Chapter 72 – The Southern Couple
Xiao Fang and Fei Xiangnan both ended up on the Hot Search. If they had been on separate topics, it would have been one thing, but they were both on the same Hot Search. This latest development, following Xiao Fang’s Best Actor award, once again overshadowed the Hot Search about Xiao Qi’s public relationship announcement. This move was probably going to infuriate Xiao Qi.
Several pictures were revealed on the Hot Search. One showed Xiao Fang and Fei Xiangnan sitting together, and another showed Fei Xiangnan smiling and applauding as Xiao Fang went on stage to receive his award. This wouldn’t have been a big deal, but after being analyzed by the shippers, it took on a completely different meaning.
Most-Loved-Xiao-Bunny: Sisters, don’t you think the atmosphere between these two is strange? Let me analyze it for you. First, this President Fei. I recklessly searched him online, and I think the president from novels actually exists! Please allow me to affectionately call President Fei ‘daddy.’ His looks are god-tier, aren’t they! For details on President Fei’s assets and net worth, please check Baidu. I believe you’ll all be on your knees reading it, just like me (smile).
Ahem, back to the topic. Daddy Fei actually invested in the goddess Zhuo Zhi’s charity film, but the strange thing is, he didn’t chat with the goddess Zhuo Zhi at the awards ceremony. Instead, he spent the whole time talking to Xiao Fang, who he supposedly didn’t know. Look at the first picture. Aren’t they obviously looking at the same computer? Baby Xiao, Mommy doesn’t allow you to get so close! Financial statements and stuff, my little cutie definitely can’t understand them, meow! President Fei has almost never attended this kind of event, yet his debut appearance was spent looking at a computer with Xiao Fang?
Then there’s the second picture. You might not be familiar with Daddy Fei’s behavior. Look, when the goddess Zhuo Zhi went on stage to receive her award, Daddy Fei was like this [wearing glasses, clapping placidly]. When Guo Guo went on stage [clapping without taking his eyes off the computer]. When Xiao Qi went on stage [absolutely no reaction]… and finally, our Baby Xiao. President Fei actually took off his glasses, sisters! And he smiled! Oh my god, that smile is so doting, isn’t it? A gentle, doting top and a soft, cute bunny bottom, am I right?! I’m locking this ship!! Sob sob sob~
“Damn! I can’t hold back anymore. These two are just too good-looking together, okay?”
“Sob, sob, my Xiao Xiao is still young! But, (knowing smile) the son-in-law he found for his mom is really not bad! Hehe~”
“Why do I feel like the way they’re looking at the computer together is like he’s feeding him? I feel like my baby is chewing on something!”
“To the person above, Xiao Xiao isn’t chewing because he’s looking at the computer. He’s always eating. [Image attached] Your Squirrel Xiao has arrived, please accept him!”
“Hahahaha, Xiao Xiao the foodie confirmed!”
“Ahem, ahem, back to the topic, everyone! Based on my intuition, these two will definitely have more interactions in the future. I’ve never seen President Fei pay so much attention to anyone! He’s always been so cold or fierce!”
“Oho, an insider upstairs! Hehe, waiting for the tea to be spilled!”
“Waiting for the tea +1”
“I’m from a subsidiary company, so I haven’t seen President Fei many times. But according to gossip from senior employees, President Fei has never had a boyfriend or girlfriend, nor has he ever smiled at anyone like that. Could it be?”
“Sob sob sob, I don’t care, I’m stanning them. Daddy Fei’s smile is too doting, like he’s looking at his own little pride and joy!”
***
And so, within the first hour of hitting the Hot Search, Xiao Fang’s new agent, Sister He, gave him a call. Sister He was once a Gold Medal Agent at a foreign film company. She was experienced and had her own way of doing things. She also took good care of her artists, not just exploiting them, but trying to unearth their potential from various angles and was willing to discuss things with them. Xiao Fang quite liked this shrewd woman.
“So, Xiao Fang, we can manage the heat on this issue to keep people’s interest, but to avoid leaving any loose ends for the future, you should post something on your main Weibo account now. Draft a more formal explanation. We’ll try our best to contact President Fei and get him to reply. President Fei’s side might be a bit difficult, but we’ll try to resolve it today. I’ve already prepared to have my assistant call them. If that doesn’t work, we’ll go directly to his company. This matter isn’t difficult; President Fei probably won’t make things too hard. If that still doesn’t work—”
Xiao Fang was dumbfounded listening to her. How was this “not difficult”? Even from Sister He’s tone, it sounded quite challenging. “It doesn’t have to be so much trouble. I exchanged WeChat contacts with President Fei at the awards ceremony last time. He’s actually a pretty nice guy. I’ll just talk to him about it.”
