Chapter 28: Guan Yaoming
On the surveillance screen, the man who had patiently accompanied Xi Xingling for his entire life placed a bouquet of flowers before his lover’s tombstone. They were strikingly red roses.
Li Dong had personally cut them from the rose garden this morning. They were brilliantly red, dripping with color, just like his lover’s lips when he was young.
After placing the bouquet, he turned and left gracefully.
This handsome man over fifty still walked with commanding presence. No wonder Xi Xingling had loved him madly all his life.
Before the surveillance monitor, this scene was replayed several times.
The image on the screen replayed several times in silence.
Finally, a young, pleasant voice echoed in the cold and empty room.
“After the second round begins, keep a close eye on him.”
“Yes, sir,” replied a synthetic electronic voice.
Then everything fell quiet again. On the monitor, Li Dong was shown lying asleep.
“Shao Yi, we need you to go undercover beside Guan Yaoming. Your mission is to retrieve the evidence of his father’s crimes…”
“Shao Yi, you understand that undercover work allows no mistakes. We’ll erase your record from the military academy. From now on, you are Lin Mo, just an ordinary orphan.”
Scene after scene of memories flashed through Li Dong’s mind. The undercover supporting character Shen Shao Yi’s conversations with his superior, the scum top Zhao Mian and the protagonist Guan Yaoming kissing in front of floor-to-ceiling windows, himself and Zhao Mian…
That’s right. When Li Dong opened his eyes, he had already become Lin Mo.
The second “scumbag-gong and doormat-shou” novel he had ever read and now he was in it. When he realized which story he’d landed in, Li Dong genuinely wanted to die.
Not because the shou in this one was unbearable. In fact, this one was the least cheap shou.
The problem was the genre: Police and gangsters.
Bullets flying everywhere, getting shot in the head at any moment!
What was the most dangerous identity here?
Undercover agent!
Who the hell had become this unlucky undercover agent now?
Exactly, that unlucky undercover.
Li Dong gave a smile with no trace of joy. Very good. He had managed to screw himself over once again.
He was now Lin Mo, a 22-year-old rookie who had just stepped into the entertainment industry, signed under Star Emperor Entertainment.
That company was a powerhouse. Despite being founded only three years ago, it had already climbed to the top of the industry.
The older, well-established agencies could no longer compare, because Star Emperor’s owner was none other than Guan Yaoming.
The character with the most ink devoted to him in the entire book. In other words, the undisputed protagonist.
This character was very successfully portrayed. If you excluded Guan Yaoming’s blindness in falling for the scum top, then Guan Yaoming was a young, bold, righteous, heroic man with countless virtues.
At the same time, Guan Yaoming was also handsome and wealthy, the typical bad boy who could make you blush and your heart race with just a glance.
In the 1960s and 70s, his father’s generation had lived on the edge, men born and raised in the underworld, walking daily along the knife’s edge between life and death.
When Guan Yaoming was a child, his father Guan Zhengtao often told him,
“Being a gangster gets you nowhere. When you grow up, don’t ever follow your old man’s path.”
Back then, young Guan Yaoming couldn’t understand. His father had money and influence, lived freely and happily, why call himself a gangster?
Later, he witnessed fights between factions with his own eyes, backstabbing between good brothers, and relentless pursuit by the police. He finally understood that a gangster was always a gangster. This was a stain that couldn’t be washed away.
When Guan Yaoming was ten years old, Guan Zhengtao began going legitimate. He spent a full ten years meticulously erasing all evidence of his crimes.
Now he was enjoying retirement with his wife in Thailand. The completely legitimized domestic businesses were all handed over to his son Guan Yaoming to manage.
Originally, Guan Yaoming decided to open an entertainment company simply because entertainment companies had large accounts where it was easy to manipulate the books.
Then he met Zhao Mian.
Zhao Mian was one of the first batch of artists to sign with Star Emperor Entertainment. That year, Zhao Mian was twenty-five. He'd just terminated his contract with a small entertainment company and was preparing to continue fighting in the entertainment industry.
The young 23-year-old CEO Guan Yaoming quickly became Zhao Mian's benefactor, because he’d taken a fancy to Zhao Mian, who was three years older than himself.
When Zhao Mian discovered his boss had intentions of taking advantage of him, he found it quite strange and also quite funny.
You had to know that Zhao Mian approached Guan Yaoming with ulterior motives. His father had been a police officer who unfortunately died in the line of duty while investigating Guan Zhengtao.
This was the reason why the scum top Zhao Mian hated Guan Yaoming from the start.
It was the heart of this story’s tragedy.
He joined forces with the undercover agent Lin Mo, hoping to gather enough evidence to bring Guan Zhengtao to justice.
