Chapter 90
Who Would Believe It
After breakfast, the blood test results came back quickly. While the bodyguard went to handle the discharge paperwork, Chao Musheng knocked on the door of room two.
"Uncle Chao." Zeng Ning opened the door, broke into a smile the moment she saw him, and immediately stepped aside. "Come in, sit down."
"Thank you, Ningning." He walked in. Ms. Zeng was propped up in bed reading, and her color looked a little better than the day before.
"Mr. Chao." She set down the book. "Please sit."
"Ms. Zeng — rest. Don't worry about me." He was quick to wave it off. "I'm being discharged today. I came to see how you and Ningning are getting on."
Zeng Ning's face fell slightly at the news — but then she thought about it, and if he was being discharged, it meant Uncle Chao was well again, and her expression came back up. "Congratulations on your recovery, Uncle Chao."
"Thank you." He smiled and held out his personal card to Zeng Ning. "This has my contact information. If you ever find yourself in a very difficult situation, you can come to me."
She received it carefully. "Thank you, Uncle Chao."
"Don't mention it." He crouched down to bring himself level with her eyes. "School starts in about two weeks — work hard. I'm hoping we'll be schoolmates someday."
"Which school did you graduate from, Uncle Chao?"
"I haven't graduated yet — same as you. I'll be back in class in September." He laughed. "Jinghua welcomes you."
"Jinghua..." Zeng Ning's gaze flickered. Even if she tied her hair to the beam and stabbed herself with an awl from now until the exam, she probably still couldn't get in.
"Someone as capable as Xiao Zeng-zong — definitely possible." He pretended not to notice the flicker of self-doubt. "You can do it!"
"Okay..." She nodded anyway, spine stiff. If a person had no dreams, what was the difference between them and a salted fish?
Ms. Zeng turned her face away to hide her smile. The only person in the world who could get her daughter — who had no interest in studying — to agree to study hard was probably Mr. Chao.
"Uncle Chao." Zeng Ning said. "I'll definitely work hard and try to become your schoolmate. But can you promise me one thing?"
"What thing?" he asked, amused.
Zeng Ning flushed. "If you and Uncle Xu ever hold a wedding — can you invite me?"
He opened his mouth and found no words. They weren't even a couple. What wedding?
Zeng Ning didn't get a response. She rubbed her nose awkwardly. "I was just saying it randomly — please don't take it seriously, Uncle Chao."
"If I ever hold a wedding, I'll definitely invite you." He patted her on the top of the head.
"Take good care of Ms. Zeng. I'll head off now."
He turned — and found Xu Chenzhu waiting in the doorway.
"Mr. Xu?" He stepped quickly outside. "Are we leaving now?"
"Goodbye, Uncle Xu. Goodbye, Uncle Chao." Zeng Ning pressed herself against the doorframe and waved at both of them.
"Goodbye." Xu Chenzhu gave her a small nod.
"See you next time." Chao Musheng waved back at her, then turned and fell into step beside Xu Chenzhu. "Mr. Xu, if you're busy today, I can just take a cab to your place and pick up Ink Blob."
"You're going to the fashion charity event in two days' time. You're planning to bring Ink Blob?"
"I suppose not." Chao Musheng thought about how he hadn't had a chance to prepare anything for the cat during his hospital stay. Ink Blob coming home with him now would mean a few uncomfortable days for both of them.
"Could I — leave Ink Blob at yours for a few more days?" he said. "I'll use the time off to buy everything Ink Blob needs, then bring it home after the event."
And then when school started, send Ink Blob back to Xu Chenzhu's again?
He felt rather like a migrant worker with a cat that was perpetually boarded at a wealthy relative's house, only occasionally getting to see its nominal owner.
"Ink Blob must be missing you." Xu Chenzhu pressed the elevator call button. "I'll take you to see it first, then take you home."
"You can't say no."
Chao Musheng agreed without protest.
When he got into the car and the wealthy residential compound came into view, he thought privately that Ink Blob might as well stay at Xu Chenzhu's.
