Chapter 32 – Let Him Come Back
[Hahahaha, as an unbiased netizen, I have to say, it’s so satisfying to see Zhong Jingyi get slapped in the face!]
[The designer is such a real one, hahahaha!]
[Heh, it’s your honor that our Jingyi is even willing to wear some no-name brand. What are you acting so high and mighty for?]
[To the person above, don’t think so highly of your master. A no-name brand, and he doesn’t even look as good in it as an obscure celebrity. I’m dying of laughter!]
[No way, no way. On one hand, they look down on the designer and Lin Ganzhi, but on the other, they steal other people’s photos. I’m not well-read, but isn’t this what you call shameless?]
[Tsk, am I the only one who noticed those pictures of Lin Ganzhi? He’s totally running towards the camera! This old gal ships it! When are you going to appear on camera with your top~]
[I’m practically licking the screen, okay? Even though the pictures are so badly taken, you can still tell Lin Ganzhi looks amazing in it. That nine-shot airport photoshoot of a certain someone is going to be the death of me!]
[Wuwuwu, I have to say, after Lin Ganzhi stopped being a bad actor, he’s so pure and cute~]
[Excuse me, is this suit still for sale? I’ll order eight!]
[I wasn’t inspired to buy it when Zhong Jingyi wore it, but I can’t resist after seeing it on Lin Ganzhi!]
[Designer, remember to pay up for the free advertising, hahaha!]
***
After seeing Chi Feibai’s Weibo post, Lin Ganzhi quickly helped by reposting it.
@LinGanzhi: Thank you @ChiFeibai, the clothes are really beautiful! Thanks for helping to clarify~
Chi Feibai quickly commented under Lin Ganzhi’s post: I’ve been in the mountains looking for inspiration recently, so sorry to have let my little baby Ganzhi suffer~ Next time, your sister will gift you a few more new outfits!
This time, Lin Ganzhi replied with a sincere heart emoji.
There was nothing more joyful than getting something for free!
However, what surprised Lin Ganzhi was that his post was also reposted by Qi Lan, Bi Wu, and Que Jin simultaneously.
Moved, Lin Ganzhi didn’t forget to send messages to the three of them to express his gratitude. Qi Lan and Bi Wu’s replies were conventional. Bi Wu also took the opportunity to ask again about his interest in acting. Even after being politely refused by Lin Ganzhi, he didn’t give up, only saying that Lin Ganzhi should reconsider.
Just as he finished chatting, what Lin Ganzhi truly didn’t expect was that the veteran singer Luo Tingzhou had also reposted his Weibo. For a moment, he didn’t know how to handle himself with his obscure celebrity script.
With two Best Actresses, a Film Emperor, and a senior singer backing him, the onlookers and his fans felt even more emboldened! Their taunts and attacks continued late into the night, full of energy.
Zhong Jingyi’s team stayed up all night trying to come up with a solution.
In the end, they pushed out one of Zhong Jingyi’s longest-following fan leaders to take the fall. The speculation about the photo was attributed to the overzealous actions of some fans, and had nothing to do with the celebrity themselves.
In reality, any fool could see the manipulation involved, but since the fan leader had come out and apologized, the team had found the perfect scapegoat. Zhong Jingyi once again managed to distance himself completely.
However, his public appeal took another major blow. Some marketing accounts, smelling blood, worked passionately through the night, transforming Zhong Jingyi’s “little sun” persona into a “feigned innocent” one in just a few sentences, which went viral on certain short video apps.
The result of this incident was that Zhong Jingyi was so angry he didn’t fall asleep until dawn. The next morning, he woke up early to chug black coffee to reduce the swelling.
Madam Zhong was comforting Zhong Jingyi, her heart aching for him, but his expression didn’t improve much.
She was only halfway through her words when Zhong Wenwei, who hadn’t returned all night, stormed back in, his face looking absolutely terrible. Years of smoking, drinking, and rich food had caused his figure to become severely misshapen. The last few strands of hair combed neatly on his head were the last vestiges of his dignity.
