Early morning sunlight streamed gently through the curtains, falling across Luo Zheng's face.
The warmth was soft, almost lazy—comforting enough to make anyone unwilling to wake.
Inside a duplex apartment near Marvel Company, the quiet atmosphere was suddenly broken by a lazy, slightly annoyed voice.
"Luo… is your body made of steel?"
Julie raised her hand and lightly hit his chest, her tone filled with mock anger, though her expression carried no real resentment.
Luo Zheng chuckled, completely unfazed. "Life lies in movement. Don't you like it?"
Julie rolled her eyes but didn't deny it. "I do… but I'm starting to think I might get addicted."
Luo Zheng leaned closer, his smile turning wicked. "That's exactly what I want."
Julie froze for a second before letting out a soft laugh, shaking her head at his shamelessness.
Just as the atmosphere grew warm again, a buzzing sound suddenly broke the moment.
Luo Zheng reached for his phone and frowned slightly.
There were multiple missed calls—
All from Liu Xixi.
Last night, to avoid interruptions, he had set his phone to silent mode. Clearly, he had been too focused on other matters to notice anything else.
And now, another call was coming in—this time from the company's front desk.
He picked it up immediately.
"Hello. What's the matter?"
The reply came quickly, slightly nervous.
"Chairman… Miss Xixi is here. She's… crying."
The warmth in Luo Zheng's eyes disappeared instantly.
"Take care of her. I'll be there right away."
He hung up, his expression turning serious in an instant.
Julie noticed the change immediately. "What happened?"
"Xixi's at the company. Something's wrong."
He didn't waste time explaining further. Within seconds, he was already getting dressed and heading out.
Julie watched him leave, her expression turning slightly complicated.
Just moments ago, he had been completely immersed with her—
And now, without hesitation, he rushed off for another woman.
It was almost ironic.
She lay back against the bed, staring at the ceiling.
"Maybe this is what I deserve…" she murmured softly with a self-deprecating smile.
But the thought didn't linger long.
As long as she had enjoyed herself, that was enough.
Wrapping herself in the quilt, she inhaled the lingering scent of him on the pillow and slowly closed her eyes.
At Marvel Headquarters, inside the Chairman's office—
Liu Xixi sat on the sofa, pouting slightly, her small face full of grievance.
"Cousin… that's what happened…"
Her voice carried a hint of complaint, clearly expecting comfort.
But Luo Zheng didn't soften.
Instead, his expression turned serious.
"Even if Aunt was wrong, you shouldn't have run away from home."
His tone was firm, leaving no room for argument.
"What if something had happened to you on the way? Do you know how dangerous that is?"
Xixi blinked, startled by his seriousness.
"If you were unlucky, you could've been kidnapped and sent somewhere far away—like Africa—to dig potatoes."
Her face turned pale instantly.
Without hesitation, she threw herself into his arms.
"No! I don't want to go to Africa!"
Her voice trembled as she clutched him tightly.
"The people there are so dark, and they don't even bathe once a year! I'd suffocate from the smell!"
Luo Zheng froze for a moment before rubbing his forehead helplessly.
This…
Her imagination was way too wild.
Clearly, Liu Xiaoli had sheltered her far too well.
He sighed inwardly.
Looks like educating this girl about the real world was going to be a long-term project.
Just then, his phone rang again.
This time—it was Chen Guoli.
Luo Zheng showed the screen to Xixi.
She glanced at it, then immediately buried her face into his shoulder, pretending not to see anything.
He answered the call anyway.
"Uncle, don't worry. Xixi is with me."
Relief flooded the other end. "That's good… that's good… Your aunt and I were terrified when we saw her room empty…"
Before he could finish, the phone was suddenly snatched.
Liu Xiaoli's anxious voice burst through.
"Luo Zheng! Where are you? Is Xixi safe? Is she cold? Is she alright? Send me the address immediately—I'm coming right now!"
Her tone was urgent, almost panicked.
Luo Zheng frowned slightly.
He glanced at the girl in his arms—who was now as quiet as a frightened rabbit.
"We're at the company."
He hung up without another word.
Then he looked down at her and smirked.
"Scared now? Just wait. Your mother's about to start a full interrogation."
