Sheng Mingzhi froze for a long time, repeatedly clicking on the Louis Vuitton official account to confirm if it was truly the official handle.
He wasn’t the only one shocked; the comment section was in a total state of disbelief.
“??”
“????”
“Was the account hacked?”
“I clicked on the LV official account three times to confirm it was LV, then clicked on Sheng Mingzhi’s Weibo three times to confirm it was him. Now I’m starting to doubt my own existence.”
“Holy crap, did you go sell blood or something? @ShengMingzhi”
“I— (I don’t understand.jpg)”
“@Ping’anYunjingPolice I suspect this blogger @ShengMingzhi has engaged in illegal activities to obtain approximately one million yuan in illicit funds for luxury goods. I’m reporting this under my real name.”
“Wife, I’m starting to feel like you’re out of my league.”
“I have nothing left that’s worthy of you now, except for my confidence.”
By the time Sheng Mingzhi finished scrolling through the comments, his emotions had stabilized.
After all, he was a VIC (Very Important Customer) of the brand, spending about 3 to 4 million yuan annually. Every year, at Louis Vuitton’s large-scale domestic fashion shows or exhibitions, there would be a dedicated SA (Sourcing Associate) providing him with one-on-one service. Last year, at a jewelry exhibition at No. 1 Bund in Haicheng, he had impulsively ordered a fully diamond-encrusted watch for about five million yuan.
It had been gathering dust at home for an entire year.
However, this was the first time he had publicly interacted with a high luxury brand on social media.
Louis Vuitton wasn’t exactly a small brand; they wouldn’t just jump out and acknowledge his post for no reason. This kind of move which purely elevated the status of an 18th-tier “flop” like him wasn’t something a planner would do unless they had a death wish or a decade’s worth of brain damage.
Sheng Mingzhi thought about it for a while and already had a good idea of the culprit.
Besides Lu Jiayan, who else would be bored enough to stick their neck out for him?
Did this “dog-man” take some kind of magic elixir and finally have an epiphany?
Although Sheng Mingzhi didn’t care much about the public’s opinion of him, he had to admit: being able to slap them back in the face like this felt incredibly satisfying.
If his phone hadn’t run out of battery and shut down automatically, he could have kept enjoying the drama for another hour.
Sheng Mingzhi’s little fox tail was practically wagging in the sky.
Every single one of his movements fell under Lu Jiayan’s gaze.
Lu Jiayan was in a good mood as he picked up his champagne and took a sip. However, as he set it back down, his movement was a bit too large, and some champagne spilled onto his index finger.
Sheng Mingzhi glanced at the table and realized there were no napkins.
He was just about to get up to go to the restroom when suddenly, Lu Jiayan’s well-defined right hand tapped twice on the table.
Sheng Mingzhi froze and turned to look at him.
Lu Jiayan said casually, “Nothing you want to say to me?”
Sheng Mingzhi: “…?”
Say what? Do I need to give you a report just to go to the toilet?
What are you, a dean? Or a high school boy? Do you want to go to the bathroom holding hands?
Lu Jiayan’s peach-blossom eyes watched him with a half-smile.
Feeling confused under that gaze, Sheng Mingzhi could only answer honestly: “…I want to go to the restroom.”
In response, Lu Jiayan showed a hint of bewilderment.
Sheng Mingzhi was even more baffled: “???”
After a long pause, the man raised an eyebrow and said arrogantly, “It’s just a ‘thank you.’ There’s no need to make it so solemn that you have to go to the restroom to prepare yourself for half an hour.”
Sheng Mingzhi: “…”
He had originally only suspected that Lu Jiayan was the one who settled the matter, but now it was completely confirmed.
But what did he mean by “making it so solemn”? He hadn’t even thought about thanking him!
“Who’s going to thank you?” Sheng Mingzhi snorted. “This is just part of your duty.”
Lu Jiayan looked quite hurt. “But I helped you. Can’t I even get a single ‘thank you’?”
His tone was intentionally mournful. It made Sheng Mingzhi look like some kind of scumbag who had wronged him.
Sheng Mingzhi was the type who responded to soft words but not threats; he couldn’t stand it when someone acted vulnerable. Hearing Lu Jiayan speak like that made him feel a bit guilty. He muttered, “No one acts like you do.”
