Chapter 73 Not even looking at abs

On the day filming wrapped, Lu Xuan strained his neck to the entrance of the film set, but he couldn't see the figure he wanted to see. Instead, he was met by Meng Xingxing's small truck.

Meng Xingxing felt that Lu Xuan's gaze towards her had experienced the highs and lows of life, and looked behind her in confusion: "Brother, what are you looking at?"

Lu Xuan didn't want to admit that the person he was waiting for hadn't come.

Didn't Qiao Wu see his message? Has she been that busy lately?

Yes, I've seen it in the news. Her new company with Qin Tianrui has changed its legal representative, and she's probably busy managing the artists in her own company lately.

The laughter of the new bride is heard, but the cries of the old are not.

Oh.

They even claim he's their sugar daddy.

She used to say she looked forward to the day he would stand on the podium, but now she's the one who's sending others to the podium herself.

Lu Xuan was a bit irritable.

Qiao Wu used to be a liar, but he could accept it then, but not now.

Meng Xingxing waited for a long time but received no answer. He felt like his brother was about to kill him on the spot: "Brother?"

Lu Xuan turned around and headed back to the film set.

"Brother, I haven't finished yet!" Meng Xingxing squeezed in front of him with a bouquet of flowers. "Why didn't you wait for me? Here, have a happy wrap-up."

Lu Xuan glanced at it; he had already received a lot of flowers today, and it was a problem how to take them away later.

Although she felt frustrated, she still said, "We don't need to do these things anymore."

Surprisingly, despite her poor communication skills, Meng Xingxing has a good eye for aesthetics; this bouquet of flowers is quite beautiful.

He took it, then handed it back: "Put it in the car with the other flowers later."

"Okay!" Meng Xingxing turned around, holding the flowers.

Something flashed in Lu Xuan's peripheral vision, and he suddenly frowned: "Wait a minute."

He turned Meng Xingxing's shoulder and reached into the bouquet of flowers to take out a small card.

There were only four words on it: "Filming wrapped up successfully".

But the handwriting was so familiar that his hands trembled slightly. Lu Xuan stared intently at it: "Who sent it?"

Meng Xingxing: "Miss Qiao."

Before he could finish speaking, the flowers in his arms were snatched away. Lu Xuan glared at him angrily, "Why didn't you say so earlier!"

"Miss Qiao said there was no need to say it."

"Who's your boss?" Lu Xuan cursed. "You don't say what you should say, but you spill a bunch of things you shouldn't say."

No, it's just a bouquet of flowers. Meng Xingxing was completely baffled.

Lu Xuan looked at the card, grabbed the flowers, and walked out, exclaiming, "She's here?!"

"No, no, no!" Meng Xingxing quickly grabbed him. "Miss Qiao ordered the flowers, and I picked them up after my plane landed."

"card?"

"Oh, she gave it to me beforehand, and I put it up later."

Lu Xuan carefully examined the card several times before putting it back into his clothes, being extremely careful not to rub away the dried ink.

It's okay, even though she didn't come.

But she still has feelings for me.

"Brother, there's still some inside."

Lu Xuan looked down and noticed that there were several more cards on the ground.

The crooked, messy characters all only contained the same four characters.

But he was very familiar with them all.

He had tutored Lu Ning on her homework. Lu Yingchi's handwriting had always had Qiao Wu's style. As for Lu Jinzhi...

What's going on with Lu Jinzhi?! What is he getting involved in?

"What, are they so poor that they can't even afford a bouquet of flowers for themselves?"

It also needs to be placed together with Qiao Wu's.

These flowers are all dirty!

“Isn’t this difficult to carry?” Meng Xingxing said. “So Miss Qiao ordered a bouquet.”

Lu Xuan stared at the other cards for a long time before reluctantly picking them up and putting them in the other pocket.

He must have written it after listening to Qiao Wu's advice.

So ultimately, it's because Qiao Wu still has feelings for him.

