Porsche's advertising shoot was very simple.
A simulated racetrack was laid out inside the booth, with a silver-gray 911 parked in the middle. Cheng Che's task was to get out of the car, close the door, and walk out of the booth. The camera cut back and forth between several shots.
The director yelled "cut" several times, all because of lighting issues; Cheng Che himself didn't have anything to adjust.
On the third take, he caught a glimpse of a figure in the corner outside the studio, holding a camera and pointing it in his direction.
He didn't turn around or remind Qin Lie. Anyway, shooting an advertisement wasn't anything shameful.
That paparazzi was called Xiao Liu, and he followed Cheng Che for two months.
Ever since Cheng Che moved into that neighborhood on the East Fourth Ring Road, he's been squatting in the fire escape of the building across the street, taking pictures of Cheng Che's window every few days with a telephoto lens.
Over the course of two months, all the footage showed Cheng Che at home reading, writing, and occasionally typing on his computer. At most, he would go for a run in the morning, and he rarely even ordered takeout.
At first, Xiao Liu thought he had landed a huge job.
How popular is Cheng Che right now?
French Open Champion, LV global ambassador, top celebrity, academic genius, and looks just average.
One piece of dirt on this kind of person could last a year.
Two months have passed, and he hasn't even managed to capture a single trace of a potential romantic interest.
The only time he managed to photograph a woman entering his apartment complex, he was excited for a long time, taking more than a dozen pictures. When he got back and zoomed in, he discovered it was Chen Wei carrying a bag of groceries.
Xiao Liu deleted all the photos.
This time, Xiao Liu wasn't too disappointed to finally spot Cheng Che outside the Porsche garage.
If you can't get any dirt on someone, shooting some business photos will do.
He crouched in the fire escape outside the tent, changed his angle, and took several photos of Cheng Che standing next to 911, as well as several photos of staff members surrounding Cheng Che adjusting his clothes.
After returning home, he exported the photos, selected a few of the clearest ones, and sent them to the editor-in-chief.
The editor-in-chief glanced at it for two seconds, then nodded. "Published. Porsche endorsement, that's something."
The article was posted online that afternoon with the title " Cheng Che spotted shooting at Porsche studio, suspected of taking on new endorsement."
The accompanying pictures are the ones that Xiao Liu took.
The comments section quickly became lively.
[ Porsche endorsement??? My Che Baby has even landed Porsche now?]
His endorsement portfolio is getting increasingly outrageous: LV, Nike, Rolex, Gucci, Porsche, Apple —what's next? A private jet?
[Wait, is this an endorsement deal or did he buy it himself?]
[This looks like a studio shoot; there are staff members nearby, so it's probably an endorsement.]
Does anyone know who Porsche's previous brand ambassador for Greater China was? I don't recall any long-term ambassadors.
[So Cheng Che was the first?]
Some people don't believe it.
[Maybe he just bought a car and is making a Douyin for fun.]
[ Porsche 911 isn't cheap, is it? He could buy several with his earnings.]
The people next to them look like staff, but they could also be salespeople.
Don't assume it's an endorsement deal; he might just be picking up a car.
Then someone appeared, speaking in a very aggressive tone.
"Driving this kind of car at such a young age, doesn't he know how to do more charity? He earns so much money, how much has he donated? Has anyone checked?"
Someone replied to this comment very quickly.
Are you crazy? What kind of car someone drives is none of your business.
How do you know if he donated or not? Did you check?
[You're really good at using moral blackmail. How much have you donated yourself?]
[If Cheng Che didn't donate, you can criticize him all you want. But you should investigate first.]
The person who resorted to moral blackmail retorted, "If he donated, then provide proof."
Then someone actually produced evidence.
A netizen posted a screenshot of a charity foundation's information page, which listed the name " Cheng Che " and clearly listed the amounts and projects.
The donations included disaster relief funds for a county in western China, scholarships for impoverished students, and donations of sports equipment to rural schools—a total of several donations.
The comment section fell silent for a moment.
Then the person who was using moral blackmail deleted the comment.
Cheng Che glanced at the trending topics on the way back to the hotel, scrolled through the comments section, but didn't react much.
It was Qin Lie who suggested the donation. He had just earned his first big sum of money, and Qin Lie said, "Doing some charity will improve your image and give you tax benefits."
He thought about it and agreed that it made sense, so he asked Qin Lie to handle the liaison.
Later, whenever he saw a disaster area, he would donate a small amount without much thought.
Apple's ads are filmed much faster, finished in half a day.
Inside the shed, there was a white table, an iPhone, and a few gesture cameras.
After filming, Cheng Che stuffed the prototype into his pocket and got into the car.
