January 20.
Qingyan City Gymnasium was bustling early in the morning.
Various balloons and banners began to be hung outside, and a long red carpet was laid out, extending all the way to the outer fence of the gymnasium. Today, the stadium was closed for one day, and since notifications had been posted everywhere a week in advance, this caused no ripples.
At the entrance.
What was originally a casual come-and-go.
Now had become accessible only to those with a work certificate.
The security work was taken over by Tang Qing’s "Zhongyu Special Guard." In preparation for this annual meeting, Zhongyu Special Guard deployed hundreds of security guards here. Since they were also participants, they doubled as security while attending the meeting.
Kill two birds with one stone.
Looking at the security guards, standing tall and straight in their striking black and grey camouflage uniforms and wearing earphones on their ears, they appeared very professional, and many passersby were watching from a distance.
"What’s going on?" asked someone who stopped by the crowd across the street, riding an electric car.
His neighbor, a ’concerned citizen,’ shook his head: "Not clear, seems like there’s some important performance going on. Look at the girls getting out of those cars dressed in colorful outfits, obviously here to perform."
"You don’t need to tell me, I’m not blind. What else?" the man asked, rolling his eyes.
"Don’t know."
At that moment, a proud auntie interjected: "You’re out of the loop, aren’t you? My daughter is an employee of Sheng Tang Group. This is where Sheng Tang Group is holding their annual meeting. She’s going there tonight, and I’ll have her tell me about it after. Heard there’s a celebrity coming. I’ve come to the door to listen and join the excitement."
"Could we go in and take a look?" someone else chimed in.
"Yeah, I also want to see the celebrity."
"Dream on," the auntie scoffed, "The only ones who can attend apart from Sheng Tang Group’s employees are the city leaders and some directors from various city departments. No one else, Sheng Tang Group didn’t invite them."
"Such a big gymnasium, how many people could it take? What a waste," someone commented sourly.
The auntie sneered again: "You illiterate, do you have any idea how many people are in Sheng Tang Group now? My daughter told me, Sheng Tang Group will soon exceed ten thousand people. This stadium can only accommodate so many; a few thousand people at most. Do you think it will be full? If it were open to the public, who knows how crowded it would get."
"True, what a pity!"
"Then I’ll come back tonight to listen and see if I can spot any celebrities."
"I’ll come too."
"..."
The news about Sheng Tang Group’s annual meeting quickly spread.
Hearing that there were also major celebrities coming.
Made it even more exciting.
Regrettably, the annual meeting was not open to the public, and with tight security implemented, there were no hills or high rise buildings for viewing. One could only listen from outside to the sound, but that was enough for those who wanted to join in the fun—they cared more about the process than the outcome.
...
Three o’clock in the afternoon.
Qingyan City Airport.
When Tang Qing arrived.
Zheng Lin was already waiting at the airport entrance.
These celebrities had all been invited because of Zheng Lin’s connections, so it was only fitting he personally greeted them. As the chairman of the event’s organizing company, Tang Qing also had to show his face. He had just rushed over from the gymnasium, having seen off Pu Chaodong and others, and went to meet with the company’s newly signed artists.
"Little Tang, relax a bit, they’re all very easy to talk to," Zheng Lin said with a relaxed face, these were people coming to give him face, and Zheng Lin felt it necessary to comfort Tang Qing about his ’excited’ mood.
"..."
Once again, Tang Qing was speechless.
Did he really look that nervous?
"I get it, I get it..."
Two lines of Sichuan dialect slipped out of Tang Qing’s mouth.
This response made Zheng Lin chuckle.
"They’re coming out," a bodyguard reminded him.
Upon hearing this.
Tang Qing looked towards the airport exit.
He saw someone covered with a mask, wearing sunglasses, stepping out, followed by similarly dressed individuals, and a few bodyguards trailing behind. Tang Qing recognized the newcomer at a glance — it was Liu Uranus.
Zheng Lin stepped forward quickly.
Just as Liu Uranus’s bodyguards started to intercept, Uranus himself stopped them. The bodyguards were not unaware of who Zheng Lin was; it was simply their habit to be professional and to ensure their employer’s safety. Unless it was a family member, they had a duty to be vigilant around everyone else.
"Linzi, hello,"
Liu Uranus’s Mandarin still had its unique charm.
Zheng Lin hastily said, "Long time no see, but this isn’t the place to talk at length. Let me take you to the hotel first, where we can chat properly." It was no place to speak, as who knew when paparazzi might pop up.
At this moment, Tang Qing also walked up.
"Welcome, I’m Tang Qing," Tang Qing introduced himself.
"Boss Tang, nice to meet you," Liu Uranus said, appraising Tang Qing with admiration.
To earn a favor from Zheng Lin was no small feat, especially one of such magnitude; if the rumors were true, perhaps this free performance could yield an unexpected harvest.
"We should head out, some entertainment reporters are getting restless,"
Tang Qing said, narrowing his eyes.
"Oh?"
Zheng Lin was startled.
He had no desire to be on entertainment news.
Just as he was about to ask where the reporters were.
They saw someone with a microphone rushing over, only to be stopped by one of Tang Qing’s bodyguards just a couple of steps in. The desperate entertainment reporter yelled, "Let go, let me through, I haven’t even gotten close, why are you stopping me?"
The shout.
Drew the attention of many.
Seeing a burly man in black stopping a woman with a microphone, people watched the drama unfold, and quite a few remembered something and looked around, wondering if there might be an unexpected sighting.