Chen Jianan slept soundly through the night, by the time he awakes the sun was already high in the sky. Groggily blinking his eyes open, a dull ache reverberated through his head – a lingering reminder of the revelry of the night before. 

Through the half squinted eyes, he saw Qiao Wen sitting next to him, smiling at him, he pounded his head uncomfortably and asked: “Xiao Qiao, what time is it?” 

Qiao Wen stretched out his hand and massaged his temples: “It’s almost nine o’clock, Brother Nan, if you have a headache, sleep a little longer.”

As the warmth of Qiao Wen’s hand eased his headache, Chen Jianaan couldn’t help but relax, he closed his eyes and let out a contented hum.

Seeing his young and handsome face going to sleep peacefully, Qiao Wen hooked the corner of his lips mischievously, while massaging, said nonchalantly: “Brother Nan, yesterday after getting drunk, you told me everything.”

The moment those words fell upon Chen Jianan’s ears, he jerked upright, with wide eyes: “What did you say?” 

Looking at his panic-stricken eyes, Qiao Wen felt like laughing, and repeated his prior statement in a deliberate and unhurried manner: “You told me everything after you were drunk yesterday.”

Chen Jianan only felt an explosion in his mind and everything went blank, he stammered: “I… I told you what.”

“It’s the thing that you have been keeping hidden in your heart recently, something you haven’t had the courage to share with me.”

Chen Jianan instinctively backed away, pressing himself against the wall as if confronted by a great enemy, the color draining from his face. His usual fiery temperament was all gone, now replaced with an overwhelming by fear.

In fact, not only Anan was frightened, even Qiao Wen also perplexed by his sudden demeanor. Pondering the severity of this hidden secret his eyebrows frowned. 

What on earth is this guy hiding from me? 

Even if he murdered someone and set fire, it shouldn’t be like this.

Such intensity of Chen Jianan’s distress triggered a sense of unease in Qiao Wen, prompting him to gently reach out in an attempt to reassure him: “Brother Nan—”

However, before his hand could touch Anan, he shrank back as if he was electrocuted, his countenance now marked by a somber and sorrowful expression: “Xiao Qiao, I don’t know why this happens, but I just can’t help it. Don’t ignore me. I promise I’ll keep myself in check and never bully you.”

At first, Qiao Wen wanted to trick him to confess, but the more he listened, the more confused he became. What on earth is going on?

Chen Jianan looked like, he would breakdown at any moment, he still reached out and held his arm, while saying softly, “Brother Nan, why would I ignore you? Even if you murder and set fire, I won’t ignore you!”

Although Chen Jianan wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, his simplicity was accompanied by a genuine lack of guile. His lack of complexity did not equate to a lack of intellect. As Qiao Wen’s words sank in, a sense of calmness enveloped him, prompting him to cast his gaze downward, focusing on the hand that was tenderly holding his own. 

If Xiao Qiao really knew my dirty thoughts, he will not sit here intimately and listen to me frankly, right?

He held Qiao Wen’s hand in his palm without a trace, and saw no resistance from Qiao Wen. He slowly raised his head and met his unwavering gaze, waiting for his answer.

If Anan still didn’t figure out that he was being tricked at this point, he’s really a fool.

His heart, which had been teetering anxiously, found a moment of respite. Glancing down at the intertwined hands, he slowly released the grip, all while chiding himself as a pervert. Proceeding cautiously, he inquired, “Xiao Qiao, can you remind me of what I mentioned to you during my drunken state last night?” 

Filled with anticipation, Qiao Wen expected to get a straightforward answer, unexpectedly, the scenario flipped as Chen Jianan redirected the question. After a brief pause, Qiao Wen proceeded: “It’s regarding the matter you’ve been hiding from me recently.” 

Chen Jianan nodded knowingly, acknowledging: “To be honest, there are several things I have been hiding from you recently, so which one did I tell you last night?”

Qiao Wen: “…the thing that embarrass you the most.”

Now Chen Jianan fully convinced that Qiao Wen was unaware that he was as pervert as Qin Yunfei and his thoughts were all toward him, so he was relieved for the time being. Feigning a sigh, he admitted: “Now that you’re aware, there’s no point in hiding it any longer. I’m loan shark now, lending money to outside.”  

Qiao Wen, visibly puzzled, responded with a perplexed expression. “???” 

Adding on to his revelation, Chen Jianan elaborated: “I recently helped people collect the debts and received a lot of commissions. You previously told me not to spend the money I earned randomly and asked me to learn how to make money.” 

“I originally wanted to give it to you to manage it for me, but then I thought that earnings from debt collection might not be morally upright, so I thought about handling it myself. I know nothing about stocks, so I listened to the brothers and went out to lend money.” 

Qiao Wen found himself torn between laughter and tears for a while. While the situation was not particularly grave, it definitely raised some concerns. But… if this relatively minor issue had caused such distress earlier, it seemed unreasonable. 

In other words, Qiao Wen knew he was still hiding the most important thing from him.

I really underestimated him.

As he glanced at him, the transformation in his demeanor was striking, conspicuously more at ease than when he jolted up. After a brief moment of contemplation, he asked, “Brother Nan, how much did you lend out?” 

Reflecting on his recent financial dealings, “In the past few months, I’ve made 20,000 or 30,000 yuan, I’ve lent it all out” After a pause, he added “Rest assured, my interest rates are more favorable than those offered by others in the area. So everyone willingly come to borrow money from me, leading to mutually beneficial transactions where borrowers are content, and they have no reservations about repaying. I thus earned few thousands of dollars profit in the process.” 

He’s really a loan shark with a conscience. It would be a pity if he didn’t become a banker. 

