Whenever Qiao Yan ran into Sheng Mingzhi, his blood would boil. There weren’t many people in the corridor, so he didn’t bother pretending to be friendly. He snapped, “I must say, you really have some nerve. Teacher Xu and his wife are celebrating their 50th anniversary, yet a ‘nobody’ like you, labeled as a ‘homewrecker,’ dares to show up. Do I need to personally tell Teacher Xu the story of how you threw yourself at my boyfriend?”
“Sure.”
Sheng Mingzhi smiled slightly. “While you’re at it, why don’t you also give him the recordings of how your boyfriend sends me ‘good morning’ and ‘good night’ on WeChat, how he uses his ‘bedroom voice’ to talk to me, and the logs of him trying to flirt with me?”
Hearing this, Qiao Yan turned to look at Huo Yuzhe.
Huo Yuzhe quickly said, “There’s no such thing.”
Qiao Yan glared at Sheng Mingzhi. “Don’t you fucking lie through your teeth.”
“True. You are quite blind.” Sheng Mingzhi’s retort was merciless. “Besides being blind, I truly can’t imagine what you see in Huo Yuzhe. Do you like his flirting or his love for cheating? Are you drawn to his extreme stinginess or the way he cuckolds you?”
“You!” Qiao Yan pointed at him, trembling.
No matter how many times he witnessed it, Xiao Wang was always awestruck by Sheng Mingzhi’s “one-versus-ten” combat power. He had never seen Sheng Mingzhi lose an argument; many times, he felt he was wasting Sheng Mingzhi’s talent. The boy shouldn’t be an actor, he should be a contestant on The Rap of China.
However, today was a bit different. Usually, when Qiao Yan provoked him, Sheng Mingzhi would just tease him like he was walking a dog; he was never this aggressive.
Sheng Mingzhi’s last few sentences hadn’t even left Huo Yuzhe with a shred of dignity. The “little ancestor” was not to be trifled with when angry. Watching him, Xiao Wang wondered if it was his imagination, but it felt like Sheng Mingzhi was… a bit unhappy? Like he was looking for a punching bag? Qiao Yan and Huo Yuzhe were just two unlucky souls who had walked into the line of fire.
“Do you think your husband is any better?” Qiao Yan laughed in anger. “Sheng Mingzhi, you have plenty of scandals, don’t you? When the whole internet was calling you a homewrecker, where was your husband? Why didn’t he stand up for you?”
Xiao Wang’s face turned pale. Looking at Sheng Mingzhi, sure enough, the little ancestor’s expression had darkened. Good heavens, Qiao Yan you idiot. You’re dancing right on his landmines!
Qiao Yan sneered, “What? Is your husband so embarrassing that you have to keep him hidden?”
Sheng Mingzhi had likely been hit right on his breaking point, causing him to pause for a split second. In that single second, a man’s light laughter echoed down the corridor.
Sheng Mingzhi froze. It sounded strangely familiar. He instinctively looked over. Lu Jiayan was standing behind him.
With one hand in his pocket, he was tall, elegant, and noble. Just by standing in the corridor, he transformed the atmosphere of a fashion gala into a branch of the Asia-Pacific Financial Summit. His posture was still somewhat lazy, and when he raised an eyebrow, his “peach blossom eyes” held a deep intensity.
He looked at Qiao Yan with eyes devoid of emotion and answered nonchalantly, “I think I’m quite presentable?”
With a “boom,” Sheng Mingzhi felt as if a thunderclap had gone off in his ear, blowing his mind blank. He didn’t even hear what Lu Jiayan said next; his brain was entirely filled with confusion.
Why is Lu Jiayan here? Didn’t he say he wasn’t coming?!
The fashion dinner reached its climax when Lu Jiayan was introduced as the leader of the Sheng Jia Group. His disclosure caused a significant stir among the attendees, shifting the focus of the evening toward his formidable influence in the industry.
Looking at the remaining three people, their level of shock was no less than Sheng Mingzhi’s.
Lu Jiayan had not yet officially revealed his face in domestic magazines or capital circles. In fact, Xu Lihua—tonight’s Golden Wedding celebrant—was likely the only person present who recognized him. To the other celebrities, his appearance was a complete mystery.
