Rong Xu had been hearing from Sr. Holt that his son’s condition wasn’t right lately, and indeed, Clemens’s situation was far from normal.

Everyone in Hollywood knows that Clemens Holt has always been difficult to get along with, but he’s also somewhat arrogant because of his talent. His films consistently achieve high box office numbers, and with his father’s backing, no one can stop him from entering the film industry. Once he enters and comes into the public eye, he can never truly leave.

So, since we can’t afford to offend him, can’t we at least avoid him?

Apparently not.

Many industry insiders who aren’t particularly close to Clemens have recently found that the director has inexplicably started to provoke them. Attending the same banquet, merely exchanging greetings out of politeness, Clemens would completely ignore them, offering no response at all. Or, at the same awards ceremony, sitting right next to them, he wouldn’t say a word throughout the entire event, and would even glare at them with displeasure.

“Is Jr. Holt sick? I didn’t provoke him, why won’t he even give me an audition, but lets that third-tier model audition instead? I’ve been on five major covers and even walked Rosalind’s haute couture show!”

“Don’t even get me started, same here. What does he have against me? I was going for a magazine interview, and the current issue’s cover and interview subject was Clemens Holt. The result? He saw me at the magazine office and flat out said if I was on the supplement cover, he wouldn’t do the interview. F**k, he’s insane.”

Such incidents, while not numerous, did occur.

Even Sr. Holt didn’t understand why his son had been so ill-tempered lately. There was even an investor who wanted to invest in Clemens’s new film. By all accounts, Clemens should have been delighted and engaged in pleasant conversation with the party. But in reality, Clemens coldly rejected the investment, refusing even to meet.

It was only because he was Clemens Holt that he dared to offend people like this; otherwise, he would have long since been bagged and thrown into a corner of Beverly Hills, beaten into a level three disability.

Old Holt wasn’t a particularly dutiful father, but he still provided necessary concern. So, he finally couldn’t help but go to his son’s private residence and immediately asked, “Why did you refuse the investment from that oil company? Your investment isn’t fully secured yet, and they’re very generous. They also have the goal of tax evasion through the movie, isn’t that what you like most?” 

Most importantly, why did he suddenly storm off during dinner, upsetting everyone?

Clemens was rarely home and didn’t expect to be caught by his father. Facing his unusually serious father, the blond, blue-eyed director raised an eyebrow, smiling faintly: “I don’t like him, why should I accept his investment? Do you think I’m still short of that little bit of money, Lance?”

Sr. Holt didn’t believe him: “You’d pass up money?” His son was Hollywood’s famous miser!

Clemens took a step to leave: “I wouldn’t take money from a disgusting person like that, no matter whose money it was.”

In the end, they parted unhappily.

Ultimately, Old Holt didn’t understand what had gotten into his son, why he was so at odds with money, and why he wouldn’t give anyone a good face.

However, the world is only so big. For people in the same entertainment industry, going fourteen years without seeing each other is rare, but once there’s a chance to meet, ignoring the other party becomes incredibly difficult.

On the red carpet of a music awards ceremony in France, Clemens, arm in arm with a Japanese pop diva, had just finished an interview with reporters when he turned around and stopped. The diva was a bit surprised and quietly asked, “What’s wrong, Cris?”

A moment later, Clemens said blandly, “Nothing, just saw someone I didn’t want to see.” With that, Clemens and his companion entered the venue. Not far away, Lin Xuan and Chu Qi were signing the signature wall.

The two were signing and teasing each other. Lin Xuan said exasperatedly, “I rarely attend an event, why do I have to walk the red carpet with a big guy like you?”

Chu Qi wasn’t pleased to hear that: “What, Er Mu, is that how you talk to your senior? I’m your elder. According to last century’s rules, you should walk behind me, hold my pen, and move my chair, understand?”

Lin Xuan: “So, I should also support you, my elderly sir, as you walk the red carpet?”

Chu Qi laughed heartily: “No problem, come, little Linzi, help me out of the palace!”

In the “Qin Fengfeng” group, the only two singers were Chu Qi and Lin Xuan—Rong Xu, whose main profession was acting, didn’t count. Lin Xuan was actually just joking. For international music awards like this, he often walked the red carpet with Chu Qi, because it was somewhat difficult to invite domestic female singers as companions; and they themselves weren’t keen on inviting foreign female singers.

So the two simply decided to “consume internally.” They could also sit together and chat during the ceremony.

Before long, the awards ceremony officially began. The judges were seated in the center of the first row, with guests behind them. Lin Xuan and Chu Qi were seated on the edge of the third row on the left, a spot that wouldn’t have too many cameras and was convenient for them to relax. But as they chatted, Chu Qi suddenly said, “Oh, so the director judge invited this year is Clemens Holt?”

