Chapter 267: If Miss Li Finds Out, Won’t She Get Jealous?

Chapter 267: If Miss Li Finds Out, Won’t She Get Jealous?

A paved path ran between the lawns straight to the villa’s front door.

Wu Chen and Zhuang Xiaodie walked along it.

They had just reached the foot of the steps and not yet started up when the door opened from inside.

The woman who opened it was beautiful, with an exceptional presence—Tao Manying.

“That’s Tao—”

Zhuang Xiaodie almost cried out. It was a perfectly normal reaction to the sight of a huge celebrity, but she got hold of herself and did not actually shout. Inside, though, she was thrilled.

“Mr. Wu.”

Tao Manying wore a formal black evening gown with jewelry. She had come out specifically to welcome him.

Having greeted him, she came quickly down the steps, heels clicking, and put out her hand.

“Miss Tao.”

Wu Chen smiled and shook it.

It was their first meeting.

Tao Manying was a celebrity known to practically everyone, so of course Wu Chen knew who she was.

And Tao Manying “knew” Wu Chen too. She had been shown his photograph beforehand.

“Mr. Wu, please come in.”

Tao Manying was dignified and warm at once. Having shaken his hand, she invited him inside.

As she spoke she glanced at Zhuang Xiaodie, still holding Wu Chen’s arm.

Something flickered across her face.

She knew Wu Chen was the boyfriend of Li Ruobing, eldest granddaughter of the Li family, so she could not place who the girl on his arm might be.

A little lover?

Li Ruobing’s boyfriend dared keep a little lover? And bring her out to meet friends?

That took nerve.

They went in.

The interior could only be called magnificent. The double-height living room was enormous, extravagantly luxurious.

As far as Wu Chen knew, Lei Cheng had bought this villa secondhand eight years ago. After buying it he had stripped out all the old interior work and spent another thirty million yuan turning it into what it was now.

Wu Chen and Zhuang Xiaodie paused inside the living room and took it in before going farther.

A housekeeper was setting a washed and sliced fruit platter on the coffee table. Several bodyguards stood at different windows, watching outside.

The room was so huge that even with all those people in it, it still felt exceptionally spacious and empty.

“Mr. Wu, this way, please.”

Tao Manying moved toward the sofas and invited him over.

When Wu Chen and Zhuang Xiaodie reached the seating area, he asked with a smile, “Where’s Brother Lei? Why don’t I see him?”

“Godfather is upstairs. He just took a call. He’ll be down in a moment,” Tao Manying explained, smiling.

Wu Chen and Zhuang Xiaodie sat.

“Mr. Wu, please sit a moment. I’ll make you some tea,” Tao Manying said, starting away.

“There’s no need to trouble yourself,” Wu Chen said with a smile.

“It’s no trouble. You’re an honored guest.”

She went to make the tea regardless.

There was a housekeeper, but Tao Manying made it herself. Lei Cheng had given her instructions—not specifically to make the tea with her own hands, but to make clear that Wu Chen would be coming today and that he was an honored guest.

Only two minutes later.

Tao Manying returned with a small tray holding four cups of tea.

She set it on the coffee table, took one cup, and handed it to Wu Chen with a smile.

“Mr. Wu, have some tea.”

“Thank you.”

Wu Chen steadied the cup with a hand.

“Miss, some tea.”

She took another cup and offered it to Zhuang Xiaodie.

“Thank you, Miss Tao.”

Zhuang Xiaodie hurried to take it with both hands, and Tao Manying warned at once, “Careful, it’s hot.”

Zhuang Xiaodie truly felt overwhelmed. She was only a student, a girl who had been given to Wu Chen as his lover, while Tao Manying was one of the biggest superstars of the past few years.

To have a celebrity like that pour tea for her personally felt beyond putting into words.

It left her with the hazy sense of standing inside a dream, and with a wondering at how strange and extraordinary a life could turn out to be.

Naturally Zhuang Xiaodie could tell that Tao Manying was treating her this way because Wu Chen was important and special.

Wu Chen was friends with Tao Manying’s godfather, and as for what that “godfather” was to her—Zhuang Xiaodie’s imagination supplied the familiar entertainment-industry story of a wealthy patron backing a female celebrity.

This time her imagination was right.

Having set down the other two cups, Tao Manying sat opposite Zhuang Xiaodie.

One cup of tea and one empty seat remained beside her, naturally reserved for Lei Cheng.