Sister He was silent on the other end for a moment. She didn’t quite believe him. After all, the rumored Fei Xiangnan was not an easy person to deal with. “Are you sure, Xiao Fang?” Sister He confirmed again.
“Don’t worry, Sister He. I’ll contact him first. If it works out, I’ll post on Weibo directly. If not, I’ll contact you right away. If it succeeds, it’ll save you guys all that manpower, right? It’s almost the New Year, after all. Let everyone have a good holiday.”
Xiao Fang’s last sentence persuaded Sister He. So she decided to wait and see. If it worked out, that would be for the best. If not, she would take action.
After hanging up, Xiao Fang couldn’t help but admire his fans’ sharp eyes, though he mostly blamed Old Rogue Fei for being too fond of drama. Since he couldn’t suppress his old husband’s love for stirring things up, he could only resign himself to posting on Weibo. He didn’t even need to make a call. He wondered what expression Sister He would have if she knew the truth.
Xiao Fang: Thanks to President Fei for teaching me how to read financial statements [Picture attached] (smile) @Fei Xiangnan
At that moment, President Fei, who was working in his office, saw his personal phone light up. He immediately stopped what he was doing and opened his phone. He had set it up to notify him no matter what whenever Xiao Fang posted anything. He clicked on Weibo and saw the exact words, recalling the stranger play he had engaged in at the awards ceremony a few days ago. The drama-loving President Fei immediately got back into character. His wife had posted on Weibo and tagged him, so of course he had to reply. He didn’t even need a reminder. After five minutes of thought, Fei Xiangnan replied with a single word under his own Weibo post.
Fei Xiangnan: Mm. @Xiao Fang.
It looked very cool and unpretentious, just like a regular stranger. This was a new kind of play Fei Xiangnan had recently learned. If you were still in the ambiguous stage, it was better to leave things open to interpretation than to write a long-winded response. The more space you left, the more room there was for people’s imaginations. He believed this generation of Xiao Fang’s fans would be very easy to lead!
As expected, he did not disappoint Fei Xiangnan.
The interaction between the two was once again sent to the Hot Search, and Fei Xiangnan’s main account instantly gained over a million followers, all estimated to be shipping fans.
“Reading financial statements? Mm, right, let’s continue next time! (wink, wink)”
“Aaaaaah, am I the only one who thinks Daddy Fei’s ‘Mm’ is so sweet? So doting, isn’t it?”
“Add me to that! I can totally imagine the doting smile on President Fei’s face when he posted this!!”
“Sob sob sob, do you guys think Baby Xiao will blush? Will he blush??!”
“Hehehe, highly likely!”
“Heh, it’s just a one-word reply, and a certain someone’s fans are treating it like some treasure. The president was just being polite. Acting like it’s so special, I’m gonna puke!”
“Is it any of your business? Get lost, don’t try to get attention here!”
“You can do it if you’re so good! All you do all day is whine!”
“Am I the only one who thinks President Fei’s ‘Mm’ doesn’t mean anything? I think sometimes it’s better not to be so dramatic. It’s really… awkward.”
“Yes, you’re the only one.”
“Aren’t you just being a bitch? Heh, yeah, yeah, yeah! You’re the only innocent-looking but malicious one here!”
The scheming President Fei used his alternate account to like all of these comments. Well said!
And so, the incident was considered over with President Fei’s reply. The shippers still existed, but they wouldn’t make a fuss about the real people anymore. Everyone knew how to be a rational shipper and not tarnish their little cutie’s reputation.
Sister He, who had played no practical role in this incident, fell into deep thought as she read the comments. She considered herself a rational person, but a reply within three minutes really wasn’t… hmm??! Sister He began to battle with her own rationality.
Thus, The Southern Couple officially carved out a niche for themselves in the shipping world! This could be considered a small step forward for Xiao Fang and Fei Xiangnan!
***
As the year came to a close, President Fei, being the big boss, was so busy that his feet never touched the ground and he didn’t return home at night. Ahem, that’s wrong, he returned very late. As a qualified Little Pampered Wife, Xiao Fang was very well-behaved, resting at home and never crying or making a fuss for Fei Xiangnan to accompany him. However, this was not what President Fei had been hoping for. And so, President Fei, whose love life was not going as planned, channeled more of his energy into tormenting his subordinates. This was how mature, career-oriented men vented their anger and dissatisfaction—simple and brutal!
