Mad Dog

A few months later, Jiang Qi once again made the trending search.
This time, the title was #Retired Zi Wei Star Jiang Qi Working at a Repair Shop#, long enough, sensational enough, and eye-catching enough.
The whole situation was triggered by someone who claimed to be a fan of Jiang Qi, causing a scene at the 4S dealership and drawing attention to the event.
“Jiang Qi, even after you retired, your fans are still supporting you. I have always believed you would come back, but how can you treat us like this?” The woman cried loudly after Jiang Qi pushed her hand away, stamping her feet and sobbing, “Not only are you here working on cars, but you also treat your fans this way! Are you really that kind of disgraceful celebrity?!”
“I am.” Since it had already become common knowledge, Jiang Qi simply looked at her coldly amidst the bewildered onlookers and said bluntly, “So I retired. What do you want from me?”
“If I’m a disgraceful fan, then are you a disgraceful celebrity?”
Jiang Qi, usually indifferent and not fond of talking, was surprisingly sharp-tongued and ruthless; he had never lost in a verbal fight.
The fan was momentarily taken aback by his words and then burst into tears again.
At one moment, she said her idol’s image was shattered, and the next moment, she complained that the staff at the dealership were rude and that big businesses bullied customers… In short, her shameless wailing finally attracted the attention of the dealership owner, Zhan Yang.
A crowd gathered outside the 4S dealership drawn by the woman’s piercing voice; even outside the window, people were taking photos of Jiang Qi, shouting excitedly while holding their phones.
After Zhan Yang came out and understood the situation, he angrily scolded the innocent salesperson: “Are you just sitting around doing nothing? Hurry up and close the door! Pull down the curtains!”
No matter what, Jiang Qi was now an employee of his shop.
As the owner, Zhan Yang had to protect his employees.
However, many people had already taken pictures of Jiang Qi in his work uniform at the 4S dealership, which was why he was trending.
The problem was that Jiang Qi was completely unaware that he was trending.
“Ma’am, loud disturbances are not allowed in the store. If you can’t follow the rules, I won’t do this business with you.” Zhan Yang, a tall man with a rough appearance, was dressed casually instead of in a suit. He held a cigarette and tilted his chin at the agitated fan: “Feel free to leave.”
The two customers were momentarily speechless, and the woman’s male companion felt extremely awkward.
“S-Sorry,” he stammered. “It’s our fault.”
The woman stubbornly bit her lip and raised her chin, refusing to apologize.
Jiang Qi didn’t need her apology; he let out a cold laugh and turned back to the workshop.
… Completely unconcerned about being recognized, he acted as if he was just going about his business.
Now, everyone in the workshop knew Jiang Qi was a certain retired “star.” Even those rough men who usually had no interest in the entertainment industry were aware of it after the fan made such a scene.
At this moment, right under Jiang Qi’s nose, they couldn’t help but quietly take out their phones to search for the keyword “Jiang Qi,” wanting to see if there really was a star among them.
After a while, Zhan Yang called Jiang Qi into the office.
Upon entering, Jiang Qi saw Zhan Yang sitting behind his desk, looking like a big monkey bound in chains—truthfully, Zhan Yang rarely used the office or the chair.
But if he needed to “talk” to someone, this setting seemed more formal, right?
Zhan Yang cleared his throat, awkwardly glanced at Jiang Qi, and pointed to the chair in front of the desk: “Sit.”
Jiang Qi took a seat.
“About that crazy woman from earlier today…” Zhan Yang paused, tentatively looking at Jiang Qi. “Is it true?”
He expected Jiang Qi to be evasive or say something vague, but to his surprise, the boy was as blunt as ever.
Jiang Qi replied coldly and straightforwardly, “You should have checked online; why are you still asking me?”
…
Zhan Yang felt he was starting to understand why Jiang Qi had retired from the industry.
With such low emotional intelligence and a bad temper, how could he survive in the entertainment circle? Although Zhan Yang didn’t know much about it, he understood that it was a hypocritical world driven by fame and fortune.
“Do you know you’re trending?” Zhan Yang felt both angry and amused, tossing his phone in front of Jiang Qi for him to see.
“I suppose I am,” Jiang Qi said nonchalantly. “But I never check.”
“How can you not check?” Zhan Yang pointed at the curtains of the floor-to-ceiling windows, exasperated. “Right now, reporters, media, and your fans are all gathered at my shop’s entrance!”
The speed at which the internet digs up information about someone is incredibly fast, not to mention for a once-famous star.
It had only been an hour since Jiang Qi started trending, and Zhan Yang’s repair shop had been thoroughly exposed online, from the front desk to the storefront, down to its location and scale.
—They had almost dug up the names of all the employees too.
Those media outlets and fans who relied on hot topics for survival had naturally come flocking, and now they had completely surrounded the repair shop.
It felt like, even through the walls and windows, he could hear the chaos and shouting outside.
Jiang Qi fell silent for a moment before suddenly taking off the work ID hanging around his neck.
“Zhan Ge, I’m sorry,” the boy said, lowering his head. “I’ve caused you trouble.”
It seemed like wherever he went, trouble followed.
For many years, this ironclad rule never seemed to change, and in an instant, Jiang Qi felt a sense of resignation wash over him.
Zhan Yang silently stared at the work ID on the desk, momentarily unsure of what to say.
In truth, he didn’t mean to force Jiang Qi to quit, but continuing to employ him… was clearly unrealistic unless he wanted his repair shop to turn into a “zoo” for spectators. As long as Jiang Qi worked there, neither the media nor fans would miss any opportunity to report on him, and then he wouldn’t be able to do business at all.
