Super Soldier in the City
Chapter 375 - 382 The Embarrassed Great Director

Chapter 375: Chapter 382 The Embarrassed Great Director

Qin Handong sat across from Li Yifei. Li Yifei was so impressive, so dismissive of him, which made Qin Handong feel that he might really be as powerful as he seemed. For his movies and TV shows, he needed to connect with these wealthy business owners to secure investments; otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to manage on his own.

With a humble smile, Qin Handong said, "Mr. Li, forgive my boldness. I know some of the well-known figures in Mile City, but I have never had the pleasure of meeting you, Mr. Li. May I ask what line of business you’re in?"

Li Yifei smiled faintly and said, "Then you’re mistaken. I’m not in business."

"So, are you with the government?"

Li Yifei’s smile deepened. "No, that’s not it either."

"Then you are..." Qin Handong frowned, perplexed. Nowadays, to be truly impressive, one had to be either an official or a merchant.

Li Yifei lit a cigarette and said, "I’m just an ordinary employee."

Li Xinyue and Song Lianyao looked at Li Yifei with even greater admiration. Usually, those Second Generation Officials and Rich Second Generation made sure everyone knew about their status and how powerful they were. Only Li Yifei, clearly so capable, preferred not to let others be aware of it. He wasn’t pretending to be something he wasn’t; he was genuinely calm and composed, not treating social status as a big deal.

Now that’s a real man!

But now Qin Handong’s expression changed. Still, he managed to say with patience, "May I ask what position you hold within the company?"

Li Yifei flicked away some ash and replied, "I’m just an ordinary department manager. It’s hardly an important position."

Hearing this, Qin Handong felt a rush of anger well up inside. A mere department manager acting so arrogantly towards him was simply unacceptable. Yet it would demean him to lose his temper with Li Yifei. Instead, with a stern face, he said to Song Lianyao, "Lianyao, I still need to introduce you to some important people. How can you spend time chatting here with a mere department manager? Do you not understand what’s important?"

Using Song Lianyao as a scapegoat, he vented his frustration and simultaneously took a jab at Li Yifei. In his eyes, a department manager was beneath his notice.

Li Yifei chuckled and said, "Lianyao, if you’re busy, go ahead."

Even though Song Lianyao saw Li Yifei’s smiling face, Qin Handong’s words were clearly mocking him, which could offend Li Yifei. Even though Qin Handong could likely help her career progress further, Li Yifei’s status in her heart was apparently much higher than Qin Handong’s.

Without even contemplating internally, Song Lianyao smiled at Qin Handong and said, "Director Qin, I’m sorry, but I’d rather stay and chat with Yifei. You go ahead with your business."

"What?" Qin Handong could hardly believe his ears. A TV host from Mile City was outright refusing him, a famous director.

Li Xinyue also smiled and said, "Director Qin, I’m terribly sorry, but we haven’t seen Yifei for a long time, and we’d like to catch up."

Influenced by Li Yifei, Song Lianyao and Li Xinyue spoke to Qin Handong in a calm and even tone, which essentially gave him the boot.

This made Qin Handong’s expression extremely ugly. He was a well-known director whom actors vied to please. Except for a few top-tier stars within the country, the other actors did whatever he said without dare to go against him—even if he demanded they sleep with him, those female stars would have stripped and served him willingly.

Particularly the expressions from Song Lianyao and Li Xinyue were unbearable for him. The pair seemed so composed, as if they didn’t think much of him at all.

Standing up abruptly, Qin Handong said viciously, "Fine, Song Lianyao, let me tell you now: don’t expect to ever have a chance to appear on screen through me."

Still, Song Lianyao’s smile was radiant. "That’s fine. If I can’t appear on screen, so be it."

Qin Handong felt as though he’d thrown all his might into a punch, only to land it on a pile of soft cotton. It was an incredibly uncomfortable feeling. To an aspiring actress, a ban should be a harsh punishment. In his view, when he uttered those words, Song Lianyao should have at least shown shock, if not begged for his forgiveness with tears. But to his astonishment, Song Lianyao was still smiling radiantly, not taking the threat of being blacklisted seriously at all.

This was simply the utmost contempt for him; he felt that his heavy punch wasn’t nearly forceful enough as he angrily shouted, "Fine, then let me tell you something else. You won’t just be out of the picture with me, you’ll have no chance at all in this industry anymore."

