With the conclusion of the red carpet ceremony, the Bazaar Charity Night officially kicked off its first iconic moment: the celebrity group photo.
As everyone knows, showbiz is a den of intrigue, rife with scheming and hypocrisy.
This is especially true at grand galas and award ceremonies!
And the organizers of the Bazaar Charity Night knew exactly what the audience wanted to see.
So they arranged just such a crowd-pleasing segment.
The simple struggle for the center position was enough to make many A-list stars resort to petty tricks.
Of course, the celebrities still had their pride to consider. No one dared to openly fight for the center spot. Instead, those who felt their status warranted it simply clustered around the coveted position and struck up conversations.
Interestingly, all the ones vying for the center were female celebrities. The male stars, on the other hand, stood off to the sides, showing no interest in it whatsoever.
From his seat in the audience, Su Chen watched with great relish. After all, he had never witnessed such a scene in person, and he found it quite amusing to see one familiar celebrity after another jostling for position on stage.
"Hello, Mr. Su. I'm Wang Lei from Huayi Entertainment!"
Just as Su Chen was engrossed in the spectacle, a figure appeared at his side.
Su Chen was startled by the man's introduction. He'd heard rumors about this individual, but he never expected the man to approach him. 'Why would he come over to greet me?'
'Then again,' Su Chen thought, 'with his influence, it would have been simple to get some information about me from Su Mang.'
"President Wang, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. Please, have a seat!" Su Chen said, standing up and gesturing to a chair.
Looking at the almost unreasonably young man before him, a flicker of doubt crossed Wang Lei's eyes.
He had just specifically asked Su Mang about him. All she could tell him was that Su Chen's background was extraordinary and that he was held in high esteem by the presidents of Greater China for Louis Vuitton, Richemont, and Kaiyun. Beyond that, even Su Mang knew nothing.
For Wang Lei, however, that alone was enough. It was clear that Su Chen was no ordinary person.
"You're quite accomplished for your age, Mr. Su. I was wondering what your thoughts are on the entertainment industry. Have you any interest in investing?"
In both showbiz and the business world, everything came down to mutual interests. As long as there was a profit to be made, anyone could be friends.
And that was precisely Wang Lei's plan: to tie Su Chen to him with the promise of profit. Whatever mysterious background Su Chen was hiding would eventually be revealed.
Even if Su Chen kept his secrets well-hidden, his relationship with those three presidents alone could mean a fortune in endorsements. An opportunity like that was too good to pass up.
Unfortunately for Wang Lei, for all his calculations, he had failed to account for one thing: Su Chen had absolutely no interest in the cesspool that was showbiz.
"President Wang, I'm afraid I have no plans to invest in the entertainment industry at the moment," Su Chen said, his expression placid. "But if I ever change my mind, you'll be the first person I call."
"Of course. No problem at all. In that case, might I have the honor of getting your phone number, Mr. Su?"
Su Chen scoffed inwardly. 'You've already put it that way, how can I refuse? If I said no, wouldn't that be a slap in your face?'
"Of course."
Smiling, Su Chen exchanged contact information with Wang Lei. After a few more pleasantries, Wang Lei excused himself and returned to his seat.
By the time Su Chen looked back at the stage, the struggle for the center position had ended. The celebrities were already starting to make their way back down into the audience.
'Damn, I missed such an iconic moment. What a shame,' Su Chen sighed with regret.
Lost in his thoughts, he failed to notice a female celebrity coming down from the stage miss a step. She stumbled and came hurtling toward him.
Before he could react, his head was slammed squarely into two soft, round mounds.
'Ref, that's a foul! Charging!'
"I'm so sorry, so sorry! I really didn't mean to! I missed a step coming off the stage," the actress said, her face a mask of anxiety.
Su Chen then realized the person who had crashed into him was a stunning beauty, her gown perfectly accentuating her figure.
"It's fine," Su Chen said teasingly. "But you should watch your step in the future, miss. No more charging, alright?"
Hearing his "charging" comment, the actress blushed crimson. She stammered another apology to Su Chen and fled in a panic.
Thankfully, most of the other celebrities were busy walking off the stage and returning to their seats, so not many people had noticed her. Otherwise, the embarrassment would have been immense.
"Ni Zhen, what happened? Your face is bright red. Are you okay?" Li Yuchun asked, looking puzzled.
"I-I'm fine. I was just rushing and almost twisted my ankle!"
Li Yuchun didn't seem to suspect anything. She gently patted Ni Zhen's hand and said, "After the gala is over, come with me to meet someone."
"Meet who?"
Li Yuchun said, feigning mystery, "You'll find out soon enough."
Just then, the host walked onto the stage, signaling the official start of the Bazaar Charity Night's main event.
The celebrities were divided into three teams, led by Huang Xiaoming, Huang Bo, and Deng Chao, respectively, to compete against one another.
They would determine a winner through a series of childish games designed to showcase team spirit, the results of which would directly impact the night's charity auction.
To drive up the prices for their team's auction items, each side had their young heartthrobs pull out all the stops to entertain the audience.
This was when Su Chen truly understood what it meant for status to decide everything. The moment a lower-ranking celebrity was stuffed into a suitcase, his entire perception of showbiz was shattered.
The audience, however, was roaring with laughter, and the executives from major companies eagerly raised their paddles, bidding on the act.
The final bid topped two million yuan, which could be considered the only thing preserving what little dignity the celebrity had left.
'They always say showbiz is a murky business,' Su Chen mused. 'Today, I feel like I'm finally seeing the whole picture.'
Su Chen watched the rest of the program listlessly, not bidding on any of the auction items.
His seating position was the main reason he wasn't suited to bid tonight. If he called out a price for an item, who would dare to bid against him? What if they inadvertently caused offense?
No one there was a fool. They all knew where the lines were.
The charity gala lasted until nine-thirty. In total, over forty-one million yuan had been raised, all of which would be used to purchase ambulances for impoverished regions.
As the event came to a close, Emma suddenly leaned in close to Su Chen and whispered, "Mr. Su, do you need me to make any... arrangements for you tonight?"
"Arrangements? What kind of arrangements?"
"Of course..." Emma's gaze swept across the venue.
Su Chen instantly understood what she meant. 'She's asking if any of the female celebrities had caught my eye...'
"No, thank you." Although Su Chen had once fantasized that when he became rich, he'd definitely have to try sleeping with a star or two.
But after seeing all this tonight, he couldn't just casually take a bite. 'Who knew if that particular plate of meat was fresh or spoiled?'