Leng Zhiwen, after her stunning dance performance on "Caiwei Fashion Apprentice," had gained considerable fame but also faced intense controversy. Many criticized her for being effeminate, claiming she would corrupt young minds and demanding severe punishment.
This was quite common in China, and in 2005, a similar situation occurred when Chinese netizens lambasted the "Super Girl" contestants Li Yuchun and Zhou Bichang for their androgynous style.
Li Yuchun, in particular, had become a sensation through "Super Girl," but her overtly masculine image, short hair, and preference for trousers had drawn much criticism online and in the media. People accused her of being neither male nor female and worried she would negatively influence children.
Media outlets were rife with debate, with some calling for Li Yuchun's outright ban, while others defended her as an expression of personal freedom and individuality, advocating for respect of personal identity.
This eventually led to the popular internet memes "Chun Ge" and "Believing in Chun Ge ensures eternal life." Many might not realize that the origin of the "Chun Ge Armor" in League of Legends stems from this very phrase.
The controversy was significant, but as it turned out, the fears of experts twenty years prior – that Li Yuchun's androgyny would lead young girls to adopt similar styles – never materialized. Ironically, it was the male idols of later years who began adopting feminine styles, a stark contrast that could be considered ironic.
Regardless of how the world might develop in the future, the debate surrounding Leng Zhiwen never ceased after the program aired, and a barrage of abusive language was hurled at her.
Boss Huang had originally planned to find an opportunity for Leng Zhiwen to reveal her female identity. However, with the immense success of "Floating Journey," all controversy vanished.
As the absolute male lead of "Floating Journey," and with over 60% of the film's screen time, Leng Zhiwen instantly became China's undisputed hero and the pinnacle of Chinese acting. After all, aside from Leng Zhiwen, could anyone name another Chinese person who had captivated American audiences to the tune of over a billion dollars?
Thus, Leng Zhiwen transformed overnight from a newly emerged idol into an artist. This title wasn't bestowed by the media but by News LB.
Following the box office triumph of "Floating Journey," hailed as a great cultural victory for China, News LB remarkably granted Leng Zhiwen a five-minute news interview. The segment detailed the film "Floating Journey" and Leng Zhiwen's historic achievements in America, proclaiming it a testament to China's cinematic prowess reaching the forefront of the world. While Hollywood teams handled most of the post-production special effects and filming, Boss Huang funded it all. Therefore, claiming it represented China's filmmaking standards was undeniable; who could object?
In this news report, Leng Zhiwen was consistently referred to as "our nation's young performing artist" or "cultural worker." Though the titles might sound somewhat common, they were officially recognized and not easily attained.
Naturally, this was followed by a flood of offers, with over thirty films and television dramas inviting Leng Zhiwen to star. However, she rejected them all.
The roles offered were all male leads, and the films themselves were primarily male-centric productions with little room for substantial female character development.
Leng Zhiwen no longer wished to portray men; she desired to experience playing a woman.
Boss Huang fully supported his wife's request. After all, if Leng Zhiwen's gender were eventually exposed, continuing to play men would seem overly deliberate. Therefore, two films or dramas portraying men were the limit; her next project had to revert to her true gender.
The problem, however, was that Boss Huang couldn't recall any prominent films or dramas featuring outstanding female protagonists. Those that did, like "Palace," "Scarlet Heart," or "The Legend of Zhen Huan," were Qing Dynasty palace dramas, a genre Boss Huang detested, along with Qing Dynasty settings in general. Thus, he clearly wouldn't arrange these future hit "female-led" productions for his wife.
If such dramas were unsuitable, Boss Huang was at a loss for what else might fit his requirements.
Just as Boss Huang was pondering how to prepare a suitable female-led project for his beloved wife, a knock sounded. Shortly after, the head of the water dispenser department entered.
"Boss, Secretary Hu is preparing for another blind date!" the supervisor said in a low voice.
"Not going!" Boss Huang replied without looking up. This was Hu Jing's sixth blind date. Boss Huang had secretly followed her on the previous five occasions, but with no results.