My previously gloomy mood began to warm up slightly.

The two main actors still have scenes to film, and today is his last day of filming. But the atmosphere on set is great. Each of the main actors gave him flowers and made plans to have dinner together.

But Lu Xuan only held one of the bunches the whole time.

Before eating, you have to ask the waiter for a small spray bottle to spray some water first.

"What, aren't the flowers we sent you flowers too?" Jiang Qi felt disgusted by the sight, took a small flower from his own bouquet and tucked it into his clothes. "You've already wrapped up filming, why are you still wearing that long face? This should be your first real wrap-up, right?"

yes.

first.

She didn't come!

The flowers they sent were actually a group purchase from someone else.

Lu Xuan put the flower away, turned around and sat down in her seat. She took the flower out of her pocket and, like a concubine abandoned in the deep palace, tore off the petals one by one.

Seeing that he was in low spirits, Jiang Qi recalled that his performance in the emotional scenes over the past few days had indeed been very good.

The supporting actors portrayed the female lead's deep affection and restraint very well. They probably hadn't calmed down yet, which is a common phenomenon among newcomers. So I praised them, saying, "You've filmed the emotional scenes very well these past few days, which means you've finally figured it out. You'll have a bright future ahead of you."

Upon hearing this, Lu Xuan stopped what he was doing, narrowed his eyes, and asked, "Have you finally figured it out?"

Jiang Qi was speechless: "You've practically worn out the script, don't tell me you filmed blindly."

“No, that’s not it.” Lu Xuan pinched the flower stem, seemingly lost in thought.

He just suddenly had another point of reference.

He turned and glanced at the male and female leads: "Is this love?"

You come and I go as you please, you misunderstand me and I misunderstand you, even to the point of contemplating suicide.

To be honest, it's really upsetting.

"You really expect a script to teach you anything about love?" Jiang Qi lit a cigarette and said with a sense of world-weariness, "You don't understand love."

Lu Xuan truly didn't understand.

In the past, many people did try to seduce him, but he didn't want to give away those who weren't as good-looking as him, so he generally ignored them.

But when he puts all the emotions from the script onto another person, it seems like everything makes sense.

If it's Qiao Wu...

He plucked the last petal, thinking to himself: Qiao Wu is handsome, kind to him, and a good person. He has liked him since he was a child.

If it were her, he would probably accept it more readily.

Yes, they were childhood sweethearts, a match made in heaven.

Moreover, there aren't any of those messy things between him and Qiao Wu like the main characters do.

When that time comes, wouldn't he be able to openly stick by her side without having to worry about any damn withdrawal symptoms?

He handed the bare flower stem to Jiang Qi, saying, "I understand now."

Jiang Qi: "?"

What did you realize?

"Thank you, I'll definitely invite you to my wedding."

Jiang Qi: "Huh?"

"Never mind." Lu Xuan thought about it seriously again. "You're unlucky. I'll treat you to a meal alone next time."

Jiang Qi was so angry that he slapped the flower stem hard on the back of his head.

Feeling as if his Ren and Du meridians had been opened, Lu Xuan was extremely excited. He decided to devise a perfect plan to take Qiao Wu for himself.

Unfortunately, he died before he could even get started. After the wrap party, he was immediately taken to a plane. As soon as he got off the plane, he was dragged to a show by Meng Xingxing without even being able to go home. He was just there to be a runner-up and didn't even have a name tag.

Meng Xingxing earnestly advised: "You don't have any resources right now, but going to fashion shows will help you accumulate fashion resources so you can get advertising deals later."

Lu Xuan's mind was completely occupied with his love plan; he had no idea about advertisements at all.

"What brand? Can I create my own brand and endorse it myself?"

Having no other choice, Meng Xingxing had to play her last card: "Miss Qiao sent you."

"..."

Lu Xuan endured it again and again.

I decided to just ignore it and let the stylist do my makeup.

