Chapter 120: Ruan Xinyue's Best Friend

For someone who has stepped into the wider world, the student years are deeply missed. Or perhaps, people are always fond of dwelling in the past or the future, never satisfied with the present. Yet, once the present has long since passed, they begin to reminisce. Regardless, the idea of being reborn and returning to one's student days is a dream shared by many.

Ma Jun had been reborn into his student years, and with the help of a system, he could travel to various worlds for adventure. To be able to return to university after such experiences was truly enviable. Perhaps art students are a bit more precocious, but they are students nonetheless. Life on campus is always filled with laughter and sweat. Although Ma Jun frequently asked for leave after enrolling and had become a somewhat famous star worldwide, he felt no great distance between himself and his classmates. At the very least, he still horsed around with his roommates, sitting in rows to play online games.

He attended classes on time every day, and after school, he would return to his villa at the Beijing Film Academy to tease his young assistant, which always put him in a good mood. Compared to when it first started, Steed Pictures had undergone a qualitative transformation, but the original batch of employees remained with the company. This, of course, included his young assistant, Ruan Xinyue.

Nowadays, Ruan Xinyue handled far more responsibilities and acted as Ma Jun’s semi-manager. Because Qi Wanying had more work to complete—managing domestic affairs and signing new artists—she could not be by Ma Jun’s side all day. Ruan Xinyue still lived in Ma Jun’s villa, a mandatory requirement. She had wanted to refuse, and she was capable enough to rent a nice place of her own, but she dared not oppose his will.

If Ma Jun were attending an ordinary school, he would never have returned after becoming a big star. It would have caused a spectacle, making it impossible to enjoy the pleasures of being a normal student. But at the Beijing Film Academy, things were different. The students who gained admission there, especially the freshmen, were imbued with a sense of "I am awesome, I am elite." And, in fact, they were quite talented; after all, getting in was harder than the national college entrance exam. Ma Jun had gone through the same experience.

Moreover, celebrities, or at least major domestic stars, would occasionally appear at the academy. With that mindset, seeing a star was a common occurrence for the students there. They wouldn't swarm him for autographs. Even though Ma Jun was a rather unique star, once the novelty wore off, he reverted to the status of an ordinary student.

After finishing his day at school, Ma Jun took a car home. Following dinner, he went to the small screening room to watch some films. It was mid-October, and the weather was turning chilly, but inside the house, one could feel none of it. Ma Jun wore only a shirt, sinking into the sofa with a cigar in one hand and his eyes fixed on the screen, while his other hand fumbled around to pull out a communicator.

"Bring me a cup of tea!"

"Brother Jun, even though I'm your assistant, it’s not work hours right now. I’m out, so you’ll have to take care of it yourself!" Ruan Xinyue said on the other end of the line.

Ma Jun was stunned and sat up straight. "Where did you go? A respectable woman running out at this hour—if something happens, it's a loss to others, and it would be better if it were a loss to me!"

In an apartment building outside the Third Ring Road in Beijing, in a warm room, Ruan Xinyue sat on the sofa with her phone, looking helpless. "I’m just an assistant. Can’t you give me some personal space? Hello... hello... oh, Brother Jun... the signal is bad here, I'm hanging up!"

Ma Jun listened to the dial tone and smiled. "Who would have thought, Ruan Xinyue isn't afraid of me anymore; she dares to hang up on me!" He shook his head, got up to brew a cup of tea himself, and returned to continue watching the movie.

Inside the apartment, Ruan Xinyue put away her phone, picked up a bag of potato chips from the coffee table, and said while chewing, "So, where were we?"

Beside her sat a girl with wavy hair, wearing pink pajamas and black-rimmed glasses, staring at Ruan Xinyue with a smirk. "Was that your big star boss? It seems... the relationship between you two is quite unusual. Not only do you live together, but he’s also so controlling!"

"No way!" Ruan Xinyue, with potato chip crumbs in her mouth, widened her eyes. "Don't talk nonsense! I’m a decent person! Living there is something he forced upon me. You know he’s at the height of his fame right now; when he came back a while ago, he was surrounded by a group of bodyguards in black. I’m afraid if I try to move out by force, who knows if he’d have me silenced. I think these rich people are all no good. I regret it now!"

"Hehe, stop lying to me!" The girl opposite obviously didn't believe her and pounced on Ruan Xinyue to tickle her. "Are you going to tell me... are you going to tell me..."

"Oh, you wicked girl, get off me, haha!"

After the two fooled around for a while, their clothes slightly disheveled, they tidied themselves up. Suddenly, news about Ma Jun appeared on the television. The girl with glasses watched for a moment, then asked mysteriously, "Little Yueyue, since you want to keep it a secret, I won't expose you. But you’ve been with him for so long, do you know what his actual background is?"

"I'm not hiding anything!" Ruan Xinyue said, then thought for a moment. "And I haven't been with him for that long; he’s often not at the villa. As for his background, I really don't know!"

After a moment of contemplation, Ruan Xinyue whispered, "But you know, the head of the Steed Group, Qian Moiduo, is actually his subordinate! He treats him with great respect. This means the Steed Group must be his or his family's enterprise."

"The Steed Group is an entertainment giant now, and it belongs to his family?" the girl said in surprise. "I heard that the Steed Group was established only a year or two ago, and it’s developed so fast! His family must have immense power!"

"That's for sure!" Ruan Xinyue pouted. "I think this Steed Group was founded just to promote Ma Jun."

The girl was lost in thought for a moment, then suddenly jumped up. "Forget about him. We haven't seen each other in two or three years; let's catch up properly today. I'll get some wine, and we won't stop until we're drunk!"

Ruan Xinyue seemed to have a close relationship with this girl, so she didn't refuse. The two drank and ate snacks, watching sentimental dramas and chatting about everything under the sun.

By nearly midnight, both seemed to have had quite a lot and were feeling dizzy. Ruan Xinyue lay back on the sofa, her legs spread, not looking like a lady at all. Opposite her, the girl seemed to have fallen asleep. After a moment, once Ruan Xinyue stopped moving, the girl suddenly opened her eyes, gently nudged Ruan Xinyue, and seeing no reaction, sat up quickly. After fumbling around for a while, she pulled a phone from Ruan Xinyue's bag.

The girl even knew the unlock password. She tapped open the contact list, searched for a while, found a contact saved as "Heartless Boss," and after a moment of hesitation, dialed the number.