Chapter 30

Xia Hou Zhongying waited at the school gate for a long time without receiving a text message from Zheng Xiuyan. Just as he was getting impatient and thinking about calling to urge her, his phone rang, indicating that a text message had arrived.

Opening the text message, he saw the address of S.M Entertainment sent by Zheng Xiuyan. Xia Hou Zhongying couldn't help but complain in his heart, "What's with this woman, taking so long to send a few words." After complaining, he went online to search for how to get there, checking while walking towards the bus stop.

Half an hour later, Xia Hou Zhongying got off the bus and found S.M Entertainment according to the address. Before he even reached the entrance, he was stopped by a security guard.

"Hey, what are you doing here? Don't just barge in," the security guard asked.

"Ah, barge in? I'm looking for someone," Xia Hou Zhongying replied. He had never been to an entertainment agency before, so he didn't know their rules. He thought it would be like his father's company, where he could just go to the reception, explain his business, have them make a call, sign in, and wait for a response. So when he reached the entrance, he ignored the security guards who looked like statues and tried to walk in directly.

However, entertainment agencies were different. There were often many fans of the artists waiting at the company gates or pretending to be various people to sneak into the company just to meet their idols, causing a lot of trouble for the agencies. Fans were the foundation of the companies and the artists, so they couldn't be beaten or scolded, only persuaded. If there were any extreme actions, the media might expose it the next day.

Especially for a top agency like S.M Entertainment, with millions of fans combined, a single mishandling could cause significant damage to the company. Without any other solutions, the companies could only strengthen their security to prevent people from sneaking in and causing unnecessary trouble.

It was impossible for someone like Xia Hou Zhongying to just walk in; it was strange that he wasn't stopped.

"Looking for someone? Who?" The security guard didn't relax his vigilance just because Xia Hou Zhongying said he was looking for someone. Instead, he became even more cautious, eyeing him like a hawk. If Xia Hou Zhongying couldn't answer or said he was looking for a celebrity, he would be immediately escorted out.

"Hey, why are you looking at me like that? What's the meaning of this?" Xia Hou Zhongying felt very annoyed when the security guards treated him like a thief. After all, he was a young master, usually mild-tempered but not without a temper. Being stopped by a security guard he considered to have no status, and still being questioned after explaining he was looking for someone, naturally made him angry.

"Quick, who are you looking for?" Xia Hou Zhongying didn't answer immediately but glared at them, making the security guards even more convinced that he was another overzealous fan trying to see a celebrity. They immediately took a defensive stance and asked harshly.

"What's wrong with you guys?" Xia Hou Zhongying glared at the security guard and then replied, "I'm looking for Zheng Xiuyan from your company. She's a trainee here. Seriously, are the security guards so arrogant, I've never seen anything like it."

Xia Hou Zhongying didn't like the security guards, and they didn't like him either. He was not only causing trouble but doing so arrogantly, which they found very annoying. The security guard glared and said, "Looking for a trainee? You can't enter the company. Wait outside."

"Hey, what do you mean? You won't even let me in to look for someone?" Xia Hou Zhongying asked angrily.

"No way." The security guard glanced at Xia Hou Zhongying.

"Then can you help me notify her?" Xia Hou Zhongying asked.

"No time." The security guard refused bluntly, leaving no room for negotiation.

"Damn, what kind of people are you? No manners at all." Xia Hou Zhongying cursed, and out of frustration, he took out his phone to send a text message to Zheng Xiuyan, asking her to come out.

"Hey, aren't you that someone?" Before Xia Hou Zhongying could finish his text, a woman's voice came from beside him. "What was your name again? Oh, right, Xiuyan's brother, Xia Hou something?"

"It's you, beautiful sister." Xia Hou Zhongying stopped writing the text and looked up. He recognized the beautiful woman he had met at the school gate who spoke Chinese, but he didn't know her name, so he just called her "beautiful sister." After all, it was always good to say nice things to people.

Sure enough, Hong Shengmei was delighted when Xia Hou Zhongying called her "beautiful sister." She chuckled and asked, "What are you doing at our company?"

"I'm looking for Xiuyan. She asked me to come, but I didn't expect your company's security to be so arrogant. They wouldn't let me in, and even refused to help me notify her," Xia Hou Zhongying couldn't help but complain.

Hong Shengmei laughed and said, "You can't just walk in like that. It's already good that they didn't escort you out."

"Really? Your company is too arrogant." Xia Hou Zhongying was taken aback; he had never seen such an arrogant company.

