Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 339 Envy
May 1st, the day the "Divas Hit the Road" group set off.

Early in the morning, at Beijing Capital International Airport, Terminal 3, Area E, Liu Tao was the first to arrive.

This famous star, known for her virtuousness in the industry, sat in the rest area wearing sunglasses, making it impossible to see her expression.

After a while, the sound of luggage wheels came from not far away, accompanied by light laughter, and tour guide Yang Zi and Jia Jingwen walked side by side.

The two happened to meet at the station entrance and started walking together. One was youthful and energetic, the other elegant and composed.

Yang Zi jogged a few steps, took off her backpack, and wiped the sweat from her forehead: "Sister Tao, you're here so early!"

"I just arrived a little while ago."

A kind expression graced Alyssa Chia's beautiful face as she held her phone to her lips and lightly tapped the screen.

“Angel, Mommy is at the airport. Be a good girl at home and listen to Grandma. Mommy will bring you a present when she comes back from Europe.”

With a "whoosh," Jia Jingwen sent the voice message and sat down next to Liu Tao.

"Mommy, come back soon!" A few seconds later, the phone rang, and a child's sweet voice came from the speaker, making the big star's face soften even more.

"Sister Wen, how old is your daughter?" Liu Tao couldn't help but think of her own two children.

"Seven years old!"

"That's when they're being naughty."

The two celebrities chatted enthusiastically about parenting, sharing their experiences as mothers.

When Jia Jingwen learned that Liu Tao's youngest son was only two years old, she was very surprised: "The child is so young, can he be separated from you?"

Yang Zi also looked at Liu Tao with curiosity.

Liu Tao's expression was somewhat unnatural, and his eyes behind his sunglasses dimmed. He sighed helplessly. Why did he come? For the money!
Her appearance fee was 80 yuan. If it weren't to pay off her husband's debts, why would she participate in "Divas Hit the Road"? She knew perfectly well what the production team wanted from her.

It's simply a comparison between her and Liu Shishi. Both are female celebrities, but one married the richest man and enjoys immense fame, widely recognized as the best-married woman in the entertainment industry, while the other married into a fake wealthy family and returned to work to pay off debts shortly after marriage.

Such a stark contrast is so ironic; just thinking about it is enough to generate discussion.

Unable to express the bitterness in her heart, she could only make up an excuse: "The child is being taken care of, and it's the time to wean him/her."

Seeing Liu Tao's low tone, Jia Jingwen and Yang Zi recalled a report from a couple of years ago that Liu Tao had just given birth and was also taking care of her husband who was suffering from depression. They both skipped the topic.

The atmosphere was a little stagnant for a while.

Just then, Yang Zi inadvertently saw a group of people walking towards them and exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, Senior Sister and Mr. Song are here! How cool!"

Liu Tao and Jia Jingwen turned around upon hearing the sound.

The richest man was seen pushing a suitcase with one hand and talking on the phone with the other. He was tall and dignified, and occasionally looked down at his young wife in front of him with a look of doting affection.

Liu Shishi's eyebrows curved into crescent moons as she tilted her head and stared at her husband. She sat curled up on the suitcase, her black gauze dress outlining her slender legs and revealing a section of her fair and jade-like ankles, looking very relaxed.

That sweet sense of happiness made everyone around them feel the love between the two.

Song Ci pushed Liu Shishi forward slowly, and they arrived in front of the group of young people: "I'll hang up now, we'll talk later."

With a light leap, Liu Shishi gracefully rose from her suitcase and stood charmingly beside her husband, taking his arm.

"Mr. Song!" "Chairman Song, hello!"

The three female celebrities immediately stood up and greeted them respectfully.

Song Ci nodded slightly, turned to his wife and said softly, "Shishi, have a pleasant trip. Call me when you get to Rome."

"Bye-bye, husband!" Liu Shishi smiled sweetly, completely ignoring the cameras around her. In front of everyone, she stood on tiptoe and gave her husband a tender kiss on the cheek, showing off their affection.

The bodyguard put down the luggage, and Song Ci and Liu Shishi bid each other a reluctant farewell before leading the group away.

After the big boss walked away, Yang Zi let out a breath and slumped into her chair: "Every time I see the chairman, I get so nervous."

"It can't be that bad, my husband is a very gentle person."

Yang Zi silently complained to herself, "That was for you!" She had personally witnessed how Zhang Zhao, Zhuang Liqi, and other company executives trembled with fear in front of Song Ci.

"Shishi, Mr. Song loves you very much. You are so lucky." Jia Jingwen looked on with envy, and a trace of loneliness flashed in her eyes as she thought of her own unhappy marriage.

Liu Tao's fingertips trembled slightly. In front of the camera, he suppressed his inner jealousy and tried his best to maintain a proper smile.

