Wealthy Woof Chapter 130

The Drama Academy was practically a place of shamelessness. People with thin skin usually couldn’t last long in the classes. Even though what was taught in class was indeed useful for the future, the way emotions were handled was explained in great detail by the teachers, along with many very practical little tricks, it still didn’t make it any easier to accept things like being called on stage to act out an animal they had drawn. Cats and dogs were manageable. Even apes and elephants weren’t a big problem. But how exactly was one supposed to act like a lizard, a caterpillar, or an anteater? Crawl on the floor and stick out your tongue?

But since the whole environment was like this, over time, Zuo Ning also began to loosen up. Other than his own dormmates, he even made a few more good friends. All of these friends had one thing in common: they were incredibly uninhibited and especially eccentric.

However, just as Zuo Ning was starting to feel like he’d finally recovered a bit of that college life feeling, he had to pack up again and head out to work hard and earn money.

In October, the TV drama he had filmed officially began airing. Initially, when the drama started production, it drew a lot of attention due to the other male lead. Thanks to Ni Hao’s popularity, both the buzz and expected viewership had a decent guarantee. But unexpectedly, a dark horse emerged later on—Lu Ning. Just because of Lu Ning’s presence, the competition for the premiere rights became much fiercer than expected, and in the end, it indeed sold for a high price.

Unfortunately, when Zuo Ning first took on that drama, he wasn’t well-known, so his pay wasn’t even close to that of the other male lead, Ni Hao. Altogether, the compensation he received didn’t match the attention and viewership he helped bring in. After Zuo Ning’s popularity began to rise, quite a few scripts came knocking during the gap period after finishing the drama. Of course, the pay was higher than before, but still not by much. His agent, Bei Xiao, rejected all of them outright. They weren’t short on resources; there was no need to rush into anything. Once they had a solid work and some endorsements in hand, there would be no need for Lu Chenghe to keep spending money to buy them resources. Good offers would start coming in on their own.

As soon as the drama began airing in October, it basically dominated the trending searches every day, practically launching Zuo Ning into screen domination mode.

On top of that, right after military training ended in September, Zuo Ning signed endorsement deals for a luxury perfume and a luxury clothing brand. The commercials for both endorsements were also launched with lightning speed in mid-October, and the brand counters all switched overnight to large posters of Zuo Ning.

Normally, for endorsements at that level, things couldn’t possibly move so quickly. From negotiations to launch, even getting it all done within six months would be considered fast. But this was a product from Lu Chenghan’s[mfn]fourth brother[/mfn] company. With the boss himself giving the order, and the endorser being family, who would dare say no when the boss personally gave the green light?

This left a whole crowd of pure face-value fans stunned and speechless. They never expected that the fresh young idol they had just started stanning would debut at such a level. And then when they looked over at those celebrities who had clawed their way up from total obscurity, built their reputations through hard-earned work, and were still busy fighting over billing order just to secure so-called first-tier endorsements… Well, comparing people to people really could drive one to madness.

Among the luxury brands under Lu Chenghan’s company, using an Asian face as a spokesperson was something that could be counted on one hand. Anyone who had managed to land a spot was an internationally top-tier superstar. The last time they’d managed to let an old, well-established brand lend its name so that Zuo Ning could be listed as a co-endorser, it had already taken considerable effort just to pave the way for one product. And now, this total rookie who didn’t even have a released project to his name had landed two endorsements in one go—and one of them was the flagship perfume being promoted across all of Asia this year. This kind of maneuver was nothing short of 66666.

What was even stranger, though, was that once the endorsements were announced, there wasn’t even a shred of drama. A few of the industry’s usual big-mouthed troublemakers—the type known for stirring up dirt—even publicly offered their congratulations. This left those who didn’t know the inside story totally confused. Most public opinion online was clearly being guided. At worst, there were just a few radical voices making bitter remarks. But without someone deliberately fanning the flames, it never really gained traction.

The atmosphere was harmonious—well, mostly—but there were still some unpleasant voices floating around. And unexpectedly, the first person who couldn’t hold back wasn’t anyone else—it was Zuo Ning.

