Chapter 53: Three-Point Agreement

"If you ask me, if one-third—no, one-tenth—of the women in this world were as clear-headed as Xia Yehe, the world would definitely be ten times, no, a hundred times better than it is now!"

On the way back to Shanghai, Qi Yuntian was driving and announced this loudly, as if making a declaration.

Chen Nuo said, "Are you that happy that I don't have a girlfriend?"

"Nonsense! As your manager, if you decided to date at your age, I’d have to be out there cheering and beating drums for you, and I’d definitely be cursed to death by my peers."

"By the way, Xia Yehe sent me a text. Want to know what it said?" Qi Yuntian drove the G-Wagon with one hand, the scenery on the highway flying past him, looking both imposing and domineering.

Chen Nuo asked irritably, "Why would she send you a text?"

"Because I'm her bestie. Got a problem with that?"

"……What did she say?"

Last night, his arrival had clearly given the girl, Xia Yehe, immense comfort, and it had made his trip worthwhile.

Not only in the back seat of the car, where the girl had given him a passionate, salty kiss.

Afterwards, the two of them had talked a lot about the situation and touched upon a problem they had to face: how they would get along in the future.

However, at that moment, Chen Nuo hadn't expected Xia Yehe to take the initiative and suggest something that caught him off guard.

This made him really want to know what she had told Qi Yuntian.

Because even in his countless romantic encounters in his previous life, no woman had ever taken the initiative to tell him, "I won't be your girlfriend, I'll only be your woman."

"She said she doesn't want to be your girlfriend," Qi Yuntian said in a deep tone. "This isn't because she doesn't love you, but because she has self-awareness. She is just an ordinary sparrow, while you are a male... who is about to spread his wings and fly high."

"Alright, alright, stop it!" This elementary school-level prose gave Chen Nuo goosebumps, and he quickly called a halt. "Can you speak like a normal human being?"

"Hahahaha, don't blame me, that's really what her text said. I threw up two basins' worth before I finished reading it."

"…………Alright, I get it. Say no more, just focus on driving."

Qi Yuntian was a good driver, but he didn't shut up. He added, "Anyway, I'm relieved now. You two are doing just fine, I'm very satisfied. Otherwise, I really..."

At this point, he glanced at Chen Nuo and said, "Speaking of which, I want to have a heart-to-heart with you."

Chen Nuo was still thinking about Xia Yehe and said distractedly, "Talk about what?"

"Talk about you."

"If anyone else were like you—winning a Berlin Best Actor award right out of the gate and having your family background—wow, I don't know how much champagne I'd be popping or how many beauties I'd be playing with. I’d probably be following behind you every day picking up condoms."

"But you? The first thing you said to me on the phone after winning Best Actor was that you wanted to go back to Xichuan to read books."

"On one hand, being your manager is really worry-free, but on the other, I sometimes wonder if you're sick."

Chen Nuo interrupted, "……Never mind whether I'm sick or not. Since I'm so worry-free, shouldn't you lower your commission?"

"Hahahaha, no way! Actually, at your age, being handsome, having a rich dad, and now stepping into the entertainment industry where beauties are everywhere, I completely understand if you want to play around with women in the future. However, I want to set three rules with you."

"……Go ahead?"

"First, whoever you hook up with, tell me directly. Like with Xia Yehe this time, there was no need to hide anything from me. I'm your manager, I'm not here to play mind games with you, I don't want to dig into your private life every day, and I especially don't want you to end up on the front page of the news while I'm still kept in the dark."

Qi Yuntian was uncharacteristically serious. Chen Nuo listened in silence, then nodded and said, "Okay."

"Second, play is play, fun is fun, but don't think about going public with anyone before you're 30."

"Fine."

"Third, I understand women, and I'm not afraid of them. If you have many women in the future and they start causing trouble, I should be able to help you smooth things over. Like Xia Yehe, you don't need to worry about her in the future; I'll keep an eye on her for you. However, there is one type of woman who is the exception: a pregnant one. So, you must, must take safety precautions. Okay?"

"Absolutely ojbk!"

Chen Nuo realized that choosing a gay man as a manager, if nothing else, was really fucking great in this regard.

It was equivalent to the Chief Eunuch of the Imperial Household Department in ancient times. Managing the harem—that’s a professional's job.

The two chatted while driving, and when it was lunchtime, Qi Yuntian found an exit and got off the highway.

After driving a short distance along the road, they saw a restaurant by the roadside with a sign that read "Neijiang Catfish."

