Chapter 34: The Black-Hearted Vixen in the Film Emperor's Home

In truth, Wen Tian had caught a glimpse of the group earlier when she stepped out. She had expected them to wait for her, but to her surprise, they had hurried off just like that. She glared with resentment at the direction the car had disappeared, her anger directed equally at Su Tang, who was sitting inside.

Su Tang let out a leisurely yawn and turned to look at Shen Lü. "Where are we going to eat?"

Shen Lü tilted his chin toward Song Heqing. "It's up to Brother Song now."

Su Tang turned her gaze toward Song Heqing, who was focused on driving. She used to think that men driving with one hand on the wheel were just trying too hard and being greasy, but upon reflection, she realized it really depended on who was doing the driving.

They hit a red light, and Song Heqing brought the car to a stop. He turned to look at Su Tang. "Is there any restaurant you particularly like, Su Tang?"

Su Tang couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips; it was clear that since leaving the variety show, Song Heqing had become a different person. Judging by his current attitude, he didn't seem to be holding any distance from her. Moreover, he had addressed her as Su Tang, not "Little Su."

Su Tang shook her head. "I'm fine with anything. I'll follow your lead, Brother Song."

Song Heqing chuckled softly, nodded, and put the car back in motion. "Alright."

Shen Lü pursed his lips. "I didn't realize you were a fan of good looks, Su Tang."

Su Tang looked back at him with a serious expression. "To put it bluntly, is there anyone in this world who isn't?"

Chang Qinghua was amused by her words. "Hahaha, Little Su has a point. Though I didn't expect our young heartthrob, Little Shen, to lose out to the seasoned heartthrob, Little Song."

The car pulled into the underground garage of a hotel. It looked so opulent that, had Song Heqing not brought her here, Su Tang would never have stepped foot inside. Even though she had lived for over a thousand years, that didn't make her a wealthy fox.

It was clear that Song Heqing had a private room here. Once they exited the elevator, he pressed the button for the top floor. Upon arriving, he led them straight to the innermost private room. Seeing that Shen Lü and Chang Qinghua were not surprised at all, Su Tang blinked and looked at Song Heqing. "Do you celebrities all have your own dedicated private rooms?"

Chang Qinghua let out a laugh. "What do you mean 'you celebrities'? Aren't you one too, Little Su?"

Su Tang gave an awkward smile. "I feel like I'm still far behind you all."

Shen Lü smiled and joked, "At least you're self-aware."

Song Heqing stepped forward to pull out a chair for Su Tang, then took the seat next to her. "Don't misunderstand; I just happen to be a shareholder here."

Su Tang nodded, then looked at him with surprise. "A... a shareholder?"

Song Heqing handed her an iPad. "Yes, I invested a bit of money here before."

Su Tang took the iPad, feeling calm. Seeing the respectful way others treated Song Heqing, it stood to reason that he had a hand in many businesses.

After they had all ordered, Shen Lü suddenly received a phone call. His expression darkened with visible speed. It made everyone curious—what could have happened on the other end of the line? When he hung up, everyone looked at him in unison. His face looked terrible, as if he had been disgusted by something.

"Damn it!" he cursed angrily and tossed his phone onto the table.

"What happened?" Song Heqing asked, his brows slightly knitted.

Shen Lü’s expression was hard to describe. "My agent just called to say that the four of us are trending, and there are a lot of paid articles circulating online."

They exchanged glances, likely all guessing the same thing.

Chang Qinghua asked, "Could it be Wen Tian?"

Shen Lü nodded.

Su Tang picked up her phone and saw that they were indeed trending, and quite high up at that. They occupied several spots on the charts, and the buzz was relentless.

"Let me see." Song Heqing didn't reach for his own phone; he just leaned over to look at the screen with Su Tang.

Su Tang scrolled through the topics with concern. "What do we do?"

Song Heqing patted her head, offering comfort. "It's fine, don't worry."

Shen Lü sat across from them, boiling with rage. "Accusing us of isolating her? Wasn't she the one isolating herself from us? I’m truly speechless." As he spoke, he furiously typed on his phone.

Song Heqing signaled to Chang Qinghua, who caught on immediately and reached over to snatch the phone from Shen Lü.

Shen Lü bristled instantly. "Brother Chang, what are you doing? Give it back, I’m going to tear her apart."

Chang Qinghua tossed the phone to Song Heqing and shrugged helplessly at Shen Lü. Shen Lü went silent the moment he looked at Song Heqing.

Su Tang watched their interaction with interest, finding more and more that Song Heqing acted like an elder, while Shen Lü was like a child afraid of one. Recalling that she had once accidentally overheard Shen Lü calling Song Heqing "Uncle," she wondered if that might actually be true.

"Let my agent handle this. Everyone don't worry, let's continue eating."

Just as Song Heqing finished speaking, the waiter arrived with their food. Su Tang was still a bit uneasy. "Is it really okay?" After all, Wen Tian had released photos of the four of them leaving without her.

"It's fine," Song Heqing said, sliding a small dessert toward her. "Come, have some dessert and relax."

Seeing Song Heqing so composed, Su Tang stopped worrying. If he wasn't afraid, why should she be?

While eating, Su Tang couldn't help but ask Shen Lü, "I find you quite lively, Shen Lü. Why did your company give you such a cold, icy persona?"

Shen Lü didn't answer immediately, but Chang Qinghua couldn't help but laugh, and even Song Heqing’s lips curled into a smile.

"They're insane," Shen Lü said, trying to brush past the topic.

"Hahahaha..." Chang Qinghua couldn't hold it back anymore.

Shen Lü immediately clamped a hand over Chang Qinghua's mouth in a fit of exasperation.

Su Tang looked at Song Heqing in confusion.

Song Heqing chuckled and explained, "As you can see, Shen Lü has a bad temper and is prone to getting triggered and blowing up on the spot. So, the company gave him that persona, thinking if he didn't talk to others often, things would go more smoothly."

"But I don't feel like that really works," Su Tang said, recalling Shen Lü’s previous outbursts.

"It used to work, and the results were significant," Song Heqing said calmly, as he refilled Su Tang's juice.