“Jingyi, now that you’ve taken over Zhong’s Chips, you have to bear the corresponding responsibilities and obligations! Not ignore all the calls I made to you yesterday!” Zhong Wenwei entered the living room and immediately launched into a stern lecture at Zhong Jingyi.
Being yelled at like this, Zhong Jingyi’s temper flared up as well. “Dad, you don’t even ask what I went through last night and you’re already blaming me like this? I don’t just have to manage the company, I have my own career too!”
“Career?” Zhong Wenwei let out a derisive laugh. “Are you talking about that career where you go to a deserted island for a week-long vacation and can’t even have your phone? You tell me, how much did you earn there in a week? By not answering my calls, how much did you lose?”
Zhong Wenwei had never been this angry with Zhong Jingyi before. Zhong Jingyi was so stunned by the belittling of his work that he didn’t even react, his eyes just turned red.
“Zhong Wenwei, is this how you treat your son? What did you promise when he came back to the country? How long has he been back? Is one deal worth you shouting like this? If you don’t like him anymore, fine! I’ll send him back to his grandmother’s place! If you don’t dote on your son, there are plenty of people who will!” Madam Zhong couldn’t stand it anymore and retorted. Her son was her bottom line.
Only then did Zhong Wenwei rein in his anger, sitting down opposite the mother and son, his stern demeanor unchanged. “Yesterday, Mr. Milne decided to cancel our collaboration. Their annual orders are worth at least several billion.”
“Several billion?” Madam Zhong was terrified by the number.
“They canceled the collaboration?” Zhong Jingyi could no longer feign weakness, his face changing drastically. “Didn’t they promise to give us three months?” There was still one month left!
“Jingyi, the business world isn’t as simple as you think. Just because they agreed, it doesn’t mean you can treat them casually during those three months. I wouldn’t have known if Mr. Milne hadn’t told me himself, but they came to inquire about the progress a month ago and expressed the changes they needed. And what was your product manager’s attitude? He told them they could only change one issue at a time. Heh! Since when did the company hire such an incompetent fool!”
Zhong Jingyi’s face turned completely white with fear. Could it be that cousin his mother had recommended a while back?
He had been busy filming at the time and had only instructed the HR manager to give him whatever position he liked and to have people teach him.
“Dad, I’ll call Mr. Milne.” Zhong Jingyi took out his phone.
“Don’t bother. I went to your company after work yesterday to handle this. If I could have solved it, I wouldn’t have rushed back to scold you!” Zhong Wenwei was an old fox of the business world, not someone Zhong Jingyi could compare to. He now truly regretted handing Zhong’s Chips over to his son so readily.
His abilities couldn’t even compare to a single finger of Yan Shengping’s. That son of his had guts and ambition. When he was still around, countless people had been jealous of him for having such an adopted son. After graduation, his own company’s market value couldn’t even match Zhong’s Chips. Their family had also leaped from a third-rate wealthy family to a top-tier one in the city.
For the first time, Zhong Wenwei deeply regretted his decision.
“Call Yan Shengping back tomorrow.”
“Old Zhong!”
“Dad!”
The faces of both mother and son were filled with reluctance.
“Have you forgotten what Yan Shengping did before?”
“Dad, even if you call Brother back now, he might not come. I didn’t tell you before, but Brother has already deleted all of us. If you suddenly ask him to come back now, he…”
Zhong Wenwei snorted. “It’s too soon to forgive him, but Zhong’s Chips still can’t do without him. Not until you completely focus your heart on it.”
Zhong Jingyi’s face was filled with unwillingness.
***
For once, Lin Ganzhi wasn’t eating his bland dinner with a look of utter despair. He enthusiastically finished the last bite and obediently went to the kitchen to put away his bowl.
“So happy?” Yan Shengping swallowed his last wonton.
Lin Ganzhi nodded contentedly, stroking the car key like a treasure. His eyes shone with a fervent light. This was the first car of his life; it was incredibly meaningful.
Now it was Yan Shengping’s turn to feel a little helpless. “I told you to buy a car, and you bought one for just over a hundred thousand?”
Lin Ganzhi looked up. “Was that too expensive?”