This was even more true for minor celebrities like Qiao Yan. His only intersection with Lu Jiayan had been a distant glimpse at the Haicheng Film Festival; he hadn’t seen his face clearly at all. Even the paparazzi photos were blurry.
Qiao Yan opened his mouth, momentarily rendered speechless by the sheer pressure of Lu Jiayan’s aura.
As an entertainer who lived off his looks, he was more sensitive to physical appearance than most. Consequently, the first thing he noticed was Lu Jiayan’s face. It looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn’t recall where he’d seen it. He was certain the man wasn’t an actor, though; with looks and a physique of that caliber, he would have exploded into a top-tier superstar long ago.
It was Xiao Wang who broke the silence: “Uh, Mingzhi, this is…”
Sheng Mingzhi finally snapped out of it and looked at Lu Jiayan, who habitually raised an eyebrow as if to say: Aren’t you going to introduce me?
…
What was there to introduce?
Was he supposed to tell Xiao Wang: “Hey, this is the boss of the company whose stocks you desperately buy every day. He’s the heartless, deranged capitalist who treats you like a crop to be harvested”? Xiao Wang might actually commit a crime of passion right on the spot.
“He is—my, uh.” Sheng Mingzhi got stuck.
Lu Jiayan said casually, “Does the word ‘spouse’ burn your tongue?”
…
…
“It’s as he said.” Sheng Mingzhi ended the topic expressionlessly.
He was so nervous that he failed to notice Qiao Yan’s twisted, furious expression or his eyes full of disbelief. Qiao Yan seemingly couldn’t believe that Sheng Mingzhi’s supposedly “unpresentable” husband looked like this.
Beside him, Huo Yuzhe was also embarrassed and somewhat indignant. In terms of both looks and temperament, he was worlds apart from Lu Jiayan. He would have preferred it if Sheng Mingzhi’s husband had been an ordinary, unattractive person. At least then, he wouldn’t be suffering the humiliation of being so utterly outshined.
Xiao Wang stared at Lu Jiayan’s face in total shock for five full seconds before his voice cracked in terror. He pulled Sheng Mingzhi aside: “Didn’t you say your husband was eighty years old?!”
Sheng Mingzhi: “…”
“Didn’t I also mention,” Sheng Mingzhi said, biting the bullet, “that he looks very young for his age?”
…This was way too “young-looking.”
Unsettled by Xiao Wang’s repeated looks of intense doubt, Sheng Mingzhi snapped in embarrassment: “Haven’t you ever seen someone who takes good care of themselves?”
…But this was taking “good care” to an extreme! Was he eating some kind of immortal elixir?!
Lu Jiayan’s arrival caught Sheng Mingzhi completely off guard. He had been so busy dealing with Xiao Wang that he hadn’t noticed Qiao Yan, fuming and dark-faced, entering the venue with Huo Yuzhe.
Coming back to his senses, only he, Xiao Wang, and Lu Jiayan remained in the hallway.
On the giant screen in the venue, the promotional video for MOMO founder Xu Lihua’s 50th Golden Wedding anniversary was reaching its end, followed by a loop of the history of MOMO.
Seeing the doors to the venue about to close, Xiao Wang quickly suppressed his shock and got down to business: “Mingzhi, since your husband is here, let him accompany you inside.”
He then turned away from Lu Jiayan’s line of sight to give Sheng Mingzhi a silent, forceful fist-pump, whispering: “Go for it! You’ve won this round for sure. Just with your husband’s looks, you two will absolutely dominate the scene tonight! Especially that little bitch Qiao Yan. You’ll irritate him to death.”
Sheng Mingzhi: “…”
Xiao Wang immediately smoothed his expression into a serious one, watching Sheng Mingzhi and Lu Jiayan enter the hall with the teary-eyed pride of an old father.
However, after Sheng Mingzhi had taken just two steps, Xiao Wang suddenly called out: “Wait!”
He trotted over to Lu Jiayan with a sincere, fawning expression: “Um, Mingzhi’s spouse.”
Lu Jiayan paused. Xiao Wang then voiced the question of a man who had been single for thirty years: “How do you maintain your appearance? You don’t look eighty at all! What’s your secret? I don’t mean anything by it; I just think we men should take good care of our faces, lest we end up with no women wanting us in the future.”
“Is that how you tell everyone about me that I’m eighty?”
Here it comes, Sheng Mingzhi thought silently.
