Descent of the Demon Master-Chapter 1328. Exploding (3)

“Good day to you!”

Han Eun-Sol energetically bowed his head.

A lot about this situation was not to his liking, but moments like this one required him to fulfill his role as a manager. Besides, he was MK Entertainment’s president in all but name, anyway.

Not to forget, a lot rode on successfully signing this deal.

“Hahaha! Very energetic, very eager! I like that! So, you’re Han Eun-Sol?” The Chinese TV station manager asked jovially.

“Yes, I am.”

“Good, good! I’m Zhao Xu. We spoke on the phone.”

“It’s an honor meeting you personally like this, sir!”

“Mhmf! You’re a very polite young man.”

Han Eun-Sol nervously swallowed his saliva. To think the station’s boss would actually come here!

CNTV had over ten TV stations to its name. Even if Zhao Xu was “merely” the head manager of one of the stations, him personally showing up was still a big deal.

“Ah, and this is Miss Choi Yeon-Ha?” Zhao Xu asked.

Choi Yeon-Ha demurely nodded. “Good day to you.”

“As I thought, you’re a truly magnificent beauty.”

“Thank you,” said Choi Yeon-Ha.

Before she could say something else, Zhao Xu pointed at the person behind him. “Say hello. This is our Vice President.”

Han Eun-Sol’s eyes opened wide. The Vice President? Of the station? No, of CNTV?!

An actual vice president showed up to a meeting with a foreign talent?

Han Eun-Sol shuddered subtly in elation.

Yes, we got this in the bag!

Someone as high up the food chain as a vice president wouldn’t show up like this just to apologize. As the Chinese people strongly prioritized saving face, they would do anything to attend back-patting events while avoiding occasions requiring extensive head-bowing like a plague.

If this meeting was all about making apologies, the vice president would never have shown up.

Han Eun-Sol used his eyes to send signals, prompting Choi Yeon-Ha to step forward and bow courteously. “Hello, Mr. Vice President. I’m Choi Yeon-Ha.”

“Pleasure is all mine, Miss. I’m Wu Chao. Hahaha, you really are a stunning beauty in real life.”

When Wu Chao spoke at length, Choi Yeon-Ha failed to understand and subtly tilted her head.

Han Eun-Sol was about to translate for her, but someone beat him to it.

“Mister Wu Chao said you’re a stunning beauty.”

Choi Yeon-Ha spotted the person who said that, a young woman standing behind the vice president, and tilted her head a little more in confusion. That was because the young woman spoke in fluent Korean. Still, she didn’t forget to respond.

“Thank you for the compliment.”

Choi Yeon-Ha smiled softly, then glanced at the young woman.

“I’m an interpreter. Please treat me as if I’m not even here.”

“Oh!”

Choi Yeon-Ha smiled courteously at the interpreter as well while thinking, All I can do here is smile since I’m not fluent in Chinese yet. No, hang on... She can understand Korean, right?

It seemed Choi Yeon-Ha was uncharacteristically tense today.

Zhao Xu grinned and pointed to the building behind him. “Let’s not do this out here and go inside. We can’t let a huge star meander in the middle of the street, now can we? Allow me to escort you to a more agreeable location.”

Choi Yeon-Ha nodded. “Thank you.”

Zhao Xu and Wu Chao took the lead. Choi Yeon-Ha followed. However, when Han Eun-Sol stepped next to her, Zhao Xu turned around and stopped him.

“Ah, fella. You can go now.”

Han Eun-Sol blinked his eyes in surprise. “I’m sorry?”

“A manager isn’t necessary since the seniors will be talking now. You have no business here, so you can go now.”

“But the contract signing is...”

“We can always send you the contract to sign later, no?”

Han Eun-Sol furrowed his brow.

Choi Yeon-Ha saw this exchange and asked her manager. “What did he say?”

“He said I’m not needed here, so I should go back.”

“...”

Choi Yeon-Ha stared at Zhao Xu and subtly grinned. Although she was smiling like before, a layer of coldness had crept into her expression now.

“Then, I won’t be joining you, either.”

She glanced at the interpreter, prompting the young woman to translate.

“Han Eun-Sol is my manager, but he’s also the Department Head of our company, a high-ranking executive. If he’s not allowed to attend, of course I shouldn’t be attending it, either.”

“N-noona?”

Zhao Xu heard the interpreter and scowled a little. However, he broke into a soft chuckle after noticing how Choi Yeon-Ha maintained that calm smile.

“Hahaha. Looks like you got me there, Miss Choi. And I was thinking about saving your face, too.”

“...”

“Sure, let us all go together, then.”

