After getting his makeup done, Yang Ming subconsciously touched his ear. He froze for a moment when he felt his empty ear before remembering that he had given his earring to his assistant for safekeeping.
He was still a bit worried though. The earring was sponsored and had to be returned. Just a single earring was worth one hundred thousand yuan.
So, he asked his assistant to check if the earring was still there.
The assistant quickly said that the earring was in her backpack and was safely put away.
But when she opened her backpack, her expression visibly panicked. The jewelry box was there but the earring was gone. The assistant broke out in a cold sweat and frantically searched through the entire bag, but couldn’t find the earring.
How could this be? She thought. Knowing it was a very valuable item, she had kept it carefully in its designated jewelry box, which had stayed in her backpack the entire time, and her backpack had also been in the makeup room.
The assistant was so anxious she started to cry, her voice trembling. “Yang Ge, it’s gone.”
If she had lost it herself, she might have lost her job.
When the assistant said the earring was missing, both the manager and Yang Ming grew very tense. Would any company dare to sponsor them in the future if they lost a sponsored item?
Besides his own team, no one else would enter Yang Ming’s makeup room. The group began searching the room.
In the midst of the panic, the manager remembered that when everyone was in the photo studio earlier, a seemingly insignificant staff member had been loitering nearby for quite some time.
The person had only arrived partway through the day.
While other staff were busy with their work, this person had been idle. He didn’t look like an employee of the studio and he had even passed by the makeup room just a moment ago. “Was he returning to the scene of the crime to check on something?” The manager wondered.
Yang Ming had the same thought as his manager.
Furious, the manager thought, There’s a thief here! He immediately went out to find that staff member, catching Lu Xingmian just as he was about to leave.
At this, the manager became even more certain. Isn’t this an admission of guilt?
The manager went up and grabbed Lu Xingmian.
It was a clear case of “caught red-handed.” Yang Ming’s earring was now on the thief’s ear. This is too brazen, the manager thought.
Lu Xingmian was a bit confused as he was suddenly grabbed. “Hello, how can I help you?”
The manager pointed to his ear. “Give the item back, and we won’t call the police.”
Lu Xingmian was even more bewildered. “What do you mean?”
Yang Ming also rushed over. When he saw Lu Xingmian wearing the same earring as his, he asked, “Who are you?”
Yang Ming, the big star, and his manager cornering someone with accusations immediately drew attention. The photographers and other staff all looked over.
The manager blocked Lu Xingmian’s path and asked the surrounding staff if they knew who this person was.
There were several Lu Corporation employees in the studio. Although not from the same department, they all knew each other. But they hesitated when they saw Lu Xingmian. They had indeed never seen this person before.
The manager looked at the “work badge” Lu Xingmian was wearing, which didn’t even have a name on it. The fact that he had snuck in with such a poor-quality fake ID, combined with the other Lu Corporation staff saying they didn’t know him, made the manager even more certain that he was the thief.
Lu Xingmian finally understood why Yang Ming and his manager were stopping him—they thought he was a thief.
Slightly annoyed, Lu Xingmian said, “I didn’t take any of your things. This was a gift from my boyfriend.”
The manager laughed. “Do you know how much this earring costs? It’s enough to get you arrested. When everyone was here, you were the only one wandering around. You just walked past the dressing room, and now our earring is missing. If you didn’t steal it, who did?”
“What evidence do you have that this earring is yours?” Lu Xingmian countered.
The manager let out a tsk, having never met someone so arrogant before. “Your earring is exactly the same as ours.”
“Just because it’s the same, it’s yours?” Lu Xingmian shot back.
“You!” The manager was speechless for a moment. “Fine, we’ll call the police.”
The company employees whispered among themselves. It was true, no one recognized the young man in front of them. A big star’s earring was missing, and this guy showed up wearing an identical one. On the surface, it seemed the manager’s accusation was correct.
One of the employees found the young man familiar, but she wasn’t sure. She quietly sent a photo to Lu Shiran’s assistant. “Chen Ge, this person looks a bit familiar. Do you know him?”
The employee, Xiao Hui, had a good relationship with Assistant Chen.
Assistant Chen, who had worked with Lu Shiran for many years, widened his eyes when he saw the photo of Lu Xingmian. He quickly asked Xiao Hui what was going on.
President Lu disliked being interrupted in meetings but Assistant Chen knew Lu Xingmian’s situation was just as urgent and couldn’t be delayed.
Assistant Chen entered the conference room and quietly told President Lu that Lu Xingmian was in trouble.
Downstairs the manager held onto Lu Xingmian, refusing to let him go and demanding the earring back.
Lu Xingmian, who was being unjustly accused, was naturally unwilling to give in. Only he knew that the earring was a birthday gift from Lu Shiran, his most treasured possession. To be accused of stealing it was something he absolutely couldn’t stand, but the other party was adamant that he had stolen their item.
Lu Yu, who was still on the call, heard the noise from the other end. A sudden dread hit him as he silently prayed, “Please, let nothing happen to Lu Xingmian.” He knew if something had, his younger brother would surely try to kill him.
Lu Yu rushed over, and when he saw Lu Xingmian being wronged, his worst fears were confirmed.
The manager and Yang Ming were convinced that Lu Xingmian had stolen their earring.
Seeing the earring on Lu Xingmian’s ear identical to his own, Yang Ming lost the will to argue further. “You say this earring was a gift from your boyfriend? Do you know how much it costs? Who is your boyfriend? He could never afford it in this lifetime.”
