Guide To Lying Flat And Getting Rich As A Kept Alpha - Chapter 66
66
Back at home, Cheng Youqing touched Luo Hetu’s head and said, “I spoke harshly to you earlier. I’m sorry.”
Luo Hetu didn’t think much of it, nor did she consider it harsh. It felt like the usual banter between a long-married couple, where the wife scolds the husband.
But since Cheng Youqing had apologized, Luo Hetu wasn’t one to miss an opportunity to act coy and gain a little advantage. Pouting, she said, “Yeah, you didn’t give me any face at all. Chen Lie scolded me, and so did you.”
Before Cheng Youqing could respond, Luo Hetu quickly added, “I get why Chen Lie was upset with me. To her, it must’ve sounded like I was meddling in her relationship without knowing the full story. That was my mistake. But you don’t know how much we all adore Xiao Ba at Qianbao’s place—she’s like a little treasure to us. The customers love her too; she’s like the center of attention. I saw how insecure she seemed, and I let it slide, but then she paid the bill. She doesn’t earn much—how could she afford to spend so much if she wasn’t truly devoted to Chen Lie? I didn’t think too much when I said what I did. A meal costing thousands of yuan—she didn’t need to pay for it. Whether she marries Chen Lie or someone else, she should save her money for when she has real joyous occasions. In other words, I’d only accept her kindness if she’s with someone truly worth her devotion. I just think she should be more clear-headed and stop making unnecessary sacrifices.”
She continued, “That said, it’s true that it’s someone else’s relationship, and I had no place to comment. If I were Chen Lie, I’d probably be upset too, so I can accept her scolding me.”
Her voice suddenly took on a wronged tone. “But you’re different. When you scold me, it really hurts.”
Who couldn’t play the victim a little? Luo Hetu did it with righteous confidence.
Cheng Youqing kissed her gently. “I was just worried you’d overthink and dwell on other people’s issues. Everyone says the wrong thing sometimes, but aside from my matters, you should do what feels right to you. If you think you’re wrong, apologize, but don’t keep reflecting on it. Have I not given you enough confidence that you feel the need to wrong yourself?”
Luo Hetu smacked her lips, savoring the kiss, and said, “Why do I feel like our kid’s going to grow up to be a little tyrant with a strong sense of self?”
Cheng Youqing replied matter-of-factly, “What’s wrong with that?”
Luo Hetu couldn’t argue against it. There wasn’t anything wrong with it. As long as the child was kind-hearted and moral, focusing on their own feelings without worrying about others could avoid a lot of unnecessary internal conflict. That was a consensus among her colleagues and friends in her world.
But Luo Hetu didn’t think frequent self-reflection was a waste of energy. Her core was strong enough, and she was simply more inclined to show kindness to others. If she caused anyone trouble, she’d feel genuinely sorry.
“Would you scold Chen Lie for my sake? Does that mean if both of us fell into the water, you’d save me first?”
It was a bit of a cheeky question.
Luo Hetu asked it to tease her, playfully grabbing Cheng Youqing’s fingers to toy with them.
Cheng Youqing paused for a moment, unusually quiet. “You’re both equally important to me. But at the root of it, this is about their unresolved relationship issues. No matter what you said, Chen Lie shouldn’t have taken her frustrations out on you because of her own unresolved feelings. I don’t agree with that.”
“She took it out on me because I said the wrong thing.”
“You can apologize for saying the wrong thing, but she shouldn’t have lashed out at you.”
“Why do I feel like you treat me like a pet you’re fiercely protective of?”
“Didn’t someone insist on wearing a collar?”
“I only asked to be marked.”
“I thought pets were marked.”
Luo Hetu kissed Cheng Youqing, and once they started, they couldn’t stop.
The temperature in the room seemed to rise a few degrees, and the night outside was perfectly serene.
As Luo Hetu leaned down, pressing against her, she suddenly opened her eyes, sat up abruptly, and gasped for a moment before saying, “I’m going to take a shower.”
A cold shower.
She was pent up.
How had she forgotten to ask Zhou Chenghuan today about how to handle things during pregnancy? Was it really just about holding each other and breathing deeply?
