Chapter 1697: Star Dream

"Mr. Zhao, what do you think is the difference between Korean beef here and imported beef?"

Song Qian casually asked Zhao Fusheng.

After spending most of the day together, she now understood that Zhao Fusheng was actually very easygoing, without any of the arrogance of the wealthy, more like a neighborly uncle.

"Difference?"

Zhao Fusheng was taken aback, then laughed: "Have you been hearing people talk about 'Hanwoo' all day and think that so-called Hanwoo must be the best beef?"

Song Qian nodded: "Isn't it?"

"Of course not." Zhao Fusheng shook his head: "First, you need to understand where the term 'Hanwoo' comes from. It was coined by Koreans themselves. They believe that beef produced locally in Korea tastes best, better than imported beef, hence the term 'Hanwoo.'"

He shrugged and laughed: "Actually, I have to admit there's some knowledge behind it, but I don't really understand it."

"Huh?"

Song Qian, Wu Sijie, and the others looked puzzled. According to Zhao Fusheng, didn't that mean Hanwoo was indeed very good?

"Of course not."

Seeing their expressions, Zhao Fusheng smiled and shook his head: "Hanwoo is a kind of symbol. For example, if you buy a bunch of imported beef and grill it together with Hanwoo, and give it to Koreans to eat, do you think they can tell which is Hanwoo and which is imported?"

"Well..."

Song Qian blinked and said nothing.

Wu Sijie smiled: "I think the beef we ate today tastes about the same as yesterday's."

"Yes, it's all similar." Zhao Fusheng said with a smile: "What we ate at the Walkerhill yesterday was definitely beef, but today's—we don't know if it's Hanwoo or imported, do we?"

He paused, pointing at the grilled meat on the plate: "After all, it's up to the restaurant, not us."

The others nodded in agreement; that was true.

"Well, whatever beef it is, as long as it tastes good."

Chen Zhen laughed from the side and said to Zhao Fusheng and the others: "Chairman, I think I could eat seven or eight servings of this amount myself."

"Go ahead, eat as much as you want today."

Hearing his words, Zhao Fusheng laughed heartily: "Anyway, I plan to treat you all to a good meal today, so don't save me money."

Everyone laughed, knowing the boss wasn't short of money, and they no longer stood on ceremony, eating to their hearts' content.

Zhao Fusheng looked at Song Qian: "You eat too. The food at SM Entertainment probably isn't great. These days, just eat with us."

After all, they were all Chinese; Zhao Fusheng wasn't heartless to that extent.

"Thank you."

Song Qian quickly nodded, expressing her gratitude to Zhao Fusheng.

Life as a trainee was tight; wanting to eat something good was usually a luxury. Forget beef—being able to eat pork was already a pretty good day.

They chatted while eating. Chen Zhen and the others occasionally talked about barbecuing in the wild during missions, which was quite interesting.

"Chairman, should I send someone to keep an eye on Hong Kong?" When they were almost done eating, and Fan Beibei had gone out to play with Song Qian, Wu Sijie quietly asked Zhao Fusheng.

After all, Zhao Fusheng had personally blacklisted that Ethan in Hong Kong, and Wu Sijie was worried about any follow-up issues.

Although such a thing was trivial to Zhao Fusheng, at most inviting criticism for being overbearing.

But if Ethan took the opportunity to stir up trouble, it could become a topic for炒作.

"Don't worry, he wouldn't dare."

Zhao Fusheng smiled faintly: "Even if he had any ideas, do you think Chen Lan would allow him to do that?"

Wu Sijie was startled, then froze.

Zhao Fusheng continued eating without saying more.

Actually, Wu Sijie just didn't understand the social climate in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong people are absolutely money-oriented. Although polygamy has long been banned there, keeping mistresses and having affairs is commonplace. In fact, many Hong Kong people see it as a sign of capability.

Moreover, many Hong Kong women take pride in marrying into wealthy families or becoming mistresses of the rich.

Simply put, as long as you have money, everything else is completely unimportant.

Laughing at poverty but not at prostitution—that's roughly the social atmosphere in Hong Kong today.

