Chapter 52: An Encounter in the Restroom
“Wei Rang is three years older than me. When we were kids, Wei Rang, Ji Xu, my sister, and I were always together. Our relationship really was quite good.
“But Wei Rang’s rebellious phase was especially severe. When he was sixteen or seventeen, he was fighting, drinking, gambling, whoring—he gradually turned into a full-blown playboy.
We tried to talk him out of it, but he wouldn’t listen, so we slowly drifted apart. He’s the same age as my sister. Back in high school, something went wrong in his head and he started pursuing her.
With the way he was, of course my sister looked down on him. He was used to doing whatever he wanted—he actually drugged my sister with his gang of trashy friends, trying to violate her.
Thankfully, my sister was rescued. To make amends, the Wei family gave the Han family a lot of benefits and sent Wei Rang abroad.
My sister almost got ruined, and my family let the culprit go overseas just for a few projects. In a rage, my sister also went abroad and hasn’t come back since.
I thought that would be the end of it. I never expected that ten years later, Wei Rang would still dare to return, still dare to swagger around in front of me. This time, I absolutely won’t let him go.”
As Han Cheng talked about his feud with Wei Rang, Jiang Yu listened with sympathy for Han Cheng’s sister. But since it didn’t directly involve him, he didn’t feel much anger himself.
Looking at Han Cheng’s face twisted with hatred, Jiang Yu suddenly asked, “What about Ji Xu?”
Han Cheng raised an eyebrow at him. Jiang Yu regretted it the moment the words left his mouth. He didn’t know why he’d blurted it out—perhaps he didn’t really care about the messy affairs of the Han family at all. What he cared about more was Han Cheng’s attitude toward Ji Xu.
Han Cheng looked at Jiang Yu and suddenly seemed delighted. He leaned closer and asked slyly, “Are you jealous?”
“You’re overthinking it,” Jiang Yu said coolly, taking a bite of squid leg.
Han Cheng wasn’t annoyed at all and chuckled. “Now I’m the one in charge of the Han family. No one can stand in my way. Since he chose Wei Rang, he’ll have to bear the consequences.”
“You can really bear to do that?”
“That vinegar scent of yours is pretty strong,” Han Cheng teased. “Words are cheap—just watch whether I can bear it or not.”
After the meal, Han Cheng went to get the car, while Jiang Yu went to the restroom.
When he came out, he ran into Wei Rang.
Jiang Yu nodded politely in greeting. After washing his hands and preparing to leave, Wei Rang blocked his way.
“Does Mr. Wei need something from me?” Jiang Yu took a step back and asked calmly, though his heart was pounding.
Wei Rang clearly worked out—his arms were visibly muscular even through a T-shirt. If it came to blows, a single swing of those arms could probably give Jiang Yu a concussion.
“I’ve heard your songs. You sing very well,” Wei Rang said, sizing Jiang Yu up again, his gaze still just as uncomfortable.
Staring at Jiang Yu’s face, Wei Rang even licked his lips. The disgusting sight nearly made Jiang Yu throw up all the seafood he’d just eaten.
Jiang Yu forced a polite smile. “Thank you.”
“But your acting isn’t very good,” Wei Rang continued. “These past few years, Han Cheng’s been guiding you down the wrong path. You should sing more, act less, and stay away from variety shows.”
For some reason, Wei Rang suddenly became considerate. He stepped back, leaving Jiang Yu some space.
Jiang Yu immediately felt as if the air in front of him had become noticeably fresher. “Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Wei.”
“With conditions as good as yours, it’s such a pity to be held back by Han Cheng for six years. Why don’t you come try my company? I can hire professional musicians to tailor songs specifically for you—guaranteed to push you into the top tier.”
“Thank you for the appreciation, Mr. Wei, but I’m a pretty lazy person. I don’t want paparazzi and fans watching me every day, and I don’t want to become top-tier. Life is quite nice the way it is now—taking the occasional job.”
“If you don’t want other people’s songs, that’s fine too. I know many of the hit songs and films at Han Cheng’s company were written by you. Your talent is no worse than any professional musician’s. At my company, you can be in complete control.”
