Their eyes met and parted. A flicker of amusement flashed through Xie Jinghui's eyes, then gradually faded as his gaze shifted.
"You... are?"
Unlike Xie Qingchi, Xie Jinghui rarely appeared in public, and he seldom let the media ostentatiously place him at the center of public opinion to praise or disparage him as Xie Qingchi did.
Although most of those present were recognizable young actresses and actors in the entertainment industry, when it came to the world of capital, they were not even qualified to meet Xie Jinghui.
They hesitated, a half-remembered name hovering on their lips, yet no one could confidently utter those three syllables.
Only when the man leaned forward slightly and set down the leopard cat in his arms, a hundred times wilder and harder to tame than a house cat, did he turn to face everyone, his earlier gentleness giving way to a little more cool composure.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Qingchi's youngest uncle, Xie Jinghui."
In this age of the internet, perhaps most ordinary people knew that the Xie Family into which Xie Qingchi had been born was very wealthy.
But only those who truly knew a little about them understood that money and power were inseparable. As the current head of the Xie Family, whose word was law, Xie Jinghui possessed not only wealth to rival a nation but also extraordinary influence.
A figure like him might appear at a banquet full of important people, exchanging toasts, or at some reputation-seeking charity auction, spending lavishly to preserve his good name.
Had they not seen it with their own eyes, they probably never would have imagined, no matter how hard they racked their brains, that Xie Jinghui would appear on a livestreamed variety show that was seventy percent real and thirty percent fake.
Xie Qingchi indulged in his antics and did whatever he pleased. When the director said he would bring in a new guest as a last-minute replacement, they had assumed, at most, that he had invited another popular young actress to put on a lively show.
They had never expected the director to actually bring in such a big shot.
Perhaps the atmosphere had grown a little too stiff, because the director spoke first, breaking the prolonged silence.
"Welcome to Real Life, Mr. Xie. As everyone knows, Mr. Xie is not only a highly successful entrepreneur but also one of our country's foremost philanthropists."
"It's a great honor to spend these fifteen long and precious days with Mr. Xie."
[Just saying, the Xie family's genes really are pretty damn impressive.]
[Youngest uncle? He's that young? He looks like he's in his twenties when he's thirty or forty. There's no difference.]
[Of course there's no difference. He actually is in his twenties. (laughing through tears)]
[Xie Jinghui's official profile says he's only twenty-seven.]
[A man blooms at thirty. Twenty-seven is the perfect age to spruce himself up and boldly venture into showbiz. (doge)]
[Are you serious? With Xie Jinghui's asset portfolio, making millions a minute is no joke. (doge)]
[Xie Qingchi, what's wrong with you? Why are you so different from your uncle? Look how mature he is. Peak husband vibes.]
[God, what the fuck are you even doing?! Fine, other people are ridiculously good-looking, but they're this rich too? What regrets could he possibly have in life?!]
[Does never having been poor count as a regret?]
[Of course it does. He'll never know that grilled sausages costing three yuan each go for five yuan for two, or what it feels like to earn three thousand a month.]
[Well, great. I get home from work, see this, and don't even have the strength to hang myself. Apparently I've lost all strength and means.]
[Am I the only one wondering why Xie Jinghui came on this show? The appearance fee wouldn't even cover one of his outfits. (disheartened)]
[Why else? To clean up his dear nephew's mess. (doge)]
[Then we're screwed. My wife's played his nephew like a dog. He won't take revenge on my wife, will he?]
[Xie Jinghui: I'll give you a hundred million. Leave my nephew.]
[Xie Qingchi: Uncle, you don't understand him at all. He already promised me that once he gets back from filming, he'll manage the family business with me.]
[Something's off about the way Xie Jinghui's looking at him. I have a feeling my wife will play him like a dog too. (doge for protection)]
[Get a grip. Xie Jinghui isn't some hotheaded kid like Xie Qingchi who'd be dazzled by beauty. What kind of beauty couldn't he find?]
[Besides, Xie Jinghui is already twenty-seven, and he's never married or had any dating rumors. He's definitely looking for a wealthy young lady from a family of equal standing who's a suitable match.]
[A beauty like Shen Shuangjian... he probably couldn't find another, could he?]
[...]
[Besides, in all of Beijing, Shen Shuangjian's family is the best match for the Xie Family. They just don't have a daughter.]
[Why doesn't Shen Shuangjian count as a wealthy young lady? (doge)]
[Cut it out. An illegitimate son who just did that to his nephew? He'd be lucky if the man didn't seek revenge, and you're still daydreaming here.]
Xie Jinghui's sudden appearance inevitably made this group of stars, who were nowhere near his level, feel somewhat ill at ease.
Everyone entered the small villa together and sat in a circle on the sofas around the fireplace, yet no one spoke for a long time.
The silence was truly a little strange. In the end, Xie Jinghui broke the deadlock first, giving them an opening to talk.
"I arrived early, and they told me there are four rooms here altogether. Since it's not dark yet, why don't we assign the rooms first?"
Xie Jinghui rubbed the ring on his hand. His gaze shifted, and he cast an unobtrusive glance at Yu Sheng, who was sitting beside Shen Shuangjian. A moment later, he changed tack.
"Why don't we let the production team assign them?"
Four rooms, seven people, and one woman among them. In other words, the six people other than Lin Weiluo had to divide the three rooms equally.
In this situation, other than drawing lots, the only option was for the production team to assign them in advance.
"Ah... but I really want to sleep with Shuangjian. I feel like he'd be really quiet when he sleeps. Wouldn't that mean sweet dreams every night?"
Yu Sheng leaned back, wheedling and acting spoiled.
At those words, Xie Jinghui's fingertips briefly stopped turning his ring. He lifted his eyelids casually, his already dark eyes growing deeper still.
After Yu Sheng finished speaking, Gu Xuanlin, who had barely spoken since they gathered to set off, finally reacted. His voice was gentle, making him seem very understanding.
"We should still see how the director assigns them."
The director seemed to have prepared for this already. He took out the room-number plaques he had assigned in advance, with all seven names already written on them.
"Since Weiluo is a woman, she'll have one of the four rooms to herself. Of the remaining three, Song Shi and Gu Xuanlin will share one, and Yu Sheng and our guide Li Yi will share another."
"As for the remaining..."
The director left it there, but everyone knew that the only two people left were Xie Jinghui and Shen Shuangjian.
Those present wore varying expressions at the director's arrangements. Yu Sheng, in particular, sighed repeatedly and loudly protested the assignments.
Only Xie Jinghui remained seated with the same calm composure he had shown from the start, as though he had long since planned this arrangement and secured victory from a thousand miles away.
Xie Jinghui raised his hand slightly, the corners of his lips briefly curving into an almost imperceptible smile.
"What a coincidence, Shuangjian."