Chapter 155: Recognized by a Fan—Cheng Yao, the Working Stiff

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Worried that Xia Shiqi did not have enough public attention, he had chosen this method to stir up publicity.

In any case, Zhang Ya understood the situation and would not take it to heart.

He used Xia Shiqi’s fame to advertise the toothbrush, then used the scandal to boost her popularity, while taking the opportunity to show off himself.

He figured that people would probably mistake him for having some improper relationship with Xia Shiqi.

Since that was what they wanted, he might as well give them what they wanted.

Just as certain unscrupulous media outlets and paparazzi were getting excited, Xia Shiqi released an endorsement advertisement for the toothbrush.

Immediately afterward, Cheng Yao’s identity was dug up as well.

Riding on her popularity, Cheng Yao shot onto the trending searches too.

Then he paid for online accounts to push the topic frenziedly. Getting into the top three on Weibo cost only six hundred thousand a day, so he directly bought a full day of exposure.

The buzz generated by this publicity was comparable to the effect of a first-tier celebrity’s endorsement.

Miss Sun, the notorious online fraudster, seemed to have used much the same method.

Cheng Yao felt that this tactic never failed. It was also the first time he had appeared before the media’s cameras.

At the same time, several calls came to his phone inviting him to appear on late-night programs. Cheng Yao rejected every one of them. He had already promised Guan Yiqiu.

Besides, such programs had little lasting effect. Appearing once was enough.

Money still had to be spent.

There was no such thing as getting everything for free.

Xia Shiqi opened her phone. Comments were flooding in beneath the endorsement advertisement. The opinions varied widely. Anyone with common sense knew that this was publicity, but there were always people who lost their heads and posted targeted, extremely radical remarks.

There were even haters cursing her.

What surprised her most was that some people actually wanted her and Cheng Yao to become a couple.

She glanced at Cheng Yao worriedly. “Aren’t you afraid your girlfriend will make a fuss?”

“My girlfriend is from a completely different world from you people. She won’t care much about this sort of thing, because she’s very confident.”

Zhang Ya was overly confident by nature. She had already spoken with him on the phone, and her emotions were perfectly stable. She only needed to take part in the competition on the first.

Her world was art, entirely different from the entertainment industry.

In fact, Xia Shiqi was still in a relatively good position. Female celebrities who merely appeared in a few web dramas without any defining works could not compare with Zhang Ya at all.

Xia Shiqi nodded thoughtfully.

“Aunt Zheng, the buzz is rising. It’s made the Weibo trending list.”

Zheng Yuechan frowned. It had risen too quickly.

“Someone bought the trending spot,” Cheng Yao said with a beaming smile. “Whoever did it must be handsome and refined. Otherwise, they couldn’t possibly have done such a noble thing for someone else’s benefit.”

“You bought it, didn’t you?”

Zheng Yuechan shot him a glance. Anyone could see through him at once. How shamelessly he kept flattering himself.

“Where are you staying tonight?”

“I... Where else would I stay? At my own place, of course. I’m obviously staying here with you.”

“Ah... That might not be very convenient, would it?” Xia Shiqi asked uncertainly.

She was so surprised mainly because she had never lived with anyone else before.

“It’s fine,” Zheng Yuechan said. “We’ll stay on the second floor, and he can stay on the first.”

Zheng Yuechan still trusted Cheng Yao’s character. Otherwise, after arriving in Jinling, she would have made her own arrangements instead of allowing him to pick them up, and she certainly would not have cooperated with him in creating this publicity.

“All right, then.”

Xia Shiqi agreed. Fortunately, the place offered enough privacy. Otherwise, she would never have consented. Once they were living under the same roof, there would be no convincing explanation.

That was the troublesome part of being a celebrity. As a public figure, every word and action was watched, like a monkey in a zoo. If you behaved poorly, people mocked you and pointed fingers.

If it were not for the money, no sane person would become a celebrity.

