Huayu 2021: Isn’t he in the technology field?

Chapter 171 Self-Directed and Self-Acted, Cleverly Resolved

At 5:29 PM, a nine-grid photo suddenly appeared on the Weibo hashtag page.

In the blurry shot, Jiang Qing is reaching out to help Zhou Ye remove the sunflower seed shells from his hair, while Zhou Ye is curled up in a mahogany chair, laughing uncontrollably.

"Unedited photos from the audience at Deyun Club! Jiang Zhou Yu Huo is locked in!"

The entry instantly surged to third place on the trending topics list, with views increasing by nearly 100,000 per minute.

This trending topic was like a depth charge, completely igniting the already heated emotions of fans who were excited about JD.com's endorsement.

The number of likes on the pinned post in the "Jiangzhou Fishing Fire" super topic skyrocketed at a rate of 3,000 per minute, prompting the host, @FishingFireUndying, to post three exclamation marks in a row.

"Sisters, type 'We're a perfect match' in the chat!!!"

The top-rated photo, showing Jiang Qing and Zhou Ye talking with their heads close together, was photoshopped with pink bubbles, and the number of likes instantly exceeded 10,000.

"Help! Even the backs of their heads look matching!"

"I'm so overwhelmed by the sweetness! I'm suffocating!"

"Yezi's smile is so sweet, this must be what love looks like!"

"These two must have deliberately chosen Deyun Club to find an excuse to cover it up, that's for sure!"

"I don't believe any reason, they must be telling the truth!"

"Just announce it officially already! I can't wait!"

……

A hot thread immediately appeared on Douban's Group 8: "Anyone who bumped into Jiang Qing at Deyun Club, come in! Is Jiang Qing handsome in person? What brand is Zhou Ye's dress?"

The post quickly garnered over 300 replies, even attracting the attention of a netizen who was at the scene and shared photos taken there.

"Zhou Ye is playing with Jiang Qing's cuffs so naturally, if he doesn't talk about this, I'll twist my head off!"

"Yeah, neither of them was looking at each other, they were staring at the stage. Isn't that the perfect action of a young couple?"

"I can feel the sweetness even through the screen, I'm so smitten!"

……

A popular post appeared on Hupu's male-dominated forum: "A rational discussion: Could Jiang Qing's net worth support several Deyun Clubs?"

The second floor's witty reply: "Let's first calculate how many jokes Guo Qilin needs to tell to earn back the interest on President Jiang's bank account balance in one hour."

On the other side, Chen Duling had just finished filming and returned to the hotel where the crew was staying. While she was removing her makeup, her assistant hurriedly handed her a phone in front of the mirror.

"Sister, look! It's President Jiang!"

"understood."

She raised her hand to block the screen, her expression in the mirror calm and composed.

Jiang Qing wanted to hear his final decision from him personally.

In a high-end apartment in Shanghai, Tian Xiwei was twirling barefoot on the wooden floor, her phone pressed against her burning ear.

"Are you sure that marketing account is willing to take the job? Yes, just like I said at noon."

"That's right, I'll send it to you right away."

Just as I was about to send the file, a notification sound suddenly rang out indicating that I was on special alert.

She clicked on the special group and saw Zhou Ye's Weibo post from two minutes earlier.

A group photo of shadows in front of the red-lacquered gate of Deyun Club, captioned, "Learned three new jokes today, hehe~"

The phone thudded onto the carpet, and Tian Xiwei angrily grabbed a cushion and pounded the sofa.

"What's there to brag about! So what if he's known me longer than me!"

"Don't be too smug, he'll definitely be mine!"

A few minutes later, Tian Xiwei, having calmed down, picked up her phone and sent the file.

She squinted her eyes slightly, and her red lips curled up slightly.

The fun has just begun!
In a private dining room at a restaurant in Beijing, a group of artists from the Hesong Entertainment Group were having a meal together.

Gulnazar smiled and turned her phone screen towards Zhang Huiwen, which displayed a nine-grid trending topic about Jiang Qing and Zhou Ye being photographed together.