Xiao Fang’s daily routine was to take care of the baby at home. Fei Xiangnan had even hired a nanny who was excellent with children and had been introduced by an acquaintance, so she was very trustworthy. As a result, Xiao Fang, with almost no work to do, slipped out on a sunny afternoon to buy junk food.
That’s right, Xiao Fang’s fondness for junk food was just that deep and unforgettable!
Meanwhile, an innocent-looking Da Bao was drinking milk at home, his eyes darting around, unable to find his father. Nuomici, woken up by Da Bao’s fidgeting, immediately licked Da Bao’s little head as a good older brother would.
“Awoo?” Where’s Papa?
“Meow~” Papa must have gone out to hunt for food for us!
Da Bao blinked his big, innocent eyes. But he was already eating?
At that moment, the father the two little ones were thinking about was drooling over a pile of grilled skewers, wearing a mask and sunglasses. He was also wearing an oversized padded jacket. When Fei Xiangnan had bought it, Xiao Fang had been extremely disgusted. This kind of clothing made him look like he went from a size L to an XXXL. Yet Fei Xiangnan had looked completely certain. What’s wrong with being a little fatter? It’s warm! He had earned an extremely disdainful eye-roll from Xiao Fang.
However, this jacket had now become his best disguise.
“Um, sir, what would you like?” The server looked like a university student. Xiao Fang’s getup really didn’t make him look like a good person. She was already prepared to run at a moment’s notice.
“Ahem,” Xiao Fang cleared his throat, reined in his drool, and then ordered like a whirlwind, picking out several of his absolute favorites.
With skewers in hand, a satisfied Xiao Fang left with his bag.
“Why does he look a bit like Xiao Fang? Ugh, I must be too tired from working. Impossible, impossible!” The girl, who claimed to be a die-hard fan of Xiao Fang, had just encountered the first real-life slap in the face of her life.
After buying the skewers, Xiao Fang quickly bought fried chicken cutlets, fried snacks, a large bottle of coke, chips, and so on. With a huge haul of spoils, he began the final stop of his junk food shopping trip: the stinky tofu in the alley. Xiao Fang had discovered it through a food blogger he followed. It happened to be in his city, which had made his mouth water. Fortunately, it was close to the New Year and the location was rather remote, so there weren’t many people. Xiao Fang planned to try a bowl in the shop first and then get a few more to go.
Humming a tune, Xiao Fang bounced along with his spoils, ready to walk into the alley.
“Fei Yishan, don’t be so high and mighty! Don’t think you can do whatever you want just because you have good grades! This is our business. Are you that close to that bitch? You keep ruining our plans. Don’t I have a reputation to maintain? Today, I’m going to teach you a lesson and show you the consequences of meddling in other people’s business!”
Xiao Fang didn’t hear anything else, only the three words “Fei Yishan.” He had just stepped into the alley but immediately pulled his foot back. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Fei Yishan, dressed in a long black padded jacket, hands in her pockets, looking coolly at the dozen or so gangster-like girls standing in front of her, not a hint of fear on her face.
But Xiao Fang knew in his heart that even if you were the reincarnation of Bruce Lee, you couldn’t face a dozen people and come out unscathed. Or was it that the Fei family was just naturally high-profile and never showed fear in the face of trouble?
She was a girl, after all. No matter how much Xiao Fang disliked her, he couldn’t just let her get beaten up. But thinking of his still-sore butt, he decided not to be too reckless. He took out his phone and dialed 110, standing at the entrance of the alley.
“If you keep bullying people, I’m calling the police!” Xiao Fang held up his phone and shouted.
Hearing someone call the cops, the dozen or so gangster girls’ faces changed. They all looked nervously at the lead girl.
That girl’s pretty face immediately twisted into an ugly expression. She gritted her teeth and said, “What are you looking at? Hurry up and snatch that idiot’s phone!”
Ten seconds after Xiao Fang spoke, the group charged at him. Xiao Fang’s stamina was, at least, much better than theirs. He immediately turned and ran, shouting in a sharp, high-pitched voice as he went, “Help! Gangster girls are bullying people!”
His voice was particularly invigorating, stimulating the group of gangster girls to the point where they wanted to kill him!