Chapter 268: Favoritism

"Did you hear? Sister Mani is hosting a banquet for Zhou Yi at the Peninsula tonight."

"Of course I heard. Many artists in the company want to go, but Sister Mani has turned down many."

"Sigh, if only I weren't not famous enough, I'd want to sit at the table and get to know him. That's Zhou Yi, you know. I heard he's a man who can casually make millions of dollars with just one song, earning faster than making movies, and it's even easier."

"Really? How come I haven't seen any news about it? Warner hasn't announced it either."

"It's a rumor in the circle. Apparently, it was said by Ronald Cheng after getting drunk once."

"He's drinking again? Didn't they say he quit alcohol from now on..."

The actions of Huo Wenxi and Albert Yeung could not escape the eyes within the company; there were always well-informed people gathering to piece together the information they had gathered into a complete result.

As the son of Albert Yeung, the partner of EMI Records China and President of Asia, the words coming out of Ronald Cheng's mouth were highly credible.

The real Crown Prince of the Hong Kong music and entertainment circles; compared to Xie Tingfeng's tragic background, calling him a beggar might sound a bit harsh, but it was certainly not an insult.

Of course, just like Xie Tingfeng who has now become a legal celebrity, this Crown Prince was once a legal celebrity who made big news; if his family hadn't been rich and powerful, he would have been sent in to sober up.

"Damn, those two scheming bitches, ArSa and Gigi, are definitely going over there tonight. Really annoying."

"Isn't Gigi Edison Chen's girlfriend? Why are you talking about her?"

"Nonsense, she and Edison Chen break up and get back together all the time; who knows if they are still dating. Besides, does it matter if she is Edison Chen's boyfriend? Hasn't it been rumored recently that Gigi and Shawn Yue actually fell in love during their fake relationship?"

"..."

For the girl group Twins, which Emperor Group pushed out with a lot of promotional resources, not only did many outsiders predict their failure, but there were also many people inside who disliked them.

However, compared to Cai Zhuoyan, who had a biological father on good terms with Albert Yeung behind her, there were ultimately more people who disliked Gigi.

Especially after rumors of affairs spread between Gigi and the two Hong Kong rising stars, Edison Chen and Shawn Yue.

"Edison, it's really just a simple meal. This was Sister Mani's request; what can I do? You know, I acted in Zhou Yi's 'Mermaid' MV before I debuted."

Amidst the internal discussions in the company, Gigi herself received a call from her boyfriend Edison Chen, forcing her to repeatedly state in the phone call that she would return early tonight, which finally made the anxious Edison hang up.

ArSa, who was touching up her eye makeup nearby, couldn't help but tease upon seeing this: "I didn't expect it, Gigi. Edison is really nervous about you; he was never this humble when you were rumored to be with Shawn Yue."

"Who can blame him? Zhou Yi's reputation is out there, and his fame is so great."

Gigi closed her mouth and didn't talk about her worried boyfriend; instead, she sized up her partner who was dressed up for the occasion and joked: "It's rare to see you dressed up so carefully. Are you planning to secure the position of the Heavenly King's wife in one go?"

"Stop dreaming. If Zhou Yi were that easy to secure, he would probably have a public girlfriend by now."

Cai Zhuoyan was quite self-aware: "I'm just trying to see if I can use this opportunity to build some connection with him. Come on, if a random song is that popular, if we can get him to write a song specifically for us, wouldn't we really become huge stars?"

Unlike the bright and glamorous Gigi, she went for a sweet and cute style. Among Zhou Yi's many rumors, the rumors involving a sweet and cute style were pitifully few.

Gigi was also tempted, but her expression was slightly hesitant: "He shouldn't forget that his Cantonese was taught by you. With that level..."

Putting aside everything else, he learned how to curse quite quickly.

"The melody works too; we can find someone to fill in the lyrics ourselves." After finishing her makeup, Cai Zhuoyan looked at herself in the full-length mirror and practiced her sweet smile again.

At 7:30 PM, in the luxury restaurant booked by Albert Yeung, Zhou Yi met Cai Zhuoyan, who was dressed coolly and smiling sweetly.

"Welcome, welcome, A-Yi."

The amiable Albert Yeung stood up first, and after him were the Emperor Group female artists led by agent Huo Wenxi—

Joey Yung, Gigi, ArSa; Isabella Leong, Joyce Cheng, and so on.

And besides this group, he surprisingly saw Wang Jing, who was also accompanied by several women.

"Did I miss out by not bringing anyone to eat? Qian Jiang told me the transportation and parking fees combined are very expensive here." After shaking hands, Zhou Yi joked with a smile.

His handsome appearance made all the girls present's eyes light up—

Tall, handsome face, good figure, and able to earn big money on his own.

Doesn't this put him eight streets ahead of Xie Tingfeng, who loves to cause trouble?

