How can you ascend to heaven when you are a star?

Chapter 435 Acting like a big shot?
The day of the Golden Melody Awards ceremony has finally arrived, much to the anticipation of countless musicians and fans.

As dawn broke and the sky over Guangcheng began to lighten, Zhang Wen dressed in casual clothes and left the hotel.

He didn't sleep much and was bored staying in his room alone. Thinking that he would be returning to the capital the next day, he decided to go out for a walk and experience the charm of the city.

"Good morning, Teacher Zhang. Do you need a car?" Yu Fangrong greeted her warmly. As a staff member of the organizer, her job was to serve the guests 24 hours a day.

"No need, I'm just going out for a stroll." Zhang Wen waved his hand, declining the other party's offer, and then walked towards the hotel entrance.

A large number of reporters had gathered outside the hotel, carrying cameras and microphones and standing guard outside the cordon. When they saw someone coming out of the gate, they all looked over, but after seeing clearly, they all looked away, some even yawning.

Zhang Wen was not surprised. After all, this was the hotel designated by the organizer for the guests to stay at. There were countless celebrities coming and going, such as A-list celebrities and popular idols. Who would pay attention to a songwriter behind the scenes?

In the entertainment industry, even the top songwriters don't receive as much attention as third- or fourth-tier artists. After all, the former's name only appears in lyric books, while the latter can frequently appear on screen, and their exposure is simply not on the same level.

Zhang Wen walked slowly along the road.

The morning air was moist and carried the scent of fresh grass.

Everywhere you look along the road, you can see citizens exercising in the morning. The elderly are practicing Tai Chi, and Cantonese opera excerpts are playing on the radio. Young people are jogging, and pop songs are playing in their headphones, creating a vivid and lively urban scene.

Following the aroma, Zhang Wen arrived at an inconspicuous alley, which was filled with breakfast stalls, at least six or seven in total, and each of them had a signboard that read "Established Brand".

If it were someone else, they would definitely be troubled by which one to choose, but Zhang Wen was different; he decided to try them all.

"Boss, a bowl of congee, please." Zhang Wen walked into the first breakfast stall and found an empty seat to sit down.

"Okay," the owner, wearing an apron, replied.

Before long, a bowl of steaming hot porridge was served.

The thick rice porridge is filled with pork liver, lean meat and pork kidney, sprinkled with chopped green onions and pepper, and the aroma explodes in your nose instantly.

Zhang Wen scooped up a spoonful, blew on it, and just as he put it in his mouth, he caught a glimpse of two men in black windbreakers standing at the alley entrance, carrying heavy backpacks and glancing at him every now and then.

Is this... a reporter?
He had seen the two people outside the hotel, so he recognized them at a glance.

what's the situation?
Is anyone interested in him?
That's really boring.

Zhang Wen ignored it and continued to drink his porridge. He just couldn't understand why a songwriter like him, who was neither a popular celebrity nor had any scandals, was worth following.
He picked up the bowl, finished the rest of the porridge in a few gulps, and then got up and walked towards the second breakfast stall.

"Boss, one order of shrimp dumplings and steamed chicken feet, please..."

The two reporters at the alley entrance saw that he had changed shops and quietly moved away, but still stood in a position where they could see him, pretending to take pictures of the alley scenery with their phones.

Zhang Wen pretended not to see them, leisurely enjoying his food, silently feeling sorry for the two reporters. If they had followed those A-list celebrities, they might have been able to get some valuable footage, but following him would likely have led to disappointment.

Unless you're a reporter for a food channel.

After finishing the shrimp dumplings and chicken feet, Zhang Wen went to a third store and bought a custard bun. The sweet but not greasy taste was unforgettable.

Next came the fourth, the fifth, the sixth...

As for the two reporters, although they had been following them, their expressions had changed from initial caution to surprise.

This is probably the person who can eat the most among the targets they are filming.

They ended up eating at seven different breakfast shops in one go, having tried almost every breakfast stall in the alley. They seriously suspected that if the alley were longer and had more breakfast stalls, their target would definitely keep eating there.

As the sun rose higher, its rays shone on the bluestone path inside the box, giving it a gentle glow.

Zhang Wen rubbed his stomach, got up and left the last breakfast stall, heading towards the hotel.

