I’m Keeping the Overbearing CEO After He Went Bankrupt [Rebirth] 9

Chapter 9: The Overbearing CEO Cooks

The ad shoot concluded smoothly, now just waiting for promotion and release.

The perfume’s official Weibo account announced the two ambassadors in advance.

@Falegence: Arriving with the wind and snow, the charming fragrance of romantic, powerful white snow—@ActorShengLingfei @ChuQing_Teal, the winter snow series’ “White and Blue” will be available soon, welcome to pre-order! The exciting full ad will meet you when the heavy snow arrives, please look forward to it!

However, the comments below were not harmonious.

XXX: It’s great to have a daddy, that b*tch Qing actually got a Falegence endorsement. So jealous, the power of money is truly great!

XXX: I feel bad for my Lingfei, having to be bundled with this trash. Go away, you b*tch who leeches off others for clout!

[T.N:The original is 我家令妃 (wǒjiā lìngfēi). 我家 (wǒjiā) means “my family” or “my,” a common possessive term used by fans for their idols. 令妃 (Lìngfēi) is a pun on Sheng Lingfei’s name (凌飞, Língfēi). It’s the title of a famous consort from the Qing Dynasty, often portrayed in historical dramas. It’s a playful, affectionate nickname used by his fans.]

XXX: Okay, this passerby is blacklisting this series. Goodbye, Falegence. #BoycottAss-KissingSlutsWhoSleepTheirWayToTheTop

Chu Qing happened to scroll through them and frowned, feeling a little uncomfortable.

He didn’t understand why complete strangers could hold so much malice towards him. Why could they speak on behalf of “the truth” when they didn’t know him at all?

And why did interactions between people have to be so, so troublesome?

These questions made him anxious, but at the same time, disgusted him.

He certainly didn’t like it.

“Don’t look.”

Huo Li took Chu Qing’s phone. “Time to eat.”

“Okay…” Chu Qing turned his head away.

Chu Qing and Huo Li were already back home, sitting at the table for a meal. As Chu Qing ate, he started to feel a little dizzy and turned his head to sneeze.

As expected, Chu Qing had caught a cold after returning, but thankfully, it wasn’t serious.

“You need to take your medicine after you eat,” Huo Li reminded him.

“Okay.”

Chu Qing ate distractedly, his mind already wandering. Huo Li was gradually getting used to it and didn’t bother him.

After they finished eating, Chu Qing went to rest early because he wasn’t feeling well. Huo Li, on the other hand, went to the small desk in the corner of the living room to look over some documents.

Reviving the company, so many things needed to be finalized.

Huo Li made himself a cup of coffee and started working in that corner. The entire apartment was smaller than even his small study, but sitting here felt more reassuring.

…

Late at night, everything was still and quiet.

Chu Qing had set an alarm to wake up and take his medicine. He saw a small lamp on in the living room.

Huo Li’s tall figure was facing away from him, his head bowed as he looked at some documents. In the quiet night, the only sound was the rustle of pages turning.

Chu Qing suddenly found himself staring, captivated.

Mr. Huo is working so hard…

Huo Li had long since heard Chu Qing’s movements. He wondered, What is Chu Qing looking at, standing behind me for so long?

Hmm… could it be that a man is most handsome when he’s serious?

So Huo Li straightened his back and pretended to look at the documents with an even more serious expression.

Chu Qing: “…”

Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, Chu Qing turned and went to the kitchen.

Huo Li was a little puzzled and quietly followed him.

After arriving in the kitchen, Chu Qing poured some water and took out his cold medicine from the cabinet.

But then, Chu Qing hesitated for a moment before slowly taking out another strip of pills from a different small compartment. Seeing this, Huo Li immediately stepped forward and stopped him.

“What’s this?” Huo Li pointed to the other strip of pills, frowning. “This isn’t cold medicine, is it?”

Startled by Huo Li’s sudden appearance, Chu Qing dropped the pills in his hand onto the floor.

Huo Li bent down to pick them up.

“Don’t…!” Chu Qing frantically tried to stop Huo Li, his face pale. “Don’t look!”

