Chapter 287: No Wonder You Don't Listen

Early Monday morning, Yang Chen bought breakfast and hurried to the main office of Yulei Public Relations. Contrary to his expectations, there was no crowd to greet him. Instead, he found a group of women gathered together, chattering animatedly.

Setting down his breakfast, Yang Chen approached to see what the fuss was about. It turned out the female PR staff were clustered around a large map of Sakuramoto, engrossed in discussion.

Seeing Yang Chen approach, Zhang Cai, who had been arguing with a few others, immediately shifted focus and left the debate to select her breakfast. "Zhang Xiaojie, can you show a bit of professional ethics? How can you go eat in the middle of a conversation!" one of the women exclaimed in frustration.

Zhang Cai grabbed a bag of fried dumplings and took a bite, lips instantly glistening with oil. "Do whatever you want, I'm just following Mingyu."

Turning to Zhao Hongyan who was nearby, Yang Chen asked, "What are you all discussing?"

Due to the office's ample heating, Zhao Hongyan had stripped down to a purple undershirt, looking gentle and charming as she smiled. "They're debating whether to fly into Tokyo Narita Airport, clear customs in Tokyo and then play, or head directly to Hokkaido."

For the year-end trip, the entire PR department had chosen Sakuramoto. Yang Chen had originally been part of the PR department, so naturally he was included.

However, the current Yang Chen was somewhat different from before due to the incident with the Ya Qi Hui. He felt a slight unease about going to Sakuramoto, but avoiding it seemed unnecessary. He silently pondered that if he really went to Sakuramoto, things would probably not be straightforward.

Just as Zhang Cai's words reminded him, Yang Chen suddenly thought that this time going to Sakuramoto, he would be with Liu Mingyu. Looking at it now, there weren't many opportunities for intimate moments domestically. Going there might make up for regrets, but he wondered what Liu Dameiren thought.

After listening to his female colleagues' meaningless debate for a while in the office, Yang Chen trotted out of Yulei headquarters and returned to Yulei Entertainment across the street.

When he entered his office, he was surprised to find someone already seated inside. Besides his right-hand men Zhao Teng and Wang Jie, there was an unexpected guest—Rose!

Rose was dressed in a gray coat with a white scarf, paired with black lace stockings and brown high-heeled boots. Her hair was slightly wavy, with a few strands dyed a striking crimson. Her winter attire lent her a modest yet alluring urban charm.

Seeing this woman for the first time in his office, Yang Chen felt a sense of novelty. He blinked at Rose, who responded with a reserved smile that left Yang Chen somewhat amused and perplexed. "Director, you're here. Miss Situ has been waiting for you," Wang Jie said with a smile that lit up her face, clearly having enjoyed her conversation with Rose just moments ago.

Zhao Teng quickly stood up to please Yang Chen, swiftly preparing a cup of hot tea and handing it over. "Miss Situ mentioned that she's good friends with the Director. She said we can discuss anything freely. We were just talking about next year's talent show."

Yang Chen settled back into his swivel chair with interest. "Have you figured anything out?"

"We've discussed naming the event 'Yulei Star'," Wang Jie said. "It might sound a bit cliché, but it will help establish our brand. There are so many talent shows nowadays—singing, dancing—that we aim to stand out professionally. The name should be straightforward and understandable."

Yang Chen had no objections to the name. "I'm fine with that. Have you planned out the specifics?"

"The entire process isn't too difficult for us," Zhao Teng explained. "Yulei has experience organizing various large-scale modeling competitions. Hosting a talent show isn't fundamentally different. However, the key issue is selecting judges. They need to have significant fame and influence. We prefer international judges, considering Yulei's global presence. Director, last time you mentioned you could handle this. Any ideas?"

Yang Chen smiled and turned to Rose. "Who do you think would be suitable?"

Rose shook her head. "I don't know. I'm not interested in entertainment. I'm here for the joint venture and to make money. I'll defer to your judgment."

"I'm not into entertainment either, but luckily, I have a friend in the entertainment industry," Yang Chen said mysteriously, smiling at the three present in the office. He quickly pressed a few buttons on his desk.

The office's white walls projected a computer screen, and the blinds on the windows closed, enhancing the clarity of the wall-mounted screen.

Yang Chen opened Skype on his computer, entered an account, and logged in.

It was the first time for Wang Jie, Zhao Teng, and Rose to see Yang Chen use Skype for international calls. They were curious about who Yang Chen's friend was and waited eagerly.

After logging in, Yang Chen's friends list showed several contacts, making it unclear who was who.

Yang Chen chuckled lightly. "Luck's on our side. She's online."

With that, he clicked on a female friend's chat box and without much ado, initiated a video call, waiting for her to accept.

It took nearly half a minute for the female friend to accept the call, and due to network issues, the video feed was somewhat laggy.

