Chapter 15
[Wait, my French isn’t great, but shouldn’t the French guy have asked about their relationship?]
[Film Emperor Lu’s French is supposedly his second language. He wouldn’t make such a basic mistake, would he? Did he mishear?]
[No, he’s just being slick again.]
[Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha, I can’t even refute that.]
Ji Wei glanced at the French guy and, after a moment’s hesitation, said to Lu Shenxing, “I don’t think he’s nearsighted, is he?”
How could his eyesight be so bad? Lu Shenxing was taken aback at first, then the corners of his lips slowly curved up. He was amused and sighed, “Do you have to talk about yourself like that?”
Ji Wei nodded cautiously.
[Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha, I burst out laughing in the classroom!! Damn it, I’m dying of laughter. What a precious treasure Ji Wei is!]
[Sob sob sob Weiwei, I won’t allow you to talk about yourself like that! Are you questioning the judgment of the vast CP fan community?!]
[They really aren’t a good match. Film Emperor Lu is so… you know… while little brother Ji Wei is so innocent.]
[Big brother in front, that ellipsis is very thought-provoking.]
Zhao Yue’s face stung a little as he looked at the realistic portrait in Ji Wei’s hand, but he still stubbornly said, “We still have to search every instrument store one by one.”
Ji Wei folded the paper. “What’s the name of our show?”
Zhao Yue looked at Ji Wei with an expression that said, “Are you an idiot?”
Du Ruosong, however, seemed to understand. He stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Ji Wei glanced at the clueless Zhao Yue and said slowly, “The show is called National Style. Its purpose is to promote traditional culture. If I’m not mistaken, this episode’s theme should be traditional instruments. In that case, the location of the instrument store is easy to pinpoint.”
“A shop that sells Chinese instruments!”
Du Ruosong had a sudden realization. There were only a few shops in Nice that sold Chinese instruments, so there was no need to search aimlessly one by one.
Zhao Yue coughed, speaking with a hint of guilt, “I was just thinking the same thing. I didn’t expect you to say it first.”
[Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha, a question mark slowly forms in my mind.]
[Zhao Yue: To avoid being proven wrong, I’ve decided to be shameless.]
[Are there any Zhao Yue fans in this stream? Can you share your feelings?]
[That’s a bit of an excessive question.]
After the four reached a consensus, they asked the onlookers for the locations of three instrument stores. The primary problem facing them was the issue of transportation fees. Without money, they couldn’t move an inch.
If they were in their home country, Du Ruosong would have just borrowed some money from a passerby and paid it back after the show. But being in a foreign country, he couldn’t bring himself to ask a foreigner for money as a Chinese person. The others felt the same way.
“Why don’t we check out that square up ahead? It looks like there’s some kind of event going on. I wonder if there’s a chance to earn some money.” He spotted a square not far away. It was said to be the most expensive square in Nice, where the quality of goods sold was also the best. Every inch of land was worth a fortune.
“I can also check out some baby formula for my son while I’m at it.”
Everyone was speechless.
[Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha, the last sentence was his true intention, wasn’t it?]
[A true portrayal of a middle-aged dad. Today is another day of worrying about his son’s baby formula.]
[But Feile Plaza is really expensive. I saw a vlog where a rich woman went in and came out half a house poorer.]
[Is it really that… exaggerated?]
Lu Shenxing glanced ahead and said nonchalantly, “Let’s go somewhere else.”
The air instantly fell silent. Zhao Yue shot Du Ruosong a pleading look. Du Ruosong thought to himself that the heavy responsibility of persuading Lu Shenxing still fell on him, the senior. He gave Zhao Yue a reassuring gesture and turned to persuade Lu Shenxing in a soft voice, “Film Emperor Lu, it’s not that we don’t want to go somewhere else, but there’s really nowhere else to go.”
Lu Shenxing narrowed his eyes, clearly not agreeing.
Senior Du Ruosong: This is so hard.
[Who gave Songsong the confidence to think he could persuade Film Emperor Lu?]
[Probably confidence from a dream.]
[Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha, Film Emperor Lu is notoriously hard to talk to. No one can change his mind once it’s made up.]
Hearing Du Ruosong’s words, Ji Wei looked around. Indeed… it was the off-season for tourism, and there weren’t many people in Nice. The city could be described as sparsely populated. If they wanted to find part-time work, they had to go to crowded places. Therefore, he carefully asked Lu Shenxing, “Why don’t we just go there and take a look?”