"It's unavoidable. There are many fans of the artists waiting outside the company every day. Look over there, those are all fans," Hong Shengmei pointed to a group of people gathered outside the gate and continued, "If they accidentally get in, they can disrupt the company's normal operations and the artists' training, which is very troublesome. That's why the security checks are so strict."

After understanding the situation, Xia Hou Zhongying was enlightened and his anger subsided. He wasn't an unreasonable person; he just didn't know before, so he thought S.M Entertainment was particularly arrogant. However, for a special type of company like an entertainment agency, if the security wasn't so strict, they would be constantly harassed by fans from all over, making it impossible to work.

"Alright, I'll wait outside. Beautiful sister, can you notify Xiuyan for me? Tell her I'm here." After thinking it through, Xia Hou Zhongying didn't want to break the rules and be seen as a troublemaker, so he asked Hong Shengmei.

"I'll take you in." Hong Shengmei smiled and said casually.

"Can I go in?" Xia Hou Zhongying was surprised.

"No problem. As long as someone from the company is with you, you can enter. Besides, you're not a fan chasing celebrities." Hong Shengmei teased, "You won't use this opportunity to ask the seniors for autographs, right?"

"Why would I ask them for autographs? I don't even know them." Xia Hou Zhongying chuckled, "If I were to ask for autographs, I'd ask you, beautiful sister. You're so pretty; a photo of you would be a feast for the eyes at home."

Xia Hou Zhongying's flattery made Hong Shengmei giggle. She told the security guard and then led him into the company. With someone from the company, the security guard didn't make things difficult for Xia Hou Zhongying and focused on the fans outside to prevent any from sneaking in.

After entering S.M Entertainment, Xia Hou Zhongying curiously looked around and couldn't help but say, "An entertainment agency doesn't seem so special. I thought the company would be lavishly decorated, given how glamorous the celebrities are."

"Is it as good as you think? The company is just an office, not a stage," Hong Shengmei found Xia Hou Zhongying's comment amusing.

"Shengmei, you're here. The teacher called you. Oh, who is this boy?" A girl nearby saw the two and asked.

"This is Xiuyan's brother, who came to find her. I saw him and brought him in," Hong Shengmei answered the girl's question and then pointed to a door down the corridor, "I have something to do, so I can't take you there. That's Xiuyan's practice room. You can go in and find her yourself."

Xia Hou Zhongying nodded, thanked Hong Shengmei, and walked towards the door.

The girl who spoke to Hong Shengmei looked at Xia Hou Zhongying in surprise and then at Hong Shengmei, "Shengmei, are you sure? Letting him go into the girls' practice room to find Xiuyan?"

"Damn, I forgot." Hong Shengmei slapped her forehead, realizing her mistake. She had been so focused on what the teacher wanted that she forgot boys weren't allowed in the girls' practice room.

The training for trainees was very intense, and sweating was common. The girls often wore very light clothing, sometimes just a bra and panties, in the practice room. Letting a boy in would mean he could see everything. Even the company's male employees or staff weren't allowed in. If someone needed to be found, a girl would be sent to call them out.

In a hurry to go to the teacher, Hong Shengmei had let Xia Hou Zhongying go in by himself. After the girl reminded her, she realized she had made a huge mistake and quickly turned to chase after Xia Hou Zhongying. However, just as she turned, she saw him push open the door to the practice room and enter, feeling a deep sense of regret. This was going to be a big problem.

Sure enough, as soon as Xia Hou Zhongying pushed open the door and took a few steps inside, chaos erupted in the practice room. Screams and the sound of objects flying and landing mixed with cries of "pervert."

Within seconds, Xia Hou Zhongying was rolling out of the girls' practice room, holding his head, with his face and body covered in bits of makeup and powder, looking like he had been dipped in a dye vat. A pile of cell phones, clothes, shoes, and even mirrors and makeup cases flew out behind him, landing with a clatter.

Xia Hou Zhongying was on the verge of tears, wondering what had just happened and feeling that he had been badly betrayed by the beautiful sister.

After running out of the door, he saw Hong Shengmei standing nearby, staring at him in shock. Xia Hou Zhongying angrily asked her, "Beautiful sister, do we have a grudge?"

Hong Shengmei shook her head in surprise.

"Do we have a conflict?" Xia Hou Zhongying asked again.

Hong Shengmei's lips twitched, wanting to laugh but not daring to, and she shook her head again.

"Then why did you betray me?" Xia Hou Zhongying asked, filled with sorrow and anger, his teeth clenched.

"I forgot." Hong Shengmei finally couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.

The girl who had stopped Hong Shengmei also couldn't help but giggle at Xia Hou Zhongying's pitiful state.

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