Chapter 35

Li Rongxiu briefly felt as though he had walked into the wrong venue. He watched Li Rongjia approach with a smug, spring-breeze smile and say in a self-congratulatory tone, "Well? I know you hate all that rigid, conventional stuff just as much as I do, so I specifically had the PT people arrange the launch press conference like this. Feels pretty good, right?"

After saying that, Li Rongjia smiled and greeted Grandpa Li and the others. Grandpa Li snorted coldly and asked, "Where's your father? Why don't I see hide nor hair of him?"

Li Rongjia secretly laughed. His muddleheaded father had only ever feared Grandpa Li. Whenever the two met, it was like a mouse seeing a cat, so unless it was absolutely necessary, Second Uncle Li rarely appeared before Grandpa Li.

After his private amusement, Li Rongjia said seriously, "Dad flew to the Federation to negotiate theater chain matters and couldn't make it back in time. But he told me that no matter what Xiu Xiu needs, I'll give him my full support."

Standing to one side, Mo Wanrou shook her head with a smile. "That second child of ours finally knows how to get down to business. Huamei Media is developing quite well now, too. Stop putting on such a stern face around him all the time. You've scared him so badly that he doesn't even dare come home."

Grandpa Li continued to snort, but he did not respond. He merely looked at Li Rongjia and said, "Since your father won't be back for a while, you and your mother should move back into the old residence. It'll be livelier with more people around."

Li Rongjia's face immediately turned bitter. Still, he did not dare defy Grandpa Li and could only answer pitifully, "Yes." At the end, he did not forget to give Grandpa Li a warning in advance. "...But I'm handling all the film company's affairs lately, so I'll be very busy at work in the evenings and get home late."

As they spoke, Li Rongxiu spotted Li Jiuying and Shen Yujun standing together beside the floor-to-ceiling windows, holding champagne and chatting about something. Li Rongxiu turned and whispered a few words to Li Bingru, then the two of them walked over to Li Jiuying and Shen Yujun with smiles on their faces.

"Quite a nice launch event. It has a unique flavor," Li Jiuying said with a broad smile, raising his champagne glass toward Li Rongxiu.

Li Rongxiu laughed. "Fresh and original, right? That's exactly it. Innovation is what we want."

Afterward, he introduced Li Bingru, Shen Yujun, and Li Jiuying to one another. Before they had exchanged more than a few words, Allen Yaksa and the others arrived one after another. Seeing that it was about time, Li Rongxiu instructed the host to begin the press conference.

The press conference for Above the Elite was not much different from that of an ordinary film, except for an additional speech from the principal. This was meant to highlight Diwan High School's special status in the production of the film. Given Li Jiuying's identity as the Empire's Ninth Prince, he should also have delivered a speech. However, considering Li Jiuying's personal wishes and other factors, that segment was ultimately canceled. Li Rongxiu believed that, in the long run, this decision would benefit both sides.

Once the deliberately shortened press conference concluded, everyone continued mingling at the cocktail party. Director Zhang Mengqiu came over with the female lead, Yang Lin, to exchange pleasantries. From Yang Lin's obvious nervousness and shining eyes, Li Rongxiu recalled many things—memories that belonged to his previous life.

But in this life, Li Rongxiu was not interested in flirting with young starlets for the time being. He turned to Zhang Mengqiu and asked, "When can filming officially begin? Aside from shooting on campus, if you need any other help, just give us a call."

Zhang Mengqiu nodded and was just about to speak when a young man wearing a white shirt, a light pink suit, and a red polka-dot tie approached with a wineglass in hand. Throwing an arm around Li Rongxiu's shoulders, he said, "Hey, buddy. Haven't seen you in a few days, and I heard you've turned over a new leaf. Not only did you run for Top Student, you even started making movies like everyone else. Are you ready to leave our Super Wastrel Alliance?"

