Chapter 308: Molestation, Unemployed Wanderer

Chu Ge found this old man quite interesting, and in the midst of the atmosphere of people fawning over Daniel Robin, he was like a lone crane in a flock of chickens. Well, the old man probably saw them in a similar light.

Others had a reason to fawn over Daniel Robin, as the emotional fervor from the previous music concert still hadn’t subsided. Chu Ge understood the behavior of the others in the audience, so he found the old man’s reaction to be rather peculiar.

“Could it be, like us, you don’t quite grasp the deeper meanings of music?” Chu Ge couldn’t help but ask.

The old man paused, then burst into even more laughter. “So you’re like us too. Damn, I saw them shedding tears and thought it was pretty strange. I mean, it’s a bit melancholic, but crying? I know quite a few of these people well. Even when their mothers passed away, they didn’t cry like that. But I didn’t want to ask.”

Chu Ge chuckled and inquired, “If you don’t enjoy listening to music, why did you come here? These tickets are quite expensive.”

“You don’t understand. Do you think everyone here loves to listen to this kind of classical music? I know quite a few, and if they can sing a few lines of ‘Phoenix Legend,’ that’s already impressive. When have I ever seen them listening to pure piano music?”

“…’Phoenix Legend’ isn’t bad, I’d love to attend their concert.”

The old man patted Chu Ge on the shoulder with force. “You’ve got taste!”

“So what about you?”

“It’s been a long time since I had a chance to attend a concert that costs several thousand yuan. My son got me a ticket as a gift, saying it’s a chance to experience world-class piano performance and relax.”

“So, the high ticket price plays a role in this?”

“Not really. In reality, there weren’t many tickets actually purchased. Most of them are complimentary, given to industry professionals related to the seaside theme park. Otherwise, how could it be so precise?” The old man chuckled, “As for the rest, those who can afford such expensive tickets are either true enthusiasts, or they have money to burn. I think it works for everyone.”

Chu Ge asked, “Works… Old man, you seem to imply something?”

“When I saw the atmosphere of this place, I started to understand a few things,” the old man turned to look at the auction stage and said quietly, “This double-pronged approach is rather interesting. Some people here are just here to curry favor with the Secretary-General, while others are genuine music enthusiasts who’ve been ‘starstruck’ by the music… As for us few who aren’t quite in the know, well, they don’t care about us either way.”

Chu Ge remarked, “So, why resort to such a radical and somewhat mysterious method to establish the Seaside Music Theme Park? Is it because they want to do it discreetly or is there an urgency to launch it?”

“Who knows?” The old man shrugged. “They have their own reasons. Most likely, Mr. Robin won’t stick around for long. He’s probably here tonight to build an image, and later, it’ll be his team of assistants who take over.”

Chu Ge sighed. “It’s bad luck when even a seemingly sophisticated music concert has an ulterior motive.”

“So, young man, you don’t seem to understand much about music either. Why are you here? Or did you get a complimentary ticket from your elders? Who’s your family? Perhaps I know them?”

“Oh, I just wanted to see what’s so amazing about such an expensive performance. If you’ve got money to burn, why not, right?”

The old man burst into laughter.

They clinked their glasses together and downed their drinks. Chu Ge hadn’t planned on asking who he was, and the old man seemed to want to inquire but let it go with that laugh. There was no need to ask further.

Only after the old man had left, Gu Ruoyan walked up to Chu Ge and said in disbelief, “Hey, don’t you know who he is?”

Chu Ge was taken aback. “I should have known who he is?”

“If you had read a bit more news, you’d know he’s Mr. Cheng Guangyao, one of the most famous musicians in Nanjiang.”

Chu Ge scratched his head. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know a single person in that category. If you were talking about a big entrepreneur, I might have seen them in the news. Besides, he told me he didn’t understand music…”

“Do you believe that? He’s just being humble. Do you think he’d tell you he’s really talented in music?” Gu Ruoyan said, irritated. “People who come to listen to this type of music, apart from the categories you mentioned, also include true musicians.”

Chu Ge exclaimed, “Well, how come he wasn’t affected by the emotional atmosphere of the concert?”

“Isn’t there a possibility that his musical talent surpasses Robin’s?” Gu Ruoyan argued.

“Wow… that makes sense.” Chu Ge instinctively looked around for Mr. Cheng’s figure but didn’t spot him. Instead, he witnessed another interesting scene.

In the midst of the auction, several small musical instruments and vintage vinyl records were being auctioned one by one. Daniel Robin himself was conducting the auction, and several items had already been sold. Chu Ge and Mr. Cheng Guangyao were busy chatting away and had paid little attention to what was being auctioned.

