Chapter 401: Didn’t Tell You

An Xin's position as a secretary was established without much legitimacy, yet no one in the expansive Yu Lei Entertainment paid much attention to the director's new and mysterious secretary. However, her youthful and attractive appearance, much like a ripe peach, naturally drew the director's interest. In a metropolis driven by material desires, such things were commonplace and didn't prompt much gossip.

In reality, An Xin was quite helpful to Yang Chen. Her claim of having been involved in numerous family business operations wasn't an exaggeration. Before becoming a flight attendant, An Xin had been groomed by her father, An Zaihuan, to be his successor, as she was his only daughter.

Although the An family wasn't considered top-tier in Zhonghai, they were prominent among the second-tier families, otherwise, the Liu family wouldn't have targeted them as a stepping stone to compete with the Yuan family.

For An Xin, the nascent Yu Lei Entertainment was like a premium piece of clay ready to be molded. Yang Chen assigned her various tasks, which she executed with ease and joy, using her creativity to shape the company's future.

When An Xin learned that Yu Lei's first project was a talent show competition, her eyes sparkled with excitement. As a young woman, she naturally loved anything related to stage, music, crowds, and fashion. Now, as the planner, she was even more enthusiastic.

Zhao Teng and Wang Jie, who were not ordinary employees, quickly investigated An Xin's background shortly after her arrival at Yu Lei Entertainment. They were stunned to discover that she was the eldest daughter of the An family.

The An family, having swallowed the Liu family, had now climbed to the pinnacle of Zhonghai's elite, rivaling only the Yuan family. Rumors even suggested that the An family had close ties with the Rothschild family, a giant in global finance, adding to their mysterious and powerful reputation.

As the eldest daughter of such a prestigious family, An Xin's decision to work as a secretary under her director raised eyebrows and birthed numerous speculations. To Zhao Teng and Wang Jie, the only logical conclusion was that Director Yang was exceptionally formidable.

Unaware of the newfound admiration from his subordinates, Yang Chen was leisurely sipping green tea prepared by An Xin while lounging on the genuine leather sofa in his office. In front of him, a 41-inch LED TV displayed the latest entertainment news, mostly involving musicians.

An Xin, sitting at Yang Chen's desk, was diligently reviewing various documents brought by Wang Jie and Zhao Teng, related to the upcoming talent show auditions and the overall process for the audition units.

After watching TV for a while, Yang Chen paused the screen on an image of an androgynous female singer and called out to An Xin, "Little demon, what do you think of this person? Seems like she's been popular for many years and might have come from a talent show background."

An Xin glanced at the screen and then pouted, "She's obviously a woman, why are you calling her a guy?"

"Oh, my bad, my bad. It's just that everyone calls her something 'bro,' so I thought she was a guy," Yang Chen said, scratching his head.

An Xin pondered for a moment and said, "We're looking for judges. Although she's very popular, inviting her might add too much entertainment value and not enough professionalism. Let's choose someone else."

Yang Chen nodded in agreement, recognizing the logic. Yu Lei Entertainment wasn't looking to produce comedians, so there was no need to compromise professionalism for popularity. He continued reviewing potential candidates.

After two hours, they had tentatively selected five candidates for judges. Yang Chen planned to hand these names over to Wang Jie to approach them individually. Frowning at the list, Yang Chen remarked, "These people all have impressive backgrounds. In other talent shows, they appear solo, holding their own. Bringing them all together as judges might exceed our budget."

An Xin smiled confidently. "Don't worry, darling. They won't dare to ask for high fees. They might even compete for the chance to join without pay."

"Why's that?" Yang Chen asked.

"Have you forgotten who our final competition judge is?" An Xin winked.

Yang Chen thought for a moment, then laughed. "True. With Christine as our marquee name, they'll likely be eager to join for the exposure. Sharing a stage with her is a rare opportunity, even for the biggest stars in Yanxia."

An Xin's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Darling, how do you even know Christine? She's the hottest star in the world right now, like the Michael Jackson of our time. She's my idol. Once, when I was in France, she was attending Paris Fashion Week. I waited an entire day and night to see her but missed her. I was so upset."

"When she gets here, I'll have her stand in front of you so my precious An Xin can hug her all she wants," Yang Chen declared grandly.

An Xin laughed. "Hugging is fine, but let's skip the kissing part. Won't you get jealous?"

"Why would I be jealous? Seeing Christine embarrassed would be a delightful sight for me," Yang Chen replied, curling his lip.

