Chapter 802: [A zombie apocalypse strikes the film crew; Xiao He jumps off a building to escape?]
On the other side, a long motorcade was slowly starting up, returning in the direction it had come from.
Bao Xingsheng leaned against the back seat of the Lincoln with his eyes closed and arms crossed, his fingers occasionally tapping lightly against his arm.
The secretary sitting in the passenger seat turned around and recounted the situation at the time in a calm tone.
"President Bao, do we need to continue holding those bodyguards accountable for what happened?"
Bao Xingsheng opened his eyes.
A pair of deep, dark eyes seemed to be staring fixedly at him, as if piercing through his very soul.
He had originally intended to say yes, but for some reason, he changed his mind. His gaze shifted back to the window. "No need. Just treat it as a misunderstanding. It wasn't a big deal to begin with."
"Understood."
The secretary smoothly marked the matter as "resolved" and didn't press further. Instead, she continued, "President Bao, regarding that Mr. Xiao's invitation, do we need to make a special note?"
In truth, never mind Xiao He and the others being shocked; even the secretary was stunned by Bao Xingsheng's attitude.
Although Daoist Hu and President Mao had expressed their praise for Xiao He several times before, and Daoist Hu had even subtly reminded Bao Xingsheng based on hexagrams that Xiao He's presence on the ship might turn their current critical situation around, the secretary always felt that Daoist Hu and the others were deliberately inflating Xiao He's status because of "The Dragon."
After all, they had investigated before and were perfectly clear about Xiao He's background.
He was just an exceptionally talented young actor who got lucky. His Agent humored him, opening an entertainment company for him to run as the boss. The newly opened technology company was only just starting out. While it showed potential, it was a mere ant compared to the massive Hongyu Group.
As for the titles of Best Actor and tv king given by Xiao He's fans and industry insiders, they were even more beneath mention. In the eyes of people like them, such empty titles were worthless.
How could a minor actor like Xiao He possibly sway the current grand situation in Hong Kong?
The secretary felt this was simply an exaggeration.
Bao Xingsheng also fell into a brief silence.
After an unknown amount of time, he finally said, "Then make a note of it. If he boards the ship, let me know."
"Yes, President Bao."
The secretary hesitated as if wanting to say more, but in the end, she just silently recorded the matter.
Her heart was full of doubt.
Was President Bao really looking at that kid differently because of metaphysics?
Bao Xingsheng seemed to sense something. He glanced at his secretary with a cold expression.
The secretary didn't dare show another hint of doubt. She immediately lowered her head and turned back around.
And so, Bao Xingsheng closed his eyes to rest again.
—Naturally, it wasn't just because of Daoist Hu's reminder.
It was also because of the rumors coming from Beijing...
Bao Xingsheng's fingers resumed tapping against his arm.
To be able to secure that property, this Xiao He was definitely not simple.
How much of Daoist Hu's words were true, and how much were false?
Once they were on the ship, everything would naturally be revealed.
...
Tong Junhui had arrived low-key and left low-key.
By the time Xiao He finished filming and returned, he was already gone.
"Eh? Why did he leave?"
Xiao He asked while wiping the sweat off his body. "I was going to say we should go out for a meal together after we finish tonight! I've been in Hong Kong for a while now, and I haven't really tried any of the local specialties nearby."
"He said he had other things to do, so he left first."
Liu Rulan coughed lightly and said, "Besides, it's not suitable for him to stay here right now. If the paparazzi outside see him, I'm afraid it'll stir up more gossip."
Xiao He was a big celebrity now, and there were more than a few eyes fixed on him.
Speaking of which, Liu Rulan couldn't help but think about how Xiao He had jumped directly from the second floor today to chase a dog.
She immediately began to settle old scores. "Speaking of which, you brat, I haven't lectured you yet! If we're talking about being high-profile, who can beat you? Jumping from the second floor just like that—are you trying to scare me to death?!"
Xiao He: "Uh, actually it wasn't that high. Sister Liu, you know me..."
However, right at that moment, Xiao Chen ran in, standing at the door and peering inside cautiously. "Um, Brother Xiao, Sister Liu, do you want to take a look at the trending searches?"
The room suddenly fell into silence.
They almost didn't even need to look. Just hearing Xiao Chen's words and thinking back to what happened earlier, Xiao He and Liu Rulan could roughly guess what was being said on the trending searches.
Xiao He: Oh no! The trending search is late but it arrived! But how are there still paparazzi camping nearby?! This is a bit too ridiculous! Is this the legendary power of Hong Kong paparazzi?!
Liu Rulan: Deep breath. Don't get angry, don't get angry. As an Agent, aren't we just here to pay back debts?
The woman closed her eyes, silently pulled out her phone, and then habitually clicked into Weibo, opening her eyes to see the truth—
【Zombies in the Film Crew, Xiao He Jumps Off a Building to Escape?】
"Pfft—hahahaha! Jumping off a building to escape! Zombie outbreak! Hahaha, who came up with this genius headline?! Hahaha—"
The next moment, earth-shattering laughter erupted in the lounge.
It was the first time Liu Rulan had laughed so heartily. She held her phone up toward Xiao He with one hand and clutched her stomach with the other, unable to stop laughing.
Even Xiao Chen, who had already seen the headline, couldn't help but turn his head away, suppressing his laughter in an attempt to preserve the last shred of dignity for Brother Xiao.
As for Xiao He himself...
Xiao He himself was stunned!
He stared at the phone in front of him, his mouth twitching, his eyes experiencing an unprecedented "earthquake." "What on earth is this? Which media outlet wrote this headline?! This isn't just a matter of taking things out of context anymore! This is straight-up rumor-mongering!"
Xiao He had originally thought that if someone caught the scene of him jumping from the second floor, they would at most post some harmless gossip. But now, where did this zombie outbreak come from?
Wasn't it just to save time by jumping out the window to chase a dog! Are they crazy! Why would they link it to zombies!
And where exactly did the paparazzi who took the secret photos see him being chased by zombies and jumping off a building to run away!
Report! He was going to report them! Report this false information, report this unscrupulous media!
Xiao He couldn't help but grit his teeth, feeling the urge for the first time to directly hack all accounts under a media company. When he opened the headline to read further, he found it was indeed a Hong Kong media company.
It must be the paparazzi who had been camping on their perimeter lately. These people always lingered nearby whenever they caught the scent of a Film Crew. This also included many local paparazzi, which was a very common occurrence.
Except—
Xiao He continued scrolling down and saw the first captioned image.
It happened to be the frame of Xiao He jumping from the building, suspended in mid-air.
This image could be described as exceptionally vivid and graphic: at the top, a woman with her hand raised shouting; in the center, a young man falling; on the ground below, a man who had collapsed; a bit closer, a bloody "monster" running forward with its tongue out; and in the very foreground, used as a frame, a group of bodyguards in black...
Truly worthy of a famous "paparazzi" group originating from Hong Kong. They were actually able to capture such a visual and narrative image at just the right moment, explaining the cause, process, and result of the event in one go. It was so theatrical that Xiao He almost wanted to give them a like.
He never expected that upon coming to Hong Kong, he would also experience a "specialty" trending search of the Hong Kong entertainment industry.
Of course, it would have been better if the protagonist of the story wasn't him.