EVERGLOW

IV. How to not get fired

They were sitting in a conference room in one of Beijing's skyscrapers which served as Topline Talent Agency's headquarters. Dylan was bored, twiddling his thumbs and calmly waiting for whatever ax was going for their necks this time.

This wasn't the first time they were called in. Usually because they got too close on joint appearances outside of Meteor Garden promotions. He was already expecting this since yesterday, after their Happy Camp taping. But he wasn't too concerned. That was clearly an accident, so the most they could get was just an unnecessary reminder. The fact that the agency put off the meeting for one day probably meant they shoved it far down their list of priorities, too.

What he was concerned about was Shen Yue starting to get teary-eyed across from him. She was on her phone, and he wondered if she was looking through comments again.

He nudged her foot under the table, and she looked up at him.

"What is it?" he asked, his voice low enough to be drowned out by the conversation among their teams. Everyone else had been wondering about the meeting, and after the usual catching up, both sides were now coordinating defenses for both of them. Everybody was assuming it was the Happy Camp incident.

Her lips trembled and she shook her phone at him, a signal to have their conversation on chat instead.

S: Grandma needs blood transfusion real soon.

D: Donor?

S: Found one.

D: Worried?

S: She's asking for me.

D: Let's try asking an extra day off for you.

S: Crazy. This look like they'll give me one?

D: Pretend you'd hate it, then I'll say it's your just punishment... ?

S: Idiot.

D: You're smiling...Mission accomplished.

She felt it widen and she glanced up at him. He winked. Yang Jin Jie cleared her throat and they both looked down. She felt a giggle rise up her throat and she recognized the sign of hysteria.

She was panicking so bad, worrying over her grandmother's failing health and having to keep her wits straight for this strange meeting. She couldn't help but think about how ridiculous it all was. They were going to get reprimanded again for the threat of scandal and both of their teams, a handful of people already busy enough as it was, were brainstorming for their sakes when they weren't even guilty of dating.

Her train of thought was interrupted when a well-dressed middle-aged lady walked in followed by a man in a suit. Her heels clacked on the marble floor and even though nobody announced anything, it was clear that whoever they were waiting for had finally arrived.

She saw Dylan sit up straighter and she felt her own spine straighten. It was Zhu Zhelan, the Vice-President for External Affairs, and if rumors were to be believed, this would be the first time she was seen out of her office on the top floor. Yue herself had never seen her before but she recognized her face from the agency's organizational chart displayed in the lobby. It was so high up her neck hurt when she read the name. Judging by the silence that followed her entrance, she was pretty sure nobody expected her to preside this meeting.

"How is everybody?" After vague murmurs, she went on, clearly uninterested in anybody's answer.

"I'm sure you're wondering why we are all here this early today. So I'll get right to the point."