Huayu: I'm reborn, but you still force me to be a scumbag?

Chapter 446 Big Shot
"Xixi, don't rush her." Shu Chang quickly dissuaded Liu Yifei when she saw her pick up her phone again.

Liu Yifei put down her phone and said somewhat apologetically, "Changchang, I'm really sorry, I didn't expect him to take so long."

"It's alright, it's alright, it's nothing," Shu Chang quickly said. "The important thing is to get down to business."

Liu Yifei sighed and said, "Sigh, if you ask me, it would have been better to tell him not to come, so that everyone wouldn't have to wait for him for so long."

Shu Chang couldn't help but give a wry smile.

Both of them had been acting in the entertainment industry since childhood, but she had learned all the social skills and etiquette that this young lady knew nothing about.

Sometimes she genuinely envied her best friend, even felt jealous, and couldn't help but sigh, "It's all fate."

She looked around.

It was already close to 10 p.m.

Her birthday dinner started at 6 p.m. The usual routine was to eat first, then bring out the cake, blow out the candles, sing the birthday song, take photos, and give gifts. After that, everyone would gradually leave.

But today... she had to arrange an extra small cocktail party so that everyone could chat, enjoy wine, and wait for others.

Fortunately, although it was a bit late, there were still people waiting.

If she were to follow the original idea of ​​this young lady who knew nothing of human suffering, and if she said, "If you can't be there on time, then you might as well not come at all," she really wouldn't know how to explain it to the distinguished guests tonight.

When she learned that Liu Yifei had sent out WeChat messages telling the other party not to come before the banquet started, she almost fainted. Fortunately... after her gentle persuasion, the other party sent another one.

Did he reply to you later?

"No."

"Sisi, do you think he might have taken what you said before seriously?"

"No, don't worry. If he doesn't come, he'll let me know. He's probably still busy right now. Ugh, I wonder how late he'll be up. It's so annoying."

Hearing Liu Yifei's tone, Shu Chang was startled and quickly said, "It's okay, it's okay, don't rush me, it's fine as long as you can come."

After saying that, she couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

Liu Yifei spoke with great confidence, but she was genuinely worried.

What if they say they can't come at the last minute?!

Just then, a middle-aged woman adorned with jewels walked over with a little girl.

The lady was very thin and quite pretty, dressed elegantly and well-maintained, looking to be only in her thirties. The girl beside her wore a pink Valentino dress, looked about eleven or twelve years old, was slightly chubby, had small eyes and a large face, but was still quite cute.

She quickly pulled Liu Yifei up, then stood up and said with a smile, "Sister Ma."

"Hello, Xiao Shu. Um, can I ask how much longer until Chen Nuo arrives?" The woman called Sister Ma said with a smile, her tone sounding relaxed, but her eyes held a hint of impatience.

Shu Chang's smile remained unchanged, and she replied gently, "It should be soon, Sister Ma."

"Okay." Sister Ma obviously knew Liu Yifei, so she smiled at Liu Yifei and said, "Miss Liu, I'm sorry, I'm not rushing you, it's just that my Brenda has class tomorrow, so I came to ask."

Liu Yifei smiled and said, "It's nothing."

"Brenda, come here, say hello to someone," Sister Ma said to the girl next to her.

The girl named Brenda glanced at Liu Yifei, then looked away, shook her head, and whispered, "NO."

Sister Ma didn't press the matter. She smiled politely at Liu Yifei and said, "Then you two chat." She then led the girl away. The two of them didn't join the others but instead sat down on a sofa in a corner.

Shu Chang felt a little embarrassed. After the others had walked a bit away, she pulled Liu Yifei down to sit and said softly, "I'm sorry, Qianqian. The little girl was just being silly. Please don't be angry."

Liu Yifei shook her head and said, "I'm fine, I'm perfectly normal. Changchang, who is this? Is he your friend? I've never seen him before."

Shu Chang whispered, "It's the wife and daughter of the chairman of Baidu."

"Huh? The chairman of Baidu? Isn't that... that guy, his name is... Li... right?"

"Yes, Li Yanhong."

"Ah, yes, yes, that's it. I saw it online before, Changchang, how do you know them?"

"I...I've only met her at an event before, that's how we met. Sister Ma is a really nice person. When she heard it was my birthday, she...hehe."

Shu Chang's words were half true and half false.

