Sheng Mingzhi remained silent for a long time. He took a deep breath before finally speaking, “Can you stop being so narcissistic?”
Lu Jiayan said nothing.
Suppressing the embarrassing urge to dig a hole and disappear, Sheng Mingzhi tried his best to explain, “Besides, I was just using a bit of hyperbole just now.”
Lu Jiayan: “Hyperbole?”
He deliberately paused again before saying, “Why do I feel like it was the truth?”
Sheng Mingzhi: “…”
Fine. You win. Everything you say is right.
He had to admit, the thickness of this dog man’s skin was beyond words. He couldn’t understand how Lu Jiayan could say such a thing with such a natural and arrogant tone.
Lu Jiayan was in a good mood, his lips curling upward. “But next time you want to say something nice about your husband, remember to say it to my face.”
He added pointedly, “Otherwise, if I don’t hear it, isn’t your performance wasted?”
Sheng Mingzhi scoffed internally, finally getting over the wave of embarrassment. “No thanks. My skin isn’t as thick as yours.”
He was speechless. He wanted to say something but held back. He felt that no matter what he said now, he would just be mocked by this old man. He decided to maintain a “noble and cold” silence.
The scandal involving Qiao Yan and Huo Yuzhe couldn’t be kept under wraps.
When Sheng Mingzhi returned to the banquet hall, Xiao Wang showed him the hot searches with an expression that screamed, “I just ate the biggest gossip of the century.”
The top four spots were almost entirely claimed by Huo Yuzhe. The very top search was a glaring: #Huo Yuzhe Flirting Logs#.
The crash was total.
Sheng Mingzhi gloated, “What does this story teach us? Don’t show off your ‘love’ too much, or you’ll end up dead.”
Seeking validation after his comment, he instinctively glanced at Lu Jiayan. It was a subconscious move he didn’t even notice himself.
Lu Jiayan, however, didn’t play along properly. He smiled and chimed in, “We are truly in love. No need to show off.”
Sheng Mingzhi rolled his eyes so hard they almost reached the ceiling. Did this guy have some kind of performance personality disorder? He seemed better suited for the entertainment industry than Sheng Mingzhi himself, constantly staying in character for their “loving couple” persona.
Xiao Wang, meanwhile, cast an envious look and agreed fervently: “Exactly! Real couples are low-key; that’s true love. Our Mingzhi isn’t like that high-profile little bitch Qiao Yan; he’s a good kid who lives a steady, grounded life.”
Steady and grounded.
Good kid.
Those terms were being given entirely new definitions today. Sheng Mingzhi gave him a look of hesitation. …Talk about a ‘motherly filter’.
Yet Lu Jiayan had the audacity to nod shamelessly. Seeing this, Sheng Mingzhi found it even harder to describe. This guy wasn’t even afraid of ghosts knocking at his door for lying through his teeth. What kind of “loving couple” were they? The kind that lived apart for three years and both recognized the wrong people at a birthday banquet?
Xiao Wang muttered while scrolling, “Strange, I thought Qiao Yan would definitely try to drag you down with him this time. You got pretty lucky! You’ve completely vanished from the drama! With luck this good, I almost want to buy a lottery ticket…”
After all, Sheng Mingzhi’s persona of “the harder he works, the unluckier he gets” never faltered. He was a walking contradiction: “unpopular, but with high presence.” He had few fans but plenty of active haters; whenever something happened, he’d hit the hot searches, but whenever he went viral, it never translated into actual fame. The number of times he had escaped a fanwar unscathed could be counted on one hand.
Sheng Mingzhi knew the truth, though. Lu Jiayan had likely ordered all the negative searches about him to be removed. The old man had money to burn; if he wanted to, he could probably blow up the entire Weibo server.
At the same time, Qiao Yan’s PR team was losing their minds.
The counterfeit clothing scandal and Huo Yuzhe’s cheating scandal erupted simultaneously like a flood. A dozen major marketing accounts posted identical long articles as if they had pre-arranged it.
