“Which Lin Jie?” Li Cheng was a little puzzled and asked doubtfully.
“In Shang Jing, there are only a few people who can be surnamed Lin. How many people with that name do you think there are?” Wu Chengdong smiled and said.
After hearing these words, Li Cheng seemed to think of something. His expression became a little stiff and cried out,
“The Shang Jing Lins! The oldest son of the Lin family, Lin Jie? One of the famous four scions of Shang Jing, Lin Jie?”
“Exactly!” Wu Chengdong nodded.
“This…” Li Cheng looked a little pale.
There was a burst of pain in his heart. In his eye, Zi Yan belongs to him. But now that she was being eyed by Lin Jie, didn’t that mean he had no chance?
How much did he spend on this trip for Zi Yan? Now the ripening fruit was about to be picked by someone else! Li Cheng felt pain in his heart as he spoke with a sense of dejection.
“So, so, Zi Yan can’t come back in the near future?”
“Generally speaking, that’s true,” Wu Chengdong shook his head slightly and said, “But nothing is absolute. It’s possible that, since she is quite stubborn and resolute, she may come back earlier. But it also depends on Lin Jie and what methods he is willing to use on her. Now that Lin Jie has called me, it means it’s something important to him. So I can only cooperate with him, and…”
Wu Chengdong thought for a moment, then patted Li Cheng on the shoulder again and said meaningfully, “Sometimes a beautiful woman is just a plaything. Just like a toy. When you get tired of it, you will look for a new toy. But just because one person no longer wants it doesn’t mean someone else can’t have it. I think you know what I mean.”
“Ah… Well, I see, Uncle Wu, I’ll go back first.” Li Cheng left while radiating a lonely demeanor.
He felt like someone had stolen food out of his, and he would not get it back until after it had been tasted by others. He had gone to great efforts, but he was only going to end up with the leftovers, which made him feel very upset. However, his status could not be compared with that of Lin Jie.
But… even though there were policies that had to be followed, there were also countermeasures.
Li Cheng left the company using the elevator. Then, once he got in his car, he called Zi Yan,
“Zi Yan, it’s Li Cheng. Why haven’t I seen you in the last few days? I inquired about you and found out you have business in Shang Jing. I heard some information. It seems like you’re in a tough situation. There’s someone named Lin Jie…”
Two minutes later, Zi Yan hung up the phone.
She glanced at Zhou Fei, who was in front of her, and her eyebrows wrinkled slightly.
At this moment, how could she not know what Lin Jie was thinking?
Just now, Fu Shan called to say that he would arrive in Shang Jing tomorrow to talk with Wei Chao about cooperating together and Zi Yan’s role, which would take another few days.
More importantly, because of those media reporters at the front door, Lin Jie kindly arranged eight bodyguards for Zi Yan. They were standing at the door waiting for orders at any time, which gave Zi Yan the feeling that they were not just there for her protection.
“Elder Sister Yan, that Childe Lin must be infatuated with you. He’s arranged programs for you, as well as some movies and TV shows. Eh, it’s a pity that I, Zhou Fei, already have a brother-in-law.” Beside Zi Yan, Zhou Fei curled her lips and sighed.
“It’s not that simple.” Zi Yan shook her head gently.
“It’s not that complicated. Childe Lin has taken a fancy to you, so he’s providing you with resources to express his love. It’s normal.” Zhou Fei was somewhat doubtful because she did not know what Zi Yan meant.
“I’m talking about what’s happening with the programs and TV shows. Director Fu is coming to talk about the contract. It feels like Lin Jie is leading me by the nose. I don’t like it.” Zi Yan frowned slightly. She didn’t like the feeling of being manipulated.
“So what should we do? Fu Shan is coming here in person, and this contract will definitely be negotiated,” Zhou Fei thought for a moment and said.
“I’ve decided. We will not discuss the film and television contract with him. The day after tomorrow, after recording the program, we will immediately go back to Hong Kong.” The expression in Zi Yan’s eyes changed and became somewhat firm.
It was faint, but she also felt a slight threat from Lin Jie. With what Zhang Han had said to her before, she made up her mind that no matter what it took, she would go back to Hong Kong after recording the program.
While they were talking, someone knocked on the door.
