Chapter 216: A Surprise on the Forbes List

The three hosts in the CCTV. com livestreaming room, upon seeing the reports being sent back one after another by the reporters on the scene regarding Chen Nuo's statement, were momentarily too stunned to organize their thoughts.

This caused the program to fall into an instant silence.

Zhu Jun had been a host for the CCTV Spring Festival Gala for many years; he was naturally not a fool lacking in emotional intelligence.

The cynical and sarcastic remarks he had made earlier all had their reasons.

As a golden-tier program on CCTV-3, *Artistic Life* was far superior to Tu Jingwei's *China Film Report* on CCTV-6 in terms of ratings and influence.

Yet, ever since the promotional period for *My Blueberry Nights* began, they had sent countless invitations to Chen Nuo's side. Not a single one had ever succeeded.

The word from CCTV-6 was that Chen Nuo was a man who valued old ties, which inevitably left those at CCTV-3 feeling a bit resentful.

With Zhu Jun coming here to host such an informal online program, it was inevitable that his words would carry a personal bias—a sense of "you look down on me, and I look down on you."

But as a man in his early 40s, a father with a child in their teens at home, seeing the text on the screen,

Finally, he remembered his responsibility as a host. Without a script, he asked directly: "Director Zhang, Professor Bi, how do you view this statement from Chen Nuo?"

No matter how much Bi Chenggong disagreed with Shi Ningwei, or how much he hated the house and its crow, he couldn't possibly say a single improper word from the perspective of a third party.

Otherwise, while the "Nuo Mi" fans might not necessarily bash him, the major legitimate media outlets across the country would certainly scold him until he was out of a job.

"I think this is the social responsibility a star should have," Bi Chenggong said solemnly. "It's rare, but precisely because it's rare, it is extremely precious. Especially at a moment when he has received such a great honor, Chen Nuo can still make such a calm statement. And don't forget, everyone, he isn't even 22 years old yet. Even for someone like me, at 42, if placed in the same situation, I wouldn't dare guarantee that I wouldn't get carried away. Hmm, I can only say that Chen Nuo has once again—well, I shouldn't just say 'me'—he has exceeded everyone's expectations."

Zhu Jun listened to Bi Chenggong's words without a word, then asked Zhang Yibai: "Director Zhang, what do you think?"

Zhang Yibai smiled and said: "Let me tell everyone in the livestreaming room a little story. Last year, I knew a friend."

"By a stroke of luck, he was responsible for filming an advertisement for a sports brand for Chen Nuo. This was right after *Crazy Stone* had achieved great success. He handed his own script to Chen Nuo, asking him to see if it could be made into a movie."

"Chen Nuo promised him at the time that he would give him a reply, but a month or two passed, and he hadn't received any news. He figured the big star was busy and had forgotten about him, so he let it go."

"But, about three months later, he received a package. Inside was the script he had given Chen Nuo, along with a very thick handwritten letter. My little friend showed me that letter. That was when I roughly knew what kind of person he was. So, I am not surprised at all that he would speak like this today."

Zhu Jun's professional habit as a host kicked in, and he pressed: "Director Zhang, what was written in that letter? Can you reveal even a little bit to us?"

Zhang Yibai shook his head and smiled: "The specific content involves personal privacy, so I won't say. What I can tell you is that Chen Nuo very seriously wrote a lot of opinions about the script in that letter."

"He is indeed the most unique and sincere actor of the younger generation I have ever met. I have experienced this firsthand. Now that he speaks like this, I truly feel that if my future child really wants to chase stars, chasing someone like him wouldn't be bad at all."

Just as Zhang Yibai finished speaking,

The chat room, which had seemed a bit quiet after Chen Nuo's statement was relayed back, suddenly erupted with countless messages. It was truly like the Three Gorges Dam opening its floodgates; dense subtitles slid across the livestreaming screen like a waterfall, impossible to even see clearly.

"Thank you, Director Zhang, I know."

"Haha! I'm not surprised either, Nuonuo is bound to be that kind of person."

"This is our Nuonuo! Sisters, listen to Nuonuo, study hard and live well."

