Chapter 116: President Su, Someone’s Trying to Steal Your Thunder

At the back door of the recording building, many people were leaving by car. A crowd surrounded Tang Zhichu, chatting animatedly.

A black business van pulled up in front of Tang Zhichu. Everyone looked over. The door opened, and their eyes lit up—it was Yu Hua, the show’s executive director.

Yu Hua waved at Tang Zhichu without any hesitation. Under the envious gazes of the onlookers, Tang Zhichu got into the car.

The sun had long set; it was already quite late.

Inside the vehicle, the two sitting in the back remained silent. As they turned at an intersection, Tang Zhichu suddenly glanced at Yu Hua.

Yu Hua smiled and said, “How about that? I got you covered. The driver’s surname is Zhong; just call him Uncle Zhong. Almost everyone knows Uncle Zhong is my driver. If you need anything, just have him pick you up and drop you off.”

Tang Zhichu nodded without fuss and called out, “Uncle Zhong.”

The car headed toward the small building where Zhou Yun was.

This was Yu Hua’s protection. What Tang Zhichu represented was becoming increasingly important to him.

Yu Hua thought that if one day Tang Zhichu lost control and sneaked over to Zhou Yun during filming, it wouldn’t look good if some musicians caught sight of them.

But if Yu Hua intervened, even if Tang Zhichu vanished, no one would suspect much. After all, the executive director was seen with Tang Zhichu—who would take issue with that?

As for Tang Zhichu and Zhou Yun’s relationship, Yu Hua saw it as perfectly normal.

“I heard you’re inviting Chen Siyang over?” Tang Zhichu suddenly asked.

Yu Hua was momentarily taken aback, then teased, “So you’re still in touch with Chen Siyang, huh? Not bad—you even know this news.”

His words carried two meanings: confirming that Tang Zhichu still had contact with Chen Siyang, while also implying Yu Hua himself wasn’t aware of this.

After all, with Zhou Yun on their side, inviting Chen Siyang over was a delicate matter.

Still, Yu Hua was quite curious to see how that would play out—it should be interesting.

Of course, with his ties to Tang Zhichu growing closer, Yu Hua didn’t want any barriers between them, so he explained:

“Tomorrow, your dating show’s grand finale airs. Li Hongzhou told me you and Chen Siyang didn’t end up together. What does he know? Only fools fall in love on a show. I have a bit of a personal stake in inviting Chen Siyang over. Your show’s already gone viral, and the music competition I’m working on is surprisingly giving your dating show a run for its money.”

“This kind of popularity should never go to waste. Instead of letting Douyin or Tencent reap the benefits, why not let your big brother here take advantage? Don’t worry, I’ll slot him in toward the back. As for Zhou Yun, you wouldn’t be unable to handle something so small, would you?” Yu Hua finished, casting a suspicious look at Tang Zhichu.

Tang Zhichu said nothing and stared out the window.

---

“Don’t be so stingy. Let me tell you something else: find time to start a studio or even an entertainment company. I’ll partner with you. When the time’s right, we’ll make a grand entrance into the capital market. Leave that part to me. Your job is to stay at your best—make some people see you and instantly think you’re the brightest star of the Chinese music scene’s future. With enough friends, it won’t even matter if you’re involved with Chen Siyang, Zhou Yun, or even Jiang Lan from your dating show; none of those rumors will ever leak out,” Yu Hua added.

This was his main purpose in reaching out to Tang Zhichu.

After observing for so long, it was time to make a move. This would be beneficial for Tang Zhichu, the show, and Yu Hua himself, binding their interests together.

Yu Hua had his own plans—to make a grand entrance from the entertainment world into the capital market, or rather, to return to it, showing certain people that he played on a much higher level.

Tang Zhichu withdrew his gaze from the window; he had anticipated this.

When he boldly wrote songs on the show, he had such plans in mind. He believed in the show’s prospects and knew that Yu Hua, with his skills and background, would not be weak.

With a big player right before him, there was no reason not to get on board.

“My contract’s with Douyin,” Tang Zhichu reminded him.

Yu Hua shook his head seriously. “That’s not a big problem. Douyin is a platform, not an entertainment company. They wouldn’t forbid you from starting an entertainment company. The better you do, the more they profit. If needed, we can even bring them in. But that depends on you—how much you can show. That’s the ace I have against them.”

Tang Zhichu rolled his eyes. “I got it. No need to keep nagging me.”

Yu Hua laughed heartily. “Don’t blame me for being stingy. This whole game depends on you. I’m being honest, right? That’s my sincerity. Of course, don’t stress too much. Spend more time at Zhou Yun’s place. It should help your creativity. Hey, here we are.”

Tang Zhichu got out of the car. He suspected that the house Yu Hua arranged had nothing to do with Wang Xiaoyan—it was just for him.

Seeing Tang Zhichu enter the villa, Uncle Zhong started the car again.

In the back, Yu Hua had already closed his eyes to rest.

Uncle Zhong silently repeated Tang Zhichu’s name in his mind. From their earlier conversation and Tang Zhichu’s casual attitude toward Yu Hua, he formed a judgment on how to approach Tang Zhichu.

This was also Yu Hua’s way of showing him that some things didn’t need to be spoken aloud.

Pushing open the villa door, no one was inside.

Zhou Yun was probably still busy at the studio.

Looking at the empty room, Tang Zhichu turned on the TV. Once he heard voices, he headed to the kitchen.

Fortunately, the fridge was stocked. Tang Zhichu was tired—writing that song had drained both his mind and body.

With Yu Hua’s protection, Tang Zhichu didn’t have to worry about the dormitory. If… if he wanted, he didn’t even have to go back today.

Dealing with an old hand like Yu Hua was indeed smooth sailing.

---

Of course, the prerequisite was that he had to be valuable to Yu Hua.

Yu Hua was a big player; if Tang Zhichu wanted to grow and accumulate faster, he really had to get on board with this big vehicle.

Tang Zhichu mentioned Douyin because he had a foresight into Douyin’s future. He wanted Yu Hua to consider Douyin more carefully and ideally bring them into the fold.

Thinking this, Tang Zhichu took out his phone and found Su Qingzhuo’s WeChat.

“President Su, someone’s trying to steal your thunder!”

Su Qingzhuo replied quickly, a string of question marks.

“Yu Hua, the executive director of the music show I’m on, said he’s a big fan after hearing me sing and wants to start an entertainment company to sign me.”

“Speak plainly!”

“Honestly, maybe he’s not that much of a fan—at most, just one of mine.”

“I get it—that last part was a lie.”

“?????”

“Not bad. You’re not being neglected. No wonder when I asked him how you were doing, he danced around the answer. That old fox isn’t a good guy. Stay away from him.”

“Got it. I think so too. That old fox isn’t a good guy.”

“Old fox?”

“That’s an insult. President Su, you have to keep looking out for me. It’s hard resisting his sugar-coated traps.”

“......”

Tang Zhichu stuffed the phone back into his pocket.

Yu Hua would surely talk to Douyin soon. It was better to get them to pay attention early on. After all, Yu Hua could somewhat represent Tencent’s side. When big players meet, it helps him spot any leaks.

Tang Zhichu wasn’t naive, so he had ignored Yu Hua’s words earlier.

Talking details now would be falling into Yu Hua’s trap.