Chapter 74: Hello, Auntie!

The girl appeared quite young, barely past twenty, her looks slightly above average, though still a far cry from those breathtaking beauties who could topple kingdoms. Yet, she radiated a lively, sunny aura, giving off a distinct air of mischievous cleverness.

Upon seeing the girl, Gao Mingyuan couldn’t help but smile knowingly. Turning to Lin Chuan, he introduced, “This is my daughter, Gao Meng. I had her come early to tidy up the place.”

Then he addressed the girl, “Mengmeng, this is Lin Chuan. You know him, don’t you?”

“Of course I do. Hello, uncle,” Gao Meng replied with a faint smile, neither warm nor cold.

Both Lin Chuan and Gao Mingyuan were momentarily taken aback, especially the latter, who felt a bit puzzled. His daughter was usually talkative, sometimes a bit sharp-tongued, but never impolite. Addressing someone as “uncle” when he was barely older than herself? That was unlike her. Besides, this was their first meeting—there was no deep-seated grudge between them. What was going on?

Gao Meng had just graduated from university at twenty-three and was currently idle at home. She had always been a devoted fan of “A Song for Fame,” never missing a single episode for three consecutive seasons. This year was no different; she followed the show closely from start to finish. Among all the contestants, her favorite was Fang Hao, the handsome, dashing man who seemed to step right out of her dreams.

However, in the semifinals, her idol was eliminated by a bearded, somewhat scruffy “uncle”—the very Lin Chuan standing before her now. For this reason, she harbored a lingering resentment toward him, even though on the night of the finals, Fang Hao seemed to make peace with Lin Chuan and even offered his help.

Still, she couldn’t get past that hurdle in her heart. Now, meeting Lin Chuan in person, her attitude was naturally frosty. In her mind, even granting him a smile was a great favor, owed only to her father’s sake.

“Hello, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Though Lin Chuan found the term “uncle” awkward, he responded politely nonetheless.

Seeing Lin Chuan unfazed, Gao Mingyuan breathed a sigh of relief, glared fiercely at Gao Meng, and quickly said, “Xiao Chuan, don’t stand at the door, come in and let’s talk inside.”

Lin Chuan nodded and led Lin Yiyang into the house.

As the father and son passed by her, Gao Meng let out a quiet “Huh?” and looked at Lin Yiyang, asking, “Whose child is this?”

Lin Yiyang looked up at her, pursed his lips, and grinned. “Hello, auntie, my name is Lin Yiyang.”

“A… Auntie?”

Gao Meng stood there as if struck by lightning, her mind reeling as though a thousand wild horses stampeded right through her. For girls her age, there were two things they could not tolerate: being called fat, and being called old. Especially being called “auntie”—that was the ultimate taboo.

One could hardly blame her. At twenty-three, freshly graduated, still in many ways a child herself, to suddenly be called “auntie” by another child—who could stomach that?

Seeing her expression, Lin Yiyang suddenly broke into a wide grin—it was obvious the little rascal had done it on purpose.

Lin Chuan and Gao Mingyuan exchanged a smile, both shaking their heads helplessly.

“Mengmeng, don’t just stand there, close the door,” Gao Mingyuan said as he turned around. “Xiao Chuan, for now you and Yiyang will have to make do here.”

“Thank you, Uncle Gao. This place is already excellent,” Lin Chuan replied with a gentle smile.

The apartment was about seventy square meters, with two bedrooms and a living room, bathed in ample natural light. Compared to Lin Chuan’s place in Beining, it was infinitely better. Everything a household might need was provided; there was nothing lacking, and Lin Chuan wouldn’t have to purchase a thing.

After a quick tour, they all returned to the living room and sat down on the sofa.

“Xiao Chuan, you and Yiyang should rest well. Tonight I’ll have Xiao Wu come get you and we’ll hold a welcome dinner…” Gao Mingyuan said with a smile.

“Uncle Gao, let’s skip the banquet—it’s too extravagant. If you don’t mind, why don’t you come here this evening? I’ll cook a few dishes myself for you to try,” Lin Chuan answered calmly.

Gao Mingyuan laughed heartily and nodded. “Very well, it’s settled then. I’ll come by tonight.”

After a brief chat, Gao Mingyuan and his daughter took their leave.

On the way downstairs, Gao Meng looked reluctant and asked, “Dad, why did you have to bring him here?”

