Chu Chenfeng picked up the call: “Mm, Fengqian will handle it.”
“I’ll give you an answer tomorrow.”
Hanging up the phone, the young President Chu rubbed his temples with a headache.
Ruan Qing lowered his head sorrowfully: “I’m sorry, President Chu, I was drunk and out of my mind.”
Shang Ting turned his head: “You only kissed me because you were drunk and out of your mind? What do you take me for? Dismissing it with just a single sentence?”
“Now that we’ve been filmed, how am I supposed to get married?”
Chu Chenfeng: …
Lin Huixing rushed in on her high heels, not helping her own artist in the slightest: “You didn’t kiss him back? You were the only one who didn’t kiss? Were you forced?”
“The whole internet is filled with your video right now, do you think I’m blind?”
“Who was the one holding him behind his back and refusing to let Teacher Ruan go?”
“He was drunk, but were you drunk? You actually have the nerve to ask for an explanation.”
“He’s a whole head shorter than you, could he really force a kiss on you? If you hadn’t taken a liking to him, would you have let him kiss you? Look at you, bullying such an obedient kid to this state!”
“I was wondering why at the award ceremony, your eyes couldn’t leave him the moment you saw him accepting the award. So you were waiting for this, huh?”
Shang Ting’s ears turned red. He cleared his throat lightly and glanced at Ruan Qing beside him: “I don’t care, this is my first kiss, he has to date me.”
Lin Huixing: “…6.”
Chu Chenfeng: “…6.”
Xia Yue: “…6.”
Ruan Qing blinked his eyes in a daze: “Ah?”
Chu Xiyao thought he hadn’t heard clearly, so he leaned into his ear and whispered: “He said you have to date him.”
Ruan Qing’s face instantly flushed even redder.
After a few seconds of total silence in the room, Shang Ting suddenly asked Lin Huixing beside him: “The video is on the trending searches, right? Where did you watch it?”
Lin Huixing: …
The young President Chu yanked at his collar irritably, the flush from the alcohol still lingering on his face: “We’ll talk about it tomorrow, our company’s artist needs some time.”
“Ruan Qing, come over here, I’ll drive you home.”
Ruan Qing stood beside him obediently: “Oh.”
Shang Ting: “Wait a minute, you haven’t added my WeChat yet.”
“If you don’t add my WeChat, where am I supposed to find you? What if you abandon me after playing with my feelings?”
Ruan Qing belatedly pulled out his phone to add his WeChat, apologizing stutteringly: “I’m sorry, it’s all my fault.”
“I will compensate you for your emotional distress.”
Shang Ting stared at him, curled his lips, pulled out his phone, and scanned the QR code.
The moment Shang Ting scanned the code, Chu Chenfeng immediately led his company’s artist out of the lounge, heading straight for the parking garage.
Just as Ruan Qing stepped out of the lounge, a friend request popped up on his WeChat.
He tapped accept. By the time he walked into the parking garage, before he even had the chance to say a word of apology, a dozen messages popped up in the chat box.
[How old are you?]
[Have you been in a relationship before?]
[What kind of boyfriend do you usually like?]
[What are your usual hobbies?]
[By the way, do you play games?]
…
Chu Chenfeng, who witnessed his phone screen lighting up repeatedly: …
Chu Xiyao waved his hand and ran over to Qin Lianzhou’s car on the other side.
The young President Chu watched his younger brother get pulled into the car while half-embraced by his brother-in-law. He then opened his own car door, stuffed Ruan Qing inside, sat beside Ruan Qing himself, and had Xia Yue take the front passenger seat.
“Don’t go home today, go to my place.”
“Your place is going to be completely blocked.”
Ruan Qing nodded: “Okay.”
His phone kept lighting up non-stop.
[Wait, the trending searches say you’re still going on a dating show, what’s going on?]
[You’re not allowed to go, I’ll pay the breach of contract fine for you.]
[Even if Chu Chenfeng goes, you’re still not allowed to go.]
The young President Chu, who happened to accidentally catch sight of that last sentence, let out a cold sneer: “Well, then I really ought to thank him.”
Ruan Qing didn’t dare reply to the messages: “I’m sorry, President Chu, he probably didn’t mean it that way.”
Chu Chenfeng spoke up: “Is he that person you had a crush on before?”