One post meticulously dismantled the fact that Qiao Yan was wearing a fake; Louis Vuitton’s official account even stepped in to slap him in the face, making the evidence as solid as iron.
The other featured screenshots of Huo Yuzhe’s cheating. After the topic hit number one, a bunch of obscure little artists both male and female suddenly popped up to post their own chat logs with Huo Yuzhe. The messages were suggestive and explicit, all sent while he was in a relationship with Qiao Yan.
His “responsible, warm man” persona collapsed overnight. Between all the logs, he had flirted with seven or eight people in the industry, not even counting those outside of it. He was a literal master of time management.
Inside the lounge, Qiao Yan had broken down. “Have we still not contacted the marketing accounts?”
The manager looked ghastly. “We did. They said they won’t take the commission, even after we raised the price to 100,000.”
Qiao Yan’s face turned as white as paper. He sat dejectedly on the sofa. After a long while, the manager finally gave up on the calls and turned to ask him, “Qiao Yan, did you offend someone?”
It wasn’t that this had never happened in the industry before. When all the major accounts suddenly refused to take “whitewashing” posts, there was only one possibility: someone with a much stronger background had issued an ultimatum. A capital-driven PR war was simply a contest of who had more money.
Qiao Yan had risen quickly this year, but thinking back, he hadn’t offended any major figures. Looking at the scale of today’s attack, one might think he had offended the President of Shengjia.
That thought flashed by. Suddenly, a string in Qiao Yan’s brain was plucked. His memory snapped back to the interview materials about Lu Jiayan he had seen in Qiao Yu’s bedroom. At the time, he had only glanced at the photo on the last page before being distracted by Huo Yuzhe’s call.
But in this very second, that photo on the computer screen became vividly clear. It was as if the mist had been cleared away, finally revealing a corner of the truth. The noble, peerless man in the interview materials gradually merged with the face of the “spouse” Sheng Mingzhi had brought to the banquet today.
Shua—
Cold sweat soaked Qiao Yan’s back without warning. The “accidental” meeting at the Haicheng Film Festival. The sudden breach of contract from Hemu Media, and the two resources and one movie that were intercepted midway. And today, the lightning-fast rise of his scandals, and Sheng Mingzhi’s million-dollar custom gown…
Everything. Everything finally made sense.
The man who accompanied Sheng Mingzhi to the banquet today was the renowned giant of the capital world, the current ruler of the Shengjia Group—Lu Jiayan!
“Damn it, we can’t even get the hot searches removed. What is going on?” The manager was fuming with impotent rage, slamming her phone down.
Just as she was trying to find another way, Qiao Yan stopped her with a pale face, his voice strained. “Sister Yang, don’t bother.”
The manager frowned, noting his poor complexion. “What’s wrong?”
Qiao Yan took a deep breath. “I said, don’t look for people to remove the searches. They won’t go away.”
Manager: “?”
His voice trembled as he spoke. “The man who accompanied Sheng Mingzhi today is Lu Jiayan. The President of Shengjia.”
The air in the lounge seemed to freeze. Qiao Yan explained, “My sister interviewed him. I’ve seen his photos.”
The manager looked as if she’d been struck by lightning. It took a long time for her to recover. “Then…”
Qiao Yan closed his eyes. “So, don’t waste time. We’ve offended Sheng Mingzhi thoroughly. He won’t let us off.”
The manager opened her mouth and suddenly caught the key point. “You’re saying the person with Sheng Mingzhi today was Lu Jiayan?” She muttered, “But isn’t Lu Jiayan married? Is Sheng Mingzhi his lover?”
The MOMO fashion gala finally came to an end at 9:00 PM. After the awards ceremony, the host finished the ending procedures, and all the artists went on stage for a group photo.
Xiao Wang originally wanted Sheng Mingzhi to join the fun. However, the top-tier artists on stage were busy with subtle bickering and power plays, quietly fighting for the best positions. Seeing that there was barely any room left, Xiao Wang gave up on the idea. Instead, he instructed Sheng Mingzhi to be flexible at the upcoming after-party and toast a few major producers.
