FLBOTCP Chapter 76.2
Full Level Bigshot Only Takes the Career Path Chapter 76.2
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On one side, Pei Mingzhan and Zhao Yao had just left the mall for the underground parking lot. On the other side, people online started to scrutinize who exactly was the one accompanying Pei Mingzhan in the photo. As the Lunar New Year approached, Pei Mingzhan had quite a few friends in the entertainment circle, and some speculated that he might be heading home for the holiday, while some fans held onto the hope that this might be a teaser for a New Year’s program…
【Old Pei posted a photo last time, and shortly after, a new variety show came out.】
【Will it happen this time too? There should be plenty of satellite channels inviting Old Pei for the New Year. I wonder if he’ll attend any events this year?】
【Isn’t that a bit too exaggerated? I feel like it’s just a casual shopping trip with a friend, especially since there hasn’t been any official news.】
【Anyway, the marketing accounts are already at work. Some are saying they went to Apple Store, while others claim it was a trip to Strawberry Town.】
【Didn’t someone just share a photo? The person accompanying Old Pei had an expensive-looking watch on their wrist…】
【Many netizens say Old Pei comes from a wealthy background. I have a feeling he might actually retire from the entertainment circle to inherit his family’s fortune.】
【Wake up, he started his own company!】
Pei Mingzhan’s fans started generating all sorts of fan art and fan fiction based on one photo. One ordinary picture triggered the creativity of fans from various fandoms. Among Pei’s fans, there were quite a few fans of Zhao Yao. When they first saw the photo, they secretly wanted to speculate about whether it was Zhao Yao but hesitated out of fear of being called overly imaginative. It wasn’t until one Zhao fan, while rummaging through her own fan club’s content, accidentally stumbled upon an old image.
Back when the fanbase for Zhao Yao was relatively small, humble Zhao fans had to scavenge through promotional images from various subsidiaries of the Zhao Group. Among these pictures, one promotional image caught their attention. Zhao Yao had inadvertently revealed his wrist, and the watch on his wrist was the same brand as the one Pei Mingzhan wore in the photo.
This particular watch was a globally limited edition, highly priced, and far from the ordinary, mass-market timepiece.
The early fan art uncovered by the diligent Zhao fans acted as a signal, igniting a glimmer of hope in those who had previously been skeptical.
Could that friend from outside the entertainment circle really be Zhao Yao???
The Zhao fans quietly sneaked back into Pei Mingzhan’s Weibo profile, revisiting the image again and again. Within the Zhao fan community, there were many experts, easily crafting side-by-side comparison images.
【Is it really?】
【Right? A globally limited edition, and there are probably only three or four in the country.】
【What if Film Emperor Pei has three or four such friends…?】
【The promotional image is a bit blurry. Didn’t you say there was a similar model?】
【I’m confused as well. It’s almost Chinese New Year, and Pei Mingzhan’s studio said the Film Emperor was going home for the holidays. How did Zhao Zong end up in H city?】
【I don’t think it’s possible, either. Zhao Zong is from S City. Even if he had work during the New Year, it wouldn’t be that coincidental, right?】
【Ah, what’s the point of getting all hung up on this? Is there such a coincidence in the world? The watch owner just happens to be a good friend of Pei Mingzhan?】
【Let’s just round it up to Zhao Zong posting on Weibo!】
The humble Zhao fans added a new picture, and after this incident, they went to Huihua and Zhajiang Mian Platform to urge the official blog to be updated.
-*
Zheng Leqi had been carrying a heavy secret in his heart. Last night, it seemed he had stumbled upon a secret belonging to his cousin. But he couldn’t bring himself to speak to his parents or older brother. He resorted to keeping it all bottled up. But as he held onto these thoughts, he found himself unable to comprehend the situation. So, he quickly went online, searching for Pei Mingzhan’s name. Quickly, he crawled into Pei Mingzhan’s Weibo and accidently clicked on a fan’s profile…
He recognized that watch. It belonged to his own cousin. He had even seen it that morning at breakfast.
Zheng Leqi watched as the fans began searching the watch’s owner, all while he navigated the maze of Weibo. Soon enough, he saw netizens quarreling whether the watch’s owner was Zhao Yao. In this heated debate, fans from various corners of the entertainment world mixed in. As he observed people with Pei Mingzhan’s profile picture and his cousin’s picture clashing in the discussion, Zheng Leqi found himself torn, thinking that this had to be his cousin for real.
“Did Xiao Yao went out to play?” Uncle Zheng sat on the couch, scrolling through his social media, liking Zhao Yao’s post. Then he said to his wife, “Xiao Pei looks good in this color, but I think it would suit Xiao Yao as well.”
Aunt Zheng glanced at him and replied, “Young people their age usually need to dress more maturely for work. It seems like Xiao Yao doesn’t like this color palette.”
Zheng Leqi sat nearby, scrolling through Weibo with a somewhat dazed expression. This was especially true after witnessing that scene last night and then coming across his cousin’s and his friend’s CP fan club on the internet. Inside, there were various edited videos, images, and articles. He had accidentally clicked on it and took a quick look. Suddenly, the world seemed to have become a little bit more real. So, was his guess correct? Were his cousin and Pei Mingzhan really a couple?
At that moment, Aunt Zheng turned her head slightly and glanced at Zheng Leqi’s phone. She curiously asked, “What are you looking at? Why is your cousin in it?”
Zheng Leqi hesitantly explained, “It’s a fan edit. They used my cousin’s old photos and videos for editing.”
Aunt Zheng found it interesting. She pulled her husband over to take a look as well, commenting, “They did a pretty good job with this edit.”