Upon seeing this, the two reporters at the alley entrance immediately followed, maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

Zhang Wen walked the whole way, and the two reporters followed him the whole way, making Zhang Wen a little embarrassed. He wondered if he should strike up a conversation with a young lady to provide the two reporters with some news material, otherwise how would he explain it to his superiors when he got back?

Just as he was thinking about the reporter, he suddenly saw two stylishly dressed women walking towards him and quickly stopping in front of him.

"Teacher Zhang, could you please sign your autograph? We are your fans."

After saying that, he handed over the poster and pen.

Zhang Wen paused for a moment, his steps subconsciously halting.

It was a poster of the girl group Future Girls, featuring the five members. It would be more accurate to call them fans of Future Girls than his fans.

Since they are fans, there's no reason for them to refuse.

"How do you know me?" Zhang Wen asked casually while signing autographs.

The long-haired woman's eyes flickered, and she tightened her grip on her coffee cup. The short-haired woman next to her immediately replied, "We are also fans of Future Girls. We've been around the hotel. Yesterday, we saw you get out of the car with Future Girls, and we heard them call you Teacher Zhang, so we guessed that you are Teacher Zhang Wen."

Sure enough, it was just as he thought.

"Thank you for your support of Future Girls." Zhang Wen signed his name and returned the poster and pen.

The long-haired woman reached out to take it, but as she touched the poster, the coffee cup in her hand tilted abruptly, spilling brown liquid and leaving a large dark stain on her white clothes.

"Ouch!" the long-haired woman suddenly yelled, like a firecracker that had been lit, glaring at me and accusingly saying, "What's wrong with you? If you don't want to sign, you don't want to sign, so why did you spill my coffee all over me?"

"what?"

Zhang Wen was stunned; these words were utterly inexplicable.

Since you already have the coffee in your hand, why use this hand to take it? Are you trying to perform a juggling act?

"No, I didn't even touch the coffee in your hand, okay?" Zhang Wen felt wronged, even more wronged than the boy who was falsely accused by the fairy in the subway.

"If it wasn't you, then who was it? Did the coffee grow legs and jump up to splash me?" The long-haired woman persisted, her sharp voice instantly attracting the attention of those around her.

"Teacher Zhang, we kindly asked you for your autograph, and you not only refused, but you also physically bullied us. That's too much!" the short-haired woman shouted.

"I didn't!" Zhang Wen frowned. These two were acting in concert, and even if he was stupid, he could guess that this was obviously premeditated.

He subconsciously turned his head and, sure enough, saw the two reporters in black windbreakers who had been following him all along pointing their phones at him; they had obviously started taking pictures a long time ago.

When the two reporters saw Zhang Wen looking over, instead of avoiding him, they blatantly adjusted their angles, and one of them even deliberately pointed the camera at the coffee stains on the long-haired woman, as if they were taking pictures of evidence.

The surrounding chatter grew louder, and people started pointing and whispering. "Autographs? Is that man a celebrity?"

"Turns out it was a celebrity throwing a tantrum."

"All he wanted was an autograph, but he threw coffee on a fan. That's just too much."

"..."

These scattered comments rained down on Zhang Wen, making him even more certain that this was an elaborate farce.

Zhang Wen took a deep breath to calm himself down, his gaze returning to the two women, his tone icy, "Have you finished acting? Who sent you? Just state your purpose, no need to waste time here."

The long-haired woman felt a little flustered under Zhang Wen's gaze, her eyes darting around as she avoided eye contact. However, upon seeing the reporter recording the scene, she immediately regained her composure.

"What nonsense are you talking about? We're just fans. Can't we speak up when you bully us?" Then, looking around, she shouted, "Everyone come quick! Golden Melody Award nominee Zhang Wen is acting like a diva and bullying his fans!"

As she shouted, she pulled at her clothes, displaying the coffee stains on them to everyone.

In no time, the surrounding chatter grew louder and louder.

"Zhang Wen? Is he the songwriter?"

"A songwriter with such a big attitude?"

"These days, celebrities act humble when they're not famous, but as soon as they gain some fame, they become incredibly arrogant."

When the people around Zhang Wen looked at him, their eyes began to show obvious dissatisfaction, clearly disgusted by his 'diva' behavior.

