Chapter 59 So, when are you planning to do it?
Chairman Xu,
New Year's wishes should be related to the New Year.
The moment she finished speaking, a cluster of fireworks rose in the sky over Wen Jia's direction. She subconsciously looked over and gazed at the sudden burst of light.
“It’s related to the New Year,” Xu Shaoting repeated, “I hope you’ll be by my side every New Year. Is that possible?”
Wen Jia didn't answer, but instead said softly, "Then I also have a New Year's wish."
"Tell me, I'll grant you anything you ask."
Even if she said she wanted the stars and the moon, he would go and get them for her.
Your wish has come true.
Xu Shaoting paused, a barely perceptible smile appearing on his lips.
This wish was somewhat unexpected for him.
He didn't want the stars and moon in the sky, nor the pearls and diamonds on the ground; he simply innocently wrapped his own desires within his own.
"Our wishes can all come true."
Wen Jia softly hummed in agreement, "It will all come true."
The fireworks went out, and he looked away. "Were there fireworks tonight?"
“I just finished my New Year’s Eve dinner and haven’t had a chance to set off yet. I’m watching other people set off fireworks. There aren’t many people setting them off in this part of the city, just one cluster, quite far away, but…” She searched her mind for the right words, “It was magnificent, very grand.”
Her eyes were filled with a myriad of thoughts. After a moment of silence, she called out to him, "Chairman Xu."
"Um?"
"Actually, I've wanted to say this for a long time: when I first saw you, I thought you looked like fireworks."
Hearing her unconventional analogy, the man chuckled softly, "Reason?"
“Because you’re high above everyone else.” She said without hesitation, “Everyone has to look up to you to see you; that’s the first impression.”
What about the second impression?
Fragments of memories flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern. She couldn't pinpoint the exact moment that etched that second impression onto her. Was it hearing him casually mention a hundred million? Or seeing him on the cruise ship defending her? Or perhaps buying her a sixty million pink diamond?
"My second impression was when I saw the fireworks and thought you were dazzling. Because you have everything: money, power, and good looks. People may struggle their whole lives to get what you have, but you were born with it."
But it is precisely these things that have trapped you. If you didn't have them, wouldn't you be much freer?
She didn't say that part aloud; she just asked herself it silently in her heart.
"Is there a third impression?"
"Yes." She seemed to be waiting for him to ask further. "The third impression is the fireworks after they've faded away. It's the most beautiful, but also the most dangerous, because everyone sees its brilliance and only thinks it's objectively beautiful. But only those who are closest to it can feel the heat and the deafening roar. Mr. Xu, that's how you are. Only when you're attracted to you and get close to you will you realize that your life isn't as perfect as others imagine, and that you also have many things beyond your control."
She couldn't bear to look at his helplessness, so she turned her gaze away from the fireworks. "These helplessness are what your identity brings you. Fireworks are destined to be fireworks, beautiful but dangerous. You are the same. While being admired, you are destined to sacrifice something."
She saw right through him.
This feeling was unfamiliar to him. In his past life, he had always been the one who could see through others. No one had ever dared to say that they could see through him, not even Xu Bozheng or Zhao Xinglan.
He rarely showed any emotional fluctuations, and he always only spoke half of what he said, stopping short of revealing the truth, requiring others to ponder and speculate.
No one has ever seen him so clearly, or rather, even if they did, they wouldn't dare to say it so clearly.
He didn't ask her what her so-called sacrifice was, but calmly and resignedly accepted that she had seen through him. "Wen Jia, you've already seen through me."
"Because I see through you, I find you even more attractive."
"Why?"
"Seeing your imperfections makes you seem less like a work of art and more like a living, breathing person who experiences loneliness and exhaustion. Mr. Xu, perfection is admirable, but it is authenticity that truly makes people want to get closer to you."
"So, are you attracted to me?"
"Isn't it obvious enough?"
“Obviously, but could it be any more obvious?” Xu Shaoting turned and sat on a bench in the garden, his long legs crossed. “Or is it not your fault, but because I’m not attractive enough?”
"It's attractive enough that it attracts not only me but also others."
"Others?" Xu Shaoting chuckled silently on the other end of the phone, but his tone was serious. "Are you still angry with Shen Zhiyun? I already made things clear to her that day."
She chuckled softly, "Not just Shen Zhiyun."
"Not just Shen Zhiyun?" He straightened his expression, not wanting to be vague on this issue. "Did she say something to you again?"
"Yes, she told me that you had a lot before."
“Don’t listen to what she says,” Xu Shaoting raised a hand to his forehead, sighed softly, and pondered for a moment, “Do you have a lot of scenes to film tomorrow? Should I come to see you?”
Looking for me?
"I'll explain it to you face to face."
Wen Jia seemed to have gotten away with it and smiled, "I didn't finish what I was saying. It was because you had a lot of blind dates before."
