I took off my sunglasses and chuckled. Ning Yan had already strode over to me and gave me a tight hug... I was startled and quickly glanced at Qiao Qiao with unease. Seeing that Qiao Qiao didn't react, I felt relieved.
“Chen Yang…you’ve been gone for three years!” Ning Yan let go of me and sighed, “I only saw you briefly in Yunnan last time, but you left before we could even exchange a few words…sigh.”
She was referring to that parking lot in Lijiang, Yunnan. I was chasing after Fang Nan and had a brief meeting with Ning Yan in the parking lot.
"You look great," I said with a smile.
"I should thank you!" Ning Yan's eyes showed gratitude. "Back then, you helped me solve such a big problem, and I haven't even had a chance to properly thank you... Sigh, you just left without a word. I remember when Ms. Fang Nan announced that you had left the company, several of us in the department, including myself, were very sad for a while!"
She paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "I've heard all the news about you in North America. You're a super popular star right now! I was quite surprised when I saw you standing at the elevator door!"
Qiaoqiao chimed in with a laugh, "Luckily you were quick-witted. If you had called out his name outside and the people in the hotel or the security guards and staff recognized Chen Yang... well, there's always a lot of gossip, and it might have gotten out that Chen Yang came to the hotel to visit Jenny... it could have immediately become a scandal."
We sat down and talked for a while. Ning Yan told me that Fang Nan's mood had been bad lately. She seemed to often lose her temper at the company, which was unusual. She also heard that someone saw Fang Nan staying at the company very late at night and refusing to go home, as if she was very upset.
“Sigh… Miss Fang is actually… she’s really suffering.” Ning Yan sighed, but at the same time carefully observed my expression.
I didn't speak, and remained silent for a while before asking, "Is Fang Nan here?"
“No.” Ning Yan hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, “Chen Yang… originally, Miss Fang was supposed to come to Shanghai with us. Through this concert, we were preparing to conduct further cooperation negotiations with several performance organizers in Shanghai. However, just a few days before we were supposed to come, Miss Fang suddenly decided not to come. It seems…” She seemed to hesitate for a moment, but still said, “It seems that she saw you on TV once, and the TV report said that you were coming to Shanghai. Miss Fang decided the next day that she would not participate in this trip to Shanghai.”
People around us cast strange glances, with Qiao Qiao's expression being the most complicated. I sighed deeply—Fang Nan, was she avoiding me too? I felt increasingly guilty.
Qiaoqiao suddenly shouted, "Why are you making such a face? If you want to see Fang Nan... Humph, she's not here, so why don't you go? You have legs of your own. Shanghai is only a little over 200 kilometers from Nanjing, it only takes a little over two hours to drive there."
My heart skipped a beat, and I looked at Qiaoqiao, only to find that she didn't look sullen at all; instead, she had a serious expression on her face...
Just as I was speechless, there was a knock on the door. The door opened, and an angelic little girl ran in.
Three years have passed, and the thin little girl in Hanoi has grown into a beautiful little angel.
She has a pair of big, round eyes with long eyelashes that flutter like two palm-leaf fans. Because she is of mixed race, her eyes are different from the black eyes of most East Asians; instead, they have a deep blue like lake water. She has a straight nose, small lips, and delicate features... Although she still has some childlike innocence, it is not hard to see that before long, this little angel will grow into a stunningly beautiful woman.
Those eyes were still like clear spring water, without the slightest impurity, their gaze so pure. She strode in quickly, and preemptively called out in clear, crisp Chinese, "Uncle Wood..."
The wooden man, who had been expressionless, immediately radiated a tender, loving glow upon seeing her, which amazed me.
The girl, who looked to be about thirteen or fourteen years old, had already begun to grow, like a flower bud about to bloom. She ran to Mu Tou's side, smiling sweetly, her slightly curly hair adding to her beauty. Mu Tou coughed, but gently patted the dust off the girl's knees, frowning as he asked, "What happened to your legs?"
"I tripped and fell outside just now." The girl stuck out her tongue and made a cute face.
"Be careful." Wood frowned. "Although your leg has healed..."
Then Mu Tou pulled the girl along, pointed at me, and laughed, "YoYo, look at him..."
