The bus took Xiao Shulang directly to the roadside of the residential area. It was drizzling in the city. Just as Xiao Shulang was about to get off the bus, Qin Shuang called out to him, "Cover your face."
Xiao Shulang suddenly realized, "That's right, I'm now appearing on a popular TV show, which is different from before. I might even be recognized if I walk down the street."
During filming on the show, staff would mark off areas so that passersby and fans wouldn't get too close. Xiao Shulang gently patted his forehead, realizing he still hadn't gotten used to this role.
But he didn't prepare sunglasses or a mask, so how was he supposed to cover himself?
Qin Shuang seemed to sense his predicament. He happened to have a pair of sunglasses hanging on his shirt breast pocket, so Qin Shuang took them off and handed them to Xiao Shulang: "Here, take them."
Qin Shuang likes to collect sunglasses. The sunglasses clipped to her shirt are probably just a casual decoration. This pair is a round pair with gold rims, which matches Qin Shuang's clothes very well and looks quite nice hanging there.
Xiao Shulang didn't rush to reach out his hand: "And what about you?"
"I'll go straight to the company; I won't need it."
Xiao Shulang then accepted it, saying, "Thank you, I'll return it to you next time we meet."
Qin Shuang: "Okay, see you later."
Xiao Shulang put on sunglasses, and the staff got out of the car to help open the luggage compartment door. Before leaving, he stood in the rain and waved goodbye to Qin Shuang through the wet glass.
Even though his face was blurry and Qin Shuang couldn't see it clearly, it didn't stop her from imagining his smile in her mind. He waved from the car, and she wondered if Xiao Shulang could see that he was smiling too through the rain.
After Xiao Shulang left, Qin Shuang closed his eyes and took a nap in his seat. When the staff in the car saw that he seemed to be asleep, they started gossiping quietly in front of him.
"Hey, I remember watching an interview with Ji Jing before. He said Qin Shuang is great in every way, except she doesn't like people touching her sunglasses. They're such good friends, but when you go to her house to look at her collection, you can only look but not wear them."
"That was said half-jokingly, and the situation is different now. Xiao Shulang really needs it right now, so it's okay to lend it to him."
"But, but," the staff member lowered their voice even further, "don't you think they look more and more compatible?"
"Actually... I think so too, hehe."
"I wish they could really be together."
"Yes, yes, candy tastes best when it's real."
Qin Shuang's eyes moved, but she didn't open them.
I wasn't asleep; I heard everything.
A note from the author:
It's here!
Chapter 22 "Even if they want to smear you, they have to admit you're stunningly beautiful!"
Xiao Shulang knew how much Qin Shuang cherished his sunglasses, so after returning home he found a special sunglasses cleaner to wipe them clean for him and then carefully put them away to prevent them from getting bumped or scratched.
After fixing his sunglasses, he then lifted the dust cover from the house and tidied up the areas that needed tidying.
After finishing all this, Xiao Shulang made himself a cup of black tea, opened his laptop on the sofa, and started checking the stock market.
If he can sell the reclaimed shops at the current market price, he can get six million. Six million is enough for him to live a carefree life, but for the Xiao family's current situation, it is just a drop in the bucket and far from enough.
Xiao Mingfeng is currently doing his best to maintain the funds of Weifeng Technology. If the capital chain breaks, there will be no way out and the Xiao family will have no choice but to apply for bankruptcy. If Xiao Shulang wants to help, he will need to have more leverage.
Finance is a field of expertise for Xiao Shulang, but the more professional one is, the more one understands the risks of the capital market. If the situation were not so urgent, he would not have liked to take such risks.
Xiao Shulang spent the entire morning engrossed in his computer, almost missing lunch. Since there were no ingredients at home, he temporarily ordered takeout and fresh food delivery. However, when the doorbell rang, he looked at the video screen at the door and saw that there was another person besides the deliveryman.
Wang Hao also came.
Xiao Shulang contacted Wang Hao on his way back, and Wang Hao responded directly.
Wang Hao said to the deliveryman, "Look, I really know him. Just give me the food."
The deliveryman, being dutiful, didn't immediately hand the food to Wang Hao. Instead, he spoke into the call button at the door, "Sir, shall I give the food to your friend?"