“Have you finished packing?”

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“We have.”

“Want to go out for a stroll?”

Xia Shiqi looked at Zheng Yuechan.

Zheng Yuechan nodded lightly. “Since Cheng Yao is the one paying this time, you can go out with him. But be careful not to cross any boundaries.”

Zheng Yuechan knew Xia Shiqi was probably bored.

“Aunt Zheng, aren’t you coming?”

“You young people go ahead. I’ll stay here and watch television. I’m exhausted from all that running around.”

“Let’s go.”

Cheng Yao went down to the garage. The Ferrari LaFerrari inside left Xia Shiqi dumbfounded, and her eyes lit up at once.

“Get in.”

“This car of yours is so beautiful it’s practically illegal.” Xia Shiqi sat in the passenger seat and looked over the LaFerrari’s interior. She was beginning to fall in love with it.

Or rather, who could possibly dislike a car like this?

Handbags, luxury cars, cosmetics, money—weren’t those the things women loved most?

The engine began to roar.

One press of the accelerator and everyone’s mood grew restless.

After leaving the Purple Garden complex in the High-Tech District, Xia Shiqi never imagined that one day she would be sitting in Cheng Yao’s car. The last time they had gone to Magic City, she had been the one to pick him up, and that too had led to a scandal.

It was terribly unfair to celebrities. It was as if they were not allowed to fall in love.

Then again, most celebrities who entered relationships saw their careers cool off. Even if they did not disappear entirely, their popularity was certain to be far lower than before.

In the passenger seat, Xia Shiqi held up her lipstick and checked her reflection. “Can people outside see into this car?”

“No. The windows are tinted.”

“Oh. By the way, where’s a good place to visit in Jinling during autumn?”

“Qixia Mountain to see the maple leaves. It should be beautiful.”

“Hiking? I suppose that will do.”

The LaFerrari rumbled into Qixia Mountain, and eyes immediately turned toward it. A car like that was the center of attention wherever it went.

The cool autumn breeze swept through the air. Qixia Mountain was renowned as Jinling’s most beautiful scenic mountain. Since it was the weekend, there were naturally plenty of visitors, and autumn was the perfect season for admiring the maple leaves.

Maple Ridge on the western side of the mountain was covered with stretches of maple trees. It was Qixia Mountain’s principal attraction and one of the four best maple-viewing destinations in the country.

Cheng Yao wore sunglasses, but he remained highly recognizable.

Xia Shiqi wore sunglasses and a mask. At first, everything was fine. But after someone recognized her, the number of people following them grew. Most were simply unaware passersby, drawn by the sheer number of beautiful young women in the area. There were more lovely faces than anyone could take in.

Who would pay attention to someone wearing both a mask and sunglasses?

But once they heard Xia Shiqi’s voice, people began to wonder.

“Excuse me, are you Xia Shiqi?”

“Hello! How are you?” She giggled.

After a female fan recognized her, Xia Shiqi simply removed her mask and sunglasses and greeted her with a smile. Several others who had recognized her gathered around as well.

“Could we trouble you for a photograph?”

“Of course. Come on.”

“We want one too! We’d like a picture with you as well.”

“All right, one at a time. I have plenty of time today. Cheng Yao, could you help us? You’re good at taking pictures, aren’t you?”

Cheng Yao’s face darkened. He really should not have come to Qixia Mountain. He had come to admire the scenery. If he had known this would happen, he should have brought Lu Mengyao and Lin Ketong instead. Why had he chosen Xia Shiqi?

And so he became the hired help.

One phone after another was handed to him, and people did not forget to ask whether he and Xia Shiqi were a couple.

Cheng Yao flatly denied it, saying that he had merely accompanied her on behalf of her elders.

Xia Shiqi’s approachable manner and Cheng Yao’s approachability-by-the-billion made the two of them seem perfectly natural together in the fans’ eyes.

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In the blink of an eye, more than half an hour had passed.