Sheng Mingzhi racked his brain and tried to lecture Lu Jiayan: “And besides, when other people do good deeds, they stay anonymous. They don’t actively come forward to claim credit.”
He wore an expression that said: Do you realize your mistake now?
Lu Jiayan was amused by his serious little expression and let out a chuckle. “Is that so? But Uncle Lei Feng wrote his good deeds in his diary.”
His tone was clearly one used for coaxing a child.
Sheng Mingzhi didn’t expect Lu Jiayan’s counter-argument to be so tricky. He was momentarily choked up and only managed to say after a few seconds, “Lei Feng is Lei Feng, and you are you.” He paused and added sternly, “Don’t try to latch onto his reputation.”
Lu Jiayan laughed softly and sighed. “I’m not trying to latch onto anything. I’m just afraid that if I don’t say it, a certain little heartless person will just pretend as if nothing happened.”
Sheng Mingzhi, who had indeed planned to pretend nothing happened: “…”
Lu Jiayan said lightly and nonchalantly, “Then wouldn’t my effort to perform well be for nothing?”
________________________________________
Inside the third-floor restroom, Sheng Mingzhi rinsed the soap off his hands, his mind constantly replaying Lu Jiayan’s words.
What does he mean by “effort to perform”? It sounds like he’s flirting. With our plastic marriage, doesn’t Lu Jiayan think that persona is a bit unsuitable for us?!
Despite his thoughts, Sheng Mingzhi’s movements slowed down.
Actually, he felt Lu Jiayan had been quite good to him lately? It shouldn’t be his imagination.
But then Sheng Mingzhi remembered something, and the slight flutter in his heart was instantly extinguished.
Right, how could Lu Jiayan not be good to him? After all, he returned to the country this time specifically to use the Sheng family’s power to crush his brother, Lu Xiao, once and for all.
His reflection in the mirror gave a self-mocking curl of the lips.
Sheng Mingzhi dried his hands and walked out of the restroom.
To his surprise, he ran right into Huo Yuzhe walking up to the third floor in an intimate posture with another man.
The man’s back looked incredibly familiar. Sheng Mingzhi thought for a moment until a connection finally clicked in his brain.
—Wasn’t that the male host of the MOMO Gala?!
Sheng Mingzhi let out a mental “Wow.” He was witnessing the drama live, and he was quite excited.
That scumbag Huo Yuzhe had once again shattered Sheng Mingzhi’s worldview. Not only did he swing both ways, but he also changed lovers faster than he changed clothes. Aside from having Qiao Yan as his official boyfriend, he had previously been linked with a high-level female executive from Tianyang Entertainment, and today he had hooked up with the event host.
Sheng Mingzhi vaguely remembered that the host was quite… old? In his late forties?
A shiver of disgust ran through him.
He had to admit, there was no comparison without contrast. Sheng Mingzhi suddenly felt a tiny shred of guilt for always calling Lu Jiayan “old.”
One more look at that pair would burn his eyes.
Sheng Mingzhi immediately turned to head downstairs, but as misfortunes never come singly, he ran right into Qiao Yan coming up from the first floor.
Is my luck just that bad tonight?
Qiao Yan didn’t look good. His face was full of rage and his eyes were red, as if he had just had a crying fit.
Presumably, it was because the “knockoff” incident was blowing up on Weibo. But was that worth crying over? “Teacher Sheng” thought disdainfully that this was far too fragile.
Sheng Mingzhi had no intention of greeting Qiao Yan and prepared to walk past him. But to his surprise, the moment Qiao Yan saw him, he lunged forward and grabbed Sheng Mingzhi’s arm tightly.
“Sheng Mingzhi!”
Sheng Mingzhi was startled and pushed him away directly.
Most of his good mood was ruined. Qiao Yan was pushed against the wall and let out a cry of pain. But as if he couldn’t feel the pain, he roared furiously at Sheng Mingzhi, “Where is Huo Yuzhe?!”
Sheng Mingzhi felt like he had been bitten by a stray dog that had suddenly jumped out. His temper flared instantly. “Are you sick? Who is Huo Yuzhe to me? Does he have anything to do with me? If you don’t know where he is, how would I?”
