Big Shot Ch.145

Chapter 145: New Year’s Eve

Shen Xiu: “?”

What did Qin Mo’s year-end bonus have to do with him?

Shen Xiu was momentarily speechless. He suspected either he had picked up the wrong call, or Qin Mo had dialed the wrong number.

He pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at the caller ID. It really was Qin Mo. Shen Xiu immediately leaned toward the second possibility and reminded him, “Mr. Qin…”

System: [That’s right!]

Upon hearing Qin Mo’s words, the system belatedly realized something. It quickly rolled through the database and found the pre-set code program, cutting off Shen Xiu mid-sentence: [To be honest, it really was issued under your name.]

Shen Xiu: “?”

He paused halfway through his sentence. Qin Mo, on the other end, was itching with curiosity.

“Mr. Shen?”

Could it be that he really was overthinking it, and the bonus had been mistakenly sent?

Hearing Qin Mo’s voice brought Shen Xiu back to his senses. Still stunned by what the system had said, he stared blankly ahead. Thinking back to Qin Mo’s initial question and interpreting the system’s words, he absentmindedly muttered, “…That’s right.”

After speaking, Shen Xiu came back to himself a bit and quickly added, “That’s what my friend told me.”

No wonder K Corp had grown so big—so the real person behind it all was… no, the real system behind it all was one powerful enough to bring him back from the dead.

Qin Mo: “…”

That ‘friend’ is clearly you, right?

Even though Shen Xiu’s dry joke was just as cold and unamusing as he was, the definite answer still allowed Qin Mo to finally let out a breath of relief.

Now that he could accept it with peace of mind, he thought of the enormous bonus sitting in his bank account and couldn’t help but say a few more words: “This really is an enormous surprise. Honestly, I never saw it coming.”

Compared to last year’s year-end bonus, this year’s had increased fivefold.

Shen Xiu held his phone in hand, his dazed gaze slowly clearing. He murmured, “…Congratulations.”

Forget Qin Mo—even he hadn’t expected that the system was powerful enough to issue a year-end bonus to someone like Qin Mo at K Corp.

So… the bit of rent money he’d been giving the system was, in the context of its vast assets, basically negligible.

Shen Xiu: “…”

He was starting to suspect the system used to run a charity organization.

“Thank you,” Qin Mo said cheerfully. “Mr. Shen, I won’t take up your time any longer. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye.”

After hanging up, Shen Xiu subconsciously let out a breath of relief.

He really was curious—just how big must that year-end bonus have been, to make someone as impressive as Qin Mo personally call to confirm it with the system?

Shen Xiu felt awkward asking Qin Mo directly, but had no problem asking the system.

“How much was Qin Mo’s year-end bonus?” Shen Xiu asked while putting his phone into his pocket and pulling two suitcases toward the building entrance.

He was still standing in front of the elevator waiting when the system responded with a number.

Hearing the string of digits that, to him, sounded like astronomical figures, Shen Xiu’s pupils contracted slightly. He swallowed hard and stared blankly at the smooth, reflective elevator doors, repeating the system’s words in disbelief: “Qin Mo’s year-end bonus was…”

Ding!

Just as Shen Xiu spoke, the elevator doors slid open.

Standing inside was a man Shen Xiu had met once before.

Shen Xiu: “…”

The man in the elevator, dressed in a suit and tie, stared with wide eyes, unable to believe what he had just heard—his gaze fixed on Shen Xiu in utter shock.

“!!!”

Shen Xiu hadn’t expected that the moment he finished talking to himself, he’d lock eyes with a stranger wearing a shocked expression.

Now, the two of them—one outside the elevator, one inside—stared at each other wide-eyed.

After three seconds passed and the man inside didn’t move, Shen Xiu awkwardly clenched his palm, tightening his grip on the handles of the two suitcases in his hands.

As expected, being caught talking to yourself was way too weird!

Even worse, the man who caught him was the same one he had briefly encountered once before in the parking garage.

