Chapter 530: Arrogance Taken to the Extreme

Chapter 530: Arrogance Taken to the Extreme

Setting aside whether Wu Chen was right or wrong, the sheer fact that he could say all this—and say it from his current position—revealed a breadth of spirit that ordinary young men simply lacked! Ask any other powerhouse singer who had shot to fame overnight what they thought of today’s traffic stars, and hardly any of them would have a kind word to say. Even fewer would dare pin the blame on changing times and entertainment capital!

After all, An Huaiguo was himself one of the biggest financial tycoons in the entertainment industry.

Saying such things right to his face was practically accusing profit-obsessed moguls like him of creating the entire mess!

Even if no offense were intended, it could easily spawn unnecessary misunderstandings.

Yet this Morning Mist showed no such hesitation. His words had not really carried any moral judgment on the ills of the day; he had simply laid out, matter-of-factly, the underlying causes behind the current climate in the Chinese music scene—and indeed the entire entertainment industry.

“Young man, that’s quite a magnanimous perspective,” An Huaiguo said with a smile. There was no harm in buttering up his daughter’s top star. An Huaiguo had never considered praising someone who made him money to be beneath his dignity!

Just as Wu Chen had said at the close of his speech: making money wasn’t shameful!

Up to this point, An Huaiguo’s impression of Wu Chen was exceptionally favorable!

Here was a young man endowed with staggering talent, abundant confidence, and remarkable clarity of thought. He had not lost his head amidst a tidal wave of overnight fame; on the contrary, he remained astonishingly clear-eyed. He not only understood himself, but also saw through the macro environment of the entertainment world with total precision. That was what An Huaiguo found most precious.

There was another crucial point!

This young man had not shown the slightest hint of intimidation in his presence.

He had never once betrayed any intention of currying favor, which made An Huaiguo feel immensely comfortable!

“You’ve said so much that there’s something I’d like to ask you…” An Huaiguo weighed his words before asking with a smile.

“Go right ahead, Boss An,” Wu Chen said, smiling.

“Do you think… you’re one of those lucky few?” An Huaiguo studied Wu Chen. “You just mentioned that tiny minority of lucky people who didn’t take the traffic route, but exploded in popularity solely as singers relying on their voices… Do you think you’re one of them? Or rather… were you packaged and marketed into stardom as well?”

“I’m not one of the lucky ones,” Wu Chen answered his first question.

An Huaiguo’s expression shifted slightly. Had Morning Mist risen through marketing, then? That didn’t seem right! An Huaiguo had plenty of musical discernment, and he had listened to Morning Mist’s tracks. They truly were exceptional.

If Morning Mist had been manufactured through pure marketing, that would be terrifying!

Had his daughter stumbled upon some entirely new promotional playbook?

Thoughts raced through An Huaiguo’s mind before he heard Wu Chen add, “Nor was I marketed into stardom.”

“Oh?” An Huaiguo blinked. “Then you mean you made it on pure, unadulterated ability?”

“Yes.” Wu Chen nodded with a smile, utterly certain.

“Ha!” An Huaiguo gave a short laugh, beginning to feel that Wu Chen was boasting. What was more, Wu Chen’s statement directly contradicted his own earlier logic. “But what you said before, in that long speech… You talked about all the problems of this era, the hyper-entertainment… You said those who make it are either traffic idols or a tiny, unrepeatable handful of lucky exceptions. Other talented singers are mostly niche performers with no real following, or they simply fade into the crowd…”

“Wasn’t that your point just now?” An Huaiguo pressed, worried that he might have misheard earlier and misunderstood Wu Chen’s meaning.

“Yes, that was exactly my point,” Wu Chen confirmed.

“Well, there you have it! Then how can you say… you made it on sheer ability without any element of luck?” An Huaiguo asked.

