Chapter 28: Nothing More Than a Street Singer

A little after nine in the morning, Lin Chuan and Yuan Ye parked their car in front of a twenty-story office building.

Glancing up at the company’s name, Lin Chuan couldn’t help but scoff, “Full Fortune? I can’t believe someone would choose such a tacky name!”

Just then, Yuan Ye, having just parked, walked over and chuckled, “Don’t underestimate this tacky-sounding company. In the food industry, they’re actually quite famous!”

“Food? Do they sell chili oil?” Lin Chuan blurted out, surprised.

In his previous life, Lin Chuan hadn’t paid much attention to odd food brands, but the name “Old Godmother” was unforgettable. Back when he’d just graduated from college and hadn’t found a job yet, “Old Godmother” and Master Kong had kept him company for more than two months...

So the moment he heard “food,” his mind naturally leapt straight to “Old Godmother.”

“What chili oil? Have you ever had potato chips? Drunk juice? All those things are made from agricultural products, deeply processed by this company!” Yuan Ye shot him an exasperated look.

But Lin Chuan’s next comment nearly made Yuan Ye spit blood.

“You know I never eat that kind of junk food!”

Yuan Ye was speechless.

As they stepped into the grand lobby of Full Fortune Company, they found themselves surrounded by dazzling décor. Two receptionists, both in uniform and with pleasant features, wore gentle smiles.

“Good morning, gentlemen, how may I help you?” One of the receptionists greeted them warmly when she saw the two unfamiliar men.

“Hello, ladies. I’m from Quancheng TV—we’ve already made an appointment with your Director Liu for today,” Yuan Ye replied, producing his credentials as he spoke.

“May I have your name, please?” After checking his ID, the receptionist nodded.

“I’m Yuan Ye. Director Liu knows me,” Yuan Ye replied with a hint of pride.

The two young receptionists, seeing such a handsome man winking at them, blushed instantly and quickly lowered their heads, speaking softly, “Please wait a moment, I’ll contact him right away!”

“No rush, as long as you two are here, I don’t mind waiting as long as it takes,” Yuan Ye teased, his tone playful.

The girls grew even more flustered, their hands trembling as they dialed the phone.

Lin Chuan, watching the whole scene, could only shake his head with a wry smile. This childhood friend of his had always relied on his good looks to charm countless girls since they were young. Back in school, Lin Chuan had even gotten into fights helping Yuan Ye out of such situations, but both would always end up battered and bruised...

A moment later, the receptionist on the phone finally looked up, not daring to meet Yuan Ye’s eyes. She mumbled, “Mr. Yuan, I'm sorry, Director Liu is still in a meeting. Please wait in the lounge for a while.”

“No problem,” Yuan Ye replied grandly, raising his eyebrows.

Guided by the receptionist, Lin Chuan and Yuan Ye took seats in the lounge on one side of the lobby. Soon, the other receptionist brought over two cups of tea.

At first, Lin Chuan thought they wouldn’t have to wait long for Director Liu to finish his meeting. But after downing five or six cups of tea, with his stomach sloshing with liquid and a pile of empty plastic cups before him, there was still no sign of Director Liu.

“What’s going on? It’s almost noon, and Director Liu still isn’t done?” Lin Chuan muttered impatiently.

“Just wait a bit longer. Maybe he’ll be done any minute now,” Yuan Ye replied, seemingly unsurprised and not at all anxious.

Lin Chuan scoffed, “Ha, now I finally get why you brought me along. You said you needed backup, but really you just wanted someone to kill time with!”

Yuan Ye grinned shamelessly, “Heh, you’ve seen right through me, but what’s the harm in keeping a friend company when you have nothing better to do?”

Lin Chuan: ...

Time ticked by. Lin Chuan’s backside had gone numb, so he stood and paced the lobby to stretch his legs.

Ding!

Suddenly the elevator doors slid open, and a group of young men—employees, by the look of them—streamed out.

“It’s lunchtime, everyone else is heading out, and we’re still sitting here like fools?” Lin Chuan glanced at his phone, his tone cold.

“You think I want to waste my youth here? If it weren’t for the TV station and my old man, I’d have left ages ago. Come on, just a bit longer—Director Liu might see us any minute now!” Yuan Ye put on a pitiful air, grumbling.

Lin Chuan sighed, murmuring under his breath, “And who am I doing this for?”

“For me, of course! We grew up together, didn’t we? Now your brother’s in trouble—not asking you to risk your life, not asking you to charge through fire and blades, just to sit here and wait for Director Liu with me!” Yuan Ye pleaded.