“Just a quick look?” Ji Wei added. He didn’t have high hopes. His idol seemed amiable, but he was a very stubborn person at heart.
A few years after his debut, he played the male lead in a historical drama and was hailed by the audience as a celestial being. Many directors extended olive branches to him, hoping he would star in idol dramas, promising him that he would definitely become famous. He rejected them all, offending many people in the process.
Just as Ji Wei was thinking of what to say next, his idol stared at him for a moment and said in a slightly hoarse voice, “Okay.”
Ji Wei was a little stunned. He agreed just like that?
Du Ruosong instantly felt a little unbalanced. “Film Emperor Lu, why wasn’t this your reaction before? We’ve known each other for much longer than you and Weiwei have, right? I was the one who presented you with the award at the Golden Rooster Film Festival, and last time you were a guest on CCTV…”
“It’s probably the generation gap,” Lu Shenxing said after a pause.
Du Ruosong was speechless. I shouldn’t have asked.
[Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha, I can feel Du Ruosong’s bitterness through the screen.]
[Speaking nonsense with a straight face. What kind of idol drama plot is this? Suddenly, the entertainment industry literature in my hand has lost its appeal. Shipping fictional characters is no match for the real thing!]
[Is it my imagination, or are the number of CP fans in the stream increasing?]
[You should be asking if there are any straight men left in the stream.]
The four of them walked towards the square. As soon as they entered, four fair-skinned and beautiful French young women led them on a tour of the floors, and they all spoke Chinese.
[Holy crap, why wasn’t there a one-on-one guide when I went last time?]
[Probably a business sponsorship? But Feile Plaza doesn’t need advertising at all. A ton of rich Chinese people go there every year.]
[I’m so envious, the young ladies are all so beautiful!]
Feile Plaza exuded extravagance from the outside in. Luxury goods were displayed dazzlingly on the shelves. Even Zhao Yue, who was used to the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry, couldn’t help but sigh that this wasn’t a plaza, but a money pit. Ji Wei followed the young lady on the tour, listening to her talk about the local customs of Nice, and felt that the service at this plaza was very user-friendly.
After the tour, the four young women said goodbye to them. Perhaps feeling a connection with Ji Wei, one of them quickly pecked him on the cheek, gave him a mischievous wink, leaving a faint lipstick mark, and then turned to leave.
The bullet comments froze for a minute.
[What kind of scene of conflict is this?]
[Why isn’t Film Emperor Lu looking at the camera! I want to see his eyes, are they the murderous kind?]
[I’m suddenly a little scared to watch.]
Ji Wei, however, was oblivious. He was just a little surprised by the warmth and openness of the French people. There was a commotion ahead, as if some celebrity had arrived. He was about to follow everyone forward when Lu Shenxing suddenly grabbed his arm.
The man’s slender hand rested on his cheek. He looked into his eyes and said in a coaxing tone, “A boy needs to protect himself when he’s out.”
His fingertips were calloused, and the slightly rough pad of his thumb rubbed against the spot where Ji Wei had been kissed, once, twice, not too lightly, not too heavily, the pressure increasing with each stroke, as if with some suggestive meaning. The skin on Ji Wei’s face quickly heated up, a blush spreading from the base of his ears to his neck. He stood there stunned, not knowing what to do, until Lu Shenxing slowly withdrew his hand and wiped the lipstick stain with a tissue.
So he was just wiping off the lipstick. His idol really was a very considerate person.
Ji Wei breathed a sigh of relief. His light-colored eyes looked exceptionally clear in the sunlight as he responded with great innocence, “Thank you.”
[Sob sob sob sob sob, I’m going to snatch this Weiwei away, don’t you dare fight me for him!]
[Boys really do need to protect themselves when they’re out! Otherwise, their little faces will get touched.]
[Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha, Film Emperor Lu, aren’t you ashamed of saying that?!]
[If he were ashamed, his surname wouldn’t be Lu.]
Ji Wei followed behind Du Ruosong and the others and found that the owner of the plaza had come to inspect the premises. He was in his forties or fifties, with a short, round chin, and looked remarkably similar to Director Lu of the Palace Museum. Moreover, his gaze kept lingering on him. Here it comes. That look of a father seeing his son… it’s here again.