Yan Shengping couldn’t resist tapping Lin Ganzhi’s forehead with his index finger, a smile not quite reaching his eyes. “Is your math this bad too? Question: you have a hundred million in hand, is buying a car for a hundred-odd thousand expensive?”
Lin Ganzhi gave a shy smile, momentarily forgetting that Yan Shengping had just tapped his head. Don’t mention it; the moment you do, he can’t help but feel happy. “I call this taking precautions.” I’m counting on this money for a round-the-world trip after the divorce~
Looking at his unusually easy-to-satisfy partner, Yan Shengping felt a mix of emotions.
Does he think our family is too poor?
“Actually, when it comes to spending money…” Before Yan Shengping could finish, Lin Ganzhi’s phone rang.
How can so many people be thinking about you in one day?
Yan Shengping looked out the window with displeasure.
Lin Ganzhi picked up his phone. The screen displayed the word “Aunt.”
They had finally come for him.
“Yan Shengping, don’t take anything I say to my aunt seriously in a bit!” Lin Ganzhi warned him in advance.
Yan Shengping agreed. Although he didn’t quite understand at first, he soon would.
Because Lin Ganzhi, with great audacity, put the call on speaker. Uncle Yan, who had just come out after washing the dishes, happened to hear the entire conversation.
“Ganzhi, this is your fault. You’ve been married for almost a month and a half, and you haven’t come back to see your aunt? Your cousin and your uncle miss you.”
“Sigh, Auntie, my hands are tied.”
“What do you mean your hands are tied? Don’t you try to fool your aunt. You don’t have time to come back, but you have time to participate in a variety show! Our whole family watched the show you were on! Just last night, several big stars gave you… gave you… what was it again? Lianlian, what’s that word?”
“Oh, Mom, let me talk to my cousin, you don’t even know how!” The original owner’s cousin, Wu Guanglian, snatched the phone. Her voice was sickeningly sweet, like over-proofed dough. “Cousin, I saw a Best Actress and a Film Emperor give you a thumbs-up yesterday. I’m so envious you know so many big stars~ Brother, just introduce me, I want to act too~”
The original owner’s cousin, Wu Guanglian, had been spoiled by her parents since childhood. The typical ‘she’s just a child’ upbringing led her to run off to a southern electronics factory with a so-called ‘older brother’ before even finishing middle school. It was the original owner who, despite his aunt’s family’s opposition, saved up money for a ticket in his first year of junior high and dragged her back from the factory. Now, she had a junior college degree and worked as a clerk in a local factory. However, Wu Guanglian wasn’t grateful to her cousin at all; she had always felt that he had ruined her hard-won love.
“Sis, the entertainment industry isn’t as glamorous as you think. Look, you need resources, you need acting skills, and if you don’t act well, you get cursed at.”
“Aiya, it’s that troublesome? Then forget it. It’s fine if you just give me some money, little brother.”
Hah! After all that beating around the bush, she finally revealed her true purpose.
“Cousin, I won’t beat around the bush with you either. I have eighty yuan left in my WeChat. Do you want it?”
“Who are you kidding!” Wu Guanglian’s shrill voice made Lin Ganzhi frown. The moment he said he had no money, her attitude did a complete 180.
“Let me talk. Lin Ganzhi, now that your life is better, you’ve completely forgotten your benefactors, haven’t you! You shameless, ungrateful person, you’ll get what’s coming to you!”
Yan Shengping had always found his adoptive mother’s words harsh, but they seemed to pale in comparison to Lin Ganzhi’s relatives.
Lin Ganzhi scratched his ear and continued the fight. “Auntie, stop pretending. Sang Xiangwen already told me. You took three million to sell me off. When you got the money, didn’t you think about giving me some of it as a bride price?”
“…What three million? Your aunt doesn’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You all know what kind of person I married. He just bought a house, and his health is poor. You can check, how much did the Zhong family give him in total? The dangerous variety show I’m on now can’t even cover his medicine bills. He even got gastroenteritis a couple of days ago and still owes the doctor fifty or sixty thousand. Auntie, since you say you’re my benefactor, your son is in trouble. You have three million, so you wouldn’t mind giving your son a hundred thousand, right?”