"When *The Dark Knight* was released, he told us to watch movies cautiously, and now that he's won an Oscar, he's telling us to chase stars cautiously..."

"Nuonuo, I will listen to you. I will study hard, but I will always be your most loyal Nuo Mi."

To some extent, the words of these young girls seemed a bit cringey to adults, because the genuine emotions within them were topics many adults were too embarrassed to bring up.

When the major portal websites also unanimously placed this appeal from Chen Nuo to his fans on the headlines of their entertainment sections,

The comments below still made many adults in their 30s and 40s cringe with goosebumps.

But at the same time, it also resonated with quite a few people.

Whether it was the Tianya Forum, Sina blogs, or even the film review section of Douban, and even major media outlets, all of them launched commentaries on Chen Nuo's "sober and rational, making one forget his age" statement, and there was no lack of praise among them.

The *Beijing Daily* believed this was the "merit of the education at the Beijing Film Academy," while the *Huaxi City Daily* believed this was the "consistently upright style of Sichuan people," and that he was an "outstanding young man from Western Shu nurtured by the fine water of the Tuojiang River."

Mr. Liang Wendao of Hong Kong's Phoenix TV Chinese Channel stated in his program *Wendao's Extraordinary Way* that he was a "gentle gentleman, urging people toward goodness, quite reminiscent of the ancient style."

Taiwan's SET News also rarely set aside political stances, believing that he was "opening a new trend in the entertainment industry" and "welcomed Mr. Chen Nuo to have the opportunity to come and experience the local customs and people of Taiwan again."

Finally, it was an article in the *China Youth Daily* that made many people suddenly feel energized.

The content of the article actually didn't contain much praise for Chen Nuo himself; on the contrary, it contained more warnings about the relationship between some current stars and their fans.

It didn't call for anyone to learn from anyone, but it ended with a question: "What is an artist, and what is artistic morality? What is the correct direction for a public figure to provide guidance?"

In the eyes of many, this article really led to quite a bit of over-speculation, with people believing that in this year's selection of the Top Ten Outstanding Youth, there might actually be a possibility of someone filling a post without the necessary qualifications.

Under these circumstances, the rebroadcast of the Oscar ceremony on CCTV-6 naturally attracted the attention of many.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that it was highly anticipated by all.

It wasn't just the Nuo Mi; ordinary people also wanted to see what our Chinese actors were actually like at the Oscars!

How could text and photo live coverage compare to live video?

However, no matter how many people were looking forward to it, this did not include Mr. Su Mingming, the head of the Mingming Comedy Troupe in Langfang City, Hebei Province, China.

What the hell is an Oscar.

What the hell is Nuonuo.

Did it have a single cent to do with him, the troupe leader Su, who had long ago given up on an acting career?

At this age, how could Troupe Leader Su Mingming have so much leisure time to care about the entertainment industry?

On this day, he had his own major life event to attend to.

That's right, divorced for many years and always alone, Troupe Leader Su finally saw the prospect of his own "second spring."

It was also because his finances were stable now, with fixed performance activities in the city every day, so he didn't need to get up early and work late in the towns to earn hard money, which was why he had been secretly noticed by others as this "not-too-bad, single, and still somewhat handsome" small boss.

A department store manager he knew introduced him to a middle-aged woman.

She was also divorced, a few years younger than him, and had a fourteen-year-old daughter who had just started her second year of junior high.

When the introducer mentioned this, Troupe Leader Su was a bit reluctant. Although his own daughter lived with her mother, he still had to provide monthly living expenses.

If he had to raise someone else's daughter now, Su Mingming felt the pressure was a bit high.

However, after meeting the woman named Li Jiawen once,

Troupe Leader Su felt, what did it matter if there was pressure? A man must have pressure to grow.

Even if he was a man in his 40s, there was still room for growth.

The woman was also satisfied with his appearance and such. After dating a few times, there was a sense of mutual affection.

On this day, Li Jiawen invited him to be a guest at her home, saying she wanted to have a formal meeting and introduce him to her family.

Before going, she specifically urged Troupe Leader Su to dress neatly, because her whole family would be there, and there would certainly be no shortage of them judging him.

