Chu Yifeng’s flight was at eight in the evening. The two finished dinner at six-thirty. Wang Cheng had originally planned to take out a suitcase, but halfway through packing he realized Chu Yifeng had very little to bring. There was no need to pack clothes. Aside from a few documents and a lightweight laptop, everything would fit in a carry-on bag.
Wang Cheng drove him to the airport and did not head back to the villa until he had watched Chu Yifeng board the plane with his own eyes. With one person gone, the enormous house felt even emptier. He took out his phone and started calling a few people.
That morning, he had already told Mother Zheng that he needed to return to Shanhai City for a trip. Although she was reluctant to let him go, she knew why he had to return and did not try to stop him.
The next morning, after breakfast, Wang Cheng took the bus to Jing University. His flight back to Shanhai City was at eleven, so he still had three hours.
Wang Ziyu was delighted when she heard he was coming. The university would not start its holiday until the next day, but she did not have many classes today. The cafeteria incident last time had not affected her much. Once the female students learned she had a handsome older brother, they envied her instead, and some even joked that she should help set them up with him. Of course, they were only teasing. The male students were happy too. As long as their goddess did not have a boyfriend, they still had a chance.
If there had been any real effect at all, it was that Wei Wei had stopped pestering her, which made her life much easier. After saying those things in front of so many people last time, if he kept pursuing Wang Ziyu now, he would only be slapping himself in the face.
Qian Baobao volunteered to come out and meet Wang Cheng. Wang Ziyu was not in the dorm right then, and without one of the girls bringing him in, Wang Cheng could not go upstairs.
Along the way, Wang Cheng noticed that the girls passing them kept glancing at him from time to time, occasionally whispering to one another. Qian Baobao heard them too and explained what was going on.
Wang Cheng had made quite a splash in the cafeteria last time. Although he was not a Jing University student, plenty of students had been there that day. Someone had secretly taken a photo of him on a phone and uploaded it to Weibo. Handsome men were always popular, but one photo alone would not have caused such a huge stir.
There was another reason the post had racked up more than a hundred thousand views and over ten thousand comments in less than half a day: the blogger had added nearly three thousand words of analysis beneath the photo, dissecting Wang Cheng’s outfit.
Anyone who knew much about fashion could tell that everything Wang Cheng had been wearing that day, from head to toe, was designer. His coat in particular was said to be the work of some famous master in the fashion world, a limited custom piece with perhaps fewer than fifty in existence worldwide.
Handsome and rich. Who would not like a man like that? Even if there was no chance of getting to know him, looking at him a few times was still satisfying. Later, some busybodies even started comparing Wang Cheng with Jing University’s campus heartthrob, but the heartthrob’s fans were not happy about it, so that topic never really took off.
In short, Wang Cheng had not only become famous at Jing University, he had become famous online too.
As soon as they reached the classroom, Wang Cheng saw his younger sister surrounded by a group of people, both men and women, chatting and laughing together.
When she saw him, Wang Ziyu said something to the classmates beside her and walked over. The brother and sister sat down in the back. Qian Baobao shamelessly followed them over. She was in a different department from Wang Ziyu, but she just happened to have no class that morning. Otherwise, she would never have gotten the chance to go meet Wang Cheng.
“Second Brother, if you were going back tomorrow, I could return to Shanhai City with you.” Wang Ziyu had not been home for several months and missed their parents a little.
“You only have three days off. Even if you went home, you would not get two full days there. Winter break starts in half a month anyway, so there is no need to rush for these few days,” Wang Cheng said.
“I know.”
Qian Baobao looked at the siblings and increasingly felt that having a brother like that must be wonderful. Unlike her own older brother, who ate and loafed around like a pig and did not care about his younger sister at all. “By the way, Brother Cheng, are you interested in entering the entertainment industry?”
“Not interested.” Wang Cheng answered without even thinking.
“What a pity.” Qian Baobao thought Wang Ziyu’s second brother was better-looking than plenty of big stars on television. If he became a celebrity, he would definitely become wildly popular. Maybe he could even give her a boost and let her be his manager or assistant. She would be perfectly satisfied with that.
“What is it?” Wang Cheng asked. Her expression was far too obvious.
Wang Ziyu burst out laughing. “Second Brother, you have no idea. You’ve been really popular online these past few days. I heard a talent scout has his eye on you and wants to recruit you into the entertainment industry. The day before yesterday, someone claiming to be from some entertainment company even came to Jing University looking for you. He gave me a business card and said you could contact him anytime if you were interested in entering show business.”
Then she took out the business card and handed it to him.
Wang Cheng glanced at it. He did not have much interest in the entertainment industry. There had been no television on the mountain when he was little, so he rarely watched TV. Even after he grew older and had the means, he had already gotten used to life without it. When he did watch television, it was usually news. He hardly ever watched variety shows or celebrities. Still, thanks to Tong Yangyang, he knew a little about that world.