When Zhao Xu backed off surprisingly easily, Choi Yeon-Ha sneakily sighed in relief. Even though she was a fearless type, hanging out with complete strangers in a foreign country still made her nervous. Besides, she went through that unsavory event in China not too long ago too, didn’t she?

Thankfully, though, it seemed the Chinese didn’t seem to care either way, judging from how they walked ahead while chuckling nonchalantly.

Han Eun-Sol sidled up to her. “You did great, noona.”

Choi Yeon-Ha whispered quietly so that the interpreter couldn’t hear her. “Eun-Sol?”

“Yes?”

“Since the vice president is here, it means our odds are pretty good, right?”

“Of course.”

Choi Yeon-Ha furrowed her brow. Something didn’t feel right about this situation.

Up until now, the situation had not been unfolding in her favor. But now, even the vice president had shown up to sweet-talk her into signing a deal...?

Should I go back?

An ominous foreboding began creeping into her heart just then. However, she subtly bit her lower lip instead.

Why am I getting so scared?

Her pride was wounded just then. Fleeing without getting a peek at what was waiting inside was not her style.

“Eun-Sol?”

“Yes, noona?”

“Have Mister Jin-Ho’s number on speed dial. Call him when something happens.”

“Really? Even though we didn’t tell him where the meeting place was?”

“Don’t worry, he’ll find us.”

“Got it, noona. His number is already on my speed dial, though.”

“Good work.”

Choi Yeon-Ha nodded, then stepped inside the building. The Chinese trio were waiting for her in front of an open elevator.

Wu Chao chuckled. “A beauty always takes her time, isn’t that right?”

Zhao Xu replied, “That’s right, Vice President Wu. But us men are powerless to point that out, no? That’s the privilege only the beautiful women enjoy, after all!”

The two men stared at her and smiled odiously.

Something inside her started boiling, but Choi Yeon-Ha ably put on a perfect business smile to respond to their gazes.

This situation briefly reminded her of the past. She used to encounter these types of... “characters” when she first joined the entertainment industry. Back then, she was a minor, yet those slime balls still leered at her with their disgusting gazes while evaluating her looks.

Thankfully, such sleazebags got eradicated from South Korea’s entertainment industry these days. However, to think she’d run into their kind in China!

It wasn’t because South Korea was a better developed nation, but more like... Men like these two faced zero consequences for their actions in China. A person’s behavior inevitably mirrored the current mood of the society they lived in, after all.

Ting~!

The elevator stopped, and Zhao Xu strode out of the open doorway. Facing the group was a gaudily decorated doorway. The doors opened wide, revealing a beautiful woman in a traditional Chinese dress greeting them with a bright smile.

“It’s great to have you back, Station Manager Zhao!”

“Yes, yes, me too. We have guests, so show us to our room.”

“Why are you being coy with me, Mister Zhao~?”

The receptionist beauty narrowed her eyes and shifted her gaze away from Zhao Xu, only to discover Choi Yeon-Ha. Her narrowed eyes immediately opened wider.

“Goodness me. Your guest is truly amazing this time.”

“Take us to our reserved room. Don’t let anyone in,” said Zhao Xu.

“Yes, yes. Of course.”

The receptionist beauty quickly reverted to her business smile, then guided the group to the room in question.

An unreadable expression formed on Choi Yeon-Ha’s face just then. A reserved room?

She could see that the interior of this establishment was not ordinary. Although it wasn’t rowdy inside, the overall vibe of this place still strongly suggested that it offered the type of entertainment involving a lot of booze.

Her problem with this situation was that she had no idea if negotiating deals in a place like this was the accepted norm in China.

Pointing it out, only to sour the other party’s mood, was definitely not what she wanted to achieve.

It seemed she wasn’t the only one questioning this set-up, however.

Han Eun-Sol leaned in closer. “Noona, this place is...”

“No, wait. Let’s not mind the details. For now.”

A hint of viciousness seeped into Choi Yeon-Ha’s expression just then. Since when did she care about stuff like that?

Didn’t she almost die of starvation when shooting that TV show in some nameless mountainside in China all because the food didn’t suit her? She had survived that ordeal, so enduring a situation like this should be a piece of cake.

If we don’t get the deal, I’m gonna crack their skulls!

Choi Yeon-Ha subtly bit her lip while stepping into the private room. Judging from the one-piece couches on either side of a lengthy oblong table and several TV screens, this place was undoubtedly a karaoke box.

It was as if they were back in South Korea; the familiarity hit Choi Yeon-Ha pretty hard, but the Chinese letters appearing on those TV screens shoved that feeling back rapidly away.

Zhao Xu grinned and pointed to a spot on the couch. “Now, now. Please sit over here.”

“Of course.”

Choi Yeon-Ha demurely settled down on the spot. Han Eun-Sol tried to sit next to her, only for Zhao Xu to raise his hand and stop him.