At the same time, she comforted him, saying that if her older brothers and sisters were offensive in any way,

If he heard something he couldn't stand, she begged him to endure it. In short, she definitely wanted to live her life with him, and it didn't matter what others said.

As long as he passed this hurdle and went through this formality, the two of them would be a proper couple.

Upon hearing this, Troupe Leader Su felt energized.

Endure?

Enduring is what I, Old Su, am best at.

How long did I endure that Chen Senlin back then? And look, didn't I eventually see the clouds part and the moon appear, with both sides minding their own business?

He agreed immediately: No problem, watch me endure it for you to see.

Troupe Leader Su wasn't just good at enduring.

Having dared to venture into the entertainment industry when he was young, he certainly had self-confidence, and as someone who performed as Optimus Prime on stage every day, he naturally wouldn't get stage fright.

That afternoon, wearing his best suit worth over 1,800 yuan, having gone to the street to get his leather shoes polished for one yuan, and having gone to the barbershop for a 15-yuan haircut, Su Mingming set off, looking high-spirited and full of confidence.

As a result, while sitting in the taxi before even getting out, Troupe Leader Su was stunned.

"Driver, is this Mingyang Garden?"

The taxi driver nodded affirmatively and said: "That's right!"

Good heavens, no wonder I hadn't heard of it.

This must be one of those legendary, hidden wealthy residential areas.

The facts were indeed so. When Troupe Leader Su followed Ms. Li, who had come to pick him up, into that deep-courtyard villa complex, he was overwhelmed by what he saw along the way.

His heart also felt increasingly insecure.

Before entering the door, he finally showed his nervousness and asked: "Jiawen, what exactly does your family do?"

Well, once he asked, he found out that her whole family was wealthy. The eldest was in finance, the second was in foreign trade, and the third and fourth sisters also had their own achievements.

Only Li Jiawen, the youngest sister, had entrusted herself to the wrong person back then and was just drifting through life in a public institution.

Divorced for over ten years, she was no longer young, and her lifelong matter had remained unresolved.

So this time, hearing that she had a target she liked, everyone had rushed over from various places, wanting to take a look and act as gatekeepers.

"It's okay, Mingming. Still the same thing, our business is our business, it has nothing to do with them. It's just Sisi—you have to be more tolerant. This girl has never wanted me to find someone again, and she's been throwing a tantrum at me these past few days."

"If she says anything bad when the time comes, don't get angry. I'll talk to her properly later; it shouldn't be a big problem."

A gentle and elegant beauty showing such deep affection, and every word she said was reasonable.

What could Troupe Leader Su do? He had no choice but to bite the bullet.

Entering the home of his future father-in-law and mother-in-law, sure enough, the woman's warning was indeed justified; this whole family was not easy to deal with.

After only a few words of asking what work he did now, quite a few brows furrowed.

"How many people are in your troupe in total?"

"What do you perform every day? Just like those street performers playing with monkeys, right?"

"Then how much money can you earn in a month like this?"

"Do you have a house in Langfang?"

"What car do you drive?"

When they heard Troupe Leader Su say that he only earned a few thousand yuan a month, was still saving money for a house, and hadn't had time to buy a car yet, even more people shook their heads secretly.

Su Mingming even vaguely heard Li Jiawen's third sister mutter: "Jiawen chose and chose, why did she choose such a pretty boy?"

It could only be said that Troupe Leader Su Mingming was indeed skilled at enduring.

Regardless of whether that sentence was meant for him to hear, he just acted as if he hadn't heard it.

Let's eat, let's eat; there shouldn't be so much talk at the dinner table.

As if!

It was evident that the Li family had indeed made many preparations for his arrival. Many of the dishes made by the nannies on the table were things Troupe Leader Su had never eaten, tasted, or even seen.

Thus, it was inevitable that he made a slight fool of himself.

As a result, he was again despised by their daughter Sisi, who said in a not-too-small voice: "Country bumpkin."

Li Jiawen immediately changed her expression and scolded Sisi, scolding the girl until she was teary-eyed. Even though everyone at the table was trying to persuade her, she forced the little girl to apologize to Su Mingming.

This gave Troupe Leader Su the motivation to keep going.