Of course, the mainland would have a similar trend ten years later, so neither side can point fingers.

Even the once-famous Nie Xiaoqian wanted to enter the Lin family. If it weren't for Lin Jianle's mother favoring the legitimate daughter-in-law, Xiaoqian might have become the boss lady of Media Asia.

But unfortunately, she ultimately failed to fulfill her dream of marrying into wealth and had to retire from the entertainment industry in disappointment.

As for the female stars who later married into wealthy families, whichever one it was, they all followed the same pattern—either becoming baby-making machines or simply letting their husbands do as they pleased.

Many things are only beautiful on the surface.

That said, Hong Kong is indeed a place of such reality. Although a money-worshipping city may seem vulgar and decadent, you have to admit that because of this, Zhao Fusheng's wealth became his protective charm.

...

...

After the meal, the group settled the bill and left. Looking at the check, Wu Sijie clicked his tongue in amazement.

"You guys really can eat."

Zhao Fusheng was also taken aback when he saw the bill, and he joked with them.

"Chairman, you told us to eat as much as we wanted."

Chen Zhen didn't take the blame and smiled at Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng shook his head helplessly: "You ate way too much."

"Haha!"

Everyone laughed, knowing that Zhao Fusheng wasn't short of the meal money; he was just making a casual joke.

As the closest bodyguards to Zhao Fusheng, these people were the most trusted of his confidants, and they naturally knew that their boss was not a stingy or petty person.

"By the way, Xiao Song, where do you live? We'll take you back." Zhao Fusheng thought for a moment and said to Song Qian.

"Huh?"

Song Qian was startled: "Aren't you going out this afternoon and evening?"

Zhao Fusheng nodded and pointed at Fan Beibei: "This girl is already exhausted. She ate so much at lunch, how could she have the energy to go shopping? She definitely needs to rest."

Sure enough, Fan Beibei was holding her stomach and nodded to Song Qian: "Sister Song Qian, I really can't move anymore. Let's go out and play tomorrow."

"Okay."

Song Qian naturally had no objections. The client had already paid, so she had to cooperate with the employer's plans. As for the company, well, Kim Young-min and Lee Soo-man had basically implied that if Mr. Zhao needed her to warm his bed, she should wash up and go in.

They wouldn't dare object!

In the face of absolute power, no one has the right to resist.

Song Qian had learned this lesson clearly since coming to Korea.

Those seniors younger than herself, just because they entered the company earlier, acted arrogantly and always put on airs in front of her.

It was only because she hadn't been in the company long enough to threaten their debut positions that she hadn't been thoroughly messed with.

Many people always think the idol world is beautiful, but in fact, that's just wishful thinking on the part of fans.

The real idol world is cruelly laughable.

At least, that's what Song Qian knew.

"Thank you for the trouble." Song Qian bowed to Zhao Fusheng in gratitude.

Zhao Fusheng waved his hand: "No need to be so polite. We're just going the same way."

Though he said that, Song Qian knew he didn't have to take her; doing so was a favor, not an obligation.

She was from China, not Korea, and understood social graces better than Koreans.

The car drove through the streets of Seoul. Zhao Fusheng sat inside and suddenly asked Song Qian with a smile: "Xiao Song, why did you want to become an idol?"

"Huh?"

Song Qian was taken aback, then smiled bitterly: "The company was recruiting trainees at our school. I just thought I'd give it a try, and I got selected. You know, back home, it's not easy to become famous. Although training here in Korea is tough, the opportunities are still better than in China, aren't they?"

Zhao Fusheng was slightly surprised, not expecting the girl to be so insightful.

In fact, as Song Qian said, under the current circumstances in China, it was indeed not easy for idols to become popular.

Unlike Korea, China had not yet developed a完善的 idol training system. Most celebrities became famous mainly through film and television.

Want to become famous by singing?

Hah, it's not that easy.

The Chinese music scene was already in a slump. New singers were mostly from talent shows or professional graduates. For someone like Song Qian, who majored in dance, becoming a star was no easy feat.

So she had to find another path.