Chapter 420 - 219: You’re Not Spying on Me, Are You?

Chapter 420: Chapter 219: You’re Not Spying on Me, Are You?

So he decided to just go all in. Even as a comedic actor, he was determined to become one of the nation’s absolute best.

But Deng Chao was different. He’d been in the business for over a decade and had starred in numerous acclaimed films. Furthermore, his role in *The Dead End*, released last year, had even earned him a Best Actor award. It was safe to say he was already at the forefront of the film and television industry.

If variety shows truly started to negatively affect his acting career, it would be a massive blow to him.

Deng Chao was now lost in thought. Su Chen’s words had just served as a rude awakening, shattering his pleasant illusions about doing variety shows.

"Mr. Su, thank you so much for what you said today. It was a real eye-opener!" Deng Chao felt a weight in his chest. If Su Chen hadn’t pointed this out, who knew how much longer he would have continued down this path of comedy variety shows.

It wasn’t that variety shows were bad, but his persona on *Running Man*—the one he was currently on—was problematic. He was the "smart but goofy" one, an image that could easily stick with the audience.

Su Chen calmly waved a hand. "I’m just offering my own perspective. Take it or leave it. Ultimately, you have to do what’s right for your own situation."

After all, variety shows were quick and easy money, a fact that both Deng Chao and Chen He had already discovered.

Deng Chao nodded silently at his words, and Sun Li, who was beside him, took his hand and patted it gently.

"Sir, we can board now," Chen Fei said softly, approaching Su Chen’s side.

Su Chen gave a slight nod and looked at the others. "Let’s go, it’s getting late."

At his words, Si Cong and the others got to their feet. The private jet staff standing by quickly came over, took their luggage, and led the group to a shuttle that had been waiting for them.

After the plane took off, Deng Chao and Sun Li found a quiet corner to talk. It was obvious they were discussing what Su Chen had said earlier.

Chen He, however, was bummed. He knew that his time filming variety shows with his good partner, Old Deng, was likely coming to an end. Still, there was no need to panic just yet.

Their contracts for the show were signed for a full season. So far, they had only filmed three or four episodes, which meant there were still eight or nine left to go.

Meanwhile, Su Chen and Si Cong were in the rear lounge area, chatting about some minor entertainment industry gossip that Si Cong had picked up from who-knows-where. Bursts of laughter occasionally drifted from their direction.

They landed at the Imperial Capital airport a little after four in the afternoon. Just after disembarking, they spotted three luxury cars parked not far from the tarmac. Conspicuously standing among them was Jiang Hui.

"Hmm? You guys arranged for cars?" Su Chen understood the situation the moment he saw the display.

Si Cong, standing beside him, nodded. "I figured one car wouldn’t be enough for all of us, so I made a call to arrange for more."

"By the way, are you busy tonight? If not, want to grab dinner together?"

Su Chen shook his head slightly. "I’ll have to pass on dinner. I have some things to take care of back home."

He then turned to Deng Chao and the others behind him. "Remember to come over for dinner tomorrow night. You all know the address."

"Yes, yes! I heard from Young Master Cong that Mr. Su has quite the collection of fine wine. I’ve been looking forward to it for a long time." A flash of anticipation crossed Deng Chao’s eyes; his love for drinking was well-known in their circle.

Even Chen He chimed in with agreement from the side.

Seeing their eager expressions, Su Chen laughed and agreed. "Alright. Tomorrow, you can drink your fill!"

After saying his goodbyes, Su Chen waved to Si Cong and the others and got into his Rolls-Royce. Only after Su Chen’s car had driven away did Si Cong and the rest get into the luxury cars waiting for them and leave the airport.

"Old Jiang, how’s Aunt Tang?" Su Chen asked, looking at Jiang Hui, who was now seated in the front passenger seat.

"Nothing serious. It was just a sprain that was swollen for a few days. She can walk now."

Jiang Hui seemed to guess that Su Chen was about to ask for the details, so he went ahead and explained the whole story, including how the fight started.

Su Chen couldn’t help but laugh when he heard that Aunt Tang had pinned the poodle’s "mom" to the ground and was wiping the floor with her, and that several onlookers couldn’t even pull them apart.

