So Aunt Zhu personally served the dishes. As soon as she stepped into the private room, she immediately smelled the gunpowder in the air.
Meanwhile, her nephew, who had always been cunning and never showed his emotions, was staring menacingly at the eloquent Mr. Li across from her, like a hapless melon rind whose bone had been stolen.
She was secretly laughing so hard she almost fell over, and even really wanted to take out her phone to take a picture of him like this, but she held back and even asked very considerately, "What are you doing here, Mr. Li?"
Li Ye was always very shrewd and resourceful. In addition, he knew through special channels that this woman surnamed Zhu had connections in the capital, so they maintained good contact.
But at this moment, he was unaware that he had inadvertently crossed Sister Zhu's line, and responded as usual with his classic slick smile: "Just happened to run into a good friend, so I came over for a get-together."
“Our young CEO Zhang certainly has a lot of influence,” Li Ye said affectionately, draping his arm over the back of Zhang Chaohe’s chair. His tone was both affectionate and touching: “He even managed to get Aunt Zhu to come over in person.”
Zhang Chaohe, standing to the side, felt as if he were about to turn into an amber statue suffocated by tree sap, then be displayed here for all to see, and thus suffer another form of social death.
Zhang Chaohe moved forward slightly, skillfully dodging Li Ye's oily attack: "..."
Aunt Zhu could see Zhang Chaohe's despair. She laughed uncontrollably, her voice as warm as a spring breeze, but her tone was very firm: "You know my rules, Mr. Li, hurry up."
Li Ye was puzzled. Why was Aunt Zhu being so nosy today... Could it be...?
He looked up and saw Cheng Jixue looking at him, and Xiao Zhang was also looking at him. They were all looking at each other, and on the surface, the atmosphere was harmonious and peaceful, but in reality, they were all having their own brainstorming sessions.
As soon as Aunt Zhu left, Zhang Chaohe was so embarrassed that he could practically carve out a Kremlin.
Say something! Say something!
Help me! Help me! Someone please say something!
Li Ye seemed to hear his thoughts. He reached out and picked up a small yellow croaker for Xiao Zhang. Although Xiangyuan's small yellow croaker didn't even have a proper name on the menu, it was always a specialty—the sauce was rich and fragrant without being greasy, and combined with the freshness of the fish itself, Zhang Chaohe couldn't stop eating after taking a bite.
Cheng Jixue sneered, pressed the turntable, and personally picked up a piece of crispy white pork and placed it on Zhang Chaohe's plate—the surface of the crispy white pork was coated with a layer of amber-like crystal clear honey syrup, and when picked up, it would pull out sweet and crisp sugar threads.
Mr. Zhang was so captivated by the delicious food that he immediately forgot about the small yellow croaker and focused all his attention on the crispy white pork.
However, after eating for a while, he realized that it seemed that the other two hadn't touched their food at all, and only he was eating seriously.
Zhang Chaohe put down his chopsticks somewhat embarrassedly: "Why aren't you eating?"
Li Ye spoke first: "I'm not hungry."
Cheng Jixue remained silent, only gazing at him tenderly, her eyes brimming with a sweetness even more tender than crispy white meat.
Zhang Chaohe: If you're not hungry, why are you sitting on someone else's table? Didn't you see Cheng Jixue? You're too embarrassed to eat and can only watch?
Determined to get rid of Li Ye first and restore peace to everyone, he asked directly, "Mr. Li, is there anything I can help you with?"
Li Ye thought about it and realized that he was just making trouble out of nothing. After all, he just wanted to be alone with President Zhang for a while. It didn't matter if he couldn't get rid of the guy surnamed Cheng, since the guy surnamed Cheng could only watch his relationship with President Zhang heat up!
He spoke seriously about business: "The collaboration is about to be officially announced, and I would like to invite Mr. Zhang to our game's official live stream for a trial activity to boost the popularity of the new skin."
This is indeed a serious matter. Zhang Chaohe automatically switched to serious mode and nodded, saying, "Okay, but my gaming skills are average, so I might need to be paired with a few expert players to help me out."
“No problem, I’ll also come to the live stream to participate in the promotion.” Li Ye leaned back in his chair: “I remember you used to get along well with that streamer named Tofu Baibai, do you want to invite him?”
