Isn’t money good?

Chapter 5

Following the man into his office, Yan Shiqiu took a quick walk around the small space and soon spotted a business card with the man’s name printed on it.

Fang Yuhua.

Satisfied, he found a seat and sat down.

“There’s no soda, just water. Make do.” Fang Yuhua poured him a cup of water.

“Thanks.”

That one simple word made Fang Yuhua pause and give him a look.

Yan Shiqiu: “……”

Just how rude was “he” before this? No wonder the author was basically his anti-fan.

Fang Yuhua made himself a cup of chrysanthemum goji tea, held his thermos, and sat on the sofa across from him. After observing him for a while, he rubbed his chin and said, “You seem different today.”

“Your style changed.” He added.

“I wanted to try something new.”

The “him” in the book liked flashy, bright-colored clothes, especially pink. When he opened the closet, he was stunned—an entire wardrobe filled with bright reds, greens, and yellows, like a human rainbow.

Luckily, he had the looks to pull it off.

But he just couldn’t handle that kind of style. It was too much. So he rummaged through the closet, turned everything inside out, and finally managed to dig out a few plain T-shirts and jeans from a forgotten corner. Basic stuff, probably from when the original owner was still in school. A little tight, but wearable.

Fang Yuhua nodded approvingly. “This is better. Looks clean and fresh, gives off the right energy for your age.”

Yan Shiqiu smiled. “If Fang-ge says so, then I’ll stick with this from now on.”

Fang Yuhua looked at him. “You’re actually listening?”

“Of course, Fang-ge, you’d never steer me wrong.”

“Don’t be so naive.” Fang Yuhua said. “You need to be a little wary. Trusting people too easily is dangerous, especially in this industry.”

Yan Shiqiu took a sip of water and laughed again, piling on the flattery. “I get that, but Fang-ge, you’re a good person. You’re trustworthy.”

Compliments always worked.

Fang Yuhua chuckled, his eyes carrying a hint of amusement. “You’ve gotten a lot better at talking. Real smooth now.”

Yan Shiqiu blinked innocently. “Fang-ge, haven’t you heard? If you don’t see someone for three days, you should look at them with fresh eyes. And we haven’t seen each other for almost a month. I’m not the same person I used to be.”

“That’s true.” Fang Yuhua set his thermos down and suddenly changed the topic. “Let’s get to the point. You just said you want to renegotiate your contract with me?”

At the mention of business, Yan Shiqiu’s expression turned serious. He sat up straight. “Yes.”

“Why?”

“I realized I still love acting.”

Thanks to the trending discussion about Ji Yunian a couple of days ago, where netizens were explaining the original owner’s background, he finally learned that the “him” in the book actually had solid acting skills. A rare natural talent. That was why Heng Xing Entertainment had signed him in the first place.

But then he turned into a complete love-struck fool. After meeting Ye Peiyuan, he became a full-time simp and lost all focus on acting. He hadn’t taken on any projects since his debut drama.

Thinking about it now, the author might have been a hater, but at least they acknowledged his talent.

At least when building his character, they had thrown in a few positive stats—even if they were so minuscule that they barely mattered. Well, maybe they did show a little, like with his white lotus act and drama queen skills.

Fang Yuhua didn’t respond immediately. He just stared at Yan Shiqiu, as if evaluating his sincerity.

Yan Shiqiu sat there quietly, not rushing him.

Trust wasn’t built in a day, and honestly, given the original owner’s past behavior, it was hard to blame anyone for not believing him.

“If I told you to break up with President Ye and stay single for the duration of your contract, would you agree?” Fang Yuhua’s tone was calm. “I’m not saying this to make things difficult for you. It’s just that you’re too much of a relationship addict. The moment you fall in love, you throw everything else aside and start walking a tightrope for that person.”

“In the past, everything revolved around Ye Peiyuan. You refused to cooperate with work schedules for his sake, and I had to clean up your messes with the company.”

“I don’t want an artist who doesn’t respect this profession. If you want to come and go as you please, thinking you’re irreplaceable, you’re mistaken. There are plenty of young people desperate to sign with us.”

