Growing Fond of You, Mr Nian

“In the past?”

“After becoming my boss, our friendship isn’t as pure as before, of course.” Zeng Zhun smiled briefly.

Luosang understood what he was saying. Friends could tell each other anything without any fear of judgment, but one had to be much more careful with what they said to their boss. “Brother Zeng, I call you that because I don’t think you’re like Jingxi. I used to call you that all the time, too.”

Zeng Zhun nodded his head. “Luosang, are you here to ask me about something?”

“Brother Zeng is a brother, indeed.” Luosang expression turned serious. “I want to know why Yi Jingxi knows about my mother and the fact that I have a brother. Does he have any leads on him?”

Luosang carefully thought about what happened the night before. It had been a long time since her mother had disappeared. There was no way that Yi Jingxi could have found her mother easily, as it had happened nearly twenty years ago. Even Nian Junting might not have been able to find her mother so quickly, and Yi Jingxi had spoken about her younger brother, too.

The only reasonable conclusion was that Yi Jingxi had a few clues.

Zeng Zhun looked at her in shock. Luosang could tell that she was on the right track. “Brother Zeng, are you planning to stick around Yi Jingxi forever? You should start thinking about a plan B for yourself.”

“Are you here to convince me to leave Mr. Yi?” Zeng Zhun was a sensitive and intuitive man. There had been many competitors who had approached him recently.

Luosang smiled and said, “With your capabilities, I believe that you would have left long ago if you really wanted to.”

Zeng Zhun bit down hard on his cigarette. “No matter what, Yi Jingxi is my old classmate. We’d been pals for so long that back when it was hard for me to find a job, Jingxi asked me to stick with him. It’s been so many years since…”

“But he’s grown distant from you. He doesn’t trust you anymore,” Luosang went straight to the point. “You’ve always been loyal to him, but he’s become paranoid, volatile. I heard that Cheng Liuyun, a female artist under your company, jumped ships to your competitor after you groomed and trained her to become successful. When Yi Jingxi found out about it, he had a terrible fight with you and thought that you shouldn’t have allowed her to break the contract. The truth is that she’s your girlfriend.”

Zeng Zhun was dumbfounded. He looked like he was considering something, “You’ve done your research.”

Luosang shrugged. “You’re in the entertainment industry. It’s no surprise that you would develop something with a celebrity in your company, but you have to think about her position as well. You can stick around since Yi Jingxi is your friend, but you can’t hinder your girlfriend’s career, right?”

Zeng Zhun was silent, his cigarette burning to the end already.

“I need your help.” Luosang finally revealed her intentions. “I’m planning to appeal my father’s case, and I’m hoping that you can testify against what Yi Jingxi has done. Even if you can’t expose yourself, I hope you can tell the truth in court when the lawyer questions you.”

Zeng Zhun was shocked and chuckled. “Do you think that’s possible?”

“Zeng Zhun, this is for your own conscience’s sake.” Luosang appealed to him earnestly, “I know you’re not like Yi Jingxi. The last time I bumped into you at the old villa, I knew, I knew that you didn’t approve of what he had done. If you’re really that close to him, then you should know that my father was wronged. I don’t understand Yi Jingxi’s feud with him, but apart from that, my father was a good man, wasn’t he? Those witnesses that testified against him in court had all migrated and left the country, while he’s still trapped in prison. He’s already so old, and he has been there for three years already. How much longer can he survive in there? I’m sure you won’t feel good if he passed away in prison like that.”

Zeng Zhun was silent. His cigarette had burned to the filter. He was probably deep in thought as he lit another one.

“I’m not going to lie to you; I’ve already found a convincing piece of evidence of Yi Jingxi’s incriminating acts. It was left behind by the victim of that case, Zeng Lijuan. It proves that Yi Jingxi had given her money. It’s too bad that she passed away so she can’t be called to the witness stand now. I need your help.” Luosang looked at him beseechingly.

Zeng Zhun couldn’t look into her eyes. “I’m sorry, but I can’t help you with this…” He was about to walk away.

“It’s because my father’s health is deteriorating in there. I need to get him out quickly. You understand that with the evidence, sooner or later, I’ll win the appeal case. I just need your help to speed up the process,” Luosang called out behind him.

“The longer my dad stays in there, or if my dad falls ill in jail, the worse the penalty will be for Yi Jingxi when the truth is finally revealed. You might be embroiled in the lawsuit as his personal assistant then, as well.”

Zeng Zhun stopped in his tracks and turned around. “Luosang, are you threatening me now?”

“I’m just telling you how it is.” Luosang shook her head.

“Think about your family members. The Yi Group’s demise is set in stone. Anyway, it belonged to me in the first place. Yi Jingxi resorted to dirty acts to steal my assets away from me. You know that better than anyone. There’s a board of directors meeting today. He won’t be keeping his position as the CEO. The Yi Group has done a couple of big films last year, and huge amounts of funds were thrown into the projects. Coupled with the construction of this resort, you guys are bleeding money. You know that better than anyone, too. The Yi Group is struggling, while there are many companies eyeing the company. How long can Yi Jingxi last? When he runs out of money, how is he going to cover up the truth?”

Zeng Zhun’s body tensed up, and his voice was hoarse. “If I betray Yi Jingxi, what will happen to my reputation in this industry?”

“You’re not betraying him, you’re helping him.” Luosang smiled and said gently, “Do you agree with the things that he has done? If you do, you wouldn’t be fighting with him all the time. You’re talented. Even if you can’t stay in the Yi Group, you can go over to Yuxi. Nian Junting is planning to enter the entertainment industry, and he needs talents like you. Call Lu Kang once you’ve made up your mind.” Luosang handed him a business card.

“Brother Zeng, think about what’s right and what’s wrong. Do you think it’s right for Yi Jingxi to do such things? If you agree with his values, then forget everything I said today. Your girlfriend is in the industry, too. One day when you leave the industry, or when you get involved in a lawsuit, will your girlfriend still stay with you? It’s the real world out here. You’ll only marry the one you love if you have stable footing,” Luosang said meaningfully before taking her leave.

“Wait,” Zeng Zhun suddenly said. “You asked about your mother…”