Let's talk somewhere else.

“Mr. Jiang, you seem quite surprised,” Jonathan teased. “You were so proactive on the phone just now.”

Jiang Songhe put down the phone that had already displayed the Cainiao number, frowned and squinted, and said, "You're lying to me."

Jonathan tapped his lips with his index finger in a boastful manner: "But to make it easier to communicate with you, I used my language skills a bit. As for 'boss' and all that, that's entirely your own wild imagination. You didn't give me a chance to explain who I am, you know~"

"..."

That makes perfect sense. Jiang Songhe quickly accepted that it was his own foolish, brainwashing behavior that led to his current embarrassing predicament. He knew that this person was absurd and difficult to deal with, and arguing with him would only lead him into the other person's emotional trap and endless bickering.

“It’s not important.” Jiang Songhe said seriously, “I’m here to respect the competition rules and to solemnly inform the ‘Star Show Judges’ you represent that no matter what Songyun’s reason for drinking alcohol during the competition, he did it, and we acknowledge it. You don’t need to waste any more time and energy verifying it. We have chosen to withdraw from the competition.”

“‘How dare you mention your parents to me?’” Jonathan vividly reenacted Jiang Songyun’s question to Jiang Songhe in TANG.

Even though the words came from someone else, Jiang Songhe's heart still skipped a beat after hearing them.

He gasped, unconsciously clenching his fist and rubbing his knuckles together. The damp, pungent smell in his chest ignited with anger, transforming into a fierce question squeezed out between his teeth: "What did you say?"

Jonathan smiled slyly, no longer stirring up trouble by repeating the same points. He changed the subject and said, "Your brother seems to harbor quite a bit of resentment towards you. Are you sure it's wise for you to make decisions for him on your own, given your current relationship?"

"Don't worry about it, he won't know." If words had warmth, Jiang Songhe would probably spit out icy arrows.

“Mr. Jiang really is a dictatorial guardian.” Jonathan opened the Vito’s door and sat in the driver’s seat, resting his elbow on the steering wheel and playfully tapping his cheek with his fingers. “Let me guess, the reason you’re so sure is because the contestant only left your contact information, right?”

Jiang Songhe raised her chin slightly, neither confirming nor denying. Jonathan took out his phone and focused on editing something, while casually continuing, "As you can see, you're not the only one we've met with today. Although you kindly said we don't need to verify anything further, what can we do? I'm a very responsible judge, and I've already found out the specifics."

"Your artists in Maner seem to have a lot of free time." Jiang Songhe hadn't realized that she had unknowingly picked up a sarcastic tone.

"There's nothing I can do. Your brother said yesterday that he really, really likes me. Well, I admit that I did have ulterior motives. I'm also really, really curious whether the contestants who can sing all my songs are as talented as he likes me."

This is blatant boasting, a blatant display of affection, clearly saying, "Your brother hates you, but he really likes me~ That'll make you jealous~"

As a seasoned brother-supporting demon, Jiang Songhe was attacked to his weakest point. He gritted his teeth and began to look around the underground parking garage to see if anyone might appear to stop him from beating up this white-haired top star.

"The contestant who just left confirmed that Jiang Songyun mistakenly took and drank the toffee milk wine. I watched the audition replay; the two children each have their own strengths, admire each other, and seem to have met too late..."

"So what?" Jiang Songhe wasn't interested in listening to any nonsense, so he rolled up his sleeves, walked closer, and interrupted, "Why don't you just get to the point?"

"The important thing? The two kids just happened to exchange contact information." Jonathan looked up, holding up his phone to show Jiang Songhe a number with a Chinese country code. "It was a pleasant surprise for me too, otherwise I would have missed out on one of the potential champions!"

Jiang Songhe stopped an arm's length away from Jonathan, her eyebrows twitching involuntarily.

The current situation is very passive, and a direct confrontation would have terrible consequences. Jiang Songhe forced herself to calmly weigh the situation, thinking about the upcoming New Year's Day memorial service, the possibility that Song Yun would know the cause of her parents' deaths, and the fact that "Yan Ge Xing" would not be available for at least another six months...

However, Jiang Songhe still believes that Jiang Songyun has the potential to be a champion, even if he stays in Maner for only three more months. The halo of being shortlisted for the Star Show finals will naturally be beneficial to the promotion of "Yan Ge Xing".

He quickly reconciled himself and decided to let Song Yun continue to participate in the competition, otherwise all his meticulous planning would be for naught.

"Now that you've verified everything, let's end the meeting here." Jiang Songhe rolled up her sleeves again and turned to leave.

“No no no.” Jonathan put on his oversized sunglasses with one hand and turned the key to start the car with the other. “I haven’t decided whether or not to let Kang Songyun stay.”

Grass.

People really do laugh when they get angry to a certain extent. Jiang Songhe asked, pressing her cheek against her hand, "Heh, what else do you want?"

“That depends on whether you’re willing to show sincerity.” Jonathan snapped his fingers toward the passenger seat. “Let’s find a private place to talk slowly. Get in the car.”

Upon hearing "show sincerity" and "change to a more private place," Jiang Songhe suddenly had a realization.

These two statements, taken together, are an unspoken rule in the Chinese film and television industry. Before Jiang Songyun became a national child star, Jiang Songhe, as his agent, often heard this from the contacts of clients.

This is asking him for a rebate or a benefit.