Uncle Zheng chimed in, “There are quite a few fans of Xiao Yao online. Oh, and this edit does have a bit of a dramatic feel to it…”
In the middle of winter, Zheng Leqi suddenly felt his body break into a sweat. The memories of last night’s scene and the subtle ambiguity in this video left him speechless. He silently took his phone and asked in a hushed voice, “Mom, don’t you think this video seems a bit ambiguous?”
Aunt Zheng replied, “What’s the matter? Xiao Pei and your cousin have known each other since they were young. Your cousin used to play behind his buttocks1. They have a good relationship.”
Uncle Zheng had a deep understanding and thought of the jokes played by his elders when he was a child. Then he said, “Your cousin is still Xiao Pei’s first love, you know.”
Zheng Leqi was confused. Did everyone know about this? He had been under the impression that he was the only one keeping what he thought was his cousin’s secret. He said, “Oh, I had no idea. It’s kind of surprising…”
-*
In H City, the festive atmosphere of the upcoming Chinese New Year quickly spread throughout the city. Meanwhile, at the old Zhao family mansion in S City, Bai Chengxue’s face turned pale as she hung up the phone. In the past two days, she had been unable to reach the person she was trying to contact. Originally, she thought they might have had some other issues causing them to temporarily stop their communication. But just now, she received a call from a shareholder, informing her that the man had run away with a large sum of money, leaving behind nothing but an empty shell of a company and a huge unpaid order.
Bai Chengxue was used to hearing good news from others these years. When she first heard of such a situation, she didn’t know what had happened. It wasn’t after asking around, she knew that there had been problems within the company some time ago. The most recent news was because there were huge orders that could not be supported by raw materials, and the top management dragged the time. It resulted in the current situation.
And now, without an injection of funds and a solution to the company’s crisis, all the contingency plans she had carefully laid out over the years might crumble before her very eyes.
“This matter, let me explain…” But Bai Chengxue’s words fell on deaf ears once again, as the call was disconnected. When she tried calling again, she had already been blocked.
In the current situation, with the Zhao family showing no regard for sentiment, and considering the many actions she had taken over the years, if everything were to be exposed, not only would her own future be ruined, but it could also drag her son into the turmoil.
Even if Zhao Changzhuo were the most compassionate person, he wouldn’t allow someone like her, who had been secretly profiting by stealing company secrets right under his nose, to stay.
Bai Chengxue looked dazed. It was in this moment of desperation that she made a call to Zhao Zhikai. She had far fewer connections within the Zhao Group compared to Zhao Changzhuo. So, she realized that those people would likely distance themselves from her if they ever found out about her stock acquisitions and her stance against Zhao Changzhuo. Bai Chengxue had no choice but to seek help from Zhao Zhikai.
…
In the company’s office, a trusted confidant was providing a complete report on the situation.
Zhao Changzhuo listened without much surprise. He originally believed that Bai Chengxue was merely coveting after the Zhao family’s financial power, and he was willing to cover the expenses. But as the investigation unfolded, he discovered the extent of Bai Chengxue’s collusion with outsiders and the amount of confidential information stolen over the years. The cumulative losses could no longer be easily measured.
“Did Zhao Zhikai not help her?” Zhao Changzhuo furrowed his brow slightly.
The confidant responded, “She should have asked Zhao Zhikai’s help, but the current situation suggests that Zhao Zhikai intends to let her bear the blame on her own.”
Zhao Changzhuo inquired, “And did she agree?”
The confidant nodded.
Everything aligned with what Zhao Yao had told him. Zhao Zhikai was reluctant to let go of Zhao Qizhen because losing him would disrupt his plans. But he couldn’t save Bai Chengxue because once her actions became public within the company, all involved parties would face legal consequences. The other old foxes2 within the company wouldn’t allow her to escape either. Zhao Zhikai couldn’t openly protect Zhao Qizhen, so the only option was to have Bai Chengxue insist that Zhao Qizhen was unaware of these matters, thereby extricating him from the situation.
This time, Zhao Yao’s strategic moves didn’t just put Bai Chengxue’s external business interests in crisis, but they also directly benefited him within the company. If he handled this matter well, he would gain greater prestige, almost as if Zhao Yao had passed the decision-making authority into his hands.
“Carry on according to the original plan,” Zhao Changzhuo said, glancing out the window. “He is a man who seizes the opportunity and uses it to the end. I am not as good as him.”
-*
Zhao Yao swiped through the messages sent by his confidant on his phone, but as he switched to another app, he was surprised to see a message from Aunt Zheng. He stared at the message in the chat interface, frowned slightly and contemplated how to respond.
After leaving the mall, they made their way to the H City Zoo to play. They found a place to rest after walking for a while. Pei Mingzhan walked a bit farther to the vending machine to buy drinks and then returned. He handed a bottle of mineral water to Zhao Yao and asked, “Who are you chatting with? You seem confused.”
Zhao Yao hesitated for a moment and replied, “My aunt.”
As soon as he spoke, his finger touched the recently received voice message—
Aunt Zheng’s energetic and cheerful voice chimed in. “Xiao Yao, join us for dinner at our place with Xiao Pei tonight.”
The author has something to say:
Small Theatre 1: Mr. Zhao’s Moments.
Different Bosses: This is nice, the clothing has a lot of style, and the young man looks handsome.
Brother Lao: … What a big bowl of dog food.
Small Theater 2: The Zheng family checks the hot search
Uncle and Aunt: It’s quite good.
Younger cousin: Is that so? All right… I understand.
Reminds me of “Its a secret but everyone knows” ( ◡̀_◡́)ᕤ
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If there are any mistakes/error, feel free to comment it down below.
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