12
Since discovering Cen Feng’s blog, Xu Zhaixing felt all her longing and affection finally had a place to settle, much like how she used to scroll through Weibo and fan forums every day. She now frequently pulled out her phone, logged into the blog, and checked it.
Of course, Cen Feng didn’t give her any pleasant surprises.
No updates, no replies, no interaction—it felt as desolate as an account abandoned long ago.
She dared not leave too many comments, restraining herself to just one per day. Even so, looking at the blog’s comment section after some time, it was filled with messages from “Picking Stars From Heaven For You.”
Xu Zhaixing worriedly thought, if Cen Feng ever logged in and saw so many comments from the same person, would he think she was some obsessive stalker?
Yet she couldn’t help but leave one message every day. She wanted him to know he wasn’t alone, that someone still cared about him.
During this time, among high schoolers, the less sophisticated ones were playing around in QQ Space, while the more advanced ones were on blogs. Classmates were constantly ‘passing by’ each other’s pages. Cheng You also wanted to “pass by” Xu Zhaixing’s blog, but unfortunately, Xu Zhaixing wouldn’t tell her the account name.
What a joke! Blogs showed visitor footprints. What if this bunch followed the trail and found Cen Feng’s blog? Finding Cen Feng wasn’t the biggest issue, but if they saw her own obsessive fan comments there, how could she ever save face?!
She had to guard her little online identity tightly!
Failing to get her account, Cheng You shifted to gossiping about others. “Do you know what Zhou Mingyu’s blog is called?”
Xu Zhaixing played along with her gossipy deskmate. “What’s it called?”
Cheng You: “Reaching for the Stars!”
Xu Zhaixing: “Pfft…”
Would this guy ever give it a rest?!
Cheng You glanced at her with a sigh. “You know, I suddenly don’t dislike him as much anymore. Even though his grades are poor and his personality isn’t great, he’s actually quite devoted.” A thought occurred to her, and her gossipy expression became animated. She lowered her voice, “You know, Song Yanan leaves comments under Zhou Mingyu’s blog posts every day! Stuff like ‘it’s getting cold, add clothes,’ ‘stay happy,’ ugh… it’s so cringey! Gives me goosebumps!”
Xu Zhaixing: “…”
She dared not speak.
Wasn’t that exactly what she was doing, leaving comments for Cen Feng…
Good thing she hadn’t told Cheng You her account name!
Xu Zhaixing twirled her pen. “So, Song Yanan likes Zhou Mingyu?”
Cheng You looked at her incredulously. “You’re only realizing this now?! Do you know how many tragic, heartbroken little essays Song Yanan wrote on her blog during the time Zhou Mingyu was pursuing you? This morning, when we went to the convenience store and ran into her on the stairs, she even glared at you!”
Xu Zhaixing: “…I didn’t notice.”
Cheng You was exasperated. “I think your brain holds nothing but Cen Feng! I was wondering why your temper has been so good lately, letting Song Yanan and her little clique talk behind your back without causing trouble. Turns out you had no idea!”
Xu Zhaixing thought about it. If the old her had heard about this, she definitely would have gone to tear Song Yanan apart.
But she was reborn now. She couldn’t stoop to arguing with these kids.
So, she replied lazily, “Let her talk. It’s not like I lose a piece of flesh.”
Cheng You sighed in frustration. “You’ve changed, Zhaixing! You weren’t like this before! You used to be so brave!”
Xu Zhaixing: “…”
How on earth did this suddenly become about bravery?
Xu Zhaixing’s memories of high school had already faded a lot. If Cheng You hadn’t mentioned Song Yanan today, she wouldn’t have even remembered this person. Before, not knowing was fine. Now that she knew, she couldn’t just ignore it when encountering them again.
Song Yanan was indeed glaring at her!
Cheng You noticed too and quickly nudged her in the ribs.
Song Yanan was walking with her clique. As the school beauty from a wealthy family, she attracted other rich kids around her. Even in school uniforms, their backpacks, shoes, and watches set them apart.
Seeing Xu Zhaixing, they all wore the same look of unified hostility.
One of the girls in the clique said loudly, on purpose, “I really don’t get how some boys’ taste can be so poor, ignoring a real lady to chase after some fake princess.”
Another immediately chimed in, “Don’t insult the word ‘princess.’ What kind of princess wears worn-out, faded sneakers?”
Xu Zhaixing: “?”
You can look down on me, but how dare you look down on my limited-edition sneakers??? Do you know these shoes will be worth a seaside apartment in ten years?!
After mocking Xu Zhaixing, the clique turned their attention back to praising Song Yanan. “Nannan, your bag is so pretty! It’s the new LV, right? It’s not even available in China yet.”
Song Yanan gave a shy smile. “My dad brought it back for me from France. It’s globally limited edition. Not just anyone can get it.”
Instantly, there were exclamations of envy and admiration around her.
Cheng You was seething, glaring at them fiercely, when Xu Zhaixing reached out and turned her head back. She said nonchalantly, “What’s so great about it? My mom says kids carrying luxury goods have their lifespans shortened.”
Cheng You: “Pfft…”
Song Yanan: “???”
Even after leaving the school gates, Cheng You couldn’t stop laughing, leaning on Xu Zhaixing’s arm and almost doubling over. “Zhaixing, when did you become so sharp-tongued?”
Xu Zhaixing gave a slight smile, keeping the hidden depths of her fangirl experiences to herself.
