Chapter 145: A Twist of Fate at Wudi City

“The exact address? Let me check it!”

Xu Chen pulled out his business card; he hadn’t paid close attention to the address earlier.

“36 North Street, Wudi City.”

After squinting to make out the handwriting, Xu Chen read the address aloud.

“Wudi City? I can’t believe it—it’s within Wudi City! Mingsha Tourism’s internal guesthouse is top-notch. I thought it would be on Qing Brick Avenue.”

Hearing the address, Wang He couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise from the side.

“Top-notch?”

“Yeah. Wudi City is Mingsha Tourism’s new guesthouse launched before the tourism festival. Besides the boost from the drama Snowy Series, the construction standard surpasses that of the guesthouses on Qing Brick Avenue and in Qixia Town. Rooms are snapped up as soon as they’re available! Some scalpers are even reselling them for as high as 2,000 each.”

Coming back to reality, Wang He explained.

“Scalpers for booking rooms?”

Xu Chen couldn’t help but widen his eyes in disbelief.

He was accustomed to scalpers in other industries, but this was his first encounter with guesthouse scalpers.

“Right? Snowy Series made them hot commodities. Staying in Wudi City is a stroke of luck. By the way, Mr. Xu, Wudi City is quite distant from here. How are we getting there? By carriage, camel, or even ostrich? Traveling in Mingsha is unique—you might as well enjoy the experience.”

Wang He nodded in agreement.

“Ostrich?”

Xu Chen felt his mind struggling to keep up.

“Yeah, right at the exit of the parking lot. Mr. Xu, isn’t that one visible in the distance? Mingsha Tourism really knows how to serve its guests—no wonder they rose so quickly.”

With a casual gesture, Wang He pointed to the front.

The conversation veered in two directions:

In Yan City, in a western-style residential community inside the Fourth Ring,

Xu Hao’s second sister, Xu Xin, sat awkwardly at a coffee table while a striking young man and a middle-aged woman sat across from her.

“Sister Zhao, isn’t 30 million too high?”

After a long pause, Xu Xin spoke.

“30 million isn’t high at all. For someone with Xiao Xuan’s status, it’s normal. Other first-tier stars start at 40 to 50 million.”

The middle-aged woman gave Xu Xin a cool glance.

“Sister Zhao, we’ve worked together before. For old times’ sake, can you lower it a bit?”

Xu Xin took a deep breath, her face reflecting helplessness.

The young man, named Feng Xuan, had once been an artist under Longhai Brokerage. After the Xu Family incident, Longhai Brokerage was acquired entirely by Heyun Brokerage. Coincidentally, Feng Xuan’s contract had just ended, so he left Heyun Brokerage and set up his own studio.

The middle-aged woman, Li Ying, was Feng Xuan’s manager and had been a department head at Longhai Brokerage.

They came to negotiate for Feng Xuan’s endorsement, hoping for a lower fee, but Li Ying proved even tougher.

Although Feng Xuan had branched out independently, he was still considered a second-tier star. A normal endorsement fee of 10 to 20 million was already quite good.

“In these times, old favors don’t come cheap! Since Mr. Xu is here to talk business, let’s not drag old memories into it.”

Looking at Xu Xin’s pleading expression, Li Ying felt a strange satisfaction.

Once upon a time,

every time she met Xu Xin, she would respectfully call her ‘Mr. Xu.’

But now, Xu Xin made her call her ‘Sister Li.’

As for the endorsement?

She had no intention of accepting Xu Xin’s offer. The Xu Family was no longer what it used to be; even sorting out endorsement fees was challenging. Any misstep could later damage Feng Xuan’s image.

“Well, then. Forget it!”

At this point, Xu Xin could read the other party’s attitude clearly. She knew sticking around would only bring more embarrassment.

“Then we won’t see you off, Mr. Xu!”

Li Ying glanced at Xu Xin without any effort to persuade her.

“Goodbye!”

After Xu Xin left, Feng Xuan finally spoke, “Sister Li, didn’t you think we went too far? After all, she used to be my boss and treated me well.”

“Too far? Not at all—business is business! Besides, we can’t afford any further dealings with the Xu Family lest things blow up again.”

Li Ying laughed wryly.

“But—”

“Enough about Xu Xin. Yesterday, I got some insider news from Haofang Culture about their third period costume drama. Start preparing properly.”

After a brief pause, Li Ying continued,

“A casting? So soon?”

Feng Xuan scratched his head.

“Yes. This is your chance. Haofang Culture had two hit dramas in a row. Even though the third one hasn’t officially revealed a title yet, it’s already stirring up buzz.

With Haofang’s strength and the backing of Mingsha Tourism, the ratings will surely be high once the drama airs.

If you land the lead role, you’ll definitely break into the top tier.”

Li Ying nodded emphatically.

