Chapter 38
"Let's go," Xiang Boyan surprisingly nodded, "To accept the prizes on stage."
Cheng Xuyuan looked at him with a hint of surprise. 'Is the CEO really in need of a new phone? Two grown men receiving couples' phones on stage...Isn't that too embarrassing?'
However, Xiang Boyan had already risen and calmly walked towards the stage, glancing back at Zhou Yuanzhe on the way.
Left without a choice, Cheng Xuyuan had to follow him up the side stairs to the stage.
The moment the two appeared, a series of surprised exclamations came from the audience — such attractive faces!
The other leaders of Xing Entertainment looked towards the two men in surprise, finding it difficult to believe that Xiang Boyan would publicly accept such a minor award.
The host was also taken aback. She hadn't expected to draw two such exceptionally handsome men. With exaggerated excitement, she exclaimed, "Wow, you two look quite compatible!"
Cheng Xuyuan glanced at her coldly, offered a formal and insincere smile, and thought to himself, 'Compatible, my foot.'
Xiang Boyan, unexpectedly, did not get angry. He usually didn't like being teased, but facing the host's exaggerated jest, he managed to produce a somewhat mild smile and spoke into the microphone, "My lucky number is 8."
"How coincidental!" The host, taking two boxed phones from the staff, handed them over, "I suppose you two handsome men must be very excited right now. Please continue to support our TV programs after receiving this award!"
Cheng Xuyuan almost rolled his eyes, unable to fathom how the host had perceived excitement in him.
Xiang Boyan, on the other hand, seemed quite collected. He accepted the phone voluntarily, and even posed for a photo with Zhou Yuanzhe, as if they had won 5 million cash, not just a cell phone.
After stepping down from the stage, Zhou Yuanzhe couldn't help asking, "Mr. Xiang, do you need a phone?"
Xiang Boyan paused to consider before answering, "Yes, I do. I used my previous one for two months. It's time for a change."
Zhou Yuanzhe was perplexed. 'Do these capitalists have any shame?' he thought to himself.
The photo of their acceptance quickly circulated within Xing Entertainment's company group chat, and soon ended up in the hands of An Ye. He looked at the photo of the two winners in disbelief, muttering to himself, "Could it really be such a coincidence? Could Xiang Boyan have set this up himself...?"
Given Xiang Boyan's capabilities, winning a consolation prize like a phone was a piece of cake. Consequently, An Ye was convinced his guess was correct.
"That guy..." An Ye, disgruntled, glared at the alluringly frosty figure in the photo, "I should never have let him go!"
But regrets brought about no change. Xiang Boyan gruffly dictated to Zhou Yuanzhe, "You'll use this phone during work hours from now on."
Zhou Yuanzhe looked at him blankly, "Mr. Xiang, carrying two phones is a bit inconvenient..."
"Well, then just use this one." Xiang Boyan seized the opportunity quickly, "Stop using your old one. This phone looks quite good, it's worth over ten thousand on the market."
Zhou Yuanzhe glanced at the phone in his hand in surprise — why would the TV station give such an expensive consolation prize?
As time went on, the second and first prizes of the anniversary celebration were announced - an electric bike and a refrigerator, their prices not comparing to the two high-end couple phones.
With a puzzled look, Zhou Yuanzhe turned to the person next to him, "Mr. Xiang, don't you think they might have given out the third prize in error? Maybe we should inform the program team..."
"It shows that we are lucky." Xiang Boyan calmly replied, "What you got is yours, don't question it further."
Cheng Xuyuan quit talking, but he still had doubts in his heart.
________________________
The next day, Zhou Yuanzhe, holding the phone he'd won at the event the previous night, went to pick up An Ye for a variety show recording, only to find the latter in poor condition. Dark circles were under his eyes, and his expression was visibly languid.
Zhou Yuanzhe asked, "Are you sick? You don't look so well."
Looking at the phone in Zhou Yuanzhe's hand, An Ye muttered, "No, I'm fine. Is that a new phone?"
"Oh, no." Zhou Yuanzhe was a bit embarrassed, "I won it at the event last night..."
An Ye knowingly asked, "Do you like it?"
Zhou Yuanzhe's heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly looked at An Ye's expression, noticing jealousy in his eyes.
It's over, Zhou Yuanzhe thought, An Ye must know about me and Xiang Boyan. He's jealous, and he might join forces with Xiang Boyan against me...
Thus, Zhou Yuanzhe stuffed the phone back into his briefcase and said indifferently, "Not really."
Seeing this, An Ye's eyes brightened for a moment, then he turned his head away disdainfully and said with a hint of displeasure, "Then why are you using it?"
Zhou Yuanzhe replied, "Mr. Xiang told me to use it for work."
An Ye silently stared at the scenery outside the car window.
Zhou Yuanzhe suddenly seemed to have an idea, and understanding flashed in his eyes. He said, "Do you want this phone? I'll give it to you." As he spoke, he took the phone out and handed it to An Ye.
An Ye, however, disdainfully returned it, thinking that he didn't want to use the same couple's design as that guy. He expressionlessly gave the phone back and said indifferently, "I don't need it."
Upon arriving at the variety show recording location, Zhou Yuanzhe looked worriedly at An Ye and said, "An Ye, I know you might not be in a good mood, but please be careful during the show..."
