Chapter 28 [28]
Protecting one's own
Li Heng's goal was very clear: he was after her.
Luo Qingyue looked up at him, their eyes meeting directly.
Unlike Li Heng, whose lips curled into a smile and whose eyes held a hint of cunning, her eyes were filled with confusion.
Song Tao took two steps back, standing at the same level as them.
With Li Heng so close, her first reaction wasn't to ask for a photo or autograph, but rather to gossip.
"You know her?" Song Tao asked Luo Qingyue in a low voice.
Luo Qingyue shook her head, beginning to wonder if she had done something to Li Heng and incurred a romantic debt.
But after thinking about it carefully, she realized it was impossible. She had clearly rejected all the men who had confessed their feelings to her and would never string someone along.
If anyone dares to pester her relentlessly, then it'll be her brother's turn to deal with it. In short, there won't be any unresolved emotional entanglements.
Suddenly, Li Heng smiled, revealing his white teeth and his eyes crinkling.
"You might not see a pretty girl at a racetrack for ages, but I've struck gold today."
Xu Jie and Song Tao both turned their gazes toward Luo Qingyue.
Li Heng was a participant in the race sponsored by Mingyue.
Despite the mocking remarks, we still have to give him some face.
Luo Qingyue maintained her composure and introduced herself: "Hello Li Heng, I am Luo Qingyue, an employee from Mingyue Automotive. Mingyue is the title sponsor of the F7 Rally Dongchuan Station. I wish you good luck on the track."
"You are an employee of Mingyue."
Li Heng emphasized this point, and Luo Qingyue, though not understanding, nodded nonetheless.
Then Li Heng laughed, a very unrestrained laugh: "How much does Lu Mingxiao pay you a month? You're giving up a good life to step out of your comfort zone and work your ass off for him."
Li Heng looked like he knew her inside and out, and seemed like no pushover.
Luo Qingyue first frowned slightly, afraid that Xu Jie and Song Tao would discover something, and then smiled and retorted.
"Your participation in the competition to generate traffic and attention for Mingyue is also a kind of dedication."
"Instead of criticizing others, why not take a look in the mirror first and see if you're any better?"
Before Li Heng could answer, Luo Qingyue walked arrogantly toward the exit of the venue without looking back.
Watching her retreating figure, Song Tao said to Xu Jie, "She's so cool, I love her." Then she quickly caught up with her, calling out, "Honey, wait for me!"
On the way back, Luo Qingyue kept searching her mental memory bank.
What Li Heng said was more clearly a message to her that they had met before.
Having no recollection of him, she could only label him a "sasaeng fan" until she got home that evening and Lu Shuyi made her a video call.
"Li Heng just messaged me saying he saw you today."
On the other end of the video, Lü Shuyi had finished filming her night scene and was comfortably lying in bed with a face mask on.
Luo Qingyue suddenly realized: "I was wondering how he knew so much about me, he almost told my colleagues that I was the richest man in Dongchuan. Turns out he's your friend."
Lu Shuyi: "He is Cathy's son. He also came to my birthday party last year. Don't you remember? In the final group photo, he was standing behind you."
Cathy is the boss of Lu Shuyi's agency.
For her birthday party last year, Lü Shuyi did not do a live broadcast or invite the media and fans.
The event was held at her villa, a very private affair, and the attendees were all close friends from both inside and outside the entertainment industry.
Luo Qingyue opened the group photo sent by Lü Shuyi.
She stood in the middle of the first row, arm in arm with Lü Shuyi, and behind them, dressed in a casual suit, was indeed Li Heng.
Of course, she wouldn't feel ashamed for not remembering him; her brain capacity was limited, and there was no room for someone she didn't know well.
Lü Shuyi said that Li Heng would stay in Dongchuan for about a month.
Luo Qingyue asked, "He seems quite capable of taking care of himself, so he shouldn't need me to look after him, right?"
"That kid has such a big mouth, it's too much trouble for our Miss Luo."
Lu Shuyi laughed and then changed the subject, "However, racing is actually quite dangerous. Every time Li Heng races, Cathy gets worried about him... How about I give him your WeChat? With you here, Cathy should feel more at ease."
Lu Shuyi has two benefactors in her life: Luo Qingyue and Cathy.
Luo Qingyue helped her debut, and Cathy overcame all opposition to sign her into the company and set up an independent studio for her.
Luo Qingyue could understand Lü Shuyi's concerns. She had over a thousand WeChat friends and wouldn't mind having Li Heng as well.