At this point, all the business related to Wimbledon has been completed.
With a week to go before Wimbledon, he finally has some free time.
Then Qin Lie called.
" Tengjing contacted me." Qin Lie's voice was slightly ambiguous. "They want to invite you to the League of Legends 13th Anniversary Celebration."
Cheng Che was taken aback.
" League of Legends?"
"Yes. The 13th anniversary celebration is in Magic City, in early August. The person in charge there called personally, saying they really wanted to invite you. I asked around, and they said you're very popular among players; that video of you playing together in an internet cafe went viral, and the official team noticed it. Plus, with your current popularity, they think inviting you will generate buzz."
Why did they ask me to go?
"You might participate in some interactive activities, such as playing an exhibition match or saying a few words. The specifics haven't been finalized yet; it depends on what's convenient for you."
Cheng Che thought for a moment.
The League of Legends 13th Anniversary Celebration has a large player base, so the exposure will be significant.
Moreover, he has actually played the game before, and he's played with Zhao Yiming, Li Siyuan, and others more than once or twice.
"Okay," he said, "Let's go take a look."
Qin Lie responded and hung up the phone.
Cheng Che leaned back in his seat, looking at the Capital City street scene outside the window, and suddenly realized that since he was going to participate in the League of Legends competition, he should practice more.
We can't go up there and get used as a human shield.
He took out his phone, found Guo Xin's number, and dialed it.
I answered it after it rang twice.
"Hello?" Guo Xin's voice was muffled, as if he had just woken up.
"What are you doing?"
"Go to sleep, bro. I played games until 3 a. m. last night."
Are you awake now?
"You're awake. What's up?"
"Come play some games with me at my place. I'm going to the League of Legends 13th Anniversary Celebration soon, so I need to practice."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then Guo Xin's voice suddenly perked up. " League of Legends' 13th anniversary? You're going to play in an exhibition match?"
"More or less, it's not decided yet. Anyway, we have to practice. Are you coming or not?"
"Come on, I'll definitely come." Guo Xin paused for a moment, "But how many machines do you have at home? I can't possibly share one with you."
Cheng Che chuckled, "There's a gaming room, five computers."
Guo Xin fell silent for a moment.
Five machines? You have five machines at home?
"Yeah. We specially set up a room for it when we were renovating, with five machines connected together. You can invite a few friends over, it'll be more lively with more people."
"Okay, I'll find a few people," Guo Xin said. "They'll be there soon."
After hanging up the phone, Cheng Che put it away.
Guo Xin sat on the bed, holding his phone, his expression shifting from excitement to a subtle contemplation.
He scrolled through his contacts, found Su Miaoyin's chat window, and typed. " Cheng Che's family is playing online games today, five computers, wanna join?"
After sending the message, he felt he might have been a bit unethical, but his fingers didn't stop. He scrolled to Su Qingyue's chat window and sent another message: " Cheng Che's family is playing games today, five computers, wanna join?"
Then there's Yan Ruanning.
After sending the three messages, he tossed his phone onto the bed, stood up, and went to wash his face.
As he walked towards the bathroom, he muttered to himself, "You can't blame me for this. It's your own fault for being such a jerk."
Guo Xin had long been bribed by the three "rich women".
Su Miaoyin would send him a red envelope every few days, asking him to "keep an eye out for any shady characters around Cheng Che."
Su Qingyue always brought him snacks whenever they met. Although she never said anything, Guo Xin knew exactly what was going on.
Yan Ruanning was even more direct. Last time it was his birthday, Yan Ruanning gave him a pair of limited-edition sneakers with a card that said, "Keep an eye on him for me."
So Cheng Che mentioned playing games together today, Guo Xin's first thought was: This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
He looked at himself in the mirror and mumbled to himself:
"I just sent it casually. Of the three of them, two are at school, and the other is so busy every day, how could she have time to come?"
He spat out a mouthful of foam and added, "None of them will come."
Then he wiped his mouth and went back to change his clothes.
Forty minutes later, Guo Xin stood at Cheng Che's door, watching the elevator doors open again and again, his expression changing from "guilty" to "terrified".
Ultimately, it turned into a kind of bewilderment, like "Did I mess something up?"
When Su Miaoyin stepped out of the elevator.
Guo Xin took half a step back.
When Su Qingyue stepped out of the elevator.
Guo Xin took another half step back.
When Yan Ruanning stepped out of the elevator.
Guo Xin has nowhere left to retreat!
He wore a sorrowful expression, which shifted several times before finally adopting a fawning one and knocking on Cheng Che's door.
Then, to Cheng Che's bewildered expression, he uttered that classic line:
" Lord Cheng, it's me who betrayed you again."