Today the Manager is Also Very Kind c32

Chapter 32: He Li is very threatening

In the bathroom, the water is dense with steam.

He Li was lying in the bathtub filled with water with his eyes closed, napping.

When the phone rang, he opened his trembling eyes and stretched his hand to reach the phone on the platform. When he saw the caller ID, he couldn’t help but smile.

"Hello."

“Brother Li, I have found Q&P’s agent’s phone number and some basic information. I’m sending it to you. But Brother Li, what are you investigating him for?” This was one of the numerous assistants of He Li, who worked as a black hat* and a technical logistics assistant.

*Black hat: a person who hacks into a computer network with malicious or criminal intent. [Google]

"Do your job. Don't ask what you shouldn't ask."

He Li hung up the phone and stood up, his long legs stepped out of the bathtub with the drip-drop sound of water.

He scrawled on his bathrobe, took his phone, and went out.

He lay on the sofa, where the decorations here have always retained the appearance that their first owner liked, and even the angles of the table and chairs remained the same. An old video of He Li and Ji Bu’s participating in that talent show is playing on the TV. He kept jumping and watching, and as soon as there was Ji Bu’s footage, he kept on repeating it over and over.

He Li listened to Ji Bu’s clear voice on the TV, he couldn’t help but remember the happy times when they lived in the same dormitory during the selection period in the talent show.

Ji Bu has always been clear and indifferent with contradictory qualities that do not match his age——goodness and calmness.  He was amiable, treating everyone with a smile on his face. When he first started, he treated He Li the same way.

At that time, He Li's hair was dyed a little yellow, and with adolescence and rebellious acts towards his parents, he tightened a string,* and had to get the first place. Therefore, the singer-songwriter Ji Bu undoubtedly became the biggest obstacle on the way to winning the title.

(this translation is only here on ztranslations.blogspot.com otherwise, stolen)

*绷紧着一根弦(tightened a string): lit. brain nerves is stretched too tight; fig. go too crazy doing sth or get all worked up about sth [source]

He began to sneer and became sarcastic towards Ji Bu, but no matter how much he tossed, Ji Bu himself was unaffected but alienated him. On the contrary, he was slowly attracted to Ji Bu, and his heart produced strange feelings.

This contradiction is like a huge whirlpool, sucking He Li in completely.

He Li stared at the number for a while, then smiled and resolutely dialed it.

At this time, Xin Nanyi was talking on the phone with Xia Zeqi. He paused when he saw an unfamiliar phone call coming in.

“What’s wrong?” Xia Zeqi asked.

"A strange phone call came in."

Xia Zeqi said "hmm" and didn't say anything.

Xin Nanyi was startled by his sudden silence, he hung up the strange call and said, “I won’t answer a phone call I don’t know. Let’s continue talking.”

Xia Zeqi was satisfied in his heart and said “hmm” again, but the tone improved a lot, and there was some joy in the end.

He Li was not annoyed when he was hung up, the smile on his face did not diminish. Anyway, the days are still long.

The next day, when Xin Nanyi took Q&P to HXTV to play songs, as soon as he entered the waiting room with Q&P, they saw He Li sitting on the sofa like a master.

Once he saw them come in, he raised the iced Americano in his hand and said, “I’ve bought coffee for everyone, consider it as my support for you. Jiayou for today’s hit song!”

The Q&Ps looked shocked and immediately bowed to thank him.

He Li nodded towards them, walking over Xin Nanyi with a cup of coffee, and said, “Yours is deiced, but it’s been a long time so it can be less cold. Though, it just so happen that you don’t like food that is too cold.”

Q&P picked up their coffee and before they could put it to their lips, their curiosity was piqued by He Li’s words and their eyes lingered on the both of them.

Xin Nanyi gave him a deep look, it seemed that his worst fear had happened. He took the coffee with a light smile and said, “Thank you so much, but I don’t like iced Americano. I like Blue Mountain with a little sourness in it. I don’t know how our Q&P got the big senior’s blue eyes* so much that we could get you to buy something to support us.”

*青眼(blue eyes): lit. (to look) with a direct gaze; fig. respect; favor

He Li grinned and showed his usual sunny smile when dealing with female fans and said, “Nanyi, you’re wrong. I’m not only for these juniors, I’m more for you.”

As soon as these words came out, the people who had been watching the show from the sidelines, shifted their attention to the coffee in their hands, trying to turn themselves into air and lower their own presence.

“Oh? Really?” Xin Nanyi raised an eyebrow.

“Of course.” He Li naturally tried to put his hand on Xin Nanyi’s shoulder, but the latter took a step back and avoided it.

“Yes ah! I hit it off with you.* You are very much like a friend of mine, with whom I used to be a rival and later became my manager. I miss him a lot.” He looked at Xin Nanyi wholeheartedly.*

*一见如故(I hit it off with you): familiarity at first sight. Not sure how to phrase it properly.
*情真意切(wholeheartedly): true love and genuine concern (idiom)

“But I’m not him. You can go to him if you really miss your friend.” Don’t come and bother me here, go to the sea and find your friend’s ashes ba!

“But he’s gone.” There was sadness in He Li’s eyes and Xin Nanyi did not know whether it was true or not.

“He was a very good musician and manager. I thought, if possible, can you be my manager? Anyway, you only have one small girl group under you now.”

Xin Nanyi smiled again, “That won’t work. You’re still at Yingle! And I can only work for Xin Yu. I’m afraid we are not meant to work together.”

