Chapter 95: Invitation from Imperial Entertainment

Su Chen had been very busy these days. Besides dealing with work-related social obligations, he also received all sorts of phone calls from outside sources. Among these callers were people from entertainment companies as well as some old classmates. In short, anyone who could find a connection tried to call and chat with him for a bit.

Most of these people had one purpose: to see if they could get some songs out of him.

Jiang Yan’s ascension to queen had thrust Su Chen into the public eye, at least among those pursuing careers in the entertainment industry. More or less, everyone had heard his name.

Although Jiang Yan helped him decline some requests for songs, it only blocked that particular channel. There were always some resourceful people who managed to find Su Chen’s number through other means, such as asking around at Jiangcheng Academy of Arts.

Su Chen remained polite to all these people. After all, they were seeking collaboration, and some were old classmates. As long as no one crossed the line, he didn’t want to appear callous. But in the end, he always gently refused, saying he currently had no plans for new songs.

Although disappointed, most callers didn’t press further.

“Hello? Who is this?” Another call came in.

Su Chen frowned but picked up the phone.

“Hello, is this Mr. Su Chen?” The voice on the other end was a bit deep and low.

“Yes, this is he,” Su Chen replied.

“Hello, Mr. Su Chen. I apologize for disturbing you. I’m the director of the Artist Department at Imperial Entertainment. I wanted to discuss a cooperation opportunity with you!”

Imperial Entertainment? What a coincidence!

“I’m sorry, I don’t have any plans for new songs at the moment, so I won’t be able to collaborate,” Su Chen refused directly.

“Please don’t decline so quickly. Let me introduce some of our company’s benefits first. Right now, we’re planning to cultivate a batch of singers internally, so we need many excellent songs—especially those from talented composers like yourself. If your songs meet our requirements, we’ll provide…”

Before he could finish, Su Chen interrupted:

“No, thank you. I currently have no intention of collaborating with entertainment companies. That’s all, goodbye.”

He hung up and set his phone aside, chuckling softly.

Imperial Entertainment—he didn’t just have no intention of working with them. Even if he did, he wouldn’t choose that trash company. The memory of being taken advantage of years ago was still vivid. Although it was something his predecessor had experienced, Su Chen could still feel the sting.

He hadn’t hung up right away, letting the other party speak for a bit, mostly because he didn’t see the point in getting angry at someone irrelevant.

Buzz… buzz…

As he was thinking, his phone started vibrating again. The screen showed the same unfamiliar number as before.

Instantly, his mood soured. Was this going to be endless?

He hung up directly.

Then it rang again—he hung up again.

After several repeats, Su Chen simply blocked the number.

But a few minutes later, a new number called.

He didn’t need to guess; it was surely someone from Imperial Entertainment.

Su Chen couldn’t take it anymore.

“Are you mentally ill? I’ve already made it clear—I don’t intend to work with your company. Yet you keep calling? Are you brainless or deaf?”

He let loose a barrage as soon as he answered.

Surprisingly, the caller didn’t get angry.

“Su Chen, don’t be upset. I’m genuinely here to discuss cooperation. Even if we don’t work together now, we can still talk. Who knows, maybe there’ll be opportunities in the future, right?”

After finishing, the caller feigned surprise and added, “Wait, your name sounds familiar. Did we meet before?”

Su Chen was about to hang up, but that remark made his heart skip a beat. Suddenly, a figure flashed across his mind.

So it was you!

No wonder the voice had seemed familiar.

“Zhao Hengyuan, stop pretending. You haven’t changed a bit—you’re as sleazy as ever.”

The other side laughed.

“Hahaha, Su Chen, long time no see. Just joking with you. But I meant what I said about cooperation. Think it over! Though things were unpleasant between you and the company back then, that’s all in the past. A lot of what happened was out of the company’s control. Now that you’ve shown your talent, the company will naturally support you. Imperial Entertainment is the giant of the Chinese entertainment industry—we can provide the best resources. Between strong players, it’s all about mutual benefit. After all these years, you should understand that by now, right?”

His words were casual, as if the past had nothing to do with him.

Zhao Hengyuan was the one who signed Su Chen back then. Although he wasn’t the direct cause of those incidents, most of the dirty work afterward was handled by him.

So when Su Chen heard him gloss over the previous events so easily, he snorted.

“You’ve really polished those nasty deeds into something clean. Truly impressive!”

“Unfortunately, I still have no intention of working with Imperial Entertainment. But you’re right about one thing: big entertainment companies offer lots of resources. So why not choose another company? For example, Glory Entertainment?”

Zhao Hengyuan’s breath caught.

After being rebuffed several times, his anger could no longer be suppressed.

Glory Entertainment, the rival of Imperial, had always been competing openly and secretly. Su Chen’s remark was a blatant provocation.

So Zhao Hengyuan dropped the pretense and said bluntly,

“Su Chen, don’t push your luck! Don’t think writing two songs for Jiang Yan makes you somebody. Right now, you’re nothing. I’m giving you a chance! The world is vast—don’t forget your place!”

Su Chen replied with an amiable laugh,

“Oh? But I don’t really want this chance. What should I do? Maybe you should ask someone else?”

Bang!

A loud slap on the table came from the other end.

“Su Chen!” Zhao Hengyuan’s voice rose several decibels. “Don’t forget what happened back then! If I expose those things, do you think you’ll be ruined?”

Su Chen laughed heartily.

“Is that so? Then hurry up and expose them! I’m a composer—I don’t really care about such things. But I wonder, will Xi Siyuan, as a public figure, get dragged down as well? Is Imperial Entertainment planning to abandon her? And what about your company’s reputation? If you’re willing, I think exposing it might really achieve your goal!”

Silence.

The threat had no effect on Su Chen.

He had hit the crucial point. The events of the past could indeed damage someone’s reputation.

But strictly speaking, Su Chen was not a celebrity now. He was just a composer. Rumors might affect him a little, but only minimally.

However, if the issue implicated Xi Siyuan, the company’s artist would be dragged down as well. Worse, the company itself could suffer if someone dug deeper.

It simply wasn’t worth the cost.