Chapter 134: Cheng Chen and Sister Chang

December 31, 2003.

Today is the last day of 2003.

At a company in Jingcheng, 1:30 p. m.

Xu Tianju arrived at the company early; he was an IT guy, thirty years old, having struggled in Jingcheng for over a decade.

He had finally bought a house of his own in Jingcheng, though it was small—only seventy square meters.

But it was enough for his parents back home to boast to everyone that their son had bought a house in Jingcheng and now held a Jingcheng household registration.

Although he had become the pride of his parents' lips, one thing remained their greatest worry.

A daughter-in-law… still nowhere in sight.

Every year during the New Year, Xu Tianju was scolded by his parents over this matter.

Last year's New Year even ended with them telling him not to come home unless he brought a girlfriend.

The entire holiday was ruined; on the first day of the New Year, their son packed his bag and returned to Jingcheng.

But his parents were also terrified inside— their son was already thirty.

They had never once heard him mention any female friend.

Every year when he returned, all he talked about was how capable his team was and what software they had developed.

The software meant nothing to his parents, but the ones he praised most were always the young men under him.

This left his parents feeling uneasy; they had heard from villagers who returned from working in the city about how chaotic city life had become.

There were even men who liked men—could their own son be…

Thinking of this, his parents grew even more anxious and fearful.

They called him almost every few days, pressuring him to find a girlfriend.

Xu Tianju was also worn out by his parents' constant pressure.

He wanted to find a girlfriend too, but reality seemed to be glitching on him.

The women he liked didn't like him; the ones who liked him weren't all women…

But recently, he had set his eyes on a new receptionist at the company—sweet and adorable in appearance.

The moment he first saw this girl,

it felt as if a winged brat had shot an arrow straight into his butt…

He secretly observed the receptionist and noticed she spent her time only going to and from work, then going home.

She had no bad habits—well, fandom probably didn't count…

He heard she liked a celebrity named Cheng Chen.

During lunch breaks, she sat at the reception desk, headphones on, quietly listening to songs.

She would hum a few lyrics, and Xu Tianju heard them clearly—it was a song called "Blue and White Porcelain."

He had heard this song before and knew the singer was named Cheng Chen.

Determined to pursue the receptionist, Xu Tianju decided to gather all information about Cheng Chen.

Finally, he pinpointed the most crucial detail: Cheng Chen was holding a concert.

And it was scheduled for December 31st.

Instantly, a word flashed in Xu Tianju's mind:

"New Year's Eve!"

Then he imagined himself at the lively concert, listening to Cheng Chen sing "Blue and White Porcelain."

Behind him, dazzling fireworks exploded; amid the crowd singing together, he would confess his feelings to the receptionist…

What a beautiful, romantic scene!

Putting aside his fantasy, Xu Tianju immediately acted; as team leader of the development group, his execution was astonishing.

Unable to buy tickets to Cheng Chen's concert, he inquired everywhere and finally purchased two tickets from a scalper.

Yes, the price hurt his wallet.

But there was no code that couldn't be patched, and no bug that couldn't be conquered.

He had also prepared everything in advance: the flowers for his confession, the down jacket he bought for the cold night, the candlelit dinner after a successful proposal.

All these steps were ready…

"Ahem, Xiao Ya, are you free tonight? I have two tickets to Cheng Chen's concert—"

"You have tickets to Cheng Chen's concert?!!"

Before Xu Tianju could finish, Xiao Ya, the receptionist, stared at him in shock—this usually quiet and reserved Team Leader Xu.

"Team Leader Xu, could you sell me one of your Cheng Chen concert tickets? I've been trying to get one for ages—please, I beg you."

Xu Tianju had met many women through matchmaking, but never felt anything.

Yet when Xiao Ya clasped her hands to her chest, blinked her big eyes, and gazed at him with pure pleading,

his heartbeat suddenly skipped half a beat, and a loud "Boom—" echoed in his head.

An unprecedented sense of fulfillment flooded his chest.

He immediately slapped his chest loudly and declared with grandeur:

"It's just a ticket—how much are you willing to pay?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, both Xiao Ya and Xu Tianju froze.

Xu Tianju instantly wanted to slap himself—what the hell did I just say?!

I was supposed to give her the ticket and invite her to watch Cheng Chen's concert together for New Year's Eve!