After Xiao Wang left, only the two of them remained. Lu Jiayan was the first to break the silence, ready to settle the score.
Sheng Mingzhi muttered, “What I said wasn’t wrong.”
Lu Jiayan seemed to chuckle out of sheer frustration: “Wasn’t wrong?”
“Right.” Sheng Mingzhi paused for a few seconds before explaining, “It was just a bit of an exaggerated descriptive technique. Besides, aren’t you a ’90s kid?”
Lu Jiayan emphasized his correction: “I’m a ’95 kid.” He was born in 1995.
“Oh.” Sheng Mingzhi didn’t see much of a difference between being born in the early 90s versus 1995. Perhaps this old man was sensitive about his age? Maybe he thought saying “95” sounded younger?
They were silent for a moment. Sheng Mingzhi looked up at him.
They had already entered the venue. It was bustling with people. A glamorous crowd of hundreds of celebrities mingling and chatting. It should have been a noisy scene, but as Lu Jiayan looked down, he could only see Sheng Mingzhi’s bright, fox-like eyes. When he looked up like that, his gaze appeared innocent and clear.
Sheng Mingzhi spoke up a bit awkwardly, asking the question he had been agonizing over all afternoon: “I thought you weren’t coming. Why did you show up?”
Lu Jiayan replied, “When did I ever say I wasn’t coming?”
Sheng Mingzhi thought to himself: You didn’t need to say it! You didn’t show the slightest intention of coming!
Lu Jiayan continued, “It’s only because a certain someone lacked the determination to persist. You gave up after inviting me just once.”
The “certain someone” with no determination: “…”
Was it a lack of determination? No, he just wasn’t thick-skinned enough!
Lu Jiayan said casually, “You didn’t even know how to act cute or be persuasive. All you said was, ‘Who invited you? Go or don’t go, see if I care.'” He mimicked Sheng Mingzhi quite accurately, even catching the slight Southern accent.
The listener’s ears instantly turned red. Sheng Mingzhi glared at him: “I don’t sound that whiny!” What kind of real man ends his sentences with such a tone?
He remained stubborn: “Anyway, I just asked you casually. It has nothing to do with me whether you come or not.”
“Mm-hmm.” Lu Jiayan chuckled softly. He reached out and ruffled Sheng Mingzhi’s hair twice, like he was petting a puppy. “Fine, it’s because I wanted to attend the banquet with you so badly that I came uninvited without your permission.”
His voice was very soft, carrying an inexplicable hint of tenderness, as if he were tolerating and coaxing him.
Sheng Mingzhi felt his face heat up and muttered, “You did come uninvited.”
To Sheng Mingzhi’s surprise, Lu Jiayan had come alone. Perhaps because he had watched too many “overbearing CEO” dramas, Sheng Mingzhi imagined that a CEO of Lu Jiayan’s status would always be surrounded by dozens of bodyguards.
Lost in thought, Sheng Mingzhi accidentally spoke his mind aloud.
Lu Jiayan glanced at him. “Have you ever seen anyone bring dozens of bodyguards to a date with their spouse?”
…Well, no.
Given Lu Jiayan’s usual manner, he’d probably follow that up with a chilly comment about watching fewer brainless dramas. Or he’d sarcastically say, “If you like, next time we can bring a hundred bodyguards to witness this plastic romance.”
Sheng Mingzhi quickly changed the subject, introducing the celebrities present to Lu Jiayan.
However, even though Lu Jiayan was traveling low-profile, he was recognized at a glance by Xu Lihua.
Sheng Mingzhi was halfway through his bored introductions: “That one cheated, that one’s on their second marriage, this one and that one are dating…”
Before he could finish, a high-ranking executive from MOMO hurried over in a panic and greeted Lu Jiayan. This interrupted Sheng Mingzhi’s gossiping; he felt it was a bit of a pity, as it was quite lonely having all this industry tea with no one to share it with.
The fact that the current head of Sheng Jia had appeared quietly at Xu Lihua’s Golden Wedding banquet was something no one had anticipated including Xu Lihua himself.
Years ago, when Xu Lihua founded MOMO, he had a slight acquaintance with Lu Jiayan’s father. Because of this, he had met Lu Jiayan a few times, but that was back when he was in high school. In the blink of an eye, the boy in the white shirt had grown into a mature and formidable man capable of shaking the domestic capital market with a wave of his hand.
