Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Qin Ran put the books on the table, then picked up her phone—

No.

She answered very concisely.

The other side didn’t reply.

Picking up her pen and reading her book, Qin Ran waited a long while before receiving Qin Ling’s reply.

Qin Ling: Oh.

Raising an eyebrow, she put the phone aside and continued flipping slowly through the book.

Most of the books on nuclear engineering were theoretical knowledge points, complicated and tedious.

Whenever she encountered a particularly professional problem, she would write it down and then ask the professor after class.

The Physics Department had assigned several laboratory professors this time to avoid this situation.

After all, due to the lack of laboratory professors at the beginning of last year, Song Luting had shot all the lecturers down with his questions. After this repeated a few times, all the professional teachers who taught Song Luting went crazy and jointly sent a letter to the Dean. The Dean came to know about this and even gave Song Luting the contact numbers of several professors.

On the other side of the phone, Qin Ling put his textbooks into his schoolbag and weakly took it downstairs.

“Young Master, are you feeling unwell?” Ah Wen took the car key and sent Qin Ling to school. He asked in concern after seeing his state.

“No.” Qin Ling shook his head, then glanced down at his phone again before following Ah Wen downstairs.

**

The Qin family’s house.

Qin Xiuchen’s manager arrived early in the morning and was still holding a schedule.

“Film Emperor Qin.” At the sight of Qin Xiuchen, he showed the contract in his hand. “This is the variety show you signed last time.”

Qin Xiuchen had been working very hard since his debut many years ago and had made a lot of money in the entertainment industry. But most of his funds had been given to Butler Qin for temporary operation.

He accepted both TV series and movies.

This year, the Fourth Master’s oppression of his family line had already come to light, but Butler Qin only had three programmers left, so Qin Xiuchen had taken on a large-scale reality show.

With his status and it being his first time accepting a reality show, his appearance fee was sky-high.

In fact, Qin Xiuchen’s current qualifications in the entertainment industry weren’t suitable for reality shows, and he should concentrate on studying movies instead, but he had been in urgent need of money.

Who knew that after returning from filming a movie, Butler Qin had somewhat used an intelligent system to get the share that had been swallowed by the Fourth Master, and the Qin family’s roots had gradually recovered.

Because of these shares, Butler Qin wasn’t short of money for the time being, but Qin Xiuchen had already signed the contract and didn’t intend to break it.

“Put it down.” Qin Xiuchen slowly picked up a sandwich. “Get ready, I’m taking Xiao Ling out for dinner tonight.”

The manager glanced at him in surprise. “It seems you really like that kid.”

“We hit it off.” Qin Xiuchen finished eating and wiped his hands with a paper towel.

Bringing a cup of warm milk over, Butler Qin asked the manager what reality show it was, and whether it was dangerous.

The manager explained it to him.

This reality show was the most popular in China, with a total of over 1 billion hits on every major platform on the Internet.

Butler Qin naturally watched it and hesitated for a while. “I’ve watched this reality show before. It seems to be filmed with family members…”

“Butler Qin, our company has a lot of amateurs who aren’t very popular. If the Film Emperor Qin wants to film this, these companies will naturally arrange it.” The manager understood his concerns and explained with a smile.

As part of the entertainment industry, outsiders thought that Qin Xiuchen’s family had a good starting point and he had it easy, but only a few people knew how difficult it was for him to develop his work in the early days under the Fourth Master’s suppression.

Butler Qin had also helped him deal with many things in the early stages and naturally knew the twists and turns of the entertainment industry. Hearing Qin Xiuchen’s words, he suddenly thought of something. “Why don’t you find Xiao Ling instead of those amateurs this time? It’s better than having those amateurs rise to popularity after the show. Xiao Ling is so good-looking, much better than those amateurs. The audience will surely like him, and you can even bring him around openly.”

Qin Xiuchen was a little moved after hearing this.

Seeing that he was really considering it, the manager was caught between laughter and tears. “Film Emperor Qin, Butler Qin doesn’t know, but how could you not? The entertainment industry is a magnifying glass, and every move will be magnified. You know of cyberbullying, and how it’ll affect the development of children.”

“Xiao Ling is young, and he’s also very well-behaved and smart. How could he possibly behave badly and have people hate him?” Qin Xiuchen stared disapprovingly at the manager.

