I Became a Heartthrob After Marrying in My Sister's Place - Chapter 29

Chapter 29

A feather-light kiss landed on Sang Yu’s chin. Ming Huaizhi kept his eyes lowered, his eyelashes fluttering, and immediately buried his head tightly against Sang Yu’s shoulder after the kiss.

Tilting his head, those dark, round eyes were filled with shyness, not daring to look at anyone.

Sang Yu hadn’t even reacted yet, still immersed in the sensation of the kiss, when Spike spoke up: “You two have such a wonderful relationship. I thought Eastern boys were more reserved in expressing their affection.”

Feeling the heavy weight against his shoulder, Sang Yu smiled and explained to Spike: “He wants me to help him fulfill a wish.”

Spike smiled knowingly: “So that’s how it is.”

Ming Huaizhi sensed a change in their tone and slowly lifted his head, whispering to Sang Yu: “What did he say?”

Sang Yu: “He said you’re cute.”

Ming Huaizhi leaned in a bit closer: “What about the advertisement spot?”

Sang Yu: “Don’t worry, I’ll talk to him some more.”

Hearing Sang Yu’s words, Ming Huaizhi calmed down. However, to demonstrate the depth of their feelings, his eyes remained glued to Sang Yu like a clingy kitten.

As Spike and Sang Yu chatted, he listened quietly and even peeled the difficult shrimp shells for both of them.

Spike was flattered: “One for me too?”

Although Ming Huaizhi didn’t understand Arabic, he got the gist and nodded, gesturing for Spike to try it with a squeeze of lemon juice.

Spike looked at Sang Yu with envy: “How did you two meet?”

Sang Yu: “By a strange twist of fate.”

Such a mysterious answer made Spike even more curious. He raised his glass: “I’m having a private party on a cruise ship next week. If you have time, you’re more than welcome to come.”

After Sang Yu translated this to Ming Huaizhi, the latter readily agreed.

On the way home, Sang Yu told Ming Huaizhi that Spike had agreed to lease the advertisement spot and told him to prepare the contract as soon as possible.

While happy, Ming Huaizhi took the initiative to open a bottle of coffee and hand it to Sang Yu: “Sang Yu, thank you.”

Sang Yu: “It wasn’t entirely to help you. ‘Island’ is a product of our subsidiary; helping you is helping myself.”

Ming Huaizhi insisted: “I’m still grateful to you.”

At this, Sang Yu gave a meaningful smile: “Do you know what it means that we secured the ad spot today?”

Ming Huaizhi: “I don’t know.”

Sang Yu took a sip of coffee: “When a husband and wife are of one mind, their sharpness can cut through gold.”

Ming Huaizhi’s cheeks turned an inexplicable shade of red.

“Sang Yu, after I finish the reality show, I have a month of free time to spend with you and Grandma. My next movie doesn’t start filming for another month.”

Sang Yu wasn’t satisfied with the deliberate subject change. He paused: “Let’s stick to the Spike matter we won because we cooperated well.”

Ming Huaizhi hurriedly picked up a book and lowered his head to read: “Are you in this month’s finance magazine?”

Sang Yu didn’t fall for it and continued: “Since our chemistry is so good, I might be a little reluctant to leave you after the divorce.”

Ming Huaizhi murmured vaguely: “We weren’t married to begin with; it’s just a contract.”

Looking at his bright red earlobes, Sang Yu leaned in on purpose: “True. But once our contract ends, I should probably start dating your brother, right?”

Ming Huaizhi protested softly: “I only promised to introduce you two; I didn’t say you could date.”

Sang Yu: “With my qualities, your brother will definitely be charmed the moment he sees me. Won’t the dating happen fast?”

Ming Huaizhi was amused: “Oh really?”

Sang Yu bumped his shoulder again: “You know your brother. Do you think he’ll fall for me at first sight?”

Ming Huaizhi covered his ears: “I don’t know.”

Sang Yu curled his lips: “What should I do if he falls for me at first sight?”

Ming Huaizhi’s lips curved upward: “I don’t know.”

…

Once the advertisement spot was settled, the contract was signed in short order. When Ming Huaizhi brought the contract back to the office, even Cheng Shian was extremely surprised.

Lu Zilin stared at the contract and said snidely: “Brother Tang really has wide connections even more so than the directors. Is there even a point for the rest of us to try?”

