[You claim to be indifferent to fame and fortune when you lack ability; you've said everything you could want.]
[If you're so talented, why do you still need to make money in the entertainment industry? Wouldn't it be better to promote traditional culture like our Chenbao and prevent our skills from being lost?]
Zhang Chaohe watched for a while and suddenly realized, "Oh, this might be a lighter version of cyberbullying, right? What if Cheng Jixue takes it to heart after reading this?"
Even these people were just being sarcastic and their insults weren't particularly harsh.
He contacted Cheng Xuelan again, asking her to do everything she could to silence these hurtful words—although he didn't know if Cheng Jixue had seen them yet, he could at least try a little harder to minimize the harm these rumors could cause him.
In fact, the questions raised by Bai Chen's fans are quite reasonable. How can an ordinary person directly become a disciple of an industry leader and freely choose whether or not to appear in public?
However, his concern clouded his judgment, and he completely dismissed the doubts raised by Bai Chen's fans.
However, he was unaware that Cheng Jixue in the dressing room next door was also sending messages to Ji Boyang, urging him to deal with the negative rumors as soon as possible.
Ji Boyang was shocked. From childhood to adulthood, he had grown up under the halo of his second uncle. The elders praised his second uncle for being open-minded and intelligent at a young age, with a heart as firm as wood and stone, and the demeanor of an emperor. They also said that he was unconventional but intelligent and sincere, and could be a general.
Who would have thought that my second uncle, who is highly praised for his character, would be troubled by such trivial matters?
Cheng Jixue was silent for a while: "No, I'm just afraid that he will feel bad if he sees it. These voices have no effect on me, but they are different for him."
The reason Zhang Chaohe falls for the "weak and innocent" type is ultimately because he has an excessive amount of sympathy—what is insignificant to him might bother him, make him feel uncomfortable, or even cause him depression.
Ji Boyang: I'm kicking this bowl of dog food over!
He angrily sent a message: "Second Uncle, why did you hang up on me just now! Do you know that Chairman Zhang invited me to dinner at the Zhang family's house this Saturday?!"
Cheng Jixue: "..."
I'd forgotten about that.
Although he had to admit he was a little jealous, what was more important than jealousy was why Chairman Zhang had suddenly hosted a banquet for Ji Boyang at his home.
Cheng Jixue analyzed the situation rationally and intuitively felt that Ji Boyang's identity had been exposed. Unlike the "Cheng Jixue" he had carefully cultivated for more than ten years, Ji Boyang's identity on this trip south from the capital only appeared airtight on the surface, but in reality, it was full of loopholes, and it was indeed very likely that the Zhang family would notice something amiss.
Given his recent frequent interactions with Zhang Chaohe, it's understandable that it aroused the suspicion of Zhang, the son-controlling chairman.
Ji Boyang originally wanted to ask how far he should go if Zhang Dong exposed his identity. However, he saw the words "The other party is typing..." flashing on and off under his second uncle's contact name, as if he was hesitating.
He stared intently at the dialog box, afraid of missing any important instructions, when a line of text popped up in the dialog box.
That cold, heartless nonsense.
"Don't admit it's related to me."
Ji Boyang slowly typed a question mark in the input box: "?"
Does being in love really make you stupid?
Oh, I'm sorry, I heard you're still in unrequited love.
He coldly wrote down a "1"—even my second uncle doesn't deserve my thoughtful reply today!
However, his eyes lit up and he suddenly thought of a brilliant but wicked idea. He quickly sent a message to Ma Gaozhu... and then silently recited it in his mind.
I'm sorry, Second Uncle, it seems I have to give you some righteous punishment.
⚹
The next day there was a scene that required getting up very early—basically, getting up at 3 a.m. to do makeup and hair, and then rushing to film the sunrise scene at the early morning time.
Just as Cheng Jixue had predicted, Zhang Chaohe didn't sleep well last night, and was still scrolling through the comments section in the middle of the night... He also felt that he was really biased. When Li Yimao was being scolded, he could calmly and ruthlessly ask Cheng Xuelan to shut down these rumors; but when it came to Cheng Jixue, he was refreshing the comments section every moment, wanting to see if the iron fist of justice had descended on these keyboard warriors.
When Zhang Chaohe arrived at the film set the next day, he didn't even bring Caiye with him—he had tried to wake Caiye up, but the next second Caiye closed its eyes tightly and tucked its neck into its thick feathers again, trying to avoid its master's crazy behavior...
You can never wake a goose that's pretending to be asleep.
But the other goose had to get up at 2 a.m. ... Zhang Chaohe was so angry that he moved Caiye's nest outside on the balcony, preparing to let the sunlight naturally awaken Caiye's new day full of energy!
The makeup artist sighed deeply – Mr. Zhang's dark circles were too heavy. He is fair-skinned, so even a little bit of dark circles is very noticeable. The only solution was to use thick concealer to cover them up.
