Jiang Ran stretched out her hand to Feng Jing's mask in a hurry. He ducked away, surprised.

She froze, realizing what she had just done. "Excuse me! It's just.... your mask..."

Thought she said it hesitantly, Feng Jing was quick to guess her meaning from those few words.

Feng Jing: "..."

He raised his hand and scrubbed at his face mask, and coughing drily, said, "In short, remember to regularly maintain the elevator." Afterward, he picked up the two boxes on the ground and walked quickly over to a different one.

Jiang Ran hurried over to help him press the elevator b.u.t.ton.

The second elevator ride was incredibly embarra.s.sing, but fortunately the seventh floor wasn't far away. When the doors opened, both Jiang Ran and Feng Jing heaved a sigh of relief.

"Let me help you to the door." Feng Jing picked up the two boxes and walked out the elevator, Jiang Ran with keys in her hand next to him to open the door. She had originally intended on inviting him inside to sit down, but after that embarra.s.sing scene in the elevator, not to mention him still wearing a black mask with lipstick on it... he probably didn't even want to come in.

Sure enough, Feng Jing put down the boxes at the door and took his leave. "I'll be going back up."

"Yes. Thank you." Jiang Ran watched him walk into the elevator, and moved her boxes inside.

The first thing Feng Jing did after arriving home was to remove the mask.

There really was a light lip print on it.

His heart skipped a beat, and his cheeks burned. Looking at this stain reminded him of the feeling of Jiang Ran's lips...

After staring at the print for awhile, Feng Jing decided not to wash the mask for now. Anyway, he had plenty of others.

That night, he held a vague hope in his heart. Had he already gotten true love's kiss? Perhaps he would not transform into Er Huang tonight?

No such luck.

At twelve o'clock sharp, he stood in Jiang Ran's living room in silence.

So much for true love's kiss!

Irritated, he wandered around the living room for about two laps before letting his mind run wild.

Perhaps Jiang Ran wasn't his true love? No, he couldn't believe it. It must be the mask.

The more he thought about it, the more sense it made. They hadn't actually been touching lips with a mask in-between.

No, of course that didn't mean he wanted to touch Jiang Ran's lips.

But if he kissed her without the mask, she'd definitely see his face... maybe they could kiss with their eyes closed?

...He felt like he should first think about what opportunities he might have to kiss Jiang Ran.

That is, none.

This conclusion made Feng Jing somewhat irritable. He padded into Jiang Ran's bedroom where she was still awake, snuggled up in bed applying a mask and tapping on the keyboard.

Seeing her in this moment, all the restless knots and tangled emotions in his heart gradually melted, to be replaced by some magic that could make one addicted.

"Woof."

He sat at the bedside and barked, and Jiang Ran turned her head to look at him. "What's up, dog?" she asked casually.

"Woof." He lay on the ground, looking up at her.

Those round, glistening eyes broke down all of Jiang Ran's walls. She put down the laptop in her arms and told her adorable dog, "Er Huang, come on up."

Feng Jing happily jumped up. Jiang Ran hugged him happily, let him lick her, and then put the laptop on his back.

Feng Jing: "...."

What was this???

"Ah, it's so much easier to type now."

Feng Jing: "..."

"Woof!"

He displayed his discontent loudly, but Jiang Ran just patted his b.u.t.t and told him, "Er Huang, lie still."

Feng Jing: "........."

She slapped his a.s.s! Again!

Somehow, the dog blushed.

Jiang Ran had been tapping on the computer for quite some time now. Feng Jing was shy for a moment, but eventually curiously twisted his head toward the screen.

Zhao Wei: Have you bought your tickets?

Jiang Ran: I did! I'm leaving on Friday after attending the cla.s.s reunion.

What? She was leaving? Feng Jing finally couldn't help but bark again.

The computer on his back almost slid off. Jiang Ran rushed to save her laptop while Feng Jing continued barking.

"Alright, fine, you don't have to be my lap table," she said helplessly. Putting her shoes back on, she moved the computer to her desk. Feng Jing followed, crouching next to her.

Zhao Wei: Ugh, I'm jealous of you, getting to see that handsome guy!

Jiang Ran: [Life is not love.jpg]

Zhao Wei: Where will you be going out to eat?

Jiang Ran: Tian Xia Restaurant, ugh, so expensive.

Jiang Ran: Hold on, my face mask is done.

She got up and went to the bathroom. When she emerged, she saw her dog looking at her with a peculiar sort of resentment.

Jiang Ran: "..."

Night-time Er Huang really was particularly emotional.

She smeared cream on herself and turned off the bedroom light: "Er Huang, bedtime."

"Woof." Feng Jing was barked unhappily and jumped to his window.

Was she really going to j.a.pan to play with old cla.s.smates? How long would she be gone? What about him/the dog?

A series of questions lingered in Feng Jing's mind, rendering him completely unable to sleep that night. The next morning, he was awakened by Qin Fan's call.

It was quite a shock to get a call from Qin Fan after such a long vacation. Feng Jing sat up, scratching his bed-head, and answered the phone. "Supervisor Qin, how nice of you to call."

"Sounds like you've rested so long you've even forgotten your own agent."

"Who'd forget you, old man, did you come talk to me about work?"

