Chapter Seventy-Three

  Luo Fei sat in the chair, staring blankly at the door.

  The staff of the art song just came to tell him that he temporarily doesn't need to make an explanation for this incident, because Li Jin has just guaranteed himself and his future in front of all the high-level leaders, so now, no one in the company cares whether he really has a black boss father.

  Luo Fei felt a slight sense of loss and a tiny bit of joy that even he himself did not want to admit.

  At the age of nineteen, Luo Fei was frank and open-minded, with nothing to hide, but this one thing was a wound that he absolutely could not be touched, and he would rather die than expose it.

  So from the moment Xiao Pu called him last night, he has been thinking of an excuse to get away with it. Yes, even if the truth comes out, he didn't plan on telling the truth, but the truth is about to be revealed and can't be hidden, which really hurt his spirit, directly causing him to lose focus during recording, singing three small sections wrong in a row, angering Shi Dongning who has always been strict.

  Shi Dongning has been in the music industry for so many years, and how many kings and queens have come to him to apologize. Luo Fei is nothing compared to them. So he directly punished Luo Fei by making him sit on the bench, letting him watch the other three students finish their parts, until this morning when they left the recording studio, without even looking at Luo Fei once.

  Lu Fei was being ignored, and he already felt uncomfortable. When he arrived at the company's parking lot and got out of the car, a large group of reporters suddenly appeared from somewhere. Those reporters were carrying long guns and short cannons, with microphones and recording pens almost poking into his mouth, asking him in unison: "Lu Fei, according to rumors, your father is the leader of the organization, is it true?" "Lu Fei, does your father's identity and status help you on your performing career path?" "Lu Fei, did your father use money to buy your four-strong qualification?" "Lu Fei, I heard that you are an illegitimate child, is it true?"

  Luo Fei was not bothered by the nuisance, even when the surrounding staff blocked him, he still felt that those fly-like problems buzzed around his ears. The parking lot was already dimly lit, and with the reporter's siege, it became even more chaotic and dark, making it impossible to distinguish directions. He only felt that no matter where he walked, he couldn't escape the reporter's annoying face. In the chaos, he pulled off his coat and put it over his head, not caring which way was the road or which way was people, and rushed forward.

  It wasn't until he had actually knocked someone down that he realized just how angry he was.

  I'm so angry, I don't want to control my strength at all, I just want to knock down those media that dig into others' privacy one by one, trample them, and ruthlessly crush them into the mud, making them never dare to pry into others' hearts again.

  The reporter was knocked down, but instead of crying out in pain, he sat on the ground and refused to get up. He shouted "Rong Fei is hitting people! Rong Fei is hitting people!" Someone nearby immediately chimed in, saying "No wonder his father is a gangster, it's clear that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, what a great son he's raised." Rong Fei heard this and became even more enraged, tearing off his jacket and clenching his fists, looking like he was about to start fighting.

  Suddenly, a hand reached out from beside him and grasped him tightly.

  "Don't be impulsive, aren't you already in enough trouble?" Qi Yichen gave him a glance, "Let's go!"

  Before his words had even fallen, he took advantage of the crowd's commotion and photo-taking to grab Luo Fei and make a run for the back door of the parking lot.

  The two of them were big boys, running very fast, and in a flash they disappeared. After entering the Art Song Company gate, Xiao Pu welcomed them and directly took Luo Fei into the artist's rest room, saying that the boss was having a meeting and might need Luo Fei to appear later to explain the truth about the incident.

  Luo Fei's throat tightened, knowing that what was supposed to come had finally arrived.

  In the dozen or so minutes he waited, Lu Fei had fabricated all sorts of reasons and possibilities, but they were all far-fetched and unconvincing, even to himself. However, it was no use; he didn't want to tell the truth, and even if his lies were as thin as a sheet of paper, he would still try.

  Then a staff member came in and told him that he didn't need to interpret anymore because Li Jin took the lead, taking on all the responsibilities by himself.

  One person took on all the responsibilities.

  Luo Fei grasped the armrest of the chair and turned his head sideways.

  Outside the window, the sky is still hazy and gloomy, suffocating people.

  He is mentally prepared and if things can't be settled, he will quit at worst.

  But Xiao Jin, isn't being an excellent agent your dream? Why would you gamble with your dream so easily for me?

  Luo Fei was no longer the naive and ignorant young man he used to be. After half a year in the circle, he understood that if this matter couldn't be resolved perfectly by Li Jin, what he would lose wouldn't just be his job.

  No company would take in a broker who had made such a huge mistake in a major transaction, and Li Jin's career was ruined.

  So Little Jin, why?

  I'm clearly...not worth it.

  "Bang."

  The door handle was suddenly turned by someone.

  Luo Fei subconsciously turned his head and looked at the door.

  The door opened with a creak, and then Li Jin's figure appeared in the doorway.

