Chapter 21
Junior Feng, stunned, naturally wouldn’t give up so easily. He gathered his team and worked overnight, trying to figure out who this person was.
He had never heard of Xia Wansheng before.
“Boss, our promotion is about to start, what should we do if we can’t find a suitable candidate?” His subordinates were anxious.
A few days ago, Junior Feng had confidently declared he would find someone for the promotion.
But now, with no one in sight and the prime promotional period about to end, everyone was on edge.
“Proceed with the normal promotion, I’ll figure something out.” Junior Feng put on a confident front, but he was in a difficult situation.
The market wasn’t doing well this year, and his usual deceptive tactics weren’t working.
He had originally planned to choose some talented newcomers from his partner’s entertainment company, but after visiting, he realized they were simply not up to par.
Although Junior Feng loved money, he did have some skills and couldn’t settle for mediocre candidates.
Constantly hitting dead ends wasn’t a solution.
His subordinates had also tried sending invitations to some well-known young artists, but they all demanded at least a million yuan.
The company could afford it if they gritted their teeth.
But Junior Feng was stubborn and unwilling to throw money away.
If he had to spend it, he might as well give it to his senior brother and perhaps earn a favor.
Days passed. One day, when Xia Wansheng arrived at Old Man Feng’s house, he saw the two of them enjoying tea. The person across from Old Man Feng was none other than Junior Feng.
Xia Wansheng was about to quietly leave, but Old Man Feng, who seemed to be in a good mood, gestured for him to join them.
He recognized this expression; it was the same one he had whenever he called him over to watch some drama.
Junior Feng, unlike his usual arrogant self, had a humble and solicitous demeanor.
“Senior brother, we didn’t have these conditions back when we were studying. Now it’s all modern technology…”
Junior Feng intended to appeal to their shared past. He had learned his lesson and knew only Xia Wansheng could take on this job.
And he had a one-million-yuan offer.
Xia Wansheng was just a newcomer, how could he refuse such a high price?
Old Man Feng left the decision to Xia Wansheng. Although he still disapproved of his junior brother’s methods, the opportunity for exposure and the one million yuan were real, and he couldn’t impose his own views.
However, he was already certain Xia Wansheng would most likely agree.
Judging by his usual spending habits and his tendency towards frugality, it was clear he hadn’t had it easy before.
This money would be a godsend.
Xia Wansheng listened absentmindedly to Junior Feng’s elaborate explanation, only perking up his ears when he heard the amount.
Oh, one million yuan.
Converted at a rate of one ten-thousandth, it was only a hundred yuan.
Xia Wansheng instantly lost interest.
This person had initially treated him with disdain and was only being solicitous now that he knew his abilities.
Just like his two-faced colleagues.
Xia Wansheng glanced at Old Man Feng, who was pretending to be asleep, clearly not wanting to get involved.
It seemed the decision was his to make.
“I’m not interested.” Xia Wansheng refused directly.
One million yuan might be a fortune for other small-time celebrities, but for him, it was only a hundred yuan after conversion, not very enticing.
Hearing this, Old Man Feng, who had been dozing in his recliner, opened his eyes in surprise, his opinion of Xia Wansheng rising another notch.
Few people could resist the temptation of money, but this young man had such strong principles, he would surely achieve great things.
“We… we can increase the offer!” Junior Feng mistook his refusal for dissatisfaction with the price, hurriedly saying the budget wasn’t an issue, as long as Xia Wansheng agreed.
If Xia Wansheng continued to refuse, he would have to find a talentless newcomer from an entertainment company.
His reputation would be ruined.
But no matter how much he raised the price, Xia Wansheng remained uninterested.
Seeing Junior Feng’s desperation, Xia Wansheng suddenly remembered a friend of the original owner mentioned in the story, Lu Mingxi, who was also quite talented.
“I do have a suitable candidate.” Xia Wansheng said.
Lu Mingxi was an old friend of the original owner. They had originally planned to make it big together, but after struggling for a long time with no success, Lu Mingxi had temporarily given up, returning home to open a small shop and save money.
Before leaving, at the original owner’s urging, Lu Mingxi had used his remaining money and connections to help him, and the original owner had promised to return the favor once he became successful.
Lu Mingxi was very talented, but his family wasn’t wealthy. Even after the original owner gained some fame, he never thought of helping his friend.
He even constantly complained to him, who knows how much money he had swindled from him.
This was a good opportunity to repay his kindness.
Junior Feng didn’t expect Xia Wansheng to offer a solution despite refusing the offer.
He naturally assumed his senior brother had planned this all along, praising him profusely and offering to treat him to dinner next time.
The master and disciple smiled silently.
Old Man Feng thought he hadn’t misjudged Xia Wansheng. Despite his own hardships, he still thought of his friend first when given the opportunity.
Truly detached from fame and fortune, with strong principles, unfazed even by a large sum of money.
“Isn’t that program about to start filming?” Old Man Feng asked with concern.
“Yes, preparations are underway, I’ll be joining the team soon.” Xia Wansheng said.
It was almost time for the test.
The program launch this time was very different from previous seasons. Both the number of onlookers and online attention had increased significantly.
The director was overjoyed. He had been worried about the investment, but now, just targeting a small-time celebrity had brought so much attention.
What a bargain.
“How did it go with the invitation you sent last time?” The director waved over his assistant.
They had given Yu Congyan a heads-up. Since the investor had such a request, they would go to any lengths to fulfill it.
It was too easy to manipulate footage and create negative press in a reality show.
“CEO Yu replied that he’ll come personally, and he’s planning to stay for a few days.” The assistant replied.
