After the Divorce, I Could Hear the Voice of the Future-Chapter 208 - 207: Can’t Hide It Anymore

The early morning sunlight was as gentle as silk, slipping through the gaps in the curtains and sprinkling across the bedroom floor.

A foot suddenly stretched out from the thin covers, all five toes flexibly wriggling.

Li Manli rested her chin on her hands as she lay on the bed, staring blankly at Lu Liang. Gradually, her lips curled into a silly smile.

Because she saw a set of keys on the bedside table and a note with a password written on it, She Mountain Villa 177, which would be their home from now on.

Li Manli actually knew she was not the only one for Lu Liang, but she also knew that Lu Liang definitely liked her and cared for her.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have helped her establish a studio and plan out her career; he could easily, like the platform's vanished streamers, spend some money each month and keep her like a canary.

She remembered clearly all the kindness Lu Liang had shown her. Moreover, being by his side, she felt a sense of security and belonging that she had never experienced at home.

Therefore, she was also willing to feign ignorance.

"Now this is nice," Li Manli murmured to herself and, unable to resist, stole another kiss on Lu Liang's cheek.

After who knew how long,

sudden frantic footsteps came from outside the door.

Li Manli had a bad feeling and, before she could grab her phone to call and halt the action, the next second came a loud knocking: "Manli, are you awake? We're going to the Bund for a photo shoot soon."

She hastily got out of bed, barefoot, and scrambled to the door, whispering, "You all go ahead and get ready; I'll come by myself later."

The assistant was confused but didn't ask further. "Hurry up, don't be too late. Liangliang, Zhouzhou, and I will head there first."

"Mhm, go ahead," Li Manli sighed with relief, tiptoed back to the bed, and carefully lifted a corner of the duvet.

Lu Liang, half-asleep, stretched out an arm around her waist, feeling the girl's delicate skin: "What are you going to the Bund for?"

"The platform is hosting a summer event recently; they want me to take a series of promotional photos."

Li Manli smiled, and once again snuggled into the covers, draping the bedding only halfway across her chest, revealing the faint blush of cherry red.

She hurriedly added, "The platform's event isn't going live until the day after tomorrow, so it's okay to shoot tomorrow."

Her work wasn't important; as long as Lu Liang had time, she was always available.

"After breakfast, I'll take you there," he said.

Lu Liang pinched her cheeks, rich with collagen, and Li Manli, eyes squinting, thoroughly enjoyed it before suddenly giving a mischievous lick.

He let out a soft laugh and picked up his phone to see a message from Wen Chao; the new energy and film industries were all extending olive branches.

News that Tianxing Assets held five hundred million dollars had already spread, and countless enterprises were eager for his investment.

Rumor had it that the third fund's settlement cycle was three years, which also indicated that Lu Liang had a high probability of making medium- to long-term investments.

To gain his favor, they needed to cater to his interests. New energy was an industry he was bullish on, followed by the film and TV industry.

Lu Liang rubbed his eyes, pondering for a moment, and replied, "Set aside the new energy projects for now, organize the rest into documents, and I'll look over them when I return to the company later."

He did favor the new energy sector, but as it was currently overheated with excessive premiums, it wasn't suitable for investment.

At the very least, he would have to wait until the end of the year, or perhaps the following year, because with the official start of autumn next month, a large number of new cars would be launched.

Despite the industry's boom, the market was not hot.

The second quarter's sales were only a hundred thousand units, and it was expected to surpass four hundred thousand for the year, but it was still a case of too many wolves and not enough meat.

With over a hundred years of established base in fuel vehicles, businesses eager for quick profits were doomed to fail and the industry as a whole was about to experience its first cooling.

That would be Lu Liang's time to buy in.

He put down his phone and suddenly noticed that Li Manli was staring intently at him. Lu Liang chuckled, "What?"

"You look so handsome." Li Manli moved all her limbs, wrapping around Lu Liang like an octopus, inexplicably thrilled.

"Handsome doesn't fill the stomach; time to get up," Lu Liang laughed, heading to the bathroom, "Do you have any toiletries?"

"I do; I'll get them for you."

Li Manli picked up her nightgown from the floor and slipped into it. Her bare thighs flashed in and out of sight, making her seem even more alluring than if she wore nothing.

