The Secret Realm of Time, His and Her Life Through the Changes

Chu Yiming took off his backpack and tossed it onto the carpet next to the sofa. He then squeezed in next to Shang Yibo and plopped down, craning his neck to look at his brother's phone.

Shang Yibo's phone screen was already black, but he was still holding it up in front of him.

Chu Yiming pouted and shouted at Shang Yibo, "Bro, are you playing with a black screen here?"

Then, he looked around at the other people sitting on the sofa and said to Fang Xichen, "Isn't this Ding Jiajia? What brings you here?"

"Hey, wait, aren't you the girl in the photos that are going viral online?" Chu Yiming pointed at Zhou Yanruo and said in a big surprise, "My brother's rumored girlfriend? Hahaha, yeah, she's prettier in person than in the photos, isn't she, bro?"

Shang Yibo shoved Chu Yiming hard and said, "Don't talk nonsense."

A blush rose on Zhou Yanruo's embarrassed cheeks.

Chu Yiming simply found the situation amusing; the more gossip there is, the better. Besides, this would provide fodder for his conversations with the girls in his class. Since acquiring firsthand entertainment industry gossip, he had become a quasi-industry insider in the eyes of his female classmates.

"That's right, it's not like I spread it," Chu Yiming said in a forceful and unreasonable manner, "Ding Jiajia, what did you take my brother to Xichuan for?"

"This, me? I..." Ding Jiajia was speechless for a moment.

Just then, the door opened, and Chu Fanqing returned.

Fang Xichen went up to them and said, "Yibo and the others are back. You can talk for a while while I make some arrangements. Dinner will be ready soon."

Zhou Yanruo stood behind Fang Xichen and greeted Chu Fanqing: "Chairman Chu, hello!"

Ding Jiajia quickly stood up and stood beside the sofa, awkwardly bowing slightly as a greeting.

Chu Yiming had already disappeared by the time no one paid attention to him; he probably ran upstairs.

Only Shang Yibo remained seated on the sofa, holding his phone, intently watching something, seemingly detached from the situation.

Chu Fanqing hesitated for a moment, then walked into the living room and sat on the sofa opposite Shang Yibo.

The maid, Li Xiaohong, brought out tea and placed it on the tea table in front of Chu Fanqing.

Zhou Yanruo also returned to the living room.

Chu Fanqing: "Please sit down."

Zhou Yanruo and Ding Jiajia sat down in response.

The temperature in the living room dropped by more than 10 degrees Celsius.

Chu Fanqing picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said to Zhou Yanruo, "Are you going to work as an agent at Yihua Entertainment?"

“Chairman Chu, I am Shang Yibo’s agent, dispatched by Rushang Group.” Zhou Yanruo replied respectfully, “Due to the public opinion situation and the urgency of the matter, I have to cooperate with the public relations work first and have not had time to report to you.”

"Hmm, is it possible to balance both sides?"

"At present, there are no major problems. If any problems arise later, I will consult and report to you."

"Alright, let's make this arrangement for now as a temporary measure."

"Thank you, Chairman Chu."

After Chu Fanqing finished asking Zhou Yanruo about her work arrangements, she looked up at Shang Yibo, who was still fiddling with his phone, and couldn't help but frown.

He said in a deep voice, "Don't you have anything to say to me?"

Shang Yibo still did not respond.

Zhou Yanruo frowned slightly and whispered a reminder: "Shang Yibo, Chairman Chu is talking to you."

Hearing Zhou Yanruo call his name, Shang Yibo finally looked away from his phone and turned to look at Chu Fanqing.

He seemed oblivious to everyone's conversation, as if he were immersed in his own world, detached from worldly affairs.

Chu Fanqing repeated, "Shouldn't you tell me something?"

Shang Yibo said coldly, "No."

"You caused such a huge uproar in Xichuan, drawing a massive public outcry, and you're just sitting here playing games with a clear conscience?"

"It's just work, nothing serious."

"You make it sound so easy, but how many people have cleaned up your messes?"