Just imagining how, the next time they ran into each other, this man’s first thought would be of him standing in front of the elevator muttering to himself like a weirdo made Shen Xiu want to die of embarrassment on the spot.

At this point, what mattered most to Shen Xiu wasn’t whether the elevator doors would time out and close—it was that he desperately wanted to escape the awkwardness.

So, mustering up his courage, Shen Xiu stiffly met the man’s gaze and spoke: “Are you coming out?”

Hearing the chilly tone in Shen Xiu’s voice and meeting the ice-cold look in his eyes, the man’s frozen brain slowly started working again. Just before the elevator doors began to close, he instinctively raised his hand and pressed the “Open” button. His voice was stiff as he replied, “…Yes.”

With that, the man stepped out of the elevator.

The moment he was clear of the doorway, Shen Xiu didn’t hesitate for even a second—he dragged both suitcases inside.

Even though he didn’t dare glance at the man’s expression as he exited, Shen Xiu could still feel the man’s gaze burning into his back. His finger trembled from nervousness as he quickly reached up to press the “Close Door” button.

Only when the elevator doors finally shut, completely cutting off the man’s line of sight, did Shen Xiu release the suitcase handle in his right hand. His long, slender fingers trembled as he hooked off the black face mask covering his face.

The moment the mask slipped off, Shen Xiu took several deep breaths, trying to ease the suffocating awkwardness he’d just experienced. Only once his breathing had steadied did he muster the courage to lift his head and glance at the mirrored elevator wall across from him.

Seeing his own reflection so clearly—mask off, expression awkward, breath shallow and hurried—Shen Xiu silently averted his gaze to the side.

Yet even in the side panel of the elevator, his reflection was just as crystal clear.

Helplessly, Shen Xiu turned his eyes away again and fixed his gaze on the rising red numbers above the elevator doors, praying he would reach his floor as soon as possible.

Otherwise… the elevator alone would be enough to completely expose his embarrassment.

—

First Floor.

After encountering Shen Xiu twice in the elevator, both times dressed sharply in a suit, Tan Derong remained frozen in place for a full thirty seconds after Shen Xiu had disappeared from view—still standing before the closed elevator doors, unmoving.

He couldn’t stop thinking about Shen Xiu’s cold indifference after overhearing something about Qin Mo’s year-end bonus. Shen Xiu had been so detached, he didn’t even glance his way while entering the elevator and letting the doors close.

Excited and flustered, Tan Derong didn’t dare bring this up to his coworkers at the company. Instead, he eagerly called his wife.

“Wife, remember what I told you last time—when I ran into Shen Xiu in the elevator?!!”

“It’s confirmed! I just personally heard it. Shen Xiu isn’t just the man who owns an entire underground garage in Area A of Yulin Banxia—there’s now a 99% chance he’s actually the heir to K Corp!”

“How do I know? Heh, let me tell you—last time I went down to the basement garage and ran into Shen Xiu in the elevator, I watched him press the button for B2 with my own eyes. That’s evidence number one.”

“Just now, as the elevator doors opened, I happened to overhear Shen Xiu saying something about the Chief Eunuch’s—uh, no—Qin Mo’s year-end bonus. That’s evidence number two!”

“Damn it, Qin Mo is really the only one favored!”

—

The elevator doors opened, and Shen Xiu didn’t hesitate for even a second—he immediately stepped out and headed straight for his apartment.

The biometric lock recognized his iris pattern and unlocked the door. Just as it swung open, Shen Xiu belatedly realized—he hadn’t even told Lucky he was home yet.

“Meow~” Lucky, thinking it was the housekeeper who had been coming by recently to feed him, let out two sweet little meows and strolled gracefully out from his cat tree.

He had barely taken a few elegant steps toward the entryway when he spotted who it was—and his dainty little walk paused for a second. Then, with a sudden burst of speed, he darted straight for Shen Xiu like an arrow.

As the door automatically closed behind him, Shen Xiu stood still in the entryway, instinctively freezing in place so he wouldn’t accidentally step on the little ball-of-coal cat sprinting toward him.

