Chapter 42 The Cannon Fodder Assistant 7: Peeping from the Closet

Zhang Cheng stared at the two messages that had been sent almost simultaneously, his mind blank for a while before he finally reacted and called Li Qingran.

The person on the other end was probably holding their phone and waiting for his call; they answered it as soon as it rang.

Li Qingran's gentle voice entered Zhang Cheng's ears through the receiver in the next second.

"Hey, Brother Zhang?"

The boy's voice sounded very obedient and his tone was very gentle. Just listening to him speak gave you the illusion that no matter what he said, the other person would unconditionally accept and agree with it.

But Zhang Cheng knew that Li Qingran only appeared humble and polite on the surface, without any temper. In reality, his personality was as striking as his appearance, and he always had his own plans and intentions in everything he did.

Furthermore, the boy seems to have a bit of OCD; he likes everything to go according to his plan, otherwise he feels uncomfortable and has a strong resistance to what he needs to do next.

While in the studio, Zhang Cheng went out to answer a phone call, but through the snippets of conversation he gleaned before and after his departure, he knew that Li Qingran was unwilling to lose her job as Qin Yanyun's assistant. For this reason, she didn't even want to take a vacation and was willing to risk being harmed by obsessive fans in order to go abroad with Qin Yanyun and complete the filming of the variety show.

So, what exactly did Qin Zechuan do to Li Qingran, a person so persistent in his own plans, that made the boy abandon his original ideas and calmly accept the fact of the job change in just half an hour?

Zhang Cheng was very confused.

He wasn't one to keep things to himself; if he had a question, he would ask the person who had caused him confusion.

"Didn't I tell you to go to my office and wait for me to come back before we went to see the big boss together? Why did you go by yourself?" Zhang Cheng asked, frowning.

“That’s not how it is, Brother Zhang.” Li Qingran immediately explained, “I was originally going to our floor, but when I was in the elevator, I ran into President Qin, and he just told me to go back to his office with him.”

Zhang Cheng's brow furrowed even more. "Didn't you tell him I asked you to wait for me?"

"I did," Li Qingran said honestly. "But President Qin said he didn't have that much time for us. Since you weren't here, I'll just say it myself. Anyway, he only gave me ten minutes. After that, he has to leave to attend another banquet. And he'll handle my work decision as before..."

Li Qingran pursed her lips, her tone sounding quite helpless.

"Then he asked me whether I should continue to wait for you to come back, or organize my thoughts and tell him what happened. Assistant Zhou next to me even set up a ten-minute countdown. I really had no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it myself."

Li Qingran paused as she spoke, and when she spoke again, her voice sounded sad and full of apology, "Brother Zhang, I'm sorry, I couldn't wait for you to come back."

How could this be your fault?!

After listening to Li Qingran's account, Zhang Ge's initial annoyance at Li Qingran going upstairs to look for Qin Zechuan without permission completely disappeared. What remained was only dissatisfaction and anger towards the sole dictator in this whole affair.

What do you mean by only giving them ten minutes?!

What does it mean that in ten minutes he will have to attend another dinner party?

Zhang Cheng was willing to bet that if he called Qin Zechuan right now and asked him where he was, the answer would definitely be the company!

The man said that only to shorten the time it took for Li Qingran to make a decision, to create a sense of urgency in him, and to make him panic.

Once a person loses their composure, they are more likely to make mistakes when making decisions.

For example, now, although Li Qingran has kept his job at Jingyue, his status has changed from Qin Yanyun's assistant to Qin Zechuan's employee. Not only is he more restricted, but his work may also become more complicated. Moreover, more importantly, if Qin Zechuan only assigns Li Qingran an ordinary and inconspicuous job, his salary may be reduced.

Zhang Cheng suspected that Qin Zechuan wanted to use the ancient imperial court's method of demoting officials. Although he did not say that he would completely dismiss Li Qingran from his post, he would eventually punish him for this mistake by reducing his position and salary.