Garden, lawn, fountain, swimming pool — all present and accounted for. This was where a cat ought to live.
*
"Mrrp!"
Ink Blob, mid-nap in its cat bed, suddenly opened its eyes and bolted for the front door. The housekeeper responsible for its care nearly had a heart attack — this aloof, standoffish creature absolutely could not be allowed to run away—
She sprinted out behind it and saw with greater alarm that Xu Chenzhu's car was pulling in. Catastrophe!
The car door opened.
Ink Blob launched itself directly into Chao Musheng's arms.
"Mrrp! Mrrp! Mrrp!"
Human — where have you and your servant been these past few days? Why was it stuck being looked after by the servant's servant?
"Ink Blob." Chao Musheng squeezed it with exaggerated tenderness and kissed the top of its head twice. "You've put on a little weight, haven't you? You've been eating very well. Mr. Xu has been taking excellent care of you, right?"
"Mrrp!"
Nonsense — it had barely eaten at all these past few days.
The housekeeper was genuinely astonished. She had never once seen this particular cat show any warmth toward a person.
"Sir." The house manager came out through the front door. Finding Xu Chenzhu and an unfamiliar young man standing side by side, he hesitated slightly, then bowed a fraction. "Welcome, honored guest."
"Thank you." Chao Musheng smiled back, Ink Blob draped over his shoulder like a warm, soft bread roll.
"Ink Blob has never paid any attention to anyone since it arrived. I didn't expect to see it take such a liking to our honored guest." The house manager ventured the compliment. "It seems Ink Blob and the gentleman have a natural affinity."
"He's Ink Blob's owner. Of course it likes him." Xu Chenzhu looked at Chao Musheng. "This is Mr. Chao."
Mr. Chao?
The Mr. Chao assistant who had been receiving such particular attention from the head of the household lately?
The house manager understood immediately. "Mr. Chao — please, come in."
The head of household had arranged a custom cat room designed to specification, hired a professional pet nutritionist to develop a meal plan for the creature — and it hadn't even been his own cat. He'd been raising it for someone else.
He shot a careful glance at Mr. Chao and saw Xu Chenzhu, without seeming to think about it, reach out and steady his arm as he came up the front steps.
The house manager: "..."
Was this—
"Mr. Xu, my cold has been gone for ages — you don't need to be this careful." Chao Musheng stepped into the villa's entrance hall and looked up with an involuntary sound of delight. "What a beautiful house."
"Mrrp." Ink Blob tilted its head upward too and reached out a paw toward the chandelier.
"Would you like a look around?" Xu Chenzhu said. "I've only been here four or five years, so the whole place runs on staff."
Chao Musheng was curious. "Is it all right?"
"Of course." Xu Chenzhu's mouth curved, and he glanced at Ink Blob, who was nosing its head against Chao Musheng's cheek. "Come with me."
*
The villa's interior was impeccably done — the sort of space that would populate countless people's dream-home boards if photographed.
Ink wash paintings hung on the walls. Chao Musheng didn't know how to judge the quality of a painting, but these had a vitality and character to them that caught his eye and kept it.
The main building held a screening room, a gym, a study, a music room, a cat room, even a game room and a storage room. What it had very few of was bedrooms.
"This building only has two bedrooms." Xu Chenzhu pushed open the room next to the master.
Chao Musheng's heart knocked twice.
This was his dream room.
Oh no. That was the feeling of wanting something.
"Other than me, no one else lives in this building." Xu Chenzhu glanced at Ink Blob.
"Ink Blob doesn't count." Chao Musheng looked into the room several times and committed the style to memory. "Where does the rest of the household staff stay?"
"The building behind. On the left there's an orchard, on the right a rose garden — it's too hot to look at them now. I'll take you around this evening."
"Mr. Xu — I need to go home this evening." Chao Musheng ran his hand through Ink Blob's fur. "I've been away a long time. My parents will worry."
"Of course." Xu Chenzhu was silent for two seconds. "I'll send you home after lunch. The flight for your trip the day after tomorrow is already arranged — rest tomorrow."