This girl was none other than YoYo, the angelic little girl from Hanoi, Vietnam. I still remember the things that happened when I hid in her house:
She told me fairy tales; she told me about her dreams, and she even sweetly called me "brother-in-law"; and when I was enduring excruciating pain, she kissed me on the cheek and innocently said, "A kiss will make the pain go away..."
That angel from back then has grown up a bit now.
YoYo stared at me with wide eyes for a long while, then her face lit up with excitement. Suddenly, she was in front of me, and before I could even react, YoYo knelt down in front of me with a thud.
I was startled.
I knew I would see YoYo today. I had imagined the scene in my mind, and most likely, this little angel would rush into my arms with a joyful smile, calling me uncle or brother, it didn't matter...
But I never expected her to suddenly kneel down in front of me.
I hurriedly picked her up, but YoYo, the little girl, looked at me carefully and then whispered, "You... Sister Chen... um..."
I noticed the girl's unease and smiled slightly: "Just call me Fifth Brother."
YoYo blushed, but very obediently called out in a soft voice, "Fifth Brother."
"Hahahaha..." Aze suddenly chuckled a few times: "Good! She calls you 'brother' and Wood 'uncle,' the generational difference is huge!"
I ignored the pervert and looked at YoYo seriously: "Why did you kneel just now?"
YoYo thought for a while, then whispered, "What my sister said... you are our family's benefactor, everything we have now is thanks to you..."
I sighed and looked at the girl.
She's grown up a bit, even more beautiful now; one could even foresee that she'll surpass her sister's beauty in the future. What makes me especially happy is that her straight, slender legs, exposed outside her skirt, are brimming with youthful vitality…and those cold, cruel metal braces are gone!
"You..." YoYo looked up at me, hesitated for a moment, and then asked timidly, "Did you come to see my sister?"
I smiled to cover my embarrassment and said, "I came to see all of you."
After saying that, I couldn't help but pinch her nose. YoYo exclaimed in surprise, quickly covered her face, and cried out, "You pinched it again... I told you not to pinch my nose, it'll flatten it!"
Ning Yan then told me that after Jenny and YoYo returned to China with Mu Tou and the others, Aze and Mu Tou helped YoYo arrange treatment for her leg ailment. By chance, Fang Nan and the others met Jenny, and then by chance, they asked Jenny to make a cameo appearance in a set of print advertisements. As a result, she became unstoppable... Starting from a print advertisement, she became famous all the way, and eventually became an incredibly popular idol.
YoYo, through everyone's arrangements, enrolled in an international school in Nanjing. Mu Tou took great care of the little girl. Later, after Jenny became famous, she was constantly surrounded by the media, an environment detrimental to YoYo's growth. Therefore, everyone protected YoYo, preventing her from being exposed to the media and allowing her to live and grow up peacefully.
While we were chatting, YoYo had already left my embrace. She seemed a little shy, but she was very affectionate with Mu Tou, just hiding behind him and secretly watching us talk.
This makes me feel a bit emotional. Back in Vietnam, this young woman was undoubtedly the closest to me, but now, after three years apart, we've become quite distant, and all that's left is probably gratitude.
But I also sensed something was off, because I always felt that YoYo was secretly observing me. When we were talking, she would always hide behind the wooden figure, peek out half her head, and scrutinize me with her big blue eyes, with a strange look on her face. When I noticed her gaze and looked at her, YoYo would immediately turn her head away shyly and look elsewhere.
Moreover, she seemed afraid to approach me, and instead always kept her distance, hiding behind the wood.
"Where's Jenny?" I asked after chatting for a while.
Ning Yan checked the time and said, "She's rehearsing with the actors, she should be almost done by now... Um, Xiao Wu, originally, even if she was busy, she would have made time to come see you when you arrived... But, I'm sorry, I haven't told her you're here yet. Because this time we invited a performance expert to specifically train Jenny's stage performance, and it's very difficult to book this expert's time; I had a hard time getting her here. So she's still rehearsing, and I'll call her over to see you as soon as she's finished."
I didn't care about any of that and quickly waved my hand, "It's nothing, work is important!" After a pause, I smiled and said, "Anyway, I'm back now, and there will be plenty of opportunities to meet in the future."
Then, Aze suddenly suggested that he wanted to go watch Jenny rehearse. Ning Yan immediately agreed, but I knew that Aze was probably just looking for an opportunity to see a pretty girl.
