Superstars of Tomorrow

Nanfeng, who felt he had quite a bit of work experience, started to get nervous.

He did more research on Fang Zhao, but the information he gathered was all superficial, stuff that he had already known. As for insider information, Yan Biao wouldn’t reveal too much about Fang Zhao before Nanfeng was officially hired as an assistant.

He could ask friends to uncover unreported tidbits through other means, but if he did that, he could kiss his job goodbye.

For now, all Nanfeng could do was extrapolate from the info he gathered online.

When Yan Biao and Zuo Yu got up the next morning, they saw Nanfeng using a device they had never seen before to conceal his puffy eyes.

"Captain, the more I think about the gig, the more nervous I get," Nanfeng said.

"You’re not mentally tough enough. You’re regressing." Yan Biao started to wonder whether Nanfeng would be able to grip his gun properly during an emergency.

"Oi, I was affected by what you said. You said that the boss is different from other celebrities, so my prior experience is irrelevant. Now I feel like I don’t even know what to say. Captain, what do you suggest? What should I say when I see the boss this afternoon?" Nanfeng asked.

"Just call it as it is. Don’t embellish and don’t be too humble. Boss doesn’t buy that crap," Yan Biao said.

"Understood!"

"In any case, behave yourself!"

Nanfeng nodded vigorously. "Rest assured, Captain! I will be on my best behavior. After all, I have plenty of experience working in Huangzhou. I want to let the boss know that I know the rules of the entertainment industry, that I can start the job right away and deal with any challenges that come my way!"

Fang Zhao arrived at 3 p.m. on the dot. When he entered, he noticed the floor was sparkling clean and the apartment was very tidy. There was not a speck to be found on the windows.

In anticipation of their boss’s scrutiny, Zuo Yu and Yan Biao had cleaned their apartment meticulously, personally attending to nooks and crannies that might otherwise have been easily missed.

"How do you do? I’m Nanfeng, as in southern wind." Nanfeng tried hard to smile naturally, but he was so nervous that it came off as awkward.

Fang Zhao gestured to a neighboring chair. "Don’t be nervous."

Nanfeng’s teeth were clattering as he said, "I’m n-not nervous!"

Yan Biao resisted the temptation to slap Nanfeng in the face. He briefed Fang Zhao on Nanfeng’s personal history. When he got to the part about Nanfeng’s new prosthetic eye, he glared at his former teammate.

At this point, Nanfeng recovered his senses. His quick thinking was back and his attention sharp. He explained to Fang Zhao how he had earned the money for his new eye.

Ten million was not a small sum for the average Joe. Most people couldn’t earn that amount in a lifetime. Fang Zhao had to be wondering how someone with as little job stability as Nanfeng had been able to get his hands on so much cash. And why did this guy want to become his assistant? Would he be a dedicated employee?

Take Yan Biao and Zuo Yu, for example. They might not be able to earn 10 million after 10 years in the bodyguard business unless some major events happened and they were awarded bonuses.

So on this matter, Nanfeng had to thoroughly explain himself to Fang Zhao.

Nanfeng took a few sips of water, paused, and said, "I didn’t make a lot of money my first two years in Huangzhou, just enough to cover my expenses. During my military service, I had been quite out of touch. I hadn’t had much work experience before joining the military. When I left the military, it took me some time to adjust, to learn how to handle my affairs and personal relationships. Things started improving after I got to know my surroundings and built up a personal network. I invested in a low-budget TV series made by a few university students. The year before last, the returns were quite good. I earned nearly 5 million that year between my dividends and the return on the investment."

When he had seen his income statement, Nanfeng had felt like he was on Cloud Nine, but soon, he’d realized that Huangzhou was home to many high-income individuals. Small potatoes like him barely caused a ripple.

Now, Nanfeng had stopped investing in TV productions for a couple of reasons: firstly, he had run out of cash, and secondly, his previous collaborators had made it to the big leagues and were now backed by major corporations. He was fortunate enough to have come across that one investment opportunity. He wouldn’t always be so lucky. There were plenty of smart investors in Huangzhou. He was a nobody.

"So you don’t have to worry about the source of the cash. I didn’t earn money through illegal means."

Huangzhou was full of opportunities, but one would have to work hard. Whether or not someone could strike it rich depended on their talent. It hadn’t been easy for Nanfeng these past few years. He had been so busy that he’d felt like a constantly spinning top. He’d wished he had multiple brains that could function concurrently. There were no free lunches. Life was a constant learning experience.