“Looks like you don’t know our customs, young man. But that’s a big no-no around here.”

Han Eun-Sol blinked his eyes. “I’m sorry?”

“We have a saying about people wanting to grow closer should mingle together. If we sit with a table between us, isn’t that like we’re here to fight?”

“Oh, uh...”

“So, you come and sit with me, young man.”

Han Eun-Sol’s expression grew weird. But that was when Choi Yeon-Ha subtly pushed him from behind. She wanted him to go sit next to Zhao Xu, in other words.

Han Eun-Sol glanced behind him and saw the expressionless Choi Yeon-Ha subtly nodding back at him. He didn’t say anything else and walked around the table to sit next to Zhao Xu. However, his thoughts right now were...

What the f*ck is this nonsense? What the hell are they thinking here?

Wu Chao sat on the opposite side of Han Eun-Sol. Meaning, he now sat right next to Choi Yeon-Ha. Han Eun-Sol had never sat like this in a negotiation before until today.

He could see how awkward Wu Chao’s expression was, too. That was when the interpreter also sat next to Wu Chao, making him sandwiched between two women.

Huh? Really? Is this how people do things in China?

Since Han Eun-Sol wasn’t involved in the contract negotiation for Choi Yeon-Ha’s first foray into the Chinese entertainment industry in the past, he couldn’t tell if this was how things were done around here. Unfortunately, Choi Yeon-Ha was also not involved back then. All she did was sign the contract showing up at her doorstep back in South Korea.

Just as Han Eun-Sol began thinking that it was a mistake to bring his talent around to contract negotiations, the door to their private room opened wide, and servers brought in various snacks and bottles of liquor.

After the servers placed the drinks on the table, the receptionist beauty stepped inside while carrying an encased bottle of expensive-looking liquor. “I’ve brought the Maotai you told me to get.”[1]

Zhao Xu asked, “It’s the real thing, right?”

“Have you ever seen us dealing in counterfeits before, Mister Zhao~?”

“Hey, you can never be sure, right? Madam, your nose is fake, after all.”

“Goodness me! This nose is a real thing from South Korea, you know~?”

Han Eun-Sol furrowed his brow while listening to this exchange of crude banter. He couldn’t figure out why the Chinese would bring them here for a contract negotiation.

The receptionist beauty unwrapped the bottle’s packaging and placed it on the table, then bowed deeply. “I hope you enjoy your stay here.”

Zhao Xu glanced at her. “Don’t let anyone in, okay?”

“Yes, of course.”

The receptionist woman left and quietly closed the door behind her. Han Eun-Sol sneakily glanced at Choi Yeon-Ha. A subtle smile was etched on her face, but he knew. That was not the face of the pleased Choi Yeon-Ha. Not even close.

While thinking that he’d crack some jaws if things went south, vice president or whatever be damned, Han Eun-Sol addressed Zhao Xu. “Thank you for meeting us like this.”

“No, no. We’re also grateful that you came all this way.”

“Working together with CNTV will be a massive honor for...”

“Wait, wait,” said Zhao Xu while raising his hand. “Discussing business is not bad, but we don’t talk about stuff like that with people who are not friends. If you wish to find more work in China, you should learn more about Chinese culture, young man.”

“I thought we were already friends, sir?”

“How can we be real friends without sharing booze first?”

Before Han Eun-Sol could argue back, Choi Yeon-Ha reached out first and grabbed a nearby glass of alcohol.

“Then...” She raised the glass and raised it toward Zhao Xu. “I hope you will give us the opportunities to become your friends.”

Zhao Xu and Wu Chao both laughed genially when the interpreter translated what Choi Yeon-Ha said.

“I didn’t expect you to be a gutsy heroine, Miss Choi! Yes, you don’t have to worry about that. Our Vice President here is a gracious man. He is very willing to become your friend, you see?”

The laughing Wu Chao grabbed the bottle of Maotai and popped its lid before pouring it into Choi Yeon-Ha’s glass. “Here, Miss Choi. This is a famed liquor of our country, so have a taste.”

“Why, thank you.”

Once the glasses were filled, Wu Chao raised his in the air. “For our health and success! Ganbei!”[2]

Choi Yeon-Ha and Han Eun-Sol also shouted “Ganbei” and raised their glasses.

Fine. Let’s see.

Choi Yeon-Ha continued to smile while gulping the booze down.

Let’s see what you’ll do next!

A hint of venom had already filled the light burning in her eyes.

1. Maotai is a style of a colorless Chinese liquor made in the town of Maotai in Guizhou province. ☜

2. “Ganbei” is a Chinese toast that literally means “dry cup.” ☜