Dressed As a Cannon Fodder For the Rich and Powerful

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The first mango-goldfish snack Qi Xiaoyu had tasted was made by his senior sister.

One time, he had a fight with his fellow apprentices and was punished by his master for two hours of horse stance1 without asking for a reason. He was so aggrieved that he hid in his room and cried.

Later on, Senior Sister came to his door with a plate of mango goldfish to coax him. “Come out, Xiao Yu, and see what delicious food I made for you.”

Qi Xiaoyu didn’t respond.

Senior Sister raised her voice and said in a provocative way, “The mango in this snack was brought back from Guangzhou by Si Nian. If you don’t eat it, I will give it to Si Nian.”

Zhou Sinian is a young man from a wealthy family. He has been obsessed with his senior sister for several years. He comes to cheer her up every day and sends flashy gadgets every now and then, showing his unswerving affection.

Qi Xiaoyu didn’t like him. He felt that this kind of sweet-talking young master was unreliable, but his senior sister was so smitten that she lost her soul.

When Qi Xiaoyu heard that his senior sister was going to give the snacks made for him to that bastard Zhou Sinian, he immediately wiped away his tears and ran out to open the door, snatched the plate, and ate them all in one bite.

The mango goldfish made by his senior sister is so delicious. The glutinous rice on the outside is chewy, and the mango in the middle is sweet and soft. One bite can make people forget all their grievances and worries.

While recalling the taste of his senior sister’s cooking, Qi Xiaoyu removed the core of the mango, cut it into two halves, wrapped the mango with dough made from glutinous rice flour, and carefully squeezed out an expanded goldfish tail.

Regardless of whether Xun Qian came to him on purpose or accidentally, he was very grateful to Xun Qian for showing up at that time and place.

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After making the mango goldfish and putting it in the steamer, Qi Xiaoyu poured a cup of fresh milk and added some chocolate rings, corn flakes, and dried strawberries to it.

Then he cut two more plates of fruit, one for himself and one for Xun Qian.

After steaming for ten minutes, he put the three portions of food on the plates and went upstairs to Xun Qian’s room.

Xun Qian was already up. Instead of sitting in front of the window and smoking as usual, he was draped in a black gold velvet nightgown, dealing with official business at his desk.

He heard the knock on the door and said “Come in”, without lifting his eyes off the screen.

When Qi Xiaoyu opened the door with a plate, he just raised his eyelids from behind his gold-rimmed glasses and took a casual look, his attention still remaining on the small laptop screen.

Qi Xiaoyu was not annoyed either. He put the breakfast on the desk with a slight smile. his hand propped up on the edge of the desk, and without mentioning anything else, he only laughed and said, “Thank you, Third Master, for letting me ride your car home last night.”

Xun Qian then raised his chin from the computer and looked at Qi Xiaoyu with no expression. “It’s along the way.”

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“Yes.” Qi Xiaoyu nodded, as if confirming Xun Qian’s statement, “I just want to thank Third Master for stopping by and saving me the time of taking a taxi. So I would like to treat Third Master to breakfast. If you are willing to do me this favor.”

Qi Xiaoyu stood across from him with a smile, not as well-behaved as usual, but with a kind of playful feeling.

Xun Qian glanced at the snacks on the white porcelain plate. Two small goldfish-shaped things were lying on the plate. Their round scales were neat and uniform, as if carved by an artist’s knife. There were also two small eyes on the head. The stomach is bulging, and you can’t tell what’s inside.

Xun Qian sneered, “What is this? Are you trying to coax a child?”

Qi Xiaoyu lowered his head, pursed his lips, and smiled. He used to think that such a mean Xun Qian was really annoying.

But after last night, he not only sees Xun Qian as just a creditor, but a friend. Although he still finds Xun Qian difficult to get along with, he can still tolerate it.

“Try it first.”

The snacks made by Qi Xiaoyu are different from the mango goldfish used to coax children. They are not just made of mangoes in the shape of goldfish.

It is wrapped with fresh and sweet mango, a layer of cooked glutinous rice flour on the outside, and a layer of delicate and silky cream in the middle.

Take one bite, and as soon as you bite through the outermost layer of skin, the cream and mango melt on your tongue at the same time.

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Sweet, fragrant, smooth, and not greasy.

After eating, there’s still a sweet aftertaste of mango on the lips.

Eating Qi Xiaoyu’s cooking is just like listening to the ditty he sings. It’s a kind of enjoyment that relaxes the mind and relieves worries.

Xun Qian narrowed his eyes slightly.

Qi Xiaoyu pushed the milk over at the right time and said, “I wish Third Master a happy meal.”

After that, he turned around and left without saying any more words.

*****

Qi Xiaoyu happened to meet Butler Cheng when he came out of Xun Qian’s bedroom.

Butler Cheng looked at the empty plate in his hand, and his eyes lit up. “Did you make breakfast for Third Master this morning?”

“Yes.”

