Ye Qisheng: ? ? ?
Quiz (No Prize): Who bought the ring?
Chapter 106 Is this considered returning the item to its rightful owner?
As the saying goes, money may be late, but it will eventually arrive. This belated ten million yuan truly stunned Zhou Zhou.
I was mainly happy; I was even happier than the male and female leads and the director during the opening ceremony at noon.
The opening ceremony was mostly filled with formalities, and after the ceremony, everyone went about their duties, with only a few key figures, such as the director, the male and female leads, being interviewed by various media outlets.
Zhou Zhou, with his phone in hand, retreated behind the scenes to contact the wealthy customer. Given the customer's exceptionally good mood, he decided to offer free shipping.
"Listen to me, thank you. Because of you, Wen...Wenluo?"
Zhou Zhou skipped along, humming a little tune, when he happened to see Wen Luo, who was also sitting in an inconspicuous corner. He hadn't been speaking loudly, so Wen Luo hadn't heard him.
Just as Zhou Zhou was about to walk in, he suddenly stopped and quickly dodged to find cover.
“President Xia, wouldn’t it be better if you just talked to him directly about this?” Wen Luo lowered her eyes, not looking at the person in front of her, with a faint smile on her lips. After speaking, as if she thought of something, she suddenly raised her eyes, stared into Xia Sixi’s eyes, and said, word by word, “After all, I am just a substitute.”
A stand-in? What stand-in? There was still some distance between them, and Zhou Zhou couldn't hear what was being said very clearly, only catching the keywords.
Damn it, Ye Qisheng, look what you've done!
Zhou Zhou frowned and peeked out to see Wen Luo's current behavior, but unfortunately, from this angle, he could only see the other's profile, from the bridge of his nose to his chin.
Facing the one he cherishes most, poor Wen Luo, could he have already been bullied to tears?
Xia Sixi was still dressed in a light-colored formal suit, looking gentle and refined, but the slight narrowing of his eyes behind the gold-rimmed glasses gave him a dangerous look.
"A stand-in should also be prepared to be a stand-in." Xia Sisi chuckled softly, and before Wen Luo could react, she suddenly took a step closer. Their eyes met, and Wen Luo was looked down at by her because of her height.
"Mr. Wen may look young, but he's certainly learned a lot of tricks in this industry. You've mastered the art of playing hard to get..."
"Don't get so close, President Xia." Wen Luo interrupted the other party, frowning subtly as she took a step back. When she looked up at the other party, she smiled and said easily, "I'm an artist. You don't want to be involved in any scandals about being kept by a sugar daddy or something like that tomorrow, do you?"
A dangerous glint flashed in Xia Sixi's eyes. Her words, though slow, were laced with threat. She said casually, "You're only the second male lead in this drama. Even if you were the male lead, I..."
"President Xia, Luo Luo, what are you two talking about?" Zhou Zhou suddenly appeared behind Wen Luo, gently placing his hand on her shoulder and smiling as he asked, indicating that the two had a very good relationship.
“If we’re discussing this drama, maybe I can join in,” Zhou Zhou said to Xia Sixi half-jokingly. “The original author didn’t get the job for nothing.”
"Editor Zhou is joking." With other people present, who were also somewhat acquaintances, Xia Sixi raised the corners of her mouth, her demeanor completely different from before, and politely said, "It's just some trivial private matter between Mr. Wen and me. I haven't properly thanked you for taking me home in the rain last time. Are you free this afternoon? Qi Sheng and I would like to invite you to dinner."
Xia Sixi has learned some things since returning to China, including that the person in front of her is the legal partner of the heir of the Fu family, and that he was a huge fan of Ye Qisheng a long time ago.
The latter was just an additional prefix for him in judging people. What was important was the message that was related to the Fu family. The Fu family had been established in the business circle of J City for many years. They were worth getting to know but not worth offending. Xia Sixi was too lazy to make trouble for herself.
