Sean Quinn had a gathering that evening in Room 1 of the Jade Pavilion at The Majestic Grand Hotel. The moment he walked in, he saw Zachary Holt and Yuri Monroe sitting on the sofa, huddled together. They were scrolling through their phones and muttering to each other, looking as if they'd discovered something particularly amusing.
These two were his closest friends.
Zachary Holt was naturally reserved and a man of few words—the kind of guy who could kill a conversation in just a couple of sentences.
Yuri Monroe was his opposite: enthusiastic, vivacious, and a total social butterfly. His greatest talent was livening up the mood. With him around, you never had to worry about awkward silences. He could seamlessly pull you from one topic to the next, drawing you into the conversation. Of course, that was only if there were at least three people. Otherwise, even his considerable skills could be shot down by a few choice words from Zachary Holt.
And Sean Quinn himself served to balance them out.
A situation like this, with Zachary Holt actively engrossed in conversation, was a rare sight in Sean Quinn's experience.
"What's all the excitement about…?"
As Morton closed the door behind him, Sean unbuttoned his suit jacket and walked over, eyeing them curiously.
Whenever the three of them got together, Yuri Monroe was always the first to answer any question he asked, while Zachary Holt maintained his usual composure. This time was no exception.
"We're talking about you!" Yuri Monroe said with a gossipy chuckle.
Sean Quinn glanced at Zachary Holt, who gave a slight nod.
Yuri continued, "You're trending. There's no way you don't know… Morton, your boss must have approved this, right?"
The two of them knew Sean Quinn's resources all too well. The people he employed were sharp as tacks; the idea that they would do nothing while their boss was trending online was inconceivable. Unless, of course, it was authorized.
Morton just smiled without a word.
"I know," Sean Quinn said nonchalantly, rolling his neck.
At that, Yuri's interest was piqued even more. He slid closer to Sean. "So, when I called you earlier, you were off seeing that girl, and you even let that video start trending? Does this mean you've decided to make your move?"
Zachary Holt, however, looked pensive. "Don't you despise the entertainment industry? How did you get involved with a C-list celebrity like her? Yuri said you have photos of that girl on your computer, along with a complete dossier on her from childhood to the present… Are you just messing around, or are you serious?"
It was rare for him to say so much at once.
Sean shot Yuri a sidelong glance before lighting a cigarette. Exhaling a cloud of smoke, he said coolly, "I'm looking into something. This has nothing to do with feelings. We're from different worlds; it would never work out."
It didn't sound like a lie.
Besides, he had no reason to lie to them.
"But she's already publicly called you out on Weibo, saying she's going to invite you to join *Me and the Big Boss*… And just a moment ago, your identity was doxed. The entire internet is going crazy right now…"
Yuri pulled up the trending topics on his phone and showed him.
Sean glanced at the screen, his expression profound and unreadable. He had always been an impossible man to read.
He had heard of the show *Me and the Big Boss*. Zachary had asked him about investing in it before, saying the project would likely be a hit. Zachary was optimistic about its chances.
Sean hadn't invested. But he'd read the proposal: each celebrity contestant had to invite a partner to join them. Securing a partner meant securing a spot on the show. Failure meant elimination.
And that slip of a girl actually wanted to invite *him*.
It was bizarre. 'Where did she get the confidence to think he'd accept an invitation to a variety show that was a complete waste of time?'
"She came to see you this afternoon to invite you, didn't she?" Zachary asked.
"Yeah."
"And you refused."
It was a statement, not a question.
"Yeah."
"Just wait," Zachary said. "She'll be back."
She'd already made a public declaration on Weibo. If she didn't succeed, it would be a huge loss of face.
Zachary studied him. 'For years, Sean has only ever appeared in the financial news. This is his first time in the entertainment headlines. He usually couldn't be bothered with female celebrities, but this time, he's tolerating being a trending topic with a C-list actress and hasn't even ordered his people to scrub the story. What is he planning?'
"So, are you going to agree to go on the show with her?"
Yuri asked with a sly grin.