Chapter 44
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The studio is not much different from a regular office, except that it has an additional dance studio and recording studio.
In the dance studio, Zhu Yu can hone her acting skills, while Lu Xiaoxiao can practice dancing. The recording studio is even more useful; Zhu Yu practices her lines, and Lu Xiaoxiao records her songs.
Both were satisfied with the arrangement. After submitting their list of office supplies needs to Shi Ru, they went home while it was still early.
When Shi Ru left, the road was filled with the blaring of horns. What should have been a 12-kilometer journey that took a little over half an hour turned into a three-hour drive.
When he arrived home, dinner time had already ended, and the maid was tidying up. Shi Yaqian sat on the sofa with her tablet, waiting for him.
"Aunt Zhang, could you make me a bowl of noodles?"
Although it wasn't that late, he was indeed late coming home today, and it wouldn't be appropriate to ask the servants to prepare a lavish meal for him.
And... I glanced at Ms. Shi Yaqian sitting on the sofa.
It is clear that he and Ms. Shi Yaqian still have a very difficult meeting to discuss.
Ms. Shih Ya-Chien has consistently opposed the idea of him taking on formal business dealings at this stage.
Furthermore, in Ms. Shi Yaqian's plan, he should be able to go abroad for further studies with a letter of recommendation in at most six months.
But now he has followed Shi Fangyue into the entertainment industry and even opened his own studio.
During this period, the relationship between Ms. Shi Yaqian and her dear brother became much more strained.
After finishing his meal, Shi Ru took the fruit platter from Aunt Zhang and sat down on the single seat next to Ms. Shi Yaqian on the sofa.
"mom."
"I heard from your uncle that you opened your own studio, planning to compete with him for business?"
Shi Yaqian gracefully placed the tablet on her lap and sat upright, looking at Shi Ru.
"What are you saying? My uncle has such a big company, what I'm doing is just a small business."
When facing Ms. Shi Yaqian, Shi Ru acted more like a child.
After all, he single-handedly supported the company, growing Shih's from a small enterprise with only a few dozen employees into a multinational corporation today.
Ms. Shi Yaqian is undoubtedly powerful and admirable.
"Professor Fakker's letter of recommendation for you will arrive in the next couple of days. What are your plans for this studio after you go abroad?"
Unexpectedly, Ms. Shi Yaqian didn't even ask him whether he was still going or not...
All the ideas I spent half the day rehearsing have been wasted.
Shi Ru probably only struggled for a few seconds. As a child raised under elite education, there is very little in this world that can hold him back.
"Traveling is very convenient now. I feel that I have the ability and confidence to complete all the credits in one year, and I can also fly back to handle these matters during my free time in the year."
Shi Yaqian nodded: "So what are you going to do with those two young stars you signed?"
"One of them is still in school and can maintain a normal life, while the other... has a very long filming schedule."
Seeing Shi Ru's confidence, Shi Yaqian's eyes flashed with admiration, but she did not show it.
"The academic workload there is very heavy, and you can't guarantee that you can do both at the same time and maintain a good state in both."
Shi Yaqian tapped a few times on the tablet, brought up a file, and handed it to Shi Ru: "This is a feasibility analysis I had someone do about you pursuing two careers simultaneously."
Shi Ru looked at the stark 30% figure above and asked, "So what you mean is?"
"It will take about a year to complete all the procedures for going abroad. During this time, I need to see that you are indeed capable of multitasking. Otherwise, I would have asked someone to manage the studio for you."
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"Stop right there!"
At the Zhou residence, today was actually only the second time Lin Yuanyuan and Zhou Ye had met. However, apart from being somewhat decent during their first meeting, Zhou Ye had become indifferent and unresponsive to her during their private conversations afterwards.
If her father hadn't spoken so highly of him, Lin Yuanyuan would never have come back to go on a blind date with such a person!
“Miss, didn’t I already explain to you that she’s just a waitress at the club?”
Zhou Ye concealed the impatience in his eyes and turned to look at Lin Yuanyuan, who was about to explode with anger. "Besides, the people in the private room were all my work partners. If you barged in like that and ruined my business, even Uncle Lin wouldn't let you off the hook."
He's not the type to sweet-talk people. Besides, this so-called marriage alliance, on the surface, is just the Zhou family needing a public protective umbrella, but it's hard to say who actually benefits.
The old man told him about this after he had seen Lin Yuanyuan off that day, when he pulled him aside in the study.
"Business, you're quite the smooth talker. Zhou Ye, let me tell you, since you've chosen to marry me, Lin Yuanyuan, you have to abide by my rules. Any thoughts of keeping the home fires burning while having affairs on the side are absolutely impossible with me!"
Lin Yuanyuan stood aggressively in front of Zhou Ye, hands on her hips. Even though the two had already met each other's parents and gotten engaged, this man still spent his days hanging out in shady places.
I don't know if they have any diseases.
Lin Yuanyuan gave Zhou Ye a disdainful look, saying, "Besides, you only manage a small entertainment department. What important matter could possibly require such an occasion?"
"Can you possibly be talking about anything serious?" Lin Yuanyuan's contemptuous gaze stung Zhou Ye. "Slap!" Ever since he took control of the entertainment company and the beauty salon, he's always the one who gets bullied; no one dares to speak to him like that!
