Chapter 23 Grandmaster
Could it be that Liu Shihua was falling for Ye Chen?
The superstar Liu Shihua, worshipped by countless as a goddess, possessed a beauty and figure unmatched, irresistible to any man. Moreover, she and Ye Chen were of similar age. If they truly became a couple, it would indeed be a perfect match.
However, Zhang Xinlan suddenly became very nervous, as if her beloved toy had been snatched away. She discovered that the source of her inexplicable anxiety was Ye Chen, yet she was too ashamed to voice it. If she defended her dignity at this moment, her feelings for Ye Chen would be all too obvious.
"No need!" Ye Chen calmly shook his head. "You may look like a Heavenly Immortal, but beauty can't be eaten as food! Plus, you lack curves; I'm not interested in you!"
The atmosphere inside the car became extremely odd due to Ye Chen's comment, as if time had frozen at that moment.
"Haha~ Hahaha, Hahaha!"
Zhang Xinlan burst into laughter, Ye Chen's crude words unexpectedly brought her immense amusement. She clutched her belly, laughing uncontrollably in pain.
Liu Shihua initially intended to tease Ye Chen and provoke Zhang Xinlan, but she clearly underestimated Ye Chen's combativeness. Trying to steal a chicken only to lose the rice, she ended up setting herself on fire!
"Ye Chen, you bastard!" Liu Shihua was almost crying. This jerk was too good at bullying!
…
Tianda Plaza, a mega shopping mall funded by the Tianda Group, is located in the bustling area of Longcheng, spanning an enormous area of eight hundred thousand square meters. It is not only a shopping paradise but also a crucial economic zone, ranking among the top three large shopping malls in Huaxia.
Today is the grand opening of Tianda Shopping Plaza, attracting social elites and celebrities appearing occasionally at the event, making it a nationwide celebration!
The staff of the Tianda Group set up a huge stage in the plaza, surrounded by countless crowds. For a behemoth enterprise like the Tianda Group, such large-scale construction of a century plaza naturally entails the presence of celebrities from the entertainment circle at the opening.
The opening of the Tianda Shopping Plaza has been widely advertised, ensuring today's event glitters with stars, even featuring performances by heavenly kings!
Also in attendance is the internationally renowned action movie star Li Yingjie, who holds a revered status in the global film industry, a pride of all Huaxia people, who will also grace the stage as a special guest today.
Huaxia heavyweight film stars Jia Liang and his wife Li Lulu, a celebrity couple, also came together to support the opening of Tianda.
Other stars include the iron-lunged young diva Deng Xiaoqi, veteran song king Zhang Xinyu, and the leader of "Top Beauty" Lin Ruru—these popular stars align to create an unprecedented entertainment feast!
However, today the most anticipated is not the big-name heavenly kings but a national goddess!
Her singing touches souls; with an album titled "Sing to the World" making a sensational debut, its staggering sales became a legend celebrated by all. She ventured into film and television, creating many iconic beauties, a darling of the TV circles, hailed as the top of Huaxia's Four Young Actresses!
Watching her movies moves people deeply, as a film titled "Top Beauty" once grossed over a billion, leaving a legendary mark in the cinema world.
She is the ideal daughter in the hearts of countless middle-aged and elderly people, the perfect and intimate companion; in the hearts of the youth, she is the pinnacle of beauty, the ultimate goddess who conquered all of Huaxia with her charm—she is the national goddess, Liu Shihua!
Ye Chen parked the car and marvelled at the sea of people at the plaza, astonished by the endless influence of celebrities. However, he didn't think all these people were here for Liu Shihua alone, given today's lineup of countless big names drawing such a terrifying crowd.
"Let's go. The people from Tianda Group are already waiting at the lobby entrance." Zhang Xinlan ended the call she was on, having been in contact with the principal officers of Tianda.
"Ye Chen, you must withstand the pressure and protect me well. I hate groping hands!" Liu Shihua profoundly instructed Ye Chen.
"Don't worry. Xinlan will lead the way; just march forward boldly, and I'll protect Shihua," Ye Chen nodded.
Zhang Xinlan nodded and gave Ye Chen an OK gesture.
Liu Shihua looked puzzled, "Xinlan, are you certain you don't want to scold Ye Chen? He just affectionately called you Xinlan!"
"Shihua, behave yourself!" Zhang Xinlan blurted out embarrassedly after a moment of shock.
"Don't sabotage us, or I'll let go and let those crazy fans trample you to death!" Ye Chen threatened, his relationship with Zhang Xinlan progressing swiftly, creating an unusual atmosphere between them he did not want Liu Shihua to disrupt.
"Hmph! You dare, if you can't protect me well, I'll dock your salary! For every person that touches me, I'll deduct ten thousand from your salary, then see how you still plan to get married!" Liu Shihua responded defiantly, not intimidated at all.
Ye Chen: "..."
Zhang Xinlan couldn't stand it anymore, these two would fight if left alone, "You two stop bickering. Let's get out of the car quickly, we shouldn't keep the people of Tianda waiting any longer!"
"There are so many people today, Ye Chen, you must be very careful, and make sure to protect Shihua well!" Zhang Xinlan earnestly admonished before stepping out of the car.
"With so many people, there are definitely those who recognize Xinlan! We should hurry too, or if reporters and fans surround us, we won't be able to escape even with wings!" Liu Shihua said.