Lu Liang glanced over and realized it had been a while since he carefully observed her, not knowing when she had started exuding a sense of maturity.

"What is it?"

Li Manli had a toothbrush in her mouth and cocked her head. The bathroom was spacious enough for two people to freshen up comfortably.

"Did they grow again?"

Lu Liang wondered, the once immature little apples seemingly slowly turning into ripe juicy peaches.

"Can you tell?"

Li Manli was surprised but then beamed with pride and said, puffing out her chest, "My old clothes are all too small now."

Though she had a touch more maturity in her bearing, her youthful physique remained—tight and perky, with sharp contours.

"Look how proud you are," Lu Liang said with a mischievous smile, flicking a red bean, which earned him a scolding glare from Li Manli.

After freshening up, Li Manli was the first to dash out of the room, sneakily checking out the situation downstairs like a thief.

Fortunately, the house was empty, the videographers, assistants, and social media operators had all headed to the shooting location.

"Don't act like a thief," Lu Liang grumbled, to which Li Manli cooed, "I just don't want to cause you any trouble."

Lu Liang ate a simple sandwich and suddenly asked, "Are you still uploading videos on Bilibili now?"

"Not much, mostly just clips from live streams."

"And Douyin?"

"Clips as well. Mr. Long doesn't really want us to go there. Someone tried and ended up being throttled."

Panda might have been founded by Wang Xiaocong, but the general manager and person in charge was Long Fei, a career manager.

Lu Liang chuckled lightly and said, "Don't worry about him. You signed a live streaming contract; just put a bit more effort into Douyin."

Little Wang's initial rejection of Tencent's olive branch was a mistake that left him in a difficult position now.

Above, there were two behemoths supported by Tencent, and Douyin was eyeing them covetously. Below, he had no way down, no cushion to fall back on.

Despite the recent spike to a valuation of five hundred million dollars, last month's valuation of ofo was even higher, and now they could only rely on their million-plus bikes to slowly pay off their debts.

But a lean camel is still bigger than a horse, capable of demanding a higher price and pleading for sympathy, all the while maintaining a definite will to repay the debt.

These days, their daily active users had surged back to the top tier, and Lu Liang's refund queue had reached 19 millionth place.

"Then I'll mention it to the operations team later."

Li Manli nodded, trusting Lu Liang unconditionally.

Stepping outside, Lu Liang's Bentley had been waiting for a while, and Li Manli waved enthusiastically, "Yu, long time no see."

Fang Shiyu grinned sheepishly, "Miss Li, hello."

After dropping Li Manli at the Bund, on the way to the office, Fang Shiyu hesitated for a long time before suddenly saying, "Bro, I need to take a few days off."

Last night, he had received a call from his mother. His grandmother had taken a fall a while ago, and lately, her consciousness had been fading; it might just be a matter of days.

"Afterward, go back and pack your bags. I'll have Wen Chao book your flight."

Lu Liang recalled how, during the New Year's visit, his uncle had complained about how his brother-in-law was no good, indulging in all four vices and lazing around.

His aunt was the eldest daughter at home. If Fang Shiyu's grandmother passed away, the responsibility of managing the funeral would likely fall on his uncle's shoulders.

Lu Liang transferred him 200,000 yuan and said softly, "Come back when you've settled everything. Don't worry about work."

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Fang Shiyu's grandma was just his own grandmother, while his own, Lu Liang's grandmother, had passed away many years earlier.

Fang Shiyu was slow to react, and it took a while before he uttered, "Bro, thanks."

"In a lifetime, we're like brothers. 'Thank you' is too formal," said Lu Liang with a smile, patting him on the shoulder.

That very afternoon, Fang Shiyu set off for home.

In the office, Lu Liang was browsing through investment-seeking projects when he suddenly called Wen Chao over, planning to hire a few more security personnel.

His appearance seemed to be getting harder to hide. After all, Tianxing Assets had now surpassed Golden Sand River and was on par with Redwood.

The Internet was abuzz, spreading his high school and university graduation photos. The netizens were digging with increasing excitement, unstoppable in their frenzy.

Lu Liang thought it over. Rather than keeping the public in suspense, which made them excessively curious and left a lasting impression, it might be better to find an opportunity to expose himself proactively and then downplay the situation.

After all, there were plenty of photos of Shen Peng online, but if he walked down the street, most people would still not recognize him.