Chapter 106: It Is Not Too Much to Call You Auntie

As for the fresh-faced pretty boys of today, once they are made up, don’t they all look more or less the same?

That was one reason action films had become so scarce in the industry. What remained were either idol dramas or low-quality vehicles for internet traffic stars, where people relied on their looks and popularity to shout a few lines in the middle of the plot, so awkward it was hard to watch.

Cheng Yao still preferred hard-edged men and those types who seemed to live by the creed of striking first and apologizing later.

In his view, celebrities in the country were held up too high. He did not mind if athletes were placed a little higher.

Look at South Korea; they did not have this kind of thing there.

The underground garage of Zhongliang One was enormous. Only after taking the elevator to the upper floors did Cheng Yao ask, “You brought me straight back here. Is that really all right?”

“I only rented this place recently. Surely the paparazzi could not have reacted that fast.”

“The place is pretty big.”

A duplex villa offered plenty of room. A living room of nearly thirteen hundred square feet was absurdly spacious, almost lavish.

Cheng Yao glanced over the furniture; it was all branded. “The rent must be expensive.”

“Not bad. About the same as a five-star hotel. Twenty-five hundred a day. Next door at Tomson First Mansion, it’s thirty hundred a day.”

“Then why not just stay in a hotel?”

The moment he said it, Cheng Yao felt like an idiot, and quickly added, “Right, hotels are full of eyes and ears. In a high-end compound like this, the security is comprehensive. Outsiders can’t get in, and even if they do, they can’t get upstairs.”

“Exactly. Privacy is better protected.”

Xia Shiqi opened the refrigerator, took out the fruit and snacks, and set them on the table. Then she hugged a pillow, turned on the television, took off her cap, and tossed it aside, looking completely at ease.

“Did you just graduate?”

“I... yeah...”

Cheng Yao nodded stiffly. Sure enough, one lie needed a thousand more to keep it standing.

Zheng Yuechan had somehow gained a nephew out of nowhere. She ought to be able to accept that, right?

Cheng Yao did not mind calling Zheng Yuechan “Auntie” at all.

As for Cheng Yao, Xia Shiqi was still quite curious about him. She had never heard that Aunt Zheng had such a nephew.

“You stars must live pretty comfortably, right? I heard one dish can cost six hundred and fifty.”

“That’s a bit too exaggerated, isn’t it?” Xia Shiqi said, stunned.

A celebrity’s daily life seemed to be much the same: idle when idle, busy when busy.

Cheng Yao looked up the films Xia Shiqi had acted in. Besides The Road Home, she seemed to have no work that was truly worth mentioning; most of her time had gone into endorsements.

“Your popularity is quite high right now, but it seems like you don’t really have anything substantial to show for it, like real talent or a special skill.”

“Me?” Xia Shiqi said awkwardly. “I think my acting is still decent. After the drama ends, I should be able to get some variety shows to keep the heat up. As for special skills, a lot of celebrities don’t really have those, do they...”

Cheng Yao did not understand much about the entertainment world, so he did not continue the topic.

Two people who did not know each other well had little to talk about anyway.

He could not be bothered to force a conversation, and only said, “If there’s a chance in the future, we can work together.”

“Mm...” Xia Shiqi gave him nothing more than a polite response.

She did not understand what she and Cheng Yao could possibly collaborate on, so she merely listened and did not take it to heart.

What do you usually do?”

“I... a ph...otographer...”

“Photographer?”

Cheng Yao nodded lightly. “Right. I’m pretty good with a camera. Want me to take a few portraits for you?”

“I... maybe not...”

“Don’t worry. I won’t leak them.”

“Then... all right...”

Since he had nothing else to do, Cheng Yao began working for the first time in Zhongliang One.

Xia Shiqi was not like Lu Mengyao or Lin Ketong, so Cheng Yao naturally did not dare start directing the moment he started shooting. He took proper portraits in earnest.

Though he was a scoundrel who could withstand any trial by fire, he still could not bring himself to do anything indecent to a woman he had known for less than two hours.

A while later, after receiving the photos, Xia Shiqi’s eyes lit up. “Your skills are really good...”

“They have to be.”

Cheng Yao looked pleased with himself. Did she think these skills came easily? After all the battles I’ve fought to get to where I am now, how could I possibly be bad?