Back home, her father wasn’t there yet. Asking Aunt Liu, she learned he had called, saying he wouldn’t be home for dinner.
Holding her rice bowl, Xu Zhaixing pondered. Her father had been working overtime for several consecutive days now. Was something going on at the company?
After finishing her homework in the evening and idly scrolling through Cen Feng’s blog in bed, she finally heard her father’s key turning in the lock downstairs. He went straight to his study and got back to work.
Xu Zhaixing thought for a moment, went downstairs to heat a glass of milk, and brought it to the study.
Her father sat in front of the computer wearing glasses, his expression serious. Seeing his daughter enter with milk, his features softened a bit. “Not asleep yet?”
Xu Zhaixing walked over. “Just finished my homework. Dad, why haven’t you been coming home for dinner lately?”
Her father rubbed his shoulder, took the milk, and drank a few sips. “There’s a lot going on at the company. Once I get through this busy period, I’ll come home to have dinner with you.”
Xu Zhaixing glanced at his computer screen, casually picked up some documents nearby, and flipped through them. She realized it was a tender document. She stared at it for a long moment before remembering. Back then, City S had hosted a Winter Games. For such a major sports event, advertising placement was crucial. But she recalled that in the end, it was another company that secured the advertising contract for the entire Winter Games.
Xu Zhaixing asked, “Dad, are you bidding for the Winter Games project?”
Only then did her father notice her looking through the documents. He quickly took them back. “Don’t mess with those. Dad’s working. Go back to your room.”
Xu Zhaixing hopped up and perched on the edge of the desk. “I’m not sleepy yet. Tell me about it.”
Her father was exasperated. “Why are you, a child, asking about these things? Your job is to focus on your studies. Hurry back to your room.”
Leaning her chin on her hand, Xu Zhaixing smiled cheekily. “Studies are too easy. I have energy to spare. Didn’t you praise me for having a sharp mind last time? You look so troubled. Tell me, and maybe I can help you think of something.”
Her father glanced at her. Recalling her series of “heroic” events recently, and with his wife constantly whispering in his ear about how Zhaixing seemed to have grown up, how she was thinking more maturely, how she was finally sensible, he actually felt a slight waver in his resolve.
After a moment of thought, he gave a brief explanation. “I am bidding for the Winter Games project, but several new companies have strong momentum, especially that Song Media. I heard they have a relative in a high position in the publicity department. I’m afraid this will be very difficult to secure.”
Song Media? Wasn’t that Song Yanan’s family company?
So, they were business rivals after all.
Swinging her legs, Xu Zhaixing adopted an air of mock maturity. “Dad, I think you’re stuck in a dead end here. You clearly know they have connections, you clearly know you can’t win. What’s the point of obsessing over it? Better to cut your losses early and focus on something else.”
Her father sighed. “I can’t help but feel unwilling. Morningstar has been in City S for so many years, with reputation and connections. There might still be a chance if we fight for it.”
What he didn’t tell Xu Zhaixing was that the company had been in a slump for quite some time, with no major projects secured for a long while. This was currently the most likely opportunity, hence his persistence.
Xu Zhaixing studied him for a moment, then sat up straight and spoke slowly. “Dad, one has to accept aging, and so do companies. Morningstar is too old-fashioned. You have to admit that its operational model is no longer an advantage in the rapidly developing media industry.” She sighed. “All my classmates are on blogs, everyone has QQ. No matter what the news is, it spreads fastest on QQ Space.”
She looked at her father seriously. “Do you know what a blog is? Do you understand its advertising models? Do you know the reach and influence of QQ push notifications?”
Her father stared at her in astonishment.
Of course, he understood all this.
But he hadn’t expected that his daughter, whom he remembered as carefree and immature, had grown so swiftly right under his nose.
Xu Zhaixing’s tone was calm. “Everything is evolving. Both you and Morningstar need to look forward. The accumulated advantages Morningstar had in the past are essentially worthless now. You need to find another path.”
Almost unconsciously, her father followed her train of thought and instinctively asked, “Then where do you think that path lies?”
Xu Zhaixing had been waiting for this. Happily hopping off the desk, she shooed her father aside, opened the web browser on his computer, and searched for news related to real estate.
This was the period of rapid and prosperous development for the real estate industry.
Xu Zhaixing slapped the desk. “My classmate’s dad invested in real estate and made a ton of money! He even bought her a globally limited edition LV bag today! Dad, I want one too! I want an LV bag too! Buy it! Buy the globally limited edition! Will two be enough? Yes, that’s enough. Thank you, Dad! Dad, you’re the best!”
Mr. Xu: “…”
I was just praising you for being mature and sensible, and now you pull this?
Real estate? An industry completely unrelated to the company…
Xu Zhaixing yawned. “If you can’t make up your mind, you could ask Cousin Xu Yan for advice. He studied abroad, has seen the world, and is starting his own business in City B now. His suggestions might be worth listening to. I’m off to bed.”
Her father’s mind, usually not the sharpest, was now racing. His eyes were still fixed on the rows of real estate news reports on the webpage. He waved a dismissive hand. “Go on, then.”
Having successfully set the hook, Xu Zhaixing returned to her room satisfied.
Once back, she sent Xu Yan a message, asking him to compile a report on the development trends and data growth of the real estate industry over the past five years, to send to her father when he came asking for advice.
Xu Yan replied with a question mark.
The meaning was clear: What are you up to now?
Xu Zhaixing: Sighs Actually, it’s all for that globally limited edition LV bag.
Xu Yan: “…”
**