Recognizing the familiar scent of the men's cologne on the newcomer, Li Rongxiu smiled and patted his shoulder as well. "Aren't you the one leaving our ranks? You haven't come back to school in months. I heard your father stuffed you off to Y Country to study abroad. How are the beauties in Y Country?"

"They're nothing special." The newcomer shrugged indifferently and curled his lip. "The old man in my family always thinks the moon is rounder overseas. He even gave me a ridiculous name like Rosen that's neither Chinese nor foreign. But I won't let his wishes be forced on me, so I ran back."

As he spoke, Rosen tightened his arm around Li Rongxiu's shoulders slightly and pressed his face against Li Rongxiu's cheek with great intimacy. "But you guys really aren't being fair! The Super Wastrel Alliance is supposed to be one whole unit. How could you stir up something this fun and leave me out?"

Li Rongxiu grinned as he dodged Rosen's approaching head, then pushed him back two steps before saying, "We wanted to call you, but you were all the way in Y Country. Our hands were tied. Now that you're back, are you leaving again?"

"Nope. If I leave again, you'll completely forget about me. I told the old man that if he wanted to exile me to Y Country and make me attend some damn elite school, that was a fine idea. But after studying there for several years and coming back, I'd have no friends, no brothers, no connections. I'd only have a pile of useless books in my belly. How would I inherit the family business then?" Rosen smiled and leaned in again. His intimate behavior with Li Rongxiu made Shen Yujun, who stood nearby, frown without a word. His eyes fixed on the hand Rosen had draped over Li Rongxiu's shoulder. Li Jiuying, standing beside him, sensed his friend's emotional turmoil and discreetly patted him. Shen Yujun came back to himself and downed the champagne in his glass in one gulp.

As they spoke, Allen Yaksa and the others also came over. Seeing his friends appear before him one after another, Rosen excitedly latched onto each of them and rubbed against them. Looking at Shen Yujun and the others standing quietly to the side, Li Rongxiu explained, "Rosen has a mild case of skin hunger, so he especially likes physical contact. It doesn't mean anything."

Li Jiuying and the others, who had found it rather strange, suddenly understood. Shen Yujun also reluctantly let go of the displeasure in his heart. After hugging each of his friends, Rosen turned and asked Li Jiuying, Shen Yujun, and Yang Lin for hugs as well. His hug with Yang Lin lasted particularly long.

Seeing Rosen's blissful expression and his reluctance to let go, Li Rongxiu awkwardly stepped forward and pulled Rosen away. Then he turned to Shen Yujun and Li Jiuying. "We're throwing Rosen a welcome-back dinner tonight. Do you want to come?"

Shen Yujun and Li Jiuying obviously would not refuse. Yang Lin stood nearby, biting her lip expectantly, but Li Rongxiu showed no intention of asking what she wanted. She could only look hopefully at Rosen, who had just hugged her, but Rosen seemed to have completely forgotten she existed and ran off to drink again.

Li Rongxiu watched Yang Lin's wide-eyed, disappointed expression and secretly shook his head.

Sometimes, it was truly difficult to tell a person's kindness from their malice. Take Li Rongxiu's momentary charitable impulse just now—he had clearly meant well, yet it was not understood.

Since this was the press conference cocktail party for Above the Elite, and the film's story was connected to Diwan High School, some of the invited guests were outstanding current students of Diwan High School, in addition to the prominent figures.

As members of the school's Student Council, Cheng Mufeng, Yu Meijia, and the others had fought hard to obtain invitations to this cocktail party. Standing in the gleaming top-floor hall, Cheng Mufeng and Yu Meijia gathered somewhat stiffly in a corner. To them, this party was like another world, a level they could never hope to reach.

Yu Meijia nervously swallowed. Before this, she had considered herself a party animal. Young masters who chased after her beauty often took her to all sorts of high-end venues and even spent lavishly to throw parties for her. Yet none of the parties she had attended before could compare to this cocktail party, whether in scale or in the status of its guests.

