Chapter 37: No Kissing Other People

“Little cutie’s husband? Who is this? How could someone choose such a shameful ID?”

In addition to the reward notification, the system kept sending alerts about new comments and likes. Xiao Chi, full of excitement, clicked to check each one. The comments were full of compliments, almost all variations of rainbow praise. Occasionally, there were a few negative reviews, but they quickly sank to the bottom.

“Being liked and recognized feels so good. No wonder people are always so obsessed with fame and fortune.”

The light blue reflection of the projection screen showed a slight curve at the corner of Xiao Chi’s lips. He leaned on the sofa, supporting his chin with one hand, unable to resist the urge to write another passage based on his daily interactions with Ji Chenxuan.

But then, he remembered their agreement not to publicly live together. If he wrote more, he might accidentally expose their secret.

Xiao Chi sighed in frustration, reluctantly closing the app.

Study Room

The desk lamp lit up the corner of the leather chair, casting a long shadow onto the polished elm wood floor as the swivel chair spun around.

Ji Chenxuan stared at the “Happy Carrot” column, refreshing it for half an hour, but there were still no new updates. His fingers lightly tapped the edge of the desk. He finally became impatient and left a two-character comment under the latest chapter: “Hurry up!”

However, “Happy Carrot” seemed to have disappeared, and there was no reply. Naturally, his comment sank into oblivion.

—

The Next Day

A light spring rain had fallen overnight, and the sky was a faint blue mist. As the sun rose, a soft halo formed around it, creating a beautiful rainbow.

On the live broadcast of the “Star CEO” variety show, the roles of the artist group and the CEO group were switched today. After drawing course topics, the staff and cameras followed them to different locations.

Xiao Chi had changed into a dark blue casual suit, the fine stitching hugging his waist and elegant curves, making him look tall and graceful.

Ji Chenxuan, still in his carefully tailored pure black custom suit, stood beside him. The two looked nothing like a mentor and a student. Instead, they resembled two models walking together, causing passersby to frequently glance at them.

Unlike the low popularity of yesterday, today the live stream was packed with viewers and fans who came specifically to see Xiao Chi. As soon as the show started, the comments section went wild:

“Ahh, Xiao Chen looks even more handsome in a suit! He’s gone from a young student to a mature man all of a sudden!”

“My screen is wet!?”

“Double-Chen CP fans, come quickly for some sugar! Are these two going to the civil affairs bureau to get their marriage certificate?”

The group stopped at the intersection of a pedestrian street in the commercial district. The bustling crowds and the smell of prosperity and noise filled the air.

The red and green bricks gleamed under the sunlight, and a small mountain of daily supplies was stacked on the open ground. There were sets of cosmetics and daily necessities, neatly stacked in boxes inside a light blue tent.

This spectacle quickly attracted a crowd of onlookers, who snapped pictures of Xiao Chi and Ji Chenxuan, two high-profile idols.

“Welcome to the live broadcast of Star CEO! I’m your host, Tian Tian! Today, each group of guests has completed their task draw. The course topic for Group 4 is—how to make your first bucket of gold in business, by selling all products as quickly as possible!”

“In yesterday’s show, whether as mentors or CEO trainees, both the artists and the trainees worked hard, but today, it’s our CEO group’s turn to take charge and turn the tables!”

Host Tian Tian pointed at the tent behind him and explained, “As you can see, the products inside the tent are all provided by our sponsors. These are the items that our two guests from Group 4 will be selling today. No sales, no food! Hehe, please remember the rules—no free giveaways, you must sell at the marked prices.”

“Sell things? Be a salesperson?” Xiao Chi picked through the boxes, which were filled with mundane daily products. “So much stuff… we only have two hours for the live broadcast. Will we even be able to sell all this?”

He ran his hand through his soft hair in frustration. Leaving the familiar stage behind, it seemed like none of his skills could be applied here. He had no idea how to handle a sales job like this.

Meanwhile, Ji Chenxuan had already gotten into character. From the portable display cabinet provided by the show team, he pulled out a portable projector, product scanner, and other props, including packaging gift boxes of various sizes.

“If we want to sell all these daily products in the shortest amount of time, just shouting isn’t enough. We need ads, promotions, and most importantly, we need to maximize our strengths.”

Ji Chenxuan took on the role of a general leading his troops, assigning tasks and directing Xiao Chi to work as a salesperson.

“See that sign? Use a highlighter and write: ‘Buy two, get one free. If you buy ten items at once, you get an 80% discount.'”

Xiao Chi held the highlighter, confused. “Didn’t the host say we can’t give anything away for free, and that we have to sell everything at the marked price?”

“Silly, why are you so honest?” Ji Chenxuan couldn’t help but want to flick his nose, but since they were live, he held himself back and patiently explained, “Raise the price of each item by double. Not only will we not lose money, we’ll actually make a profit.”

“…You devious capitalist!” Xiao Chi couldn’t help but silently mutter.

Ji Chenxuan stood in the shade of the tent, blocking the sunlight. His smile was even more indifferent than usual. “Thanks for the compliment.”

“Doing just this isn’t enough. As they say, ^[1]“Good wine fears no alleyway” means that something of high quality or value will stand out and be recognized, no matter the circumstances or environment. It’s similar to saying … Continue reading‘Good wine fears no alleyway.’ We still need some promotion.” Ji Chenxuan, like a dedicated teacher, guided Xiao Chi on the business techniques. He pointed to the mini amplifier provided by the program team.

