[Don't forget, everyone, Mr. Zhang was practically handpicked by those gaming buddies...]
Oh no, the whole country is going to know that Zhang Da'e is a terrible gamer!
Zhang Chaohe's acting skills, while not superb, were certainly natural. As the two chatted, the topic suddenly came up, and Zhang Chaohe, as pre-arranged, asked how the collaboration with "Drunken Blade" was progressing.
"Is this what you kept from us last time, Zhang Da'e?!"
Ahhh, the Drunken Blade, my youth!
What?! The IP for "Drunken Swordsman" is in Tencent's hands?! Can I expect a decent adaptation?!
The comments section went wild, with everyone vying to be among the first to be exploited!
A national-level game that resonates with the youth of a generation, it's bound to be of extremely high quality and worth every penny!
Of course, there is another strange reason - after the previous incidents, Zhang Chaohe inexplicably became a rare conscientious president in the public's mind. Everyone always felt that if Youjie Studio did not do a good job in the collaboration, it would definitely be ruthlessly punished by President Zhang!
However, the seemingly invincible Mr. Zhang on the screen is being relentlessly crushed by the opposing team in the Rift.
No one expected that Cheng Jixue was also a hidden fool—he had never played this kind of game before and was now frantically asking Li Ye what he should do.
Although he is the game producer, Li Ye cannot control the system to match him with idiotic opponents. He has to work hard to carry the game, fight with random teammates who are cursing Cheng Jixue, answer Cheng Jixue's stupid questions, and take care of Zhang Chaohe so that he doesn't get beaten up too badly.
It's simply impossible to be in two places at once; one head becomes eight.
Li Ye originally planned for everyone to relax and chat about cooperation while playing games, and he could also show off his superb gaming skills—who would have thought that the three of them couldn't even beat the Platinum rank in a random match?
Plans can never keep up with changes. He gave up on himself and went into berserk mode, embarking on a rampage alone, only praying that he wouldn't lose too badly.
[You guys on the other side are so lucky! You actually managed to annihilate Ye Gou!]
Kill him!! This bastard cheated you out of your money! Show no mercy!
Sorry, son, although we really want to see you win, we'd rather see Li Ye lose!
Li Ye got carried away and after two rounds, he finally realized that he really couldn't carry Cheng Jixue, this stabilizing force.
Cheng Jixue looked guilty, his knuckles turning white from gripping the phone so tightly. He whispered, "I'm sorry..."
Zhang Chaohe immediately comforted him: "How can you blame yourself! We're both bad at this game. You've never played this game before, so it's already pretty good that you played like this!"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Li," Cheng Jixue said awkwardly, putting down her phone and sincerely apologizing. "I've never played this game before. Why don't you and Mr. Zhang play together? I'll learn first and then play with you."
Li Ye was more than happy to accept. After some polite refusals, he immediately called up the "play-with-you team" that he had carefully selected for the upcoming trial and promotion in a few days.
He started matching with great confidence—he was sure to win this time, and he absolutely refused to believe that four powerful figures couldn't carry a mere Boss Zhang to success!
Li Ye was about to say a few words to Xiao Zhang to liven up the atmosphere and give everyone something to look forward to in the game, but when he turned around, he almost had a heart attack.
Cheng Jixue was seen leaning affectedly against Mr. Zhang, the two of them not only looking intimately at the same phone head to head, but Cheng Jixue was also performing the ancestral skills of a tea master:
Wow, your character is so cool!
"We'll definitely win this time! It was just because I held us back earlier..."
"It's okay, I believe in Mr. Li. It was such a pity that Mr. Li lost just now!"
"It's okay, I can see you. Keep it up, Mr. Zhang!"
Li Ye, sitting alone on another sofa: Damn it, why am I so annoyed?
Xiao Wen, who was watching the live stream the whole time, was speechless—Brother Cheng, weren't you just leading Li Yimao to dominate the Rift a couple of days ago??
So your hands are rented, right?
A note from the author:
Xiao Cheng: At the top of the food chain is green tea (lighting a cigarette);
Xiao Cheng: I never fish for geese, because the geese will come to me.
