FLBOTCP Chapter 89
Full Level Bigshot Only Takes the Career Path Chapter 89
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Zhao family.
“Pei Mingzhan, your alternate account seems a bit laggy,” Zhao Yao held Pei Mingzhan’s phone while scrolling through food videos. Given his own Weibo wasn’t loading well, he could only use Mingzhan’s phone. After a a while, he said, “Your fans have discovered your alternate account.”
Pei Mingzhan came out of the kitchen holding a dish, “Really? If It’s too slow, I’ll have Lele get an account for you to browse Weibo.”
Just moments ago at the supermarket, the studio was about to go to his alternate account to delete Weibo posts, concerned that fans might stumble after it.
The messages on the Weibo interface were still updating, and the notification in the lower right corner was becoming increasingly prominent.
“No need, I’m done reading,” Zhao Yao scrolled through the comments below. A food blogger had posted a text version of a recipe. After taking a screenshot, he closed the Weibo app.
After an hour of bustling activity, Zhao Yao and Pei Mingzhan finally managed to prepare dinner. Uncle Wang stood at the side, assisting Pei Mingzhan in setting the table, while everything else was nearly set. In usual circumstances, by this time, the three of them would be ready for dinner. But there was an unexpected visitor currently at home.
Zhao Qizhen sat on the sofa, observing the two engaged in discussing recipes not far away, while in front of him was only a cold cup of black tea. For a moment, he couldn’t quite grasp why he had ended up at Zhao Yao’s home in the first place.
After returning the phone to Pei Mingzhan, Zhao Yao went to the living room. There, he saw Zhao Qizhen obediently sitting as instructed. Observing this, he sensed that Zhao Qizhen hadn’t reached the point of no return. At least, he knew to seek him out in such a situation. His intellect wasn’t entirely lacking.
But Zhao Yao had no intention of engaging in unnecessary talk with Zhao Qizhen. Some matters, in the end, were a result of the mother-son duo’s self-imposed entanglements, and he wasn’t inclined to play the good Samaritan to tidy up their mess.
“You said you have something to tell me. Well, now you have ten minutes.” Zhao Yao sat down, tidying up the books on the table, showing no intention of preparing tea or extending hospitality.
Seeing this, Zhao Qizhen fell silent for a moment. “Have you heard about the situation in the company?”
“Haven’t heard,” Zhao Yao replied with a hint of indifference. “You didn’t come here for a reunion. If there’s something, just say it directly.”
Zhao Qizhen gritted his teeth, “My mom is about to be implicated. Zhao Zhikai doesn’t want to get involved, and everyone in the company is keeping their distance under his influence. Originally, this matter wasn’t so serious, but Zhao Zhikai, to save himself, shifted all the blame onto my mom. Do you have a way to save her?”
Zhao Yao lifted his gaze slightly, “Why do you think I have that kind of capability? Zhao Qizhen, it’s been quite some time since I left the company. You’re not unaware of that, are you?”
Having listened to his words, Zhao Qizhen felt another wave of embarrassment. He continued, “If you can help me get my mom out of this mess, I’ll withdraw from competing with Zhao Changshuo.”
Pei Mingzhan happened to overhear Zhao Qizhen’s statement as he approached, casting a slightly surprised glance at Zhao Yao.
The hand that Zhao Yao was using to pick up a book paused slightly. “Zhao Qizhen, are you not thinking clearly, or are you intentionally putting on a show in front of me?”
“I…” Zhao Qizhen fell silent for a moment. “I’m out of options. Zhao Changshuo isn’t helping me either, and I can’t think of anyone else.”
Zhao Yao had known Zhao Qizhen in his previous life. He recalled that being born into the Zhao family, Zhao Qizhen owed much to his mother, Bai Chengxue, who always considered his well-being. Without Bai Chengxue’s indulgence and protection, Zhao Qizhen might have already been devoured by the cunning foxes within the company, leaving him with nothing.
“I hope you’re clear on one thing first. Your mother’s actions must face corresponding consequences. If you think there’s a solution, you should find a lawyer for her instead of coming to me. Secondly, you should be grateful that Zhao Changshuo is handling this matter. If it were your father or Zhao Zhikai, do you believe they would be merciful enough to let your mother off the hook?”
Zhao Yao looked at Zhao Qizhen and once again he regarded these relationships with detachment. The tricks Zhao Qizhen displayed before him seemed like the antics of an inexperienced child. If it were the previous life, there was no way Zhao Qizhen could have stepped through this door, let alone sit calmly across from him now and talk.