She licked her lips with a hint of jealousy and said to Cheng Mufeng beside her, "Didn't we come to talk to Li Rongxiu? Let's hurry over!"

Cheng Mufeng nodded blankly, the ambition and wild desire in his eyes nearly burning into something tangible.

When the two found Li Rongxiu and his group, they were scattered throughout the hall, each being pulled along by their elders for introductions. This was also one of the reasons Li Rongjia had turned the launch press conference into a cocktail party. For people in their circle, building social networks at parties was already an everyday occurrence. Although Li Rongxiu personally did not care much for such things, he would not reject his family's goodwill or be rude to others in public.

Cheng Mufeng and Yu Meijia stood behind Li Rongxiu, hesitating for a long time before finally forcing themselves to step forward and greet him. They then invited Li Rongxiu to join the Student Council.

A week had passed, and Li Rongxiu had long forgotten that baffling conversation. Naturally, he had no interest whatsoever in joining the Student Council. In front of his elder brother, Li Rongxiu tactfully but firmly rejected Cheng Mufeng's "kindness." Looking at the bustling crowd in the top-floor hall, he smiled at Cheng Mufeng and Yu Meijia. "Hey, handsome and beautiful, look at how many people there are here. I'm sure you'll find people who share your interests."

The implication was clear: don't bother me.

Being politely kept at arm's length again did not feel good. Yu Meijia, who prided herself on her beauty, was so furious that her face turned livid. Still young, she did not yet possess the future ease with which she would move among many men. Her proud nature made it even harder for her to bear Li Rongxiu's repeated rejections. She shot him a vicious glare, then swayed away from everyone's sight with her slender waist and shapely hips.

She swore that she would make Li Rongxiu regret everything he had done to her today.

Cheng Mufeng stood there awkwardly. He glanced at Li Rongxiu and said helplessly, "All right. Perhaps today isn't a good time to discuss this. We can talk again when we get the chance."

After saying that, Cheng Mufeng did not forget to nod politely to everyone before leaving with elegance.

Li Rongxiu shook his head helplessly. Li Rongyu, standing beside him, smiled and patted his younger brother's shoulder in consolation.

Chapter 35

The next day, the Above the Elite production crew began filming on the Diwan High School campus. However, the shoot did not affect the school's normal classes.

During the noon break, Li Rongxiu and the others gathered in the A-District Dormitory Building, resting while discussing plans for projects to pursue after the film turned a profit. After reviewing the proposals one by one, Li Rongxiu frowned and said, "It seems everyone's ideas are about the same. Either financial investments or setting up an education fund. There isn't much difference."

"It can't be helped. We're even less familiar with anything else, and we don't have the time or energy to keep an eye on it. If it's financial investment or an education fund, we only need to find a reliable project to manage!" Xin Mengmeng spread her hands helplessly. Her family ran beauty salons, but aside from knowing how to dress herself up, Xin Mengmeng knew nothing about business management. She had pieced this proposal together by picking bits and pieces from projects her older cousins had written when they were students. It was already good enough that the project could barely maintain independence and completeness. Now they wanted innovation too? Wasn't that asking too much?

Hearing Xin Mengmeng's words, the other young wastrels nodded in deep sympathy. Just coming up with these two proposals had nearly made all their hair fall out. If they were asked for more, they really had no way to manage it.

Li Rongxiu also shook his head with some frustration, because his own proposal had likewise been adapted from a project plan his eldest brother, Li Rongyu, had drafted as a student. However, unlike Li Rongyu's proposal to select outstanding students from poor families for admission and establish the Diwan Scholarship to cover their most basic tuition and living expenses, Li Rongxiu's plan aimed to encourage current Diwan students and ambitious, capable entrepreneurs without capital to try academic experiments, technological innovation, and commercial ventures. Then they would invest funds as shareholders and share the fruits of success with those "entrepreneurs."