“The equipment provided by the program team is simple, but we’ll make do. Record a segment, something along the lines of our daily products being on promotion. The boss is losing money, buying one doesn’t cost you anything, buying two covers the cost. Got it? If you don’t understand, just look up some promotional phrases online.”

Xiao Chi nodded, though he was only half-understanding.

As Ji Chenxuan began to arrange the products neatly on the display cabinet, he suddenly heard Xiao Chi’s impassioned sales pitch coming through the mini amplifier:

“The Jiangnan Cosmetics Factory has gone bankrupt! Boss Ji Chenxuan owes 350 million and ran off with his sister-in-law! We had no choice but to use these daily products as wages. The original price is…”

This old, classic sales pitch sounded like a thunderclap, startling Ji Chenxuan so much that the lipsticks he had just set up tumbled over like a row of dominoes!

The viewers in the live stream were laughing hysterically, nearly losing their ability to recognize the word “ha” after just two days of the show.

Ji Chenxuan’s face alternated between dark and green. He quickly snatched the amplifier away and dragged the troublesome Xiao Chi into the tent.

When he saw Xiao Chi’s innocent, round eyes, Ji Chenxuan’s temples throbbed, and he nearly wanted to strangle him. “You really are a sales genius!”

“Hey, why do you keep using that word? Are you insulting me?” Xiao Chi was full of grievances. “I just did what you said and found the most popular sales pitch online.”

Ji Chenxuan’s lips twitched, his teeth clenched in frustration. Finally, he gave up entirely. “…I really can’t deal with you.”

Despite the chaos caused by Xiao Chi, quite a few onlookers came to cheer them on. Ji Chenxuan flashed a professional, polite smile and patiently attended to each of them.

His polite and composed demeanor hardly resembled that of a street vendor.

He clearly looked more like a noble gentleman hosting a dinner party.

An hour passed in the blink of an eye, and as the sun climbed higher into the sky, the products in the tent were visibly decreasing, but there was still quite a lot left. Their small tent had also become noticeably deserted.

“At this rate, it seems like we won’t be able to finish the task…” After sending off the last customer, Ji Chenxuan glanced at the remaining stock on his tablet, furrowing his brow slightly.

With the other three groups on track to finish their tasks, the viewers in the live stream began to feel anxious for them, almost wishing they could fly to the scene and help buy everything.

Xiao Chi, who had been assisting on the sidelines, walked back and forth like a little hunched old man, his hands behind his back. After a while, a lightbulb seemed to go off in his mind. He hurriedly turned around, his eyes shining brightly. “Ji Chenxuan! I’ve got it!”

“What did you get?”

“You said we need to maximize our advantages, right? Well, we have an advantage too!”

Without further explanation, Xiao Chi quickly wiped away the promotional text from the sign and grabbed a highlighter, quickly writing: “Buy products, get an idol! Autographs, photos, handshakes—everything you want!”

The familiar background music blasted from the speakers, and Xiao Chi, holding the mini amplifier like a microphone, began to sing loudly in the small street corner, matching the rhythm of the music!

With the energetic music, seductive dance moves, and clear, bright voice, Xiao Chi, a living advertisement, created an instant effect.

The crowd of onlookers grew steadily from all directions, with the scene becoming so spectacular and the enthusiasm of the crowd so high that it seemed like the tent might collapse under the pressure.

“Buy one and get an autograph! Buy two and get a photo! Buy three and get a handshake!”

Ji Chenxuan, almost pushed into a corner, looked at Xiao Chi, who was sacrificing his “good looks” to complete the task, and suddenly felt that participating in this show was a mistake!

“Um… if I buy ten items, can I get a kiss?”

A female customer, her face flushed, shyly asked the question. The once-boisterous crowd suddenly fell silent, before erupting into an unprecedented frenzy of noise—

“I’ll buy eleven!”

“I’ll buy twenty!”

“Don’t steal my turn!”

Xiao Chi was surrounded by so many customers that he was nearly swallowed by the sea of people. Ji Chenxuan’s face darkened to the point that it seemed like water could drip from it.

As the situation started to spiral out of control, the CEO of Huanyi, unable to hold his patience any longer, finally shouted: “I’ll buy everything here! Close the store and stop the business!!”

Perhaps it was the sudden forceful aura that stunned the crowd, because the site fell completely silent for a moment.

Xiao Chi managed to squeeze out of the crowd and approached Ji Chenxuan, a troubled expression on his face as he whispered, “Isn’t this a loss?”

Ji Chenxuan maintained a stern face, and in a spot out of the camera’s view, mouthed heavily, “No, kissing, other people!”

Xiao Chi slightly opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but stopped.

The girl who had originally asked for a kiss after buying ten items seemed to be struck straight in the heart by Ji Chenxuan’s display of dominance.

She shyly cupped her cheeks with both hands, gathering the courage to make another proposal. “Um… I’ll pay double the price. Can I kiss you?”

Ji Chenxuan: “…”

Just as everyone was stunned by the dramatic turn of events, Xiao Chi suddenly stepped forward and stood between the two.

He brought his fingers together, lightly touching the girl’s lips like a dragonfly landing on water, before quickly pulling back and poking Ji Chenxuan’s lips.

The entire process was so fast, no one had time to react.

Xiao Chi confidently extended his hand. “Alright, kiss is done. Now, pay up.”

The girl: “…”

The onlookers: “…”