After a while, he couldn't help but ask again, "Have you ever been in a relationship?"

Meng Xingxing accompanied him throughout the conversation: "We talked about it when we were in school."

Who pursued whom?

"Of course, I was the one who pursued her."

Lu Xuanxin stirred violently, then coughed lightly: "I have a friend who wants to pursue someone, do you have any experience?"

"..."

Meng Xingxing couldn't contain her wide-eyed expression: "Brother, you're in the prime of your career, so don't think about things like this, okay?"

"Who said it was me? It's my friend!"

"Yes, yes, yes." Meng Xingxing rolled her eyes where he couldn't see. "I suggest that your friend, who is in the prime of his career, shouldn't consider this kind of thing for the time being."

"Why?"

In fact, Meng Xingxing could probably guess who Lu Xuan was talking about.

After all, there's only one person who can control Lu Xuan, it's all too obvious.

But to be honest, Meng Xingxing didn't think Miss Qiao would be interested in Lu Xuan.

Even if Lu Xuan is really handsome and has a good, somewhat naive and straightforward personality, Miss Qiao is also very beautiful. Her way of doing things and dealing with people is on a completely different level from Lu Xuan's. Lu Xuan is like a baby still crying in swaddling clothes, a bit willful. If he really gets together with Miss Qiao, she will have a hard time.

So Meng Xingxing said very sincerely, "Because of you... your friend has accomplished nothing."

Lu Xuan suddenly opened his eyes, glaring angrily at Meng Xingxing: "How do you know he's a complete failure!"

"I don't know, but you should know," Meng Xingxing replied naturally. "Outstanding girls usually like outstanding people, right? Is your friend outstanding?"

“He…” Lu Xuan hesitated for a moment, “is very good-looking.”

"Isn't that girl good-looking?"

"…excellent."

“That settles it then.” Meng Xingxing pressed on, “Then your friend’s looks can’t be considered a plus in her eyes. You can think of what your friend has that’s a plus.”

Lu Xuan remained silent.

He closed his eyes again.

Who would have thought that being good-looking would become a disadvantage for him, even though Qiao Wu had certified his good looks.

But his bonus points...

His acting has improved, he's more obedient now, he's responsible, he...

He couldn't find it.

He reached into his pocket and touched the card, realizing that he was nothing in front of Qiao Wu.

The car quickly stopped outside the show venue.

Meng Xingxing instructed, "Brother, drink less later. I'll wait for you in the back."

After the show, there was a dinner party, which was mostly attended by celebrities and brand owners invited by them. Drinking was inevitable.

Lu Xuan had no intention of drinking. It wasn't that he had never been to such occasions before, but he had always been the one invited as the boss.

Those celebrities usually wear products from brands, which is a form of advertising.

He doesn't have any endorsements, so naturally he doesn't need them.

He wasn't very interested, so he just grunted in response and was about to get off the bus when he suddenly saw a familiar figure not far away.

The person who hadn't gone to see him finish filming, and who had been swirling in his mind just moments before, was now vividly present before him.

Qiao Wu stood out among the other celebrities, wearing a champagne-colored short dress with a black suit jacket over it.

Why did she come?

Meng Xingxing followed his gaze and, upon seeing the people behind Qiao Wu, realized, "They must have brought their artists with them too."

"I don't need your explanation."

Lu Xuan noticed that among the people following Qiao Wu was the bird he recognized.

He got out of the car with a dark expression.

Meng Xingxing shouted anxiously from behind, "Brother, control your expression!"

Bullshit about facial expression management.

Lu Xuan kept staring at Qiao Wu until he disappeared through the door, and it took a lot of effort for him to make sure his expression didn't look so sour.

He lowered his eyes, feeling a little sad and a little wronged.

Qiao Wu has indeed been quite busy lately. Things are alright at home, but the foundation's project has been underway for a while now, and she receives different progress reports every day. Her company with Qin Tianrui is also about to get on track.

