I Heard That I Am Poor

Chapter 79: “I couldn’t wish for anything more.”

Yu Nian leaned against Xie You and contemplated, “I estimate that if it concerns an increase in the selection of the heir, Xiao Ting should come to me again to discuss selling the painting. But since I bought ‘Drunken Horse Traveling in Spring,’ I will absolutely not sell it again.”

Xie You hurriedly said, “Nian Nian, I’m here.”

Nodding, Yu Nian’s eyes sparkled like stars, “Alright, then my boyfriend will have to work hard.”

Without much difficulty, he created a door in his wall and pulled Xie You inside, as if it wasn’t a challenging task at all.

Upon hearing this, Xie You’s eyes brightened slightly, and he restrained himself to kiss Yu Nian’s smooth forehead, “I wouldn’t find it troublesome, I’d be more than happy to.”

Yu Nian’s heart fluttered as if it had been tickled, and he couldn’t help but yawn. He then remembered, “A few days ago, I saw President Qu at Xingyao. He seemed to be in a hurry.”

Without hesitation, Xie You betrayed his brother, “Xiaoran was playing games in the office, and he got caught by his elder brother.”

Curious, Yu Nian asked, “And then?”

“Since then, his brother has been keeping him close, even taking him along on his business trips abroad. Just the other day, Xiaoran even said that he felt hopeless about life.”

They chatted a bit more, and suddenly Xie You noticed Yu Nian’s weight on his shoulder, and his response became weaker. He slightly turned his head and found Yu Nian sleeping on his shoulder, breathing peacefully with thick, curly eyelashes trembling gently with each breath, showing faint shades of blue underneath his eyes.

Before the break of dawn, Yu Nian took an early flight to Suizhou to attend an auction. In the middle of the event, there were even rumors about him using drugs. After the auction ended, he flew back to Ning City, and as soon as he landed, he rushed to meet Xie You.

Sitting in place, Xie You didn’t move a muscle as he gazed at Yu Nian sleeping against his shoulder. It was hard to tell how much time had passed before Xie You confirmed that Yu Nian had fallen asleep. He carefully moved his legs, which had already gone numb, and gently lifted Yu Nian, carrying him to the bedroom in the resting area.

Yu Nian instinctively snuggled against the pillow, sleeping somewhat restlessly. Xie You lowered his head and gently kissed Yu Nian’s hand, comforting him, “Nian Nian, it’s alright, just rest well.”

Waking up according to his biological clock, Yu Nian gazed at the ceiling in a daze. After a while, he finally realized where he was.

The drawn curtains blocked the harsh light, and the soft bed and pillows beneath him carried a faint scent unique to Xie You. Yu Nian had slept well, and all his fatigue had vanished, leaving his limbs feeling weak. He sat up and stretched lazily, noticing a note left on the bedside table in Xie You’s handwriting.

Smiling, Yu Nian got out of bed and slipped into the bathroom, where he found a complete set of toiletries, including his favorite toothpaste.

Brushing his teeth, Yu Nian also observed that everything in the bathroom, from the towels to the glass cups, came in matching pairs, with only differences in color.

Xie You had already gone to the conference room for a meeting, so Yu Nian had breakfast and then left the office. The entire floor was empty, and he took Xie You’s private elevator down to find the black chauffeured car parked in the same spot as the night before.

Yu Nian settled into the car, taking off his cap and mask, and noticed Meng Yuan discreetly sizing him up.

Yu Nian smiled, “Brother Meng, what are you looking at?”

Meng Yuan cleared his throat, “Last night, I received a message from President Xie, asking us to come here at this time to pick you up. Um… Nian Nian, did you sleep here last night? Should I adjust today’s schedule for you to rest more?”

Confused, Yu Nian asked, “Why would you need to adjust the schedule?” He tapped his head, trying to remember, “I think I was chatting with Xie You last night and then somehow fell asleep.”

Meng Yuan opened his mouth wide, “Is that it?” Was there no cession of territory, or repaying with flesh, or something?

“Unless I have amnesia and memory gaps, nothing else happened.”

Apparently, only his mind had been submerged in yellow waste. Yu Nian dared to say that Xie You had even prepared antibiotics and hemostatic medicine?

Meng Yuan deeply reflected before changing the topic, “When you came down, no one noticed, right?”

Shaking his head, Yu Nian replied, “No, Xie You made arrangements, and there was no one on the entire floor. Even the cleaning auntie wasn’t encountered when I came down.”

Meng Yuan’s hanging heart finally relaxed, “President Xie is very thoughtful.” He then observed Yu Nian’s expression, “It seems like you had a good conversation last night?”

“Yeah,” Yu Nian couldn’t help but smile, “I found that learning to trust him and rely on him is not as difficult as I thought. And, he is someone worth trusting.”