“Mr. Wu, you’re really young. Godfather talks about you all the time,” Tao Manying said, taking up the conversation herself.

Until Lei Cheng came down she had to look after the guests and keep the room from falling silent.

Anyone who could rise as high as she had in the entertainment industry naturally knew how to carry a conversation.

So Wu Chen talked with her a while, exchanging pleasantries before the subject turned to the endorsement. Tao Manying had returned to Donghai three days earlier, and over the past few days she had spent most of her daylight hours with Li Ruobing, shooting advertisements and promotional material.

Today was the only exception, because Li Ruobing had not gone in to the company.

“…The Huancai ad shoot is going smoothly, I take it?” Wu Chen asked with a smile.

“Very smoothly. Miss Li has taken very good care of me,” Tao Manying said, a remark that placed her posture remarkably low.

Wu Chen and Tao Manying did all the talking.

Zhuang Xiaodie did not dare speak carelessly, nor did she know what to say.

She was already beginning to feel lost. Wu Chen had explained nothing beforehand. She did not know why he had brought her along to meet a friend who seemed to be some tremendously powerful figure.

And now she had even met Tao Manying.

This looked like the sort of occasion where major business was about to be discussed. She could not help being nervous.

Zhuang Xiaodie still had not worked out why Wu Chen had brought her here.

After several minutes of easy conversation.

“All right, all right. I don’t want to discuss this with you any further. It has nothing to do with you. Let’s leave it there.”

A man’s voice came from the second-floor staircase.

Lei Cheng, naturally.

The conversation stopped, and everyone turned to look.

Lei Cheng was coming down in casual clothes and slippers, still on the phone and apparently wrapping up the call. By the time he reached the bottom he was finished, and he hung up.

“Brother! You’re here! Hahahaha—”

He came into the living room with a hearty laugh and strode quickly toward the coffee table.

Everyone stood.

Wu Chen and Lei Cheng shook hands. Lei Cheng tugged him closer, bumped shoulders with him, and clapped him on the back.

Extremely warm.

After a few words of greeting he glanced at Zhuang Xiaodie, then grinned at Wu Chen.

“Brother Wu, this is…?”

“Zhuang Xiaodie,” Wu Chen said. Then he smiled. “My woman.”

“Ah…”

Lei Cheng sounded merely surprised. Inwardly he was shaken.

With Li Ruobing around, Wu Chen still dared fool around?

“This is Boss Lei,” Wu Chen said, introducing him to Zhuang Xiaodie.

“Hello, Boss Lei.”

She put out her hand, entirely natural about it.

She knew that however many thoughts were racing through her head, she could not let them show. She could not lose her nerve and embarrass Wu Chen.

“Hello, Miss Zhuang, hello! Hahaha. Miss Zhuang is really beautiful. Brother Wu, you’re a lucky man!”

Lei Cheng shook her hand and complimented her, laughing.

A few more pleasantries and they all sat down again.

“What line of business are you in, Miss Zhuang?” Lei Cheng asked once seated.

It was a slightly odd question. Zhuang Xiaodie did not look old enough to be in business.

Lei Cheng was not merely making conversation. He was probing.

He wanted to know what was going on. Wu Chen had come today to discuss something very important with him. Why bring a girl along?

“She’s still in school,” Wu Chen answered, smiling at Lei Cheng. “Film and television school. Third year.”

As he spoke he glanced at Zhuang Xiaodie.

“Studying acting?” Tao Manying asked with a smile.

Everyone was looking at her, so Zhuang Xiaodie nodded.

“Yes. Acting Department.”

Lei Cheng was beginning to understand.

“Oh, then my Manying counts as Miss Zhuang’s senior in the industry. Have you signed with a company yet, Miss Zhuang? Pretty as you are, there must be plenty of companies fighting over you,” Lei Cheng asked, grinning.

“A company…”

At that Zhuang Xiaodie could not help glancing at Wu Chen.

“I started a company in Modu with a friend. The shares are under her name,” Wu Chen said, smiling.

Lei Cheng understood a little more.

“Hahaha! Brother Wu, you really do know how to spoil a woman.”

Lei Cheng laughed, then changed tack. Winking at Wu Chen in a half-joking way, he said, “If Miss Li finds out, won’t she get jealous? Hahaha!”

It sounded like a joke between friends. In fact he was still probing.

It was baffling.

With Li Ruobing around, Wu Chen still dared keep a little lover?

Given Li Ruobing’s forceful nature, the kind that could not tolerate a grain of sand in her eye—surely she did not know?