Sang Qiao had agreed with Xu Qiruo to wait for him outside the hospital.
When Sang Qiao came out of the hospital, the street near the road only had Xu Qiruo's Volkswagen with its headlights on.
Sang Qiao cheerfully opened the door and sat in, took out a packet of instant noodles from his pocket, sprinkled the seasoning, and ate quickly.
Xu Qiruo: "......"
This brand of instant noodles was called "Old Beijing," extremely cheap, even the packaging looked cheap, and it only cost 50 cents per pack in wholesale.
Xu Qiruo suddenly remembered the first time he saw Sang Qiao, he was squatting at the side of a construction site, eating this thing with his head down.
Two years had passed.
Sang Qiao had transitioned from a laborer who couldn't afford lunch and was paid daily, to an artist in the entertainment industry.
But life didn't seem to love him.
As night fell, Xu Qiruo watched Sang Qiao for a while and suddenly felt that this world was really damn messed up.
Xu Qiruo started the car, took the instant noodles from Sang Qiao's hand, and put it in the drawer of the car, "Aren't you going to see Fu Xingzhou? Since he's backing you, doesn't he even know to feed you?"
Sang Qiao had barely taken a few bites of the instant noodles before it was taken away from him, and he looked puzzled for a moment, licked his lips disappointedly, "I won't mention it. Fu Xingzhou just had appendicitis surgery, how could I let him treat me to a meal!"
Xu Qiruo sneered, "Then let him starve you; the big boss is really imposing."
Sang Qiao took out a bottle of mineral water from the car, took a few sips, and pitifully poked the locked drawer with his finger, "You know I'm hungry... can you return my noodles, I'll buy that packet."
Xu Qiruo: "......"
Xu Qiruo took a deep breath and angrily turned the steering wheel, "Fine, I won't make an artist eat instant noodles in the middle of the night. Fasten your seat belt, I'll treat you to a meal."
Sang Qiao's eyes lit up, "Oh my goodness, my dear agent, look, you really are the best agent in the world!"
Xu Qiruo: "Get lost, one more word and I'll let you starve."
Sang Qiao immediately obediently closed his mouth.
As an agent, Xu Qiruo knew Sang Qiao's body better than Sang Qiao himself, so he chose a particularly unsavory 24-hour Japanese ramen shop and ordered a bowl of pork bone ramen without adding any spice or vinegar.
There was only one table occupied in the shop, which was theirs.
Sang Qiao disdainfully gave a thumbs-up to Xu Qiruo, "Why didn't you tell him not to add salt?"
Xu Qiruo nodded, reached out to call the waiter, "No problem, to please you."
Sang Qiao: "Stop it, devil, I declare that I'm fasting."
Xu Qiruo remained unmoved and ordered a glass of barley tea for Sang Qiao.
He then carefully observed Sang Qiao's expression and state for a while before asking, "Have you read the content online by yourself?"
In fact, Sang Qiao hadn't read it yet.
But based on Xu Qiruo's words, he knew it wasn't good content.
Sang Qiao took out his phone and, familiarly, opened Weibo and was about to read it.
Xu Qiran reached out and covered the screen of Sang Qiao's phone, saying, "Don't look, there's nothing interesting."
Sang Qiao raised his eyes, smiled, and took back his phone, then clicked into the comments section: "I can take it, my ability to endure is the best in the universe, I'm as steady as an old dog, calm and composed."
Xu Qiran: "..."
The popular comments were already flooded by the fans of Zhuang Hui and Fang Yuzhou, and at a glance, there was not a single comment worth reading.
However, Sang Qiao scrolled from top to bottom, without a change in expression.
Until two bowls of noodles were brought over.
Sang Qiao then put down his phone and clicked his tongue, "The netizens these days are no good, they keep using the same three-word phrases to curse, with no sense of creativity."
Xu Qiran handed the chopsticks to Sang Qiao, "Zhuang Hui doesn't have your contact information. I've already contacted him before coming here. We can clarify the situation anytime."
Sang Qiao broke the chopsticks, skillfully removing the thorns on them and played the good guy card: "Zhuang Hui is really a good person."
Xu Qiran: "..."
Xu Qiran sighed, "That's just how keyboard warriors are... Don't take it to heart."
"I'm fine," Sang Qiao said.
Sang Qiao started to eat the bowl of noodle in front of him, which was neither spicy nor sour, and took two sips of soup, "I'm even happy when they curse my parents, but they also cursed my grandparents."
"Well, I haven't even seen your four elders, sorry for bothering," Xu Qiran said.
Sang Qiao had never mentioned his parents before. Even when he signed with a company, he used a separate household register because he was not of legal age.
A sixteen-year-old child.
With only one person's household register.
Xu Qiran paused for a few seconds and tentatively asked, "Sang Qiao, your parents..."
Sang Qiao took another sip of the noodles, "My mom is crazy, my dad is scum. So, when I get old, I might be a crazy scum, who knows."
Xu Qiran: "..."
Xu Qiran frowned and was about to refute Sang Qiao's words.
But Sang Qiao turned around first, stuck out his tongue, and said, "Just kidding."
Xu Qiran: "..."
