When the two came back together and joined Lu Qingfeng and the rest in the living area, Song Yiran shot Yan Xiuchen a pointed look before a wide grin spread on his face, much to the latter's annoyance. Even Lu Qingfeng was giving Yan Xiuchen a curious look.
"President Su, I have something to tell you." Xiao Rufeng said sheepishly as she stood next to Yan Xiuchen.
Su Xiaofei was also curious about what was going on between her talent and Yan Xiuchen, but she didn't dare to question them directly. Instead, she stood up wordlessly and gestured for Xiao Rufeng to follow her to the study, where she could speak with her talent in private.
"You already made up your mind this early? Xiao Rufeng, I'm not rushing you for anything." She said once the door behind her closed. She then leaned against the wall for support and regarded Xiao Rufeng with a blank expression.
Xiao Rufeng shook her head. She didn't think it would be easy to come up with the decision on whether she should send her younger sister to jail or not.
"No, it's not that. I just…" Her words trailed off as she started to fiddle with the hem of her sleeve. "I want to repay Mr. Yan's kindness to me by being his temporary assistant for two weeks. He said that I should ask for your permission first before he agrees."
Su Xiaofei looked at Xiao Rufeng as if she was speaking a foreign language that she couldn't understand.
Xiao Rufeng suddenly felt awkward being stared at by her manager. It wasn't like she was telling her that she was quitting from acting, so why did Su Xiaofei make a face like this?
"Did I say something wrong?"
"No." Su Xiaofei shook her head. "What made you decide to volunteer to help? Did Yan Xiuchen ask you?"
"I just feel indebted to him." Xiao Rufeng rubbed her arm. "I know it's not enough to repay the kindness he showed me that night, but I want to help him somehow."
"You know you don't need to do this, right? It's not like someone like Yan Xiuchen can't find another person to help him." Su Xiaofei reasoned out. She wasn't sure whether she should allow Xiao Rufeng or not, but given her talent's rather free schedule for the next two weeks, she can't really stop her from doing what she wanted in her spare time.
"I understand what you mean, President Su, but I promise to be careful and not to cause any more trouble."
Su Xiaofei rubbed her temple and sighed. She had a feeling that this would change a lot of things in the future, but how, she wasn't sure yet.
"Fine. Do what you want, but you better make sure that this wouldn't affect your work later. It's not that I'm being too strict on you, but I don't want you to be placed in a precarious situation ever again. If someone asks you why you are with Yan Xiuchen, say that you are trying to gain experience for a role you're considering auditioning for."
Xiao Rufeng's face lit up and nodded.
"I understand, President Su. I'll be more careful this time."
"Two weeks only, alright? No more, no less. If something happens again, you must notify me at once." Su Xiaofei insisted.
It wasn't like she didn't trust Yan Xiuchen, but she wasn't blind to how the man looked at Xiao Rufeng earlier. Something in the way Yan Xiuchen looked at her told Su Xiaofei that he was interested in her talent. It was the reason she asked Xiao Rufeng if it was him who proposed such an idea to her.
"Yes, Ma'am!" Xiao Rufeng smiled at her.
Su Xiaofei remained silent for a moment, making Xiao Rufeng feel uncomfortable. Whenever her manager acted like this, she had a feeling that she was trying to weigh the pros and cons of the conundrum she was facing.
"You know what? I'll have Zhang Ling draft a contract between you and Yan Xiuchen. Don't get me wrong, Xiao Rufeng. I'm still your manager and I need to protect your reputation after this."
Xiao Rufeng was startled by her manager's words. "Do we really have to?"
She feared that by asking Yan Xiuchen to get into a binding agreement with Su Xiaofei, he would be offended by it.
"It's nothing personal, Xiao Rufeng, but you have to remember that you aren't a commoner and your reputation as a celebrity is important. This would only be a precautionary measure we could use in case someone tries to defame you by accusing you of being a rich man's mistress." Su Xiaofei explained.
Xiao Rufeng's face flushed at that. It was a common issue being thrown with unreasonable accusations by some anti-fan in the showbiz industry. To think that Su Xiaofei had thought that far, she had to admit that she was impressed. Given Yan Xiuchen's reputation, it would be a big deal for some to see her with him.
"So, what do you think? Do you still object?" Su Xiaofei pulled her phone and was about to give her assistant a call.
Xiao Rufeng furrowed her brows. "Do you think Mr. Yan will agree?"
"I see no reason for him to decline my proposition. It's my job to make sure that this little arrangement between you both won't affect your work in the future." Su Xiaofei shrugged.
"I have no qualms about it, but do you mind if I ask Mr. Yan for his opinion?"
"Go ahead and tell him. I'll be here." Su Xiaofei nodded at her.
Xiao Rufeng left at once and sought Yan Xiuchen outside.
The moment Yan Xiuchen saw her, he immediately excused himself from Lu Qingfeng and Song Yiran, who were now both looking at him with curiosity.
"She didn't agree?" He asked.
Yan Xiuchen knew that Su Xiaofei wouldn't easily agree to Xiao Rufeng's idea.
"She agreed, but under some conditions. Would you like to discuss it with her then?"
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