"...I saw the news from *Fashion* magazine. Congratulations, three million copies of the magazine sold out in two minutes."
Lu Baiyi spoke, his voice tinged with a hint of amusement. He chuckled, "This is an extremely remarkable achievement in the entire entertainment industry, even in the era of print media."
Xu Gui felt a tickle in her ears. She gently scratched them and proudly declared, "I can't help it, I'm just exceptionally amazing! Nobody can compare to me!"
—In front of strangers, she might feign modesty, but with close friends, she had no such reservations. She spoke her mind freely, eager for everyone to know she was the most amazing turtle.
Lu Baiyi was unsurprisingly amused by her words. Every time he chatted with Xu Gui, he felt a sense of awe.
Xu Gui always seemed so open and honest, facing all her desires and emotions with such honesty—something many people couldn't do. Perhaps that's why he always felt so relaxed around her.
As he was thinking, he heard Xu Gui ask, "Did you buy my magazine?"
Lu Baiyi was speechless for a moment, then replied, "...Yes."
Xu Gui asked curiously, "How many?"
"..." Lu Baiyi coughed lightly, his fingers unconsciously tapping the table, and said somewhat embarrassedly, "I bought five hundred copies."
After saying that, he explained, "I originally wanted to buy twenty thousand copies, but I didn't expect that the purchase included CDs, and you could only buy one per minute." As a result, the twenty thousand copies he originally wanted to buy instantly shrank to five hundred.
Xu Gui was overjoyed to hear this, and after hearing her laughter, Lu Baiyi couldn't help but laugh too.
The two chatted for a while, and then Lu Baiyi suddenly said, "By the way, someone brought a basket of osmanthus flowers to my house today. I made osmanthus cake and osmanthus glutinous rice dates. Shall I bring them to you tomorrow?"
Xu Gui admitted that she was a little greedy, so when she heard Lu Baiyi's words, her heart couldn't help but flutter. She licked her lips and asked, "Is the osmanthus cake delicious?" She had never tried it before.
Lu Baiyi: "It should be delicious, right? The osmanthus flowers this year are of very high quality, with a strong fragrance. The osmanthus cakes made from them are very fragrant. Yuan Yuan ate several pieces today."
Upon hearing this, Xu Gui's thoughts of refusal vanished completely. She immediately asked, "Then come early tomorrow, and secretly give them to me so no one else can see..."
Lu Baiyi smiled and said, "Okay."
He added, "I also made osmanthus wine, but it will be a while before we can drink it, and osmanthus honey..."
Listening to the delicious dishes he described, Xu Gui couldn't help but touch her chin, suspecting that her mouth was about to water—she wanted to eat everything Lu Baiyi mentioned.
"After your show's filming is over, I'll invite you to my house. I'll cook for you myself," Lu Baiyi said. Then, as if afraid Xu Gui might misunderstand, he quickly added, "Mainly because many foods taste best fresh out of the oven. Sometimes, if it's a little late, it just doesn't taste the same."
Xu Gui nodded, seemingly not thinking much of it. Hearing her voice, Lu Baiyi felt both relieved and somewhat disappointed.
Meanwhile, after hanging up the phone, Xu Gui leaned back on the sofa, her expression thoughtful.
Yuan Lu went in and out several times, seeing her still sitting blankly in the soft armchair, and couldn't help but ask, "Teacher Xu, is something wrong?"
As soon as she asked, Xu Gui suddenly turned to look at her, saying solemnly, "Lulu, I feel like Lu Baiyi seems to really like me?"
Yuan Lu was speechless, saying, "...Is...is that so?"
But in her heart, she thought: You're only just realizing that now?
Xu Gui cupped her face in her hands and said, "He said he made osmanthus cake and will bring it to me tomorrow morning. I wonder what it tastes like; I've never had it before. The flower cakes he made for me the day before yesterday were quite delicious, so sweet..."
As she spoke, Xu Gui suddenly looked forward to tomorrow, saying, "Why isn't it here yet?" She really wanted to eat osmanthus cake.
Yuan Lu: "..."
As the saying goes, to win someone's heart, you must first win their stomach. So she suspected that this Mr. Lu was trying to win over their teacher Xu's heart with his excellent cooking skills.
And now, their teacher Xu seemed to be about to be won over by his delicious food.
Yuan Lu was heartbroken: What a cunning man!
*
Xu Gui was thinking about the osmanthus cake for the next day, so she went to bed early, her dreams filled with the fragrance of osmanthus.
But that night, the internet was very lively, with topics about Xu Gui and *fashion* constantly trending.
On one hand, the fact that three million copies of the magazine sold out in just two minutes is truly astonishing and unbelievable, making one wonder if there's some inside story involved. On the other hand, there's the bizarre move of *Fashion* magazine's purchase limit.
Given the current decline of print media, most people prefer digital magazines to print publications. Therefore, publishers generally aim to sell as many copies as possible; every extra copy sold is a victory.
