Page 33

"These are necessary measures. Just think about the mess you caused last night." Yang Qindong returned to the guest room. The flight attendant who had spent the night in his room was long gone, leaving behind only a complete mess.

Chen Mo glanced guiltily at the disordered room and said to Yang Qindong, "Isn't this a bit over the top? Those losers from last night combined weren't even worth one kick from me. Did we really need such a huge setup?"

"Hiring assistants isn't for those people, but for... Forget it. I can't tell you yet. I need to teach you a lesson so you fully understand that, as an artist, you can't make rash decisions about anything you do." Yang Qindong opened the wardrobe and took out a change of clothes, staring at Chen Mo as he emphasized, "Especially not decisions made behind your manager's back."

"Do we have to make such a big deal out of it? I was doing a good deed." Seeing how serious Yang Qindong looked, Chen Mo somehow lost some of his confidence.

After thinking it over, he simply changed the subject. "Forget it, let's not talk about that. Before we board, I want to buy some things. I finally got the chance to come out here, so I should bring some gifts back for my family. That's okay, right?"

Yang Qindong took his clothes into the bathroom. Before closing the door, he turned back and asked Chen Mo, "Aren't you going to ask how yesterday's matter was handled?"

"No need. When Dong-ge steps in, what is there to worry about?" Knowing he was in the wrong, Chen Mo flattered him with a fawning grin.

Yang Qindong chuckled and changed the subject. "Since you want to shop, go get ready quickly. Our flight is at two this afternoon. Don't be late."

Chen Mo nodded, but before leaving, he still couldn't resist asking, "Will we run into that flight attendant again on the way back?"

Yang Qindong turned around and stared at Chen Mo expressionlessly.

Chen Mo blinked, then spun around and fled.

Since he was bringing gifts home, naturally it meant buying local specialties. And in Hunan Province, the most famous specialty was Hunan Embroidery, one of the four great embroideries.

Though Chen Mo couldn't really appreciate the beauty of Hunan Embroidery—or, more accurately, most traditional handicrafts—he still went with the local customs and bought several framed embroidered pieces. Then he picked up a few fine chrysanthemum stones. After that, he put considerable effort into buying several large bags of Hunan Province's specialty snacks before finally returning to the airport, fully satisfied.

The airport terminal was packed with young people who looked anywhere from seventeen or eighteen to their thirties. Most were Ji Ze's fans, though there were also fans of Huang Lixin, Lin Xia, Fei Yuchen, Sun Yun, and Chen Mo. A few media reporters were even mixed into the crowd. They held up all kinds of signs, while phones, cameras, and long-lens equipment kept filming. Screams and shutter clicks rang out endlessly, mixed with the voices of Ji Ze's bodyguards, assistants, and airport security trying to maintain order.

When Yang Qindong and the others entered the terminal and saw the restless sea of people, they all frowned instinctively.

Chen Mo glanced at the board announcing that their flight had been delayed, leaned close to Yang Qindong, and whispered, "How about we get out of here first—"

Before he could finish, a fan who had been staring at the airport entrance spotted Chen Mo. She screamed instinctively, pointed in his direction, and shouted, "Chen Mo is here!"

With a rush, the crowd surged over. Yang Qindong, Xiao Ding, and the four newly hired assistants all moved to surround Chen Mo. The fans were already pushing in, holding up phones and cameras to take pictures nonstop. Some raised flowers and gifts, trying to pass them over. Some held autograph books and pens, hoping for signatures. Others kept thanking Chen Mo over and over...

Chen Mo was startled. He had no idea why everyone had suddenly become this crazy overnight... The show they recorded yesterday couldn't have aired so quickly, could it?

"What's going on?" Chen Mo turned and asked Yang Qindong.

Yang Qindong didn't seem bothered. Leaning close to Chen Mo's ear, he whispered, "Since you played the hero and saved the beauty, you should receive the treatment a hero deserves. Did you think I'd let my artist do something thankless?"

Chen Mo didn't know what expression to make at Yang Qindong. He knew Yang Qindong had always been capable, but he had never expected him to go this far.

Yang Qindong glanced at Chen Mo and smiled as he whispered, "It's nothing. You saved King Ji's reputation last night. In return, it's only natural for his fans to be grateful to you and then become your fans."

Just as he finished speaking, Ji Ze and his management team forced their way through the crowd from outside. In that instant, the two groups looked like forces formally joining up, their combined presence exploding.

Qin Yuqiong cast an uncomfortable glance at Yang Qindong, who was protecting Chen Mo in the crowd, but she showed none of it on her face as she smiled warmly. "Dong-ge, why are you and Xiao Mo so late? It's almost time for security."

Yang Qindong smiled as well. "Isn't the timing just right?"

After a pause, Yang Qindong deliberately glanced at the several large bags of "local specialties" Chen Mo had bought and said in front of the media, "Chen Mo said it was his first time in Hunan Province, and he wanted to bring gifts home for his family, teachers, and friends. I had to accompany him shopping, so we could only arrive just in time."

Qin Yuqiong could only smile. "Really? I didn't expect Xiao Mo to be so filial to his parents at such a young age."

Before they could exchange more than a few words, the reporters carrying cameras and long lenses squeezed over to conduct interviews. The video of Chen Mo "saving the beauty" in the bar last night had already been filmed by customers and uploaded online immediately. Yang Qindong had then hired online commentators and notified the publicity team to handle emergency PR, guiding public opinion. By now, the whole world knew that Chen Mo and Ji Ze had a good relationship—at the very least, they were close enough to sit down for a drink after work. Of course, people had also once again seen that Chen Mo was quite skilled at fighting.