Tong Yangyang had been obsessed with a major celebrity in high school and had even bought several huge posters to put up in their dorm room. He would also tell them things about celebrities, so Wang Cheng knew that being a star could be a glamorous profession. If you became famous, you could earn a great deal of money, but the effort required was proportional to the rewards. And it seemed there was always the risk of running into unspoken rules. Behind all that glitter were plenty of secrets outsiders never saw.
“Brother Cheng, what do you think? Really not interested? If you ever change your mind, you have to remember me. This humble girl is willing to run errands for you.” Qian Baobao peered at his expression and hurriedly spoke.
Wang Cheng shook his head with a laugh and set the business card on the desk. “What’s so great about being a celebrity? I heard celebrities have no privacy at all and can be followed by paparazzi at any time. Their lives look glamorous in public, but they must be exhausting.”
“I knew Second Brother definitely wouldn’t like it,” Wang Ziyu said. When the man had given her the business card, she had wanted to refuse it right away. She knew her second brother well enough to know he would never want to become a celebrity, but the man had shoved the card into her hand and left.
Qian Baobao suddenly slapped her hands together. “Didn’t that person invite you too?”
Wang Ziyu was very attractive and already had the main requirement for becoming popular. Although the man last time had come for Wang Cheng, he had also said that if Wang Ziyu wanted to enter the entertainment industry, he guaranteed she would become famous.
“Forget it. I don’t know anything about show business. I can’t sing or act, so I might as well keep my feet on the ground. I have a goal now.”
Wang Ziyu had indeed once admired the big stars on television, but not anymore. Just as her second brother said, celebrities had no privacy, and their lives were bound to be constantly disturbed.
The three chatted and laughed, and time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was almost ten.
Wang Ziyu and Qian Baobao walked Wang Cheng to the school gate and did not turn back until they had watched him leave. When they passed the basketball court, a basketball suddenly flew through the air straight toward them. Qian Baobao shouted, “Watch out!” and yanked Wang Ziyu aside. The ball slammed into the steps and bounced away.
“Which blind bastard threw that? Do you even know how to play basketball?” Qian Baobao immediately started cursing at the people on the court.
Wei Wei walked over, his voice cold. “Qian Baobao, who are you calling blind?”
As soon as Qian Baobao saw that it was that bastard Wei Wei, she immediately guessed he had done it on purpose. “Well, if it isn’t Senior Wei, the guy who completely humiliated himself last time. I asked which blind bastard did it. You came rushing over to admit it and then asked who I was insulting? That’s hilarious. Do you leave your brain at home when you go out?”
“Baobao.” Wang Ziyu could tell at once that Qian Baobao’s temper had flared and quickly tugged on her.
“You’ve got guts. Say that again,” Wei Wei said, his expression dark.
Qian Baobao was startled, but she refused to lose face. She puffed out her chest. “Just because you tell me to repeat it, I have to repeat it? If you’re deaf, go see a doctor.”
“You think just because you have someone backing you now, I can’t touch you?”
Wei Wei had been carrying a bellyful of anger. New grudges piled on old ones. Whatever affection he had once felt for Wang Ziyu was long gone, and all he could think about was how to regain the face he had lost. When he heard today that Wang Cheng was leaving the capital, he decided this was a good opportunity.
“Wei Wei, are you even a man? How can you be this petty?” Wang Ziyu frowned and pulled Qian Baobao behind her.
Wei Wei sneered.
“Well now, what’s going on here?” A voice suddenly came from the top of the steps. The three looked up and saw a handsome young man standing at the highest step with both hands in his trouser pockets. A faint, roguish smile played at the corner of his mouth, and his phoenix eyes watched them with obvious amusement.
The moment Wei Wei saw him, wariness flashed through his eyes. For the sake of his pride, though, he still forced himself to say, “Lei Yunze, this is between me and them. It has nothing to do with you.”
“That’s quite a tone. By this ‘grudge’ of yours, do you mean you nearly hit two female classmates with a basketball, refused to apologize, and then started insulting them instead?” Lei Yunze asked slowly.
Wei Wei’s face immediately darkened. Lei Yunze’s attitude made it clear that he intended to interfere. Although Lei Yunze did not carry the Chu surname and his position was somewhat similar to Wei Wei’s in the Zheng family, the two of them were nowhere near equal in status. The Chu family’s influence in the capital was even greater than the Zheng family’s. Lei Yunze’s parents were respectively in politics and the military, both holding fairly high positions. Whether within the Chu family or outside it, his family was far stronger than Wei Wei’s. Wei Wei simply did not have the confidence to confront him head-on. With a cold snort, he turned and left.
“Ah!” Qian Baobao clutched Wang Ziyu’s arm and squealed under her breath. “It’s Lei Yunze. It’s really him. Ziyu, tell me I’m dreaming. He actually spoke up for us!”
Lei Yunze was Jing University’s campus heartthrob. He was usually rather arrogant and had that aloof, cocky air about him, but he was also the most popular campus heartthrob at Jing University. Many female students considered it an honor just to speak with him.
Wang Ziyu wanted to thank Lei Yunze, but he had already disappeared.