The little commotion inside Luo Zheng's office didn't end as quickly as he had hoped.
Instead, it somehow transformed into what felt like a full university lecture.
And Liu Xiaoli was the professor.
For the first time, Luo Zheng truly understood what Xixi had probably been suffering through all these years.
His aunt—no, Liu Xiaoli—had far too many principles, too many morals, and way too many lectures stored inside that elegant little mouth of hers.
She just kept talking.
One topic led to another.
Self-control.
Responsibility.
Proper conduct.
Family boundaries.
Public image.
The importance of setting an example.
Luo Zheng sat there, half-listening, half-regretting every decision that had brought him to this moment.
Wasn't she supposed to be a dancer?
Why did she sound more like a strict university professor giving a three-hour seminar on ethics and social behavior?
Her lips moved nonstop, and for one dangerous moment, Luo Zheng's mind drifted somewhere entirely inappropriate.
I wonder what it would feel like if I just bit that mouth to make her stop talking…
Before the thought could go any further—
Ring. Ring. Ring.
His phone suddenly lit up.
Luo Zheng immediately grabbed it like it was a lifeline.
"Auntie," he said with a serious expression, raising the phone slightly, "I need to handle work. Can we continue this class another time?"
Liu Xiaoli stared at him, clearly unconvinced.
She had the distinct feeling that not a single word she had said had actually entered his brain.
Still, after a brief pause, she finally sighed.
"Fine. Get back to work."
Then her tone softened slightly.
"I'll go check on Xixi's dance practice."
The moment she turned and left, Luo Zheng secretly let out a long breath of relief.
The office door clicked shut behind her.
He silently offered a prayer for his younger cousin.
Stay strong, Xixi.
Then he looked down at the screen.
Xu Jinglei.
He let it ring.
And ring.
And ring.
He had no intention of answering.
The call ended.
A second one came.
Still Xu Jinglei.
He ignored it again.
Then came the third.
Only when the ringtone was about to end did he lazily press answer.
"Hello, Xu the Handmaiden," he said with a faint smirk. "What can I do for you?"
There was a brief silence on the other end before her voice came through, soft and slightly aggrieved.
"Luo Zheng… do we really need to be this distant?"
Then, after a pause, she added quietly, "Or have you already found someone new?"
Luo Zheng leaned back in his chair.
"Shouldn't I be the one asking that question?"
The line fell silent again.
When Xu Jinglei spoke next, her tone had lost its earlier sharpness.
"Brother Zheng… I have my reasons."
"Did Wang Shuo come looking for you again?"
"…Yes."
Her voice lowered.
"He wanted me to come to America and talk things out with him. I refused, but…"
She hesitated.
"You're becoming more and more outstanding. I'm afraid…"
Luo Zheng cut her off directly.
"I always believed in you."
His voice turned colder.
"But you disappointed me."
Silence.
Longer this time.
Finally, he said flatly, "Call me again when you've figured things out."
Then he ended the call.
He didn't have time to waste on emotional games.
Not when there were other "wings" that needed attention.
Almost immediately, the phone rang again.
This time, the name on the screen made him smile.
Dong Jie.
He answered.
"Hello, little girl. Missing your master again?"
On the other side, Dong Jie's voice instantly dropped to a whisper.
"I'm on set right now, Brother Zheng. Lower your voice…"
Luo Zheng chuckled.
"Then shouldn't you find somewhere private first?"
Her soft laugh came through the speaker.
"I just wanted to show off a little."
"Oh?"
Luo Zheng raised an eyebrow.
"And what exactly are you showing off?"
"It's because your movie is so famous right now."
Her voice carried obvious excitement.
"I even bought a scalper ticket just to watch it."
That actually surprised him.
"A scalper ticket?"
He hadn't expected The Man from Earth to become this popular in the mainland.
For a film like this to attract ticket resellers…
That meant the heat was real.
It also meant China Film Group had definitely not wasted their one million.
If anything, the scalpers were the ones feasting now.
But that wouldn't last long.
This year, the cinema circuit reforms were coming.
Private acquisitions.
Better supervision.
Commercial transformation.
And Luo Zheng had every intention of taking a big piece of that cake.
Because in the future—
cinema chains would be everything.
After exchanging a few more sweet and affectionate words with Dong Jie, he finally hung up.
Comparing Xu Jinglei and Dong Jie was like comparing night and day.
One exhausted him.
The other soothed him.
Luo Zheng couldn't help but feel pleased.
This only proved one thing.
A man should have more than one girlfriend.
There would always be at least one willing to provide emotional value.
And instead of feeling guilty, Luo Zheng felt rather proud of this conclusion.
He turned to his computer.
The moment he logged in, another familiar notification popped up.
Fan Bingbing.
It seemed Sister Hua had already finished investigating him.
At her apartment, Fan Bingbing had spent nearly the entire day staring at the newspaper report.
Chairman of an American listed company.
A market value of nearly three hundred million dollars.
First film.
Global box office hit.
Insane return rate.
Young.
Rich.
Talented.
And most importantly—
handsome enough to make her heart skip.
After hesitating for a long time, she had finally sent him a message.
[Are you there?]
[I know who you are now, Big Boss Luo.]
[Can you leave me your phone number? It'll be easier to stay in touch.]
Luo Zheng smiled.
His fingers quickly moved across the keyboard.
[My number isn't given to just anyone.]
[What are you planning to exchange for it?]
The reply came almost instantly.
[What do you want? If I have it, I'll give it to you.]
His smile widened.
[Really?]
[Really!]
[Three photos a day. No repeats. Fifteen days straight.]
[Then I'll consider granting your wish.]
The typing indicator stopped.
Then started again.
[Ah? But I don't have that many photos.]
[Figure it out yourself.]
After a pause, he added:
[Swimsuit or pajama photos earn bonus points.]
A few seconds later:
[What do bonus points do?]
[High enough points unlock a surprise after half a month.]
[What surprise?]
Luo Zheng smirked.
[Can't say. Going offline. 886.]
His avatar instantly turned gray.
At the other end, Fan Bingbing nearly exploded.
"Bastard!"
She glared at the computer.
"You only know how to bully people!"
Then suddenly, an idea struck her.
She sat upright.
"Assistant."
The young assistant outside quickly walked in.
"Yes, Sister Bingbing?"
"Do you know where the nearest digital market is?"
The assistant blinked.
"…Yes, but it's a little far."
Fan Bingbing's eyes gleamed.
"Good. Finish eating. You're coming with me this afternoon."
That night, Luo Zheng stayed late at the company.
Several congratulatory calls came one after another.
Zhao Benshan
Feng Xiaogang
Zhang Yimou
All of them wanted to meet him.
Especially Feng Xiaogang.
He was no longer hiding his intentions.
Huayi Brothers clearly wanted to use Luo Zheng as a bridge into Hollywood.
Except for Zhao Benshan, Luo Zheng gave no direct answer.
He simply said they could meet after he returned to the mainland.
But just as he was preparing to take Xixi out to enjoy Hong Kong's night view—
the front desk called.
A guest had arrived.
And not an ordinary one.
Luo Zheng personally went out to receive them.
The moment he saw the visitors, his eyes narrowed slightly.
A graceful woman stood beside an elegant and charismatic man.
He smiled.
"Sister Rosamund, long time no see."
Then he turned toward the man beside her.
"Brother Wah… we finally meet."
A genuine smile appeared on his face.
"I'm actually a fan of yours."
The visitor smiled warmly.
It was none other than Andy Lau.
Behind Luo Zheng, Liu Xiaoli and Xixi both froze.
Their eyes sparkled with disbelief.
One of the Four Heavenly Kings.
A living legend.
Standing right in front of them.
Even Liu Xiaoli had to admit—
compared to Luo Zheng, he only lost in age.
As they exchanged pleasantries and moved into the VIP room, Luo Zheng's mind was already moving.
As he looked at Andy Lau, a familiar film project surfaced in his memory.
A film series that would later be known as one of the works that helped revive Hong Kong cinema.
A faint smile appeared in his eyes.
Perhaps…
another opportunity had just walked through his door.