This response was unexpected.
Everyone knew the CEO was incredibly busy. Even just meeting him required scheduling half a month in advance, but now he was making time to visit the set.
The people at Yu Corp were also puzzled.
“CEO Yu, this is a crucial period for the project, is it appropriate for you to be away for so long?” an old shareholder asked sarcastically.
This old shareholder had been with Father Yu since the early days. Now that the company was stable, he should have been enjoying his retirement, but his incompetent successor had no intention of inheriting the family business, so he had to continue working.
He had always disliked these rich kids. The previous one, the eldest son, claimed he wanted to gain experience in the company, but he only used underhanded tactics, disrupting the company’s atmosphere.
He had thought Yu Congyan was more reliable, but they were all the same, abandoning their careers for a celebrity!
“I recall your previous project didn’t even reach the final stage.” Yu Congyan showed no respect.
The old shareholder’s judgment was no longer as sharp as before. He relied on his past contributions to the company, giving unsolicited advice on various projects, most of which ended in failure.
There was no need to waste his breath on him.
“So you’ve grown wings, a young brat daring to challenge me!” The old shareholder was furious, only calming down after being persuaded by others.
But he was still angry. He had originally planned to just let it go since he was about to retire, but now he couldn’t swallow this insult.
The old shareholder’s face darkened. If the Yu family was being unkind, then he wouldn’t be righteous either.
Since this business trip was rather long, Yu Congyan, as CEO, had to delegate his work. He arrived home a bit late today.
Xia Wansheng was on the balcony talking on the phone.
It was an unknown number. He only realized it was Lu Mingxi after answering.
It seemed Lu Mingxi already knew about Xia Wansheng’s recommendation.
“I wanted to thank you right away.” Lu Mingxi sounded delighted on the phone.
He hadn’t heard from the original owner in so long, he had thought the promise was just empty words.
Lu Mingxi had called the original owner before, but he had already changed his number.
He thought the matter was long over, but Xia Wansheng hadn’t forgotten him.
“I knew I didn’t misjudge you!” Lu Mingxi said with relief.
Sometimes, his classmates would tease him after a few drinks, saying they knew Xia Wansheng’s character was flawed and he would definitely abandon him.
Now, let’s see who dared to badmouth him!
“I’m going to City A on a business trip in a while, let’s get together then!”
Lu Mingxi thought he must visit Xia Wansheng after this, after all, he was his benefactor.
“Okay, see you then.” Xia Wansheng agreed.
He just didn’t know if he would still be here by then.
He didn’t remember Lu Mingxi’s ending in the original book, he probably just lived an ordinary life back in his hometown.
And after they parted ways, the original owner never contacted his old friend again.
This wasn’t a bad outcome.
Xia Wansheng hung up the phone and prepared to stand up when he realized he had been plucking the withered leaves off his succulents during the call.
Thankfully, the call ended early, otherwise, even the healthy leaves wouldn’t have been spared.
Then, turning around, he saw Yu Congyan sitting on the sofa looking at his tablet. The screen was filled with colorful graphs and charts that made Xia Wansheng’s head spin just by glancing at them.
But he was joining the program filming tomorrow, his paid vacation was just around the corner. He thought he should inform Yu Congyan.
Xia Wansheng walked over and sat down at a reasonable distance, trying to convey a mix of reluctance and anticipation.
“I’m joining the program filming tomorrow, we won’t see each other for a long time. Could you come and see me off…” Xia Wansheng tried to pinch his palm, but the joy of the upcoming vacation was too overwhelming, he couldn’t bring himself to cry.
He could only lower his eyes, his eyelashes trembling slightly.
As if hoping for a positive response, but expecting only disappointment.
Xia Wansheng decided to wait for one more minute, then pretend to be heartbroken and leave.
Yu Congyan put down his tablet upon hearing this, preparing to tell him his plans.
“No, I tomorrow…”
But he was too slow, the one-minute countdown had ended.
“I understand.” Xia Wansheng stood up, interrupting him, his voice now filled with the carefully crafted disappointment.
He forced a smile, his heart bitter.
“I’ll go back to my room now.” Xia Wansheng turned to leave, avoiding Yu Congyan.
“Wait!” Yu Congyan finally recovered, almost misreading the data on his tablet.
He knew this person must have misunderstood something, but he was also filled with suspicion and self-reflection.
Why hadn’t he noticed anything wrong before?
Only when Xia Wansheng was exhausted and unwilling to act anymore could he glimpse the underlying fragility through his unconvincing performance and words.
Yu Congyan walked over and stood directly in front of the dazed Xia Wansheng.
“I’ll go with you tomorrow, so there’s no need to see me off.”
Although he couldn’t immediately resolve all the misunderstandings, he couldn’t create new ones.
But strangely, the person across from him didn’t show the expected joy upon hearing this. The light in his eyes dimmed instead.
“The accommodation there isn’t very good, it might be difficult to adjust.” Xia Wansheng said slowly.
As if making a last-ditch effort.
He had thought he wouldn’t have to act like a white moonlight after joining the program filming, finally able to enjoy hot pot and games, but now Yu Aotian wanted to go with him?!
Absolutely not.
Traveling with his boss wasn’t a vacation, it was overtime work.
“The assistant will take care of it.”
Yu Congyan had naturally made inquiries beforehand but was still surprised that Xia Wansheng was concerned about this.
He was ostensibly going to monitor Xia Wansheng, but this was also a good opportunity for him to escape the Yu Group’s surveillance and focus on his own projects.
It was killing two birds with one stone.
Being surveilled by Yu group ❌
Surveiling the wife ✅