In Name Only - Chapter 4

In an industry where people were always coming and going, it was quite a feat for an artist to stick with the same management team for over two years. It meant that this celebrity either had a lot of status or was simply too unpopular and couldn’t afford to switch.

Zhang Man had been Xu Jingzhe’s agent for more than ten years. She had been with him since his debut. At the beginning, they were still under an entertainment company. She had been managing two other artists besides Xu Jingzhe. It proved that a celebrity’s popularity had very little to do with the management team and everything to do with the celebrity themselves.

Xu Jingzhe went from male supporting actor to male lead, from Best Newcomer to Drama Emperor. When he established his personal studio, Zhang Man followed him without hesitation.

Within the industry, Xu Jingzhe was known for placing a lot of importance on his relationships. All of his assistants had been with him for at least five years. Since one of his assistants was going to be on maternity leave, he had no choice but to hire another personal assistant. Zhang Man personally conducted the interview.

Zhu Xiaoxiao was a little nervous. She had just graduated. She wasn’t able to land herself a good job right out of college, so, by some freak combination of factors, she was recommended to work as an artist’s assistant. The only experience she had was as a temporary assistant on an idol talent show. She had never actually worked for someone as famous as Xu Jingzhe.

Zhang Man flipped through her resume for a while. Then, she picked up her phone again to deal with some work. She was very busy. Ever since Xu Jingzhe and Liang Yu’s “relationship” was exposed, the entire team, including her, hadn’t had a single chance to rest. They had been working around the clock.

“That’s why I told you. The two of them were on a date and booked a room at the hotel. How could they have participated in the sex party?” Zhang Man explained things for the nth time to who knows what media outlet. “What did they book a room for? What do you think they booked a room for? What a waste of breath.”

“When did they get together? Didn’t we already make it clear? They’ve been together for three years now. They’re getting ready to move in together. Where are they going to live? There’s no way I can tell you something like that. We’re all professionals here. Please don’t make things difficult for us.”

Zhu Xiaoxiao: “…”

Zhang Man took the time to point at the sofa in front of her, signaling that she could sit down. Then, she continued speaking on the phone. “The drug tests are public information. It’s not like we could’ve faked them. Both of them are adults, so we’re not super clear on all the details of their relationship either. Outstanding individuals will naturally want to be with someone even more outstanding. I don’t mean to say that Mr. Xu isn’t as good as Mr. Liang. Pay some attention to the wording when you’re writing it up.”

“Influence? What kind of influence is it going to have? Times are changing. Society’s a lot more open nowadays. Isn’t it a good thing for two excellent individuals to get together? Mr. Xu spends all his time filming. He doesn’t do things like this just for publicity. Everyone knows this. Both management teams have nothing but respect for their relationship and their choices.” Zhang Man paused for a moment, as if thinking about what else to add. Finally, she politely said, “If I could trouble you to let us take a look at the draft when you’re done, that would be great. We’ll provide a photo of Mr. Xu. However, we won’t release any photos of the both of them for the time being. You want a photo of both of them on the front cover? Oh, I’ll be honest with you, dear. That’s not really something we can decide. You know just how much status Mr. Liang and Mr. Xu have. I have to get their approval first. Isn’t that right, dear?”

As soon as Zhang Man finished speaking, Cai Cai walked over with a phone. Zhu Xiaoxiao didn’t know what Cai Cai showed Zhang Man, but the latter nodded. The next second, Zhang Man smiled and switched up the conversation. “Ah. Dear, didn’t I see you last time at Yanhua Beauty Salon? What a coincidence! I just so happened to have two VIP membership cards! I’ll send it to you real soon. Oh, don’t be polite! I still have to rely on you for this article. Yup, same email as last time. I’ll have Cai Cai look over it and send you feedback. Okay. Bye bye, dear.”

Cai Cai listened on with a blank expression. She didn’t blink an eye. She waited until Zhang Man hung up the phone and asked, “New editor-in-chief?”

Zhang Man took a deep breath. “New director. I heard that she’s really impressive. V Society spent a lot of money to recruit her. I wouldn’t mind giving them the first dibs on the story, but X Bazaar offered a lot of money for it.” She glanced at Zhu Xiaoxiao on the sofa and suddenly remembered that she was still here. She pressed a hand against her head and said, “I’m so sorry. I’m just really busy. Darling, would you be able to wait for a bit?”

