"Ms. Zhang, you've arrived!" Yan Ruyu stood up and nodded in greeting.

Zhang Xinlan was a top talent agent in the entertainment industry, and now she had grandly set up a film company. Her substantial strength was unquestionable. Even though Yan Ruyu was somewhat arrogant, she still treated Zhang Xinlan with due respect.

"Miss Yan, I've long admired your reputation!" Zhang Xinlan said with gracious ease as she took a seat next to Ye Chen. "I was stuck in traffic just now and was worried that Ye Chen wouldn't be able to find you upon arriving here. I didn't expect that you two already knew each other!"

Zhang Xinlan's words were light and breezy, but Ye Chen heard a questioning undertone. It was as if she were questioning why he knew Yan Ruyu.

Yan Ruyu, aware of the close relationship between Zhang Xinlan and Ye Chen, naturally picked up on the meaning behind her words.

"Ye Chen once helped Li Yan suppress Peng Tanshen. I just happened to be there at the time, so Ye Chen and I have met once before!" Yan Ruyu said, her tone not sounding like a deliberate explanation, just an offhand remark.

"Oh, I see!" Zhang Xinlan smiled brightly.

"Xinlan, you said you were going to introduce me to an artist today. Is it her?" Ye Chen asked with some surprise and uncertainty, pointing at Yan Ruyu. "Isn't she Li Yan's driver? How did she become an artist?"

"She has always been an artist. If you don't know, then don't spout nonsense!" Zhang Xinlan scolded playfully, though she believed Yan Ruyu's story of a "brief acquaintance" since Ye Chen did not even seem to understand her status.

"Really?" Ye Chen said, somewhat astonished.

"Haha, just now Mr. Ye seemed to tell me that I was not the person he was looking for, that a mere driver like me doesn't qualify!" Yan Ruyu laughed, twisting the knife in Ye Chen's chest.

"Miss Yan, please don't take offense. Ye Chen hasn't been exposed to the entertainment industry, so naturally, he does not know about your matters," Zhang Xinlan laughed, then gave Ye Chen a meaningful glance. "Ye Chen, you haven't apologized yet. Miss Yan is an influential singer in the entertainment industry, and it is our honor that she's joining our company!"

"Miss Yan, I am sorry!" Ye Chen bowed slightly, lowering his posture significantly. "I am entirely to blame. It was my mistake for looking down on you!"

"I accept your apology!" Yan Ruyu smiled gracefully.

"Alright, we may have had some unpleasantness just now, but let's call it a case of 'no spat, no kinship'!" Zhang Xinlan laughed.

"I was just joking. After all, Ye Chen is going to be my direct superior soon. How dare I offend him!" Yan Ruyu said, her words free from blame.

"Ms. Zhang, could you fill me in on her background? I'm still a bit confused. She's Li Yan's driver, right? How did she become a significant artist?" Ye Chen asked.

"Miss Yan once rose in the entertainment industry like a comet, causing a sensation that is hard to overstate. It's just that she didn't linger too long in the industry, so it's understandable you haven't heard about her," Zhang Xinlan explained.

"She really used to be an artist?" Ye Chen said in surprise.

"Let's put it this way, if Yan Ruyu hadn't receded from the industry, today's national goddess Liu Shihua might not be who she is!" This was Zhang Xinlan's highest praise for Yan Ruyu.

"She's on the same level as Liu Shihua?!" Ye Chen was startled.

Liu Shihua was currently the most popular actress, the national goddess of Huaxia. That Yan Ruyu could be compared to her was indeed beyond Ye Chen's belief.

"Miss Yan is preparing to sign with our company and re-enter the entertainment industry, so let me tell you about her achievements..."

Five years ago, Yan Ruyu stepped into the entertainment circle. With her pure beauty and voice like a heavenly lute, she became an immediate sensation from her debut, emerging as the most dazzling new star of the time!

During that period, almost all the music charts were dominated by two people, one being Liu Shihua, and the other, Yan Ruyu!

Liu and Yan had never met in person, yet there was fierce competition between them in private, each striving for unparalleled success in their careers to outdo the other!

But Liu Shihua and Yan Ruyu each had their own strengths and were truly unparalleled.

In the entertainment industry, it was a common rule: those who excel in singing try acting. Both Liu Shihua and Yan Ruyu intended to break into the silver screen, aiming to carve out a new realm for themselves in the film sector.

With Zhang Xinlan, a gold medal talent agent, masterminding behind the scenes, Liu Shihua's journey in the film industry was smooth sailing. After making cameos in a few movie roles, Liu went on to become an unstoppable sensation, progressing to leading roles and gradually becoming Huaxia's most influential female star in terms of box office draw.

Compared to Liu Shihua, however, Yan Ruyu's experience was rather bleak.

