The most glamorous clothes in the store couldn't compare to the women's clothing, and they couldn't match the scene in Wen Zheng's vague memory, but he still swiped his card in advance so that Bei Sining could wear them directly.
"Didn't you tell me to wear a hat?" Bei Sining asked, puzzled, as she followed him out of the store. "Wearing clothes like this will attract more attention."
Wen Zheng draped his old tracksuit jacket over him: "There are plenty of people who wear strange clothes. If you can cover your face, there's no big problem. If you really can't cover it up, then so be it. You haven't committed a crime, so why can't you be seen by people?"
Bei Sining immediately became happy, but her face still showed her resentment: "That's right, why didn't you say so sooner?"
As the two walked out of the mall, a gust of cold wind blew in their faces, but Bei Sining's smile still made Wen Zheng feel like spring was in full bloom.
It was only then that Wen Zheng finally found some commonalities between Bei Sining and Dahei.
This feeling is subtle and tender, and it's hard to put into words.
Just like when Dahei is lounging on the sofa, its paws opening and closing in boredom, or when Bei Sining wants to look at his phone, it's an intimate gesture of getting close to his shoulder.
Wen Zheng had never spent so much time with someone his own age and cultivated such a close relationship. He hadn't considered Da Hei as a person before, but once he realized that the two might actually overlap, some of his thoughts changed.
Dahei is a unique cat, and Bei Sining is a unique person.
He would obediently follow me, spend my card to buy things, and be happy because I allowed him to wear the clothes he liked.
Wen Zheng subconsciously pressed his hand against his heart and adjusted his breathing.
"Let's go back quickly." He concealed his unease, glanced at his phone, and said casually.
***
To emphasize the mystery and to prevent the live broadcast of the gala two days later from being overshadowed by today's event, the organizers only held a brief interview and photo session upon entry to the reception.
Although the notice said everyone should dress casually, most of the female anchors dressed up specially and did not actually appear on camera in their everyday clothes.
Sugar Honey and Lemongrass walked hand in hand to the photo board, made a heart shape with their hands, and touched cheek to cheek, making the candy-colored bows on their heads look even cuter and more playful.
As they walked to the designated spot in front of the camera, the host asked, "Many people don't know that you also share the surname Xuanyuan?"
Tang Mimi smiled sweetly: "Now you know? Everyone in our family is super nice. We're all like brothers and sisters, and we have a really great relationship!"
The host let out a long "oh," then lowered his voice in a gossipy tone, "Just siblings?"
Lemongrass: "Don't insult our family ties!"
After laughing and joking around, and recording some footage wishing their beloved cat's live stream all the best, the two sisters went downstairs affectionately.
Following behind them were Xuanyuan Tianlu and Xuanyuan Tiechui.
Iron Hammer is an unremarkable-looking man, but he is the patriarch of the Xuanyuan family and is very popular in Battle Royale, with many male fans.
After Xuanyuan Tianlu got into trouble, he weighed the pros and cons but still didn't kick him out. Instead, he supported Tianlu after he returned from the escape, which earned him a lot of fans. Many people thought he was loyal to his brothers.
Fortunately, the storm was brewing, and after the chat logs in which he threatened Xuanyuan Tianlu were exposed, the people who were cursing Tianlu quieted down a bit.
When one person is a bad guy, everyone will naturally spit on him before leaving, but when two bad guys are side by side, some attention will inevitably be diverted.
Of course, Xuanyuan Tianlu is not the same as before. He almost couldn't attend this anchor conference, but his agent came up with a solution.
The two walked in front of the camera with slightly awkward smiles. The host, not wanting to offend his own people, didn't ask any sensitive questions and let them in.
"The male anchors are all too ugly." Halfway through the interview, the host went to the side to drink water and rest, complaining to the other staff members.
The cameraman said, "Is it because the female lead is so serious, and the male anchor is just relying on our filters?"
The host shrugged: "Who cares? It's their problem if they're ugly. Sigh, Shan Yu used to be considered handsome, but now you can't even find an average-looking guy..."
Cameraman: "Be content. They're just a bunch of game-playing nerds. They don't need to release any press releases about outshining others. What can you expect?"
After finishing his water, the host exchanged a tired smile with the cameraman, picked up the program card, and returned to the photo-taking area.
Just then, a cute boy with a round face and a tall man with fox-like eyes walked in.
The host's eyes lit up.
"Wow, isn't this our Xiaoyu? She's dressed so lively today!" the host exclaimed. "And who is this next to her?"
Deng Puyue chuckled sheepishly: "My friend, you can call him... uh..."
"Bai Shuang." Bai Shuang casually gave her real name, her eyes crinkling with laughter, looking very approachable.
He was wearing loose camouflage training pants, a black t-shirt, and mud-caked high-top boots, looking as if he had just finished working in a field. But he was also good-looking, especially his eyes, which made the host's heart flutter.
"Is Mr. Bai a good friend of Xiaoyu's? Is there any special... relationship between them?"
One of the host's main purposes is to dig up gossip, so this can be considered asking questions according to the procedure.
Upon hearing this, Deng Puyue blushed and stammered, unable to speak. Bai Shuang, the old fox, skillfully deflected the question and refused to admit it.
Deng Puyue was visibly dejected, but she mustered her spirits and led Bai Shuang inside.
The host secretly sighed, "This scene might be cut in post-production. What a pity, it's rare to find a man with decent looks..."
While she was lost in thought, another person walked in. The host immediately flipped over a card and greeted them warmly: "Yanghe, welcome!"
As the man approached, the host couldn't hide the surprise on her face: "Uh, did you come alone today?"
Yanghe moved his stiff face and gave a brief "hmm," his voice magnetic and pleasant, a stark contrast to the scars on his face.