"More or less. Get up and come to the company, I asked Mi Xi Er to pick you up."

"Got it."

Hanging up the phone, Feng Jing heaved a sigh and went to wash up.

Mi Xi Er came quite quickly, a lovingly-made breakfast in tow. Feng Jing ate slowly, apparently not at all worried about his boss waiting for him at the office.

Well, although he wasn't in a hurry, Mi Xi Er was. Wouldn't he be the one suffering for making that busy Supervisor Qin wait so long?

"Feng Jing, Supervisor Qin's waiting for us, please eat a little faster," he urged.

Feng Jing swallowed his mouthful of porridge leisurely and picked up a dumpling. "One shouldn't eat too fast. It causes indigestion."

Mi Xi Er.: "............"

This person was obviously being slow on purpose!

After Feng Jing finally finished breakfast, Mi Xi Er eagerly dragged him out the door.

"Hold on." Feng Jing pulled a mask from the drawer and handed one to Mi Xi Er, "Put this on too."

"..." Mi Xi Er looked at the black mask in his hand unwillingly. "What on earth for?"

"You're often with me, so some fans may recognize you. A little insurance is for the best."

Mi Xi Er.: "..........."

He put on his mask in silence and took the elevator downstairs with Feng Jing. Other residents met them halfway, and when the door opened to show two masked men standing inside, they hesitated and decided to wait for the next one.

Mi Xi Er.: "........."

He felt like if they walked past the door of a kindergarten, they might even be arrested by the police.

Once in the car, Feng Jing sat in the back seat and asked Mi Xi Er, "Do you know why Qin Fan summoned me today?"

Mi Xi Er shook his head honestly. "Supervisor Qin didn't tell me."

Feng Jing looked over. The glint in his eyes was as sharp as a needle. "You didn't tell him about my move?"

"I would never!" Mi Xi Er exclaimed, almost too scared to keep hold of the steering wheel, "I a.s.sure you from the bottom of my heart!"

Feng Jing: ".........."

Don't make him sound so evil.

"I'll raise your salary next month."

"Thank you, Mr. Feng." Honestly, he'd rather not receive this kind of raise if it meant his charge would be a little less headstrong instead.

Arriving at TianQin Entertainment, Feng Jing finally removed the mask and hat from his face, leaving only a pair of sungla.s.ses. Along the way they encountered plenty of colleagues from different companies. Some of the little stars who had just entered screamed a little upon seeing him.

"You know the company's rules! Don't bother other artists, and don't try to get autographs," reminded their manager.

The little stars responded honestly, "Yes, Miss Wu."

By the time they reached the level Qin Fan's office was on, it was a lot less crowded. Mi Xi Er stayed outside while Feng Jing entered the office alone.

Hearing a knock on the door, Supervisor Qin called, "Come in." Feng Jing pushed open the door, took off his sungla.s.ses and sat down across the table, "What do you need, Supervisor Qin?"

Qin Fan looked up from his files. Glancing at his watch, he smiled, "You certainly took your time."

With a completely straight face, Feng Jing replied, "There were some traffic jams along the way."

Qin Fan smiled slightly, taking out a doc.u.ment and placing it in front of his actor. "Bunny's Serenade series had an excellent response after its launch. The endors.e.m.e.nt lipstick was a very satisfactory trial, so they're now officially inviting you to be the spokesperson for their full line of products."

Leafing through the contract, Feng Jing asked, "What do you mean?"

"It's not easy for a luxury brand to find a suitable spokesperson. You complement Bunny's style well, and it's a very win-win cooperation between you both. Bunny has always been very generous, and their conditions are excellent. Take a look - if you have no objections, we're ready to sign the contract."

Feng Jing wasn't too fond of Qin Fan as a person, but he had a great deal of respect for his work. He leafed through the contract and told him, "I have no issues with it."

"Fantastic." Qin Fan laced his fingers together and looked over the table. "The product line and the spokesperson are bound together. Whatever happens to one will affect the other. In particular, the artist has an enormous influence on the brand's image. After signing this contract you need to pay more attention to your words and actions. Nothing negative can be heard about you."

Feng Jing looked at the line on the contract that said; 'shall not undermine their own image, causing widespread negative public opinion,' and raised his eyebrows a little. "What about a love affair?"

Qin Fan's thoughts were in a whirl, but on the outside he remained calm. "That doesn't count as negative. What we're talking about here is a bad reputation. Smoking, for instance. Picking quarrels, provoking others."

"Then I've nothing to hide."

Qin Fan's fingertips tapped lightly on the desk. It seemed as though he could see right through him.

Even Feng Jing, who was used to being under scrutiny, felt uncomfortable. "What's wrong?"

Qin Fan's tapping paused and he smiled. "Haven't you moved recently?"

---------------------------------------------------

Crystal: Remember the tendency of Western romance novelists to write a book in a series about every side character? (In the immortal words of this one Goodreads review, "Luckily, he has what every hot, s.e.xy male protagonist should have... hot, s.e.xy brothers.") Well, this Crystal occasionally wishes for a spin-off novel about Qin Fan. xD

In other news, this is the last chapter that I edited for Midnight Cinderella! If you would like to pick up the translation, please do so! Otherwise I'll put it on my list for sometime in the future. :)