Epiphanies of Rebirth Chapter 86 (Part 2)
Translated by Pure
Chapter 86.2 Extra [Sixteen years later I]
Only after getting in the car, did Lin Jingzhe realized Xiao Chi had just sent him a bunch of messages——
—Baby Curls: [! ! ! ]
—Baby Curls: [Really? ! ]
—Baby Curls: [When?😆]
—Baby Curls: [You there?]
Lin Jingzhe scolded Chen Wenchong for being untactful, and quickly typed a reply——
—Combing Baby Curls' Hair: [I’ll be home tomorrow, before ten in the morning!]
He then turned on the front camera and took a photo to send along with the message.
Were there people in this world who tilted their face up when taking a selfie, allowing their nostrils to hog the spotlight?
Yes.
Deng Mai, who was sitting next to Lin Jingzhe, turned to watch the latter's head raise when pressing the shutter button and couldn't help but roll his eyes. Lin Jingzhe's photography skills had never improved over the last decade. It was so bad that Deng Mai had to suppress his urge to grab his cell phone to demonstrate the standard selfie angle.
Xiao Chi felt his whole body soften at the sight of the photo, and the endless longing he had quelled these days gushed out all at once. He gently stroked Lin Jingzhe's smiling face in the photo with his thumb, and felt that even the fine lines at the corners of his mouth were indescribably beautiful.
When Hu Shaofeng turned around, he saw his Brother Xiao's expression rotting from sweetness. Though this sight was somewhat agitating, there was no need for a second thought because such a blinding sight could only mean Xiao Chi engaging with Lin Jingzhe.
Xiao Chi was elated at the thought of Lin Jingzhe arriving home tomorrow morning. He hurriedly saved this weirdly angled photo and couldn't even put his phone down. To stop himself from occasionally glancing at the picture, he opened his Immortal Blog, and that’s when his tender expression immediately faltered——
On the homepage of the blog, the latest trending post appeared in flashing headlines. While he was giving a courtesy read, a very familiar name was mentioned.
With the development of the times, social networking sites were no longer limited to forums. During the few passing years, Immortal Science & Technology took a path of no return to completely rectify the old-fashioned blogs that had begun to decline in traffic. The new blogs quickly occupied the life of the younger generation and their cliques. Even Xiao Chi had even made an account, and usually published news and advertisements about his company.
——"Lucky! I heard that there was an Internet Conference happening, but I didn't expect to meet my husband by chance on Silicon Valley Street! My husband is so nice! So handsome! He even waved at us when he saw our cameras! ❤️❤️."
Below her post were nine consecutive shots in very high definition. The photos were of Lin Jingzhe coming out of the building, which was probably used as a meeting venue, to when he got in the car and left.
Probably because of the meeting, Lin Jingzhe was dressed very formally today. He wore a black suit with a tie of the same elegant color, which was very sharp and fashionable. It must have been a little cold there. When he went out, a bodyguard put on a black trench coat for him. Lin Jingzhe just opened his arms to cooperate while he spoke to Deng Mai casually with his face turned sideways. The wind blew up the ends of his trench coat as well as the scattered pieces of hair on his forehead. The photo had been taken from a distance, with the faintly gloomy sky included within. Regardless, his body seemed to be glowing, and the outline of his facial features indescribably breathtaking.
He didn’t look like a businessman who had just finished a meeting, but more like a star getting ready to go to fashion week.
In the next photo, after he put on his trench coat, Lin Jingzhe continued talking to another all the way to his car. He exuded an awe inspiring majestic aura until finally, when he noticed the camera, and helplessly smiled.
Just like the spring breeze blowing through winter, all the cold ice would melt and disappear away. Time had left almost no obvious traces on his body. Compared to when he was in his twenties, the thirty-something years old Lin Jingzhe wasn’t much different than before. Other than his height, which has grown a little taller, and his facial features, which became more refined and shaped after the baby fat on his cheeks faded, even his expression hadn’t changed from back when he was still a young adult.
His smile could clear up a cloudy day. He waved to the camera very casually, and the helpless smile on his face seemed to be gently saying— it's cold outside, remember to go back as soon as possible after taking this photo.
The comments below this post had exploded. They were all calling and screaming out for their ‘husband’, the popularity of this post surprisingly overshadowed the selfie posted by a famous actor an hour ago.
The development of the Internet had inevitably shortened the distance between people and greatly increased the exposure of those behind the scenes. Lin Jingzhe had gained his popularity at a financial summit three years ago. The summit meeting was large in scale and serious in theme; it was unlikely for the general public to be interested in this event. However the world was unpredictable in its ways. The official TV station set up a special time slot to broadcast the progress of this meeting. When Lin Jingzhe, who was sitting in the front row, spoke as a representative, the ratings of the live broadcast began to skyrocket.
His speech only lasted seven minutes, but after those seven minutes, Lin Jingzhe became a domestic internet celebrity of the new generation.
Internet celebrity……
It was really indescribably weird for him to be tagged with such a name. In fact, even Lin Jingzhe himself was at a loss the first time he was stopped on the street for a photo.
