Chapter 540: Chapter 540: The Stubborn Underachiever

That night, #Yu Xia Not Just This#, and #Yu Xia Most Beloved Actress# related topics were climbing up the trending list.

Fans cheered, passersby watched, and many marketing accounts made exaggerated headlines to flatter her.

Far away overseas, Xie Qingci quickly saw the reports. Taking a few minutes to catch his breath after coming out of the recording studio, he avoided others who wanted to chat, stood by the window, and sent her a congratulatory message. Then, while waiting for her reply, he searched online for the full video.

Usually under such topics, the post with the highest heat is the official original, where you can see the most complete video; beneath that are some reposts from marketing accounts, or high-traffic fan edits.

But after he clicked into the topic and watched the complete award video, as he scrolled down, the most high-ranking content was not related to the award, but a lengthy half-hour straight recording from the event.

The title was ordinary, #Yu Xia Full Process Indoors#, and clicking to read the comments, two men’s names appeared.

Xi Heng, Wan Ze.

Xie Qingci’s gaze lingered on these names for a moment, then he calmly clicked on the video.

The break wasn’t long. People in the recording studio had nothing to do but work, and Mr. Yang came over to get him when it was time, standing at the tea room entrance calling his name.

"Qingci, Xie Qingci?"

There were two foreigners in the tea room, originally grumbling about that group in the recording studio exploiting their break time, but when they heard Mr. Yang call the name, they joined in the commotion, observing the handsome youth standing by the opposite window.

Xie Qingci was still holding his phone. He turned around upon hearing the voice, directly turning off his phone’s screen and placing it in his pocket, his face unemotional.

"Is it time to continue?"

Mr. Yang: "Yes. Messaging Yu Xia? It’s about ten pm domestically now. She probably just finished the event and might not be free. Contact her when you finish working."

"Mm, I know."

Then, a second before entering the studio, he suddenly asked, "Mr. Yang, who’s Wan Ze?"

Mr. Yang’s face was full of question marks.

"Who? Wan Ze? The national male actor, many classic drama directors’ go-to leading man. Haven’t you watched his dramas? No, why are you suddenly asking about him?"

Xie Qingci answered indifferently while walking into the recording studio.

"He and Yu Xia are trending."

Mr. Yang’s first reaction to those words was, "Indeed, this moment has arrived," but then he processed it.

"Ha, out of the hundreds of artists linked daily, eighty of them may have never even met. Don’t overthink it."

"I’m not." He wore the headphones hanging around his neck and continued on from where he last stopped without needing a translator, engaging with the foreign friends in the room.

Mr. Yang watched him through the studio’s glass, internally scoffing at his previous claim of not thinking.

Maybe they haven’t realized how much they’re lying to themselves.

In the natural world, animals dating often delude themselves due to hormonal influences, masking their true understanding.

No matter how they see themselves, others view one as the "earthy tycoon reluctantly accepting the beautiful consort under fierce pursuit," outwardly calm but inwardly enjoying the other’s dominance, and the other as the "petty and madly loving male vixen," jealous of even a chicken, let alone people.

Mr. Yang watched for a while, confirmed he wouldn’t let emotions affect his work, and then sat in the tea room, browsing through the day’s gossip in its entirety.

As a competent manager, especially for a slightly sentimental artist, he must have a thorough understanding of such gossip.

Speaking of which, he thought of learning from He Ci, who apparently spends his free time searching gossip about Yu Xia with several small accounts, staying ahead of the gossip crowd to better nip negative impacts in the bud.

Online information continued to ferment, and Mr. Yang easily found that indoor video.

Upon watching, it was clear—Yu Xia had run into her ex-boyfriend at the event and chatted briefly with co-actor Wan Ze.

There was absolutely no need to be jealous.

A middle-aged man like Mr. Yang, on the brink of balding, indeed struggled to comprehend the young generation’s jealousy, watching twice but finding it utterly normal.

But he worried age might make him unsympathetic, so he tried to put himself in their shoes—

If his wife went out and chatted slightly with another man, then someone recorded it...that was indeed unusual, and he’d worry if she had a dispute ending up in local news.

Falling short in imagining, he decided to chat properly with Xie Qingci afterwards to understand what the 21-year-olds pondered all day.

Therefore, once Xie Qingci finished in the studio and came out, before he could check his phone, Mr. Yang took him to a nearby restaurant for a heart-to-heart conversation.

"I’ve seen the news. Yu Xia merely ran into Xi Heng and Wan Ze indoors and exchanged a few words. Xi Heng is an investor; it’s normal for him to be invited in such settings, and greeting when running into each other is no big deal.

As for Wan Ze, it’s even simpler; they graduated from the same school, as seniors and juniors, and Wan Ze is a leading TV actor. Collaborating with him is beneficial, so chatting upon encountering him is fitting. It’s all quite normal; marketing accounts are just making wild assumptions from a picture—no need to mind that."

"I understand, I’m not bothered."

Xie Qingci twirled a cup in his hand, appearing emotionless after hearing this, he poured the water from the cup into another cup, then lost interest and pushed them both away.

Like a troublesome student who verbally agrees to improve but is actually slacking off.

Mr. Yang felt his stubbornness required gentle persuasion more, saying: "You don’t seem untouched. Otherwise, tell me, what’s your take? Not related to work, just share your thoughts on romance so I can adapt, beneficial for teaching kids later."

Xie Qingci pursed his lips: "That’s not relevant to educating children. Do you think I’m affecting work?"

"No, I know you’re not capricious. Despite feeling unwell before, shooting wasn’t delayed at all. I just can’t quite grasp your perspective sometimes, fearing that my understanding of young people’s mindsets has become disconnected."

Actually more inclined to say his emotional view was unusual or just blindly fiddling, Xie Qingci leaned back on the chair, fiddling with his black phone casually as if handling a lightweight object.

He recalled Mr. Yang’s daily calls home and said, "Perhaps for now, don’t ponder how to teach kids about distant future concerns, just listen yourself."

Mr. Yang: "Fair, seeking insight personally. Maybe learning some rules of young romance can elevate my marriage."

But it’s likely impossible; his wife would dismiss jealousy as idle provocation for scolding.