Chapter 37: Instant Fame
When Xu Huazhang stepped out of the secret lab, he took off his lab coat and changed into comfortable casual clothes. In his left hand, he carried two full boxes of beef and two boxes of fresh noodles; in his right, a tightly sealed, fairly large cardboard box.
Turning on his phone, he discovered that he now owed Mu Lantu three meals.
[Baby]: Today’s a good day. You should treat me to a meal. Just owe me for now—I’ve made a note.
[Baby]: The competition ended perfectly. Isn’t that worth a meal? That’s two you owe me.
[Baby]: Hehe, made a clean six million. That’s three meals now!
A rare trace of confusion appeared on the man’s strikingly handsome face. While he’d been away, his partner’s life seemed to be thriving without him. A subtle sense of crisis welled up inside him. In such an exciting life, was there anyone without self-awareness trying to worm their way close?
He tapped the pinned number to call. The young man’s clear, sunny voice, with a barely noticeable hint of joy, reached Xu Huazhang’s ears—and all the suppressed longing in his heart surged up.
“Huazhang?”
Xu Huazhang replied with bright energy,
“Baby, I’m out.”
“Pfft.” Mu Lantu laughed, “You say it like you just got out of prison.”
Xu Huazhang couldn’t help but smile infectiously, his lips curving into a dazzling grin.
“Baby, I’ll be home soon. I want to see you.”
There was a short pause on the other end, a slight change in breathing. Xu Huazhang could almost see the shy expression on the young man’s face—it melted his heart completely.
“Okay. I’ll be waiting at home for you, Big-Beautiful-Man!”
Big Beautiful Man?
Was that directed at him?
Xu Huazhang stared at the disconnected call in disbelief and shook his head with a smile. Smart of him to hang up quickly.
—
Ge Tao and Zhou Ye soon arrived, taking the items from Xu Huazhang’s hands. Their expressions were complicated, like they had a lot to say but didn’t know how to begin.
Xu Huazhang didn’t ask. They’d speak when they were ready.
“Be careful, don’t drop anything.”
“Understood.”
They didn’t need the reminder. Anything from Xu Huazhang’s hands could potentially shake the world. The two men carefully placed the items in the car’s trunk.
Zhan Peng asked, “Boss, are we heading to Hua Banli Apartment or Fenglin Villa?”
He thought he knew the answer, but asked just in case.
“Hua Banli.”
Zhan Peng thought, As expected, and smoothly started the car, driving away from the institute.
Xu Huazhang opened Wechat and had just typed a few words to Mu Lantu when a call came in.
Xu Huafeng, his older brother.
Xu Huazhang wasn’t thrilled to answer—his brother tended to be a little naggy. Maybe it was his age?
Then again, age meant he should be treated with more tolerance. With mature patience, he selected “Answer.”
“Lucky timing—got through on the first try. You out already?” Xu Huafeng teased.
“Just got out. Bro, if you’ve got something to say, say it.”
Xu Huafeng snorted to show displeasure, though his voice remained warm,
“Everyone’s going to Mom and Dad’s for lunch today. Where are you now? I’ll come pick you up.”
It had been nearly a month since he last saw Mu Lantu. Even if Xu Huazhang was confident his partner wouldn’t be swept away by someone else, the thought still made him uneasy.
“I’ll go see Mom and Dad tonight.”
“With your little boyfriend, huh?” Xu Huafeng pretended to think aloud,
“What’s that old saying again? Oh yeah—‘Get a wife, forget your mom,’ right?”
Xu Huazhang laughed coldly,
“And who almost missed Mom’s birthday chasing after his wife?”
“What’s that? Bad signal, couldn’t hear you. Where are you? I’m coming to get you. Settled.”
Xu Huazhang muttered the address with a dark face.
His brother hung up immediately, sounding a little guilty.
Zhan Peng, Ge Tao, and Zhou Ye all pretended not to hear anything—eyes forward, expressions blank.
Xu Huazhang turned to Ge Tao:
“Help me take the beef and noodles to Lantu.”
Ge Tao nodded,
“I’ll wait for Mr. Xu to arrive, then I’ll go.”
Xu Huazhang called Mu Lantu again.
“Baby, my brother called. There’s a family lunch today. I’ll head home after eating.”
“Got it.”
“I brought you some specialty noodles and beef. Ge Tao will deliver them to you in a bit.”
“Understood. I’m livestreaming, so I can’t be away too long. Anything else, we’ll talk when we meet?”
Xu Huazhang had no objections.
—
Not five minutes later, several black cars arrived in a row.
From the lead car stepped a tall, broad-shouldered man in a crisp indigo suit. His features were sharp, his presence commanding. On closer look, his eyes were exactly the same as Xu Huazhang’s—this was Xu Huafeng, Huazhang’s older brother.
Ge Tao exited and greeted him before leaving in a taxi.
Xu Huafeng got into Huazhang’s private van. The convoy merged into traffic, discreetly surrounding the van in the middle.
Xu Huafeng studied his younger brother for a moment, eyebrows furrowing slightly,
“You’ve lost weight.”
“Because you pissed me off,” Xu Huazhang said coldly.
Xu Huafeng chuckled and didn’t argue with his stubborn little brother. Instead, he brought up a topic he knew would spark interest.
“You probably don’t know yet—your little boyfriend’s quite something.”
“Oh?” Xu Huazhang’s eyes sparkled, and he lifted his chin slightly in encouragement.
Xu Huafeng rolled his eyes but eventually relented, his words laced with genuine admiration for Mu Lantu.
“Two things. First, during the LEGO competition deal with Doumao Livestream, Mu Lantu completely dodged all of their traps, didn’t let them take advantage, but still left them with enough profit to save face.
Second, he turned the LEGO finals into a full-on TV variety show. After subtracting the 10 million investment and Doumao’s share, he netted 2 million in profit, then sold the proposal to a TV variety department for another 4 million.
He’s not just a little streamer anymore—he’s made a name for himself in the entertainment industry’s variety scene.”
Xu Huazhang radiated pride from head to toe.
“Of course—anyone I like is never ordinary.”
