Entertainment: 1990

Chapter 229 The Big Bad Wolf
A brief separation can make a new love stronger.

When Zhang Yan woke up in the morning, Chen Hong had already gone to the Beijing Film Studio to film.

While washing up, he contacted Wang Luyao and Tian Zhen, and arrived at the hospital around 8 o'clock. Xu Zhenghui was still there, but the Compass Band members were nowhere to be seen.

Judging from how anxious they were yesterday, it doesn't seem like they have no feelings for Luo Qi. Besides, Zhang Yan said he would come over in the morning. How come there's no one left to stay behind?

"Luo Qi's parents have arrived."

Upon hearing Zhang Yan's question, Xu Zhenghui explained, "The two elderly people felt that the band members had corrupted their daughter, so after arriving in Beijing late at night, they cried and shouted as they chased the Compass band members away."

These words...

It's not really a case of wronging someone.

It's rare to find someone as clear-headed and calm as Zhang Yan, who remains untainted by the rock scene—many of Luo Qi's flaws were acquired through exposure after joining Compass.

According to Xu Zhenghui, it wasn't just the Compass Band members; any other rock singers who dared to come were scolded away by the old couple.

Several of them were indignant and hurled insults at Luo Qi's parents, but Xu Zhenghui persuaded them to back down, using Zhang Yan's name as a pretext.

At this moment, Luo Qi's parents heard the commotion and came out of the ward.

Xu Zhenghui quickly introduced the two parties.

Upon hearing that Zhang Yan was the wealthy businessman who was willing to pay for his daughter's medical treatment, Luo Qi's mother immediately knelt down and kowtowed, but fortunately Zhang Yan was quick-witted and stopped her.

Luo Qi's father then grumbled, "Mr. Zhang, you look like you're in a respectable profession, unlike those rock singers who all make faces and howl like ghosts. What respectable people are they!"

Zhang Yan nodded in agreement, saying, "Indeed, this circle is not suitable for young girls at all. Once Luo Qi has recovered from her injuries, it's best if she doesn't stay in this circle anymore."

"Sigh, I won't be able to sing anymore."

Mr. Luo sighed, "The doctor just told us that if she sings too loudly or too passionately, she might experience some kind of pressure, and her right eye could also have problems."

This means that Luo Qi is basically saying goodbye to the music scene.

Luo Qi's father took the initiative to find the doctor and asked Zhang Yan and the other two to come in and see Luo Qi. The doctor did not stop them, but stipulated that the visit could only last for five minutes and that the patient could not be too emotional.

Upon entering the ward, Luo Qi's head was wrapped up like an Indian man's, and his right eye, which was exposed, looked lifeless, completely unlike his usual playful and mischievous self.

"Qiqi, Mr. Zhang, who helped me realize my dream, is here."

Luo Qi's mother leaned over and reminded her, and Luo Qi turned her head slightly to look in their direction. Then, her eyes reddened, and she asked in a choked voice, "Mr. Zhang, will I still be able to sing in the future?"

"Why not!"

Zhang Yan said decisively, "At worst, we can switch to ballads in the future. With your voice, there's definitely no problem."

Wang Luyao chimed in, "Yeah, look at me, I can't even sing high notes, but I still became a top-tier singer, didn't I?"

Clearly, Wang Luyao's honest words were far more comforting than Zhang Yan's nonsense.

Luo Qi seemed to be deep in thought, and a hint of hope appeared on her face.

After staying in the ward for a while and putting down the gifts they had bought on the way, Zhang Yan left with the two of them again.

Once in the corridor, he discussed it with Xu Zhenghui again, planning to transfer an assistant from Yuanmeng to replace Xu Zhenghui—Wang Jinghua had taken a wedding leave, and Lao Xu was now considered one of the key figures in the agency, so naturally they couldn't let him stay away from home for too long.

As they walked downstairs, Zhang Yan sighed and advised Tian Zhen, "You should also try to control your temper in the future, especially when you're out in public."