After reading some of those sour and snide comments, Zuo Ning asked Lu Chenghe about it, and then went straight to put on the clothes from his new endorsement. He headed into the dressing room and sat down in front of an entire row of closets filled with clothes from the same brand. With Feifei in his arms, he asked Lu Chenghe to take pictures of him—tons of shots from all different angles. In the end, he picked two of the best-looking ones and posted them on Weibo with the caption: Some people are asking what right a freshly debuted rookie has to land this kind of top-tier luxury endorsement. Let me answer everyone’s question: this is what we call ‘keeping the goodies in the family!’

Zuo Ning handed the phone over to Lu Chenghe to take a look. Lu Chenghe took it, tweaked the caption a bit, and then just posted it himself. When Zuo Ning got his phone back and checked the post, the text had changed to: Some people are asking what right a freshly debuted rookie has to land this kind of top-tier luxury endorsement. Let me answer everyone’s question: when it’s your own family’s brand, you don’t need so-called qualifications.

Zuo Ning blinked. Mm… Sure enough, it sounded way more domineering than his original “keep the goodies in the family” line. He looked again at the two photos just posted; one where he was holding Feifei and smiling at the camera, and another where he was sitting cross-legged on the floor, head down as he rubbed Feifei’s belly. He couldn’t help but sigh, “Damn, I’m so handsome. How did I end up this good-looking?”

Feifei turned his head to look at his daddy. “Woof!”

Zuo Ning grinned as he picked up the puppy, pressing his face against its belly and rubbing against the soft fur. “Feifei also thinks Daddy is super handsome, right? What a good son you are!”

Lu Chenghe casually kicked the stuffed toy near his foot, hitting Zuo Ning square on the forehead. Zuo Ning looked up at him. “What was that for?”

Lu Chenghe glanced at him. “Being narcissistic is a bad habit. You should fix it.” With that, he turned and walked out of the walk-in closet.

Zuo Ning plopped the dog-son down onto the floor, took a few steps back, then ran up and leapt onto Lu Chenghe’s back. “Fine, then you’re the most handsome man in the world, and I’m the second most handsome. Happy now? If you wanted me to compliment you, just say so! Why be so roundabout? Good thing I’m clever enough to understand what you meant. Ah, really, there’s just no dealing with you.”

Lu Chenghe was so amused by this shameless little thing that he actually laughed out loud. Feifei, who had been left behind in the closet, came bounding out as well, pawing at his pant leg, trying to climb up. One clinging to his back, another scrambling up his leg. What a lively scene.

When Lu Chenghe finally carried the big one and the little one back to the bedside, Zuo Ning’s phone rang. As soon as he picked up, he was met with Bei Xiao’s roar from the other end: “Lu Xiao Ning, what the hell are you doing?! What’s with that random thing you posted? Don’t you already have enough gossip about you?!”

Zuo Ning held the phone away from his ear and waited until the yelling died down before saying, “That was Chenghe who posted it.”

Bei Xiao was so angry at this shameless passing of the blame that he let out a snort of laughter. “Cut it out. You think I’m stupid or something?”

Zuo Ning looked pitifully at Lu Chenghe, eyes full of accusation: It was clearly you who posted it, so why am I the one getting scolded? Lu Chenghe couldn’t help but chuckle at his shamelessness and took the phone. “I posted it.”

The moment Bei Xiao heard Lu Chenghe’s voice, he was momentarily stunned. Anyone with half a brain could guess Lu Chenghe couldn’t possibly have posted something like that. The man was always so busy. How could he have time to care about those petty online comments? It could only have been Lu Xiao Ning, bored out of his mind. He was scrolling through Weibo, getting riled up by what he saw, and wanting to fight back. But now that it was posted, deleting it would just make things worse. Since Lu Chenghe was aware of it and it wasn’t something Lu Ning did behind his back, then so be it. Even if the sky falls, someone with the surname Lu would hold it up. Resigned, Bei Xiao just told Lu Ning not to stir up trouble anymore and hung up. He still had a ton of things to deal with.

Being a manager really was far more challenging than being an assistant to a CEO, especially when dealing with an artist who constantly stirred up trouble!

And right now, Zuo Ning, who had completely taken over the trending topics, was drawing attention at the level of a top-tier celebrity. Even a casual WeChat post from him could make the hot search, let alone something that practically counted as a revelation. The moment Zuo Ning’s post went up, likes, reposts, and comments instantly shot past ten thousand—and were still climbing at an explosive pace.