Xiao Shulang was about to open the door when he noticed Wang Hao's actions and stopped, saying to the deliveryman from inside the door, "Um, thank you."
"You're welcome."
The deliveryman then handed the food to Wang Hao. After he left, Xiao Shulang opened the door and let Wang Hao in.
“I’m telling you, you need to be more self-aware as a public figure,” Wang Hao said as he entered the house. “If paparazzi and haters find out where you live, you’ll have a real headache.”
Xiao Shulang hadn't thought of this when ordering takeout, but seeing Wang Hao's behavior outside reminded him: "I'm not used to it yet, I'll be more careful in the future."
"Get used to it quickly, your online popularity has increased quite a bit recently."
Xiao Shulang sensed something was off about Wang Hao's tone: "What's wrong?"
Wang Hao snorted through his nose: "Someone's busy badmouthing you again. You eat first, I'll tell you."
It turns out that a netizen posted a long review on a certain platform about their impressions of "Heartbeat Encounter Season 2". Although it seems to cover all aspects, there is clearly a lot of commentary on Xiao Shulang.
"Although he is also in the entertainment industry, we didn't know him at all before. He was just like an ordinary person. Although they were also ordinary people, You Ziang and Yin Xingzhi's popularity increased much faster than his. Why is that? After thinking about it, I can only attribute the reason to his face."
Xiao Shulang was drinking soup with a strange expression. He swallowed the soup and said, "Hmm...you continue."
"Besides his face, what else does he have? Nothing. He has no works, just his face. In a short period of time, he has accumulated a lot of popularity. I think this is something we should reflect on. If you can be popular with a lot of people just by being good-looking, then making money is too easy."
“There’s nothing wrong with what he said.” Xiao Shulang raised his hand, scooped up a spoonful of sauce, poured it over the white rice, and mixed it. “Any profession that wants to last has to have real skills. The entertainment industry is about bringing entertainment to everyone, and I also need to think carefully about how I will proceed in the future.”
Variety show personality, actor, or singer? Career planning requires careful consideration, and of course, it's also important to see if you're truly suited for this profession.
"You have no work to show for it all because of that guy! Past opportunities—let's not talk about the past—with your talent, he actually called you just a pretty face!" Wang Hao was indignant, but at the end he let out a soft snort, raised his chin smugly, and said, "But it also shows that even if they want to smear you, they have to admit you're incredibly beautiful!"
Xiao Shulang: "No, no, there are too many good-looking people. Qin Shuang's face is divine."
Wang Hao, holding his phone, said, "Qin Shuang is pretty... wait," his eyes narrowed as he realized something, "You've fallen for her?"
“I didn’t—” Xiao Shulang paused suspiciously for half a second as he thought of Qin Shuang’s face before continuing, “I just mentioned his face.”
Wang Hao laughed: "I was just saying it offhand. But seriously, if you're interested in that kind of thing, you could try to get to know him better. Most people who have worked with him speak highly of him. However, his personality can easily offend some self-centered people. Hmm... if you want to date, you should get to know him better and be more cautious. I'll try to find out more for you another day—"
Xiao Shulang thought to himself, "I know Qin Shuang too well. I've even seen his inner thoughts. In this world, besides himself, I'm the one who understands Qin Shuang the most."
Seeing that Wang Hao was getting more and more off-topic and into a motherly nagging mode, Xiao Shulang quickly pulled him back: "Stop, weren't we talking about netizens' comments?"
“Oh, right,” Wang Hao said, returning to the commentary, “there’s another important point, it’s like this.”
"In short, I don't think Xiao Shulang deserves any popularity. Oh right, I almost forgot, the reason everyone is paying so much attention to him lately is because of Luo Tian. It's all about scandals, that's how the hype comes about. If his ex was an ordinary person, would you still care so much? No, in the end, it's still about using his ex to create hype."
Xiao Shulang understood: "He said I'm trying to ride on Luo Tian's popularity?"
Wang Hao: "Yes, that's exactly what I mean!"