Zhang Chaohe was heartbroken when he thought about how Doufu Baibai accidentally exposed his identity last time, but participating in this kind of official live broadcast would definitely boost his popularity and fame. Zhang Chaohe was very satisfied with the professional skills of the gaming companion, so he was willing to bring the gaming companion along this time.
Li Ye said that he would send the specific details to Jiasheng for confirmation after he returned and made a lot of polite remarks to thank Mr. Zhang for his cooperation. Zhang Chaohe thought to himself that he was willing to do so. After all, they were just in a cold money relationship. How could anyone turn down money?
He thought Li Ye would tactfully leave at this point, allowing the two of them to eat in peace, but Li Ye unexpectedly changed the subject and asked, "I heard that Mr. Zhang is planning to appear on a pet variety show recently?"
"What was that variety show called again... 'The Alternative Life of Cute Little Kids'?"
Zhang Chaohe suddenly became alert. He finally stopped using the spoon to slurp the soup: "Yes, that's true. What's wrong?"
Li Ye looked innocent, but there was a mysterious air about him that suggested he was in control: "What a coincidence, the production team also invited me to participate in the recording."
"And I agreed."
Zhang Chaohe: Do you dare swear to God that you didn't try to stage an accident?
Zhang Chaohe looked at him suspiciously: "Do you have any pets?"
This person was ridiculously clean; you couldn't find a single animal hair on him. Even the meticulous Assistant Chen would sometimes find a cat hair in some corner of his coat. If he really had a pet, it's impossible for him to be completely spotless!
Could it be someone who keeps reptiles?
Li Ye wanted to take out his phone to show Zhang Chaohe his pet, but then he rolled his eyes and shoved the phone back in: "You'll find out when the time comes."
Zhang Chaohe: ...
Why does this guy only say half of what he means? I wish the price of vegetables would rise for him!
Meanwhile, Cheng Jixue sat alone on the other side, rotting away like a beautiful but poisonous mushroom, radiating a powerful aura of resentment and coldness.
Zhang Chaohe was discussing business with Li Ye, and he couldn't stop them, but he couldn't tolerate being so obviously framed by that bastard Li Ye!
Cheng Jixue interrupted with a gentle smile, her voice soft and sensible, instantly contrasting sharply with Li Ye: "President Zhang, please eat first, it's getting cold, it's not good for your stomach."
Li Ye finally turned his attention to the young starlet, giving her a meaningful once-over. Cheng Jixue even gave a slightly embarrassed smile, as if she knew that interrupting their conversation had been a bit of an overreaction.
Her demeanor was both virtuous and strong, but somehow it looked a bit like the way an empress looked at a lowly hussy.
Li Ye scoffed. He didn't believe that young Mr. Zhang wouldn't see through such a clumsy and immature trick! He was about to turn around and say something to ridicule the young star when he heard young Mr. Zhang say, very touched, "You should eat quickly too—Mr. Li, is there anything else?"
Li Ye, caught off guard: You really can't tell?
Li Ye was so dumbfounded by Xiao Zhang that he began to wonder if it was because he had been surrounded by too many women that he had developed a kind of immune system, which was why he could see through the monsters at a glance.
If he could do it all over again and know in advance that he would meet Zhang Chaohe in the future, he would definitely eliminate all potential dangers!
It's all his fault for being too experienced; we can't blame Mr. Zhang!
Zhang Chaohe was completely unaware that Li Ye had already successfully completed his self-conquest in an instant. Seeing Li Ye's expression waver for two seconds, he stood up very shrewdly and straightened his sleeves.
The big blue diamond cufflink on that cufflink was sparkling, and even the country bumpkin Zhang Chaohe secretly grimaced – how tacky!
"I apologize for disturbing you today. See you on the show in a couple of days." Before leaving, Li Ye gave Cheng Jixue a provocative look!
Zhang Chaohe, however, did not notice at all. Seeing that Li Ye had finally said goodbye, he hurriedly started eating before the food got cold.
He also put that small yellow croaker on Cheng Jixue's plate—the original limited dinner cost was 7776, but now it's a direct saving of 5888, there's simply no better deal than this!
Cheng Jixue suddenly asked cautiously, "President Zhang, that program you mentioned... can I also be on it?"
He looked melancholy: "Guapi is very well-behaved. Although it's not a very expensive purebred, it's very obedient..."
Zhang Chaohe instantly recalled the scene of the adorable melon rinds and fur flying around in his arms, and a feeling of pity welled up in his heart.