Xu Shaoting: "..."
Two long, endless silences followed on the phone.
He breathed a sigh of relief, his tone helpless, but he still called her "baby," saying, "Next time, finish what you're saying at once."
So you're assuming you've had many blind dates before?
"I can't deny that. I was forced by my elders. I've never been tempted."
"You may not have been tempted, but they might not be."
Xu Shaoting remained silent.
Zhao Xinglan had arranged for him to meet Miss Li, Miss Zhu, and Jessica and Catherine who had returned from studying abroad, but he really forgot about them as soon as he met them. Now he can't even match their faces with their names.
At first, he would attend the events politely, but later, when people started using their connections to find out what kind of men these young ladies and socialites liked, he simply did the opposite.
People like to go without glasses, but he deliberately wears a pair of silver-rimmed glasses. People like to dress casually, but he insists on wearing a suit and tie. People like to be gentlemanly and elegant, but he doesn't pretend and has a carefree attitude.
Some people prefer quiet people, and he was afraid of meeting their requirements, so he quickly paid the bill and left.
It's normal for those girls to come from good families, have high standards, and have their preferred types; it's understandable that he goes against their wishes.
But he forgot that a person's orientation is only a minor direction; no one can refuse a major direction where they are superior in appearance, family background, and so on.
Thus, this almost rebellious resistance became a rare and interesting phenomenon in the eyes of some wealthy young women who were used to flattery. His painstaking efforts, however, backfired.
"I only met you once, and I already refused. Don't overthink it."
"Okay, I won't think about it."
“Wen Jia,” he called her name earnestly, bringing the conversation back on track, “tell me your last impression of me.”
With a gentle smile, she looked at the distant fireworks, which were the only ones twinkling in the vast sky. "My last impression is that you are very lonely."
Xu Shaoting stood up and stopped pacing back and forth.
"Why?"
Wen Jia did not answer. Because she saw another cluster of fireworks bloom beside that lonely cluster of fireworks.
Two beams of light stood side by side in the sky, evenly matched and evenly matched.
"However, I will stay with you."
"What you say in the New Year must be taken seriously."
"certainly."
She was getting a little stiff from sitting, so she took out her phone, glanced at the time, and asked him, "Did you come out to call me during a break from our New Year's Eve dinner?"
"Um."
"Won't your uncle say anything to you?"
"His wife is there; she can persuade him to stay calm."
Will I have to give you the same advice in the future?
"I will not become like him."
The two of them asked and answered questions, almost without thinking, and only realized what terrible things they had said after they finished.
"In the future?" Xu Shaoting repeated slowly, a hint of amusement appearing in his usually calm eyes.
"..."
Will we have a future?
His question left her speechless.
"..."
If they were face-to-face, she would have bitten her lip to avoid looking at him. But now, where he couldn't see her, she buried her face in her hands, muttering, "I said something wrong..."
She too naturally projected herself into his future, into their fifties and sixties. Imagining things so far ahead seemed inappropriate.
"Why did you say the wrong thing?" he asked casually, then delivered the final verdict:
"We will have a future."
His tone was calm, as if he were stating a predetermined, unquestionable result, without even a hint of certainty.
-
After hanging up the phone, Yu Jianshan called everyone in the group chat to go out and set off fireworks. He Lingyi wasn't interested in such activities and was applying a face mask in her room. Wen Jia pulled Yu Kaiqing downstairs.
A large open space in front of the hotel had been cleared out. When they arrived, a large group of film crew members were already standing around it, creating a lively atmosphere.
Song Yanlin was there too. He was dressed very lightly, as if he wasn't afraid of the cold. He was leaning against the wall playing on his phone. The two of them brushed past each other side by side, and he called out to her, "Wen Jia."
She looked back at him, puzzled.
"Happy New Year."
"Happy New Year," she replied politely.
"Do you remember? We spent Chinese New Year together on set one year, just like now."
“I don’t remember much, it’s been too long,” Wen Jia tightened her grip on Yu Kaiqing’s hand. “What are you trying to say?”
Song Yanlin put his hands in his pockets, looked down and smiled, "It's nothing, I just miss it a little."
Yu Kaiqing frowned more and more as she listened, and quickly interrupted, "Stop reminiscing. You two both have partners now, it's not suitable, it's not suitable."
Song Yanlin ignored her and kicked a pebble at his feet. "Was that guy who came to visit the set last time your boyfriend?"
"how?"
Song Yanlin seemed to search his memory for something, then smiled, a hint of self-deprecation in his expression, "Did you tell him something about me?"
Wen Jia smiled and said, "I've had a lot to talk about with him before, but it hasn't come to the point where I need to mention you."
After she finished speaking, she didn't wait for his reaction and pulled Yu Kaiqing away.
