"Aunt?"
Luo Zheng called out twice.
But Liu Xiaoli remained still, her eyes unfocused, as if her mind had wandered far away.
Seeing no response, Luo Zheng let out a helpless sigh. He reached out, gently took hold of her pale wrist, and gave it a light shake.
"Ah—what? Sorry… I was distracted."
She suddenly came back to herself, blinking rapidly. A faint blush crept onto her cheeks, betraying her momentary embarrassment.
Luo Zheng smiled faintly and repeated his question.
"So, what do you think?"
Liu Xiaoli took a slow breath, then finally voiced the thought that had been weighing on her heart.
"Why me?"
Luo Zheng's lips curved upward, and his tone was calm but deliberate.
"Because I trust you."
The answer was simple.
Too simple.
For some reason, that smile made Liu Xiaoli uneasy.
In her eyes, it carried a trace of something deeper, as if there was another meaning hidden behind it.
She couldn't help but overthink.
Could it be… that Luo Zheng had improper thoughts toward her?
The idea appeared for a moment and was immediately dismissed.
Impossible.
She was no longer young, and in name, she had once been his elder.
That simply couldn't be it.
Then the only remaining possibility was—
Xixi.
Her heart tightened.
Luo Zheng and Xixi had no blood relation to begin with.
And now, with the legal ties in the family situation gradually disappearing, there would be nothing truly standing in the way if he ever wanted to be with her daughter in the future.
Could she even stop it?
Liu Xiaoli fell silent.
The more she thought about it, the harder it became to find a convincing reason.
After all, Luo Zheng was becoming more and more outstanding with every passing day.
In the end, she could only force herself to focus on one flaw—
his flirtatious nature.
Yes.
That was enough.
At least enough to stop herself from imagining something as absurd as becoming his mother-in-law.
Before she could continue spiraling into thought, Luo Zheng spoke again.
"Besides, in this country, the only people I can truly rely on are you and Xixi."
Those words landed heavily in her heart.
And strangely, they gave her the excuse she needed.
Yes.
That was reasonable.
Luo Zheng's only close relative in China was essentially her and Xixi.
His uncle was still in America.
Xixi was still too young.
So naturally, the only person he could trust with something this important… was her.
The logic was flawless.
Straightening her posture, Liu Xiaoli finally nodded.
"Alright. I'll agree to be the nominee shareholder for your company."
A bright smile instantly appeared on Luo Zheng's face.
"Thank you, Aunt."
His eyes shone with unmistakable satisfaction.
For a split second, Liu Xiaoli felt as if some hidden plan of his had just succeeded.
But she quickly shook that thought away.
No.
It had to be her imagination.
Her earlier prejudice against him had simply run too deep.
Now, no matter what he did, she instinctively suspected him.
As an elder, perhaps she really did need to reflect on that.
With Liu Xiaoli lost in self-persuasion, the plane gradually began its descent.
Soon, it landed smoothly in Hong Kong.
Unlike the grand reception in Beijing, there was no impressive motorcade waiting for them this time.
Oddly enough, Liu Xiaoli found herself a little unaccustomed to the difference.
Her gaze drifted toward Luo Zheng walking ahead, naturally holding Xixi's hand, while two burly bodyguards followed behind with the luggage.
A complicated look appeared in her eyes.
In less than two months, this once-troublesome young man had somehow become the pillar supporting both her and Xixi.
Life truly was unpredictable.
After exiting through the VIP passage, the welcome awaiting them was far from ordinary.
Before they had even fully stepped out, the surrounding crowd began murmuring in surprise.
A tall white American man strode forward, accompanied by a Chinese man in a crisp suit.
Behind them followed two men in black.
The sight drew no small amount of attention.
The moment they approached, both men spoke almost in unison.
"Boss, welcome to Hong Kong."
Luo Zheng burst into laughter and stepped forward to embrace them both.
"Kevin, since when did you become this smooth with words?"
Kevin Feige grinned and immediately pulled the middle-aged Chinese man beside him closer.
"Haha, boss, this was all taught to me by Hui Hong Chen."
Luo Zheng raised a brow.
As expected.