It was just that she had attended a commercial event before, and after being advised by someone, she went up to curry favor with them, and they exchanged phone numbers. That was how they met once.

Even during holidays, she would send him a text message to greet him, but he never replied. She really didn't know if he was a good person or not.

This time, her agency received a subtle reminder from a family through some channel, and then immediately took the initiative to contact the family and sent someone to deliver a beautiful invitation. So the family "reluctantly" brought their daughter to attend her birthday party.

Tonight, people like Ma Dongmin are not a minority.

Like Chen Jianbin and Jiang Qinqin, the couple standing over there. She only had a good relationship with Chen Jianbin while filming "Qiao's Grand Courtyard," and they hadn't been in contact since then, not even exchanging phone numbers. But a few days ago, he suddenly called to wish her a happy birthday.

And then there's Li Binbing, who's currently talking to Chen Jianbin. The two only briefly met backstage at the 2009 Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival, without even exchanging a proper word. And yet, he's here to celebrate her birthday.

For example, there's that niece of a ministry leader and her friend—who supposedly wields considerable influence in both the financial and artistic circles, comparable to a big shot on Baidu. She'd never even met them; they were introduced through a personal connection by her agency boss.

There were twenty people at the two tables. Apart from her cousin, Liu Yifei, You Xiaogang, and a few other close relatives and friends, almost everyone else was like that.

Overwhelmed with gratitude, or was it expected?
She herself couldn't explain it.

But in any case, her agency did achieve its pre-set goal.

The press releases and trending topics that were bought at great expense for this purpose should be on their way by now.

Tomorrow's entertainment section and the top headlines on financial bloggers' Weibo accounts will feature blurry photos accompanied by headlines such as "Shu Chang's birthday party is a star-studded affair" and "Capital executives spotted at a private banquet."

After tonight, in the eyes of those snobbish production crews and producers in the industry who judge people based on their connections, Shu Chang will no longer be that little child star or actress with no background, no connections, and nothing.

As a result, she no longer had people eyeing her everywhere, wondering if she could sneak in, or she would have to endure cold stares, forced smiles, forced drinks, and even overt and covert humiliation just to barely get an audition opportunity.

Thinking of this, Shu Chang couldn't help but feel a little excited.

But then she began to worry even more—

When will that person finally arrive?

Because only when he's photographed by paparazzi and walks in in person will the whole thing truly reach its climax. If he doesn't come, then all of this will remain just a mirage for her.

"He's here. He texted back, he's on his way," Liu Yifei said suddenly, looking at her phone.

Shu Chang suddenly looked up, her eyes lighting up, and asked in surprise, "Huh? Really?"

"Okay, look." Liu Yifei nodded and handed over the phone.

Shu Chang looked closely and saw a series of unanswered messages on Liu Yifei's WeChat interface, ranging from the initial "Never mind... don't come." to "Then we won't wait for you, let's start eating," "Changchang is starting to blow out the candles," and "When are you coming?"

There was silence on the other end, with no response.

Just now, a new message finally popped up at the bottom of the screen at 21:51: "Arrived, on its way. 20 minutes."

……

……

After signing the contract, Chen Nuo's first action was to glance at the pile of unread messages on his phone's lock screen.

After saying a warm goodbye to Hastings and the others in the underground parking lot, wishing them a safe journey the next day, and making an appointment with Lorraine Eisner to go to Hong Kong together the day after tomorrow, they finally got into their respective cars.

Only then did he unlock the screen, open WeChat, and type a reply to Liu Yifei.

It was too late, and it was a private matter during his private time, so he didn't let Gulinazha or Qi Yuntian come with him. He only brought Linghu, told him the location, and then rested in the back seat while thinking about things.

Hastings's words earlier had really touched him in some way.

While the idea that "someone was so fed up with watching TV that they wanted to overthrow News Corporation and thus created Netflix" is absolutely a fabricated fantasy, based on my past experience, Netflix's development did indeed shake up the traditional Hollywood system.

As a rising star, Netflix has had a huge impact on established giants such as Time Warner, Paramount, Universal, and Disney over the next decade, leading Murdoch to sell most of the entertainment assets of his 21st Century Fox to Disney in 2016 or 17.

All of these were historical events that he vividly remembered.

So, in this life, he stands at the starting point of this unprecedented change in a century. In this process of Hollywood's traditional Big Six becoming Big Five, what role can he play?

This is truly a grand topic.