In the entertainment circle, Haofang Culture was like a dark horse that had burst onto the scene—a coveted prize for many actors. Many industry insiders remarked that Mingsha Tourism’s second drama only employed the County Troupe’s personnel. Otherwise, even a minor celebrity could be propelled to first-tier status.

As for the feud between Haofang Culture and the Director Association, major actor studios in Long Kingdom didn’t care much. As long as the project promised hits, who wouldn’t want their drama? Even if a top director was involved, without capital, he’d eventually fizzle out.

“But I haven’t even seen a script. How am I supposed to prepare?”

Feng Xuan couldn’t help but add,

“For now, just practice your stage presence. I heard that in no more than half a month, Haofang Culture will invite auditions for their favorite actors. I’ll see what I can do.

Director Fang from Haofang Culture used to work with a friend of mine.”

Li Ying waved her hand, signaling Feng Xuan not to worry.

“Alright then!”

Time slipped by, and soon it was 11 in the morning. “Mr. Xu, you’re not mistaken about the address, are you?”

Staring at the antique main gate before him, Wang He was completely stunned.

After obtaining the address from Xu Chen, they had finally ridden ostriches to the Wudi City gate, winding through the streets until they found 36 North Street.

Inside Wudi City, there were many guesthouses and shops, but 36 North Street stood out. The main gate alone exuded a sense of gravitas.

The courtyard’s brick wall was unlike any other guesthouse’s; its upper levels were adorned with intricately carved patterns, and the silhouettes of trees beyond the wall were barely visible.

In short, the initial impression was that of a private residence for high-ranking officials, not an internal guesthouse.

If an internal guesthouse were to be of this caliber, the leaders at Mingsha Tourism must be incredibly well-connected to reserve such an exquisite place for themselves rather than for high-end guests.

“It has to be right!”

Almost subconsciously, Xu Chen glanced at his business card and then at the small wooden sign hanging on the side of the gate.

It read: 36 North Street, Wudi City—word for word! “Could it be that the staff made an error?”

Wang He still found it hard to believe.

“Alright, I’ll call my buddy. He should be arriving soon!”

Came back to his senses, Xu Chen said.

At that moment, he and Wang He shared the same thought.

“That works!”

Ding-ding-ding. Coincidentally, just when Xu Chen was about to call Xu Hao, his phone rang first.

Noticing it, Xu Chen signaled to Wang He and stepped aside to answer.

“Second Sister, what’s wrong?”

It turned out the call was from Xu Xin.

“Things aren’t going great over here.”

A moment later, Xu Xin’s voice came through, laced with disappointment.

“I told you not to rely on the artists from Longhai Brokerage, but you wouldn’t listen! Have you been kicked out? I always said you should look for artists with no ties to Longhai Brokerage—after all, it’s no more!”

Xu Chen furrowed his brows.

“Pretty much. By the way, how are things on your end?”

Xu Xin sighed.

Accustomed to smooth sailing in the past, a series of setbacks now hit hard.

“My progress isn’t smooth, but there’s hope. I should have results by the day after tomorrow.”

“Is this regarding the costume project by Mingsha Tourism?”

“Yes. I’m actually in the tourist area where Mingsha Tourism is located right now!”

“Mingsha County? Have you called Old Six? Met up with him? Is he doing alright over there?”

Xu Xin asked immediately.

It was clear that despite her reserved nature, Xu Xin cared deeply about the unpredictable Old Six in the family.

“I did. He’ll be coming around shortly. Looks like Old Six is living much better than we imagined—one phone call and our accommodation issue was sorted out.”

“That’s good. When you see him, please say hi for me. Tell him I’ll drop by once I’ve sorted this mess, and I won’t call him again until then.”

“Alright!”

“Take care, and keep me updated with any news on your end.”

Perhaps relieved by Xu Chen’s remark about Old Six, Xu Xin’s tone lightened noticeably.

“Okay!”

After hanging up, Xu Chen let out a weary sigh before dialing Xu Hao’s number.

Old Two had faced setbacks; he just hoped things would go smoothly over there.

Otherwise, how could the Xu Family possibly hold on?

Brrring, brrring—after a few rings, the call was answered.

“Third Brother!”

Xu Hao’s voice came through the phone, with faint noises of commotion in the background.

“Old Six, we’ve reached the internal guesthouse you arranged, but something doesn’t feel right—this place doesn’t look like an internal guesthouse at all.”

Glancing instinctively toward the distant main gate, Xu Chen asked,

“Huh? You’re already there? I just arrived at the city gate, thinking you were wandering inside. I was about to call to ask where you were.”

Soon enough, Xu Hao’s voice returned.

“Old Six, could you confirm the guesthouse address? If it’s not suitable, we’ll head to the new address. Let’s meet there.”

Xu Chen inquired.

“Let me think—the address should be 36 North Street, Wudi City. By the way, Third Brother, did you go on your own? Didn’t any staff accompany you for the entire reception?”

Xu Hao asked, a tone of confusion creeping into his voice.