  He didn't look angry at all, his eyebrows were even too calm. For some reason, compared to this, Lu Fei would rather he was furious.

  Li Jin's hand held something, slowly walking to Luo Fei's front, just this simple step, made Luo Fei inexplicably tense. Then, he handed the thing in his hand to Luo Fei.

  They were several entertainment magazines.

  "I was on my way to the company and passed by a newsstand, so I just bought it," said Lí Jǐn. "My father is a gangster, in middle school he was detained for fighting, unspoken rules, not a legitimate position...I heard you just pushed over a reporter downstairs? Not bad, looks like the evening paper's entertainment section has another new gimmick."

  "Xiao Jin..." Luo Fei's hand holding the magazine trembled slightly.

  "It's nothing, Luo Fei. This is just the beginning of a long road ahead of you, and such crises will be countless in the future." Li Jin shrugged and even smiled mockingly, "I'm your agent, it's my job to handle these things for you, so I think, no big deal."

  Luo Fei lifted his head, he really thought Li Jin was not angry, so he smiled guiltily and appeasingly: "Xiao Jin, I..."

  The next second, he was knocked flying out.

  Lijin's height was no advantage compared to him, but at this moment, Lü Fei sat while Lijin stood, the angle was just right. So this punch was heavy and accurate, landing heavily on Lü Fei's left cheek, the force was so great that it made Lijin's wrist numb.

  Luo Fei was knocked to the ground, that one punch seemed to have loosened half of his teeth, a mouthful of bloody taste, surging into his throat, making him feel nauseous. He supported himself with his arm and struggled to get up, but before he could recover from the shock, there was another swift and fierce punch coming towards his stomach.

  This time it's really nauseating, Ruo Fei felt that his internal organs were all mixed together, the sour water and blood in his mouth had no flavor, making him dizzy and wanting to vomit.

  When he was young, he was mischievous and did whatever he wanted. When others hit him, he would always fight back and win. But at this moment, when Li Jin's two fists came down, not only did he not want to fight back, but in an instant, he suddenly realized that beneath Li Jin's seemingly calm expression lay deep anger and disappointment.

  "But as a friend, don't you think you owe me an explanation?" Li Jin squatted down, fiercely grabbing his collar and forcing him to look at her. "Luo Fei, when an artist signs a contract, the agent has a duty to investigate their background. Because you're my friend, you told me your parents were ordinary office workers, and I believed you. Luo Fei, I didn't think for half a second that you would deceive me. Even when this matter was splashed on the headlines of the entertainment section, my first reaction was still that the media must have made a mistake. Luo Fei, when you lied to me back then, did you find it particularly laughable? This person is so stupid, didn't even ask one question and just believed your lie? Yes, I'm stupid, I trusted you. Luo Fei, I trusted you so much, but what did you give me in return?"

  He stared at Luo Fei's eyes, but Luo Fei hung his head and didn't dare look at him.

  "I'm your agent, Luo Fei, so helping you clean up the mess is my job. I have no complaints, it's what I should do. But I'm still your friend, I...". The words trailed off abruptly as Li Jinba's voice suddenly stopped, and after a long while, he let out a deep sigh and slammed Luo Fei to the ground.

  "It seems that you never considered me as a friend." He stood up, adjusted his crooked tie, "I understand, I won't be overly sentimental from now on, let's just leave it at that."

  He turned around and didn't want to look at the person on the ground again, walking towards the door.

  He had barely taken a step when his ankle was tightly grasped by someone.

  Along with that firm gaze, Lu Fei propped himself up, looking at him with a pitiful expression, like an abandoned little dog.

  "I've always considered you a friend, Xiao Jin. I really think of you as my best and closest friend." Luo Fei's eyes were wide, with red circles around them, looking even more pitiful, "So I don't know how to tell you."

  Li Jin turned around and looked at him with an examining gaze.

  Luo Fei hesitantly withdrew his hand, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on Lu Jin, as if he really feared that Lu Jin would abandon him at any moment, staring intently at Lu Jin's figure.

  I trusted you so much, but what did you give back to me?

  The words kept echoing in his mind, as if each word was a sharp little knife cutting into his nerves.

  Compared to Li Jin's absolute trust in me, I am... utterly ashamed.

  Whether it's the action of still making excuses after the fact has been exposed, or the idea of being relieved that you don't have to explain yourself in public, both are shameful to the extreme.

  Although Xiaojin had gambled his own dreams and future on him, his return was—

  But continued to tell lies.

  Yes, Xiao Jin, what qualifications do I have to call myself your friend?

  I can't even tell you the truth...

  Luo Fei lowered his eyelids, and the smell of blood in his throat made him a bit hoarse. He smiled, but it sounded like sandpaper scraping against something, extremely unpleasant to hear. He laughed again, just as unpleasantly, then propped himself up with his hands on the ground and sat down, looking up at Li Jin and saying: "My father is indeed the local underworld boss, but I've never acknowledged him."