Not long after, he and Xiao Chi discovered countless posts of netizens confessing their infatuation for him on several major domestic forums.
Every time Lin Jingzhe had made an appearance in the summit meeting’s live broadcast was carefully screenshotted. On the screen, he was like an eye cleanser amongst the middle-aged and elderly businessmen and leaders. The blurry pixels did not hinder his attractiveness. During his speech, Lin Jingzhe wore glasses and had a serious expression, but his face was no less inferior to the currently popular superstars.
Young, handsome, calm, capable, and not a f*cking fuerdai[1].
Even with the aid of a flashlight, can anyone find someone more attractive and perfect than him? No. Therefore his popularity was absolutely inevitable and right.
Xiao Chi was almost pissed to death at others constantly calling Lin Jingzhe their husband, but at that time the Hero mobile was in the early stages of development and needed to gain popularity. With such a good opportunity, Lin Jingzhe took advantage by registering an official account on Immortal Blog and occasionally advertise the company and their mobile phones.
However, at that time, Lin Jingzhe could have never imagined that with Hero Mobile’s growth in fame due to his influence becoming a household name, he, who hardly participated in any entertainment activities, would actually become so unceasingly popular.
Therefore, even though he has reduced his public presence in the past few years, just solely relied on the media broadcasting conferences or business activities (such the Bell Ringing Ceremony at Nasdaq MarketSite😆), his fan base continued to grow at a steady rate.
This was the case when he went to San Francisco for a meeting. Someone actually waited at the airport for several hours just to give him a gift...
Fortunately, his identity was different from that of a celebrity. Even if the hearts of his fans are wavering, even for the ones who traveled long hours just to get a glimpse at him, still hold him with reverence. They usually only look at him from a distance and take a few photos, and do not dare to show excessive enthusiasm.
The media were even more cautious. A few years ago, an insensitive small magazine reporter wanted to publish big news, he sneaked into Dongtai Community in the middle of the night and wanted to take photos of Lin Jingzhe's private life. After being caught on the spot by the bodyguard, within three days Gao Sheng and Xiao Chi put an end to that certain magazine publisher company. They longed to come out with an insider story, but any celebrity’s news could have fulfilled that desire. Must they seek death by provoking Lin Jingzhe?
Popularity was also an incorporeal asset. For example, because Lin Jingzhe was so well received, even his charity foundation had now grown to a considerable scale. Every fund-raising party held by the foundation had become a merriment for people in the entertainment and business industry, so much so that the funds raised now far exceed their goals. The foundation's charity scope continued to expand, from education to medical care. Last year alone, more than 50 charity funded primary schools were established in poverty-stricken areas in the country.
Therefore, the increase in popularity had done more good than harm to Lin Jingzhe. He found that apart from being recognized often, he did not encounter much harassment in his daily life, so Lin Jingzhe gradually no longer restrained his fans. On the contrary, he was very happy to have provided the motivation for so many people to participate in public welfare.
Although Lin Jingzhe didn’t mind, Xiao Chi was furious. He looked at the comments under the photos, each one calling for their ‘boyfriend’ and ‘husband’, and after a casual refresh, a bunch more popped up.
—Mr. Lin’s FanGirl Support Team: Ahhhhhhhhhhh my idol is so godly handsome in a suit! I’m begging for Mr. Lin in his suit to gimme a princess carry!!!
Xiao Chi tightly gripped his phone, wishing he could just log into the backend of Immortal Science & Technology to delete this annoying trend right then and there!
After Hu Shaofeng finished applauding, he looked at the time and gently leaned over to remind, "Brother Xiao, it's your turn to speak."
Xiao Chi had nowhere to vent his anger. He put away his cell phone, grabbed his written speech and stood up with a calm and collected face. Every step he took shook others to the core; and when he finally stepped onto the podium, there was already a commotion in the audience.
He spoke coldly into the microphone, "Quiet."
Very quickly, the crowd all settled down.
"Oh my god." There were CEOs from other industries sitting in the front row, who didn’t know him well. They all whispered amongst each other, "No wonder Flux Realty has grown to the scale it is today. Just look at his momentum."
Hu Shaofeng: "..."
Why is he throwing a tantrum again?
Hu Shaofeng recalled Xiao Chi’s smiling face while holding the phone just a moment again, and his hands were trembling slightly because of his grievance.
Look at Mr. Lin, although he was just as decisive and impetuous in public, when he returned to the company, he would treat Deng Mai and others with so much kindness; giving them bonuses and vacations at every turn.
And then looking back at myself, I haven’t had a day off for more than half a year.
What a sin! Wasn’t there a saying ‘nurture determines a person's character’, so why can't Xiao Chi learn more from him!
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Footnote:
[1] fuerdai - The term literally translates to 'rich second generation'. It describes Chinese people born into families of high socioeconomic status, who inherited their wealth but did not create it. The term is often used in a derogatory manner, with emphasis on their overindulgent lifestyles and materialistic attitudes.