"They're just doing their job, that's all."

"You... don't know anything." Chu Fanqing stood up, turned around and walked towards the stairs.

Zhou Yanruo and Ding Jiajia exchanged a glance, one clueless and the other at a loss.

The staircase is next to the restaurant. Fang Xichen was helping Chu Fanyan set the table when she saw Chu Fanqing walking over, as if she was going upstairs.

She stopped Chu Fanqing and said, "Where are you going? Dinner is about to be served."

"I'm not hungry." Chu Fanqing stepped one foot onto the stairs.

“Who cares if you’re hungry or not? We’re all hungry. If you don’t come to the table, what will the others do?” Fang Xichen pulled Chu Fanqing’s arm, gave him a wink, and whispered, “It’s rare that we’re all home, so just cooperate.”

Chu Fanqing had no choice but to turn around and walk into the restaurant, where she sat in the host's seat.

Fang Xichen: "Sister Yan, go and call them over. I'll tell the kitchen that we can serve the dishes."

"Ok."

Chu Fanyan responded and went to the living room to call Shang Yibo and the others.

"Yibo, bring everyone over here, it's time to eat."

Shang Yibo immediately stood up. Remembering that this was the first time Zhou Yanruo and Aunt Yan had met, he introduced them: "Zhou Yanruo, this is my Aunt Yan. She raised me since I was a child."

Then he whispered to Chu Fanyan, "This is Zhou Yanruo, she will be my manager from now on."

Zhou Yanruo was baffled by Shang Yibo's inconsistent attitude.

Shang Yibo is lukewarm towards his mother, Fang Xichen. Logically speaking, at just twenty years old, he should still be at an age where he can act coquettishly with his mother, but his obvious estrangement suggests a rift between them.

He was even colder to Chairman Chu, speaking sparingly and ignoring him whenever possible.

Shouldn't a cool and aloof persona be the image that big stars cultivate in public? Why is it that they feel even colder at home, so cold that even in the sweltering heat, they can send a chill down your spine.

He was unusually affectionate towards Aunt Yan, who appeared to be a servant of the Chu family.

Also, I originally thought that Shang Yibo's surname was Shang and Chairman Chu's surname was Chu.

She guessed that Shang Yibo had taken his mother's surname, but the mother of Shang Yibo that she met today, the chairman's wife, had the surname Fang...

This is what it's like to be part of a wealthy family, I just don't understand it.

As Zhou Yanruo was pondering, Aunt Yan warmly led everyone to the dining room: "Jiajia hasn't been to our house for a while, Mr. Zhou. I've heard about her. Come and sit down with us."

Just as they reached the restaurant entrance, Chu Yiming hopped down the stairs.

"No one called me when it was time to eat."

"You didn't need anyone to call you, you just came running because you smelled it," Fang Xichen said affectionately to her son as she stood at the restaurant entrance.

Zhou Yanruo and Ding Jiajia walked into the restaurant side by side, while Shang Yibo walked behind them. Chu Fanyan had already gone around the restaurant to the kitchen.

The restaurant is large, with a typical European-style decor, and a rectangular Western-style dining table in the center.

Chu Fanqing was already seated in the host's seat, watching everyone enter with no expression on her face.

"Hehe, what are we eating today? I want meat." Chu Yiming sat down in the seat furthest away from his father.

"Come on, Yanruo, sit next to Old Chu." Fang Xichen arranged the seats for the "guests".

"No, no, Shang Yibo, please sit over there. I'll sit here." Zhou Yanru politely offered to sit opposite Chu Yiming.

Before she could even sit down, Shang Yibo, who was the last to enter, had already taken that seat.

Fang Xichen: "Yibo likes to sit in that spot. The two of them always sit there, so don't be shy about it."

Before sitting down, Zhou Yanruo nodded to Chu Fanqing as a greeting.

Ding Jiajia sat between Zhou Yanruo and Shang Yibo.

On the other side of the dining table were Fang Xichen, Aunt Yan, and Chu Yiming sitting at the side.