Sheng Mingzhi listened half-heartedly, clearly not taking it to heart. His gaze was fixed on the entrance of the hall. Five minutes ago, Lu Jiayan had received a call from the company likely something urgent and hadn’t returned since.
Although it wasn’t the first time Lu Jiayan had left him to deal with work, this was the first time Sheng Mingzhi felt a flicker of discomfort. His chest felt strangely tight, and he couldn’t muster the energy for anything.
Xiao Wang was still nagging beside him: “Hey, hey, Mingzhi! That’s the producer for That Mountain, That Sea. Go and give him a toast quickly! If you’re late, you’ll have to wait in line!”
Sheng Mingzhi looked dejectedly at Xiao Wang’s face. Oh. Seeing this plain, unremarkable face… life seemed even more uninspiring.
Xiao Wang was confused by the look. “What are you looking at me for? Do you have a problem with my face?”
“No,” Sheng Mingzhi said honestly, his expression innocent but his words poisonous. “It’s just that for the first time today, I realized how ordinary you look.”
Xiao Wang: “…”
His fragile heart shattered.
He sighed resentfully. “Just be satisfied! Not everyone is as good-looking as your husband! Also, my heart is made of flesh too; it hurts to be called ugly!”
Transforming his grief into motivation, Xiao Wang professionally dragged Sheng Mingzhi to toast several famous directors and industry seniors. Although they were drinking champagne, Sheng Mingzhi was not a strong drinker. After a few glasses, he was already feeling tipsy.
He let out a shallow breath and leaned against a table, feeling a bit unsteady. The theme of the after-party was socializing, so the atmosphere was relaxed. People were laughing and drinking under the perfect lighting.
Consequently, some of the attractive low-tier artists became unspoken “targets” in the room.
Sheng Mingzhi rubbed his brow. The alcohol was taking its toll, giving his beautiful, clever “fox eyes” a hint of intoxication. The corners of his eyes tilted upward slightly, and his vision was a bit blurred, making his expression look particularly dazed. His cheeks were flushed, making his appearance strikingly alluring.
Xiao Wang hadn’t expected Sheng Mingzhi’s tolerance to be this low and began to regret the toasts. But this kid was too honest; he’d never seen someone actually drink the whole glass during small talk, yet Sheng Mingzhi had downed five full glasses.
“I’ll go get you some honey water. No more drinking since you’re drunk,” Xiao Wang said, patting his back.
As he turned, he caught sight of a middle-aged man in a blue suit with a side-parted hairstyle and a small mustache, walking toward them with a wide smile. Xiao Wang’s brow furrowed as he instantly recognized the man.
Gao Yubo, a producer from Tianyang Entertainment. He held several variety show resources but was personally quite incompetent; he only got his position because of a high-ranking relative. Not only that, his reputation in the industry was terrible. He frequently harassed female artists on his shows and had even hit the hot searches for being caught with a prostitute. He was filthy and low, someone to be avoided at all costs.
Xiao Wang whispered a warning: “Gao Yubo is coming over to toast. Don’t drink whatever he hands you.” He hadn’t forgotten the man’s history of drugging and sleeping with male assistants.
“Long time no see, Little Sheng! Why didn’t you come over to say hello when you saw me?”
Before Sheng Mingzhi could speak, Xiao Wang said politely, “Producer Gao, long time no see. Mingzhi has had a bit too much to drink today and isn’t feeling well. If you have anything to say, you can tell me.”
“Too much?” Gao Yubo laughed. “Don’t lie to me. Little Sheng is a drinker; how could he be drunk?” He smiled, “You’re not refusing to give me face, are you?”
Motherfucker, Xiao Wang cursed internally.
He turned to look at Sheng Mingzhi, who was already so dizzy he couldn’t tell which way was which. He smiled awkwardly, “I’m really not lying. You know Mingzhi doesn’t have a high tolerance.”
“Is that so?” Gao Yubo moved as if to look at Sheng Mingzhi, and Xiao Wang blocked him slightly.
