Hold On, You’re Something Else

Chapter 13: Pinch me (1)

Rong Jing went to the fourth floor of the acting department to look for his class teacher, Mr. Hu. He wanted to ask him what he thought of the original owner.

It was this teacher who pushed him to perform before. After their performance failed, this teacher also became the subject of ridicule to others for a few years. However, he still encouraged the original owner in private to overcome his fears and try to face the camera again.

Since there was still a lovely person who stayed around the original owner, he had never lost hope.

“Are you looking for Teacher Hu?” Teacher Zhang, the audio-visual language teacher, looked at Rong Jing’s very eye-catching face, and realized that he was that person that the students called ‘Rong Oopsie’. “His family member got into an accident so he was called to identify the body. Sigh, why do bad things happen to good people?” 

Thinking of the other students around, he stopped.

“Identify the body?” Rong Jing suddenly thought of the news that he saw on the subway.

The following parts of the text will be scrambled to prevent theft from aggregators and unauthorized epub making. Please support our translators by reading on secondlifetranslations (dot) com

“R esd’v jdso lmynvzu obyv byrrldle. Nlv’p oykv qsa bkx vs nsxl cynj qsa dso.”

Gqvla y obkzl, Mlynbla Hbydt pllxle vs byhl alxlxclale psxlvbkdt yde vsal sqq y dsvl yqqkmle vs Ya. Tw’p elpj. Rv oyp yd ywekvksd, yd srrsavwdkvu vbyv Ya. Tw bye tsvvld qsa Ssdt Kkdt.

“Tl sqvld vyzjp ycswv usw. Zsw’al y tsse jke. Zsw nyxl cynj vs pll bkx yqvla tayewyvksd. Yspv sq vbl pvweldvp kd uswa nzypp yzalyeu byhl y nyalla. Tl pyke vbyv kq usw lhla nsxl shla, vbyv xlydp vbyv usw byhld’v tkhld wr. Mbkp kp y tsse srrsavwdkvu. Psd’v zlv vbkp rypp ytykd.”

Mlynbla Hbydt vyrrle Ssdt Kkdt’p pbswzela. “Ike, bl yzps ypjle xl vs vlzz usw vbkp: Ls qzsola nyd czssx qsa y bwdeale eyup. Gnvkdt kp vbl pyxl yp zkql. Mblal’p ds rlaxydldv okddla dsa rlaxydldv zspla.”

Vlabyrp sdzu vbspl obs byhl lmrlakldnle pvasdt okdep yde oyhlp nyd prlyj osaep okvb y zkdtlakdt lqqlnv.

Ssdt Kkdt pzsozu piwllgle vbl dsvl yde pweeldzu alxlxclale vbyv bkp ryaldvp kd bkp ralhkswp zkql bye pyke vbl pyxl osaep vs bkx.

Rv oyp obld bl xkpple swv sd vbl Sssjkl Goyae yde zspv yoyaep pwnb yp vbl Jlpv Fwrrsavkdt Gnvsa Goyae sdl yqvla ydsvbla. Flhld dsxkdyvksdp kd vball ulyap okvb ds alyz tykd. Tl oyp sdzu zywtble yv qsa sdzu clkdt y dsxkdll qsa yzz vbspl ulyap.

Tsolhla, bkp ryaldvp bye yzoyup clld nsdqkeldv kd bkx, pyukdt qasx yd lyazu ytl vbyv bl bye vyzldv kd ynvkdt. Ohld vbswtb bl bye ldvlale vbl kdewpvau zyvl, bl bye shlansxl yzz sq vbl scpvynzlp yde oyp yczl vs pwnnlle.

He had always wanted to make his parents proud so he always did his best. So he continued to persevere. It took another year to finally get the first trophy in his life. Later that, he won more and more awards.

He would never forget the way his parents looked at him standing on the stage with tears in their eyes. Their eyes were filled with gratification and pride.

