Cheng Che's sigh came too soon.
Over the next two days, Rolex and Gucci made their official announcements one after another.
First, Rolex.
Two days before Lunar New Year's Eve, at 10 a. m., Rolex's official Weibo account posted a message:
"Welcome Cheng Che to become Rolex ambassador. From the racing field to the pinnacle, precision is your hallmark."
The accompanying picture is of Cheng Che wearing Rolex.
He was wearing a dark blue sports jacket, sitting in the players' lounge, the Rolex on his wrist gleaming coldly under the lights.
He had his head down, as if he were checking his watch, or perhaps he was thinking about something.
The whole photo has a quiet, noble air about it.
The number of comments exceeded 100,000 in ten minutes.
Then there's Gucci.
The day before Lunar New Year's Eve, at 2 PM, Gucci's official Weibo account posted:
"Welcome Cheng Che to become Gucci brand ambassador. Elegance and youthful spirit can coexist."
The accompanying picture is of Cheng Che wearing Gucci.
He stood in front of a graffiti wall, wearing a dark red velvet suit with a black turtleneck sweater underneath and slim-fitting black trousers.
He tilted his head, a faint smile playing on his lips, exuding a quality that straddled the line between youth and maturity.
The number of comments also exceeded 100,000 within ten minutes.
Three major brands made official announcements within three days.
Including his previous LV endorsement, Cheng Che secured four top-tier endorsements before the Spring Festival.
This pace is unimaginable for any celebrity.
The entertainment industry's reaction shifted from "shock" to "numbness."
A second-tier actor posted in the studio group chat. "Destroy it."
No one objected.
Another celebrity posted on their WeChat Moments: "I spent ages trying to become a brand ambassador, while others announce three spokespeople in just three days. Destroy it all, really destroy it all."
Passersby have become numb to it all.
Someone posted a Weibo: " Cheng Che has made another official announcement? Oh. I'm used to it by now. This guy is really popular."
Fans of other celebrities dared not show their faces.
Every official announcement was from a major brand, showering Cheng Che with praise.
Their idols struggle to even become brand ambassadors, so to criticize them now is just self-humiliation.
If " Star Journey " finds out, he'll be humiliated, and he'll be the one who loses face.
So they chose to remain silent.
Cheng Che's fans were so happy they felt like their heads were spinning.
In the super topic, posts kept coming one after another.
[LV Asia-Pacific Brand Ambassador!!! Rolex Brand Ambassador!!! Gucci Brand Ambassador!!! Nike Greater China Brand Ambassador!!! Four of them!!!]
[My Che Baby's commercial value has already reached its ceiling.]
[I counted, and among all the celebrities in Xia Country, he's the only one who holds endorsements at all four levels.]
Other celebrities brag about winning just one, but our Che Baby won four!
[I walk around like a madman now; if anyone disagrees, I'll throw Che Baby's endorsement list in their face.]
[The Four Top Stars? Sorry, my Che Baby alone is one of the Four Top Stars]
[From today onwards, the most commercially valuable celebrity in Xia Country will have the surname Cheng.]
[I've been a fan of his for half a year. In just half a year, he went from playing tennis to looking like this.]
[My current feeling is pure, unadulterated joy.]
Then someone posted a message.
"Sisters, do you remember those fans who came to our supertopic to mock us? They said Cheng Che was a tennis player and couldn't make it in the entertainment industry. Now? Should we mock him back?"
The post received over a hundred replies instantly.
[want!!!]
I've been waiting for this day for so long.
[What did they say back then? They said Cheng Che didn't even have an endorsement deal, and look at him now?]
[I took a screenshot. Back then, a fan of Gu Yan came to our super topic and said, "Your brother should get an endorsement first before you talk." I'm going to throw the screenshot in her face right now.]
[Set off for war!!!]
" Star Journey " has set off.
They flooded into the Cheng Che had once mocked him, without swearing or using foul language, just quietly posting pictures.
Screenshots of Cheng Che's four endorsement announcements, lined up one by one: LV, Nike, Rolex, and Gucci.
Then add a sentence.
"Who was it that said our Che Baby couldn't get endorsements?"
No one dared to reply in those supertopics.
The big fan fell silent, and the little fan dared not speak.
A few stubborn individuals occasionally popped up, but they were quickly drowned out by screenshots from " Star Journey ".
They were utterly routed and disarmed.
They didn't dare to say a word.
Cheng Che and Jiang Xue were cooking together in the kitchen.
Tonight is Lunar New Year's Eve, and there's a New Year's Eve party. Jiang Xue is cooking in front of the stove, Cheng Che is chopping vegetables beside her.
His knife skills are excellent; the potato shreds he cuts are thin and even.
While cooking, Jiang Xue suddenly asked, " Cheche, can you be on the Spring Festival Gala?"
Cheng Che paused for a moment while chopping vegetables.
"I was originally invited," he said, "But Qin Lie declined for me."
Why did you push it?
"No," Cheng Che continued chopping vegetables. "It's too tiring. I finally get to go home for the New Year; I don't want to go through all that trouble."
Jiang Xue thought for a moment and nodded.
"That's true. You've been incredibly busy this year; you deserve a break."
Cheng Che hummed in agreement and didn't say anything more.
He knew in his heart that Qin Lie helped him turn down the Spring Festival Gala not just because he was tired.
The paper is the real priority; the presentation is at the end of February, and that's what he really needs to focus on.
Whether he appears on the Spring Festival Gala or not is meaningless to him.