Seeing Lucky rush at him, Shen Xiu—who’d been away for quite some time—felt just a tiny bit guilty. “Lucky, I’m back—”

Meow!

Meow meow!

…

Before he could even finish, Lucky had already reached him. His tail shot straight up, looking like a black feather duster, but the sounds coming from his throat were fierce and scolding.

While letting out those fierce little “meow-meows,” he circled around Shen Xiu like he was the center of his wrath—each lap punctuated by his glaring up at him.

Shen Xiu: “…”

He was pretty sure Lucky was cussing him out, but since he didn’t speak fluent Meow, he had no proof.

Knowing he was in the wrong, Shen Xiu stayed put, letting Lucky vent his feline fury for several minutes. When he finally stopped, he meekly asked in a small voice, “Was that enough?”

Lucky didn’t even dignify him with a look. Tail raised high like a black feather plume, he turned around and stalked off.

Standing there in the entryway, Shen Xiu watched that haughty tail sway off into the distance, and only one thought echoed in his head: Tsundere little kitty!

Ever since he adopted Lucky, Shen Xiu had studied feline behavior and knew that a cat’s tail standing tall meant it was happy. So, he quietly changed into his house slippers, dragging his two suitcases into the bedroom.

The moment he unzipped one of them, Lucky, with lightning-fast speed, dove in and effortlessly leapt into the open suitcase.

The little black cat curled up neatly inside, gazing up at Shen Xiu with wide, emerald-green eyes, staring at him quietly and intently.

Shen Xiu: “…”

Feeling guilty, Shen Xiu couldn’t bring himself to scoop Lucky out of the suitcase.

He wasn’t used to walking around the house in his outside clothes. Whenever he returned home and there were no visitors, he would always change into loungewear first thing. So while Lucky occupied the suitcase, Shen Xiu took the opportunity to grab his comfy clothes and head into the bathroom to change.

After changing, he sorted the clothes he had just taken off into different laundry bins, based on fabric and color, placing them in separate washing machines.

When everything was done and he returned to the bedroom, Lucky was still curled up in the suitcase he had brought on his trip.

Shen Xiu: “…”

Maybe Lucky thought that by occupying the suitcase, he could keep him from leaving again for so long. Or… maybe he thought that next time, like the clothes inside, he could be packed and brought along too?

The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed—and a wave of guilt and tenderness welled up in his chest.

“I’m sorry, I—”

Meow!

Before Shen Xiu could finish his apology, the chubby black furball twisted his fluffy butt a few times inside the suitcase and then—launched himself at him.

Pa—

Shen Xiu instinctively caught his midair, but the moment he did, Lucky gave him a light smack across the face with his paw.

“…?”

“Meow~” After smacking Shen Xiu, Lucky gently licked the spot on his face where his paw had landed, then obediently curled up in his arms. His little paws immediately began to knead contentedly as he purred.

Shen Xiu stroked his soft black fur, questioning everything.

He’d thought that the character Han Fei he played was already impressively quick at changing expressions—but Lucky was even faster at flipping moods than Han Fei!

Shen Xiu lowered his gaze to the little cat kneading in his arms and, after a long pause, gave in and muttered, “…As long as you’re happy.”

—

A few hours later, after coaxing Lucky and unpacking his luggage, Shen Xiu—who had been busy filming day and night while away—suddenly found himself idle. Sitting on the sofa, staring at the empty room, he had no idea what to do with himself.

Buzz buzz…

His phone, charging on the table, started vibrating. Shen Xiu glanced down and saw a flurry of notifications from a group chat. He instinctively picked up the phone and tapped into the messages.