Butler Cheng had a pleased expression on his face. “That’s right. Third Master cares about you very much.”

While talking, he couldn’t help but nod his head, like an elder who saw his child finally becoming sensible.

Qi Xiaoyu followed the good advice and said, “Thank you, Uncle Cheng, for reminding me. Xiaoyu will always remember the Third Master’s help these days.”

Butler Cheng nodded again with satisfaction, and it wasn’t until Qi Xiaoyu walked away that he pondered over the meaning of these words.

He looked back at Qi Xiaoyu’s back a few times, but he still felt uncomfortable. Even though he couldn’t pick a fault, he still felt uncomfortable.

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****

After lunch, it was only three o’clock in the afternoon, and the three-person group that Yu Xiaosheng pulled last time was buzzing with activity.

Ren Fei urged the other two people to move faster: “It’s difficult to queue up for that hot pot restaurant. Brother Yu, have you made a reservation? Should we go there early? I checked, and it seems that the number will be voided, so don’t queue up for nothing.”

Yu Xiaosheng smiled and scolded Ren Fei for being a loser who only thinks about eating, but he still @Qi Xiaoyu, “It’s better to come out early. Let’s talk about the next work arrangements.”

So Qi Xiaoyu simply tidied up and went out at 3:30.

As soon as he came downstairs, Butler Cheng chased after him and said, “Xiaoyu, wait a minute.”

Then, Butler Cheng handed over a brown, old-fashioned wallet, saying, “Inside is the key to the Lexus car. The car is parked in the garage. It has already been cleaned by someone this morning…”

Halfway through, he changed to a more relaxed tone and said, “Third Master has many cars, and he doesn’t usually use them. You can use it as you like when you drive out.”

Qi Xiaoyu took it and smiled slightly. “Thank you, Uncle Cheng, and please thank the Third Master for me. I will use it with care and not get it scratched or stained.”

Butler Cheng pursed his lips and blinked at Qi Xiaoyu’s excessive politeness. In fact, this car was the worst and cheapest one in the entire garage. Xun Qian never used it himself, and sometimes the servants would drive it when they had urgent matters. He didn’t know what Xun Qian was thinking. If he was going to give someone a car, why give him the cheapest one?

Isn’t that Porsche 930 Turbo a good gift for your wife?

Butler Cheng smiled uneasily and said, “It’s fine, it’s fine; there’s no need to be so nervous; feel free to use it as you like.”

Unlike Butler Cheng’s embarrassment, Qi Xiaoyu was in a very good mood after receiving the car.

First, the Lexus was quite worthy of his current worth. If he drove a car that was too good, he would probably scare Yu Xiaosheng and Ren Fei first, thinking that he’d done something illegal.

Second, the Xun family lives in a remote area. It’s really inconvenient not to have a car.

Although Xun Qian had many cars, he was too embarrassed to ask for a car directly. After all, no matter how much they cost, they were still Xun Qian’s property, and his skills were average, so it would be hard to explain if he damaged them by driving them himself.

However, modern automatic cars are much more convenient to operate than old-fashioned cars. In addition, although Lexus ranks lowest in Xun Qian’s garage, its performance is also very good. Even before Qi Xiaoyu drove out on the road, it was already very smooth.

*****

Because he had a car, it was not yet five o’clock when Qi Xiaoyu rushed to the agreed-upon place.

Seeing that it was still early, he spent some time in the parking lot in order to position the car more squarely in the parking space.

Although cars were very common in this era, in his time, cars were a rare and fashionable thing.

In fact, not long after he came here, he had been thinking about when he could buy a beautiful car, just like he was thinking about when he could buy a villa.

In his plan, at his current rate of making money, it would take at least more than a year. Unexpectedly, Xun Qian lent him one first.

Although the car was only for him to drive temporarily and would have to be returned in the future, Qi Xiaoyu still mustered up his enthusiasm to treat it well.

So he struggled until about 5 o’clock, reversing into the garage back and forth a dozen times. He got out of the car and carefully looked at the front, rear, left, and right widths, and then he went upstairs to the restaurant to find Yu Xiaosheng and the others with satisfaction.

There was already a long line at the door of the restaurant.

Qi Xiaoyu didn’t wear a mask. When he entered, he was stopped by several young girls, who asked him if he was Qi Xiaoyu and asked for a photo with him.

Qi Xiaoyu was stunned for a moment and then immediately revealed a standard smile. He patiently took photos with several girls, said thank you for the support, and then hurriedly entered the box reserved by Yu Xiaosheng.

In fact, he didn’t even wear a mask when he went out before because not many people out there recognized him.

His previous appearance on “Let’s Debut, Trainees” didn’t have a wide audience and was watched mostly by girls in the idol fandoms.

The few waves that were created were limited to Weibo and didn’t go deep offline. After all, those online and those in real life were like two groups of people in parallel worlds. Even when Yu Xiaosheng scolded him, he said he only had a few hundred active followers.

