Chapter 87: Celebration Banquet
After the live broadcast ended, the show organizers held a celebration banquet for all the contestants, judges, hosts, and some guests who didn't need to leave immediately.
It was already close to midnight, but the place was still lively, and no one felt sleepy.
Everyone was busy creating a WeChat group and taking group photos. The large group photo was particularly impressive.
An Zhiyan, being tall, was placed in the middle of the back row, with everyone else arranged around him.
An Zhiyan stood there, listening to An Zhihan grumble, "I want to stand next to Su Jinli."
"Do you think I want to stand next to you?" An Zhiyan retorted irritably.
Looking at another pair of brothers, they were already standing arm in arm on the other side, waiting.
The difference was stark.
"How about a photo with both pairs of brothers?" the photographer suggested after the group photo.
Shen Cheng and An Zhiyan exchanged a glance, their expressions calm. They agreed to the suggestion and walked over to stand together.
An Zhihan knew his brother didn't get along well with Shen Cheng. When the four of them gathered, he stood next to Su Jinli, with their brothers on either side.
This photo might become a highlight on Weibo, so the photographer took several shots before stopping.
The show prepared a large cake with figurines of the hosts, judges, and the top nine contestants. An Zhiyan's figurine was on top, with congratulatory text. The second layer had the judges, and the third layer had the nine contestants.
The cake was exquisitely made, like a piece of art. Many people took photos with it before they finally started eating it.
An Zhiyan, of course, was the one to cut the cake. He handed the first piece to Su Jinli, saying, "Here you go, first place."
"Thanks!" Su Jinli took it and ran to give it to Shen Cheng.
After delivering it, he ran back to wait for more.
An Zhiyan, annoyed, turned to distribute cake to the other hosts and judges.
Shen Cheng took the cake to a quiet corner, ate a bite, and then left it untouched.
If Su Jinli hadn't given it to him, he wouldn't have eaten any.
Wu Yu sat nearby, not interested in eating cake or taking photos. His aloof demeanor made him stand out.
"I heard from Su Jinli," Shen Cheng suddenly said quietly. Only the two of them were nearby, so he was speaking to Wu Yu.
As soon as Su Jinli got off the stage, he started asking Shen Cheng about Wu Yu. He wanted to know why Wu Yu seemed so down and was saying goodbye to the audience, asking them not to forget him.
Also, Wu Yu had no recent work arrangements, not even an assistant. What was going on with Boruo Pineapple?
Shen Cheng had expected Su Jinli to celebrate his first-place win, but instead, he was most concerned about Wu Yu.
Shen Cheng knew what was going on but didn't tell Su Jinli. He said he would look into it.
"Oh..." Wu Yu responded coldly.
"Do you need my help?" Shen Cheng asked, turning slightly to look at Wu Yu.
"No, I know you and he are at odds. If you help me, he'll use it against you. It could be very detrimental to you. He might even take the opportunity to poach some of your artists or key personnel."
"That's true," Shen Cheng admitted calmly.
Wu Yu smirked coldly, seemingly indifferent. "I don't want you to suffer losses now. I want you to grow stronger and then crush him."
The last few words were spoken with intense emphasis.
"So, are we allies now?" Shen Cheng asked, intrigued.
"Sort of. I've been thinking about what you meant when you came here and talked about that man. Now I understand... You don't want him to send me over as a stepson to win over Mr. Shi, right? With Mr. Shi's help, it would be harder for you to replace him."
Shen Cheng just smiled without answering, looking composed and a bit intimidating.
He seemed to have everything under control.
Wu Yu glanced at Shen Cheng and started laughing, a bit self-mockingly.
Shen Cheng didn't really care about him.
"Don't worry, I won't be an obstacle for you. At a critical moment, I can even help you. If you use my identity to strike at him, I'll cooperate. I don't care, as long as he's unhappy, I'm happy," Wu Yu said with a ruthless tone.
"That's great. The enemy of my enemy is my friend."
"We're destined not to be friends. I never know when you'll scheme against me. It's an uncomfortable feeling. We should interact as little as possible."
"What about Su Jinli?"
Wu Yu looked up at Su Jinli.
An Zhiyan seemed to be sulking, giving cake to everyone except Su Jinli. Su Jinli, craving the cake, kept circling around An Zhiyan, clearly wanting some.
