The story of Rose starts with being a brother

Chapter 522 Zeng Xiaoxian and Jia Wanyu
"Just write, 'Comrade Baoqiang, I believe in you. You will definitely succeed one day. I wish you a bright future and overflowing confidence...'"

"Isn't it a little long?"

When Zeng Xiaoxian saw that the fan named Huang Baoqiang wanted him to sign a long and difficult sentence, he quickly interrupted him and said, "Can I sign 'Hello' instead?"

Although Huang Baoqiang was a little disappointed, he didn't hesitate and readily agreed, since he was just there to ride on his idol's coattails.

"Teacher Zeng, what you said was amazing! I want to become a big star and a millionaire like you. Do you have any tips or tricks?"

"Well..." Zeng Xiaoxian thought for a moment and then said, "Read more books and newspapers, eat less snacks and sleep more."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zeng Xiaoxian neatly signed his name on Huang Baoqiang's clothes.

"Wow, Zeng Xiaoxian, he really is a national idol, he even has fans now."

Just then, a voice came from behind. Zeng Xiaoxian turned around and saw his old boss, Lisa Rong, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

"Lisa~"

Although he became a millionaire on the surface, Zeng Xiaoxian's masochistic tendencies were triggered the moment he saw Lisa Rong.

She didn't even care about the fan in front of her, leaving her behind and rushing to greet Lisa Rong.

"Lisa, you've finally arrived! I've missed you so much!"

"I was just passing through on a business trip. My boss asked me to come over and say hello to you, and also to check on the contract's implementation."

"Don't worry, the contract is going smoothly," Zeng Xiaoxian said quickly, but his expression soon turned anxious. "Lisa, do I have to film all the commercials in the contract before I can go back?"

"What do you say?"

Lisa Rong looked at him and laughed, "You signed a contract for thirteen commercials, and you've only filmed three so far. You'll probably have to stay here for another year after you finish filming the rest."

"..."

Upon hearing that he would have to stay here for another year, Zeng Xiaoxian's face immediately fell.

Although he did want to avoid Hu Yifei because of what he had done to her before, he didn't intend to hide for a whole year!

He only hid for four or five months after forcibly kissing Hu Yifei before, so surely he won't hide for a year after drinking this time?

"A year? Lisa, I'm having trouble adjusting to the climate here, the dry weather makes me constipated!" Zeng Xiaoxian quickly pleaded, "Could you transfer me back sooner?"

"You want to be transferred back?"

Lisa Rong was somewhat surprised to hear this, and looked at Zeng Xiaoxian, saying, "Weren't you quite happy when you heard you were going on a business trip for several months when you first came here?"

"Hehe, back then was back then," Zeng Xiaoxian chuckled dryly. "Besides, a few months and a year... there's still a difference."

Upon hearing this, Lisa Rong glanced at him and sneered twice before saying, "You're in luck. Insider information: the leadership is preparing a brand new TV program for you. They're taking advantage of your popularity after winning the competition to make some big moves."

"Here? Filming a TV show?" Zeng Xiaoxian didn't know whether to be happy or cry.

He filmed three commercials here, which gave him some fame, but it wasn't enough for him to continue to succeed in his career. Only by gaining more exposure on television could he increase his career value.

However, if he were to do television programs here, it would also mean that this place would become the center of his life thereafter.

Some time ago, he had a dream in which he won a millionaire's show, achieved success through a tailor-made program, moved to another city, and his wealth increased day by day. But in the end, he could only grow old alone. At that time, he even began to regret why he had answered that last question correctly...

"What are you thinking about? Of course I'm going back to Shanghai to film a show!"

At this moment, Lisa Rong's voice rang out, pulling Zeng Xiaoxian back from his reverie.

After a few seconds of hesitation, he immediately jumped up in surprise.

"real?!"

“Of course,” Lisa Rong laughed. “This show also has a very domineering name—‘I Choose You in the Name of the Moon’!”

"Just hearing the name makes it seem like it's going to get high viewership."

Zeng Xiaoxian was excited to learn that he could go back, but he quickly remembered something else: "By the way, will my bonus be deducted if I go back early?"

When he first left Shanghai and came here, Wen Sheng called him to specifically remind him not to breach the contract and to pay close attention to the details of the contract. The production team would be happy to freeze the bonus after he unexpectedly breached the contract.

Therefore, Zeng Xiaoxian, who had nominally won five million but hadn't actually received a single penny, was quite cautious during this period, fearing that the five million might disappear without a trace if he wasn't careful.

Upon hearing this, Lisa Rong exclaimed in surprise, "You mean the five million? You haven't received it yet, have you?"

"..."

Zeng Xiaoxian's lips twitched: "I didn't see a single hair."

"That might be due to unforeseen circumstances."

"..."

Seeing Zeng Xiaoxian's bewildered expression, Lisa Rong decided to tease her old subordinate, saying a bunch of things about force majeure preventing the bonus from being paid.