When Ye Qisheng was mentioned, Xia Sixi paid special attention to Wen Luo's reaction, but unfortunately, the other party only had a slight flicker in his eyes and did not show the expression that Xia Sixi wanted to see.
"I'll skip the dinner, and seeing President Xia off is just a small favor." Zhou Zhou felt uncomfortable with the other party's intimate tone. After chuckling to himself, he changed his posture from putting his arm around Wen Luo's shoulder to putting his arm around Wen Luo's shoulder and said with a light smile, "President Xia and Teacher Ye are both very busy people, so I won't take up your precious time."
The gesture wasn't exactly intimate, but Xia Sixi knew what the other person meant. Looking at the fair fingers wrapped around the other person's shoulder, she scoffed inwardly. Her gaze swept over Wen Luo before finally settling on Zhou Zhou's face. She shook her head and smiled, "Unfortunately, the opening ceremony is over. I have other things to do, so I'll be leaving now."
"Take care, Mr. Xia."
Zhou Zhou addressed Wen Luo as "President Xia" repeatedly, seemingly showing great respect, but his posture was far from dignified. He casually put his arm around Wen Luo's shoulder, looking like a street urchin.
"Pfft." This was the image that appeared in Wen Luo's mind, but in reality, Zhou Zhou felt that he was standing quite straight.
"Luo Luo, focus on acting and avoid dealing with people like that." Seeing that Xia Sixi had walked away and there was no one else around, Zhou Zhou spoke to Wen Luo in a serious tone, like an old father: "The water is too deep; you can't handle it."
"I know, Brother Zhou." Wen Luo looked at Zhou Zhou with bright eyes and a smile on her face, and said with a grin, "Brother, you're such a good person."
"Ugh." This didn't sound quite right. What kind of friend-zone is this? Zhou Zhou awkwardly rubbed the tip of his nose with his index finger and said, "Don't praise me, I'm shy."
"Hahahaha." Zhou Zhou's embarrassed expression made Wen Luo tilt his head with a laugh. As if he had thought of something, his smile deepened and he said, "Really, brother, you are the best person to me since I entered the industry."
"You can't let Brother Yan hear that," Zhou Zhou teased, lightly tapping the other's forehead with his fingertip. "Otherwise, Brother Yan will explode."
"Hehe~" Wen Luo stuck out his tongue. Hearing the producer calling people from the set, he was slightly taken aback and exclaimed, "Oh dear, the first scene is about to start. I haven't changed my clothes or done my hair yet. I'm going to find the makeup artist now. We'll talk next time."
Wen Luo waved and ran away. Zhou Zhou smiled and waved goodbye to her. He turned around and breathed a sigh of relief. He was suddenly very glad that he had the Fu family to rely on. Otherwise, even if he stood up in this situation, it wouldn't have much effect.
Zhou Zhou picked up his phone. His immediate priority was to provide after-sales service to the wealthy customer as soon as possible. In particular, after learning that the customer was also in J City, he immediately arranged for a local courier to expedite the delivery of the item to the address provided by the customer.
"What makes you so happy?" When Fu Hengzhi got home, he saw his wife happily facing a table full of dishes. She hung her clothes on the hanger, washed her hands, went over, first kissed Zhou Zhou on the forehead, then sat down opposite her and picked up her chopsticks.
"The ring has been sold." Zhou Zhou placed some food into the other person's plate.
Ye Qisheng handed the cut steak to Xia Sixi, who was sitting opposite him. Xia Sixi sat upright and looked at the considerate person in front of her. She smiled softly and said, "Qisheng, you seem to have matured a lot over the years."
Whether it was the underlying meaning in her words or not, Xia Sixi continued, "She seems to be more considerate of people now."
"No, not at all." Ye Qisheng shook his head, as if he had thought of something and was eager to distance himself from the memory that came to mind. "Didn't Brother Sixi treat me the same way before? It's only right that I treat you the same way."