But by then, all traces of guilt had been wiped clean. Zhao Mian couldn’t avenge his father, so he turned all that hatred toward Guan Yaoming instead.
When he realized the law could no longer punish Guan Zhengtao, Zhao Mian exploited Guan Yaoming’s love for him, imprisoning him in a remote location.
There, love turned into cruelty. Their relationship became a brutal mix of pain, desire, and revenge.
Finally, when the protagonist bottom Guan Yaoming escaped, he accidentally killed someone. The scum top took the blame for him and sat in prison for many years.
At the end of the book, it mentioned that the protagonist bottom couldn’t let go of what the scum top had done to him. He continued to stay with him, but only for a twisted relationship. Even the author couldn’t tell whether it was more revenge or more love.
Li Dong remembered finishing that book feeling oddly satisfied… except for one thing.
His only frustration was why the protagonist Guan Yaoming, as the main character, changed from a winner at life and rich second generation into a psychologically unhealthy little psycho.
Guan Yaoming held an absolutely winning hand. A godly hand. As long as he didn't deliberately court death, he’d be the final winner one hundred percent.
Throughout the story, he had never been shown doing anything truly wrong. He was a decent man, one who obeyed the law and tried to guide his father toward an honest life.
As a son, Guan Yaoming couldn’t righteously destroy his own kin. He couldn’t be that selfless.
He could only try his best to erase the past. From then on, he only moved toward good, not evil.
But the police hadn’t given up. Unable to catch the cunning old fox Guan Zhengtao, they planted an undercover agent, Lin Mo, at Guan Yaoming’s side, hoping to gain his trust.
To approach him more easily, Lin Mo entered Star Emperor Entertainment as a trainee.
By coincidence, his father had once been a colleague of Zhao Mian’s father. When he attended Officer Zhao’s funeral as a child, he’d met Zhao Mian in passing.
In the novel, Lin Mo remembered Zhao Mian, but Zhao Mian didn’t remember him.
When Lin Mo later discovered that Zhao Mian and Guan Yaoming were lovers, he quickly deduced that Zhao had his own revenge plan.
As a police officer, Lin Mo couldn’t allow Zhao Mian to do something reckless.
So he risked approaching Zhao, hinting that he too had a grudge against Guan Yaoming.
After several encounters, Zhao Mian began to trust him, enough to bring him right into Guan Yaoming’s orbit.
At this point, Zhao Mian harbored an even more terrifying idea. He hoped to kill Guan Yaoming through Lin Mo’s hands.
Guan Zhengtao made him taste the pain of losing his father. He’d make Guan Zhengtao taste the pain of losing his son.
Lin Mo was a police officer. He couldn't kill anyone. Even if he had to kill, it wouldn’t be Guan Yaoming. The criminal was Guan Zhengtao. It had nothing to do with his son.
At the beginning of the story, Zhao Mian had just won the Best Actor award.
Guan Yaoming treated him well, so well that he held a private celebration for him in his own villa.
When Li Dong came back to his senses, he realized he wasn’t in the middle of the lively party scene described in the book. Instead, he was inside a quiet, dark room.
“…”
Which meant one thing: undercover agent Lin Mo had successfully slipped into Guan Yaoming’s private quarters with Zhao Mian’s help.
It was a bad sign.
In the novel, this was exactly where Lin Mo got caught, and it was Zhao Mian who had to beg for mercy afterward.
Li Dong had always thought this plot existed only to show how much Guan Yaoming loved Zhao Mian that he could forgive even someone who dared sneak into his room, just because Zhao asked him to.
But Li Dong never believed Guan Yaoming was that soft-hearted.
In truth, the man was proud, restrained, and easily provoked. He cared too much about appearances that even in bed, he refused to show weakness.
Zhao Mian had always assumed Guan Yaoming was the “top,” that he’d only become the “bottom” because of his own coercion.
However, this was a huge misunderstanding.
Guan Yaoming was a pure bottom. If he could top even a little bit, he would have topped Zhao Mian long ago.
“Yao-ge, what’s wrong tonight? You’ve been downing one glass of liquor after another…”
Hearing movement outside, Li Dong immediately got up from beside the bookshelf and ducked into the wardrobe.
“Is it because of the rumor about Mian-ge and that actress?”
Another man’s voice followed, loud and booming, Li Dong instantly recognized it. It was Jin Dachuan, Guan Yaoming’s right-hand man.
“Of course it’s bothering him! Mian-ge’s basically Yao-ge’s wife. If your own wife was making headlines with another man, would you be happy?”
The next speaker was Chen Gou, nicknamed “A-Gou,” another of Guan Yaoming’s trusted aides.
“Fck that sht!”
Guan Yaoming’s furious voice thundered from the bedroom, along with the sound of something being kicked over.