Therefore, when Qi Xiaoyu entered the box, the first thing he did was to ask Yu Xiaosheng, as a joke, “Brother Yu, did you hire some fans for me outside? Just now, a few girls asked me to take pictures.”

Yu Xiaosheng laughed loudly. “The company is so poor, and Lao Ding is so stingy. We can’t even afford to hire water armies.” He scooped a spoonful of soup and put it on the sauce plate. “You, in the future, should go online more often and pay more attention to what you are doing.”

Ren Fei looked at Qi Xiaoyu with envy and said, “The commercial you took two days ago came out.”

While flipping out his mobile phone and opening several apps for him to see, he said, “The brand bought the opening screens of five popular apps in one go, plus three advertising slots on Weibo. As long as you surf the internet, no matter if you listen to a song or watch a video, you will be able to see your face. Do you think it’s possible not to avoid being recognized?”

Yu Xiaosheng, “Besides, you looked very handsome in that film. Even I liked it after watching it.”

Qi Xiaoyu put the fished-out vegetables in a cup of hot water and rinsed off the spicy oil. “The film was just finished shooting, and it came out so soon?”

Ren Fei: “If a brand has money, anything is possible. There’s no problem shooting in the morning and releasing it in the afternoon.”

Yu Xiaosheng, “I’ve asked about this before. They want to launch this new package of milk before the winter vacation to boost sales during the spring festival. They have invested resources to buy the location long ago, and they are working overtime to get the first half of the finished film rushed out.”

He looked at Qi Xiaoyu with an indescribable feeling and said, “Xiaoyu, you are so lucky.”

While putting down the chopsticks, he opened his cell phone and found out a chat record to show him, “The big IP script given by Zheng Zhengyi didn’t have many good roles left, but in the past two days, there happened to be a third male lead who had a clashed schedule and couldn’t be cast. I took a look into it. The third male lead role in this drama is quite good, with a few scenes and an outstanding performance. And it only took a little over ten days to shoot.

After filming this, you can just go to record a variety show, that travel show. I went to talk to the director yesterday. The post-production is very reliable. They recorded and broadcast at the same time, which just happened to catch up with the popularity of that commercial. There’s also……”

When Yu Xiaosheng said this, he showed an even more surprised expression: “Kang Qitao called me today and said that there’s an OST for a new movie that he wants you to audition for. He thought that your singing in the last competition was very suitable. It feels like a movie. Tsk tsk tsk, Kang Qitao even took the initiative to call you. What kind of luck have you had lately?

There are also a couple of smaller events, so I’ll see if I can get you in if you have time, but if not, forget it.”

When Ren Fei heard this, he added a little bitterly, “Xiaoyu, your resources have really taken off now.”

He and Qi Xiaoyu debuted on the same program and were eliminated together. However, in less than a month, Qi Xiaoyu has made a lot more progress than him. According to this trend, it won’t take long for there to be unknown differences between him and Qi Xiaoyu.

Upon hearing this, Qi Xiaoyu was keenly aware of Ren Fei’s emotions. He looked at Yu Xiaosheng with a smile and said, “Brother Yu, thank you for helping me arrange my work so well… Recently, I have seen quite a lot of resources, and I may not be able to follow all of them. You look at what’s suitable for Ren Fei and recommend a few for him to try as well. If we can film programs together, we can also take care of each other.”

Qi Xiaoyu isn’t a person who dines alone2Not share profits with others.. He also needs the support of his brothers in the opera troupe to become successful. Moreover, the entertainment industry is big, and fighting alone is actually quite laborious.

As long as Ren Fei remembers his goodness in the future, he doesn’t mind sharing it with his friends when there are benefits.

Ren Fei’s eyes lit up, and he poured a full cup of sour plum juice into Qi Xiaoyu’s cup. “Really? Xiaoyu, you want to take me with you?”

Yu Xiaosheng glanced at Qi Xiaoyu discreetly. He actually had this idea for a long time and wanted to pull in some resources to lead other people in the company. Otherwise, he would not have invited Ren Fei to this meal. Ren Fei has the best foundation among the few remaining artists in Star Entertainment.

But at present, all the resources are directed at Qi Xiaoyu. If Qi Xiaoyu doesn’t speak up, he is too embarrassed to think about it.

Now that Qi Xiaoyu had said it, he immediately felt relieved. The current situation in the industry is that there are too many monks and too little gruel3Too many people, but too few resources.. Some celebrities would rather sit out and be scolded than share the good resources they have. He really didn’t expect that Qi Xiaoyu would be willing to bring people in the same company with him as soon as his popularity exploded.

He then picked up a bullfrog leg and put it into Qi Xiaoyu’s bowl. “Come on, Xiaoyu, you awesome little guy. Let’s have a toast. I wish you both would become more and more popular and have more resources.”

The author has something to say:

Xun Qian: I have a beautiful car and a beautiful house.

12Not share profits with others.3Too many people, but too few resources.