Ruan Qing opened his eyes wide, his ears burning intensely: “Y-you, how did you know?”
“Nonsense, you were just drunk, not stupid. Would you just grab anyone and kiss them?”
Ruan Qing lowered his eyes, his face flushed red: “Mm.”
The driver didn’t head toward the old Chu family estate, but drove to a single-story luxury apartment Chu Chenfeng owned in the city center.
All the way to the vicinity of the residential complex, a Maybach following behind them pulled over by the curb, watching as they smoothly turned into the neighborhood.
Jiang Mingshen watched his ex-lover’s car turn into the residential complex, paused for a moment, and only then instructed the driver to head back.
President Jiang of Jiang Chen Holdings had whispered to his assistant at the banquet: He drank too much, I’ll watch him go home later.
The assistant had long grown accustomed to President Jiang’s excessive concern for the young President Chu, so he didn’t ask a single question.
After all, over these past three years, even if Jiang Mingshen wasn’t hovering around the young President Chu in person, he had done plenty of things behind the scenes to care for him like a gloomy, clingy ghost.
Early the next morning, Ruan Qing stood by the dining table, handing a slice of toast spread with avocado jam to his young President Chu: “I’m sorry.”
Chu Chenfeng took a bite: “Is there something wrong with the taste? What are you apologizing for? Did you drop the toast on the floor before giving it to me?”
After saying that, he skeptically pulled the toast away and glanced at the underside.
Ruan Qing stammered slightly: “About that matter last night.”
“President Chu, I’ll pay the breach of contract fine myself.”
“In my current situation, I probably won’t be able to go on the dating show.”
Chu Chenfeng pushed a glass of warmed milk toward him, watching his phone light up repeatedly by the edge of the table, and asked sincerely: “Doesn’t Shang Ting need to sleep?”
“What do you even like about him?”
Ruan Qing’s ears turned red: “In the past, I had a soft personality and was bullied before, and he helped me out.”
“He probably doesn’t remember it anymore.”
After all, he had kept his head lowered at the time, so the other party hadn’t even seen his face clearly.
Back then, the boy had buried his face in embarrassment, hiding his faded, frayed school uniform sleeves behind his back. Mustering his courage, he whispered a thank you before running off with all his might, yet selfishly kept the person hidden in his heart for many years.
Last night he was truly drunk and out of his mind. When Shang Ting squatted down to look at him, he thought he was dreaming, so he mustered his courage, pulled the man down, and kissed him. The other party was startled, but quickly kissed him back.
The instance on the balcony was already their second kiss.
The more Ruan Qing thought about it, the redder his face became. He didn’t know why Shang Ting hadn’t pushed him away, why he kissed him again on the balcony, and why he kept sending him messages non-stop.
Chu Chenfeng was puzzled: “Well, I’ve helped you before too, why don’t you like me?”
Ruan Qing answered honestly: “President Chu, you’re different. You’re too pretty. Liking you feels like something is off, it doesn’t feel quite right.”
Chu Chenfeng:
The young President Chu leisurely finished biting through his toast and wiped his hands with a handkerchief: “I can still afford this little breach of contract fine.”
“Don’t let dating Shang Ting affect your work.”
“And also—”
Ruan Qing sat up straight: “Mm?”
“Don’t make breakfast next time, it doesn’t taste good.”
Ruan Qing nodded vigorously: “President Chu, I’ll work for you for the rest of my life. You can deduct the contract fine from my future appearance fees.”
Chu Chenfeng waved his hand: “I’ll call the production crew this afternoon.”
Today was a workday, and there was still work at the company.
The young President Chu pulled out his own baseball cap, buckled it onto Ruan Qing’s head, and checked three times to make sure his face wasn’t visible before bringing him back to Fengqian together.
Sure enough, there were many people squatting nearby Fengqian to take photos. Chu Chenfeng calmly turned his body, shielding the person behind himself.
An hour later, the second item on Weibo’s trending searches: Ruan Qing Returns to the Company for Work.
The first item: Fengqian President.
The netizens who were still out of the loop clicked into the top trending topic in utter confusion.
【What the heck? Why is the top trending topic ‘Fengqian President’?】
The clueless netizens were tossed a photo by enthusiastic netizens.
【Holy crap, well that makes total sense then.】
The picture was snapped right at the entrance of Fengqian earlier this morning. The lens was focused on Ruan Qing, who was covered up tightly, but it captured the upper body and side profile of the person in front of him.
