Unable to be Arrogant [Entertainment Circle] | Chapter 87 | The Oblivious Response | Novela.app

There was still some time before filming began. The actors were scattered around, sitting and waiting for the cameras to roll. Zhang Jin’an and Li Qiang were seated by a wall directly facing the air conditioner. The heater was on, making it exceptionally comfortable. Zhang Jin’an stared at his phone, his brow slowly furrowing. Seeing this, Li Qiang couldn't help but ask, "What's up with you?" "Siyang sent me a message," Zhang Jin’an replied honestly. Li Qiang found this strange. "Isn't that a good thing? Why the long face?" "Mainly because of what happened yesterday," Zhang Jin’an said. "What happened? Tell me, tell me." Li Qiang leaned in curiously, and Zhang Jin’an recounted his conversation with Jiang Siyang from the previous day. After listening, Li Qiang was pleasantly surprised. "Isn't that great? If you round it up, that’s basically a confession." He asked with anticipation, "So what about Siyang? How did he respond?" Zhang Jin’an’s expression wasn't great. He replied, "I don't think he understood the meaning behind my words at all." "How could that be?" Li Qiang didn't quite believe it. "Siyang is a pretty smart guy." Zhang Jin’an glanced at Li Qiang and handed him the phone. Li Qiang looked down. The screen showed a WeChat chat interface, with the name "Siyang" in large letters at the top. 8:03 AM 【Jiang Siyang】: Good morning. 【Jiang Siyang】: I’m using the patches now. Thanks, Ge. 【Zhang Jin’an】: You’re welcome. 【Zhang Jin’an】: Going for an interview today? 【Jiang Siyang】: Yeah. 【Zhang Jin’an】: When are you back? 【Jiang Siyang】: Back in two days, for the afternoon scene. 【Zhang Jin’an】: Ah. 【Zhang Jin’an】: [Speechless Panda Emoji] Then it probably won’t be with me. 【Jiang Siyang】: Right. I remember my next one with you is in three days at the earliest. 【Zhang Jin’an】: Mm-hmm. Aren't you tired from waking up so early? 【Zhang Jin’an】: Go back to sleep for a bit before things start. 【Zhang Jin’an】: Don't fall asleep during the interview. 【Jiang Siyang】: Hahahaha, okay. 【Jiang Siyang】: I’ll go sleep after I send this. 【Jiang Siyang】: I’m off. 【Zhang Jin’an】: [Bye-bye Emoji] Li Qiang tried to scroll down, only to find he had reached the end. "..." Li Qiang looked up at Zhang Jin’an. "That’s it?" Zhang Jin’an nodded. "Yeah." Li Qiang: "That’s all?" Zhang Jin’an nodded again. "Yeah." "Hiss—" Li Qiang took a sharp breath. He read through the exchange repeatedly, trying to find even a trace of evidence that Jiang Siyang had understood, but he truly couldn't find anything. Jiang Siyang hadn't even sent an emoji. After a few more glances, Li Qiang gave up. He returned the phone and patted Zhang Jin’an on the back to offer comfort. Li Qiang thought for a moment. "There was nothing wrong with what you said. Maybe... it’s a matter of perspective." Li Qiang nodded with certainty. "Yes, it’s definitely a matter of perspective." Zhang Jin’an looked at Li Qiang suspiciously. "Let me put it this way," Li Qiang said, resting a hand on Zhang Jin’an’s shoulder and patting it reassuringly. "If someone who already knows you like him heard that sentence, they’d catch the drift. But if someone who has no idea hears it, they won't." Fearing Zhang Jin’an wouldn't understand, Li Qiang added, "Who would jump to that conclusion just from one sentence? At most, he just thinks you treat him as a very good friend." Zhang Jin’an grew thoughtful. He had tossed and turned in bed last night, only falling asleep at one in the morning. He had been guessing what Jiang Siyang’s reaction would be, imagining so many scenarios, but he hadn't expected this one. A greeting as usual, as if nothing had happened. The best-case scenario was indeed what Li Qiang said—Jiang Siyang hadn't noticed, so he didn't ask. Actually, thinking about it carefully, it made sense. Jiang Siyang wasn't the type of person to pretend he didn't know someone liked him; he was the type to be decisive in both his rejections and his answers. Zhang Jin’an’s mind cleared, and his mood improved. "True. If Siyang knew, he would definitely tell me directly. He’s not that kind of person." "Exactly," Li Qiang nodded repeatedly. "It’s good that you think that way. Let’s stop talking about this and talk about something happy." Li Qiang paused. "Do you know how well your magazine is selling? They restocked again today." Zhang Jin’an was a bit surprised. "People are still buying it? Isn't September almost over?" That was the magazine he had shot in Toronto. He heard it sold out as soon as it went online. It had been restocked five times already; this was the sixth. "Because you’re popular! You’re number one on the sales charts right now," Li Qiang said with a grin. "I reckon people will still be buying your magazine through the end of October." Zhang Jin’an was silent for a moment before asking, "Do you think Siyang would buy it?" Li Qiang was