One was excessively generous, the other excessively stingy—especially since this stingy one was actually Mrs. Zhang, who was known in the group for her kindness and generosity.
Being a daughter-in-law in a wealthy family must be so difficult. Assistant Chen was filled with respect. He had personally witnessed Cheng Jixue having to be gentle and considerate in order to please President Zhang, while also having to face the difficulties from President Zhang's mother all by herself.
His thin shoulders bore an unbearable weight!
Cheng Jixue was still trying to play his role—anyway, he figured it out: Ms. Zhao probably saw that the situation was already decided and there was no way to change it, so she wanted to humiliate him to vent her anger for Diandian.
He was happy to play along with his future mother-in-law for a bit, hoping to salvage his somewhat unsightly position in Ms. Zhao's eyes.
However, he completely misunderstood... Cheng Jixue had a beautiful idea, but when Ms. Zhao came to him, she was indeed making a last-ditch effort to completely kick him out of the list of potential daughters-in-law.
Ms. Zhao clearly saw through his intentions, and she smiled coldly: "It will be a bit difficult for you to be with Diandian. We don't have high requirements for Diandian's future wife."
"Height over 165cm, PhD, financially independent, above-average looks, after marriage she won't go to work and will stay home to take care of her in-laws, do laundry and cook, chef skills must be at least professionally licensed, virtuous and gentle, and able to maintain friendships with other wives and attend various banquets and events." Ms. Zhao ruthlessly recited the most blood pressure-raising requirements for a woman she had found beforehand, trying to dampen Mr. Ji's enthusiasm.
How humiliating it is to be measured and compared like a commodity.
This was the most vicious language Ms. Zhao could come up with.
To everyone's surprise, Cheng Jixue was overjoyed. He said sincerely, "That's great! I meet all the requirements... No, I don't have a doctorate because my education level is relatively low, but if my aunt and uncle have any requests and Mr. Zhang is willing to wait, I can take the exam immediately."
He added earnestly, "I can do the others too! I'm proficient in cooking various Sichuan, Shandong, and Cantonese dishes, I'm sure I can..."
Ms. Zhao's face was like a storm brewing... Assistant Chen couldn't hold back any longer. He was so afraid that if he stayed, he would be a burden to the jungler Ms. Zhao. He immediately found an excuse to leave the bloody place!
Now that there were no outsiders present, Ms. Zhao stopped pretending and asked bluntly, "What will it take for you to leave my son?"
Cheng Jixue could tell that she was asking this question very seriously... and genuinely wanted to break them up. Ms. Zhao sighed, arms crossed: "You're in too much danger. I don't think Zhang Chaohe has the mental strength to compete with you. I'm being very direct: if you only like him temporarily, what will he do?"
"Similarly, you have the protection of the Ji family, and you yourself are the one who controls the Ji family's vested power... If Zhang Chaohe is wronged, who will speak up for him?"
“Mr. Ji, as a mother, I really can’t watch my child jump into a dangerous pit of unknown danger. Please let him go and let him live a peaceful life.” Ms. Zhao’s tone was calm, the hard armor of a wealthy socialite was peeling away from her, and at this moment she was just a worried mother.
Her child has been lured by a siren, and she is trying to save him from the clutches of the seemingly gentle and kind but actually ruthless siren.
Cheng Jixue's expression also turned serious—both of them wore cold and indifferent expressions, and they even looked more like mother and son.
Equally calm and realistic, and equally persistent.
“But he is Zhang Chaohe.” After a long while, Cheng Jixue finally answered her firmly: “Auntie, he is not just Diandian, he is also Zhang Chaohe.”
Why can't you trust his judgment even a little?
⚹
Zhang Chaohe's judgment... Zhang Chaohe's judgment was that he had another job to do.
The CEO is busier than the company's artists... He was originally researching the film and television adaptation of "Drunken Blade," and even planned to take the opportunity to create a martial arts universe to see if he could create a local martial arts brand.
But then Assistant Chen peeked in: "Mr. Zhang, 'The City of Wanderers' would like to invite you to take some time to promote the open beta test."