I said I'd start a pre-order for a silly story, but a week later I still haven't managed to come up with a proper synopsis, sob sob, writing synopses is so hard!!
Today's thank-you list!
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 42
Li Ye won the game, but he lost.
Throughout the rest of the recording, he remained calm and composed, as if he had lost all worldly desires.
After the filming of the program was hastily finished, the director rushed over to give instructions to the investor father—Li Ye was standing in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, smoking. People were coming and going during the finishing work on the villa, but his figure was so lonely and desolate, like a foxtail grass struggling against the gale on the edge of a cliff.
"Where exactly did I go wrong?" Li Ye muttered to himself.
Director: I think it might be because you're not as good-looking as him.
Of course, he couldn't say that. The director's smile was so stiff that he could only force an encouragement: "President Li, don't be discouraged. Mr. Zhang probably just hasn't appreciated your kindness yet. Keep trying!"
Li Ye looked suspicious: "So obvious?"
Director: "Ah."
Li Ye turned away dejectedly, took another drag of his cigarette, and said, "You said you could feel it, so why isn't he getting it yet?"
Director: Try to think positively; there's bound to be a generation gap between humans and geese.
Meanwhile, the goose, who supposedly has a generation gap, is currently huddled in a corner of a 24-hour convenience store with Cheng Jixue, eating instant noodles. Zhang Chaohe, looking dejected, is blowing on the noodles with a fork, as if he's facing an important contract.
Cheng Jixue glanced at him twice, pondered for a moment without success, and could only shake her head helplessly: "Mr. Zhang, is something on your mind?"
After hesitating for a long time, Zhang Chaohe finally said hesitantly, "Let's talk about this. I don't know who else I can talk to."
Li Yimao was so carefree he could practically spill water, while Mei Jinghan was diligently filming in another city; and Assistant Jiang and Assistant Chen were like kindergarten teachers, Zhang Chaohe simply didn't have the courage to talk to them.
After much thought, only Cheng Jixue seemed like someone I could barely listen to.
Well, actually, he really wanted to tell Cheng Jixue.
“You can tell me.” Cheng Jixue tore open a bag of corn sausages and squeezed it into Zhang Chaohe’s instant noodle bucket. The rain outside wasn’t heavy, but a layer of misty fog still covered the convenience store’s glass windows.
Sitting by the window in this kind of weather and eating a steaming bowl of instant noodles brings a unique sense of leisure, which is a very new and wonderful experience for Cheng Jixue.
“I feel,” Zhang Chaohe said with great worry, “I just feel that maybe Li Ye… um… likes me a little.”
As soon as Zhang Chaohe finished speaking, he slapped his left hand over Cheng Jixue's eyes, so Cheng Jixue didn't see the coldness that flashed across her face.
Cheng Jixue's voice was as gentle and warm as ever: "You are so kind, many people like you."
This was the second time Zhang Chaohe had heard Cheng Jixue say that many people liked him, and he said it so earnestly that he immediately gave this flattering remark a sweet meaning.
Zhang Chaohe secretly pressed the tip of his tongue against his cheek, forcibly suppressing the inappropriate smile, and then heard Cheng Jixue say slowly, "But you can't respond to every bit of affection, can you?"
"Interactions between people are like pigeons that have been released. The pigeons fly far and get very tired, and they long to find a place to rest. Just then, someone opens the window." Cheng Jixue rested her cheek on her hand and turned to look at him. His eyes were as gentle as the sea and as gentle as the wind, with a moist and lingering mist.
"A pigeon entered his room, and that's how a relationship began."
"There's a pigeon circling outside your window. Would you like to open your window?"
Zhang Chaohe seemed to be deep in thought—Cheng Jixue was absolutely right. As long as he closed the windows tightly, even the Golden-Winged Roc couldn't crash into his 300-square-meter apartment!
He felt that his conversation with Cheng Jixue was truly enlightening, giving him new insights into life! So Zhang Chaohe humbly asked again, "Do you think I should open the window?"