Naturally, Zhu Xiaoxiao could only sit and wait. She was forced to listen to a bunch of stuff most people couldn’t even pay to hear.

Cai Cai was looking through a list in her hands. She was usually in charge of arranging schedules. These past couple of days, she had taken over a lot of the work meant for a personal assistant. At this moment, there was no one who wanted Zhu Xiaoxiao to join the team more than her. Zhang Man was chatting about work issues through WeChat as she listened to Cai Cai’s report.

“There’s a luxury brand invitation at ten o’clock tomorrow morning. In the afternoon, there’s going to be a trip to IKEA. We’ve already contacted several media outlets. Will he be livestreaming in the evening?” Cai Cai asked.

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Zhu Xiaoxiao used to work with small-time celebrities. The agents she met almost always called their idols by their nicknames. This was the first time she was hearing an agent as prolific as Zhang Man refer to their artist so politely.

Zhang Man personally made a phone call to Xu Jingzhe. He quickly picked up the phone.

First, she talked about the arrangements for tomorrow. Finally, she asked the other party about the possibility of a livestream. It sounded like Xu Jingzhe refused. Zhang Man didn’t try to persuade him. She simply nodded and said, “Okay.”

As Zhu Xiaoxiao listened on, she subconsciously straightened her back a little bit.

Zhang Man hung up the phone and finally had time to finish the interview. She continued calling Zhu Xiaoxiao “darling” this and “darling” that.

“I won’t beat around the bush with you. I’ve already looked over your resume a long time ago. I’ve also contacted your previous employer and learned about the artists that you worked with before.” Zhang Man swept up the manila folder Zhu Xiaoxiao brought with her and smiled. “You’re careful with your words and meticulous about your job. To be honest, you’re a pretty good fit for our team.”

Zhu Xiaoxiao was a little flattered. Before she had entered the industry, she hadn’t been very interested in celebrities. Of course, Xu Jingzhe and Liang Yu didn’t count. The two of them were like the song “Tonight Is Unforgettable“. They were national figures.

“Mr. Xu’s very nice, so you don’t have to be too nervous.” Zhang Man motioned Cai Cai to hand her a USB flash drive. Then, she gave it to Zhu Xiaoxiao. “This is all the information on Mr. Xu’s living habits. You can get started as soon as possible. Also, he’s currently living with Mr. Liang, but that doesn’t matter. You just have to listen to Mr. Xu. No one but Mr. Xu is your boss.”

Zhu Xiaoxiao nodded and stuffed the USB flash drive into her bag. Cai Cai had already brought over the employment contract. If there weren’t any problems, they were going to go ahead and sign it.

“That…” Before signing the contract, Zhu Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but be a little bit nosy. She was half expectant and half cautious as she asked, “If Mr. Liang isn’t my boss, is he the boss’ wife?”

After hanging up the phone, Xu Jingzhe stood on the second floor and looked down.

Yang Jierui was overseeing the people who were moving things into the villa. Liang Yu didn’t just bring daily necessities and clothes. He also brought a bunch of furniture over. Xu Jingzhe caught a glimpse of what seemed to be a Renaissance vase and furrowed his brows.

Yang Jierui shouted from below, “Be careful! That vase is ¥90,000! Don’t drop it!”

Xu Jingzhe: “…”

Yang Jerry then went up the stairs. When he saw Xu Jingzhe, he smiled. “Oh, Mr. Xu. I’m so sorry to bother you.”

Xu Jingzhe swept a glance behind him and asked, “How much more is there?”

Yang Jierui: “Not much. There’s just one bed, two sofas, and three wardrobes left. Does your house have a movie room?”

Of course he had a movie room. The rest of Xu Jingzhe’s villa was rather simple, but he spent a lot of money on the movie room. It was pretty much a VIP theater.

The two of them had decided to live together. Xu Jingzhe wasn’t so stingy that he wouldn’t even share his movie room. He was quite self-aware. Since they were going to be working together, they would naturally need to get along in public, but they should also try to get along in private as well. Either way, they signed a three year contract. He didn’t want to end things on a bad note. They didn’t need to be hostile towards each other.

Yang Jierui was quite satisfied. He was kind of like a parent who was helping their child check out a new house. He looked around the entire villa, both inside and out. He didn’t hold back when making requests and said bluntly, “After all, you guys will be living together for three years. It’ll be more comfortable for the both of you if we’re upfront from the very beginning. Isn’t that right, Mr. Xu?”

