Chapter 133: Liu Hanyue’s Sole Agent

All told, he had already invested more than twenty million yuan into Shengxia, roughly around twenty-five million. And more funding was still needed.

After all, the goal was to make it the number one brand in Jinling; it was impossible without spending money. Nowadays, everything came down to money—money made the world go round.

Liu Hanyue didn’t understand any of this, and Cheng Yao hadn’t shared these details with her.

“After dinner, if you’re free, shall we take a walk?” Cheng Yao asked.

Liu Hanyue glanced at him, thinking, “Is this a date?”

Her heart pounded like a drum. She didn’t dislike it, but felt a bit confused, nervous, and shy. So she nodded gently.

Cheng Yao smiled, feeling the thrill of high school days again.

Liu Hanyue was a novice—she was only tough in words but had never faced real challenges. Of course, she was no match for someone as seasoned as Cheng Yao.

Cheng Yao was so smooth with sweet talk that he didn’t even blink; words flowed effortlessly from his mouth.

Of course, such flirtations were only for Lu Mengyao and her friends. Saying such nauseating things to Liu Hanyue would surely earn him her contempt.

That would shatter his carefully crafted persona.

Before long, they arrived at the Golden Eagle Building in Xinjiekou.

Not long after entering the mall, Cheng Yao laughed, “You have millions of fans, yet no one recognizes you.”

“Obviously, I don’t show my face.”

“Hiding your face is quite good.”

Cheng Yao thought it was good, but this time for the endorsement, it didn’t seem possible to stay hidden—this was Liu Hanyue’s own choice.

The location was in the office building next door. Upon arrival, the staff asked, “Hello, may I help you?”

“Hello, I’m the person in charge of Shengxia Interactive Entertainment. We accepted your contact for the colored contact lens advertisement…”

“Hello, hello. May I ask your name?”

“My surname is Cheng.”

“Mr. Cheng, please come in. And this must be Little Strawberry, right? Oh my, you’re so beautiful…”

The staff looked at Liu Hanyue with surprise, somewhat stunned by how doll-like pretty she was. She had never shown her face before—why now?

As she left school for the first time and encountered the outside world, Liu Hanyue felt a little nervous.

“Thank you,” she said shyly, no longer as lively as she was at school.

Cheng Yao knew this was her way of protecting herself, like raising a shield.

The female staff cheerfully said, “I’m your fan! Cat Nanbei and Dog Dongxi, hahaha…”

Inside the office, the staff knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

“Supervisor, the people from Shengxia Interactive Entertainment are here. This is Mr. Cheng, the person in charge, and Miss Liu…”

A middle-aged man smiled as he came out. “Hello Mr. Cheng, Miss Liu. I already knew you must be very beautiful. I’m Supervisor Song.”

“Supervisor Song, I’ll handle the filming. I’m a professional.”

“Good, no problem. Let’s review the script first.”

“All right.”

Liu Hanyue cooperated well. With Cheng Yao present, she felt less nervous and gently tugged his sleeve. “I’m about ready.”

“Okay, don’t be nervous. It’ll be fine.”

“I’m fine.”

The staff set up the lighting while Cheng Yao adjusted the camera angle. He was happy to be filmed by others.

Supervisor Song and the crew were very satisfied with their professionalism.

In fact, the current influencer circle was much like a small entertainment industry. Some big influencers acted like big shots, demanding attention and treated like little emperors.

Supervisor Song whispered, “Shengxia Interactive Entertainment is quite famous in Jinling now. The boss is willing to invest heavily, and the influencers are top quality. Look at these two beauties—it’s almost ridiculous. I’d believe they were celebrities. This endorsement is making a fortune!”

“Yeah.”

Liu Hanyue’s eyes seemed alive, like the perfect model for contact lenses.

She didn’t need to say much, just cooperated with the filming while the sound engineer adjusted the audio.

Afterward, Liu Hanyue breathed a sigh of relief.

Supervisor Song handed red envelopes to Cheng Yao and Liu Hanyue. “Thank you, Mr. Cheng. We should have come to Shengxia instead, sorry for the trouble. Hope we get to collaborate more in the future.”

“There’ll be plenty of chances. It’s no problem.”

“I’ll see you out…”

Supervisor Song chatted while walking, “The other half of the endorsement fee will be transferred tomorrow. Mr. Cheng, you’re young but accomplished.”

“Just a lucky cat catching a dead mouse.”

“You’re too modest…”

At the parking lot, after getting into the car, Liu Hanyue said, “I was so nervous. Let’s eat quickly—I’m starving.”

“Thank you for your hard work, Miss Liu.”

“Hmph, just acknowledge it.”

“I’ll treat you.”

“Forget it. You said you’d treat me, so you treat me.”

Cheng Yao laughed and nodded, “All right, then you treat. After dinner, how about I take you to a movie?”

“…Ah.”

That was so direct.

Liu Hanyue wondered if it was too soon—to jump straight to watching a movie, just the two of them?

Cheng Yao wasn’t embarrassed and pressed on, “Not okay?”

“Ah…”

Liu Hanyue felt awkward, unsure how to respond.

“If not, then next time.”