Zhang Chaohe: A perfectly good president has been turned into a live-streaming salesperson.
The sales generated by the livestreaming are exceptionally high?
What an outrageous company!
However, "The City of Wanderers" was originally the main money-making project at this stage. The two major companies, Jiasheng and Jiuzhou Qingtong, with their different focuses, have recently launched two major film and television projects, and money is evaporating bit by bit, which makes Zhang Chaohe very distressed. He is just waiting for the money from "The City of Wanderers" to save his life.
Thankfully, the game license was approved so quickly it felt like a dream. Anyway, he could suddenly go online and make money! Moreover, he heard that the download volume of this open beta was excellent, far exceeding the download volume of previous tests. He was just waiting for the official launch the day after tomorrow.
Without hesitation, Zhang Chaohe agreed on the spot—he would promote his own game. With his number of fans on the pink page, promoting a game would be a piece of cake.
Zhang Chaohe did not expect that after the special episode of "The Distant Place of Dreams - A Trip to Gu Yunhe" was released tonight, he became popular again!
Today was destined to be an ordinary day. Zhang Chaohe hadn't seen Cheng Jixue since receiving the flowers… and belatedly realized he hadn't seen Ms. Zhao either. But it was normal for Ms. Zhao to go home; was Cheng Jixue planning a rebellion by not waiting for him to go home together?
Zhang Chaohe sullenly squatted in his office for a long time, but no one came to invite him to leave work together. So he sent his assistant, Chen, to find out.
Assistant Chen suppressed his heartache and calmly told Zhang Chaohe, "Mr. Cheng left the company a long time ago!"
Zhang Chaohe: A bolt from the blue!
He couldn't accept the fact that Cheng Jixue had abandoned him and left first. All of Cheng Jixue's scheming and flattery today had gone to waste. Zhang Chaohe grabbed a car key from the drawer and sped home alone.
Then he saw a packaged takeout order on the elevator platform.
The name left is Ji Tingduan.
Zhang Chaohe sneered, showing no mercy, and called Cheng Jixue to ask, "Did you order takeout?"
“Yes, baby.” Cheng Jixue finally understood why other people would call their loved ones “baby”… He used to think it was vulgar and old-fashioned, but after he met Zhang Chaohe, he realized that even he couldn’t escape the common practice.
These two words are sweet and melodious, like an alluring rope that tightly binds two lovers together, making it almost involuntarily prompt people to utter this affectionate nickname.
He is busy redrafting the marriage agreement with the help of a lawyer—at Ms. Zhao's request, this one is even more of a rip-off than the previous property gift contract.
After all, Ms. Zhao always believed that words alone were insufficient; only concrete actions could guarantee safety. There's an old saying that merchants shouldn't fight with officials. While it certainly presents a challenge for Ji Tingduan to act like Zhang Po in the novel, it's far too easy for him to let down the son of a merchant.
In the end, Ms. Zhao reached an agreement with Ji Tingduan behind Zhang Chaohe's back—she didn't want the two children to face the bloody truth, so she was willing to step forward and play the villain...
At least she hoped there was something to restrain Ji Tingduan.
Although she hoped he would back down.
However, Ji Tingduan agreed very, very readily. He knew that his interest in Zhang Chaohe was not just a passing fancy, and that the contract he signed would certainly not be effective. He also fully understood the Zhang family's concerns.
He felt it was well worth it to be able to reassure his future in-laws by signing a contract.
Moreover, he hoped that when he approached Zhang Chaohe, he would be trusted and blessed by everyone.
Hearing him hang up the phone in a hurry, without having time to pester him as usual, Zhang Chaohe guessed that he was probably held up by something.
He turned on the projector by himself, intending to wait for "The Distant Place of Dreams" to premiere and see how CCTV would edit the program.
I must be very handsome, right?
Zhang Chaohe thought optimistically, put on thick disposable gloves, and started peeling crayfish to eat.
As he was eating, he stopped chewing.
