TUMZ Chapter 8

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Zhuang Hanxue met Jiang Ruoyun back when she had just graduated from the Film Academy.

These days, if you don’t have connections or capital, it’s hard to make it in the industry. At the time, she was constantly being forced by her company to attend social dinners. She had once been proud of her talent, but after seeing actresses her age rising with the support of powerful backers, she increasingly felt that her integrity was useless. Yet, she didn’t want to just give herself away so easily.

If she had to sell herself, she should at least find a good buyer and negotiate a good price.

One time, she managed to escape from a dinner party, completely drunk. Halfway down the road, her high heel broke, and she squatted by the roadside, vomiting and crying.

A man approached and asked her what was wrong. She thought he was trying to take advantage of her, so she furiously threw her shoe at him.

The man let out an “ouch,” picked up her shoe, and walked away. After a while, he returned with a bag and said, “Your shoe’s broken, right? I bought you a new pair. Want them? If not, I’ll return them.”

She warily sized him up.

The man chuckled, “Go wash your face… What? I won’t touch you. Just put on the shoes and go home by yourself.”

“Oh, and here’s your broken shoe back.”

She belatedly took out a small mirror from her bag and checked her reflection, only to find that her makeup was smudged like a ghost’s. Her face burned with embarrassment.

The man left the shoes and walked away, already on a call. Since it was late at night and quiet, she could vaguely hear Zhuang Hanxue speaking:

“…I just ran into this girl. Her makeup was a total disaster, and she thought I was trying to hit on her. Hahaha.”

Two days later.

At another dinner party, she ran into the same man again—Zhuang Hanxue. The young master of the Zhuang family. Word had it that he was both rich and naïve, an easy target.

That night, she put on exceptionally flawless makeup and gathered the courage to approach him, bringing up their previous encounter. She subtly said, “Thank you, Second Young Master Zhuang, for the shoes the other night. You left right away, and I’ve been wanting to thank you… Could we exchange contacts? I’d like to pay you back for the shoes.”

At first, Zhuang Hanxue didn’t recognize her. Halfway through her words, he finally remembered and stared at her as if he’d seen a ghost. “Wow, you women… With makeup, it’s like a whole new face.”

Once again, she found herself blushing.

In short—

That was how she got involved with Zhuang Hanxue. With him, she gained money, connections, and opportunities, eventually rising to fame.

Looking back, it had been eight years since they broke up.

Later, she heard that Zhuang Hanxue had cut ties with his family and left home. Some said he was kicked out for being useless. She never asked him about it. She just never saw him again at any industry events.

But at this moment, she recognized him instantly.

That guy hadn’t changed a bit.

What was he doing here? And why was he craning his neck around like a monkey, looking left and right? Was he stupid?

Jiang Ruoyun felt both amused and exasperated.

As luck would have it, when it was her turn to answer audience questions, the host happened to pick Zhuang Hanxue’s.

Zhuang Hanxue cheerfully took the microphone, scratched his head, and asked, “Your first film to get a Best Supporting Actress nomination was directed by Zhang. This time, after ten years, you’re working with him again. I think your performance was great. Do you feel confident about winning Best Actress?”

Jiang Ruoyun hadn’t expected him to remember. Her feelings were complicated, but she carefully answered, “I can confidently say that I gave my all in portraying this role. Thank you.”

The screening event was short, lasting only twenty minutes.

When it ended, Zhuang Hanxue saw a crowd of fans, boys and girls alike, gathering for autographs. He left directly, heading to the restroom before catching the next movie.

In the restroom, he ran into Director Zhang.

The two stood side by side, relieving themselves.

Director Zhang greeted him, “Young Master Zhuang, long time no see.”

It had been years since anyone flattered Zhuang Hanxue like that. He was caught off guard but felt unexpectedly pleased. He chuckled foolishly, “I’m not some young master anymore. Just an unemployed drifter.”

Director Zhang smoothly replied, “That’s not quite right. If you hadn’t invested in my film back then, I wouldn’t be where I am today, would I?”

Zhuang Hanxue thought, No wonder he’s successful—he knows how to handle people. Even when encountering someone as down-and-out as himself, he didn’t step on him. If he were still the Zhuang family’s young master, he would’ve invested another hundred million just for the fun of it.

But Zhuang Hanxue knew his current status. He wasn’t delusional. People were just being polite, and he didn’t take it seriously. He simply smiled and said, “Haha, you’re too kind. It was your talent that made the film a success. Wishing you a big box office hit.”

With that, he left.

Back in the lobby, he bought another bucket of popcorn and a Coke.

He waited for the next movie to start, killing time.

As he waited, he received a new WeChat message.

It was from Jiang Ruoyun: “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming to my screening?”

Even though they had broken up, they had kept each other’s contact info—business was business. Aside from holiday group messages, they never really talked.

