Chapter 24: Visiting the Set

After the premiere of "The Covenant of Three Lifetimes," Su Shengxin became incredibly busy. He was about to join the cast of "Calamity of Heaven and Earth," while another of his dramas had just premiered, capitalizing on the buzz from "The Covenant of Three Lifetimes." Consequently, Su had a packed schedule of promotional activities to attend.

One day, to boost publicity, the production team arranged for the lead actors to visit the headquarters of the Shangzhou Group for a "floor-sweeping" promotional event. Just the day before, the drama had aired a very sweet "grand wedding" scene.

When the time for the event arrived and the main doors opened, Su was stunned to find the vast lobby of the Shangzhou Group already packed with people behind the yellow safety lines. Because of Shang Yin, it seemed as though every employee in the headquarters had come to catch a glimpse of him, the sound of shutters clicking incessantly.

"Wife!" a female voice shouted. "Su Shengxin is my wife!"

The remark felt jarring in the corporate building, especially with "The Covenant of Three Lifetimes" currently airing. Many people immediately chided her: "Have some restraint!" "Do you want to lose your job shouting that here?!" "No, do you have a death wish?!"

As they headed toward the elevators, Su, lost in thought about whether Shang Yin was in the building—they hadn't seen each other in a long time—absentmindedly pressed the button for the 36th floor.

"Uh," a staff member said to him, "Mr. Su, our event today is on the 5th floor."

"Oh," Su snapped back to reality, "my apologies."

"No worries at all!" the staff member assured him.

"Is the 36th floor the top floor?" the actress asked. "What's up there?"

"Well," the staff member hesitated before finally saying, "only the president's office is on the 36th floor."

"..." The actress kept a straight face and murmured, "Heh."

Exiting the elevator on the 5th floor, they found the corridor packed, and the event venue—a training room—was even more crowded. Su sat down at the table amidst the noise and greeted everyone.

The host addressed Su and the actress, "Alright, the interview is about to begin. First, let's welcome our two guests—"

Su raised his eyes and gave the host a fleeting, subtle look.

Host: "???"

A girl in the front row shouted, "They aren't guests, they're the hosts! Su owns half the shares! We’re all actually working for Mr. Su, boo-hoo!"

"..." The host was momentarily speechless before saying, "Let's, uh, let's not get into that. Let's focus on the show, 'The Golden Palace'!"

The interview went smoothly. To maintain the promotional momentum, the "wedding" atmosphere was kept alive. Both actors answered questions about their roles, displaying perfect chemistry, sharing laughter, and exchanging flirtatious glances.

The host asked, "Mr. Su, can you recite the ten rules Yan Wanfeng set for her husband in 'The Golden Palace'?"

"Hmm," Su smiled, "Wish her good morning and good night every day, give her a gift every day, memorize all her quirks, decorate the room according to her likes and dislikes, and hold her whenever she is sad—"

"And did Chen Yuan manage to do all of that?"

Su smiled, "Of course. It was quite simple."

The host asked again, "Next question: what is the thing Chen Yuan loves most about Yan Wanfeng?"

Su replied, "Her purity and kindness, perhaps. Yan Wanfeng is sincere with everyone—"

At this point, Su and the actress exchanged another knowing look.

As the interview neared its end, the organizers even brought out a five-tier wedding cake. The cake was exquisitely decorated with rose frosting.

"The Yan-Chen couple got married last night! Time to share the cake with everyone," the host announced. "Here, the cutting knife is ready. Both of you, let's cut it together! We'll share it with everyone here and the fans waiting in the lobby downstairs, okay?"

Su cooperated naturally. They leaned in close, hands clasped over the knife handle, and cut the first two tiers into pieces to hand out to the staff, who immediately distributed them to the audience. The atmosphere was electric.

Once everyone had a piece, the host said, "Everyone has a slice? There are three tiers left. How about we ask our two stars to take the remaining cake down to the lobby so the fans there can share in the sweetness too?"

"Of course," Su and the actress said, pushing the trolley together with a mutual smile.

When they exited the elevator into the lobby, there were even more people than before. The usually spacious hall felt incredibly cramped.

Shang Yin, having finished a meeting in the headquarters, stepped out of the room, intending to meet a business partner. The moment he emerged, he heard the buzzing roar from the lobby—a rare, chaotic clamor that hardly sounded like a company. Frowning, he asked his assistant, "What's going on?"

"Oh," the assistant said, "Su Shengxin and his co-star are here promoting their new drama. It's a 'floor-sweeping' event; the employees are just enjoying the show. It’s considered a bit of a perk."

Shang Yin paused. "Shengxin is here?"

"Yes," the assistant replied. "The show is quite a hit; it's the video department's biggest project this year."

Shang Yin walked to the atrium railing on the second floor and looked down. In the lobby, Su and the actress were still playing the part of a couple, their hands touching as they served cake. The cake was clearly a wedding cake, and their outfits were coordinated to look like a couple's attire.

Shang Yin let out a soft, dry laugh.

The assistant, sensing his boss's jealousy, felt a headache coming on. "Mr. Shang, shall we go? The driver is waiting."

"I'll watch a little longer," Shang Yin said.

Once the cake was finished, Su and the actress returned to the center of the lobby.

"Alright," the host said, "let's finish with a heart gesture!"

Su was a pro at this; he effortlessly extended one hand, and the actress joined hers with his to form a complete heart. Their heads leaned toward each other, captured by the cameras of the Shangzhou staff.

Shang Yin tapped his fingers rhythmically against the railing. "The viewership for 'The Covenant of Three Lifetimes' seems decent?"

"Not just decent, it's excellent," the assistant noted. "The first episode is near a hundred million views."

"Hmm," Shang Yin said. "Push it more."

"Right. I'll see to it," the assistant replied, keeping his professional mask on.

Shang Yin remembered something else. "Didn't Liu Xuan say the overseas licensing for 'The Covenant of Three Lifetimes' was hitting snags?"

"Yes," the assistant said. "Several foreign companies are interested, but they find the pricing for this type of restrained, Chinese-style dating show difficult to negotiate."

Shang Yin looked down at the lobby for a few more moments. As he walked away, he said, "Tell Liu Xuan to concede a bit on the price."

The assistant was stunned. When did Shang Yin ever concede on price? This Su Shengxin really was something.

As they entered the elevator, the assistant realized Shang Yin had pressed the button for the first floor instead of the basement parking. "Mr. Shang?"

"That's correct," Shang Yin said calmly. "We're leaving through the main entrance today."

As the elevator doors opened, Shang Yin stepped out. He walked right through the center of the lobby. As he passed Su, he reached out and ruffled Su's hair with a gentle touch. Su, caught off guard, turned his head and locked eyes with Shang Yin’s smiling gaze.

The employees erupted. "Mr. Shang!! He’s come to steal the bride!" "He's crashing the wedding!"

Shang Yin didn't linger. He walked on, leaving Su standing there with messy hair, looking stunned. As he reached the door, Shang Yin slowed down, looked back at Su one last time, and offered a final, faint smile before disappearing into the sunlight.

Su bit his lip. He smoothed his hair and turned back to the actress. "Shall we continue?"

The actress sighed with a playful, mocking expression, hooked her arm through his, and continued waving to the crowd.