“Okay, it’s not late anyway.” She was just worried Cheng Yao might get tired after the movie and want to find a place to rest.

She glanced at the time—it was only 6:20. After dinner, it would be around 7:30. A movie from 7:30 to 9:30 would let her get back to school on time.

Phew.

A sly smile curved Liu Hanyue’s lips, a glint of mischief in her eyes. “I didn’t expect a red envelope. How much did they give you?”

“How about you?”

“Five thousand.”

“Damn, that fat guy was stingy—only gave me a thousand?”

“Born beautiful, what can you do? You performed well, so it’s fair.” Liu Hanyue lifted her delicate chin like a little swan.

Cheng Yao laughed and stepped on the gas, heading straight to Guanye Yangfang Hotpot.

Fifteen minutes later, the car was parked.

They walked across the street to a seafood hotpot restaurant, arguably the most expensive in Jinling, but business was booming.

“Welcome. Table for two?”

“Do you have a private room?”

“Yes, please follow me.”

They chose a private room for better ambiance and privacy.

Inside, Liu Hanyue took a few glances around.

Cheng Yao held the menu and asked, “What about the king crab?”

“I don’t mind. You order.”

“Sir, for the king crab, we can prepare it three ways: the legs frozen, the shell made into an omelet, and the meat cooked spicy or in Typhoon Shelter style…”

“Then one king crab, please make sure the water is cleaned well.”

“Don’t worry, definitely.”

Cheng Yao also ordered some high-quality steak, French oysters, and some sashimi for Liu Hanyue.

She ordered shrimp paste and a few vegetable dishes—just enough.

“Will we be able to finish all this?”

“I have a big appetite…”

“Same here.”

Liu Hanyue thought it should be fine; whenever she ate out or had hotpot with Cheng Yao, he always had a huge appetite.

Cheng Yao flexed his arm muscles; Liu Hanyue’s cheeks flushed as she imagined his abs.

“What movie are we watching?”

“Flipped.”

“…Okay.”

Liu Hanyue’s voice was barely above a whisper as she looked down at the menu, secretly glancing at Cheng Yao. Her heart involuntarily quickened.

Are all boys this straightforward?

My goodness.

This was too sudden. Liu Hanyue wasn’t prepared at all. It was like being dragged into a battle in a game before even picking up any gear—completely helpless.

She could only respond cautiously, extremely sensitive.

In truth, Cheng Yao didn’t want this either.

He’d seen Flipped three times already and was actually sick of it. When in Guangzhou, he watched it again with the Ouyang sisters.

Now, watching it with Liu Hanyue was his fourth time.

If they were in Magic City, Zhang Ya would probably have dragged him along again.

But he wasn’t really there to watch the movie; he wanted the romantic atmosphere of a cinema.

Of course, he wouldn’t go too far, but holding hands a little wasn’t bad.

Soon, the freshly chilled king crab arrived.

The chilled crab was eaten raw. Cheng Yao had tried it before in Sanya.

Dipped in sauce, it was crisp, tender, with a hint of sweetness.

The fishy smell was barely noticeable, completely masked by the sauce.

“Not bad, try some…”

“I’ll do it myself,” Liu Hanyue said, struggling not to laugh. If she did, it would make her seem too easy to tease.

Cheng Yao was gentle in such moments—handsome, considerate, and talented. It was undeniably attractive.

No wonder so many girls from the Economics Department liked him; yet, he never got close to any of them.

Besides, his reputation at school was good, except for skipping classes.

Cheng Yao didn’t overthink things and simply enjoyed the meal.

Savoring the beef slices,

Eating the seafood,

Pure bliss.

Life was meant to be enjoyed with beauty and good food.

Today’s outing with Liu Hanyue was, at best, a date—given the current situation.

Neither of them had expected it, and probably both felt a bit bewildered.

In twenty minutes, the table was cleared.

Liu Hanyue was full and took a sip of juice. “I’m done. If you want to eat more, order something else.”

“I’m about done too. Let’s go.”

They left the hotpot restaurant—mainly because the king crab was expensive. The beef wasn’t much pricier than other places, and the shrimp was also costly.

It was exactly 7:30. Cheng Yao didn’t drive slowly.

Liu Hanyue sat in the passenger seat, looking at the movie tickets. “Only couple seats left.”

“Then couple seats it is.”

“Okay…”

No other choice, and Liu Hanyue’s heart fluttered a bit.

By the time they reached Xianlin at 7:40, they parked in the mall’s underground garage, grabbed their tickets, and headed straight to the theater.

The theater was fairly full, mostly students.

The movie was touching and selling well.

Couple seats had no dividing armrests. Cheng Yao sat down, and the petite Liu Hanyue nestled close, holding her soda.

The movie had already started; they missed the opening.

“Want some?”

Seeing him so still, Liu Hanyue politely offered. Unexpectedly, Cheng Yao leaned over and bit the straw.

Liu Hanyue was silent for a moment, looking between the straw and Cheng Yao.

What was that—an indirect kiss?

Her cheeks burned bright red, flushing to her ears. The dim lighting concealed it, but she absentmindedly stared at the screen, her mind elsewhere.

…

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