Chapter 7
A stalemate had settled over the private room Shen Wu was in.
A clueless waiter came in with a fruit platter. The moment his head appeared, he was met with several sharp gazes.
The waiter timidly shrank his neck.
The only man standing, tall and imposing, looked the most intimidating, yet his tone was polite. “Could you please get the manager for me?”
Director Hong sneered at his words and leisurely crossed his legs.
The others had varied expressions; some, like Director Hong, were waiting to see a joke unfold, while others wished they could leave on the spot.
“Sure, go ahead and call him,” Director Hong said with an air of indifference, but he secretly made a mental note of Shen Wu’s name. Let him act like a buffoon tonight; when he woke up tomorrow, he’d be cut off from the entertainment industry for life.
This time, Shen Wu had indeed been a bit impulsive.
Realizing this, he actually calmed down. The more critical the situation, the clearer his mind became—all those races where he’d competed with death hadn’t been for nothing.
His fated early death, Meng Huaizhi’s destined lover, and Shen Ping’s indulgence, which was gradually starting to feel off—it all frustrated him to no end. After days of suppression, it had finally erupted under the stimulus of this sordid scene.
Although it was an impulsive act, it wasn’t necessarily irreversible. For him, even if offending someone meant he couldn’t make it in the entertainment industry, he could still continue racing or switch to being a coach, continuing to develop his career in the familiar sports industry.
But if he hadn’t stepped in to help, that actress would have woken up in a strange bed tomorrow morning.
Tu Qianqian had taken the initiative to approach and flatter Director Hong, reluctantly drinking a few glasses of wine to gain resources. Who would have thought that Director Hong’s cronies would, in front of so many people, shamelessly join forces to get her drunk, putting her in an impossible situation.
The more she drank, the heavier her head became, and the harder it was to push them away.
When she saw Shen Wu snatch the wine glass, her hazy eyes had clearly brightened.
Shen Wu had noticed the subtle change in her expression. Since he had already made a move, he might as well see it through.
“Your manager is outside, looking for you,” Shen Wu said.
Tu Qianqian knew this was an excuse to help her escape, but it was too flimsy. Wary of Director Hong beside her, she didn’t dare to move for a long time.
At this moment, the waiter returned with the KTV manager.
Shengshi KTV mostly catered to prominent figures. Director Hong was a regular customer here. As soon as the manager heard from the waiter, he rushed over, still panting as he entered the room.
“Wh-what’s wrong?”
Everyone’s gaze fell on Shen Wu.
To everyone’s surprise, Shen Wu stood there leisurely and said unhurriedly, “I have a complaint.”
The manager: “…?”
“Your KTV’s ventilation system might need some improvement,” Shen Wu rubbed his nose. “The smell of smoke won’t dissipate. It’s getting thicker and thicker, giving me a headache.”
He was rambling to stall for time. As long as he could infuriate Director Hong enough to make him completely lose interest in playing with women, that would be enough.
The manager: “Huh?”
The others in the room exchanged glances, seeing the same confusion on each other’s faces.
“Also,” Shen Wu continued methodically, “the spilled wine on the floor. Please have someone clean it up.”
Everyone had naturally assumed that Shen Wu had called the manager to seek justice.
But Shen Wu knew that the current situation would be hard to sort out. There were no surveillance cameras inside the KTV room, and nothing that truly violated public order and morals had happened. No matter how hard he argued, he would be at a loss for words.
Shen Wu casually turned around, picked up a half-full glass of liquor from the table, and walked towards Director Hong’s menacing gaze. With a bend of his elbow, he spilled the drink on Tu Qianqian’s shoulder.
“Miss Tu, your clothes are dirty. Shouldn’t you go to the restroom to clean up?”
Tu Qianqian was stunned for a few seconds before realizing that Shen Wu had given her a reason she couldn’t refuse to leave.
Her mind was in a mess, her expression changing several times. Finally, she smiled at Director Hong. “I’m so sorry, Director Hong. I’m just going to the restroom.”
Director Hong raised an eyebrow. “You two know each other?”
Tu Qianqian shook her head like a rattle-drum. “No, today is the first time we’ve met. I don’t know how I offended him. Director Hong, you’re a magnanimous person, please forgive me this once. I’ll be right back.”
