Fu Yunzhou’s expression remained tense. Yuan Xi, already uneasy and confused from Fu Yunzhou’s strange behavior that morning, stood obediently by the side, too nervous to move.

Fu Yunzhou had noticed Yuan Xi’s presence early on but had been too preoccupied with his thoughts about how to handle Yuan Xi’s situation. When he snapped out of it, he realized the person he was worrying about was still standing awkwardly at the doorway, frozen in his entry posture.

“What’s wrong?”

Fu Yunzhou gave Yuan Xi a puzzled look, then glanced around his desk, but everything appeared normal.

Yuan Xi quickly shook his head and shuffled over to the desk with small, tentative steps. After sitting down, he grabbed a few folders at random, pretending to immerse himself in work.

Fu Yunzhou chuckled softly and shook his head, his eyes lingering on Yuan Xi’s profile for a moment. “Yuan Xi, if I were to resign from Xingyao Entertainment, would you still want to stay here as an assistant?”

Yuan Xi’s hand trembled, causing the folder to clatter against the desk, the sharp sound echoing loudly in the quiet office.

He widened his eyes, looking at Fu Yunzhou with surprise and panic, his voice trembling slightly. “Did I do something wrong? Are you resigning because of me? Did I cause this?”

Still unsettled by the unresolved strangeness of the morning, Yuan Xi felt even more anxious and awkward at the mention of Fu Yunzhou’s resignation.

Fu Yunzhou opened his mouth, surprised by Yuan Xi’s overreaction. Seeing Yuan Xi’s flustered expression, he immediately clarified, “No, no, this has nothing to do with you. It’s a decision based on my own reasons.”

Yuan Xi looked at Fu Yunzhou with a hint of grievance, clearly not believing his words.

“It’s true,” Fu Yunzhou reassured him. “There’s not much going on at Xingyao, so later… someone else will be assigned here, and I’ll be given other responsibilities. That means I won’t be able to stay on as your supervisor. By the way, I heard Chen Yang suggested you try becoming a star. What do you think? Are you interested?”

Yuan Xi shook his head firmly, his expression resolute. “I’d rather stay as your assistant. I don’t want to be a star.”

Fu Yunzhou raised an eyebrow in surprise, not missing the flicker of disdain and disappointment in Yuan Xi’s eyes.

“Yuan Xi, do you like the idea of being a star?” Fu Yunzhou asked after a moment’s pause, subtly changing his approach. He didn’t ask whether Yuan Xi wanted to pursue it but instead focused on whether he liked the idea.

Many careers begin with passion. Only someone who genuinely loves acting could thrive and become a great actor.

Fu Yunzhou’s expression turned serious. Yuan Xi, meeting his gaze, suddenly found it impossible to say he didn’t like it, even though he had been ready to refuse.

Under Fu Yunzhou’s steady gaze, Yuan Xi slowly lowered his head and murmured, “Mm-hmm.”

Fu Yunzhou nodded, remaining silent for a while before smiling. “Alright, let’s get back to work.”

Yuan Xi: ???

Yuan Xi, who had expected Fu Yunzhou to ask more questions, was taken aback by his response. Seeing Fu Yunzhou already focused on his work, Yuan Xi couldn’t bring himself to say anything more and instead lowered his head, continuing to chat with Shen Xiyun.

The rest of the morning passed without Fu Yunzhou bringing up the topic of becoming a star again.

By the time lunch came around, Yuan Xi hadn’t heard any more about changing jobs.

He thought Fu Yunzhou had let the matter go. But as he packed up his lunchbox and returned to the office, he was surprised to find Chen Yang standing in the doorway, seemingly having arrived from nowhere.

Chen Yang had been summoned to the office with his heart racing, wondering if he had made a mistake or if someone had been talking behind his back again, causing trouble in front of the CEO.

However, when he entered the office, he stood awkwardly by the side. Fu Yunzhou only glanced at him when Chen Yang knocked, then returned to his work without saying anything.

Just as Chen Yang was about to lose his patience, Yuan Xi opened the office door.

Seeing Yuan Xi, Chen Yang’s eyes lit up. Completely forgetting that Fu Yunzhou was present, he grinned widely. “Hey, little cutie, are you here to sign with me? I told you, I’m the agent here. If you sign with me, I’ll arrange the best resources for you, as long as you pass the test. But if you don’t make the cut, I won’t keep you.”

Chen Yang’s eyes never left Yuan Xi as he excitedly continued talking about Xingyao Entertainment’s benefits and perks.

Yuan Xi couldn’t help but twitch his lips. He glanced carefully at Fu Yunzhou, who was still absorbed in his work. Noticing that Fu Yunzhou wasn’t paying any attention to him, Yuan Xi couldn’t shake off a twinge of disappointment in his heart.

“Sorry, I really have no plans to become a star. Besides, I’m currently Manager Yun’s assistant.”

Yuan Xi firmly declined. He liked the idea of being a star, enjoyed acting, but he didn’t like the atmosphere of the entertainment industry. More importantly, Yuan Xi knew that even if he tried now, he still wouldn’t be able to handle the behind-the-scenes politics of the industry.

