Chapter 342
Chapter 342: High-Pressure Assistantship
Translator: Min_Lee Editor: Tennesh
Nanfeng returned to his apartment and shared the good news with several of his closest friends in Huangzhou .
Even though he was envious of Fang Zhao's high income, Nanfeng didn't feel jealous . He figured that Fang Zhao had leveraged his talent into a comfortable living . He couldn't argue with that, and he had his own talents . He was confident that a brighter future was in store .
Yet Nanfeng's good mood was soon shattered . He came across a headline, "Fang Zhao's Assistant in Assault during Live Broadcast . "
Nanfeng's heart leaped immediately .
A further search yielded similar headlines . The headlines were written in the most sensationalist way possible . They all included key phrases like "Fang Zhao's assistant," "Huangcheng black street" and "assault during live broadcast . " They all but screamed, "Come check out the commotion! Fang Zhao's assistant attacked someone in front of an audience in the tens of millions!"
The news reports about Fang Zhao's encounter with the live broadcast crew mostly focused on the matter of his assistant launching an attack . Many readers blurted obscenities as soon as they saw the headlines, but when they clicked the links and read more carefully, they reacted differently . F*ck, we were conned again!
Still, after reading the full story, these internet readers who loved a spectacle kept following the aftermath .
"Serves them right! You have to prepare for the possibility of getting beaten up if you make these kinds of shows . Who knows if you're acting?"
"If I ran into the same situation, I'd throw a punch first too . If it were a genuine assault, then I would be in the right . If it was just acting, I'd be innocent by virtue of not having prior knowledge . I wouldn't be liable for any compensation . "
"Fang Zhao's assistant held back . If I were him, I would have beaten the assailant to a pulp . "
"Oi, cut the bullshit! Not everyone has the courage to step up . Many folks like to mind their own business on black streets . "
"I'm curious if Fang Zhao actually has mob connections . "
"Isn't the main attraction the assistant's eye? After the blurring effect was removed, you could see that one of the assistant's eyes was red! Is he of mixed heritage?"
"What type of mixed race would that be? Even someone of mixed race wouldn't have eyes of a different color . He must have some type of eye disease . "
"A bunch of country bumpkins! Haven't you heard of colored contact lenses? For a while, it was quite the fad to wear just one colored lens . It was a form of street culture . "
"Apart from colored contact lenses, there are also prosthetic eyes that vary in color . "
"It's a shame that the eye only showed up in the footage briefly . "
After reading the comments in several of the more popular discussion forums, Nanfeng felt his career was over . During the time of the attack, Nanfeng had neglected to disable the color variation function of his prosthetic eye, so the color of the eye had adjusted according to his mood and become red .
News of the assault had spread so quickly and on such a large scale . Nanfeng was convinced this wasn't just regular word of mouth . He was positive the TV crew was working behind the scenes .
What could he do about snatching the spotlight away from his boss? What would happen if the story tarnished his boss's reputation?
He had just landed this job and was at risk of losing it before he had warmed his chair .
At a loss, Nanfeng asked Yan Biao for advice .
After getting the full lowdown, Yan Biao was quite calm . "Based on my understanding of Boss from these past two or three years, he's not going to quibble with you over having the limelight stolen, but you did act improperly on this matter . Why don't you apologize to Boss first? He's not that petty . "
One had to give credit where credit was due . Yan Biao had been an attentive employee these past two or three years . He was spot on—Fang Zhao was not about to throw a fit over a drop in publicity .
Fang Zhao knew what was being said online . Silver Wing had also contacted him to get a full briefing . There was no shady business involved and the incident wasn't a big deal in the first place . Silver Wing also knew that the TV crew was trying to generate publicity . The company knew how to respond .
As for his assistant Nanfeng, the way Fang Zhao saw it was that even though Nanfeng was a bit impatient, he had a lively personality and was quite energetic . In key moments, he showed the right balance of intelligence and emotional intelligence . Even though he had his own agenda, Nanfeng had an upright character . If he didn't cause any major problems during his probation, Fang Zhao was going to keep him on as a permanent employee .
He knew that serving as his assistant was only a stepping stone for Nanfeng . Nanfeng was ambitious and had set his sights higher . That was perfectly understandable . Everyone wanted to progress . When the time came for Nanfeng to move on to greener pastures, Fang Zhao wasn't going to get in his way . In fact, if Nanfeng did a good job, Fang Zhao was going to help him along .
