Chapter 54: You’re Meddling a Little Too Much

As evening fell, Su Chen downed two bottles of yogurt before setting out. Tonight’s dinner was at a well-regarded business restaurant in the city, clearly handpicked by Yan Mi with great care.

Su Chen set out early, choosing not to take a taxi but instead to study the local buses in Shashi. After all, he’d be staying here for another month or so—it wouldn’t hurt to get familiar with the surroundings. But as a result, Su Chen ended up being the last to arrive, even though it was still more than ten minutes before the agreed time.

“You all got here so early?” Su Chen entered the private room with a smile, finding Yan Mi and the others already seated. The five men and two women looked at him with varied expressions.

How could he still be smiling after arriving so late? What a show-off! Especially Liu Ying and Xu Jiajia, who had both suffered setbacks at Su Chen’s hands before; they sneered inwardly. Even the mentor had arrived—how dare he act like a big shot just because he sang a couple of songs in the competition? Unable to ride Su Chen’s coattails, the two immediately seized the chance to curry favor with Yan Mi. Signing with Jiaxing would be a dream come true.

With this in mind, Xu Jiajia couldn’t wait to speak up. “Su Chen, you’re way too late! We’ve been waiting ages for you!”

“Yeah, we don’t mind waiting, but how could you keep our mentor waiting? That’s just not right!” Liu Ying chimed in.

Xu Jiajia shot Liu Ying a glare. That girl really knew how to suck up!

Su Chen glanced at the two, instantly seeing through their intentions. He smiled and said, “I am a bit late. Let me punish myself with a drink first as an apology to everyone.”

He picked up an empty glass on the table, poured himself a beer, and got ready to drink it down. Unexpectedly, Xu Jiajia dodged his glass, dumped the beer on the floor, then grabbed a freshly opened bottle of strong liquor from the table. Feigning jest, she said, “A glass of beer’s hardly enough! And there’s no need to toast us—just toast the mentor.”

“Here, finish this bottle of liquor and I’m sure the mentor will forgive you!”

Watching Xu Jiajia’s coquettish act, Su Chen sighed inwardly. He knew how tough things were for girls in the industry and hadn’t planned to make a scene, but now Xu Jiajia was bound to suffer for this.

Sure enough, before she could hand him the bottle, Yan Mi’s icy voice cut through the room from the head seat. “Xu Jiajia, is it? I haven’t said a word yet, and you want to speak for me?”

At that moment, Yan Mi’s aura as a domineering CEO was on full display.

Xu Jiajia froze at the sound of Yan Mi’s cold voice. “No, mentor, not at all. I just thought Su Chen was a little disrespectful being so late—”

Yan Mi interrupted before she could finish. “What’s wrong with my brother being late? I asked him to run an errand for me. Xu Jiajia, you’re overstepping your bounds.”

Yan Mi’s expression softened immediately as she turned to Su Chen. “You’re right on time, Su Chen. The food hasn’t even arrived. Come, sit next to me.”

Su Chen flashed a radiant smile. “Sure, Sister Mi!”

Seeing how familiar the two were, Xu Jiajia’s face went pale. Wasn’t Su Chen always being singled out by the show’s producers? How had his relationship with Yan Mi suddenly become so close? This… this wasn’t right!

After Su Chen sat down, Yan Mi paid Xu Jiajia no further mind. As a veteran of the entertainment industry, Yan Mi well understood what Xu Jiajia was up to. But what Xu Jiajia never should have done was try to flatter her by putting Su Chen down! Never mind that Su Chen was acknowledged as Zhang Fuyu’s brother—just the song he wrote last night, “Farewell,” would have Yan Mi treating him with utmost respect.

Jiaxing was planning to delve deeply into film and television projects in the future, and building a good relationship with Su Chen meant never having to worry about theme songs for dramas or movies.

Even though Yan Mi ignored her, Xu Jiajia didn’t dare believe the matter was over. Gritting her teeth, she grabbed the full bottle of liquor and stood up.

“Mentor, I’m sorry. I was out of line.”

Yan Mi glanced at her. “Why are you apologizing to me? You didn’t wrong me. The person you owe is Su Chen.”

Yan Mi’s words struck Xu Jiajia like a thunderbolt. From her tone, it seemed Su Chen’s standing with Yan Mi was even higher than she’d imagined—there was even a hint that Yan Mi was trying to win him over! Xu Jiajia suddenly realized her mistake and was filled with regret.

She hurried over to Su Chen, bowing in apology. “I’m sorry, Brother Chen. I… I was too worked up and acted foolishly. I’ll finish this bottle myself as penance!”

With that, Xu Jiajia lifted the liquor bottle and started drinking straight from it. The turn of events was so abrupt that even Su Chen was caught off guard—by the time he reacted, she’d already downed half the bottle. He quickly stood up and pressed the bottle down.

“Brother Chen, I—”

Xu Jiajia looked flustered.

“It’s alright. Half a bottle is more than enough. In fact, I owe you a drink now,” Su Chen said.

Having lingered at the bottom of the industry for years, Xu Jiajia immediately caught on. She grabbed a beer, refilled the glass she’d splashed out earlier, and respectfully handed it back to Su Chen.

Su Chen took the glass, turned to address everyone. “Sorry, everyone. I really was a bit late today. I’ll be more careful next time!”

With that, he drained the glass in one go.

Now everyone scrambled to fill their cups and stand up to respond.

“No, no, Brother Chen, you’re being too polite. We just got here too early.”

“Come on, Brother Chen, let me toast you!”

“Brother Chen, I’ll drink up!”

…

With just a few words, Su Chen eased the atmosphere and regained his dignity. Once he and Yan Mi sat back down, the meal officially began.

“Eating together is what matters tonight. Let’s leave other business until after we’ve had our fill,” Yan Mi said.

Everyone echoed her words and the mood instantly lightened. Throughout the meal, people kept coming up to toast Yan Mi and Su Chen, and neither refused anyone. After a few rounds, Su Chen’s cheeks were flushed, but thanks to his yogurt “buffer,” he was still clear-headed. Yan Mi, on the other hand, either had a strong constitution or simply held her liquor well—her face didn’t change at all.

When the toasts finally subsided, Su Chen found a quiet moment to clink glasses with Yan Mi.

“Thank you for tonight, Sister Mi.”

“Don’t thank me. You already call me Sister Mi, don’t you?”

They exchanged a knowing smile.

Once the wine had flowed and the dishes were nearly finished, Yan Mi finally called everyone to attention.

“The arrangements for tomorrow’s live broadcast are ready. Let me give you all a quick rundown.”