Chapter 100: Setting Off for Hangzhou

“Why do you suddenly want to debut?”

Su Chen did not deny it outright. Instead, he asked the question that had risen in his heart.

From what he knew of Tang Jiayi, she would not have said such a thing for no reason.

Something had happened.

Tang Jiayi pressed her lips together and thought for a moment, then smiled somewhat awkwardly.

“I told you, I want to be a big star. And if I want to be a big star, of course I have to debut first!”

Su Chen rolled his eyes.

This girl was not telling the truth.

Still, he spoke to her patiently.

“I know you want to be a big star.”

“Your dream, I will definitely support.”

Seeing how serious Su Chen was, Tang Jiayi straightened up as well.

Then she heard him continue.

“But do you understand the entertainment industry?”

“That place is full of all kinds of people, far more complicated than you imagine.”

“It is also a marketplace of fame and fortune. Once you step inside, you will face every kind of temptation.”

“Are you prepared?”

Tang Jiayi nodded without the slightest hesitation.

Su Chen was utterly speechless.

If she had even hesitated a little, he would have believed she had given it some serious thought.

This clearly meant she had not thought about anything at all.

“Even if you get past your own hurdle, you still have to endure all kinds of pressure from the outside.”

“You pay attention to this industry all the time, so you should have heard of all those juicy scandals about certain celebrities, right?”

“I can tell you, most of those are true.”

“And more often than not, they have no choice in the matter!”

Tang Jiayi thought for a moment and said, “I’ll protect myself!”

Well.

That was that.

Everything he had said had gone in one ear and out the other.

Su Chen suddenly had no idea what to do.

If he already had a foundation, or his own company, he could absolutely help Tang Jiayi debut.

But the problem was, he had nothing at the moment.

How could he feel at ease letting Tang Jiayi sign with an entertainment company?

According to his original plan, this matter should have been pushed back by two years.

Yet Tang Jiayi’s sudden idea had caught him completely off guard.

By now, he had written some songs and built up a bit of reputation.

He was even confident that, with his songs, he could make Tang Jiayi a star.

But he understood even more clearly that his small achievements meant nothing in front of capital.

He still could not rest easy.

“But you’re only a junior in high school right now?”

“I think your studies should come first!”

Tang Jiayi was about to interrupt him in a hurry, but Su Chen quickly went on.

“Don’t rush. Listen to me first!”

“How about this?”

“For now, just study hard and keep at it for a little over a year.”

“Once you get to university, then we can think about entering the entertainment industry.”

“By then, I’ll help you with everything I have. How does that sound?”

After he finished, Su Chen carefully watched Tang Jiayi’s expression.

All he saw was her pouting with a wounded look on her face.

In a muffled voice, she said, “Why do I have to wait?”

“I don’t think the entertainment industry is that scary!”

“Jiang Yan can do it, so why can’t I?”

Hm?

Su Chen suddenly felt a flash of clarity.

Was that the reason she was upset?

Then he could not help laughing.

Was she jealous of Jiang Yan?

What did that have to do with anything?

How childlike she was!

Still, after thinking about it, he understood.

Since childhood, Tang Jiayi had been the one closest to him.

And now, all of a sudden, Jiang Yan had appeared.

Su Chen had written songs for her and rumors had even spread between them.

To Tang Jiayi, it must have felt as though something most precious to her had been snatched away.

Naturally, that bred a little comparison, and even hostility.

Su Chen shook his head with a smile and coaxed her patiently.

“Jiang Yan is different from you. She’s been in the entertainment industry for so many years; she knows all the ways of the world inside out.”

“When things happen, she can handle them from every angle.”

“And you? You’re just a little innocent bunny.”

As he spoke, Su Chen rubbed Tang Jiayi’s head.

“Hey, you’re the bunny!”

“I’m smart, okay!”

Then Tang Jiayi seemed to think of something.

She looked at Su Chen with shining eyes.

“Then are you Jiang Yan’s boyfriend?”

Su Chen froze for a moment, then said with a smile, “She’s a diva now. Do you really think I could be her boyfriend?”

Tang Jiayi would not let it go.

“No, you still haven’t answered! Are you or are you not?”

Su Chen rolled his eyes.

“Of course not.”

“I’m just an ordinary guy. Do you think that’s possible?”

At that, Tang Jiayi’s face lit up with joy.

Then she gave a snort.

“Who said you were ordinary? Nobody knows that you’re a genius composer, Tang Guo!”

“Wasn’t Jiang Yan able to rise to diva status because of the songs you wrote for her?”

“What right does she have to look down on you?”

Su Chen shook his head helplessly.

Her protective nature was exactly the same as his.

Still, he did not dwell on the matter, and instead returned to the earlier topic.

“So, what I just said—do you agree?”

“Focus on your studies first.”

“Everything else can wait until university.”

Tang Jiayi frowned in thought for a moment.

Only then did she say, rather reluctantly, “Fine then.”

At that, Su Chen finally felt relieved.

After their little talk, Tang Jiayi seemed to have untied the knot in her heart as well.

The worry between her brows had faded.

After fooling around with Su Chen for quite a while, she finally went home.

Barely after Tang Jiayi left, Su Chen received a message from Lu Yuanqing.

“Su Chen, we’ve made contact!”

“The deputy station chief in charge of entertainment programs at South Zhejiang Satellite TV wants to meet with us!”

“When would it be convenient for you to come to Hangzhou?”

During this period, Su Chen had been keeping in touch with Lu Yuanqing.

But because South Zhejiang Satellite TV had never managed to contact the relevant person in charge, the matter had been dragged along unresolved.

This message, arriving so suddenly, made Su Chen quite happy.

He did not reply by message.

Instead, he called directly.

“Brother Qing? What’s going on?”

As soon as the call connected, he heard Lu Yuanqing’s hearty laughter.

“Hahaha, Su Chen, there’s finally some progress!”

“Since the second half of the year, South Zhejiang Satellite TV has been planning to launch some new programs.”

“It’s just that, because of procedural issues, everything has been stuck and nothing could get off the ground.”

“When I came to Hangzhou last month, they were still maneuvering internally, and the leader in charge of this matter kept avoiding us.”

“Today they suddenly contacted us through Xiang Yang to set up a meeting, and we’re guessing the situation has finally opened up.”

Hearing that, Su Chen smiled.

“That’s great news! No matter what, if they’re willing to meet with us, it means there’s still a very good chance.”

“Let’s meet them first. We can learn exactly what’s going on after that.”

As he spoke, he checked the date.

“Then I’ll hurry and book a flight for tomorrow.”

“First have Brother Xiang Yang arrange a time with him.”

“Once the time is set, we’ll bring the proposal over directly.”

“And explain it to him properly.”

Lu Yuanqing laughed on the other end.

“Sure. I have a lot of confidence in your proposal.”

“Then let’s set it like this. Come over as soon as you can.”

“If the meeting ends up being scheduled later, I can even take you around Hangzhou for a good look.”

“Hangzhou is a wonderful place.”

Hearing Lu Yuanqing’s sentiment, Su Chen could not help but smile as well.

That guy had gone to Hangzhou last month, and with no progress in sight, he simply settled down there.

He was living like he was on vacation.

All of a sudden, Su Chen almost envied Lu Yuanqing’s carefree life.