Previously, Qin Tianrui had always been the one running around the company, but today she had some free time and planned to personally bring people over to get to know them.

Many of the company's artists had already terminated their contracts and left, leaving behind only a few like Liao Liao and Li Xiangyang, who lacked experience. Even if they didn't have any relevant resources yet, she wanted to give them a chance to familiarize themselves with this kind of occasion to avoid making mistakes when they came in the future.

Furthermore, she needs to build connections within the industry, which will be useful for managing Lu Xuan's studio in the future.

As soon as she entered the venue, many people turned their attention to her.

Apart from the celebrities, everyone present, including bosses and young masters and ladies from prominent families, had some connection to the entertainment industry, so they naturally paid more attention to people with superior looks and temperament.

They also frequently follow current events and trending topics on Weibo.

It's not difficult to recognize Qiao Wu, after all, she's been trending on social media several times.

So soon someone came up to her and struck up a conversation: "Miss Qiao Wu."

Qiao Wu was unfamiliar with most of the people, but she was not intimidated at all. She could ask for their names and exchange information with them after a slight apology.

Within half an hour, without her having to move around, she had become familiar with most of the important people in the venue, and had also left an initial impression of the new company in everyone's minds.

She had done all she could. As for what opportunities the next few artists wanted to seize, that was up to them, so she let go.

After the others left, she set her sights on a young man in the crowd. From the information she had exchanged with the others, she learned that his name was Cui Sitong, an artist who had become a sensation in recent years by starring in web dramas. He later started his own studio and gradually transitioned from web dramas to leading roles in satellite TV dramas. He now has excellent resources and is also the brand's spokesperson in mainland China.

For an artist to become a sensation through a web series and maintain their popularity, their team must be very mature and experienced enough to withstand the fierce competition online.

Therefore, Qiao Wu was very interested in him.

However, as the hottest star tonight, Cui Sitong was surrounded by many people, and she had been busy organizing information and hadn't been able to speak to her yet.

After a moment's thought, she called over the waiter next to her.

Cui Sitong has been surrounded by a lot of people and has drunk quite a bit of alcohol today. There are many brand ambassadors, but most people come for him. Although everyone just pretends to drink a few sips, so many people want to drink with him, and some of the bolder ones even take the opportunity to grope him.

He had a slight headache, but given his current status, he couldn't do anything out of line. He also had to maintain a good expression, since every move he made could be amplified infinitely by the internet. Just as others could elevate him, they could also bring him down.

A while later, a waiter came up to him and said, "Teacher Cui."

Cui Sitong apologized to the others, then turned around and asked, "What's wrong?"

The waiter handed him a list: "These are the things Miss Qiao bought tonight."

Above is a list of all the jewelry sold tonight in his name.

Cui Sitong was stunned. It had only just begun, how could someone have bought them all? And it was the same person.

Actually, this wasn't the first time this had happened. When he was still a spokesperson for a small brand, some big bosses wanted to buy everything and sponsor him.

But later, as their fame grew and the brands they endorsed became bigger, no one was so blatant anymore. People would only buy a little bit occasionally, as an opportunity to get to know each other or to take advantage of the situation like before.

The richer a person is, the sharper their mind is. They're just playing along, so naturally they won't spend lavishly.

This person is... Qiao Wu?

Cui Sitong had just heard this name from someone else. He heard that the person was very young but very capable, had connections with the Lu family, and now owned a small entertainment company.

I didn't expect someone younger than him to be so generous.

He was the biggest boss tonight.

Both morally and logically, we should go and see him.

But someone who can spend so much money on themselves in one go... Cui Sitong frowned almost imperceptibly; they must be a bit difficult to deal with.

He turned to the waiter and asked, "Where is she?"

"there."