He had only been thinking for a moment in the car, and hadn't even figured out what it was, when Linghu stopped the car and turned around to say, "Mr. Chen, we've arrived. There are quite a few paparazzi outside, though."

Chen Nuo snapped out of her daze and looked out the car window.

The restaurant where Shu Chang treated us was quite upscale, but it didn't have an underground parking lot.

The doorman and security guard at the entrance had obviously been informed in advance. When they saw the Porsche arrive, they seemed to realize something and rushed to greet it.

Meanwhile, in the public areas on both sides of the restaurant, some paparazzi were also pointing their long lenses and microphones at him, as if they knew he would come in advance.

He now deeply despises these paparazzi.

He even dared to spread rumors about him and President Han's daughter—although he didn't say it outright, when President Han's wife saw his strange behavior at the hospital this morning, she suspected that President Han might have suffered a stroke because of this.

This is absolutely outrageous!

How can we let them take photos and make money? That would be unfair to Mr. Han, who is in the hospital.
……

……

"Coming, coming, coming!"

"Hurry up!"

"After waiting all night, it's finally here."

"I don't recognize this license plate. Could it be his?"

"Porsche, he's the spokesperson, it has to be him!"

When the Porsche Cayenne arrived at the entrance of the Chinese restaurant, but no one got out for a long time, the paparazzi who had been waiting all night became excited.

This included Huang Hongwei, who had returned from Shanghai.

Those dozen or so exclusive photos taken at the airport not only allowed him to pay a year's rent in Beijing and buy a better Nikon camera and high-end lenses, but also caught his eye, leading him to join a professional group called "Fengxing Studio" and become a paid paparazzo with a permanent position.

The team leader, the studio owner surnamed Zhuo, has only one task for him: to track and film this person with whom he has a special connection.

He received the news early today and moved here from downstairs at Huanxin Company, securing the best spot.

At that moment, he grabbed his new camera and rushed forward.

"Back off! Back off!"

"Don't come any closer, stop right there."

"Stop, stop, stop! Did you hear me?"

"This is our restaurant entrance, our private area, you..."

The security guards shouted menacingly as they formed a human wall to block the way.

Huang Hongwei completely ignored all this nonsense. As he watched a familiar face get out of the driver's seat, it was the driver and bodyguard that the man always took with him. His blood boiled.

It was clear that Huang Hongwei wasn't the only one who recognized the driver; as he rushed forward, the others also swarmed around him. Just then, the driver opened the back door, and a familiar figure stepped out of the car. Almost instinctively, Huang Hongwei frantically pressed the shutter button, taking more than twenty photos in less than ten seconds. Only after Chen Nuo disappeared through the doorway and the restaurant doors closed did he remove the camera from his face.

"Damn, is Brother Nuo not giving us any way out? He's covering himself up so tightly!" a paparazzi nearby exclaimed.

The security guard in front of Huang Hongwei couldn't help but laugh out loud and muttered, "Serves him right."

Huang Hongwei gave him a cold laugh. They were each serving their own masters, so there was nothing more to say. He turned and walked aside, looking down at the photos in his camera.

Just then, someone approached him and politely asked, "Brother, what should we do? Can this photo still be used?"

Huang Hongwei glanced at the man and saw a rather young lad with a lot of acne on his face, who must have just started in the business. He replied, "No problem." Then he turned back and began picking out suitable photos.

"Huh? There's nothing wrong with this? I can't see anything—eyes, nose, eyebrows. Really, bro?"

As Huang Hongwei pressed the playback button on his camera, he casually asked, "Is this your first time photographing Chen Nuo?"

“That’s right, bro.” The young man flattered him, handing him a Yellow Crane Tower cigarette. “I’ve always followed Chen Kun and Zhao Wei’s group before, I’ve never actually photographed Chen Nuo. I just happened to be nearby this time, and when I heard about it, I came to check it out, and I didn’t expect to actually run into him. Does anyone really want this one I just photographed? When I heard that… well, I thought…”

Huang Hongwei took the cigarette, lit it with the young man's lighter, took a puff, and said casually, "Heh, that guy who called earlier is either incompetent or malicious, don't believe him. Go contact your superior and tell them you took a picture of Chen Nuo, but you can't see anything. His head is covered by a hat, his face is covered by clothes, his eyes, nose, eyebrows, nothing is showing, just ask them if they want it. If not, give it to someone else. Listen to what they say."