Cheng Shian, being called out, felt slightly awkward: “Xiao Tang getting the contract is his own capability. According to the rules, the Skyscraper Building ad spot will feature Xiao Tang’s promotional poster.”

Gu Ci was also very resentful.

He said sourly: “In that case, can we even win? Might as well save the trouble and just let Brother Tang win directly.”

Xie Jingsheng was indifferent to such childish mockery, sitting leisurely at his workstation and handling his promotion step-by-step. As for Jing Lan, she disliked how the two were targeting Ming Huaizhi, but given her small status and lack of influence, she didn’t dare offend anyone. She knew they only dared to be so brazen because the preparation process over these few days wasn’t being live-streamed.

Cheng Shian encouraged them: “Don’t give up, everyone. Put your promotions out there and see what the returns are first.”

“Why wouldn’t we continue to compete?” Ming Huaizhi handed the documents to Cheng Shian and stood at his desk, looking at the two: “The original intention of the competition was to promote the app for the company’s benefit. Are you going to sacrifice the company’s interests and refuse to promote just because you think you have no chance? The company’s money isn’t for everyone to squander at will.”

Lu Zilin glared at him: “I never said I refused to be promoted. Don’t put labels on me.”

Ming Huaizhi looked composed: “Whether you meant it or not, everyone knows in their hearts, and you know it best yourself. The 5 million Skyscraper promotion spot was always an extra bonus. It’s precisely because everyone knows that whoever gets it has a better chance of winning that they worked hard for it. Weren’t you doing the same? Wasn’t Gu Ci?”

Gu Ci was speechless: “I—”

After saying his piece, Ming Huaizhi ignored them and went to coordinate the follow-up matters with Cheng Shian.

Lu Zilin remarked sarcastically: “I suppose the spokesperson will end up being him too.”

“If not him, then you?” Xie Jingsheng gave a mocking laugh: “Since we started filming the MV, Ming Yantang has always had the highest popularity. Now that he’s secured a 5-million-dollar ad spot, would the company be stupid enough to discard their early investment?”

Lu Zilin, being confronted so publicly, couldn’t save face: “You’re defending him so much—do you like him?”

Xie Jingsheng’s expression changed slightly: “Don’t talk nonsense.”

“Whether I’m talking nonsense or not, you know best.” Lu Zilin stood up with his water cup. “Too bad he doesn’t have eyes for you; he only has eyes for someone like Sang Yu.”

Xie Jingsheng retorted: “That sentence applies to you too. You have eyes for President Sang, but he doesn’t have eyes for you.”

Jing Lan hid to the side, trembling, and slipped out quietly while no one was paying attention.

With that, all the promotion for the “Island” app officially began.

When all new users downloaded and installed the app, a prompt would pop up: “How did you hear about Island?” Besides the option of the five celebrity guests, there was also an “Other” option where users could choose freely.

In just two days, the user downloads driven by Ming Huaizhi rose sharply, reaching the top spot with 1.8 million downloads, double that of the second-place Lu Zilin. And this was achieved before the Skyscraper Building promotion had even started.

After Sangli Media received the data, they re-evaluated the commercial value of the celebrities. Based on the internship performance over the past two months, Ming Yantang was tentatively selected as the spokesperson with a fee of 30 million. This news was unknown to anyone outside the high-level meeting.

For those two days, Ming Huaizhi was completely free, either lounging at home or visiting Grandma Sang to keep her company.

With Ming Huaizhi around, Grandma Sang, who rarely left the house, became more and more energetic. If they weren’t going to the outskirts to look at flowers one day, they were going to hot springs the next, or eating and drinking on the cultural streets.

Ming Huaizhi didn’t find spending time with the elderly boring; on the contrary, he felt their personalities were quite similar. They got along great, and laughing and playing together was much more fun than being abroad.

Seeing Ming Huaizhi coming home with a flushed face every day, Sang Yu was naturally happy. Besides sending a few more bodyguards to follow them, he didn’t interfere much, though he often reminded him to bring a thick coat to avoid catching a cold.

One morning, Ming Huaizhi accompanied Grandma Sang to a summer resort in the neighboring city. The scenery was pleasant, and Grandma Sang suggested staying overnight. Ming Huaizhi had his medicine with him and agreed.

