"Then as you wish. You find a hotel, I'm in a hurry."
Chen Jinzhao's words made Zhuang Xiaoyue giggle. She knew Chen Jinzhao wasn't that kind of person and was clearly teasing her back.
Seeing Chen Jinzhao's serious expression, Zhuang Xiaoyue gradually stopped smiling.
"Brother Chen, that joke isn't funny at all," she said.
Chen Jinzhao retorted, "Why do you think I'm not serious?"
Zhuang Xiaoyue's gaze shifted from his stern face. She rested her hands on the chair, her legs dangling and swaying, and looked at the calm lake surface. "Because Brother Chen looks down on people like me. It's impossible for you to do something like that with me. In Brother Chen's eyes, I'm just a dirty woman."
Chen Jinzhao was taken aback, shook his head, and said, "I won't touch you, but not for the reason you mentioned."
Zhuang Xiaoyue's eyes also showed surprise.
Chen Jinzhao continued, "You're a good girl. I also have to thank you for helping us out of a tight spot at the hotel last time. Without your words, President Yu and I might have found ourselves in an awkward situation."
This was a sincere statement.
Hearing Chen Jinzhao's praise, Zhuang Xiaoyue became a little shy.
She lowered her head, looking at her black canvas shoes, and said with a complex tone, "Only Brother Chen wouldn't mind that I'm a dirty woman. I'm happy I could help Brother Chen. It's just that I can't explain to my master. My master is my whole life. Without him, I would have died long ago. Now I'm confused and don't know what to do."
"You pour your heart into Fang Mingchao. How does he treat you?" Chen Jinzhao asked.
Zhuang Xiaoyue said solemnly, "Master treats me very well. He doesn't make me do those things anymore. He also promised me that after he deals with you, he'll take me to live on a small island abroad, and we'll never come back to the world."
Chen Jinzhao: "..."
This girl truly had no ulterior motives, even telling him such things.
But it also proved that Zhuang Xiaoyue had no intention of harming him.
"Do you think what Fang Mingchao is doing is wrong?" Chen Jinzhao tried to make Zhuang Xiaoyue understand the difference between good and evil.
Zhuang Xiaoyue shook her head repeatedly. "I don't know if what he's doing is good or bad. All I can do is follow his orders. I don't care about anything else."
Chen Jinzhao fell silent.
It seemed unlikely he could use Zhuang Xiaoyue as a breakthrough.
He didn't want to make things difficult for Zhuang Xiaoyue.
"I understand. You can go. This is between Fang Mingchao and me," Chen Jinzhao said.
Zhuang Xiaoyue understood Chen Jinzhao's determination to kill Fang Mingchao. As she got up, she hesitated for a long time before asking, "If, if Fang Mingchao falls into your hands one day, will you kill him?"
Chen Jinzhao looked up at Zhuang Xiaoyue. "If he had shown mercy back then, I would have spared his life."
Zhuang Xiaoyue pursed her lips, understanding Chen Jinzhao's meaning. She said goodbye and lowered her head, leaving the park. She knew that from today onwards, she and Chen Jinzhao could no longer be considered friends.
Strictly speaking, they were now enemies.
On the way back, Zhuang Xiaoyue kept wondering if Fang Mingchao had done something wrong.
In the end.
Zhuang Xiaoyue shook her head, unwilling to think deeply.
Even if Fang Mingchao had done wrong, she would follow him to the end, even if it meant opposing the world.
Meanwhile.
Chen Jinzhao sat by the lake for a while before heading home.
Life was like that, gaining and losing.
After returning home, he mentioned the matter to Yu Mengzhi. Yu Mengzhi also sighed, "Everyone has their own choices. How they walk their path is up to them; outsiders cannot interfere."
"It's a shame, though. Such a good girl."
Chen Jinzhao sighed, feeling a sense of helplessness.
"Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you something," Yu Mengzhi said, looking at Chen Jinzhao. "Yaoyao came looking for you this afternoon, but you weren't here."
"Why was she looking for me?" Chen Jinzhao asked, confused.
Yu Mengzhi replied, "It seems she wanted you to accompany her to her agency. She's planning to participate in a talent show and needs to sign with an agency first. If you're busy, I can call her and explain."
Chen Jinzhao said with a laugh, "So that's what it was. Why didn't that girl just call me directly?"
"I don't know about that," Yu Mengzhi replied.
Actually.
She understood Xu Yaoyao's intention. She was afraid Yu Mengzhi would misunderstand her relationship with Chen Jinzhao.
It was a way of reporting her activities.
Thinking of this, Yu Mengzhi's expression turned strange, and she secretly mused, "That's odd. Why do I feel like I'm playing the role of a harem matriarch?"
"Have you considered it?" she asked.
Chen Jinzhao thought for a moment and said, "I'll go with her. If her grandfather finds out, he definitely won't agree with her taking this path. Right now, I'm the only one she can trust."
Yu Mengzhi was not a petty woman. She nodded and said, "If there's anything I can help with, just let her ask me. Don't be shy."
At seven in the evening.
Chen Jinzhao arrived at the entrance of Linzhou University and immediately spotted Xu Yaoyao in a white dress. Xu Yaoyao had clearly seen Chen Jinzhao too and waved at him before running over.
"Brother Jinzhao, I thought you weren't coming," Xu Yaoyao said with a hint of childishness in her voice. Chen Jinzhao raised his hand and ruffled her hair, chuckling, "I don't have any missions these days, so I can go with you and see the world."
"Let's go now."
Xu Yaoyao nodded obediently.
On the way to the agency, Chen Jinzhao learned some basic information about the company from Xu Yaoyao. The company was called Dynasty Entertainment, a veteran agency with considerable strength in the entertainment industry, boasting several artists with high popularity.
"The manager of this agency's Ninghai branch is the one we're meeting tonight. If all goes well, we'll sign the contract tonight," Xu Yaoyao said.
Chen Jinzhao didn't understand the intricacies. He figured no one would dare to trick Xu Yaoyao, and as long as it wasn't a contract of servitude, he wouldn't interfere.
Half an hour later.
The two arrived at Dynasty Entertainment.
The branch manager was a woman over forty. Her name was Cheng Xue. It was hard to tell her age from her appearance; she looked more like someone in her early thirties.
Cheng Xue personally stood at the company entrance to welcome Xu Yaoyao, even holding her hand and showing great concern, like an elder.
After a thorough appraisal, Cheng Xue was very pleased with Xu Yaoyao and beamed with joy. Then, her gaze shifted to Chen Jinzhao.
It was only then.
Cheng Xue noticed Chen Jinzhao's presence, and her brow furrowed slightly. "Yaoyao, this is..."
"Didn't I tell you? To enter this industry, you can't be in a relationship. Otherwise, it will seriously affect your acting career."
"Tell him to leave. You shouldn't contact him anymore."