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

Early the next morning.

"Don't Want to Go to Work Entertainment Group" Headquarters, President's Office.

For the first time ever, Lin Yan wore a formal suit. Although he didn't wear a tie and unbuttoned two buttons, his usual slovenly demeanor was replaced by an unusual seriousness.

Opposite him sat music director Lao Liang, artist director Chen Yu, and Xue Zhiqian, who had just been promoted to vice president of the group.

The three of them were somewhat flattered as Lin Yan personally poured them tea.

"Brother Yan, you're acting a bit strange today," Chen Yu said first, still habitually calling Lin Yan that.

Lin Yan pushed a newly printed document in front of the three people.

"I plan to hold a concert."

The three were not surprised to hear this. With Lin Yan's current popularity and body of work, holding a concert was a natural progression.

Old Liang picked up the documents, nodding as he read them: "It's time to open. I have resources for the stadium, a venue with 80,000 seats. As long as you agree, I can get it for you in no time. Publicity, ticketing, security—we'll handle everything, and I guarantee it'll be a resounding success!"

"No." Lin Yan shook his head and held up one finger.

"I want to drive there."

He pointed out the floor-to-ceiling window to the magnificent building in the distance, which resembled a giant bird's nest.

Beijing, the National Stadium—the Bird's Nest!

The document in Lao Liang's hand fell to the ground with a "thud".

"The Bird's Nest...?!" Xue Zhiqian exclaimed, jumping up from the sofa in shock. "Brother Yan, you're not kidding, are you? That's a venue for 100,000 people! And... it's a national landmark; the approval process is extremely strict. It's not something you can just buy with money! Many superstars have applied for years and still haven't gotten approval!"

"I know." Lin Yan's expression remained calm. "That's why I called you here."

He assigned tasks. Lao Liang was responsible for assembling a top-notch team for stage design, lighting, and sound; Chen Yu and Xue Zhiqian were responsible for contacting all the artists in the "Don't Want to Work" family and coordinating their schedules; and he himself was responsible for the most difficult part—venue approval.

Over the next week, the studio used all its connections and resources to submit an application to the Bird's Nest venue.

Unsurprisingly, it was rejected.

The reasons given were exactly the same as those given by Xue Zhiqian: the applicant artists had no experience in organizing large-scale concerts, the project was too large, the security risks were uncontrollable, and there were no available slots in the near future.

Looking at the cold, official wording in the email, Lao Liang was extremely anxious.

"What are we going to do? These officials are completely unyielding!"

Lin Yan sat in his office, gazing at the Bird's Nest stadium outside the window, remaining silent for a long time. Then, he picked up the red, encrypted "dedicated line phone" and dialed Old Li's number.

"Mr. Li, it's me."

"You brat, you still know how to call me?" Old Li sounded quite pleased on the other end of the line. "Last time you asked me to inquire about the Bird's Nest venue, I asked around, and it's definitely a bit difficult. That place... has a lot of rules."

"Mr. Li," Lin Yan took a deep breath and said solemnly, "this concert is very important to me. I'm not doing this just for the sake of holding a concert; I... want to propose to my girlfriend."

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

A full half minute passed before Old Li spoke again, his voice filled with disbelief, surprise, and excitement.

"A marriage proposal?! To that girl Qingqiu?"

"Um."

"Hahahaha! Good! Good lad! You've got potential!" Boss Li laughed, his voice booming and deafening. "You just wait!"

After saying that, he hung up the phone.

……

Meanwhile, the Bird's Nest venue management office.

In the director's office, a middle-aged man with a receding hairline was leisurely sipping tea while listening to his subordinates report on their work.

"Director, that 'Don't Want to Work Entertainment Group' has submitted another application, still wanting to rent our venue, but we rejected it according to procedure."

"Okay, I got it." The director waved his hand dismissively. "A greenhorn who's just starting out thinks he can climb the Bird's Nest? Does he think this is his backyard? Tell them not to waste their energy."

Just then, the red telephone on his desk, which almost never rang, suddenly started ringing shrilly.

The director shuddered and almost dropped the teacup he was holding.

He answered the phone in a flustered manner, his back instantly bending down, his face filled with a humble smile.

"Feed?...Yes, yes, I'm Xiao Wang...What...what are your instructions?"

On the other end of the phone, only a dignified and aged voice spoke a few words.

