Chapter 127 – Points of Doubt

“Shengping, you said before that you were picked up from an orphanage in the UK? Was that a slip of the tongue?”

Yan Shengping turned his head, his tone firm. “No, it was an orphanage in the UK.”

“But, in the book, I clearly saw that it was the United States?” Lin Ganzhi raised his confusion in the face of these two completely contradictory pieces of information.

The couple looked at each other. They were both willing to trust the other’s thoughts. Moreover, Yan Shengping was the only one who knew Lin Ganzhi was a transmigrator. Even though the plot had changed drastically because of his arrival, the initial settings were all correct. There couldn’t be such a huge discrepancy.

Connecting this matter to the Zhong family’s evasive attitude, Yan Shengping immediately went to investigate the matter that night. He also told the two Wenren brothers about it. After all, with the Wenren family’s resources, investigating this would be much easier for them than for Yan Shengping.

Besides, this was a personal request from their own younger brother. Wenren Qi and Wenren Lin immediately dropped their work and investigated with the energy of someone on steroids.

“I never knew my dad and second uncle were such doting brothers!” Wenren Yi expressed her faint contempt for the situation.

Lin Ganzhi glanced at Wenren Yi, his eyes filled with a clear sense of speechlessness. “Then are you just trying to show off with three phones and two computers in front of you?”

Cornered, Wenren Yi coughed, then reached out to hook Lin Ganzhi’s slightly chubby chin. Her peach-blossom eyes swept over Lin Ganzhi’s expression, and she seemingly unintentionally hooked him with her index finger. “Zhizhi, you’ve learned to be bad after marrying my little uncle.”

The power of a top-tier lesbian icon was not to be underestimated, but Lin Ganzhi, who saw Yan Shengping’s transcendent face every day, was already immune to others. He unceremoniously slapped Wenren Yi’s hand away and said, “I’ve always been bad. And I’m also your little uncle. Don’t be disrespectful.” With that, Lin Ganzhi gave a cunning smile, like a little fox who had learned from a certain old fox.

Being one-upped in terms of seniority, Wenren Yi could only rage impotently on the spot.

By the next evening, there was a breakthrough. The investigation showed that Yan Shengping did have a record of staying at a welfare institution in the UK, and the timing matched. However, there were no more detailed records, such as photos or personal belongings left behind. There was no trace of them.

“Shengping, I suspect your memory is disordered. Could it be due to amnesia at the time?” Wenren Lin asked with a grave expression.

“The amnesia was when I first came to the orphanage, but I remember everything that happened afterwards very clearly. I can be sure of that.” Yan Shengping would doubt anyone before he doubted the information his own brain gave him.

Lin Ganzhi also felt that Yan Shengping wouldn’t make a mistake on such a crucial detail. It was just a matter of location. And the investigation results also showed that Yan Shengping had been in the UK. That could only mean it was man-made. But how they could alter the information while making Yan Shengping believe he was in the UK was a huge problem.

“Didn’t Zhong Jingyi also stay with you in the orphanage? Would investigating him yield more clues?” Lin Ganzhi suggested.

Everyone present was stunned, and then most of them had a look of sudden realization. That’s right! Why hadn’t they thought of starting with someone else?

Yan Shengping, beside him, turned his head to glance at Lin Ganzhi. Lin Ganzhi tilted his head, not understanding. As a result, Yan Shengping took advantage of the moment when everyone was frantically discussing to secretly lower his head and plant a kiss on his brow, praising him in a low voice, “Zhizhi is so smart.”

Lin Ganzhi shyly pushed Yan Shengping away, then glanced around nervously. Only after confirming that no one had noticed did he breathe a sigh of relief. He gave Yan Shengping a light, dissatisfied pinch as a warning. “We’re in public. Mind your image!”

Yan Shengping let out a soft chuckle. His deep voice was like a string instrument, plucking at one’s heartstrings. He never used to smile so seductively before. But recently, he was like a peacock spreading its tail, always using his beauty to scheme against Lin Ganzhi!