The manager shut up and spoke no more, afraid that Qin Xiuchen would find Qin Ling on the spot if he rambled on.

If he hadn’t been Qin Xiuchen’s manager since he was twenty, he would almost think that Qin Ling was his illegitimate child.

**

At noon.

When Qin Ran returned to her dormitory after class, there was already a potted plant on the table.

“The dormitory aunt sent it when I came back.” Nan Huiyao turned sideways, took off her earphones, and pointed to the potted flower plant.

Glancing at it, Qin Ran saw that it was the one Cheng Mu brought along in the morning.

Nan Huiyao was still playing games, but since all her cards were dead, she chatted with Qin Ran instead. “I didn’t know you grew flowers.”

Qin Ran went to show her face in the bathroom. “I just water it, I don’t grow it.”

This was the first time seeing Qin Ran after the holidays, and since they were alone in the bedroom, Nan Huiyao whispered in inquiry, “Ran Ran, you really want to study your second major and take the first major’s examinations? I heard that Beijing University’s midterm and final exams are very difficult, and it’s very troublesome if you fail to meet the standards. I heard from the seniors that it’s especially difficult this year.”

She sounded very worried.

Leng Peishan’s words last time obviously had an impact on her.

“It’s particularly difficult this year?” Qin Ran’s focus wasn’t on the same page as Nan Huiyao.

Putting down the mouse, Nan Huiyao rested her chin in her hand. “The counselor said this. He doesn’t know the specific details either, but he just told us to be more attentive in class.”

“Oh.” Qin Ran sat back in her chair.

Glancing at her, Nan Huiyao remembered the timetable she had checked in the morning. “By the way, we’re going out for lunch in the afternoon. There’s a delicious shop on the snack street.”

Qin Ran looked up and leaned against the back of the chair as she suddenly thought of something. “I might not be able to go.”

“You don’t have class this afternoon, don’t lie to me!” Nan Huiyao immediately took out a photo of her nuclear engineering course that she had copied down.

“No, I have to meet a friend,” said Qin Ran, casually propping up her legs.

**

At two o’clock in the afternoon.

Inside a quiet afternoon tea clubhouse near Beijing University.

In a room on the second floor.

“Brother Yan, if Boss Wang knows that I took the liberty of taking you away from the commercial shooting scene without authorization, he will definitely beat me to death. The concert is nearing and your fans are everywhere in Beijing, let alone in the college town.” The assistant pondered. “What friend are you meeting?”

Yan Xi took off his mask and the glasses on the bridge of his nose and put them aside.

He didn’t reply to his assistant.

Two knocks sounded on the door calmly.

Yan Xi stood up and opened the door.

The assistant stared at him. “Brother Yan, don’t open the door at will. If…”

Before he finished speaking, Yan Xi had already opened the door. A young girl stood outside, wearing a peaked cap that covered her face.

Yan Xi turned sideways to let her in and then closed the door.

As she walked in, she took off her black peaked cap and revealed a casual face.

It was Qin Ran.

Staring at her face, the assistant’s eyes widened. She was so beautiful? She looked like a college student? Was she a student from the university town? To meet her, Yan Xi had even pushed a commercial and came all the way to such a dangerous place like the university town?

After all the reasoning, the assistant finally realized the truth.

With trembling fingers, he didn’t dare make a call in front of Yan Xi. Afraid of looking at them and of being silenced, he only dared take out his phone and send a WeChat message to “Boss Wang” —

Boss Wang, Brother Yan has an underground girlfriend!

Boss Wang: ?

Brother Wang was solely Yan Xi’s manager and was also the company’s leader, so the juniors and even some artists addressed him as Boss Wang.

The little assistant only spent a short while in the entertainment industry, and his heart of gossip was ignited. He quietly informed Boss Wang about the incident and described the “underground girlfriend” —

Do you know what Brother Yan is doing with the VIP infield tickets for his concert? He gave it all to her! When did Brother Yan ever do such a thing!

Boss Wang, why aren’t you talking?!

After a long while, Boss Wang slowly replied.

Boss Wang: That’s not Yan Xi’s girlfriend.

Boss Wang: That’s Jiang Shanyi, Yan Xi’s father.

Boss Wang: I’m going back to work. Look out for paparazzi.