After finishing the meal, of course, they couldn't leave immediately; they still had to sit down and talk.

Su Mingming and Li Jiawen sat together, dealing with all kinds of tactics, and his head was truly aching to death.

Therefore, when Sisi turned on the TV, clamoring to watch some Oscar thing, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Li Jiawen's fourth sister smiled and said: "Sisi still likes that Chen Nuo?"

Li Jiawen sighed and said: "Isn't that so? Like she's crazy. No matter what I say, she won't listen, I'm too lazy to manage her."

"It hasn't affected her studies, has it?"

"That hasn't..."

Sisi interjected proudly: "Third Aunt, you forgot that I was third in the class in the final exams last semester. Nuonuo said, we have to study hard and be filial to our parents. So you don't need to worry, I know everything."

Sisi's third aunt was truly surprised and asked Li Jiawen: "That Chen Nuo even says these things?"

Li Jiawen said helplessly: "Yes, didn't he win an Oscar in the US yesterday? When reporters interviewed him, he said some related things. She forced me to watch it yesterday; I had no choice, so I took a look."

The third aunt smiled: "This kind of star, it sounds rare."

The second uncle also chimed in from the sidelines: "But still have to manage her. Junior high is fine for now, but once in high school, the study load is heavy; if you don't manage her, it won't work."

Li Jiawen said: "Sigh, I think so too. When the time comes, I'll send her to board at school and let the school manage her. As for the future, when she grows up, it will be fine."

Sisi stared at the TV and said: "Mom, even when I grow up, I'll still be a Nuo Mi."

Li Jiawen said irritably: "Nuo Mi, Nuo Mi, can you act like a human being?"

Su Mingming listened happily from the side, but he was sneering in his heart.

Chasing stars? If you really let me be with your mother, watch me see if I let you chase stars. And chasing that thing Chen Nuo, at that.

It had to be said that Su Mingming, as a troupe leader, was truly protective of his own.

So much time had passed, and he still held a grudge that Chen Nuo had caused Zhao Liying to be eliminated in the second round of the Yahoo Search Star competition, preventing her from reaching the third round.

But in order to improve relations, Su Mingming laughed and said: "Actually, chasing stars is fine. I think it's normal for young people to like idol stars, just keep it moderate."

Even though he was helping her speak, Sisi acted as if she hadn't heard him and didn't even turn her head.

Li Jiawen was afraid he wouldn't be able to save face, so she echoed him a couple of times. However, although Sisi's attitude toward him hadn't softened, the atmosphere of the chat with Li Jiawen's whole family after the meal was indeed a little better than before.

Perhaps it was also because they thought that their own sister wasn't exactly a flower-maiden either, and was dragging along a not-so-small "oil bottle," so being overly picky about the man didn't make much sense.

So, the eldest uncle, second uncle, third aunt, and fourth aunt, including the mother-in-law and father-in-law, were now pleasantly starting to talk to Su Mingming.

However, their words still revealed an indescribable sense of superiority.

The feeling Su Mingming got was that for a loser like him, poor and shabby, having achieved nothing by middle age, to be able to find the Li family's youngest sister, Li Jiawen, as a wife, was truly a blessing he had cultivated in his previous life.

Su Mingming felt that the fact he could still laugh meant he was enduring so much he was about to become a "divine turtle."

The eldest uncle asked about Su Mingming's past experiences, and Su Mingming talked a bit about his past.

When they heard that he had once gone to Hengdian to be an extra, Sisi suddenly turned her head and asked: "Then do you know Chen Nuo?"

Su Mingming laughed and said: "The time I was in Hengdian was too early... As for Chen Nuo, if I remember correctly, he seems to be only 24 or 25 this year, right? At that time, he was probably still in junior high; I definitely don't know him."

Sisi said faintly: "It's not 24, it's 22 in 3 days." After saying this, she turned her head back to continue watching TV.

Li Jiawen frowned: "Sisi, have some manners. How did I teach you? Uncle Su answered your question seriously; what should you say?"

Sisi turned her head and said listlessly: "Thank you, Uncle."

Su Mingming laughed and said: "Sisi, if you have any questions, feel free to ask me. Actually, I know a bit about the entertainment industry."