Lin Xuan’s body suddenly stiffened. He followed Chu Qi’s gaze.

“That’s right, his musical film last year had high box office and great effects, so it’s normal for him to be a judge.” Chu Qi laughed, “Looks like your chances of winning an award today are pretty good, Lin Xuan. Remember to treat me to dinner after you win, okay?”

Lin Xuan withdrew his gaze, displeased: “Why are my chances of winning good? Brother Chu, your chances of winning aren’t low either.”

Chu Qi teased: “Didn’t that Clemens Holt seem to be pursuing you?”

Lin Xuan: “…” After a moment, he tightened his grip on the armrest, but his face still held an expression of helplessness: “Where did you hear that gossip?!”

Chu Qi was surprised: “Wasn’t it? I saw the newspapers a few months ago, it sounded pretty serious. Didn’t they say he followed your concerts for several shows and even came to China for a while?”

Slowly loosening his grip on the armrest, Lin Xuan said exasperatedly, “You believe gossip magazines?”

The matter was thus dropped.

However, what Lin Xuan and Chu Qi didn’t expect was that the winner of the Best Foreign Language Song at the French Leicester Music Awards this time was indeed Lin Xuan. 

When the Japanese diva loudly pronounced the name “Lin Xuan,” the blond director holding the trophy also paused for a moment, then turned to look at the Chinese pop king who had already walked onto the stage.

Their gazes met on the stage. A dozen cameras were all focused on the stage, capturing the expressions of the presenter and the winner, broadcasting it live globally.

Lin Xuan smiled, walking step by step to the center of the stage. He smoothly extended his hand, seemingly wanting to take the trophy from Clemens’s hand, but Clemens did not immediately hand it over. Lin Xuan looked up at him, only to see the blond director slowly curl his lips, revealing a sarcastic smile.

Clemens presented the crystal trophy to Lin Xuan with both hands. Like every presenter, he naturally extended his arms, lightly embraced the winner, and then whispered words of congratulations in his ear: “…Since we’ve coincidentally met, do you still want a one-night stand tonight? I’m available anytime.”

Lin Xuan pursed his lips, then released his arms and smiled as he embraced the Japanese diva.

The two presenters walked off the stage together, leaving only the baby-faced singer under the spotlight, beginning his acceptance speech. The Japanese diva hadn’t even left the stage when she suddenly heard a voice from behind her. She couldn’t help but exclaim, “Lin’s English is really good.”

Clemens didn’t say anything, just looked down at his fingers, lost in thought.

The diva then said, “Because of our innate language pronunciation issues, it’s truly difficult for us Japanese to speak English well. Lin’s English is really good, Clemens. You’re an expert on China, are all Chinese celebrities’ English this good?”

Clemens laughed: “His English is considered good?”

The diva was stunned: “Isn’t it?”

Clemens said indifferently: “Terribly bad, listening to him speak, I feel tortured.”

The diva frowned slightly: “You shouldn’t criticize Lin like that, Clemens, he hasn’t offended you.”

Clemens chuckled twice, offering no further reply. The diva, however, felt a bit of dislike towards him but then remembered that in Hollywood circles, this director was generally not very well-liked, so she let it go. After all, he came from a privileged background, unlike a self-made singer like herself; he had a good family and didn’t need to curry favor with anyone.

__

The awards ceremony ended quickly. Although Chu Qi said he would let Lin Xuan treat them, they were attending the post-ceremony dinner that night. The two, along with several other Chinese singers, gathered in a circle, chatting and laughing. Towards the end of the dinner, many people had already left, and Lin Xuan and Chu Qi also planned to depart.

But just as the two walked towards the exit, a female voice called out from behind them: “Chu, long time no see.”

Chu Qi turned around and, upon seeing the person, smiled: “Long time no see, Miss Fujiwara.”

Fujiwara Yuko smiled: “Just call me Yuko. Lin, congratulations on your award, I’m honored to have presented it to you.”

Lin Xuan nodded: “Thank you, Miss Yuko.”

No sooner had he spoken than a light chuckle came from the side. The three couldn’t help but turn to see Clemens standing nearby, his gaze deep as he looked at Chu Qi and Lin Xuan, the smile on his lips looking anything but friendly.

Fujiwara Yuko’s heart tightened. She had only intended to greet an old friend, forgetting that her male companion was the extremely difficult Clemens Holt. Remembering his extremely unfair evaluation of Lin Xuan at the awards ceremony, Fujiwara Yuko regretted it even more and could only manage to say in not-so-fluent English, “Then Chu, we’ll catch up later if we have the chance.”