"Our Xiao Ye really knows how to get things done these days, getting on the trending topics is like drinking water for her."

Zhang Huiwen chuckled as she scooped up the papaya and snow frog soup.

"What can we do? We don't know any tech upstarts."

"Exactly, we're not that lucky."

Wang Zixuan chimed in with a charming smile.

While they were chatting and laughing, a Weibo notification suddenly popped up on Zhao Liying's phone screen.

Rumors circulate that Jiang Qing facilitated the matchmaking between Tian Xiwei, the female lead in "Qingqing Daily Life."

She raised an eyebrow and clicked on it, only to find that it was a breaking news post from a certain entertainment account with millions of followers.

"It is reported that during the casting process for the Kiwi S+ project, Jiang Qing personally called Li Yanhong to request a role for Tian Xiwei."

"There's something good to watch."

Gulnazar pushed the phone to Li Xue, her face full of worry.

"If this is true, Xiao Ye's endorsement of JD.com will not be unique."

After saying that, the corners of his lips curled up almost imperceptibly.

Li Xue glanced at the screen, then looked around at the group of people at the table who were staring at their phones, gossiping.

She knew exactly what some of the people involved were thinking.

"Just focus on eating and take care of your own affairs."

The group of artists looked at each other in bewilderment, and then readily agreed.

However, the female celebrities were not at peace and had many thoughts running through their minds.

Since Jiang Qing can endorse Zhou Ye for JD.com and also help Tian Xiwei land a role, then shouldn't I...?

Suddenly, the atmosphere at the dinner table became awkward.

Online, Weibo's trending topics section has split into two major camps.

Jiang Zhou Yu Huo CP fans mocked Tian Xiwei for trying to ride the wave of popularity, while Tian Xiwei's fans flooded the comments section with the hashtag "Resources are earned through ability," and bystanders were busy creating memes that "make the most of the situation."

The hashtag "Qingqing Daily Life: Tian Xiwei's Character" is trending and the comments section is buzzing, with over 30,000 comments appearing in less than ten minutes.

"So, you succeeded in hooking up last time?"

"No wonder this nobody suddenly became so popular, turns out he really has a sugar daddy!"

"Aren't the Jiang-Zhou CP fans ashamed? Your idol is getting resources everywhere!"

"Is the person upstairs jumping up and down in anger? Has this been confirmed?"

"Who else but Jiang Qing has this ability? I remember Jiang Qing just attended the Baidu AI Conference not long ago, right?"

"Looks like his last appearance might have been for Tian Xiwei, tsk tsk tsk..."

"I think it's your idol who's shamelessly trying to piggyback on the popularity of Jiangzhou Fishing Fire!"

As the debate intensified, Tian Xiwei suddenly went online on Weibo.

She first commented on the airport photos taken by her own fan site admin, then liked a trending topic, and then unliked it in the blink of an eye.

This action immediately sparked heated discussions, and "Tian Xiwei liked" quickly rose to sixth place on the trending topics list.

"Is this a tacit admission?"

"Isn't this behavior tantamount to saying, 'Yes, that's exactly it!'"

"Jiang Qing just saved JD.com 3 billion yuan, and then immediately got Yezi the JD Supermarket endorsement. That's what you call real financial support!"

"We, Xiaotian, earn our resources through our own abilities, so don't try to take advantage of us!"

"What level of skill? Was it a deliberate fake fall?"

"Whose fault is it if your own idol isn't charming enough and people switch allegiances?"

"Who knows if some nobody slept with some big shot and is now dragging Jiang Shen into this for attention?"

"It really knows how to cover up..."

The comments section was filled with heated arguments between Jiang Zhou Yu Huo CP fans, individual fans of the three parties, and onlookers eager for drama, propelling the topic to the top of the trending list.

Just then, chat logs from a group chat of executives of a film and television company were suddenly leaked online.

Producer A: "I just asked a friend at iQiyi, and it's true that a senior executive at iQiyi has decided on the role of Tian Xiwei. However, Tian Xiwei was one of the candidates and performed well in the audition, but we can't confirm whether she has any connection with Mr. Li from Baidu."