He took off his jacket. "Back at Chen Garden I said I'd cook for you. Today it is, then. Take Ink Blob and have a look around — I'll call you when the food is ready."
Chao Musheng hadn't expected Xu Chenzhu to have remembered something so small. He smiled and tried to decline. "Mr. Xu — please don't go to all that trouble."
"Consider it a celebration of your discharge." Xu Chenzhu pushed open the master bedroom door, set down his jacket, and removed his watch. "Go enjoy yourself. Lunch should be ready around noon."
Compared to the room next door, the master bedroom was stark — black, white, and grey throughout. Cold and solitary.
No decorative objects either. It felt like a show apartment staged for a magazine advertisement.
As though the owner had poured every thought into the room next door and hadn't cared the least about his own.
In that moment, Chao Musheng realized that Xu Chenzhu didn't seem to think much about himself — or perhaps he had simply never learned how to take care of himself.
"What is it?" Xu Chenzhu caught him staring, and the tips of his ears went faintly pink. "Do you want to see my bedroom?"
He took two steps back. "Come in, then."
Chao Musheng walked in and pulled back the thick grey curtains. Sunlight poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows, impatient to get inside.
"Oh, it's beautiful!" He stepped out onto the balcony — and found a wide expanse of flowers in bloom.
Yes. Beautiful.
Xu Chenzhu watched the young man standing in the light and said nothing.
Chao Musheng turned back. "Mr. Xu — may I go cut some flowers?"
"Do whatever you like." Xu Chenzhu came back to himself and walked out to stand beside him on the balcony. "What flowers do you like?"
"I like all of these beautiful ones." Chao Musheng's gaze wandered through the blooms. "Mr. Xu — every mansion in every drama I've seen would be outdone by this."
He laughed quietly. "I'll have the house manager get you some clippers. Be careful — don't cut your hand."
"All right."
*
Chao Musheng came downstairs to find the house manager holding a tray with a sun hat, clippers, and gloves. "Mr. Chao — it's sunny out. Would you like to wear a hat?"
"Thank you." He set Ink Blob down and put on the hat and gloves. "Is there a celadon vase anywhere in the house?"
"Yes — there are quite a few vases in the collection. I'll fetch one for you straight away."
Ink Blob padded after Chao Musheng all the way to the garden. He looked back at it. "Stay out here and be good. There are thorns in the flower beds — don't go in."
"Mrrp." Ink Blob flopped into the shade of a tree and swished its tail with great languid dignity.
It was not a kitten who needed to be told where to sit.
"Our Ink Blob is so clever." He took off his gloves, scratched the cat's head, then bent down and walked into the garden.
*
"Xu Chenzhu, sir — what can we do for you?" The kitchen staff startled to see him walk in and clustered around him.
"Nothing. I need to use the kitchen today — please step out for a while."
Only then did they notice the apron already tied around his waist. They exchanged looks. The boss was cooking himself?
What was today's occasion?
They filed out of the main kitchen. In the corridor, they found the house manager holding a vase, staring toward the garden.
One of the chefs followed his line of sight and saw a young man in a sun hat coming toward them with a beautiful armful of flowers, a black cat trailing behind him.
Sunlight. Flowers. A cat. And someone lovely holding them.
The chefs stared, slightly dazed. Since when had the villa acquired such a beautiful gardener? If you didn't know otherwise, you might think some young heir was here on holiday.
The house manager said quietly: "This is Mr. Chao, the Xu family's honored guest."
An honored guest?
Xu Chenzhu never kept guests.
"Hello, everyone." Chao Musheng set his flowers on the table and nodded to the chefs.
"Mr. Chao — welcome."
The house manager quickly set the vase out in front of him. The chefs, showing good sense, excused themselves.
Chao Musheng arranged his cut flowers in the vase, packed them in until the whole thing was full, and nodded, satisfied.
The house manager — who had actually studied flower arrangement — silently averted his eyes.
Also very pretty. A very full, very cheerful sort of prettiness.
*
At noon, Chao Musheng looked at the carefully prepared dishes on the table and found his eyes drawn involuntarily to Xu Chenzhu.