“I am different.” Wu Chen offered him a smile. “Others are others; I am me! If other powerhouse singers make it big in this era, they are exceptionally lucky. This isn’t the 1990s, nor is it the era when your daughter debuted. Without enough luck, they can’t beat the traffic stars.”

Pausing for a beat, Wu Chen added, “But I can! Boss An, you can look at it this way… I can become famous whenever I please.”

Arrogance!

Wu Chen had begun laying the groundwork for his persona of sheer arrogance!

Naturally, he was not acting this way without reason. What he intended to do next would be dozens, even hundreds of times more outrageous than this. He had to lay the groundwork and firmly establish this persona first, making it easier for An Huaiguo to swallow the “unreasonable” things he would do later!

Staring at Wu Chen, An Huaiguo opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

He had been rendered completely speechless by this young man named Morning Mist!

Moments ago, he had held Wu Chen in such high regard—what a level-headed young man! Neither proud nor impatient! And so breathtakingly talented!

Only now did An Huaiguo realize that Morning Mist’s attitude wasn’t a matter of confidence at all! It was absolute, unbridled conceit! The kind of conceit that looked down on everyone beneath the heavens! It was precisely because of this conceit that he could speak up for traffic stars, because he didn’t view them as worthy opponents in the slightest. He didn’t take them seriously at all. In fact, he didn’t even view other powerhouse vocalists as opponents either!

More precisely, the young, talented singers of this era.

Morning Mist was not denying their talent, but he believed not a single one of them had risen through sheer ability alone. They had ability, but not enough to reach such heights; they were merely lucky!

Only he, Morning Mist, was the one in this era who could truly rise on pure ability, becoming famous whenever he pleased! And he was the only one!

How could anyone be so arrogant and conceited?

Morning Mist had truly pulled off something extraordinary: in the plainest tone, with the calmest demeanor, and wearing the friendliest smile, he had spoken the most outrageously arrogant, utterly mad words!

Such arrogance felt almost unreal.

Only a genuine madman could act this way.

To the point where An Huaiguo had briefly wondered earlier whether he had misunderstood Wu Chen’s meaning.

He never could have imagined that he hadn’t misjudged it in the slightest!

“Ha! ‘Famous whenever you please!’ That’s the confidence a young man ought to have! That’s the spirit!” Though he had already pegged Wu Chen as a lunatic in his heart, this was still the most important artist under his daughter’s wing, talent belonging to their own company. Under the circumstances, An Huaiguo naturally could not mock him, and instead offered a few words of encouragement.

His attitude, however, had cooled noticeably, shedding the warmth from before.

Inside the small lounge.

Having finished changing, An Menglan stood by the door, listening to the dialogue outside and watching the small surveillance feed on the wall, feeling practically suffocated!

She understood her father’s temperament.

She knew all too well what was going through her father’s mind after hearing Wu Chen say those things.

An Menglan could not fathom Wu Chen’s motive for constructing this persona. All she knew was that if she didn’t step out immediately, a few more provoking words from Wu Chen would cause the conversation to collapse entirely!

Her father certainly prized artists under his banner, especially top stars, but no matter how formidable you were, and no matter how grandly you spoke, at the end of the day you were still just a performer, a singer! Had you belonged to the older generation, that would be one thing—veteran artists boasted decades of deep connections and immense public goodwill, such that even capital tycoons dared not easily offend them.

Yet you were merely someone who had just shot to fame!

If people were to indulge you, you at least had to behave like a normal human being, wouldn’t you say?!

If you couldn’t even act normal and kept spouting nonsense, whether anyone would continue speaking with you cordially would depend entirely on their mood.

They hadn’t even touched upon the real business yet, and things had already taken an unwanted turn!

She truly had to get out there!

Back in the office.

An Huaiguo’s tone had turned rather lukewarm. Looking at Wu Chen, he asked another question: “Morning Mist, since you’re so capable, what are your plans for the future? How long do you intend to stay famous?” There was a barb hidden in An Huaiguo’s words. How long? No artist dared claim how long their popularity would last.

