"Alright, I don't mind. Wait a moment, I want to see if you truly have the ability or if you're just addicted to bragging, feeling uncomfortable if you don't brag every day, so you have to brag about knowing celebrities."
"Fine, then you just wait."
The two of them got competitive about it, and the foreman waited the whole time. After about forty minutes, neither of them spoke throughout the process, occasionally glaring at each other.
A black car arrived amidst a cloud of dust, and then Ye Tiancheng glanced at the foreman.
"You'll be getting in the car soon. I suggest you come closer; you can't see clearly from this far."
Before Ye Tiancheng could walk over, Fang Ruyun had already gotten out of the car. The big star appeared before him, and the foreman nearly fainted with happiness. He felt completely elated. Just moments ago, he had been lecturing, but now he couldn't utter a single word.
"Um, Ye Tiancheng, could you ask Miss Fang to give me an autograph?"
When he came to his senses, the foreman realized this was a rare opportunity. If he didn't latch onto Ye Tiancheng now, he might never have the chance again.
"Autographs depend on whether Miss Fang is willing. I can't make that decision."
Ye Tiancheng deliberately passed the decision to Fang Ruyun. Fang Ruyun was quite sensible and didn't refuse Ye Tiancheng.
"Sure. I didn't bring any photos, so how about I just sign on your clothes?"
The foreman was overjoyed. To have the national goddess write on his clothes, what a display of flair! He thought it was incredibly awesome.
"Okay, please, Miss Fang. Just sign on my clothes."
"Alright, pardon me for that."
Fang Ruyun actually disliked signing autographs, but over time, she had become numb to it and no longer resisted it so much.
Fang Ruyun signed with a flourish, completing the autograph, and then reminded Ye Tiancheng, "Okay, let's go quickly. Don't waste time."
Even after the goddess's car left, the foreman hadn't fully recovered, still immersed in the bliss of having just met a big star.
Meanwhile, the female star's car drove towards a very high-end hotel. If it weren't for a prior reservation, it would likely be very difficult to book. It was a very nice place, a restaurant that couples often frequented, in short, extremely upscale.
"Eating at a place like this? It's not that I'm stingy, but I feel like it'll cost at least a few thousand yuan. I only have four hundred in my pocket, and I'm afraid you'll look down on me."
Ye Tiancheng looked wronged. He didn't know how to express himself. When a man has no money, he can't stand tall.
Fang Ruyun found it truly speechless and didn't know what to say.
"Ye Tiancheng, I'm really not materialistic. I just feel that if a man isn't stingy, there's still hope. If he is stingy, then there's truly no hope."
"Oh, oh, I see. Fortunately, I still have a credit card. If not, I'll borrow some money from Xiao Pang again. Anyway, I absolutely won't let you go hungry for this meal."
Seeing Ye Tiancheng like this was quite endearing. Especially in this society, there weren't many sincere people like Ye Tiancheng, particularly in the entertainment industry, a cesspool where Fang Ruyun had seen too many ugly things. Suddenly encountering a normal person felt like finding a treasure.
"Alright, then today I'll abandon my previous theories. I won't think of this as a sign of inadequacy. I'll treat you to a meal."
"That would be too embarrassing."
Fang Ruyun smiled charmingly and suddenly extended her small hand, which Ye Tiancheng found very strange.
"What's wrong? Did something happen to your hand?"
"I'm already planning to treat you to a meal. Shouldn't you link arms with a beauty when a beauty treats you to a meal?"
"Aren't you afraid of being seen?"
"Don't worry, we're taking the VIP passage directly to the private room. There won't be any problems."
It was just a polite gesture, a handshake. Ye Tiancheng was actually quite grateful to Fang Ruyun. If Fang Ruyun hadn't been willing to help him, Ye Tiancheng would have truly been at a dead end.
Anyway, being with a beautiful celebrity, he wouldn't be at a disadvantage. Ye Tiancheng extended his hand and, upon holding Fang Ruyun's small hand, suddenly felt how soft it was, as if it had no bones.
Ye Tiancheng smiled gently, "A celebrity's hand is indeed different. It seems I'm the one benefiting. I'm reaching above my station."
"Good, then let's work together. Anyway, I feel I haven't lost anything by knowing you. It's also been a very wonderful journey."
The two of them started talking, and the atmosphere became very good. Then, during the meal, they were also very happy. As a result, Fang Ruyun brought it up.
"Actually, I asked you here today because I heard you sold plants for eighty thousand yuan."
Speaking of this, thankfully Ye Tiancheng had already finished eating. Otherwise, he might have felt a bit scared, or even unable to eat.
"Don't mention it. I truly regret that eighty thousand yuan. I just wanted a small place back then, so I acted impulsively. I regret it immensely now."
"Alright, I know this matter has caused you trouble recently. Don't you know the saying, 'A gentleman possesses wealth without guilt, but is guilty of possessing wealth'?"