“Zhao Mian, that bastard. A dog can’t stop eating sht. I’ve put up with him for a long time!”
Jin Dachuan muttered, “Should we take care of that actress? Give her a little scare?”
The softer-spoken Chen Gou sighed. “Don’t be so crude. You think it’s really about that actress? There are tons of female stars in this business. What are we gonna do, kill them all?”
Hidden inside the closet, Li Dong silently gave Chen Gou a thumbs-up. This guy actually had a brain. He clearly knew Zhao Mian wasn’t innocent and that his loyalty to Guan Yaoming was questionable.
Even if Zhao Mian hadn’t physically cheated, his heart was definitely somewhere else.
Once he realized how much Guan Yaoming loved him, Zhao Mian’s attitude only grew more reckless and cruel.
Because at the end of the day, Zhao Mian still hated Guan Yaoming. He could never treat the son of his father’s killer with true kindness.
“You two get out. I need some time alone,” Guan Yaoming ordered.
The two subordinates exchanged glances, then left without another word.
He collapsed backward onto the bed, still fully dressed in his formal suit.
This wasn’t even his usual style, Guan Yaoming preferred more relaxed clothes. But to match Zhao Mian’s refined taste, he’d forced himself into elegance tonight.
It was uncomfortable as hell.
Time passed minute by minute. The villa quieted down in the night. The various celebrities and staff members who attended the celebration party had long since left.
The only person left in the building was Lin Mo or rather, Li Dong inside Lin Mo’s body.
Zhao Mian’s mood was also very bad tonight, because this time the scandal with the actress was truly unjust. It was the actress's side deliberately creating hype.
Guan Yaoming flew into a rage with him over this, then huffed upstairs. He couldn’t find a way to coax him back.
In the novel, this was when Zhao Mian used the incident with Lin Mo as his excuse to reconcile with Guan Yaoming.
But tonight, Lin Mo hadn’t been exposed yet.
He was still hiding in the shadows of that very room.
When the night grew deep and quiet, subtle snoring sounds came from inside the room.
Li Dong slowly opened the wardrobe door. He quietly walked out, tiptoed past the foot of the bed, and came to the door... Just one last step. Turn the doorknob.
“Who’s there?”
The sharp, alert voice came from behind him.
Li Dong froze.
If he turned around, he’d see Guan Yaoming sitting up straight in bed, eyes wide awake.
His back prickled as if stabbed by needles. His hand, resting on the doorknob, was trembling uncontrollably.
At this moment, when life and death were a coin toss, he couldn’t decide whether to bolt for the door or turn around and explain himself.
So what did he do?
He chose the classic option: bluff.
“Yao-ge,” he said as he turned around, heart hammering in his chest. Guan Yaoming was upright on the bed, watching him coldly. “I’m… one of the company’s artists. Lin Mo.”
“What are you doing in my room?” Guan Yaoming asked immediately.
“Uh… I originally wanted to climb into your bed.”
“…”
Li Dong couldn’t even guess what kind of expression the man had right now. His entire soul was screaming I’m dead, I’m dead, I’m so fcking dead!
Still, a “bed-climbing” attempt sounded far better than being caught red-handed for breaking and entering to steal evidence.
If Guan Yaoming was in a good mood, maybe he’d even laugh it off.
Unfortunately, of all nights, Li Dong had to bump into him when he was in a terrible mood.
“Climb into my bed? Then why were you walking toward the door?” Guan Yaoming’s tone was dripping with mockery.
He patted the mattress beside him.
“Come on, Lin Mo. My bed’s over here. Let’s see if you really have the guts.”
Based on Li Dong’s two lifetimes of experience, he knew instantly that Guan Yaoming was venting. He was furious, mostly at Zhao Mian, and just needed somewhere to throw that frustration.
Li Dong had two options: One, sincerely apologize and beg for mercy. Or two, go along with Guan Yaoming’s words and… help him “blow off steam.”
He chose the first option.
“I’m sorry, Yao-ge. I wasn’t thinking straight. I realize now it was a terrible idea,” Li Dong said earnestly. “Please forgive me. I won’t do it again.”
“Did you not hear me or are you deaf?” Guan Yaoming snapped. “I told you to come here.”
A minor artist secretly infiltrated his room, and after being caught could get away with just a sorry?
Li Dong swallowed. He quickly realized that just saying sorry wouldn’t cut it. Guan Yaoming wasn’t the type to be fooled so easily.
If he wanted to survive tonight, he’d have to convince the man that he really had come to seduce him and nothing more.
“Yes, Yao-ge.”
He walked over hesitantly and sat down on the edge of the bed.
Even though it was already May and the air was mild, sweat still trickled down his forehead.