Zhuang Hanxue munched on his popcorn and replied: “I didn’t know you were doing a screening. Just happened to run into it, so I figured why not watch?”

Jiang Ruoyun: [speechless.gif] It’s been a long time. How did you end up like this? What have you been doing since you left home? It’s a workday, and you’re out watching movies?”

Zhuang Hanxue chomped loudly on his popcorn: “I don’t work. I live off a rich woman.”

Several minutes passed before Jiang Ruoyun responded:

“Classic you.”

“Heh. [smirk.gif]”

“Must be nice. Your woman really spoils you, huh?”

“At your age, you still manage to find someone to support you?”

“It’s rare to run into each other. Who knows when we’ll meet again? Want to grab dinner tonight? My treat.”

Huh? Jiang Ruoyun was inviting him to dinner?

Zhuang Hanxue paused mid-motion while grabbing his popcorn.

He didn’t really want to go. It wasn’t like he was desperate for a free meal. Besides, having dinner with a popular actress sounded like a hassle. He had no interest in making the headlines.

But then he thought of something and replied: “Can I bring my boyfriend?”

....

At noon, Qiu Zheyan was having lunch with some of his company employees.

Someone asked, “Boss Qiu, that friend you brought last time…”

Qiu Zheyan had a bad feeling. “What about my friend?”

“That Mr. Zhuang—I just wanted to ask about him…”

“That day, he told me he doesn’t work and lives off a rich woman. He was joking, right?”

Qiu Zheyan chuckled. “Not exactly, but he really doesn’t have a job or go to work.”

“What, are you interested in him?”

A few women in the group immediately started chatting excitedly:

“Mr. Zhuang is really good-looking.”

“He’s so fun to talk to.”

“He’s great at making girls happy.”

“Yeah, yeah! He’s so gentlemanly too. He never gets handsy or leers at people.”

“But he does seem a bit flirty—he’s nice to everyone.”

Gentle. Gentle.

“Gentle” was the most ambiguous word in the world. Was it kindness? Was it politeness? Or was it simply weakness? It was impossible to tell.

You guys have no idea what that lazy bum is really like.

Qiu Zheyan wanted to blurt out: Don’t just fall for his surface charm! Just because he can sing, do magic tricks, and make people laugh doesn’t mean he’s perfect! He has a ton of flaws! He smokes, he drinks, he gets so sucked into video games he forgets time, he’s picky with food, he never finishes what he starts, he’s so lazy he doesn’t even turn his clothes right-side out when doing laundry, and all he does all day is eat and sleep…

If you knew what kind of guy Zhuang Hanxue really was, would you still like him?

You definitely wouldn’t!

But I would!

…Of course, he could only keep those thoughts to himself.

He wasn’t ready to say them aloud—not until Zhuang Hanxue was finally willing to accept his marriage proposal.

So instead, Qiu Zheyan put on a fake smile and said, “He has a girlfriend. They’re really in love, so don’t overthink it.”

“Boss Qiu, what are you saying? I was just casually asking, not overthinking anything.”

“Yeah, I already have a boyfriend.”

“But man, I wish my boyfriend was as fun as Mr. Zhuang.”

“I bet his girlfriend must be super rich, huh? Must be nice to be a sugar mama. If I were rich, I’d get myself a little boy toy too.”

Tsk tsk.

Women these days were scary.

Qiu Zheyan went back to work.

Later, he received a message from his senior, Sun Ling: “Been busy lately? My little one’s birthday is next week—come over for dinner.”

Sun Ling was the senior who had started a business with him back in college, helping him earn his first bucket of gold. Though they later parted ways due to differing business philosophies, they remained close, and their companies maintained a mutual support relationship.

Qiu Zheyan agreed without hesitation: “Sure.”

His senior responded enthusiastically: “So, do you have a partner now? My wife wants to introduce you to someone—her cousin’s classmate’s friend, same as you, still single. Good background, good looks.”

Qiu Zheyan awkwardly replied: “I have a boyfriend now.”

Sun Ling: “Shocked.jpg”

“Since when? I had no idea…”

“Why don’t you bring him along for dinner?”

Qiu Zheyan: “Thanks, Senior. I’ll ask him if he wants to come.”

He tapped on Zhuang Hanxue’s profile picture and opened the chat.

Zhuang Hanxue’s avatar was Crayon Shin-chan. His own was Kazama. Zhuang Hanxue said they were “couple avatars.” Well, if he said so, then fine.

Qiu Zheyan had only typed half a sentence when suddenly, a message popped up from Zhuang Hanxue:

“Jiang Ruoyun invited me to dinner tonight. Didn’t you want to discuss some business with her? I asked if I could bring you along, and she said yes. Want to come?”

Qiu Zheyan nearly spat out his drink.

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