The host hadn't received any prior notice that a news anchor had been disfigured, so he wasn't prepared and showed his nervousness. He took a couple of deep breaths, finally calmed down, chatted with Yanghe for a bit, complimented his voice, and then watched as Yanghe went inside.
The camera paused, and she quickly patted her chest, realizing she had been genuinely frightened. She then went to the back to rest for five minutes.
The host wasn't an employee of the cat-themed livestream, but rather a contracted host, so she hadn't heard about these love-hate relationships. Someone whispered to her about Yanghe's rise and fall back then, and she felt complicated, feeling sorry for him and also sorry for him.
Even if it was ugly before, it's not the same as being disfigured now. How much hardship must have gone through? How did Yanghe manage to muster the courage to stand in front of the camera?
"Don't be sad," the cameraman comforted her. "Anyway, men don't need to issue press releases about outshining women."
host:"……"
Dude, why did you only say this one sentence? Do you really love seeing those "outshining" press releases?
The host drew the next card, composed himself, and looked up with a smile, only to see two men walking towards him, each taller than the last. The handsome man on the left was dressed casually, with his cropped trousers rolled up to reveal his ankles, exuding a wild yet youthful vibe. The one on the right… the one on the right…
In a moment of madness, she asked, "Should we release a press release about outshining her?"
Wen Zheng and Bei Sining: "???"
Upon entering the venue, one is greeted by a scene of clinking glasses and bustling activity, a far cry from the small banquet hall that Hong Zhi had booked last time.
Wen Zheng took a glass of wine from the waiter and handed it to Bei Sining: "Can you drink it?"
Bei Sining took a sip and asked persistently, "What do you mean by 'outshining' the press release?"
Wen Zheng paused for a moment, then had to tell him the truth: "I don't know either."
The two entered with an aura of their own, attracting countless glances from those around them. In particular, Bei Sining's dark purple robe with star patterns and wide sleeves was clearly meant to be a show-off, making Tang Mimi and Lemongrass extremely jealous.
While everyone else was socializing, the two of them stayed around the table eating non-stop. After a while, Deng Puyue arrived with a stranger, and the four of them talked about something and laughed happily.
"Mimi, be careful." Seeing Tang Mimi clenching her hands and making a face, Lemongrass worriedly reminded her, "Although there's no big camera, there are still security cameras... Don't let anyone use this against you."
Sugar Honey came to her senses, took a deep breath, and nodded firmly to Lemongrass: "You're right, we'll listen to Hammer."
"Iron Hammer is smart; following his plan will definitely be fine. Let's not cause any trouble..."
"I know. Have you found all those women?"
"Found them. Once they leave through the back door, then..."
"Where's the long-haired stand-in?"
"That's fine, we'll arrange for you to stay at the hotel..."
The two whispered to each other, their voices growing softer and softer, but they were still caught by someone behind them.
Yanghe, his face covered in bumpy scars, looked at the four people at the dining table with a serious expression and concern.
***
Let's go back to an earlier time.
Tang Mimi and Lemongrass returned to the hotel from the mall in the afternoon, increasingly resentful. They sat on the edge of the bed, fuming for a long time.
"Honey, do you think Z University really doesn't have a girlfriend?" Lemongrass changed her clothes and touched up her makeup in front of the mirror.
Tang Mimi tapped her phone and said angrily, "Bullshit. Even if he doesn't have a girlfriend, he must have ex-girlfriends. I think he's pretty good at picking up girls. He probably has ten or eight exes."
Lemongrass: "But we have no evidence..."
After a moment of silence, Lemongrass said again, "And that king, he's so good-looking, I'm afraid he'll steal the spotlight."
Tang Mimi angrily pounded her pillow: "How could anyone look like that?! It must be fake!"
But like I said, there's no evidence...
Just then, someone knocked on the door. Lemongrass saw through the screen that it was Xuanyuan Tianlu and Xuanyuan Tiechui, and quickly let them in.
"Brother Tianlu, Brother Tiechui..." Lemongrass asked them to sit on the bed, feeling aggrieved: "We went to the mall just now and saw Z again."
Xuanyuan Tianlu couldn't stand the name; it made his head explode. He arrived late, as he was part of the second group visiting the site, and had yet to see Wen Zheng in person.
Even so, he was already quite troubled, and angrily asked, "How did we run into each other?!"
Xuanyuan Tiechui pressed Tianlu's shoulder, signaling him not to rush and to let Lemongrass finish speaking.
"So, none of your suspicions are supported by evidence?"
Both Sugar Honey and Lemongrass lowered their heads unwillingly and said, "We really don't have any..."
They thought Iron Hammer was going to hit them, but instead he said, "It's okay."
Tianlu asked curiously, putting his legs down: "What do you mean it's okay?"
“No evidence…that’s okay,” Iron Hammer said. “People will believe the truth they want to believe…the more perfect a good person is, the more likely their flaws are to be believed.”
The three of them stared at him blankly. Tiechui chuckled, and his ordinary face suddenly became unfathomable.
"If there's no scandal, you can create one; if there's no ugly face after removing makeup, you can create one. Do I really need to teach you this simple principle?"
The three of them suddenly realized what was going on, and were so happy they almost jumped for joy. Tang Mimi shouted, "I know! I'll go find ten or eight of my ex-girlfriends to harass Z University!"
Lemongrass also said, "Find another man with a similar build to the King and take an ugly photo of him!"
Xuanyuan Tianlu continued, "Finally, find someone to leak it!"
Iron Hammer slammed the cup down on the table: "You'll be utterly disgraced."
The author has something to say: Netizens: He's so good-looking, everything he does is right, we don't believe it. (Spontaneously creating a press release praising his stunning good looks)
(The royal family is getting married tomorrow! There's going to be some important progress!)