Yan Shiqiu raised an eyebrow. “Fang-ge, if I promise you right now that I’ll break up with Ye Peiyuan, would you even believe me?”

Honestly, he’d love to dump Ye Peiyuan this instant and stay as far away from that villain as possible.

But first, he had to make sure he could do it safely.

Ye Peiyuan was ruthless and calculating. The original owner had been madly in love with him, even going so far as to break his contract for him. If he suddenly turned around and asked for a breakup right after trying to re-sign, Ye Peiyuan would definitely get suspicious.

That man was capable of anything. If he found out he had been “sold out.” things could get dangerous.

Right now, he was a nobody—hated by the public, without friends, with barely any contact even from Wen Chen and his own mother. If Ye Peiyuan wanted him to disappear, it would be all too easy.

He added, “It’s easy to say I’ll break up with him. I could call him right now and end things in front of you. But if I still had feelings for him, what’s the point? My mind would still be on him. Isn’t that right?”

Fang Yuhua’s expression remained unchanged. He even nodded slightly in agreement. “That’s true.”

“So, what you’re really asking is whether I’m willing to break up with him?”

Yan Shiqiu shook his head. “Not exactly. If the feelings fade, then of course I’ll break up. Relationships come and go. Even marriages end in divorce.”

Fang Yuhua hummed in acknowledgment.

“Let’s set that aside for now. You’ve got another issue.” Fang Yuhua got straight to the point. “You were trending with Ji Yunian the other day. Even though he later clarified things, you still pissed off his fans and earned yourself a wave of hate. I also heard that Ji Yunian really doesn’t like you.”

“We have no reason to offend Ji Yunian for your sake.”

Yan Shiqiu had expected this and was already prepared with an answer. “Fang-ge, you’re a manager. You should know that what kills an artist’s career isn’t hate—it’s being completely ignored. Right now, I come with built-in attention. Isn’t that a good thing?”

He tilted his chin up slightly. “Besides, Ji Yunian isn’t that petty. He might not like me, but he won’t deliberately target me.”

Fang Yuhua fell silent, thinking it over.

After a long pause, he finally looked at Yan Shiqiu and said, “I’ll give you a chance.”

Yan Shiqiu secretly let out a breath of relief. The tension in his shoulders eased. “Thank you, Fang-ge.”

“Don’t thank me yet. You need to prove yourself first.”

Fang Yuhua clasped his hands together and leaned back against the sofa. “Director Chen is casting for a new drama. Auditions for the fourth male lead start the day after tomorrow. If you land the role, I’ll sign you again.”

Yan Shiqiu blinked in surprise. “You want me to audition?”

Fang Yuhua nodded. “You shouldn’t be shocked. Director Chen’s casting calls are always open. Audition scenes are drawn randomly, and actors get ten minutes to prepare. Even if I didn’t recommend you, you could still go.”

This was actually a thing?

Yep, the world inside a novel was definitely different from reality.

Yan Shiqiu quickly smoothed out his surprise and grinned. “I’ll get the role.”

“Then good luck.” With that, Fang Yuhua stood up, returned to his desk, and subtly signaled that the conversation was over. “You can leave now.”

**

Leaving Heng Xing Entertainment, Yan Shiqiu tilted his head up, squinting at the sun before pulling his hat down and hailing a cab.

“To the nearest mall.”

First, he needed to buy some clothes. Then, he had to dye his hair back. His current silver-gray hair wasn’t bad, but he preferred black.

Ten minutes later, the cab pulled up outside a shopping mall. Yan Shiqiu scanned the code to pay, pushed open the door, and stepped out.

It was a weekday, so the mall wasn’t too crowded. He glanced at the directory and headed straight for a few budget-friendly men’s clothing stores he was familiar with.

Yesterday, he had checked the original owner’s finances. The situation was… dire.

His total savings? A grand total of 30,003 yuan.

Yeah, he was broke.

He picked out three outfits—enough for rotation—and went to pay.

Then, he made his way to a hair salon.

By the time he walked out, his hair was back to black, and he had a new haircut. Clean and neat. It made him look young again, like he was back in his prime at eighteen.