This made things very simple and straightforward. Problems that could be solved with money were no longer incomprehensible. Although Jiang Songhe secretly mocked the entertainment industry in Maner for being so corrupt, he still opened the middle door of the car and got into Jonathan's thief's car.

"Want to try some?" Jonathan produced a candy jar from somewhere, leaning sharply to the side towards Jiang Songhe, appearing unexpectedly hospitable. "Licorice candy, it tastes a lot like the licorice tablets from the Porcelain Kingdom."

Jiang Songhe doesn't like sweets, so he glanced at the dark-colored thing and refused it outright. He then focused his attention on the car model. In his memory, most celebrities drive expensive SUVs or sports cars, so this was the first time he had ever seen someone drive a nanny van.

A faint hint of disappointment flashed in Jonathan's eyes. He put down the candy jar, fastened his seatbelt, and stepped on the gas.

-

Jiang Songhe remained silent the whole way until he saw them enter a brightly lit, bustling neighborhood through the car window, at which point he realized something was wrong.

The bars and nightclubs lining both sides of the street each have their own unique style of decoration. Most of them have young men and women with heavy makeup standing at the entrance to greet and attract customers. A constant stream of people are either huddled at the entrance, joking and asking about prices, or being bewitched by the dancers in the display windows on the upper floors of the buildings. Some are even hugging and kissing the opposite sex or the same sex next to them.

Jiang Songhe felt uneasy and asked suspiciously, "Is this a place for serious conversations?"

Jonah winked mysteriously at him through the rearview mirror: "Of course, but if you want to hunt for women, you can find all kinds of women here."

Jiang Songhe raised an eyebrow, her words tinged with displeasure and reproach: "Did I do something that made you misunderstand? Do you think I'm that kind of person?"

Jonathan laughed at Jiang Songhe's righteous and serious expression: "Of course...I'm kidding. I couldn't help but laugh when I saw you were so serious. Sorry. I'm an artist myself, why would I bring you to such a shady place? Don't worry, we'll be there soon."

Despite her annoyance, Jiang Songhe was still able to objectively evaluate this white-haired top star from the perspective of an agent looking at an artist.

In terms of professional skills, Jiang Songhe has heard Jiang Songyun's background music for dance performances. The timbre is catchy and the style is avant-garde, making it highly recognizable.

In terms of appearance, she has a good figure and delicate features that are not effeminate. Paired with a pair of narrow, fox-like eyes, she exudes a contradictory sense of both danger and fragility...

Jiang Songhe simply couldn't understand how such a young artist could behave like those sleazy old men who were addicted to nightclub socializing.

The car drove a little further into the neighborhood, where there were hardly any people in front of a bar with a large sign and a edgy style.

Jiang Songhe got out of the car, looked up at the storefront sign, and breathed a slight sigh of relief, thinking that he might have misunderstood the white-haired man.

Jonathan parked the car in the shadows at the street corner, came to Jiang Songhe's side, pushed his sunglasses up to his head, and said, "Let's go, I won't be photographed by paparazzi here."

Jiang Songhe tacitly agreed, and for the time being, he could express his understanding.

"Good evening, welcome to Strange Blue Bar." The waiter seemed to have a knack for recognizing people, speaking fluent Chinese. "Please wear the dress code for tonight to enter."

Jonathan took the blue feather mask from the waiter and put it on, while Jiang Songhe refused with a look of disgust: "I don't need it, thank you."

"Are you sure?" Jonathan raised an eyebrow, his eyelashes curving behind the mask as he blinked.

Jiang Songhe had no interest in playing riddles. She raised her chin to signal Jonathan to go first, and then followed him into the deep corridor inside the door.

The inner door opened, and Jiang Songhe remained silent.

The visual center is a pole dance platform, where two men wearing high heels and cute sailor uniforms hold onto the poles with their limbs, sometimes intertwining and sometimes stretching and moving.

Inside the venue, everyone, from the masked guests to the staff dressed in revealing sailor uniforms, was male.

It's obvious that this is a brightly colored gay bar.

Jiang Songhe's tongue brushed against her back teeth, then she looked at Jonathan beside her, who looked completely innocent.

"Is there a problem?" Jonathan asked knowingly. "It's very private and perfect here~"

"That's impressive, fucking perfect." Jiang Songhe sneered and nodded heavily. With a "what the hell" attitude, he strode into the arena, picked a secluded corner, and sat down. He wanted to see what other tricks this guy was up to.

...

"What can I do for you guys?"

A waiter approached the table. He was wearing a white sailor hat, and his upper body was covered only by a square collar and two sleeves. The front of his short-sleeved shirt was intentionally or unintentionally pushed towards Jiang Songhe.

"Can I smoke here?" Jiang Songhe asked, already taking a cigarette out of the pack and holding it between his teeth.

"Of course." The waiter replied with a brushed porcelain inscription, bent over and slid the ashtray on the table next to Jiang Songhe.

Jiang Songhe, however, did not appreciate the gesture. She suddenly lit a cigarette and drew a line between them. The waiter exclaimed in surprise and immediately jumped up.

Jonathan couldn't help but laugh out loud. Seeing Jiang Songhe glance at him, he coughed lightly to suppress his laughter, and asked while resting his chin on his hand, "What would you like to drink?"

Jiang Songhe sized up Jonathan's spectator-like expression, a dark emotion stirring within him. He exhaled a puff of smoke and said, "Absinthe."

"Full set of absinthe, honey."