Chapter 34: Goddess Tong

Goddess Tong

The fans in the livestream suddenly exploded with excitement.

[How does she have chemistry with everyone?]

[I kinda ship this pair now, hahaha… sorry, Xiao’er!]

[Is this her assistant or her manager? The girl looks so sweet, she must have a really cute personality, right?]

[She looks kinda familiar… could it be… Zhang Yuetong? No way, right?]

Someone in the comments mentioned Zhang Yuetong, but the name wasn’t well-known among netizens, so it didn’t draw much attention.

The comment quickly scrolled past and disappeared.

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Mbl cwp fszvle pzktbvzu, yde Nkd Syd srldle bla lulp yv vbyv xsxldv, tzydnkdt yv Hbydt Zwlvsdt clpkel bla.

Fllkdt y vaknjzl sq eassz yv vbl nsadla sq bla xswvb, pbl nswzed’v blzr cwv zywtb yde vssj swv y vkppwl vs okrl kv yoyu.

Mbld pbl zlydle cynj ytykdpv Hbydt Zwlvsdt yde esgle sqq ytykd.

Ohld vbl nyxlayxyd oyp pvwddle, wdyczl vs vlya vbl nyxlay yoyu.

Wldt Ywbl aykple y qkdtla vs bkp zkrp kd y “pbbb” tlpvwal yde pyke dsvbkdt xsal.

Mbl cyaaytl sq nsxxldvp sd vbl pnalld oyp ps eldpl kv dlyazu czsnjle vbl ldvkal hklo.

[R nyd’v vyjl vbkp yduxsal, Dkys’la, R’x psaau, R’x clvayukdt usw! R’x pbkrrkdt vbkp ryka dso!]

[Tso kp vbkp tkaz ps yesayczl? Eblal eke vblu qkde bla?]

[She must’ve been picked by Ah Ran because she’s cute, right? Is she the company mascot?]

Then, someone suddenly exclaimed:

[Did I wake up too fast? Did I just see my Goddess Tong?!]

[It really is Zhang Yuetong! Why is she with Lin Ran?]

[Huh? Who’s Zhang Yuetong? Is she famous? Why call her “Goddess Tong”?]

Those who knew began explaining to the audience.

[The student council president of Qingdao University. Even before graduation, she was being fought over by several multinational corporations and considered the highest-valued graduate of the year. Everyone calls her “Goddess Tong.”]

[She could land an annual salary in the tens of millions right after graduation. She’s not just relying on being cute, she’s got real hardcore skills!]

[Gotta whisper this…Tongtong is ruthlessly efficient at work, zero cuteness. If you mess up under her watch, she’ll chew you out till you cry!]

[Every college student in Qing City knows her. She’s a role model for so many!]

[She’s in Qingdao University’s combined bachelor’s-master’s-PhD program! Do you know how hard that is to get into? Nationwide, there are barely a handful each year! She’s a top-tier academic genius!]

After learning about Zhang Yuetong’s background, netizens were puzzled.

[But why is she with Lin Ran? Ranyue Culture can’t afford a ten-million salary, can they?]

[I think she’s a co-founder? Ranyue… “Ran” is Lin Ran, and “Yue” refers to Zhang Yuetong?]

[But why would she skip big corporations to start a company with Lin Ran? Lin Ran’s company is… embarrassingly broke and they can’t even afford office space. Can they really make money?]

The conclusion of the discussion was surprisingly unanimous.

[What else could it be? …Love!]

—

Lu Zhengkai watched the live broadcast while scrolling through trending topics.

It blew up even faster than he expected.

Du Shuo and Zhang Yuetong were unexpected surprises, and he never imagined they’d show up. Though they weren’t official guests, their appearance at the start of the show was a huge boost in viewership.

The student, Lu Lanxiao, had been recommended by a friend.

Lu Zhengkai only agreed because he thought a top-ranking academic from Qingdao University would be an interesting addition, but he didn’t expect Du Shuo to tag along.

He could tell this guy wasn’t just some student.

Others assumed Du Shuo was Lu Lanxiao’s cousin, but based on Lu Zhengkai’s experience, Du Shuo’s attitude toward him wasn’t cousin-like at all…it was more like a subordinate to a superior.

Under Feng Muhe’s urging, the cameraman reluctantly pulled back the shot, this time focusing on Du Shuo.

After all, they couldn’t just keep filming Lin Ran and Zhang Yuetong sleeping, the other guests needed screen time too.

Du Shuo was reading a book, taking notes as he went.

“Mr. Du is really diligent and even on a trip, he’s still studying. Let’s see what he’s reading…”

As the camera zoomed in, Feng Muhe suddenly trailed off.

“Uh… The Domineering CEO Falls in Love With Me… Umm…”

Noticing Feng Muhe filming him, Du Shuo even explained, “Professional studies.”

Feng Muhe: “…”

A 1.8-meter-tall muscular guy, a provincial martial arts champion, reading a romance novel and taking notes was… an indescribably bizarre sight.

[What is my God Du doing?! Does he even know what he’s reading?!]

[‘Professional studies’ my ass. What’s he learning this for?!]

[Did God Du fall in love? Is he studying how to chase girls?]

[HAHAHA he’s so adorable!]