Seeing that everyone was on her side, the long-haired woman's eyes flashed with smugness, but she put on a pitiful look and said aggrievedly, "If you didn't want to sign, you should have just said so. I wouldn't have asked you for an autograph. Why did you spill my coffee?"

"You spilled your coffee?" Zhang Wen repeated, then suddenly laughed. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly through the noisy crowd. "Then let me ask you, if you came here for an autograph, why are you holding a cup of coffee?"

The long-haired woman was clearly taken aback for a moment, then explained, "I just bought it, I haven't had a chance to drink it yet."

"So you used the hand holding the coffee cup to catch the poster?" Zhang Wen retorted, his gaze as sharp as an eagle's. "Everyone saw it; your right hand was holding the coffee, and your left hand was clearly free. Why did you insist on using your right hand to catch it? Did you think your left hand wasn't dexterous enough, or did you deliberately want the coffee to spill on yourself?"

Upon hearing this, the noisy crowd instantly fell silent, and many people showed puzzled expressions.

Yes, your right hand already has something, why would you use it to receive it? That's illogical. Who would receive something without using their hands?
"Furthermore..." Zhang Wen pressed on, continuing, "I clearly handed the poster to this short-haired female fan, why did you come over and try to snatch it? And with the hand that was holding the coffee?"

Upon hearing this, the long-haired woman panicked and stammered, unable to utter a single word.

"She, she's probably in too much of a hurry!" Seeing things were getting out of hand, the short-haired woman immediately jumped in to help, "My friend was so excited to see you that she panicked and made a fuss. Do you have to be so aggressive?"

"Am I being aggressive?" Zhang Wen looked at the two of them and asked with a sneer, "Then let me ask you another question. Since you are fans of Future Girls, then tell me what the names of the five members of Future Girls are?"

"Uh……"

The short-haired woman shuddered and quickly turned to look at the long-haired woman, as if to say: Answer me now.

However, the long-haired woman stood there blankly, as if to say: I don't know.

"What, can't answer?" Zhang Wen said loudly, "You keep saying you're a fan of the Future Girls group, but you can't even name the members. And you still say you have ulterior motives?"

"We...we're new fans, is that not allowed?" The short-haired woman thought for a long time before finally managing to utter a sentence.

"New fans? How do new fans know that the Future Girls group has come to Guangcheng? How do new fans know who I am?"

At this point, Zhang Wen suddenly looked at the two men in black windbreakers, pointed at them, and said, "These two are entertainment reporters. They've been following me since I left the hotel, probably waiting to capture this 'exciting' scene, right?"

The two reporters' expressions changed, and they instinctively tried to hide behind them.

The onlookers immediately realized what was happening and all looked at the two men.

"I saw them just now. They were sneaking around taking pictures, and I thought they were just passersby!"

"So they were in cahoots, trying to cause trouble on purpose!"

"That's going too far! They'll stop at nothing to smear someone!"

Public opinion instantly reversed, with all the blame falling on the two women and two men.

The long-haired woman and the short-haired woman, both pale-faced, exchanged a glance and instantly decided on their next plan.

"You're talking nonsense, I don't know either of these people," the short-haired woman shouted.

"Is it wrong to get too excited when you see a celebrity? I'm never following celebrities again, hmph!" The long-haired woman said, then turned and prepared to walk out of the crowd.

"Stop right there!" Zhang Wen sneered. "Trying to run away after framing me? Can't keep up the act here, so you're planning to cut up the video and post it online to continue framing me?"

"No, no, don't talk nonsense," the short-haired woman stammered, but her guilty look said it all.

Got guessed.

“Since you won’t admit it, that’s fine. There’s a place where we can clarify things,” Zhang Wen said with a smile.

"Where?" the long-haired woman asked, puzzled.

"Police station." Zhang Wen took out his phone and dialed 110 in front of everyone.

Upon hearing this, the two women turned deathly pale.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the two reporters tried to escape in the chaos. Zhang Wen reached out and grabbed one of them, pulling him back. As for the other one, he was blocked by the enthusiastic crowd.

After watching the excitement for so long, I have to wait for the finale.

Soon, police cars appeared.

Zhang Wen briefly explained what had happened, while the two women and two reporters continued to make excuses.

Because it involved false accusations and framing, and because the parties involved included celebrities and reporters, they were all taken back to the police station.

……

(End of this chapter)