Ye Chen quietly got out of the car and opened the door for Liu Shihua. However, as soon as Liu Shihua stepped out, he heard several exclamations.
"Liu Shihua is here, brothers, hurry up and take more pictures during the interview!"
"Big star Liu Shihua, don't leave, sign this for me!"
"I can't believe I'm seeing Liu Shihua, she really came, she glanced over here, she couldn't be looking at me, right? No way! Help me quick, I'm melting under the gaze of the goddess..."
"My goddess is here, everyone TM move away, goddess, I'm coming!"
The moment Liu Shihua appeared, Ye Chen felt the endless flow of people in the plaza converging towards him!
"Crap! Crap! Holy crap!"
Ye Chen knew Liu Shihua was popular, but he hadn't anticipated her to be this popular, causing such a sensation as soon as she appeared.
"Protect me!" Liu Shihua said to Ye Chen, somewhat intimidated.
Liu Shihua didn't like strangers approaching her, nor did she want to be stared at by countless onlookers like a monkey. She was afraid of those eyes filled with various emotions.
She was scared?
Ye Chen, having long practiced the Mystery Scripture and mastered the art of medicine, may not have mastered Daoist techniques, but he was at the Grandmaster Realm in martial arts. With his keen senses, he detected Liu Shihua's fearful mindset.
"Don't worry, I'm here!" Ye Chen patted Liu Shihua on the shoulder.
Liu Shihua nodded, and for some reason, at that moment, Ye Chen gave her a sense of solid strength, as if he could shield her from the collapse of the world, a truly mysterious feeling.
The popularity of superstar Liu Shihua was unrivaled, the crowd pouring in with irresistible force, and in an instant, they were submerged in the endless stream of people.
Zhang Xinlan was also a top beauty, but she wasn't exposed to the glaring lights and wasn't surrounded by the fame and fortune of the entertainment circle. So even though she was stared at by terrifying eyes unabashedly sizing up her charming body, she ultimately was not engulfed.
Zhang Xinlan was now very anxious because Ye Chen and Liu Shihua were overwhelmed by the crowd. She was worried about Ye Chen and Liu Shihua's safety. With so many fans swarming in, not just one person but even dozens wouldn't be enough to fend off the crowd. Zhang Xinlan could only pray for their physical unharmed.
Although she saw security personnel going to help maintain order, Zhang Xinlan was still very worried.
In the entertainment industry, there was a senior who was considered a megastar of the older generation, but he died young, fatally trampled by his own fans due to his overwhelming popularity.
Today, Tianda Plaza might not know how many people had gathered, and although many staff members were stationed to maintain order, there might be as many as one hundred thousand people—impossible to control casually.
"Look, Lin Ruru is here, she is my ultimate goddess!"
"Quick, go get Lin Ruru's autograph, finally seeing her in person this time, don't miss such a great opportunity!"
"Ruru, Ruru, I love you, like a mouse loves rice, I'll nibble you to death!"
In the crowd at the plaza, there was a stir as the ageless beauty Lin Ruru arrived. The appeal of this evergreen star in the entertainment industry was tremendous, and waves of massive crowds surging towards her.
As fans crazily thronged to her, Lin Ruru was protected within a circle by eight tall and formidable bodyguards, while about a dozen personnel tried to maintain order came to her rescue to barely mitigate Lin Ruru's crisis.
At that moment, Liu Shihua, watching Ye Chen with a shocked expression, saw the fans crazily surging towards her, but they were all blocked by him!
"With a movement and a simple arm blockade, he managed to stop so many people; how strong must he be, is he even human?" Liu Shihua knew this wasn't the first time she had seen Ye Chen make a move, but she was still once again shocked. This guy was just too powerful, maybe he was enveloped in the protagonist's halo from the movies!
Ye Chen's face was solemn, his legs constantly shifting positions, following some kind of trajectory. His figure, like a ghostly apparition, appeared in front of the fans trying to lunge forward, blocking with one hand, unstoppable. With a casual flick of his arm, he pushed back the crowd of crazed fans, as if his light gesture possessed the force of thousands of pounds.
Yet, another wave of fervent fans surged from behind, and with a slight retreat of his right leg, he gained tremendous speed, appearing there with a single arm across, like an insurmountable mountain, instantly halting those who came at him head-on.
Ye Chen's form shuttled back and forth, following a certain trajectory, forming a two-meter radius arc on his inner side, and Liu Shihua was exactly inside this arc, impervious to oil and invulnerable to all methods!
Liu Shihua's eyes shone with extraordinary light, so many fans, probably thousands, were all blocked by Ye Chen alone! Watching Ye Chen's composure, she was filled with constant amazement; this guy was too monstrous!
Whether or not it was an illusion, Liu Shihua felt that every time Ye Chen moved, she could hear a faint, barely perceptible sound of thunder, which seemed to be mixed with the roar of a tiger!
On the other side, Li Yingjie, a martial arts superstar, also made his appearance.
Li Yingjie was also surrounded by fans, but he had nearly ten robust bodyguards around him, all swift and agile, forming a moving arc around Li Yingjie to block the fans trying to break through from all sides.
With his wall of flesh for protection, Li Yingjie's pace was neither hurried nor slow, calm and composed; he also kept waving to the fans around him, with a very friendly attitude.
"Hmm?" Li Yingjie suddenly frowned, his face full of surprise, "The roar of a tiger and the sound of thunder! This is the realm of a martial arts master. Could it be that a great master has arrived here!"