A song called "The You of the Past" has prompted the entire internet to beg me not to leav

The cold wind outside the Olympic Center Square was still biting.

The back entrance to the Golden Melody Awards ceremony was dark and secluded.

Lin Yan carried a snakeskin urea bag containing nine pure copper gold-plated trophies in his left hand and put his right hand in his pocket, exuding the aura of an old man going to the market to buy ten pounds of potatoes.

Shen Qingqiu walked side by side. The sub-zero temperature made her wrap her four-pound military coat even tighter, and the fluffy fox fur collar accentuated her cool face, making her look even more charming.

"bite."

Lin Yan's phone vibrated; it was a WeChat message from Zhang Hai: "Lin Shen, can you play a couple of rounds of Black Myth with me? I've been stuck with Guangzhi for three days, I'm about to break!"

Lin Yan pursed his lips and replied, "If you're bad, practice more. If you can't handle it, don't play." He then casually put his phone back in his pocket.

Just then, behind a dark trash can at the corner of the passage, a trembling black figure crouched.

That's General Manager Zhao from Xingyao Entertainment.

At this moment, he was completely devoid of any of the demeanor of a major figure in the Chinese entertainment industry. The old man was wrapped in a wrinkled, tattered trench coat, with a bandage wrapped around his forehead from just being discharged from the ICU, and his eyes were as glazed over as a gaming god who had been staying up for three days and three nights straight in an internet cafe.

Xingyao's funding chain has completely broken down, and its executives have fled. The bankruptcy liquidation team will have to take over the Xingyao building as soon as the courts open tomorrow morning.

Mr. Zhao stared intently at the entrance to the passage, clutching a miniature high-sensitivity camera tightly in his hand.

He was unwilling to accept it. How could his life's work just vanish like that, while that poor trainee who was once used as a stepping stone could now flaunt nine Golden Melody Award trophies in a urea bag?

He's been squatting here in the cold tonight, determined to catch Lin Yan in a compromising situation with a powerful figure in the industry. If he can get a picture of Lin Yan accepting bribes or engaging in some unspeakable affair with Shen Qingqiu in the shadows, he can release it to a gossip magazine before he goes bankrupt, dragging Lin Yan down with him!

"They're here!"

Upon seeing Lin Yan and Shen Qingqiu, President Zhao's eyes turned red. He raised his camera and pounced out from behind the trash can!

"Lin Yan! You little beast, I'm going to expose your true colors today!" he roared hoarsely, like a desperate mad dog.

But he overlooked one important NPC.

David, the president of Universal Music Greater China who was ignored and left in the corridor by Lin Yan, never left!

As a Hollywood executive who had been given a death order by classical music master William to treat Lin Yan like a god, David was like an inseparable pendant, hanging two meters behind Lin Yan, racking his brains to figure out how to use US dollars to pry open the mouth of this Eastern God of Wealth.

Upon hearing the sudden roar from his side, David, a 200-pound American strongman who had played as an Ivy League football back in his youth, instantly went on high alert.

There's an assassin!

Someone is trying to harm Master William's only spiritual mentor!

Someone wants to cut off Universal Music Hollywood's biggest cash cow this year!

David's eyes instantly turned bloodshot. He didn't even see who rushed out; he only saw a madman wrapped in white cloth, wielding a black weapon, heading straight for Lin Yan's urea bag.

"Holy shit! This is robbery!"

David let out a thunderous roar, his 200-pound weight unleashing astonishing speed. He lowered his right shoulder and executed a textbook full-speed tackle in rugby.

"Bang!"

A dull thud that made your teeth ache.

Before Zhao could even touch the hem of Lin Yan's clothes, he was rammed head-on by this "American heavy tank." His fragile body, fresh out of the ICU, traced a tragic parabola in mid-air before crashing precisely and dully into the swill bucket filled with unsorted kitchen waste behind him.

"Splash..."

Rotten vegetable leaves, leftover soup, and an unknown viscous liquid instantly underwent a physical enchantment, completely engulfing Mr. Zhao.

That wasn't all. David, his eyes red, lunged forward, his knee pressing firmly against Mr. Zhao's back. He snatched the camera and smashed it against the wall with a "crack," then pulled out his suit tie and used it to tightly bind Mr. Zhao's hands behind his back.

The entire American-style Iaijutsu combo takes less than three seconds.

"Mr. Lin! Are you alright? Good heavens, how could the security in China allow such thugs to get close to you!" David wiped his sweat, turned around sharply to ask for credit, his expression clearly saying: Praise me, hurry up and sign the contract!

Lin Yan was stuffing caramelized melon seeds into her mouth when she heard the noise and slowly turned her head.

Looking at Boss Zhao, who was being shoved into a swill bucket, with a few rotten leek leaves on his head and his eyes rolling back in his head, he blinked innocently.

"Who is this?" Lin Yan poked at the camera wreckage on the ground with his toe.

Shen Qingqiu covered her nose in disgust and took a half step back, carefully examining the bald head covered in patina under the dim streetlights. Her tone was cold: "Looks familiar... Oh, it looks like President Zhao from Xingyao."

"General Manager Zhao?" Lin Yan chuckled. "Why is he here trying to snatch my sack instead of being in the ICU with tubes in his pocket? I still need to return this sack to the stagehand."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Zhao, who was being held down, was so angry that he spat out a mouthful of sour water that tasted like aged vinegar, rolled his eyes, and completely fainted.

In his last all-in hand of gambling, he didn't even finish reciting his lines before a foreigner forcibly performed a physical ritual to send him to his death.

David then realized this was an acquaintance, but remained completely calm, even puffing out his chest: "Mr. Lin, whoever he is, anyone who dares to threaten your safety will be put in jail for life! By the way, that $50 million cooperation..."

"Alright, stop with your magic." Lin Yan yawned, patted David on the shoulder, and said, "You were working pretty hard as a bodyguard earlier. Next month, get me a few sheet music scores for Western musical instruments. I'll just fill them in and call it a day."

David felt as if struck by lightning, and his whole body trembled violently.

Just fill it in randomly? Master William was right, this is the god of the East!

"Yes, sir! I'm at your service anytime!" David stood at attention and gave a perfectly standard 90-degree bow.

Lin Yan ignored the mess on the ground, picked up the urea bag, took Shen Qingqiu's hand, and strolled into the night.

The next morning at eight o'clock.

A major announcement suddenly appeared on the front page of major financial and entertainment sections.

[Starry Entertainment has officially declared bankruptcy and liquidation due to insolvency. Former president Zhao, suspected of disturbing public order and commercial fraud, was subdued by a Hollywood executive outside the central square and is now in police custody.]