“Mengmeng, you know the situation at the company, don’t you?” Gao Mingyuan’s face grew serious.

“But still, why ask him? He’s a newly crowned champion with plenty of fame. Dad, you must have offered him quite a deal to get him here, right?”

“A deal? Heh, you’re mistaken. As you said, with Xiao Chuan’s current fame, he could go anywhere he wants. If he was after a good deal, would he choose a small company like ours? He agreed to help because of our relationship, nothing more,” Gao Mingyuan said earnestly.

Gao Meng, hearing this, unconsciously glanced up at the apartment, snorted lightly, and left with her father.

The next morning, Xiao Wu drove Lin Chuan to the company—a thirty-story office building. Of course, Gao Mingyuan’s company occupied only one floor; the rest were leased to various other businesses.

“Haha, Xiao Chuan, why not rest at home a few more days?” Gao Mingyuan personally came out to greet him.

“I’m well rested and want to take this opportunity to learn more about the company,” Lin Chuan replied calmly.

“Good, let’s go up.” Gao Mingyuan nodded and gestured for him to proceed.

Lin Chuan followed him into the elevator, heading for the company’s floor.

Once there, Lin Chuan realized that calling it a company was generous—it was more of a studio. A dozen or so staff sat at their computers, fingers clacking on keyboards, while a few others bustled back and forth, handling printing and other errands. Counting everyone, including the boss Gao Mingyuan, there weren’t even twenty people.

No wonder they only managed small commercial performances. With such a small operation, even newcomers to the industry wouldn’t be impressed, let alone established stars. The mass exodus of talent made sense—there was little hope or profit to be found here.

Suddenly, Gao Mingyuan clapped his hands, drawing everyone’s attention. As all eyes turned to him, he announced, “Everyone, set aside your work for a moment. Let me introduce someone… This is Lin Chuan—I’m sure you’re all familiar with the name.”

Lin Chuan offered a mild smile and nodded to the group.

A wave of astonishment swept across their faces. Lin Chuan’s name was well known, especially lately, with news about him everywhere online and on TV. He was the grand champion of “A Song for Fame” and the singer of the theme song for “The Loyal and Noble.” His reputation had already eclipsed many A-list celebrities. For someone of his caliber to appear in their humble company—what was going on?

Gao Mingyuan said no more, leading Lin Chuan into the office.

As soon as they disappeared from view, the staff broke into hushed, excited whispers.

“What’s going on? Did Lin Chuan sign with our company?”

“No way. With a company this small, would he even bother?”

“Why not? The boss was away on a business trip recently—maybe he went to recruit Lin Chuan.”

“Tsk, if Lin Chuan really joins us…”

“Exactly. With Lin Chuan onboard, all the commercial gigs in the capital would come knocking at our door.”

“You only think about gigs. Can’t you look further ahead? With Lin Chuan as our anchor, we wouldn’t need to rely on small shows—think of advertising, film, TV, even concerts…”

“Oh my, stop it—I can hardly wait for that day…”

Lin Chuan’s arrival sparked dreams of the company’s future among the staff, who chatted animatedly about what might come.

Seated in the office, Lin Chuan picked up a document and skimmed through it before asking, “Uncle Gao, the commercial show the day after tomorrow is at Capital University?”

“That’s right, at the university theater… But I never imagined that at such a critical moment, all our artists would jump ship to other companies,” Gao Mingyuan sighed deeply.

Lin Chuan smiled sympathetically, understanding Uncle Gao’s plight. To have come alone to this vast city in his youth, maintaining a company with great effort, nurturing a few modestly successful stars only to see them leave in the end—such a blow would be hard for anyone to bear.

Yet, thinking it over, something about the situation seemed off. The timing of the defections, just days before the commercial show, felt too coincidental, as if orchestrated by someone behind the scenes.

Though the company would receive some compensation for the departures, failing to fulfill the performance contract would cost even more—penalties from the clients far exceeding the artists’ breach-of-contract fees.

With this in mind, Lin Chuan picked up the document again and reread it. When he saw the name of the collaborating agency, his brows furrowed.

“Uncle Gao, was this YOYO Entertainment Company also invited by the organizers?”

“Hmph, yes. The artists who left us all went to that company,” Gao Mingyuan replied, resentment plain on his face.

Lin Chuan smiled, his suspicions clearing up. But he said nothing more about YOYO Entertainment.

It was nearly noon by the time Lin Chuan finally took his leave from the company.