Chapter 37 When did you get involved with Cheng Qi?
Qingyun Film and Television City is located in Qingyun Town, not far from Nangang. It takes about two hours by plane. Xia Mian decided to leave today and chose a flight that departs at 4 pm.
Nangang Airport is crowded, and fearing recognition, he imitated Chang Yi, wearing a hat, sunglasses, and a mask, covering himself up like a mummy. However, it was all for naught—during security checks, he removed all his disguise at the request of ground staff. Aside from thinking he was exceptionally handsome, neither the staff nor the surrounding passengers recognized him.
I was just being presumptuous; how embarrassing.
Xia Mian chuckled to herself, took off her sunglasses and mask, leaving only a hat to cover the upper half of her face, and sat elegantly on a chair in the waiting room, playing games while waiting to board.
The ranked match was in full swing, and the dragon was about to be taken down when Qian Hui called again.
Xia Mian felt that this girl was very much like a hero in a game called Eternal Nightmare.
—Anything related to her is bound to be bad.
This time, however, the woman's tone was surprisingly gentle: "Xia Mian, when did you get involved with Cheng Qi and He Cheng? Why didn't you tell me?"
Cheng Qi, He Cheng... Xia Mian thought for a long time before remembering that Cheng Qi was the organizer of last night's banquet, and He Cheng was the greasy man who tried to take advantage of her. He didn't know what was going on and didn't want to tell her too much, so he denied it outright: "Who are these two? I don't know them."
"You don't recognize the two men who were photographed with you, Cheng Qi, the young master of the Cheng Group, and He Cheng, a Hong Kong real estate tycoon?"
There were indeed media present at the banquet last night, but he was so obscure that he thought he wouldn't be photographed and didn't pay attention.
Moreover, he went with Zhou Pingchuan, so how could he be involved with other people?
What Xia Mian didn't know was that the Zhou family protected the current patriarch extremely well. Even if the media photographed him, they would nip it in the bud before it could be published.
There are photos of him and Zhou Pingchuan together, but they were removed.
"I really don't know them," Xia Mian continued stubbornly.
Qian Hui then opened the set of photos that had been trending on social media all afternoon.
In the first few pictures, the boy stands under the back porch light. Amidst the extravagance of the room, he is like a wild rose growing freely, exuding a myriad of charms within his innocence.
In the following pictures, the boy and He Cheng are face to face, seemingly talking. Neither of them looks happy, perhaps arguing. Cheng Qi, accompanied by bodyguards, walks through the room filled with elegantly dressed women and directly confronts He Cheng. The scene easily evokes a drama of two heroes vying for one woman.
To succeed in this industry, if you don't have a powerful family background, you have to find ways to curry favor with the big shots and get resources. So whether Xia Mian knows them or what her relationship with them is obvious to everyone.
“It’s alright, it’s the world of fame and fortune, I understand,” Qian Hui smiled. “But you’re quite impressive, managing to get an invitation to something like this. I heard the head of Kepler was there last night too. Too bad, he’s not someone you can even dream of. Otherwise, if you caught his eye, we… never mind.”
Qian Hui thought it was too far-fetched: "Xia Mian, make the most of your strengths and work hard. If you really end up with one of those two, the company will make new plans for you."
Kepler Group is a company under the Zhou family's name, and Qian Hui refers to Zhou Pingchuan.
Xia Mian had never seen anyone put "shameless" in such a fresh and elegant way. He was speechless, gave a few perfunctory words, and hung up the phone—he really couldn't stand this lousy company for even a second longer.
Back in the game, his teammates had already voted to end the match because of his actions. Xia Mian apologized to them in her heart, opened Weibo, and saw the set of pictures on the trending topics.
The news headline was only one line long: [The second son of the Cheng family is successful in business but unlucky in love; they openly compete for attention at a dinner party.]
Xia Mian strongly disagreed with the term "jealousy and rivalry," and without even looking at the photos, she went straight to the comments section.
What does the Cheng family do?
[One of Asia's four major developers, the Kunlun series and Junhong series are all their properties]
The two examples cited by the original poster are well-known, representing luxury residential communities that are common in almost all first- and second-tier cities. Netizens commented: "Indeed impressive. Who is that 'wild rose'? Is she also a rich young master?"
Wild Rose is even easier to find now, since there's a variety show airing right now, and netizens quickly found his resume.
[Report! Her name is Xia Mian, and she's a nobody actress.]
[That sounds familiar... Holy crap, isn't he the guy who was trending a few days ago for showing off on the plane?]
[I remember now, it's that arrogant young master who loves to play the role of a noble prince but keeps getting slapped in the face!]
I thought he was some rich young master, but it turns out he's just another nobody who's latching onto a powerful figure.
[These photos are absolutely stunning, I've saved them!]
Holy crap, no wonder that guy's fashion sense and looks suddenly improved so much, turns out he has powerful connections and money now!
Cheng Qi is still quite young, while He Cheng is practically half-buried in the ground. He's willing to sacrifice anything for resources.
[A man juggling two men, isn't he afraid of getting his ass ruined?!]
I bet those two weren't interested in him. If they really liked him, they could have just spent tens of thousands of their allowance on two suitcases; why use a cheap, no-name brand suitcase that costs 350 yuan?
[laughing so hard, this joke is just too funny! 350 people are dying of laughter!]