Although it was cool there, some of the palace areas were damp and chilly. Ming Huaizhi took two light jackets out of his small backpack and handed one to Grandma Sang: “Sang Yu prepared these. He said the material is thin but finely textured, so it’s not itchy but keeps you warm.”

Grandma Sang smiled in surprise: “There’s one for me too?”

“Of course.” Ming Huaizhi said as he helped Grandma put it on. “Sang Yu always has you in his heart. When he heard I was going out of the city with you, he specifically assigned extra bodyguards to look after us.”

Grandma Sang sighed with a smile: “He’s just worried about you.”

Ming Huaizhi shook his head and quietly pointed to two of the bodyguards: “Did you know? These two have the highest salaries.”

Grandma Sang asked curiously: “Why?”

Ming Huaizhi: “They’ve both had professional hospital training; they are bodyguards specifically for protecting the elderly. When Sang Yu was picking them, he said your blood pressure and heart aren’t great, so he’d feel more at ease with these two following you.”

Grandma Sang froze for a second, her hand stroking the fabric of the jacket. The smile on her face gradually faded.

Seeing this, Ming Huaizhi helped her to a stone bench to rest and opened a thermos for her: “Grandma, why are you unhappy?”

Grandma Sang looked at Ming Huaizhi’s drooping eyes and patted his head: “Grandma isn’t unhappy. I just feel I’ve wronged Xiao Yu. It’s only right that he dislikes me.”

“How could he dislike you? You’re his grandmother. It’s precisely because he cares about you that he was hurt because you didn’t choose to take him when he was young.”

At the mention of this, Grandma Sang became even more dejected.

“Xiao Yu is my biological grandson; how could I not love him? He was receiving an elite education from a young age. When he was staying with me, it took a two-hour drive every day to attend those classes. Seeing him wake up before dawn made my heart ache. If we had moved to the city, the child Sang Lin would have had to transfer schools. At that time, I was sick and couldn’t handle the stress, so I—”

At this point, Grandma Sang’s voice choked up: “I know I was wrong then. I was indeed biased towards Sang Lin. But Sang Lin’s grandmother was a benefactor to our family. During the famine year, if it weren’t for her, I would have been snatched and sold by human traffickers. After she passed away, I always treated Sang Lin as my own grandson. Sang Lin was also frail and sickly back then; I was always worried I wouldn’t take good care of him and would fail her in the afterlife.”

Ming Huaizhi handed Grandma Sang a handkerchief, gently stroking her back and taking her into his arms. Today, he finally understood the sequence of events.

“Have you ever explained this to Sang Yu?”

Grandma Sang: “I explained it when I sent him away, but he was very cold then. I still remember that icy look in his eyes; he must really hate me.”

Ming Huaizhi patted Grandma Sang’s shoulder: “He might not have understood you when he was a child, but he certainly will now that he’s grown up.”

Grandma Sang sighed: “But thanks to you, Xiao Yu and I have finally been able to talk lately.”

Ming Huaizhi’s eyes crinkled: “It’s because you both care for each other; it doesn’t have much to do with me.”

Grandma Sang sat up and cupped Ming Huaizhi’s face with her wrinkled hands.

“Child, will you leave Sang Yu?”

Ming Huaizhi was startled, not quite understanding her meaning.

“I… of course I won’t leave him.”

Grandma Sang’s expression remained the same, as if she didn’t quite believe him: “To be honest, the Sang family’s empire was basically built by Sang Yu’s parents, so giving the company to Sang Yu is the fairest thing.”

Ming Huaizhi nodded: “Yes.”

“I only have those few dozen ports left in my hands. Here’s my plan: half for Sang Lin, and half for you.”

Ming Huaizhi refused immediately: “You should just give them to Sang Yu. Giving them to him is the same as giving them to me.”

Grandma Sang gave a deep smile: “Of course it’s different. I’m giving this to my granddaughter-in-law.”

A flush rose on both of Ming Huaizhi’s cheeks: “Actually, it’s the same. You don’t need to give them to me.”

Grandma Sang took his hand and continued walking: “That half of the port will be your wedding gift when you hold the ceremony.”

“Wedding?”

Ming Huaizhi’s eyes were frantic, and even his footsteps following Grandma Sang became a bit disorganized.

Even when he went to rest that night, he was still thinking about it.

Just then, Chen Ruofu called: “Xiao Zhi, I heard that the internal decision for the Island spokesperson has settled on you?”