Because when Jenny rehearses, she is surrounded by many beautiful female dancers.
We got up and went out immediately.
Ning Yan had already given instructions to have the people in the outer corridor retreat to guard the entrances and exits of several stairwells.
Then we followed Ning Yan to a large room on this floor. It was originally a suite, but it had been temporarily converted into a training room... In reality, the furniture had been removed and a row of mirrors had been placed on the side.
I smelled a strong floral fragrance as soon as I entered the room. When I looked up, I saw that the door to the room across the street was open. Looking inside from the outside, I saw that the room was full of fresh flowers!
There were red roses, blue roses, lilies, and so on... all kinds of flowers practically filled the entire room, with exquisitely crafted flower baskets and bouquets; at a glance, there were at least several thousand flowers...
I paused for a moment, glancing at Ning Yan. Ning Yan laughed, "These were all gifts from others. Now that Jenny is famous, and she's so beautiful, and we've announced it publicly, and she's single, naturally... well, many people will pursue her. Besides some die-hard fans, there are also some rich kids, and some people of considerable status, all of whom have had their eyes on her. Sigh, but what good people are among these guys! Hmph... In the eyes of these rich people, aren't they all just lusting after Jenny's beauty? Most of them want to keep her as a mistress or lover... Sigh, anyway, this kind of thing is common in the entertainment industry... Last time we were filming a movie, that director was being unruly, trying to use some kind of unspoken rules, and we taught him a lesson."
My expression was somewhat displeased, which Ning Yan noticed. She quickly said, "But none of that matters. If it were an ordinary celebrity, they couldn't afford to offend some big shots and would have to obediently comply. But Jenny's status is different. She's under our Deep Blue Entertainment Company, and Miss Fang knows that she's someone you've been taking care of, so she's given her special attention. If anyone tries to take advantage of Jenny, Miss Fang will step in to protect her, and no one will dare to have any ulterior motives." After a pause, Ning Yan suppressed a laugh and said, "There was another time when Wu Gang personally threw a rich young man off the second floor."
Qiaoqiao chimed in, "Exactly! With a few of us here in the country, who would dare bully Jenny?"
I thought about it, and that makes sense.
Fang Nan's background speaks for itself! The Qiao family and the Aze family are both wealthy scions, and no one can easily afford to offend them. With them protecting the Jenny sisters, it's unlikely anyone would dare to bully them.
Ning Yan continued, "Those people don't dare to have any crooked ideas anymore, but some people still won't give up. They still send flowers and invite us to dinner, which is unavoidable. We always turn down the invitations, but we can't return the flowers that are sent. We can only pile them up and deal with them all at once. Look at this room full of flowers. They've all arrived from last night until now. Most of them are from men from Shanghai who are of high status and want to pursue Jenny."
At this moment, YoYo said softly, "Chen... um, Fifth Brother, are you angry? Sister has never confiscated these flowers. In the end, she always throws them all away or gives them to other people in the company."
I sighed. I had only asked out of concern, but it seemed they had all misunderstood my intentions. I was about to explain, but I felt that the more I explained, the worse it would get, so I simply said, "I was just concerned, that's all."
We walked into the practice room and immediately saw Jenny.
It has to be said that Jenny is even more beautiful than when I first met her in Hanoi, Vietnam! Already tall, she was wearing a pair of practice pants and a loose T-shirt, her curly hair casually tied in a ponytail. She was facing us sideways, leading four dancers in a dance practice.
There was no music in the room, only a middle-aged man standing in the corner holding a magazine, clapping it in his hand and shouting out the rhythm...
Jenny's face was flushed, and her breathing was a little rapid; she was clearly exhausted, but she still performed the dance moves meticulously, her eyes very focused...
"Stop!" Suddenly, the man in the corner shouted, "Stop!"
Then, with a furious expression, he walked up to Jenny and suddenly started yelling at her in English, beating her for not being attentive during rehearsal and for her movements not being precise enough. The man became increasingly aggressive, eventually even using profanities.
"Why is he speaking English?" I frowned. "Isn't he Chinese?"
“A Korean.” Ning Yan smiled wryly. “This is a teacher we hired from Korea… As you know, Korea has indeed been far ahead of China in terms of stage performances these past two years. The so-called ‘Korean Wave’ isn’t without reason. They’ve absorbed more advanced Western influences than we have. That’s why we paid a high price to have Minister Kim hire this teacher from his company to train Jenny. In Korea, he’s the stage director for many big-name stars’ concerts.”