Yeah, right. Who grew up in the same pair of pants as you? Lin Chuan rolled his eyes at him and fell silent.

Employees continued to file out of the elevator. When they saw Lin Chuan and Yuan Ye, some looked on curiously, some with surprise, but most wore expressions of indifference, barely sparing a glance before hurrying outside.

At that moment, one of the receptionists approached with two fresh cups of tea. “Gentlemen, I’m afraid Director Liu is still in his meeting. Perhaps you’d like to have some lunch and come back this afternoon?”

Yuan Ye lounged back on the sofa, teasing, “Who needs lunch when there are pretty girls to look at? I could feast my eyes all day.”

The receptionist’s cheeks reddened, and she quickly ducked her head, turning to leave.

Lin Chuan let out a helpless sigh and asked quietly, “Excuse me, could you tell me where the restroom is?”

“Oh, it’s over there, just go to the end and turn left—you’ll see it,” she replied, pointing.

“Thank you.” Lin Chuan nodded, not bothering to say anything to Yuan Ye as he strode off.

After drinking five or six cups of tea all morning, his bladder was about to burst.

The restrooms in big companies really were different—no stench, spotless floors, and the faint scent of air freshener, perhaps from a recent cleaning.

He chose a stall, made sure it was unoccupied, and stepped inside.

Suddenly, footsteps approached, followed by the sound of two men conversing.

“Assistant Wang, those two guys in the lobby—they’re here to see Director Liu, right?”

“That’s right. One of them’s from some TV station, trying to get sponsorship from our Director Liu. Hmph, do they even know their place?”

“Heh, this isn’t a charity—we’re a business. I really wonder what goes through their heads. By the way, I think I’ve seen one of them on TV—he’s a singer from ‘A Song to Fame,’ right?”

“Singer? At best, he’s just a street performer.”

“Well, to be fair, the guy’s got talent. His original songs are pretty good.”

“These days, what’s talent worth? Without sponsorship from companies like us, they’d starve out there!”

“Hahaha... You’re absolutely right, Assistant Wang!”

Lin Chuan heard every word. It was obvious the two men were talking about him and Yuan Ye.

With his fiery temper, Lin Chuan wanted nothing more than to storm out and confront them. A street performer? Living off your charity? Since when had he ever eaten a grain of their rice or drunk a drop of their water? And weren’t they just sycophants, running around flattering their superiors all day? Who were they to be so smug?

The more Lin Chuan thought, the angrier he got. Just as he was about to burst out, he stopped himself.

He was here at Full Fortune to help Yuan Ye secure sponsorship. If he started a dispute over a couple of gossipy remarks, he’d surely offend Director Liu, and the whole thing would fall through.

Taking a deep breath in the stall, weighing the pros and cons, Lin Chuan forced himself to suppress his anger.

At that moment, his phone buzzed in his pocket—it was Yuan Ye calling.

Lin Chuan didn’t answer immediately, instead hurrying out of the restroom.

As he passed the urinals, he caught sight of the two men.

“You’re Assistant Wang, right? Nice to meet you,” Lin Chuan said with a tight smile, then quickly walked away.

“Hurry up, Lin Chuan! Director Liu will see us now!” Yuan Ye called out excitedly as Lin Chuan reappeared in the lounge. For him, this meant the sponsorship deal was already half won.

Lin Chuan nodded, secretly relieved he hadn’t acted rashly—otherwise, he might have made things worse.

The two of them took the elevator up to the twentieth floor.

Knock, knock, knock!

Standing before an office door, Yuan Ye rapped gently.

“Come in!” A man’s voice called from inside.

Lin Chuan and Yuan Ye exchanged glances, then carefully pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The office was spacious and elegantly furnished, sunlight pouring in through a large floor-to-ceiling window and filling the room with light.

Behind the desk sat a middle-aged man in his forties, his figure and features suggesting a life of comfort. He eyed Lin Chuan and Yuan Ye coldly and said, “You’re from Quancheng TV, I presume?”

“Yes, Director Liu. I’m Yuan Ye, and this is Lin Chuan,” Yuan Ye introduced them with a smile.

Lin Chuan didn’t speak, only nodding politely.

“Lin Chuan? That name sounds familiar. What is it you do?” Director Liu asked, his tone lofty.

Just as Lin Chuan was about to reply, Yuan Ye interjected, “Ah, Director Liu, you really do have a good memory. Lin Chuan is one of this season’s ‘A Song to Fame’ contestants—he just made it into the top fifteen!”

“Oh?” Director Liu’s expression shifted to one of surprise.