Especially in this day and age.

Netizens scrutinized public figures under a literal magnifying glass! A single slip-up was enough to ruin someone’s career and reputation!

An artist didn’t even need to court disaster personally; their fans acting out was enough to drag them down into ruin!

An Huaiguo wanted to see what kind of deranged boast this arrogant, lunatic youth would spit out next.

Would he claim he was going to dominate the Chinese music scene and remain famous for an entire lifetime?

Wu Chen’s reply once again stunned An Huaiguo, shattering his understanding of arrogance and conceit, pushing it to an entirely new peak!

“I don’t intend to stay famous for long. I’ll be stepping down soon,” Wu Chen said with an easy smile. “To be honest, writing and releasing songs is merely a hobby for me. My ambition was never to become a singer. There’s zero difficulty in it for me, and reality has already given everyone the answer: I can become famous whenever I please. The moment my songs dropped, they triggered an unprecedented sensation.”

“I anticipate that by the end of this year, I’ll sweep a series of honors—Best New Artist, Best Composer, Best Arranger, Best Album, Best Male Singer, and so forth.”

“Frankly, it’s rather boring. Boss An, you can think of this as a social experiment I conducted, or an intriguing little trial, nothing more! Down the road, I might write songs for a few others, help them win awards, and push them to stardom. But as for myself… there’s no need! It doesn’t even qualify as a challenge.”

Just how insane were Wu Chen’s words?!

Because Morning Mist had been so, so, so extraordinarily red-hot lately!

His sweeping those awards was practically a foregone conclusion!

It was impossible for a second newcomer of such phenomenal caliber to emerge!

Hence, his statement felt like… to use an imperfect yet evocative analogy: it was as if an author had just won the Nobel Prize in Literature, only to tell everyone, “I just casually scribbled a few lines to pick up the prize. It wasn’t challenging in the least. Writing was just a hobby, and I’m laying down my pen for good now!”

What an outrageous declaration!

If bragging were a crime, you would have deserved to be executed ten times over!

Compared to claiming he could stay famous for however long he liked, Morning Mist’s statement took arrogance to an entirely new dimension! It was the kind of boast that could drive anyone up the wall!

In fact, the sheer insolence of his words could be boiled down to a single line: The entire Chinese music scene is trash! Even playing around, I can crush you all! I’m done playing! None of you are worthy! It’s boring!

Staring at Wu Chen, An Huaiguo’s mouth hung open.

He genuinely wanted to say something. If anyone had dared act so arrogantly before him in the past, his face would have darkened long ago… Yet Morning Mist had blown right past the threshold that provoked anger! He had reached the point where one couldn’t help wondering: Does this fellow have an actual mental illness?!

Creak.

The door to the small lounge finally swung open, and An Menglan emerged, having changed into a black dress that accentuated her figure.

Her makeup was radiant, her jewelry dazzling, presenting every bit the aura of a superstar stepping out into the public eye.

“You’re here…” An Menglan was nervous inside, but she managed a fairly normal smile as she greeted Wu Chen, then turned toward her father. “Dad.”

“Lan—” An Huaiguo was about to say “Lanlan,” intending to say something about Morning Mist, but before he could speak, Wu Chen beat him to it.

“Lanlan, come here—” Still seated in the broad armchair, Wu Chen turned his head and beckoned An Menglan over, gesturing for her to sit beside him.

An Menglan froze inwardly. She certainly had not expected Wu Chen to be so direct. The atmosphere had already turned sour; was he really going to lay his cards on the table so abruptly? Wouldn’t that be pouring oil onto the fire? It could easily cause the negotiations to collapse before they even started!

Yet despite her misgivings, An Menglan had no choice.

She was incapable of managing her father on her own and had pinned all her hopes on Wu Chen. Naturally, she had to follow his lead. She absolutely could not make Wu Chen lose face in front of her father at a critical juncture like this.