He knew Guan Yaoming wasn’t a murderer, but that didn’t make him safe either. The man’s temper was notorious, he could easily make someone wish they were dead instead.
“You’ve got guts,” Guan Yaoming said as he turned on the bedside lamp. His eyes swept over Li Dong’s face, then narrowed.
“So it’s you? I’ve seen you around Zhao Mian.”
He let out a low, humorless laugh. “Zhao’s little follower, sneaking into my room to seduce me? That’s rich.”
His anger twisted into amusement, a dark, vengeful kind.
Li Dong forced out a weak smile. “Yao-ge still remembers me? I guess it’s because I’m always hanging around Mian-ge…”
He cut himself off, trying to sound sincere. “I just… I wasn’t thinking.”
“You wanted to climb into my bed, right? Then do it,” Guan Yaoming said, lying back against the headboard. His expression was ice-cold as he watched the younger man.
When this person entered the company, he’d caused a small sensation because his face was good-looking enough and his physique was unexpectedly solid.
The company intended to focus on cultivating Lin Mo. It was just that Guan Yaoming didn’t want Lin Mo to steal Zhao Mian’s thunder, so he shelved the proposal.
Now it seemed this person was unwilling to be indefinitely shelved and was preparing to take the initiative.
If it were before, Guan Yaoming might have casually dismissed him.
But tonight, he’d just been angered by Zhao Mian. He was quite upset.
Guan Yaoming thought, Zhao Mian could play around with actresses outside. He could also play with male celebrities in private. This was fair.
Although he didn’t want to top anyone at all.
“Alright…” Li Dong steadied himself, lifted his hands, and began loosening his tie.
If there was one thing he had learned after living two lifetimes, it was how to stay alive by adapting.
Even in this kind of situation, no, especially in this kind of situation, he needed to act convincing.
The way you moved mattered. The mood mattered even more. If he acted timid, Guan Yaoming might kick him out on the spot… or worse.
But if he acted confident, the kind of confidence that said, I know exactly what I’m doing. Then there was a chance to turn the tables.
So that was what he did.
Every motion was smooth and natural, as if undressing in front of his boss was the most normal thing in the world.
“…”
Guan Yaoming stared at him the entire time, a complicated mix of disbelief, anger, and something else flickering behind his dark eyes.
His rational mind screamed that he should kick this kid out, drag him to security, and strangle him for the nerve he had to break into his room.
Instead, he found himself frozen, watching.
“What are you doing?” His voice was low, dangerous.
Li Dong smiled faintly. “Don’t worry, I won’t make you uncomfortable.”
That line, ironically, was one Guan Yaoming himself had used before to a traitor. Back then, he’d said it before ordering one of the man’s hands chopped off.
The memory flared up in his head. Something inside Guan Yaoming snapped.
“…” He reached forward suddenly, grabbed Li Dong’s shoulder, and bit down hard.
“Ah!” Li Dong gasped. Pain shot through his shoulder, sharp enough to make his vision blur.
He could feel the bite sinking deep, hot blood rising under the man’s teeth.
Yeah, this guy really was violent like a lion lashing out when cornered. Even when he was the one being pushed, he still carried that wild, predatory energy.
Li Dong clenched his jaw, forcing himself not to react too strongly.
He hadn’t exactly planned to end up in this position, but… if he could use it to shift Guan Yaoming’s focus away from Zhao Mian, maybe it was worth it.
After all, if the goal was to keep Guan Yaoming alive and out of Zhao’s web, this was one hell of a shortcut.
“What did you say your name was?” Guan Yaoming demanded between breaths.
“Lin Mo…” Li Dong whispered.
Up close, he could see the confusion in Guan Yaoming’s eyes, a flicker of recognition and disbelief, like he couldn’t decide if the man in front of him was stupid, fearless, or both.
Looking so refined and handsome... how could he... F*ck. “…How old are you?”
So this male lead liked to interrogate people while doing it. Li Dong answered him compliantly, “22 years old. Debuted for over half a year. Haven’t acted in any movies or TV dramas yet. Only attended some events...”
Guan Yaoming’s gaze deepened. “You want to be famous, don’t you?”
“Mm...” Under Guan Yaoming's intense gaze, Li Dong nodded in admission. An eighteenth-tier minor celebrity who didn't want to be famous wasn't a qualified good undercover agent.
“So that’s what this is about. You think climbing into my bed will get you famous.”
He leaned closer until his breath brushed against Li Dong’s ear. “Let me tell you something, if I lose my mind and actually let you do it, you’ll never rise in this industry. The moment you touch this bed, your career is over.”
“Mm...” Li Dong blinked.
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
IsitRo: Aiyo, I was just muttering that after the first arc, the rest have shorter stories, then this long a** chapter hit me in the shin. Lmao
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