"Alright, do you also think I owe you a hundred million, and that I'm repaying too slowly, making you anxious? Or should I think of another way? I don't want to owe a woman money; I always feel uneasy about it."
In fact, after cooperating with Ye Tiancheng on the beauty pill, she felt she had earned a lot of money. She had transitioned from a successful celebrity to an entrepreneur, which was quite a leap. Fang Ruyun also felt very successful, so she wanted to continue cooperating with Ye Tiancheng. After all, she had already seen the profits, and she couldn't go back to living foolishly as if she saw nothing. While being a celebrity was also profitable, the pressure was too great. Being a businesswoman was better; one only needed to make major strategic decisions and then count the money. That feeling was incredibly satisfying.
"I'm still quite interested in cooperating with you on these plants, but it seems you're not keen on it now. Then let's forget it. It seems our缘分 for cooperation hasn't arrived yet. You don't need to rush. How about this: when you've thought it through, come find me, or repay me a portion of the money first, so I can see that you still have the ability to repay."
Ye Tiancheng clearly sensed that everything had been going well until just now. It was likely Fang Ruyun's strategy to make Ye Tiancheng happy so they could cooperate.
After all, she was a woman, and sometimes, to achieve a business deal, basic social interactions couldn't be considered using tactics.
"I understand. I will definitely repay you a portion of the money soon. Just wait."
"I'm not urging you, I just feel that you need to show me some hope. You're currently working a job that earns a few hundred yuan a day. I feel like you'll never be able to repay me in your lifetime."
After Fang Ruyun finished speaking, she proposed a condition that left Ye Tiancheng dumbfounded.
"How about this? If you're sincere, then be with me. We can officially announce our marriage, just like your previous experience as a son-in-law. Sell yourself to me, and then I'll feel that you have a chance to repay my money in the future."
"Um, excuse me. I'm not saying I want to reject a beautiful celebrity like you, but I really think it's too absurd. How could you possibly fancy me? I'm not worthy of being with you."
After Ye Tiancheng finished speaking, he said he had something to do and then fled, running away in a panic, looking utterly foolish.
Fang Ruyun found it amusing to see him. She didn't expect her small suggestion to scare Ye Tiancheng so much.
Ye Tiancheng was indeed shaken and unsettled. After returning home, Xiao Pang said a lot of things to Ye Tiancheng, but Ye Tiancheng didn't respond at all because he didn't understand.
"What do you mean? Brother Ye, I've said so much to you, why aren't you responding?"
"What are you afraid of? I'm not your girlfriend, so I won't break up with you. I just need some quiet time. After all, too many unbelievable things have happened recently, and I need some time to calm myself down."
Xiao Pang was very curious. For someone as mentally strong as Ye Tiancheng to experience such confusion meant he must have encountered something.
"Brother Xue, what is our relationship? I feel you shouldn't hide anything from me anymore. You can tell me anything, and I'll definitely help you solve your problems."
"Fang Ruyun had previously said she wanted me to be a son-in-law, but I refused. Then, I don't know why, but she mentioned it again today. Do you think she deliberately wants to punish me because I owe her money, and she's saying these things just to scare me?"
Ye Tiancheng was in a state of confusion. Regardless, he had been confessed to by a big celebrity, so he should at least give the celebrity some face. It was understandable to be confused; otherwise, it would be too unappreciative.
"Alright, it seems Miss Fang has gone a bit mad, otherwise, she wouldn't think of such a silly thing. Brother Ye, in your current situation, you're not worthy of Miss Fang. Let's not even mention her fans disagreeing; I feel even I disagree with a marriage between you two. You two should just forget about it."
"If we're not together, how can we break up? I don't want to have too much entanglement with her, but I still owe her nearly a hundred million. Now she's suddenly asking for money, do I have a way?"
"How about this? Let's sell that flower. We can sell it for eighty thousand to a hundred thousand yuan, and repay Miss Fang a little. Otherwise, we can't go on living like this. Being forced into marriage by a woman, Brother Ye, you're simply too unlucky."
Xiao Pang was spot on. Ye Tiancheng felt extremely tragic. Now that he was cornered, he had no choice but to sell the flowers. Perhaps only by selling the flowers would there be a way forward.
"A mysterious person contacted me earlier, saying they wanted to buy my flowers. I was afraid others would find out, so I never dared to respond. You know Zhou Xiangxiang and Master Jiu are watching very closely. If they get wind of this, I might end up with no place to be buried. But now, I have no choice but to sell. Life without money is life without dignity. I truly can't go on living like this."
Ye Tiancheng was very calm and proactively contacted the mysterious person. The mysterious person quickly replied to Ye Tiancheng and gave him an address.
After saying a few more words to Xiao Pang, I took a taxi. After a journey of nearly an hour and a half, I finally arrived at the address provided by the mysterious person.