Drunk On The Night Breeze - Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The first thing Tao Zhi did upon waking up this morning was call his manager, Chen Ping, to declare that he wanted Ruan Lingfeng’s team to handle his performance planning.

Chen Ping hadn’t expected the young master to be up so early on a day without any scheduled appearances, let alone that he would ignore yesterday’s storm entirely just to discuss this one matter.

Of course, Chen Ping was long used to Tao Zhi’s erratic way of doing things.

Originally, Chen Ping had planned to persuade Tao Zhi to schedule another meeting with Ruan Lingfeng to hear the rest of the proposal—or at least watch a video if he didn’t want to meet in person.

The reality was that their tour’s opening date was fast approaching, and Tao Zhi was notoriously picky. He had seen countless planners and teams without finding a single one he liked. Finally, a draft had appeared that Chen Ping found brilliant. Moreover, the lead planner had an impressive portfolio, strong professional skills, and a decent character. Who could have known that Tao Zhi would go into some kind of fit halfway through, slamming the door and storming out like a total delinquent?

Chen Ping had initially thought that given Tao Zhi’s personality, since he wasn’t even willing to listen to the end, even if the proposal was better than the Olympic Opening Ceremony, there was no chance for a collaboration.

Unexpectedly, things had taken a turn. Although Chen Ping had been overwhelmed yesterday dealing with the fallout of the assault incident, once the dust settled, he noticed that Tao Zhi didn’t seem all that resistant to Ruan Lingfeng after all.

He had intended to bring it up once he got to the studio today, but he hadn’t expected Tao Zhi to raise it himself so urgently.

To be honest, being Tao Zhi’s manager was no easy task. Chen Ping was often “bullied” at work, so he took every opportunity to poke back: “I think you should reconsider. After all, you didn’t even finish hearing his plan… You walked out halfway last time, yet today you want to sign a contract? Isn’t that a bit too reckless?”

Tao Zhi insisted, “I want him. Tell the legal department to draft the contract.”

Chen Ping: “Not appropriate.”

Tao Zhi flared up: “Am I the boss or are you?”

Chen Ping: “You are.”

Tao Zhi: “Then do it.”

Chen Ping: “You have to give me a reason that can convince me.”

Tao Zhi went silent on the phone for a moment. Finally, he gave an impatient “tsk” and began to explain reluctantly, “Didn’t you listen to the whole thing? You even recorded a video. Yesterday, I went onto the studio’s public email to look for a song and saw the video you saved. I watched the rest of it. I thought he spoke well enough.”

There was another point Tao Zhi was too lazy to explain to Chen Ping—it was too much of a hassle. In reality, Tao Zhi had seen a show planned by Ruan Lingfeng a year ago. It was a small gig for his former band. LiveHouse shows usually don’t have fancy stage effects; at most, they have some simple VJs. The costs are too high, and if you invest in stage design, ticket prices have to go up—and since it wasn’t a famous band, fans wouldn’t show up if it got too expensive.

But back then, his former bandmates had somehow found Ruan Lingfeng (Tao Zhi had asked around for the name later). He had felt then that this planner was capable, making a small live show feel as high-quality as a full-scale concert.

That alone wasn’t enough for Ruan Lingfeng to leave a deep impression on Tao Zhi. The main reason was that several songs in that live set were written by Tao Zhi before he left the band. At that time, he liked to write songs with angry lyrics and melodies. His bandmates and fans all thought he was just an angry person who didn’t even know what he was angry about.

But Ruan Lingfeng had given the stage effects for those songs a temperament that transcended anger. Tao Zhi had stood in the corner of the second floor of the LiveHouse, watching that small stage from afar. He felt that the drum beats, the melody, and the lead singer’s voice combined to form a wandering soul—menacing on the outside, but utterly hollow on the inside.

It was the first time he felt someone could hear the things he had hidden in his songs—things he didn’t even fully understand himself.

So, when he learned the one submitting the proposal this time was that same planner, it would be a lie to say he wasn’t looking forward to it.

But it was also true that he couldn’t stand it halfway through and had to leave.

Tao Zhi added, “I didn’t leave because he was bad. It was because at that time… I was…”

He stuttered as he spoke, and when he found his voice again, it was tinged with embarrassed rage: “Why the hell am I explaining so much?! Just get it arranged immediately.”

Chen Ping: “Heh.”

Tao Zhi hadn’t come to their company without warning just because he was bored. It was because after watching the video of Ruan Lingfeng’s explanation last night, there were certain parts he wanted to discuss and confirm. He was the type of person who acted the moment an idea struck him, rarely considering if others had other work arrangements. His logic was simple: he would come over; if Ruan Lingfeng was free, they would talk; if not, he would wait.

Who knew that as soon as he arrived, he would hear Ruan Lingfeng’s colleagues gossiping about him with such ill intent?

Actually, Tao Zhi didn’t care much for such boring matters. He didn’t care if his reputation got stained; his songs wouldn’t sound worse just because his name was bad.

At most, some people might refuse to listen to his music because of his reputation.

Tao Zhi would simply consider that their loss.

Now that there was an official police report backing him up, everyone knew he was actually a hero acting for a good cause, so he was even less inclined to waste energy on such trivialities.

It was something that happened only yesterday—everyone else thought it was a crisis, but Tao Zhi, the person involved, had already put it behind him.

But hearing people talk about it to your face would make anyone angry, let alone someone with a temper like Tao Zhi’s.

Tao Zhi glared at Ruan Lingfeng.

Ruan Lingfeng was in top form today, perfectly maintaining the demeanor of a gold-standard service provider. He wore an apologetic smile and said softly, “I am truly sorry, Teacher Tao. The intern was speaking nonsense. I will handle this matter strictly and report the disciplinary results to you.”

This Omega really has many faces, Tao Zhi thought. In the meeting room, he was… like that. In the parking lot, he was fierce. Last night at the police station, he was lukewarm.

And now he was all gentle words and soft whispers.

One mask after another.

Seeing that Tao Zhi didn’t respond, Ruan Lingfeng looked at him with sincere eyes and asked again, “Is that acceptable to you?”

Tao Zhi felt incredibly uncomfortable under that gaze.

He had to admit, Ruan Lingfeng was an exceptionally good-looking Omega. Even for someone like Tao Zhi, who was used to the beauties of the entertainment industry, it was hard not to stare. Ruan Lingfeng was born with beautiful “peach blossom” eyes that tilted upward slightly. When he deliberately looked at someone with a smile, it was always difficult to meet his gaze directly.

Tao Zhi decided he wouldn’t fall for it. Instead of answering, his eyes drifted to the side as he said something completely unrelated: “Don’t look at me like that, and don’t talk to me like that.”

Ruan Lingfeng: “…Huh?”

Tao Zhi took a slight step back, looking as if he were on high alert against Ruan Lingfeng.

He had specifically worn a mask today that could block pheromones, precisely because he didn’t want to smell any extra scents. Even if Ruan Lingfeng had smelled clean and fresh at the police station last night, it didn’t mean he could let his guard down today.

He didn’t want to say it out loud because it was too embarrassing: In that meeting room yesterday morning, everyone was either a Beta or an Omega; he was the only Alpha. This “indecent” Omega must have been in heat—not using suppressants or patches, just constantly releasing pheromones at him. Those pheromones had no actual scent, yet they were like feathers brushing against his consciousness, making his soul feel like it was about to leave his body.

If he hadn’t slammed the door and left, was he supposed to go up and forcefully kiss Ruan Lingfeng?