"It's fine. If A-Yi wants to share with someone, you can call them now to come together." Albert Yeung laughed heartily, appearing quite generous.

"I'd like to, but Bingbin is probably still filming in Hengdian right now. Besides her, I don't know many familiar people in Hong Kong; basically, everyone is here."

Seated, Zhou Yi glanced subtly at Wang Jing and shrugged feigning helplessness: "I can't exactly call Brother Jackie Chan over, can I? He's probably still filming in the US."

"A-Yi, you look so handsome; you could try acting too."

Wang Jing held a glass of wine, stood up cheerfully, and introduced himself: "Let me introduce myself, Wang Jing. President Yeung said a big shot was coming tonight and asked me to come bolster his courage. I didn't expect it to be you, A-Yi. It's an honor, an honor."

"No, no, I'll pass on acting; getting the reputation of a box office poison wouldn't be good." Zhou Yi's smiling expression made Wang Jing's heart chill, though his face remained composed.

In Hong Kong, the one with the loudest reputation as a box office poison before was Chow Yun-fat, who was now holding his breath and preparing to recoup his losses in Hollywood.

And the movie that made him famous throughout China and even all of Asia, 'God of Gamblers', was directed by Wang Jing.

"Hey, don't say that. A-Yi, your acting in the MV is absolutely masterful."

Acting as the supporting role, Huo Wenxi took on the role of the lubricant; under her lead, the atmosphere at the dinner table was quite pleasant.

Zhou Yi himself moved among the crowd of women without any pressure; his habit of talking nonsense made it impossible for Albert Yeung to tell which one he favored.

Wang Jing, however, looked at him with interest a few times.

Not until the dishes arrived and Zhou Yi started using his chopsticks did Albert Yeung and Huo Wenxi finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"A-Yi, have you really considered acting? I can tailor a series of scripts just for you." Seeing Zhou Yi start eating, Wang Jing finally spoke with a smile.

"Acting is too tiring; it doesn't suit me."

Zhou Yi raised his glass and clinked it with him, took a sip of the tea that Cai Zhuoyan had actively poured for him, and said playfully: "Director Wang, you should look at someone else; I am destined to be the man you can never get."

"Since A-Yi says so, there's nothing to be done, President Yeung." Wang Jing, amused, spread his hands and feigned helplessness to 'complain' to Albert Yeung.

After eating and drinking their fill and moving to the entertainment private room, Cai Zhuoyan, who had been busy helping Zhou Yi with the hangover cure, became the woman who could continue to stay by his side after the meal.

While others were thinking of toasting him, she went against the grain and started preparing the hangover cure.

The nickname 'Scheming Sa' that the Hong Kong media would give her in the future was indeed not unearned.

"Brother Yi, how about you take my car back later? You've had alcohol and definitely can't drive." After putting on a full show of performance, ArSa, who wanted to become a huge star, started to probe, directly ignoring Zhou Yi's driver.

"Didn't you drink too?" Zhou Yi did not refuse directly but nodded towards the wine glass on ArSa's seat.

"My amount won't show up on the test; after all, I know my alcohol tolerance isn't good." Upon receiving the response, Cai Zhuoyan immediately beamed with joy, revealing a sweet smile on her face.

In the adult world, if there's no explicit refusal, then it's not a refusal.

Over there, Ajiao, still tangled up with her boyfriend, watched helplessly as A-Sa started chatting and laughing with Zhou Yi; after hesitating repeatedly, she finally chose to give up.

"It seems Fan Bingbin really does have a connection with him."

Wang Jing, who had been invited over with the intention of getting to know Zhou Yi, seeing how A-Sa kept laughing at his jokes, immediately began whispering to Raymond Ng.

As one of the earliest directors in Hong Kong to embrace the mainland, his principle has always been: whoever feeds you is your mother. "Does he really not act? Do you know how many people's phone calls I've received? They all want to specifically name Zhou Yi to star in a film?"

Yes, as someone who looks only at money, the meaning behind Wang Jing coming immediately upon receiving the invitation was very simple: he was there to discuss cooperation with Zhou Yi.

Zhou Yi's terrifying market influence and fame from his albums made the entire Chinese film market drool over him, yet Zhou Yi happened to have an attitude of "Don't touch me."

This directly caused the prices offered by companies wanting to invite Zhou Yi to act to keep rising, one higher than the next.

Wang Jing very much wanted to secure this first opportunity.

Other directors focus on honing acting skills and discussing scripts; he doesn't care about those things.

As long as Zhou Yi can come, even if his acting is as rotten as a pile of shit, he has a way to save it through script character positioning and filming techniques; this truly isn't him boasting.

Among the entire Hong Kong director community, the one with the strongest adaptability is him.

"Do you really not make movies? Why?"

After some playful fun, Zhou Yi, whose slight alcohol scent had just faded a bit, chose to take his leave. A-Sa, full of joy, followed along to act as the driver, and got into the car under everyone's gaze.