The scene of Liu Shishi and Song Ci's happiness and affection just now felt like a thorn in her heart. She was afraid that she would lose control of her emotions and do something unwise.

The gathering of four radiant female celebrities, along with the surrounding cameramen, quickly attracted the attention of airport passengers.

Passersby immediately gathered around, and people flocked to ask for autographs and photos, causing a brief period of chaos.

Liu Shishi, Jia Jingwen, and the others were overwhelmed and managed to escape with the help of the production crew and airport staff, hiding in a VIP lounge.

"The fans are so crazy! Shishi, you have so many fans!" Yang Zi was still shaken when she recalled being surrounded by fans, and at the same time, she was extremely envious of Liu Shishi's popularity.

Just now, the most people were asking Liu Shishi for autographs. Jia Jingwen and Liu Tao were neck and neck, while I was the only one who was ignored.

Half an hour later, the other three members, Huang Xiaoming, Lin Gengxin, and Chen Hong, arrived one after another, and the seven-member group of "Divas Hit the Road" was officially assembled.

Before departure, director Liao Ke gave a final itinerary briefing: "Please hand over your bank cards and cash to your agents and assistants for safekeeping. I will distribute the 22000 euros travel allowance to everyone shortly."

All of this had been discussed beforehand. The celebrities pretended to be reluctant, made a few perfunctory complaints, and then handed their wallets over to their entourage for safekeeping.

At 1:30 p.m., the flight officially took off. The production team, being very wealthy, booked the entire first-class cabin.

As soon as they boarded the plane, everyone was full of energy and enthusiastically shared their European travel experiences.

"I've attended Milan Fashion Week before and been to Rome, so I'm quite familiar with Italy," Alyssa Chia said with a smile, lounging in her chair.

Liu Shishi chimed in: "My husband and I went to Germany to watch the World Cup in 2006, and we've also been to France. But this is our first time going to Italy and Spain."

Yang Zi's eyes lit up as she keenly caught the key information: "2006! Senior Sister, so you and Chairman Song were together so early?" The others were also very curious about the relationship between the top sister and the richest man. They all wanted to know how she met Song Ci and married into a billionaire family. There were all sorts of rumors and true and false information online.

"We've been childhood sweethearts and together for a long time!" Facing the camera, Liu Shishi's eyebrows revealed a hint of reminiscence as she spoke to outsiders for the first time since the official announcement of her relationship with her husband.

Although in previous interviews, she and Song Ci had vaguely mentioned some matters of their relationship.

However, since their relationship was not exposed at the time, it did not attract much attention. Moreover, the people present were all very busy people in the entertainment industry and did not have time to pay attention to other celebrities' interviews.

"How romantic!" Yang Zi rested her chin on her hands, her face full of longing.

Liu Shishi winked mischievously: "You can do it too, I know that you and Liu Xing from 'Home with Kids' were childhood sweethearts."

Yang Zi waved her hand: "Hey, don't mention it. I treat Zhang Yishan like a brother! I really don't have any feelings for him at all, just a buddy! There's absolutely no way we could be together."

"Don't make promises you can't keep! I once swore I'd be brothers with my husband for life." Recalling her naivety back then, Liu Shishi couldn't help but smile.

Yang Zi immediately covered her mouth in surprise: "Ah, Senior Sister, you actually want to become sworn brothers with Chairman Song?"

The unexpected revelation caused the others, including the show's director and cameramen, to turn their attention to the female lead.

Liu Shishi nodded slightly and said gently, "How should I put it? Zi Mei, maybe every childhood sweetheart goes through this stage. Being too familiar makes people overlook the attraction. Luckily, I realized it in time."

The eldest sister paused, her eyes like still water, "Some people, once missed, will truly be a lifelong regret."

Yang Zi was taken aback and couldn't help but ask herself, "Would I regret missing this opportunity for the rest of my life?"

Yang Zi, a complete novice in matters of the heart, was immediately confused. However, with a ready-made case in front of her, she could only consult with the expert for advice:
"Senior Sister, when did you realize that you needed to change the relationship between the two of you?"

“It was during the summer before he went to college that I suddenly realized that if he met another girl in college, I might miss out on my childhood sweetheart.”

A smug look appeared on Liu Shishi's lips, and she snorted, "Fortunately, the childhood sweetheart scenario of being replaced by a sudden, unexpected love didn't happen to me."

Several older actresses couldn't help but grumble inwardly, secretly lamenting that the script was wrong and wondering how Liu Shishi could come to her senses!

Seeing Liu Shishi's happy face, I felt very unhappy. We're all in the entertainment industry, why do you get both career and love success? It's upsetting!

