CH 4

“Everyone, sit however you like.”

In the middle of the small and cramped tea room, Xie Fei assumed the boss’ position and decided to call them and discuss the situation at hand. Xie Fei sat alone on one side while Xiang Fei and Ah Fu sat on the opposite side. Yin Su sat in the middle.

Yin Su, who was entrusted with such an important task, stared at Xie Fei with a burning gaze of a dedicated secretary. A paw was placed on the iPad, waiting for the meeting to start.

“Now that everyone’s here, let’s get straight to the point.” With the sound of paws tapping against the screen, Xie Fei began his first morning meeting. He cleared his throat and said, “Just now, Ah Fu took me around the inn and I noticed a lot of problems.”

Xiang Fei and Ah Fu sat on the chairs, back rigid and straight. The original interest and curiosity they had over this novel situation was erased as soon as they heard this opening statement. It was now replaced with strong feelings of panic.

“First of all, a lot of places need to be repaired such as the fence that was smashed yesterday. There’s also the leaking roof and walls which have no chance against the wind and rain. I even found a dog hole in the yard. Second, the inn’s furnishings are too shabby and out of date. We have to get more or replace them with new ones. Finally, the sanitary condition of the inn is worrying. For example, the room I stayed in on the first night had scratches and shoe prints on the walls. Not to mention, there was also a layer of dust on top of the TV...Oh, right, I also found strands of hair on my pillow.”

Xie Fei pointed out the problems one by one and saw his two employees shaking in their seats. Aftering hearing such harsh criticisms, he knew he had to offer them something sweet. “But, the garden and other greenery are good. Everyone has worked hard.”

Ah Fu and Xiang Fei immediately nodded their heads like pounding garlic and listened to Xie Fei’s analysis. “However, attracting guests by relying only on the scenery isn’t good so these problems have to be corrected.”

“That would cost a lot of money, wouldn’t it?” Xiang Fei picked at her nails and said in a small voice. “The funds in our account are rather limited.”

Hearing this, Xie Fei wasn’t surprised. Anyone could see that the inn was doing poorly, what more of its management. But, Xie Fei was confident in his business ability. Even if he only had tens of thousands of yuan, he could still have enough to renovate and change the inn. He calmly asked Xiang Fei. “How much?”

Xiang Fei laughed and slyly stepped on Ah Fu’s foot. The latter avoided Xie Fei’s eyes, trembling and drew the number “8” in the air.

“80,000?”

Ah Fu bowed his head in shame.

Xie Fei frowned. “80,000 is a little bit…”

Ah Fu didn’t hide the truth from him. Like the buzzing sound of mosquitoes, he whispered: “Eight, eight hundred.”

“......”

The thing they both feared the most would be the sudden silence.

Xiang Fei and Ah Fu joined hands, connecting their hearts to draw courage from each other. They waited for Boss Xie’s verdict.

“In the interview, I remember that you promised to pay 8,000 a month and that the job included the six insurances and one gold. Was that all a lie?”

In just a second, Xie Fei saw Xiang Fei’s face drain of color. It went from pale to slightly green while her entire person trembled like leaves in the midst of a storm.

This really is a serious matter ma....

They were practically cheating him for free labor. What else did they hide from him?

Xie Fei rubbed his chin with his fingertips and recalled his first meeting with Xiang Fei and her teasing and ambiguous actions. Did they want him to enter the inn and then work for free in exchange for love? He eyed the woman in front of him. Xiang Fei held her breath, unable to breathe. Xie Fei decided to act confused about the problem. Regardless of what the other party initially planned, he was now in charge.

“Is there anyone in charge of looking after the small mountain behind the courtyard?” Xie Fei abruptly changed the subject, dropping the matter between them. The two employees were dumbstruck. Xiang Fei saw him lightly smile, his demeanor going back to that of a boss. The smile showed that he was ready to let go of her previous actions and start anew.

Xiang Fei was shocked but it quickly turned to unbridled joy. She almost cried out of sheer happiness but controlled herself. She took a deep breath and adjusted her mood. After adjusting her breathing, she said: “That mountain is collectively owned by the village. No one’s managing it.”

“Is there any bamboo on that mountain?”

“Yes there is,” Xiang Fei replied, puzzled. “Why do you1 ask?”

“If there’s bamboo, we can at least repair the fence first or we can make some furniture.” Xie Fei said this with eyes lighting up, as if there were stars in his eyes.

Xiang Fei momentarily let herself get carried away listening to the boss’ words and heavily implied: “I can work really well with that.”

“Boss, I’ll go up the mountain and chop down some bamboo later!” Noticing Xiang Fei’s absentmindedness, Ah Fu quickly exclaimed this and seized the opportunity to get on the boss’ good graces. “I’m very strong.”

“Also can you…” Originally, Xie Fei planned to go up the mountain himself but he suddenly remembered that Ah Fu wasn’t human. Excited, he immediately asked: “Can you cast spells? The kind that topples bamboos to the ground?”

“Definitely can,” Ah Fu confessed. “But it takes a lot of spirit energy to cast spells. We are only low-level demons so at present, we cannot do it.”

