After Transmigrated as a Black-Hearted Entertainment Boss [Transmigration] - Chapter 10

Until he clocked out at five and drove to the market, Tao Zui couldn’t wrap his head around the situation, let alone figure out how to tell Gu Nan.

Losing face was a small matter; but with the role of “Bone” flying away, Tao Zui felt a gnawing unease that the plot was veering off course. He felt a flicker of genuine panic.

If Gu Nan missed out on this role, would it cause a permanent deviation in his life?

But he couldn’t keep it a secret. Moreover, he had urged Zhang Ling to send the list of essentials to Gu Nan that morning and had promised to take him shopping after work…

“Ahem,” Tao Zui cleared his throat, eyes fixed on the traffic. “After the audition yesterday, Director Jiang was indeed very satisfied with you, but…”

Before he could finish, Gu Nan interrupted him. “I understand.”

“You understand?” Tao Zui glanced at him. “I haven’t said anything yet, and you already understand?”

Gu Nan stared ahead. “Yesterday, Director Jiang said he’d contact you by the morning at the latest, but you haven’t heard anything.”

Tao Zui: “…Maybe I just forgot?”

Gu Nan: “Did you?”

Tao Zui took a deep breath. “No.”

The car fell into silence. Tao Zui looked at Gu Nan’s expressionless profile, grit his teeth, and finally spoke in a halting voice, “I don’t know the specifics yet, but it definitely wasn’t about you… It’s fine. If it’s not this time, it’ll be the next. This is just how society works; many things don’t succeed just because of hard work and talent…”

Tao Zui’s voice grew quieter. He felt an inexplicable ache—for his own words, for the cruel reality—and Gu Nan’s response only deepened that feeling.

“I know.” Gu Nan’s voice was incredibly calm—so calm that it masked the desolation of his past. If Tao Zui hadn’t read the original novel, he wouldn’t have sensed the weight contained in those two simple words.

Gu Nan was not a child who had been loved by his parents.

His father was a professional gambler; when he won, the house was harmonious, and they lived well for a few days. When he lost, he demanded money; if he didn’t get it, he beat his wife and son. His mother was a nurse who worked night shifts year-round to make money; exhausted, she was equally indifferent to Gu Nan.

As a young boy, Gu Nan didn’t understand why his parents didn’t like him. He had once tried hard to earn their love.

He learned to do housework at a young age; if he did it well, he received no praise, but if he did it poorly, he was beaten. He studied hard and won scholarships, only for them to become his father’s gambling funds—his mother even helped his father scavenge for them to protect her own salary.

Just as Gu Nan gave up his delusions and aimed to get into university to escape that family, his mother tricked him into the hospital to donate bone marrow. He lay in a hospital bed for five days and missed the Gaokao.

By the time he recovered and was discharged, his mother had taken the money from the marrow donation, quit her job, and vanished. His father had sold the house and disappeared, leaving him penniless and homeless.

In his short nineteen years, Gu Nan had experienced too many instances of hard work going unrewarded; he was almost used to it. What kept him going was never “hope,” but sheer momentum.

If you do it, you might not get a reward. If you don’t do it, you definitely won’t. So, just do it. Out of ten times, you might succeed once; if not, try a hundred or a thousand times. It was better than rotting in the mud—he had seen what people looked like when they rotted, and he didn’t want to become that.

The silence in the car felt like a lump of stagnant air stuck in Tao Zui’s throat. He opened his mouth and closed it again until they reached the wet market, where he suddenly slammed his hand against the horn.

A long, sharp beep startled the bystanders and made Gu Nan look over.

Meeting that questioning gaze, Tao Zui said deeply, “Don’t worry. If ‘Bone’ is gone, then it’s gone. Papa will find you a better one!” With that, he unbuckled his seatbelt, jumped out of the car, and headed into the market with an angry stride.

Gu Nan: “…”

Papa? So that’s how you see yourself?

A moment later, a soft chuckle escaped in the car. The heart that had grown cold from repeated disappointment began to warm up, pumping a warm current through his entire body.

Gu Nan picked up the car keys, unbuckled his seatbelt, and got out. He skillfully pressed the lock button and slowly followed Tao Zui into the market. Before long, he saw the man holding several bags of vegetables, looking back and searching for him.

Upon seeing him, the man’s striking features—which were already drawing looks from others—relaxed. He pointed righteously at the shopping bags by his feet, then turned toward the meat stall.

Gu Nan stepped forward, picked up the bags, and followed Tao Zui into the crowd. No matter how crowded the market was, or how many people blocked his view, he followed that person firmly, like a ship that had finally spotted a lighthouse.

The atmosphere at dinner was somewhat somber. Tao Zui, who usually loved to joke with the younger boys, was lost in thought, burying his head in his food. Seeing him silent, the three younger ones followed suit, though they kept exchanging sneaky, shifty glances.

Su Jiqiu looked back and forth, swallowed the questions he wanted to ask, and ate quietly. Only Gu Nan seemed composed, but since his aura was naturally strong and he spoke little, he didn’t do much to liven the mood.