As she expected, Zeng Xiaoxian, who had been cautious but still hadn't received the bonus, turned pale upon hearing these words.

Seeing this, Lisa Rong felt a sense of relief.

After several months apart, Zeng Xiaoxian is still her slut.

So she calmly explained that the bonus should be arriving soon. Like she always said, banks don't ask for any paperwork when receiving money, but there are a lot of paperwork involved when paying out.

Realizing he'd been tricked, Zeng Xiaoxian got angry... then grinned and said that Lisa was really good at joking.

Over the years, Zeng Xiaoxian had the experience of raising his voice or even scolding Hu Yifei, but he still maintained a 100% submissive record when it came to Lisa Rong.

"Wait, Lisa, can I be free after I finish filming this commercial?"

……

"Long time no see, Meijia. Let me introduce you. This is my girlfriend, Tang Youyou."

At Lonely Corner Bar, upon learning that Meijia had returned, the other residents of the apartment rushed back that afternoon, except for Lu Ziqiao.

Well, it's important to know that, in a sense, none of the people currently living in the apartment are workers who are required to work regular office hours.

For example, Guan Gu Shenqi, as a cartoonist, always draws in his apartment. This morning, he happened to be at the publishing house discussing matters related to his new comic. When he returned, he received a message from Wen Sheng and sped up his work.

As for Yifei, although he was a teacher at the school, it happened to be the university's final exam week and summer vacation, so she didn't have any classes. After going to the school to proctor exams in the morning, she stayed at the school to deal with some trivial matters. After receiving the news, she naturally put down her chores and rushed back.

There's also Tang Youyou, who's working on her lines at the drama center. It's part of the regular schedule for informal performances and rehearsals, and the drama troupe won't make things difficult for her if something comes up unexpectedly.

It's worth mentioning that Wen Sheng, who has gradually begun to get involved in the film and television industry recently, has also thought about helping Tang Youyou, but it's not that simple.

Wen Sheng is new here, so he can't just squander his money. Besides, he can't possibly spend a lot of money to promote Tang Youyou. Even if their relationship hadn't reached that point, Youyou would have to be able to help him recoup his investment. He's not a coal mine owner, nor is he a philanthropist.

Youyou, this talented actress... how to put it? Perhaps it's because she's played too many corpses that her acting has gradually gone astray.

Simply put, when she plays a dead person, she makes it seem like she's really dead; when she plays a living person... there's always a faint sense of death about her.

Wen Sheng had previously secretly recommended her to join a film crew to play some minor, hard-to-die supporting roles, and that's how he discovered she had this problem.

So Wen Sheng temporarily abandoned these arrangements and then subtly suggested that Tang Youyou could continue to hone her acting skills in theater when she wasn't filming.

Because of the minor success of "Reversal Hero" last year, Tang Youyou has had the opportunity to work in several film crews and hasn't performed in a stage play for quite some time.

Looking back now, she realizes Wen Sheng's words made sense, so she went back to acting in plays. It just so happens that she hasn't reached the point where she'll truly become famous yet.

Getting back to the main point, it was precisely because their jobs were somewhat flexible that they rushed back as soon as they heard that Meijia had returned.

Aside from Lu Ziqiao, whose purpose remains unclear—whether he's there to pick up girls, sell miracle drugs, or conduct human experiments.

Now that everyone was gathered together, Guan Gu Shenqi quickly introduced Tang Youyou to Meijia. He wasn't completely clueless in this regard; he could sense some of the feelings Meijia had for him back then.

Unfortunately, he only saw Mika as his younger sister and had no other thoughts about her.

So now that Meijia is back, it's a good opportunity to explain the situation clearly.

However, to the surprise of Guan Gu and Hu Yifei, who also knew about this matter, Meijia's attention was now entirely on Wen Sheng on the other side.

Those eyes, which had been staring intently for a long time, were unwilling to look away.

"..."

However, under everyone's gaze, Chen Meijia quickly regained her composure and smiled at Tang Youyou, saying, "Hi~"

"..."

Hu Yifei was speechless. After so long, Chen Meijia was still the same.

So she nudged Wen Sheng beside her and whispered, "When Meijia saw you at the apartment today, did she...do anything to you?"

"Well..."

Upon hearing this, Wen Sheng's expression turned somewhat strange. After hesitating for a moment, he still said, "I didn't do anything. She was just a little emotional when she came back and hugged me."

Well, luckily I stopped them in time, preventing them from taking advantage of me even more. Then I remembered that the girl in front of me was Chen Meijia.

What a coincidence! The other person, a long-time resident of the apartment, has finally returned after disappearing for an entire season.

Hu Yifei nodded after hearing this, which was about what she had expected. Then she looked at Meijia and said, "Meijia, we really want to know, why did you leave without saying goodbye?"

"I……"

Chen Meijia hesitated for a moment. She looked at the people in front of her and didn't know how to start the conversation.

At this point, Hu Yifei added, "We asked Ziqiao later, but he didn't want to say much, so we didn't press him further. Did you two have a falling out?"