It often left Lin Ganzhi powerless to resist.

Amidst these tense yet sweet days, Lin Ganzhi had a faint premonition that he was getting close to the truth. And this premonition felt like it would be worse than he imagined.

The annual film awards ceremony had begun. This was a major event in the entertainment industry. Just being able to show one’s face at the ceremony was an extremely honorable thing. So, many companies had their senior actors bring promising newcomers to get some exposure. A single shot could be hyped up by hundreds of marketing accounts. And this opportunity, at Zhang Dianhuai’s newly established studio, was reserved for Lin Ganzhi.

“No.” Why should he go to an awards ceremony that had nothing to do with him? Lin Ganzhi’s pockets were now full, and he had no interest in this profitless event.

Zhang Dianhuai drank a large glass of herbal tea to calm himself down. He wasn’t unprepared for this ancestor to refuse such a good opportunity so bluntly. After all, the man’s status was now vastly different from before. Yan Shengping’s rise was within his expectations, but becoming the Third Young Master of the Wenren family was completely unexpected. It was a classic power-fantasy male lead’s rise. Plus, CEO Yan only had eyes for Lin Ganzhi. What opportunities did this little ancestor need to succeed? He was already at the pinnacle.

“I heard that both Director Zhuang and Director Liu have approached you, and you also gave them a ‘considering’ reply. If you really have the heart to make a name for yourself in the film industry, coming to this place won’t be a loss,” Zhang Dianhuai analyzed the pros and cons earnestly.

“Not a loss, but no net gain either,” Lin Ganzhi once again lazily refused. There were still a lot of people slandering him. If he couldn’t afford to provoke them, couldn’t he at least hide from them?

“Brother Liu, give me the phone.” Que Jin’s voice came through the phone, and Lin Ganzhi immediately perked up.

“This ancestor is very lazy. If you can’t persuade him, just let him be,” Zhang Dianhuai said, feeling like he was failing to discipline his own child. Who did he think was asking him to act? It was the nationally renowned Zhuang Wenduan! Although he always said he didn’t want to go here or there, every time he participated in a variety show, whether outdoor or indoor, he always achieved unexpected results. He was lazy, but his skills were there. In fact, Zhang Dianhuai had never seen his true strength with his own eyes. But laziness was an insurmountable mountain blocking this ancestor’s path to success!

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got!

Que Jin gave her boss a reassuring look, then took the phone and said, “Zhizhi, how are things at home? My movie got nominated this time, and I need a male companion. You know Wenren’s temper, she’ll only let me ask you. But I won’t treat you badly.”

Won’t treat him badly? Zhang Dianhuai’s brows twitched. Was she going to pay her own employee out of pocket?

Que Jin continued, “I know the chef for this banquet. He’s a master at making Häagen-Dazs, and all kinds of desserts. I can have him make a whole tub of ice cream just for you, the kind you can’t finish in one night.”

Huh? Just for that? How could Lin Ganzhi stoop so low for a tub of ice cream that costs a few thousand?

“Really!” Lin Ganzhi’s reaction was huge. That was a whole tub of Häagen-Dazs, the kind Yan Shengping would absolutely not allow him to eat! Lin Ganzhi slurped his saliva, glanced left and right, and after confirming no one was around, immediately nodded in agreement. “I’ll come, I’ll come! No one can take this job from me!”

After hanging up, Que Jin smilingly handed the phone back to the somewhat dazed manager. She elegantly tucked her hair behind her ear and said, “Brother Zhang, you can use this trick on Ganzhi in the future. It works almost every time.”

The light gradually returned to Zhang Dianhuai’s eyes. Although it was a bit absurd, a method that worked was a good method.

“Then I’ll be leaving for today,” Que Jin said, preparing to get up.