A deep black coat outlined a slender, tall figure, with long, lean legs beneath suit pants. In the early autumn sunlight, his side profile was impossibly beautiful.
Half an hour later, that back-view photo of Chu Chenfeng that had gone viral two years ago was dug up once again.
Back then, a fansite admin for one of his company’s artists had accidentally captured his back view in a photo.
The weather was wonderful that day. Chu Chenfeng, who had just taken over Fengqian, was returning to the company with an artist when they happened to be candidly shot in the same frame. He was lowering his eyes and unbuttoning his coat, with a slender waist and long legs. The sunlight stretched his shadow long, creating an intense sense of atmosphere and aesthetic beauty. It directly knocked out a cover photo of a hugely popular magazine on the trending searches and went viral across the entire internet. However, nobody had captured a front view of the young President Chu at the time, and Fengqian didn’t bother with it, so it gradually faded away.
Who would have thought his side profile would be captured again today?
It was the exact same fansite admin as two years ago, who had just jumped ship to become a fan of Ruan Qing. A familiar composition, a familiar recipe, and a crystal-clear, handsome face.
【Damn, what a powerful character model.】
【I knew from that back view two years ago that he was a peerless top-tier hunk, and sure enough!!!】
【Why hasn’t he debuted with a face like that?!】
【Sis, you really consistently photograph the wrong person, huh.】
【She switched to a new bias, yet still managed to shoot an insanely stunning photo of the boss. You could say she jumps ship fast, but she’s actually quite dedicated too.】
【Thinking back to that night two years ago, going crazy with my besties trying to dig up the Fengqian boss’s front face, and the regretful scene of failing to dig it up…】
【Family, now we have both his side profile and his back view, I suggest pairing them up together to appreciate him from all angles!】
【That, that, I have a question—since Ruan Qing is dating, he can’t go on the dating show anymore, right? Why not let this handsome boss go on it himself?】
【He definitely doesn’t look straight, trust me, I’m very accurate at judging people.】
【Why not let such a handsome boss go on it himself? @HeartbeatExperiment】
【I want to watch him date! @HeartbeatExperiment】
【Hello, handsome guy from Fengqian, are you single? Do you like guys? Are you interested in going on the dating show in place of your artist~ @FengqianMedia】
Inside the Fengqian Media Building.
Chu Chenfeng had been in continuous meetings for over two hours. Furrowing his brows as he stepped out of the conference room, he abruptly froze, feeling that the employees were looking at him with slightly unusual eyes.
The young President Chu quietly went to the restroom and looked in the mirror for a long time, not missing a single strand of hair.
There wasn’t any problem…
He returned to the CEO’s office, only to find Xia Yue standing at the door, looking at him with a complex expression.
Chu Chenfeng: …?
“Has the team from Heartbeat Experiment called yet? How much is the breach of contract fine on their end?” Chu Chenfeng took off his coat, tossed it aside casually, and sat down in his seat, lightly crossing his long legs.
Ruan Qing’s matter was complicated. He had been in a meeting with the PR team for over two hours, ultimately deciding not to make an official announcement for now, and to wait and see how the two developed on their own. After going through the whole process, let alone responding to Heartbeat Experiment, he hadn’t even had time to open his phone.
Xia Yue looked at him: “President Chu, before the meeting you told me that this meeting was very important, and that no matter what happened, I shouldn’t disturb you, right?”
Chu Chenfeng: “Mm? What is it?” He had a slightly bad premonition.
Secretary Xia said no more, making a gesture that invited him to check his phone.
Chu Chenfeng looked down at his phone in a bit of a daze. He didn’t even need to open Weibo; Weibo pushed the trending topic to him on its own.
【Entertainment Trending #1: Can the Fengqian President go on the dating show? Heartbeat Experiment responds: Currently in communication!!!】
Chu Chenfeng: ?
His phone suddenly lit up. He answered the call in a daze; it was the production team of Heartbeat Experiment.
“Young President Chu, ah! We can waive the breach of contract fine, it’s just… may we ask if you are single right now…”
Ten minutes later, Chu Chenfeng put down his phone, still in a daze.
Xia Yue asked thoughtfully: “President Chu, do you want to hold another meeting with PR? To discuss the matter of you going viral out of nowhere?”