Director B: "It shouldn't be that serious. Would a female lead role really alarm a big shot like President Li? That's like using a cannon to kill a mosquito."

Agent C: "I don't know about other things, but I heard that Zhou Ye's JD.com endorsement is..."

The fact that the record was taken at a crucial point sparked even greater speculation.

Meanwhile, at 6:17 PM, at Xiangtianxia Hot Pot, Li Xueqin was poking at the small oil bubbles in the sesame sauce dish with the tip of her chopsticks amidst the rising steam from the copper pot when she was suddenly nudged by Wang Sulong's elbow and stumbled.

"Did you see that? Our young master Guo opened the car door himself!"

Wang Sulong leaned out and lifted the bamboo curtain at the second-floor window, letting in the heat of the cicadas chirping outside.

As soon as you look in, Guo Qilin is opening the car door for Jiang Qing and Zhou Ye in a fawning manner.

"We should learn from Da Linzi's approach and stick close to President Jiang's powerful backer."

Li Xueqin leaned close to the window and nodded repeatedly, looking as if she had learned something.

Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Ye had already stepped over the threshold in his canvas shoes, waving a string of candied hawthorns at them.

"Hello, hello! Xueqin! Longlong!"

"Oh my god, we've finally arrived!"

Li Xueqin threw down her chopsticks and went to meet them.

"If we don't bring this plate of mutton tail fat soon, Brother Long will eat it all."

"Heaven and earth, conscience!"

Wang Sulong pointed to the two pieces of cabbage in his bowl.

"I'm testing the saltiness of the broth for you guys."

Guo Qilin came in last, carrying three bags of Arctic Ocean soda.

"Hey guys, today we're all talking about binge eating."

The private room immediately erupted in laughter.

Jiang Qing pressed Zhou Ye down to a seat by the window and casually smoothed out her tangled hair.

The girl glanced at him, grinned, and then continued stirring the oil in the sauce.

Li Xueqin and the other two huddled together, watching this scene with maternal smiles.

They were witnesses to the couple's relationship, and judging from the current situation and the JD.com endorsement deal, it's all settled!

The three were very pleased and nodded in unison, resting their chins on their hands.

Seeing this, Jiang Qing smiled and gracefully took her seat.

"Do the three of you intend to eat standing up?"

The group then realized what was happening and sat down.

"Hurry up and start eating, I'm starving!"

Guo Qilin busied himself with starting to eat, and as he spoke, he had already placed a plate of fatty beef on the table.

"Let's eat! Let's eat!"

Zhou Ye waved his chopsticks enthusiastically in response, and Jiang Qing and the others followed suit with smiles.

I'm already starving at this hour.

Li Xueqin's phone, which was lying to the side, suddenly vibrated and spun around. When she saw the Weibo push notification that popped up on the lock screen, her eyebrows shot up.

"What's the matter?"

Zhou Ye was about to put the shrimp paste into the pot when the tip of his chopsticks froze in mid-air.

After glancing at the content, Wang Sulong sensed something was wrong and grabbed his phone.

"Wow! Our Yezi is now the queen of trending topics!"

He deliberately turned the screen around, revealing the screenshots from the marketing accounts to everyone.

"Now everyone wants to ride on Yezi's popularity."

The bamboo chopsticks slapped against the rim of the bowl. Zhou Ye stared at the entry for "Jiang Qingtian Xiwei," his lips slowly curving into a straight line.

The cicadas outside the window suddenly started chirping so loudly it was annoying.

Jiang Qing narrowed her eyes as she looked at her phone screen, glancing at the girl beside her whose face had turned cold.

He seemed to have underestimated Oda's restless heart, but the current situation had made things a bit more complicated.

Fortunately, Xiao Tian knew to involve Li Yanhong, which greatly reduced the credibility of the news and created room for maneuver.

Moreover, he believed that Guo Qilin and the other two beside him would not just stand by and watch.

And things developed just as he expected.