"Um… Team Leader Xu, where are your tickets seated?"

Xiao Ya quickly recovered and asked softly.

"No, no, I'm not planning to sell it now."

"Huh?"

"No, no, what I mean is you can't buy it…"

The more nervous he became, the more tongue-tied he grew; finally, he just placed the ticket on Xiao Ya's desk and said:

"It's free—I'm giving it to you…"

Then he fled in panic.

Xiao Ya held the long-coveted ticket, watching Xu Tianju's retreating back, murmuring:

"Group Leader Xu is such a good person…"

Beijing Workers' Stadium.

Beijing Workers' Stadium publicly claims to hold sixty thousand people, but this is merely an estimate.

With a bit more space squeezed out, sixty thousand people could indeed fit.

Still, the viewing experience in the back rows would suffer greatly.

Accordingly, official pricing for back-row tickets was set very low, but later inflated by scalpers.

Even so, tickets remained impossible to get.

Previously, Cheng Chen had worried that finding a venue for sixty thousand people would be difficult.

After all, in past years, pop stars' concerts rarely drew more than thirty or forty thousand.

A fifty-thousand-person concert was already a rarity; let alone sixty thousand.

After all, this was a sixty-thousand-person venue—it wasn't sixty thousand straw men planted wherever they landed.

Large gatherings placed a considerable burden on a city.

This included conducting risk and vulnerability assessments of the venue.

Second, three protective rings must be established around the venue.

The outer ring, with access control at entry points, prevented any weapons or explosives from entering.

Next, the middle ring consisted of plainclothes security and police patrolling inside the area.

Finally, the inner ring protected the performers and VIP spectators.

A threat assessment of the event was preferable.

After determining the threat level, additional security measures had to be added as needed.

The more people, the more complex the crowd control procedures became.

This was why Cheng Chen chose to hold his first concert in Jingcheng.

As a first-tier capital city, Jingcheng had ample experience hosting major events.

It had comprehensive strategies ready for any possible scenarios.

Yet, for a sixty-thousand-person venue in this era, Cheng Chen still doubted whether authorities would approve it.

But Wang Tianxiao kept assuring him it was no problem.

Indeed, she made it happen.

Later, Cheng Chen learned that since Beijing's successful Olympic bid in 2001,

Beijing had faced international skepticism over its ability to host such a massive event as the Olympics.

Beyond diplomatic demonstrations of capability, hosting large-scale events was one such means.

Cheng Chen's concert, compared to the scale of the Olympics, was utterly insignificant.

But Cheng Chen's popularity was at its peak; while he dared not claim international stardom in Europe or America, he was a superstar across Asia.

Why not use Cheng Chen's concert to showcase Jingcheng's market and strength to the world?

That was why Wang Tianxiao's application for the venue went smoothly—and Jingcheng offered considerable assistance.

…

The concert was scheduled to begin at 5:30 p. m., but by afternoon, fans had begun arriving in waves.

Since it was deep winter, Jingcheng's weather was bitterly cold and dry; many fans arrived bundled in bulky down jackets.

Even so, everyone kept standing up periodically to stretch, rubbing their hands and blowing on them to stay warm.

Cheng Chen, worried they'd freeze outside, stepped out every forty minutes or so to greet them warmly.

He occasionally interacted with fans, chatted, joked around—after all, all preparations were complete.

He only needed to ensure his own condition for the evening.

The fans were deeply moved by Cheng Chen's thoughtful gestures.

Just his occasional appearances to chat with them made fans feel the ticket price was worth every penny.

Of course, this was merely the appetizer before the main performance.

Cheng Chen didn't want to treat his fans as disposable crops; these acts were simply for his own peace of mind.

It pained him to make people pay and freeze.

Inside the venue, preparations were in full swing; outside, traffic had already become congested.

Since this was rush hour, many people coming to see Cheng Chen's concert were queuing to enter.

The line stretched endlessly, filled with noise and bustling energy.

…

"Miss Gao, Miss Jia, this way—General Cheng told me to escort you to the VIP area."

Su Qingya led Gao Yuanyuan forward.

Gao Yuanyuan smiled and nodded, saying:

"You go ahead and attend to your duties—we'll make our way over ourselves."

"Alright, I'm truly sorry, but Cheng Zong invited so many people this time that I need to keep a close eye on everything."

Su Qingya smiled.