The Spring Festival Gala of today is not what it used to be. In the past, you could only get on if you were famous; now, you have to get on to become famous, so it has no value to him at all.
But he didn't need to explain these things to his parents. They didn't need to know; it wouldn't be too late to explain once things had settled down.
Cheng Che smiled but didn't reply.
Dinner was very plentiful.
Jiang Xue cooked eight dishes, and Cheng Jianguo opened a bottle of wine.
Cheng Qingshan and Zhou Lan also came, as did Xu Qian and her aunt and uncle.
The whole family sat around the dining table, the TV was on, and footage of the Spring Festival Gala was playing on the screen.
Cheng Che took out his phone while eating.
He first opened the studio group.
The group has about a dozen people, all of whom are members of his team.
He sent a large red envelope with a note that read, "Happy New Year, thank you all for your hard work."
The red envelopes were snapped up in seconds.
Chen Wei: "Thank you, boss!!!"
Qin Lie: "Boss, you're so generous!"
Other employees. "Thank you, boss! Happy New Year!"
Cheng Che opened the classmate group chat again.
He sent a red envelope (digital cash gift) to his high school classmates' group chat, with the message "Happy New Year."
The group chat immediately became lively.
Guo Xin: "Holy crap, Cheng Che sent out red envelopes!!!"
Zhou Mingxuan: "Thank you, Brother Che!!!"
Lin Xiao: "Thank you."
Su Qingyue: "Thank you."
Cheng Che looked at the replies and smiled.
Then he opened the group called "5".
There are only four people in this group.
He, Su Miaoyin, Su Qingyue, Yan Ruanning.
This was a group chat Yan Ruanning, and I don't know why it's called "5" but there are only four people in it.
Could it be that five aren't enough?
The group chat was quiet; the last message was from three days ago, when Su Miaoyin posted a photo of the New Year's Eve dinner with the caption, "My mom made this, isn't it beautiful?"
Su Qingyue replied with "Good-looking". Yan Ruanning replied with "+1".
Cheng Che thought for a moment and then sent a red envelope.
The note read, "Happy New Year."
He thought someone would reply.
But after one minute, two minutes, three minutes, no one spoke.
The red envelopes have been claimed. All three have been claimed.
But no one thanked them.
Cheng Che stared at the screen, his temper flaring.
What does that mean? Taking the money and then not saying anything?
He sent another message: "Where is he?"
Still no reply.
He was about to send another message when his phone suddenly rang.
video call.
Su Miaoyin.
Cheng Che paused for a moment, then answered the call.
On the screen, Su Miaoyin sat on her bed in her room, wearing a red sweater, her hair loose, and a bright smile on her face.
" Cheng Che!" her voice was loud, "Happy New Year! Why did you send a red envelope just now? I thought your account had been hacked!"
Before Cheng Che could reply, another video call came in.
Su Qingyue.
He hesitated for a moment, then switched to a group video call.
Three faces appeared on the screen.
Su Qingyue sat at her desk, dressed in white loungewear, her hair tied in a ponytail, her face bare and clean.
She paused for a moment when she saw Cheng Che and Su Miaoyin's faces appear on the screen at the same time, then whispered, "Happy New Year."
The voice was very soft, but the corners of the mouth were curved.
Then Yan Ruanning's video call came in.
Four people appeared on the screen at the same time.
Yan Ruanning sat on the sofa in her studio, wearing a beige knitted sweater, her hair casually tied up, with a cup of hot tea beside her.
She looked at the three people on the screen and smiled.
"Happy New Year." Her voice was steady, like an older sister's. " Cheng Che, have you eaten yet?"
"I ate it," Cheng Che said.
What did you eat?
My mom made it, eight dishes.
"That's nice." Yan Ruanning's tone was gentle. "I'm all alone here, so I just cooked something simple."
Su Miaoyin chimed in from the side, "Sister Yan, why are you alone? Where are your parents?"
"They went back to their hometown, and I couldn't get back because of work."
Su Qingyue said softly, "Then you should eat something good."
"It's nothing," Yan Ruanning smiled. "I'm used to it."
The four of them chatted for a while.
Su Miaoyin kept talking, from gossiping about her relatives to her recent studies in music composition.
Su Qingyue would occasionally chime in, her voice very soft, but every time she spoke, it was spot on.
Yan Ruanning doesn't talk much, but every word she says is pleasant to hear.
Cheng Che leaned back on the sofa, listening to their conversation, occasionally responding with a word or two.
Meanwhile, the whole family was still eating in the living room.
Xu Qian was the first to notice.
She put down her chopsticks, moved closer to Cheng Che, and listened intently for a while.
Then she turned to Jiang Xue and Cheng Jianguo, and said in a low voice, "Aunt, Uncle, my brother is video chatting with my three older sisters."
Jiang Xue paused for a moment, then pretended not to have heard anything and continued eating.
Cheng Jianguo held his wine glass, saying nothing, but his ears were also perked up.
Xu Qian listened for a while longer, then turned around and looked at Cheng Che.
"Elder brother."
Cheng Che looked up.
You're such a jerk.
Cheng Che's face darkened.
Your big red envelope is gone.
Xu Qian's face froze. She opened her mouth, then cried out in anguish, "No!!!"
Cheng Che ignored her and continued chatting with the three people on the screen.
Yan Ruanning heard Xu Qian's voice on the other end of the video call and smiled.
"Your cousin?"
"Um."
What did she say?
"It's nothing," Cheng Che said shamelessly, "She said I'm handsome."
Xu Qian shook her head frantically beside her.
But nobody was looking at her.