Chapter 26: Sword Demon vs. Wolverine

"Indeed, celebrity personas are never to be trusted. I really was too naive."

Li Can clicked his tongue, feeling for some inexplicable reason that the entertainment industry was incredibly trashy.

...But it also felt rather thrilling. It was a form of supreme entertainment, the sheer pleasure of witnessing drama firsthand.

"Oh no, why am I even more curious now?"

Li Can didn't even realize he was grinning, his face wearing a look of pure, innocent delight.

...

Nothing of note happened overnight.

The next day, everyone arrived at Xingmei Entertainment. Following Wang Yongchang's prior notification, they were guided by the front desk to Li Can's music studio.

Looking at the equipment displayed inside, Chen Gang and Zhao Ze couldn't help but marvel.

"Holy crap, a DiGiCo digital mixing console? Brother Can, you're living the high life!"

"Of course," Li Can replied with a smile. "Let's go. I'll take you to sign the contracts and handle the paperwork."

"No problem."

With that, the group began reviewing the contracts. Everything was in order, and one by one, they signed. Although they would only receive the company's baseline benefits, Li Can was the one directly responsible for them, and the studio enjoyed a high degree of independence—which mattered more than anything else.

After the contracts were signed, Li Can clapped his hands cheerfully.

"Guys, there's a money-making project coming up. I'm heading to the set of *Sword Hero* this afternoon to discuss a collaboration. These are the scores; Feng and Jiayin, you two can start practicing in advance. We might be able to use this opportunity to give you a major push."

"Understood." Lin Feng and Han Jiayin nodded.

Li Can turned to the others.

"Gang, Lao Zhao, I need you two to handle another project. Chen Meijing is preparing a new album, and I've already arranged the songs. Take a look at the scores and get familiar with the equipment. Once Chen Meijing arrives, you'll be in charge of recording her. Recording tasks will be your responsibility from now on."

"No problem." Chen Gang and Zhao Ze gave an "OK" gesture.

"As for Winnie..." Li Can looked at her expectant eyes. "I've organized all the documents. For now, you'll be responsible for liaising with the company. If anything comes up, give me a call. There's a lot going on here, and as we expand our business scope later, I might not be able to handle it all myself."

Winnie felt a surge of joy internally. Could this... be the legendary role of a personal assistant? How exciting!

"That’s the plan for now. Let's prioritize these two projects."

...

Once the tasks were assigned and lunch was finished, seeing everything on the right track, Li Can left the company and headed to Sanlitun.

He arrived near the filming location and called Director Ma. Before long, an assistant came to retrieve him.

"Hello, you must be Mr. Li Can. Director Ma sent me to bring you over."

"Yes, thank you for the trouble."

"Don't mention it."

Led by the assistant, Li Can soon arrived at a large building near the filming base. The post-production facility was quite close, likely chosen to facilitate reshoots. Along the way, he frequently saw models posing for photos and passersby stopping to check in. Standing at the entrance of the building and looking toward the distant filming base, he could often see extras in period costumes coming and going; it was quite a lively scene.

Walking into the building and taking the elevator up, the assistant opened a large door. Inside was an empty conference room, the table piled high with various pieces of luggage. A small door in the back was left slightly ajar, suggesting something else lay beyond.

"Mr. Li, you are not allowed to take photos of anything here, nor are you to speak of anything you see. It will likely be written in the contract later. If you breach the agreement, you may be held liable for damages."

Li Can nodded. He knew that behind-the-scenes footage was often part of the marketing strategy, and maintaining secrecy before a drama aired was crucial. Such requirements weren't unusual.

Without much thought, he pushed the door open. Before he could make out what the room looked like, he heard a furious voice.

"Are you blind?! Can't you walk around when you're mopping?! These are custom-made shoes! If you ruin them, selling you wouldn't be enough to pay for them!"

"Oh? Drama!" Li Can’s eyes lit up. He took a few steps forward, craning his neck to look inside. "What’s going on?"

It seemed someone had dirtied a big shot's shoes while mopping. Li Can even conjured up a mental image: a middle-aged cleaning lady standing helplessly before a glitzy, glamorous figure, apologizing repeatedly with tears in her eyes, thinking of her sick father at home, her husband working away, and her children needing money for living expenses. Despair and regret would be consuming her heart as she looked at this young man, clearly much younger than her, yet living in a completely different world—a lament on the unfairness of life. It was a scene worthy of a tragic painting.

"Wait, what?"

But upon closer inspection, Li Can paused. The scene was not at all what he had imagined. The glamorous man sitting in the chair was only visible from behind. The janitor mopping the floor was a stubbly young man, only 1.6 meters tall, but with muscles so thick they seemed ready to burst through his ill-fitting uniform. He was like a human landmine, brimming with raw energy.

"Holy crap, it’s Wolverine!" Li Can was amused. The scene looked exactly like the iconic moment with the short Logan in *Deadpool & Wolverine*. He desperately wanted to laugh, but he knew he had to keep a straight face. He pinched his thigh hard.

The next second, the man in the chair turned slightly to inspect his shoes. It was Luo Zhongwen, the troublemaker Wang Yongchang had warned him about repeatedly. Before he could be surprised by the man's identity, Li Can’s eyes focused on the shoes.

A V inside a box. It was a pair of men's shoes, but they were Valentino.

"Pfft." Li Can finally broke. A Sword Hero villain scolding Wolverine for dirtying his Valentinos? Who could keep a straight face at that?

"Hee hee hee!" Li Can covered his mouth, his entire body trembling as he tried to stifle his laughter.

However, the noise drew attention. Both Luo Zhongwen and the "Wolverine" looked toward Li Can, their reactions distinct.

"Who's laughing?!" Luo Zhongwen seemed to be acting out of shame and anger, perhaps feeling insulted. But just as he was about to explode, "Wolverine" cut him off.

The human landmine spoke in a thick, bass-heavy voice, sounding quite annoyed. "I told you to lift your feet a dozen times. You didn't cooperate, so how is it my fault?"

"If it got dirty, just let me wipe it off..."

"The cracks in the floor are full of dust. If I don't do this cleaning job right, my 120-yuan daily wage gets docked. If my pay is docked, are you going to give me the money to buy a graphics card?"

"A graphics card?!" Luo Zhongwen looked up in shock, staring in disbelief at the babbling "Wolverine."

Not far away, Li Can, no longer able to hold it in, finally burst out laughing.

"Hahaha!"