An Menglan pursed her lips, swept a stray lock of hair behind her ear, and clicked across the floor in her high heels toward Wu Chen.

Wu Chen kept his beckoning hand raised. Once An Menglan arrived, his hand settled naturally on her buttocks, then shifted upward to rest around her waist. An Menglan turned and sat beside him. The two leaned closely together; she pressed her knees together, tilting her legs slightly toward Wu Chen. A woman adopting such a seated posture beside a man was practically radiating intimacy.

An Huaiguo was dumbfounded, his eyes slowly widening as he stared in pure shock at the scene before him.

He even subconsciously wondered whether someone had slipped something into his tea. How else could he be witnessing such a bizarre sight?

He had watched with his own eyes as his precious daughter, upon receiving a summons from this man whom he considered a lunatic, obediently walked over and sat by his side. Not only did this mad young man slip his arm around her waist, but after she sat down, he casually planted a kiss on her cheek as if it were second nature.

It was the unmistakable habit of lovers in the throes of a passionate romance, unable to sit side by side without stealing a kiss.

An Huaiguo could not make sense of it.

His brilliantly talented daughter, with a mind and opinions of her own! Why would she go over to this man so obediently?!

What was more, the man appeared considerably younger than his daughter, perhaps four or five years her junior, looking like someone who had only stepped out of university a year ago. How had his daughter gotten entangled with him? Did she have a penchant for younger men? Was she being coerced? What had this lunatic Morning Mist done to her?!

An Huaiguo could not help letting his mind spiral into wild, frantic conjectures.

An eerie silence fell over the office.

Yet the silence did not linger for long.

An Huaiguo had long occupied a position of power and possessed a personal fortune of a hundred billion yuan, possessed a formidable and complex background, and had taken part in countless major affairs in Xiangjiang. His psychological fortitude was naturally extraordinary.

He swiftly regained his composure, his expression turning grave. Sweeping his gaze across the two of them, he asked in a low voice, “What exactly is going on here?”

His voice was deep, yet he had not erupted into open fury. Indeed, he had no real grounds for anger; there was nothing wrong with his daughter dating someone.

What had shocked him was that his daughter was genuinely involved with Morning Mist. Judging by both age and demeanor, he had never imagined Morning Mist would be her type.

What on earth was going on?

Faced with her father’s interrogation, An Menglan did not reply immediately, casting a glance at Wu Chen first.

Seeing this unfold only deepened An Huaiguo’s bewilderment. Why did his daughter care so much about Morning Mist’s opinion? Could she not even voice her own thoughts freely? Did everything she said require this Morning Mist’s permission?

Something was wrong!

Something was profoundly wrong!

“Boss An, as you can see, your daughter and I have already pledged ourselves to each other for life,” Wu Chen spoke up, cementing the reality from the very outset. “Furthermore, allow me to introduce myself properly… My real name is Wu Chen. I am twenty-two years old.”

An Huaiguo’s brow twitched. Only twenty-two? He truly was young!

Wait!

Wu Chen?

An Huaiguo frowned and searched his memory, unable to recall where he had heard the name, yet he was absolutely certain he had encountered it somewhere. Perhaps because the matter had nothing to do with him, he had merely heard it in passing and never paid it much heed.

His expression laid his thoughts bare.

“Li Ruobing,” Wu Chen provided the name directly.

That name served like a key, instantly unlocking the gates of An Huaiguo’s memory!

It came rushing back to him: not long ago, word had spread among the prominent mainland families that Li Ruobing, the eldest granddaughter of the Li family’s primary branch, had once again rebelled against her family’s arranged marriage. She had taken a new boyfriend—a young man without the slightest family background named Wu Chen!

Li Ruobing’s fiancé, Young Master Ding Ruilong of the Ding family, had flown into a rage over this and had even traveled to Donghai in person.