Cheng Jixue hesitated for a moment, seemingly putting up a fierce struggle—Zhang Chaohe also stared at him nervously, even forgetting to eat the instant noodles in his hand.
“I don’t think this is necessarily the right pigeon for you. Let’s wait and see. What if a pigeon you like is on its way?” Cheng Jixue analyzed earnestly. Her sincere expression and vivid words immediately touched Zhang Chaohe’s soft heart. “Perhaps the pigeon that belongs to you is rushing to you with all its might.”
That makes so much sense, absolutely so much sense.
Zhang Chaohe instantly imagined a pitiful little pigeon nestled outside the window, watching him shiver. His pity for the small animal immediately overshadowed his guilt towards that old dog Li Ye!
No one can taint their pure financial relationship with dirty emotions! No!!
In addition, tonight happens to be the day the official character photos for "Crazy God" are released, so Zhang Chaohe took the opportunity to check Weibo for the latest updates and immediately put the troubles brought by Li Ye behind him!
The internet has a long memory. Now that the official photos have been released, everyone is suddenly reminded of the farce when Xu Shen's fans accused the company of using underhanded resources and were then proven wrong.
This guy is really handsome, and I remember his acting was pretty good too. Looking forward to it (heart)!
Fortunately, Director Lu has a discerning eye! If Xu Shen had been accused of plagiarism after the official announcement, it would have been disastrous.
[What's wrong with that? Doesn't that mean we can collect the breach of contract penalty? The movie hasn't even started filming yet, and we're already generating revenue (doge)]
Does anyone know what Xu Shen is doing now? He must be in a lot of debt, right?
Zhang Chaohe clicked into the thread with great interest. Modern netizens are like the KGB of the internet, and soon someone dug up Xu Shen's recent situation - he was doing live streaming sales on Taobao. Without the high-quality retouched photos, Xu Shen, like an ordinary internet celebrity, turned on the cheap beauty filter.
Perhaps due to his expertise or simply because he was used to it, Xu Shen remained unfazed by the sarcastic remarks from viewers in the live stream. He calmly skipped over those malicious topics and actively promoted a bottle of red wine priced at 158 yuan.
As Zhang Chaohe left the building, he couldn't help but sigh, perhaps this was what Xu Shen should have been like without Li Yimao's creative support.
Even if one gains temporary fame and fortune through dishonest means, in the end all that remains is a mountain of debt and a desolate ruin.
Cheng Jixue stood by, openly observing Zhang Chaohe's wistful expression—he had just used inducement and deception to eliminate a harmless, foolish opponent without bloodshed, and his mood remained completely calm.
"Is this the thrill of a wicked concubine whispering sweet nothings in someone's ear?" Cheng Jixue thought with a hint of mockery. Especially since he had just secretly checked the reactions to today's program and discovered that a group of 'squirrel forces' were quietly awakening?
Let's walk the geese together, let's eat!
Make eye contact while talking, and you'll click!
Even the slightest physical contact between the two would attract screenshots and analysis that would be akin to academic research!
Li Ye, the sucker, spent a whole day scheming and wasted his time, only to receive the unfortunate comment that he was "foolish and rich."
Of course, Cheng Jixue is different. He is a special person with a Schrödinger's position—sometimes the empress, sometimes a wicked concubine who brings disaster to the country. In short, his position today is determined by the emperor's mood.
His Majesty was engrossed in surfing at the moment, oblivious to the fact that he was showering him with compliments: "You look so good in this."
Just as Cheng Jixue was about to offer a slightly humble explanation and decline, the Emperor sternly pushed aside the fawning concubine, picked up a memorial from the table, and loudly proclaimed—
"Next time, let Cheng Xuelan get you more roles in period dramas!!"
Cheng Jixue...
Cheng Jixue: "Actually, you can just compliment me. I think 'You look really good' is enough."
Zhang Chaohe paused for a moment, then hesitated and asked in a low voice, "How about we get Cheng Xuelan to help you get a really good period drama next time?"
"Maybe I should just rebel and kill the emperor," Cheng Jixue thought expressionlessly. "That might be more satisfying."
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