"Zi Qiao?"

Chen Meijia started to play dumb: "If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten about this person, Zhang Ziqiao?"

"..."

Everyone was speechless. Hu Yifei corrected them, "His surname is Lü."

"Oh, Lü Ziqiao, when did he change his surname?"

"..."

Sitting next to Guan Gu, Tang Youyou's expression shifted slightly. She had heard Guan Gu mention Meijia before and knew that the girl and her eldest nephew seemed to have had a tragic past.

So she was quite curious about the other party. After all, among her nephew's many ex-girlfriends, Chen Meijia was the one who had been entangled with her nephew for the longest time. Moreover, she had seen a photo of her nephew and Meijia together in her nephew's room.

As the only male in the Lu family, Tang Youyou was also entrusted with the task of helping Lu Ziqiao find a wife when she talked to her family.

Now that she's heard that Chen Meijia has returned, she naturally wants to come and take a good look at her again to see if it's possible to find a niece-in-law.

But now, she feels that this possibility might be just her overthinking.

Seeing the looks in their eyes, Chen Meijia lowered her head shyly and said, "Okay, I left because I realized something. Do you guys still remember the day Zhanbo confessed to Wanyu?"

"Of course I remember, it was Valentine's Day, and everyone was at the apartment," Guan Gu quickly replied.

On Valentine's Day, he, Zeng Xiaoxian, and Hu Yifei went to participate in the community basketball game. Originally, it was just to pass the time on Valentine's Day. It was raining, and he and Zeng Xiaoxian wanted to leave early, but because of Hu Yifei, they ended up playing eight overtime periods.

Back then, when he participated in the Kanagawa Prefecture high school basketball tournament and was eliminated by Shohoku High School in the preliminary round, the basketball game on Valentine's Day was more memorable than that one.

"Weren't you perfectly fine back then?" Hu Yifei asked.

“Of course, you can’t tell on the surface,” Chen Meijia said with emotion. “But seeing such a heartwarming scene, everyone will feel a little touched inside!”

That Valentine's Day, surrounded by roses in room 3601, Zhanbo read aloud the love letter "The Lonely Square 3" to Wanyu.

Those eavesdropping at the door accidentally pushed it open and barged in, witnessing the moment the young couple got together. Everyone was genuinely touched.

Of the people in the bar, only Yifei and Guangu had experienced that scene, and they couldn't help but reminisce.

Aside from recalling the agony of playing overtime in the rain, all Guan Gu could think about was the craving for noodles with soybean paste and braised eggs.

Hu Yifei, on the other hand, was excited that her silly younger brother had finally found a girlfriend and that the family was about to prosper.

"Now that you mention it, everyone was really touched!" Hu Yifei sighed.

Then Guan Gu asked, "And you? Meijia, what were you thinking at the time?"

After a moment of hesitation, Chen Meijia said, "I think maybe my happiness isn't here, so I decided to go to Taipei to clear my head."

As a young woman in the prime of her youth, she naturally wanted to have a sweet romance after witnessing such a romantic confession, but at that time, the only men left in the apartment were Lu Ziqiao and Guan Gu.

Chen Meijia felt somewhat helpless about these two. As for Lu Ziqiao, there was no need to say anything; how could she fall for his tricks again? As for Guan Gu… Meijia had finally figured it out; he was just a blockhead. All her efforts had been in vain.

Therefore, happiness can only be found externally.

"Taipei?!"

Everyone gasped in surprise, and Hu Yifei asked again, "What are you doing there?"

“I have a distant relative over there. I was planning to tell you as soon as I settled in, but I got so busy that I forgot,” Chen Meijia continued without blinking. “To be honest, I own a clothing store over there.”

"Wow!"

Just as the group was marveling at this, Wen Sheng raised an eyebrow. How come he remembered that in the original drama, Chen Meijia went to Northeast China to work as a nude model?
After Meijia finished telling her story, Tang Youyou interjected, "By the way, Meijia, did you find your happiness on this trip?"

Although I feel the chances are slim, there might still be a chance to resolve the Lu family's long-standing problem.

"Well... I do have a friend who's pursuing me."

At this point, Chen Meijia smiled shyly.

"Why are ordinary friends laughing so happily?"

“I haven’t decided whether I want to be with him yet! He’s a Malaysian Chinese, and we met on a plane.”

Chen Meijia feigned composure for a moment, then looked at her phone and said, "Aiped said he'll be here soon, right at the door."

……

While everyone in the apartment in Shanghai was celebrating Meijia's return, a young couple in a European country on the other side of the world was about to end their year-long round-the-world trip.

In the hotel, Lin Wanyu stood by the window watching Lu Zhanbo go downstairs to buy things, and sighed softly, "Zhanbo, I'm sorry."

The phone she held in her hand was constantly flashing messages from the supercomputer at home, asking when she would be returning.

But amidst these countless inquiries, one message occasionally flashes by: Do not answer! Do not answer!
(End of this chapter)