After a long pause, Zhan Yang still took the work ID back, letting out a low sigh: “According to the labor contract, I’ll pay you an extra three months’ salary.”
“No need,” Jiang Qi shook his head. “Just pay me for the days I worked.”
In reality, he had only worked at Zhan Yang’s shop for just over a month; how could he accept three months’ salary?
Besides, he had caused trouble in just that little time.
After slipping out through a small back door of the repair shop, the glaring sunlight flooded over him. Jiang Qi basked in the heat but felt a rare sense of confusion.
His mind was spinning, but he still understood that ‘staying long would not be wise’; he hurriedly left.
Just like that, he inexplicably lost his job. How would he explain this to Zhi Qi?
Perhaps he wouldn’t need to explain at all; after all, the girl would surely see the news about him trending. Once she saw it, she would naturally understand everything.
Feeling troubled, his phone rang incessantly.
Jiang Qi frowned in confusion but had to pull it out to check since hardly anyone knew this number.
The screen displayed the name “Shen Ge,” and Jiang Qi hesitated for a moment before answering.
“Jiang Qi.” Before he could speak, the familiar male voice on the other end quickly asked, “What’s going on with the trending news? Are you really working at a repair shop?”
“Shen Ge.” After a few seconds of silence, Jiang Qi replied coolly, “I lost my job half an hour ago.”
…
Shen Lei immediately didn’t know what to say; he felt both amused and frustrated.
After all, Jiang Qi had been his most promising actor, and now, not only had he completely changed in a few months, but he was also retiring and working as a mechanic. Shen Lei truly didn’t know how to respond.
At the core, it might be the feeling of ‘hoping for more from someone.’
Shen Lei sighed, “What do you plan to do next?”
“What can I do?” Jiang Qi put on his usual mask and hat, blending into the crowd on the street as he spoke. “I’ll just keep looking for a job.”
As he spoke, he stopped at a newsstand to exchange some coins, his long fingers clutching the change as he approached the subway entrance.
“Are you going to continue working as a mechanic?” Shen Lei’s voice rose in anger, practically scolding him. “Jiang Qi, aren’t you just demeaning yourself?!”
“Shen Ge, this is all I can do.” Jiang Qi merged into the endless flow of people at the subway station, leaning against the side and speaking in a calm tone. “Earning money through my own strength, it doesn’t make sense to say it’s demeaning.”
“What do you mean this is all you can do?” Shen Lei was even angrier and replied without thinking, “You can still act!”
“I can’t act.” Jiang Qi had once thought about what else he could do and had even considered “acting,” but now that Shen Lei had pointed it out
, he immediately denied it without hesitation: “To get a role in your movie was purely coincidental; as for the others… I don’t have that talent.”
For instance, he thought he could manage the role in “Pride and Prejudice,” but he had completely messed it up in the second film.
How could a big male lead film continue after the lead actor withdrew? Jiang Qi found out that the crew for “Pride and Prejudice” had disbanded a week after he publicly announced his retirement, and the film, which had originally invested a lot and was halfway through shooting, ceased to exist.
To be honest, Jiang Qi felt guilty about this. It was the first time in his life he felt like he was ‘holding others back.’
So he was simply not cut out for acting. Jiang Qi didn’t want Shen Lei to hold any more illusions about him; he didn’t deserve it.
“Jiang Qi, you can’t let yourself fall into this trap,” Shen Lei’s tone grew serious. “Where are you now? Come meet me.”
This was the first time Shen Lei had actively asked to meet Jiang Qi since he retired a few months ago.
Thinking of their first meeting in prison and Shen Lei’s kindness in taking him in and helping him… the word “no” stuck in his throat, and he couldn’t bring himself to say it.
After a moment, Jiang Qi reluctantly replied, “Okay, where’s the address?”
Shen Lei sent him an address, and Jiang Qi glanced at it. It was a restaurant in the southern district.
Coincidentally, at this moment, Zhi Qi’s call also came through.
“Jiang Qi, I just got out of class and saw the trending news. What’s going on?” The girl’s voice was clearly anxious as she kept asking, “Where are you? Should I come find you now? You weren’t blocked by those paparazzi, were you?”
“No, no.” Jiang Qi hurriedly reassured her with a low voice: “I slipped out through the back door.”
Zhi Qi could be heard visibly relaxing on the other end: “That’s good. So where are you now?”
To be honest, she was genuinely afraid that the media and fans’ siege would trigger Jiang Qi.
Jiang Qi hesitated for a moment and mentioned the call he just received from Shen Lei.
Zhi Qi asked, “Are you going?”
“I shouldn’t not go.” Jiang Qi said softly, “Shen Ge has been good to me.”
At the same time, he wanted to seek Zhi Qi’s agreement—after all, Jiang Qi understood that for his mental recovery, the girl generally preferred him not to connect with those “old acquaintances” in the entertainment industry.
But similarly, Zhi Qi understood that Shen Lei was not simply an “old acquaintance” to Jiang Qi.
She had heard Jiang Qi talk about how Shen Lei discovered him and brought him into the industry, realizing that Shen Lei was actually Jiang Qi’s “benefactor.”
So Zhi Qi smiled and said cheerfully, “Meeting Shen Ge? That’s great; I actually want to meet him too.”
Then, to thank him in person.
Jiang Qi felt relieved and even a bit happy upon hearing this.
“Zhi Qi, let’s go together.”