After I Started Dating the Scum Gong Substitute, the White Moonlight Returned - Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Over the following week, Cheng Jianyu snatched moments of leisure from his busy schedule to look at several office spaces available for rent in prime locations of the Xinfu District.

The land prices in the New City District were rising steadily. Adjoining the endless Yangtze River and with a highly developed trade center nearby, it was an excellent location for a studio.

On this day, Cheng Jianyu had just arrived home. As he twisted the door open, several pairs of unfamiliar men’s leather shoes were sitting in the foyer. He glanced at them, then carried the fruit he bought into the kitchen.

The auntie on duty was currently cutting vegetables. Seeing him, she reported in a whisper: “The young master’s management and legal teams are here to discuss the contract renewal with Moke Entertainment. They are in the upstairs meeting room—there are so many of them!”

Cheng Jianyu gave a faint “mm” and washed a few succulent apples. “I’ll go grab some more fruit. Cut a few fruit platters for them.”

Just as he was heading out, he looked up and saw a refined middle-aged man coming down the stairs wearing black-rimmed glasses. It was Jiang Yan’s manager, Brother Chao—a famous “ace” promoter in the industry, known for his considerable professional maneuvers.

Brother Chao adjusted his glasses, looked Cheng Jianyu up and down once, and asked intimately: “Xiao Yu, just got back?”

Cheng Jianyu nodded and opened the refrigerator without a word. Rebuffed, Brother Chao gave a fake smile: “Xiao Yu, come brew some coffee and bring it up for us.”

He spoke lightly and righteously, as if ordering a servant.

It was common knowledge that Brother Chao disliked Cheng Jianyu. He was too beautiful, loved Jiang Yan too much, and was too clingy—every virtue was a defect. One look and you could tell he was the type who would be hard to shake off, like a time bomb tied to Jiang Yan’s side. The day Jiang Yan grew tired of him would be the moment the bomb exploded.

He had frequently found trouble for Cheng Jianyu, both openly and covertly, hoping Cheng Jianyu would back down in the face of difficulties. He didn’t expect that after several years, Cheng Jianyu’s skin would only thicken, remaining calm and unruffled.

There was a set of hand-pour coffee tools in the house, a gift from Jiang Yan’s older sister, Jiang Shan. Usually, guests rarely visited, so it sat on the cabinet as a decoration; this time, it finally came in handy.

…

The atmosphere in the upstairs meeting room was frozen cold.

Jiang Yan rarely went to the company; all work matters were handled with full authority by his manager, Brother Chao. All necessary meetings were resolved in the meeting room on the upper floor of his own home.

The air conditioning was turned to the lowest temperature. Brother Chao pulled out a tissue and wiped the sweat from his nose. “Two new clauses need to be added to the renewal agreement. Lawyer Chen’s team is currently reviewing them.”

Thump…

A fuzzy ball hit the pristine white wall and in an instant, nimbly bounced back into Jiang Yan’s hand. He leaned loosely on the sofa, the zipper of his deep black sports jacket pulled up tight, his sharply outlined jaw hidden in the collar. He looked none too happy. “How much longer?”

“Half an hour.” Brother Chao took a quick look at his phone and said with a smile: “Xiao Yu brewed coffee for everyone. Let’s take a break first.”

Jiang Yan glanced at him, his expression softening, slowly spinning the ball in his hand. The meeting room door “clicked,” and Cheng Jianyu pushed it open with one elbow while holding a tray. Seeing the crowded room of at least seventeen people, everyone turned to look at him in unison. Cheng Jianyu was stunned for a second, then smiled slightly and poured the coffee as if nothing were unusual.

Most people present had seen him before; those who hadn’t had long since heard of their exploits. Once, when Jiang Yan was filming an advertisement abroad, he suddenly wanted to eat Cheng Jianyu’s cooking during his downtime. With one phone call, Cheng Jianyu dropped his work and traveled day and night on the earliest flight to cook a meal for him in the hotel restaurant, only to fly back hurriedly the next day.

One cannot recklessly gossip about the private life of those who provide their “bread and butter,” but everyone secretly felt a bit of sympathy for Cheng Jianyu. There was no other reason than that humans are always compassionate toward beautiful, vulnerable creatures.