An Xin blinked. "Darling, don't be mad. I just find it odd. A man like you, close enough to Christine to invite her here on a whim, why wouldn't you make a move on such a beauty? Instead, you seem to have a grudge against her."

Yang Chen pinched An Xin's cheek. "Is that any way to talk about your man? Christine might be attractive, but I have zero interest in her. The reasons are complicated, and I can't explain. Just don't bring it up again."

An Xin stuck out her tongue playfully and dropped the subject.

Seeing the colorful clock on the wall, Yang Chen noticed it was lunchtime. He suggested, "Let's go downstairs to see Hui Lin and invite her to lunch."

An Xin nodded obediently and began tidying up.

It had been over a week since An Xin joined the company, and as February neared its end, she had familiarized herself with the daily operations. She was also getting to know the people around Yang Chen.

Apart from the awkward encounter with Lin Ruoxi on the first day, An Xin had gotten along well with others in Yang Chen's circle. The most interesting were Mo Qianni and Liu Mingyu, who seemed to have coordinated their visits to Yang Chen's office. They introduced themselves to An Xin and then left together, displaying a surprising camaraderie.

Yang Chen had no idea what kind of understanding these women had reached, but as long as they didn't react like Lin Ruoxi—who had avoided him for days after meeting An Xin—he was happy for them to get to know each other.

Among Yang Chen's acquaintances, An Xin got along best with Hui Lin. Working in the same company, Hui Lin's pure and childlike nature made her a delightful companion.

An Xin, like a child who never fully grew up, had a rebellious and quirky mind. Having traveled extensively and seen many interesting things, she always had endless conversations with Hui Lin. Their interactions often left Hui Lin bewildered yet filled with admiration, giving An Xin a great sense of accomplishment.

Every weekday at noon, Yang Chen would take the two girls out for lunch. It wasn't that the company's food was bad, but the staff at Yu Lei Entertainment ate in the canteen at the headquarters building, which meant he could potentially run into Lin Ruoxi. Bringing only Hui Lin before was no issue, but now with An Xin in tow, it would be pushing Lin Ruoxi's tolerance to the limit, and Yang Chen wasn't that brave.

When Yang Chen and An Xin entered the recording studio downstairs, they didn't find Hui Lin practicing her singing techniques and music knowledge as usual. Instead, she was sitting alone on a chair, head bowed, her hands clenched tightly together as if enduring something.

Frowning, Yang Chen approached and asked, "Hui Lin, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Given Hui Lin's strong inner strength, it was unlikely she would be affected by minor ailments.

Suddenly, Hui Lin lifted her head, revealing tear-streaked cheeks and red, swollen eyes from crying.

Yang Chen and An Xin were stunned, unable to fathom why Hui Lin was crying so intensely.

"Big Brother Yang," Hui Lin asked, "Is it true that my grandfather has passed away?"

Yang Chen was taken aback, while An Xin looked at him in surprise and confusion.

After a moment of contemplation, Yang Chen signaled An Xin to leave the room. Understanding his intention to speak privately with Hui Lin, An Xin stepped outside.

"Who told you that?" Yang Chen asked.

Hui Lin, sobbing, replied, "Grandmother and Gray Robe Grandpa just came by. Grandmother said that Grandfather was harmed by bad people and that she needs to return to the family home in Yanjing to take charge. She told me to stay here and listen to you."

Yang Chen frowned. Clearly, Abbess Yun Miao didn't want Hui Lin to know the full truth about her grandfather's actions, which was understandable. Deciding to go along with this approach, Yang Chen nodded, "Yes, your grandfather is no longer with us. I was afraid you'd be sad, so I didn't tell you."

Being taken by the so-called "Hongmeng's" Ling Xuzi was practically the same as being dead.

Confirming this news, Hui Lin's tears fell even more uncontrollably. Though she hadn't spent much time with Lin Zhiguo growing up, to Hui Lin, her grandfather was still her family, and she struggled to accept this harsh reality all at once.

Yang Chen sighed softly and gently patted Hui Lin's shoulder. "Hui Lin, I know this is hard, but you have to stay strong. Your grandmother is handling things, and she wants you to stay safe here."

Hui Lin nodded weakly, her heart aching but understanding the situation. "I'll try, Big Brother Yang. I'll try to be strong."

Yang Chen offered her a comforting smile, "That's the spirit. We'll get through this together."

After a few more moments of comforting words, Hui Lin began to calm down, though the sadness in her eyes remained. Yang Chen knew it would take time for her to heal from this loss, but with the support of her friends and family, she would manage.