Liu Shishi's eyes were misty as she reminisced about the past, her voice soft and gentle: "I remember at the Peking University welcome party, someone was wearing a white suit, standing under the spotlight, singing 'The Wind Rises,' which dazzled all the girls at Peking University."

In the cabin, even the flight attendant who was eavesdropping couldn't help but imagine Song Ci standing on the stage, as if she could see that handsome and dashing young man.

Everyone can easily imagine how devastating the face of the richest man would be to a young girl just entering school.

The straightforward girl Yang Zi suddenly asked, "Senior Sister, do you have any love rivals?"

Liu Shishi's gentle smile froze instantly. She glared at Yang Zi reproachfully, annoyed that the little girl had brought up such a sensitive topic.

The camera precisely captured the big sister's subtle facial expressions, and several onlookers understood the unspoken message, speculating that the richest man's wife's love life had not been smooth sailing.

Having her mood dampened by Yang Zi, Liu Shishi lost the desire to continue the conversation and wisely ended the public display of affection.

Seeing that the leading lady remained silent, Huang Xiaoming immediately changed the subject: "Sister Hong, is Director Chen preparing for any new film recently?"

Chen Hong gracefully smoothed her hair: "Filming will begin in October. The film's theme is about a woman who suffers from cyberbullying."

Upon hearing this, Alyssa Chia eagerly asked, "Sister Hong, has the female lead for the movie been cast?"

Chen Hong replied meaningfully, "For the lead role, my husband prefers Gao Yuanyuan."

Jia Jingwen's face stiffened. She and Gao Yuanyuan were best friends. When she was fighting for custody of her daughter with her ex-husband, Gao Yuanyuan had given her all her support. She couldn't bring herself to take over the role of her best friend.

Jia Jingwen was concerned about her sisterly bond, but Liu Tao didn't have such concerns: "Sister Hong, will Director Chen organize auditions for his film?"

Chen Hong nodded, then glanced at Liu Shishi, only to find that the other woman showed no interest whatsoever, which made her slightly disappointed.

She intentionally brought up her husband's new movie, hoping to pique Liu Shishi's interest and then use the opportunity to connect with Tengda Group. However, Liu Shishi was very confident and didn't care about Director Chen's movie resources at all.

At this moment, in front of the camera, Liu Tao hesitated to say more, not daring to appear too eager for quick success. The more than twenty days of the trip would provide ample opportunity to get closer to Chen Hong.

Upon hearing that there would be a public audition, even Alyssa Chia became excited again, and her gaze toward Chen Hong immediately became more eager.

Huang Xiaoming, standing to the side, squinted, taking in the subtle witty remarks of the female stars.

As an outsider with a clearer perspective, he saw Jia Jingwen and Liu Tao fawning over Chen Hong and couldn't help but shake his head, thinking that the two of them were blinded by their own limited perspective and had put the cart before the horse. Liu Shishi was the one everyone should be trying to please on this trip.

After chatting for a while, everyone lost their initial enthusiasm and went to rest to recharge.

After a long flight of thirteen hours, the plane finally landed smoothly at Rome Fiumicino Airport, marking the official start of the group's European tour.

After getting off the plane, everyone went to collect their luggage. Lin Gengxin worked especially hard, diligently helping everyone carry their luggage.

Before he left, Cai Yinong specifically instructed him not to try to steal the spotlight from others, to talk less and work more, to establish a sincere and down-to-earth good impression on the audience, and to build goodwill among the general public.

"Ah Xin, let me help you." Seeing that Lin Gengxin was covered in sweat, Liu Shishi felt a little guilty and quickly stepped forward to lend a hand.

Seeing this, the other three actresses also stepped forward to help. Although they were used to a life of luxury, they maintained their dignity in front of the camera.

On the other side, Huang Xiaoming and Yang Zi were busy studying the airport floor plan.

"Ming-ge, how about we rent a car?" Yang Zi asked Huang Xiaoming for his opinion, unsure of what to do.

The original plan was for everyone to take a bus to the guesthouse after getting off the plane, which would be the most cost-effective option.

However, the airport is well-connected, and bus stops are not easy to find. Moreover, it is obviously impractical for seven people with more than twenty suitcases to take the bus.

"Let's ask everyone's opinion. I'll speak for myself."

Huang Xiaoming hesitated. With seven people and more than twenty suitcases, renting a car would be too expensive. He wanted to save money by taking the airport bus.

After pondering for a moment, considering the status of Liu Shishi and Chen Hong, and worried that they might not be able to endure the hardship, and also taking into account Yang Zi's low status and limited influence, he took the initiative to take on the task.

The cameraman silently followed the celebrities, capturing moments that revealed their personalities. These details will be shown to the audience in the future, revealing the most authentic side of the stars.

(End of this chapter)