"Okay, brother, I'll go ask right away. Thank you, brother. My name is Zhao Wu'er, please take care of me in the future."

……

……

Chen Nuo had a sudden inspiration. He zipped up his cotton-padded jacket all the way up and pulled his baseball cap down to his brow bone, burying his face almost entirely in the collar, leaving only a small slit in front of his eyes for light to pass through. Under these circumstances, he could only ensure that his head wouldn't hit the wall. In the end, it was only with Linghu leading him that he was able to enter the restaurant.

As soon as I entered the room, I unzipped my clothes to reveal my face, when I heard someone outside shout something like, "Brother Nuo isn't giving us a way out," and I couldn't help but chuckle.

It seems that Leonardo DiCaprio's tricks for dealing with paparazzi are really effective; we should follow that approach from now on!

You're taking pictures without even showing your face? You're just taking pictures of thin air!

Several waitresses were already standing at the door, all staring intently at him. A restaurant manager in his thirties said, "Mr. Chen, hello, please follow me."

Chen Nuo nodded and said, "Okay, thank you." Then he followed the manager upstairs.

As the restaurant manager walked over, he tentatively said, "Mr. Chen, it is an honor for our restaurant, South Beauty, to have you here today. Um, Mr. Chen, if I may ask, our boss is also here today and would like to meet with you. I wonder if you could spare a moment to see him?"

Chen Nuo said, "Never mind, this is my friend's birthday party, it's not appropriate to steal the spotlight. Tell your boss we'll talk about it another time."

"Oh, okay. I'm sorry, Mr. Chen."

"It's okay."

As Chen Nuo spoke, he followed the restaurant manager all the way to a doorway. After the manager opened the door, Chen Nuo stepped inside.

……

Shu Chang felt that this moment was the most glorious and happiest moment of her life.

When all eyes turned to him, he saw a face he had only ever seen on screen, standing just a step away, apologizing and handing him a small gift.

The gift was light and airy, and so was her body, as if floating in the clouds.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that her agent, Lao Huang, was taking pictures of her phone.

After greeting her, she very tactfully stepped aside and gave up her seat.

Afterwards, she stood in the corner and watched as Sister Ma and her daughter immediately took her place, without even considering that Qianqian was also about to go up.

The young lady from the Baidu boss's family seemed like a completely different person at this moment, not at all like the aloof little girl who had said "no" to them just half an hour ago.

Her face flushed, she was incredibly excited, and out of nowhere produced a beautifully packaged gift box—the kind you'd only find in a high-end luxury store—which she was handing over with both hands. However, the young man opposite her didn't immediately take it; instead, he turned and spoke to her mother.

This made Brenda look aggrieved and sad, her little mouth pouting, and she looked like she was about to cry.

Shu Chang was looking at the photos when she suddenly heard a low voice: "I'll send you the photos, and you can post them on Weibo now."

"Huh?" She turned to look at her agent. "Now?"

"Strike while the iron is hot, while people are still around."

"...Should we tell Sisi?"

"No. Just send it directly. This is just normal interaction between friends. You know what I mean? Don't overthink it."

Shu Chang took a deep breath and suddenly became nervous.

She nodded and said, "I understand."

……

Chen Nuo was surprised to find so many different kinds of people at Shu Chang's birthday party.

Li Yanhong's daughter, a former employee of China Film Group, now works in a certain ministry. And that Miss Liu, the third-generation official's daughter he hasn't seen in a long time, works in real estate, car sales, and the internet.

Shu Chang's wide circle of friends was a bit unexpected, which expanded his social circle as a result.

As for people from the industry, quite a few came as well.

Among them were many veterans, directors, and producers, some I knew and some I didn't.

He greeted everyone one by one, which really tested his social skills.

Fortunately, these people weren't star-struck fans. They shook hands with him, exchanged a few words, took a photo together, and then politely said goodbye, so it wasn't much of a hassle.

Even so, by the time Li Binbing came over, it was almost 11 p.m.

"We meet again," Li Binbing said with a smile.

Chen Nuo nodded with a smile: "Yes, what a coincidence."

Li Binbing frankly said, "Unfortunately, I actually came here specifically to find you."

"Oh? Is something the matter?"

"Um... I wanted to ask you, but it's hard to explain over the phone."

"what's up?"

"Is that movie still going to be made?"

