SABA Chapter 55

Jiang Mingyan looked up from his documents for the twenty-eighth time at Jiang Tiao, who was sitting on the sofa in his office.

“The sun rose in the west today. You’re actually not looking for Huo Shen? You’ve been squatting here all morning. What’s the matter, have you finally come to your senses, decided to give up on wasting time in the entertainment industry, and decided to come to the company?”

Jiang Tiao’s mind was not on anything here. He had no interest in arguing with Jiang Mingyan for the sake of winning a verbal spar. He held a mug, sat on the brown leather sofa meant for guests, and gazed at the blue sky and white clouds outside the floor-to-ceiling window.

This scene was incredibly familiar. Jiang Mingyan recalled the time Huo Shen came to his company for a meeting; he was sitting in the same position, using the same mug, looking at the same sky.

“What are you doing?” Jiang Mingyan couldn’t help but speak his mind. “You came here and stayed with me all morning, just to feel the angle of the sky that Huo Shen looked at? Don’t you think your behavior is a bit too much like a pervert?”

When Jiang Tiao heard the words “Huo Shen” and “pervert,” his eyes, which had been fixed on the window, finally moved. He resentfully shifted his gaze to Jiang Mingyan, his eyes filled with grievance and anger, like a small beast trapped in a cage for some reason. Jiang Mingyan’s careless words had struck directly at the most shameless and unspeakable part of his heart. He felt as if he had been slapped. And yet, he couldn’t retaliate because he deserved it.

Jiang Mingyan was uncharacteristically excited to see Jiang Tiao in such a state. After all, this younger brother of his had always had an excellent mindset since childhood, was good at self-regulation, and never made things difficult for himself when he couldn’t figure something out, let alone criticize himself silently.

Jiang Mingyan quickly put down his work, suppressed the smile that was rising due to his amusement, and put on a reliable and understanding guise. “Come, come, tell your brother what trouble you’ve encountered?”

Jiang Mingyan always had a wicked personality that enjoyed watching a good show and never minded adding fuel to the fire. Jiang Tiao knew that if he really told him, he would definitely laugh his head off and then, who knew, might tell Huo Shen about it as a joke one day. He might even do it in front of him and then admire his expression and reaction to gain double the pleasure.

Jiang Tiao glared at Jiang Mingyan fiercely but did not retaliate excessively. Because he was the one to blame for this matter, he couldn’t vent his anger on others.

Oh, this matter is quite serious. Jiang Mingyan became even more curious. However, having been in the business world for many years, he understood the principle of “haste makes waste.” He knew that this applied to negotiations and even more so to gossip. So, he decided to start with casual chat about other things to slowly open the conversation.

“I’ve seen people arguing online recently. They said that the person named Li Something Xuan, intentionally bumped into you during the filming?”

Jiang Tiao took a while to understand what Jiang Mingyan was talking about. His expression was speechless. “His name is Ying Yuanxun.”

It was truly incredible. There were only three characters, and he couldn’t remember the middle one, and got the first and last ones wrong.

“Oh,” Jiang Mingyan was indifferent to whether the person was called Ying Yuanxun or Li Yuanxun. “Was he really intentional?”

Jiang Tiao was distracted and not very concerned. “I think so.”

That episode became a huge hit online after it aired, naturally drawing national attention and discussion. Although the bump from Ying Yuanxun to Jiang Tiao could fool ordinary viewers, it couldn’t fool professionals. Among them was a surfer who posted online casually. As a result, he was collectively attacked by Ying Yuanxun’s fans, and even had his death portrait photoshopped. He couldn’t stand it and posted a long Weibo. The article was very professional, with screenshots from various angles and slow-motion GIFs. It was very convincing. This immediately pushed the matter to the trending list.

Those who believed, those who didn’t, and those who wanted to snatch resources by muddying the waters… all joined in, keeping the matter on Weibo for more than half a month.

Jiang Mingyan frowned slightly. “Then why didn’t you tell me?”

Jiang Tiao: “There’s no evidence for this kind of thing. Even if professionals analyze it extensively, Ying Yuanxun can still argue in court that he lacked skill. Besides, he didn’t cause me any substantial harm. Even if I successfully sued, it would be useless.”

However, fortunately, he was in the entertainment industry. Every word and deed was exposed to public view, and any bit of negative news could be fatal.

Jiang Mingyan’s expression was solemn. “That’s letting him off too easily.”

“What do you want to do?” Jiang Tiao deliberately showed some interest. “Do you want to help me punish him? An eye for an eye? Throw him into the sea?”

