Chapter 24: How Annoying This Person Is

A week passed quickly. During this time, Zhu Fei managed to raise over 700,000 in charitable donations. Following Su Chen’s advice, she meticulously recorded every donor, the donation amount, and every medical expense, publishing these details on Douyin. This was her responsibility; no one’s kindness should be taken for granted. Since they had helped her, she owed it to them to be transparent, ensuring they knew exactly how their contributions were being used and the progress of the treatment.

"A-Chen, thank you so much! With this money, Pingping can be saved!" Zhu Fei was so moved she was on the verge of tears, expressing her heartfelt gratitude.

Su Chen smiled and nodded. "Good. Now that the burden is off your mind, arrange the surgery as soon as possible. Don't delay."

"I know. The doctors have already been contacted, and the third surgery is scheduled for the day after tomorrow."

Su Chen nodded in approval. "Great. I'll head over a day early so we can wait for Pingping's surgery to be a success together."

"Oh... won't that take up too much of your time? I’m already troubling you so much!" Zhu Fei hesitated slightly; she had already caused Su Chen too much trouble for their sake.

"It's fine! Don't take it to heart," Su Chen said with a gentle, reassuring smile. "Pingping calls me 'big brother,' after all. I have to be there at such a critical moment!"

"Alright, as long as it doesn't inconvenience you. Thank you for your hard work!" Zhu Fei said sincerely.

Just as he hung up the phone and was about to set it aside, Su Chen noticed a new friend request on WeChat. His heart skipped a beat as he opened the app and saw that the request was from "Lin Yueyao."

Despite acting cool and indifferent in front of Su Yueying, he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. This was a top-tier female celebrity, after all. Just two weeks ago, Su Chen was nothing more than a small-time streamer making four or five thousand a month, a world away from someone of her stature. Now that he could add a top star on WeChat, it felt like a dream. If he could ever get close to such beauty, he’d probably wake up laughing in his sleep. A man should dare to dream; even if it seemed unrealistic, what was the difference between him and a salted fish if he didn't even dare to imagine it?

As he was lost in these wild thoughts, a message arrived from Lin Yueyao: "Hello, are you Su Chen?"

Su Chen replied: "It's me. Nice to meet you; I’ve heard so much about you!"

Lin Yueyao: "Mm, I'll be counting on you for your support in the future."

Su Chen: "No problem. If you ever face a PR crisis, just give me a call. I’m a responsible man!"

Lin Yueyao: "..."

Meanwhile, in a presidential suite at a five-star hotel in Beijing, a woman with delicate features and fair skin, still damp from the shower, stepped out of the bathroom.

Though she wore simple loungewear, she could not hide her cold, elegant, and noble temperament. With her hair pulled back, her slightly pointed chin and delicate features were fully exposed. Her expression was calm, yet her eyes exuded the charm and allure of a mature woman. This was Su Yueying, the woman Su Chen had met earlier.

"Who is our Yaobao chatting with?" Su Yueying asked with a light laugh as she walked toward the sofa.

Sitting on the sofa was a younger, beautiful girl with eyebrows like moth wings and bright, clear eyes. Her temperament was fresh and refined—this was Lin Yueyao herself. Compared to Su Yueying, Lin Yueyao lacked a bit of that mature, intellectual allure, but she possessed more spirit and vibrant beauty; each had their own unique charm. She was leaning lazily against the sofa armrest, her waterfall-like black hair spilling over her fingers and arms, her gaze slightly dazed.

"Sister Ying, it's that PR manager you told me to add!" Lin Yueyao huffed. "Is this guy reliable? He feels so glib and untrustworthy!"

"Don't worry, he’s definitely reliable! Don't you trust my judgment?" Su Yueying laughed. "You have no idea how much effort it took for me to poach him. I almost gave myself to him just to get him on board!"

"Pfft, I don't believe that! Sister Ying, you're teasing me again!" Lin Yueyao pouted. "Since you trust him so much, I'll let him coordinate with my agency team."

Su Yueying nodded. "Sure. I'll be in touch with him directly, but you should also chat with him and get to know him. If you run into any trouble in the future, feel free to ask him. He’s very capable; he might even give you some good advice."

"Really? Is he that good? I can't tell at all!" Lin Yueyao frowned, half-skeptical.

Su Yueying kept her cards close to her chest. "You'll see once you've interacted with him more!"

Lin Yueyao snorted, acting a bit childish. "I don't need to wait for 'later.' I actually have something bothering me today—perfect for testing him!" She immediately sent a message to Su Chen: [Hello, I have a dilemma. Do you think you could give me some advice?]

Su Chen replied quickly: [Sorry, that’s outside my job scope.]

Lin Yueyao: [...]
[Received +333 anger points from Lin Yueyao.]

"Sister Ying, look at this guy! Why is he so annoying?" Lin Yueyao handed the phone to Su Yueying, acting spoiled and indignant.

Su Yueying took a look and couldn't help but laugh; that was definitely Su Chen’s style. After thinking for a moment, she took the phone and replied for her: [I'll treat you to a meal when we have a chance to meet. Let's be friends!]

"Ugh... why do I have to do that? I don't want to treat him to dinner!" Lin Yueyao pouted, clearly unsatisfied.

"It's just a meal, it'll be fine!" Su Yueying patted Lin Yueyao’s head, teasing her. "The guy is a super handsome man, you'll see when you meet him!"

"Hmph, I doubt he's handsome!" Lin Yueyao wasn't convinced. "I just want to see how good he really is."

On the other side, seeing Lin Yueyao being so accommodating, Su Chen decided not to play hard to get anymore.

[Alright, tell me about it.]

Seeing Su Chen agree, Lin Yueyao didn't hesitate to share her trouble.

[My cousin took two million from the family to play the stock market, but she got trapped and now there's only two or three hundred thousand left. She needs to buy a house soon, and if she can't produce the money, she says her husband will kill her...]

Su Chen rolled his eyes. [If two million turned into two or three hundred thousand, she’s either playing futures or leveraged trading. That’s no different from a gambler. Is she asking to borrow money from you?]

Lin Yueyao: [No, she wants me to write her an IOU for two million so she can tell her husband the money is being held with me...]

Su Chen frowned. "Is that even a thing? And you haven't refused yet?"

[You’re not saying no to that? What happened to all the cutthroat, scheming, and deep-seated intrigue people talk about in the entertainment industry? Are you just a naive little flower?]

Lin Yueyao: [...]
[Received +258 anger points from Lin Yueyao.]

This man is so annoying! Why does Sister Ying think so highly of him?

Lin Yueyao took a deep breath, suppressing her anger, and typed: [Because I'm very close with my cousin, it's hard for me to reject her directly...]

Su Chen pondered for a moment and replied: [Are you worried she'll use the IOU to demand money from you later? So, the 'very close' relationship you mentioned is actually quite average—definitely not worth two million!]

Lin Yueyao finally reached her limit. She turned to Su Yueying, expressionless. "Sister Ying, is this guy always this annoying? How have you managed to talk to him without wanting to kill him?"