Lu Shuyi pushed Luo Qingyue's WeChat to Li Heng, not forgetting to remind him: "Others think that Li Heng is a sunny and cheerful big boy, but in reality he has a sharp tongue and is arrogant. You can get half-dead from talking to him after just three sentences. If he makes any unreasonable demands on you, you must tell him to get lost. Put aside your helpfulness and don't make trouble for yourself."
Luo Qingyue gave Lü Shuyi an "OK" sign: "Don't worry, I'm no pushover either."
The video call ended, and Li Heng's friend request popped up on WeChat.
Luo Qingyue approved the setting to chat-only for friends.
——
Lu Mingxiao didn't go on any business trips this week, which made Luo Qingyue very happy.
This means she can hitch a ride home with him for several days in a row.
She would share work and life with Lu Mingxiao, and they had endless topics to talk about. They even talked about Li Heng.
It all started when Lu Mingxiao told her that he planned to sign Li Heng as his spokesperson and asked her if she knew who Li Heng was.
At this moment, Luo Qingyue was holding her phone, sharing a collection of Dongchuan delicacies from Xiaohongshu with Li Heng.
Hearing the familiar name, his breath hitched slightly, and then he put down his phone and said, "He's a famous race car driver. Many of my colleagues in the office really like him."
When asked why he chose Li Heng, Lu Mingxiao explained: "On the one hand, Li Heng has a huge fan base and is well-known worldwide. On the other hand, the models that Mingyue will launch in the second half of the year are more sporty and performance-oriented. I have watched Li Heng's races, and he has both speed, passion, and competitive spirit, which fits the brand image of Mingyue. His participation in the race in Dongchuan is a good opportunity to warm up the market in advance."
Luo Qingyue picked up her phone again as it vibrated.
With a slip of her hand, she accidentally played the voice message sent by Li Heng aloud.
"Luo Qingyue, are you serious? You added me as a friend, but you won't let me see your Moments."
"This is blatant discrimination! I'm going to tell Lu Mingxiao to kick you out of Mingyue and send you home to live a life of luxury, like your little princess!"
The black SUV came to a stop at the north gate of Guanjiangyue, and the angry voice disappeared.
Upon hearing his name, Lu Mingxiao turned to look at Luo Qingyue, becoming alert: "Who?"
Luo Qingyue smiled slightly: "The spokesperson you carefully selected, Li Heng."
Knowing Lu Mingxiao was curious, she told him the whole story about Jia Liheng, and then couldn't help but complain, "Did I come to Mingyue for money? I came here for my ideals and pursuits."
We just briefly met and added each other on WeChat; it's nothing serious.
Lu Mingxiao hadn't taken Luo Qingyue and Li Heng's acquaintance to heart until he attended a dinner party on Saturday night.
The dinner was at the invitation of the F7 rally organizers. Since Luo Qingyue was in charge of the marketing plan for the project, Lu Mingxiao took her along.
Qianhuwan Resort Hotel was their destination for this trip.
Luo Qingyue wore a beige halter-neck dress and unbuckled her seatbelt after Lu Mingxiao parked the car.
She lifted the hem of her skirt, opened the car door, and got out. A cool and stylish red Ferrari was parked in the next parking space.
Almost at the same time, Li Heng got out of the Ferrari, and Luo Qingyue bumped into him.
Li Heng's bright eyes sparkled as he praised without reservation: "Why was I able to see you first in the darkness? Because you are more beautiful than the moonlight tonight."
Greasy. Lu Mingxiao stood beside Luo Qingyue, his face as cold as ice, his eyes dark and unfathomable.
He finally understood why Luo Hanzhou was willing to risk his life to protect Luo Qingyue—because there were far more wolves and tigers in the world than they had imagined.
They even dared to plot against Little Moon.
Lu Mingxiao grabbed Luo Qingyue's wrist and pulled her away without hesitation, sternly instructing, "Stay away from Li Heng."
Li Heng certainly didn't appear out of thin air; he was also invited to the dinner party.
No one dares to disobey Lu Mingxiao, a bigwig in the automotive industry. He has a large family business and is very successful in his career, so he has nothing to fear.
Once they arrived at the private room, after Luo Qingyue sat down, Li Heng immediately sat down next to her.
"What a coincidence, Luo Qingyue, we meet again."
"Is it fate? No, it's love that guides me to rush towards you."
The next second, Luo Qingyue got up and switched seats with Lu Mingxiao.
After settling in, Lu Mingxiao turned to face Li Heng, his voice icy: "If you say another word, I'll throw you out the window."
Normally, Lu Mingxiao wouldn't stoop to the level of a brat.
