mijobooks Chapter 37, Things Have Changed
Chapter 37, Things Have Changed
Yincheng Dome is the largest stadium in the entire Southern Federation, with a capacity of 120,000 spectators.
The stadium was packed, with tens of thousands of people creating a deafening roar. A giant LED screen on stage played a carefully edited trailer on a loop, and cheering sticks in the audience lit up, pink and blue lights stretching across the room, a mix of excitement and anticipation spreading through the sweltering air.
Cheng Chen looked up as the stadium roof slowly closed, plunging the surroundings into darkness, which only intensified the atmosphere.
This was the first time in his life he had ever attended a concert, and the idol who was about to go on stage was an artist under his company, with whom he had spoken not long ago.
This feeling gave him a strange, indescribable sensation.
"Pine orchid! Pine orchid! Pine orchid!"
Suddenly, a chorus of voices erupted from the audience, chanting the name of the protagonist who was about to appear.
Cheng Chen couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement: "This is really..."
"How was it? Were you shocked?"
Jiang Fei wore a full face of makeup today, dressed in a deep black halter-neck silk dress. The tight cut accentuated her curvaceous figure, and a bright red floral robe was loosely draped over her arm. An intricate lace chain adorned her neck, complementing her burgundy long hair and exuding the aura of a female CEO.
The two were in a VIP box at the back of the stadium, a bit far from the stage, but with a perfect view of the entire venue.
"Um."
Cheng Chen readily admitted, "It was even more lively than I imagined, and the atmosphere was very infectious. Even if you're not a fan of Songlan, you probably wouldn't be able to resist shouting along."
"That's a matter of personality. If Zhulei were here, she might faint."
Jiang Fei chuckled.
Cheng Chen nodded slightly and continued looking out of the stands.
Jiang Fei wanted him to truly understand what the term "magical girl idol" meant. When he saw Song Lan at the company, he couldn't imagine her performing on such a big stage.
"For this concert, the city government deployed almost half of its police force to help maintain order. All equipment suppliers, the directing team, and logistics staff began intensive preparations three months ago. There are a total of twelve magical girl guests participating in the performance. Outside the stadium, there are at least 100,000 fans who couldn't buy tickets. The live broadcasts of several partner media outlets have already received more than one million simultaneous viewers."
Jiang Fei came to his side and said calmly, "And this is just one of Song Lan's ten concerts a year, not even the grandest one at the end of the year."
"The top idol, truly lives up to his reputation."
Cheng Chen murmured, completely convinced.
With millions of real-time viewers, and that number multiplied several times over when converted to fan base, it's no wonder that Song Lan alone can support the entire Yin Fu Entertainment company.
"Finished with your reflections? Let's go."
Jiang Fei glanced at him and took his arm.
Cheng Chen was taken aback: "Where to?"
"It's a social obligation! We can't really just invite you to a concert, can we?"
Jiang Fei rolled her eyes at him, then regained her composure: "The split in Yinfu Entertainment has caused quite a stir throughout Yincheng. The company needs a successful commercial performance to boost confidence and also to show external partners that we are still the leading cultural and entertainment enterprise in Yincheng."
"We gave away a lot of free tickets for this concert, and representatives from some of the most important investors and supporters were present. Now that you're the company's vice president, we'll introduce you to the people you need to know."
Cheng Chen's face, which had just been filled with emotion, suddenly fell.
Does he also have to stand up and offer a toast?
Seeing this, Jiang Fei treated him like a child, half-dragging and half-coaxing him out the door: "You only need to meet a few core people. There's no need to toast or flatter. The business director is in charge of maintaining relationships. There aren't many people in the entire Yincheng who are qualified to meet you and me."
"So arrogant?"
Cheng Chen raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Jiang Fei smiled and pulled him along, saying, "You'll see when you get here."
So he had no choice but to follow President Jiang out of the private room.
Jiang Fei simply knocked on the door of the nearest private room, and someone quickly ushered them in.
Surprisingly, there was only one person sitting on the sofa.
A woman in a suit.
"Oh, Sister Feifei."
Upon seeing Jiang Fei, the other party was the first to greet her.
"This is Liang Ziyi, the director of the Yincheng Magical Girl Affairs Bureau and one of the three deputy mayors. Director Liang is an important supporter of our Yinfu Entertainment," Jiang Fei introduced Cheng Chen.
"Don't call me Director. Sister Fei, just call me Ziyi as usual."
Liang Ziyi was very approachable and had no airs at all.
Her gaze fell on the man Jiang Fei was intimately linked with, and she asked in surprise, "Who is this...?"
Jiang Fei pinched Cheng Chen's arm, reminding him to introduce himself.
Cheng Chen's eyes suddenly narrowed.
He knew Liang Ziyi.
The other person was one of the magical girls he had fought against during his time as a "wicked master," and she left a deep impression on him.
Many years ago, when he was still a novice, he also obeyed the system's mission to enslave and control magical girls in order to gain power.