Meanwhile, in the conference room on the 12th floor of Feiye Group…

The executives were nervously staring at the screen, holding a meeting as they watched.

“This new guy Du Shuo is quite studious. Not bad, not bad.”

“I read a dozen pages yesterday and got a headache. I don’t know how to write reading notes…can I copy Du Shuo’s?”

“Idiot, if you copy his notes, do you think the president won’t notice? You still want your year-end bonus?”

“Fan Shuhao’s got some backbone. He wouldn’t leave his girlfriend even for a million.”

“Why not just offer more?”

“Come on, the company didn’t approve that budget, and we pooled the money ourselves! For President Lu, a million is manageable, but any more and it’d hurt. Can’t bear to spend it…”

“Hah, so you’re saying President Lu is only worth a million to you? His year-end bonus alone is more than that, isn’t it?”

“Don’t talk nonsense! President Lu is priceless!”

The bus traveled for over three hours before turning onto a bumpy dirt road. After another hour of jolting along, it finally stopped.

The guests looked out the window and couldn’t help but gasp.

“This is the countryside? We’re filming here?”

“Even the roads are unpaved. Where is this?”

“The production team can’t be this cruel…”

Outside the bus stood a row of staff, led by eight cameramen, each with a camera labeled not with their own name but with a guest’s.

The moment Lin Ran stepped off, her cameraman—a young guy—rushed over excitedly.

“Miss Lin, hi! I’m a huge fan of your magic! Never managed to snag tickets, though…”

Lin Ran smiled.

“Nice to meet you. And yeah… I can’t even get tickets myself.”

Lu Lanxiao’s cameraman, in contrast, was much more reserved.

“Hello, Student Lu. I’ll be your cameraman.”

Lu Lanxiao responded just as coolly.

“Hi.”

The guests retrieved their luggage from the trunk while the crew stood by, offering no help.

Lu Zhengkai announced, “Everyone, gather at the square ahead. All guests must submit their luggage for inspection, and certain prohibited items will be temporarily held by us. After that, we’ll arrange accommodations for the assistants. Once filming starts, assistants cannot enter the shooting area!”

“From now on, each of you will have your own livestream! Personal streams are already live; viewers can choose their favorite guest to watch!”

The so-called “square” was a long walk from the drop-off point, and the uneven ground made rolling suitcases impossible—they had to be carried.

Lin Ran didn’t pack much, just daily essentials. Zhang Yuetong’s suitcase wasn’t full either, so the two carried their own bags toward the square.

Zhu Xiaoxiao, however, had tons of luggage.

Her assistant, also a girl, struggled with four large suitcases that couldn’t be dragged.

Spotting Lu Lanxiao empty-handed, Zhu Xiaoxiao brightened and called out sweetly, ” Student Lu, right? Help me with my luggage!”

Lu Lanxiao didn’t even glance at her.

“No.”

“Huh?” Zhu Xiaoxiao frowned.

“You’ve got no manners! You’re not carrying anything, and you’re a guy, so what’s the big deal?”

Lu Lanxiao did have luggage, but it was just that Du Shuo had taken it. For a brawny guy like him, two suitcases were nothing, and carrying his boss’s things was part of the job.

So Lu Lanxiao naturally walked off the bus hands-free.

To him, this was normal and he’d never carried his own luggage in his life.

Hearing Zhu Xiaoxiao’s complaint, he turned and said flatly, “That doesn’t constitute a necessary or sufficient condition for me to carry your bags.”

Zhu Xiaoxiao blinked.

“What… does that mean?”

Lu Lanxiao turned away, muttering, “Guess your industry doesn’t require passing high school exams.”

Zhu Xiaoxiao: “???”

She glanced at her phone.

Her livestream had few viewers, but someone explained:

[High school math—necessary and sufficient conditions. Did you really not finish high school?]

[Pretty sure that’s middle school stuff. Did she not even graduate middle school?]

[He’s mocking your lack of education!]

[LMAO, this Lu guy’s savage! I like him; I’m going to check out his stream!]

Her viewer count dropped further.

“Hmph!” She huffed and dragged her luggage away angrily.

Lu Lanxiao’s stream, meanwhile, had plenty of viewers, mostly there for Du Shuo. When they saw Du Shuo sprinting ahead with two suitcases while Lu Lanxiao strolled empty-handed, the comments exploded.

[This Lu guy can’t even carry his own stuff?]

[Making God Du carry everything? So disrespectful!]

[God Du runs so fast though…]

Lu Lanxiao’s cameraman whispered, “You’ll get flak for this.”

Lu Lanxiao paused.

“Why?”

“Having God Du carry your luggage will piss off the viewers.”

Lu Lanxiao watched Du Shuo dash off, then nodded.

“Fair point.”

He turned, took Lin Ran’s suitcase without a word, and walked off.

Zhang Yuetong stared after him like she’d seen a ghost.

The same expression appeared on the faces of Feiye Group’s executives on the 12th floor.

“Am I seeing things? President Lu… carried someone’s luggage?”

“He’s never carried a bag in his life!”

“I must be dreaming… need to calm down…”

“Did I boot this wrong? Should I restart?”

“Wait… Whose suitcase did he take?”