ABOES 105: Press Conference

“What’s this?” Chi Yunxing held the two transfer agreements in his hands, momentarily frozen in place.

“Go ahead and sign it,” Tan Yao said with a smile, reaching over to ruffle his hair. “We should’ve had you sign this a long time ago.”

Tan Yao and Chi Ling looked like they wanted to say more, but a staff member came over and said there were still some details they needed to confirm.

Tan Yao looked at Chi Yunxing. “You go ahead and sign first. Dad and I will be right back.”

With that, she and Chi Ling stepped out, leaving only Chi Yunxing and the lawyer in the room.

Chi Yunxing held the agreements without moving for a long time.

Just as the lawyer was hesitating on whether to urge him, Chi Xiwen suddenly pushed open the door and entered.

“You haven’t signed yet?” Chi Xiwen sat down beside him, glanced at the papers in his hand, then handed over another document. “Perfect. Sign this one too while you’re at it.”

Chi Yunxing took it, looking even more stunned. “Ge, this is…”

He could understand the share transfer agreements from Tan Yao and Chi Ling but this shareholder transfer from Chi Xiwen? He didn’t get it at all.

Yunxing Entertainment was a company founded solely by Chi Xiwen. Why would he transfer all his shares to him?

Seeing the confusion on his brother’s face, Chi Xiwen smiled and said, “I don’t think I’ve ever told you why I started this company, have I?”

Chi Yunxing shook his head—he’d never heard the story.

Chi Xiwen leaned back against the sofa, shifting to a more comfortable position before saying, “Have you heard of the Polaris Charity Foundation?”

Chi Yunxing paused, then quickly reacted. “You founded that?”

Chi Xiwen nodded with a smile. “Smart as always. That’s my brother.”

Chi Yunxing was truly surprised.

The Polaris Foundation was a household name in China. It was known for supporting education in impoverished mountain areas and helping orphaned children.

What made it even more notable was that the foundation had never accepted donations or outside funding. Since its inception, it has been entirely self-funded by its founder.

Seeing the amazement in his brother’s eyes, Chi Xiwen’s smile softened.

Tan Yao and Chi Ling had always been involved in charity work. After Chi Yunxing went missing, they focused even more on children around his age.

As a child, Chi Xiwen had often accompanied them to remote mountain villages. Maybe because of that early exposure, by the time he was an adult, he was already thinking about what he could do for those kids.

That’s when the idea of a foundation came to him.

Founding an organization wasn’t something that could be done on ideals alone. After researching extensively, Chi Xiwen created a framework for what he believed a foundation should look like, and sent the proposal to Tan Yao and Chi Ling.

They were fully supportive, but as adults, they had practical concerns.

First and foremost was Chi Xiwen’s commitment to accepting no outside donations.

Chi Ling said, “If you want a charitable organization to operate normally, you’ll need to put in at least fifty million yuan a year. It’s not just about the kids you’re helping—you have to think about the hundreds of employees too. All that money will come out of your own pocket. So where’s it going to come from?”

Chi Xiwen didn’t hesitate long. He said, “Then I’ll start my own company. As long as it makes money, I’ll have the funds for charity.”

Chi Ling smiled and said, “Then go do it.”

Chi Xiwen took those words to heart, and from that point on, he began building his own company.

The year he decided to launch the company, he happened to meet Duan Zhiyan, who was aiming to break into the entertainment industry. The timing was perfect—thus, Yunxing Entertainment was born.

Chi Xiwen looked at Chi Yunxing, his eyes full of warmth. “Yunxing, Yunxing Entertainment was created because of you. Polaris Charity, too, was named in your honor. Now that you’re back, it’s time I gave it all to you.”

After hearing that, Chi Yunxing’s emotions were a whirlwind.

He’d always known the name “Yunxing” came from him but he never imagined it had such a deep meaning behind it.

Both Yunxing Entertainment and Polaris Charity… everything his brother had built was for him.

Chi Yunxing’s eyes suddenly turned hot.

Chi Xiwen hadn’t expected that his words would make his brother tear up, and he panicked a little. “Hey—Yunxing, what’s wrong? Don’t cry!”

Chi Yunxing sniffled and took a deep breath. “I’m not crying, I just…” But he couldn’t finish the sentence.

Chi Xiwen chuckled softly. “Anyway, don’t worry. I might be giving you the company, but I’ll still help you run it. I’ve got two or three other businesses, so it’s not like I’ll be unemployed or anything.”

Chi Yunxing blinked in surprise. “Seriously?”

“Of course.” As if afraid Yunxing wouldn’t believe him, Chi Xiwen pulled out his phone and showed him pictures.

Looking at the brand names—each one more familiar than the last—Chi Yunxing’s head spun. “These—these companies are yours?!”

Chi Xiwen grinned. “Why do you think our house is full of these products?”

Chi Yunxing: “…”

It was only then that he realized just how little he knew about their family’s wealth.

Chi Xiwen patted his shoulder. “Come on, sign. It’s getting late.”