“Chu Qi?” A perfectly pronounced Chinese voice suddenly sounded.

Fujiwara Yuko’s English wasn’t great, but her male companion was a director who was even proficient in Chinese.

Chu Qi didn’t expect Jr. Holt to suddenly speak to him. Without thinking too much, he extended his hand and smiled: “I’m Chu Qi, nice to meet you, Clemens Holt. I’ve heard about you from Rong Xu; your Alliance of Names last year was excellent.”

Chu Qi extending his hand didn’t mean Clemens would reciprocate. He looked meaningfully at the nearly fifty-year-old Chinese pop king, causing Chu Qi to grow increasingly uncomfortable, even awkwardly wanting to withdraw his hand, before Clemens finally grasped it: “I haven’t heard your songs, have you sung any famous ones?”

This way of speaking was simply a slap in the face, offering no way out.

Chu Qi wasn’t a pushover, someone who would just let others hit him and then come closer. He had no intention of acting, so he didn’t need to curry favor with the other party. So he smiled coldly: “I haven’t sung any famous songs. It’s normal for Director Holt not to have heard of them, and there’s no need for you to listen.”

Clemens said “Oh”: “So, no award today?”

Chu Qi’s expression immediately turned cold, but before he could speak, he heard Lin Xuan next to him chuckle: 

“Director Holt, being ignorant is not a mistake, but being ignorant and wanting to show off your extensive knowledge is laughable. Sorry, I forgot your Chinese level only allows for simple conversations, not enough to understand the idiom ‘ignorant and wanting to show off.’ I should put it more bluntly. If you are ignorant, you should read more to enrich yourself. Why come out and make people laugh?”

“You!”

Fujiwara Yuko, seeing the situation turn sour, quickly gestured: “Waiter, please help me… Ah!”

Fujiwara Yuko had originally wanted to call a waiter over to interrupt the conversation, but unexpectedly, a waiter was right behind her. As she spoke, the person instinctively looked her way, and the two immediately collided. Red wine spilled all over her pure white haute couture gown, immediately startling the waiter speechless.

For a diva of Fujiwara Yuko’s caliber attending any awards ceremony, wearing an unknown brand was unthinkable; it had to be a top luxury brand’s haute couture gown. For example, the dress she was wearing today was Rosalind’s haute couture from this year, priced at least three hundred thousand US dollars.

The scene immediately descended into chaos. The waiter frantically tried to wipe the wine stain off the dress with a handkerchief, while Fujiwara Yuko kept trying to dodge, knowing that wiping the stain at that moment would only make things worse. The waiter soon realized that she shouldn’t wipe with a handkerchief either, but she was so flustered she didn’t know how to compensate, and tears even started to fall.

The waiter kept apologizing in French. Fujiwara Yuko’s English wasn’t great, and she had no knowledge of French at all. At first, she could manage a few “it’s okay” in English, but then she just kept repeating in Japanese, “I really don’t need you to compensate, this is partly my fault too, please don’t cry yet. Miss, please don’t cry, okay, please don’t cry…”

After the waiter calmed down, she tried to communicate with Fujiwara Yuko in not-so-good English, but her English itself wasn’t good, and Fujiwara Yuko couldn’t understand her either. The two immediately found themselves at a stalemate.

The organizers quickly rushed to find someone at the venue who spoke Japanese and English. However, most of the people had already left, so they could only try to find Fujiwara Yuko’s agent for the time being.

Seeing the waiter’s eyes red from crying, almost fainting, Lin Xuan stepped forward, grabbed her hand, and whispered in French, “She said don’t cry. As long as you don’t cry, the compensation can be discussed.”

Everyone suddenly froze.

The waiter stared blankly at the unfamiliar East Asian youth in front of her. Lin Xuan frowned, thinking the other party hadn’t understood him, and repeated in French, “She said as long as you don’t cry, she can waive the compensation. Please calm down, okay?” 

His gaze dropped to the waiter’s name tag, “Don’t cry, Limous.”

Seeing the waitress finally stop crying, Fujiwara Yuko finally breathed a sigh of relief: “Thank goodness.”

The female waiter spoke a sentence in a hoarse voice. Lin Xuan turned to Fujiwara Yuko and said, “She said she is willing to compensate, no matter how much. It’s just that she might not be able to gather that much money right away, and hopes you can give her some leeway and not sue her.”

No one expected such fluent Japanese to come from the mouth of a Chinese singer. Even Chu Qi’s eyes widened in shock, staring at Lin Xuan in disbelief, as if he was meeting him for the first time.

So, under the coordination of this Chinese singer who spoke both Japanese and French, Fujiwara Yuko and the female waiter could finally communicate normally. Before long, her manager also arrived at the scene, and with the manager acting as a translator, Lin Xuan was finally relieved of his interpreting duties.