It wasn't that Boss Huang hadn't intervened to break up potential relationships; rather, Hu Jing simply wasn't interested in any of her blind date partners. Without Boss Huang's interference, they all fizzled out on their own. Boss Huang surmised that this sixth attempt would likely end similarly.
Of course, Boss Huang still casually asked, "Who is the person she's meeting this time? What's his name?"
"His name is Ma Jue, a recent college graduate!" the supervisor replied.
"..." Boss Huang's fingers suddenly stiffened. After a moment, he asked, "What did you say? What's this person's name?"
"His name is Ma Jue. This is all his information!" The water dispenser department was indeed highly competent, having already compiled all the blind date's details.
Boss Huang took the information and his eyebrows shot up.
Ma Jue, male, born 1981, from Yunnan. He came from a poor family but excelled academically, being a provincial "Three Good Students" awardee and a winner of the Math Olympiad. He graduated from Yunnan University with a degree in Biology and was currently an intern at a pharmaceutical company in Shanghai.
A week prior, he met Hu's mother, helped her to the hospital after she fell, and even paid for her medical expenses, earning her favor. Upon learning he was single, she proactively arranged for her daughter to meet him.
The information was more or less as stated, not overly comprehensive, as he appeared to be an ordinary man in every respect.
"Did he have any missteps in school?" Boss Huang asked, looking at the familiar face in the provided document, "Did anything happen to his dorm mates? Any disappearances?"
"We haven't investigated that!" Even people from the water dispenser department couldn't investigate a target's college roommates in such a short time. He could only reply with a wry smile, "However, there were no issues at the school, and their entire class graduated successfully. We haven't heard of anyone failing to graduate, so I assume his roommates were at least not missing before graduation!"
"He graduated this year?"
"Yes, Ma Jue graduated successfully in April of this year, and upon graduation, he secured an internship at this Shanghai pharmaceutical company, being the only student from the entire cohort to be successfully recruited!" the supervisor stated.
"Oh! I see!" Boss Huang nodded. The supervisor beside him asked with some concern, "Boss, is there something wrong with this person? Should I investigate his situation in more detail?"
"Mhm!" Boss Huang nodded. "Investigate this person from beginning to end, especially his relationships with those around him. Get all of that cleared up!"
"Also, send for people from the security department to accompany me. I'm going to meet this Ma Jue!" Boss Huang stood up.
"..." Although the supervisor wanted to ask why Boss Huang, who had just said he wasn't going, was now rushing off, he wisely kept quiet, perhaps assuming it was a lover's spat.
Of course, he still didn't understand why Boss Huang was so interested in this Ma Jue. It seemed illogical; he was just an ordinary college graduate who looked rather plain, even ugly.
He certainly didn't know what shocking deeds Ma Jue had committed in another world. However, in this world, Ma Jue seemed to have reformed, and his past mistakes were not repeated.
"It seems this is all my doing!" Boss Huang mused after looking at Ma Jue's profile again.
Indeed, Ma Jue's successful graduation and subsequent good job in this world were undoubtedly attributed to Boss Huang's butterfly effect. Boss Huang's self-praise was not entirely unfounded.
However, Boss Huang still felt some apprehension, growing increasingly worried as he thought about it.
Even though Ma Jue had altered his life's trajectory, his personality likely remained unchanged. Boss Huang had transmigrated in 2001, when Ma Jue was just entering university. His personality had been shaped by his family environment, inevitably making him prone to extremism.
And society was far more brutal than school; what if Ma Jue experienced a shock in the social arena, leading to even more terrifying consequences?
Looking not too far ahead, given Ma Jue's circumstances, Hu Jing was certainly unlikely to be interested in him. Their blind date would undoubtedly yield no results.
This wasn't Boss Huang being judgmental based on appearance; it was the vast difference in their status. Hu Jing was an exceptionally intelligent woman and would never develop feelings for Ma Jue. This meeting was merely to appease her mother.
However, Ma Jue would likely develop feelings for Hu Jing. After all, Hu Jing was so beautiful, and any man would likely be attracted to her.
If Ma Jue then discovered his love was unrequited, leading to resentment and a repeat of his actions in another world, it would be entirely plausible. Thinking this, Boss Huang felt that for the sake of his secretary's safety, he had to intervene and nip the danger in the bud.