Sisi smiled sweetly and said: "Uncle Su, I'm actually not interested in the entertainment industry, I only like Nuonuo." After saying this, she straightened her face and turned her head back to continue watching TV.

Su Mingming touched his head in embarrassment, and the others laughed.

Next, the successful people started offering advice to their future brother-in-law.

They believed that him running this comedy troupe in Langfang really had no future to speak of, and it would be best to change careers as soon as possible.

The eldest uncle said he felt that real estate was just starting to pick up, and he could work as a real estate agent; it should have a lot of potential.

The second uncle said it would be better to open a supermarket himself; it would be a steady income, and later, if he had money, he could even form a chain.

The third aunt said to open a restaurant, and the fourth aunt said it would be better to do clothing.

In short, everyone was talking at once, and it was extremely lively.

Although the implication was that they looked down on Su Mingming's current material conditions.

Fortunately, Su Mingming had rarely been looked up to in his life, so he could still endure it.

This made Li Jiawen look at him with even more satisfaction.

What she liked about Su Mingming, besides his face, was this temperament. A divorced woman is not like a girl in her teens or twenties. Everyone knows that living a life isn't just about looking at the face; you also have to look at the personality.

A man who looks good and also has a good personality—it doesn't really matter if his economic conditions are a bit worse.

At least for Li Jiawen, this was actually better.

Because the standard of living in Langfang wasn't high, and she also had two houses, so she didn't really need the other half to have any great achievements.

On the contrary, if the man is a bit weaker, he won't mess around outside, and she can speak louder at home, making life more comfortable.

"Wait, don't talk, don't talk!"

The adults were talking lively, when suddenly Sisi shouted: "Chen Nuo is receiving the award! He's receiving the award! Be quiet for a moment."

Indeed, the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor was the eighth one; in less than an hour, it was his turn.

The whole family of adults was stunned by such a shrill shout from the junior. No matter what they were thinking in their hearts, on the surface, they were really suppressed, and very politely, they didn't speak again for a while, following her gaze to the TV screen.

"Angelina Jolie."

The fourth aunt wasn't very old and often went abroad, so she obviously knew many Hollywood stars. Seeing the radiant brown-haired woman making the introduction on TV, she couldn't help but say: "This is a world superstar."

"Her mouth is too big." The grandfather, who hadn't said much, chimed in, making everyone laugh.

Before they could start a discussion, the image on the TV switched to a Chinese face.

The grandmother said: "This child, he really looks handsome."

The third aunt smiled and said: "Mom, he is a nationally famous handsome guy."

The grandmother laughed and said: "He looks a bit like Sisi's eldest uncle when he was young."

The others didn't say a word, only Sisi's eldest uncle said very seriously: "I think so too... Hey, this girlfriend beside him, I seem to have seen her in a TV series."

Even though Sisi was staring intently at the TV, she couldn't help but retort: "That's not his girlfriend. Just a friend."

The handsome guy on TV won the award; he hugged his beautiful female companion, hugged a few foreign men and women to celebrate, then walked into the aisle, and was hugged again by a very beautiful foreign woman.

The second uncle couldn't help but say: "It looks like Chen Nuo is very popular abroad."

The fourth aunt said: "He played the Joker in *The Dark Knight*, right? I even went to the cinema with our Old Zhou and Xiaotian to watch it. If they hadn't told me, I wouldn't have been able to tell it was played by one of our Chinese people. I heard it's very popular all over the world."

The eldest uncle said: "Don't talk about you, I went too at the time..."

"Eldest Uncle, Fourth Aunt, can you please stop talking!" Sisi said in a pleading tone, feeling like the girl was about to cry.

Alright, then we won't talk.

Everyone just quietly watched the 20-something-year-old boy walk onto the podium and receive that glittering little golden man.

No matter how much Su Mingming disliked Chen Nuo, he had to admit that this moment was indeed a bit exciting.

After all, he was also someone who had been in the entertainment industry; he naturally knew how heavy this award was for the Chinese entertainment industry.

This was the Oscars.

To this day, not a single Chinese film had won any award there. It had been nominated for Best Foreign Language Film several times, but each time it had just been a runner-up.