As she left, Fujiwara Yuko held his hand and said seriously, “Thank you, Lin, I didn’t expect your Japanese to be so good.”

Before Lin Xuan could speak, Chu Qi laughed for him, “You can use him whenever you want in the future, hahahaha, I’ve known him for so many years and didn’t even know he spoke Japanese.”

Fujiwara Yuko then spoke in Japanese, “Your accent sounds a bit like Hakata. Lin-san, did you study abroad near Hakata?”

“Hakata?”

Fujiwara Yuko turned in surprise: “Clemens, you speak Japanese? And you know Hakata?”

Clemens’s eyebrows slowly furrowed: “Old Liu and I filmed a movie near there, but I don’t speak Japanese.”

Because of the need to resolve the situation, Fujiwara Yuko stayed behind to handle the aftermath. Lin Xuan and Chu Qi bid her farewell and left first. However, as they walked into the parking lot, a male voice called out from behind: “You went to Hakata?”

The question was asked in Chinese. Chu Qi instinctively turned his head, but Lin Xuan acted as if he heard nothing, pulling Chu Qi along.

Clemens frowned unhappily, strode forward, and grabbed Lin Xuan’s arm, pulling the pop king in front of him: “I didn’t even know your Japanese was so good, and your English is good too. What else don’t I know about you?”

“Mr. Holt, what are you doing!” Of course, Chu Qi couldn’t stand by and watch his friend being forcibly pulled like that.

Clemens, however, glared angrily: “You’re a married man, do you also want a one-night stand with him? So your Chinese circles are this messy and dirty; aren’t you afraid your wife will find out?”

Chu Qi’s eyes widened: “Are you crazy? What one-night stand, you…” His voice trailed off. Chu Qi suddenly understood something. His gaze darted back and forth between Lin Xuan and Clemens, then he pointed at the two and said, “Could it be that you… you two…”

Clemens smiled slightly, pulling the person into his arms: “Tonight he belongs to me. In the future, I don’t care how you want to play—ooh…” He was suddenly punched hard in the face. Clemens covered his face, looking at the person who dared to swing a fist at him in shock.

However, Lin Xuan’s anger turned into laughter, his innocent baby face filled with a sarcastic smile: “Yes, Mr. Holt, we’ll play however we want, it has nothing to do with you anyway. I am messy and dirty. But this kind of thing is about mutual consent. I’m not begging you for anything. I thought your skills were good before, so I decided to try hooking up with you. Now that I know you’re completely useless, who would want to sleep with you?”

As his words fell, Lin Xuan pulled Chu Qi and walked off. Once in the car, he immediately turned the key.

Clemens was so angry he immediately chased after them: “Get out of the car and explain yourself! Who’s useless? Don’t you know if I’m useful or not?! You actually got involved with a married man like that, he’s almost twenty years older than you, don’t you find it disgusting, you…”

As the car sped away, the voice gradually faded. Chu Qi was still reeling from the shocking news he had just received, when suddenly, there was a sudden brake. He was jolted by the seatbelt and felt a sharp pain. He immediately looked at Lin Xuan in the driver’s seat, but the moment he saw him, he was suddenly stunned.

The baby-faced young man in the driver’s seat had red eyes, his hands clenched tightly on the steering wheel, his lips pressed together, not letting out a sound, but tears streamed endlessly from his eyes.

The tears seemed boundless. He wiped them away again and again with his hand, but they kept flowing.

Chu Qi had never seen Lin Xuan like this before. When Rong Xu hadn’t joined the group, Lin Xuan was the youngest in their group. 

He was the one who contacted this child to join the group, and he and Lin Xuan were both singers, spending more time together than anyone else. Now, seeing him like this, his throat felt dry, and he could only take out tissues and hand them over.

“Chu… Brother Chu, I’m fine… He actually heard your songs, and he knows… knows you’re not an unknown singer. He really likes your ‘Bell.’ He’s… he’s angry at me, thinking we’re that kind of relationship…”

Chu Qi’s throat ached from dryness. He couldn’t help but ask, “Are you apologizing for him…?”

At these words, the crying could no longer be stopped. Lin Xuan covered his mouth, refusing to let out any sound, but he cried for over ten minutes. 

When his tears finally ran dry, he managed a difficult smile and turned to look at the senior who had always taken care of him, his voice hoarse: “Actually, a long time ago, I was probably this size…”

He raised both hands, drawing a circle in the air.

The smile on his lips became even paler. He said very seriously: “At that time, my weight was higher than my height. Many people called me a pig. That was many, many years ago, Brother Chu, probably fourteen years ago…”