As he was eating, he put down the crayfish in his hand.
After watching for a while, he expressionlessly turned off the projector and turned on the TV.
However, it was discovered that since this program was sponsored by CCTV, it must be broadcast on CCTV.
So tonight, the entire nation will witness history as a handsome, sophisticated, and charismatic CEO, a top idol, completely falls from grace.
He picked up his phone, opened the trending topics, and sure enough, he was at the top of the list again.
This is what it looks like on Weibo's main page:
[Hahaha, I can't accept this! Hahaha, how could this happen??]
[It's over, my national sweetheart has completely backfired. I really don't want to admit that I ever fantasized about such an idiot...]
[I think I understand why Xiao Cheng is the only officially designated authentic empress... She can chop bricks, cook, and is an absolutely beautiful and virtuous wife and mother.]
I don't know why, but I actually find that wooden ball carving... to be quite meaningful!!
Oh no, I've been assimilated by geese!
Zhang Chaohe: Nice, I won't be killed by trucks, but I'll be killed by fans;
(Too many tears to tell)
A note from the author:
Today was just another...short day QAQ. Tomorrow, I'll definitely try harder tomorrow!!
I've been a little busy these past few days, but I'll finish it as soon as I get through this! *kissing sounds* Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants between 2022-07-29 23:58:44 and 2022-07-30 23:58:57!
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 89
Does CCTV regret its actions? It praised CCTV a few days ago, but then shelved the program with resentment after the broadcast.
[If only he could always remain the handsome, domineering CEO, instead of revealing that he's actually a goose...]
[The largest building collapse in history resulted in no casualties; I'm so sad I could cry (rose)]
Zhang Chaohe clutched his head, his expression blank, trying to gather his thoughts.
Is there any way to salvage my already ruined image? Would it be possible to withdraw another 10 billion?
Then his gaze swept over the comments under the live stream announcement in a few days: "If Boss Zhang were to give away another million, I'd be too embarrassed to accept it qaq, who would have the heart to bully a goose?"
[A billion-dollar goose, I'm really, dddd]
[A goose is always a mutant goose; I can never say "husband" again (crying)]
[I seriously doubt who's more assertive, the millionaire or the gentle, all-around amazing wife who can break bricks with her bare hands...]
Zhang Chaohe: ?
You can doubt my public image, but you can't doubt my status as the number one idol!!
Zhang Chaohe, the privileged user, gathered his strength and swiftly deleted the comment using his blogger privileges. The next second, he watched helplessly as the comments piled up higher and higher.
He's getting anxious! He's getting anxious! He's really getting anxious!
【Oh, you can't take this, huh?】
[Could it be that he's really broken down, Million? (Sincerely)]
A well-known and high-quality idol who is only three years old has started to engage in a shameless fight with his unruly fans. The two sides have a good interaction by going back and forth and hurting each other.
Cheng Jixue, who had finally finished his work midway through the day, returned home late at night—he nervously and expectantly entered his old password at the door... but was denied access.
He quietly and obediently pressed the doorbell. The sound of the doorbell startled Caiye, who immediately started dancing and shouting on the floor, seemingly eager to let her father in.
Zhang Chaohe glared at Caiye in a fit of rage—he had just been outnumbered and defeated in the battle for his husband's dignity, and was now in a state of impotent rage from which he could not extricate himself. He saw Xiao Zhang storm up to the intercom and coldly refuse, "Find a place to stay yourself."
Cheng Jixue's smile froze: ...
Doesn't Ms. Zhao provide after-sales service? After signing the agreement, am I supposed to put in all the effort myself?!
Cheng Jixue's sadness was almost overflowing—he looked at the camera with a pitiful expression, his bright eyes like a misty lake immersed in the rainy season: "Where can I go so late?"
Just as Zhang Chaohe was about to say, "Go wherever you want," Cheng Jixue said shyly, "I'll definitely stay in the guest room tonight. Is it alright if I don't go to your room?"
Staggered by the outrageous words, Zhang Chaohe struggled to type out a screen full of question marks: ?