“Now that you know you’ve been used, if you want to save Bai Chengxue, do it yourself. Or have you become so foolish that you can’t even hire a lawyer?” Zhao Yao’s voice was slightly cold. “Secondly, you’d better clarify your current position and value. In your relationship with Zhao Zhikai, you are the one in the active position. In all the current schemes of Zhao Zhikai, without you he lacks the most significant assistance.”
Zhao Qizhen was rendered speechless by Zhao Yao’s words. In fact, over the past month, he had been trying to find solutions to these matters every day, but when the situation was laid out in front of him, he found himself helpless. Before coming here, he had already approached many people, including those who were friends with Bai Chengxue, the old members of the group. He had exhausted all possible contacts.
But when faced with this situation, those people merely smiled awkwardly, expressing their own difficulties without offering any help.
In this period, Zhao Yao was the sole person to clearly articulate his position, leaving Zhao Qizhen with an indescribable sense of shame. He had caused trouble for Zhao Yao in the past, and he half-expected to receive disdain and mockery after coming here. But to his surprise, Zhao Yao was willing to offer him some guidance and advice during this challenging time.
“The things I did before were wrong, I apologize,” Zhao Qizhen said, lowering his head. “I was stupid and overestimated myself.”
“No need for apologies. You don’t have to take my words to heart. I simply can’t stand Zhao Zhikai and wanted to use you to cause him some trouble,” Zhao Yao said, glancing at the time and decisively escorting the guest. “You can leave now.”
Seeing Zhao Yao and Pei Mingzhan heading towards the dining room, Zhao Qizhen found himself alone in the living room. After contemplating for a while, he finally stood up to leave. The enticing smell of food wafted from the kitchen, and embarrassingly, his stomach let out a growl.
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At the dining table, Pei Mingzhan smiled, “You actually only gave him nine minutes just now.”
Zhao Yao paused slightly, “It doesn’t make much sense to give him any more time. If he were clever, he would be engaging in a final gamble with Zhao Zhikai, using whatever leverage he has. But in the end, he was played by Zhao Zhikai. He hasn’t learned much in the past six months within the company.”
After saying this, he fell silent for a moment. “Do you think I’m being too harsh on him?”
“How could that be? The positions within the Zhao family are different, and you’ve never had a close relationship with Bai Chengxue and her son since childhood. Not to mention the troubles they’ve caused you,” Pei Mingzhan said. “It’s just that I’m quite surprised you’re willing to spare a few minutes for Zhao Qizhen and say these words with him.”
“Is that so?” Zhao Yao looked at the well-prepared dishes on the table, especially the Cantonese dish that carried both aroma and flavor. He picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks and placed it in Pei Mingzhan’s bowl before saying, “Maybe I’m just in a good mood today.”
While having their meal, the two began discussing other matters. On one hand, they talked about the challenges Gu Sui faced in recruiting technical personnel, and on the other, they touched on the issue of their trumpets today. After mentioning this, Pei Mingzhantook out his phone. “How about I post a Weibo about it?”
Zhao Yao hesitated slightly. “Didn’t your manager advise you to stay away from Weibo recently?”
The original advice was for Pei Mingzhan not to stir up trouble. Although their relationship wasn’t a secret among close friends and family, for various reasons, it wasn’t suitable to be made public yet.
“No worries, I’ll use my main account,” Pei Mingzhan replied. While he was in the kitchen earlier, he had taken a few photos, coincidentally matching the recipe he had shared in the previous Weibo repost. It was a way to divert attention from the current online buzz. So, he posted the picture of the Cantonese dish.
As soon as the Weibo was posted, Zhao Yao’s phone received a notification.
In the past, Zhao Yao would often forward when Pei Mingzhan posted on Weibo. But remembering his manager’s advice today, he refrained and said, “I’ll just update my Moments.”
In response to public displays of affection from a boyfriend, a timely reply from the significant other was expected.
Since Zhao Yao wasn’t accustomed to taking photos, he had to borrow an image from Pei Mingzhan’s Weibo. He then edited a Moments post: “Learned a new dish today, looks decent [Image].”
“Alright,” Zhao Yao said, finishing his Moments update before resuming his meal.
Pei Mingzhan swiped his phone and quickly came across Zhao Yao’s Moments post with the image watermark from his Weibo. He gave it a like before returning to his meal.