Who would have thought that Shen Cheng and Su Jinli were brothers? They are completely different in style.
"He..." Wu Yu sighed but didn't answer. He got up and walked out, saying, "I'm going for a smoke."
"Still smoking?" Shen Cheng asked, surprised.
"No, only when I'm annoyed."
"Go ahead." Shen Cheng wasn't interested in talking further.
Wu Yu had just left when Su Jinli came over with a piece of cake. Seeing Wu Yu gone, he was a bit surprised. "Brother, where's Wu Yu?"
"I didn't keep an eye on him, so he ran off."
"My cake only has the heart left, no little flowers." Su Jinli's disappointment was evident.
"The little flowers are just cream decorations. Eat this piece." Shen Cheng handed his piece to Su Jinli.
"You're not eating?"
"I don't like sweets."
Su Jinli happily sat down and started eating the cake, finishing two pieces by himself.
Watching him, Shen Cheng affectionately said, "A fat fish will be eaten."
Su Jinli almost choked. "Brother! Are you a devil?!"
After the show finished filming, the contestants would return to the training camp the next day to pack their things and record their final interviews.
Shen Cheng planned to assign another trusted assistant to Su Jinli, but Su Jinli refused. "I already have Xiao Mi. Besides, if you send an assistant from Boruo Pineapple to work at Sejia Legend, it would make me look like a spy infiltrating the enemy."
Shen Cheng, who disliked Sejia Legend, continued, "Tomorrow, I'll send my assistant to help you pack, and then you'll move to my place."
"Okay."
"Stay at my house when you're not working these days. Don't run around. You're a public figure now and can easily cause a commotion."
"Okay."
Shen Cheng was about to continue when he saw An Zhiyan approaching. He immediately got up and led Su Jinli to his dressing room. "Also, don't associate with those two An brothers."
Su Jinli, looking at his phone, didn't notice his surroundings and casually replied, "That's impossible. I'll be seeing An Zhihan in several variety shows soon."
"Separate after work."
"We have to go 'kou deng' tomorrow."
"Kou deng?" Shen Cheng was puzzled.
"It's a little secret." Su Jinli continued looking at his phone. Shen Cheng glanced over and saw him chatting in a WeChat group.
Shen Cheng patted Su Jinli's back. "Don't use your phone while walking. It's dangerous, you know?"
Su Jinli quickly put his phone away.
Back in his dressing room, Shen Cheng found that he didn't have much stuff since he only did his makeup there. Jiu Jiu was already waiting. Seeing them return, Jiu Jiu asked, "Should I arrange the car in the parking lot?"
Shen Cheng nodded, and Jiu Jiu immediately left.
Before the door could close, An Zhiyan walked in, knocking on the door as an afterthought.
Shen Cheng glared at him. "What do you want?"
"Just to chat, maybe talk all night." An Zhiyan shamelessly sat down.
"No time." Shen Cheng bluntly refused.
Jiu Jiu stood at the door, wondering if he should persuade An Zhiyan to leave. Seeing Shen Cheng wave him off, he left.
"Can't we get along?" An Zhiyan asked.
"No," Shen Cheng replied without hesitation.
An Zhiyan, who had never been so wronged, sat uncomfortably. "Can I apologize for taking your artists' resources before?"
"Do I need your forced apology?" Shen Cheng asked angrily, standing by the makeup table. It was clear that An Zhiyan's apology lacked sincerity and was completely forced.
Su Jinli, watching their tense interaction, was too scared to breathe, his eyes wide with fear.
Terrifying.
Really terrifying.
He wanted to leave with Jiu Jiu or call An Zhihan. He was afraid he wouldn't be able to stop a fight alone.
"We're in the same industry. Competing for resources is common, right? Top resources are limited, and the rest are scraps for small internet celebrities. Of course, we have to compete. Don't you agree?" An Zhiyan tried to justify his actions.
"And Mo Yixuan? Did you have to ruin her?"
"Her? She tried to ride the coattails of my artists. When she failed, she called them scumbags. Of course, I had to deal with her."
"Did you ask your artists if they slept with her?"
________________________
Author’s Note:
[The argument isn't over yet, so don't jump to conclusions.]
Seeing readers in the comments section speculating about a love triangle between Wu Yu, An Zhihan, and Shen Cheng...
Me: ???
?????
???????
You guys are devils! The last chapter was so emotional! I almost cried writing it!
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