The particularly regrettable *Farewell My Concubine* was rumored to have missed out by just a few votes. Among those who sighed with regret at the time, he was one of them.

More than 10 years later, a Chinese actor had not only walked into the Kodak Theatre but had actually held that award that all filmmakers in the world dreamed of in his hands.

It wasn't Best Cinematography, nor was it any technical category,

It was the most authentic acting award trophy,

It was Best Supporting Actor,

This was a commendation for the actor himself, a praise for his acting skills,

Strictly speaking, it was not essentially different from Best Actor, and it was even hard to say there was any difference in level.

The boy started to speak; he was speaking English. But below, CCTV provided subtitles, so everyone could understand.

He thanked quite a few people; the boy didn't look very nervous when he spoke.

Although Sisi wouldn't let them talk, the talkative third aunt couldn't help but whisper: "He can still smile at this time; it seems his psychological quality is good enough."

The speech was very short, and the boy spoke very fast. By the end, he should have been finishing; his hand was already gripping the trophy.

At this moment, Sisi let out an "Eh," and everyone in the living room also noticed that the boy suddenly paused, as if he had remembered something.

Then, he first said a string of English; the subtitles showed that the boy was saying there was someone he was very grateful to, because of this person, he had the role of Joker and so on.

"Who?" Sisi asked, very puzzled.

The following words didn't need subtitles, because the boy suddenly said in a very loud voice: "Thank you, Troupe Leader Su Mingming of the Mingming Comedy Troupe. Troupe Leader Su, I am Wang Xiang, I..."

"Clang!" A loud noise!

It was Su Mingming's foot hitting the coffee table. The tempered glass of the coffee table was very hard, and his knee hit it hard; it must have been very painful. But Su Mingming felt nothing.

He only felt that even if his runaway ex-wife suddenly came back, knelt on the ground and begged him to reconcile, or if the 2-yuan lottery ticket he bought yesterday had won five million,

It wouldn't compare to the shock brought to him at this moment.

Mingming Comedy Troupe? Su Mingming?

These two names were actually very common; with China being so big and having so many people, there must be people with the same name.

However, if these two names could be a coincidence,

Then what about Wang Xiang?

If there was a Su Mingming who could connect these three things,

It seems, it seems...

Could it be that there was only him?

"... I am at the Kodak Centre in Los Angeles, USA, and I extend my sincere gratitude to you."

Su Mingming's body wasn't standing straight, because his knee had hit the coffee table top, causing him to be in a bent-waist, bent-leg state, looking very awkward.

He stared blankly at the TV, seeing the boy standing in the glittering hall, looking at the camera lens, his eyes carrying a hint of a smile, his face also looking a little embarrassed.

And this expression gradually overlapped with some moments in his memory.

"... Wang Xiang, ah Wang Xiang, have you really played the Joker?"

"... Sigh, go back and practice more, you know? You really don't know how to be funny!"

"... I watched you juggling on stage, my heart almost jumped out, big brother, can you stop playing with me, please?"

Every time when he lectured him, the look in those eyes after the clown makeup was also this little bit embarrassed, and also carried a little smile.

... Chen Nuo?

Is Wang Xiang?

Wang Xiang

Is Chen Nuo?

In Su Mingming's messy brain, he finally arrived at this simple yet complex answer.

In truth, if it weren't for the massive stir Su Mingming caused, the Li family would never have linked the name that appeared at the Oscar ceremony to this middle-aged, divorced man standing right beside them, wearing a low-quality suit, old leather shoes, and a bowl-cut hairstyle.

Because the distance from Langfang to the Oscar ceremony is no shorter than the distance from Earth to Mars.

But now, the eldest uncle, second uncle, third aunt, and fourth aunt, all watching TV together, were completely stunned.

At this moment, Su Mingming, with his awkward posture in their eyes, was truly no different from an alien.

Li Jiawen, standing beside Su Mingming, felt her throat go dry; she stammered a few times, but couldn't make a sound.

She felt the man beside her was so unfamiliar.

Originally, she thought she understood him well enough. She had hidden her family background precisely because she was afraid of scaring him.