Lin Yuanyuan was no exception. Zhou Ye didn't hold back and slapped her hard, knocking off her earring. She fell to the ground, looking extremely disheveled.
"It's none of your business how I conduct myself! You'd better keep your mouth shut, or if Grandpa hears anything he shouldn't and something happens to him, I'll chop you up!"
After saying that, Zhou Ye drove away without even looking at Lin Yuanyuan, who was still sitting on the ground and hadn't reacted yet.
After inhaling a mouthful of exhaust fumes, Lin Yuanyuan finally recovered from the tinnitus. She was wearing high heels, and the blow had severely twisted her ankle, leaving her barely able to stand.
Tears fell in large drops to the ground. Lin Yuanyuan had always been a pampered princess, pampered by her family since childhood. She had never suffered such hardship before.
They immediately made phone calls and started calling for reinforcements.
However, her father, who has always doted on her the most, seems to be involved in something highly confidential lately and is under closed management.
Lin Yuanyuan hasn't even seen him since she returned to China.
After calling her bodyguard to take her to the nearest hospital, Lin Yuanyuan thought it over and decided to call Grandpa Zhou.
There was nothing she could do; her mother and father separated when she was young, and she went abroad with her mother. She didn't know anyone in China.
If it weren't for her father's consistent love for her, who never shortchanged her with gifts during holidays even after the divorce, and who would call her for half an hour every night, her mother would never have agreed to let her come back this time.
In foreign countries, free love is advocated, so things like matchmaking weeks are simply unbelievable.
However, because her father vouched for her with his profession, and both she and her mother knew how much he loved his skin, they felt it was acceptable to come and meet him.
In fact, Lin Yuanyuan disliked Zhou Ye at first sight. She felt that there was a sinister aura about him, which made her feel intimidated.
It's true that he hired escorts today, and it's also true that she deliberately caused trouble. She didn't want to get engaged to Zhou Ye, but her father was out of contact and she couldn't reach him, and her mother was far away abroad.
Lin Yuanyuan is currently living and eating at the Zhou family's house. Those who take advantage of others are always obligated to help them. Moreover, as long as the boy is not at fault, even if the two separate peacefully, the girl will always be the one who gets criticized.
In reality, even if the man is at fault, he'll only get the lament, "That's just how men are."
But Lin Yuanyuan couldn't stand it. She had to make a big scene so that she could separate from Zhou Ye in a dignified way.
Most importantly, you must not bring any negative influence to your father.
Lin Yuanyuan was actually smiling the whole time until Grandpa Zhou brought Zhou Ye into the ward.
Being hit really hurt, and she also had to correct her dislocated ankle ligaments. But just the thought of Grandpa Zhou forcing this arrogant person to apologize to her made her feel incredibly satisfied.
"Yuanyuan, oh dear, look what this brat did to you."
With Zhou Ye's help, the elderly woman slowly sat down on the chair next to Lin Yuanyuan's bed, while Zhou Ye stood behind her with his head bowed.
"Zhou Ye, apologize to Yuan Yuan!" The old man slammed his cane on the ground and looked at Zhou Ye, who was standing beside him, with a serious expression.
Because of the angle, no one saw the venomous malice that flashed in Zhou Ye's eyes when he bowed slightly to Lin Yuanyuan to apologize.
"sorry."
Seeing his grandson obediently listen, the old man's expression softened immediately. He took the girl's hand and held it in his palm: "Yuanyuan, I know you've been wronged."
"You're all alone in this foreign land, so there are many things you don't understand or know. That's not your fault."
The old woman's earnest words touched Lin Yuanyuan deeply. When she packed her bags to return to China, her mother had also given her the same earnest advice.
“Zhou Ye hit you, which was his mistake. Grandpa made him apologize to you, but you went to the dinner party and caused a scene. That was definitely your fault. Xiao Ye said that you also said some provocative things to him, which made him lose control and hit you, right?”
With a sudden shift in tone, Old Master Zhou moved the focus of the incident from Zhou Ye to Lin Yuanyuan herself.
She looked at her hand, which was still being held by the old man, and was so bewildered that she almost did not recognize the kind-faced old man in front of her.
"What kind of proper dinner party was that? What kind of dinner party has bodies on the table instead of plates, and everyone sitting next to someone else..."
Lin Yuanyuan wore an expression of unbearable sorrow, while Zhou Ye crossed his arms and curled a mocking smile at the corner of his mouth.
When he didn't know his grandfather's attitude towards these things, he really needed to be careful, for fear of upsetting the old man and causing him harm.
Speaking of which, Zhou Ye has to thank Lin Yuanyuan. If it weren't for her, he wouldn't have known that the predecessor of the beauty salon and entertainment industry had such a huge background.
Nowadays, Zhou Ye's status in Old Master Zhou's heart is probably much higher than that of his elder brother.
Thinking of this, and seeing Lin Yuanyuan's stunned expression, Zhou Ye almost burst out laughing.
"Alright, Yuanyuan, he's already apologized, so let's just let it go." Grandpa Zhou squeezed Lin Yuanyuan's hand slightly harder, and Lin Yuanyuan instinctively shut her mouth because of the pain.
She looked at Master Zhou with a puzzled expression, and heard him say, "It's inevitable for men to do these things. You'll be his wife in the future, so you need to be more sensible."
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