Cheng Chen had indeed sent out many concert tickets to close friends.

Such as Gao Yuanyuan, Yan Danchen, Jia Jingwen, Su Youpeng, and other circle insiders.

He also invited those who had mentored and shown him kindness—Lai Shuiqing, Luo Tong, Zhou Xingchi, Yuan Baye, and others.

Whether they come or not is another matter, but the social obligation must be fulfilled.

"Hey, Cheng Chen's manager is way too young and beautiful—she could pass for a celebrity herself."

Especially that figure—those long legs in black stockings."

Even I'm attracted, come on, APeng, aren't you attracted?"

Cheng Chen really… has nothing but beauties around him, and you never keep an eye on him."

Jia Jingwen, admiring Su Qingya's figure beside her, said to Gao Yuanyuan.

Su Youpeng, called out, could only smile helplessly behind them.

Gao Yuanyuan replied without changing expression:

"Sometimes women are far more meticulous than men when handling work."

Cheng Chen is so busy—he needs a woman by his side."

Jia Jingwen looked at Gao Yuanyuan with suspicion and said:

"You really think that?"

"Oh come on, Min Min, you're so nagging—the concert's about to start, let's hurry and find our seats."

Jia Jingwen stared at Gao Yuanyuan's back, her expression strange.

Only then did she realize she had just said Cheng Chen was surrounded by beauties.

But Gao Yuanyuan had talked about women being meticulous—completely off-topic.

Meanwhile, Gao Yuanyuan walked ahead, her knuckles clenched white, far from the calm facade she showed.

…

"Miss Yan, Miss Chen, hello—I'm Su Qingya, Cheng Zong's manager."

Cheng Zong is currently backstage getting made up; he asked me to greet you."

Your seats have been reserved in VIP East Zone—I'll take you there first."

Su Qingya reappeared in VIP East Zone, smiling at the two women before her.

The two were Yan Danchen and Chen Zihan, who had changed her name.

"Thank you so much, Miss Su."

Yan Danchen smiled.

"It's nothing."

Su Qingya walked ahead; Yan Danchen and Chen Zihan followed behind.

"Chen Chen, Cheng Chen is really amazing now—this scale is something I've never seen before."

Chen Zihan sighed.

"Yes, he's always worked so hard—he's truly impressive."

Yan Danchen smiled, her tone filled with joy and pride.

Seeing Yan Danchen's expression, Chen Zihan, her best friend, knew perfectly well their current relationship.

She had been the one who introduced them back then; she never imagined they'd end up together.

In fact, during the filming of "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber," Chen Zihan had already harbored feelings for Cheng Chen.

But how could a young girl voice such feelings to her best friend?

Now, only a faint bitterness and a touch of grievance remained in her heart.

I was here first…"

Sigh. Let the past stay in the past.

Thinking of this, Chen Zihan forced herself to rally, whispering softly to Yan Danchen:

"You be careful of this woman, Su Qingya."

She's so beautiful and always around Cheng Chen—there's no telling what might happen…"

Hearing this, Yan Danchen pressed her lips together, looked up toward a certain direction, and shook her head:

"No, I trust him."

The direction she looked toward was the stage where Cheng Chen would soon perform.

"He won't…"

Su Qingya, walking ahead, felt something and stopped, turning to look at the two who had fallen behind.

She met Chen Zihan's slightly wary gaze head-on.

Su Qingya couldn't help but smile bitterly—what kind of task had her boss assigned her?

That look was familiar—when she went to pick up Gao Yuanyuan, Jia Jingwen had looked at her exactly like that.

And she could guess why: she was Cheng Chen's manager.

It certainly wasn't Jia Jingwen or Chen Zihan who had feelings for the boss—the real target was clearly the two women beside them.

It wasn't hard to deduce—Cheng Chen had specifically instructed her to treat Gao and Yan well.

The boss had a special attachment to them; Su Qingya could sense it.

Even the fact that Cheng Chen had placed them in VIP East and VIP West zones separately made her sense the hidden meaning.

Of course, it was the boss's business—she was just a lowly manager; she'd do her job well.

What annoyed Su Qingya was how guarded the people around these two main figures were toward her.

You've completely mistaken your enemy, hey!

Yet, as a woman herself, she found Cheng Chen's actions… somewhat absurd.

Boss, this is way too flashy…