Remarkably, he still retained a humble and polite demeanor. In his conversation with Xu Lihua, he showed no arrogance, acting simply as a junior attending an elder’s anniversary.
At the same time, Xu Lihua noticed Sheng Mingzhi. Three years ago, the union between the Lu and Sheng families had caused quite a stir, and that “wedding of the century” was unforgettable. Seeing Sheng Mingzhi’s delicate and handsome features and knowing he was brought by Lu Jiayan, Xu Lihua who had spent decades in the fashion world initially assumed he was a lover. It wasn’t until Lu Jiayan introduced him that he realized Sheng Mingzhi was the young master of Mingchen Bank.
This was unexpected for Xu Lihua.
Sheng Mingzhi didn’t find it awkward; it would have been weirder if Xu Lihua actually recognized an 18th-tier flop like him.
After chatting for a while, Xu Lihua invited Lu Jiayan to sit at his table. Given Lu Jiayan’s status, he couldn’t let the head of Sheng Jia sit in a remote corner.
What surprised him even more was that Lu Jiayan looked at Sheng Mingzhi, seemingly seeking his opinion. This small detail made Xu Lihua even more intrigued.
Perhaps because his expression was too obvious, Sheng Mingzhi asked, “Uncle Xu, is there something on my face?”
Xu Lihua laughed and said candidly, “I just heard some groundless rumors before saying that you two didn’t get along. Seeing you today, I realize those rumors were entirely baseless.”
Sheng Mingzhi was shocked. It was his first time hearing such a strange rumor in the Yunjing upper circles. Dammit, don’t people have anything better to do?
But then again, Lu Jiayan had left for overseas on their wedding day and stayed away for three years. It was only natural for people to think they didn’t get along; in fact, if people believed it, it could even suppress the stock prices of Sheng Jia and Mingchen.
His marriage to Lu Jiayan was, in itself, a part of a capital game. Truth or falsehood didn’t really apply.
Sheng Mingzhi gave an awkward smile, really not wanting to engage in small talk with Xu Lihua anymore. He wasn’t close to the old man, and the conversation was all about the capital markets. Although Sheng Mingzhi had studied finance in college, there was a gap between theory and the real market. He hadn’t heard of half the groups or companies they were discussing and was starting to feel drowsy.
When Lu Jiayan glanced over, this was the scene he saw: Sheng Mingzhi was standing there perfectly fine, but his eyes were out of focus. He was clearly zoning out.
In a gap in the conversation, Lu Jiayan leaned in and whispered, “Is this very boring?”
Sheng Mingzhi snapped back and shook his head: “It’s okay.” If he said he wasn’t interested, wouldn’t that be rude?
Lu Jiayan saw his dazed, slightly cute expression and felt a momentary pang of softness. He offered a bit of elder-like warmth: “If you’re bored, we don’t have to sit at this table, okay?”
Sheng Mingzhi looked at him in surprise. What’s with this male fox spirit acting all tender? Is he up to no good? He shook his head again: “I’m fine.”
Sheng Mingzhi looked at him seriously: “Brother Jiayan, don’t worry about me. It’s rare for you to meet someone of your own age; it’s good to have common topics to talk about.”
Lu Jiayan: “…” His heart skipped a beat and not in a good way. He suddenly felt like the conversation was over.
Qiao Yan sat restlessly, glancing several times in the direction where Sheng Mingzhi had disappeared. Half an hour ago, he had seen the current Editor-in-Chief of MOMO walk up to Lu Jiayan. After a brief exchange, Lu Jiayan and Sheng Mingzhi had left their seats. Based on the direction, they seemed to be heading toward Xu Lihua’s table.
The seating at the MOMO Fashion Gala was strictly arranged by industry status. Only two or three legendary A-list actors were seated at Xu Lihua’s table. The rest were his close friends and giants from the financial or capital worlds. In short, it was definitely not a place an 18th-tier actor like Sheng Mingzhi could aspire to.
He couldn’t convince himself of any reason why Sheng Mingzhi would be at that table. He could only tell himself that his eyes had played tricks on him.
The MOMO banquet was being live-streamed, with millions of fans watching online. While he was lost in thought, the camera happened to sweep over him. Qiao Yan gave a sweet smile and greeted the audience. Simultaneously, Huo Yuzhe looked up from his phone to participate in the “business couple” act.