Yet in the end, the one who ended up scared was herself?

Yu Yu Hewei would Chen Nuo mention him at the Oscar ceremony, in such a solemn and dignified setting, while delivering his acceptance speech?

How is this any different from the President of the United States, in his inaugural address, thanking a rural farmer after thanking George Washington?

It was incredible to the extreme.

In this moment of frozen air, Sisi was finally the first to speak.

Sisi's double-lidded eyes, which looked so much like her mother's, widened until they were large and round, and she asked with exceptional politeness and gentleness: "Uncle Su... is your name Su Mingming, right?"

Su Mingming opened his mouth, and finally, with great difficulty, squeezed a single word out of his throat: "Yes."

Sisi's cautious demeanor was like a cat afraid of startling a mouse: "Then... Uncle Su, was the Su Mingming that Nuonuo just mentioned... you?"

The emotions in Su Mingming's heart were hard to describe with words; he sat back down on the sofa and said with a complex expression: "Yes, it should be me."

The way Sisi ran over was even more like a meowing cat, and a well-tamed house cat at that, otherwise her voice wouldn't be so sweet and soft: "Uncle Su, you just said you didn't know Nuonuo. You lied. Uncle Su, why did Nuonuo thank you?"

Su Mingming looked at the now well-behaved and adorable Sisi, then at Li Jiawen, who was looking at him with awe, and at the kind-hearted people who had been lecturing him just a minute ago but had now all shut their mouths.

His heart felt as if a heavy weight had dropped to the ground, and he felt completely at ease.

Yu Yu Hewei did Chen Nuo want to thank him, Su Mingming?

Su Mingming thought for a moment and said: "It should be because I didn't fire him back then. Honestly, it was really that close."

His words made people even more confused, and Sisi was clearly becoming more and more curious.

Suddenly, the phone in Su Mingming's pocket rang. Seeing the name on the screen, he naturally understood that this person would definitely call.

It was just that the guy Xiao Si would never watch the Oscars; otherwise, he would already be on the street with a megaphone shouting that Chen Nuo is his brother.

Likewise, her call was also a matter of course.

After all, the trials and tribulations the four of them went through back then, if written out without cuts, would make for quite a long story.

Su Mingming picked up and said: "Xiao Zhao, you watched it too?"

Zhao Liying had indeed watched it.

And she wasn't watching it alone.

Her good friend Zhang Xinyu didn't understand why Zhao Liying, who had been calm throughout the viewing, suddenly changed her expression drastically after hearing Chen Nuo say that inexplicable thank-you.

This gave Liu Shishi, who had come over to watch TV, a fright.

The way she stumbled to her feet really looked like she had been hit on the head by an Oscar statuette.

Zhang Xinyu was startled and asked: "Xiao Ying, what's wrong with you?"

Zhao Liying burst into tears instantly.

She didn't know why her nose felt sore, or why her tears just flowed out like that.

When she watched the movie back then, she had felt something was off.

As for familiarity, she and he used to commute to work together every day; it could be said that except for sleeping, the two of them were together every single moment.

She was ten times more familiar with Wang Xiang than Su Mingming and the others were!

If it hadn't been truly impossible, she would have long since been unable to resist asking for the truth.

Even so, these past few days, her mind had often uncontrollably popped up with some guesses that even scared herself.

Now, the mystery was solved.

Her guesses were really not wrong.

Then, as she wept, she thought: You aren't unfamiliar with me! You aren't unaware of me! You've already signed me into your company, why didn't you tell me directly!

Since you haven't forgotten those days, why pretend that you have?

Facing Zhang Xinyu's concern, Zhao Liying shook her head and didn't answer, but instead took out her phone and dialed a number.

After confirming that Su Tuan also knew the news, Zhao Liying didn't say much more and hung up the phone.

Zhang Xinyu asked cautiously again from the side: "Xiao Ying, who are you calling? What did you mean by what you said on the phone just now? Do you know this Su Tuan that Chen Nuo thanked?"

Zhao Liying squeezed out a smile at her and said: "Sister Xinyu, please don't ask, okay? Once I've thought it through, I'll tell you the whole story."

(End of chapter)