An Ye casually replied, "I understand."
As soon as he got out of the car, An Ye reverted to his sunny and handsome demeanor, his face holding a faint smile with no signs of displeasure. Zhou Yuanzhe watched his retreating figure, quietly sighing.
The popularity of the show "Youth Adventure" continued to surge. The budget provided by the production team grew more generous, and the program stood out from similar variety shows, again making the people from Xing Entertainment laud Zhou Yuanzhe's sharp vision.
The visibility gained through this variety show was incomparable even to that of filming three movies.
After recording the show, despite looking exhausted beneath his mask, An Ye did not ask the driver to return to the hotel. Instead, he instructed, "Go to a nearby phone store."
At the phone store, An Ye purchased two identical phones. Without hesitation, he swiped his card and requested the employee, "Please activate two couple phone numbers for me. Oh, and I'd also like two couple phone cases."
After sorting everything out, An Ye visited Zhou Yuanzhe's hotel room and said, "Brother Yuan, I think I left my watch in your briefcase this morning."
"Watch?" Zhou Yuanzhe, busy dealing with An Ye's fan support club affairs on his computer, responded without lifting his head, "You can look for it in my bag."
An Ye crept a smirk, walked over to the sofa, unzipped the briefcase, slipped the newly unboxed phone inside, placing it where it would be most easily found, and casually shoved the phone Zhou Yuanzhe was using — the one identical to Xiang Boyan's — to one side.
"I found it. Sorry for the trouble, Brother Yuan." A gleam of mischief flashed in An Ye's eyes, reminiscent of a little fox delighted at the mischief it wrought. "I'll take off now, don't forget to rest early, Brother Yuan!"
Zhou Yuanzhe gave an offhand reply, not taking his eyes off the computer. Just as An Ye was about to leave, he reminded him, "You have an audition for 'The Beauty's Hairpin' in two weeks, remember to read the script, I've emailed you..."
With a full day's work, Zhou Yuanzhe didn't notice the extra phone in his bag. The very next day when he returned to the company, he immediately began the weekly regular meeting of the Artist Management Department.
Upon entering the meeting room, the congregation looked at Zhou Yuanzhe with a renewed curiosity.
Not long after, Xiang Boyan also arrived. Now, the gazes conveyed not only curiosity but were laced with a trace of ambiguity. Everyone seemed to be scrutinizing the two icy peaks, hoping to sniff out irregularities from their words and actions.
However, the icy peaks were just as they seemed. There was barely any interaction between Xiang Boyan and Zhou Yuanzhe. Or more accurately, Zhou Yuanzhe seemed deliberately maintaining a distance from Xiang Boyan.
Xiang Boyan obviously noticed this too. After the meeting ended, he suddenly said, "Zhou Yuanzhe, stay behind. I need to discuss something."
Those preparing to leave immediately turned around, but abruptly turned their gaze away upon meeting Xiang Boyan's frigid stare, quickening their footsteps to exit the room.
Standing up, Zhou Yuanzhe replied dispassionately, "Mr. Xiang, please speak your mind."
"An Ye's popularity has been increasing a lot recently," Xiang Boyan seemed incapable of holding a conversation without mentioning An Ye. "What are your next steps?"
Zhou Yuanzhe internally complained about Xiang Boyan's obsession with An Ye. Can't you just go to An Ye directly?
"I've arranged for him to take the second lead in a costume drama," Zhou Yuanzhe replied impartially, "The shoot for the drama won't be long, he can start once the variety show ends. The character is likeable."
Xiang Boyan used to admire Zhou Yuanzhe's professional attitude a lot, his words were always straight to the point. But now, he wished for the icy beauty to say more, yet he didn't have any idea how to push for it.
"Alright, continue your work," Xiang Boyan nodded slightly.
Zhou Yuanzhe turned to leave. But suddenly, a voice from behind halted him. "Right, the phone you won last time... uh, are you accustomed to using it?"
Zhou Yuanzhe nodded, "It's pretty good."
"Are you really using it?" Xiang Boyan suddenly asked, a hint of doubt in his eyes.
Turning around, Zhou Yuanzhe calmly replied, "Mr. Xiang, since you requested me to use it, of course, I am using it."
Upon hearing this, Xiang Boyan nodded, satisfied with the response.
While they were talking, a ringtone suddenly sounded from the phone in Zhou Yuanzhe's bag. He took the phone out, answered it, and heard An Ye's voice: "Yuanzhe, has your meeting finished? Let's have lunch together."
"An Ye?" Zhou Yuanzhe was about to accept the invitation when he noticed Xiang Boyan's face instantly darkening. "No need, I have something else to do later. You can eat by yourself."
With that, he hung up the phone immediately.
However, the look on Xiang Boyan's face had not improved at all. He stared at the phone in Zhou Yuanzhe's hand with a burning gaze, as if he wanted to bore holes in it.
Zhou Yuanzhe finally realized something was off.
He hurriedly looked at his right hand and was shocked to find that the phone he was holding was not the one he won, but an unfamiliar one. Moreover, it was enclosed in a cute, couple-themed phone case.
Just then, Xiang Boyan suddenly stood up, and walked briskly toward Zhou Yuanzhe, looking down at him coldly.
"Zhou Yuanzhe, do you want to explain, hmm?"
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