Following the other person's direction, Cui Sitong's gaze first settled on a young woman in a champagne-colored dress. The dress was studded with small diamonds that sparkled under the lights, but it still couldn't match the exquisiteness of her eyebrows and eyes. She sat on the sofa with her long legs casually draped over her shoulders, and her calmness and gentleness were out of place with the glitz and glamour around her.

Cui Sitong stared at the man for several seconds, but couldn't reconcile the image of him with the extravagant spender. He restrained himself and looked away, asking, "Who?"

Waiter: "The lady on the sofa."

Cui Sitong looked surprised.

It could actually be her?

He didn't think that kind of person would spend so much money on an artist like him.

But when he thought it was her, he seemed less resistant.

"knew."

He took off his watch: "Wrap it up."

The waiter quickly took the order and registered it, then wrapped up the watch and handed it to Cui Sitong: "This watch is a gift from Miss Qiao to you."

Cui Sitong: "?"

They're acting like they're going to take him under their wing, really?

He glanced down at the gift box in his hand and frowned slightly.

After thinking for a while, I took the box and walked forward.

In the corner behind him, Lu Xuan's expression gradually twisted as he listened to the whole thing.

He had been to such events before and knew that it was a huge sales venue where wealthy people would pay for the celebrities they admired.

But he didn't expect that the person paying the bill would be Qiao Wu.

I initially thought it was just someone with the same name, but seeing the direction the man was heading, it was none other than Qiao Wu!

Wasn't she supposed to bring an artist with her? How come she's taken a liking to other celebrities?!

Those around him were startled by his sudden change in expression: "Teacher Lu?"

"Don't look for me," Lu Xuan said with a sour face. "I have no money."

The artist who wanted to promote the product/service: "..."

They knew Lu Xuan and assumed he was here to drink and chat as usual, so they wanted to take the opportunity to sell him something.

I didn't expect to run into a wall this time.

"Teacher Lu, you've misunderstood. We just came to catch up with you."

Lu Xuan glanced at her: "What are you catching up on? I don't think I know you."

The female celebrity took a deep breath.

I sold you so many luxury goods before, and now you're telling me you don't know me!

Bro, isn't your money money too?

"You bought your cufflinks from me."

Cufflinks!

Qiao Wu also gave him cufflinks!

Lu Xuan was furious. He picked up the glass of wine in front of him, which he didn't intend to drink, and downed it in one gulp. He said bitterly, "I can't afford it. My sugar daddy is going to become someone else's sugar daddy now."

Female celebrity: "???"

"Who is that pretty boy?" Lu Xuan asked.

"You mean Mr. Cui Sitong?" The female celebrity looked over. "He's very popular, didn't you know? Several of his dramas are currently airing."

Cui Sitong?

Lu Xuan remembered that Qiao Wu had once told him that she liked working with people who were more capable than herself.

Therefore, she likes capable people.

Is it because he's not popular?

hateful.

Seeing that he was about to go berserk, the female celebrity quickly retreated, knowing she couldn't afford to offend him.

Under Lu Xuan's gaze, Qiao Wu had no idea how long he had been being watched.

She knew Lu Xuan would come today, but she hadn't seen him yet.

But this is good, it means he has successfully quit and knows what he needs to do now, instead of clinging to her from the start.

Seeing Cui Sitong walking towards her, she stood up, extended her hand, and smiled, "Teacher Cui."

“Miss Qiao Wu.” Cui Sitong took out the box containing the watch and shook hands with her. “You’ve really gone to great lengths.”

"A small gift." Qiao Wu let go of his hand and took a step to the side. "Would it be convenient for us to chat for a bit?"

Seeing that she behaved very properly, giving away a watch as a gift, and not doing anything like others would link arms or do anything else, Cui Sitong was somewhat surprised.

He sat down not too close to Qiao Wu and handed him the box, saying, "This is too valuable; I cannot accept it."

Although she bought a lot, this watch was indeed not cheap, and he had already received a commission.

