On the fourth day of Tang Zhen’s hospital discharge, Liang Qiuyun had dinner with several friends from the business world. The host of the gathering was a senior executive named Liu from Wanbang Entertainment, whom Liang Qiuyun had met a few times earlier this year through Wanbang’s leading host, Lyu Tianzheng.
At the moment, Lyu Tianzheng had not yet arrived, and his chair was empty. There were other people at the table, some of whom Liang Qiuyun had met briefly, while others he had never seen before. They seemed to be familiar with him, and after a few drinks, they started treating Yun Laoban as their close friend, pouring out their hearts to him.
Liang Qiuyun listened as they talked about Wanbang’s recent plans to establish subsidiary companies for several of its top star shareholders and push forward with several merger and acquisition projects to further expand the group’s territory.
“If you had come a little earlier, you would have had a share in all this,” Mr. Liu said.
Liang Qiuyun chuckled and raised his glass. “Thank you for thinking of me, Mr. Liu.”
“I am thinking of you,” Mr. Liu replied.
Just as Lyu Tianzheng entered the room and saw Liang Qiuyun and Mr. Liu toasting each other, he quickly intervened. “What’s going on here? You have work tomorrow,” he said, stopping Liang Qiuyun from lifting his glass. He then turned to Mr. Liu and addressed the whole table, “Let’s not let Yun Laoban drink today. We have a publicity photoshoot tomorrow morning.” He gestured towards his face, and everyone understood. It was not news in the industry that Yun Laoban from “The Cold Flame” production team couldn’t drink alcohol as it would cause bloating on camera. However, there were many people in the industry who were allergic to alcohol, and unless someone had particularly strong connections, no one really cared about each other’s concerns.
Mr. Liu laughed and asked, “How’s your movie going, Lyu Laoshi?”
Lyu Tianzheng replied, “I’m waiting for Yun Laoban to push it to one billion.”
Liang Qiuyun said, “Lyu Laoshi, don’t tease me like that.”
Lyu Tianzheng responded, “Who else has the box office appeal like you do now? Introduce them to me. If I can’t push it to two billion, I’ll return it.”
With Lyu Tianzheng’s protection, Liang Qiuyun stayed far away from alcohol, but the executive surnamed Liu drank quite a bit. He leaned on Liang Qiuyun’s shoulder and asked if Yun Laoban had any free time tomorrow night. “Our Chen, General Manager Chen…”
Liang Qiuyun turned to his assistant, Xiao Meng, and asked if there was any arrangement for tomorrow night. Xiao Meng informed him that they had a recording for the new episode of “Roman Online” at 7 p.m. tomorrow.
Liang Qiuyun asked if it could be rescheduled. Xiao Meng replied that if they rescheduled, Luo Tiantian shouldn’t have a problem, but they weren’t sure about Tang Zhen’s side.
“Tang… Tang Zhen?” The executive surnamed Liu was a bit intoxicated, and his tone changed when he heard Tang Zhen’s name.
Liang Qiuyun acknowledged him and looked up and down at Mr. Liu. “Mr. Liu, do you know A-Zhen?”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Liang Qiuyun smiled and said, “Mr. Liu, I know you really care about me.”
“Of course, I care about you. And I also heard,” Mr. Liu became more excited as he spoke, “there’s a master who said that only one of you can become famous, right?”
Liang Qiuyun looked at him.
“Don’t underestimate the master,” Mr. Liu said, slumping on the table and sighing with hiccups. “They always have a point…”
Mr. Liu fell silent.
Lyu Tianzheng walked past Liang Qiuyun from behind and tapped him on the back. Liang Qiuyun looked up at him and then stood up.
“I’m going out for a smoke,” Liang Qiuyun announced.
In the hidden corridor downstairs of the hotel, Lyu Tianzheng handed Liang Qiuyun a cigarette. Liang Qiuyun lit it and heard Lyu Tianzheng mutter a curse word under his breath, not knowing who he was cursing at.
“Recently, thanks to Tang Zhen’s influence, ASE has been having a tough time,” Lyu Tianzheng spoke in a low voice. “Mao Chengrui has accumulated a lot of debt and his hair has turned much whiter. Several directors are moving around, and yesterday General Manager Chen invited me to play golf. One by one, they all ran into each other. Quite a coincidence, don’t you think?”
Liang Qiuyun listened and asked if Mao Chengrui compromised.
“Not yet. But I think it’s coming soon. He’s not a fool either. A small company can’t withstand this kind of turmoil,” Lyu Tianzheng said, then shifted his gaze to Liang Qiuyun. “A wise bird chooses its tree, Yun Laoban.”
Liang Qiuyun lowered his head and smoked.
“One step too late, and you become the fish on the chopping board. Just look at Guo Xiaoli. She’s arrogant and domineering now, a partner in a small company, calling the shots. But if the company gets acquired tomorrow, she’ll be packing her bags and leaving just the same.”
And what about the others? Liang Qiuyun asked.
What others?
The others in ASE. Liang Qiuyun said, “Do they have plans?”
“What plans do the others need?” Lyu Tianzheng squinted his eyes, blowing smoke. “Keep those who are needed and let go of those who are not. But from what I see, among the people currently under ASE, apart from you, my little brother, there are only a few young ones worth cultivating. Someone like Tang Zhen, who used to be a fat piece of meat a few years ago, is now a festering sore. My little brother, you are quite familiar with ASE’s business. If you have any intentions towards subsidiary companies in the future, it’s better not to show mercy.”