The director's face went from fawning to shock, then to terror, and finally turned deathly pale.

After hanging up the phone, he felt as if all his bones had been removed, slumped into a chair, cold sweat streaming down his forehead.

"Master... what's wrong?" the subordinate asked cautiously.

The director snapped back to his senses, jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and roared at his subordinates:

"What to do? And he's asking me what to do?! Hurry up! Find that Lin Yan's application for me! No! Draft a new one! Use the highest-level S-class cooperation agreement! He can have whichever day he wants! He can have whatever equipment he wants! He can have the stars in the sky, you'd better find a way to pluck them down for me!"

The subordinate was completely bewildered by the outburst: "But...but Director, didn't the higher-ups say..."

"Up there?" The director pointed to the red phone, his voice trembling. "This! It's right at the top! Just now, it was Elder Zhang from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism who called personally! Elder Zhang said that President Li Mingchang of the China Musicians Association personally delivered a message to him, saying that Lin Yan is getting married and wants to hold a ceremony at the Bird's Nest! Elder Li said, 'I'll pay for his wedding!' Listen to that! That's a lot of weighty words!"

The entire office was completely silent.

Everyone was stunned by this sentence, which contained a huge amount of information.

For a national treasure like Li Mingchang to say, "I'm willing to pay for it," just who is Lin Yan?!

Half an hour later.

Lin Yan's phone received a WeChat message from Lao Liang, followed by a long string of exclamation marks.

"Brother Yan!!!! It's approved!!!! The Bird's Nest is approved!!!! Not only did they approve it, but they also offered us their best slot in October, saying they'd give us a 50% discount on all venue fees!!!!"

Lin Yan looked at the information and a knowing smile appeared on his face.

Sometimes, connections within the national team are more useful than money.

He put away his phone, looked up at the clock on the wall, and saw that it was already 10 p.m.

I need to hurry home.

If he keeps leaving early and coming home late like this, his wife's jealousy is about to explode.

For the next two weeks, Shen Qingqiu acted very strangely.

Specifically, the way she looked at Lin Yan was very strange.

Before, her eyes were full of affection, gentleness, and starlight.

Now, her eyes are filled with suspicion, scrutiny, and a hint of grievance.

The cause is very simple.

The man who once took "leaving get off work on time" and "paid slacking off" as his ultimate life motto, and who wished he could spend 24 hours a day on the beanbag chair, has changed.

He started leaving early and returning late.

In the morning, while she was still asleep, he was already dressed and out the door.

That night, she was putting on a face mask and getting ready for bed when he dragged himself home, exhausted, carrying a strange smell of dust and sweat that she had never smelled before.

He became very busy and mysterious.

Several times, she saw him holding his phone, hiding on the balcony, talking on the phone in a low voice, and hanging up immediately as soon as he saw her coming.

When asked, he said it was a "secret project of the studio" and added, "I'll give you a surprise later."

surprise?

Shen Qingqiu was only feeling frightened.

A woman's innate sixth sense told her that something was going on, and it was something big.

Could it be... that he's gotten arrogant?

The moment this thought popped into Shen Qingqiu's head, he was startled.

She quickly shook her head.

impossible.

Lin Yan isn't that kind of person. He wouldn't even bother with a $50 million deal from Hollywood, so how could he be blinded by fame and fortune?

Then... could it be that there are other "little devils" outside?

This thought made Shen Qingqiu's heart clench suddenly.

Countless young, beautiful, and hot faces flashed through her mind—those women who, in various situations, tried to cling to Lin Yan…

The more she thought about it, the more suffocated she felt.

No, we can't just sit here and wait to die any longer.

Shen Qingqiu decided to personally investigate and uncover the truth about this "secret project"!

That evening, Lin Yan, as usual, said after dinner that he had to go to the company to deal with some urgent matters.

Shen Qingqiu nodded calmly and watched him leave.

Once Lin Yan's car left the villa area, she immediately changed into a low-key black tracksuit, put on a baseball cap and a mask, got into the most inconspicuous Beetle in the garage, and quietly followed him.

Lin Yan's black Mercedes-Benz G-Class drove through the night, not heading to the headquarters of "Don't Want to Work Entertainment Group" in the CBD, but... heading north.

Shen Qingqiu's heart sank little by little.