A couple of days later, the collaboration partner Old Wang mentioned came knocking.
The partner was Hu Jiuli, a beauty and fashion design vlogger, overly friendly and quick to connect. Likely getting Xie Xiaobao’s WeChat from Old Wang, Hu Jiuli added him and sent a cheeky emoji to say hi.
Baffled, Xie Xiaobao asked who he was, and Hu Jiuli dove into theatrics.
[*Your Majesty, I’ve searched for you tirelessly.*]
[*Do you remember Xia Yhe by Daming Lake?*]
Messages flooded the chat. Xie Xiaobao, stunned by someone even more dramatic than Song Kewen, recalled Old Wang mentioning he’d shared his WeChat with the collaborator.
Tentatively, he typed: [*Hu Jiuli?*52]
His identity guessed, Hu Jiuli dropped the act. After a long pause—so long Xie Xiaobao thought he’d ignored the chat—he replied, suddenly serious, like a different person.
[*Hi, I’m Hu Jiuli. Your future partner.*]
[*Looking forward to working together.*]
Xie Xiaobao: *…*
An honest cat, Xie Xiaobao hadn’t met someone who switched gears like Hu Jiuli. He politely replied, *Looking forward to it too.*
Hu Jiuli waited, but when Xie Xiaobao said nothing more, he couldn’t hold back.
[*That’s it?*]
Xie Xiaobao: [*Anything else?*]
Hu Jiuli went quiet, likely calming himself, then replied after a while.
[*Aren’t you curious about your new partner?*]
Xie Xiaobao, earnest as ever: [*Curiosity kills the cat.*]
Hu Jiuli, sincerely: [*You’ve killed the vibe.*]
Xie Xiaobao scrunched his face. Hu Jiuli was unlike anyone he’d met, his words hard to respond to. Thinking hard, he typed seriously: [*Sorry. What do you want to talk about? I’m happy to chat.*]
Hu Jiuli: *…*
Xie Xiaobao: *???*
Their conversation ended in awkward silence. Much later, when they were close, Hu Jiuli still teased Xie Xiaobao about this, calling him a solid dumbbell for playing dumb.
For now, their first chat was brief, but Hu Jiuli was already itching to teach this cheeky kitten a lesson.
Xie Xiaobao, big-hearted and forgetful, promptly forgot Hu Jiuli, living his happy little life.
After their first gym trip, He Yu invited Xie Xiaobao again, and soon a third time followed. Growing comfortable with He Yu’s temperament, Xie Xiaobao opened up, boldly asking if he was free for workouts.
The gym wasn’t far from Xie Xiaobao’s apartment—a half-hour jog—so he often ran there, skipping warm-ups.
A calm month passed, and Xie Xiaobao finally started his new job.
He was invited to model for Hu Jiuli.
As mentioned, Hu Jiuli was a beauty vlogger who also designed clothes. With his striking looks, he’d built a solid fanbase, far more established than Xie Xiaobao’s fledgling one.
They hadn’t chatted since adding each other on WeChat, but their Weibo interactions, managed partly by Old Wang, kept up appearances. When Hu Jiuli announced a friend would model for him, fans speculated it was Xie Xiaobao.
Old Wang drove to pick him up. For work, Xie Xiaobao dressed formally, but his honest nature shone through, his round, soft face making him look like an easygoing, easy-to-bully kid.
Hu Jiuli was the opposite, practically radiating mischief.
Old Wang’s maternal instincts flared. He worried Hu Jiuli might trick the naive Xie Xiaobao or, worse, lead him astray.
Hu Jiuli’s flamboyant style screamed troublemaker, not the honest type.
Still, Hu Jiuli was the best match for Xie Xiaobao—popular enough to boost him without accusations of clinging to a bigger star, yet not too far ahead.
Sighing, Old Wang glanced at Xie Xiaobao, grinning at his phone, and consoled himself: *Fools have their luck.*
Xie Xiaobao was chatting with He Yu.
[*I’m shooting a video today, but I don’t know what it’s about.*]
He Yu, busy in his office, had Fang Huaiyue waiting with a stack of documents for signatures. He’d sign a few, check his phone when it pinged, reply briefly, and continue with a mysteriously warm expression.
Fang Huaiyue, used to He Yu’s not-so-gentle nature, curbed his curiosity.
He Yu knew Xie Xiaobao’s schedule. Though the online artist department was Fang Huaiyue’s domain, Old Wang reported directly to him about Xie Xiaobao. He’d known about this job before Xie Xiaobao did.
But Hu Jiuli’s team hadn’t finalized the video’s content, so He Yu had no details to share, only reassuring Xie Xiaobao not to worry.
Chatting with He Yu eased Xie Xiaobao’s nerves. Though streaming and recording were routine, a professional studio with unfamiliar people and settings made him anxious.
They arrived at Hu Jiuli’s studio, a self-run operation he’d built without signing to a company or platform, complete with a team.
Outsiders didn’t know, but industry insiders whispered that Hu Jiuli was linked to Hu Yiqing, Fengsheng Entertainment’s top star. Some thought his studio was a side hobby, backed by her influence.
The studio occupied the top floor of a downtown office building. Old Wang parked, and they headed up.
After registering at reception, they waited in the guest area.
Hu Jiuli, notified, hurried to the front desk, eager to meet the kitten who’d stumped him.
“What’s that cat smell?” Hu Jiuli stopped, nose twitching, eyes scanning the room.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.