Xin Nanyi remembered that He Li signed another ten years when he renewed his contract in Yingle, and he’s now only in the third year. If he breaches the contract, the sky-high default fee is not something he can pay for a singer. Even if he reached the level of the King of Heaven,* he can’t bear half of it, unless he still has the trump card.*

*天王(King of Heaven): The king of heaven is the honorary name of the highest ruler in Chinese history , synonymous with the emperor. [source]
*底牌(trump crard): It means the cards that are revealed in the poker game until the critical moment of the outcome. Hole card is a game term popular in the domestic poker and gambling circles. [source] Yes, it said hole card but it didn’t sit well with me so I went with 

“Of course, I know we’re under different entertainment companies now, but if you’re willing to be my manager, I can cancel the contract with my original company. I believe that if I’m willing to jump ship to Xin Yu, Chairman Xin He will certainly welcome me very much.” He Li did have the trump card.

(this translation is only here on ztranslations.blogspot.com otherwise, stolen)

“But I was ignorant before, and I don’t have much energy to bring in one more artist. As long as I don’t want to, my uncle, who has always loved me, will not force me.”

He Li showed grievance on his face, he pretended to be miserable and said, “It seems like you’re going to reject me no matter what.” 

The curves on the smile of Xin Nanyi’s lips remained unchanged, his eyes became warmer, but only his tone plummeted, “Of course, I don’t like to cause myself any trouble.”

He let out half of his body and held out his hand in a gesture of sending the guest off.

He Li stepped out helplessly, when he got into the door, he quickly turned back and hugged him hard then let go before Xin Nnayi had the time to react.

Satisfied with the momentary body temperature, He Li left Q&P’s waiting room with a smug smile on his face.

As soon as Xin Nanyi closed the door, the smile on his face immediately stopped and frowned slightly. Then he looked up at the other people who had been hit dumb as a wooden chicken* and clapped his hands, “Go back! Get ready! Change your clothes, change makeup, your makeup.”

*呆若木鸡(dumb as a wooden chicken): lit. dumb as a wooden chicken (idiom); fig. dumbstruck

Vivian really could not hold back the boiling gossip in her heart and asked, “Brother Nan, what exactly is your relationship with He Li ah?”

Xin Nanyi casually threw the cup of coffee in the trash bin and said, “The relationship between a normal person and a psychopath. I really didn’t know him before, we just met for the first time yesterday.”

Yi Ke cupped her chin and pretended to look like a detective: “There is only one truth! The current Brother Nan is too charming that Senior He Li fell in love at first sight.”

Ning Ning patted off her smug little finger and said, “Didn’t you pay attention just now? What Senior He Li sad is that Brother Nan was like one of his former friends, and Brother Nan is clearly taken in as someone else’s stand-in.”

Ji Chuqi tilted her head: “The stand-in lover fell in love with me?”

Yu Mi, who was checking the cosmetics at the side, interjected, “It’s the rival and an agent. Is it possible that He Li just said Ji Bu?”

“Oh, my God! Ji Bu Dashen."* Qi Chaohan, who had never reacted to gossip, heard the words “Ji Bu” and her eyes instantly brought out little stars.

*大神: deity; (Internet slang) guru; expert; whiz

As the discussion drifted towards the sky, Xin Nanyi clapped his hands again and interrupted, “There’s still an hour left before going on stage, are you sure you can finish changing clothes, getting your hair done, and putting on stage makeup in such a short time?”

Once these words came out, the girls immediately stopped talking and started to get busy.

For the next few hours, Xin Nanyi intentionally or unintentionally avoided He Li. He did not forget the words “I really miss you” He Li said in his ear when he left. He still feels disgusted with goosebumps when he thinks about it.

Now that Q&P is in shape on the stage, he no longer has to keep an eye on them all the time.

During the rehearsal of Q&P, Xin Nanyi sat in the innermost corner of the auditorium, watching the silenced video of their show yesterday. Yesterday, the song was on a full open mic, so the silenced effect is very good, just like singing in a capella. There was no out of tune, no mistake in singing, even Yi Ke’s rap sang word for word.

The barrages are mostly complimentary, but there are also a few black acids in ky,* what pre-recorded, lip-synching, “dancing so fiercely without gasping at all, must not have turned on the full open mic” After the provocative barrages came out, the kings on the screen began to tear up, and no one was unwilling to give way.

*ky: KY, internet buzzword , comes from the Japanese "空気が読めない (pronounced kuuki ga yomenai, literally translated as cannot read the atmosphere')" [source]

Just as Xin Nanyi was enjoying himself, Xia Zeqi called. Xin Nanyi didn’t even think about it and pressed the green button.

"Nanyi, haven't you finished your work yet?"

“Not yet, I have to take them to shoot a commercial this afternoon.” Q&P’s face value was caught by some advertisers as soon as they came out, and Xin Nanyi chose some more quality ones for them to test the water.

"I also want to have lunch with you, we haven't had lunch together for a long time."

Xin Nanyi thought about the specific schedule and said, “I may not be able to today. Time is too tight, let’s take a rain check! I’ll treat you to dinner some other time.”

"I want to eat the food you cooked with your own hands."

Xin Nanyi laughed out loud, the more familiar they were with each other, the more Xia Zeqi acted like a domineering child in front of him.

“Sure, I’ll make your favorite potato ribs.”

Just when Xin Nanyi was about to appease Xia Zeqi, a voice coldly inserted, and the defenseless Xin Nanyi was hugged from the side.

“Nanyi, I haven’t eaten your cooking for a long time. I invited you for coffee today, when are you going to invite me to your house for dinner?”

Xin Nanyi pushed He Li’s body in disgust, then he heard a voice on the phone that was so furious that he was frozen, “Xin Nanyi, who is he?”

Xia Zeqi certainly heard that it was a man’s voice with an ambiguous tone, and by the sound of it, he could tell how close the two people on the other side of the phone were.

A man’s sixth sense told Xia Zeqi that the man was very threatening.

Previous Chapter | Table of Contents | Next Chapter