Ning Yan seemed somewhat dissatisfied as well. Seeing Jenny bowing her head in silence after being scolded, she whispered, "This guy is very arrogant towards us, but he does have some skills. Sigh, this guy from Korea looks down on our domestic artists, they all act like big shots... We should just try to tolerate him and ask him to leave once he has properly trained Jenny."
As the Korean man's insults escalated, he began hurling vulgarities. I clearly heard him utter words like "FUCK" and "SHIT."
My face immediately darkened: "You're going to tolerate someone like this? Just because he's a Korean stage director, does that mean he can act so arrogantly here? Does that mean our domestic stage directors can yell at actors like this during rehearsals?"
“Koreans are so arrogant… In recent years, their songs and TV dramas have been far ahead of ours… They think our entertainment trends are all just following in their footsteps, so they mostly look down on us.” Ning Yan said with a wry smile, “Xiao Wu, you should also remember that when we were negotiating business with Minister Kim, Miss Fang even came forward, but how difficult was that business negotiation? Moreover, Minister Kim is already considered one of the more amiable Koreans.”
I snorted, and seeing Jenny and the other dancers bowing their heads and not daring to speak after being scolded, I felt angry: "Has he ever hit anyone?"
“This…” Ning Yan hesitated for a moment: “I definitely wouldn’t dare hit Jenny, but I would…”
I gave Ning Yan a cold look: "You tolerate all this?" Then I said coldly: "Big temper? I don't believe it. When he was coaching Korean stars in Korea, would he dare to point his finger at those big Korean stars and yell at them? Humph!"
I took a breath and said coldly, "Slaughter!"
Without a sound, Tu appeared before me like a ghost from behind, his face as cold as ice that never melts: "Boss."
“This guy,” I said, raising my chin and looking at the Korean man, “slap him a few times, then throw him out.”
The next moment, the Korean man, who was still spitting and gesturing wildly, suddenly felt a tightness around his neck. A hand like an iron clamp had grabbed his neck from behind. He was then lifted up like a chicken. The Korean man was about to scream in shock and anger when he suddenly felt a sharp pain on his face. Several slaps landed on his face, making his vision go black and nearly knocking out his teeth.
Finally, with a bang, Tu threw him directly outside the door, where he landed on the ground and couldn't get up.
"Tell him to pack his bags and go back to South Korea right now. He's never allowed to come to China again. Otherwise, if I find out, I'll break his kneecaps." I said coldly, then walked into the room.
Ning Yan gave me a complicated look, her eyes carrying a strange glint: "Xiao Wu... you really are different from before."
I stopped, looked at her, and said calmly, "You're wrong. I'm still the same as before." After a pause, I smiled and said, "Do you think I'm too violent?"
Haha, it's a pity Ning Yan still doesn't know how I "persuaded" her scumbag husband to sign that divorce agreement.
But then I remembered something else and said, "I'll take care of the stage direction. Tomorrow I'll call America and find some top-notch stage directors there... Hmph, Koreans also learn from Europe and America. Instead of learning from Koreans, we might as well learn directly from Europe and America."
Ning Yan then smiled: "I almost forgot about your current status in the American entertainment industry."
After saying this, Ning Yan turned around and went to the door, where she gave a few instructions to the Korean man on the ground.
But then I suddenly sensed a strange gaze...
Inside the room, Jenny was already standing there, her face blank with disbelief, her mouth agape, staring at me in a daze. Her hands seemed to be trembling slightly, her expression complex…
Part Three: The Pinnacle, Chapter Forty-Eight: Arriving Together
Jenny's eyes seemed to hold something special, which I didn't notice at first. I just walked over and smiled at her, then thought for a moment and gave her a tight hug—God be my witness, it was just a normal hug. I guess I'm too old-fashioned from living in North America, and it was just a subconscious action influenced by Western habits.
But then I felt Jenny's arms tighten around me. She hugged me so tightly that it felt like she wanted to crush my whole body in her arms. I was caught off guard and almost couldn't breathe from her tightness.
I could clearly feel her body trembling slightly in my arms. Feeling her rapid breathing and trembling body so closely... I suddenly had a thought and immediately realized something.