Zhou Fei went to open the door, only to see the well-dressed Lin Jie with a smile on his face, holding a handful of champagne roses. The light pink roses would have been absolutely adorable in normal times, but Zi Yan didn’t even look at them.
“Childe Lin.” Zhou Fei smiled and greeted him.
Even if she didn’t like him in her heart, she still had to observe common courtesy on the surface.
“Mmm.” Lin Jie nodded and thought about it. He put the roses on the tea table, then smiled and said, “You haven’t eaten yet and it’s almost six o’clock. Shall we go out for dinner? I booked a spot at Love Lucy’s Restaurant. I heard they are serving Kobe beef there today. Miss Zi, why don’t we go and taste it together?”
In the upper class, people paid more attention to the quality of food, such as the world-famous Kobe beef. It was ranked 5A, which made it one of the most popular delicacies of the wealthy. They could not eat it every day because of its low production.
Faced with Lin Jie’s invitation, Zi Yan did not even think about it. She just shook her head and said,
“Sorry Childe Lin, I’ve been recording all afternoon. I’m a little tired, so I want to stay in the hotel and rest. I won’t be able to accompany Childe Lin.”
“So it’s like that,” Lin Jie said with an artificial sigh of regret, “Well, it seems that I won’t be able to have dinner with you ladies. In that case, I’ll have some food brought up later. Miss Zi and Miss Zhou, you can rest here. If there’s anything you need, please tell the people at the door at any time. I’ll leave you alone.”
“Okay, thank you, Childe Lin.” Zhou Fei smiled and moved to send Lin Jie out of the door. She looked at him and said, “Childe Lin, take care.”
Bang!
When the door closed, the smile on Zhou Fei’s face instantly disappeared. She turned and sat down beside Zi Yan, stretching as she said,
“Heh, it’s going to be hard for us to go out with him acting like that.”
Outside the room, the smile on Lin Jie’s face faded. He glanced at the door, shook his head slightly, and murmured softly,
“It’s getting more and more interesting.”
Then he turned and left.
For him, the chase was just another part of the game, and he was bound to be the winner.
After about two hours later, someone knocked on Zi Yan’s door once again.
This time it was a clean-dressed cook. Not only was he a foreign cook, he was the chief cook of the Love Lucy’s Restaurant. He came here personally and made two steaks, two seafood pizzas, and some snacks for both of them. He even brought a bottle of 82 Lafite, which was worth more than 100,000 yuan. It was a very expensive dinner.
He came here to prepare the food himself, so Zi Yan could not refuse. In the end, they just sat back and enjoyed it.
The steak was Kobe beef, after all. Although it was not as good as the meat dishes Zhang Han cooked for them, it was not much worse, so it was the most delicious meal they had eaten since they came here.
On the next day, Lin Jie did not appear, but at noon someone sent a handful of flowers. This time it was a large number of flowers known as the blue enchantress. Above the flowers, there was a small card with a handwritten note from Lin Jie.
May Miss Zi, who is more beautiful than this flower, have a happy day.
In the afternoon, Fu Shan took two of his entourage over for a face-to-face interview and simply asked Zhou Fei about the program. After learning that the next program would be recorded the following day, the three of them left immediately.
Zi Yan and Zhou Fei decided to stay in the hotel room and had no intention of going out.
On the other side where Zhang Han was, something interesting happened at three o’clock in the afternoon.
“You’re the owner of this restaurant, aren’t you?”
Three young people swaggered in, and the thin-faced man who took the lead asked haughtily.
“Yeah.” Zhang Han gave a bland response.
“Ha-ha,” The thin-faced man sneered and said, “I’m the cook of Aslin Restaurant. Our Aslin Restaurant is a Two Star Michelin restaurant. We watched the program about your restaurant, but it was just propaganda, completely false and too exaggerated. You’re just trying to cheat customers. So our chief cook, Lu Chao has decided to invite you to a competition the day after tomorrow, this weekend. I hope you can show some real skills so that your loss won’t be too ugly.”
As he spoke, he put an invitation letter on the table, then turned around and left quietly.
However, if he had come two hours earlier and displayed that attitude, he would have been criticized by the restaurant guests.
“Ha-ha.” Zhang Han picked up the invitation letter, but he wasn’t even slightly interested in looking at it. He flicked his finger and tossed the invitation letter into the trash.
