"There’s certainly no problem with that," Zhou Yun said. "You should have said earlier."
Yuk Chu: "I didn’t want to trouble you, as you must have had many people looking for you recently, and I didn’t want to add to your burdens."
"Isn’t that what friends are for? To trouble each other? Rather than being bothered by people I’m not close to, I’d much rather be troubled by friends," Zhou Yun said.
Yuk Chu: "Ok, I’ll remember what you said. No backing out in the future."
"I won’t back out," Zhou Yun said with a resolute smile.
After dinner, since they both had work the next morning, they didn’t make further plans to hang out.
Zhou Yun walked Yuk Chu to the hotel entrance.
While passing through the lobby, Zhou Yun’s phone suddenly rang - it was He Yong calling.
Zhou Yun answered the call.
"President He, calling me so late?"
"I... Xiao Yun, are you at the hotel?" asked He Yong.
"Yes, I am, President He, but I’m at a hotel in Beijing for work," Zhou Yun replied.
"I know; I’m at your hotel now. Want to grab a bite?" He Yong asked.
Zhou Yun was stunned.
"President He, you’ve come to see me?"
At that moment, He Yong came into Zhou Yun’s view.
He didn’t have any luggage with him and there was no assistant behind him - he had come alone.
He Yong saw Zhou Yun as well, so he hung up the phone.
Following Zhou Yun’s gaze, Yuk Chu also saw He Yong and asked in surprise, "Why is he here?"
"He might be in a hurry?" Zhou Yun said.
Yuk Chu: "Then you should talk to your boss. I can go back by myself."
Zhou Yun: "I’ll see you to your car. It’s not safe for you to take a cab alone without someone seeing you off."
Yuk Chu laughed and insisted: "Miss Zhou, this is the capital, not some remote small town."
But Zhou Yun said, "No matter what, it’s always better to be careful, no matter where you are."
He Yong had already approached them with quick strides.
His face showed urgency, but he still maintained a certain demeanor, and smiling politely at Yuk Chu, he said, "So Miss Yuk had a meeting with our Xiao Yun. It seems I’m intruding."
Yuk Chu waved her hand, "No intrusion, President He. We were just about to finish up."
Zhou Yun said, "President He, let’s talk later. I’m going to see Yuk Chu off to her car; she’s staying at another hotel."
He Yong naturally nodded in agreement, "Shall we go together?"
Zhou Yun nodded, "Sure."
The three headed for the hotel entrance.
Zhou Yun, wearing a face mask and a cap, attracted curious glances, but nobody recognized her.
Her real-life fame wasn’t as great as it was online, which worked to her advantage.
With He Yong present, Zhou Yun and Yuk Chu couldn’t speak freely, so they fell silent. But of course, He Yong wouldn’t let the atmosphere turn awkward, and with a warm attitude, he asked with a smile, "Did Miss Yuk debut in the last couple of years?"
Yuk Chu wore a pleasantly surprised expression and said, "President He even remembers when I debuted?"
He Yong commented, "I’ve seen your films. You played the younger sister of the male protagonist in a fantasy theme play. You performed well, I liked it a lot. At that time, I had someone look into which company you belonged to. I even thought about signing you if you didn’t have an agency."
Whether those words were true or not?
There’s no way to confirm.
Then let’s not confirm it. After all, compliments are pleasant to hear.
Yuk Chu’s cheerful smile was open and easy, and she gathered her hair, a gesture adding a touch of charm.
"Your insight is famously keen, it seems I can have some expectations for myself."
He Yong said, "It has nothing to do with my insight. Miss Yuk can act; you will definitely become popular in the future."
Yuk Chu maintained a polite smile.
Zhou Yun got Yuk Chu into the car, deliberately speaking loudly enough for the driver to hear, "Call me when you get there, I’ll wait for your call."
Yuk Chu got into the car, waving with a smile, "Bye-bye."
"President He, bye-bye."
After watching Yuk Chu leave, Zhou Yun didn’t turn around in a hurry, standing on the still cold street corner with a wistful smile, she said, "President He, did you rush over because you heard that President Lu came to see me and you were worried?"
"He’s spreading some rumors about me, getting too rampant," He Yong didn’t mention Zhou Yun meeting Lu Yicheng for dinner; he just said, "Zhou Yun, I rarely make empty promises. In the end, only tangible benefits are the real deal. I don’t know what he has offered you, but I hope you will weigh things carefully. Admittedly, I haven’t invested much in you before. To tell you the truth, what you’ve achieved today is mostly due to your own efforts; it doesn’t have much to do with the company. But to say that I’ve suppressed you, upon reflection, I honestly have not. The person who sees you as a thorn in their side isn’t me. Among those who tacitly agreed to such treatment, Lu Yicheng isn’t innocent either."
"I really need you now. I shot myself in the foot by tacitly allowing Wei Ruxue’s actions before, but I care more about tangible benefits. Whatever promises Lu Yicheng made to you, I can also offer," He Yong said. "If he really takes my position, will Chengqian Entertainment achieve the same success as now? Let me be frank, if the headquarters really made me sit in his position, I wouldn’t bother. I don’t work under people inferior to me. If he was capable, why would he have stayed in the same position for so many years without any progression, only to take advantage of this opportunity now? You are a popular celebrity, the help that a capable company can offer you is different from the help from a company that’s just for show. Who you need, what kind of company you need — as a smart person, you know it in your heart."
"Both of you say I’m a smart person, I’m not sure whose words to believe now," Zhou Yun chuckled, "President He, to be honest, between you two, I don’t want to side with anyone."
"But now I’m more curious about another matter. You and Lu Yicheng both value my attitude so much, wanting to win me over; my question is, who exactly behind me are you both interested in?" Zhou Yun’s clear and piercing eyes seemed to see right into He Yong’s soul.
He Yong raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"So you never considered that I might not even know who the person behind me is?" He Yong’s reaction made Zhou Yun laugh, "Then let me guess, could that person be Xin Chen?"
He Yong: "Apparently that person has never revealed himself to you. If that’s the case, it’s better to let him tell you himself when he appears."
"President He, this is your only chance, if you want to sway me, who’s neutral, towards your side, just nod or shake your head, is that person Xin Chen?"
Zhou Yun stood with her hands calmly tucked in her pockets, looking at He Yong.
Her gaze was resolute.
She knew that He Yong would give her the answer she wanted.