Most viewers in the live stream were screaming about how sweet they were. Only a few scattered comments appeared:
“Is the suit Qiao Yan is wearing LV? It looks a bit like a knockoff.”
“The cut is weird, but maybe it’s just the live stream distortion.”
“That outfit is a million-dollar haute couture piece. It would be so embarrassing to wear a fake, but he probably doesn’t have the status to borrow the real thing…”
Fifteen minutes later, someone took screenshots of these comments and posted them on Weibo, paired with Qiao Yan’s edited photos:
@GossipPasserby: Just asking—is Qiao Yan wearing a knockoff? So embarrassing (sweating emoji).
As soon as it was posted, fans and haters started clashing in the comments:
“How could our Yanyan wear a knockoff?”
“The manager said Brother Huo bought it for him. He wouldn’t buy a fake!”
“Clearly a rumor. Move along.”
“Wait, Sheng Mingzhi is wearing the same set today. Why is no one saying he’s wearing a fake?”
“LOL. Has he ever worn anything real?”
“I literally can’t argue with the person above.”
The topic then veered off:
“If Sheng Mingzhi’s set was real, eighteen photos on Weibo wouldn’t be enough for him to show off.”
“Don’t underestimate him; he might even make a video vlog to brag.”
“Classic Sheng Mingzhi.”
“To be fair, if I were Qiao Yan, I’d be mortified. Sheng Mingzhi looks better even in a ‘fake’ than he does.”
“His look today is actually okay, but I couldn’t find him in the live stream. Has he flopped that hard?”
“I need a new profile picture. Someone go tell that little failure to post a selfie (nose pick emoji).”
The hashtag #QiaoYanWearingFakeOnRedCarpet grew rapidly, hitting the 7th spot on the hot search list in less than ten minutes.
When Sheng Mingzhi came across this post, his phone battery was at 5%, but it didn’t stop his enthusiasm for the drama. Many fashion bloggers had posted photos of the authentic piece worn by models at the high-end Fall/Winter show. It was exactly the one Sheng Mingzhi was wearing. However, to fit his physique, the designer had custom-tailored it, so there were slight differences.
He scrolled through the comments with relish; they were almost all mocking Qiao Yan. Feeling a sense of vindictive satisfaction, Sheng Mingzhi couldn’t resist “liking” a few of the marketing accounts’ posts.
Lu Jiayan happened to see this. The “little fox” was smiling so widely his eyes were like slits, with “schadenfreude” practically written on his face.
But a second later, when Sheng Mingzhi refreshed the page, the hot search had been removed. Qiao Yan’s team moved fast, not even letting Sheng Mingzhi finish the drama. Five minutes later, the hashtag #ShengMingzhiWearingKnockoffOnRedCarpet landed at the 4th spot on the hot search.
Seeing his own name on a negative hot search, Sheng Mingzhi had only one thought: Qiao Yan is really willing to spend money.
For a perennially trending 18th-tier flop, no negative rumor was surprising, and Sheng Mingzhi was used to it. He never cared what others thought of him; as long as he knew who he was, it was enough. For the rest, only time would give people the answer.
However, Lu Jiayan, who was also watching the phone, frowned. He didn’t follow the entertainment industry and didn’t know Sheng Mingzhi’s current situation. Seeing the negative search, he asked coldly, “Is your team getting paid for doing nothing?”
Sheng Mingzhi glanced at him, unsure how to explain the reality of the entertainment world to a domineering CEO. He said nonchalantly, “Don’t worry about them. It’ll die down in a few days.”
He opened the comments on his latest Weibo post and found it occupied by Qiao Yan’s fans, who were saying some quite nasty things. Sheng Mingzhi simply blocked them all—out of sight, out of mind.
After dealing with the haters, he was about to exit Weibo when he noticed his notifications for comments and reposts had surged to 999+. The last time it was this high was when the livestream went viral.
Startled, he clicked on the reposts. It turned out that the official Louis Vuitton Weibo had reposted his studio’s edited photos, officially acknowledging the haute couture piece.
@LouisVuitton: Sheng Mingzhi @ShengMingzhi wearing LOUIS VUITTON Fall/Winter…
A bespoke suit from the Fall/Winter 2024 collection appeared on the red carpet for MOMO magazine.