But Li Heng kept jumping around in his minefield, making his presence felt.
However, he has always kept public and private matters separate.
The selection of Li Heng as the spokesperson was the result of a multi-faceted evaluation.
They will not change their decisions because of this.
On Monday afternoon, Li Heng, accompanied by his agent, came to Mingyue to sign the contract.
He sat in the guest seat opposite Lu Mingxiao's desk, legs crossed, looking very relaxed.
"I must have quite a lot of influence to be personally received by President Lu."
Lu Mingxiao handed the contract to him: "Mingyue has already signed and stamped it. If there are no problems, just sign it."
Li Heng dislikes reading contracts; he gets a headache when there are too many words, so he leaves them all to his agent to review.
The agent, with a legal background, sat beside him, carefully checking each clause to ensure everything was correct, before handing the pen to Li Heng for signing.
The contract was made in duplicate, with one copy for Mingyue and one copy for Liheng.
Lu Mingxiao did the final review and found no problems. He then told Li Heng, "We have arranged to shoot promotional photos and videos on the coastal highway at 2 PM on Wednesday. The marketing center will communicate the specific details with your team. Please be sure to attend on time."
Li Heng picked up his coffee cup, took a sip of his vanilla latte, and didn't hear a single word Lu Mingxiao said.
"I only care about one thing: is Luo Qingyue coming?"
Lu Mingxiao's face was cold and hard: "You're going to stop filming if she doesn't come?"
"No, not at all."
Li Heng denied it, saying, "It's just that I can perform better when she comes; I need the stimulation of love dopamine."
Before Lu Mingxiao could answer, Li Heng took out his phone from his pocket and opened WeChat: "What's the use of asking you? I'll just ask her directly. She has legs, and if she wants to come and keep me company, do you think she can be tied down by you?"
Lu Mingxiao scoffed: "Do you think that you and Luo Qingyue have such a good relationship that she has to do whatever you ask for?"
"certainly."
Li Heng said decisively, looking up at Lu Mingxiao, "I've never told anyone about my hidden identity, but since you're endorsing me, I've decided to tell you first."
It is related to Luo Qingyue.
Lu Mingxiao got up, called Li Heng to the French windows, and patiently waited.
"This is the twentieth floor. Think carefully about what you should and shouldn't say."
The city outside the window becomes a miniature landscape.
Li Heng glanced out the window, felt a wave of dizziness, and quickly looked away.
I could throw you out as easily as crushing an ant.
He understood Lu Mingxiao's unspoken message, but he didn't back down. He pointed to himself and gave Lu Mingxiao a slight smile.
"Look at me, don't I look like Luo Qingyue's long-lost boyfriend?"
His words carried a flippant tone, indicating that it was not a simple inquiry.
It's a provocation, an enragement. Knowing full well that he would be displeased, I still eagerly listen to his answer.
What, does he think it's possible? Is this little brat still thinking that if he has the chance to marry Luo Qingyue, he can be invited to sit at the head table?
Countless thoughts surged endlessly through his mind, and in a flash, Lu Mingxiao grabbed Li Heng's arm.
He turned around and pressed down on his shoulders, causing him to lie face down on the floor bed, his face pressed tightly against the glass.
"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!"
Lu Mingxiao showed no mercy, his face as cold as ice. A sharp, aching pain surged through him, clearly aimed at breaking his bones.
No, he can't die here. Li Heng raised his voice and yelled at Lu Mingxiao, "Is this how you treat your spokesperson? If you cripple me, who will shoot the ads for you! If I'm injured, my fans won't let you off the hook!"
The agent standing next to him gave Li Heng a wink, signaling him to say less.
After Li Heng muted his microphone, he apologized to Lu Mingxiao on his behalf: "President Lu, from now on, whenever I meet you, I will seal this child's mouth with tape. Please don't hold a grudge against him."
There was no one behind me.
Li Heng, with his rebellious nature, not only didn't restrain himself, but became even more arrogant.
"Lu Mingxiao, what kind of skill is it to resort to dirty tricks? If you have the guts, let go of my hand and I'll fight you one-on-one!"
"You think you're worthy to fight me one-on-one?"
Lu Mingxiao released his hand, looked at Li Heng, and said in a calm voice, "Get out."
[Author's Note]
Xiao: You little jerk, you're so ungrateful! I made you my spokesperson, and all you want is to be my love rival! [Angry][Angry][Angry]
Moon: It feels so good to see someone jealous! [winking emoji][winking emoji][winking emoji]
Li Heng: I don't care, I'm her long-lost boyfriend! [crying][crying][crying]
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