However, there was no way Chu Qing could stop Huo Li. Huo Li blocked him with one hand.

He picked up the strip of pills, looked at the letters on the packaging for a moment, and immediately understood.

It was medication to control depression.

Huo Li handed them back to the distraught Chu Qing. “It’s okay.”

“I, I…” Chu Qing took back the pills, not knowing what to do, and subconsciously started picking at his fingers again.

“It’s okay. How many times a day do you take it?” Huo Li’s calm tone helped soothe Chu Qing’s emotions a little.

“Sometimes once, sometimes twice.”

“Mmm, okay. Give me the medicine. I can help remind you and prepare warm water,” Huo Li said, holding out his hand.

Chu Qing’s eyes widened.

Ah…?

Huo Li raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t this an assistant’s job? Of course, it’s also a duty to serve my sponsor.”

“I…” Chu Qing lowered his head, still at a loss.

“It’s really okay,” Huo Li said with a smile, reaching out to gently tap the tip of Chu Qing’s nose. “Little one, come on, give it to me.”

With his head bowed, like a primary school student handing over his phone to the teacher, Chu Qing gave the medicine to Huo Li.

Huo Li took the strip of pills, maintaining a calm expression to reassure Chu Qing, but in reality, his heart was in turmoil.

Sourness, heartache, and a heart full of… guilt.

Huo Li had learned about Chu Qing’s condition when he attended his funeral in his past life. After being reborn a few years in the past, Huo Li had thought that Chu Qing, at this point, wouldn’t have needed to be on medication yet.

Huo Li clutched the strip of pills, his eyes narrowing slightly.

…

After returning to his room, Chu Qing lay in bed, still a bit dazed.

Because he was sick, Huo Li didn’t come to his room to pester him about “fulfilling his duties,” so Chu Qing was able to sleep alone.

Curled up in his blanket, surrounded by silence, the image of Huo Li looking at documents at the desk suddenly appeared in his mind.

After a moment, Chu Qing took out his phone and opened the email Wu Yueshan had sent him.

Wu Yueshan had sent him a list of shows, all of which were singing mentor-type programs that had been screened to suit Chu Qing’s strengths.

Chu Qing looked through them but didn’t find anything he was satisfied with. Still, he replied to Wu Yueshan with a “thank you.”

It seemed the top-tier manager of Starry Sky was busy day and night. Even at this late hour, she wasn’t asleep and replied to Chu Qing immediately.

{None that you’re satisfied with?}

Chu Qing thought for a moment and replied: {They’re all mentor positions. Are there no guest positions?}

Chu Qing didn’t really want to be a mentor.

After Sword Saint aired, one of his variety show appearances was as a vocal mentor for the first season of his debut show, All-Around Teen Idol. At that time, he had been relentlessly put down by the assistant mentor and was heavily criticized for his poor performance. This led Chu Qing to doubt whether he was even capable of being a mentor. He didn’t want to mislead the younger generation.

{Not at the moment, but I can look for some. The only thing I have here is a contestant spot on a talent show.}

{Okay.}

{What…?}

Chu Qing replied again.

{Okay.}

Wu Yueshan thought she had misread it.

{Are you sure? You’re already at this level. If you go on a singing competition as a contestant again, you’ll be mocked as “twice-cooked pork.”}

[T.N:“Twice-cooked pork” : This is a popular Sichuan dish, but in entertainment slang, it’s a derogatory term for celebrities who have already debuted but return to participate in talent shows or competitions to try and regain popularity. It implies they are “recycled” or “reheated.”]

Chu Qing: {I’ll be mocked no matter what. I don’t care. It makes no difference.}

He was already blacklisted by the entire internet. Did it matter what he was being blacklisted for?

{…}

{Alright… I’ll look for some singing shows with contestant or guest spots for you.}

Wu Yueshan thought to herself that she needed to find a show with less social interaction and persona-building, one that focused on competition. After all, Chu Qing’s personality really wasn’t suited for variety shows.