"Don't think there's anything wrong with it, Teacher Cui," Qiao Wu said with a smile. "I just need your help, so I'm just showing you some kindness first."

Cui Sitong: "You need something from me?"

"Hmm." Qiao Wu handed him an unopened bottle of water. "I saw you drank quite a bit of alcohol earlier. Have some water to calm down first."

It wasn't a pre-pouring wine or any other beverage, but a simple bottle of water.

Cui Sitong genuinely looked at the person in front of him with a different eye, and asked curiously, "Miss Qiao, you can just say what it is?"

Qiao Wu knew that the two of them wouldn't have much time to talk here, so he didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "I heard that you now have your own studio. To be honest, I also plan to set up a studio in the future, but I have zero experience in this area, so I would like to ask you for advice."

Cui Sitong was stunned.

He had already figured out how to politely refuse the other party's unreasonable request, but he never expected it to be just this!

“This…” he chuckled, “Miss Qiao is too kind to me. I need such a heavy gift, and all the other things as well.”

Although he did hope to sell more of his products, he felt somewhat unworthy of the honor for this reason.

It would be better to let Qiao Wu touch his hand.

"You're really losing out."

"It's worth it." Qiao Wu smiled. "After all, it took up your precious time. I can not only learn from your experience but also make a friend. Besides, I also used your fame. It's worth it."

As soon as she said that, Cui Sitong understood.

I just heard that Qiao Wu has started a new entertainment company, and he doesn't have any second-tier or higher artists around him.

She bought his things in front of so many people and then made him come over on his own initiative. As the most famous artist present, it has to be said that this definitely earned her more attention.

She achieved multiple goals at once.

Cui Sitong finally understood why people had described this young boss as young and promising when they mentioned her earlier.

Her mind is truly exceptional; that money was merely an investment for her, and she was honest enough not to make anyone uncomfortable, since it did him no harm.

A transaction that is made public will give people more peace of mind, and besides, he only got a watch, while everything else still belonged to Qiao Wu.

Now Cui Sitong accepted the watch with a clear conscience: "It seems I really need to make friends with Miss Qiao. I feel like I can learn a lot from her. But didn't your company just start up? Why are you thinking about the studio?"

To open a studio for an artist, the artist must first have the ability to do so; otherwise, it will be a huge loss and you won't be able to help them succeed.

“I have a friend,” Qiao Wu explained simply, “I hope things will go better for him in the future.”

Seeing this, Cui Sitong didn't ask any more questions. He had accepted the gift and wanted to share all his experience with him. However, due to limited time, he couldn't stay there forever. So, he exchanged contact information with Qiao Wu and agreed to meet again next time.

After Cui Sitong left, Qiao Wu didn't move again.

There was no one she wanted to get to know better at the event tonight. She flipped through the jewelry catalog in her hand, looking for anything she wanted to take home.

The things she just bought were for three reasons: first, for Cui Sitong; second, to establish herself; and third, to give as gifts to others in the future. They weren't things she actually liked.

As she was flipping through the pages, she suddenly felt someone sit down next to her, reeking of alcohol.

The moment the man sat down, he clung to her.

Qiao Wu frowned, picked up the booklet and slapped it on the hand, looking up unhappily: "You..."

Upon recognizing the person, she abruptly paused: "Lu Xuan?"

Lu Xuan had clearly drunk quite a bit; his eyes and brows were flushed with intoxication. He covered the back of his hand, which had been slapped red, and looked at her with bright, watery eyes.

Seeing this, Qiao Wu knew he was drunk, so he picked up a bottle of water, unscrewed it, and handed it to him: "Why did you drink so much?"

He then waved to the waiter to bring him something to help him sober up.

As a result, Lu Xuan grabbed her wrist.

Before Qiao Wu could break free, he heard him sobbing.

“You just touched his hand and spent a million on him.”

Lu Xuan's eyes were red, and he choked back sobs: "I only want 50,000 a month, but you won't even look at my abs."