When everyone assumed this new boyfriend would share the fate of her previous fake boyfriends and have his life and family ruined, Wu Chen had emerged completely unscathed!

On the contrary, it was Ding Ruilong, who had journeyed to Donghai personally, who suffered a catastrophic mishap. Rumor had it that his firearm had experienced an unexplained barrel explosion, maiming his hand and leaving him permanently disabled. There were even rumors that in a fit of rage, Ding had ordered someone to torch the clubhouse belonging to Li Ruobing’s younger brother, Young Master Li Ruotai…

The rumors were numerous, convoluted, and heavily exaggerated as they passed from ear to ear.

The affair had nothing to do with An Huaiguo or the Xiangjiang An family; he had merely heard about it as idle gossip.

In his view, the Li and Ding families had been allied and cooperating for so many years that their interests were intertwined to a certain extent. Under such circumstances, the younger generation throwing tantrums and rebelling against family arrangements was hardly a crisis; it was unlikely to cause major problems for cooperation between the two families.

Thus, those rumors were nothing more than gossip that could not sway the greater tide. A figure of An Huaiguo’s stature could simply listen, have a laugh, and move on.

“You are… Li Ruobing’s… current boyfriend?” An Huaiguo asked slowly, his brow furrowed as his gaze shifted between Wu Chen and An Menglan.

“Yes. It seems Boss An has heard of me.” Wu Chen remained leaning back on the sofa with his legs crossed, his arm still resting around An Menglan’s waist with no intention of letting go.

“So… the two of you… what exactly…” An Huaiguo’s voice remained slow, his eyes flicking between them.

Now he was uncertain all over again! While Wu Chen had claimed that he and An Menglan had pledged themselves to each other for life, he was also Li Ruobing’s boyfriend! Weren’t those two facts in direct conflict? Surely it couldn’t be that kind of arrangement… the kind of arrangement An Huaiguo could never accept and would be utterly furious about!

“I told you, we have pledged ourselves to each other for life.” Wu Chen met An Huaiguo’s eyes, maintaining his easy smile. “Additionally, there is something I must make abundantly clear: the woman I marry in the future—the one who walks down the aisle with me and becomes my lawful wife—will definitely be Li Ruobing. Lanlan knows this very well. I’ve told her.”

This time, the silence inside the office stretched for nearly a full minute.

An Huaiguo’s expression gradually darkened. Because Wu Chen had already put on such a display of extreme arrogance, An Huaiguo wasn’t even surprised that he had the gall to say such a thing. What baffled him now was something else entirely: how could his own daughter agree to this?! How could she possibly accept it?!

The atmosphere grew increasingly suffocating.

An Huaiguo did not even look at Wu Chen, fixing his gaze squarely on his daughter, An Menglan, staring straight into her eyes!

He initially caught the evasion and guilt in her gaze, but very quickly, it was replaced by determination, followed by absolute resolve! An Menglan was no coward.

Now that the truth had been laid bare and Wu Chen was right beside her providing support, at the very least… she could at least hold her father’s gaze without backing down! Even if she had to feign it, she would make her father understand her resolve!

“Lanlan… you’ve actually agreed to become someone’s second wife?! Is that it?!” An Huaiguo finally demanded through gritted teeth!

A humiliating disgrace!

This was nothing less than the greatest humiliation the An family had suffered in decades!

Yet the moment he asked the question, An Huaiguo realized this was not his daughter’s fault!

For over twenty years, his daughter had always been extraordinary! She had always been the pride of the family, someone the family could proudly put forward as its public face! She was a woman of intellect! She was not the sort to lose her head over romance!

Therefore… it had to be this fellow Wu Chen who had deceived her!

It had to be him, using some bizarre method to brainwash his daughter!

With that thought, An Huaiguo tore his eyes from his daughter and turned them onto Wu Chen, glaring at him with razor-sharp intensity!

This man had to be the root of the problem!