If that's really the case, then Qin Yanyun will definitely cause a huge uproar.

He's not exactly a conventional person to begin with, and now he's really into Li Qingran. So, let alone hearing that Li Qingran is being transferred, Zhang Cheng suspects that he'll rebel the moment he hears that the guy is about to be transferred away from him.

After that, let alone carrying out filming work properly, he probably won't even leave the country. He'll just stay in front of Qin Zechuan until the other party returns Li Qingran to him before he can continue working normally.

Zhang Cheng felt a headache coming on just thinking about that scene, but thankfully, Li Qingran's voice came through the phone again.

"However, Brother Zhang, I've already discussed it with President Qin. The job transfer will be arranged after Brother Qin and I return from abroad. Until then, I'll remain Brother Qin's assistant."

The boy seemed to have mind-reading abilities, instantly understanding Zhang Cheng's biggest worry, and then reassured him.

With the variety show filming just around the corner, Zhang Cheng was more worried about whether Qin Yanyun's job could continue smoothly than Li Qingran's.

Now that Li Qingran has provided him with a satisfactory solution to this problem, Zhang Cheng breathed a sigh of relief, but he was also even more curious about what Li Qingran and Qin Zechuan had talked about in the office.

"We didn't talk about much..." Li Qingran lowered his eyes slightly, his fingertips slowly drawing circles on his knee. His expression was very calm, and his voice revealed neither joy nor sorrow.

"I just told President Qin that I like to finish what I start, so I wanted to go back to work at the company after I finished my assistant work with Brother Qin, and President Qin agreed."

"...It's that simple?" Zhang Cheng was taken aback.

Li Qingran hummed in agreement. "It's that simple."

"..."

That doesn't make sense.

Zhang Cheng felt that something was not quite right.

Putting aside the fact that Qin Zechuan insisted on making Li Qingran explain the reason for the trending topic herself, the fact that men could be so lenient in arranging Li Qingran's work was quite a shock to Zhang Cheng.

Thinking back to Qin Yanyun's example, Zhang Cheng's mind involuntarily conjured up Li Qingran's handsome face, and then a question appeared along with that face.

Could it be...?

Zhang Cheng swallowed hard, and when he spoke again, his tone was more cautious.

"Xiao Li, tell me, what did you say to the boss during those ten minutes in his office?"

"What did you say..." Li Qingran blinked, then sank back into the soft sofa, her pink tongue slightly protruding, moistening her slightly dry lips. As her Adam's apple bobbed, her voice rose and slid out from between her lips.

"I didn't say anything, I just recounted what had happened before to him."

Of course, Li Qingran didn't try to shift the blame onto Qin Yanyun. Zhang Ge could do this, but if he did it, it would be because he simply didn't want to do it.

After all, although Qin Zechuan was his biggest boss, Qin Yanyun was his primary boss.

Employees can keep their complaints about their boss to themselves; if they actually complain to the boss, it means they've really given up on their job.

But whether it was Li Qingran's misperception or Qin Zechuan's genuine indifference to the trending topic, he kept his head down, processing other documents, while listening to Li Qingran recount the whole incident.

Beautiful cursive handwriting appeared one after another on the white A4 paper. Only after Li Qingran finished speaking and stopped talking did Qin Zechuan look up from the pile of documents and look at him.

"So what do you think you did wrong in this matter?"

"..." Li Qingran made a thoughtful expression, and after a moment she slowly spoke.

"Shouldn't I have eaten that ice cream?"

Qin Zechuan: "..."

He looked at Li Qingran in silence, who blinked innocently at him, as if she really felt that this was the only wrong step she had taken in the whole affair.

She's so good-looking, but her personality is so dull. Can someone like that really survive well in the entertainment industry, that cesspool of corruption?

Qin Zechuan couldn't help but have some doubts.