Upon hearing her words, Chen Nuo immediately understood. Back at his home in Los Angeles, this woman had very enthusiastically offered herself to Quentin, something he had witnessed from the sidelines.

"We'll film it. But not now. You've probably seen the news online, right? We'll probably have to wait until this storm passes before we can continue."

Li Bingbing then asked, "I guessed that too. So, how long can we expect to wait?"

Chen Nuo thought for a moment and said, "Maybe a year."

Li Binbing breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's alright, I can wait a year."

Seeing her expression, Chen Nuo was also somewhat moved. It seemed that Bingbing was truly invested in this role. However, whether she would ultimately get the part? To be honest, he wasn't too optimistic.

But that's a story for another time.

……

As the guests gradually left, Shu Chang and Liu Yifei stood in front of the restaurant entrance. Seeing Chen Nuo dressed up like a riot police officer before leaving, they couldn't help but laugh.

"You're exaggerating too much!" Liu Yifei said with a laugh. "It looks so strange."

“You don’t understand, this is what you call flawless.” Chen Nuo’s voice came from inside his collar.

Shu Chang had a different opinion after hearing this.

The reason is that tonight, for the first time in her life, she actually made it to the trending topics.

Her Weibo followers increased by more than 999 in just one hour. The number of comments, likes, and reposts was all over Weibo, a phenomenon that her account had never experienced before.

Some colleagues who had previously worked with her on TV series also came forward, leaving messages on her Weibo account. Those who hadn't followed her before also followed her. It can be said that this hour was the most brilliant hour of her acting career. In the world of Chinese entertainment, Shu Chang's name has never been so prominent.

And what did she do? The only thing she did was upload nine birthday photos, one of which happened to be a photo of her and Chen Nuo.

So, does not showing one's face mean one is flawless?
It's not that simple; you'd have to be completely invisible to even begin to understand it.

However, she naturally wouldn't interfere with the interactions between the young couple.

She watched as Chen Nuo walked out the door alone. Then, the paparazzi waiting at the door rushed over like madmen…

Shu Chang glanced at her best friend beside her.

As expected, her agent was right. Liu Yifei and he should have gone out separately. Now it seems that was the case. Otherwise, who knows how crazy the paparazzi would have been.

What she put so much effort into was actually just someone else's daily life.

"Alright, I'm leaving too. Bye-bye, Changchang. Happy birthday."

"Thank you, Sisi. Please remember to tell Xiaoli's mom for me that I really love her gift."

"Haha, okay, bye-bye."

"Bye-Bye."

After the two hugged, Liu Yifei checked her hat and sunglasses, and left under the escort of security guards, where she was greeted by the flashing lights of paparazzi.

Finally, watching Liu Yifei get into the car and drive away, Shu Chang felt a mix of emotions.

"Miss Shu."

At that moment, a gentle voice rang out.

Shu Chang turned her head and saw a man in his early thirties wearing glasses and a sharp suit. He looked gentle and refined, with proper manners, and was also quite handsome.

He smiled slightly at her, extended his hand and said, "Miss Shu, hello, my surname is Wang."

The hotel manager next to her introduced, "Ms. Shu, this is Mr. Wang, the owner of our South Beauty restaurant."

Shu Chang was taken aback. South Beauty had recently become incredibly popular across the country, and she knew it was run by a strong woman surnamed Zhang, but she didn't know when it had changed owners. Judging by their ages, could they be mother and son?

She politely extended her hand and shook it: "Hello, Mr. Wang, is there anything I can help you with?"

The elegant General Manager Wang smiled and said, "It is like this. Your hosting a banquet here tonight is a great honor for South Beauty. Therefore, I have decided that all your expenses tonight will be waived as a way of thanking you for your support."

Shu Chang was startled.

Keep in mind that she hosted two tables of guests for her birthday party tonight, all on a customized menu. Including drinks and the subsequent buffet, it would cost at least tens of thousands of yuan. For her, this expense was no small sum.

She hesitated, "This...isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

Mr. Wang smiled and said, "It's nothing. It's an honor for South Beauty to have you here. A few tables of food are nothing to mention."

"Ah... thank you then," Shu Chang said, a little embarrassed.

"Then I won't bother you any longer, Miss Shu. Goodbye."

"OK, bye."

Mr. Wang turned and took two steps, then suddenly turned back and asked, "By the way, Ms. Shu, would it be convenient for me to have your WeChat?"

(End of this chapter)