Qiao Wen expressed his concerns, stating: “No matter what, lending is not the optimal approach. In fact, whether it is investment or business, you can learn slowly. I will buy you some books later. Take a look through them first, and feel free to ask me if you don’t understand.” 

Upon the mention of reading material, Chen Jianan’s reaction was immediate and intense. He sprang out of bed and hugged his head: “Then I’d better give you the money directly. Just tell me what you need me to do, and forget about the books.” 

Qiao Wen sighed and said with a smile: “How can I manage your money forever? You have to manage your money yourself; one day, you will have a family of your own to support and have children.” 

Chen Jianan turned around and said suddenly: “I won’t get married.”

Qiao Wen laughed: “What nonsense are you talking about? How can a man not get married and have a wife and have children?”

Chen Jianan fell into silence, then asked out of the blue: “Xiao Qiao, do you want to get married and have children?”

Qiao Wen almost said ‘yes’ for a matter of course, but when the words reached his lips, he suddenly froze. It was only now he realised that he wasn’t real Qiao Wen, but crossed over here. 

He pondered whether he really wanted to lead an ordinary life here? 

Obviously, I have no interest in such a life.

He spread his hands, “Maybe, I don’t know.”

“Oh.” Chen Jianan nodded in response and said in a low voice, “but I just want to live with you like this.”

Qiao Wen was tacked aback, and it dawned on him, since coming to this world the person he cared most is Anan and of course he wanted to get along with him in such a close relationship.

He breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile: “Me too.”

Chen Jianan whose eyes had dimmed, immediately regained some of his spirit, with a mouth full of smile he said, “Xiao Qiao, don’t worry, I won’t bully you.”

It really confused Qiao Wen, just as he was about to ask him, he bounded out the door with a light-hearted tune, leaving Qiao Wen both amused and contemplative, a smile played on his lips.

Then he geared up for the day ahead.

Upon his arrival at the office, the scene that greeted him was unexpected – newspapers strewn across the table, with Lin Zihui eagerly engrossed in them.

The black bold headlines along with colorful images showcasing their store’s grand opening captured Lin Zihui’s undivided attention.

Lin Zihui raised his head, when hearing the oncoming footstep and saw Qiao Wen, he beckoned him excitedly: “Awen, you see, the news about our store opening yesterday was published in many newspapers, and the pages were all well covered. It seems that the travel expenses we paid to the reporters were worth it.”

Qiao Wen laughed: “It’s mainly because of Li Xingchen. After all, he is a popular actor.”

Lin Zihui nodded: “That’s true.” He pulled his head out of the pile of newspapers and said with a smile, “Speaking of which, if it weren’t for you, our new brand wouldn’t have been able to go so smoothly.”

Qiao Wen: “Don’t be happy too soon, it’s just the beginning now, wait until you make money before you are happy.”

Lin Zihui’s excitement was palpable as he shared the news with Qiao Wen: “I just called the store manager over there to enquire. Guess what? The business is booming there and peoples are very busy. Let’s go to the store later to take a look, okay?.”

Qiao Wen nodded in response, took a newspaper from the pile and flipped through it. Lin Zihui leaned over, pointed at the photo in the newspaper, and said with a smile: “Awen, you look more like a star than Li Xingchen when you stand together.”

“How can it be!” Qiao Wen said with a smile. Nevertheless, when he looked himself in the newspaper and couldn’t help but sigh that the original Xiao Qiao’s good looks were indeed no worse than Li Xingchen’s

The trend of chasing stars has existed since the Republic of China until today, and the rudiments of later fan circle culture have long been formed. Because of Li Xingchen, the newspaper sales on that day were naturally hot.

On otherside, Chen Jianan took his men out of the city to collect the debts as usual. When passing by a newspaper stand, he saw a group of female high school students huddled together and chattering.

“Oh my god, Li Xingchen is so handsome! I want to cut out his photo and stick it on the headboard of my bed.”

“Huh? Who is this handsome guy on the left of Li Xingchen? Is he a movie star? Why haven’t I seen him before?”

“Yeah, I haven’t seen him either. He’s more handsome than Li Xingchen.”

“Don’t talk nonsense, Li Xingchen is the best in the world.”

“Can you be more objective, this person is indeed more handsome, okay? But then again, what exactly has he acted in?”

“He’s not a star, he’s the manager of this brand.”

“Such a young man is a manager? So amazing, what should I do? I think he is more handsome.”

Initially, Chen Jianan didn’t pay much attention to the group of girls chattering animatedly on the side. However, as he casually listened in, he felt that something was wrong. With a subtle shift, he couldn’t resist the urge to discreetly crane his neck and steal a glance at the newspapers they were holding. Among the fluttering pages, his eyes zeroed in on the familiar figure of Qiao Wen.

Despite his attractive appearance, his sneaky movement caused by his curiosity startled the high school girls, so much, that they quickly retreated, hastily tucking their newspapers.

Undeterred by the girls’ reaction, Chen Jianan shifted his focus to the newspaper stand in front of him, scanning through the pages on Mengzhen’s recent opening. 

Procuring multiple newspapers containing photos from the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Chen Jianan meticulously examined each one. Regardless of the image quality or angle, as long as Qiao Wen’s figure was present, he brought the copies. Holding up the clearest photograph in the air, a joyful grin spread across his face.

Observing Chen Jianan’s peculiar behavior, the thug following behind him asked tentatively, “Brother Nan, did you buy so many newspapers to use as toilet paper?” 

After all, he could only recognize a handful of big characters, and although he could barely read a newspaper, so many newspapers were obviously far beyond his knowledge.

Chen Jianan raised the newspaper and tapped it on his head, pointing at the photo on it and said, “See, my brother is in the newspaper.”

Later, he planed to frame it on the head of his bed.