On second thought, it made sense. Aunt Tang might be in her forties, but from constantly chopping vegetables and tossing woks, her arm strength was nothing to scoff at—probably greater than that of some adult men.

"So how did it get resolved in the end?"

After all, they had gotten into a fight. And since it was near Shichahai, patrol officers were bound to show up, even if no one called the police.

That area, after all, was home to many prominent figures, so security was taken far more seriously than in other places.

"The other woman wasn’t seriously hurt. She just had some hair pulled out and took a few punches."

"At first, the woman was clamoring for Tang Xiaomei to pay damages. But, as luck would have it, Tang Xiaomei had a sprained ankle, and the other woman had thrown the first punch. In the end, with the officers mediating, they both just apologized to each other and that was that."

To be fair, it was a mutual affray, since both of them had thrown punches. Luckily, no one was seriously bleeding, or it wouldn’t have ended with a simple verbal warning and mutual apologies.

Su Chen stroked his jaw and muttered under his breath, "Looks like I’ll need to hire a bodyguard for the house, just in case something happens when I’m not around."

Though Su Chen had spoken quietly, in the silence of the car, both Chen Fei and Jiang Hui heard him perfectly. Chen Fei’s eyes twitched slightly; he was already mentally running through a list of suitable candidates for Su Chen.

The Rolls-Royce pulled to a smooth stop in front of the courtyard house. Su Chen had just gotten out and hadn’t even taken a step inside when his phone started ringing.

"Talk about timing," he said, stepping into the courtyard and pulling the phone from his pocket.

When Su Chen saw the caller ID, he stopped in his tracks so abruptly that Chen Fei, who was right behind him, almost crashed into him.

Just as Chen Fei was wondering who could possibly be calling to make his boss stop like that, he saw Su Chen answer the phone.

"Elder Xiao, your timing is impeccable. I just stepped into the courtyard and my phone rings. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you had my home bugged," Su Chen said, half-joking, though his brow furrowed slightly.

Behind him, however, Chen Fei’s heart tightened. He quickly shot a look at Steward Jiang, signaling for him to take the luggage and enter through a side corridor.

Elder Xiao, on the other end of the line, could clearly hear the faint complaint in Su Chen’s tone. He chuckled. "You brat, you don’t really think I have people watching you, do you? Would I even need to?"

"Uh..." Su Chen was taken aback. ’He’s not monitoring me?’

’How else would he know I’d returned to the Imperial Capital? But then again, he has a point. If they really needed to monitor me, they would have never let me leave the Zheng Island facility in the first place.’

Elder Xiao’s next words resolved Su Chen’s confusion.

"I simply raised the security level of your personal information and registered your private jet with the Civil Aviation Administration to give you a priority slot. My people were notified the moment you landed at the Imperial Capital airport."

"As for the coincidental timing, well, I just calculated when to call you."

Su Chen pursed his lips, his brow relaxing.

’So this is what it’s like to enter a different echelon of society,’ he realized. ’From now on, I probably won’t have to wait in queues at the airport. I’ll get the express green-light treatment.’

"So, Elder Xiao, was there something you needed?" Su Chen asked with a smile as he resumed his walk toward the central courtyard.

"Nothing too serious. It’s just that a few of us old-timers have been discussing things, and we’d like to offer you some compensation. We were wondering if you had anything in mind."

Su Chen’s eyes lit up at his words. If this had happened back when he was still on Zheng Island, he wouldn’t have had anything to ask for, but things were different now.

He had been planning to pay Elder Xiao a visit after Wu Jing’s premiere, but he hadn’t expected the old man to call him first.

"Ahem. I might have an idea or two, but I’m not sure if it’s something you could accept."

Hearing this, Elder Xiao on the other end of the line fell silent. ’Sounds like he’s about to ask for the moon.’ But then he remembered how Su Chen had handed over the controllable nuclear fusion technology without the slightest hesitation.

After a long pause, Elder Xiao finally said, "If you’re not busy, why don’t you come over to my place? Let’s discuss this face-to-face."

"Alright! I’m on my way. I’ll be there in ten minutes, tops."

From Elder Xiao’s tone, Su Chen knew his plan was likely going to work.

After hanging up, he grabbed Chen Fei, and they drove off toward Elder Xiao’s residence.