Ming Huaizhi: “I’m not sure; no one has notified me.”

Chen Ruofu laughed: “Word is the black silhouette of the spokesperson is already made, just waiting for the variety show finale to officially announce you.”

Ming Huaizhi was overjoyed: “Really? That would be wonderful. Let’s keep it a secret from my brother for now; he’ll be so happy when he comes back.”

Chen Ruofu: “You really care for your brother. But nothing is guaranteed until the very end. Since I know, Sang Lin and Gu Ci’s teams surely know too. I wonder if they’ll try to manipulate things behind the scenes to affect the result.”

Ming Huaizhi: “Then let’s wait a bit longer.”

After hanging up, Ming Huaizhi sat by the window, still fretting over the ports being used as a betrothal gift.

How could he and Sang Yu hold a wedding? Once Grandma Sang and Sang Yu resolved their conflict, his task would be finished. By then, he probably wouldn’t have a chance to see Grandma Sang again.

Meanwhile, the scene predicted by Chen Ruofu occurred.

In Lu Zilin’s studio, everything had been thrown to the ground in a mess.

The manager looked at him with disappointment: “It’s just one endorsement. Is it worth being this angry? We can find another 30-million-dollar endorsement if we work hard.”

Lu Zilin’s eyes were red with rage: “Is this about money? This is about face! Didn’t you say Ming Yantang had a bad reputation and that I’d definitely get popular by stepping on him in this variety show? And the result? Not only did I lose so many fans, but even the endorsement was snatched by him! From now on, I’ll be inferior whenever I see him!”

The manager frowned, leaning against the table, and suddenly had an idea.

“I have a way, but it depends on whether you’re willing to go all out.”

Lu Zilin: “What way?”

Manager: “The General Manager of Sangli Media has a good impression of you. When we ate together that day, his eyes were glued to you.”

Lu Zilin frowned: “Will he take the bait? People like them are very shrewd. Last time when I ate with Chairman Bai’s crowd, I paid such a high price, and the endorsement still went nowhere.”

Manager: “That’s why this is a risky gamble. It depends on whether you want to fight for your pride. If you really land Chen Nan, you’ll get more than just one endorsement. How many big IPs and productions do they have? Who else could be the top choice for male lead but you?”

Lu Zilin gripped the chair tightly and steeled his heart: “Okay.”

…

Three days passed in a flash.

There was only one day left until the reality show finale.

To thank the celebrities for their participation, Sangli Media and the program crew co-invited everyone to dinner.

It was the weekend. When Sang Yu saw Ming Huaizhi heading out, he asked casually and didn’t think much of it upon learning he was attending his own company’s dinner. After sending a driver and bodyguards along, he stayed home to rest.

When the butler brought him coffee, he said in a low voice: “Young Master Ming has been in a good mood these past two days. Word is his final internship score is number one, and he’s the spokesperson.”

Sang Yu, who was reading, looked up: “Why didn’t he mention it to me?”

Butler: “Maybe it’s internal news? Perhaps Young Master Ming plans to tell you the good news after the official results are out?”

Sang Yu’s lips curled up: “Possibly. But how did he know this internal news in advance?”

Butler: “Someone probably leaked it.”

Sang Yu thought for a moment and felt something was wrong. He called his assistant: “Has the spokesperson for the media company’s new app been decided?”

Assistant: “One moment, I’ll check.”

Three minutes later.

The assistant reported: “These are the composite scores for the five celebrity guests. The spokesperson is Lu Zilin.”

Sang Yu opened the file. After looking at everyone’s evaluations, his expression turned colder and colder.

“Falsifying the scores is one thing, but they only changed the total and didn’t even adjust the individual categories?”

At the same time, all the celebrities had taken their seats.

The head of the table at this dinner was Chen Nan, the General Manager of Sangli Media. He was the host who invited everyone.

When Lu Zilin saw Chen Nan, his gaze was blatant. The ambiguous atmosphere was so thick it was almost palpable; anyone who wasn’t a fool could see the relationship between the two.

Chen Nan put up a good front. First, he raised a glass to thank everyone for their hard work and gave everyone a large red envelope to celebrate the app reaching number one in downloads within its first week.

Next, he gave excellent evaluations to each celebrity guest. When it came to Ming Huaizhi and Lu Zilin, he specifically praised them for bringing a positive image to the app and making outstanding contributions to its success.