It was an informal auction, and many people were scattered around like Chu Ge and Mr. Cheng, chatting and watching the lively auction scene. Among them were a large number of young men and women who had attended the music concert, giggling and talking with Robin’s assistants. Many of them were getting quite close to the assistants… both male and female, which made Chu Ge shudder.

Some people seemed reserved, not as eager to get close, perhaps waiting for the auction to end before approaching Robin.

The sight annoyed Chu Ge, but since no enchantments were at play and it was consensual, there was nothing he could do about it. He sulked while drinking his wine.

Just then, he saw one of Robin’s assistants make an inappropriate move on a young girl. This girl didn’t seem as fanatic as the others; she displayed some enthusiasm for the star, but she hadn’t gotten as close as the rest. However, the assistant, whether due to inebriation or some other reason, reached out to hug her.

The girl was startled and stepped back.

The assistant said something harsh, which Chu Ge couldn’t quite hear, but he saw a slap coming from the assistant, and the girl was left in shock, holding her face as she started crying and ran away.

Chu Ge suddenly straightened up, but before he could react, the assistant took out a small harmonica and smashed it to the ground with a loud “crash,” angrily exclaiming, “She just broke our next auction item!”

Security immediately surrounded the girl.

The auction room fell silent, and everyone turned to look.

The girl was in tears and said, “No, he molested me and then hit me. I didn’t even see that harmonica; he broke it himself!”

Robin gracefully smiled and asked, “Can someone tell me what happened?”

His gaze shifted to the assistant, who slightly nodded. This odd detail caught Chu Ge’s attention, and he furrowed his brow. If they were just inquiring about what happened, why was the assistant taking this stance?

Although several people claimed they hadn’t seen clearly, a few had indeed witnessed the incident but chose to remain silent and avert their gaze.

Someone in the auction room pointed at the girl and angrily exclaimed, “She’s really disgracing our country! She should compensate for the damage!”

The girl continued crying and said, “It wasn’t my fault…”

Robin sighed and waved his hand, “It’s just a small item. If it’s broken, it’s broken. We’ll cancel the auction for this item. However, young lady, how about offering an apology?”

“I won’t!” the young girl sobbed, “He assaulted me and hit me. Why should I apologize?”

The Secretary-General frowned and said, “Mr. Robin is being quite gracious by not demanding compensation. You should apologize; you are still denying it!”

Mr. Cheng’s voice came through, “Hold on. I’m taking this item; is a hundred thousand enough?”

Robin was taken aback and said, “That’s too much…”

“Not too much,” Mr. Cheng replied calmly, “This item is now mine, and I gave it to her to smash. She doesn’t need to apologize to anyone.”

The room fell silent, but the young girl continued to sob, saying, “He assaulted me… He should be the one apologizing to me…”

Mr. Cheng furrowed his brows, finding this situation rather tricky. He stepped in because he had sensed something was amiss. In fact, it wasn’t just him; at least half of the people present were astute and had already figured it out.

However, who would stand up for an ordinary young girl who came to enjoy a music concert and risk offending people? This was a situation involving the Secretary-General’s leadership, with many officials present for investment and external funding, not to mention international investors.

Getting involved could lead to offending the Secretary-General, possibly causing the withdrawal of foreign investment, impacting political achievements, even alarming friendly nations and tarnishing international image. Who would bear that responsibility?

Everyone had their own families and businesses, and no one wanted to make trouble over such a trivial matter. Mr. Cheng’s approach was already the most appropriate one. Trying to make the person who had assaulted someone apologize in this situation would be almost impossible.

Chu Ge looked at Gu Ruoyan and said, “I saw it. It was the man who harassed her, and when he didn’t succeed, he resorted to violence.”

Gu Ruoyan avoided his gaze and whispered, “Mr. Cheng has already handled it well…”

Chu Ge replied calmly, “Is it because of the bigger picture? A young girl was assaulted, and no one stood up for her. You’re a woman too.”

Gu Ruoyan sighed, “The mission is one aspect… Chu Ge, we are part of the system, we have discipline in our actions, and we have considerations…”

Chu Ge nodded, and then suddenly took a big step forward. He grabbed the assistant, and with a fierce punch, he hit the guy in the face.

No one had time to react, and there was a loud thud. The assistant’s nose was knocked crooked, and blood spattered.

Chu Ge dropped the assistant like a piece of garbage, speaking casually, “That settles it. No need for any apologies. Wasn’t it simple?”

Everyone was in shock.

They stood still for several seconds, and then the Secretary-General trembled as he stood up, pointing at Chu Ge angrily, “You… You are behaving recklessly! Which organization are you from?”

“Oh, me?” Chu Ge glanced at Gu Ruoyan and then smiled brightly, “I’m an unemployed wanderer.”