After her cold shower, Luo Hetu massaged Cheng Youqing’s feet, made sure she took her supplements, and patted her back to lull her to sleep. Before drifting off, she muttered, “Chen Lie did remind me—should I be stricter with myself? Time to start saving for baby formula.”
Cheng Youqing yawned. “I’ll cover the money. You don’t need to worry about that.”
She suddenly thought of something and added, “I’ll give you more money each month. You’re always buying things for the baby, and I don’t have time to shop. With more money, you can buy whatever you like.”
Luo Hetu didn’t say anything, but in her heart, she gave herself a little mental whip. It wasn’t about proving anything—she just suddenly felt a sense of responsibility. With a child on the way, buying things the child liked and providing the life she wanted felt like something she naturally should do.
The next morning, Chen Lie called. Luo Hetu overheard that she was apologizing to Cheng Youqing.
“Sorry, I was a bit emotional yesterday. I owe you an apology. Is Luo Hetu there? I’d like to apologize to her directly.”
Luo Hetu shook her head.
Cheng Youqing said, “She says she forgives you.”
Luo Hetu grabbed Cheng Youqing’s hand again.
Cheng Youqing added, “She says she was wrong too and apologizes to you.”
Chen Lie chuckled. “Alright, thank her for me. It was my fault for not handling my relationship well. I’ll treat you both to dinner sometime.”
Cheng Youqing teased her mercilessly. “Sort out your own mess first, or you’ll just cause trouble again at dinner.”
Chen Lie laughed. “So harsh.”
“Have you made up?”
“No.” Chen Lie paused. “I haven’t figured things out yet. If I decide to break up, it needs to happen soon.”
Luo Hetu silently mourned for Xiao Ba in her heart.
Cheng Youqing said, “All these years, you and Zhou Chenghuan called me cold, but you’re not exactly warm yourself. You’re ruthless.”
Chen Lie didn’t argue, only saying, “Reluctance is an emotion I shouldn’t have.”
They chatted a bit more before hanging up.
Luo Hetu sighed. “Poor Xiao Ba.”
Cheng Youqing replied, “I don’t think they’ll break up.”
Over breakfast, Luo Hetu asked about the policy support for the city’s eastern development zone. Since it had been finalized, had the Cheng Group secured enough funds?
“You’re thinking about the internet project, aren’t you?”
On a rare morning when they weren’t rushing to work, the two sat in their loungewear in the dining room. Since her pregnancy, Cheng Youqing had been adjusting her schedule, ensuring three meals a day, staying calm, and reserving enough time for rest in the mornings and evenings.
“The group’s professionals have come up with a few plans. I remember you mentioned you had ideas too. You can take a look.”
Cheng Youqing took a sip of milk. “Riding the wave of the country’s largest VCD and DVD production brand, we’re thinking of launching a video website.”
Luo Hetu nodded. It was indeed a solid path. Under Cheng Youqing’s management, the Cheng Group was doing well, and they clearly had visionaries on board.
“Once the internet becomes widespread, VCDs and DVDs will be phased out. DVDs could pivot to a high-end Blu-ray route to maintain some traffic, which can then be converted into users for the video website. Essentially, we’d be cutting off the DVD path ourselves. If we follow this route, the group won’t care much about DVD sales. It’s the Chen family that’s really digging their own grave.”
“Video websites will definitely attract a lot of competition in the future. Even if I don’t make the money, someone else will. So why not update and replace ourselves, building the website’s brand on reputation?”
Luo Hetu nodded. “That’s the right approach.”
“Do you have other ideas? You said before that you’d thought of something.”
“Video websites are a good start, but I’m aiming bigger. I want you to try building an online shopping platform.”
“Online shopping?”
“Yes. In the future, everyone will get used to shopping online. Whatever they need, they can buy it online. You’d create a nationwide platform with a wide range of products, where qualified merchants can set up shops. The goods would cover every aspect of daily life. Imagine the scale of that.”
Cheng Youqing thought for a moment, her eyes lighting up with realization. “How did you come up with this?”
Luo Hetu scratched her head. “There’s something like it abroad. I’ve been browsing foreign websites for information, so I learned from them.”
Cheng Youqing said, “After breakfast, come to the company with me.”