Most of the reporters who came to interview Ji Ze and Qin Yuqiong had been paid off by Yang Qindong. Their questions mainly revolved around the relationship between the two men, as well as what Ji Ze, his management team, and his agency thought about Chen Mo's righteous intervention last night.

Qin Yuqiong had never expected that, after taking her eyes off him for just one night, Ji Ze would cause such a huge mess. The most crucial part was that she had not known about it at all when it happened. She could only let Yang Qindong hire online commentators and work with the media on PR, leaving her completely passive now.

Facing those aggressive reporters, Qin Yuqiong gritted her teeth in hatred but could only go along with Yang Qindong's calculations. She admitted that Ji Ze and Chen Mo had hit it off at first sight while recording the show and had a very good relationship. Then, following the media's lead, she lavished praise on Chen Mo. Finally, she had Ji Ze take several intimate and friendly photos with Chen Mo in front of the media before hurriedly leaving under the excuse that it was time to go through security and board.

Watching Ji Ze's fans continue expressing their gratitude to Chen Mo in the airport terminal, Qin Yuqiong felt so stifled that her heart was practically bleeding. She knew that after this, the media and the public would absolutely see Chen Mo as Ji Ze's lifesaver. That meant Chen Mo's management team could openly tie him to Ji Ze for publicity and promotion from now on, while Ji Ze would have to cooperate. It also meant Ji Ze's management team could never make any underhanded moves against Chen Mo. Otherwise, they would be branded ungrateful.

Though China had long moved past the old ways of the Xianming Era, when the country was ruled through filial piety and the emperor's benevolence, moral standards still mattered greatly to the general public.

If a public figure like Ji Ze were exposed in a scandal for being "ungrateful," it would be disastrous. In serious cases, it would definitely affect Ji Ze's reputation and future. After all, someone with low emotional intelligence, poor social skills, and a habit of throwing little tantrums could still barely be spun by PR as "cute." But once a person was labeled "ungrateful," it meant they had a moral stain. No one would like someone like that.

After passing security, there were suddenly far fewer passengers around them. Qin Yuqiong looked around at the empty surroundings and smiled at Yang Qindong. "Dong-ge, you're quite capable."

Yang Qindong smiled back. "That doesn't count as capability. A manager should always keep track of their artist's whereabouts. When an artist needs them most, they should step forward and handle PR and other matters properly. Those are merely the most basic professional standards for a manager. Aren't they?"

Qin Yuqiong fell silent. She looked at Yang Qindong for a long moment before nodding with a smile. "Of course."

As for Chen Mo, the moment Yang Qindong said that a manager should always keep track of their artist's whereabouts, he stared at him with a face full of "→_→." He truly didn't want to call out the rogue who had ignored his calls last night.

Ji Ze walked over to Chen Mo's side, tilted his head, and stared at him for a long time before abruptly saying, "I won't thank you. Don't think that—"

"What misunderstanding do you have about me?" Chen Mo interrupted him. With both hands in his pockets, he kept walking without even looking at Ji Ze, raising an eyebrow as he said, "Taking you out of the nightclub last night was my business. What you think is yours. I don't think we're close enough to share our feelings with each other."

After saying that, Chen Mo quickened his pace and walked to Yang Qindong's side. "Let's go."

Yang Qindong nodded politely to Qin Yuqiong, then strode after Chen Mo.

When the plane arrived in Huajing, it was not yet five in the afternoon. Chen Mo had told them beforehand, so his parents had not come to the airport to meet him. The situation at Huajing Airport was much the same as at Shashi Airport—it too was clogged with fans who had come to greet them.

Under the protection of Yang Qindong and the assistants, Chen Mo successfully boarded the van. As soon as it got onto the airport expressway, Chen Mo's mother called. She actually told him not to go home yet, because the airport was too far from the film studio and Chen Mo had just gotten off the plane, so he should get some proper rest. She told him to settle into his apartment first, and she and Chen Mo's father would come over later to make dinner for him.

Because he often practiced acting in the System Space, Chen Mo had become unusually sensitive to people's emotions. He keenly sensed that his mother's behavior was strange, and there was something off about her voice on the phone as well.

The various inconsistencies made Chen Mo frown suspiciously. He didn't say anything to his mother over the phone, but after hanging up, he told the driver to head straight back to the restaurant. Facing Yang Qindong's appraising gaze, Chen Mo casually explained, "When you come back from a business trip, of course you should go home first thing. Besides, I bought so much stuff. I need to bring it back and hand it out to them. It'd be ridiculous to haul all these local specialties back and forth."

As for his suspicions, he didn't voice them.

Yang Qindong shrugged and offered no opinion.

His thoughts in disarray, Chen Mo decided to start sorting the gifts in the van to stop himself from overthinking. He found a small chrysanthemum stone ornament and handed it to Yang Qindong. "This is yours."

"Mine?" Yang Qindong accepted the chrysanthemum stone, but asked, "Why are you giving me something? Didn't we come back together?"

"I don't know that many people, so I'm using you guys to make up the numbers." Chen Mo said it casually, then handed a box of Junshan Silver Needle to Xiao Ding. He also grabbed several packs of spicy snacks and gave them to Yang Qindong to distribute to the four temporary assistants.

Watching Chen Mo bustle about, Yang Qindong suddenly smiled.

By the time the van arrived back at Don't Come Back Restaurant, it was already after eight in the evening. The moment Chen Mo got close to the restaurant, he sensed that something was wrong. The restaurant, usually packed with people, was nearly empty today. Through the glass windows, he could see Chen Mo's parents seemingly arguing with several strangers.

Chen Mo's heart sank. Thinking of his mother's attitude on the phone, he immediately jumped out of the van, pushed open the door, and demanded of the people arguing with his parents, "What are you doing?"