After a brief wait, the image finally appeared on screen. However, the moment the image appeared, both Wang Jie and Zhao Teng exclaimed in astonishment.

"Oh my god! Kristen?!" exclaimed Wang Jie.

"Am I dreaming?!" added Zhao Teng.

Though the video feed was somewhat blurry, Kristen's appearance was still discernible. In the background, on a luxurious pink bed fit for an emperor, a blonde woman in silk pajamas flashed a sleepy yet enchanting smile toward Yang Chen's image.

Kristen appeared to be in her early twenties, with porcelain-white skin that exuded a flawless radiance. Her figure was perfectly proportioned, not overly voluptuous but just right. Her angelic face, highlighted by a prominent nose that gave her a uniquely Western allure and sensuality, exuded elegance and sophistication that went beyond mere physical beauty. It was her demeanor that made her strikingly beautiful, even by Eastern standards.

"It seems my video call caught you at an inconvenient time, Kristen. Were you about to sleep?" Yang Chen asked in fluent American English, smiling.

Kristen ran her fingers through her sunlit golden hair. "Yang, while it's quite rude, please believe me, your messages never consider the time zones."

Zhao Teng and Wang Jie, overhearing Yang Chen call the woman "Kristen," were left speechless with surprise.

Seeing Yang Chen engaging in conversation with another foreign woman who was envy-inducingly beautiful, Rose couldn't help but feel a twinge of discomfort. She leaned over to Wang Jie and asked quietly, "Is this woman very famous?"

Wang Jie whispered excitedly, "Miss Situ, don't you watch movies? Kristen Stewart is currently one of Hollywood's hottest actresses, with dual Oscars for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. She's also won awards at five A-list film festivals worldwide. Last year, she even won a Grammy for Best Country Album and Best Female Singer. She's only twenty-six years old, a genius among geniuses! Whether in the West or the East, she's an idol and dream goddess for countless men and women!"

Though Rose didn't follow the entertainment industry closely, she was aware of the Oscars and Grammys. From what she heard, this woman was indeed extraordinary. But how did Yang Chen know her?

Meanwhile, on the other end of the call, Yang Chen was conversing fluently with Kristen in English. After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Yang Chen straightforwardly explained the main purpose of the video call.

When Kristen heard that it was about inviting her to be a judge for a talent show, she looked at Yang Chen as if she didn't quite recognize him. Then, she giggled mischievously, her laughter alluring and captivating as she looked at Yang Chen. "Yang, it seems you've been living quite a special life since returning to Yanzha. I'm curious to know what it's like for you to conduct meetings with subordinates in your office."

"In that case, you're agreeing to it?" Yang Chen asked with a smile.

"I can participate. I was planning to give myself a nice vacation this year anyway, but I can't commit to every single competition, so you'll need to find other judges," Kristen stated frankly.

Before Yang Chen could respond, an eager Wang Jie, with her less-than-perfect English, said, "It won't trouble you much, Miss Kristen. In fact, as long as you're willing to appear once and judge our final competition, our event will be perfectly fulfilled!"

Yang Chen felt a bit annoyed; Kristen was getting quite the deal here. But since Wang Jie had already spoken, he couldn't say much. "The person speaking with you is my assistant, Wang Jie. She'll discuss the details with you later. I'm just shamelessly using my connections to invite you to Yanzha."

Kristen yawned seductively, stretched lazily, and said, "Got it. You know how to contact me. I'm sleepy now. Goodnight, Yang."

"Goodnight."

The video call ended. Yang Chen turned off the projection and opened the blinds. Wang Jie and Zhao Teng, still excited and seemingly in a dreamlike state, looked at each other with eyes full of admiration for Yang Chen.

After giving Wang Jie an email address, Yang Chen dismissed them to work and was left with Rose, whose expression was somewhat peculiar.

"What's wrong, Rose darling? You've been looking sour enough to squeeze a lemon," Yang Chen remarked, eyeing Rose's pouting lips.

Rose's gaze scanned Yang Chen like a scanner. "Tell me the truth. How many women like that do you have abroad?"

Yang Chen was taken aback, understanding why Rose was upset. He chuckled, "Rose darling, you've got it all wrong this time. Kristen isn't my woman. At least I haven't reached the level where I can share a bed with her without being kicked out. We're just good friends."

Surprised by Yang Chen's serious tone, Rose found it unbelievable. "You'd actually let a beauty like her slip away?"

"Do I look that thirsty?" Yang Chen smiled wryly, realizing he seemed like a total beast in the eyes of the women around him.

Rose didn't say anything more, just pursed her lips and turned her bright eyes away, an expression of "if you say so."

Yang Chen rubbed his forehead in frustration. No wonder Tang Wan didn't listen to his explanations last night!