But now Nanfeng had his future mapped out.

Many folks said that if you were to identify the entertainment industry with a color, it would be gold mixed with black. Money came quickly, but it was also easy to make enemies. But Nanfeng liked the industry. He could get used to things.

felt that being Fang Zhao’s assistant was a decent position. Fang Zhao wasn’t short on cash, so he didn’t have to venture into illegal dealings. Also, word was that Fang Zhao was connected in the military. Connections were a good thing, a form of protection. Not to mention that one of Fang Zhao’s bodyguards was Nanfeng’s former captain, an old friend. The salary that Fang Zhao could offer certainly would pale in comparison to his investment returns, but it would be high by industry standards.

The bottom line was that this was Nanfeng’s best job prospect right now.

After he had accumulated enough experience as an assistant, Nanfeng was confident that he could become a talent agent, build his own team, and produce a few superstars. It would be the pinnacle of his life!

The only thing that worried Nanfeng was Fang Zhao’s positioning in the industry. From what he could see, Fang Zhao was more of the artsy variety. This was an area that Nanfeng was less familiar with.

Nonetheless...

Nanfeng went for the hard sell. "I will do my best as an assistant so you can focus on your studies and composition and have time to rest, Boss. I will take care of Boss’s daily chores, walk the dog, and feed the ’rabbit.’ I will plan your trips in advance and even double as a bodyguard."

Zuo Yu and Yan Biao stared him down immediately.

Double as a bodyguard? What do you think we are, window dressing? Why would we need an assistant to double as a bodyguard?

What a f*cking calculating fella this Nanfeng is! Zuo Yu thought to himself.

After Nanfeng finished his spiel, he looked at Fang Zhao expectantly. "Why don’t I start on a probationary basis? You can decide whether or not to keep me after my probation."

Fang Zhao stared at Nanfeng for a few seconds and nodded. "One month’s probation. I’ll send you a contract when I get home."

"Wow! Yes, Boss!" Nanfeng worked hard to contain his emotions. He wanted to show that he was a steady hand.

"Is there anything Boss wants to eat? I’ll order the ingredients." Nanfeng wanted to show off his cooking skills to his new boss and two colleagues and make a good impression. He wanted to prove he wasn’t lying.

"That won’t be necessary. I’m heading back to campus. Yan Biao is a former comrade. Why don’t you stay and catch up with him? You can come by campus tomorrow to sign your contract," Fang Zhao said as he got up.

"No, no, no. Boss, let me head back to campus with you so I can familiarize myself with the route," Nanfeng said while getting up himself.

Are you kidding me? He could catch up with his comrade later. He had just been hired as an assistant, on a probationary basis no less. He had to seize the chance to impress his boss.

"Boss, where’s your car? I’ll pick it up," Nanfeng asked.

"I didn’t drive. I walked from HuangArt," Fang Zhao said.

"Then should I call a car?" Nanfeng asked.

"I’m going to walk back."

"Great idea! It’s good exercise. Boss, let me walk back with you."

Zuo Yu and Yan Biao silently observed Nanfeng’s shameless sycophancy, which got them thinking that they weren’t doing their best.

The two bodyguards also wanted to walk Fang Zhao back to HuangArt, but Fang Zhao told them to stay put.

After leaving the apartment, Fang Zhao took the elevator to the first floor instead of using the bridges that connected the apartment blocks.

He was wearing a hoodie, which was common apparel in this neighborhood. Add to that a baseball cap and unless someone stood right in front of Fang Zhao and stared, they wouldn’t be able to recognize him. Plus, Fang Zhao wasn’t as popular in Huangzhou as he was in Yanzhou. Fewer people would go out of their way to identify him.

Huangzhou also had its share of high rises. The apartment block where Zuo Yu and Yan Biao lived was home to a lot of students and workers from other continents, but the rent varied significantly within the same building. The lower the floor, the cheaper the rent. The brighter the unit, the more expensive the rent became.

Huangcheng, the capital of Huangzhou, was also known as Phoenix. This had been a forgotten wasteland during the Old Era. It had also been an important battlefield during the Period of Destruction, but in the New Era, it was the world’s leading metropolis, far more prosperous than Qi’an.