“Eh? PaPa, what, what are they doing here?” Mengmeng asked, somewhat puzzled.
“They, maybe there is something wrong with their heads…”
…
The next afternoon, Zi Yan and Zhou Fei went to the TV station again to record the program.
When they exited this time, good god, there were more than 30 people in front of the door that rushed towards them. All of them were either taking photos or holding a microphone while trying to get an interview.
This time, many of them were not media reporters who had been hired to come here. They had a keen sense for when something interesting was going on. With so many reporters coming to block Zi Yan, there must be something going on, so… the scene became like this.
Fortunately, the bodyguards arranged by Lin Jie were very professional. Because of them, they were able to get in the car smoothly.
From the time they arrived at the TV station until 5:30, the program was successfully recorded. Zi Yan directly refused the dinner invitation and returned to the hotel. Upon returning, she had Zhou Fei book a flight out that evening. Before she could inform Zhang Han, Fu Shan arrived.
“Zi Yan, get ready. We’ll be having dinner with Childe Lin and Director Wei at seven o’clock.” Fu Shan said directly.
“Dinner?” Zi Yan shook her head and refused, “Excuse me, Director Fu, but I’ve booked an eight o’clock flight. We’re going back to Hong Kong.”
“What are you saying?” Fu Shan’s face was abruptly severe, he said in an indisputable tone, “Go refund your ticket. I’ll give you half an hour to prepare. We’ll leave on time at 6:30.”
Zi Yan’s face turned cold after she heard the words. She faced him directly and said, “Director Fu, you can talk about the cooperation by yourself. As for me, I will be going back to Hong Kong tonight.”
“Huh?”
Fu Shan frowned. It was obvious that he was a little angry because his fat cheeks shook. He glared at Zi Yan angrily and said in a sullen tone,
“What? Have your wings already hardened?”
“I still have my freedom. I’m just an actress in the company, not a prisoner,” Zi Yan replied very stiffly and looked at Fu Shan coldly.
“Hahaha, freedom?” Fu Shan burst out laughing, then stopped and said coldly, “Zi Yan, let’s be clear about your position and situation. I’m currently going to arrange a job for you, but you’re being so picky? Do you think you are still popular? You’re wrong! Don’t you know that you’re even worse off than a third-rate actor? The company is willing to use some of it’s resource to help you develop, but not only are you ungrateful, you even refuse? Is this something you can refuse?”
“I think I have the right to refuse, and these aren’t even resources given to me by the company. As the director, don’t you already know all the details?” Zi Yan argued tit for tat with a firm attitude.
“Well, well, well, I didn’t expect you to have such a stubborn temper. You don’t even respect me, the director, do you?” Fu Shan trembled with rage and said, “Don’t forget that you signed a three-year contract with our company. With your attitude, I can leave you out in the cold! Do you understand?”
“Then try it!” Zi Yan rose violently and said in a cold voice.
Hearing those words, Fu Shan was stunned. Zi Yan’s tough attitude was somewhat unexpected, but it made him even angrier. He had many ways to deal with disobedient staff. But he did not want to quarrel right now, nor did he want to sever ties with her completely. So he softened his tone and said,
“Zi Yan, I’ll tell you, this cooperation is very important for us, and Boss Wu ordered it personally. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have come here myself. Now is not the time for you to show off your temper. If Boss Wu is unhappy, no one in the Royal Entertainment Company would be able to protect you.”
After hearing that, Zi Yan’s eyes flickered slightly. She also did not realize that Fu Shan came over due to Wu Chengdong’s order. She just wasn’t sure whether it really was Boss Wu’s order or if he was just trying to take advantage of someone else’s authority.
It was Zhou Fei who could not bear it any longer. At this time, she stood up and said, “Don’t you use Boss Wu to force us, you know what, it’s useless! We are going back today! We must go back, even if the emperor came he would also have to get out of our way…”
Zhou Fei’s words made Fu Shan’s eyes widen gradually.
Did they want to rebel?
Fu Shan couldn’t suppress the fire in his heart.
Just before Zhou Fei finished speaking, Zi Yan interrupted, “Feifei, you don’t need to say any more than that. In half an hour we’ll go to the appointment!”