He had been so preoccupied with the changes this new world brought to him that he almost forgot to think about his feelings. These similar words that he’d heard suddenly evoked a strong feeling of homesickness and inextricable sense of loneliness.

His family and his career were all in the previous world. He covered his slightly moist eyes.

I really want to go back.

Who on earth was Gu Xi? There seemed to be some kind of thin film in his head, limiting his memory from remembering some things.

Rong Jing walked on his way out of the school feeling bewildered. He had only thought about why he became the new Rong Jing. What about the original him? He wasn’t dead, was he?

After the program, the university invited Gu Xi to play a friendly game with the acting department. The variety show also recorded this part.

When he went out, he saw the mysterious student, who only glanced at him, walking like a lost sheep.

Gu Xi convinced himself that he had already been sensible enough to not raise the overall probability of this person of being his savior to 80%.

However, he wanted to look at him again. He needed to create some kind of opportunity to meet him again.

As he hesitated, he saw that the man was on his phone when some playful students bumped into him, scattering all of his books all over the ground.

“Excuse me. Please stop filming for now,” Gu Xi told one of the staff members.

Rong Jing saw that it was Qi Ying calling him. It was already the fifth time since he called four times while he was still inside the auditorium.

He wondered if something urgent had happened, otherwise, with Qi Ying’s stuck-up personality, he’d never be the one to initiate a call. He finally decided to answer the phone.

Qi Ying was so mad and asked him why he didn’t go to the audition that he got for him. Since he couldn’t explain to the people there why Rong Jing didn’t go, he got angry at him for not going.

Rong Jing checked his WeChat and found that Qi Ying did send him a message, saying that he had scheduled an audition for him. Since the original owner had never refused him before, he probably thought Rong Jing would follow him. He didn’t even expect that he would be ignored.

Rong Jing recalled that while he was watching a movie, he really did receive a message. However, he got so absorbed in watching the movie that he forgot to check it again, especially when he saw that it was just Qi Ying who messaged him.

Qi Ying felt like he was so unlucky today. Originally, Xie Entertainment was supposed to sponsor him. However, he had been told today that the Xie family had withdrawn its investment. He wasn’t sure if it was because of his encounter with Xie Ling, which angered him.

He went to wait under the Xie’s office building early this morning, wanting to apologize to get the sponsorship back. However, he couldn’t even have a glimpse of Xie Ling’s clothes, much less Xie Ling. The receptionist only kept smiling at him, saying that he hadn’t arranged an appointment with him so he couldn’t be notified of his arrival. 

He had thought that if he waited, he could at least win some sympathy.

But Xie Ling, that cold, ruthless Alpha, wouldn’t even take the bait.

Then he also received the news that Rong Jing didn’t go to the audition. He thought that Rong Jing did it intentionally so the tone of his voice clearly showed his anger.

But Rong Jing wasn’t planning to let his ears continue to endure the noise, “Qi Ying, first of all, I never promised you that I’ll go.”

You could have at least asked me first before making a decision.

Qi Ying sneered, “If it wasn’t for the fact that you treated me nicely before, I wouldn’t even think of giving this opportunity to you. I’m really glad that I broke up with you, Rong Jing. I’m telling you—”

Rong Jing suddenly ran into some people, making all the books he was carrying fall on the ground. He accidentally touched the screen of his phone, putting the phone on speaker. Qi Ying’s voice came out loudly, “—even if you send out a thousand more of your resume, no one will ever hire you! You’ll be a loser all your life!”

Now you’re crossing the line!

For the sake of the original owner’s attachment to him, Rong Jing still treated him properly even though he knew that Qi Ying was a very difficult person, a blood-sucking vine that sucked the life out of the original owner.

Rong Jing was very unfamiliar with this world at first. He didn’t want to bother him and get entangled with him so he only kept quiet before with whatever he told him. They weren’t together now anyway.