Jiang Mingyan: “…Thank you, but this is a society ruled by law. My wonderful life has just begun, and I don’t want to go to jail because of you.”

Jiang Tiao let out a “Heh heh” twice, sarcastically saying, “You’re so useless. Look at the CEOs in novels, they just smile and the world turns cold, and with a flick of their fingers, they can make someone desperate.”

Jiang Mingyan: “Oh my, then why don’t I give you my position? Let me experience what it’s like to be protected by such a CEO? Hehehe, you know it’s a novel. You talk about the world turning cold. I need to give thirty days’ notice to lay off employees. Last time I was out and feeling happy, I swiped a few cards for someone and almost triggered an anti-money laundering investigation.”

How much money would one have to spend to attract the attention of the anti-money laundering department…

Normally, Jiang Tiao would have complained properly, and perhaps even extorted some pocket money on that pretext. But now, he had no interest at all. He once again shifted his gaze back to the clouds floating in the blue sky outside the floor-to-ceiling window. They were white and soft, looking as if they had no worries at all.

Ying Yuanxun had been having a difficult time recently. Besieged by negative news, all his endorsements and subsequent resources were gone. When rival artists snatched them, they were quick and precise, as if they had advance notice. Jiang Tiao suspected Huo Shen’s involvement, but he wasn’t sure. He hadn’t found an opportunity to ask before, but now… sigh…

“In the past few years, the cultural and entertainment industry has been booming, with capital pouring into the entertainment circle. You’ve also invested a lot, but Huo Shen seems uninterested?”

Jiang Mingyan raised an eyebrow slightly. Jiang Tiao usually wouldn’t proactively discuss business matters with him.

“Did you remember something?”

Jiang Tiao shook his head. “But I ran into Chu Xu when I went for an audition that day.”

Jiang Mingyan’s heart clenched fiercely. He frowned, afraid that in the next second, he would hear words like rekindling old flames from his foolish brother.

If that happened, he wouldn’t care whether Huo Shen was willing or not. He would truly break Jiang Tiao’s legs and send him to a mental hospital abroad!

Mom had just undergone heart surgery. He really couldn’t imagine what would happen if she were stimulated again!

Jiang Tiao looked at Jiang Mingyan’s defensive expression with some surprise. He frowned slightly. “Is there something wrong with Chu Xu?”

If Huo Shen disliked him, it was fine, but why did Jiang Mingyan also look so disgusted?

If it were just a personality flaw, Jiang Tiao felt that Jiang Mingyan wouldn’t react this way.

What problems? There were too many to list exhaustively! He didn’t like Jiang Tiao but deliberately strung him along, used Jiang Tiao’s good feelings towards him to demean and insult Jiang Tiao’s character, sowed discord between Jiang Tiao and his family, and constantly pressured Jiang Tiao to secure money and benefits from his family for him… and so on, a multitude of things, too many to list! Not to mention he almost swindled away Jiang Tiao’s shares! Jiang Mingyan felt sick thinking about it. He had never seen anyone so shameless! Moreover, Chu Qingchao’s mother’s death seemed to be related to Chu Xu…

“You, regarding Chu Xu…” Jiang Mingyan thought for a long time but couldn’t find a tactful way to express himself without stimulating Jiang Tiao. So, he could only follow his current emotions. He was angry and disappointed, even a little bit distraught. “You’re not falling for that idiot Chu Xu again, are you?!”

Jiang Tiao’s brows were furrowed. He didn’t understand why Jiang Mingyan was having such a strong reaction. He shook his head. “No, I don’t even quite understand why I was attracted to him back then.”

Jiang Mingyan felt like he had been on a roller coaster, his heart suspended high up, going up and down, back and forth. Although he finally landed safely, the feeling of lingering fear remained in his heart, refusing to dissipate for a long time.

“Then what are your plans now?”

Jiang Tiao inexplicably asked, “What plans do I need to have? I just pursued him, right? So now I don’t like him anymore, and I’m not pursuing him anymore, isn’t that enough?”

He had only heard that being together required responsibility, but he had never heard of being responsible for someone after being rejected.

Jiang Mingyan was almost moved to tears of joy. This was indeed the younger brother he had watched grow up!

“Wait, say that again, let me record it as evidence. No, I’ll call a lawyer up here to draft a contract and get it notarized.”

Seeing Jiang Mingyan taking out his phone and making an internal call, Jiang Tiao thought he was sick. “I have a follow-up check-up next month. Why don’t you come with me to get your head checked too?”