The place wasn't big, and the owner was indeed from Xichuan. Chen Nuo ordered a plate of extra-spicy garlic catfish in the Xichuan dialect. When he turned his head, he saw Qi Yuntian staring intently at the TV on the wall, watching very seriously.

An interview was playing on the screen, and the person being interviewed looked very familiar. The program was already reaching its end.

Host: "Don't you think it's a bit difficult?"

The young man smiled: "But I'm not in a hurry."

Afterwards, the narrator on the TV provided a summary:

"When Chen Nuo said he wasn't in a hurry, I was left speechless. I suddenly remembered that the young man in front of me is only 18. When he said he wanted to win an Oscar, what came to my mind were issues like race, discrimination, and language barriers. But a month ago, surely no one in the world would have thought that this 18-year-old boy could win Best Actor at the 55th Berlin Film Festival. So, let us wish him well, and hope that regardless of the result, Chen Nuo will enjoy the joy of cinema throughout this journey."

Qi Yuntian waited until the narrator on TV finished speaking, then said with a speechless expression, "An Oscar? You really dare to say anything~"

Chen Nuo said, "Why wouldn't I dare?"

Qi Yuntian looked at him quite seriously and said, "Do you think you can do it?"

"Heh, so many people haven't managed it, why should I?"

"Then why are you looking for trouble?"

Chen Nuo smiled: "But if you don't try, who knows?"

Qi Yuntian was thoughtful. "If you're really aiming for that goal, we'll go to Hollywood once you graduate from university. It just so happens I have acquaintances over there."

Chen Nuo smiled. "Sure. I have acquaintances over there too."

"You have me; I am your acquaintance."

Qi Yuntian thought Chen Nuo was joking with him, but in fact, Chen Nuo wasn't. He really did have acquaintances in Hollywood.

The two of them had nonchalantly, almost jokingly, set such a seemingly crazy goal, yet they acted as if nothing had happened and sat down to wait for their meal.

Five minutes later, the landlady brought the fish over. Qi Yuntian took a bite and shouted, "Wow, why is this fish so spicy? Chen Nuo, don't you know I can't eat spicy food?"

"Heh, if you can't even eat spicy food, how are you going to go to Hollywood with me? Be a little young and reckless, eat up!"

The owner behind the counter suddenly chimed in, "You're Chen Nuo, right? I just watched the program. You've brought glory to our Xichuan. Not bad, not bad. I'll give you a 40% discount on this meal."

Chen Nuo smiled. "Thanks, boss."

Seeing that Chen Nuo was straightforward, the owner was quite happy and even gave them a bag of peanuts to snack on the road. It was a pity that in this era, there were no mobile phones that could take pictures. Otherwise, they would definitely have posed for a 'V' sign together.

After finishing the extra-spicy garlic catfish, the two continued on their way.

On the road, Qi Yuntian's mouth was swollen like a sausage, but he suddenly got into the mood and wanted to improvise a performance with Chen Nuo.

"Come on, Chen Nuo, this is the Oscar stage. I'm the host, and I now announce that the winner of the 87th Oscar for Best Actor is... Nuo Chen."

"Haha, I'm afraid I'll break character and laugh."

"Hahaha, no matter what, you have to thank me, you hear? Quick, now it's your turn to go on stage and give your acceptance speech. Be serious. Otherwise, I'll fall out with you."

"I can't act it out..."

Qi Yuntian was about to say more when his phone suddenly rang.

Qi Yuntian answered it. It seemed to be from some media outlet. His tone and demeanor were unlike anything Chen Nuo had ever seen, and his expression was quite serious. He spoke in a crisp Beijing accent, polite and pleasant to the ear, but if you thought about it carefully, he hadn't said anything or promised anything at all.

After hanging up, Qi Yuntian let out a breath and said, "Now, let's keep our story consistent. Tell the outside world that you've gone back to prepare for the college entrance exam, you don't plan to accept any more interviews in the near future, and you have no filming plans. Okay?"

Chen Nuo was, of course, okay with that.

But the media wasn't very okay with it. Until the two batteries in Qi Yuntian's phone were completely dead, for a full three hours, his phone hadn't stopped ringing. It seemed that the broadcast of the interview with Chen Nuo on CCTV was some kind of starting pistol; now that the gun had fired, media outlets large and small swarmed in.

Qi Yuntian stopped halfway to buy a case of water, and by the time they reached the entrance of the Shanghai Film Base, he had already finished half of it.

Sitting in the car, the two looked at the crowd at the base entrance holding various recording devices and couldn't help but look at each other.

"Looks like the reporters all know you're here to film. What do we do now?"

"……How about we just drive through them?"

(End of chapter)