After the Divorce, I Could Hear the Voice of the Future

"Mr. Lu, maybe next time. It's probably not convenient right now; I'm still filming."

Huang Xiaoming looked conflicted. He really wanted to agree, after all, he could film at any time, but an opportunity to talk with Lu Liang wasn't always available.

However, it would be inappropriate and might give off an impression of being unprofessional and overly opportunistic.

Lu Liang glanced at the camera and said with a light laugh, "Then, let's do it next time."

Huang Xiaoming nodded repeatedly, "Mr. Lu, please take your time, I'll be leaving first."

Lu Liang nodded and continued to dine.

Previously, in his mind, celebrities were always surrounded by a mysterious aura, but now, although he hadn't met many, the sense of mystery about celebrities had long since vanished.

If he wanted, with any excuse, he could command the presence of most celebrities.

At that moment, the female guest running ahead also sensed that something was off; logically, Huang Xiaoming was supposed to be pursuing her, but there had been no movement for a while.

So, she turned back and walked up to Huang Xiaoming, "Xiaoming, what's going on?"

Huang Xiaoming looked awkward and pulled her away from where Lu Liang was dining, "Little Ju, didn't you recognize him?"

"Who?" Little Ju was clueless; she had been chased haphazardly and hadn't noticed who was in the restaurant.

"Tianxing's Mr. Lu." Huang Xiaoming said seriously, simultaneously turning his head to instruct the crew to cut this segment out.

Even though Lu Liang had moved from behind the scenes to the forefront, whenever he appeared in public, it was always by his own initiative.

A rash appearance on a variety show might boost the show's topicality, but it was unclear what Mr. Lu intended.

They couldn't gamble on such uncertain popularity; winning the gamble might add a topic of discussion, but losing could be a cost they couldn't afford.

"Mr. Lu," Little Ju was stunned, was such a prominent figure right before her eyes, and she had completely missed him?

At the same time, as Lu Liang finished his meal and turned around, he also caught sight of Little Ju, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes.

He hardly recognized any modern actresses, but this one famed as a 'beauty of four thousand years' was an exception.

It all started because of Little Wang. With her sweet look and petite frame, Little Ju was exactly his type. For a while, like a star-struck fan, he had silently liked all her updates, yet never got any response.

Out of scorn born from unrequited affection, he derided her online daily as a drama queen, eventually even getting blocked.

Mr. Lu knew about this and had laughed about it for a long time, thus recognizing this rarely seen beauty.

However, Little Ju wasn't his type; he preferred healthy-looking girls with a bit of curves.

Seeing Lu Liang leave, Huang Xiaoming also breathed a sigh of relief and turned to smile, "Little Ju, you have ten seconds to run, after this shot we are wrapping up."

Reality shows are all about the show; what the audience sees is just what the crew wants to show them.

"Thank you, Xiaoming."

Little Ju bowed, lingeringly watching the direction Lu Liang was leaving in, the imagined scene of being flirted with never materialized.

She felt disappointed and started to doubt her own charm.

Mr. Lu had scheduled an SAP therapist, enjoying the night breeze and a Thai massage on the terrace, relishing this moment of tranquility.

Three days had passed in a blink of an eye.

The entire company staff, along with their families numbering 215 in total, had all arrived and left together.

The arrangements were very humane; after a three-day corporate retreat, they returned right in time for a festive Mid-Autumn celebration with two days off.

Originally, the plan was to have the three-day Mid-Autumn Festival off included for the retreat, but Mr. Lu had denied that.

Returning from a three-day trip and resting for two days made for a better start to the new work week.

Back at the company, each employee was handed a 2000 RMB celebration bonus, ready to joyfully welcome Mid-Autumn Festival with their families.

This year, Mr. Lu didn't go back but chose to spend the festive period with Su Wanyu at home.

She was a bit socially anxious and didn't like noisy gatherings; Lu Liang, just back from Hai Island, didn't want to go out either.

So, they set up an oversized recliner on the balcony, sliced some mooncakes and fruit, and quietly enjoyed the moon at home.

The weather was perfect, the Mid-Autumn night was cloudless, and the orange-yellow moon hung high, its light exceptionally bright.

"Tonight, the moonlight is so beautiful," Su Wanyu commented. She spoke of the moon but her gaze was on Lu Liang.

Lu Liang gently caressed her cheek, his voice soft and tender, "The wind is also very gentle."