In that split second of distraction, a small amount of white powder hidden in Gao Yubo’s sleeve slipped silently into Sheng Mingzhi’s glass.
Having finished the deed, Gao Yubo straightened up and said boisterously, “He’s not drunk! I think you’re just not giving me face. Others want to toast me and I don’t even drink with them. If it weren’t for the fact that I worked with Little Sheng on a variety show and find him likable, would a powerful person like me condescend to come find him?”
He added nonchalantly, “I remember Little Sheng’s next role is with Director Qu, right? I’m very close with him. If you need anything, just come to me. But that depends on whether you guys cooperate.”
At this point, Xiao Wang wanted to scream. “President Gao, since you’ve put it that way, can I even refuse? How about I drink it for Mingzhi?”
“How could that be allowed!” Gao Yubo was instantly displeased.
It was a case of the “thick-skinned” fearing the “shameless.” Xiao Wang had been in the industry for years, but he had never met someone with such low EQ and no sense of decency.
Just as he was caught between a rock and a hard place, a hand suddenly appeared and took the wine glass from the table. Then came a man’s characteristic cold, detached voice, carrying the aura of someone in power:
“It’s just a glass of wine. I’ll drink it for him.”
Gao Yubo looked up at the man who had suddenly appeared and instinctively took a wary step back. As a man himself, he clearly felt a piercing hostility coming from the stranger. It gave him the illusion of being stared down by a powerful predator, making his skin crawl.
Seeing Lu Jiayan return, Xiao Wang suddenly felt a surge of confidence. He quickly introduced him: “Producer Gao, this is Mingzhi’s spouse.”
Gao Yubo let out an “Ah,” and said awkwardly, “I see. Since you’re Little Sheng’s spouse, I’ll accept this toast.” After saying that, he turned and left as if he had a guilty conscience.
Xiao Wang was baffled. Watching his departing back, he muttered, “Why is he running so fast? Like he stole something?”
Lu Jiayan put down the empty glass and supported Sheng Mingzhi, chuckling softly. “Low tolerance but still greedy for the bottle.”
He had only been gone for half an hour, and this little ancestor had already managed to get into trouble.
The after-party was coming to an end. Xiao Wang left first after handing Sheng Mingzhi over to Lu Jiayan.
Sheng Mingzhi felt himself being supported as they walked for a while. When they reached the hotel entrance, the cold wind blew, clearing his head significantly. He belatedly remembered Lu Jiayan taking the drink for him and muttered, “Why did you help me drink that just now? You could have just rejected him directly.”
Sheng Mingzhi was actually quite shocked. In his impression, Lu Jiayan was born as a “chosen one,” always high and mighty. Social trash like Gao Yubo wasn’t even fit to carry his shoes, let alone have Lu Jiayan accept a drink from him. It was as if a god had suddenly stepped into the mortal world. And he had been pulled off his pedestal because of him.
Sheng Mingzhi felt inexplicably guilty and whispered, “You don’t need to pay attention to social scum like him.”
Lu Jiayan paused for a few seconds, then sighed. “What else could I do? I’m ‘married to a chicken, follow the chicken; married to a dog, follow the dog.’ If I didn’t drink his wine and it affected Teacher Sheng’s career in the industry, that would be bad.”
He then looked at him with smiling eyes and continued slowly, “After all, Teacher Sheng is going to be the rising superstar of the entertainment industry.”
Sheng Mingzhi: “…”
Why did I just feel a redundant sense of guilt? Did I do it just to give this dog man a chance to mock me?
“Forget it,” Sheng Mingzhi said, speechless. “I’m not talking to you. You’re so childish.”
He pulled his hand away from Lu Jiayan, walked straight to the car waiting at the entrance, opened the door, and sat inside. Lu Jiayan chuckled and got in from the other side.
The door of the Maybach closed slowly, sealing off the gentle night outside. Lu Jiayan leaned lazily against the seat, closing his eyes for a nap. After a moment, he suddenly felt the cabin was a bit stuffy. He frowned slightly and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt.