NOVPUBChapter 101: 099: Can’t help but be flirtatious, Boss Xie (first update)
Chapter 101: 099: Can’t help but be flirtatious, Boss Xie (first update)
The elder made his fifth phone call.
Second Master Tong stepped aside to answer, “Dad.”
The old man asked about the progress of the matter.
“Still investigating.”
“The PR side is already preparing.”
The Tong Family had hired the top public relations team, who worked through the night and, at 8 o’clock the next morning, responded to the online incident.
Tong Taishi had his account blocked due to a prior scandal, so his agency made a statement on his behalf.
Thousand Boat Entertainment: “We apologize for taking up public resources. Our former artist, TTS, has retired and has been recuperating abroad. His travel schedule does not match the filming date in the video. Don’t believe or spread rumors, thank you.”
To prove that the person in the video wasn’t Tong Taishi, the studio also uploaded photos of him at an overseas hospital, IP location, and flight tickets.
The million-dollar PR team indeed lived up to their reputation.
It’s just a pity that the netizens weren’t buying it, mainly because Tong Taishi’s prior collapse was too severe, and the goodwill of the public had already crumbled to dust.
“I don’t believe it, hit me~”
“Is typing Tong Taishi’s name a crime now or what?”
“Thousand Boat Entertainment, do you really have to take filthy capitalist money?”
“Guess it’s time to go abroad for a haircut lol”
“Boss, come out and slap their faces”
“Pressure is on Mr. Orange Leaf, Mr. White Leaf, Mr. Black Leaf”
“…”
The summer days in the Imperial Capital are long and nights short, the sun always seems to drag its feet, unwilling to set. It was nearly six o’clock, and the sun was still fierce.
The bus shelter at South Bridge Dam had collapsed a few days earlier, and the sun was blistering. Wen Changling used both hands to shield her head from the light.
A taxi stopped in front of her.
The driver rolled down the window to solicit her: “Miss, need a cab?”
The young lady was meek and quiet, “No cab.”
“I’ll give you a discount, hop in.”
She shook her head, gently refusing, “I’m waiting for someone.”
The driver, failing to get a fare, drove off.
Then he came.
The person she was waiting for.
A hundred meters ahead at the crosswalk, a brand new black sedan was stopped in the left turn lane behind a red light. A dilapidated silver pickup was following too closely and failed to stop in time, crashing into the rear of the black sedan with a loud bang.
The pickup driver immediately got out of his vehicle, not bothering to check the damage, went straight to knocking on the window of the black sedan, “Sorry about that, I hit your car.”
The sedan’s window didn’t roll down; the tint was very dark, and from the outside, the interior seemed pitch black.
The pickup driver knocked on the window again, “Can you come out for a sec, so we can discuss compensation?”
The light turned green, but there was traffic ahead.
A crack appeared in the sedan’s window, revealing a man inside wearing a mask and a hat, his voice deep, “You don’t need to compensate.”
That was when the traffic police arrived, badge number 016782.
The road at North Bridge Dam was always congested with frequent incidents, which was why traffic police were often present.
The officer, carrying a baton, came over and first examined the point of collision between the two vehicles, “What happened here?”
The pickup driver honestly confessed, “Brakes weren’t responsive, accidentally bumped it.” He had an honest face and flashed a smile at the officer, “Police comrade, I didn’t run off, we were just negotiating.”
The officer took out a breathalyzer, “Blow into this.”
The pickup driver waved his hands, looking wronged, “I haven’t been drinking.”
“Blow when you’re told to blow.”
The pickup driver complied, and the device showed no alcohol consumption.
The officer then approached the black sedan, “You too, blow into this.”
The sedan’s owner didn’t move.
“Hurry up!”
Officer 016782’s colleague, hearing the commotion, came over to assist.
The sedan’s owner lowered the window, removed his mask, and blew into the device.
The breathalyzer showed that he also had not been drinking.
He put his mask back on, showing no particular expression, “Can I go now? I’m in a hurry.”
Hearing this, the pickup driver quickly said, “I haven’t compensated you yet.”
“No need for compensation.
The pickup driver, looking dutiful and honest, insisted that it wouldn’t be right, and eagerly took responsibility, “I think I heard some noise just now, are you hurt? Don’t play tough, go to the hospital and get checked, I’m not irresponsible.”
“I’m not,” the sedan’s owner replied coldly, asking the traffic police, “Can I go now?”
He seemed to be in a rush.
Just as the officer was about to let him go, the pickup driver, who had somehow made his way to the back of the sedan, patted the rear end of the car, “The sound seems to be coming from the trunk.”
With years of experience, the officer sensed something unusual and immediately his alarm bells rang, “Open the trunk.”
The sedan’s owner made no move.
The pickup driver put his ear to the rear end to listen, then shouted in surprise, “Officer, there really are sounds in here!”
Something was off.
The two officers exchanged a look, one contacted their fellow police, while the other stepped forward, commanding, “Open the trunk.”
Anxiety crept onto the sedan owner’s face.
“I’ll say it one more time, open the trunk.”
Determined to take action, the sedan owner floored the accelerator, the car’s front end just cleared the barrier as he yanked the steering wheel to the left.
That was the moment…
Without a word, the pickup accelerated, striking hard, forcing the sedan to stop. The pickup uncle popped his head out, “Heh heh, no need to thank me, I just can’t stand illegal activities.”
The police officer: “…”
Either way, the car had been stopped.
The two officers pulled the sedan’s owner out of the car by force, and the pickup driver willingly helped open the trunk.
As soon as the trunk lid opened, two people rolled out, a man and a woman, embracing each other, naked.
The man was the “overseas recuperating” Tong Taishi.
“Holy shit!”
The pickup driver quickly whipped out his phone and started snapping close-up shots.
Wen Changling had just gotten up, preparing to leave, when Xie Shang’s call came in.
“Hello.”
“Haven’t you finished work yet?”
“I’m off work.”
Xie Shang asked, “Where are you?”
“I’m lost,” Wen Changling said, “at North Bridge Dam.”
Next to her was a bus stop sign that read South Bridge Dam.
“Wait there, I’ll come to pick you up.”
“Okay.”
Wen Changling hung up and walked to the roadside to hail a taxi.
Several taxis inched along in a line, all with their windows rolled down. Imperial citizens seem to have inscribed a love for spectacle into their DNA.
Wen Changling flagged down a cab and got in.
“Master, to North Bridge Dam.”
The taxi driver’s head almost poked out the window, almost wishing he could fly across to catch the live excitement.
Wen Changling reminded him softly, “Master.” She urged quietly, “Can we go now?”
The driver snapped back to reality reluctantly, “Oh, yes, alright.”
The taxi had just driven less than two hundred meters when the driver made a call, excitedly telling his buddy: A man and a woman at South Bridge Dam were high on drugs, messing around in the trunk, and got caught by the traffic police on the spot. That guy used to be someone famous.
Wen Changling took out a very old cell phone from her bag.
She sent a message: [The money has been transferred.]
The pickup driver did a good job; she transferred twice the amount of money.
She turned off the phone and threw it out the window. It arced through the air before dropping off the bridge into the river below.
If you drive fast from South Bridge Dam to North Bridge Dam, you can get there in thirty minutes. Wen Changling arrived first and waited over ten minutes before Xie Shang showed up.
Wen Changling got into the car.
Xie Shang took her bag and placed it in the back seat, “Have you waited long?”
“No.”
Xie Shang made a U-turn up ahead, and Wen Changling slowed down his usual driving pace, “Didn’t you take a taxi? How did you get lost?”
Wen Changling looked out the window, “I rode a shared bike.”
“Next time, just let me pick you up.”
“Okay.”
Wen Changling was very impressed with the spreading capabilities of the Imperial netizens.
Before she even got home, the incident at South Bridge Dam had spread almost universally online; the onlookers sat in rows, buzzing with excitement.
[Oh my eyes, they’ve been traumatized again]
[Recovering abroad? Oh NO, they were convalescing in the trunk]
[Really knows how to have fun]
[Thousand Boat Entertainment, does your face hurt?]
[This slap in the face is like watching a drama]
[You wouldn’t dare shoot a series like this]
[Big shot, big shot, is that you? Are you out there fighting for the people?]
[The most explosive event in showbiz history, without a doubt]
[If they don’t break up, I’ll eat my keyboard]
[What did TTS do to deserve this, these consecutive moves are just too impressive]
[…]
Wen Changling scrolled through the comments with great enjoyment.
Someone spoiled the fun, “Stop looking.”
She looked up, “Hmm?”
Xie Shang had found out about the current hot topic through Gu Yihuan’s loudspeaker on his way to pick up Wen Changling.
Gu Yihuan had ranted on the phone for over ten minutes, the gist being that if such trash could become a rapper, why couldn’t he, a citizen who loved singing, make his debut?
Xie Shang said, “It dirties your eyes.”
Wen Changling, having just completed a task and in notably high spirits, replied too quickly, “I’ve seen dirtier things.”
Xie Shang’s expression grew serious, “What have you seen?”
Having seen Tong Taishi, high as a kite, acting like a dog in front of a tiny camera.
Wen Changling replied with a straight face and earnestly, “Action movies.”
Xie Shang: “…”
Miss Wen had a knack for startling remarks.
Xie Shang didn’t know how to respond. If it had been an unrelated woman, he wouldn’t have cared what kind of movies she watched. Men and women alike can be curious about sex, and he didn’t think women should constrain themselves. If such a matter is normal among men, it shouldn’t be seen as unusual among women either.
But Wen Changling…
He was selfish.
“Who showed them to you?”
Wen Changling was silent for a few seconds before she answered untruthfully, “Myself.”
At eighteen, she had watched them with her mother.
Her mother taught her to know how to protect herself.
Xie Shang was not adept at discussing these topics with the opposite sex, especially when it was Wen Changling, “Don’t watch them in the future.”
“Why?”
Wen Changling looked at Xie Shang with an open, direct gaze.
“You have a boyfriend now.”
“Oh.” Wen Changling feigned an epiphany, boldly and straightforwardly moving her gaze from Xie Shang’s face down to his abdomen and below in a clearly inappropriate manner. Despite the audacity of her actions, her eyes remained clear, her innocence giving off an unintentionally seductive allure, “Then should I watch you, boyfriend?”
The car’s direction veered slightly.
Xie Shang straightened the car, his expression unaltered, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly, “Don’t talk, I’m driving.”
Wen Changling turned her head and looked out the window.
Hmph, can’t take a joke.
