didn’t find anyone who matched.

[Don’t tell me that after Jiang Huai Ying crashed, the male lead already hooked up with some other cheat and got new resources so fast?]

Xi Jing Yue’s eyes flickered. Of course he would not tell Du An Rao that the jack-su male lead she was talking about had already been sent to another province ahead of time for training, changing from a tiny extra to a behind-the-scenes worker.

Du An Rao’s disappointment came quickly and left quickly. Since she was no longer set on finding the male lead, when she looked up, her gaze landed right on a certain young man on the right who seemed to come with his own beauty filter.

[Wait, this handsome guy…]

Du Yu Xi had never cared much about these so-called stars. Plus, they had walked around too many places all morning. As soon as she sat down, she had almost dozed off. Now, she suddenly straightened up.

Even Xi Jing Yue pricked up his ears, thinking this might be another suspicious person he needed to keep an eye on. But the next second he heard Du An Rao sigh in a slightly lovestruck tone.

[He’s kind of too handsome! The type you remember with just one look.]

The two of them: “…”

Helpless and amused, Du Yu Xi followed her sister’s gaze. She had to admit, her sister’s taste was pretty good.

You had to know, “someone you can remember with one look” was a very high compliment in today’s entertainment industry.

The male entertainer that caught Du An Rao’s eye had correct, pleasing features and sharp brows with bright eyes. He really did have that kind of handsome face that would have been popular twenty years ago, the kind that suited both ancient and modern styles.

Xi Jing Yue felt a bit annoyed. He looked the man up and down, then took the initiative to ask: “What’s your name?”

The man froze for a second and said: “Fu Si Li.”

[Fu Si Li? He’s Fu Si Li?]

Du An Rao’s eyes narrowed. She clearly had not expected this extra pleasant surprise.

[No wonder he stands out so much. In the later plot he relies only on his real strength, fights the male lead who is loaded with cheats to a fifty-fifty draw, and is seen by the male lead as his true lifelong rival, a real powerhouse boss. What is wrong with this company? They let such a good seedling sit on the bench but push those so-called hidden dragons and crouching tigers with fake degrees, domestic violence, and sleeping with fans. If this company doesn’t go bankrupt, who will?]

Du An Rao could not help looking at Fu Si Li a few more times. Vaguely, she thought of a certain character described in Du He Xuan’s script.

[Come to think of it, he really does look quite like the character Second Brother’s crew had Pei Yi Yuan play. Pei Yi Yuan has already crashed, and Director Gao is worrying about who to give that role to now. Since this boss can last all the way to the late stage and fight back and forth with the male lead, with wins and losses on both sides, his skill and character must be solid. At least you don’t have to worry about him collapsing in the middle of filming.]

Xi Jing Yue’s face did not change, but in his heart he had already made his plans.

Li Zhao Yang also noticed that the others seemed to have taken a special liking to this young entertainer. He tested the waters carefully: “Master Du, is there something wrong with this entertainer?”

“There’s nothing wrong. I just took a look at his face…”

“You can read faces too?” As soon as Li Zhao Yang said that in surprise, he was hit with a chorus of scolding from the other two: “Shut up.”

Li Zhao Yang: “…” Fine, I shouldn’t have opened my mouth.

Du An Rao turned her head in surprise and glanced at Xi Jing Yue and Du Yu Xi.

[When did Mr. Xi and Fourth Sister get so in sync? Did something happen between them that I don’t know about?]

The two of them: “…”

“I see from this gentleman’s face that he has the look of a hidden dragon in the deep. His current situation may not be very good, but given some time and a chance, he will surely soar up, like a dragon flying to the Nine Heavens. His future is limitless.”

“Really?!” No wonder Li Zhao Yang was excited. This could count as the only piece of good news today.

Because of Du An Rao’s words, Li Zhao Yang finally took a proper look at Fu Si Li.

That one look was enough. He realized this really was a rare good seedling. The people under him must have been eating for nothing, leaving such a good seedling idle in the company to grow mold. It was a complete waste.

Seeing Li Zhao Yang so amazed by Fu Si Li, Xi Jing Yue quickly struck while the iron was hot: “This entertainer studied acting, right? Didn’t your company just recently have an actor about his age crash and burn? Put him in that spot. You might get a pleasant surprise.”

Du An Rao’s eyes lit up. The way she looked at Xi Jing Yue seemed to glow.

[Mr. Xi’s eye is really sharp. He thought of the same thing as me!]

The corners of Xi Jing Yue’s lips lifted slightly. He hid his merit and fame.

Since his own cousin had already spoken up, there was no reason for Li Zhao Yang to refuse. Of course, he himself also felt this suggestion was pretty good.

Fu Si Li had never expected that, after being cold-shouldered by his agent, his life would suddenly turn a corner and he would be hit on the head by a meat pie falling from the sky.

After his surprise, he quickly held down his joy and thanked everyone. The entertainers who had not been named were so jealous their eyes turned red.

Nothing makes people more unbalanced than when everyone is competing in the same pile of mediocrity and suddenly one person rises straight up from the ground.

Fu Si Li did not care. Good luck was, of course, easy to envy, but chances had always only belonged to people who were ready. He was confident he could grab this piece of good luck. That was the real difference between him and the others.

After looking over the few entertainers left in the company, Du An Rao’s task was basically done.

She was hesitating over whether to leave with Du Yu Xi right away or accept Li Zhao Yang’s invite to stay for dinner when she saw, in the distance, a young man in his early twenties walking toward them.

However, the first thing Du An Rao noticed was not his star-like handsome face, but…

[What the heck, why is the top of his head so green?]