Just when Rong Jing was just about to reply, a pair of delicate hands suddenly grabbed his phone. “I’m a staff member of the production crew of <Imperial Power>. I have officially invited Rong Jing to participate in the audition. He has something to discuss with us so please call back later.”

With that, the person hung up the phone.

Here I was, trying my bestest to look for my savior, only to find you casually degrading him? Not today, b!tch.

After he hung up, Gu Xi immediately realized what he just did.

Through his sunglasses, he could see Rong Jing looking at him, looking very puzzled. 

Ah, wow, way to go, me! So embarrassing! What do I do?

Should I tell him, ‘Hey! I’m Gu Xi, remember me? The one you asked to have breakfast on the stage just a while ago? Kinda saw that you were in a pinch so I came over, didn’t expect to hear those brash words though. I mean, I didn’t mean to pry into your privacy but I just thought that I had to do something.’

Uhh… I don’t think saying all that will suit my image…

The first requirement of an idol was to always maintain his public image. No matter what happened, no matter how tired he was, he would always sparkle in front of the people. 

I shouldn’t have come.

Gu Xi squatted down, picked up the books and dusted them off. Just like when he picked up the bracelet before, he dusted them off very carefully.

Rong Jing looked at his careful movements, somewhat surprised.

Gu Xi sorted out the books before handing them to Rong Jing. When he saw that Rong Jing was staring at him, he lowered his head again. Fortunately, he was wearing sunglasses, a mask, and a baseball cap. He had also changed his clothes so the other person didn’t recognize him.

Rong Jing seemed to have noticed his uneasiness, “Is it true that your production crew is hiring?”

Gu Xi realized that he didn’t really recognize him, so he was able to relax and talk naturally, “Yes, it’s true. I’m sorry that I took the liberty of making decisions for you just now but if you’re interested, you can call me.”

“It’s okay. You came just in time,” Rong Jing said. He didn’t mind. It wasn’t like he didn’t know that the other person did it for him.

“Then… you’ll try and come?” Gu Xi breathed a sigh of relief.

He didn’t really recognize me, ah. I don’t know what to feel.

Gu Xi recalled what the person on the other end of the phone had said. It could only mean that the person in front of him was either bad at acting or had a bad reputation. He planned to check out the school forum later when he was free.

Moreover, his classmates seemed to be ignoring him or rejecting him. That showed that he had some kind of problem or that his character was bad.

However, he didn’t want to judge the person based on a few observations. Just as he had thought that Xun Jiarui was creepy, it didn’t mean that he didn’t have the possibility of being his savior. It was important to note that almost all of Xun Jiarui’s key points matched that of his savior.

If it really was Xun Jiarui, then he’d try his best to return the favor but that was it.

He also wouldn’t deny the possibility of his savior being Rong Jing as well even though the 79.9999% overall probability almost only relied on his intuition.

Besides, he was just giving him a chance. Their auditions were open to the public anyway. Even if he came on someone’s recommendation, it would still be useless if he failed. With that kind of thinking, he handed over the director’s business card.

The following parts of the text will be scrambled to prevent theft from aggregators and unauthorized epub making. Please support our translators by reading on secondlifetranslations (dot) com

Ssdt Kkdt eked’v pbso ydu lmnkvlxldv yde sdzu ynnlrvle vbl nyae, ps Qw Dk yeele, “Gnvwyzzu, vbl xyzl zlye sq vbkp xshkl kp hlau tsse zssjkdt.”

Gyyyb, Qw Dk, obyv yal usw vbkdjkdt? Pke usw byhl vs xldvksd vbyv?

Qw Dk nshlale bkp qynl pbllrkpbzu, bsrkdt vbyv Ssdt Kkdt oswzed’v alnstdkgl bkx. Tkp dlmv xshkl oyp tskdt vs byhl y xyzl yp vbl rasvytsdkpv. Tl oyp tskdt vs cl vbl xyzl zlye yde bl yvvynble talyv kxrsavydnl vs kv.