He took a deep breath, then lowered his head again under Li Qingran's questioning gaze. As he signed his name at the end of a new document, he solemnly delivered his final verdict on Li Qingran's work.

"You're not suited to be a celebrity's assistant."

Li Qingran: "???"

Li Qingran didn't quite understand what Qin Zechuan meant by that. Weren't they discussing whether he would be fired? How did they suddenly switch to career planning?

888 was also completely bewildered, but rather than asking the villain what kind of job was most suitable for its host, 888 was more concerned about whether the plot would be unable to continue because of his words.

After all, Qin Zechuan's words didn't seem to imply that Li Qingran should go back to work...

888 became increasingly uneasy as she thought about it, and couldn't help but speak up:

[Host, he's not going to fire you again, is he?]

Li Qingran bit her tongue, a hint of uncertainty flashing in her beautiful eyes. "I'm not quite sure either."

"Why don't you do what Zhang Cheng suggested and shift all the blame to Qin Yanyun?"

Are you sure? Won't that just make me die even faster?

Li Qingran thought 888's idea was a bit bad.

But he can't think of a better solution right now.

Just as Li Qingran hesitated whether to directly ask Qin Zechuan what he meant by those words, she heard the man speak calmly again:

"Take these few days to pack up, hand over your work, and come to work at the company."

"Huh?" A rare look of surprise appeared on Li Qingran's face.

Seeing this, Qin Zechuan couldn't help but smile. "What? You can't even be my assistant? You feel wronged?"

"...No, wait a minute!"

Zhang Cheng couldn't bear to listen any longer.

He even felt like his brain had stopped working; all that remained in his mind was Qin Zechuan's sentence, which Li Qingran had just repeated to him.

"Come be my assistant..."

To be my assistant?

He's Qin Zechuan's assistant?!

This isn't just a demotion! It's like going from a local official to a close advisor to the emperor in an instant!

So, the big boss really does have different feelings for Li Qingran, right?

After all, his actions were not exactly the same as those of Qin Yanyun, whom he had just met, but they were extremely similar!

Zhang Cheng really wanted to ask Qin Zechuan if his face hurt, just like he had asked Qin Yanyun before, but considering the other party's identity, he decided not to do that and risk getting himself killed.

At this moment, he only wanted to ask the man one question.

After understanding the whole story, Zhang Cheng quickly hung up the phone and called the sender of the second message.

The other party seemed to be waiting for him too, as the phone was answered after only two rings.

However, after the call connected, unlike Li Qingran who spoke first, this time it was Zhang Cheng who spoke first.

"Hello Mr. Qin, are you still in the company?"

"Where else could I be?" A deep, magnetic, and pleasant voice came from the other end of the phone.

However, Zhang Cheng could only roll his eyes when he heard what the other person said.

Let him say it!

What?! Ten minutes?!

What, the next dinner party!

It was all just to scare Li Qingran into going back to his office!

Cunning man!

Zhang Cheng cursed inwardly, but outwardly maintained a respectful demeanor.

"I just wanted to check on you, Mr. Qin, after all, it's been so long—"

"Speak your mind." Qin Zechuan directly interrupted Zhang Cheng's attempt to get close to him, and poured cold water on him with his indifferent voice.

Zhang Cheng: "..."

You stole my man, and then you even put a trap on him?!

Zhang Cheng rolled his eyes again before speaking amidst the warning-like knocking from the other end:

"I just spoke with Xiao Li on the phone, and he told me that you're planning to transfer him to your side as an assistant?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Zechuan put down his pen, leaned back in his chair, and spoke in a still indifferent tone.

"What? You have a problem with that?"

"How could that be! This is a great opportunity for Xiao Li to get a promotion and a raise. I'm happy for him, so why would I have any objections!"

Zhang Chengli immediately explained, "I just don't quite understand something you said to him, so I thought I'd ask you. I hope you can enlighten me and resolve this doubt."

Qin Zechuan: "Speak."