Cheng Jianyu was neither hurried nor slow as he filled each cup with mellow coffee. Aside from the polite smile upon entering, he maintained no expression throughout, looking lofty and self-contained, appearing difficult to approach.

Jiang Yan tilted his head. “Where is Song Yingfei?”

Speak of the devil.

A man with curly hair entered the meeting room, affectionately holding the Border Collie that had just finished its walk. “Young Master Jiang, I didn’t see this dog of yours when I came last time?”

“It was sick and hospitalized,” Jiang Yan said concisely, his gaze fixed on Cheng Jianyu.

Song Yingfei’s family was in overseas trade and had some assets in Shanghai. They were long-time family friends with the wealthy Jiang family. While he couldn’t match Jiang Yan’s family conditions, Song Yingfei was born missing the string in his brain called “awe.” He was informal with everyone and quite stubborn, which happened to suit Jiang Yan’s taste. Over time, they became good brothers.

Cheng Jianyu held the coffee pot and poured it for him, scooping a spoonful of sugar cubes into the cup. Song Yingfei glanced at him inconspicuously, sat down, and affectionately hugged the little Border Collie. “What’s its name?”

“Druid.”

“Dota, huh? Haven’t played in a long time.” Song Yingfei gently rubbed Druid’s head. “I remember your maternal uncle also raised a German Shepherd (De Mu).”

The hand holding the sugar spoon trembled slightly. Cheng Jianyu’s expression froze for an instant—gone in a flash—as he absentmindedly added another spoonful of sugar.

“Mm, you have a good memory.” Jiang Yan changed to a more comfortable position, looked at Cheng Jianyu, raised his chin, and naturally patted his knee. Cheng Jianyu put down the coffee pot, walked over, spread his legs, and sat obediently on his lap. Jiang Yan wrapped one hand around his waist, his thumb slowly rubbing the warm, tight texture of the muscle through the clothes.

The people around them looked straight ahead, having long grown used to the sight.

“I quite miss your little uncle.” Song Yingfei sighed, then laughed vibrantly. “I remember the first time I met him, I said something bad about him. You were so angry you fought me. You really protected him!”

“If you say it now, I’ll still beat you.” Jiang Yan leaned in to sniff the coffee scent on Cheng Jianyu’s collar. Cheng Jianyu slowly blinked at him. The corners of Jiang Yan’s mouth turned up slightly, and he pinched his waist fiercely. He hadn’t messed with Cheng Jianyu enough last night; now he was “spreading waves” everywhere.

Cheng Jianyu reached out to hook his neck, leaned into his ear, and whispered: “You’re hurting me.”

Jiang Yan ignored him.

As brothers who grew up together, Song Yingfei understood perfectly the status that “little uncle” held in Jiang Yan’s heart—it was no less than that of his biological parents. He tactfully shut his mouth.

An assistant sitting at the end of the conference table stood up urgently: “Brother Chao.”

Brother Chao frowned. “What is it?”

The man unlocked his phone screen to show a WeChat message. “Pineapple Guard (Boluoweishi) has invited Brother Jiang to record ‘Let’s Go Traveling Together’ as a guest star.”

Brother Chao was stunned for a moment and quickly turned around. Jiang Yan was looking at Cheng Jianyu and didn’t seem to care. Brother Chao felt relieved. ‘Let’s Go Traveling Together’ was a “slow” healing-style variety show that invited famous real-or-fake celebrity CPs in the circle to embark on a journey.

The show’s promotion claimed to let couples re-examine their partners during the trip to foster mutual understanding. Due to its unique “dog food” (public displays of affection) mode, the first two seasons had concluded successfully with soaring ratings and scores. Now in its third season, the popularity remained high and continued to rise.

Inviting Jiang Yan was a tentative move. From his debut until now, this top-tier star had never participated in any variety show. If he joined ‘Let’s Go Traveling Together’, it would be like adding fuel to a fire; the show’s caliber would jump to a new level.

Brother Chao scratched his hair, seriously considering the feasibility. “The movie collaboration with Zhou Jueqing starts filming in the second half of this year. Zhou Jueqing’s company has always wanted to cooperate with us. If you can go on a variety show with Zhou Jueqing, it’s a good opportunity. However, the two of you would have to spend ten days to half a month together to get to know each other, so you don’t leak any secrets on the show.”