The netizens' doubts are not unreasonable. After all, the child actors were hired and would have to have some fun at night, but the media failed to capture any photos of Xia Mian going to a hotel with the two men.
I suspect they're currently in contact, or perhaps, as that woman said, neither of them are interested in him.
[It could also be that a member of a prominent family wants to climb the social ladder.]
[Even higher? Who else? These two real estate tycoons are already powerful enough, especially the Cheng family, traditional old money. Getting involved with them can directly allow them to transcend social classes.]
I heard that a very important figure attended that day; even the Cheng family paled in comparison, let alone He Cheng, who was confined to a remote corner of the country.
I know the answer to this question! My customer said that Mr. Zhou from the Kepler Group was there yesterday.
Who exactly is Jay Chou, the Kepler artist?
Immediately, netizens shared a link that led to a Baidu Baike (Baidu Encyclopedia) page: Kepler Group, registered in Beijing... current chairman Zhou Pingchuan... has 61 branches, 276 subsidiaries, and numerous holding companies, with interests spanning multiple industries...
[Hiss... Zhou Pingchuan, that name sounds familiar.]
[Our station did an exclusive interview with him. This bigwig has received the Outstanding Youth Award, invested in countless national-level classified projects, and his influence can be seen in the construction of several important economic development zones. He's also incredibly handsome. It's a pity that you rarely see him on domestic forums now, otherwise I would highly recommend you watch his presentations; his level is top-notch.]
Wow, fictional characters have come to life!
[I'm a local from Beijing, my family has some money, and I've had some contact with the inner circle. Just a friendly reminder: you can't just casually discuss things with the Zhou family's leaders; it's easy to get into trouble. If you absolutely must discuss it, be subtle, so it doesn't get caught in the big data screening.]
Is it really that amazing? Netizens were intrigued and rushed to search online.
Unfortunately, apart from a few news photos, they couldn't find any personal photos, or even photos of him at public events, in which his face was blurred.
Even just from the news photos, one can already see this person's demeanor and charisma; the title "big boss" is undoubtedly fitting for him.
So the topic returned to mocking Xia Mian: "If Xia Mian's goal is the Zhou family head, isn't that a bit overestimating herself?"
To be fair, putting aside the "rich kid" filter, Xia Mian is now a perfect match for anyone.
I don't deny his good looks, but a wealthy family is a dream come true for a poor, clueless actor like him.
"You're dreaming. For wealthy families, those who can truly enter the household are either of equal social standing or can bring them benefits. Besides, the Zhou family is no ordinary wealthy family. Someone like Xia Mian is just someone you can call in for a while, then discard when you get tired of her. Who would actually marry her?"
Your circle is so dirty, ugh!
In Xia Mian's mind, finding a sugar daddy was definitely not a glorious thing. He was afraid of being wronged and planned to refute the rumors. However, after searching around, he found that everyone only regarded finding a sugar daddy as a scandalous affair.
He experienced firsthand what it meant to "laugh at poverty but not at prostitution," and then returned to his own account.
On days when he wasn't surfing the internet, his only Weibo post was flooded with comments, most of them insults. The insults were varied and numerous, so much so that anyone clicking on them felt their eyes were being assaulted by the noise, and the insults could be copied into a collection of troll quotes.
He randomly clicked on a comment's homepage, scrolled down, and found no trace of sharing his life except for insults.
The ingredients are easy to identify: paid trolls who sell products for 50 cents a piece.
Xia Mian closed her eyes, then left the comments section and opened her private messages.
Amidst countless vile and offensive genital-related insults, a completely different message emerged.
Liuli-chan: [New fan reporting in! Hi Xia Mian, I'm Liuli-chan. I was captivated by your beauty during the "Escape" livestream this morning and followed you on Weibo. I can do some editing, and I've done a good job of processing the highlights of your morning livestream—especially the part where you revealed your course materials. Unfortunately, I couldn't find your fan page or personal site, so I can't submit it. I can only send it to you here, hehe. I wish you can truly rise from the ashes as you said in the video, and I'll accompany you on your flower-filled journey!]
The message was sent on the first day he recorded "Infinite Escape." Xia Mian read it twice before clicking on the video. The editing was indeed excellent, and with the music, it even brought tears to his eyes.
Xia Mian was thrilled to receive a confession from a fan for the first time. He knew that contacting fans privately was wrong, but he really wanted to send the fan a small gift, so he clicked on Liuli Jiang's homepage.
Surprisingly, the other party had zero followers.
Liuli Jiang followed him, then unfollowed him.
Xia Mian's thumb froze on the screen, and it took her a long time to recover.
Yes, they just said they were going to transform, but then they were picking fights on the plane, showing off their superiority and trying to get rich quick. Which fan could stand that?
Moreover, he couldn't explain it; he couldn't say that he went to the banquet with Zhou Pingchuan instead of Cheng Qi or He Cheng. Because he and Zhou Pingchuan weren't lovers, and their marriage wasn't 100% confirmed.
Even if it is confirmed, Zhou Pingchuan may not be willing to publicly admit it.
Their relationship can only be described as an unequal power dynamic; he was a grasshopper tied to a rope, while Zhou Pingchuan was the one controlling the rope.
Summer sleepiness is really annoying, so I saved the video and logged out of Weibo.
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