Chapter 42: Please Take Me With You
On the way to the company, Chen Wei had already analyzed the pros and cons of Xu Cheng’s downfall for them. When they arrived at the company entrance, they found that—just as Chen Wei had predicted—the building was already swamped by a sea of media and reporters.
The Zhang Chen incident involved a massive scope. Among those implicated, there were inevitably some top-tier artists from the company whom Xu Cheng had sent over. A celebrity being taken to the police station was no small matter in the entertainment industry. Furthermore, the number of sasaeng fans and paparazzi surrounding top artists was astronomical. The moment it happened, photos had likely been leaked online.
With the artists’ reputations damaged, the brands they endorsed would certainly demand compensation from the company. Not to mention the various TV dramas and variety shows they were involved in that were currently airing or awaiting release.
As the director of Xingyao Media, Xu Cheng’s superior was the CEO, President Du. An artist of Chen Wei’s level might only see President Du once a year at the annual meeting. Since they had no contact, they didn’t know his personality, making it uncertain whether their subsequent plans would go smoothly.
After all, if he guessed correctly, President Du was likely currently tearing his hair out over the massive compensation claims and the pile of contract terminations.
After parking, the group took a detour through the back entrance to enter the building. They took the inconspicuous freight elevator all the way to the top floor, where the CEO’s office was located.
Before they even reached the door, they could hear furious shouting coming from inside.
“When we were talking about cooperation, they were begging and pleading! Now, before the dust has even settled or the police have made an official statement, they have the nerve to demand compensation!”
“Get out! Everyone get out! If any more calls like that come in, just reject them directly. There’s no need to inform me!”
This was followed by the sound of a stack of documents being slammed onto the floor.
Chen Wei’s footsteps halted abruptly. Before he could react, he saw a group of secretaries and assistants stumbling out of the office, clutching their documents in a panic.
The boss was in a rage; no one dared to speak up for fear of becoming the next target. Seeing this, Han Chi swallowed hard and reached out to tug at Chen Wei’s sleeve.
“A-Wei, maybe we should leave first?” he suggested. “Anyway, Xu Cheng has been caught. We can discuss the other things in a few days.”
“Brother Han.” Chen Wei reached back and held his hand firmly. He looked Han Chi in the eye and said a single, simple sentence:
“Do you trust me?”
“Uh…” Han Chi blinked, still dazed.
“Brother Chen Wei, I trust you.” Jiang Chuan spoke up before Han Chi could, declaring his loyalty. “Whatever decision you make, I’ll support you.”
The two of them turned to look at the source of the voice. Stared at by both of them, Jiang Chuan felt a wave of embarrassment and lowered his head shyly.
“However, I do have one small request.”
“A request?”
“Mm.” Jiang Chuan looked up at Chen Wei, his expression more sincere than it had ever been. “I hope that no matter where you go, Brother Chen Wei, you can take me with you.”
“…”
Chen Wei clearly hadn’t expected Jiang Chuan to see through his reason for coming to the company so much faster than Han Chi. He looked at Jiang Chuan with interest for a long moment before finally letting out a light chuckle.
“So, you’re planning to follow me?”
“Mm-hmm!” Jiang Chuan nodded like a chick pecking at grain.
Seeing their interaction, Han Chi frowned and pulled the two “deeply staring” men apart. He forced himself between them, blocking their line of sight, and asked:
“What kind of riddles are you two playing at?”
Leaving Han Chi and Jiang Chuan outside, Chen Wei entered the CEO’s office alone.
Once Chen Wei was gone, Han Chi grabbed Jiang Chuan’s arm, pinning him into a corner with a domineering “don’t you dare hide anything from me” attitude.
“Speak. What decision has A-Wei made?”
“Ouch.” Jiang Chuan rubbed his arm where it was being squeezed, grimacing as he asked, “Brother Han, did you really not see it? Brother Chen Wei is clearly planning to use this opportunity to terminate his contract with the company.”
“Terminate the contract?”