“Seems like Mr. Wei has done his homework on me.”
“I genuinely feel sorry for you. You clearly have what it takes to be a top idol, yet you’ve been trapped by Han Cheng, staying obscure by his side. Come to my company—I can give you the greatest freedom and help you become a superstar.”
“I still have four years left on my contract with Han Entertainment, and the breach fee is very high. I haven’t made much money these past few years—I can’t afford it.”
“I’ll handle the penalty. What’s four years? Ji Xu still has ten years left with Han Entertainment, and I can help pay his penalty too. Your four years are nothing.
Come to our company, become a superstar, and you’ll make money by the bucketful—you won’t be unable to afford a breach fee.
You’ve served Han Cheng for so long, yet you can’t even afford the penalty. Why stick with him? Come to my company, become a superstar. Once you have money, you can do whatever you want.” As Wei Rang spoke, he licked his lips again, as if thinking of something, his gaze turning unclean.
So that’s it—he sees me as someone who sleeps for favors.
Jiang Yu sneered inwardly. Even though he was being kept by Han Cheng, if it weren’t Han Cheng, he wouldn’t have gone along with it for so long. He wasn’t someone just anyone could keep.
“President Han is very generous to me. He gives me more money than I earn from acting and singing. I quite like my current life.”
“I can give you more. Want to try being with me?” Wei Rang finally couldn’t hold back. He took two steps forward and grabbed Jiang Yu’s arm as he tried to escape.
Jiang Yu’s heart pounded wildly, but he forced himself to stay calm. Glancing between Wei Rang’s legs, he gave a wicked smile and said, “President Han is very well endowed—ordinary people can’t compare. And his skills are excellent. We’ve been together six years and already have great chemistry. I’m not planning on changing partners.”
“I grew up with Han Cheng—we even went to public bathhouses together. Let me tell you a secret: he’s not as well endowed as I am. As for experience, he doesn’t have as much as I do either. Once you try me, you’ll definitely forget about Han Cheng.”
Wei Rang’s big hand clamped tightly around Jiang Yu’s arm. With a slight pull, he dragged Jiang Yu into his embrace.
Seeing Wei Rang lower his head, about to kiss him, a flash of ferocity crossed Jiang Yu’s eyes. He lifted his leg, ready to strike the man’s most vulnerable spot with a fatal blow.
“Brother Rang?” At the critical moment, Ji Xu walked out of the restroom, staring wide-eyed at the two of them.
Jiang Yu had never thought Ji Xu looked so good. Seeing Ji Xu, Wei Rang released Jiang Yu.
Jiang Yu staggered back several steps, putting distance between himself and Wei Rang. Ji Xu frowned at the two of them, his expression far from pleasant.
Wei Rang chuckled softly, took a business card from his pocket, and—ignoring Jiang Yu’s attempt to dodge—stuffed it into his hand. “Come find me when you’ve thought it through.”
Turning to Ji Xu, Wei Rang smiled. “Let’s go. I’ll take you home.”
Ji Xu glanced at the card in Jiang Yu’s hand, shot Jiang Yu a hostile glare, and followed Wei Rang away.
Even a trip to the restroom had been this nerve-racking. Jiang Yu waited at the restroom entrance, watching Wei Rang and Ji Xu leave, before finally heading out himself.
He looked at the business card in his hand and didn’t throw it away. At the hotel entrance, he saw Han Cheng walking in.
“Why did you take so long?” Han Cheng had waited in the car for quite a while without seeing Jiang Yu come out and was worried enough to go look for him.
Jiang Yu handed Wei Rang’s card to Han Cheng and explained, “I ran into Wei Rang and Ji Xu. He tried to poach me for his company and gave me his card.
“This Wei Entertainment—it’s a newly opened company, right? I’ve never heard of it before. Even the name is similar to yours. He’s clearly coming after you.”
Han Cheng glanced at the card, stuffed it into his pocket, and sneered. “A jumping clown. Ignore him.”