– *
When Zhao Changshuo finished work, he received an international call from Zhao Ruihong. Over the years, he had assisted Zhao Ruihong in her career, and this call was to express gratitude and announce a temporary pause in certain collaborations. Zhao Ruihong’s career had improved significantly, and she no longer needed as much support from Zhao Changshuo, so she called specifically to thank him.
Today, the Weibo platform was buzzing with activity. Zhao Changshuo, who was used to checking Weibo, quickly noticed the messages on his tablet. In the middle of the discussions from netizens, he caught wind of Zhao Yao’s debut on Weibo. Lately, he had been seeing news about Zhao Yao and Pei Mingzhan, so he followed the internet trail and saw a certain recipe for a Cantonese dish.
Zhao Changshuo had a distinct memory of this. He had just checked Moments and saw Zhao Yao’s post featuring a picture of the dish. Observing the current situation, he became more certain that this Weibo account indeed belonged to Zhao Yao. So, he casually followed him.
While Zhao Ruihong continued discussing ongoing collaborations over the phone, she noticed Zhao Changshuo’silence and asked, “Are you busy right now?”
“No, I just finished work and plan to head home,” Zhao Changshuo replied, putting the tablet aside. “Regarding the matters you mentioned, have your assistant compile a document and send it to my secretary. I’ll leave the rest to them for handling.”
“Okay,” Zhao Ruihong said.
After they finished their conversation, Zhao Ruihong ended the call. At that moment, her assistant, who handled domestic business, arrived and placed the report for the new quarter on Zhao Ruihong’s desk.
After listening to the assistant’s briefing, she nodded, saying, “Alright, let others handle the rest of the matters.”
Out of habit, Zhao Ruihong reached for her other phone and coincidentally witnessed the bustling scene on Chinese Weibo. She immediately noticed the hot searches about Zhao Yao’s Weibo.
She paused slightly. “Zhao Yao actually joined Weibo?”
Standing on the other side, her assistant faced the self-mutterings of the boss and wisely chose to remain silent.
The hot searches were quite lively. Alongside the hot searches related to Zhao Yao, there was also a rising hot search about Pei Mingzhan’s cooking.
Curious, Zhao Ruihong clicked on the hot searches to see the popular summaries provided by netizens. On one hand, she marveled at the fact that someone as reserved as Zhao Yao could have a hobby like maintaining a trumpet. After clicking into his Weibo, she followed the directions provided by fans and began exploring Zhao Yao’s list of followed accounts. When she finished eating melons and emerged from Zhao Yao’s Weibo, a new piece of evidence had surfaced in the real-time hot searches.
【Breaking news, breaking news [screenshot]!】
【Hahahaha some fans are wondering if that is Mr. Zhao’s trumpet account. Did you see it? Zhao Changshuo just followed ‘AlternateAccount’!】
Zhao Changshuo has a Weibo account, but there aren’t many people following him because his Weibo has been inactive for years. His updates mostly consist of reposting official announcements related to the Zhao Group, making his account appear like a designated repost machine. But now, because netizens are camping on Zhao Yao’s Weibo, they closely monitor everything related to Zhao Yao’s account. Some fans are even diligently searching for other clues.
At this crucial moment, Zhao Changshuo following Zhao Yao is nothing more than another ironclad piece of evidence to confirm Zhao Yao’s trumpet identity.
Zhao Ruihong couldn’t help but think that when she was on the phone with Zhao Changshuo just now, he seemed absent-minded. As it turns out, he was busy playing on Weibo. She observed the lively scene on the platform and, without hesitation, switched to her main account and also followed Zhao Yao’s Weibo.
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The phone in Chen Xi’s office kept on vibrating, disrupting his busy work. He only found out about the online situation when his assistant called. After hearing that President Zhao’s alternate account had been exposed, his first thought was, “President Zhao has a trumpet!?”
Originally, fans online were just speculating about the alternate account’s identity based on some clues. Now, with Zhao Changshuo following Zhao Yao, it’s like adding fuel to the fire. Not only did it confirm Zhao Yao’s trumpet, but it also indirectly exposed Pei Mingzhan’s trumpet.