Jiang Chuan nodded. “The business with Zhang Chen and Xu Cheng has implicated the company. No matter how you look at it, the three of us are inextricably linked to this mess. Even if we wanted to stay, there’s likely no place left for us at this company.”
As Jiang Chuan finished speaking, Han Chi finally understood. He turned to rush into the office. Jiang Chuan quickly intercepted him. “Brother Han, what are you doing?”
“I’m going in to help A-Wei.”
If Jiang Chuan could see the problem, the CEO, Du Moqing, certainly could as well. If he blamed the entire mess on A-Wei, then A-Wei was walking right into a trap, let alone getting a termination. How could it be that easy?
However, Jiang Chuan shook his head and held tightly onto his clothes.
“Brother Han, have you ever seen Brother Chen Wei do anything he wasn’t sure of?” Jiang Chuan looked at Han Chi with eyes full of confidence. “Besides, Brother Chen Wei already told us to trust him.”
Inside the office.
Du Moqing leaned back lazily in his chair, his arms crossed over his chest. He looked at the man sitting opposite him with a sneer.
“So you’re Chen Wei?”
Chen Wei wore a polite, appropriate smile. “I’m honored that President Du knows me.”
“Heh,” Du Moqing snorted coldly. “Don’t bother. I wouldn’t dare. I’m just an ordinary media company boss; I don’t have your level of skill or methods.”
Sending his right-hand man to prison and dragging the company’s reputation through the mud… not to mention the mountain of impending lawsuits and reputation damages—which one of those wasn’t thanks to the person in front of him? He hadn’t even gone looking for him, yet the man had the audacity to show up here.
The mockery in Du Moqing’s voice was palpable. Chen Wei wasn’t angry; he only explained with a smile:
“Skill and methods? It was merely a desperate measure to protect myself. I had no other choice.”
“You protected yourself, all right,” Du Moqing countered with a cold laugh. “But what about the company? Do you have any idea how many lawsuits and losses this little play of yours has cost us?”
Chen Wei maintained that same polite, distant smile. Even in the face of Du Moqing’s questioning, his voice remained calm.
“I don’t know how much the company has lost. But President Du, Xu Cheng forced his artists to trade their bodies for resources and used photos to blackmail them. Can you truly promise me that you, like me, knew absolutely nothing about it?”
In reality, Du Moqing truly didn’t know much about what Xu Cheng and Zhang Chen were up to. Though he was the boss of Xingyao Media, he was busy with many other ventures. Once the company was on the right track, he had handed full control over to Xu Cheng.
However, the entertainment industry always had the unspoken rule of trading bodies for resources. So, even when he later caught wind of some of Xu Cheng’s actions, he hadn’t bothered to stop him. At the time, he simply thought Xu Cheng was pulling strings for the artists through Zhang Chen.
How could he have known they were running a drug-fueled sex party at that hotel? If Xu Cheng hadn’t been taken away by the police the previous night and the truth hadn’t come out, he, the boss, would still be in the dark.
But he was still the boss of Xingyao Media. Every artist who saw him usually behaved with the utmost respect. Someone like Chen Wei, who spoke so sharply and dared to talk back despite the risk of offending him, was a first.
The anger from being deceived by Xu Cheng, combined with the annoyance of having his sore spot poked by Chen Wei, made Du Moqing grit his teeth. He looked up and barked the man’s name through his teeth.
“Chen! Wei!”
Chen Wei met his reaction with a cold gaze, the corners of his lips curling into a mocking smile.
“Oh. So President Du did know.”
Translator’s Note:
- Aurora Aria: Fictional luxury brand.
- Resource Caster (資源咖 – Zīyuán Kā): A term used for celebrities who get many high-quality roles/endorsements through connections rather than talent.
- Backdoor King (走後臺 – Zǒu Hòutái): Someone who gets ahead through cronyism or “the back door.”
- Top-tier Artist (頭部藝人 – Tóubù Yìrén): The “head” or main money-makers of a company.
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