"Yan Ran, youâre finally back. Do you know how worried I was all afternoon?"
As Shi Yanran appeared, the woman walked over quickly, letting out a sigh of relief as she spoke.
"Sorry Mei Sister, I made you worry."
Shi Yanran stuck out her tongue, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"Still joking, do you know how dangerous it is for you to go out there all alone? If you didnât come back, I would probably have had to call the old master."
The woman called Mei Sister couldnât help saying.
"Mei Sister, you didnât call, did you? If you did, my grandpa would talk to me about it again."
Shi Yanran said with some concern.
"If you were a few minutes later, I would have probably had to call, but even if I didnât, with your grandfatherâs ability, he would naturally know. I guess heâll be calling any minute now," Mei Sister said calmly.
Dinglingling...
All of a sudden, the ringtone of Shi Yanranâs mobile phone sounded, and she looked at Mei Sister with a wry smile before taking out her phone to answer, "Grandpa, why are you calling?"
"I heard that this afternoon you shook off all the bodyguards and then ran out, and only now are you back?"
A voice like a dusk drum and a morning bell, full of authority, came from the other end of the phone.
Shi Yanranâs face changed slightly as she spoke, "Grandpa, donât worry. Iâm just in Zhonghai for the first time and wanted to go out and see. Mei Sister and the others wouldnât allow it and said that if I went out, Iâd have to be followed by a bunch of people, so thatâs why I did it. But Iâm fine now, so you donât have to worry about me."
"Yan Ran, Grandpa understands what you mean, but right now youâre not very safe. There are some things I canât tell you. I didnât really want you to be this so-called star, I wanted you to stay peacefully in the Capital City, but since you want to do this job, I wonât stop you. However, your safety must be ensured. Iâll arrange for new protection for you, and you absolutely cannot leave alone like this again," the authoritative voice of the old man on the phone said sternly.
"Understood, Grandpa."
Seeing how stern her grandfatherâs tone was, Shi Yanran didnât dare say anything more and just agreed.
"See, you made your grandfather worry again. Going out all by yourself like this, once someone recognizes you, can lead to many problems, which would also negatively impact you," Mei Sister said, looking at Shi Yanran.
"I feel like not that many people know me, though. Today I met a guy, and he didnât recognize me at all," Shi Yanran said with a pout, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
"A guy? What guy? Is there something between you two?" Mei Sister asked, staring at Shi Yanran intently.
"Ah, Mei Sister, donât overthink it, itâs nothing. We just happened to meet, and though he saw my real face, he had no idea who I am," Shi Yanran said.
"Then he must be someone who just came out of the mountains; otherwise, given your influence, there are probably few people in Huaxia who wouldnât recognize you," Mei Sister said with a smile, then added, "Stay in the hotel for the next few days except when you have to attend events. If you really want to go out, let us accompany you. You absolutely cannot run away again. Iâll make sure someone is keeping a strict eye on you."
"Alright, I got it, Mei Sister. You and my grandpa are of the same stubbornness. Iâm hungry; I want to eat something," Shi Yanran said, pursing her rosy little lips, turning quite playful and cute.
"Okay, Iâll have someone send food here."
...
After leaving the Jin Hao Hotel, Ye Luo went straight back to Cuiqing Villa Area and returned to the villa. Luo Jingxuan was sitting on the sofa watching TV, and the LCD screen was playing a news story.
"Breaking news, Miss Shi Yanran, Huaxiaâs emerging jade girl star, and strongest female singer, has recently arrived in Zhonghai as the new ambassador for a jewelry line soon to be launched by Mingzhu Group in Zhonghai..."
"Itâs her!"
Looking at Shi Yanranâs photo on TV, Ye Luo immediately realized that this beauty was actually a very famous star. No wonder she dressed like that, even asking if he recognized her.
"You know Shi Yanran?"
Luo Jingxuanâs eyes turned towards Ye Luo as she spoke.
"Just met her recently."
Ye Luo said indifferently.
"You really are something. Shi Yanran just arrived in Zhonghai, and you already met her."
"Is Shi Yanran that famous?"
Ye Luo couldnât help but ask.
"Of course, she is currently the hottest and fastest-rising star in Huaxia. She is known as the new generationâs fairy-tale star. Plus, her voice is sweet, she has released multiple albums, and her fame is one of the highest in Huaxia right now with tens of millions of fans. She is the goddess in the hearts of countless boys, and even I often listen to her songs to soothe the mood."
Luo Jingxuan introduced in detail.
"I see." Ye Luo now understood. It seemed his not recognizing her was indeed quite surprising.
"You like to follow stars too?" Ye Luo looked at Luo Jingxuan with a smile.
"Her singing is wonderful, very pleasing to the ear."
Luo Jingxuan said softly, then her gaze shifted back to Ye Luo.
"You havenât told me yet, where did that one billion come from?"
"Oh, thatâs my compensation for emotional distress."
"Compensation for emotional distress? One billion?"
Luo Jingxuanâs beautiful eyes stared at Ye Luo, obviously disbelieving.
"Of course, itâs all compensation for emotional distress the Che Corporation gave me, because they sent people to deal with me several times, so out of guilt, they gave me this money."
Ye Luo said without hesitation, and if Che Taiming heard this, he would surely be infuriated to death.
"You extorted it from Che Corporation?"
Luo Jingxuanâs face changed, looking at Ye Luo in shock.
"How could you call it extortion? Itâs the compensation they gave me for my emotional distress."
Ye Luo said earnestly.
"Do you think I would believe that?"
Luo Jingxuan rolled her eyes at Ye Luo, proving she wasnât foolish.
She then spoke with a solemn face, "The Che Corporation is the largest group in the Goryeo Kingdom. The Che family holds a lofty position there. By doing this, youâre likely to completely infuriate them."
"Donât worry, Iâve arranged everything. Unless the people at the Che Corporation donât want Che Taiming as their next heir anymore, they wouldnât dare to do much."
Ye Luo smiled, radiating confidence.
Luo Jingxuan looked deeply at Ye Luo, saying nothing more.
"By the way, howâs the company?" Ye Luo quickly asked.
"With your eleven billion in capital, itâs certainly saved. Moreover, Iâve struck back at the Wang Group, causing them to lose quite a bit. Later, Wang Tiancheng called me, furiously cursing. It seems because of this incident, he must have been severely punished by his father, considering the Wang Group isnât under his control."