Chapter 151: Your Agent

Realizing this, Wu Tong could only offer an awkward smile.

"Su Chen, you make a valid point. I was being too narrow-minded," Wu Tong said to Su Chen. "As for the submission of 'Your Answer' to the Hangzhou Asian Games, there is actually no great rush. Once I have your confirmation, I can start the administrative process with the song. The registration forms can be filled out later; you can just come to the television station tomorrow to take care of that."

"Really? Thank you so much, Director Wu. I certainly won't forget to come fill out the information tomorrow," Su Chen replied, expressing his gratitude repeatedly.

Noticing that the sun was dipping low and the shadows of the trees were stretching out, soon to leave him in the shade, Su Chen exchanged a few perfunctory pleasantries with Wu Tong and hung up the phone to escape the heat.

Su Chen took a taxi back to his hotel room, intending to enjoy a proper break and return to the life of a homebody—perhaps ordering some milk tea and fried chicken, eating a satisfying meal, and then pulling a few good friends together for a round of League of Legends or PUBG. He hadn't relaxed like this in ages. Since his breakup with Lin Yanran, it felt as if the whole world had been pushing him forward, never granting him a moment to catch his breath. Now that he had finished his tasks for the day, he finally had an evening to arrange exactly as he pleased.

Just after finishing his meal, Su Chen prepared to invite some friends from his student days to play games. However, when he opened WeChat and sent out the invitations, the responses were all disheartening.

"Games? Can we play mobile games? I have to work overtime later and I'm out right now—no PC!"

"LOL? PUBG? I uninstalled those ages ago! They’re such a time sink, I really don't have the time."

"I can't play at this hour. My girlfriend is getting off work soon; I need to prep dinner and go pick her up. No time."

"How could I possibly have time for games? Ever since my son started kindergarten, I’m busy with drop-offs and pick-ups every day, and I have to spend the evenings playing with him. I’m only messaging you now in stolen moments."

"Sigh... I’m sorry, why don't you try asking someone else?"

...

Staring at this string of replies, Su Chen felt at a loss. The friends he knew were either struggling for their future or had settled down and were busy with family life—where would they find the time to play games?

Just as he was considering who else he might reach out to, a trending topic notification popped up on his Weibo feed: "Uzi Confirmed to Return, Joining EDG!"

Su Chen was stunned. While he felt a surge of excitement, it also felt surreal. Uzi was one of his favorite professional players, possessing a massive following—so large that his individual influence rivaled that of entire teams. EDG, meanwhile, was one of the oldest teams in the league's history, with a vast fanbase of its own. While their union would undoubtedly create the most traffic-heavy team in the history of League of Legends, the irony lay in the fact that Uzi’s fan base and EDG’s fans were historically at odds, constantly attacking one another.

Intrigued, Su Chen clicked on the trending list and quickly found exactly what he was looking for—or rather, what he had anticipated. The top searches included "What is the equivalent of Uzi joining EDG?" and "How do I explain the explosive nature of Uzi joining EDG to my friends outside the gaming circle?"

With the curiosity of a spectator, Su Chen opened the threads, and the netizens’ comments did not disappoint.

"If your friend follows basketball, tell them it’s like LeBron James joining the Lakers."

"If they follow soccer, tell them it’s like Cristiano Ronaldo joining Barcelona and Messi joining Real Madrid."

"If they have some knowledge of history, tell them it’s like Sima Yi defecting to the Kingdom of Shu overnight to become a strategist under Zhuge Liang."

"And if none of the above work, just tell them it’s like Su Chen signing with Fanxing."

...

When Su Chen saw the comparison, "Su Chen signing with Fanxing," he couldn't help but crack up. What in the world was that comparison? After the laughter faded, however, a profound sense of loneliness washed over him.

The god had returned to the stage, but his old friends could never make a comeback of their own. Time truly was the most irresistible force in the world.

Su Chen smiled helplessly and decided to find something else to do. Just as he opened his browser to check for new movies, a knock sounded at his door. Surprised at who might be visiting at this hour, he went to open it.

Standing there was Han Jiangxue, looking utterly exhausted.

"Han Jiangxue? What happened to you?" Su Chen asked, taken aback.

Han Jiangxue rolled her eyes at him, resentful. "What happened to me? I’ve been running around the Administration for Industry and Commerce for you!"

She pushed her way into the room to enjoy the air conditioning. Glancing around, she spotted the fried chicken, milk tea, and the blockbuster playing on the computer screen. She gave a cold laugh. "I’ve been working for you all afternoon, and you—you’re here in your room with fried chicken, milk tea, air conditioning, and movies. How cozy!"

Su Chen laughed awkwardly. "Ah, haha... I just finished up myself. I only got back from the Shashi People's Hospital a little while ago!"

"...Really?" Han Jiangxue looked at him, feeling he was lying. He had told her he was going to the hospital to teach them Traditional Chinese Medicine, and since that was such a complex field, how could he have finished so quickly?

"Of course!" Su Chen said quickly, changing the subject. "By the way, now that you're back, is everything done at the Administration? Can our studio go live?"

Han Jiangxue didn't catch the deflection and went along with him. "Because I had the backing of my mother's company, most of the procedures were approved on the spot. There are just a few filings that need time."

"But I think even at the slowest pace, everything will be ready by tomorrow. By then, I’ll officially be your manager! Hahaha!"