Panda Cub – Chapter 10

Solemn bear

After letting someone in to take Zuo Miaotong out to deal with matters related to her former company, Jing Dan sat in the meeting room lost in thought. If she wanted more people to develop properly, she must build up the company. But building up a company is not such an easy task, is it?

She leaned to the side and rested her head against the back of the chair, feeling somewhat dejected. She thought to herself how great it would be if she were like her aunt, who does everything with ease, rather than fumbling around in the dark as she was now.

At that moment, Hu Tu walked in. She slapped Jing Dan on the back of the head and asked, “Have you dealt with the love affair?”

Jing Dan replied, “…Don’t talk nonsense.”

She didn’t have any romantic entanglements! She is a solemn bear!

“Alright, alright, I’ll stop talking nonsense,” Hu Tu shrugged nonchalantly as she took a seat next to Jing Dan, “But why do you look so downtrodden?”

With a wilted air about her, she seemed like a sorry little figure.

Jing Dan let out a sigh and turned her head to look at Hu Tu, speaking with solemn gravity, “You must treat the company as your own family, nurture it well! Make it grow bigger and stronger!”

After uttering these words, Jing Dan mentally patted herself on the back. All those TV dramas and commercials hadn’t been watched in vain! She truly had a gift for learning!

Hu Tu: “…”

Has this person been possessed by a spirit from another world? What is she talking about?

“Treating the company like my own home—does that mean I can come and go as I please?”

Jing Dan blinked, “Since I’m paying you a salary, you naturally need to come to work on time!”

“But didn’t you say to treat it like my home? At home, I can come back and leave whenever I want!”

“No way! You need to work properly!”

Hu Tu: “…”

Hey, where did this guy learn these tricks? Did she take a course in those small workshops?

“Jing Xiaodan, you can’t start walking down the path of a unscrupulous boss.” Hu Tu said with a face full of anguish, her heart aching as if her little panda bear’s heart had been tainted.

Jing Dan looked innocent; she clearly learned it all from watching TV dramas.

“You should learn how to be a good boss; go learn from your auntie instead of these dubious tactics.” Hu Tu advised earnestly, worried that this little panda might pick up bad habits.

Jing Dan: “…Oh.”

“Tell me, why are you so eager to expand and strengthen the company?” Hu Tu relaxed her body, leaned back, and looked at Jing Dan, shaking her head secretly. Still too young, is business something that you can have just by wanting it?

Jing Dan said with a serious face: “To grow and become strong means having money, and it also means being able to provide more people with better development opportunities in our company.”

It’s best to be able to help others, and to make money at the same time. Even though she isn’t short of money, she wouldn’t mind having more, right?

Hu Tu: “…You really are ambitious.”

She, a spirit, is actually single-minded about making a career in the human world?

Jing Dan took it as a compliment, “So now that you’ve joined the company, you know you can’t slack off!”

She stared straight at her, ready to kick her out of the company with one foot if she dared refuse.

Hu Tu: “…Alright.”

Well then, she, too, will grudgingly be an ambitious spirit…

Jing Dan’s face relaxed, revealing a satisfied smile.

Hu Tu: …Dumb look, truly a silly panda.

“By the way, if you want to learn more about the entertainment industry, you can ask He Ying for information. She has more exposure and should be able to provide some useful insights.”

“He Ying?” Jing Dan frowned without really thinking, to ask her to approach He Ying? Wouldn’t that be like throwing oneself into the tiger’s mouth?

“Yes, she’s currently managing a dance troupe. You should also be aware that a few years ago, there was a large-scale epidemic in the human world, which nearly caused her dance troupe to fail to pay the salaries and disband. Things are better now, but without investment, the troupe is solely relying on her to keep it afloat. She has taken on quite a lot of jobs within the entertainment circle, so she should have some knowledge about these matters.”

Jing Dan was slightly taken aback, supported by her alone?

“So, she’s really short on money now?” No wonder she went to be someone’s female companion last night, is the situation that dire?

“Yes, after all, a dance troupe burns money with all their artistic activities.”