“My manager happened to have a formal dress for me in the car,” Tu Qianqian said with a beaming smile, trying her best to please the director she couldn’t afford to offend.
Director Hong’s smile returned. “Alright, then hurry back.”
Tu Qianqian didn’t delay and immediately got up. Only when her back was turned did she dare to breathe a sigh of relief, hastily pushing the door open and leaving.
The door to the private room closed, and Director Hong’s face darkened, his attitude taking a 180-degree turn. “You, stop right there.”
His words were clearly aimed at Shen Wu, the troublemaker.
Shen Wu hadn’t planned on leaving anyway. He lazily sat back down and said nonchalantly, “What’s wrong?”
The more indifferent he acted, the stronger the provocation, and the more his wild, handsome face became impossible to look away from.
The private room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
The most spacious and luxurious private room at Shengshi KTV was located at the end of a long corridor. The thick soundproof foam on the walls blocked out all the noise from outside.
It was clearly a KTV room, yet it was eerily quiet inside. There was no singing, no curling smoke, no clinking of glasses. Even the lights were all on.
On the table were two glasses of bright red watermelon juice. One was half-empty, the other untouched.
With a few gulps, Fang Ci’s glass of watermelon juice was finished, breaking the excessive silence in the room.
He seized the opportunity to speak. “Huaizhi, for my sake, can’t you reconsider?”
“I came here today for your sake,” Meng Huaizhi’s cold attitude was as consistent as ever, making no distinction between close acquaintances and distant ones, treating everyone the same.
Fang Ci was preparing for the second season of the large-scale mystery reality show, Wonderful Adventure.
Wonderful Adventure combined popular elements such as role-playing, escape rooms, and murder mystery games. Last year, the first season had premiered quietly, completely overlooked by audiences and sponsors. But it had started low and soared high, becoming the dark horse variety show of the year, highly praised by young viewers.
With the success of the first season, Fang Ci had higher expectations for the new season of Wonderful Adventure. A key part of his ambitious plan was to find a top-tier celebrity who rarely appeared on variety shows to headline it.
And Fang Ci’s target was one and only one: the recently returned Meng Huaizhi.
He had first contacted Luo Jinyi and was, as expected, turned away. Fortunately, he had another identity: an adjunct professor at the Beijing Conservatory of Music. Meng Huaizhi had taken his film theory class before, so they had some connection.
He had first asked to meet in person, trying to persuade him with reason and emotion.
Meng Huaizhi had agreed to the meeting out of respect for their teacher-student relationship, but he wouldn’t budge an inch.
“Professor Fang, the last season of your Wonderful Adventure got popular by shipping CPs,” Meng Huaizhi said.
Fang Ci knew that what Meng Huaizhi hated most was being forced into a ship to generate buzz. He quickly explained, “This season, we’re planning to introduce chase scenes and a lot of brain-burning elements. It won’t be as casual as the last season. The other prospective guests have all been carefully selected by me. They’re all clean, and they absolutely won’t try to create hype with you. You can trust me on that, right?”
Meng Huaizhi: “I don’t want to be on a variety show.”
Everyone in the industry knew that Meng Huaizhi always meant what he said, too lazy to even feign politeness.
His willingness to come to the KTV and listen to Fang Ci’s reasonable persuasion was already the greatest respect he could show an elder.
Fang Ci was speechless. The vast private room no longer held any room for negotiation.
“I’ll be leaving then.”
Fang Ci let out a long sigh. “Ai…”
But he still couldn’t stop Meng Huaizhi’s determined steps as he walked away.
Meng Huaizhi, wearing a mask, reached the turn of the staircase and ran into a strange young man.
The man was in his twenties and had a likable round face. Meng Huaizhi naturally paid him no mind, but in the dimly lit stairwell, the man was sharp-eyed. He strode forward and blocked his path.
“Are… are you Meng Huaizhi?” the man deliberately lowered his voice, his eyes sparkling with delighted surprise.
Meng Huaizhi gave a slight nod.
The man was overjoyed. “Oh my god, I can’t believe I’d run into you here… Um, um, my little sister is a fan of yours. Could you write a personalized autograph for her?”
He then fumbled around his pockets, disappointed to find that he didn’t have a habit of carrying a pen and paper.