When it was over, Xia Shiqi looked happily at the photos.

Aunt Zheng’s nephew really did have talent. In the future, she could ask him for portrait shoots.

Meanwhile, Cheng Yao sat on the balcony and fiddled with his phone, feeling that this was no better than going to the amusement park with the little one. Why did being a celebrity feel so much like being in prison?

At noon, he ordered takeout and went downstairs wearing a mask to pick it up.

Ten pounds of lobster, plus side dishes.

The house ended up filled with the smell of lobster shells, and the odor took a long time to dissipate. Cheng Yao alone ate eight pounds. He knew Xia Shiqi would feel embarrassed to eat too much with him there, so he generously took some of the burden off her.

After cleaning up, he sat on the sofa and sent messages to Cheng Cheng and Zhang Ya.

Wang Yiming’s message also mentioned that the headhunting firm had already found technical personnel and reported the specific situation.

The money in the company account might not be enough. Cheng Yao wanted to make something big.

He would deal with all that after returning to Jinling.

He waited the entire afternoon before Zheng Yuechan finally called.

“Go over there first.”

“Okay.”

Cheng Yao nodded lightly. She was a public figure, after all, and it would indeed be inconvenient for her to be seen with him. If a scandal broke out, it would be troublesome. Since they had already added each other as contacts, he did not linger.

After leaving Zhongliang One, a white BMW 5 Series was already parked at the entrance.

Zheng Yuechan called out, “Get in.”

He opened the door and climbed in, smiling. “Finished with work?”

“Mm. So, have you thought it over?”

“I haven’t thought about it.”

“...”

Zheng Yuechan raised an eyebrow and said nothing more. If the other party was not short on money, then she had nothing to say. “There are quite a few bosses at the salon. Some are in film, some in internet entertainment. Chat with them. Maybe there’s a project you’ll like...”

“I’ll think about it.”

Cheng Yao smiled and glanced at her a few times. Last time, he had only been speaking casually. If a layman like him went to seek collaboration with others, would he not simply be walking up to get himself slaughtered as a fool?

Collaborate?

Did he need that?

In truth, the main reason he had come to the Magic City this time was to find Zhang Ya. The salon was only an extra. Whether he went or not, it did not really matter.

Of course, after seeing Zheng Yuechan, he felt the trip had already been worth it.

He really envied seat belts. They could linger right along the curve of a woman’s figure.

With Zheng Yuechan’s graceful body, he felt that even if a car accident happened, her chest might be able to absorb eighty percent of the impact and improve her chances of survival.

That thing was far more springy than an airbag.

Zheng Yuechan was driving, so Cheng Yao’s gaze kept shamelessly wandering. He would turn his head as if to speak to her, but in truth his eyes were anything but honest.

What exactly had she been eating to grow like this?

If she had a man, that would be one thing, but if she did not and was still this wasted by the age of thirty, could she be a lesbian?

The more he thought about it, the more he felt it was possible.

That had to be the reason. Otherwise, there was no way a woman like this would have no one chasing her in her circle. Without question, Zheng Yuechan’s allure was far greater than that of the artists under her.

“By the way, when did you become my nephew?”

“I called you Sister Zheng and your name, and neither felt quite right. Calling you Aunt Zheng isn’t too much, is it...”

Cheng Yao had completely abandoned shame. “Aunt Zheng, are you married?”

“Me?”

Zheng Yuechan shook her head. “No. I’ve been busy with work all these years.”

“You’re this age and still not married? Impossible. If I were a few years older, I’d pull down the stars in the sky for you...”

Cheng Yao was not at all constrained by Zheng Yuechan. He sat there in a relaxed, easygoing manner.

Zheng Yuechan glanced at him and laughed helplessly. “Save those ghost stories for little girls. If you try them on me, be careful I slap you.”

“I’m at least your boss. Don’t I deserve a little face? Honestly, the first time I saw you, I felt an incredible sense of closeness...”

“Closeness? Stop talking nonsense...”

Zheng Yuechan frowned. For some reason, in a certain fleeting moment back then, she had felt something similar too. Especially that night on the way to Jinling; it had been strangely unsettling.

“No, really,” Cheng Yao said with a smile. “Who knows? Maybe in a past life we were meant to meet.”

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