The buildings were towering and the streets separating them weren’t that wide, but it wasn’t dark at street level because the streets were properly lit.

The gaps between the skyscrapers were lit up in an artistic fashion. Even the lighting layout in the lower floors was aesthetically pleasing.

Nanfeng noticed that Fang Zhao was quite interested in the lighting, so he shared some stories he had heard.

"This is probably a typical black street in Huangcheng, but unlike black streets in other cities, they aren’t poorly lit and are much safer. Strictly speaking, there are no black streets in Huangcheng. The lighting here was designed by a world-famous artist. Quite a few artists who studied in Huangzhou rented places in this neighborhood. Do you see the trash can over there? The painting on it was done by an artist before he became famous. Eventually, it was preserved and locked up."

While Nanfeng was telling Fang Zhao stories, a nondescript TV broadcast van was parked the next block over.

Inside, a middle-aged man was pointing at an online map and whispering.

"The office workers haven’t left work yet and the homebodies aren’t out either. The streets are quite empty. The timing is perfect, just the right number of people. There are two young men the next block over. Walk past them, make this turn, and you’ll see someone smoking by a garbage can. Then head this way and you’ll see a couple in the corner, then..."

There were two people next to the man barking instructions. One was a pretty, sweet-looking young blonde in a red dress, and the other a big chiseled fella whose arms and neck were covered with menacing tattoos. He had "Don’t mess with me" written all over him. The duo paid close attention to the instructions.

"Remember your route. This time, you’ll be passing nine people. See if any of the nine are willing to intervene."

The trio was working for a live TV show that exposed shortcomings in human nature. Today they wanted to show online audiences how few people were willing to stick their necks out when they ran into other folks in distress in daily life.

The middle-aged man was the host. He relied on his quick wit rather than good looks. He knew how to come up with gimmicks that attracted viewers.

The two folks standing in front of the host were both acting graduates from HuangArt. They weren’t well known, but both were competent actors. HuangArt graduates were all works of art, as they say. The two were solid actors. The host had paid them handsomely to be part of his show.

"Got it?" the host asked.

"Got it!" the duo responded.

The host took one final look at the two actors and wasn’t satisfied. He summoned his makeup artist. "Add some finishing touches! Prop master, where’s our knife? Is the knife ready?"

"Yes, yes!" The prop master dashed over to hand a "bloodied" knife to the big fella.

The makeup artist added a few fake wounds to the blonde in red and drew a few fierce-looking wrinkles on the big fella’s face.

"Are our cameras ready?"

The cinematographer signaled OK. He had deployed a fleet of miniature drones.

After making sure that everyone was ready, the host went live. He kicked off with a sensational introduction before cueing the action.

"We’re all set. Let’s see whether folks stay put or intervene when they run into a robbery."

"We have no idea who we’ll run into or what their backgrounds will be. This is reality TV. Out of respect for the pedestrians, their faces will be obscured."

"OK, our actors can start!"

The host gestured to the two actors, who instantly shifted into character.

The blonde in red roughed up her hair and her sweet smile was replaced with one of anger, sadness, and desperation.

The big fella lost his kindly face and replaced it with a vicious look. Coupled with his giant build, tattoos, and thug haircut, no one would mistake him for the good guy.

Carrying the "bloodied" knife, the big fella got off to a head start while the lady in red, who was trailing behind, screamed at the top of her lungs, "Robbery!"

The cameras clearly captured the surroundings of the two actors. The audience was clueless as to where the location was. There were also many viewers tuning in from outside of Huangzhou. Curious viewers from around the world were turning to their screens in earnest while munching on snacks.

Two silhouettes could be spotted on the route the big fella and the blonde in red were taking. Even from a distance, they seemed young.

The first person, who was wearing a cap, appeared calm when he saw the two actors pass by, while the other, a shorter man, looked on earnestly, eyes sparkling.

This doesn’t smell right! The tattooed big fella and the blonde in red hesitated briefly, but they kept running.

Meanwhile, Nanfeng was ecstatic.

The cry of "robbery" had jolted him to his senses. Now that he saw two people run by, he started flexing his limbs.

Here it was! The opportunity to prove his worth!

Nanfeng took a giant step in front of Fang Zhao and said, "Boss, rest easy and allow me!"

The way Nanfeng saw it, anyone who served at the side of a strong fighter like Fang Zhao, even if they were a lowly assistant, had to be able to fight!