Chapter 226: Going Out
Xu Youyou thought to herself — so the newbie phase was finally over.
In the past, when a “lucky pick-up” mission was released, it only said there would be a random reward for completing it. But this time, even the punishment was spelled out.
Although Xu Youyou didn’t know exactly what the punishment was, compared to the generous reward, she could immediately guess that the system’s punishment wouldn’t be simple either.
The two men in front of her had all their attention focused on Xu Youyou. Seeing her a little distracted, they both lost interest in continuing their standoff and stopped confronting each other.
In fact, in an effort to cheer Xu Youyou up, they both started speaking much more gently, forcibly putting on a show of harmony.
“Mr. Lu, thank you for your hospitality today. It’s been an honor,” Song Zhibai said, practically squeezing out each word.
Ignoring what he said and just looking at his face, one might think he was still furious.
Lu Jingyao casually replied, “I also wish Mr. Song a bright future and hope you win Best Actor soon.”
Although Song Zhibai was nominated for Best Actor at the last TV awards ceremony, he didn’t win and only brought home the Best Newcomer Award.
In recent years, award-buying through traffic and connections had become rampant. Xu Youyou had initially wanted to pull some strings for Song Zhibai, but Xie Ran stopped her.
“Compared to a relatively insignificant and less credible award, building a strong bond with fans is more important. Don’t lose the big picture for a small gain,” Xie Ran had said.
Xu Youyou was stunned — “building a stronger bond with fans”? Wasn’t that just code for painful fanservice?
Sure enough, because Song Zhibai didn’t win the award, his fans showered him with love. During that period, every fashion magazine he graced sold out, and every product he endorsed was a massive hit.
Xie Ran wasn’t entirely against buying awards. He understood that the entertainment industry ran heavily on relationships. The organizers had even hinted they were willing to give the award to Song Zhibai — for a price.
This price wasn’t some shady backroom deal; after all, in any industry, the ultimate goal could be summed up in one word: profit.
Yoyo Entertainment had developed rapidly over the past year. Whether it was long dramas or short web series, all had impressive results. Many people wanted a share in the new projects Yoyo was investing in.
However, Xu Youyou had plenty of funds and never intended to bring in more investors. The only exception was when Dream of the Red Chamber needed promotion, and Lu Jingyao was allowed to invest a little.
Starting this year, everyone knew about Xu Youyou’s relationship with Lu Jingyao. Even though they weren’t married yet, it looked like they were becoming family.
Since outsiders couldn’t get involved, they couldn’t expect to pull any strings through awards either. Xie Ran knew how the industry worked, but Yoyo Entertainment was still growing — there was no need to stoop to the tricks old companies used.
Even without the award, Song Zhibai’s commercial value didn’t drop — it only rose.
Because Yoyo refused to yield any benefits, not only did Song Zhibai fail to win major TV awards, but even the two mega-hit dramas he starred in didn’t win anything either.
It was normal for traffic stars not to win awards, but for the biggest hit dramas of the year to get nothing raised serious doubts about the fairness of the awards.
Now, being reminded of it by Lu Jingyao, Song Zhibai showed no reaction. Instead, he said warmly, “Winning is lucky; not winning is fate.”
Xu Youyou’s gaze grew even more affectionate. Meanwhile, Lu Jingyao’s face darkened. Song Zhibai’s delicate, melancholic beauty became even more alluring when he looked this downcast.
Lu Jingyao immediately took a step forward, standing between the two of them to block Xu Youyou’s line of sight. He forced a stiff smile and said, “Mr. Song, you’re quite busy. I won’t keep you any longer. Let’s gather again another time.”
After Song Zhibai reluctantly left, Lu Jingyao turned around. He hadn’t even had time to hide his smug expression when he saw Xu Youyou looking at him with a half-smile.
“I’ll never say polite words blindly again,” Lu Jingyao admitted bluntly.
Xu Youyou already knew he could be terribly jealous. But since Lu Jingyao usually kept things within bounds, only occasionally throwing out a few sour remarks without causing real trouble, she found it amusing — a bit of private fun between them.
“You know very well that I love money. Being with you might even be because you’re rich. Mr. Song is my money tree; I won’t cut ties with him just because you’re jealous,” Xu Youyou said frankly.
She herself wasn’t sure if her growing affection for Lu Jingyao had anything to do with the priceless jewelry and expensive gifts that went straight to her heart.
Lu Jingyao had long wrestled with this question and finally answered it for himself. He said smugly:
“There are so many rich people out there. Why don’t you like their money? You only like mine. It’s because you like me!”
Xu Youyou: …
“Don’t overthink it. Sometimes, liking someone doesn’t need a reason. Even if there is one, like money — wealth is part of who a person is. It’s part of their charm. You can’t easily separate the two.”
“You can stay in contact with Mr. Song if you want. I know you have good judgment and won’t do anything to make me uncomfortable. I trust you,” Lu Jingyao said generously.
Xu Youyou pouted a little. If Lu Jingyao were really as generous as he claimed, he wouldn’t have rushed back almost falling over himself to assert his dominance.
But men cared about saving face, so she didn’t call him out.
Lu Jingyao, now deeply smitten, seemed to have lost his former ambition. He didn’t focus much on work anymore. Since Xu Youyou had returned to Shanghai, he spent eight out of ten days lounging at her place.
Not that he was entirely idle — he often used her small study, and his assistant Liu came by frequently with documents for him to sign.
Xu Youyou understood well enough — he simply wanted to stick close during their “honeymoon phase.”
“The aurora season in Finland is ending soon. I happen to be free right now and want to take you on a trip to relax,” Lu Jingyao said softly.
Xu Youyou shook her head. While he might have cleared his schedule, she hadn’t finished handling her affairs in China.
“I need to go to Jinling tomorrow,” Xu Youyou said.
Lu Jingyao nodded. “If you don’t mind, I’ll go with you.”
Naturally, Xu Youyou wouldn’t refuse.
Meanwhile, in a villa somewhere in Shanghai, Gu Xueying sat in a loose nightgown, her hair disheveled, her whole appearance haggard. She muttered, “I want to go out… I don’t want to be locked up…”
Gu Yuji put down her paintbrush, glanced at the painting on the easel with satisfaction, and smiled with extreme gentleness as he asked, “Where do you want to go? How about Jinling?”