There was a hint of distance in her words, and Xia Sixi's eyes flickered slightly, making her seem less than pleased, but she was able to adjust her expression in the instant the other person saw it.
"Oh, by the way, I have something for you, jewelry designed by a renowned international jewelry master." Xia Sixi handed over a small box wrapped in navy blue velvet, smiling gently. "It even has an engraving. I think you'll like it."
Ye Qisheng had been feeling complicated lately, and he didn't know what he was thinking about this meal, so he wasn't too moved when he saw the gift.
But the Best Actor award didn't come for nothing; Ye Qisheng's 'performance' made Xia Sixi feel that her gift-giving was very successful.
"Shall we open it and take a look?"
"Okay." Ye Qisheng followed the other party's lead and opened the small box, revealing a platinum diamond ring pavé-cut with diamonds.
In that instant, even Ye Qisheng's acting skills accumulated over the years couldn't suppress his damn expression and dark complexion.
◎Author's Note:
Ye Qisheng: Bad luck.
Chapter 107 Ye Qisheng: Human Joys and Sorrows
Chapter 107 Ye Qisheng: Humanity's Joys and Sorrows...
"What, don't you like it?" Xia Sixi took in Ye Qisheng's expression and quickly asked softly when she saw him frown.
He had been back in China for less than half a month in total, so he had no idea what kind of grand proposal Zhou Zhou had arranged for Ye Qisheng, let alone the ring that only the parties involved knew about.
"I like it." Saying this, Ye Qisheng quickly closed the box and placed it on the side of the table.
Out of sight, out of mind.
The actor's acting skills were undoubtedly superb; he captured the emotions and expressions perfectly in just a few seconds, convincing Xia Sixi that the other person genuinely liked the gift.
Long, slender fingers rested on the wine glass, the liquid inside swirling. Xia Sixi took a sip of the decanted red wine, her eyes smiling as she gazed at the other person.
"Qi Sheng, I'm so grateful to you these past few days." Xia Sixi lowered her head, seemingly remembering something, then smiled and said, "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't know what I would have done after returning to China."
When Xia Sixi said these words, his tone unconsciously carried a hint of self-deprecation. If it weren't for the poor development of his overseas business, he wouldn't have returned to China. Unfortunately, he missed the opportune time on both sides. When his family decided to relocate abroad, they were still one of the top families in J City. But now, all kinds of industries in China are nearing saturation, and the supply and demand of Xia's main industries are not aligned with those in China. The portion of his family assets that he brought back to China was almost divided up by the commercial frenzy as soon as it landed. Fortunately, the Ye family, who had a foothold in China, was willing to help him.
To keep some of his funds in circulation and legally avoid certain deductions, he randomly picked a film or television series to invest in. If the film or television series was lukewarm, he wouldn't lose money; if it was a big hit, he would make a fortune. This method was taught to him by Ye Qisheng.
Thinking of this, Xia Sixi's gaze toward Ye Qisheng was clouded with an unknown emotion. In the past, he had pretended to be ignorant when he went abroad, but now he had to curry favor with him and find ways to eliminate various unexpected factors between them.
hehe.
Xia Sixi lowered her head, shook her head and gave a silent, bitter laugh, but when she looked up, her smile was full. She raised her glass and said, "Qi Sheng, this glass is to celebrate our reunion."
"Hmm." Ye Qisheng absentmindedly raised his wine glass.
It was an ordinary 11:30 p.m. when a passionate lovemaking took place in the bedroom. The room was filled with intense emotions, and the deep, wild breathing of the man was interspersed with intermittent moans. The rhythmic sounds of friction and collision were interrupted by a telephone ringing.
Slender, pale fingers continued to grope along the headboard. Zhou Zhou was still caught in the throes of passion, her neck marked with red welts, and the person supporting her above her was gazing at her with deep affection.
The two fell silent. Zhou Zhou picked up his phone, glanced at the number, cleared his throat twice, and adjusted his voice.
Hello, who is this?
"It's me."
"......"