If Sang Qiao hadn't been so harshly criticized today...
Xu Qiran really wanted to slap him with a belt.
After finishing the noodles, Xu Qiran drove Sang Qiao back home along the original route.
Halfway through the journey, Sang Qiao remembered that he had moved to a different place long ago.
He quickly pulled out his phone and found the location of Fu Xingzhou's villa, then directed Xu Qiran to make an illegal U-turn.
Xu Qiran punched Sang Qiao, then found a spot to turn around and come down from the overpass.
When the navigation pointed the way, Xu Qiran was taken aback, "Do you live here now?"
Sang Qiao continued to look at the comments on Weibo, then after a few seconds, said, "Yeah, a bit far, isn't it?"
Xu Qiran pondered for a moment and said to Sang Qiao, "I don't know about Fu Xingzhou's other residences, but I think I've heard about this villa from a friend before."
Sang Qiao turned his head, "What did they say?"
Xu Qiran confirmed the address, "This house used to belong to the chairman of the Fu family, Fu Xingzhou's grandfather."
Sang Qiao was not interested and said, "Wow."
Xu Qiran continued, "Later, when Fu Xingzhou took over, the old chairman gave him the house, so it's become the main residence of the Fu family."
Sang Qiao raised a logical point, "Oh, so where did the old chairman go?"
Xu Qiran was speechless, "Is that the key point I asked you to pay attention to?! Fu Xingzhou letting you stay in his family's main residence shows that he still has some sincerity towards you. Since you've been taken in by him, have some plans for your future! Understand?"
Sang Qiao earnestly nodded, "I got it, I got it! You can trust me!"
Xu Qiran: "..."
Trust my foot.
If only Sang Qiao had a bit of planning for the future, he might have been gone long ago.
Why would there be a need to take part in a program and still be criticized like that online?
Xu Qiran's car was stopped by the security system at the entrance of the villa area.
Perhaps the security of this residential area had never seen such a simple car model and scrutinized Xu Qiran and Sang Qiao for a while before letting them in.
Dinner and then driving back had cost a lot of time.
Sang Qiao intended to discuss future work arrangements with Xu Qiran, ready to invite him to spend a night in the villa.
But just as they parked the car in front of the garage.
Not yet in the door, I was startled by a black shadow at the door.
Especially when the black shadow suddenly emerged from the front door.
Instantly, with a "puddle," he knelt down in front of Sangqiao.
Sang Qiao: "......"
Xu Qiran: "......"
Sang Qiao is fearless, except for ghosts. He is the kind of person who absolutely never watches horror movies alone. He was scared back two steps by this sudden pounce.
Quickly hiding behind the person next to him, he shouted, "Xu Qiran, save me, my life!"
Xu Qiran had to take a step and, under the dim yellow streetlights in the villa garden, saw the person kneeling in front of him clearly.
Li Yu.
Li Yu is quite famous in the circle.
Although not a top-tier producer, many artists will give him face.
However, kneeling on the ground at the moment, he looked quite pathetic.
Xu Qiran took a step back and politely extended his hand to help him up, saying, "Producer Li, what's going on... You really scared us, please get up."
Sang Bridge poked his head out from behind Xu Qiran: "Wow, it's not a ghost?"
How could Li Yu get up? He just knocked three heads in front of Sangqiao.
His originally exquisite outfit was now wrinkled and disheveled, with bloodshot eyes, and a hoarse voice: "Sangqiao, Mr. Sang, I'm sorry, I was wrong! According to what Fu Boss said, I'm here to apologize to you! Please let Fu Boss spare me!"
Sang Qiao: "???"
Sang Qiao's face was full of confusion: "Huh?"
Xu Qiran also looked puzzled, "Boss Fu, Producer Li, are you talking about Boss Fu?"
Not knowing what kind of worldly suffering he had endured, Li Yu clutched Sang Qiao's pants and refused to let go, crying, "Sang Qiao, Qiao Qiao, Brother Li really has no choice! I was also forced by the online public opinion. I apologize to you, please spare me, can you?"
Sang Qiao: "......"
Sang Qiao silently reached out to rescue his pants from Li Yu's hands, and when he saw Li Yu about to grab at them again, he hurriedly said, "Don't pull my pants! They cost 200 yuan each!!"
Li Yu: "......"
With bloodshot eyes, Li Yu was close to tears: "I'll compensate you for ten, no, a hundred pairs of pants, whether it's Gucci, Louis Vuitton, or Hermes, you can pick whatever you want, Brother Sang, can you let me off this time?"
Sang Qiao cautiously guarded against Li Yu: "What did Fu do to you?"
Wiping his hands on the pants, Li Yu stumbled forward a few steps, "It's because of the thing where you were getting criticized online, Boss Fu is very angry, and he asked me to come here to apologize to you, and it had to be with gifts, and I had to knock three heads."
Sang Qiao glanced at the pebble road in front of him, then looked at Li Yu's forehead, feeling that he fully understood his sincerity: "And there's a gift?"
Struggling on the edge of life and death, Li Yu seemed to see a faint hope from Sang Qiao, "Yes, yes! I have brought generous gifts for you!"