【What does that mean? Is it what I think it means? That “Lu” in Lu Ning, does it mean that Lu?】

【No way… I thought I was a fan of some pretty-boy star, turns out I was fangirling over a little prince. May I ask, this Lu Ning, which branch of the Lu family does he belong to? For him to openly claim that the brand is his family’s, don’t tell me it’s that Lu family?】

【If he says it’s his family’s brand, then it kind of makes sense now… Like how, after he got bashed to pieces, suddenly so many scandals about Xing Ze came to light. That’s what happens when you attack the wrong person. This world really does run on background and connections.】

【So is this another one of those “poor souls” who’ll inherit a hundred-billion fortune if he doesn’t work hard at acting?】

【Wahhhh!!! Ning baby, do you need a decorative accessory? I’m the kind who’s still in university. You can hang me anywhere you like!】

【Shows off his background the moment he debuts… ha, not someone to mess with.】

After a while, Zuo Ning scrolled through the comments and couldn’t help glancing at Lu Chenghe again and again. He stared so much that even Lu Chenghe, who was reading one of those brainless magazines that didn’t require thinking, couldn’t focus anymore. He turned his head toward him and asked, “What now?”

Zuo Ning flopped over and lay on top of Lu Chenghe. “That post earlier… I kind of feel like it wasn’t a great idea. I don’t know why, I just feel a little guilty.”

Lu Chenghe chuckled and poked his cheek. “You? Feel guilty? Could’ve fooled me.”

Zuo Ning bit down on Lu Chenghe’s finger and ground his teeth a bit. “I’m not part of the Lu family, you know… Um, how should I put it? Eventually, someone’s gonna start asking questions about my family background. Tsk, why didn’t you stop me earlier?!”

“Who says you’re not part of the Lu family?” Lu Chenghe said. “You’re going on the Lu family genealogy someday.”

Zuo Ning’s eyes widened. “The Lu family has a genealogy book? I’ve never even seen what one of those looks like.”

Lu Chenghe replied, “It’s a book passed down from over a hundred years ago, recording the names of every family member, one by one. It’s the trace of the Lu clan’s existence.”

Zuo Ning sighed in amazement. “As expected of a big family. Sounds so impressive.”

Lu Chenghe chuckled lightly. “It’s not just the Lu family. Many major aristocratic families have them, and even some rural villages still preserve old genealogies. Even though the current marriage law doesn’t yet recognize same-sex marriages, once you’re on the Lu family’s genealogy, that means you’re one of us.”

Zuo Ning let out a silly laugh. “Lu Chenghe, you must like me sooo much—like, ridiculously like me!”

Looking at that smug little face, Lu Chenghe indulged him and said, “That’s right, I like you ridiculously much.”

Zuo Ning immediately threw his arms around him, pressing his face against Lu Chenghe’s chest. “I knew it. I like you too—so much it’s crazy.”

Lu Chenghe gently ran his fingers through Zuo Ning’s hair, the soft strands slipping through his fingers. The weight pressing against his chest filled him with a sense of contentment. That little guy babbled on for a bit while lying there, and before long, he’d unknowingly fallen asleep.

Lu Chenghe tugged the blanket over him, thought for a moment, then took out his phone, logged into Weibo, and reposted the earlier post from “Little Pudding”. He didn’t write anything—just added a sticker of a hand patting someone’s head with the caption “good boy”. But that one repost was enough to say it all.

Lu Chenghan, the eldest of the Lu brothers, saw this public display of affection and immediately grabbed his phone to call his wife. “I don’t care. You’re taking on a brand endorsement. You must endorse something!”

Chu Hang, who was also browsing Weibo at that moment, naturally understood what Lu Chenghan meant. He soothed him helplessly. “Behave, don’t be like that. I want to take it slow, step by step, on my own merit.”

Lu Chenghan let out a couple of dissatisfied hums. Why is it that endorsing our own brand doesn’t count as earning it step by step when it’s our own family?! After being coaxed for a few more sentences, he finally gave in with gritted teeth, reposted the Weibo, and immediately turned to call Lu Chenghan: “Your sister-in-law hasn’t endorsed anything yet. No rush, but I want you to design something properly. It can only be endorsed by your sister-in-law. One of a kind!”

Lu Chenghan[mfn]Fourth brother[/mfn] hung up the phone with a tearless cry. What did I do to deserve this?

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