The bubbling butter in the copper pot splattered onto the back of Zhou Ye's hand. Just as she was about to take out a tissue, Li Xueqin held a tissue up to her hand.

"This hot oil pot is hotter than Gong Yuhan's heart."

As she spoke, she winked at Wang Sulong.

"You guys know Tian Xiwei's manager, right? He's also her boss. Last year, he managed that talent show contestant, didn't he cause her to accidentally fall into the arms of a top star at the airport?"

Wang Sulong was adding chive blossoms to sesame paste when he heard this, and his chopsticks clattered against the rim of the bowl.

"More than that! Last month, Wang Herun, who works for him, accidentally liked a Weibo post by a CP fan, and it was later revealed that it was his manager who logged into the account in the middle of the night."

He suddenly lowered his voice.

"I heard that Gong Yuhan specifically arranged for people to take turns monitoring the trending topics, and he would try to capitalize on any hot events."

Guo Qilin, as if guided by divine inspiration, picked up a trembling piece of tripe and shook it on the bowl.

"Do you remember last year's New Year's Eve party? Haohan's Song Yi happened to wear the same outfit as a top celebrity. The stylist said during the live broadcast that the clothes were taken from the artist's car at the last minute."

The tripe on his chopsticks fell "plop" into the dipping sauce dish.

"Later, someone revealed that it was Gong Yuhan's assistant who had put the clothes in that car beforehand."

Zhou Ye poked at the shrimp paste in her bowl without saying anything, and Jiang Qing smiled and reminded her.

"The tripe is too tough."

As he spoke, he used a slotted spoon to scoop out two pieces and put them into her bowl.

Zhou Ye glanced at him and remained silent.

"He's certainly willing to put in the effort."

Li Xueqin laughed out loud when she saw this.

"It seems that Tian Xiwei, the agent, has her eye on our Yezi now. But it's no wonder, Jiang Zhou Yu Huo is so popular right now."

"That's right, a lot of my staff are fans of the two of you as a couple, so don't forget to sign autographs for me later!"

"I want a few too, I can sell them for a high price, hahaha!"

Guo Qilin and the other two chatted away, their teamwork was incredibly seamless.

Zhou Ye suddenly burst out laughing, picked up the tripe and rolled it three times in the garlic oil sauce.

Do you think I'm a three-year-old?

She chewed with a loud crunch, her cheeks puffed out.

"This attempt to ride the wave of popularity is utterly sloppy. It would be more believable if Jiang Qing had asked President Gong to specifically request Tian Xiwei for the lead role. How could she possibly approach President Li directly for a role?"

The girl raised her thin eyebrows, looking arrogant as if she had already seen through the essence of the matter.

Jiang Qing secretly gave her a thumbs up.

Sure enough, things are developing in the direction he expected.

He knew that in this situation, Li Xueqin and the other two, unaware of the truth, would instinctively help to defuse the awkwardness.

After all, everyone thought that even if he wanted to help Xiaotian get resources, he wouldn't go to Li Yanhong, but no one ever considered the possibility that he didn't know anyone below him except Li Yanhong.

There was a two-second silence in the private room, then Guo Qilin suddenly clapped his hands and burst into laughter.

"You have to admit, Ye Zi is really insightful! I watched the Baidu AI conference last month, and even CEO Li couldn't remember the names of his own product managers."

He counted on his fingers.

"Autonomous driving, smart cloud, Xiaodu smart speaker. These are all projects worth tens of billions of dollars."

Amidst the laughter and chatter, Jiang Qing pushed the newly prepared oil dish in front of Zhou Ye.

A piece of coriander leaf was stuck to the rim of the porcelain bowl. Zhou Ye poked the leaf with the tip of his chopsticks, then picked up a piece of tripe and put it into Jiang Qing's bowl.

"It's overcooked."

She lowered her head and stirred the sesame paste, her cheeks slightly flushed from her earlier suspicion of him.

"Just eat it as is."

"Thank you, Teacher Zhou."

Jiang Qing glanced at the tripe and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

For now, we've managed to get away with it.

(End of this chapter)