【I’m laughing to death. It turns out Pei fans were distracted by the photos Pei Mingzhan posted.】
【I guess this is a PR move. Pei Mingzhan intentionally posted cooking photos, to give him a reasonable explanation for his Weibo activity.】
【What reasonable explanation? Is he explaining his full-service treatment for President Zhao’s trumpet?】
【I also saw other netizens digging up that the trumpet deleted quite a few Weibo posts after Zhao Zong’s trumpet was exposed. Don’t know if it’s true or not.】
【Is this strategy called ‘luring the tiger off the mountain’?】
【What? Wasn’t it to protect Pei and save Zhao?】
【You underestimated us. We are not afraid of deceit.】
【Damn, I’m surfing the Internet and I still need to learn the art of war?】
At first, Chen Xi was confused when he started reading, but as he continued he finally grasped the situation. He wondered why there were still so many rumors online despite the efforts of the studio to control the situation. Without bothering to say anything else, he immediately called Brother Lao, who knew most about Pei Mingzhan’s situation.
Brother Lao was anxious when he answered the phone in a daze. Faced with Chen Xi’s questions, he found it difficult to express the bitterness he felt, “It’s about time. There’s no way to salvage this trumpet account…”
Chen Xi was still a little bit confused. “Isn’t this just an issue with a trumpet account? And there isn’t much going on with this account. Mr. Zhao is not an artist. Why does it sound so challenging?” Although he wasn’t from the artist management industry, being the owner of an entertainment company, handling a situation like this wasn’t difficult. However, after hearing Brother Lao’s words, he felt like something important was being overlooked.
“I’m troubled by this, you know? Mr. Zhao’s matter brought up Lao Pei’s alternate account and a bunch of other messy things. Right now, it hasn’t caused too much trouble, but who knows if it will escalate into an irreversible situation in the future…” Brother Lao thought while saying, “I need to figure out a way to reduce the current heat.”
Chen Xi still couldn’t understand the situation, getting more confused as he listened. What did “an irreversible situation” mean? Could it be that Mr. Zhao or Lao Pei’s alternate accounts contained invisible or indescribable content? Otherwise, why would the manager be so anxious?
“In my opinion, it’s already challenging to suppress the current situation. Even if you remove the hot search, more will pop up. Why not let the netizens discuss it for a few days and advise Pei Mingzhan not to use his alternate account during this time? Wouldn’t that resolve the issue?”
“If the Eldest Young Master Zhao and the Great Demon King hadn’t followed, we could’ve settled this matter peacefully…” Brother Lao originally wanted to calm things down, but unexpectedly, the Eldest Young Master Zhao followed, and even the Great Demon King from RH followed. This double impact directly pushed the topic to the top, attracting more and more people to Zhao Zong’s Weibo. Even other internet-famous celebrities opportunistically followed to ride the wave. With this situation, there’s no way to handle it. Even Pei Mingzhan’s alternate account reposts are getting pushed to the trending list.
After Chen Xi finished the call with Brother Lao, he was still confused. In the end, he had no choice but to call Yao Bai and ask about the matter. Yao Bai reassured him, saying there was nothing to worry about, and even mentioned that if the trumpet account was exposed, it wasn’t a big deal. The same issue presented in different ways to two people left Chen Xi even more puzzled.
“Mr. Chen, here are the documents you requested,” his assistant walked in, placing the requested files on the desk.
As Chen Xi went through the documents, he suddenly remembered he forgot to schedule a meeting with Mr. Zhao. The files contained the proposed modifications Mr. Zhao suggested after the meeting. Unable to send it electronically, he decided to message Mr. Zhao on WeChat to arrange a meeting.
Mr. Zhao: Documents? Bring them over now. I’m at home.
Chen Xi looked at the time and saw it was just past eight. It would be around nine by the time he arrived.
After instructing his secretary, he set out. Even as he arrived at Mr. Zhao’s residential complex, he couldn’t shake off the thoughts about the potential risks of the alternate account exposure. And he still couldn’t figure out why it happened at this particular moment. Mr. Zhao didn’t seem to have any problems that could lead to such an outbreak.
It wasn’t until he reached Zhao Yao’s house that, after entering, he saw Pei Mingzhan and Mr. Zhao in their pajamas, sitting on the couch, watching a variety show. Mr. Zhao was leaning slightly against Pei Mingzhan, and Pei Mingzhan had his arm around Mr. Zhao’s shoulder. Their relationship appeared close and intimate, leaving him completely bewildered.
Film Emperor Pei’s hand??? Something seemed off.
And Mr. Zhao, was it appropriate to act like this in front of an outsider?
“This way, Mr. Chen,” Uncle Wang said.
Chen Xi was feeling a bit dazed when he followed Uncle Wang. Finally, he sat down on the other end of the couch, stealing glances in the direction of the two.