Upon hearing those words, Fu Shan, who was just about to lose his temper, paused. Then he laughed and said, “It’s about time, this is also a chance for you. You need to be far-sighted. I’ll be next door, call me when you’re ready.”
After that, he left the room directly.
“Elder Sister Yan…” Zhou Fei frowned, then said, somewhat indignantly, “They’re clearly bullying us!”
“Since they want to have dinner, let’s go. I’ll see what they can do!” Zi Yan answered coldly.
With that, they arrived at the evening banquet on time. There were about eight or nine people. In addition to the two staff members who came with Fu Shan, there were several of Wei Chao’s men. After seeing Zi Yan’s appearance, all of them praised her, saying that she was very suitable for some of the roles.
And, naturally, Lin Jie was busy looking for opportunities to communicate and chat with Zi Yan, but Zi Yan’s face remained cold. She didn’t even give serious answers, only replying with an “uh” or “oh” with complete disinterest.
Everyone could see it, and Fu Shan even winked at Zi Yan repeatedly, but she just ignored him.
This caused Lin Jie’s good mood to gradually disappear. He was already a little impatient.
At this time, Zi Yan opened her mouth and stood up to say her first full sentence since her arrival.
“Thanks to Childe Lin for his hospitality. However, I’m not feeling well, so I’ll leave first.”
After that, Zi Yan took another look at Fu Shan and said coldly,
“Oh, by the way, Director Fu, my flight has been rescheduled at three o’clock tomorrow afternoon. I have some business to do when I get back, so I will have to leave everything regarding the cooperation to you.”
After that, Zi Yan and Zhou Fei left directly, leaving behind a table of people staring blankly.
“Well…” Fu Shan’s face was grim and he was very angry in his heart, but he had to smile at Lin Jie and say, “Sorry, Childe Lin, Zi Yan seems to be feeling a little uncomfortable these past few days, so she…”
“Oh, well, that’s understandable,” Lin Jie gave a faint laugh, then shook his head and said, “But I don’t think you can talk with me about the cooperation if she’s not here. What do you think?”
“Yes, yes, yes. Childe Lin is right. She’s definitely not going back. I’ll talk to her tomorrow.” When Fu Shan saw Lin Jie’s unhappy eyes, he was almost covered in cold sweat. If he offended Lin Jie, he would be left with a very bad feeling. At this time, he was ready to explode.
Lin Jie, however, was impatient and even in a bad mood,
“Zi Yan, you’re just a star. How dare you refuse me, Lin Jie? You really don’t know who you are? It’s your honor for someone like me, Lin Jie, to take a fancy to you. In that case, it seems that I don’t have to be polite anymore.”
For Lin Jie, even a scion like Zhang Han could be destroyed by him if he was willing to use certain methods, let alone a star.
He had many ways to deal with Zi Yan. Since gentle ways had no effect, then he would try something else.
But Zi Yan’s cool expression aroused Lin Jie’s desire to conquer.
There were no more words spoken that night. At one o’clock the next afternoon, Zi Yan and Zhou Fei were ready to leave.
But just as they opened the door and walked out, one of the eight bodyguards standing on both sides of the door stood in the way.
“What are you doing?” Zhou Fei raised her eyebrows and questioned him.
“Sorry, Mr. Fu Shan orders. You can’t leave here for now,” The man replied blandly.
“Is he your father? Do you do whatever he says? Get out of the way!” Zhou Fei said with a cold hum.
“Without Mr. Fu Shan’s order, you can’t leave,” the man answered again.
“Feifei! Call the police!” Zi Yan frowned and said coldly.
“Yeah, we should just call the police. Do you know that what you are doing now is illegal?” Zhou Fei angrily took out her mobile phone, ready to make a call.
“Ha ha,” The man said with a sneer, “Call the police, go ahead, it’s useless. You are Mr. Fu Shan’s actresses. It’s legal to talk about cooperation and arrange your schedule. Don’t be so naive.”
“That’s right!”
Suddenly, a voice of applause and praise was heard. They looked around, only to see the fat Fu Shan come over with a sneer on his face.
As he drew near, he said with a false smile, “Zi Yan, come on, go inside and we’ll have a talk.”
Seeing this, Zhou Fei put down her mobile phone and returned to the room with Zi Yan.
Fu Shan came in and slammed the door.
“Director Fu, you have a very underhanded way of doing things,” Zhou Fei said coldly.