Meng Yuan covered his cheek, “Alright, alright. I’m getting old, my teeth aren’t in good shape, and I can’t bear any toothaches!”

Yu Nian burst into laughter.

Taking out his tablet, Meng Yuan began to go through the day’s work schedule.

“First thing, the invitation to the Golden Pine Awards has arrived. It will be held in a week, and you need to walk the red carpet with the cast.”

Yu Nian nodded, “Okay, no problem.”

“Hersey will deliver the clothes tomorrow. They are the latest spring-summer high-end designs, and there are three sets for you to choose from. The tailor will also come along, and after you pick the clothes, they will make any necessary modifications to the suit on the spot.”

Meng Yuan tapped the tablet’s screen and said, “Then this afternoon, you have to attend Hersey’s brand event. With all the buzz and hot news about you recently, the reporters at the event will undoubtedly be plentiful. Even if they manage to capture your photo, it could become headline news. To avoid any misinterpretations or speculations, I’ve arranged for a familiar journalist to be there. You should think about how to answer the questions now.”

As expected, when they arrived at the brand event, as soon as Yu Nian stepped out of the chauffeured car, he was immediately surrounded by a swarm of reporters, their cameras incessantly flashing.

“Is it true that you have a powerful background and even made Tang Real Estate’s heir apologize?”

“Did you witness Tang Xiaoke getting drunk at a high-end club last night? What are your thoughts on that?”

“There are rumors that you’ve been dropped from two variety shows and removed from the lead role in a drama, all due to your conflicts with Tang Xiaoke. Can you confirm this?”

“Some insiders claim that Tang Xiaoke offended someone he shouldn’t have, leading to huge losses for Tang Group and worsening the father-son conflict. Tang Jianzhong has ordered him to reflect on his actions for half a month. Is this ‘someone he shouldn’t have offended’ referring to you?”

The brand event was prepared with foresight and had double the security personnel, who shielded Yu Nian in the center, blocking the reporters’ relentless onslaught. By the time they reached the dressing room, Meng Yuan was sweating profusely, “Just this short distance, didn’t it take almost ten minutes?”

Seated in front of the dressing room mirror, Yu Nian sighed, “Probably.” He recalled the questions the reporters had asked, “Tang Xiaoke was dropped?”

“That’s right, we received the news early this morning.”

Meng Yuan smoothed out his wrinkled coat from being squeezed in the crowd and continued, “One is a well-established domestic dairy brand. Given the incident with Tang Xiaoke, they naturally needed to protect their brand image first, so they terminated the contract swiftly. As it was Tang Xiaoke’s personal problem, they won’t pay any breach of contract fees. Following this precedent, another skincare brand also terminated its contract with him. The latest news is that the idol drama, which Tang Xiaoke invested in, has also let him go.”

Holding a large bag, Shi Rou pushed the door open and overheard the latter part of the conversation, “Even the drama he invested in let him go?”

Meng Yuan nodded, “That’s right. There are plenty of people willing to invest in a project, and they don’t need Tang Xiaoke specifically. Since he entered the industry, he had a bad temper and a huge ego, and he has offended countless people. But because Tang Real Estate backed him, nobody dared say anything. However, this time he fell hard, and who knows how many people are eager to kick him while he was down. So, in the entertainment industry, he’s done; he can’t continue his career.”

Shi Rou took the freshly squeezed fruit juice she brought and handed it to Yu Nian, understanding the situation, “That makes sense. This circle is like that. Everyone may appear amicable on the surface, but in their hearts, they could hate you to no end.” Seeing Yu Nian typing happily with one hand while holding the cup with the other, she asked curiously, “Nian Nian, did something good happen?”

Yu Nian lifted his gaze and smiled, “Xie You said he finished the meeting and will come to pick me up. We’ll have dinner together tonight.”

“Oh—,” Shi Rou elongated her tone and added a few twists, “So work is over, and you have a date!”

Yu Nian nodded, “Yeah, exactly!”

Shi Rou took the empty cup, smiling, “I suddenly feel that you and President Xie are a great match. You both have your own busy careers and can understand each other.” She glanced at the time, sounding rushed, “It’s already this late? Okay, I won’t hold you up. Brother Meng’s arranged journalist will be here soon.”

The journalist who came to interview was a woman with short hair. After exchanging greetings, Meng Yuan joked, “Please go easy on us, Sister Nie!”

Nie Mingxin glanced at him and replied, “Brother Meng, are you serious? You sent me the question list and told me to ask according to it, and now you’re asking me to go easy?”

Meng Yuan touched his nose, pretending to be surprised, “Oh, really?”

Nie Mingxin didn’t bother with Meng Yuan and turned to smile at Yu Nian, “Don’t be nervous. Your manager has quite a lot of things to handle and is bossy, so if I ask anything unpleasant, he might flip out on the spot.”