Chi Yunxing took a deep breath. All his worries had melted away. Without hesitation, he picked up the pen and signed his name.

Once all the agreements were signed, the two of them chatted for a bit until Tan Yao and Chi Ling finally returned.

As soon as they came in, Tan Yao asked, “Yunxing, did you finish signing?”

Chi Yunxing handed her the agreements with a smile. “All done.”

Tan Yao smiled, handed the papers to the lawyer, and said, “Alright. Let’s head to the press conference.”

Chi Yunxing nodded.

The press conference actually didn’t have much to do with him, he just needed to show up and sit between Chi Ling and Tan Yao.

At first, some reporters did direct questions toward him, but every time they did, it was Tan Yao or Chi Ling who answered instead.

After a few rounds of this, the reporters caught on: the youngest son of the Chi family was clearly precious.

After that, they subtly avoided asking Chi Yunxing questions. If they had to, they’d politely address Chi Ling or Tan Yao instead.

Whether or not they answered depended on the nature of the question.

At first, Chi Yunxing had been a bit nervous, but when he realized no one was throwing him any tough questions, he relaxed.

Just as his thoughts drifted, a reporter suddenly stood up and said, “President Chi, President Tan, I have a slightly gossipy question for the second young master. Would it be alright to ask?”

Chi Ling and Tan Yao exchanged glances. Tan Yao spoke first, “What kind of question is it?”

The reporter smiled. “It’s about his work in the entertainment industry.”

Tan Yao turned to Chi Yunxing and asked quietly, “Yunxing, is it okay?”

Chi Yunxing had zoned out a bit and looked puzzled. “What?”

Tan Yao lowered her mic and quickly explained the question to him.

Chi Yunxing thought for a moment, then hesitantly nodded.

Tan Yao handed him the mic.

Chi Yunxing looked at the reporter who was watching him with anticipation and smiled. “Hello. What would you like to ask me?”

The reporter hadn’t expected him to actually respond and looked thrilled. She took a deep breath before asking, “Hi, Yunxing. Recently, we saw on Weibo that you and Best Actor Duan Zhiyan will be working together again in a film. Could you tell us a bit about the role you’re playing?”

Chi Yunxing hadn’t expected that question. He paused before replying, “The press conference for Scapegoat hasn’t been held yet, so I’m afraid I can’t disclose anything about the character just yet. Sorry.”

The reporter didn’t seem disappointed and quickly followed up. “Then can you at least tell us what kind of relationship your character has with Duan Zhiyan’s in the film?”

“You mean the relationship between our characters?”

The reporter nodded. “Exactly.”

Chi Yunxing hesitated. Was that allowed?

He turned to Tan Yao. She wasn’t sure either—she didn’t know if that was considered confidential—so she gave a small shake of her head.

Chi Yunxing thought for a moment. “Hold on. I’ll ask Zhiyan Ge. I’m not sure if that’s something I can reveal.”

The reporter nearly squealed with excitement and nodded eagerly. “Okay! Thank you!”

Chi Yunxing lowered his mic and was just pulling out his phone to message Duan Zhiyan when a message came in.

[Duan Zhiyan: You can say it.]

Chi Yunxing blinked.

[Chi Yunxing: How did you know what I was going to ask?!]

[Duan Zhiyan: I’m backstage watching the live stream.]

[Chi Yunxing: There’s a live stream??]

[Duan Zhiyan: Just for the guests who didn’t attend the press conference. It won’t be made public, don’t worry.]

Chi Yunxing finally relaxed. He picked the mic back up and turned to the reporter.

“I just asked Zhiyan Ge. He said it’s okay to share. So I’ll just say one thing—our characters’ relationship in the film is the same as our relationship in real life.”

He paused, then flashed a bright smile.

The reporter’s eyes lit up. She nearly shouted, “What’s your real relationship?!” but she held it in—professionalism above all. With a smile, she asked, “So… you mean brothers?”

Chi Yunxing’s ears turned red. With a straight face, he replied, “Right.”

…

After the press conference ended, Chi Yunxing walked out backstage, intending to find Duan Zhiyan but as he passed a hallway, a hand suddenly reached out from the side and pulled him into an embrace.

A familiar scent wrapped around him, and all of Chi Yunxing’s tension vanished.

Duan Zhiyan’s voice was low and hoarse, with a hint of grit, “We’re just brothers?”

His hot breath brushed Chi Yunxing’s ear, making him shiver.

Chi Yunxing shrank his neck and whispered, “We haven’t gone public yet!”

Duan Zhiyan narrowed his eyes, clearly not planning to let it go. “Even so, that doesn’t mean you can call us brothers.”

Chi Yunxing immediately apologized. “I was wrong!”

Duan Zhiyan didn’t respond.

Thinking fast, Chi Yunxing grabbed his collar and leaned in, pressing a kiss to his lips in a clear act of appeasement. Duan Zhiyan’s eyes darkened. A smile tugged at his lips as he slid a hand behind Chi Yunxing’s head and deepened the kiss.