Gift boxes of all sizes were stacked at the entrance of the villa, clearly the butler didn't intend to let Li Yu in.
Wiping his sweat, Li Yu fumbled and untied one package after another.
A Rolex watch.
A Vacheron Constantin.
A diamond-studded Patek Philippe.
Sang Qiao's eyes gradually softened.
Bravely apologizing with money is the greatest kindness.
Sang Qiao crossed his arms and looked down at the little gifts that were about to become members of his small treasure trove, nodding.
Seeing Sang Qiao nod, Li Yu also slowly breathed a sigh of relief.
After all, he was still an immature little artist.
Although he didn't know if he was being supported or played by Fu Xingzhou, he generally lacked experience and was not very respectable.
That's okay.
Li Yu looked at Sangqiao's expression, planned in his heart, and said with a bitter face, "Qiao Qiao, Brother Li doesn't ask for anything else, just ask you to help Brother Li plead with Boss Fu. You know about the 30 million yuan in the letter of intent... Qiao Qiao, you know, Brother Li has invested all his money in the project and really can't come up with that much money, I can't afford it!"
Sang Qiao: "???"
The forgiveness that Sang Qiao was about to express promptly vanished.
He turned his eyes, particularly surprised, and said, "Thirty million? Fu Xingzhou wants you to pay me this much?"
Seeing Sang Qiao's attitude, Li Yu immediately made his performance even more tragic, "Qiao Qiao, what Boss Fu said makes sense too. Ultimately, this is Brother Li's fault, and it's right for Brother Li to compensate you. It's just that thirty million is really too much. You see..."
"Right."
Sang Qiao, understandingly, nodded, squatted down to be at eye-level with Li Yu, and very obediently said, "I also think 30 million is too much, so much money, I can buy so many things."
Li Yu was quick to echo Sang Qiao's words, "Yes, Qiao Qiao, and you also know about Brother Li's situation..."
Sang Qiao tilted his head, interrupted Li Yu's words, and said, "Alright, then just compensate me with 29 million, that's alright."
Li Yu: "??"
Li Yu: "!!!"
The expression on Li Yu's face changed: "What did you say—"
Sang Qiao clapped his hands, stood up, and called the butler from the visible phone at the door, "Uncle Yuan, there's someone at the door who seems to be about to scold me, I'm so scared, can you ask the security inside to come out for a bit."
Uncle Yuan immediately opened the door.
Several bodyguards who were from special forces followed behind him.
Li Yu: "......"
The words that were originally on Li Yu's lips were forcefully held back, he quickly picked up the gift he brought and walked decisively to the door without looking back.
After a few steps, Sang Qiao suddenly called out to him, "Director Li."
A glimmer of hope rose in Li Yu's heart, and he turned around suddenly.
Sang Qiao sweetly smiled, "I'm waiting for your 29 million."
Li Yu: "......"
Li Yu was so angry that his leather shoes almost slipped.
Xu Qiran had originally not planned to stay in Fu Xingzhou's villa, but Sang Qiao had already bounced ahead and told the butler to prepare a room for him, so he had no choice but to follow along.
The servants at the Fu residence took turns in shifts, usually leaving only three people on night duty.
The butler took the servants to clean the room.
Sang Qiao then went downstairs and found Xu Qiran quietly calming down on the balcony.
Each floor of the villa had a public balcony, and apart from the sunroom on the top floor, the balcony on the third floor was the most beautiful.
It extended in a semi-circular shape from the house, offering a view of the brilliant night scene of the northern city.
Sang Qiao opened a bottle of soda for himself and handed another bottle to Xu Qiran, "Here, want to drink some iced soda?"
Xu Qiran glanced at Sang Qiao and replied, "No, I don't have your ability to not gain weight no matter what you eat."
Sang Qiao chuckled, took a few sips, and suddenly said, "There are stars tonight."
The air in the northern city was generally not very good, and it was rare to see stars.
Xu Qiran followed Sang Qiao's gaze, then turned back and said, "Sang Qiao, I think Fu Xingzhou must like you."
Sang Qiao turned his head, "Huh?"
Xu Qiran said, "This thing happened today, and he made Li Yu come to apologize to you in such a sorry state. If it's not because he likes you, I can't think of any other reason."
Sang Qiao: "......"
Seeing that Sang Qiao did not respond, Xu Qiran said, "The same-sex marriage law has been implemented now, Sang Qiao, if..."
Sang Qiao interrupted him suddenly, "Brother Ran, have you seen the sunrise?"
Xu Qiran was taken aback, "Of course."
Sang Qiao smiled, "Have you seen a mouse running under the sun?"
For a moment, Xu Qiran couldn't understand what Sang Qiao meant, "What mouse?"
Sang Qiao said casually, "I am the mouse in the gutter, and Fu Xingzhou is the brightest sun at noon."
Xu Qiran's heart sank.
Sang Qiao shook the bottle of soda in his hand, "I'm fine staying up at night by myself, why did I have to bring Mr. Fu Xingzhou over to stay with me?"
"You see, even the moonlight is cold."
Sang Qiao raised the soda bottle high, "Here's to my moonlit friend."