Xu Jingzhe gave him a good-natured smile. This pretty much meant that he was accepting it.

Yang Jierui was still at the villa when Zhang Man brought Zhu Xiaoxiao over. It was the first time the girl had met an actor as famous as Xu Jingzhe. It was clear as day, and her face quickly turned red. She nervously stood beside Zhang Man, a little bit at a loss.

“Zhu Xiaoxiao,” Zhang Man introduced. “She’s pretty good. She’ll be accompanying you from now on.”

Xu Jingzhe glanced at Zhu Xiaoxiao and nodded politely. “Hello,” he said.

Zhu Xiaoxiao was scared out of her skin. She quickly bowed her head and said, “Hello, Mr. Xu. I’ve watched a lot of your stuff. I’m a big fan.”

Xu Jingzhe: “…”

Zhang Man burst into laughter. “You don’t need to be like this. It doesn’t work on him, and he doesn’t care. It’s better if you’re not a fan.”

Zhu Xiaoxiao was still hesitant, but Xu Jingzhe didn’t feel particularly awkward about it. Yang Jierui clearly didn’t have any intention to leave. He took the initiative to walk over and greet everyone. “A new assistant? Mr. Xu seems to be in a hurry to recruit people.”

Zhang Man smiled and said, “It’s okay. Mr. Xu isn’t a difficult person, so it’s easy to find an assistant for him.”

Yang Jierui: “In that case, should Mr. Liang’s assistant come and familiarize herself with the environment as well?”

Zhang Man glanced at Xu Jingzhe. He didn’t seem to have any objection, so Zhang Man stubbornly reminded Zhu Xiaoxiao, “You just need to listen to Mr. Xu while you’re here. Don’t worry about anyone else.”

Yang Jierui heard this as well. He let out a snarky “ha” but didn’t say anything.

Zhang Man couldn’t stay for too long. She still had other work to do. Zhu Xiaoxiao stayed behind at the villa and helped overlook things as the movers wrapped things up.

Yang Jierui had to leave as well. He actually ended up arranging for an assistant to come. He said that she would arrive with Liang Yu sometime that evening.

“Mr. Liang has work tonight, so he might be late coming back.” He smiled and said, “Mr. Xu, don’t forget to leave a door open for him.”

At about 1:00 AM, Liang Yu’s nanny van finally drove into Xu Jingzhe’s villa. Xiao Luo got out of the car first and helped Liang Yu carry his bag. She was speaking in dialect and had a strong southern accent. “Would you like me to go inside with you?”

Liang Yu told her no. Xiao Luo handed him his bag. “Should I pick you up tomorrow morning?”

Liang Yu asked, “What do I have scheduled tomorrow morning?”

Xiao Luo: “You don’t have anything scheduled in the morning. You’ll be visiting IKEA in the afternoon.”

Liang Yu impatiently replied, “Then why are you picking me up in the morning? Do I not need to sleep?”

Xiao Luo pursed her lips and said, “This is someone else’s house. You have a hard time falling asleep if it’s not your own bed. I’m afraid you won’t be able to sleep well here.”

Liang Yu was a little speechless. “I brought my bed with me. Stop worrying about it.”

Xiao Luo nodded obediently. Then, she subconsciously followed Liang Yu. When she got to the door, Liang Yu stopped her. “You said it yourself. This is someone else’s house. Don’t casually come in. Go back.”

Xiao Luo said, “Oh.” Liang Yu looked at her expression and persuaded her, “Come back tomorrow. Yang Jierui already told them that my assistant would come and familiarize herself with the environment, and they agreed. You can look around tomorrow morning.”

Xiao Luo happily agreed. She was a simple person. She straightforwardly said, “Mr. Xu is a good person.”

Liang Yu huffed, seemingly finding her comment ridiculous. He mercilessly started raining on her parade. “How is he a good person? He’s a good person just because he was a little polite? The sex scandal hasn’t even been cleared up yet. Do you actually think someone who looks like that is completely uninvolved?”

He seemed to still have a bit of anger pent up. Liang Yu was silent for a while before he said coldly, “Don’t be stupid. If he’s not having sex with people, what’s he here for? Isn’t that just a waste of his good looks?”