The fans stopped making a commotion. They took one large group photograph together, then dispersed contentedly. Some even offered to treat Cheng Yao and Xia Shiqi to a meal, asking whether they were free.

Others wanted autographs.

In short, no one became overly excited and did anything obscene or outrageous, and they did not obstruct traffic through the scenic area. After all, there was plenty of open space around them.

When it was over, Cheng Yao said darkly, “Don’t ask me to come along next time.”

“Cheng Yao, you were the one who dragged me out here in the first place.”

Xia Shiqi had not expected him to turn the blame on her. Cheng Yao’s expression softened somewhat as he said, “It’s exhausting dealing with a celebrity. And don’t tell me you aren’t putting on airs. Once you get back to Magic City, hurry up and assemble your own team. Hire a makeup artist, bodyguards, and the rest. How are you supposed to manage alone whenever you go out?”

“I’ll do it after I finish filming my next drama.”

Nothing particularly dramatic happened after that, but the news began to spread online.

There were posts saying things like, “Xia Shiqi spotted at Qixia Mountain,” along with photographs of her and the others, as well as stories about “Xia Shiqi’s mysterious boyfriend” and the young president of Midsummer Technology.

The buzz rose again.

Because of that, Zheng Yuechan called and asked Xia Shiqi to clarify matters.

Xia Shiqi explained online that Cheng Yao was her manager’s nephew. Naturally, some people refused to believe it, while paid accounts continued attacking her. Before long, her genuine fans began fighting with the haters, trading insults on Weibo.

Weibo was a trash can to begin with, a place where people dumped and vented their frustrations.

At Qixia Mountain, Cheng Yao took a few photographs and sent them to Zhang Ya, then chatted with her.

Zhang Ya: Don’t you need to keep your celebrity “girlfriend” company?

Cheng Yao: Wait until I get to Magic City. I’ll show you what happens.

Zhang Ya: Ha-ha... I miss you so much.

Cheng Yao: I miss you too. Without you beside me, nothing I eat has any flavor. But when you’re beside me, everything tastes wonderful.

Zhang Ya: Hmph. Fine, I forgive you for flirting with a female celebrity. Come quickly. What kind of birthday present are you going to prepare for me?

Cheng Yao: Something unforgettable.

Zhang Ya: You’d better.

“Cheng Yao, I’m finished taking pictures. Let’s go back. The scenery really is beautiful.”

“Let’s go.”

On the way, Qin Haoran and several others seemed to want to join the fun, but Cheng Yao turned them down. Zhang Lei, Zhu Huiyang, and the others wanted autographed photographs.

Not a chance.

Cheng Yao could not even be bothered to entertain them. They were probably planning to sell the photographs for money.

As they were leaving Qixia Mountain, Cheng Yao keenly sensed the flash of a camera.

Well, well.

Several paparazzi were crouching in the bushes, snapping away. Cheng Yao walked over, and the paparazzi gave him an embarrassed smile.

“President Cheng...”

“Take your pictures if you must, but don’t come up with any ridiculous headlines. Be careful, or she’ll send you a lawyer’s letter.”

“Yes, yes. We certainly will.”

Once Cheng Yao walked away, opened the car door, and got in, the paparazzi continued taking pictures until the taillights vanished from sight.

“He’s incredibly handsome. And with billions behind him, no wonder he’s so approachable.”

“If I were Xia Shiqi, I’d turn a fake relationship into a real one. Get pregnant first and settle everything. What was that woman’s name again? Didn’t she have a child for some big shot?”

“What good would a child do in that kind of circle? Using a child to tie down a man is not very realistic. His parents aren’t fools, either.”

After leaving Qixia Mountain, Cheng Yao finally understood the power of a celebrity’s popularity.

Being a boss was still better. No matter how rich you were, unless you reached the very top, hardly anyone paid attention to you. Even if you walked down the street, no one would recognize you.

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7,017,000 words.

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