“Has the proposal been sent over?”
Assistant Xiao Cha pushed up his glasses on the bridge of his nose and said softly, “It’s already been sent. But President Ren, are you really going to participate in a program like this? Getting involved with people in the entertainment industry could harm your image.”
Ren Tianxing glanced at his assistant and said calmly, “What do you mean, ‘people in the entertainment industry’? Don’t let me hear that kind of talk again. If there’s nothing else, you can go handle your work.”
With that, he ignored the assistant, who had stiffened for a moment at his words, reached out, tapped the little figurine on his desk, and continued working.
At that moment, Lin Haobai’s call came through.
“President Ren, Brother Ren…”
“Xiao Bai, why are you calling me at a time like this?”
The assistant, still in the office, noticed the shift in the CEO’s tone and felt his expression darken slightly.
Ren Tianxing motioned for him to leave, then relaxed back in his chair with the phone in hand. He had expected Haobai to call today, it just came sooner than he anticipated.
On the other end, Lin Haobai heard the slight amusement in his voice and found himself unable to say anything harsh. After all, judging by the proposal he’d just seen, it was all upside for his personal development, pure benefit, no harm. He just didn’t want to feel like he was leeching off a friend.
“That proposal… you put it together, didn’t you?” His question carried an undertone of certainty. Their interactions over recent days had made it clear to him just how domineering the other could be.
“Ha ha, you like it?”
Hearing that clear laugh, Lin Haobai couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the ceiling. His manager, Wang You, who had been waiting for a reply, was astonished. He hadn’t seen Lin Haobai show such a childish expression in a long time. For a moment, he was curious about the person on the other end of the line.
Lin Haobai didn’t pay attention to his manager’s curiosity. Just thinking about opening the proposal and seeing the large program title made him feel equal parts annoyed and amused.
“A Date with the Overbearing CEO”, a name dripping with ’90s nostalgia. He couldn’t fathom how someone as refined and exquisite as Ren Tianxing could have thought of it. Could it really be that something blatantly tacky can somehow become elegant?
As if he knew what Lin Haobai was thinking, Ren Tianxing quickly added over the phone, “I actually spent a long time coming up with the name. Isn’t it concise and straightforward? You can tell exactly what kind of show it is just from the title!”
That pride practically leapt out of the phone, and Lin Haobai found himself swallowing back the words he’d been ready to use to tease him.
Because Ren Tianxing was right. According to the framework in the proposal, the essence of the show really was A Date with the Overbearing CEO.
Only, the “me” in the show referred to Lin Haobai, while the “overbearing CEO” was Ren Tianxing, the nationally renowned young entrepreneur.
Of course, the program wasn’t just about him and Ren Tianxing going on a private date. Each episode would invite two ordinary guests, drawn from fans who signed up after the official announcement. Lin Haobai could already imagine how excited his fans would be once the show was announced.
Not to mention the segments set up in each episode, they were basically giant fan-service moments. If he hadn’t been rational, he might have suspected Ren Tianxing of using his resources to secretly help him gain fan loyalty. He could only convince himself that this was just a promotional plan by Ren Tianxing’s company, and that he and Ren Tianxing were purely good brothers.
“This show won’t take up much time. It’s just casual entertainment, mainly to showcase our company’s image in public,” Ren Tianxing said, unusually taking the time to carefully explain the origin and purpose of the show to reassure Lin Haobai.
As for whether the program’s real intentions were truly like that, only Ren Tianxing knew.
After listening to about ten minutes of his explanation, Lin Haobai ultimately agreed over the phone to take part in the show.
While they were still discussing minor details of the program, a set of photos unexpectedly began circulating online.
At first, the photos only spread through a few car-related marketing accounts.
The first wave mostly showed the recognizable chocolate-skinned man from behind, getting into a luxury car, driving, and then getting out. The accounts didn’t use any sensational titles; most people focused on the car itself, analyzing its value and specifications.
Soon, because the man in the photos was so distinctive in build and skin tone, a fan recognized him immediately.
The set of photos, taken from various angles and of high quality, obviously candid, were eventually reposted in Lin Haobai’s personal fan forum.
Most of his fans were gathered there.
They all knew his personal car collection well. Seeing their idol step out of a reportedly globally limited luxury car, they immediately speculated that Brother Bai might finally be rolling in money.
【When I saw this reposted on the original blog, I read that this car is limited to 100 units worldwide. Didn’t expect Brother Bai to be so awesome, he actually managed to get one.】
【Did anyone else notice how perfectly shot this photo is? Sniff sniff, Brother Bai, even his back exudes masculine charm. Under the dim lights, a long leg stretches out of the ultra-luxury car. That powerful silhouette just makes my phantom limbs…】
【LS, please back off, Brother Bai is still young.】
【If Brother Bai weren’t someone I’ve watched grow up, I’d seriously suspect he was born into immense wealth. Sigh, these legs, this back, this car, it’s too perfect…】
Because the comments were getting increasingly risqué, everyone quickly jumped in to poke at her under the comment that had sparked the dirty wave. That poke didn’t matter much, but gradually, everyone’s attention was drawn to this photo capturing Lin Haobai’s clear back view.
No wonder, the lighting hitting his exposed chocolate-toned skin created a captivating intensity.
However, some observant fans, upon zooming in on the photo, noticed something extraordinary.
【Hey, hey, am I seeing this wrong?! Rubbing eyes JPG.】
【Sis, you’re not seeing it wrong, go ahead and boldly say what you’ve discovered.】
【Could it be that we’re all seeing the same thing?】
【Wuwu, what is everyone seeing? My thick-skinned self is still drooling over the screen.】
…
After a round of “wuwu,” someone finally zoomed in on the photo, drew lines and arrows to highlight it.
The marked-up photo was simple and blunt, without a single word, but anyone with eyes could see the man, head lowered as he prepared to get out of the car, and on what should have been a chocolate-colored earlobe, two snow-white fingers were resting.
The angle of the photo didn’t show the full view clearly, but the contrast of black and white appeared exceptionally sharp in the zoomed-in image.
【Who is the person pinching our Brother Bai’s earlobe?】
【Who is it?】
【Who is it?】
【Who is it?】
Hundreds of thousands of “Who is it?” lined up neatly, flooding the comments under the photo.
With such massive traffic, this set of photos from the car marketing account went viral online.
Everyone’s attention wasn’t on the luxury car anymore, they were focused on finding out who dared pinch the movie king’s earlobe.
Even though only a small part of the fingers was visible, the Sherlock-fan-level followers somehow deduced the owner’s height just from that.
Soon, besides these photos, Lin Haobai seemingly having a tall, fair-skinned, beautiful girlfriend was also trending alongside them.
Having just finished an ultra-long call with Ren Tianxing, Lin Haobai looked at the phone page suddenly shoved in front of him by his manager, wearing a full-on QAQ expression.