On the other side, Zhao Zong sat up straight, handing Chen Xi a temporarily printed document from the table. “This is the document I mentioned during the day. Since you’re here, you might as well take it.” Afterward, he asked, “Did you bring the modified version you mentioned?”
It finally dawned on Chen Xi what he was there for and took the folder out of his bag and handed it to Zhao Yao.
Pei Mingzhan added, “I’ll get some fruits. Better drink the milk early tonight, or you won’t be able to sleep again.”
Zhao Yao nodded, suddenly remembering something and advised, “Don’t add too many things. I want to have a light dinner tonight.”
Since the two started living together, Pei Mingzhan had been putting a lot of thought into Zhao Yao’ late night snacks. Even the usual bedtime milk had various twists. So, Zhao Yao had gained a few pounds lately due to his efforts.
Chen Xi looked up, somewhat dazed, as he watched Film Emperor Pei familiarly get up and head towards the kitchen. On the other side, Uncle Wang was comfortably sitting on the couch, leisurely flipping the “Self-Cultivation for Stewards” book that had been placed on the table earlier.
Zhao Yao glanced at the revised document Chen Xi brought over. The main issues from the last time had been discussed, and there were several clear additional points. “You’ve taken note of the issues I raised, and in the later stages of refinement, focus primarily on those aspects. There might be other details to consider. I won’t go into them now. You can check those on your own.”
After he finished speaking, he turned to Chen Xi and noticed a slightly dazed expression on the latter’s face, as if lost in thought.
“Chen Xi?” Zhao Yao furrowed his brow slightly. “Do you understand what I just said?”
Chen Xi came back to his senses and quickly replied, “I understand. I’ll carefully investigate the remaining issues when I get back.”
Zhao Yao was quite satisfied with Chen Xi. And Chen Xi acted quickly, proposing new solutions shortly after the issues were raised. This demonstrated his keenness and strong execution ability. The only aspect lacking was experience. Honestly, Chen Xi’s current experience wasn’t bad, but compared to the entertainment tycoon who rose to prominence in the previous life, he was still a few years short of training.
If Chen Xi could navigate through the existing challenges and implement comprehensive plans, Huihua would progress faster and farther than in the previous life.
But now… Zhao Yao looked at Chen Xi for a while, thinking that he must have been too busy with overtime. Then he said, “Huihua’s affairs are a lot at the moment. You don’t have to handle everything yourself. Delegate tasks that can be entrusted to subordinates. Pay attention to resting, especially when working overtime.”
Chen Xi nodded. Then he saw Actor Pei coming out from the kitchen, holding a cup of milk. When he saw this scene, Chen Xi’s mind was filled with unclear speculations. But thinking about it, he felt something was wrong. Didn’t Zhao Yao have a girlfriend? Why was he so close to Film Emperor Pei?
Zhao Yao continued to review the details in the document, offering a few pointers to Chen Xi whenever he noticed key points. As they reached the latter part, he noticed Chen Xi becoming more and more distracted. So, he said, “I can see you’re tired from overtime. We can discuss the remaining issues next time. Go back and rest for now.”
Chen Xi jolted back to attention, “I’m fine, not tired. You can go on.”
He had been careless and actually brought his personal feelings into his work.
Pei Mingzhan glanced at Chen Xi. He had noticed that Chen Xi had been looking in their direction, and it wasn’t hard to guess why.
Zhao Yao hadn’t paid attention to this detail, but considering the late hour, he added, “The remaining issues are mainly about the details. You don’t have to be so tense.”
Chen Xi had no choice but to put away the documents. It was too late to disturb Mr. Zhao’s rest. And as he was about to stand up, he glanced at Pei Mingzhan beside him and blurted out, “Mr. Pei, are you staying here tonight?”
The moment the words left his mouth, he realized he had gone blank. Was he a complete idiot? Pei Mingzhan was already in his pajamas!
“En, he’s staying here,” Zhao Yao suddenly recalled something and explained to Chen Xi, “I forgot to clarify something last time. I don’t have a girlfriend. I only have a boyfriend.”
Chen Xi’s grip on his briefcase weakened, “Huh?”
Pei Mingzhan smiled and clarified, “What he means is that I’m his boyfriend.”
No use hiding the trumpet account now when everyone knows about it (≧∇≦).
Also trumpet/alternate account and Zhao Zong and Mr. Zhao were used interchangeably.
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If there are any mistakes/error, feel free to comment it down below.
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