“Why go back now? We just landed a big IP drama. Since you’re here, let’s have a meal together,” Zhang Dianhuai tried to keep her. Actors still had to do their daily socializing, but he had turned down all the useless or casting couch-related ones. The few remaining were all dinner parties that were beneficial to the artists under him.

“No thanks, Wenren Yi is coming to pick me up. We have a date today. Maybe another time,” Que Jin politely declined.

Zhang Dianhuai said “oh,” and only after Que Jin had closed the door did he react. What? A date?!

The afternoon before the film awards ceremony, Lin Ganzhi was dragged to the company early by Que Jin to get styled. He looked like he hadn’t woken up yet, letting out a yawn as the stylist designed and draped things on him. His milky-white face was secretly and not-so-secretly pinched by countless young ladies. But Lin Ganzhi wasn’t angry, because after the young ladies had their fun, they would pay him with a piece of chocolate or a beef jerky pellet as compensation. Lin Ganzhi, with food in his mouth, pretended to be oblivious and played on his phone.

He suddenly remembered that Brother Zhang’s expression wasn’t too good when he came in today. He didn’t even want to talk to him much, just said he was going downstairs to buy coffee and disappeared. Lin Ganzhi asked Que Jin about it.

Que Jin smiled meaningfully. “Adults always have to digest some negative emotions. It’s nothing. In a couple of days, he’ll be the same old Brother Zhang you know.”

Since he was fine, Lin Ganzhi didn’t ask any more questions, naturally missing the cunning glint in Que Jin’s eyes.

When the hairstylist came over to do Lin Ganzhi’s hair, he asked, “Baby Ganzhi, do you want to dye your hair back to all pink or dye it black? The black roots that have grown out are a bit unsightly~”

Lin Ganzhi looked at himself in the mirror. Now that he mentioned it, it did look a bit jarring. His hair used to be all black. After thinking for a moment, he said, “Then let’s go back to all pink.” Yan Shengping would sometimes reach out and pinch his pink hair, and even plant a kiss on it before bed.

Of course, he wasn’t doing it entirely for Yan Shengping. He just felt like changing his style was no big deal! He liked it himself!

The process of bleaching his hair was long. By the time Lin Ganzhi fell asleep and woke up again, the person in front of him seemed to have returned to how he was when he first transmigrated. The faded ends of his hair had been re-colored, a strawberry cream pink that made his complexion look even fairer. His skin was very good; the makeup artist only applied a thin layer of foundation, deepened his eye sockets and eyebrows, and applied a light layer of milk tea-colored lip gloss to his lips, making him look clean and pure.

“Oh, no, this makes me look too mature. Ganzhi can only be called a younger brother in front of me, not a male companion of the same age,” Que Jin said with a laugh, poking Lin Ganzhi’s chubby cheek with a hint of jealousy.

“Sister Que Jin, you’re so beautiful, you should show it off freely. You’re the most beautiful female celebrity I’ve ever seen wearing red lipstick~” Lin Ganzhi mindlessly flattered his sister. But Que Jin really did look beautiful like this. Her long black hair was slightly curled, and the bright red lips and snow-white skin complemented each other perfectly. The halter-neck black long dress wrapped around her figure, accentuating her curves.

Que Jin was so pleased she covered her mouth and giggled.

The stylist came out and said, “Making Ganzhi’s face look mature would be counterproductive. We can go for a pure and seductive style today. Baby Ganzhi, wear this suit. I’ll come out and help you with the chain later,” the stylist said excitedly.

Lin Ganzhi took the suit, looking a bit bewildered. “Is there no inner shirt?” he asked.

“Oh, baby, we’re going for a pure and seductive style this time. We have the ‘pure,’ now let’s add some ‘seductive.’ Senior Brother Feibai specially designed this for you!” The stylist was also Chi Feibai’s junior brother.

Hearing Chi Feibai’s name, Lin Ganzhi automatically shut up. He couldn’t disappoint a friend’s good intentions.

At eight o’clock in the evening, the film awards ceremony officially began!