"Of course I don't have time; I'm very busy."

Zhou Yi, tugging at his bow tie, joked: "Let Director Wang be as persistent as he wants."

"Later, when the media reviews the news, I, a person who hasn't acted in a single film, might instead become Director Wang's white moonlight, thereby making the public think my acting isn't actually bad, just that I was delayed by singing."

"I think your acting really isn't bad." A-Sa, blind as a bat, praised effortlessly; her smiling face reflected in the car window, illuminated by the dim streetlights, indeed held a certain sweetness.

Zhou Yi, letting out a light chuckle, hadn't yet spoken when his phone suddenly rang—

Chen Hao.

Huh?

It's already midnight; usually, at this hour, Chen Hao would have gone to sleep long ago?

Zhou Yi, puzzled in his heart, pressed the answer button: "Hello?"

"Zhou Yi..."

In the phone, Chen Hao's clearly audible sobbing made Zhou Yi's eyebrows lock tight instantly, and his tone grew solemn: "What's wrong, Chen Hao? What happened?"

"My dad... my dad's cancer has spread. Now, now he's still in the hospital..."

The sobbing voice made Zhou Yi fall silent instantly, then he immediately spoke: "Wait for me; I'll be back right away."

Having said that, he hung up the phone, turned his head directly to look at A-Sa, who was driving, and there was not a trace of drunkenness left on his face: "Sorry, A-Sa, I have something else to do and must return; please stop the car."

"???"

A-Sa, who had been quietly pricking up her ears to listen, was full of question marks, but her body reacted quickly; she stepped on the brake: "Brother Yi, did something happen to your friend?"

"Mm."

After getting out of the car, Zhou Yi nodded, and under A-Sa's gaze, stood by the roadside to call Qian Jiang, his tone very firm: "Brother Qian, I need to return to the mainland now, back to the Imperial Capital."

Qian Jiang, woken up in the middle of the night by a phone call, heard Zhou Yi's solemn tone for the first time; he immediately jolted awake, didn't ask why, and immediately spoke: "Okay, I'll arrange it right away. Where are you now? I'll drive to pick you up."

A-Sa, with a thousand words in her heart, could finally only say "Safe travels," and regretfully watched Zhou Yi get into Qian Jiang's car and leave.

After confirming Zhou Yi had already left, A-Sa, alone on the curb, kicked a pebble with her foot, muttering words so low even the wind couldn't hear them.

What's the point? She had gone to the trouble of dressing up so exquisitely today.

Is that matter with Chen Hao that important? Flying back directly at this hour?

At five-something in the early morning of April 18, Zhou Yi, whose promotional activities in Hong Kong had not yet ended, hurriedly returned to the Imperial Capital.

Not returning to his own home, he went straight to the hospital, where, outside the operating room where surgery work had not yet ended, he saw a woman whose eyes had long been red from crying—

Chen Hao, her face haggard, instinctively looked up upon hearing footsteps; the moment she saw Zhou Yi, tears burst forth again, yet not a single sob escaped her lips.

Zhou Yi, pressing his tongue against lips that were slightly dry from rushing, not even having time to change out of his suit, walked forward, gently squatted beside the woman who was covering her face with both hands and sobbing silently, and raised his hand to lightly stroke her back, which was heaving from her struggle to hold back the sound—

Tears wet the shirt on the man's chest.

After a long while, once Chen Hao finished crying, Zhou Yi finally took a brand-new pack of tissues from his pocket, tore it open, pulled out two sheets, and held them out before her: "Where is your aunt?"

"My mom stayed up all night at the Qingdao hospital earlier; when I contacted the hospital, she stayed up another night. She couldn't hold on, so I let her go home to rest."

"What did the doctors say?"

"They'll do their best, but it's hard to say whether domestic cancer medical techniques can control it, although it hasn't spread to the late stage yet."

Chen Hao, sniffling and wiping the tear tracks from her face, choked out.

"It's fine; then let's find someone abroad. I happen to know some people over in Hong Kong; they should have top-tier medical resources." Zhou Yi said without hesitation: "Don't worry about the money; I'll advance it first; you can pay me back after you earn big money later."

The domestic medical level in this era indeed had a gap compared to outside; first, ask Zhou Jianhui if he can find a top expert in the relevant field through headquarters connections.

If that really doesn't work, Raymond Ng, as a capital tycoon, would definitely be able to access top experts in the relevant medical field; at worst, he'd just owe him a favor.

The haggard Chen Hao made no sound, just sitting dazedly on the chair. Seeing this, Zhou Yi sighed inwardly, shifted his body a few times, leaned against the wall, and sat directly on the floor, accompanying her in the desolate, empty corridor.

Until—

"The surgery was very successful, but there is currently still a risk of the patient's condition worsening; hospitalization and observation are still needed. Additionally, if they don't pull through..."

(End of this chapter)