CH 12

12. It’s Odd

For the next two days, Qin Qing really didn’t go to the company. Instead, he ran, cooked, read books, studied, and sent a message to Xiang Xun to ask what he needed him to do.

Xiang Xun had concisely replied: Wait for a notification.

So while waiting, Qin Qing holed up at home. He was able to study very well because it was peaceful, and since there was plenty of time, it was also refreshing.

If Xie Lei had another assignment to throw over, he could finally dispel some (of XL’s) doubts.

On the third day, Qin Qing carried his luggage, took a car to the company, and waited downstairs.

He waited for a short while before a familiar minivan approached from afar.

After he got into the car, he discovered that not only was Xiang Xun and Su Zihe in the car but also another young boy

The boy had tan skin and a strong physique. He sat in the co-driver seat with a backpack and turned his head sideways to look at Qin Qing. He nodded slightly in greeting.

Qin Qing also nodded.

The boy stretched out his hand and introduced himself: “Cui Huohuo.”

Qin Qing reached out and shook him: “Hello, I’m Qin Qing.” He said in his mind: So the assistant was in the co-driver seat while the agent sat in the back row today?

And he himself was still sitting in the back beside Su Zhihe. When he got into the car, Xiang Xun who originally sat next to Su ZhiHe moved behind by himself.

Qin Qing: “?”

He started to feel strange again.

It didn’t last long. Then the familiarity of a certain film emperor he’d come to know started up again.

Su Zhihe: “I heard that your company wanted to find another person to replace you?”

Qin Qing was stunned for a moment. He has never seen such a straightforward artist.

After all, everyone in this industry is an expert. Even if you have something to say, it’ll basically be said in a roundabout way. Who would just say it directly?

Moreover, this was only their second time meeting. And he was only an ordinary follower and a small-time assistant.

What big star would still care about these things?

Perhaps he’s only casually asking?

Either that or Su Zhi He’s familiarity with him was because he felt that since he (QQ) was his (SZH) assistant, he was already his person?

It’s possible…

Qin Qing calmly and measuredly said: “it was the company’s arrangement.”

Su Zhihe’s tone was relaxed but held a little disdain in it: “Its authority isn’t big but the official prestige isn’t small.”

This was obviously referring to Chief Yuan.

Xiang Xun from the back cut in: “other people will want to have a relationship with you.”

Su Zhihe lightly hmmed. He turned his head to look at Xiang Xun: “You didn’t tell him to get lost?”

Xiang Xun: “I did.” He’s already rolled away; together with that awl faced-botoxed Internet celebrity.

t/n: awl face: small V-shaped face.

Su Zhi He had a pleased expression on. He turned back his head to look at Qin Qing. “If you encounter this type of thing in the future, there’s no need to hold back. You can talk to me directly.”

Xiang Xun butted in: “exactly, tell your Brother He. Your brother He will support you!”

Su Zhihe glanced over and Xiang Xun withdraw back to the rear.

Qin Qing: “…?”

He honestly had no idea why after being exposed to Su Zhihe twice, he still felt that something wasn’t right on both times; that something was odd. 

Perhaps it was because he had never been exposed to a film emperor that didn’t treat their assistants as outsiders?

That day, the minivan dropped them off at the airport, where they took a plane to N City.

read at readsleeptranslate.org

The journey was nothing special. It was the normal check-in process, normal boarding, and flight. If he had to say that there was something wrong, it would probably be that Cui Huohuo was too diligent.

When Qin Qing had reached out to take the luggage from the boot of the minivan, Cui Huohuo said, “I’ll do it, I’ll do it.”

When they got to the airport and Qin Qing lifted up the luggage to put on the trolley, Cui Huohuo said, “just leave it, I’ll do it.”

When he wanted to take his documents to the self-service machine to check-in and get his boarding pass, Qin Qing had only walked a few steps when Cui Huohuo said: “I’ll do it. Just give me all your documents.”

To even manage the check-in, Cui Huohuo: “me, me, me, me! I’ll do it!”

“…?”

Qin Qing was truly baffled in those few moments.

In most industries, old-timers reject new people and the entertainment industry was no exception, but Cui Huohuo took the initiative to do all the work with a fired-up and enthusiastic expression, so you couldn’t squeeze out someone who had this type of attitude.

And Qin Qing was perceptive. He could see that Cui Huohuo wasn’t a scheming person. Rather, he was a bit naïve. He did work quickly and wasn’t good at talking. He would stutter a bit when he was nervous but he was generally a friendly and good-natured person.

But then what was happening right now?

Was this friendly new assistant afraid of suffering and tiring him, the old assistant? He won’t let him carry stuff, he won’t let him run errands, or do his work?

Then why did Cui Huohuo allow Xiang Xun to keep his luggage and not him?

So in the end, it was only just he and Su Zhi He who were free and not doing anything?

?????

The top of Qin Qing’s head was filled with question marks.

And it was very obvious because Cui Huohuo didn’t even try to hide anything.

While they waited in the VIP lounge Qin Qing went to the bathroom. In between the time when he left, Su Zhihe sought out Cui Huohuo and beckoned him to his side. He stretched out a hand to his back and pinched the neck of this distant and stupid younger brother.

Cui Huohuo shrank in his neck.

Su Zhi He cocked his head sideways and asked in a casual manner “What do you think you’re doing?”

Cui Huohuo felt wronged: “I didn’t do anything wrong, did I?”