Yu Nian nodded, smiling, “Brother Meng has always been protective of me. It’s no trouble for Sister Nie to come all the way here for the interview.”

Nie Mingxin saw that Yu Nian was already siding with Meng Yuan, so she didn’t say anything more, laughing, “No need to worry. You don’t know, your exclusive interview is so difficult to book right now! You’re red-hot, and your popularity keeps soaring. My colleagues all have one wish this year: to get an interview with you! So, even if I have to fly twenty hours to interview you, I’d do it in a heartbeat!”

Meng Yuan interjected, “But we can’t chat for too long. The brand event is waiting for us. We won’t have time later. Sister Nie, please excuse us if I have too much on my plate.”

 Nie Minxin set up the recording pen and made a gesture to indicate that they were ready, her expression becoming more formal.

“The first question is about the news that many people are currently focusing on – the fact that you spent 200 million to buy a piece of paper…”

The speed of “Orange Entertainment,” where Nie Minxin worked, was incredibly fast. Not long after the interview ended, they released a well-edited video and a well-organized interview transcript.

[Regardless of anything else, first of all, praise for Yu Nian’s appearance! Even a simple white T-shirt looks so good on him! And his statement, ‘Regarding aesthetic ability, I believe it’s the perception of beauty. However, I don’t agree with narrow-minded aesthetic concepts. Being fat or thin, introverted or extroverted, plain or bright, all can be beautiful.’ Ah, I really love the way Yu Nian sincerely expresses his thoughts! He said it so well!]

[I have to ask, what exactly is Yu Nian’s background? After the drug incident, his first statement is through an interview with the ace of ‘Orange Entertainment,’ Nie Minxin! I don’t believe there wasn’t any pressure from his background to make Tang Xiaoke apologize and terminate the contracts! Someone, please dig up the information!]

[Tang Xiaoke always acted lawlessly in the entertainment circle, relying on his family background. Who would’ve thought there’s always someone higher up? This time, he finally met his match, right? So, the incident of him hitting someone is true? I refuse to believe that he faced no consequences, given that he wasn’t an adult at the time and his family was forced to pay compensation to settle the matter.]

With a “smack,” Tang Xiaoke slammed his phone hard onto the floor with a gloomy face.

The elderly person sitting beside him heard the commotion and quickly said, “Xiaoke, where are you going? Your dad told me to keep an eye on you and not let you go out. Don’t make things difficult for Grandma, okay?”

Tang Xiaoke, still exuding a strong smell of alcohol, eyes red, coldly snorted, “Useless old thing. He cowers and acts like a bastard, why should I do the same?”

After speaking, he paid no further attention and stuffed his hands in his pockets, staggering towards the door.

At the event venue, Yu Nian descended from the stage and handed the microphone back to the staff, saying “Thank you.”

Shi Rou leaned closer and whispered, “Nian Nian, President Xie You has already arrived.”

Yu Nian’s eyes lit up, and his steps to the dressing room became quicker. He whispered, “When the reporters are all outside, Sister Rou Rou, you and Brother Meng take the chauffeur-driven car and lead them away. I’ll use another route to find Xie You.”

Shi Rou made an “OK” gesture, “No problem, we’ll divert the reporters, and you enjoy your date!”

“Thank you, Sister Rou Rou.”

After receiving Shi Rou’s message, Yu Nian changed into inconspicuous clothes and put on a mask and hat before heading to the underground parking lot through a different passage.

The underground parking lot was large, and the lanes were not narrow. As it wasn’t a holiday, there weren’t many vehicles parked there. Yu Nian checked the signposts and found the right direction to move forward.

Suddenly, a low engine roar erupted, causing an anxious echo in the parking lot, akin to the roar of a ferocious beast. A red sports car, like the scythe of the Grim Reaper, accelerated and directly aimed for Yu Nian’s position! Realizing the danger, Yu Nian tried to dodge, but he had no time!

In that split second, a loud “bang” rang out, and faint gunshots followed. The red sports car, with its tires already punctured, tilted, and the tires and ground rubbed against each other with a harsh sound.

Finally, with a heavy thud, the front of the red sports car crashed heavily into a concrete pillar, creating a cloud of dust.

At the moment when the front of the car rushed towards him, Yu Nian was pushed down to the side, barely avoiding the car’s skewed body!

Upon landing, he was tightly held in someone’s embrace, shielded from all harm.

After a while, Yu Nian finally reacted and subconsciously grabbed the clothes of the person protecting him with trembling fingers, “Xie You…”

Xie You held Yu Nian tightly in his arms, his muscles tense, trembling uncontrollably. He kept nuzzling Yu Nian’s hair with his chin, his voice quivering, “Nian Nian… It’s okay, it’s okay now…”