It's just a TV show, you can go on it if you want!
He personally called the production company and politely asked if they could squeeze in another person. However, Li Ye had already anticipated that the little green tea wouldn't give up easily and would try every means to get Boss Zhang to put him in. So he secured the production company's deal with the investment in advance!
After all, he bribed his way in; if he bribed even more, it wouldn't be a problem.
So Zhang Chaohe only received a polite refusal: "The schedule was already set, but we will try our best to coordinate." Although he suspected the matter was unlikely, as a successful and domineering CEO, he was fiercely competitive and never admitted defeat. He even considered using his financial power to get Cheng Jixue in...
The next day, Zhang Chaohe suddenly received news that due to the official review, the program's duration was deemed too short, and the production team had to temporarily add more guests to the list.
Cheng Jixue somehow managed to sneak in!
Zhang Chaohe never expected this. He had originally planned to use pay-to-win methods to solve the problem, but the sudden censorship directly resolved his dilemma...
He sincerely suspected that the production team was too embarrassed to directly say that people could be inserted into the room because they were concerned about saving face.
⚹
Li Ye also received the news at the same time—as expected, Boss Zhang asked the production team yesterday to consider adding the company's artist, Cheng Jixue, to the recording list!
He took a sip of coffee with a smug look on his face, enjoying the beautiful morning in a very pleasant mood: "I told you that it was too crowded to coordinate, you did a good job."
Kid, you think you can mess with me? Well, let me show you how a top-notch heir to a large corporation can be swift, decisive, and ruthless!
The director paused for a moment, then said, "That's exactly what I said at the time."
Li Ye sensed the hidden meaning in his words: "And then?"
"Then suddenly a review notice came down from above, saying that our program cycle was too short and needed to be rectified." The director hesitated, "Well... so the number of guests was increased from 12 to 27, and the number of episodes was also increased from six to nine."
"We really have no choice but to accept the people that Xiao Zhang insists on bringing in!"
Li Ye: Why is it worth making such a fuss over such a small matter, even going so far as to ask the reviewer's father to put pressure on him?
Could he really be interested in that minor celebrity?
A note from the author:
Xiao Cheng: Let's save some money for my wife (the handsome guy sighs);
Guess what pet Mr. Li keeps! Hint: It's furry, expensive, and has a common breed.
I'm not concerned with martial ethics, but I'll offer this additional information: It's a seven-figure sum, a new species from abroad, a very rare but common species, and it's not illegal.
Today's thank-you list!
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 40
The day before the recording of "The Alternative Life of the Adorable Little One," Zhang Chaohe received a notification of the filming schedule, hoping to visit Xiao Zhang Zong's daily life so that the production team could start filming from his home.
Because raising geese is convenient, Zhang Chaohe now lives in a small apartment building. It has one apartment per floor, making it easy to get around. The layout is also very good, and the area is less than 300 square meters.
For Zhang Chaohe, who really doesn't like being taken care of by his aunt, this is a comfortable space that can meet his needs and make it convenient for him to live and manage on his own.
"Who are the guests recording the same episode as me?" Zhang Chaohe communicated with the production team in advance.
"It's President Li and your company's artist, Cheng Jixue."
Zhang Chaohe raised an eyebrow. Would Li Ye really be so kind?
However, he still specifically instructed that no filming should be done at Cheng Jixue's home, so as not to leak the artist's privacy—Cheng Jixue absolutely refused to move out of that old and dilapidated neighborhood, and Zhang Chaohe was really afraid that he would encounter some dangerous situation in the future due to the poor security.
So after discussion, it was decided that Cheng Jixue would have a chance encounter with the production crew while walking her dog in the morning, and then the day's filming would begin.
The production team subtly inquired, "Aren't you curious about where Mr. Li will appear?"
Zhang Chaohe hung up the phone expressionlessly: "I don't care where he goes back to the factory."
The director glanced at the expectant investor next to him and chuckled dryly, "Haha, you're so funny."
Li Ye actually laughed out loud, stroking his chin: "Truly worthy of being called Young Master Zhang."
Director: I don't really understand.
The day of filming involved the three groups of guests visiting a beach park, with the entire trip to be live-streamed starting at 8:00 AM. Therefore, Zhang Chaohe meticulously cleaned his home, ensuring it was spotless, in preparation for the filming crew's arrival.