Song Yanlin remained with his hands in his pockets, turning around behind her. He suddenly recalled the look Xu Shaoting had given him on set that day. It was scrutiny, inquiry, a condescending gaze, a subtle meaning that only someone of the same sex could perceive.
He stared at Wen Jia's figure, his cheeks twitching almost imperceptibly, and he narrowed his eyes slightly.
"That's strange, why do I keep talking to you about random things..."
Yu Kaiqing muttered a complaint to herself, then pulled Wen Jia into the crowd.
Seeing that most people had arrived, Yu Jianshan ordered Xiao Yuan, the stagehand, to light the fireworks. The people who had been chatting and laughing in small groups all gathered around and naturally formed a semicircle behind Yu Jianshan.
The night was cleaved by a sharp, soaring roar, and a streak of light exploded across the sky, shattering into tiny specks that fell in a flurry. In an instant, everyone's face and eyes were illuminated by this sudden light.
Everyone in the semicircle looked up, and the publicity team's photographer stood behind them, freezing the moment. This image became the production team's last Weibo post of the year.
During the New Year, social media platforms naturally need to be active. Not only will the production team post on Weibo, but the actors' personal brands will also make an appearance.
After the group photo session, Wen Jia was pulled to another open space by Yu Kaiqing, who handed her several lit sparklers without saying a word.
"Keep operating!"
The hissing sparks of burning gold and silver illuminated Wen Jia's face, flickering on and off.
She waved fireworks and smiled at the camera.
Yu Kaiqing deliberately didn't use professional equipment, but only her mobile phone to capture several animated GIFs. Compared to the publicity team, these photos shown to fans appeared more vivid and natural.
After she finished taking the photos, she looked down and flipped through the album, muttering to herself as if she was having trouble choosing, "Actually, I can't really pick out the best ones, because I think they're all beautiful..."
So, without editing any of the nine original photos, I posted them directly to Weibo.
Five minutes after the photos and text were posted, Xu Shaoting's phone screen lit up.
To be fair, Weibo notifications don't often appear on his lock screen, so they're particularly eye-catching at this moment.
It was a push notification he paid special attention to, and it was the only push notification he paid attention to.
He rarely had the urge to look at something, but before he could even open Weibo, several new messages arrived on WeChat.
It was from Yu Kaiqing, followed by about ten photos and a text message:
"Chairman Xu, here's what I didn't post on Weibo."
Xu Shaoting chuckled, clicked on the photo, and saw Wen Jia wearing a plaid shawl, her hair tied in a low bun, with a few strands falling beside her cheeks. She wasn't wearing makeup, not even lipstick; her face was clean and clear, the only bright spot being the fireworks reflected in her pupils, making her appear innocent.
Like a little girl.
He naturally wanted to save it, but just as his fingertip touched the screen, a message box popped up, regretfully informing him that the message had been retracted.
This was of course Wen Jia's doing. When she saw Yu Kaiqing turn her back to her after taking the photos, acting suspiciously, she knew that Yu Kaiqing was up to no good. She snatched Yu Kaiqing's phone and took a closer look. This girl was quite generous with other people's money, sending eighteen photos of herself to Xu Shaoting.
Fortunately, not long after they were sent out, Wen Jia indignantly withdrew them one by one.
"Why not show it to Chairman Xu? He'll definitely like it."
"His expression completely collapsed!"
"Nonsense, every single one of them is beautiful."
The moment she withdrew the photos, Xu Shaoting's message arrived:
"Why won't you show it to me?"
-
The message went unanswered for half an hour.
Xu Shaoting has never compromised like this before. Unable to see the exclusive photos, he had to reopen Weibo.
When he clicked on Wen Jia's set of pictures, the number of reposts, comments, and likes was in the tens of thousands.
The only thing that comforted him was that no CP fans dared to go to her Weibo to complain, so the comment section was peaceful and didn't show the scene he least wanted to see.
He wasn't familiar with Weibo, let alone the rules of the fan community. He just found the first few comments with their colorful emojis amusing and liked her Weibo post.
Forwarding was very easy, and it wasn't even his initiative—the shortcut key for quick forwarding was accidentally pressed at some point and operated it for him very quickly. The next second, a fresh blog post that hadn't appeared in ages appeared on his homepage.
Weibo held little appeal for him; he'd browse and then leave, so he was unaware of the skyrocketing number of comment notifications in his message section just minutes after he retweeted it.
Since the paparazzi circled his account last time, many of his solo fans have followed the trail and followed his account.
Solo fans and CP (couple) fans have always been sworn enemies. Rather than seeing their idols being paired up and hyped up as a couple, they would much rather see their idols in a healthy relationship. Therefore, the vast majority of fans hold a blessing attitude towards Wen Jia and Xu Shaoting.
The difference between the ex-husband and the real brother-in-law is self-evident.
