Zhang Chen’s smile deepened as he clapped his hands in praise, "Truly, as the financial muscle behind Tonghua Entertainment, your magnanimity is exceptional. In the entertainment circle, even though my influence is greater than yours, when it comes to making real money, I’m far behind you, the financial tycoon."
After subtly praising Sheng Yan, Zhang Chen quickly got to the point, "The hotel incident was due to a lack of supervision on my staff’s part. From now on, your stays at any of my hotels will be free of charge, indefinitely."
Sheng Yan was completely unmoved, his lips parting lightly to deliver a detached response, "No need."
Zhang Chen insisted, "It’s necessary. Shortly, an exclusive hotel card will be sent to your agent. From now on, you just need to give your name when you stay at one of my hotels."
At the end, he added with a smile, "It’s a small token of my regard. I know Boss Sheng wouldn’t care for such a privilege, but I must offer what should be given. I apologize for the alarm."
As a superstar, Zhang Chen was already very sincere to be so earnest. Sheng Yan didn’t want to fallout with him; it didn’t matter if he wasn’t involved in the entertainment industry, but He Jinxia was.
The girl he cherished in his heart, naturally, needed his protection.
Sheng Yan gave a slight nod, even his thanks carried a touch of aloofness, "Then I’ll thank Superstar Zhang for his generous gift in advance."
Zhang Chen, seeing that the matter was resolved, smiled even deeper. After a moment of thought, he asked, "Do you want me to handle this matter for you?"
Sheng Yan spoke casually, "A mere jumping clown, not worth mentioning."
Zhang Chen’s eyes twinkled as he said with a laugh, "President Sheng is magnanimous."
And with that, the call came to an end.
No sooner had Sheng Yan put down his phone, when it buzzed with a new WeChat message flashing on the screen.
He paused, picked up the phone again, and swiped open to find a message from He Jinxia asking if he had returned to his room.
A hint of a smile played on Sheng Yan’s lips as he typed a reply at a leisurely pace, teasing the little fox.
Sheng Yan: "Are you worried about me?"
He Jinxia: "What do you think?"
Sheng Yan: "You care about me a lot."
He Jinxia: "Shameless!"
Sheng Yan: "You admitted it yourself."
He Jinxia: "Despicable and shameless!"
Sheng Yan: "Call me master."
He Jinxia huffed and simply sent a "Goodnight," ending the conversation with Sheng Yan.
Staring at the ’Goodnight’ on his phone screen, Sheng Yan’s mood improved greatly, a faint smile crossing his eyes. He didn’t continue to text, but instead sent a voice message over WeChat—
Goodnight, little fox.
As He Jinxia listened to Sheng Yan’s voice from her phone, she allowed herself to roll around in bed, cursing Sheng Yan as a flirt in her heart countless times, but her ears earnestly replayed the message over and over again.
There was simply no resisting that voice—it was too captivating, too addictive.
On the other side, Zhang Chen ended the call and stepped out from behind the curtain followed by several people. On closer inspection, these were members of his team.
One of them asked, "So we just let Deng Zhaoyan off like that?"
Zhang Chen narrowed his eyes, a smile still on his face, yet it carried a tinge of coldness.
"Let her off? Impossible. It’s one thing to become a top-tier star through petty tricks, but to target our superstar? No way we’re letting that slide."
Why did the fact that Deng Zhaoyan sneaked into the top floor and appeared by Sheng Yan’s door raise such alarm? Not only did it cause Zhang Ming to offer to resign without resentment, but it also compelled the superstar hotelier Zhang Chen to personally make an apology call?
It all boiled down to the exceptional influence of a superstar.
If Deng Zhaoyan could infiltrate the premises, it demonstrated a security breach at the hotel. Today it’s a top-tier star; tomorrow could be a second-rate celebrity, and the day after could bring in a fan... There’s no guarantee among the stars and their followers that there isn’t a fanatic in the mix.
Let’s not even start on the PR nightmare Sheng Yan would face if Deng Zhaoyan succeeded and the pre-arranged media blast went off as planned. Even looking no further than the present, if a deranged fan had managed to infiltrate, Sheng Yan’s safety would be at risk.
Ten years ago, the entertainment circle saw an incident where a fan sneaked into a hotel where a superstar was staying, broke into their room, and murdered the star.
The fall of a star, especially one killed by their own fan, sent shockwaves. Many fans couldn’t bear the news, with some even taking their own lives to "follow" their idol.
This sensational event prompted Hua Country to take a series of actions, instituting regulations that shaped some of the entertainment circle’s rules.
From then on, stars weren’t wholly reliant on their fans to live; the state safeguarded certain rights of celebrities, allowing them to marry, have children, and lead more normal lives. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on novｅlfire.net
After ten years of guiding public sentiment, stars in Hua Country’s entertainment circle are now much happier than those in other countries.
However, regulation also meant dilution. Stars’ influence diminished substantially, thereby reducing their mesmerizing hold over fans and, as a result, their earning power.
Of course, measures like these were irrelevant to Zhang Chen. Having reached the pinnacle as a superstar, he had long since made enough money to live comfortably for centuries to come. What concerned Zhang Chen more was the challenge posed to a superstar’s authority in this affair.
Deng Zhaoyan was welcome to offer herself up, but mere seduction was trivial. However, the hotel security’s investigation revealed traces of other media stakeouts on the top floor, and hidden cameras were discovered on Deng Zhaoyan.
Ha, it was clear someone intended to set up Sheng Yan.
Since when did superstars become so powerless that even a lesser-known first-tier star could attempt to ensnare them?
Zhang Chen had braved many trials and tribulations throughout the years and loathed the dirty backstabbing that occurred among stars the most, especially since he too had been a victim. This was why he couldn’t tolerate such behavior.
Now that Sheng Yan had encountered such an incident at his hotel and he was aware of it, there was no way he would let it slide.
Zhang Chen’s smile faded, and he said coldly, "Deng Zhaoyan climbed her way to the top a bit too smoothly. It’s high time she faced some pressure."
With that indifferent remark, he sealed the rocky path ahead for Deng Zhaoyan’s career as a star.
The most immediate impact was felt the next day when she went to report to the filming location. She was summoned by Director Li and kicked out of the casting team.
Deng Zhaoyan’s eyes widened in disbelief, feeling as though she must have misheard. She couldn’t help but ask, "Director Li, what did you just say? I’ve been kicked out of the cast? No way?!"
Director Li, over fifty with a weather-beaten face and temples tinged with gray, looked at her seriously and confirmed, "You heard me right. You’ve been kicked out of the cast."
Deng Zhaoyan bit her lip, her fists clenched tightly with indignation. "Why? What did I do wrong? Why so sudden? Director Li, we have a contract. Kicking me out for no reason is a breach of contract!"