“Stop faking with me!” Qiao Yan snarled. “You spent quite a bit of money buying those hot searches for the knockoff clothes and the chat logs, didn’t you? How can you be so shameless? Does your husband know you’re flirting with other men at the banquet?”
Sheng Mingzhi knew about the knockoff clothes. But what were the chat logs?
Seeing Sheng Mingzhi remain silent, Qiao Yan sneered, “Do you really think I’d be afraid of you just because you bought the hot search for Huo Yuzhe’s phone records from the banquet? A mistress is a mistress. You think you can walk away unscathed?”
Hearing this, Sheng Mingzhi suddenly connected the dots.
Recalling the sight of Huo Yuzhe and the host heading upstairs together, Sheng Mingzhi realized what had happened. There were over a dozen live-stream cameras at the MOMO banquet. Huo Yuzhe must have been caught by a high-definition camera while playing with his phone.
Along with the escalation of Qiao Yan’s “knockoff” scandal, screenshots of Huo Yuzhe’s flirtatious messages at the gala had been captured and zoomed in on, with the original images restored via Photoshop. And the person he was flirting with was likely the male host he had just hooked up with.
Qiao Yan, having rushed up in a rage and seeing Sheng Mingzhi on the third floor, naturally assumed Sheng Mingzhi was the one Huo Yuzhe was flirting with.
But for two negative hot searches to break out at the same time in one day. Could it really be such a coincidence?
Sheng Mingzhi paused. For some reason, the image of Lu Jiayan’s “smiling fox” face flashed through his mind.
He…
He had a feeling someone was causing trouble on purpose.
“Where is Huo Yuzhe?” Qiao Yan repeated like a broken record.
Seeing his rival suffer one blow after another brought Sheng Mingzhi’s good mood back. He spoke patiently and lazily, “If you want to know where he is, go to the fourth floor. But I suggest you take your manager with you. Otherwise, if a fight breaks out, you might not be able to handle it alone.”
Qiao Yan hesitated. “What do you mean?”
Sheng Mingzhi raised his eyes and said nonchalantly, “Just go up to the fourth floor and see for yourself. I’ll give you a piece of advice: try to catch him in the act a bit later. If you go too early, your boyfriend won’t even have his pants off yet.”
At this point, even if Qiao Yan were an idiot, he would have understood what Sheng Mingzhi meant. At that moment, his mind went blank. He couldn’t believe Huo Yuzhe had actually cheated.
While he was hesitating, “speak of the devil,” two people appeared at the top of the fourth-floor stairs.
Right in front of Qiao Yan, Huo Yuzhe was coming downstairs, laughing and talking with his arm around the male host he had just met.
Then, Qiao Yan’s scream echoed through the hallway: “Huo Yuzhe! F**k you!”
The roar caught Sheng Mingzhi off guard and startled him. He covered his ears and watched Qiao Yan with a look of amazement. To make Qiao Yan, a man who valued his dignity above all else curse like that in public he must have been pushed to the brink of collapse tonight.
First, a high-profile display of affection, only for the public to discover the haute couture his boyfriend “bought” him was a fake. Then, while he was being mocked by the entire internet, his boyfriend was nowhere to be found because he was busy going to bed with a new lover.
What a dramatic, soap-opera plot.
Sheng Mingzhi suddenly didn’t want to leave. He had to finish watching this free show before going.
Huo Yuzhe was also frozen in place, likely never expecting to be caught red-handed by Qiao Yan. Before he could react, Qiao Yan slapped him hard across the face.
The male host looked incredibly embarrassed. After all, being the “other man” was not a proud role. Since the official partner had shown up, he could only remain silent.
Qiao Yan was practically insane with rage. One slap wasn’t enough; he started punching and kicking Huo Yuzhe. Huo Yuzhe let him vent for a while, but once his nose started bleeding, he pushed Qiao Yan away impatiently.
“Have you had enough?!”
Qiao Yan was pushed to the ground, his makeup already ruined by tears.
“Have I had enough?! Do you have no shame?! Do you know I was being attacked by the whole internet just now? Do you have a conscience?! How can you be so cheap?! Cheating with this kind of trash?!”
