On the set of The Story of a Noble Family, the temporary interview tent had become the center of attention.
Compared to the earlier session with Dong Jie, the crowd around Liu Yifei and her mother was noticeably larger. More cameras, more microphones, more reporters squeezing forward with barely concealed excitement. If Dong Jie's interview had been warm, this one felt like a battlefield disguised as a tea party.
To ease the atmosphere, several female reporters took the initiative to approach Liu Yifei—"Sissi"—with snacks and drinks. Their smiles were genuine. It was hard not to like her. She had that rare kind of natural innocence, the kind that didn't look practiced or deliberate. A softness that made people lower their guard.
But affection didn't override professionalism.
Even as they chatted lightly, the reporters' eyes remained sharp.
They were waiting.
And it didn't take long.
After a few harmless opening questions, a reporter from Southern City Daily leaned forward slightly, her tone still friendly—but her words suddenly sharpened.
"Yifei, you're getting more beautiful every time we see you. We heard that when Marvel's boss visited the set, he paid special attention to you. Some even say he praised you as the most 'spiritual' actor here. Is that true?"
Liu Yifei blinked, completely unguarded.
She smiled.
"Mhm! Cousin does care about me," she answered naturally. "But he praises me often, so I don't really remember if he said that exactly…"
The moment the word cousin left her lips, several reporters straightened.
They caught it instantly.
"Cousin?" the reporter pressed. "That sounds very close. Are you actually related by blood?"
Another voice jumped in before she could respond.
"What did he talk to you about? Did he mention creating a Hollywood-style blockbuster for you in the future, like Spider-Man?"
The questions came faster now, overlapping, guiding.
And Liu Yifei—
Forgot everything her mother had told her before the interview.
She nodded lightly, thinking back.
"He said I have a lot of potential and that I'll definitely become famous," she said honestly.
"And… he joked that I look like a Hollywood actress he knows. I forgot the name."
She paused, then added with quiet certainty:
"We're not blood-related, but he'll always be my favorite cousin."
The reporters' pens moved rapidly.
Cameras zoomed in.
She wasn't finished.
"He also said I should focus on learning dance from my mom right now," she continued. "He said it would look good when I do action scenes later."
That was it.
That was enough.
Every reporter present felt it—the unmistakable scent of a headline.
But just as they prepared to dig deeper, another voice entered.
Calm. Elegant. Controlled.
Liu Xiaoli placed her hand gently on her daughter's shoulder.
A simple gesture.
But it stopped everything.
"Thank you all for your concern," she said with a composed smile. "But I believe there may be some misunderstandings that need clarification."
Her tone remained gentle, but there was an unmistakable firmness beneath it.
"Although they are not blood relatives, Luo Zheng has lived with us for many years. He is family."
She paused, letting the words settle.
"What he appreciates is Sissi's purity and potential. His encouragement is entirely from a cousin's perspective—positive and supportive."
Her gaze swept across the reporters.
Still smiling.
But no one missed the warning behind her eyes.
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
The earlier warmth cooled.
The playful probing stopped.
From that moment on, every question directed at Liu Yifei was intercepted by Liu Xiaoli. She answered smoothly, carefully, leaving no gaps, no room for interpretation.
Meanwhile, Liu Yifei sat beside her, happily eating the snacks that had been handed to her earlier, completely unaware of how close she had come to igniting a media storm.
The reporters, however, were far from satisfied.
If the daughter was now sealed off…
There was still the mother.
Glances were exchanged.
No one said it out loud, but the strategy was clear.
If they couldn't extract something directly, they would create it indirectly.
After finishing with the mother and daughter, only one main cast member remained.
Chen Kun.
He was scheduled last.
Not by accident—but by priority.
To the reporters, he simply wasn't as valuable.
Yes, he was handsome. Yes, he had gained some recognition from Love Story in Shanghai.
But in the grand scheme of things?
He was still just a newcomer.
More importantly—
He had no obvious connection to Luo Zheng that could be twisted into something sensational.
Still, protocol had to be followed.
A few reporters approached him.
"Chen Kun, when the Marvel boss visited the set, did you have much interaction with him?"
"What did he think of your performance?"
Chen Kun thought for a moment before answering seriously.
"Our interaction was brief," he said. "But he left a deep impression. He has a very clear understanding of storytelling and performance…"
He continued, speaking earnestly.
But most of it went unheard.
The reporters scribbled a few quick notes.
President Luo is optimistic about Chen Kun.
That was enough.
A few polite follow-up questions were asked. Smiles were exchanged. Then the reporters packed up and left.
The contrast couldn't have been clearer.
The next day, after the frenzy surrounding Spider-Man had escalated even further, Luo Zheng finally turned his phone back on.
The moment it connected—
Calls flooded in.
He ignored most of them at first.
Instead, he made one call himself.
To Liu Xiaoli.
After confirming everything was fine and asking about Liu Yifei's filming progress, he promised to visit the set soon.
Then came the others.
Fan Bingbing, Ah Sa, Ah Jiao, Huo Wenxi, Dong Jie, Angelina Jolie, Kate Beckinsale, Xu Jinglei…
One by one, he responded.
Each conversation carried congratulations on the surface—
And requests beneath.
Subtle hints. Carefully phrased suggestions. Opportunities waiting to be claimed.
Standing beside him, Liu Yan silently noted the order of the calls.
To her, it wasn't random.
It was a ranking.
A hierarchy.
When he finally finished with them, Luo Zheng moved on to business.
He contacted his team in the U.S., instructing them to intensify promotion for Saw and push Sony into negotiations.
Then he called Roy Disney, planting the seed for future collaboration.
Only after handling everything abroad did he turn to Hong Kong and the mainland—returning calls to key figures like Andy Lau and Wang Zhonglei.
Everyone else?
They could wait.
Back in his office at Blue Whale Entertainment, Liu Yan placed a stack of freshly printed newspapers on his desk.
"I bought everything released today," she said.
Luo Zheng picked one up casually.
Then froze.
His relaxed posture vanished instantly.
He sat upright so suddenly that the teacup beside him nearly tipped over.
Liu Yan turned her head slightly, suppressing a smile.
She had already seen them.
She knew this would happen.
Luo Zheng flipped through the papers rapidly, his expression growing more complicated with each headline.
Hong Kong tabloids screamed:
"Twins' Slip Sparks Scandal! Ah Sa Implies Romance with Marvel Tycoon; Ah Jiao Responds: I Have a Share Too!"
"Sisterly Bond or Hidden Rivalry? Both Linked to Powerful Boss Behind the Scenes!"
Then came the mainland coverage—
Even more exaggerated.
Even more suggestive.
Each line twisted, stretched, and reassembled into something far beyond reality.
Luo Zheng lowered the newspaper slowly.
For once—
He was genuinely speechless.
Because this time…
Even he felt the situation was getting out of control.