Su Wanyu's eyes curved like crescent moons as she kissed Lu Liang lightly, "With this scenery and mood, shall we have a drink?"

"Aren't you allergic to alcohol?"

"How many times do I have to tell you? I'm not allergic; I just can't hold my liquor well and I don't get a rash or feel itchy."

"The Chinese folks who try so hard throughout their lifetime, always undergoing desensitization treatment." Lu Liang couldn't help but chuckle, but he didn't persuasively stop her either. Drink slowly, drink a little, there won't be any problem.

Mainly because Su Wanyu looked really adorable when tipsy—her skin became smoother, tender, and delicately rosy.

She already resembled a soft, rosy little bun and, with the boost from her slightly drunken state, looked as though she'd been dusted with talcum powder.

Lu Liang's smile deepened playfully, but then his chin was suddenly bitten. Su Wanyu seemed to have read his mind and flushed with a mix of embarrassment and anger, "You jerk, stop imagining things."

"So do you like it or not?"

...

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, it also came time for Panda's Series C funding.

Little Wang, having not seen for a few days, appeared overindulged, sporting dark circles, and still needed to use concealer to cover them up.

"This is due to overworking. You think everyone is chilling like you, all relaxed with team building and celebrating the Mid-Autumn festival."

Little Wang bristled with resentment; Douyu's live commerce segment had launched two days ago, and transaction volume had surged past fifty million.

Although Panda had also reached a transaction volume of over one hundred million, other streaming platforms such as Huya and Bilibili had announced projects to follow suit.

Suddenly, it seemed that every major online platform had discovered the method for monetizing traffic, ushering in the era of live-stream commerce.

As the first mover in live commerce, Panda had no absolute advantage and led by a small margin, placing Lu Liang under significant pressure.

Lu Liang smiled enigmatically, hinting at something, "We've barely just begun, and King and Little Wang are still watching."

Little Wang was stunned, "Douyin is entering the market too?"

He caught the implication—King probably referred to Kuai Shou, while Little Wang was Douyin.

"I don't know about Kuai Shou; Douyin is still watching."

Lu Liang pondered, then added, "If this turns out to be the ultimate destination for traffic, do you think they'll stay indifferent?"

How Kuai Shou thought, he was not clear, nor could he be certain.

But Yang Zhenyuan had long said that Douyin, once well-established, could rival Meituan, Taobao, or even WeChat, and they definitely had plans in this area.

Little Wang frowned, clearly struggling with some frustration that seemed ready to dissipate.

Kuai Shou, with its earlier establishment and deep heritage, was called King; due to its style, it found it difficult to penetrate the developed tier-one cities.

Douyin was different, known as Little Wang but currently poised to sweep across the country, dominating markets from north, south, east, to west.

Both adopted the lifestyle sharing approach, undoubtedly more suited for live-stream selling and a paradigm shift for all platforms.

Lu Liang glanced over and, seeing what Little Wang was thinking, couldn't resist teasing, "Getting cold feet again?"

Though Little Wang was not as unbearable as netizens claimed, calling him the foolish son of a landlord,

he indeed wasn't cut out for business—sometimes overconfident, other times despondent, his overly fickle mindset was a significant flaw.

"How could that be? This Series C round is led by Pu Si with a forty million US Dollar investment," Little Wang declared defiantly, his gaze resolute.

Aware of his shortcomings, he was also trying to overcome them by increasing capital investment to cut off any retreat. If he failed this time, he would gracefully accept defeat and stop striving, thereafter clinging to Lu Liang's coattails just to collect money.

"Not bad at all, having such awareness is also worth the twenty million US Dollars I invested to join your venture."

Lu Liang showed a trace of gratification on his face, like seeing a usually indecisive son finally showing some backbone.

Little Wang ground his back teeth noisily, his look fierce, "Did I not tell you never to look at me with that expression?"

"So what?"

Lu Liang's smile was full-faced, displaying an air of relaxed ease.

Little Wang took a deep breath—the world was so beautiful, yet he was so irritable; this was not good. Lifting his stiff lips, he forced a smile, "How about we find a time to go boxing?"

He really wanted to give Lu Liang a beating, his current defiance also stemmed from being constantly mocked by him.

"Go take care of someone else." Lu Liang laughed heartily, knowing when to stop and not to provoke Little Wang further.