Just as Zhang Chaohe was trying to rouse himself by memorizing his lines, Cheng Jixue walked into the dressing room carrying several bags of small steamed buns and soy milk. He first distributed them to the staff in the dressing room—everyone was pleasantly surprised. Although the weather was cool in the early morning, it was a bit chilly, and a cup of warm soy milk was especially comforting.
Zhang Chaohe couldn't quite describe his feelings. He asked, somewhat knowingly, "You don't have any scenes, so why are you up so early?"
Cheng Jixue pulled down the brim of her hat, her voice a little hoarse: "I came to see you."
While the makeup artist went to wash her makeup brushes, he secretly whispered in Zhang Chaohe's ear, "Your buns are filled with chestnut and beef. You can eat them secretly later."
Zhang Chaohe was shocked: "How can they sell buns with this kind of filling!"
Cheng Jixue smiled, the brim of his hat casting a pale blue shadow on his face, while also concealing his matching dark circles under his eyes: "I made them myself—didn't you wonder if they had this filling when you ate chestnut and beef brisket last time?"
"Yes, you can."
When the makeup artist returned after washing up, Cheng Jixue also took the opportunity to get up. The warm breath on Zhang Chaohe's ear suddenly left, and the morning air made him feel cool instead.
He stood there, lost in thought, his ears turning bright red.
Cheng Jixue glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, then contentedly picked up the remaining small buns and went to find Director Chen.
Zhang Chaohe was left sitting there blankly, clutching the little bun, while the makeup artist not only smeared paste on his face but also warned him not to eat anything.
He thought to himself, "Don't worry, I definitely won't eat them now—then everyone will know that my steamed buns are specially made with chestnut and beef filling?"
Zhang Chaohe felt a strange sense of smug satisfaction. He suddenly realized that getting up early wasn't such a painful thing after all. He even had a pang of conscience, realizing that it was unwise of him to take revenge on Caiye. A petty and narrow-minded boss like him should be nailed to the pillar of shame for being a domineering CEO and despised by his peers!
As it turned out, this blissful, dreamlike filter didn't last long—plans can't keep up with changes, and Cheng Jixue hadn't anticipated what would happen today.
Nothing happened in the morning. The two even shared a sweet lunch together, and the unlucky old director was left out. However, in the afternoon, karma struck. Zhang Chaohe was filming for Group A, and Cheng Jixue was filming for Group B. The two did not meet. Zhang Chaohe was filming a scene with Zhang Xijing.
To highlight the male protagonist's shining moment of fearlessness in the face of power and his willingness to sacrifice himself, the "powerful" Gu Yinqiu was deliberately arranged as a foil. Zhang Chaohe first had to force a smile and suppress his anger as he listened to Zhang Xijing's long string of righteous and awe-inspiring lines; then he would grab Zhang Xijing by the neck and make some more forceful statements to emphasize the other party's noble character.
It was the first time either of them had acted together. Zhang Chaohe felt a little embarrassed, and Zhang Xijing also felt a bit awkward, so it took them a while to get into character. Finally, both of them were in good form. Zhang Xijing had just finished delivering a long, impassioned speech, and just when Zhang Chaohe was supposed to deliver a powerful punch—
Suddenly, Ms. Zhao's face appeared in the crowd.
It seems that Ji Boyang, who was fawning over her, was still standing next to her.
Zhang Chaohe: ?
He shuddered on the spot, almost doubting that he was seeing things!
Zhang Xijing had already adjusted her breathing to prepare for President Zhang's slap, but then Zhang Chaohe, with a fleeting expression, gently touched her hand.
Zhang Xijing: "?"
Chen Xingting flew into a rage, stood up, grabbed a megaphone, and roared, "Zhang Chaohe, what are you doing?!"
Seeing the bizarre scene where Ms. Zhao secretly made a face, turned around and walked away, and Ji Boyang waved at him before eagerly following behind, Zhang Chaohe was completely bewildered—how did those two end up together!
Moreover, Ms. Zhao saw his embarrassing state of making a mistake and NG as soon as she arrived. Doesn't that mean that his noble and aloof CEO image is about to be ruined?
So he performed exceptionally well on the next take, and the two of them got it right in one take. Zhang Xijing was unaware of his complicated inner thoughts, only assuming that Chen Xingting had scolded him so he could film well, and his eyes were filled with complex emotions. Zhang Chaohe, on the other hand, had no time to pay attention to what kind of look he was giving—he hurriedly took off his military jacket, revealing only the white shirt underneath and an armband around his arm as he walked over.
Ms. Zhao smiled kindly: "Xiao He, didn't you say you and Zhang Xijing didn't have any scenes together?"
Zhang Chaohe: I was careless.
He tried to distract Ms. Zhao: "What are you doing here?"