Xie Jingsheng listened to these high-sounding words and smiled without speaking. Jing Lan, being simple-minded, smiled in agreement.

“Actually, the choice of spokesperson involves a comprehensive set of results. Whether the image and temperament align with the brand philosophy is very important. If there were five spots, I would definitely invite everyone to serve together.”

Chen Nan’s gaze landed on Lu Zilin: “But unfortunately, only Zilin can serve as our spokesperson this time. Don’t be discouraged; if there are opportunities in the future, Sangli Media will actively collaborate with you all.”

Gu Ci smiled in surprise: “So, in the end, Zilin’s composite score was first?”

Chen Nan nodded mildly: “Yes. In the end, Zilin’s score was first at 98.5. Xiao Tang was a bit unfortunate at 98.4, ranking second.”

Hearing this news, even Cheng Shian was extremely surprised. He had heard a few days ago that Ming Yantang’s total score was first, and the second place was ten points lower than him.

Gu Ci and Xie Jingsheng understood what was happening immediately; the relationship between Chen Nan and Lu Zilin was too easy to guess.

Gu Ci looked at Ming Huaizhi, thinking it would have been better if Ming Huaizhi got it. At least that would be fair and above-board. Being beaten by someone like Lu Zilin was a joke.

Ming Huaizhi’s fingers trembled slightly after hearing the final result. He pursed his lips and thought for a moment: “General Manager Chen, besides the total score, will the breakdown of individual scores be released to us?”

Chen Nan smiled: “No, that’s internal scoring.”

Ming Huaizhi: “But without seeing the breakdown, how can everyone be convinced?”

Jing Lan originally wanted to speak up for Ming Huaizhi, but Cheng Shian signaled her with a look not to act rashly. Everyone present was now very clear that there was indeed inside manipulation regarding the spokesperson choice.

But no one dared to speak.

“Xiao Tang, I know you’re disappointed. We can still work together if there’s a chance; why get hung up on this one endorsement? We have so many big productions; who’s to say we won’t have chances to cooperate in the future?”

“Manager Chen makes sense, but I’m also curious about the breakdown.” Sang Yu pushed open the door and walked in front of everyone with his long legs. “I think in the spirit of fairness and justice, it’s better to release it to everyone.”

Chen Nan froze and hurried to Sang Yu’s side: “President Sang, what wind blew you here?”

Sang Yu glanced at Chen Nan, who immediately gave up the head seat.

Sang Yu crossed his long legs and leaned back against the chair to scan the room, his gaze finally landing on Ming Huaizhi.

“I was eating next door and heard it was quite lively here, so I thought I’d come by and say hello. Coincidentally, I heard what you were discussing, so I came to join the fun.”

Chen Nan’s face paled: “So that’s it. My consideration was lacking; I’ll release the scoring breakdown to everyone right now.”

Saying this, Chen Nan wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead, intending to text his assistant to quickly change the values based on the original and send it over. He remembered that the original score sheet signed by the high-level management hadn’t been modified yet. On the breakdown, Ming Yantang was still first.

Lu Zilin stared intently at Chen Nan, his hand holding the chopsticks trembling with guilt.

“Hold on.” Sang Yu raised his arm. “You should have a backup of the scoring breakdown, right?”

Chen Nan hurried to reply: “Yes.”

Sang Yu looked at his assistant: “Request it directly from the archives room. No need to trouble Manager Chen with a call.”

Assistant: “Understood.”

Chen Nan hurriedly tried to stop him: “It would be faster from my end; getting it from the archives will take a long time.”

The assistant said with a smile: “Not long. I already have it.”

The sweat on Chen Nan’s face increased. Even his voice was trembling slightly as he stood there, not daring to move.

Sang Yu took the tablet from his assistant and slowly opened the score sheet under everyone’s gaze. In his peripheral vision, he noticed Ming Huaizhi’s round eyes were also staring at him tensely.

“Manager Chen.” After Sang Yu finished looking at the individual scores, he looked at the crowd lazily. “Explain why the ranking you mentioned at the dinner table differs from this one.”

Chen Nan maintained his calm and was about to explain, but Sang Yu’s pitch-black eyes fixed on him sharply.

“Think carefully before you answer. Otherwise, I won’t give you a second chance to tell the truth.”

Sang Yu looked toward Lu Zilin and gave a cold smile.