Ssdt Kkdt vbswtbv vs bkxplzq vbyv kv bye dsvbkdt vs es okvb bkx, oblvbla vbl xyzl zlye oyp tsse-zssjkdt sa dsv. Tl oypd’v vbl blaskdl dsa oyp bl rzyddkdt vs ywekvksd qsa vbl rspkvksd sq vbl blaskdl ps bl eked’v nyal.

Ssdt Kkdt oyp, sq nswapl, vbkdjkdt zkjl bl bye yzoyup esdl kd bkp ralhkswp zkql. Tl bye qsatsvvld vbyv y xyzl zlye nswze pvkzz cl ekhkele kdvs vball tldelap. Rv eked’v dlnlppyakzu xlyd vbyv y osxyd oswze cl rykale okvb vbl xyzl zlye. Rv nswze yzps cl ydsvbla xyd.

Ssdt Kkdt oyvnble vbl xyd tlv kdvs y dyddu nya, yde qkdyzzu alynvle.

Kwpv dso… oyp vbyv Qw Dk?

Tl vssj swv bkp rbsdl yde czsnjle Ck Zkdt. Ebkzl bl oyp eskdt ps, bl vbswtbv vs bkxplzq, ‘Zsw vbkdj Qw Dk nyalqwzzu rknjle wr uswa cssjp qsa usw yde lhld alnsxxldele usw qsa yd ywekvksd? Illr ealyxkdt, Ssdt Kkdt.’

He looked at the business card that was given to him and realized that it was also the same number on the note that he got from Mr. Hu.

Coincidence?

Rong Jing remembered that he had a party to attend in the evening but his clothes were nowhere to be found.

Zhou Xiang carried it for him and… forgot to give them back. 

The ever-omnipotent secretary Zhou who was said to be a person that never forgets anything actually forgot?

That very same Zhou Xiang who forgot about the said attire, was staring at several shopping bags at the moment. He was looking at his vice president who was currently looking at his phone from time to time. He had been staring at his brother’s WeChat profile for a while now, his mouth moving upwards from time to time then going back to deal with his work.

His boss was the kind of straight Alpha who was not attentive, gentle and considerate to others. He was like a steel that was incapable of bending.

However, he would always get into an argument with the young master, creating a cold war between them that could last for who knows how long.

They don’t talk about what they really feel. They keep what they’re thinking to themselves, causing simple misunderstandings.

It was a good thing that the young master had become understanding, otherwise they would really end up as strangers in this lifetime.

If no one could take the first step, how could there be a change, right?

However, Zhou Xiang didn’t actually expect that the first one who would take the first step was Rong Jing, who avoided Xie Ling so much.

Zhou Xiang thought for a moment and then sent a message to Rong Jing. He told him that he forgot to give back his clothes, but because he couldn’t leave, he asked Rong Jing if he could come to the company.

Rong Jing was thinking of doing this too when he got a message from Zhou Xiang and so he booked a cab through an app.

He was searching for some information about <Imperial Power> when he noticed the driver’s license plate number placed in front of his windshield. Because of the six genders and the rarity of Omegas, most of the app-based ride services were offered by regular companies.

Rong Jing thought of something and checked the photo of the licensed plate number that he had taken last night. The cab that time had just been casually called over to stop. There was no online record of him taking the cab, and he wasn’t even given a receipt.

However, he had made sure to take pictures of the driver’s driving permit and plate number. He thought of comparing the two.

Although it was a bit dim during that time, it was obvious that they both had different formats. When the cab stopped at an intersection, Rong Jing showed the photo to the driver. The driver looked at it for a moment.

“This is not issued by our company. Our driving permit has to have an ID photo and a work number. This is probably a private black car.”

Small black cars weren’t actually allowed to be hailed like a cab. However, since they have no affiliation to any company, driving small black cars were popular with those people who were temporarily out of work or working part-time. It was also cheaper than regular cabs. They usually popped up whenever traffic management was lax, and that was usually during night time. Everyone only turned a blind eye to these cars since they weren’t that much of a problem.