"He didn't praise anyone in his review, so it's hard to tell who he's a fan of, but he's definitely a hater of yours. This article might not have been written by someone from Luo Tian's side, but they definitely bought it to trend on social media."
It just trended on Weibo at noon, it's fresh and hot right now. The original commenter was a nobody with few followers. The trending topic linked "Xiao Shulang" and "vase" together as keywords. Currently, apart from Luo Tian, no one would spend time and money to get such a topic trending.
"He's hopeless." Xiao Shulang commented on Luo Tian. "Even now, he still refuses to use his mind on the right path. He truly has nothing to offer. One day when the edifice collapses, he'll be buried alive."
Wang Hao nodded: "You may be angry, I'll use an alternate account to help you swear back, but this article doesn't need an official response from us. You'll shine eventually and slap them in the face with the facts."
Wang Hao has excellent professional skills. He can use his brain in two ways: one as a friend who stands up for others, and the other as an agent who thinks calmly. Working with him is very worry-free.
"By the way, I've found buyers for your shop. Quite a few people are interested. Are you really going to sell it? Wouldn't it be better to just let it make money?"
Xiao Shulang shook his head: "There's no time, my family needs it urgently. It's okay, I can earn it back later. Do you have any new job offers to share?"
When this was mentioned, Wang Hao sighed: "Yes, but I turned them all down. They were all people trying to ride on my popularity, all scams, I couldn't do them."
These people just want to take advantage of Xiao Shulang's current popularity to make some money. They don't care about Xiao Shulang's image or reputation at all. Taking their orders would easily lower my value. With Wang Hao overseeing things, we will definitely not let them succeed.
Xiao Shulang agreed, saying that although they were eager to make money, they also had to consider the long term and there was no need to ruin their future.
Life is tough.
Just as he was reflecting on this, Xiao Shulang's phone rang. He saw the caller ID and reached out to answer it: "Qin Shuang, what's up?"
He exchanged contact information with Qin Shuang in the car. As soon as Wang Hao heard it was Qin Shuang, he immediately winked and teased him. Xiao Shulang glanced at him helplessly, but after Xiao Shulang said the next thing, Wang Hao's expression became serious.
Because Xiao Shulang said, "You want to recommend me as a guest star?"
A note from the author:
After discussing with the editor, this novel will be available for purchase on Saturday. A 10,000-word update will be released on the day of the purchase, so please support the official version! A 30 RMB red envelope will be given away in the comments section of the VIP chapter. Therefore, the next update will be tomorrow night (Friday night, which is also Saturday morning at midnight). Those who go to bed early can read it when they wake up during the day!
[New story announcement: One is an infinite flow novel, the other a modern fantasy novel. Synopsis released now. Please bookmark this page for easy access to updates, thank you!]
"Infinite Flow" - The High-Energy Livestream of a Max-Level Boss (Infinite)
[System: Welcome to the live stream. Your current location: Corpse Heart Hospital]
Please check your health status via the bracelet. When your health status reaches 0, the streamer will be considered dead.
Lu Chen raised his hand to check his health value: -100.
Lu Chen: ?
system:??
Are you even human?!
[System: Streamer Lu Chen has been declared dead... dead... alive! Live stream continues]
Lu Chen silently withdrew his hand, which had almost done something, and nodded: Okay, you're very sensible.
There are usually three types of people who come to the high-energy task live stream: those who are desperate, those who are looking for excitement, and those who have made mistakes and are being punished.
Lu Chen was thrown here to be punished.
He looked sickly, and everyone sighed: "Such a beauty, it's a pity she's doomed."
Then they watched as Lu Chen swiftly defeated the monsters that were attacking him.
She's both beautiful and tragic, but she's also a formidable fighter.
Everyone: !
Lu Chen stood on the monster's corpse: "Want to eat me?"
The audience was so captivated that they cried out: "Brother, don't step on it, step on me instead!"
The streamers quickly rushed forward to cling to his coattails: "Big boss!!"
When Lu Chen's punishment ended, everyone envied him for leaving alive, but Lu Chen said, "Can I be a regular anchor? I don't want to leave."
Everyone: !?
He really didn't want to leave because he discovered that the live stream was filled with magical energy that cured his abnormal hunger.