[Group Chat]

Xiang Yueting: Putting up Spring Festival couplets! [Image]

Zhuang Yi: Cleaning the house. Damn it, why is it that such a small space becomes such a nightmare to clean for the New Year? Hours have flown by! [Image]

Jiang Yanxi: Seriously! I clean regularly, but somehow New Year’s Eve cleaning feels ten times more exhausting. I’m already completely wiped out. [Image]

Song Chengwang: If I run fast enough, the cleaning chores can’t catch me. Firecrackers and fireworks are ready—claiming the task of tonight’s fireworks show! [Image]

Xia Wenhao: Strength in numbers! [Image]

Mu Zhenchu: Are you two cleaning together? Is An’an spending the New Year at your place? Or wait—are you and An’an actually related? @Xia Wenhao

Xia Wenhao: …I’m the one spending New Year’s Eve at his place. My parents are too busy to look after me. They’re not even coming back.

On Lunar New Year’s Eve, most families are busy with a thorough house cleaning and later gather for a reunion dinner. Not everyone has time to chat, and even if they do, it’s usually just a few quick words or a photo before getting back to work.

Shen Xiu wasn’t particularly eager to think about the past. Staring at the group chat, he realized that since he hadn’t done anything festive for New Year’s Eve, he had nothing to share with his friends. All he could do was silently lurk.

As he watched everyone’s messages, Shen Xiu nodded to himself while rapidly taking screenshots, muttering under his breath, “Got it—festive atmosphere, fireworks, celebration, firecrackers, Spring Festival couplets…”

When he got to the word “couplets,” it triggered a memory. He exited WeChat and opened the Xianyu app, beginning a local search for Spring Festival couplets.

Normally, people buy couplets well in advance of New Year’s Eve. Now that it was already close to afternoon, even street vendors were likely packing up to go home and prepare. So Shen Xiu searched without much hope.

To his surprise, just as he was considering buying red paper and writing the couplets himself, the search results popped up—someone in the same city was still selling them.

Seeing the words “bulk discount,” Shen Xiu quietly tapped into the chat window to check if the seller was online.

Shen: Hello, may I still buy these now? I can send a local delivery service to pick them up.

Ning Shuang: ! Are you serious?!

Shen: …Yes, I’m serious.

Shen: I’ll take them all.

Ning Shuang: !

Ning Shuang: No problem! Just place the order using the link—I’ll send you the pickup address!

Shen: Okay.

Shen Xiu let out a breath of relief and quickly went to place the order.

Ren Qianning (the seller) had thought someone was just messing with her. She’d been advertising her startup in her friend circle and on Xianyu for ages and had only managed to make one sale. So when someone suddenly messaged her on New Year’s Eve and wanted everything, she didn’t believe it—but she was willing to chat anyway.

What she didn’t expect at all was that less than three seconds after their conversation ended, the order had already been placed.

“Are you for real?!” Ren Qianning still couldn’t quite believe it, but she sent the pickup address to the buyer anyway.

Seeing the address, Shen Xiu let out a breath of relief. It was only 5.4 kilometers away—he should be able to get the couplets pretty quickly.

He arranged for a local courier and, once confirmed, sent the delivery rider’s phone number to the seller and began waiting for the delivery.

On the other end, Ren Qianning looked at the phone number he’d sent and immediately dashed into the storage room at home.

Ren Qianyu had just finished putting up their own Spring Festival couplets. Walking in, she saw her sister stuffing couplets into a square cardboard box with the storage room door wide open. She tried to comfort her: “It’s okay. Failing your first startup is pretty normal. Just try again nex—”

“I didn’t fail, sis! I succeeded! Someone just bought all of my couplets in one go! And they even arranged a courier themselves. I just have to hand the box off at the gate. What kind of miracle luck is this?!”

Ren Qianyu: “…”

She wanted to say, “That can’t be real,”—I mean, who’s buying Spring Festival couplets now, at this hour? And in such a large quantity? What kind of mansion needs that many?

But seeing how excited her sister was, Ren Qianyu swallowed her words. It was New Year’s Eve, after all—no need to rain on her parade.

Still, just in case, she decided she’d secretly follow her sister to make sure she wasn’t being scammed.

Less than ten minutes later, Ren Qianning had taped the box shut with clear packing tape and lifted it into her arms. “Sis, I’m heading out. If Mom and Dad come back, let them know.”