Su Zhihe’s hold on the back of his neck was stable and his tone was also steady: “I let you take care of a few things and also told you that he wasn’t really an assistant and this is how you are taking proper care of things?”

You are so attentive, why don’t you simply just put up a “My brother likes you” banner (while you’re at it).?

Cui Huohuo was at a loss, but he still felt that he had a point: “So it’s not okay that I didn’t allow him to move things?”

Su Zhihe was speechless. Why don’t you simply die of stupidly?

Cui Huohuo started explaining, ” when my big brother and my second brother got married to their wives in our village…”

Su Zhihe made him stop: “You know that this isn’t your village right?”

Cui Huohuo was even more at a loss: “So this isn’t a thing in big cities?”. So it wasn’t a thing for the people around you to try and help out so that it’s easier to get people together?

“…” Su Zhihe: “It’s Not. A Thing!”

t/n: a thing = popular/ in vogue atm

Cui Huohuo was stupid when he shouldn’t have been but when he should have been stupid, he wasn’t at all. Right on point, he exposed his distant cousin by saying: “Why do I feel like you’re being sneaky? That person wasn’t tricked by you, right?” Is that why you had to get an assistant to cover up?

Su Zhihe: “…”

Nearby on a sofa, Xiang Xun nearly collapsed with laughter and aimed a big thumbs up at Cui Huohuo.

The look in his eyes was vicious. He’d (CHH) hit the nail on head.

Su Zhi He turned his head towards Xiang Xun and silently moved his lips. “Scram!.”

Then he proceeded to gently knead the back of Cui Huohuo’s neck, saying, “Be a bit more natural, won’t you?”

Cui Huohuo: “I will, I will, I will, I will, brother loosen your hand, loosen your hand ah!”

Su Zhihe loosened his hand, just as Qin Qing came back from the bathroom.

read at readsleeptranslate.org

Cui Huohuo sat to one side on the sofa. While Xiang Xun and Su ZhiHe, as if there was nothing to do seemed to be reading the newspaper and swiping through their phones. Qin Qing took in all this with a glance and sat down beside Cui Huohuo.

Cui Huohuo wasn’t a piece of rotten wood*, after being “enlightened” by his brother; he’s seen the light. He turned his head to look at Qin Qing and in a consultative tone: “later on when we get off the plane, can you be responsible for the luggage?”

t/n: 朽木hopeless person, dead weight

So it was actually just a way to divide the workload. Qin Qing nodded, “I can.”

Cui Huohuo patted himself on the back: Wasn’t that so natural.

In the end, the result was that when they got off the plane and found a few of their boxes on the conveyor belt, Qin Qing had only just removed one when someone nearby couldn’t bear to see it and while wearing a mask and a hat, Su Zhi He came over and one by one, began to carry the boxes to the trolley.

When he finished loading the cart, he walked forward by himself.

Qin Qing: “?”

Xiang Xun: “…”

Cui Huohuo: “???”

What happened to being natural?? Brother! So you meant that it was only natural when you did it not when I did it?

And you had the face to pinch my neck and scold me?

You yourself aren’t (being) natural!

Up ahead, Qin Qing had quickly caught up with Su Zhihe. He was a little confused by the temperament of his new boss. He didn’t understand why it was after they landed, that he waited to move the luggage all by himself.  Was it because he felt that he wasn’t doing things sharply?

That’s not right. After all Qin Qing was also a man and with these few boxes, he could effortlessly use one hand to carry one. Moreover, he didn’t dawdle and wasn’t being sloppy*

t/n: 拖泥带水: to do something in a long drawn out or slovenly way, or to be sluggish; beat about to bush.

Qin Qing: “Let me do it.”

Su Zhihe continued to push the trolley and simply said: “Let’s go.”

Qin Qing was silent for a few seconds. Obviously, he had only just met him and was unfamiliar with the temperament of this big film emperor so the situation at the moment was a bit unusual. But all of a sudden, his líng tái* lit up and he subconsciously said, “Brother He.”

t/n: 灵台 líng tái… Lit trans: “spirit/soul –  tower/platform”; the psyche; mind; soul. More reading: https://baike.google.com/item/灵台/14591193

Su Zhihe whose face was concealed by his hat and mask turned to look at him.

Qin Qing turned while walking and seriously said, “Brother He, Let me do it.”

Because of the sound of Brother He, Su Zhihe suddenly felt comfortable all over.

He no longer insisted on pushing the trolley himself. He stepped aside and let Qin Qing push it and instead walked beside it.

Not far behind them, Cui Huohuo and Xiang Xun were huddled up together and speechlessly stared at the two people walking in front.

Cui Huohuo looked bewildered and scratched his neck: “So in the end why exactly did my brother pinch my neck earlier?”

Xiang Xun looked at him sympathetically: “You still don’t understand?  Your distant cousin is a tsundere*. When you did something, he thought you were being too attentive. He disliked that you were being too obvious. But when Qin Qing did something, he’d only just looked and couldn’t bear it and went to help.”

t/n: 傲娇 .lit trans: proud & delicate(person) (A Tsundere : cold outside and hot on the inside)

Cui Huohuo made a bitter face: “do people in the big cities pursue their partners like this?”

Xiang Xun patted Cui Huohuo’s shoulder and comforted him: “that’s actually not the case.”

Xiang Xun: “It’s just for your Boss Su.”