The man beside Kevin was Chan Fai Wang, a Hong Kong local and one of the talents Luo Zheng had specifically poached through a headhunting firm.
His background was impressive.
He had worked as an editor, an actor, a musician, and later rose through the ranks of a major record company.
Had Luo Zheng not stepped in, this man would have likely become one of Asia's top music executives in the coming years.
To secure him, Luo Zheng had directly promised him the position of President of Marvel Asia-Pacific.
Only then had he agreed.
Although Chan Fai Wang's strengths leaned more toward artist and music management than corporate operations, Luo Zheng had little room to be picky.
For now, the temple was small and the waters shallow.
The truly massive talents would come later.
After brief introductions with Liu Xiaoli and Xixi, everyone got into the car and headed toward the company.
During the drive, Kevin quickly began reporting the latest updates.
After the Berlin Film Festival screenings ended, following Luo Zheng's instructions, Kevin had immediately come to Hong Kong.
With Chan Fai Wang's assistance, they rented an entire floor in a small office building to serve as Marvel's Asia-Pacific branch.
Originally, Wang had suggested renting just a few offices to save costs.
But Luo Zheng had firmly rejected the idea.
After all, once Spider-Man was released in May, Marvel's value and fame would surge dramatically.
And with the films he was already preparing, the company was destined to rise rapidly this year.
A shabby branch office was out of the question.
At the same time, Kevin updated him on The Man from Earth.
After Luo Zheng left Berlin, the film festival had expanded screenings to three halls per day.
Every single screening was packed.
The heads of Lionsgate and Focus Features, who had acquired distribution rights, had become even more confident in the film.
They followed Luo Zheng's marketing plan almost religiously.
Academic community infiltration.
Religious controversy marketing.
Film blogger alliances.
Provocative advertising slogans.
And most importantly—
Marvel crossover promotion.
Each tactic was rolled out one after another.
The effect was immediate.
The European and American market had been ignited.
Even Marvel comic fans had begun discussing the film in online communities, bringing even more attention to it.
Yesterday had been the premiere.
Because of the time difference, the box office numbers had not yet arrived.
Noticing Kevin's anxious expression, Luo Zheng smiled.
"Relax."
"I have absolute confidence in this film."
"Besides, the real profits will come from DVD sales."
As they continued speaking, the car finally came to a stop.
Chan Fai Wang quickly stepped out first and personally opened the car door for Luo Zheng.
Kevin froze for a second before helplessly moving to assist Liu Xiaoli and Xixi instead.
Before them stood a six-story office building.
Not especially tall, but respectable.
From the outside, it looked slightly aged.
Inside, however, it was surprisingly well renovated.
Wang explained as they entered.
"In Wan Chai, this is the best value for money."
The company occupied the fifth floor.
As the elevator doors slid open, the familiar MARVEL logo came into view.
The red letters were especially striking.
The moment they entered, two receptionists in uniform bowed with bright smiles.
"Hello, Boss! Hello, President Chan! Hello, Mr. Kevin!"
Liu Xiaoli looked slightly surprised.
"How do they know you?"
Wang smiled as he led the group inside.
"I showed everyone your photo, along with the news coverage from Berlin."
Subtle flattery.
Perfectly timed.
Beside them, Kevin silently sighed.
He still had much to learn about Chinese workplace culture.
After briefly greeting the employees, the group entered the conference room.
As the nominee shareholder and now a senior company figure, Liu Xiaoli naturally joined the meeting.
Everyone took their seats.
Luo Zheng calmly lifted a cup of tea and took a sip.
At that exact moment—
Kevin's phone rang.
He answered.
And in the very next second, he shot to his feet.
His entire face flushed red with excitement.
"Boss!"
"It exploded!"
Luo Zheng looked up.
"What exploded?"
Kevin's voice trembled with exhilaration.
"The movie!"
"Our movie—"
"the box office exploded!"
The room instantly fell silent.
Every pair of eyes locked onto Kevin.
Even Liu Xiaoli and Xixi stared at him in shock.
A smile slowly spread across Luo Zheng's face.
He had been waiting for this moment.
And now—
it had finally arrived.