"Is there something you don't like?" Xu Chenzhu asked. "Which one? I'll take it away."
"I like every dish." Chao Musheng shook his head and picked up a piece of aubergine fritter.
He bit into it.
A good taste. A familiar taste.
In high school, there had been a small restaurant near school that did these aubergine fritters, and he'd loved them. Then the owner had closed up and gone home, and every other version he'd tried afterward had never quite been right. He'd gradually stopped ordering the dish.
He hadn't expected to encounter the taste again here, at Xu Chenzhu's table.
By the time the meal was over, Chao Musheng could barely move. He pressed a hand to his stomach. "Mr. Xu — I haven't eaten like this in a very long time. Your cooking is genuinely wonderful."
"Next time you come, I'll make it again." Xu Chenzhu handed him two digestive tablets. "But next time — not this much. Overeating isn't good for you."
"You made this much from scratch for me for the first time. Of course I was going to eat my fill." He chewed the tablets and swallowed, then lifted Ink Blob off his knees and set it on the floor. "Mr. Xu — I should get ready to head home."
"Of course." Xu Chenzhu stood. "I'll take you."
Several cars were in the garage. Xu Chenzhu chose the nearest one, opened the driver's door, and got in.
Xu Chenzhu was driving himself?
Chao Musheng pulled back the hand he'd extended toward the rear passenger door, walked around to the front, and sat down. "This might be the first time I've seen you drive."
"My driving is excellent." Xu Chenzhu looked at him.
Chao Musheng buckled his seatbelt, smiling. "I always feel like nothing in the world gives you any difficulty."
"There are things that give me difficulty." Xu Chenzhu started the car, eyes on the road. "Zhaozhao—"
"Mm?" Chao Musheng turned to look at him.
"Nothing." Xu Chenzhu smiled, just slightly. "Let's go."
*
After sending Chao Musheng home and returning, Xu Chenzhu pushed open his bedroom door.
On the table sat a celadon vase, filled to bursting with a riot of blooms.
He looked back at the house manager in the corridor. "Who put this vase in here?"
"Mr. Xu — Mr. Chao cut those himself and arranged them himself before he left. He asked me to put them in your room." The house manager added, "If you don't like them, I can take them out immediately."
Xu Chenzhu stepped into the room and touched the petals with his fingertip.
"No need. These flowers are very beautiful." He paused. "Very lively."
Vibrant and bright and good.
Just like him.
"Mrrp." Ink Blob poked its head around the doorway and tilted it to one side.
Servant — did that person forget to take you when he left?
"He needs to be away for work. In five or six days, he'll come back for you." Xu Chenzhu looked at it a moment. "With you here, he'll come back."
*
Curly Hair entered the instance, opened her eyes, and found herself in a room with slightly yellowed walls. Three locals were present, each with a green status marker floating above them.
"This charity fashion event is one of the most significant of recent years. It's drawn the attention of fans across the board — even people who don't follow celebrity culture have been curious about why this particular event is so major." The man speaking looked to be in his early thirties. His hair was pressed flat against his head and clearly hadn't been washed in two or three days.
"Our studio has two full-time conversion spots this year. Whoever gets a photo that goes viral — that's who gets the spot." He handed out three temporary assistant badges. "These are passes I had an inside contact pull. Your identities are as super-fans of various artists who are so devoted to their idols they're willing to volunteer as unpaid assistants."
"Don't blow your cover." He distributed the badges one by one. "There will be a lot of entertainment press who've tried to infiltrate this event. Security will be tight. The more of the others who get caught, the more valuable the photos we get."
Curly Hair absorbed the situation. She was a paparazzo posing as free labor.
"If any of you three get caught — accept it, apologize cleanly, and do not under any circumstances give up your teammates." His tone was sharp. "Anyone who sells out a colleague gets thrown out of the studio immediately. Is that clear?"
"Clear."
The man loaded them into a van, drove to the edge of the venue, and dropped them off. Curly Hair touched the temporary badge hanging on her chest and walked through the entrance gates under a security guard's scrutiny.