stumped by the question. "Well..." Li Qiang trailed off, trying to think of an answer, when he saw Xiao Zhou walking toward them with two bottles of mineral water tucked under his arm. Li Qiang quickly called out to him, "Come here, Xiao Zhou! You’re just in time. Help us solve a difficult problem." Xiao Zhou placed the water on a nearby chair and stood before the two of them. "What’s wrong?" Xiao Zhou didn't know that Zhang Jin’an liked Jiang Siyang. After all, the more people who knew about such things, the more awkward the fallout could be, so only the two of them knew for now. They had discussed it before and decided to tell Xiao Zhou once things were more certain. Li Qiang knew Xiao Zhou wouldn't overthink it, so he asked directly, "Do you think Siyang would buy our magazine?" Sure enough, Xiao Zhou answered without hesitation, "He would. Siyang asked me about the magazine last time. It seemed to be out of stock then, so he asked if we had any extras here. I said no. Since he asked me that, he’ll definitely buy it." Zhang Jin’an: "...?" Li Qiang: "?" Li Qiang and Zhang Jin’an looked at each other. Li Qiang let out an "Ah" and asked, "When did he ask you?" "Last time we went to the mall. Oh, that day you guys were filming that 'Play a Game' thing, so you weren't there." Xiao Zhou got more excited as he spoke, his face animated. "Let me tell you, the mall wasn't crowded that day. Siyang, Xie Jie, and I had a meal there. It was so great, so great—we didn't have to worry about being recognized at all." Li Qiang: "..." Li Qiang instinctively shifted a bit to the right, putting some distance between them before he dared to peek at Zhang Jin’an. Surprisingly, Zhang Jin’an’s expression was normal, and his tone was flat: "You guys even went to the mall?" Xiao Zhou nodded. "Yeah, to buy a camera. Siyang really knows his stuff; he picked up a pretty good one..." *Please, just stop talking. Someone’s jealousy is about to rival pure lemon juice.* In the end, Li Qiang interrupted Xiao Zhou’s non-stop chatter and waved him over. "Xiao Zhou, you... come here for a second." "What is it?" Xiao Zhou leaned in curiously, and Li Qiang whispered in his ear. Xiao Zhou’s expression shifted from confusion to shock, and finally, his mouth fell wide open. "Holy crap!" Xiao Zhou shouted, then immediately clamped his mouth shut when he realized he was too loud. He looked around before lowering his voice, staring at Zhang Jin’an, who was resting his chin on his hand and watching him. "...Holy crap, Big Bro, you’re really..." "I was going to wait until things were stable before telling you," Zhang Jin’an replied, which was as good as a confirmation. "Holy crap, is it really this intense? What kind of secret did I just hear? My heart is racing so fast, I’m stunned. Qiang-ge, feel this," Xiao Zhou said, puffing out his chest. Li Qiang slapped him on the chest. Xiao Zhou let out a yelp and shielded himself. Li Qiang burst out laughing, and Zhang Jin’an laughed too. Xiao Zhou grumbled aggrievedly, "Why’d you hit me so hard, Qiang-ge?" Li Qiang was highly amused. "Who wants to feel your chest?" "Wait," Xiao Zhou blinked, feeling a bit guilty. "Doesn't that make my comments just now sound a bit like a 'green tea'?" "What kind of 'green tea' are you? You didn't even know. That was just normal socializing," Zhang Jin’an replied. Hearing Zhang Jin’an say that, Xiao Zhou relaxed and scratched his head. "I guess so..." He patted his chest again and said with great momentum, "Don't worry, Big Bro. Now that I know, I’m definitely on your side. If you need any help later, just say the word." "What could you possibly help with?" Li Qiang teased. "Dating is between the two of them. You can't stick your hand in." "I, I..." Xiao Zhou stuttered for a moment. "I can cheer you on!" "I appreciate the sentiment," Zhang Jin’an said. Xiao Zhou asked weakly, "So... Big Bro, you’re not angry anymore?" Zhang Jin’an didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "What would I be angry about?" Li Qiang clicked his tongue. "He wasn't angry. He was just being a 'lemon' and feeling sour for a while." Zhang Jin’an smiled, not denying it. Xiao Zhou pretended to wipe his eyes. "That’s great. I thought Big Bro was going to be single for the rest of his life. I was already prepared to get you a few godsons." Li Qiang: "Pfft." Zhang Jin’an: "?" *** **Glossary** Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation ---|---|--- 四舍五入 | Rounding up | An idiom meaning "basically" or "to all intents and purposes." 烂好人 | Do-gooder / Pushover | Someone who is excessively nice to everyone, often to their own detriment. 柠檬精 | Lemon / Lemon Spirit | Internet slang for a jealous person (because lemons are sour). 绿茶 | Green Tea | Slang for a person (usually "Green Tea Bitch") who acts innocent and pure to manipulate others or hide their true intentions. 干儿子 | Godson | A non-biological son, often the child of a close friend.