“Alright, go ahead.”

As soon as Ren Qianning walked out, Ren Qianyu quietly shut the door behind her and slipped out in pursuit.

Five minutes later, at the community gate.

Hiding in a corner, Ren Qianyu watched her sister answer a call, then quickly hand over the box to a courier riding an electric scooter. The delivery driver sped off soon after.

Seeing this, Ren Qianyu finally relaxed.

When she saw Ren Qianning running into two of her childhood best friends at the neighborhood gate, she was reassured and turned around to head back home.

—

Thinking about the money she’d just earned, Ren Qianning glanced around and leaned in toward her two best friends. “I’m gonna tell you two a secret!”

“What? What? Tell us quick!”

“Don’t tell me it’s like Mrs. Ying’s story—did your parents or sister pull strings to get you a personalized autograph from Xiu-baby too? If that’s the case… waaah I need to make a photocopy of it!”

Thinking of the courier order she’d just sent out, Ren Qianning couldn’t help the excited grin on her face. “Heehee, no autographed photo from Xiu-baby, but honestly? It’s basically just as exciting as Mrs. Ying’s surprise!”

“Spit it out already!”

“Baby, are you trying to kill me with suspense?!”

Pressed by her two curious besties, Ren Qianning finally spoke in a mysterious tone. “Remember how I said I was starting a business?”

“Of course. You were advertising Spring Festival couplets like crazy on your Moments and even put them up on Xianyu. So how many did you sell? Don’t tell me not even one? Hahaha! I told you that business idea wouldn’t work—selling couplets this close to New Year’s is a gamble. Most people prefer buying them from street stalls.”

“Aiya, I know,” Ren Qianning said, blushing as she recalled how she’d been selling for nearly two weeks and only made one sale—to her own sister, no less.

“But that’s not the point! The point is—just now, someone bought out my entire stock in one go, and even arranged a courier to pick it up right at the gate!”

“So when we saw you at the gate earlier, you were just finishing the handoff?”

Ren Qianning nodded enthusiastically. “Exactly!”

“Congrats, congrats!”

“My baby’s a hard-working queen!”

“Hey, wait—you two hold on. That’s not the main point I wanted to say!” Ren Qianning’s eyes lit up as she leaned in, clearly getting to the part she was most excited about. “The key thing is—the buyer’s name and address on Xianyu were listed as Mr. Shen and Yulin Banxia Residential Complex!”

Finally getting to the part that had her all worked up, Ren Qianning looked at her two besties with excitement sparkling in her eyes. “Tell me, do you think it was Boss Xiu who bought my Spring Festival couplets?!”

Her friends exchanged glances, paused for a moment, and then burst into good-natured laughter.

“…No way, hahaha. Boss Xiu buying that many couplets? Even if his house were so big it needed dozens, he wouldn’t personally go buy them himself!”

“Hahaha exactly. It’s probably just a rich Xiuologist like us messing with you on New Year’s Eve.”

Ren Qianning hesitated. “But… the username really was Shen…”

One of her friends pulled out her phone. “Ahem, not gonna lie—this is my gaming account, and my username is ‘Boss Xiu IRL’.”

“Heehee, and this is my NetEase Cloud Music account. My nickname is ‘I am Xiu-baby, Xiu-baby is me’. Baby, wasn’t your game ID literally ‘ShenXiuXiu’? Come on, with the kind of usernames us Xiuologists come up with—how could you think this was real?”

Ren Qianning sighed in defeat. “…Got it, sisters. I was overthinking!”

—

Less than thirty minutes later, Shen Xiu stood at the gate of the residential complex and received the parcel from the courier.

He brought the box back home, opened it, and stared at the pile of Spring Festival couplets, each one neatly sealed in a transparent bag. He murmured, “This… should be enough, right?”

System: [?] Not even close! This isn’t even enough to finish half the house—wait a second… something’s off!

[Shen Xiu, did you… find something out?]

Otherwise, the system really couldn’t understand why Shen Xiu suddenly bought so many couplets.

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