Tian Zhen, unusually, did not refute, but simply nodded silently, clearly indicating that Luo Qi's experience had also greatly shocked her.

Just then, a few people walked towards us, muttering to themselves. They seemed to be reporters coming to interview about the Luo Qi incident.

Seeing this, Wang Luyao leaned close to Zhang Yan's ear and asked, "Should we go back?"

"Why go back?" Zhang Yan grabbed her and said, "Old Xu is enough. Going back would be superfluous."

Because he was planning to treat Guo Chuanlin and Dou Wei to lunch, Zhang Yan originally intended to take the two back to their hotel, but Wang Luyao said that she hadn't seen Sister Hong for so long, and how could she not go see her when she came to Beijing?
So Zhang Yan sent them to the Beijing Film Studio.

When Zhang Yan picked up Dou Wei by the roadside, he saw that the guy was covered in grease and grime, and he didn't know where he had been fooling around last night. So Zhang Yan simply told Guo Chuanlin to find a bathhouse and give him a good scrub.

Given his current status, he naturally looks for a good place.

After soaking and scrubbing myself in the pool, I was about to go to the lobby for a massage when I bumped into an acquaintance coming out of the VIP room next door.

"Hey, Mr. Li."

"Ha, Mr. Zhang."

Li Chengru looked much more prosperous than when we met two years ago. He smiled broadly and said, "When we first met, I knew you were not like those bookworms. Sure enough, you have made a name for yourself in just a few years."

When Wang Luyao first became famous, Li Chengru paid a lot of money to secure her first gig, and even lent her his car.

Therefore, Li Chengru had some understanding of the situation regarding the fulfillment of dreams.

"It's not easy to get a compliment from Boss Li," Zhang Yan said with a smile. "But I'm just dabbling in this, unlike you, Boss Li, who runs the Special Mall and makes a fortune every day..."

"That's all small change."

Li Chengru waved his hand dismissively and said, "If you want to make a fortune these days, you have to make money off the rich!"

Before Zhang Yan could respond, he countered with, "Who do you think is the richest person these days?"

"Children are the richest."

Zhang Yan said half-jokingly, "Aren't they all called little emperors and little princesses? These days, they are all only children who are pampered by everyone. Many parents save money every day and spend all their money on their children."

"Yes, and also wrong."

Li Chengru shook his head and said, "Brother, your vision is still too narrow. Let me tell you, the richest people in the world are foreigners. So if we want to make big money, we have to make money from foreigners!"

Judging from his smug look, he must have already made money.

Zhang Yan asked with some curiosity, "How do you earn it, standing or kneeling?"

"Of course you have to earn money standing up!"

Li Chengru said smugly, "We'll use their own rules to make money from them in a reasonable, legal, and compliant way!"

As he spoke, he reached out and patted Zhang Yan on the shoulder, laughing, "Contact me later if you're interested, I'll show you around."

Then, with a wave of his hand, a henchman in a black suit presented him with a freshly lit cigar. Li Chengru, with the cigar in his mouth, strode around with an air of dominance, exuding an aura of power and authority.

As soon as Li Chengru left, Guo Chuanlin also came out of the private room wrapped in a towel. Looking at Li Chengru's back, he clicked his tongue and sighed, "This Boss Li is getting better and better at pretending."

"Fourth Brother, do you know him?"

"I've met him a few times before when he was doing gigs."

Guo Chuanlin said, "Although this person likes to act like a big shot, he is still quite trustworthy in the business world. Since he is so certain, he may really have some way to make a lot of money."

"so what."

Zhang Yan said dismissively, "I've heard a saying, 'The bigger the storm, the more expensive the fish.' Conversely, the more expensive the fish, the bigger the storm. I'm not short of money now, so there's no need for me to follow that path."

The commercial performance market is booming. Next year, we'll recruit a few new artists and split the current veteran singers into two teams, performing commercial shows simultaneously. That way, we'll earn two or three times as much.

Why not make this steady, quick money and instead choose to follow someone else's ambiguous path? Isn't that just plain crazy?

(End of this chapter)