Jiang Mingyan: “You don’t know how many foolish things you did over the years chasing that idiot! Fortunately, our family’s foundation is still quite good. Of course, this is also inseparable from my exceptionally insightful strategic investment vision and far-sighted money-making ability. Otherwise, you would have squandered it all long ago!”

This was the first time Jiang Tiao had seen someone praise themselves so shamelessly, without blushing or batting an eye. It was too shameless!

But this was also something Jiang Tiao wanted to know.

Huo Shen clearly disliked Chu Xu. He didn’t want to mention Chu Xu in front of Huo Shen and make him unhappy. So, he could only inquire from Jiang Mingyan.

“Before, Huo Shen came to pick me up once, and we ran into Chu Xu’s agent. I saw that he seemed very eager to talk to Huo Shen, but Huo Shen seemed quite disgusted with him?”

Jiang Mingyan sneered. “Of course, he should be disgusted.”

Chu Xu’s agent was birds of a feather with him, even more greedy and detestable.

Jiang Tiao: “Why?”

Jiang Mingyan originally didn’t want to say it, but now that it was brought up, he couldn’t help himself. His expression was solemn, and his tone was sarcastic. “Why do you think so? Back then, you liked Chu Xu, and you forced Huo Shen and me to help you promote him, feeding him resources, connections, and money… Over the years, Huo Shen and I have spent at least over a billion on Chu Xu. Of course, Huo Shen’s side might be more,” because he handled Jiang Tiao’s almost given shares, “but he didn’t tell me. What do you think Huo Shen’s attitude would be towards someone like that?”

“What?” Jiang Tiao immediately stood up from the sofa. He found it hard to believe that he could have done such things, and he even suspected that Jiang Mingyan was maliciously tricking him. However, Jiang Mingyan’s expression did not look like he was joking at all. He murmured subconsciously, “Why?”

Jiang Mingyan: “Heh, who knows. You had a falling out with the family because of him back then. For the longest time, you didn’t even come home for a year. I sent people to find you and asked you to come home for dinner with Mom and Dad, but you even used it as a condition to help Chu Xu secure an S+ male lead role.”

Jiang Tiao felt as if he had been slapped. His face turned ashen, and his knuckles turned pale and white from clenching his fists. The unforeseen development shocked and confused him, and he was filled with anger. He wished he could go back and slap himself a few times. How could he have done such a thing? No wonder Jiang Mingyan couldn’t suppress his anger and showed his disappointment from time to time. No wonder Huo Shen always kept silent about the past four years. What had he done!

Jiang Mingyan saw Jiang Tiao’s face turn pale, his lips tremble slightly, and his complexion turn ashen and bloodless. Fearing that his recently recovered brother might have a problem from anger, he quickly swallowed the remaining truly infuriating, heartbreaking, and disappointing matters.

“Alright, what’s past is past. For years, we all thought you were either crazy or under a spell. Otherwise, Huo Shen wouldn’t have invested in so many medical institutions or even sponsored the construction of a Taoist temple.”

The reason none of them brought it up proactively was that they understood Jiang Tiao’s personality perfectly. If he knew what he had done in the past few years, he would blame himself more than anyone else and would be even less able to forgive himself.

Jiang Tiao knew that Jiang Mingyan was speaking lightly to make him stop blaming himself for the past. He wanted to ease his expression to reassure Jiang Mingyan, but he failed after several attempts.

“Brother Qingchao said that Huo Shen has been abroad for most of these years. Is it also because of these things?”

Hearing Chu Xu’s name again from Jiang Tiao’s mouth gave Jiang Mingyan a strong sense of crisis. He chose to help Huo Shen’s cause rather than remain silent.

“Heh, otherwise what? Back then, you treated Huo Shen like a treasure, holding him in your palm for fear of him falling, keeping him in your mouth for fear of him melting. You hated anyone who treated him poorly and were ready to fight them. After all your efforts, you finally made him consider the Jiang family his home. And then? You forgot the old love for the new, and even quarreled with Huo Shen countless times for a scumbag. Heh, if I were Huo Shen, I would want to escape this heartbreaking place too.”

Jiang Tiao wanted to tell Jiang Mingyan not to joke about him and Huo Shen as usual, but the events of that night made it difficult for him to say such things with a clear conscience.

He had come to Jiang Mingyan’s place hoping to find a way to alleviate his own anxiety, confusion, and guilt. However, not only did he not find a solution, but he also encountered so many people and things that needed to be resolved.