So when Nanfeng called to apologize, to admit his mistake and reflect, Fang Zhao didn't say much in the way of a reprimand .
When he realized that Fang Zhao wasn't going to fire him, Nanfeng's mood improved . His boss wasn't a petty person, which meant Nanfeng would have a much easier time serving as an assistant .
The next day, when Nanfeng arrived at Fang Zhao's dorm room, Fang Zhao had just returned from the gym .
"Good morning, Boss!'
Nanfeng had bought breakfast and some ingredients, which he placed in the kitchen . Thus started his first day as an assistant . He had already taken notes on the tasks Fang Zhao had assigned to him .
He had to inspect the "rabbit" in the tank and check how much feed was left in its feeding tube . He also had to check the readings on various indicators and throw in two freshly snipped leaves .
He didn't dare touch the slug . Fang Zhao had cautioned that the "rabbit" was poisonous and wasn't to be touched .
Nanfeng didn't question Fang Zhao's claim . He had a friend who kept a poisonous sea slug at home that couldn't be handled with bare hands . Special gloves were required .
"Boss, I'll walk Curly Hair, then?"
"Go ahead! Did you memorize the route?"
"Yes, yes!" Nanfeng showed Fang Zhao the route he had marked on a map .
"The leash is in the cupboard by the entryway . Curly Hair will fetch it himself . "
Just as Fang Zhao finished his sentence, Nanfeng saw Curly Hair open one of the doors to the cupboard next to the entryway and drag out his leash with his mouth . He closed the door, then trotted toward Fang Zhao .
"What a smart dog! You even know how to open the cupboard yourself and fetch your leash . Boss, you did a great job training him!" Nanfeng wanted to add "This $200 million dog is truly worth its value," but he remembered Yan Biao's advice and held back .
After attaching the leash to Curly Hair, Fang Zhao let Nanfeng take Curly Hair on his regular walk on campus . Even though HuangArt's campus security wasn't top-notch, it was better than taking a walk off campus .
Fang Zhao didn't intend to let Curly Hair hole up in his dorm room for the entire length of his program . The student gym was off-limits to dogs, so Fang Zhao walked Curly Hair within the HuangArt campus, tracing several regular routes and frequenting one of the on-campus parks . Even dogs weren't suited to gaming all day . It was good for them to get a breath of fresh air and experience nature and the local community .
When Nanfeng returned from walking the dog at a lightning pace and extracted himself from thoughts that he had just taken a dog worth 200 million dollars for a stroll, he noticed Fang Zhao signing for a delivery .
Ten gigantic boxes of fresh fruit from Muzhou .
Nanfeng remembered Yan Biao mentioning that Fang Zhao had a stake in a Muzhou farm, guaranteeing him a steady supply of fresh produce . Fresh fruit from Muzhou fetched a handsome price locally . Nanfeng rarely sampled this Muzhou specialty . The sight of the crates made him hungry .
After observing Fang Zhao carry two crates into the storage room of his dorm room, Nanfeng figured the boxes weren't heavy . After detaching Curly Hair from his leash, he scrambled over to help out .
Nanfeng flexed his limbs, walked over, and grasped the first crate .
Deep breath, and go!
No luck .
Nanfeng tried another box .
Still no luck .
After trying to lift the remaining boxes one by one to no avail, Nanfeng watched Fang Zhao carry another two crates into his storage . He was blown away .
On only his first day on the job, Nanfeng had already experienced the sense of powerlessness and resignation that Yan Biao had described .
When Fang Zhao noticed Nanfeng just standing there dejectedly, Fang Zhao instructed him, "The two boxes on the side contain melons . Why don't you unpack them, give the melons a wipe, and bring two of them next door? Will should be up by now . "
"OK, Boss!"
Assigned a fresh errand, Nanfeng felt he had value again . Maybe he couldn't handle heavy physical labor, but he did a decent job of delivering gifts and cultivating relationships . On previous assistant gigs, he had delivered gifts to fellow actors on the same shoot on behalf of minor celebrities . It was the kind of work he knew well .
After unpacking the crates, Nanfeng picked one melon of each kind, placed them in a clean basket, and went next door . Flashing a friendly smile, he pressed the doorbell .
The door opened soon to reveal a pale, serious-looking young man .
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