He pointed a finger at the silent host. Qiao Yan was so angry he lost all filter: “I would have rather it been Sheng Mingzhi! At least then I’d accept the loss! But how can this old, ugly bastard compare to me?! Are you f**king blind?!”
Suddenly, three pairs of eyes turned toward Sheng Mingzhi at once.
Sheng Mingzhi: “…”
He paused and added a comment that was sure to infuriate them: “Not only is he blind, but he’s also ‘short and fast.'”
Sheng Mingzhi continued sarcastically, “From the time you went upstairs until now, it’s only been ten minutes, right?”
The hallway became so silent you could hear a pin drop. Huo Yuzhe’s expression was a sight to behold—turning red and white, whether from anger or shame.
No one spoke for a moment, save for the sound of Qiao Yan’s breathless sobbing. Even now, once he regained some composure, he was still defending Huo Yuzhe, glaring at Sheng Mingzhi through gritted teeth. “Don’t get too ahead of yourself, Sheng Mingzhi. You have a partner too. How many handsome, rich men don’t have a wandering eye? Is your man any better? Can you guarantee he doesn’t have anyone else on the side?”
The amusement in Sheng Mingzhi’s eyes vanished, and his face dropped. For some reason, he found it hard to tolerate anyone speaking ill of Lu Jiayan.
Lu Jiayan’s flaws were for him alone to mention. Who was Qiao Yan to say anything?
“Is that so?” Sheng Mingzhi said with a fake smile. “I’m nothing like you. I’m more handsome than you, and I have better taste. I’d never settle for a ‘three-second man’ like Huo Yuzhe. Furthermore, my partner doesn’t have anyone else. He is faithful and deeply affectionate. He loves me to death. He can’t even fall asleep without kissing me ten times a day. He’s handsome, rich, and has a great temper. You couldn’t find a man this good even if you searched with a lantern.”
He smiled sweetly. “I’m not like you, aspiring to be a trash recycling center.”
It was safe to say he was pouring salt into the wound. Qiao Yan was so angry his tears kept falling. “You!”
Having said his piece, Sheng Mingzhi shrugged innocently and turned to leave without a second thought. This disgusting drama wasn’t worth finishing; a few bites were enough to make him want to vomit.
However, as he reached the corner, Sheng Mingzhi felt something was off. His right eye began to twitch uncontrollably.
The last time his right eye twitched was when Lu Jiayan caught him calling him “old” behind his back. A sense of foreboding descended once again.
Suddenly, a pair of exceptionally long, straight legs entered Sheng Mingzhi’s vision. Looking up, the owner of those legs was leaning against the wall. His proportions were incredible. No manga artist would dare draw legs that long.
But he still looked as casual as ever, as if his bones were made of rubber.
It was Lu Jiayan.
There was no telling how long he had been there or how much he had heard. Sheng Mingzhi’s body froze instantly.
He opened his mouth, his mind blank with shock. “Why are you here?”
“I thought you were in the restroom for too long, so I came to find you.”
“Oh.” Sheng Mingzhi answered dumbly. His fingers curled for a moment as he asked, “Then, how long have you been here?”
Lu Jiayan looked at him with poise. A hint of a smile was clearly hidden in his eyes as he said in a drawl, “If I said I just arrived, would you believe me?”
…
Silence was Sheng Mingzhi’s best answer. His toes were already curling in embarrassment.
Lu Jiayan stood up straight, hands in his pockets. His lips curved as he spoke slowly:
“Anyway…”
“—I definitely didn’t hear a certain someone say that I am faithful and deeply affectionate, that I love them to death and can’t fall asleep without kissing them ten times a day, and that I’m not only handsome and rich, but also have a great temper.”
Lu Jiayan paused for a second to admire how Sheng Mingzhi’s blush had spread from his neck to the tips of his ears. Finally, he repeated with suppressed laughter:
“The ‘good man’ that a certain someone could only find by searching with a lantern.”
Lu Jiayan finished and let out a sigh of mock emotion, his tone rising at the end: “I had no idea that in Mingzhi’s heart, I was such a perfect man.”