Chapter 122: Ignorant of the Heights Above and the Depths Below

The reception room was on the top floor of the hotel.

On the way up, Xu Shaochen noticed the hotel’s renovation progress.

It must be said that the power of money is incredibly vast. Under the influence of cash, the major renovations were completed in such a short time that only minor adjustments remained.

Longguo is known as an infrastructure powerhouse. The speed of Longguo’s construction teams is undeniably impressive. As long as there’s enough money, they’ll build a house on barren land in no time.

“Miss Liu, what you’re doing is making things difficult for me. I’m just an employee—I can’t explain this to the Boss!”

“President Zhao, our Xiaoxue’s popularity in Jiangzhou has always been high. Her compensation should match her status, right?”

Just as they approached the reception room, they heard a heated argument inside—a man and a woman.

The man was Zhao Yun, and the woman was likely Zhou Xue’s agent, Liu Li.

Xu Shaochen frowned and glanced at the employee beside him.

The employee cautiously shook his head, indicating that he had no idea what was happening.

Xu Shaochen quickened his pace, and the employee followed suit, speeding up to open the office door for him.

There were three people in the office.

Zhao Yun and Liu Li were sitting across from each other, faces flushed with anger, clearly just having had an intense argument.

In one corner of the sofa sat a woman, around twenty years old, wearing denim shorts and looking quite pretty. She was the rising star of the music scene—Zhou Xue.

Zhou Xue’s expression was calm, but if you looked closely, you could catch a faint sense of pride on her face.

As soon as the office door opened, everyone inside looked toward the entrance.

“President Zhao, your hotel staff is really out of line. Don’t they know to knock before coming in?”

Liu Li glanced at Xu Shaochen with disdain, frowning and voicing her displeasure to Zhao Yun.

Zhao Yun had no time to bother with her. He quickly stepped forward and respectfully said, “Chairman Xu, why didn’t you notify me beforehand? I would have come down to greet you properly!”

Liu Li was stunned by this, her face turning an awkward shade of red. She hadn’t expected this young guy to be Zhao Yun’s boss.

Even Zhou Xue, sitting on the sofa, was momentarily surprised and glanced up at Xu Shaochen, astonished by his youth.

However, she didn’t take it seriously. She had always held herself in high esteem, walking the path of an international star.

She certainly didn’t think much of these nouveau riche types.

“What’s going on? I could hear your voices from outside.”

Xu Shaochen’s gaze swept over Zhou Xue and Liu Li before turning to Zhao Yun, frowning as he asked.

Zhao Yun looked troubled as he explained, “Chairman Xu, we had already agreed on Zhou Missy’s compensation a couple of days ago, but now she’s suddenly demanding a higher price. The news has already gone out that Zhou Missy will perform at the grand opening, so this puts us in a tough spot.”

Hearing this, Xu Shaochen’s expression darkened slightly. A last-minute price hike was essentially a form of coercion.

The opening was drawing near, and the news of Zhou Xue’s performance had already been announced.

But if they didn’t agree to the price hike, Zhou Xue wouldn’t perform. If that happened, the opening ceremony could be ruined. That’s why the other side was so confident in demanding more money.

“Chairman Xu, you’re indeed young and promising. I’m sure you know our Xiaoxue’s songs. You must be aware of her popularity. Her appearance fee needs to be increased to one million; otherwise, we’ll refuse to perform, and the consequences will be yours to bear.”

Liu Li smiled at Xu Shaochen, but her words were overbearing, as if she had already won.

Originally, she had asked for the fee to be bumped from fifty thousand to eighty thousand. But after seeing Xu Shaochen, she raised it to a million.

In her eyes, Xu Shaochen was just a young upstart. Tricking him should be easy, right?

“Heh, sorry. I haven’t heard of any third-rate singer’s garbage songs.”

Xu Shaochen smiled faintly, showing a disdainful expression.

Did they really think Xu Shaochen was an easy mark? Did they think his money was so easily earned?

While Zhou Xue had gained some minor fame in Jiangzhou, she had only debuted a year ago. And she was asking for a million as an appearance fee?

This was clearly an attempt to swindle him, treating him like a fool.

Hearing this, Zhou Xue’s face immediately darkened. She raised her head and glared angrily at Xu Shaochen, coldly saying, “Sister Liu, let’s go.”

As she spoke, she stood up to leave.

In her eyes, Xu Shaochen was just another nouveau riche. If it weren’t for the money, she wouldn’t have bothered meeting someone like him.

But now, Xu Shaochen had the nerve to insult her as a third-rate singer. How could she stand for that?

Although she was indeed a third-rate singer, it felt completely different when someone else said it.

“Hmph! Chairman Xu, I hope you won’t regret this. Best of luck with your grand opening.”

Liu Li snorted coldly, her words dripping with undisguised threat.

Xu Shaochen had already announced Zhou Xue’s performance. If she didn’t show up on the opening day, how would they handle the fallout?

“If you dare walk out that door, I’ll make sure you aren’t even a third-rate singer anymore.”

Xu Shaochen’s eyes gleamed coldly as he spoke without turning his head.

If he remembered correctly, Zhou Xue was signed to Shengshi Entertainment Company.

And as Linda had said, Shengshi Entertainment was also one of his Xu family’s enterprises.

Dealing with someone like Zhou Xue would be as easy as crushing an ant.

Just a little actress who couldn’t even make it to the main stage, and she dared to give Xu Shaochen attitude? Truly ignorant of the heights above and the depths below.

Liu Li and Zhou Xue paused instinctively for a moment, then smirked disdainfully before strutting out of the office.

“Chairman Xu…” Zhao Yun looked at Xu Shaochen nervously, wanting to say something but hesitating.

Xu Shaochen’s face darkened as he pulled out his Phone and dialed Linda’s number. “Get in touch with Shengshi Entertainment and have Liu Li fired and blacklisted within the company. Also, cancel all Zhou Xue’s business engagements. However long her contract lasts, keep her benched for that long. I want her to disappear from the public eye.”

She had barely enjoyed a taste of fame and had already forgotten her place. Since that’s the case, I’ll help her understand reality.

A third-rate starlet is nothing in the face of capital.

“Chairman Xu, should I try to contact other stars and see if they can adjust their schedules?”

After Xu Shaochen hung up the Phone, Zhao Yun cautiously made his suggestion.

Xu Shaochen sneered and resolutely said, “No, I want Zhou Xue to sing. Whether she wants to or not, she will.”

With that, Xu Shaochen walked over to the sofa and sat down.

He was waiting. Waiting for Zhou Xue to bow her head.

Seeing this, Zhao Yun quickly poured Xu Shaochen a glass of red wine and respectfully stood by.