AFVSIBS Chapter 26: Liu Chao's Misrepresentation
Zhou Chen was determined to let go of his career aspirations, so he didn't seem to care much about anything career-related.
But he didn't want to say these things directly in front of Chen Jie.
So, after a moment of thought, he continued to decline, saying, "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Chen and President Chen. But since we're already together now and will be having dinner together later, we'll have plenty of opportunities to communicate. For the second half, I still choose to play table tennis with Mr. Chen."
"Zhou Chen, you're quite a special trainee. I doubt any other trainee would dare to refuse me. Alright, I respect your decision," Chen Jie said.
"Thank you for understanding, President Chen," Zhou Chen expressed his gratitude.
"No need to thank me. I should thank you for being willing to accompany my dad to play table tennis," Chen Jie said.
"Yeah, Zhou Chen, thank you for thinking of playing table tennis with this old man," Chen Bo chuckled, also expressing his gratitude.
"Mr. Chen is too kind. Playing table tennis with you makes me happy and relaxed," Zhou Chen said sincerely.
This wasn't flattery or brown-nosing because of Chen Bo's son being a CEO. It was because Zhou Chen truly felt a joy and relaxation he hadn't experienced before. Perhaps it was because he had been too busy before and hadn't exercised for a long time. Now, letting go of all burdens and playing with a cheerful old man gave him a completely different feeling.
The three of them went to a high-end restaurant outside the nursing home, where they sat down and had a joyful dinner together.
After dinner, Chen Jie asked the driver to send Chen Bo and Zhou Chen back to the nursing home first, while he and his assistant went to find Zhang Chuchu and Liu Chao.
"Zhang, Zhou Chen is getting more and more audacious. I just met him at the stairs in the accommodation area. Guess what he said?" Liu Chao intended to add fuel to the fire and speak ill of Zhou Chen in front of Zhang Chuchu while Chen Jie and the others hadn't arrived yet.
"What did he say?" Zhang Chuchu asked.
"He said he wasn't afraid to offend you, let alone your husband, Manager Wang. And he even said that even if he continues to let go and fly freely, you and your husband wouldn't dare to do anything to him. Because he thinks he's suddenly become popular online, and the company wouldn't dare to sideline him," Liu Chao said.
"What! How dare he be so arrogant? Does he really think he's irreplaceable? Tomorrow, I'll bring him back to the company and ensure he never gets any exposure again. Let's see how he still acts arrogantly," Zhang Chuchu, already furious, said.
"Yeah, he thinks he's suddenly become popular and started acting cocky. Especially with his Weibo, I heard he gained three hundred thousand followers today. I guess he feels safe because he has three hundred thousand followers, so he's not afraid of being sidelined by you guys," Liu Chao said, intentionally emphasizing Zhou Chen's Weibo, fearing that if Zhou Chen found out about him deceiving Grandma Yang, he would expose it on Weibo. If that happened, he would be ruined.
So, he hoped Zhang Chuchu would also take back Zhou Chen's Weibo. That way, even if Zhou Chen found out the truth, he wouldn't have a platform to expose it.
Otherwise, with Zhou Chen's current Weibo following of around three hundred thousand, Liu Chao felt a bit anxious.
"His thoughts are too naive. He's just a trainee, he has no freedom. His Weibo was registered by the company, so it belongs to the company. So, I'll also take back his Weibo. Let's see how he still acts," Zhang Chuchu said angrily.
Sure enough, Zhang Chuchu immediately expressed her intention to revoke Zhou Chen's Weibo usage rights at this time.
Upon hearing this, Liu Chao's mind finally eased.
"Alright, let's not talk about Zhou Chen anymore, the more we talk, the angrier I get. Manager Chen and his assistant are on their way, let's prepare, you need to perform well later."
Zhang Chuchu glanced at her watch and then reminded them.
"Thank you, Zhang Jie, rest assured, I will not disappoint your expectations."
Liu Chao also replied confidently.
While they were waiting for Chen Jie and the others to arrive, on the other side, Grandma Yang, after seeing off Yang Hanhan from the nursing home, went straight to find the program director, Zhao An.
"Grandma Yang, what brings you here? Please, have a seat."
Seeing Grandma Yang looking for him, Zhao An was surprised and immediately got up to assist her to sit on the sofa.
"Director Zhao."
"Don't be so formal, just call me Xiao Zhao."
Zhao An said politely.
"Alright, Xiao Zhao, I want to report something to you. It's about the trainees cheating in this episode of the program."
"What! Trainees cheating in this episode of the nursing home charity variety show? That's impossible."
Zhao An was incredulous upon hearing this.
"Am I, an old lady, lying to you?!"
"Grandma Yang, don't get me wrong, I didn't mean you're lying. I'm just surprised. Could you tell me what you know about it?"
"It's that Liu Chao, he deceived my grandmother and asked me to give him full marks for his cooking skills. So, isn't he cheating?"
"Liu Chao? The one from Wanhe Entertainment? What's going on? Please tell me in detail, Grandma Yang."
Grandma Yang nodded and then recounted the story of Liu Chao fabricating a tragic experience to Zhao An.
"What! He actually deceived you like that? This Liu Chao is too despicable!"
Upon hearing Grandma Yang's account, Zhao An was furious!
As an insider, he had heard about Liu Chao's situation. He had some connections in Wanhe, and Liu Chao came from a wealthy family. If he really fabricated stories like this to Grandma Yang, it was indeed too much.
Moreover, the entertainment industry places great emphasis on the moral integrity of artists. If this matter were to be exposed, not to mention Liu Chao, who had not yet debuted, even a superstar who had already achieved fame and success would be deeply affected.
"That's right, I felt this child was too scheming after knowing the truth. That's why I came to reveal this to you."
Grandma Yang affirmed.
"Do you have any evidence?"
"Of course, he chose to text me to avoid being noticed by the camera crew. I still have the text messages."
After speaking, Grandma Yang opened her phone and showed the text messages to Zhao An.
After reading the messages, Zhao An no longer doubted what Grandma Yang had said.
At this moment, he suddenly felt a new hope for allowing Zhou Chen to continue in the program.
Because if Liu Chao's misdeeds were exposed, he definitely couldn't continue participating in the program.
Zhou Chen and Liu Chao were the two trainees recommended by Wanhe Entertainment. If Liu Chao was out of the program, they couldn't just take Zhou Chen back, right? They had to consider Wanhe Entertainment's face and keep Zhou Chen, right?
Thinking of this, Zhao An secretly felt happy.