After ending the conversation with Wu Yueshan, a WeChat message popped up on his phone.

Huo Li: Go to sleep early. Don’t dawdle.

…

…Wow.

This was really terrifying. Why was it that Huo Li was the same whether he was outside or in his room?

Did he have super-hearing?

Clutching his phone, Chu Qing fell asleep while letting his thoughts run wild. In his dream, Huo Li had the ears of Zhu Bajie, flapping in the wind like two large fans.

[T.N:Zhu Bajie: A famous character from the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West. He is a pig-man known for his large, floppy ears.]

So Chu Qing woke up startled in the morning.

“…”

After washing up, Chu Qing thought he smelled something coming from outside.

…

At that moment, Huo Li was struggling in the kitchen.

Huo Li thought, My Sponsor Daddy is sick. As a qualified canary, I must make breakfast for my sponsor. With my own hands.

So, Huo Li got up very early, almost before dawn, went into the kitchen for the first time, picked up a spatula, and then opened his phone…

Baidu search: How to quickly make a sumptuous breakfast.

Ten minutes later.

Baidu search: How to fry a heart-shaped egg.

Ten minutes later.

Baidu search: How to fry an egg.

Ten minutes later.

Baidu search: How to cook an egg.

Huo Li, a man who had dominated both the legal and illegal worlds in the US, who could cover the sky with one hand—experienced the first major Waterloo of his life, defeated by the art of cooking.

Another ten minutes later, Baidu could no longer save this failed man.

Huo Li called Shao Fanxing.

“Hello…?” Shao Fanxing’s voice clearly indicated he had been woken up by the call, still hoarse and groggy from sleep.

“Shao Fanxing, how do you make a fried egg?”

“…”

There was a long pause on the other end before Shao Fanxing’s voice came through, seething, “CEO Huo, you… you called me in the middle of the night just to ask this?”

Huo Li: “…”

Huo Li: “It’s early morning.”

This Shao Fanxing must have been partying all night, his days and nights reversed.

Huo Li repeated his question, “How do you make a fried egg?”

“Ah… can’t you just search for that online?”

“I did. I followed the video step-by-step,” Huo Li said, frowning at the burnt egg in the pan. “But it won’t cook properly.”

So you’re blaming the egg?!

Shao Fanxing felt this man must be crazy.

Huo Li said, “So do you have any ideas?”

“…Why would you think I have any ideas?”

“I remember you made pretty good fried eggs when we were in the dorms in college.”

“…” Shao Fanxing was so angry he wanted to curse, but he held it in.

Just then, Chu Qing also finished washing up and came out.

When Chu Qing arrived in the kitchen, he saw Huo Li wearing an apron that was clearly the wrong size—half as small as it should be—holding a spatula, with a complete mess on the table.

Chu Qing: “…”

Did Huo Li come to blow up the kitchen?

The scene was a bit awkward.

Chu Qing tentatively changed the subject. “Who are you talking to?”

Huo Li paused, his tone somewhat tragic. “Ah, it’s a debt collector.”

Shao Fanxing: “…”

????

Bro, I’m still listening??

Chu Qing was stunned, and immediately felt a pang of sympathy and helplessness. “Then, then what should we do…”

“It’s fine,” Huo Li said. “I’ll have a good talk with him.”

Shao Fanxing: “I’ll f*ck your mother.”

Shao Fanxing was still hungover, and had been woken up in the wee hours of the morning. He finally couldn’t take it anymore.

Huo Li continued the call, his face impassive. “Okay, fine. I’ll pay it back as soon as possible.”

Shao Fanxing: “…Are you sick in the head?”

Huo Li: “Good, thank you very much. I’ll schedule a meeting with you later to discuss financial arrangements.”

Shao Fanxing: “…”

After ending the call, Huo Li sighed. “The world is in decline, and humanity is a tragedy.”

Chu Qing said sympathetically, “Should I make breakfast for you?”

Huo Li smoothly went along with it. “No, you’re still sick. Let’s order takeout.”

Mainly because he had already ruined all the ingredients in the refrigerator.

“…Okay.”