After eating, Tao Zui pushed his bowl away. “I have something to do; I’m going to my room,” he said before leaving. The remaining four looked at each other until everyone’s eyes settled on Gu Nan.

As usual, Diwu Zou was the first to lose his patience. “Brother Nan, what happened? Weren’t you supposed to sign the contract today? Did it…”

Gu Nan nodded. “Yeah, it fell through.”

“It fell through?!”

“Why?!”

The voices of Su Jiqiu and Zeng Yinuo overlapped, both faces filled with disbelief.

Gu Nan shrugged. He took a bite of his vegetable salad and swallowed before saying, “I’m not sure.”

“But why… wasn’t everything fine yesterday? Young CEO Tao was so happy…” Su Jiqiu murmured with a slumped face, looking even more dejected than Gu Nan.

“Didn’t Papa Tao say the director liked Brother Nan? If he liked him, why change actors?” Diwu Zou was puzzled.

“Could it have been snatched? Remember that fight at the company last year? Wasn’t that over a role?” Zeng Yinuo speculated.

Even though they were “snowbound,” they still went to the company’s dance studios to practice; they were empty anyway.

Su Jiqiu shook his head hesitantly. “Probably not… if someone was going to snatch a role, why snatch the third lead instead of the lead? If it were a big-budget production, maybe, but the director of Day and Night just had a box-office bomb. His reputation isn’t great… Sorry, Brother Nan… I…”

Gu Nan shook his head. “It’s fine; it’s the truth. We don’t know the exact reason, but this is just how the industry is. Hard work doesn’t always pay off… Why are you all looking like that? Do I look like someone who can’t handle a setback?”

The three younger ones shook their heads quickly. Chen Xing, who had been silent, whispered, “It’s the director’s loss not to use Brother Nan.”

Diwu Zou: “Exactly!”

Zeng Yinuo: “Right!”

Looking at his brothers and Su Jiqiu’s nodding face, Gu Nan gave a helpless smile. “Alright, finish up quickly and get to your homework. Do you still want to release a song this summer?”

After signing the copyright contracts, the three younger boys had formed a new group called Infinite and decided to officially debut with a song in the summer. However, the prerequisite was that their grades couldn’t drop—especially Chen Xing, who had his high school entrance exams in June. If he didn’t get into a good high school, the debut would be postponed until after Diwu Zou and Zeng Yinuo finished their Gaokao next year.

Hearing this, the three immediately picked up their bowls. After systematically studying music, they wanted more than anyone to release a song, have the market test their abilities, and gain recognition from an audience.

Seeing the three stuffing themselves like hamsters, Gu Nan chuckled, picked up his and Tao Zui’s bowls, and went into the kitchen. Su Jiqiu watched his back, adjusting his black-rimmed glasses.

Is it my imagination, or does Brother Nan seem to be in a good mood? Even his aura seems a bit softer…

While the boys were discussing the audition results, Tao Zui, back in his room, received a phone call.

“What did you say?” Tao Zui cried out, his face filled with shock.

Zhang Ling didn’t expect such a strong reaction. She paused for two seconds before continuing, “…It’s true, Young CEO Tao. This friend of mine is someone I met while on a film set. The post she shared on social media was indeed about the Day and Night crew. She’s the production coordinator; even if she doesn’t know the exact cash flow, she’s responsible for signing the contracts. Someone investing 20 million is a fact she can’t hide from.”

An investment of 20 million! Tao Zui suppressed the shock in his heart and asked hoarsely, “Do you know who invested?”

Zhang Ling: “An entertainment company called Xincan.”

Tao Zui: “And who is playing the third lead?”

Zhang Ling: “Xincan’s Qin Shuang.”

Qin Shuang! He knew that person!

Tao Zui closed his eyes. “…Alright, I understand. Thank you, Zhang Ling. If there’s any more news, contact me anytime.”

After hanging up, Tao Zui slumped into the bean bag chair at the foot of his bed. His 1.8-meter frame looked small and fragile in his curled-up position.

Qin Shuang. In the original novel, he started in a survival show. Due to the lack of music stages, he pivoted to film and TV. He became a “traffic star” through a second-lead role in an idol drama and was later heavily promoted by a financial backer to enter the film world—happening to clash directly with Gu Nan during his rising phase.

They were of similar age and had similar resumes, and since they entered the film world at the same time, comparisons were inevitable. However, Gu Nan climbed through talent, while Qin Shuang relied on a “sugar daddy.”

In the original novel, Qin Shuang was the first competitor Gu Nan encountered who was completely devoid of principles—malicious and unscrupulous. Almost all of Gu Nan’s early scandals were orchestrated by him. From his dialogue delivery to his education to his looks, Qin Shuang attacked every point with a flood of negative PR. If it hadn’t been for Gu Nan’s new agency being capable, and Gu Nan himself being strong and having no real “black spots,” he would have been buried in the mud forever.

But no matter how disgusting Qin Shuang was, he shouldn’t have appeared this early! His clash with Gu Nan should have happened a year later, after the protagonists terminated their contracts with Taoli and Gu Nan signed with a new company!

According to the original novel, Qin Shuang should be filming that hit idol drama right now!

What on earth is going on?!