Chapter 24: CH 24

Translator: Lynn

Zhou Jia was still too naive. After Director Long received the call to deliver the good news, he didn’t show any joy. Instead, he fell silent for a long time before repeatedly questioning, “Ding Tianwang has never been so friendly to a newcomer. Why is he suddenly so kind to you? What did he and Xiaojie talk about and do today? Tell me everything.”

At the time, Long Zichen was in the recording studio working on songs for other artists, accompanied by Yuan Chao, who had nothing else to do. Irritated by the question, Yuan Chao complained, “Why are you making it sound like some scandal? Seriously, don’t you have any trust?”

Long Zichen glared at Yuan Chao, who continued listening attentively to Zhou Jia’s detailed report of everything that happened from morning till the end of filming.

“In the future, if any random person asks for Jian Jie’s phone number, you should step in and stop them,” Long Zichen instructed Zhou Jia. “For now, take Xiaojie to rest. I’ll join you later. Ask Xiaojie to wait for me at the company, and I’ll drive him home.”

After hanging up, Long Zichen grumbled, “That nanny car… Seriously, we have one too!”

“What’s the matter?” Yuan Chao gossiped. “What happened to Xiaojie?”

Long Zichen contemplated for a moment before saying, “Ah, I see. Chaozi, why do you think Ding Jiangyu is suddenly so enthusiastic? He kept letting Xiaojie ride in his nanny car and purposely sent him back to our company. And he invited Xiaojie as his guest on the ‘Super Star Interview Show,’ and Zhou Jia kept praising Xiaojie’s talent all day… Do you think there’s something going on?”

“He must have taken a liking to Xiaojie. Our Xiaojie is so innocent and fresh, he’s definitely Uncle Weird’s favorite!” Yuan Chao said with a serious face, jokingly trying to provoke Long Zichen.

“Ah, that must be it!” Long Zichen clapped his hands, convinced by the idea. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. His Xiaojie had rosy lips, pearly white teeth, an invincible youthful beauty, and good looks. Who wouldn’t like him? Ding Jiangyu had been in the industry for so many years, rumored to have relationships with female and even male artists. Could he actually swing that way?

“No, I have to go back to the company and have a serious talk with Xiaojie! You can handle the recording of the next few songs, Chaozi. As long as they’re not terrible, I’ll take care of the post-production later.” After making this decision, Long Zichen hurriedly left, leaving Yuan Chao feeling lost and silently sighing at the sky. “Dachen, are you really behaving like a jealous lover? Poor Yuan, it seems like my future is getting darker.”

Long Zichen rushed back to the company and the first thing he said upon finding Jian Jie was, “I’ve heard enough. Don’t go on any talk shows!” He then tried to assert his authority, saying, “It’s too early to reveal yourself. Your album hasn’t even been planned yet. It’s not beneficial to promote it this early.”

“Well, that wouldn’t be good,” Jian Jie said, feeling embarrassed. “Brother Jiang Yu has been very kind to me, and it’s the first time he’s asked for my help. How could I refuse? I’ve already promised him. Mr. Long, I’m really sorry. Can you please be a little understanding?”

Brother Jiang Yu? Wasn’t he still Mr. Ding yesterday? Long Zichen suddenly felt like he was going to vomit blood.

In reality, it was Ding Jiangyu who suggested the change, stating that it would be odd for them to still address each other formally during the show. Calling each other “Brother Jiang Yu” indicated a good relationship. That’s how the industry worked. Even if they were strangers offstage, they used affectionate terms for each other onstage to convey a sense of friendship. There shouldn’t be any misunderstandings or distance.

Long Zichen understood this, but for a moment, he seemed to forget everything and felt a fire burning in his chest. He couldn’t tell Jian Jie, “Oh, it seems like Brother Jiang Yu might be interested in you!” Such thoughts were fleeting, and he couldn’t let them ruin the mood. So he had to suppress his anger and put on a forced smile as he asked, “Are you getting along well with Ding Tianwang?”

“Well, Brother Jiang Yu is very kind. He even gave me a limited edition album of his latest release.” Jian Jie happily took out a large gift box album with exquisite packaging from his bag. Limited edition albums typically came with posters, photos, and MVs, and were relatively expensive. Usually, only loyal fans would purchase them. This one also had Ding Jiangyu’s signature and personal dedication. Jian Jie planned to give it to Aunt Shui, who would be delighted.

Seeing Jian Jie’s joyful expression as he held Ding Jiangyu’s album, Long Zichen suddenly felt a pang of panic, and an unknown fire ignited within him. He couldn’t tell Jian Jie, “Oh, it seems like Brother Jiang Yu might be interested in you!” These thoughts were fleeting and couldn’t be revealed to spoil the mood. So he grew angrier and angrier, struggling to control his temper.

However, he couldn’t vent his anger on Jian Jie. He had to bear it repeatedly, maintaining a reasonable demeanor as he said, “Since you’ve already agreed, let’s go ahead with it. But we need to focus on making your new album. We’ll take advantage of the buzz after the show and release it then. Once the fans’ anticipation period passes, the promotional effect will diminish. Recording a song might seem difficult, but it’s necessary.”

“I will put in my best effort and won’t complain,” Jian Jie promised.

“Well, it’s getting late. Let’s go back together.”

Jian Jie got into Long Zichen’s car and quickly realized that something was different about him today.

It was unusual for Long Zichen to be downcast, and even he felt that he was acting strangely. He remained silent and seemed lost in thought throughout the journey. Even though Jian Jie wasn’t particularly perceptive, he could sense that something was amiss. He cautiously asked, “Mr. Long, are you in a bad mood today?”

“Not good, very bad!” Long Zichen suddenly erupted, unable to hold back his thoughts any longer. He pouted in a sullen manner. “You’ve only known Ding Jiangyu for a few days, and yet you’ve started calling him ‘Brother Jiang Yu’. What about us? I’m still ‘Mr. Long’.”

Jian Jie felt a bit dazed. This wasn’t the first time Mr. Long had brought up this issue. He still cared about it? It was rare to see Mr. Long lose his temper, but the fact that it was over something like this made Jian Jie feel conflicted. He tentatively suggested, “If you’re still bothered by this, since we’ve been using surnames all along, how about I call you ‘Brother Chen’ from now on? Is that okay?”

“…Okay,” Long Zichen reluctantly agreed. Although he still felt it lacked intimacy, he decided to leave it at that for now. Anything else would seem inappropriate. Ah Chen? Xiaochen? Chenchen? Oh, it’s so embarrassing! Dachen? It’s too late for that. Let’s just go with Brother Chen for everyone.

In reality, Long Zichen also wanted to remind Jian Jie not to get too close to Ding Jiangyu in the future. After all, Ding Jiangyu had a lot of connections, and the media would write about anything nowadays. Once you’re labeled, no matter how hard you work in the future, people will still ignore it. Long Zichen couldn’t bear a single stain on his Xiaojie’s reputation, as he was destined to become a superstar.

However, knowing Jian Jie’s serious and earnest nature, Long Zichen was afraid that expressing his concerns would dampen his enthusiasm and make him feel restricted in the entertainment industry. It wouldn’t be good if he started having thoughts of giving up. After careful consideration, Long Zichen had no choice but to bear it, enduring the internal struggle.

Ah, the hardships of being a successful aspiring music producer! Long Zichen had already made up his mind that as long as he was by Jian Jie’s side, he would ensure that he never suffered the slightest injustice. There may be better singers in the world who can create and perform better, but those people are “others,” whereas Xiaojie is unique.

Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.

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