However, if it really was a small black car, then there was no need to present a fake document.

Rong Jing thought of the driver he met yesterday and finally remembered the Omega in red that was with him.

His conclusion pointed only to one answer and he couldn’t just let the matter go. So, he asked the driver to make a turn to the police station first.

It was already a bit late when Rong Jing left the police station. At this time, Qi Ying who had been waiting for the shadow of Xie Ling to appear all day could no longer wait. He had no choice but to leave, disappointed.

Rong Jing messaged Zhou Xiang when he arrived. He also wrote down his name on the visitor’s logbook under the guidance of the beautiful and gentle young lady at the front desk.

He had just finished writing his name when Zhou Xiang arrived and walked towards him.

Zhou Xiang told the receptionists, “This is the young master. He was always at school before so he didn’t often come to the company. It’s good that you’ve met him now. Next time, don’t ask him to sign in again.”

The receptionists originally thought that he was a newly signed actor of their entertainment department. They only thought that he was handsome, his clothes only casual. However, they didn’t expect that he was actually just keeping a low profile. He even wrote down his name on the log book. Where did the Xie family find such a good young son?

The girls smiled immediately when they heard Zhou Xiang’s words and greeted Rong Jing in unison. “Hello, young master.”

Rong Jing was born into a family of actors and actresses. He had already seen a lot of big scenes before, but he had never once encountered such a scene like this one. Being flirtatiously greeted by several female Omegas made his ears turn red.

He had never been in a relationship before and felt a little overwhelmed so he quickly followed Zhou Xiang and left the women behind.

Zhou Xiang laughed, seeing that Rong Jing had become popular. He said, “Young master, what kind of Omega do you like?”

Zhou Xiang was a very competent assistant. To be able to resolve the ten-year estrangement between the two brothers, it was only natural to start with understanding each other.

Rong Jing: “Can’t I like an Alpha?”

To Rong Jing, a male Alpha and a male Omega were both men. There was no difference between the two. Why could the other be a partner and the other not? People in this world could be quite sexist

Rong Jing asked something that could actually question his sexual orientation, but honestly, he was just curious.

“T-that… that’s not okay! That won’t work!” Zhou Xiang couldn’t even imagine it.

Zhou Xiang stared at Rong Jing in shock.

Should I tell Mr. Xie that the young master might not be straight? It seems like he prefers Alphas over Omegas?!

Rong Jing was unaware that his words almost shattered Zhou Xiang’s values in life.

He only asked a question that was according to the concepts in his previous life. He didn’t think that there was any problem with what he asked.

Zhou Xiang rode the exclusive elevator with Rong Jing up to the top floor, the 26th floor. Then he forced himself to calm down, went to the pantry and came back with some snacks and a glass of milk.

“The vice president is currently in a meeting. If the young master is not in a hurry, do you want to wait for the vice president so you can leave together?” Zhou Xiang asked with a bit of apprehension because the past Rong Jing would surely never agree to ride in the same car with Xie Ling.

Rong Jing looked at the time. Since they were going to the same place, he agreed.

After the meeting ended, Xie Ling’s expression looked very serious, his brows tightened into a straight line. The project manager walking behind him almost looked like he was trembling in fear. The project that he was responsible for had suffered big losses this time and needed to fill in a lot of loopholes.

This was a project that was under the second young master of the Xie family but in the end was passed on to Xie Ling.

When Xie Ling opened the door to his office, he saw his younger brother sleeping on the sofa and froze. He entered his office without the slightest change in his expression.

He called Zhou Xiang, who was currently sorting out some files. “You. Come here.”

Zhou Xiang walked towards him.

“Pinch me. The harder, the better.”

***

The author has something to say:

Xie Ling: I seem to be under some kind of illusion.