'Beep—beep—'
Zhou Zhou, expressionless, placed her phone face down on the bedside table. Meeting her husband's puzzled look, she explained, "Telecom fraud."
Fu Hengzhi: "Oh, oh."
The two continued their happy time. After it was over, Zhou Zhou took advantage of the time while Fu Hengzhi went into the bathroom to shower, picked up her phone, found the call log, and called back.
"Hello, Teacher Ye, is there something you need?" Zhou Zhou didn't want to return the call, but as the saying goes, no one visits a temple without a reason. Ye Qisheng took the initiative to contact him. Usually, Ye Qisheng would only send him a few text messages. Today, he suddenly called. Who knows what important matter it is? It would be bad to miss it. Of course, if it is about Wen Luo, he would just pretend that he didn't say anything and knew nothing.
"......"
"Hello?" Zhou Zhou said "hello" a few more times, and there was a moment of silence on the other end. Just as he was about to hang up, the other end finally spoke.
"Zhou Zhou." Ye Qisheng's voice on the other end was slightly husky and sexy, deep and as if he were drunk, "Where's the thing you gave me?"
"Huh?" Zhou Zhou looked at the call screen with a complicated expression and tentatively asked, "Perhaps you dialed the wrong number? You should have called Wen Luo?"
"Wen Luo... Heh... Wen Luo... Luo Luo..." Ye Qisheng mumbled the name twice, then suddenly broke down as if remembering something, choking back tears as he cried out, "Luo Luo won't see me! He won't answer my calls! He even reported every single phone number I registered!"
"Good heavens." Zhou Zhou didn't expect him to suddenly shout. The phone's earpiece was close to his ear, and these cries startled him, causing the phone to fall off the bed with a thud.
The bed was quite high; when Fu Hengzhi came out of the bathroom, he saw his wife sticking her butt out and leaning under the bed.
He draped the dry towel over his shoulder, walked over, picked up the phone, and handed it to the other person.
"Zhou Zhou—Zhou Zhou—where are you? You haven't answered my questions yet! What happened to the things you gave me? What did you do with them?"
Even without hands-free calling, the phone's voice was clear enough for people within half a meter to hear what was being said. The tone was still very familiar. Fu Hengzhi narrowed his eyes, and his face immediately darkened.
“He’s drunk…he probably needs to talk to me.” Seeing that Fu Hengzhi’s face was pale, Zhou Zhou pulled him to sit on the edge of the bed, turned on the speakerphone on her phone, and then picked up a dry towel to dry Fu Hengzhi’s hair.
"Teacher Ye, what's the matter?" Zhou Zhou, adhering to the principle of being upright and having nothing to fear, spoke in a voice two octaves higher than usual, and was full of righteousness.
"Didn't I tell you? Where's the gift you gave me?!"
Ye Qisheng roared drunkenly, Zhou Zhou was confused and bewildered, and Fu Hengzhi squinted at him—
Zhou Zhou felt uncomfortable under Fu Hengzhi's gaze as he turned his head. She turned his head back to the right side and shouted into the phone, "I haven't given you anything. Don't talk nonsense. My husband is listening here."
"Bullshit, that ring, you dare say you never gave it to me?" Ye Qisheng sat on the living room floor of the apartment where he and Wen Luo used to live, surrounded by light tin cans, and the air was filled with the intoxicating smell of alcohol.
"...You mean the one from before?" Zhou Zhou hesitated for a moment, feeling that it wasn't good to let the person in question know about the outcome. It felt like you were a fan of a celebrity and bought a lot of merchandise, but one day you became a fan of someone else and needed money, so you decided to sell your stuff. And wouldn't you know it, the buyer was the original celebrity. How embarrassing!
Damn it, what a coincidence! Is the one who can't buy a ring Ye Qisheng himself?
"The ring has been sold." Seeing his wife stammering for so long without telling the truth, Fu Hengzhi's displeasure surged up, and he coldly answered the question into the phone.