Chapter 22: Transmigrated as a Cheapskate Phoenix Man (22)
“What ex-girlfriend?” Sang Qianshan frowned. Only after finishing his messages did he find time to pay attention to his manager.
If it isn’t an ex-girlfriend getting married, why the foul face? the manager complained internally, though he didn’t dare say it out loud. He could only change the subject. “The news about hiring a fake friend was probably leaked by your rivals.”
“I don’t have rivals,” Sang Qianshan said. “They’re all defeated losers.”
“…” The manager wiped his face. “Right, defeated losers.”
The “defeated loser” Sang Qianshan mentioned was Pei Zhuo, the Movie King who had narrowly lost to him at a recent awards ceremony. Pei Zhuo had debuted earlier than Sang Qianshan, always taking the route of a gentle, elegant, and generous noble gentleman in the industry, boasting an exceptional reputation and public image.
Because they were close in age and career paths, and because Pei Zhuo had debuted earlier with a formal background in acting, over time, the outside world naturally treated them as rivals.
However, Sang Qianshan had always disliked that smiling tiger Pei Zhuo, feeling the man was far too calculating and rarely spoke a word of truth.
“What did Pei Zhuo do this time?” Sang Qianshan looked at his manager.
He remembered that Pei Zhuo would also be joining this reality show, supposedly bringing along a non-celebrity friend from outside the industry. The friend had been acquainted with Pei Zhuo for many years, and whenever Pei Zhuo brought him up, his expression was filled with admiration and respect.
Pei Zhuo also happened to be the very first guest announced for Durian TV’s reality show promotion.
One could say it was already a viral hit before even airing.
Sang Qianshan was the final guest to be unveiled. The moment the two names came out, the gossip-loving audience reached a collective climax—this show was bound to tear itself apart from online fights to offline brawls, and it couldn’t get more thrilling!
The manager let out a sigh.
“Pei Zhuo probably knows you don’t have friends…” Receiving Sang Qianshan’s death glare, he immediately corrected himself, “…no friends who are willing to be exposed to the cameras. Guessing I’d try to figure out a way to get you on this show, he decided to strike first and planted that thread on the forum.”
Hearing this, Sang Qianshan truly grew impatient—
“I told you this reality show was pointlessly stupid, yet you insisted I take it.”
Still, it wasn’t easy to suddenly go back on a signed contract. Although he was somewhat willful and rash by nature, he knew this show was the result of his entire team slaving away for it.
“The worst part is…” The manager wiped his face again. “That guy is going too.”
“Who?”
“The one hinting you have a bad temper and keep to yourself,” the manager prompted. “The one who recently blew up from a drama, Yu Huaining. He worked with you before.”
“Him?” Sang Qianshan was puzzled. “Why do I remember his name wasn’t on the list initially?”
Although he didn’t care much about such matters, this Yu Huaining was clearly planning to step on him to create buzz on the show. He remembered Durian TV’s initial guest list didn’t include him at all?
“He wasn’t on it at first.” Speaking of this, the manager also broke into a cold sweat.
“The person originally scheduled broke his leg doing extreme sports and can’t come now. They couldn’t find anyone with an open schedule on short notice, and Yu Huaining happened to pitch himself. Seeing that he has good traffic lately, the show’s team put him on the backup list.”
“Seeing that he has traffic?” Sang Qianshan sneered. “They’re just here to watch a good show, aren’t they.”
Saying that, he grabbed his phone and prepared to head out—
The manager took a glance and was instantly startled. “My lord! Put on your glasses and hat!”
Just as Cen Yu was getting ready to turn off his computer and leave work, he suddenly received a message from Sang Qianshan—
[Big Star: I’m downstairs at your company. License plate XXXXX.]
Seeing this message, Cen Yu’s face was covered in question marks???
No, bro, you??
Shutting down his computer with one hand, he started typing a message back to Sang Qianshan with the other. Perhaps worried that typing would be too slow, he simply sent a voice message instead—
“Where are you?”
Sang Qianshan quickly sent a voice message back as well.
“Parking isn’t allowed here, so I went to the garage in the building next to yours.”
“Come find me when you arrive.”
Cen Yu’s company complex was divided into three buildings: A, B, and C. Aside from Building A, which was purely an office tower, the remaining two buildings mainly housed various high-end dining and hotel establishments.
He took another look at the message Sang Qianshan had sent him, which detailed the exact parking spot and license plate number. Just as he was about to walk over, Gao Lanyuan, who had followed him, tapped his shoulder.
“Brother Cen, wait up.”
Cen Yu glanced at Gao Lanyuan. “I have something to do today.”
“Got an appointment with your roommate?” Gao Lanyuan asked.
“No, another friend.” After locking his phone screen, Cen Yu shoved it into his pants pocket.
There were tons of people in their building, especially since they worked on a high floor; leaving work every day felt like going to battle, where trying to catch an elevator was enough to make someone throw up blood.
Finding a spot in the elevator just as it arrived, he was about to squeeze inside when Gao Lanyuan entered right behind him.
Just as Cen Yu was about to say it was overloaded, Gao Lanyuan offered a small smile. “Sorry, let me squeeze in, I’m in a rush.”
Then he rested a hand on Cen Yu’s shoulder, using his body weight to push against him, making him step deeper into the elevator cabin—
“I can’t move anymore.” Cen Yu felt that the space behind him was packed to the brim.
When Gao Lanyuan squeezed past him, his legs couldn’t move at all. His upper body leaned back almost as a reflex, only for Gao Lanyuan to brace one hand against the side wall of the elevator while wrapping his other hand around Cen Yu’s waist. “Please close the doors.”
The elevator doors quickly shut behind Gao Lanyuan. Once closed, having reached its maximum capacity, the elevator stopped making intermediate calls and headed straight down toward the first floor.
Cen Yu could feel Gao Lanyuan’s palm resting right against his lower back.
Feeling somewhat uncomfortable, he wanted to shift his body, only to immediately hear an impatient tsk from the person beside him—
So he had no choice but to stop moving, standing frozen on the spot like a wooden mannequin.
Squeezed inside the elevator, Gao Lanyuan braced one hand against the wall. Standing well over 185 cm, he stood out like a crane among a flock of chickens in the crowded space.
Although Cen Yu wasn’t short, being so close together inevitably created a slight height difference.
His face was almost pressed up against the side of Gao Lanyuan’s face, forcing him to turn his head as far away as possible. Yet every breath he took was filled with the other’s light, woody scent… Huh?
Cen Yu’s nose twitched slightly.
He looked up at Gao Lanyuan and asked in a low voice, “You changed your cologne?”
“Yeah.” Gao Lanyuan had switched to a lighter cologne, a blend of wood and basil. “Didn’t you say you didn’t like the previous one I used?”
He offered a subtle smile. Because they were so close, his breath brushed right against the side of Cen Yu’s ear—
“So I switched to a new one.”