On the fourth day of Tang Zhen’s discharge from the hospital, Zhou Zike got into a fight with someone at the clubhouse, causing a scene as the popular idol, Prince of Garland, engaging in a group brawl.
Zhou Zike didn’t care how many pairs of eyes were watching or how many camera lenses were secretly filming behind the door crack. When it came to being a public figure with self-awareness, he was perhaps not as good as Ai Wentao, who loved face and putting on a show.
Fortunately, the guests at the clubhouse were all influential figures, even the waitstaff were sharp individuals. The owner quickly intervened, instructed to turn off the phones, and tightly closed the doors.
Ai Wentao had come today hoping to persuade a few wealthy heirs who had money to spare to invest in his private horse racing track. Zhou Zike was dragged along by him and ended up having a meal together. However, those wealthy heirs seemed to have a lapse in judgment. Upon seeing Zhou Zike, they immediately began asking about Tang Zhen. “Hey, Zhou-ge, we heard Tang Zhen is back. Can you tell us more?”
Speaking in hushed voices, Ai Wentao initially didn’t hear what they were asking, and Zhou Zike remained silent, not saying a word. The young heirs kept calling Zhou Zike “Zhou-ge,” and Ai Wentao felt a bit uneasy, thinking that luckily Zhou Zike had been drinking when he arrived today and probably didn’t hear clearly.
As Ai Wentao stepped out to take a phone call and returned, everything went haywire. Broken bottles and shards of glass littered the floor, and dishes and cups were scattered, leaving nothing intact. Zhou Zike grabbed the other guy by the collar and slammed him against the wall, causing the guy to scream in pain. Seeing the situation, Ai Wentao quickly rushed over to intervene.
His main concern was to protect the young man named Gan. Gan came from the south and didn’t understand the situation in Beijing, and Ai Wentao had experienced Zhou Zike’s punches before. If a fight broke out, it would be difficult to explain to both families. “Bro, calm down! We’re public figures! Stay calm!” Ai Wentao squeezed into the middle and tried to persuade them, saying, “Let’s not stoop to the level of these kids!”
Zhou Zike didn’t say anything, but his gaze shifted from the young man’s face to Ai Wentao’s face. Ai Wentao involuntarily felt weak in the knees and immediately prepared to back off.
Zhou Zike released his grip.
In that moment, Ai Wentao felt a warm sensation in his heart. That was the feeling of saving face.
However, before he could fully appreciate the moment, an arm suddenly reached out from behind him and delivered a punch to Zhou Zike’s face.
Zhou Zike was completely unprepared, and his head tilted back slightly. It seemed that even he didn’t expect the young man to make such a move. Ai Wentao watched as Zhou Zike turned his head, his mouth tearing at the corners, his face turning pale, and blood oozing from the wound.
A surge of anger rushed through Ai Wentao, and he grabbed the audacious arm that dared to cross him and unleashed a furious onslaught of punches.
Ai Wentao wanted to know what had happened, but expecting Zhou Zike to tell him the truth was clearly unrealistic. The young men, on the other hand, were crying and refusing to tell the truth, making a fuss about being wronged. Ai Wentao said, “Do you know who he is? How dare you lay a hand on him? Who gave you the guts?” The young man named Gan covered his face and cried, “He hit me first!”
Ai Wentao, frustrated, said, “I swear, you’re going to drive your parents crazy!”
“Tao-ge, we really didn’t say anything,” one of the young men beside him said. “We just asked Zhou-ge if he knew Tang Zhen. They’re from the same company, right? We thought it would be nice to have a meal together. But he just came up and started beating us…”
Ai Wentao kicked him again and said, “Bullshit!”
“It’s true!!!” the young man named Gan said with a mournful face.
Another person said, “It’s true, Tao-ge. Xiao Wei even praised Tang Zhen a bit. We didn’t say anything offensive. We don’t know why Zhou Zike suddenly turned hostile. It’s a misunderstanding!”
Ai Wentao rolled his eyes and asked, “How do you know Tang Zhen? How old are you guys anyway?” The young men smirked and said they had seen his movies before. “He’s quite famous, you know.”
Ai Wentao pondered in his mind. These kids have nothing better to do at their age than watch that sort of movies all day.
“How old is Tang Zhen now?” Ai Wentao asked. “He’s almost ten years older than you guys.”
“Well, he looks good, you know. Didn’t we see him at the press conference on the news yesterday? He doesn’t look old at all,” Xiao Wei said, wincing in pain as he moved his facial muscles. “Anyway, I think he’s handsome. I’ve seen everyone in their company, but none of them are as good-looking as him!”
Ai Wentao had completely lost his patience and muttered under his breath, “When we get back today…” He pointed his finger at the young men’s foreheads. “Each and every one of you will get a beating from your fathers.”
Ai Wentao couldn’t find Zhou Zike when he went back. The staff at the club also said they hadn’t seen him. It was already past one o’clock in the morning of the next day. Ai Wentao searched everywhere but couldn’t find a trace of him. He called Zhou Zike’s phone, but it was busy. He called Zhou Zike’s assistant, Qi Xing, who was still half asleep. When Qi Xing heard that Zhou Zike couldn’t be found, he mumbled, “Zhou-ge doesn’t like to be disturbed… Tao-ge, just go back and sleep…”
Ai Wentao had been drinking and had no choice but to call a driver to take him to Zhou Zike’s apartment building. It started raining outside, and Ai Wentao didn’t have an umbrella. When he arrived at the entrance, Zike hadn’t returned.