Luo Hetu replied, “Perfect. I’ve written a proposal. I’ll print it out.”
When Cheng Youqing saw the thick stack of Luo Hetu’s proposal, her gaze softened completely. “That must’ve been a lot of work.”
It was true. Compiling her knowledge, the information she’d found, and details from the book into a detailed proposal had taken effort. But if she wasn’t willing to put in that much work, how could she expect to make money?
She shook her head. “Not hard at all. I’m happy when my wife makes money.”
Cheng Youqing stood at the study door, tugged at the collar of Luo Hetu’s already-worn shirt, and kissed her.
“When I first asked you to marry me, I really didn’t expect you’d help the group like this.”
“See? You’ve got great taste. You picked a talent like me.”
Cheng Youqing loved how Luo Hetu’s eyes sparkled when she bragged. She wrapped her arms around her neck, lingering for a while.
Luo Hetu’s face was marked with bright red lipstick. “Gotta wipe this off.”
“No way,” Cheng Youqing said domineeringly.
“It’s not good if people see. They’ll say you’re not serious, not like a leader.” Luo Hetu squirmed.
After another round of kisses, Cheng Youqing let her wash her face, and they headed to the company.
At the company, they held a small meeting. Despite the risk of being seen as “meddling from the harem,” Luo Hetu explained her idea and shared the proposal with the presidents and department heads. “I’m not a professional. This is just my idea. The specifics depend on you experts and Chairman Cheng.”
As they flipped through the proposal, the attendees exchanged excited glances. A good idea was worth its weight in gold, and Luo Hetu’s detailed proposal had practically laid out a clear path—a wide one. They needed to act fast. They’d heard that a company called Hanyu Tech in Shenzhen had recently skyrocketed in value with a chat app. They had to jump on this opportunity.
Cheng Youqing said, “Hold a meeting among yourselves and come up with a concrete plan in the next few days. Keep this project low-key. If anyone asks, just say we’re researching internet-related fields. If you need funding or resources, you’ll get them. The chairman will greenlight everything for this project.”
As the project leads and presidents rushed off to work overtime, Luo Hetu got a call from Li Baitian.
“Master, the shoot here is almost wrapped up. Some scripts have come in for Xiaotong. I’ve screened them—want to take a look and see which ones are worth doing?”
“It hasn’t even aired yet. More scripts will come once it does.”
Luo Hetu thought for a moment and said, “I’ll come by anyway.”
There might be a hidden gem.
Sure enough, she found one. Wen Xiaotong’s current project hadn’t aired yet, so the scripts coming in weren’t big productions. Among a few mediocre scripts from small-time crews, Luo Hetu spotted a literary film submitted by an unknown new director.
Reading through the script, it felt strikingly similar to a film that had unexpectedly won three major awards in Hong Kong in her original world.
Luo Hetu patted the script. “This one works.”
Li Baitian said, “Let me see.”
“There’s a big issue, though,” Li Baitian said, stroking his chin. “That actress you signed—what’s her name? Tong?”
“…Wen Xiaotong. You signed her because I told you to.”
“Right. She’s going to be big, but her acting—can she handle it?”
“If you don’t trust her acting, why did you insist I sign her?”
Luo Hetu scratched her head. In the book, Wen Xiaotong did indeed skyrocket to fame with one project, but that script hadn’t shown up yet. Since she’d already filmed The Real and Fake Princess, her breakout might come earlier. They could revisit that script later.
Luo Hetu asked, “Did the director of this project praise her?”
“He did. Said she’s got a spark when she acts.”
Luo Hetu figured she should trust the director’s judgment but also felt a bit irresponsible. “Alright, contact this director. Ask if there’s an audition for this project. If there is, I’ll go with you to check it out. I want to get a sense of things.”
As she left Li Baitian’s office, she bumped into a woman with a bare face.
Her features were strikingly vivid, the kind that stood out in a crowd. Her most captivating feature was her pair of clear, expressive eyes. Blinking at Luo Hetu, she suddenly spoke.
“You’re Boss Luo?”
Luo Hetu let out a surprised “Ah.”
“I heard you specifically wanted to sign me, but you’ve never met me. I just overheard you telling the boss you’re not sure about my acting. So why exactly did you want to sign me?”