Chapter 128: The Celebration Banquet

The gala had concluded.

In the car, Lin Chuan and Xia Tian remained relatively composed, showing no signs of excessive excitement. Chu Fei, however, was a different story; ever since the performance ended, he had been in a state of extreme exhilaration, singing his own praises incessantly. Lin Chuan and Xia Tian had long since become immune to his antics.

Before long, the car pulled up to a star-rated hotel. As the trio stepped out, they were greeted by Gao Meng and Gao Mingyuan, who stood at the entrance with beaming smiles.

"Haha, Xiao Chuan, I was sweating bullets for you today! I was terrified you might make a mistake, but thankfully, you didn't let me down," Uncle Gao said as he stepped forward with a laugh.

"Heh, Boss Gao, I can't speak for much else, but when it comes to singing, with Xia Tian and me on the job, you’ve got nothing to worry about... Oh, and mostly because Brother Chuan taught us so well," Chu Fei chimed in.

After a few more pleasantries at the entrance, the group headed inside. This dinner served two purposes: first, to celebrate the successful commercial performance that had finally put the "Dynamic Boys" on the map and into the thick of the industry; second, to reward the entire company staff. Over the past year, Tiandi Culture had weathered many storms.

The most severe crisis had occurred when a group of the company's artists jumped ship, nearly leading to bankruptcy. Had it not been for the long-standing friendship between Gao Mingyuan and Old Master Yuan—a connection that brought Lin Chuan into the fold—the company might have folded entirely.

Inside the private room, the staff was already gathered, including the driver, Xiao Wu, and Zhang Xiaoqiao. As Lin Chuan and the others entered, the room erupted in thunderous applause. Every face was wreathed in smiles, and the eyes turned toward Lin Chuan were filled with envy and admiration.

The dishes were served, but before anyone picked up their chopsticks, Gao Mingyuan stood up with his glass, scanned the room, and announced loudly, "Everyone, raise your glasses. This first toast is to Xiao Chuan. If it weren't for him, our company wouldn't have survived to see today."

"That's right, without Brother Chuan, the company would have gone bankrupt," some of the veteran employees nodded in agreement, having witnessed the company’s past desperation firsthand.

However, some of the newer employees didn't fully grasp the history. While they wore polite smiles, they were skeptical in their hearts. Gao Mingyuan was the boss, after all; no matter how impressive Lin Chuan was, he was still just an artist under contract. Was it really appropriate for a boss to toast an employee? Still, they kept these thoughts to themselves, not daring to show even a hint of dissatisfaction.

Lin Chuan remained humble. He stood up with his glass and said with a smile, "I can't take all the credit; it would be an exaggeration to say I saved the company. Boss Gao is the one who recognized my talent. Without him, I wouldn't have achieved what I have today. This first toast should be to Boss Gao, so he can lead us to even greater heights in the coming year."

"Indeed, we should toast Boss Gao."

"Boss Gao is a good boss who always looks out for us. He deserves a toast."

"Oh, stop the back-and-forth! Let's toast to Tiandi Culture itself. As long as the company exists, Boss Gao stays, Brother Chuan stays, and we all stay together."

"Exactly! To our company—may next year be even more brilliant, with even more major commercial contracts!"

"You and your commercial contracts! As our company rises, commercial performances will be the least of our concerns. Who knows, we might even enter the film industry! Opening a Tiandi Culture film production company isn't impossible. Boss Gao, you'll have to give us a raise when that happens!"

The conversation turned the atmosphere electric, with everyone offering blessings to the company, the boss, and Brother Chuan.

After the first round, Boss Gao beamed as he refilled his glass. "Excellent! Let this second toast be to the company's prosperity in the new year, and to everyone's wallets growing thicker!"

"Haha, I’ll drink to that!"

"Boss Gao, whether our wallets grow thicker depends on that raise you mentioned!"

"Cough, a raise isn't strictly necessary—a bigger bonus would suffice!"

With the second toast finished, the formal drinking portion ended, and everyone began to eat and chat. Just then, Chu Fei looked around, glanced at Gao Mingyuan, and muttered while holding his glass, "Boss Gao, shouldn't we have a third toast?"

"No need, two is plenty. We don't stand on ceremony," Gao said with a wave of his hand.

"But..." Chu Fei frowned. "After today, Xia Tian and I have officially debuted... Shouldn't we toast to that?"

"Huh?" Everyone burst into laughter. Lin Chuan and Gao Mingyuan clinked glasses with him, offering a few words of congratulation. Xia Tian rested his head in his hands, wondering how he had ended up with such a partner—the embarrassment was absolute. Still, with a clown like Chu Fei around, there was no fear of the conversation dying down.

The banquet lasted until past eleven. Even then, the night wasn't over; people were clamoring to head to a KTV, but Lin Chuan lacked the energy. He had been exhausted over the past few days, rehearsing early and late with the others without a proper rest. Besides, he had a son at home and couldn't just neglect his duties. Everyone understood and didn't press him.

As he was leaving, Uncle Gao grabbed Lin Chuan’s hand, clearly tipsy. "Xiao Chuan... listen, go home and get some sleep. Give my best to Yangyang, and when I'm not so busy... I'll go see the old man..."

What was this? Who was seeing whom? Uncle Gao was truly slurring his words. Lin Chuan didn't interrupt; it was a happy day, and a few drunken ramblings were nothing to worry about.

Gao Meng walked over and pulled her father’s arm. "Dad, you've had too much. Let's go home."

"Too much? Who's had too much? Hey, beauty, believe it or not, I can still down two more bottles of the hard stuff..."

So, Uncle Gao had even started failing to recognize his own daughter. Chu Fei and a few other relatively sober colleagues helped him into the car. As the vehicle pulled away, everyone let out a long sigh of relief. No one had expected the boss to be such a character when he was drunk.