His words made Chen Yang snap back to reality. Upon hearing the word “assistant,” Chen Yang instinctively glanced at Fu Yunzhou. When he saw that Fu Yunzhou didn’t show any signs of displeasure, he breathed a sigh of relief.

At the same time, Chen Yang felt a slight sense of disappointment.

Being Fu Yunzhou’s assistant was definitely better than being a celebrity, at least he wouldn’t have to deal with the constant need to please others.

After their conversation, Fu Yunzhou finally looked up and turned to Chen Yang. “Chen Yang, bring me the highest-level contract you have, and also the celebrity handbook from Xingyao Entertainment.”

Chen Yang looked at Fu Yunzhou with confusion, unsure of what Fu Yunzhou was trying to do.

However, considering Fu Yunzhou’s status, Chen Yang could only nod, not daring to refuse.

After Chen Yang left, Yuan Xi looked at Fu Yunzhou with red-rimmed eyes. But due to their positions and various other reasons, Yuan Xi didn’t dare to question him.

Fu Yunzhou smiled helplessly, got up, and walked over to Yuan Xi. He looked him in the eyes and said seriously:

“Xiao Xi, I know you like acting, and I can see that being an assistant here feels like a waste for you. As for why you keep insisting that you won’t sign a contract, I can understand the basic reason.”

Fu Yunzhou looked at Yuan Xi. Initially, he did want to keep him under his wing, but over time, he realized that his approach had been wrong.

Others didn’t know why Yuan Xi was brought to the Fu family, but Fu Yunzhou knew it all too well.

Fu Yunzhou had been weak since childhood. The fortune-teller once said that their birth charts were highly compatible, and only if Yuan Xi married him could it change the weakness in his fate.

At first, Fu Yunzhou didn’t feel much for Yuan Xi, but after spending time together, he began to see him like a younger brother. He couldn’t help but want to protect him, and he truly had the ability to do so.

However, Fu Yunzhou’s identity presented a significant challenge.

Keeping Yuan Xi as his assistant while not revealing his true identity was already a difficult situation for Fu Yunzhou. He knew about Yuan Xi’s feelings for Fu Yushen, which made him afraid that revealing his true identity would cause Yuan Xi to feel disgusted or develop unwanted, messy thoughts.

Especially after the phone call in the morning, Fu Yunzhou had made up his mind.

Fu Yushen lacked the ability to manage all the files at the headquarters, and while the workload at Xingyao Entertainment was relatively light, Fu Yunzhou couldn’t assist remotely because of Yuan Xi. Additionally, in order to improve his physical fitness, Fu Yunzhou spent his evenings working out, which meant the files from headquarters piled up.

The pressure on Fu Yushen became unbearable, and in desperation, the secretary had to call Fu Yunzhou for help.

If Fu Yunzhou went to the headquarters, Yuan Xi couldn’t stay behind at Xingyao Entertainment.

With Fu Yunzhou at the headquarters, Fu Yushen would have to return, and if Yuan Xi was still his assistant, Fu Yunzhou feared that things could get complicated. He knew Fu Yushen had a girlfriend and was aware of Yuan Xi’s feelings toward him. Recently, Yuan Xi seemed to have gotten over that, but Fu Yunzhou couldn’t guarantee that things wouldn’t escalate if they continued working together.

Moreover, the mere thought of Yuan Xi and Fu Yushen developing something more made Fu Yunzhou want to punch his younger brother.

So, for the sake of his brother, Fu Yunzhou started seriously considering assigning Yuan Xi to another position.

From what he learned from Director Li, Fu Yunzhou knew Yuan Xi was interested in acting. This sparked an idea in his mind. Since Yuan Xi loved acting, Fu Yunzhou could consider signing him to Xingyao Entertainment and let him debut as an actor.

At Xingyao Entertainment, with him as a backer, many things would run smoothly without any trouble.

As soon as the idea of signing came to mind, Fu Yunzhou immediately thought of Chen Yang, who had been persistently involved with Yuan Xi.

Chen Yang was a top agent at Xingyao Entertainment, with plenty of resources, and he was known for his integrity. He was very protective of the talents under his care and never forced them to do things they weren’t comfortable with.

Fu Yunzhou knew about the artist who had recently left Chen Yang’s management. While he didn’t know the reasons behind the departure, most people at Xingyao Entertainment held Chen Yang in high regard. After asking around and gathering information from multiple sources, Fu Yunzhou decided to reach out to Chen Yang.

Yuan Xi was unaware of Fu Yunzhou’s thoughts. He only knew that Fu Yunzhou wanted to send him away. While he did enjoy acting, what mattered more to him was staying by Fu Yunzhou’s side.

“But I…” Yuan Xi started to protest.

Fu Yunzhou understood what Yuan Xi was trying to say and interrupted him, “Xiao Xi, I know you’re afraid that the agency will make you do things you’re not willing to. I understand that the entertainment industry can be very complicated. That’s why I’ve asked Chen Yang to handle this. He’s a top agent with great resources, and more importantly, his personal character is solid. I trust him, and I’m confident that you’ll be in good hands with him.”

=^_^=