At the sound of the door opening, the gathered reporters immediately turned their heads to look that way.
"Tsk tsk, Serena Tong is coming out. Reporter Huang, aren't you going to hurry up and get an interview? But I heard Serena Tong's manager is famously tough to deal with. Last time at the airport, a colleague tried to ask a few more questions and got shoved to the ground by her manager right in front of everyone."
"Yeah, that manager is seriously scary. Otherwise, I'd want to go ask a few more questions myself right now."
Several reporters looked over, sighing to themselves.
Most celebrity managers would never lay a hand on a reporter, but Manager Ji is a total outlier. Last time, a reporter tried to force an interview and she just shoved him to the ground in front of everyone.
But afterward, public opinion actually sided with Manager Ji and Serena Tong, leaving the reporters with no recourse. It just shows how high Serena ranks in her fans' hearts.
What's more, there were a bunch of burly men in black standing outside the backstage door—none of them looked easy to mess with, which made the reporters even more hesitant to approach.
Finally, the big guys at the door consciously made way, and the reporters saw Sam Su leading the group.
"That's Sam Su!"
Someone recognized him and exclaimed in surprise.
"When did he get here? Does Sam Su have his eye on Serena Tong?"
"Maybe. Guys like him love messing around with starlets and models, don't they?"
The reporters whispered among themselves, but none dared point their cameras this way.
They'd spread rumors about other people, but Sam Su's background is just too strong. If they really reported on him, they'd probably lose their jobs.
"Make way."
Sam Su walked ahead with a stern face, clearing a path for Evan Lin.
Behind him followed Manager Ji, looking grim. Queenie Tong supported Serena Tong with one hand as they walked, surrounded so tightly by the crowd that escape was impossible.
Seeing so many people waiting at the door, Manager Ji's last shred of hope was completely dashed.
When she saw Serena Tong, Stella Huang clenched her small fists, locked in a fierce internal struggle.
"Go on, Reporter Huang! Aren't you supposed to be brave? Hurry up, Serena Tong is right in front of you!"
"Yeah, don't you want firsthand news?"
The reporters nearby egged her on.
Their eyes were full of mockery as they looked at Stella Huang.
With so many people, and Sam Su leading the way, even the chief of police wouldn't have the guts to mess with this crowd.
"Please wait!"
Stella Huang suddenly stood up and ran toward them.
"Is she really not afraid of getting hurt?"
"Damn, this rookie reporter's got some guts!"
"This is gonna be good! Firsthand news! I already know tomorrow's headline: 'Capitalview TV rookie reporter gets beaten up by Serena Tong's bodyguards for offending her!'"
A few reporters rubbed their hands together, faces full of excitement, waiting for the drama to unfold.
Sam Su frowned when he heard the commotion and looked at Stella Huang coming over, his face stern. "Interview time is over. What are you doing?"
Manager Ji also looked annoyed.
"Sorry, could you please give me five minutes—no, just three minutes! I've prepared these questions for so long!"
Stella Huang looked earnest and anxious, glancing at Sam Su, then at Serena Tong behind Manager Ji.
"This interview is really important to me! And I'm sure everyone wants to know more about you!"
Stella was still speaking.
But Sam Su had already signaled to the men beside him, and a few burly guys started walking toward Stella Huang with bad intentions.
"What a clueless intern."
"She's really in trouble now."
"She actually dares to block Serena Tong?"
The reporters gathered together, sneering. None of them had the guts to stop Serena Tong for an interview right now, and seeing Stella Huang so bold made them feel a bit resentful by comparison.
Now that it looked like Stella Huang was about to get unlucky, they were all delighted.
Stella Huang saw the men approaching, her face pale and her heart pounding.
"Come with me. If you're not busy, you can interview for as long as you want."
Before those men reached Stella, Evan Lin had already slipped past and stood in front of her, casually nudging the two aside.
"Master, you know her?" Sam Su was startled and quickly apologized to Stella Huang.
Stella Huang was still dazed until she saw Evan Lin heading for the Shanggrida Hotel's main entrance. She snapped back to reality and hurried after him.
The reporters who'd been waiting for drama were all stunned by what they'd just seen. Their minds went blank, not sure what had just happened. Then the burly men grabbed them by the collars and tossed them outside the Shanggrida Hotel.
It was still early. Following Evan Lin into the Shanggrida, Stella Huang hesitated for a long time. She hurried after Evan, nervously glancing back at Sam Su and the others, then leaned close to Evan and whispered, "What did you just do? Why does everyone listen to you?"
"Nothing much. If you want to interview, go ahead. Ask whatever you want." Evan Lin shook his head.
Once inside the Shanggrida, Sam Su had a room specially arranged for Stella Huang and Serena Tong so she could interview quietly.
Queenie Tong still obediently stayed by Evan Lin's side, afraid he'd slip away if she looked away for a second.
Manager Ji looked extremely uncomfortable, several times seeming like she wanted to speak but stopped herself.
"Why aren't you leaving? Got something to say?"
Sitting in the rotating café on the fifteenth floor of the Shanggrida, Evan Lin glanced at Sam Su and asked calmly.
Sam Su chuckled awkwardly before speaking: "You see through everything, sir. Here's the thing—my older brother is in the Jinnan military district, and you know each district has a bunch of units, right? Every month, the units have a hand‑to‑hand combat competition. But my brother's unit has been at the bottom for six months straight. Not one guy can fight! So I was hoping, if you have time, maybe you could give them a few pointers?"
"With your skills, even a few words would benefit those guys for life!"
Sam Su rubbed his hands together as he spoke.
Actually, his brother's unit used to be the elite spearhead of the whole district, with a stellar record. But in recent years, whether in drills or competitions, they've been performing terribly.
His brother is still a senior colonel, which for a regular family, being a senior colonel in your forties is already impressive. But the Su family is in decline, and if his brother stalls out here, once Victor Su passes away, the Su clan won't be able to hold things together.
If you want results and a promotion, the most important thing is having strong soldiers under your command!