But *Fashion*, not only did they launch with a three million copy order, but they also implemented a purchase limit. This was something no one expected, and many fans have undoubtedly suffered as a result.
[Who understands? As a die-hard fan of the magazine, I originally planned to buy a few hundred copies for my collection, but! Who knew that *Fashion* would implement a purchase limit? A magazine with purchase limits?!] [I've never seen such a shady tactic before.]
[It's clear that *Fashion* magazine is incredibly confident in this issue. Three million copies, and they even had a purchase limit! I don't know where they got the courage.]
[Isn't it ridiculous that such a large quantity actually sold out? And even more bizarrely, these three million copies sold out in just two minutes! Is that even possible?]
[I really suspect there's something fishy going on here. This sales figure might be fake!]
[I think Xu Gui and *Fashion* magazine saw too much online ridicule, so they deliberately fabricated data to save face for both sides, but they backfired.]
[Is it possible that this data is real? My older brother works at Tang's and bought this magazine tonight. Apparently, it was a company assignment—not mandatory, but employees who buy it can get reimbursed and receive a bonus. It's said that Ms. Tang arranged it specifically to support Xu Gui.]
[??? What are the other ladies talking about?] [
I can vouch for this! I'm an employee of Tang's. Buying a magazine gives you a 50 yuan bonus, and the magazine cost can be reimbursed! Such a great deal—earning money with just a few clicks!! Of course I wouldn't miss it!]
[Damn, isn't Miss Tang being a bit too generous? Tang's has tens of thousands of employees, right?]
[No, I'm also from Tang's! How come I didn't know about this? Ahhh!! I actually missed out on 50 yuan for a billion!!]
...
Netizens initially suspected Xu Gui and Fashion of cheating, but after Tang's employees spoke up, everyone discovered that
Tang's actually had its employees buy magazines?!
Wasn't Miss Tang being a little too generous?
At this point, a staff member from Tang's official Weibo account also stepped forward and said: "Our general manager is very grateful to Master Xu for helping her see through the scumbag's true colors..."
After reading Tang's official Weibo post, netizens couldn't help but exclaim: "Miss Tang is someone you can get along with!"
Then, Tang's company became one of the trending topics again tonight. Many people praised the Tang family for their gratitude, saying Miss Tang truly repays kindness. At the same time, many netizens also commented that Tang's products are very useful, befitting a major brand, further enhancing Tang's reputation.
Seeing this, many business people couldn't help but secretly sigh at Tang's cunning.
"What gratitude? I think the Tang family is just using Xu Gui's fame for publicity. This has inadvertently boosted their own brand..."
And this publicity, so subtle and discreet, hasn't even garnered any negative reactions from netizens. Everyone who sees it has to admire their brilliance, and can't help but feel a little respect for the person behind it all.
"This Tang Baozhu is truly capable. Since she took over the Tang family, their reputation has only grown..."
Of course, while some admire her, others despise Tang Baozhu for being dishonest, using the guise of repaying a debt of gratitude to promote the Tang family—it's utterly hypocritical.
Tang Baozhu, however, is unfazed. "Who says repaying a debt of gratitude and promoting the family can't happen simultaneously? My gratitude and support for Master Xu are more sincere than anyone else's..." Of
course, her intention to promote the Tang family through this is also very sincere.
This is clearly a win-win situation.
Xu Gui, who had gone to bed early, was unaware of all this. The next morning, after washing up, she received a call from Lu Baiyi and hurriedly went downstairs. She found his car in the parking lot behind the hotel and sneaked in like a thief.
It's no wonder Xu Gui acted so furtively; her fame had recently skyrocketed, and she had more and more fans. Around the hotel, many more fans wanted to see her.
Not long ago, she and Yuan Lu had sneaked out to buy barbecue and were spotted by fans, almost causing a traffic jam. After that, Xu Gui had to be more discreet whenever she wanted to go out.
She didn't want to be mobbed by fans again.
Once in the car, Xu Gui looked up and saw Lu Baiyi sitting inside. Besides him, there was a small figure. As soon as Xu Gui got in, this soft, fragrant figure bumped into her arms.
"Sister Xu Gui!" Lu Baiyuan looked up from Xu Gui's embrace, her eyes sparkling.
Xu Gui was surprised: "Yuan Yuan?"
She looked up at Lu Baiyi, who said helplessly, "She knew I was coming to see you, and she insisted that I take her with me. If I didn't, she cried that I was abusing her, saying that I deliberately left her at kindergarten so that the other children there would bully her..."
Lu Baiyi already felt guilty about what happened at kindergarten, and with Lu Baiyuan saying this, the words of refusal he was about to utter instantly stuck in his throat.
He felt both helpless and proud: This girl must have taken after someone else; she's so cunning.
"Sister Xu Gui, I'm not called Yuan Yuan anymore, my name is Xuanzhu! Lu Xuanzhu!" Lu Baiyuan said seriously.
Xu Gui: "..." She was dazed.
She looked at Lu Baiyi again.