This is as terrifying as reading a novel in class and turning around to find your homeroom teacher's face pressed against the glass window of the back door of the classroom...
And your homeroom teacher is your mother.
Ms. Zhao smiled slightly: "Of course, it was Xiao Ji who invited me to come. Besides, I'm here on behalf of Hengxiang to inspect the filming progress of the invested film project. Is that not allowed?"
Jiasheng itself is a bottom-ranking company under Hengxiang Group, and the presence of the chairman's wife on set is truly an honor.
Zhang Chaohe then gave Ji Boyang a death stare, but the other man smiled brightly, like a sunflower after the rain: "It was I who invited Auntie to come and visit Mr. Zhang on set."
Zhang Chaohe wanted to pinch his own philtrum—you really are the sixth one!
Ji Boyang smiled knowingly, concealing his merits and fame.
Yesterday, he thought it over and over again and dared not go to the banquet alone to face the two old foxes of the Zhang family... Of course, the main reason was that he was afraid of letting something slip and then being punished by his second uncle, who would put him in a sack and throw him into the river to feed the fish.
So he came up with a brilliant plan that would both improve his relationship with his second aunt's family and avoid the questioning of the two old foxes—that is, to invite Chairman Zhang to visit Young Master Zhang as a friend!
Just as he expected, Chairman Zhang was too embarrassed to show himself, but was genuinely curious about his son's recent situation, so he sent Mrs. Zhang instead. In this way, Ji Boyang both strengthened his ties with his second aunt's family and avoided Chairman Zhang and General Manager Zhang…
This is truly a brilliant strategy that kills two birds with one stone!
As for his second uncle, whom he bravely betrayed—so what? Now he's being filial and considerate to his second aunt!
Would my second uncle dare to perform face-changing in front of my second aunt?
I'm sorry, Second Uncle. Good and evil will be rewarded in the end. When you coldly told me not to acknowledge you, it was destined that everything would happen today—you could only watch as Madam Zhang and I got along very well!
But it seems like it's my second aunt who's frightened now...
Zhang Chaohe was extremely shocked: "How did you two meet?"
Ms. Zhao had noticed the child at the auction, and today, Ji Boyang's earnest yet sincere, considerate yet unpretentious behavior had further increased her positive impression of him. As for Zhang Chaohe's flustered appearance at this moment, she saw it as nothing more than the anxiety of having their private affair discovered by their parents!
She considerately came to her youngest son's rescue: "Boyang's company business overlaps a bit with your eldest brother's. Your father invited him to our house for dinner a couple of days ago, and that's how they got in touch. They both happened to be free today, so they came to see you."
Zhang Chaohe slapped his forehead in surprise—it makes sense. After all, although Xiao Ji doesn't seem very smart, he's still a powerful CEO, and it's perfectly normal for the companies to communicate with each other.
He smiled knowingly: "Oh, I see. Boyang is my friend. Dad, please remember to invite me to dinner sometime."
Ms. Zhao: She's already protecting him even before they're officially together; it seems like this is true love.
Zhang Chaohe: I need to take a good look at this collaboration with a large company.
Ji Boyang: As expected of me, I have successfully infiltrated my second aunt's family. It will be only a matter of time before I rise in status thanks to my aunt!
Everyone was laughing heartily. Although their ideas were from all over the world, the atmosphere was exceptionally harmonious!
Zhang Chaohe finished filming this scene, so he had time to take his "Chairman's Wife" and friends for a walk around the set. Chen Xingting also wanted to risk his life for the sake of 200 million, but the scenes for Group B were also very important, and he really couldn't leave, so he had to go first.
Ms. Zhao was still very curious about the filming, so Zhang Chaohe took her to visit the actual filming environment of Group B. As soon as they arrived at the scene, they heard Ji Boyang next to her suddenly make a hissing sound like a chicken being choked!
Zhang Chaohe glanced at him with a puzzled look, and then was about to raise his eyes to introduce the division of labor on the filming set to Ms. Zhao when he suddenly noticed a sprightly old man with long eyebrows and bright eyes standing among the people outside the set.
The other person seemed to be wearing the same old-fashioned jacket they wore when they last met at the restaurant.
Zhang Chaohe was utterly incredulous… The next second, the perceptive old man turned his head, and the two of them, caught off guard by the sea of people, had a fateful eye contact: Zhang Chaohe: ? ?
Ji Boyang had already shrunk himself into a flat, skeletal shape, trying to make himself invisible to the old man: Zhang Chaohe exclaimed, "How come he's here too!"
Ms. Zhao asked in confusion, "Who?"
Ji Boyang was already regretting why he had done such a terrible thing today—if he hadn't wanted to harm his second uncle, he wouldn't be facing such a terrifying situation today!
He was filled with regret when he heard his second aunt calmly but with a hint of surprise say to Mrs. Zhang, "Oh, it's the old man we met earlier who was scavenging."
Ji Boyang: ...