Although the electricity was fixed, most people lost interest in the art exhibition due to the incident.
It concluded perfunctorily after another hour.
Zhan Bei Jue didn't see his charm but made a fool of himself, while Gong Bei Bei felt quite disappointed.
Stepping outside, she saw it was already noon. The next door venue showed no signs of winding down, with fans still in abundance.
Comparing the two, her heart ached even more.
"Such brainless comics can only be sold to these brainless minors. And they even set up shop right next to me. Is the venue that desperate for money now? Renting to anyone?"
Xu Yan Chuan knew her exhibition hadn't been successful and she was in a bad mood.
"She helped you just now, shouldn't you be nicer when you talk about her?"
"You probably don't know how popular this book is online, or how large its fanbase is."
"If they heard you mocking their taste behind their backs, they'd drown you with their spit."
Gong Bei Bei shot him a glare, "Xu Yan Chuan, whose friend are you? Who are you siding with? I'm just complaining behind her back, do you have to say this to me?"
"Just kidding. I'm trying to cheer you up." Xu Yan Chuan reached out to put his arm around her.
"Let's go. It's over anyway, successful or not. I'll treat you to a celebration dinner."
Gong Bei Bei said weakly, "What celebration? I'm not in the mood. Zhan Bei Jue promised to treat me, but now I don't even know where he is."
"Call him over. Is the CEO of Zhan Corporation going to run away from the bill?"
Gong Bei Bei said shyly, "You call him. I won't. He promised to spend the whole day with me..."
"Oh, oh, oh, you're heartbroken? So you were so enthusiastic about holding this exhibition just for him to see? If he doesn't watch it, you don't even have the appetite to eat?"
Gong Bei Bei glared at him again, "Stop teasing me. What about you? You've been back for so long, have you decided what to film?"
Speaking of this, Xu Yan Chuan became even more animated, "I've decided."
"So quickly? Just a couple of days ago you were still..."
Xu Yan Chuan interrupted her, "To be honest, I just decided."
"Ah?"
"This comic you dislike so much, I plan to buy its copyright."
"!!" Gong Bei Bei stopped in her tracks, stunned for a good few seconds.
"Xu Yan Chuan, are you kidding me? You don't have to joke like that to make me happy!"
Xu Yan Chuan put on an expression of exaggerated surprise, "Really. I'm not kidding. When have you ever seen me joke about my work?"
"You want to buy something so mindless and empty? If you have money to spare, just donate it to me for charity..."
"Or is it that you find the author attractive and want to pursue her?"
As they were talking, Zhan Bei Jue, true to his word, returned.
His car drifted to a stop in front of Gong Bei Bei, and he apologized with a poker face.
"Sorry, something delayed me. Am I late?"
It was good that he came, regardless of whether he was late.
Gong Bei Bei's mood instantly brightened. She opened the car door and got in.
"Not late, not late, you're here just in time. Ah Jue, where are we eating lunch?"
Xu Yan Chuan also got in, starting the car. "Qian Jiang Yu."
Once in the car, Xu Yan Chuan continued their earlier conversation.
"Your words are completely biased. Can't there be women who possess both beauty and intelligence in this world?"
"You can be beautiful and excellent, and so can others. How can you definitively say the content is empty without even reading her book?"
"Anyway, I'm interested. I'm buying this book."
Gong Bei Bei joked, "Alright, alright, you buy it. Buying the copyright and winning the heart of a beautiful author, killing two birds with one stone. No one is as calculating as you."
Buying copyright? The heart of a beautiful author?
What were they talking about? The comic that Jiang Nan Fang invested in?
Seeing Zhan Bei Jue glance at her with confusion, Gong Bei Bei enthusiastically explained Xu Yan Chuan's interest in Jiang Nan Fang.
Zhan Bei Jue was surprised, "You mean the woman who helped fix the electricity in the exhibition hall just now, she's the comic author?"
Zhan Bei Jue's tone carried an indescribable ambiguity.
It sounded as if he admired that woman greatly. Gong Bei Bei regretted speaking up.
"Yes, I'm not sure. I just saw her signing in front of people. Who knows if she's a stand-in."
Although she added a sour remark, Zhan Bei Jue clearly wasn't listening.
She can also draw comics? A popular author?
Heh. This woman, he had truly underestimated her.
She kept saying she wanted to take the children away from Nancheng and never see him again, yet behind his back, she was involved in so much work.
There was never a word of truth from her.
"Ah Jue."
"Ah Jue?"
Zhan Bei Jue snapped back to attention and looked at Gong Bei Bei.
"Aunt Zhou said you were supposed to spend the day with me. Where are we going after lunch?"
Jiang Nan Fang's unexpected appearances always stirred up his annoyance.
Zhan Bei Jue wasn't in the mood to go out and sightsee with others.
"I have some company matters. I can't accompany you this afternoon."
"??"
"If you want to go out, I can have my assistant arrange your itinerary and book hotels and flights. I'll cover the expenses. You can invite some friends and go anywhere."
"..."
"Isn't Ah Chuan free recently? He can accompany you."
Not accompanying her was one thing, but pushing her off to another man?
They were both men, and one could tell from the smallest details whether a man had affection for a woman.
Zhan Bei Jue was more polite and distant with Gong Bei Bei than an ordinary friend. Xu Yan Chuan, even if he were blind, could guess that he didn't like her.
Since that was the case, he didn't want to see Gong Bei Bei chasing after him.
"I'll be busy soon. I'm going to buy the copyright and film it. Bei Bei, don't wander around aimlessly either. Your studio hasn't been finalized yet, right?"
He just wanted to help change the subject, but Zhan Bei Jue followed up with a question.
"Your debut work? What genre are you planning to film?"
"The comic you just saw. I'm planning to make an animation."
Zhan Bei Jue's cold gaze swept over from the rearview mirror.
"What I just saw? A comic? You're going to film that... rabbit thing?"
"Miss Ugly Rabbit and Mr. Tiger." Xu Yan Chuan met his gaze, "Don't you think the name is very interesting?"
"And it has a strong fanbase, with hundreds of millions of clicks online. I believe it has inherent box office appeal. As long as it's adapted well, it will definitely be a hit."
"..."
Was he talking about Jiang Nan Fang's comic?
How could such a morally corrupt woman create such a good comic?
"I suggest you thoroughly check for plagiarism and copyright issues before buying. The current atmosphere in the country is very bad. Don't spend money on a problematic work."
Xu Yan Chuan could sense his underlying meaning.
Like Gong Bei Bei, he harbored hostility towards the author.
He suddenly couldn't stand it anymore and wanted to find Jiang Nan Fang to clarify things right now.
As a comic artist, how did she manage to offend so many people?
"Thank you for the reminder. I'll be careful."
"I just remembered I didn't get the author's contact information. How about I skip dinner and you two go? I'll go back and get her contact details?"
Gong Bei Bei, seizing a rare opportunity to be alone with Zhan Bei Jue, thought he was helping her.
"Sure, you go ahead. We'll arrange another time. Ah Jue, let him out."
Soon, only he and Gong Bei Bei were left in the car.
Watching Xu Yan Chuan's figure recede in the rearview mirror, and smelling Gong Bei Bei's faint perfume, Zhan Bei Jue felt a throbbing headache.
That damned ex-wife, thinking of ways to attract men's attention every minute.
Even when drawing comics, she didn't forget to leave opportunities for others. Why was she so troublesome?
Give Xu Yan Chuan her contact information?
Heh!
He could already imagine the children surrounding Xu Yan Chuan with smiling faces, eagerly calling him stepfather!