Xie Fei had a look of regret on his face. Instead asked: “Does the inn have any tools for repairing?”

After receiving a negative answer, he sighed softly. “I’ll go visit the town later.” Although they only had 800 yuan in the bank, it was enough for him to buy some tools.

Xiang Fei hurriedly said that she’ll accompany him but Xie Fei waved his hand. “No need. I’ll just walk around randomly. Sister Xiang can have some time to clean up.”

He glanced at the clock on the wall, noticed that the hour hand was pointed at 10, and said: “Let’s end it here for today. I will first organize the inn’s rectification plan then assign work according to the project. Your performance in the future and in the project will be reflected in the employee assessment. Meeting adjourned!”

As soon as his voice fell, Xie Fei heard Yin Su chirp. Smiling, he turned to him and asked: “Have you finished the minutes?”

Yin Su was just a snow owl and so, his expressions were limited to what a snow owl could do. The owl nodded seriously and pushed the iPad closer to Xie Fei with its paws.

Xie walked over, a curious look on his face, and saw the last line on the page--in the future, your performance will be na laughing like a grilled chicken he2.

“......”

Well, at least you know pinyin right? Next time, use the autocorrect function for the input method.

The people in the tea room left one after another while the only guest of the Dahuang Inn drove to M Entertainment in Nanshan city.

From the parking lot, Yu Li headed straight to the stairs to go up to the lobby. In the elevator hall, an agent was seen waiting for him. Once his eyes landed on the man, he immediately greeted him: “It’s been hard. I originally thought you wanted to go directly and look at the film base tomorrow but, how did you know that Director Zhang wanted to see you?”

Yu Li took off his cap and casually tossed it to the agent. “What is it? I was called here.”

The agent lowered his voice and said: “The company signed a newcomer, said to be a son of a shareholder. It’s been decided that he’ll play male lead number 3 in the drama Dynasty. And you, the best man, just happened to be here? I reckon Director Zhang wants you to raise him up and guide him.”

Yu Li’s face sank. “Is that all?”

His manager stiffened. Although he worked with Yu Li for more than four years, he still had a very deep, lingering fear of the man’s anger. He quickly tried to appease him, smiling. “After all, he is the new president. Let’s give him face, okay?.”

Yu Li smiled coldly then turned to press the elevator key.

Seeing the elevator slowly ascend, the manager felt his anxiety rise at Yu Li’s behavior. Even if he wanted to talk about it, he couldn’t find it in him to persuade Yu Li and change the look in the man’s eyes. Helpless, the elevator finally reached the top floor with a loud ding resonating as the doors opened.

Behind the door stood two men: one was the director of the artist department while the other was a young man. He wasn’t very tall but despite being new, he had a handsome face with clear eyes.

The four people looked each other in the eye. Startled, the youth stared blankly at the two men in the elevator. Once the two stepped out, the youth immediately walked forward, heading towards Yu Li. The youth stopped in front of him and bowed deeply.

“Brother Yu Li!”

“Who’s your brother?”

Even though he was standing in the same room as the director, Yu Li didn’t bother hiding the bored look on his face. But suddenly, his tone eased slightly. “What’s your name?”

The boy choked at the man’s words, obviously embarrassed. Where did this change of attitude come from? The youth was so nervous; he didn’t know how to act. Despite this the youth adjusted his tone and replied. “My, my name is Xie Yao.”

“......Xie3?” Yu Li doubted his ears.

“Xie Yao4.” The youth thought he didn’t hear clearly and hurriedly explained. “Yao coming from Emperor Yu’s Yaoshun5.”

This time, the name was pronounced right but the look on Yu Li’s face shifted and changed into something uglier than before.

Everyone present was stunned. The youth clutched the hem of his trousers and looked anxiously at the director next to him. The latter received the boy’s distress signal but in the face of the company’s biggest money maker, he didn’t dare point a finger at him and instead toughened himself up and said: “So, this is the case. Xie Yao just signed on to our company. In the future, you will be his teacher and he, your brother. He is also assigned in a drama to play King--”

The director stopped short, unable to continue because Yu Li walked past them and went straight into the elevator. The moment the elevator doors were about to close, Yu Li’s manager finally remembered who he was and jumped inside.

Because of this, two people remained in the elevator’s hall.

Xie Yao was embarrassed and felt at a loss. The director saw this and patted him comfortingly. “It’s all right, Yu Li has this kind of character. As long as you follow him and coax him, he’ll take care of you.”

Xie Yao reluctantly smiled. “I’m just afraid Brother Yu Li won’t be willing to guide me.”

“How could that be? He’s a person who lends a hand without a smile on his face. Although he has a big temper, he’s not so out of touch with this world that he’ll be so unkind.”

The director was quite sincere towards the boy and supported him. He observed the youth carefully and added, “Look at his manager. In the early part of his career, he didn’t have any connections or resources right away but he still followed Yu Li. Now, no one likes to bring up the seascape room6.  Looking at it, doesn't it seem that Yu Li values the feeling of friendship that comes from acquaintanceship? In fact, he’s actually soft-hearted.”

After hearing the director’s consoling words, Xie Yao felt better. Thinking of his own particular circumstances, he couldn’t help but feel a little more confident. Gradually, his smile relaxed.