When Yan Ruyu first ventured into the film industry, she also made quite an impression with her soaring popularity. However, many big bosses and directors coveted her stunning beauty and wanted to take advantage of her.

At the time, Miss Yan's agent was conniving. After secretly accepting a hefty sum of money, the agent willingly became manipulated by a wealthy tycoon. The agent tricked Miss Yan into attending a banquet, then took the opportunity to drug the unsuspecting Miss Yan with a sleeping potion, intending to coerce her into unsavory, hidden rules.

But it's true that fortune favors the prepared mind. While the tycoon was taking a bath, Miss Yan woke up and quickly realized the plot unfolding before her eyes.

Miss Yan was of a fiery temper. She didn't silently slip away, but instead grabbed a wine bottle and smashed the wealthy tycoon's head, causing it to burst open. She also completely fell out with her agent, causing a huge sensation in the entertainment industry.

That tycoon was a highly prestigious figure in society, and he feared that Miss Yan would expose the incident and ruin his reputation if their dispute became public. He didn't pursue her liability, but from that moment on, Miss Yan faded from the entertainment scene, and a shining star quickly dimmed.

"What a pity," Ye Chen sighed after hearing the story. "That boss is secondary, your agent is just unforgivable!"

"Ye Chen, don't talk nonsense!" Zhang Xinlan said.

"What's wrong? That agent of hers is scum!" Ye Chen exclaimed.

"I told you to shut up!" Zhang Xinlan's face turned cold.

Ye Chen was instantly silenced. When Zhang Xinlan got angry, she was indeed frightening.

"Ye Chen isn't wrong, that person is scum!" Miss Yan said coldly. "We've known each other since we were kids, grew up together. I even dated him, and when I became an artist, he became my agent. But I never imagined he would be such scum!"

"I entrusted everything to him, but in the end, he took dirty money and let someone else force themselves on me!" Miss Yan's words were filled with intense resentment. "I swear, if I see him again, I'll scratch his face until it bleeds!"

Miss Yan's outburst caught Zhang Xinlan off guard. Zhang already knew the sensitive details of the incident, so she didn't want Ye Chen to make any more comments, but she didn't expect Miss Yan to spill everything herself.

"So, you're not 'untouched' anymore?" Ye Chen asked quietly, fixated on that question after listening.

"Bullshit! I am pure and untouched, unlike your shameless self!" Miss Yan retorted angrily. "I'll have you know, I am still a virgin!"

"In this society, being a virgin, what's there to be proud of?" Ye Chen said indifferently. "How about you give me ten bucks, and I'll make you a real woman!"

Miss Yan was about to explode in anger and slam the table, but she managed to restrain her impulse and looked towards Zhang Xinlan, who appeared unfazed by the exchange.

"Ah! You're plotting to murder your own husband!"

Indeed, Ye Chen screamed as if he were being slaughtered, as Zhang Xinlan mercilessly pinched his thigh. The pain was almost unbearable.

"Ye Chen, I'll let it slide this time, but watch your words in the future, or next time, I'll use a knife. You know what I mean!" Zhang Xinlan said with a menacing tone.

"You two!" Miss Yan raised her voice, stopping the bickering couple. "This is a public place. If you want to show affection, go home and do it. Making googly eyes at each other here just looks bad!"

"..."

"Now, let's talk about the contract terms, shall we?" Miss Yan said, beginning to fight for her interests.

"Let's not rush into that. I am curious about a lot more," Ye Chen said, waving his hand. "You were quite a star, and even if you left the limelight, you could have found something else to do. How did you end up becoming a female chauffeur?"

"Li Yan and I only had a passing acquaintance, but after that incident, she showed me kindness and encouraged me to get back on my feet. So for these years, I have been her driver, but we are like sisters," Miss Yan shared. "Moreover, I haven't been idle over these years. Do you know how many lyrics I've written and how many melodies I've created?"

"I have been waiting for a chance to rise again, then make the entire entertainment industry shake because of me!" Miss Yan declared with an imposing aura and an indescribable elegance about her.

"So you chose us?" Ye Chen asked.

"Exactly, Li Yan suggested I sign with your company," Miss Yan nodded.

"How much signing bonus do you want?" Ye Chen inquired tentatively.

"Ten million a year!" Miss Yan stated boldly.

"Miss Yan, although I admire your talent, ten million could sign a top-notch celebrity in China. Even if you were famous once, can you really command that price?" Zhang Xinlan interjected, being an expert in negotiating interests. "If you're truly determined to return to showbiz, our company will fully support you, but for the first year, I can only offer you a signing bonus of one million."

Zhang Xinlan was really cutting down the price fiercely, slashing from ten million to one million, displaying a negotiation prowess that made Ye Chen's mouth twitch and left him worried that Miss Yan would fly into a rage.

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