Jing Dan pondered, is she really that strapped for cash? Then, if I go to her to ask questions, do I need to pay a consulting fee?

“If you want to ask her, it just so happens that she’s going to a variety show today. We could go visit the set,” suggested Hu Tu.

Visit the set? A variety show? Jing Dan’s eyes brightened a tad—she had always only seen variety shows broadcasted online, she had never experienced what it was like behind the scenes.

“Would she let us go?”

“Why wouldn’t she? We’re not going to rob her of her show. I’ll contact her to make arrangements at that time. You just need to show up in person.”

Hu Tu spoke with such familiarity, not treating He Ying as an outsider at all. She asked, “When did you meet her?”

She and Hu Tu had been friends since childhood, yet she had been unaware that she knew such a fox spirit.

“When did I meet her?” Hu Tu thought for a moment, “It was in the past couple of years. She was performing in a show, and you have no idea of the situation back then. She radiated an extreme charm, and you know me, how could I not be moved by such a charming and beautiful woman?”

Jing Dan: “…”

“I began to pursue her vigorously, but regrettably, don’t be fooled by her seemingly gentle demeanor—I chased her for several months without any progress.” Hu Tu shook her head, a sighing expression on her face as she spoke of the past.

Jing Dan: “…Then how did you become friends with her now?”

“Ha, last time at the bar, did you think she was a very casual person?”

“…Yes.”

“Hahaha, that’s right, don’t be deceived by her appearance that seems quite casual. The way she treated you that night, she truly hasn’t done that with anyone else! There were many who pursued her, but not a single one could return with the beauty in their arms.”

“That night, watching the two of you together, I honestly thought you two had something clandestine going on!”

He Ying, this person, could be described as cold and heartless. To those with ulterior motives, a slight approach from them and she could immediately respond with an icy strike, freezing their hearts to the core. Yet, that night, she witnessed it all, every move was initiated by her own volition!

Therefore, Hu Tu even began to suspect whether He Ying was harboring some special intentions towards Jing Dan.

Jing Dan: “…It’s you who has something going on with her.”

She and He Ying, that fox spirit?! Impossible, even if you beat me to death!

“I’d actually like to, but she wouldn’t give me a second look,” Hu Tu shrugged her shoulders in regret. He Ying, deep down, is quite serious, never one to play with emotions.

Thinking this, her expression darkened slightly, and she said to Jing Dan in a grave tone, “If there’s really nothing between you and He Ying, that’s for the best. After all, humans and spirits are on different paths, and I don’t want to see you get hurt in the future.”

Jing Dan is different from me; she is like a flower among the weeds regarding emotions, treating them as playthings. The people she gets involved with generally share this attitude, so even after parting, there won’t be too much heartache.

But Jing Dan is different; she’s most likely the type that, once she sets her mind on someone, she sticks to it tenaciously. She never knows when the end of Jing Dan’s life will come. If she choose a human as a life partner, is she going to spend lifetime after lifetime searching for your lover’s reincarnation?

Humans and spirits walk different paths?

Jing Dan blinked lightly, so Hu Tu didn’t know that He Ying is also a spirit?

“Are you even listening to me?” Hu Tu said angrily.

Jing Dan: “…Oh, got it.”

She didn’t disclose the fact that He Ying is a spirit. Nowadays, many spirits walking in human society go to great lengths to conceal their true nature.

Hearing her reply, Hu Tu reluctantly felt a bit relieved; at worst, she would just have to keep a closer eye on her in the future.

After Hu Tu left, Jing Dan thought about the He Ying mentioned by Hu Tu. Is she really not the kind to be casual?

Then why is she so casual with her!

A sense of annoyance started to stir in the heart of the little panda.

The author has something to say:

I’m preparing to hit the charts, and there’s a word limit for the list, so for the next period, I’ll have to compress the word count—like, normally a chapter has over 3000 words, it will be pressed down to about 2000 words. Plus, I’ve been feeling under the weather these past few days, always dizzy and headachy. I also need to take advantage of this word count reduction to stockpile some manuscript, lest I can’t produce the chapters with ten thousand words later (covers face).