The instance was called Starlight Shining — but all she could see was a floor full of equipment cases and quantities of foam and plastic.
"Hey — curly-hair girl, stop staring. Come help move flowers for the garden crew. A few artists are shooting dress photos here shortly."
A temporary assistant was essentially a brick — deployed wherever needed. Curly Hair was run off her feet for most of the day, and didn't receive a boxed meal — one meat, two vegetables — until after dark.
Several artists were taking photographs from various angles at the spot Curly Hair's team had spent the day setting up. The staff member sitting beside her knew every piece of gossip about each of them.
"The ones queuing for photos now are all mid-tier. The genuine big names don't arrive until tomorrow morning."
"The one with the tallest claim — listed as 180 cm, tops out at 173. Last time I was doing odd jobs at his film set I saw him stuffing height insoles into his shoes."
"I thought the main event didn't start until ten tomorrow?" Curly Hair asked with an expression of careful admiration. "Big brother — it's three days and two nights. Why are they here so early? Aren't they worried about their schedules?"
"You haven't worked in the industry before?" The staff member, responding to the worshipful look, adopted a seasoned air. "Some of these mid-tier artists haven't had a job in two or three months. What schedules? They come early to get some nice photos and ride the buzz of the event. At least it beats sitting at home."
"Thank you — you know so much." Curly Hair tested the waters: "Do you think Kunlun's entertainment artists will walk the red carpet?"
"Probably. Kunlun doesn't put a huge amount of attention into its entertainment division, but it still has Kunlun behind it — they'll have managed to get some spots for their own people at an event like this."
Hearing the staff member reference Kunlun without any hesitation, Curly Hair's heart went utterly still.
This was Xiao Chao's world again.
The Main God still hadn't given up on draining energy from this one.
At least this instance was tied to the entertainment world. There was no conceivable way Xiao Chao would have anything to do with that.
*
The event opened at ten. Before nine, virtually every invited guest had already arrived. Chao Yin smiled her way through photographs with artists and deflected their management teams' fishing inquiries with practiced ease.
What could she tell them? She didn't even know herself who Kunlun headquarters had sent.
At nine-forty, a sound reached them from the villa gates.
"Editor-in-chief — the Kunlun headquarters representative has arrived."
She took the call and immediately went to the front gate to receive them.
Several black cars pulled up in sequence. Bodyguards and staff stepped out from the rear three vehicles. Chao Yin moved to open the door for the representative — a bodyguard stepped forward quickly and gave her a small bow. "We couldn't possibly have you opening the door, Editor-in-chief. Please allow me."
Odd. The representative's bodyguard seemed unusually deferential toward her.
The car door opened.
A striking young man stepped out. His very first act on getting out of the car was to take her hands in both of his and beam at her with a smile almost too bright to look at directly.
At this sight, Chao Yin's competitors felt a sourness settle in their chests. To have the Kunlun headquarters representative bow their head first and offer a handshake — what kind of connections did Chao Yin have?
"Mom," Chao Musheng leaned down and whispered near her ear, "seeing it's me — are you surprised? Were you expecting this?"
Chao Yin: "..."
Family — say this out loud. Who would believe it.
Her son went to work as a summer intern, hasn't been there two full months, and now he's here representing the company at a public event?
So her ridiculous earlier guess hadn't been wrong after all — the Kunlun headquarters representative really did have something to do with Sheng-sheng.
She kept her expression composed under the surrounding wave of envy, glanced at the bodyguards and assistant behind him, and after several seconds of silence, turned her face slightly and covered her mouth so no one else could read her lips: "Kid — did you save your boss's life?"
"Didn't save his life. But I did save the gaming division and R&D department's lives." He smiled and released her hands, falling into step beside her. "I'll be with you for all three days. Mom — I can finally applaud your brilliance openly and publicly."
Chao Yin's assistant stood in the crowd, listening to whispered speculation about the nature of the Kunlun representative's relationship with the editor-in-chief, and raised his chin just fractionally.
What relationship?
Ha.
The Kunlun representative was their editor-in-chief's son.