Wang Wei was drinking tea in his office when he received a sudden call from his wife, Zhang Chuchu, leaving him baffled.
As the manager of Wanhe Entertainment, he naturally knew about Zhou Chen, this rising star.
For this charity event at the nursing home, apart from Liu Chao, Zhou Chen was his top recommendation. He saw a promising future in Zhou Chen.
"Chuchu, what's going on? Why do you want to freeze Zhou Chen?" Wang Wei asked in confusion.
Zhang Chuchu then explained Zhou Chen's abnormal behavior to him.
"What! Zhou Chen has become like this? Are you sure you're not joking with me?" Wang Wei was also surprised to hear Zhang Chuchu's account.
"I don't have the mood to joke with you. Go and talk to the people from the production team, see if you can get Zhou Chen replaced. We don't lack trainees anyway. Since he's not obedient, there's no need for us to pamper him. Does he really think he's irreplaceable?" Zhang Chuchu expressed her frustration.
"This matter is not easy to handle. According to the production team's requirements, we can't replace him temporarily. But if what you said is true, then Zhou Chen will most likely be eliminated tomorrow. So, don't get too worked up about this. After he's eliminated tomorrow, we'll have even more reason to freeze him, right?" Wang Wei advised.
"But..." Zhang Chuchu still seemed a bit unwilling. She knew the rules of the production team. Initially, she had planned to wait for Zhou Chen to be eliminated and then discuss freezing him with the company.
However, Zhou Chen's recent behavior, where he would rather play table tennis with the old man than familiarize himself with the nursing home like the other trainees, followed by ignoring her and going to sleep when she confronted him, made her unable to suppress her anger.
"Chuchu, stop worrying. We're husband and wife. If Zhou Chen, a trainee, dares to defy you like this, I will naturally help you vent your anger. Rest assured, if he's eliminated tomorrow, I'll immediately request the company to freeze him. If he miraculously advances tomorrow, I'll figure out a way to talk to the program leaders and then make an exception to remove him. It's just a day's time, so bear with it. Otherwise, if we go begging the program leaders for one day, it wouldn't be good for Wanhe Entertainment's reputation." Wang Wei continued to persuade.
"Fine, let this kid be arrogant for one day then. Let's see how he can survive in the entertainment industry after tomorrow." With that, Zhang Chuchu hung up the phone, looking displeased.
On Zhou Chen's end, after returning to his room, he had just grabbed his clothes and changed into slippers, preparing to take a shower when he heard a knock on the door.
"Zhang, are you still not giving up? I've already said it. I'm really tired now, and nothing is more important than getting a good night's sleep." Zhou Chen thought it was Zhang Chuchu knocking on the door.
"Excuse me, sir, I'm a service staff member from the Longevity Supermarket at the nursing home. Chen Bo asked me to deliver a pillow to you." A young man's voice came from outside the door.
"I'm sorry, I thought it was my agent knocking. Thank you for bringing the pillow. How much is it? I'll scan the payment to you with my phone." Zhou Chen opened the door and accepted the pillow, intending to pay the guy with his phone.
But the guy waved his hand repeatedly, saying, "Chen Bo already instructed me. You don't need to pay. Chen Bo has always been generous like this. So, don't be polite to him about this little matter. Alright, I've delivered the pillow, I have to go now. Goodbye."
With that, the guy immediately turned and left.
Zhou Chen could only temporarily accept the pillow sent by Chen Bo. He planned to find him later when he woke up and then return the money to him.
After taking a shower, Zhou Chen didn't think too much about it. He dried his hair and went straight to bed to sleep.
Due to staying up all night last night, he quickly fell asleep.
In his dream, he lived the life he wanted, healthy and without overworking for his career, let alone dying young due to health problems.
When he woke up, it was already 5 PM.
His stomach was growling, and after getting ready, he changed into a new outfit and planned to go out to find something to eat.
"Young man, where are you going? Feeling rejuvenated? How about we have a few more rounds of battles tonight?" Coincidentally, when he went out, he encountered Chen Bo again.
"Chen Bo, why are you here too? I'm going out to find somewhere to have dinner. By the way, how much was the pillow today? I'll give you the money back." Zhou Chen asked.
"You don't need to worry about the money for the pillow. I rarely enjoy myself as much as I did today," Chen Bo said with a smile.
"That won't do. I always believe in earning my keep. So, I must pay for it myself." Zhou Chen expressed his attitude.
"You're such a special kid. How about this, you don't need to pay, just accompany me for a few more rounds of table tennis later. The nursing home residents are all elderly people, and they're not good at table tennis. I rarely come across a young talent like you."
"Alright, since Chen Bo said so, I'll go along with it. But I'm going to have dinner first, and then I'll come find you," Zhou Chen responded.
"No need for the trouble, just come eat at my place. Today is my birthday, and my son has ordered many delicious dishes for me. I was just worried about not having anyone to chat with," Chen Bo warmly invited.
"Oh, today is your birthday, Chen Bo? Then I wish you a happy birthday, good health, and may you always be cheerful every day," Zhou Chen immediately offered his congratulations.
"Thank you. Let's go, I'll take you back to my place. We'll rest a bit after dinner, then we can start playing," Chen Bo said enthusiastically.
Finally finding a teammate for table tennis, Chen Bo was in a great mood.
Zhou Chen felt a bit embarrassed to accept the invitation, but Chen Bo's enthusiasm was hard to resist, so he had no choice but to follow Chen Bo home.
Chen Bo's home was a two-bedroom apartment, and judging from the furnishings, his wife did not reside there.
As for whether his wife was alive or not, Zhou Chen felt it would be impolite to ask.
After entering the room, not wanting Chen Bo to handle dinner alone, Zhou Chen went to the kitchen to help wash the dishes and then helped wipe the table clean.
"Chen Bo, you're alone at home, why did you prepare so many dishes?" Zhou Chen asked, puzzled, looking at the table full of food.
"I didn't make these, my son had them delivered. He was supposed to come over tonight to celebrate my birthday with me, but something urgent came up at his company, so he couldn't make it," Chen Bo explained, a hint of regret on his face.
It was clear that he was eager for his son to celebrate his birthday with him.
"I see. Well, no worries. I'll celebrate your birthday with you. Afterward, we'll happily go play some table tennis," Zhou Chen said.
"Thank you, but just the two of us won't be able to finish all this food. I just informed Liu Lao, Wang Xiaomei, and Yang Ajie from the nursing home, and they'll be coming over soon," Chen Bo said.
"Sounds good, the more the merrier," Zhou Chen replied just as the doorbell rang.
Chen Bo got up to answer the door and welcomed the three people who walked in.
"Chen Bo, didn't you say your son would be coming back tonight? Why don't I see him? Oh, and who's this young man?" The newcomers were curious to see Zhou Chen instead of Chen Bo's son in the room.
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