At that time, the correct method of enslavement had not yet been found, so Cheng Chen could only explore and try things out, learning from the plots of certain comics and using popular methods such as brainwashing and hypnosis.
Liang Ziyi was the magical girl he captured and used as an experimental subject.
Of course, those days were not happy, nor were they as glamorous as outsiders imagined. Cheng Chen only had one thought throughout: Where do women get so many troubles all day long?
He hadn't even completely brainwashed Liang Ziyi yet, and he was already getting annoyed to death by her.
In the end, they had no choice but to abandon the person in the middle of nowhere and run away without looking back.
The enslavement experiment was a great success with new subjects—kittens and puppies.
So this is the right way to do it! Aren't those soft, fluffy angels lovely? Why bother trying to seduce women?
but……
The person who wanted to enslave her back then was an "evil master," what does that have to do with me, Cheng Chen?
It's all her fault for being bad at the game yet liking to provoke others with her words, always calling her "noob, noob." Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so angry that he arrested her and disciplined her.
"My name is Cheng Chen, and I am the new vice president of Yinfu Entertainment."
Cheng Chen snapped out of his daze, put on a polite smile, and extended his hand, "Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you, Mayor Liang."
Several years have passed, and things have changed.
The magical girls of his generation had all graduated, so while meeting him now was a pleasant surprise, it wasn't entirely unexpected.
In the entertainment industry, many relationships are maintained through the connection with magical girls.
Liang Ziyi squinted and looked the man up and down, whom she was meeting for the first time.
The other person's appearance next to Jiang Fei surprised her.
Could it be that her dear sister Feifei has finally reached the age to have a serious relationship, instead of staying at home playing visual novels during the holidays and bragging to others about her rich dating experience?
Thinking about this, my surprise deepened, but my attitude remained warm: "Hello, it's nice to meet you!"
"Without Ziyi's support, the establishment of Yinfu Entertainment would not have been so smooth. The company was able to receive full policy support from the Yincheng Municipal Government, all thanks to Ziyi's mediation. It can be said that without her, there would be no Yinfu Entertainment today."
Jiang Fei said, half-praising and half-introducing, while circling her finger behind Cheng Chen's back.
He immediately understood that this meant Liang Ziyi was trustworthy.
Liang Ziyi waved her hand repeatedly, engaging in mutual flattery: "I am willing to support Sister Fei on behalf of the municipality because Sister Fei promised to protect Yincheng on behalf of the entire association back then. Now we are the safest city in the entire Southern Federation, and even the entire Wuxiang Domain, which is almost entirely due to Sister Fei's efforts."
"I didn't do anything; it was all thanks to everyone's hard work."
Jiang Fei said modestly.
"Sister Fei, there's no need to be modest. If you hadn't gone to Qiongcheng two years ago and borrowed the Moon Wolf from the 'Evil Lord,' Yincheng wouldn't have been able to expel the 'Fire Lord' so easily, and we wouldn't be in this situation today," Liang Ziyi said.
Jiang Fei glanced at Cheng Chen, but Cheng Chen looked away, seemingly unconcerned.
Two years ago, when Jiang Fei went to Qiongcheng to find him, she did mention wanting to borrow Bai Guo's power. He didn't take it seriously; the dog had been cared for by someone else for so long, it was time for it to contribute something.
As for the so-called "Salary Master," he was completely unfamiliar with him and must have been an insignificant henchman.
Liang Ziyi suddenly narrowed her eyes. "Speaking of which, does Sister Fei still have any connection with the 'Evil Lord'?"
Jiang Fei continued to look at Cheng Chen, who continued to pretend not to hear, though he was sweating profusely.
The little girl still holds a grudge after all these years!
So what if you found out about me? You couldn't beat me back then, and now you're not even a magical girl anymore, do you still want revenge?
Seeing that Cheng Chen did not intend to admit his identity, Jiang Fei could only explain on his behalf: "I have no relationship with the evil master. It was just that I met him by chance. The evil master was also concerned about the safety of Yincheng, so he took the initiative to lend out the Moon Wolf."
She paused for a moment, then added, "Purple Robe, don't be so hostile towards the Evil Lord. He's a good person."
"A good person?"
Liang Ziyi sneered upon hearing this. "After he defeated me, he imprisoned me and humiliated and defiled me day and night. If he was not satisfied in the slightest, he would either humiliate and punish me or, more seriously, humiliate and ravage me. I will never forget that humiliation. The evil master is a pervert. Sister Feifei, don't be fooled by his pretense."
Jiang Fei stared at Cheng Chen in shock.
No, I didn't do it, don't spread rumors!
Cheng Chen wished he could slap this little fish to death right now. He was perfectly healthy back then; he only forced her to do advanced mathematics exams, and there was nothing else that couldn't pass the review.
"hehe…"
He quickly changed the subject, "Speaking of which, Miss Liang, you've already become the deputy mayor of Yincheng at such a young age. You're truly remarkable."
"Oh, this one."
Liang Ziyi didn't shy away from the topic and frankly said, "Because the mayor of Yincheng is a hereditary position in my family, it's normal for him to be promoted so quickly now."
……