Chapter 4: You’re Not My Grandson—Why Should I Listen to You?

The old dean sat calmly in his seat, his brows furrowed in contemplation.
“Why does this Su Chen seem oddly familiar to me?”
The middle-aged man beside him quickly replied, “Yes! He was the student representative for his year and gave a speech at the entrance ceremony!”
“But later…”
He hesitated, unable to finish his sentence.
“What happened?” the old dean asked with curiosity.
“He was quite talented. Shortly after enrolling, Imperial Entertainment signed him as an artist. But less than a year later, he got into a fight at a bar, and it caused quite a stir.”
“Not only was he forced to drink, injuring his throat, but Imperial Entertainment terminated his contract, and he was also disciplined by the school.”
The dean frowned, “He seems impulsive, but not the type to cause trouble without reason.”
The middle-aged man nodded, “There may be more to the story, but it's private, so outsiders wouldn't know.”
“Go and see if there's any hidden truth behind it. If it’s not too damaging, see if we can give him another chance.”
“It’s not terrible for young people to make mistakes. As long as their character is sound, they can always turn over a new leaf.”
The middle-aged man nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Meanwhile, at an entertainment company, another middle-aged man was listening intently as his female assistant reported.
“He offended the young master of Imperial Entertainment? For what reason?”
“Apparently, it was for violating company rules. He started dating a girl and wanted to make it public. The young master of Imperial Entertainment was in charge of the artists at the time.”
As for the hidden details, the secretary whispered a few words in his ear, and he shook his head regretfully.
“What a shame! He had great potential!”
“He’s handsome and talented. If we brought him into our company, we could make him into a new idol.”
“But…” he paused, “If he’s offended Imperial Entertainment’s young master, then forget it.”
“We have to respect that.”
Such was the entertainment industry—relationships tangled and complex. Even if people didn’t know each other directly, the proper respect must be paid. Making a good connection might not bring benefits, but provoking unnecessary enmity was certainly unwise.
That’s why when a company blacklists a celebrity, it often leaves the star with nowhere to turn—not because the company is overwhelmingly powerful, but because everyone in the industry gives them face.
Unless the blacklisted artist’s value is great enough to justify offending a major company for their sake.
Clearly, Su Chen didn’t yet possess such value.

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When Su Chen emerged from the backstage area, the graduation gala was still in its final phase.
Having settled what needed settling, there was little point in lingering.
He’d managed to disgust that treacherous woman, which was a small victory for his former self.
He had just rounded the main entrance of the hall when someone punched him in the chest.

Then came a huge, enthusiastic hug!
“Brother, that was brilliant!”
It was Ma Teng—one of Su Chen’s few friends at Jiangcheng Academy of Arts.
“I’ve always said that woman was no good—ungrateful and treacherous!”
“What you did tonight was so satisfying! That’s exactly how you deal with someone like her!”
Ma Teng finished, then lamented, “It’s just a pity you didn’t expose her name—she got off easy!”
Su Chen hadn’t expected Ma Teng to wait for him here, nor for him to launch into such a tirade. Seeing how much his friend cared, he was genuinely touched.
“It’s pointless. She’s not afraid of that anymore. Even if you expose her, PR will cover it up.”
“Making her sick to her stomach is enough.”
Ma Teng was a bit disappointed, then angrily swung his fist. He was one of the few who knew what had happened.
“That snake—if it weren’t for her, you wouldn’t have fallen out with the company, and none of the rest would have happened!”
“And then she turned around and signed with them herself—what a traitor!”
“If you ask me, she was probably sleeping her way up. With her qualifications back then, she couldn’t have risen so quickly otherwise!”
“Chen Qianyuan from Imperial Entertainment was giving her some pretty lecherous looks at the time!”
Chen Qianyuan was indeed the young master of Imperial Entertainment, the one who orchestrated Su Chen’s contract termination three years ago.
Su Chen shook his head. He knew all this now. He was no longer the old Su Chen, no longer blinded and obsessed.
Comparing memories before and after, the truth was obvious.
But for now, there was nothing more he could do.

“Enough, let’s not talk about it.”
“She’ll pay her dues eventually.”
Ma Teng was stunned by Su Chen’s confident tone!
It was as if he saw the vibrant, sunny, confident Su Chen from four years ago, back when he first enrolled. Since the contract termination, Su Chen had been depressed, obsessed only with Xi Siyuan, and nothing else could spark his interest.
But tonight’s performance, and his recent words…

“Brother, you’re finally back. I knew it, I knew it…”
“That woman can’t hold you down forever!”
“Work hard, and we just might surpass her someday—then we’ll see her face!”
Su Chen was inexplicably moved by Ma Teng’s enthusiasm.
All these years, living in his own world, barely socializing, cold to classmates.
He hadn’t expected anyone would still care about him.

Not wanting to dwell on the subject, Su Chen changed the topic.
“Have you found a job yet?”
“Hah! My old man got me a position at a company—I’m going to be an actor!”
“You know, I can’t sing, can’t compose, but acting—I think it’s worth a try.”
Ma Teng hesitated, then asked, “You… you’re going to be composing, right?”
Su Chen nodded. “I’ve contacted an entertainment company, already had an interview. It looks promising.”
“But it’s just a small company.”
Ma Teng patted Su Chen’s shoulder. “No worries—we all start at the bottom. With your talent, you’ll rise quickly!”
“Then you can be Xi Siyuan’s ‘song daddy,’ make her beg for your work, hahaha!”
He laughed, then stopped suddenly, his expression turning serious as he gazed at Su Chen.
“Honestly, I still think you should debut as a performer. But…”
“About your throat—I asked my dad to look into it. We should have news soon.”
Su Chen nodded in silence, then smiled and patted his friend’s shoulder.

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At the school gate, a white minivan sat quietly, beside which leaned a voluptuous woman in a tight black skirt.
When she saw Su Chen, she walked over gracefully.
“Su Chen, come here for a moment!”
Su Chen glanced at her, uninterested, and continued walking away.
This woman was Zhou Yuyan, Xi Siyuan’s agent. No doubt, Xi Siyuan herself was in the car.
Seeing Su Chen ignore her, Zhou Yuyan was furious.
“Su Chen, stop right there!”
Su Chen halted. “You’re not my grandson—why should I listen to you?”
Then he kept walking.
“You!”
Zhou Yuyan’s chest heaved with anger, but she forced herself to stay calm, smoothing her hand over her curves.
“Don’t you want to settle this matter once and for all?”
Su Chen paused, squinting. “I’d actually like to see what tricks you have left.”
“Lead the way.”
“Hmph!”
Zhou Yuyan turned and strode toward the car, unease prickling in her heart—Su Chen seemed different today.
Su Chen followed behind, watching the swaying figure before him and thinking to himself, this woman was truly ripe.
Sensing his gaze, Zhou Yuyan turned and snapped, “What are you looking at?”
Su Chen touched his nose, his eyes lingering playfully on a certain part of her body.
“Your car is so big and so white!”