If Yifei hadn’t been here, Lianyao would have really believed Qin Handong’s words, but now, with Yifei present, what Qin Handong said carried no threat at all. She kept on smiling and said, "Being on camera isn’t all that great, and if you then force me into those unspoken rules, wouldn’t I be at a great loss? Isn’t that right, Yifei?"

Yifei knew all too well that Lianyao was trying to curry favor with him and acting cute, seeing him as the all-powerful young elite of the Capital City, but under the circumstances, he couldn’t say she was wrong - instead, he just smiled lightly and said, "You’re right, the showbiz circle is indeed a bit chaotic. Being a host is quite good for you."

Lianyao nodded repeatedly and said, "Hmm, then I’ll just listen to Yifei. I’ll be content with being a host from now on and won’t consider all that messy stuff anymore."

Qin Handong only felt a tightness in his chest and a salty taste in his throat; his usual effective intimidation tactics were suddenly ineffective against a local station host like Lianyao.

At this moment, Xinyue said to Qin Handong, "Director Qin, I’m sorry, but you really shouldn’t bother with us small-timers. We’re just here to have a chat."

"Fine, we’ll see about that." Qin Handong threw out a menacing remark, yet he left in a most embarrassing manner.

Lianyao then grabbed Yifei’s arm, gently shook it twice, and said in a coquettish tone, "Yifei, I’ve now given up my future prospects, you can’t just ignore me."

Before Yifei could answer, Xinyue hurriedly interjected, "Yifei, don’t take her seriously, Lianyao is just joking with you; we never really liked acting in dramas anyway." As she spoke, she gave Lianyao a meaningful glance.

Lianyao immediately regretted her actions; Yifei wasn’t one of those dissolute rich young men who could be easily swayed by a bit of coquetry. She quickly tried to remedy the situation, saying, "Young Master Li, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have acted like that." Yet her face had already involuntarily begun to show signs of panic.

In fact, Yifei didn’t blame Lianyao at all. As hosts, what they did best was to use body language to express their needs. He hadn’t had much interaction with Lianyao and didn’t understand her very well, but he did trust Xinyue, and since Lianyao had always been so close to Xinyue, he, by association, had a favorable impression of her as well.

"Ha, because of me, you’re ruining your future, and I should be the one saying sorry to you, yet you are apologizing to me."

Lianyao still felt uneasy, and whispered, "But just now, it seemed like I was trying to win your favor."

"That’s nothing to worry about. If you really have thoughts of progressing in this direction, I could help you out, but you should think it over carefully. Although entering this industry might seem glamorous, the price to pay is actually quite hefty. Oh, and you’re already a host, so you should be familiar with this circle."

Lianyao, hearing Yifei speak like this, was overjoyed inside. She wanted to agree immediately, but as the words reached her lips, she hesitated, biting her lip and saying, "Can I... not make a decision right now?"

Yifei nodded approvingly and said, "That’s wise. It’s best not to rush into decisions, especially when it comes to important life choices. Once you’ve made up your mind, just give me a call."

Lianyao nodded repeatedly, looking delighted as she said to Yifei, "I knew Yifei would never abandon me."

Xinyue shook her head, feeling a tinge of pity for Lianyao; Lianyao’s ambitions were still wilder than her own – she aspired to become a top-tier star, which was why she hesitated. If it had been her, Xinyue, she would have immediately declined any thoughts of stardom. Winning Yifei’s favor was more important than anything else.

Even the best of friends can’t have the exact same thoughts; they only share most interests and preferences. Everyone has the right to choose their path in life. Xinyue’s dream was to become Yifei’s lover, while Lianyao placed a higher value on her career.

Yifei was chatting with the two beautiful hosts and was in a good mood. However, he started feeling that something wasn’t quite right. Why hadn’t Shanshan come back yet? It wasn’t like her to be away this long, particularly when there were two beauties next to him; she should have come back much earlier to keep an eye on the situation.

He looked around and finally caught sight of Shanshan. She was at the buffet table, chatting with a woman. The woman had her back turned to Yifei, so he couldn’t see her face, but judging from her clothes, Yifei recognized that this woman must be Ning Xin’er.

This shocked Yifei. He had already mentioned his feud with Ning Xin’er, yet Shanshan still went to talk to her. Knowing Shanshan as well as he did, it was likely that she was talking about this very issue with Ning Xin’er at that moment.

And as if to confirm his fears, Ning Xin’er suddenly turned around and looked his way.