Chapter 152 — Old Huang's Collapse

"Eldest Brother, about this—do we tell Lele?" Huang Lin had just thought of how rushed their departure had been, and that they hadn't told Huang Yan. Huang Yan had no idea Huang Ce was in the hospital.

"Better not say anything for now, so Lele won't worry. We'll talk once Father is out of danger," Huang Rongtian said after a moment's thought.

"That's fine too." Huang Lin nodded. "Li Shu—I will never let you get away with this."

"And what if we don't let him? Kill him?" Huang Rongtian said helplessly. "Right now, we truly have no way to touch Li Shu at all. We can't even win a lawsuit—we don't have a shred of evidence."

Huang Lin was only venting. As his brother had said, there really was nothing he could do.

"Xiaoya, Mr. Loklari, the general manager of the organizer's grand theater, came by just now," Xu Li, Shu Ya's assistant, said to Shu Ya after returning to their hotel room.

"What did he want?" Shu Ya asked.

"He said he'd like to hold a small cocktail party tomorrow and invite you, by way of welcoming you," Xu Li said.

"Tell him thank you for his kindness, but I'm rather tired. I need a good rest for the next couple of days before I'll have the energy for the concert," Shu Ya said.

"Xiaoya, that's not really the point. Loklari hinted that a few young men with very powerful connections are fans of yours and would like to meet you privately," Xu Li said.

Shu Ya frowned at once. "Why is the entertainment world here the same?"

Xu Li gave a wry smile. "Xiaoya, that's how the entertainment world is everywhere. In Hong Kong, with Mr. Shu's influence behind you, no one dares touch you. But here, if you want these people's support, you have to play nice with these rich young masters."

Shu Ya nodded slightly. Before she had gone international, she had heard of such unspoken rules in Hong Kong too, but because her family's background was so formidable, few had ever set their sights on her.

Abroad, though, it was different: if she wanted to make it, she could not avoid these social obligations. Shu Ya felt a headache coming on. Reluctant as she was, the other party's request was only that she attend a cocktail party, and she could just about accept that. But if there were any other demands, then even if it cost her the European market, she would not do anything improper.

"Then reply to Mr. Loklari for me. I'll attend the party, but only the party. If there are any other social engagements, I'm afraid I can't oblige." Shu Ya hesitated a moment, then agreed.

"All right, I'll go and reply to Mr. Loklari right now." Xu Li nodded, stood up, and went back to her room to call Loklari.

Back in her room, Xu Li thought over her wording before dialing Loklari's number. In many cases, this kind of communication could only be handled by the manager.

Most stars were proud and would not bow their heads easily, especially an international superstar like Shu Ya. But the promoters of many concerts, and the people in the companies, all had deep connections of their own. The balancing act between the two sides could only be left to the manager.

So Xu Li naturally could not be as blunt with Loklari as Shu Ya had been; she had to find a suitable reason to persuade him.

"Mr. Loklari? This is Xu Li, Miss Shu Ya's manager," Xu Li said.

"Hello, Miss Xu Li," Loklari said warmly at once. "What does Miss Shu have to say?"

"Miss Shu said that she has only just arrived and hasn't adjusted to the time difference yet, so she's rather tired," Xu Li began with the objective reason, then continued: "However, since it is Mr. Loklari's invitation, Miss Shu says she will naturally do you this courtesy. She will attend."

"Oh, wonderful!" Loklari breathed a sigh of relief. Hearing Xu Li's earlier tone, he had thought the matter was hopeless and was worrying over how to explain himself to Patriarch Buffon and Mayor Markwede. Now that Shu Ya had agreed, things would be easy. "Miss Shu is really doing me a great honor. Miss Xu Li, then tomorrow evening—I'll send a car to pick you up."

"Fine, but there is one thing I must mention in advance. Miss Shu is only attending the cocktail party; she will not be appearing at any other events. You understand my meaning?" Xu Li said meaningfully. "Miss Shu Ya is not short of money, and her family is very influential back home."

"I understand," Loklari said, nodding quickly. How could he not understand Xu Li's meaning? "Don't worry, it's only the cocktail party."

"Good, then I'm reassured. If there's nothing else, we'll leave it at that," Xu Li said.

"Wait a moment, Miss Xu. There are a few things I still ought to explain," Loklari said after a brief hesitation. "These distinguished guests are all very powerful. One of them is a guest of Mr. Buffon, the patriarch of the Buffon family, one of the most powerful families in all of Europe. The others are the son of this city's mayor, Markwede, and the son of the deputy governor. They are all people of considerable influence, so I hope you can convey to Miss Shu that tomorrow she might take the larger picture into account."

"Ah." Xu Li had not expected these young men to have such backgrounds. She had not anticipated this; she had assumed a little smooth handling would get them through, but these people would not be easy to deal with.

Shu Ya, of course, had not realized how formidable it was to be a guest of Miss Alice, and so had never mentioned the matter to Xu Li, which was why Xu Li was somewhat worried. After all, these people held great power locally, and however influential Shu Ya's family might be in Hong Kong, it counted for nothing here.

When Xu Li told Shu Ya who these people were, Shu Ya grew worried as well. These people would not be easy to handle, enough to give her a headache, but she had already agreed, and it would look bad to back out now.

There was no help for it. Unwilling as she was, Shu Ya had no choice but to grit her teeth and attend the party.

Shu Ya really was rather exhausted. Sometimes she wanted simply to quit the music world altogether and live those carefree days with Yan, but that was only a thought.

If she truly did so, it would not only break the hearts of millions of fans, but might not even be a good thing for Heng.

Yang Ce was at a stage where his career was taking off, and Shu Ya did not want to put too much pressure on him. They were both still young, and there would be plenty of time later to enjoy life. So Shu Ya wanted to strive for a few more years, and when the day came that Yang Ce truly made his mark, she would give up everything she had now.

"Master, tomorrow the general manager of the grand theater here is holding a small banquet, and Miss Shu Ya will be attending. I've already spoken with him—Master, you should go too," Old Buffon said ingratiatingly.

"Ah." Yang Ce had not expected Old Buffon to arrange such a thing. Yang Juehuan had not intended to meet Shu Ya face to face, but seeing that Old Buffon meant well, he could hardly say anything more, so he nodded and said, "All right, we'll go together tomorrow."

"That's wonderful," Old Buffon said. "Then I'll arrange the car right away, and have someone order some evening dress to be sent over."

"No need to go to all that trouble. I'll just go in this," Yang Ce said, glancing at his casual clothes. "It's not a formal occasion, just a small gathering. What does it matter what one wears?"

"True enough," Old Buffon said. Naturally, whatever Yang Yanzhou said, he obeyed; getting Yang Ce clothes was purely out of respect, not out of any consideration for Loklari's face. As for Yang Ce giving face to the others—they were not worthy of it. That was naturally what Old Buffon thought in his heart.

At four the next evening, Old Buffon escorted Yang Ce and Wang Yanqiu into the stretched Bentley, and with Old Buffon driving himself, the three of them set off for the venue of the cocktail party.