Meng Huaizhi, accustomed to this, reminded him, “You might have a business card in your wallet.”
The man quickly pulled out his wallet and took out a card. “Sorry, this is all I have. It’s from an event I attended last time. Could you please sign on the back? Thank you so much. Her name is Xiang Ziyi…”
Meng Huaizhi took a pen from his pocket with one hand and accepted the card with the other. As he was about to write, he glanced at the front of the card. It featured the movie star Oliver, who was also an F1 race car driver.
Meng Huaizhi remembered clearly that not long ago, his public relations team had, on their own initiative, bought news about Oliver to suppress the trending scandal.
He quickly dismissed the stray thought and handed back the signed promotional card.
The young man’s excitement couldn’t be calmed for a long time. After thanking him, he thought for a few seconds and then asked, “Can I ask, your song ‘Vexation’, did you really write it in high school?”
This young man was none other than Xiang Zixu.
Meng Huaizhi pulled back the step he was about to take, tilted his head, and looked at him properly.
“Who told you?”
“Wu-ge told me. Is it really true?” Xiang Zixu said. “You’re incredible… Oh, right, Wu-ge is my boss. He doesn’t chase celebrities, so I thought he was lying to me.”
Meng Huaizhi understood.
This young man is probably an assistant Shen Wu hired himself, and they seem to be quite close.
“What’s your name? I’ll sign one for you too,” Meng Huaizhi offered.
Xiang Zixu was overwhelmed by the favor.
After signing, Meng Huaizhi asked again, “Does your boss need one?”
“No… eh, wait a minute.” Xiang Zixu pinched his chin, saying thoughtfully, “How does Wu-ge know so much? I get it now! He’s clearly your fan, just pretending not to chase celebrities… Never mind, it’s understandable. He probably thinks being a fan of a male celebrity is something only young girls do. He’s got that male god image to maintain.”
“Why don’t you call him over? I’ll sign it for him in person,” Meng Huaizhi suggested, subtly steering him.
Not suspecting a thing, Xiang Zixu immediately headed for Director Hong’s private room to find Shen Wu, sending a message as he walked to ask if it was convenient.
Meng Huaizhi didn’t plan to show his face in the private room, so he found a spot with a good view to wait.
Xiang Zixu hadn’t gone far when a woman brushed past him, ending up directly opposite Meng Huaizhi, a few meters away.
Tu Qianqian blinked a few times, and upon recognizing Meng Huaizhi, was instantly overcome with excitement. She quickly walked over.
With the lower half of his face hidden by a mask, Meng Huaizhi’s exposed eyes—refined, cold, and ink-black—were particularly eye-catching.
But seeing the woman get closer and closer, his smooth brow couldn’t help but furrow slightly.
Tu Qianqian subconsciously stopped two steps away, pulling herself out of her overwhelming joy. “Senior Meng, what are you doing here?”
When she saw Meng Huaizhi didn’t reply, she enthusiastically tried to start a conversation. “It’s been such bad luck. Someone spilled a drink all over me, I have to go change…”
Meng Huaizhi’s gaze fell lightly on her shoulder.
Shen Wu is a newcomer to the industry. He doesn’t understand anything, which is why he’d stick his neck out for someone without considering the consequences.
But Tu Qianqian didn’t want to offend Director Hong; she had to come back after changing her clothes.
Of course, she didn’t want to come back.
Before her stood Meng Huaizhi, who had the power to solve her troubles completely, like a god descending from the heavens. But Meng Huaizhi never showed a pleasant face to any actress; he even avoided them like the plague.
Tu Qianqian had a feeling that Meng Huaizhi was somewhat curious about the liquor on her shoulder. Although she didn’t think Director Hong had that kind of pull, she still asked tentatively, “Senior Meng, are you also here to see Director Hong?”
Meng Huaizhi didn’t speak, remaining noncommittal, but he also didn’t leave.
It was as if he was waiting for her to leave first.
“Then I’ll go change my clothes now.” Tu Qianqian brushed past him, muttering to herself as she walked, “Director Hong must be furious. No one in the industry has ever dared to go against him like this…”
Behind her, the perennial frost between Meng Huaizhi’s brows thickened slightly.
Yet, a faint glimmer of light reflected in his abyss-black eyes.
“Who did you say?”