Xixi's expression changed instantly.
She grabbed his sleeve and shook it desperately.
"No! Cousin, you have to save me!"
He tried to ignore her at first.
But her constant pleading eventually wore him down.
He sighed and crooked his finger.
"Come here."
Her eyes lit up instantly. "Hehe!"
She leaned in eagerly.
A moment later—
Hurried footsteps echoed outside the office.
Then—
Bang!
The door was pushed open violently.
Liu Xiaoli rushed in, breathing heavily, with Chen Guoli following behind her.
"Xixi!"
Her voice was filled with anger and relief at the same time.
"I've spoiled you too much! How dare you run away from home!"
She raised her hand instinctively.
But Chen Guoli quickly stopped her.
She froze for a moment.
Truthfully, she had no intention of hitting her daughter—only scaring her.
But what she didn't expect—
Was that the effect completely failed.
Xixi sat calmly on the sofa, playing Snake on her phone, not even looking up.
The anger Liu Xiaoli had just suppressed surged back instantly.
Just as she was about to explode—
Luo Zheng stood up casually.
"Aunt, I've already criticized her."
His tone was calm.
"Since it's her first offense, let's just let it go."
Liu Xiaoli froze.
Her anger got stuck in her throat, unable to come out.
Her face turned red—then even her neck flushed.
"You… you two…!"
Before she could continue—
Xixi suddenly stood up.
Then, word for word, she repeated what Luo Zheng had taught her earlier.
"Mom, I know I was wrong."
Her voice was clear and sincere.
"But I didn't run away on purpose."
"You always taught me to be honest and keep my promises."
"I promised my cousin I would come learn filmmaking today, so I had to keep my word."
She paused slightly, then added—
"And… you were the one who broke your promise first."
"So… you're also partly responsible."
Silence.
Dead silence.
Liu Xiaoli stood there, completely stunned.
Then—
"Fine. Fine! Very good!"
Her body trembled with anger.
She pointed at the two of them, but no words came out.
Finally—
She turned and walked out.
Hard.
Fast.
Her entire composed, elegant image—
Completely shattered.
Chen Guoli sighed deeply.
Looking at the two smiling faces, he immediately understood everything.
"Xixi… your mother isn't just angry because you ran away."
His tone turned serious.
"Because of this, you missed your flight today."
"And more importantly—"
"You missed an audition."
Xixi's smile froze instantly.
"What…?"
"That was a role your mother worked very hard to get for you."
"And now… it's gone."
Her face turned pale.
"But… Mom said it wasn't important…"
"That's because she didn't want to pressure you."
Chen Guoli shook his head and left quietly.
The door closed.
Silence filled the room.
Xixi slowly walked toward Luo Zheng and buried her face in his chest.
Her voice trembled.
"What should I do… Mom must be very sad…"
Luo Zheng softened slightly.
"It's normal that she's sad."
He paused.
"But don't worry about the production crew. I'll handle that."
She looked up instantly. "Really?"
"Of course."
Her mood changed almost immediately.
Wiping her tears, she puffed up proudly.
"Hehe… Mom loves me the most."
"As long as I act cute, she'll forgive me."
Luo Zheng shook his head helplessly.
"It's easy to learn bad habits from me, huh?"
After lunch, the two headed to the film set together.
Kevin Feige had already assembled the core structure of the crew in just half a day.
His efficiency was astonishing.
Of course, the simplicity of The Man from Earth also played a role.
A single living room scene.
Minimal locations.
Maximum storytelling.
Perfect for a low-budget miracle.
Luo Zheng even planned to turn it into a series IP—
Maximizing both profit and system rewards.
Soon, the car stopped.
But before he could even step fully out—
Kevin rushed toward him, holding a newspaper with a panicked expression.
"Boss, this is bad!"
"That old fox Karl is playing dirty!"
Luo Zheng took the newspaper calmly and glanced at it.
Then—
He smiled.
"They say your decisions will destroy Marvel. Massive layoffs incoming!"
Kevin was clearly anxious.
But Luo Zheng simply folded the paper.
"They're not wrong."
Kevin froze.
"What?"
Luo Zheng looked at him calmly, eyes sharp.
"The layoffs… are real."