“I am his boyfriend.”
A cool, clear voice cut through the air.
The voice was not loud, but it was powerful as if it carried an invisible pressure. Everyone present quieted down after hearing it and turned to look.
Lu Shiran stepped up to Lu Xingmian and pulled him into his arms in a deeply protective embrace.
Lu Xingmian instantly felt completely safe. “Ge.”
Lu Shiran’s voice was gentle. “I’m sorry I’m late. It’s alright now, just leave the rest to me.”
The sudden appearance of Lu Shiran stunned the manager and Yang Ming. When they saw him holding the young man and claiming he was his boyfriend, Yang Ming was even more shocked.
Is this the mysterious boyfriend of Lu Shiran?
On his way here, Lu Shiran had already pieced together what was happening. From a distance, he had heard Yang Ming and his manager’s aggressive accusations toward Lu Xingmian. Now he was going to get justice for Lu Xingmian.
Lu Shiran’s gaze swept over the two. “Who just said my boyfriend stole your things? Do you have evidence? If not, apologize to him.”
Lu Shiran’s tone was flat, but the anger was clearly simmering beneath the surface. The manager, who had been so bossy just moments before, now fell silent.
Lu Yu came over, and when Lu Shiran gave him a subtle look, he instantly understood its meaning.
The two “President Lu” stood on either side of Lu Xingmian.
Yang Ming looked at Lu Xingmian’s ear. “That’s right, it’s the exact same as my earring. It has to be mine.”
He thought, If Lu Shiran knew his boyfriend was a thief, he wouldn’t be protecting him like this. He must not know what happened.
Yang Ming said, “President Lu, I’m sorry, we’re not trying to cause trouble, but the evidence is conclusive.”
Lu Shiran sneered. “Conclusive evidence?”
“Yes, President Lu, see for yourself,” Yang Ming said. “My earring is on his ear.”
Lu Xingmian frowned. He had already explained, yet Yang Ming and his manager were still so insistent.
“This earring was a personal gift from me to my boyfriend.” Lu Shiran stated.
Yang Ming was taken aback. “This… is it just a coincidence?”
Yang Ming said, “President Lu… if you’re going to say that, there’s nothing more I can do.”
He was implying that Lu Shiran was covering for Lu Xingmian.
Lu Shiran gave a faint laugh, but Lu Yu knew his younger brother was truly furious.
“Are you implying I’m lying?” The coldness in Lu Shiran’s eyes intensified. “Does your earring have a special mark on it?”
Yang Ming began to feel uneasy. “President Lu, the earring was a sponsor item. It’s very valuable and has no identifying marks.”
Then Lu Xingmian heard Lu Shiran let out a soft chuckle.
“But the earring I gave my boyfriend has a unique mark.”
At these words, not only the manager and Yang Ming were stunned, but Lu Xingmian was too. He had no idea there was a mark on his earring.
Lu Yu stepped forward. “You said your earring was a sponsored item worth one hundred thousand yuan. But do you know the value of the earring he is wearing?”
Yang Ming suddenly had a very bad feeling.
“The one he’s wearing,” Lu Yu announced, “is a Kashmir sapphire valued at two million U.S. dollars.”
The manager and Yang Ming were speechless. Had they really wronged this young man? With both of the “President Lu” personally defending him, how did the situation spiral out of control? Where is our earring then? They wondered.
The assistant scurried over with a huge smile on her face. “Wang Ge, Yang Ge, the earring has been found! It’s here! It wasn’t lost!”
She had been terrified of having to pay for the earring if it were truly gone so she had scoured the entire makeup room. She finally found it in a hidden pocket of her backpack and was so relieved she burst into tears.
The assistant held up the earring for everyone to see. “It wasn’t lost, it’s right here!”
The manager and Yang Ming were stunned into silence.
The crowd began to whisper. Just moments ago, the star and his manager had been so arrogant and aggressive, but now they were completely speechless.
The manager’s face went pale. Their earring hadn’t gone missing, so what had they just done and said? They had completely offended Lu Shiran. He hadn’t been able to stop Yang Ming earlier, and now they were utterly embarrassed.
The manager’s voice trembled as he apologized. “President Lu, we’re really sorry. We were in the wrong. Please accept our apology to your boyfriend.”
“My boyfriend’s name is Lu Xingmian.” Lu Shiran stated.
Having been in the industry for so long, the manager knew how to be flexible. He immediately bowed to Lu Xingmian. “Mr. Lu, I apologize. Please forgive my rashness and rude words just now. I am so sorry.”
Yang Ming stood frozen with his neck stiff. With so many people watching, he, a public figure, couldn’t possibly apologize to a nobody. Sensing that Lu Shiran was getting even angrier, the manager tugged at his clothes and urging him to apologize immediately to minimize the damage. It was impossible to keep this a secret with so many witnesses.
Yang Ming grudgingly offered a stiff apology. “I’m sorry.”
Lu Shiran looked at Lu Xingmian with a tender expression. “Mian Zai, are you still angry?”
Lu Xingmian just smiled.
Lu Shiran then turned his attention to the crowd. “Effective immediately, all his collaborations with Lu Corporation are terminated. We do not work with artists who lack integrity. This rule applies now and going forward.”
Assistant Chen responded, “Yes, understood. I’ll take care of it right away.”
Lu Shiran and Lu Yu then escorted Lu Xingmian away, leaving a crowd of stunned people behind them. There was just too much information to process all at once.
Uhmm este capítulo me dio pena ajena… Era necesario..?