Ji Wei felt extremely strange.
“Welcome everyone to Feile Plaza. I’m the owner here, Lu Qi. I feel a connection with you all, so I’ve prepared a small gift.” Lu Qi gave a simple self-introduction.
One must build a good relationship with such an important person. Zhao Yue quickly moved to the front, smiling with exceptional charm. “Boss Lu, you’re too kind.”
Unexpectedly, Lu Qi walked past him and went to Ji Wei, looking at him with great earnestness. “I heard them call you Weiwei, right? I wonder if you’ll like the gift I prepared.”
God knows how long he had been waiting for this day. Ever since his nephew started high school, he had been saving up gifts for his future nephew’s wife. He was overjoyed when he heard that National Style was filming in Nice. Lu Shenxing raised an eyebrow, speechless. He was putting on quite an act.
“Thank you so much, Boss Lu.”
Ji Wei thought it was a small gift like a commemorative bookmark and readily agreed. Lu Qi clapped his hands. Soon, someone brought over three large boxes of gifts. Lu Qi spoke as he enthusiastically showed him the luxury brands. “Here, try on this prototype Patek Philippe watch.”
“This is a custom-made Brioni suit. Weiwei will definitely look handsome in it.”
“A Montblanc fountain pen. It writes pretty well.”
“…”
The entire place fell silent. Everyone was calculating how much all these things would cost. In the end, they arrived at a staggering number. Even Zhao Yue was green with envy, his eyes burning with jealousy, thinking how lucky Ji Wei was.
[Is this really not a pre-arranged plot by the production team? I’m suffocating from jealousy. This must be over a million, right?!]
[Forward this Ji Wei and you’ll have good luck tomorrow.]
[Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, what kind of luck is this? I’m so envious.]
[Don’t be discouraged, it might just be because of his face.]
[…I’m off to get plastic surgery.]
Only Director Lu of the Palace Museum, watching the live stream on his computer in his office, was so angry he was biting a small handkerchief. He furiously berated him by name in the group chat.
[Lu the Third] I think Lu Qi’s behavior is extremely vile! He just happens to own any plaza he walks into? I don’t believe it for a second. I wonder how much money he secretly gave the production team. Can’t he get on the show based on his own merit like me? A thousand-mile-long embankment can be destroyed by an ant’s nest; a hundred-foot-tall chamber can be burned down by smoke from a small crack…
[Fourth Brother has been stingy since he was a child, and he’s still so stingy now that he’s grown up. Giving something worth just over a million for his first meeting with Weiwei is ridiculous. People will think our Lu family is mistreating him. He should have at least brought out his thirty-million-dollar yacht.]
[I think this show is going to be broadcast on TV. When it airs, I’ll be too embarrassed to admit he’s my brother. The Lu family can’t afford to lose face like this.]
[+1]
…
[I open my phone and see you all badmouthing me… You think I don’t want to?! A-Xing was standing right there watching quietly. Did I dare? And I swear I didn’t give the production team any money. Half of Nice is my property. Running into them… is pretty normal, right?]
Director Lu was speechless.
Seeing that the three boxes of items were almost all introduced, Zhao Yue couldn’t help but ask, “So… do we get any gifts?”
“Yes.”
Lu Qi said readily. Zhao Yue felt a little better.
“You’ve all worked hard. I’ve prepared a snack gift pack.”
Zhao Yue was speechless. He was depressed.
Lu Qi’s secretary lowered his head with a “used to it” expression. His boss was always very stingy… except with his family.
[Hahahahahahahahahahaha, a damn snack gift pack. The contrast makes it worse than nothing.]
[Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha, I feel sorry for Zhao Yue for a second. It’s so tragic. Isn’t this just me standing next to the King of Luck?]
[Actually, Zhao Yue isn’t the most tragic one. Do you know that the Heavenly Queen and the Old Sir’s group of silence are busking under the hot sun on the street right now? Over here, Ji Wei is receiving gifts until his hands are full. I suspect they’re not on the same show.]
Lu Qi looked at the young man who kept waving his hands, refusing to accept the gifts. He was both troubled and so charmed his heart was melting. He turned to the composed Lu Shenxing beside him and secretly said, “Not bad taste.”
Lu Shenxing glanced at the young man, raised an eyebrow, and chuckled softly. “When have I ever had bad taste?”
Lu Qi was speechless.