Chapter 131: A Persistent Nuisance

"You are that rumored boyfriend of Jiang Yan, aren't you?"

"Did you write both of her songs?"

Su Chen was taken aback. He had assumed the man recognized him; after all, his fallout with Dynasty Entertainment had been quite bitter, and insiders would surely have heard whispers of it—especially someone like the young master of Dynasty Entertainment.

To his surprise, the man was talking about "Wind, Flowers, Snow, and Moon."

It seemed the man wasn't privy to what happened back then, or perhaps, to Dynasty Entertainment, those events were merely trivial matters not worth mentioning. And as for himself, a small fry, he wasn't even worth remembering.

"I didn't expect someone like you, Young Master Chen, to pay attention to a nobody like me," Su Chen said coolly. "I am truly honored."

"Heh, I pay attention to anything related to Jiang Yan," Chen Qianyang replied with a cocky air.

In a spot where Chen couldn't see, Jiang Yan gave a look of shivering disgust. Su Chen smiled in understanding, losing all interest in continuing the conversation.

"Brother, mind moving aside?" Chen said, oblivious to the icy atmosphere. "I haven't seen Jiang Yan in a while; we have some catching up to do!"

He asked Su Chen to move to another seat. While the phrasing was polite enough, it was no different from kicking him out on the spot. Su Chen raised an eyebrow, looking at him with a smile.

"Sorry, it's chilly out, and I just got this seat warmed up."

The implication was clear: he wasn't moving.

Chen Qianyang’s face darkened instantly. It seemed he wasn't used to anyone defying him, let alone a mere songwriter. In his mind, it wasn't even certain that the man had written those two songs. He was likely just another product of careful packaging. What really annoyed him was the ridiculous excuse the man used to refuse him.

Warmed up? The room was at a comfortable temperature, and the sofa was cotton-linen. There was no such thing as "warming it up." He suppressed his rising anger, trying to maintain an air of sophistication.

"Heh, fine then." Chen turned toward the staff member who had been arguing with him earlier and was still standing behind him looking apologetic. Chen glanced at Jiang Yan out of the corner of his eye and immediately put on a magnanimous facade, waving his hand. "Alright, alright, I won't hold you responsible this time. Be more careful next time. By the way, go fetch me a chair."

The staff member, feeling as if they had been granted a pardon, bowed and scurried off to play servant and fetch a chair.

Seeing that Chen intended to keep pestering them, Jiang Yan felt a headache coming on. "Alright, Young Master Chen, you should go rest. We need to board."

Before Chen could say another word, Jiang Yan stood up. Su Chen caught the cue immediately, patted his bewildered young assistant on the shoulder, and followed Jiang Yan away, leaving Chen Qianyang standing alone, looking at the chair that had just arrived.

***

"What's the matter? You find him that annoying?" Su Chen asked with a smile as they walked.

"Do you know what they call him in our circle?"

"What?" Su Chen asked curiously.

"A dog-skin plaster!"

Su Chen burst into laughter. It was a remarkably vivid metaphor.

"But that's only what the actresses call him in private; no one dares say it to his face," Jiang Yan said with a helpless shake of her head.

"As far as I know, the young master of Dynasty Entertainment is Chen Qianyuan. Who is this Chen Qianyang?" Su Chen asked, feigning indifference.

"He is the second young master of Dynasty Entertainment. Strictly speaking, he is the legitimate heir. Chen Qianyuan is just an illegitimate son. But, how should I put it? He lacks ambition and doesn't care about the family business at all. He only wants to mess around in the entertainment industry, so he slowly faded from everyone's focus. Chen Qianyuan naturally took over the family business. But who knows what the truth really is? That's just the rumor in the circle."

So that was it. He hadn't realized there were such secrets within Dynasty Entertainment.

"I don't quite understand. Your company and Dynasty Entertainment are competitors, even enemies. If you find him annoying, why not just push back?" Su Chen asked. "Why bother maintaining his face and humoring him?"

Jiang Yan sighed. "You don't understand. Although the two companies are rivals on the surface and have played dirty in the past, the bosses are actually on decent terms privately. They maintain appearances. Since the bosses are like that, is there any need for us employees to be so hostile? Who knows? Maybe one day I'll switch jobs, and he'll become my boss!"

Su Chen felt a slight stir in his heart, but he didn't say anything more.

They chatted for a while in a secluded spot near the boarding gate until it was time to board. Since Zhang Nan was traveling with Jiang Yan, and given Jiang Yan's special status, the flight attendant arranged for Zhang Nan to board with them in first class. Su Chen and Jiang Yan sat in the front, while Zhang Nan went to economy class in the back.

"I have to say, your company is a bit cold-hearted. Just to save a little money, you make the poor girl sit all the way back there!"

Jiang Yan rolled her eyes at him. "Do you have any idea how much travel our company handles every day? If every employee brought an assistant into first class, the costs would be astronomical."

Su Chen understood the logic, but as a fellow worker, he couldn't help but complain.

"If you can't stand it, why don't you upgrade her?" Jiang Yan leaned in close to Su Chen. The scent of her perfume filled the air, and a few stray locks of her hair brushed against his cheek, tickling him. It was an indescribably alluring moment.

"Forget it," Su Chen said. "Upgrades should be left to big stars like you. I don't have the means. When I travel on my own, I fly economy too!"

Facing the "great" enemy, Su Chen forced himself to remain calm.

"Pfft! You think I believe that?" Jiang Yan rolled her eyes, then suddenly remembered something and stared straight at him. "Why don't you write me another song?"

Huh? How did it get back to this?

Su Chen was momentarily stunned, then firmly refused. "No."

Seeing his blunt refusal, Jiang Yan wouldn't let it go. "You've written so many songs for Qin Pei, and I only have two! Who are you closer to, me or her?"

Su Chen shrugged innocently. "I haven't been close to either of you!"

"You!" Jiang Yan suddenly reached out and pinched the most sensitive spot on his waist.

"Stop, stop, stop!" Su Chen quickly intervened. "Didn't I already write for you? Besides, you're already a queen of the industry; just focus on making money according to Sister Hong's plans. Why do you need more songs?"

Jiang Yan didn't let go, saying, "So what if I'm a queen? I can't rely on that title for the rest of my life! Besides, after a while, people will say I don't live up to the name."

She pulled her hand away from his waist and leaned her whole body against his shoulder, shaking his arm. "Just write me one more song! It’s easy for you, anyway. There’s a reward!"

Feeling the softness against his arm, Su Chen felt his blood start to boil. He asked subconsciously, "What reward?"

Jiang Yan gave a triumphant, playful smile. "That depends on what you want. As long as you name it, I’ll likely agree!"

Su Chen took a deep breath, suppressing the rising heat in his heart, and said playfully, "Call me 'Daddy' first, and I'll think about it!"

Jiang Yan's expression shifted instantly. She yanked her hand away from his arm and lunged back toward his waist.