"that is……"

Zhang Cheng asked curiously, "What do you mean, he's not suitable to be a celebrity's assistant?"

Zhang Cheng asked this question not because he wanted to use it to win Li Qingran back, but because he simply didn't understand how Qin Zechuan came to the conclusion that Li Qingran was unsuitable to be a celebrity assistant.

Qin Zechuan didn't intend to hide anything, and perhaps wanting Zhang Cheng to die more quickly, he spoke directly upon hearing this:

"As the agent, shouldn't you know better than me? No assistant is more attractive than a celebrity."

He just pulled up the news about Li Qingran and two other people and read it carefully.

In the photo, although only half of the boy's face is visible, his delicate features and clear outline completely outshine the other two figures who are somewhat blurry.

It's no wonder that marketing accounts think Chu Yu could abandon Qin Yanyun for Li Qingran.

He is indeed better looking, younger, and has a more upright posture.

Zhang Cheng: "..."

He couldn't even imagine how angry Qin Yanyun would be after hearing Qin Zechuan's comments about him.

The other party not only stole your assistant, but also threw a bomb at you called disgust.

After Qin Zechuan finished speaking, he fell silent. Zhang Cheng wavered between "continuing to shock that the big boss might soon become the biggest rival of his artists" and "what about Li Qingran? Just let Qin Zechuan transfer her away?" for more than ten seconds. In the end, he chose to respect Li Qingran's own wishes.

"President Qin," Zhang Cheng said solemnly, "when you made this decision, did Xiao Li... show any sign of difficulty?"

"Why would he feel awkward?" Qin Zechuan found Zhang Cheng's question rather strange.

"You keep talking about bonuses and salaries, but why don't you allow your employees to climb the ladder?"

"..."

He didn't mean to stop Li Qingran from climbing the social ladder.

He was just afraid that Li Qingran would have to pay a price for climbing the social ladder.

Such a clean-cut young boy doesn't need to give up something more important for temporary wealth.

Otherwise, he would have advised Qin Yanyun to use money to win over the boy long ago after Qin Yanyun showed his feelings for Li Qingran. Why bother letting Qin Yanyun take it slow and slowly let Li Qingran see his feelings?

Zhang Cheng felt a headache coming on just thinking about this.

Did he tell Qin Yanyun to use water that was too lukewarm, so that the frogs in the pot were not cooked before others took them out and put them into another pot?

Even more terrifying is that he still doesn't know whether the other pot into which the frog was put contains water or oil.

Zhang Cheng hesitated, wanting to probe Qin Zechuan's true feelings for Li Qingran, but Qin Zechuan was too lazy to waste any more time on him and simply said...

"Li Qingran's job is settled. He will return to work at the company after the variety show is finished filming. Don't assign him any more tasks recently, so as not to waste time on various handovers later."

After saying that, Qin Zechuan hung up the phone, leaving Zhang Cheng alone, bewildered in the cold wind.

You're in such a hurry!

His manager, who was in a hurry to apply for a new assistant while keeping it a secret from Qin Yanyun because his assistant had been suddenly promoted, wasn't even in a rush!

Zhang Cheng stared at his phone through gritted teeth, wishing he could smash it to the ground like Qin Zechuan.

But he couldn't.

I just bought this phone, and haven't even used it for two months yet. I can't act impulsively.

Zhang Cheng took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He then called Li Qingran and they discussed how to fabricate a story to deceive Qin Yanyun before he lay back in the driver's seat, ending his tiring and absurd day.

“If you ask me, let me go in your place this time. Look at you, all bundled up in a coat, hat and mask, even more so than Brother Qin in the middle of summer. You must be so uncomfortable. What if you get heatstroke…” Xiao Wen looked at Li Qingran, who was fully armed, with a worried expression.

The latter smiled at him, his voice muffled by his mask, but his joy and happiness were still palpable to everyone in the car.

"It's okay, as long as I can go to work, I'm willing to wear any amount of clothing."