Feeling himself, Yan Shiqiu posed in front of a store’s glass window. Perfect.

After indulging in a bit of vanity, he strolled away.

He decided to take his time and wander around. It had been years since he had a break to just walk around and relax.

Meanwhile, behind the same glass window—

Inside a café, Ji Yunian sat across from his friend, Sheng You. The café’s one-way glass allowed them to see outside without being seen. So they had a front-row seat to everything Yan Shiqiu had been doing.

“…That’s Yan Shiqiu?” Sheng You’s voice was filled with disbelief.

Ji Yunian’s mouth twitched. “Yeah.”

“What the hell happened to him in the past few days?” Sheng You was stunned. “Did he lose his mind? Or did I? He’s actually dressed so….”

He paused to find the right word. “Plain.”

“Wasn’t he always a walking peacock?”

“Also, his hair’s black again. I haven’t seen his real hair color in two years!”

Ji Yunian: “……”

Sheng You snapped back to reality and sighed. “But I gotta admit, he actually looks good like this. A lot easier on the eyes.”

Ji Yunian thought about it. He agreed. But he wasn’t about to say it out loud.

Suddenly, Sheng You’s eyes lit up like he had thought of something fun. He turned to Ji Yunian excitedly. “Let’s go follow him, see what he’s up to.”

“No.” Ji Yunian rejected the idea immediately. He wasn’t that bored.

“You sure you don’t want to?”

Ji Yunian didn’t budge. He just picked up his coffee and took a sip.

“Fine, suit yourself. I’m going.” Sheng You grabbed his phone and left the café.

Yan Shiqiu was in a great mood. Even under the blazing sun, he didn’t feel hot.

After walking around for a bit, he got in line to buy a cup of bubble tea—the same brand that had been a hit in his past life. Then, he stepped into a nearby candy shop that looked like a fairytale cottage and walked out with a bag full of sweets.

He had no idea someone was following him.

Quickly doing the mental math on how much money he had spent today, Yan Shiqiu hesitated at the entrance of a cake shop. His foot was halfway in when he suddenly changed direction.

…Ahem. He’d come back when he had more money.

He kept walking and eventually turned into a small park in the middle of the city.

There was a playground inside. Tall trees lined the area, blocking out most of the sunlight, so it was pleasantly cool. Even though it wasn’t the weekend, quite a few little kids were playing there—probably ones too young for school.

Yan Shiqiu found an empty swing and sat down, watching the children play.

Their parents were nearby, wiping off their sweat and handing them water. Warm, caring, and full of love.

He couldn’t help but think of his own parents and chuckled softly.

Just then, he noticed a little girl arguing with another child. The next second, she was pushed, lost her balance, and fell down—bursting into loud wails.

The kid who pushed her just stood there, looking confused.

Neither of their parents were around. The other kids nearby got scared and started crying too.

Yan Shiqiu got up and walked over to the girl.

He crouched down in front of her and softened his voice. “Little one, how about I show you a magic trick?”

The girl hiccuped between sobs but looked at him curiously.

“See, my hands are empty right now.” He spread his palms open to show her. Then he slowly closed them. “Now, guess—do I have candy in my hands?”

The little girl thought for a moment before shaking her head.

“Wrong answer.” Yan Shiqiu grinned and opened his hands again. “Look, two bunny candies.”

The sweets were from the bag he had just bought. The packaging was adorable—little cartoon animals and cute designs, perfect for kids.

“Here, these are for you.” He held them out.

She grabbed the candies and, just like that, her tears stopped.

Yan Shiqiu smiled warmly and patted her head.

—

After Sheng You left the café, Ji Yunian got a call from his manager and headed to his agency’s office.

As soon as he parked his car, a notification popped up on his phone—Sheng You had sent him a video.

A second later, his phone rang.

“What now?” he answered.

“Dude, you have to watch the video I sent you.” Sheng You sounded hyped. “I swear, this will shock you for an entire year.”

Ji Yunian frowned. “?”

“I’m serious! Just watch it.”

With that, Sheng You hung up.

Ji Yunian was left standing there, confused. But he still clicked on the video.

The moment it started playing, he froze.