So everyone staked out on this special day, waiting to see if the real brother-in-law would make any moves.
There were some actions, but why was it just reposting on Weibo?
Was it a slip of the hand?
[Could this be another form of official announcement...?]
[I was so scared! I was wondering why there was a strange account on my homepage, but when I looked closer, it was my brother-in-law. Oh well, it's alright now.]
[While the other couple's fans are still dredging up old, outdated sweet moments, our idols have already taken to social media to play the game... We've won this round by surprise.]
...
Wen Jia didn't post the notification on Weibo; she was informed by Yu Kaiqing.
After she finished showering, Yu Kaiqing tossed her her phone and said meaningfully, "Chairman Xu retweeted your Weibo post."
By the time she clicked on it, Xu Shaoting's Weibo post already had thousands of comments, both serious and not serious:
[My brother-in-law only follows one account, oh my god, I won't say who it is, so sweet! These real couples quietly show their affection like this, only artificial sweeteners would be so obviously spilled.]
[Brother-in-law, I know you're eager to assert your dominance, but let's hold on a minute. Let's figure out how to use Weibo before we post. [doge emoji]]
[Retweeting this Weibo post both asserts my ownership and slaps the neighbor's CP fans in the face, haha, that feels so good! I'm going to switch from being a solo fan to a true CP fan!]
[Aren't the fans of the "neighborhood CP" (couple pairing) usually so fond of making a scene and causing a ruckus? Why don't they dare to do it in this comment section?]
[The most harmonious comment section in the Chinese entertainment industry, who agrees?]
...
The number of comments was still skyrocketing, so she immediately made a video call to him and asked him bluntly, "Why did you suddenly retweet my Weibo post?"
She was ready for any sweetness; women can never resist the drama of being officially announced or having their dominance asserted.
Unexpectedly, he simply pondered for a moment, then asked, "Which one?"
“…………..”
The scene on Wenjia's end seemed to freeze, falling into a long, long silence.
After a long while, she threw the towel aside in frustration, "Don't tell me you just dropped it!"
He was being realistic, saying, "Perhaps so."
"My fans will be heartbroken!"
Wait, why is the reaction different from what he expected?
"Why aren't you the one who's sad?" he asked pointedly.
"...I'm sad too."
"Then why are your fans sad?"
"They all think highly of you and me, calling me 'brother-in-law,' didn't you see the comments?"
"I never watch it."
"Then go and take a look now, brother-in-law."
"You're not allowed to shout."
He coldly ordered her. He actually listened, opened the comments, glanced at them casually, a hint of amusement in his eyes, but still asked with feigned respect, "Why are your fans so strange?"
"What's strange about it?"
"Sometimes I'm rooting for you and Song Yanlin, sometimes I'm rooting for you and me."
"..."
"They are not the same group of people at all."
"This is also done in batches?"
After he finished speaking, he heard two chuckles from the other side.
Wen Jia's voice was played aloud and heard by Yu Kaiqing, who explained for her: "Chairman Xu, CP fans like her relationships with other people first, so they are not happy to see her relationship with you. But solo fans like her as a person first. If she is happy, the fans are happy. But it's not that she will be happy no matter who she dates. It's just that you are very low-key, you don't interfere with her career, you protect her, and you have money... so most solo fans will give their blessings when she is in a relationship."
After she finished speaking, she stepped out of the camera's view and whispered in Wen Jia's ear, "I don't even dare to say the most important reason... Actually, it's mainly because of that face..."
After whispering the secret, she returned to the camera and asked the man in a serious tone, "Mr. Xu, do you understand what I'm saying?"
“I understand,” he said after a moment’s thought, as if he truly didn’t understand:
"So, which of these two batches is more prevalent now?"
Wen Jia: "..."
Yu Kaiqing: "..."
Good question.
"Of course there are more solo fans, and CP fans don't last long. Maybe they'll lose interest after a while and leave."
Even if Kaiqing were beaten to death, she would never have imagined that one day she would discuss this kind of issue with Xu Shaoting in this way.
Xu Shaoting nodded in satisfaction. "Understood."
Wen Jia cleared her throat, her gaze darting around, feigning indifference, "Since it was a slip of the hand, shouldn't you delete it?"
"I won't delete it."
"Why? By making it official?"
He didn't answer, but asked directly, "Tell me, why were you sad just now?"
“Because…” Wen Jia turned her face away, a hint of sweetness in her expression, “I thought it was an official announcement, or rather… a declaration of sovereignty.”
“If we’re going to make an official announcement, it should be you. You’re the public figure, Miss,” Xu Shaoting said, a smirk playing on his lips as he watched her reaction.
"So, when are you planning to do it?"
-----------------------
Author's Note: Mr. Xu: Darling
Baby: Chairman Xu
You two can just call each other that...
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