Upon hearing this, Qin Yanyun, who was sitting behind Li Qing, couldn't help but smile, looking like she was in a relationship and didn't care about being bothered. This made Zhang Cheng next to her look disgusted, and at the same time, he became even more worried.

Qin Yanyun is so happy now, but I wonder how devastated he will be when he finds out that Li Qingran is going to be the boss's assistant after the variety show filming is over.

He shouldn't be so provoked as to terminate his contract and switch jobs, right?

As Zhang Cheng pondered this with worry, he leaned closer to Qin Yanyun and whispered:

"You guys be careful out there. You're alright, but it's mainly Xiao Li who needs to be photographed with Chu Yu again."

Confirming the news of Chu Yu's infidelity was secondary; Zhang Cheng's main concern was that the person at headquarters, upon seeing the news, would once again activate their rival-hunting radar and bring Li Qingran back directly.

By then, let alone if filming goes smoothly, Qin Yanyun might go so far as to storm back to headquarters.

Not only would he have to pay a penalty for breach of contract, but his image on screen would also be greatly damaged, which is completely contrary to Zhang Cheng's original intention in accepting Qin Yanyun's participation in this variety show.

He and Qin Yanyun are indeed good brothers, but in addition, he is also Qin Yanyun's agent and needs to be responsible for Qin Yanyun's career.

Thinking this, Zhang Cheng pulled Qin Yanyun aside and gave her another instruction.

"This time, you absolutely must not act impulsively. You must, absolutely must, be patient and not let the paparazzi capture any more pictures of the three of you together."

"Tsk, what do you mean by 'three'? You're being too rude. I just wanted to take Li Qingran back to the dressing room," Qin Yanyun retorted, frowning.

Zhang Cheng remained unmoved. "Tell that to the marketing accounts and see if they believe it."

Qin Yanyun: "..."

Zhang Cheng urged, "Did you remember that?! Try to do things yourself, especially in front of the camera. If you can avoid having Xiao Li appear in public, try not to bother him."

Qin Yanyun said speechlessly, "I understand."

He hesitated for a moment, then couldn't help but say, "But why are you so nervous? Hasn't the trending topic already been suppressed?"

What's the point of suppressing the trending topics? The real problem is that their big boss is lurking in the shadows!

However, Zhang Cheng could never be honest with Qin Yanyun about these things; he simply told her again and again.

"Don't cause trouble, don't cause trouble with Chu Yu, and don't drag Li Qingran and Chu Yu into causing trouble together!"

By the end, Qin Yanyun almost didn't recognize the word "troublemaker" anymore.

However, aside from being a bit annoying, this method is quite effective.

Anyway, until the end of the first day of filming, Qin Yanyun and Chu Yu did not show any unpleasantness in front of the camera. In fact, during a game of two people, he even reached out to pull Chu Yu back from falling. Although he did that only to prevent himself from being dragged down by Chu Yu, it still did not stop the viewers in the live broadcast room from going crazy in front of the screen.

Zhang Cheng, who had been waiting in the live stream room all day, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

However, he seemed to have let his guard down a little too soon...

Meanwhile, in a hotel on the other side of the world, Qin Yanyun did just as Zhang Cheng had instructed: she left work obediently, removed her makeup, washed up, and prepared to rest in bed.

Next door, Li Qingran, who had been running around with Qin Yanyun all day, was equally exhausted, but unlike him, she couldn't lie down on the comfortable bed and drift off into a sweet dream.

He has other tasks to complete later.

A story mission.

It's another storyline quest that leaves you speechless...

Li Qingran pursed her lips, and when she spoke again, her voice trembled with disbelief.

"Say it again, what is the next story mission?"

"Peeping from the Closet"

"Who's in the closet? In whose closet?"

"Host, you... are in the protagonist's closet..."

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Author's Note: Pear: You might as well just kill me! [heart emoji][splitting emoji]