“Shut up! You’re in no position to talk to me!” Fu Shan cried coldly and glanced at them, then said, “Am I being underhaded or are you putting on airs too early? Huh? Who do you think you are? Do you really think you’re special? What happened to you last night? You have been in Entertainment Circle for so many years, don’t you even understand the rules? Are you stupid? I don’t understand what you were thinking! What were you trying to do?”
“What are you shouting about?” Zhou Fei’s temper also got worse as she stared at him, ready to cuss him out.
At this time, Zi Yan interrupted him with a chilly tone and said, “Don’t waste time talking to him about principles. Director Fu, what are you planning to do? If you do that again, I will defend my rights and interests using legal methods.”
“Legal methods? Great! That’s okay!” With a loud laugh, Fu Shan took out a document from his briefcase and threw it on the tea table. He sneered, “Take a good look at this indictment. If you leave today, the indictment will come into operation. At that time, you will have to pay nearly 100 million in liquidation damages. With your current standing, there’s no way you can pay the money back.”
“You’re going too far!” Zi Yan’s face was completely cold. She was very angry in her heart, at the same time, she became increasingly disappointed in the Royal Entertainment Company!
And Zhou Fei’s face went pale with anger. Remembering the original contract, she also felt somewhat helpless.
When Fu Shan saw them become silent, his tone softened a little, and he began to play the good guy, “Zi Yan, I also know it may be a bit unfair. But there is no other way, this cooperation has to continue. You are anxious to go back to Hong Kong and I don’t know what’s going on. If you’re in a hurry, why don’t you wait for two days, okay? I’ll directly finalize the contract in one or two days. If possible, I’ll try to give you a short vacation, is that okay?”
Looking at Fu Shan’s features, Zhou Fei really wanted to say: Don’t be so hypocritical! How disgusting!
But she knew that people can’t fight city hall, so she just kept her mouth shut, even though it felt uncomfortable to hold her words in.
At this time, Zi Yan’s cell phone suddenly rang. When she picked it up, it was Meiqi. After thinking about it, Zi Yan picked up the phone,
“Hello.”
“Zi Yan, I heard about what happened to you over there. Although I didn’t pay much attention to you lately, you’re still one of my people. How could you be bullied? If that Fu Shan is rude to you, don’t give him any face. I’ll take responsibility. But this matter is still somewhat difficult to deal with. As for the contract, read it carefully and sign it if you think it’s OK. Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow at the latest, I’ll arrange for you to come back. When you guys come back, the matter of the cooperation will be fine.”
“Thank you, elder sister Mei.” At this moment, Zi Yan’s cold heart was relieved a little.
“It’s all right. After all, we’ve known each other for many years, and our feelings have always been there. So that’s it, pay more attention to what’s going on around you,” Meiqi said before she hung up the phone.
This sentence was said sincerely. In fact, if it had not been for Li Cheng, Meiqi intended to develop Zi Yan well. But there would always be situations that people were helpless against. She chose her own career, so she had to give up many other things.
After answering the phone, Zi Yan looked at Fu Shan and said coldly, “Bring the contract to me as soon as possible.”
“You’ll have to wait for several days.” Fu Shan gave her a strange look, wondering what Meiqi said to her. He thought about it, but said nothing more and immediately left.
At this time, Zhou Fei was very angry and uncomfortable. She angrily took out her mobile phone and made a phone call.
“Hello? Brother-in-law! Elder Sister Yan and I are being bullied! Isn’t Shang Jing your former territory, brother-in-law? Hurry up and find someone to help us…”
“Hmm?” Upon hearing those words, Zhang Han took Mengmeng out of his arms and put her on the sofa to let the little fellow watch cartoons by herself. After doing that, he went to the restaurant window with a cold look growing in his eyes as he said, “Speak.”
“I’ll tell you, brother-in-law…” Just as Zhou Fei was about to complain, Zi Yan reached out and said, “Let me tell him.”
“Okay,” Zhou Fei said, “I’ll let Elder Sister Yan tell you herself.”
After that, she handed Zi Yan her cell phone,
“Zhang Han.” Zi Yan pouted her lips, with some grievance in her tone.
“I’ll pick you up!”
At that moment, Zhang Han answered with these four words, simply and neatly.