Meanwhile, the two people who were the topic of such conversation.

Inside the parking lot, the manager was struggling. Although he didn’t dare mention the matter of meeting Director Zhang again, he was afraid that Yu Li offended the people backing up Xie Yao. Thinking of this, he changed his tactics and said: “I think the newcomer’s face should be quite popular with the people?”

Yu Li took the cap from his hands and secured it on its head before opening the door and taking a seat.

His manager didn’t back down and instead persevered, organizing his thoughts and words. “Don’t look at him as a newcomer. I heard he’s very popular online and he even won the Golden Carp Award at the E-commerce festival not long ago. The number of viewers during the live broadcast of the awards show even rose to more than a million fans. Until now, there are still people who go to his weibo everyday promising to willingly support him. His blog reached hundreds of thousands of clicks.”

“So what?” Yu Li finally gave a reaction. Then, he slammed the door shut. He put on his sunglasses, covering the cynical look in his eyes. “He won’t live long. He’s just a fish7.”

More than an hour later, Yu Li’s wildly driven SUV arrived in Xining village. There were a lot of large fields in the village and it was difficult for cars to go in and out. However in recent years, the living standards of the people improved and many people ended up buying their own cars. As a result, the village committee built public parking garages in several areas to accommodate them.

The parking garage Yu Li went to was only a distance away from the inn. Once he was done parking, he stopped the car and walked for another seven or eight minutes before arriving at the main entrance of the inn.

From the entrance, he heard the familiar soundtrack of one of those sandbox games across the fence. Of course, hearing this, Yu Li’s heart frowned. Opening the door, he found Ah Fu crouching on the ground fully absorbed in the game, catching the fish. Then, a foot came out of nowhere kicking the area near the butt and thigh!

Ah Fu fell down to his knees with a flop, covered his bum, and turned around, furious. However after seeing the culprit, Ah Fu could only swallow back his anger. “Boss.”

“Where is he?”

“Who?”

“Your boss."

“The boss went to town. He just left.”

Yu Li creased his forehead and frowned. He looked around four times, a thoughtful look on his face when he asked: “Where’s Yin Su?”

“Yin Su?!”

In the alley, Xie Fei and a certain snowy owl were having a standoff, glaring at each other in the tricycle. God knew how complicated his mood was when he discovered he was being followed by an owl.

Xie Fei narrowed his eyes in suspicion and asked: “Did Yu Li tell you to spy on me?”

Yin Su tilted its head, pretending that it couldn’t understand him.

Xie Fei: “......”

Okay, okay. Obviously, it could type using a keyboard when it wanted to show off but when it didn’t want to, it even refused to communicate? Could there be a smarter owl than this?

Xie Fei patted Yin Su’s head before turning around and continuing to pedal the small three-wheeler--it was the only vehicle the hotel had for transportation. With its small and petite shape, it was perfect for driving around the streets.

He crossed the small village, followed the road, and finally arrived at the town of Shaoyang.

Shaoyang was an old and ancient town that had a lot of buildings reaching a hundred years old. Due to this, the town was listed as one of the country’s key cultural landmarks, protected by the government. Today, thanks to the development of the film and television base, the town became more and more prosperous.

Xie Fei pedaled the small three-wheeler through the rough and gravel-strewn streets. Due to the uneven road, the tricycle jumped up and down even causing some of Yin Su’s feathers to shake and fall down. Despite this, Xie Fei wasn’t hurt nor uncomfortable from being tossed around. As he travelled down the road, he looked at the flowers, the pink walls, and the jade-colored tiles, admiring them in his heart. Facing the breeze and the sun, a warm feeling came over his heart as he started humming a song.

Suddenly Xie came to an abrupt stop, slamming the breaks. The sudden force almost caused Yin Su to be thrown back behind him.

Right in front of him, five or six gangsters blocked the alley. Upon closer look, Xie Fei saw that the leader looked quite familiar--it was the bald man from yesterday. The same bald man who forced them to move out of the inn but was brutally beaten by Xiang Fei and ended up being deserted by his own men.

Compared to yesterday’s appearance, the bald-headed man looked a lot more haggard. His head had a bunch of white gauze wrapped around it while his skin had ointment and plasters pasted all around his face. Grinning, he walked towards Xie Fei.

“Oh? What do we have here? I thought this little baby here is still a scaredy cat. How about I finish you off like a chicken on a stick? You’ve got guts to go here ma. Daring to step foot into laozi’s territory, we’ll shake you up!”

“By just blocking me, ah?” Xie Fei simply grasped the handles of his tricycle and casually asked. “Not afraid of me calling the police?”

“The police? Ha ha ha!” The bald-headed man and his men guffawed and boasted, a sneer on their face. “In Shaoyang town, who dares control laozi and his men?”

“Big brother, you are too arrogant, but it reminds me of a saying.” Xie Fei smiled, teeth showing. It was a smile that belonged to a youth. “No hair, No heaven8.”

Xie Yao: My name is Xie Yao.

Yu Li: Laxative? *

Xie Fei: Xie Yao, I just got down from the plane…..