After he finished, he pretended to casually observe Cheng Jianyu’s expression. Everyone present looked over with a tacit understanding.

The smile in Jiang Yan’s eyes was cold. He raised his hand and lightly patted Cheng Jianyu’s cheek. “Did you hear that?”

Cheng Jianyu lightly hugged his wrist, leaning against his hand like a kitten, rubbing against it a few times obediently. His breathing was shallow, and his crystal-clear eyes looked at him without a word.

He looked completely submissive and sensible.

Jiang Yan coldly withdrew his hand, giving him no face at all. “Acting cute is useless. Speak.”

Cheng Jianyu nodded obediently and said in a soft, gentle voice: “I’m jealous. Don’t go.”

Jiang Yan didn’t look back. He gently touched Cheng Jianyu’s face and said unhurriedly: “The family member doesn’t agree. Can’t go.”

Brother Chao broke into a cold sweat. In the air-conditioned room, his clothes stuck to his wet back. He knew Jiang Yan’s temper; this wasn’t Jiang Yan being angry with Cheng Jianyu—it was clearly a warning to “beat the mountain to shake the tiger” (warning others).

“No…” The assistant lowered his head in shame. “Pineapple Guard invited Brother Jiang and the ‘Sister-in-law’.”

Brother Chao’s mouth clamped shut stiffly, almost letting a curse word slip out. Jiang Yan squinted thoughtfully at the man. “Me and Cheng Jianyu?”

Cheng Jianyu frowned inconspicuously, his lips pursed into a deep pink line. Everyone’s attention was on Jiang Yan, and no one noticed his expression.

“Yes.” The man felt guilty and didn’t dare look at the two of them. “I didn’t look closely at the notice; I always thought it was you and Zhou…”

“No. This matter is not up for discussion.”

Brother Chao interrupted him categorically, raising his voice to show authority. “Pineapple Guard wants to expose your relationship to leech off your popularity. They have bad intentions. Moke has cooperated with them for so long, and yet they came up with such an underhanded move. They must be crazy for popularity!?”

Jiang Yan and Zhou Jueqing were close and had many business collaborations. Fans paired them up, and they even had a dedicated CP “super-topic” that was widely known. Everyone present had initially assumed the program team invited Jiang Yan and Zhou Jueqing.

Brother Chao was an absolute miser. Someone wanting to pluck wool from his “cash cow” was the same as taking his life. He wouldn’t agree, and Moke Media certainly wouldn’t agree. It was impossible for Cheng Jianyu to be officially recognized.

“You handle it. You don’t need to tell me the result.” Jiang Yan patted Cheng Jianyu’s backside. Cheng Jianyu stood up obediently. Jiang Yan put one hand in his sweatpants pocket, walked forward a few steps, then turned back and said coldly: “Let’s go. I’ll take you to work.”

…

The garage was filled with dozens of luxury cars, colorful and magnificent, displayed according to their nameplates. Aside from his sexual orientation and needs, Jiang Yan’s interests were no different from a typical straight man of his age.

Inside the Aston Martin bought just this month, it was spotlessly clean without any extra decorations. The smell of the white leather seats had not yet dissipated. Cheng Jianyu sat in the passenger seat and rolled down the window to breathe the fresh air.

The mountain roads in the suburbs were deserted. Even if Jiang Yan was in a bad mood, his driving was very stable. The source of his displaced anger had nothing to do with Cheng Jianyu; he simply looked down on Brother Chao’s flashy, unrefined methods.

Cheng Jianyu leaned his head against the car window, his forehead feeling dizzy from bumping against the glass. He stared blankly, absentmindedly watching the sycamore trees retreating rapidly on both sides of the road.

He didn’t even hear what Jiang Yan said until Jiang Yan stepped on the brakes, pinched his chin, and forced him to turn his head. “What are you thinking about?”

The sun was high on the deserted road, passing through the transparent sunroof of the car like liquid gold splashing onto Cheng Jianyu’s face. His fine, fuzzy eyelashes were dyed gold, and his beautiful pupils had a clear sense of fragility. His thin mouth was stiffly pursed, looking… quite aggrieved.

Jiang Yan’s heart suddenly skipped a beat, as if it had been struck by a heavy fist, feeling a faint ache.