“Who sent you a lawyer’s letter?”
Mr. Guan, already fuming over Xu Mei’s defection, was slow to process.
The journalist, voice trembling, repeated, “The dairy group’s legal department!”
Clearly, in the journalist’s mind, Tianjiao’s weight was nothing compared to the dairy group. Tianjiao’s lawyer’s letter didn’t scare them, but the dairy group’s did.
The former might just be a bluff, but the latter could mean real trouble.
If the exposé was legit, the journalist wouldn’t be afraid.
But the part about Li Mengjiao getting endorsements through unspoken rules was pure fiction, cooked up at Mr. Guan’s behest with no basis whatsoever. Now that they were being called out, the journalist naturally felt guilty!
Mr. Guan cursed inwardly but downplayed it. “Just a lawyer’s letter. Didn’t you get one last night? Relax. If you’re scared, delete the post, issue a quick apology, and it’s over!”
Deleting the post now wouldn’t matter. The rumour had already spread across the internet. Could Tianjiao delete the source and every discussion thread online?
Even if they could scrub the threads, could they erase netizens’ thoughts?
Spreading rumours takes a single mouth; debunking them breaks your legs. Either way, Mr. Guan and his wife had won this round of public opinion. Yuan Fenghui donating Li Mengjiao’s debut album earnings caught Mr. Guan off guard, but it only cleared a small part.
The real blow was Yuan Fenghui’s dirt. Yu Tianlin had vaguely confirmed the “unspoken-rule dinners” existed, playing the victim perfectly. What could Yuan Fenghui do to clear her name?
The journalist thought it wasn’t as simple as Mr. Guan made it sound but, greedy for the promised rewards, kept the post up despite the dairy group’s letter.
The exposé was driving tons of traffic. They couldn’t bear to delete it.
Oh boy!
After pulling an all-nighter, the dairy group’s PR head, sporting dark circles, mocked their colleagues. “Looks like our legal department lacks intimidation!”
It was a humiliating blow. The legal head, also with dark circles, snapped, “If a lawyer’s letter doesn’t work, the next step is a court summons. Just wait.”
Though the journalist hadn’t named Mr. Liu, the issue had damaged the group’s reputation.
As Mr. Liu wished, the group launched an internal review of him.
Mr. Liu was clean in his dealings with Hunan Satellite TV, but others weren’t. The group was suddenly on edge, with many cursing the journalist for stirring trouble with nothing better to do.
That day, Mr. Liu gave a personal interview, stating he’d suspended all his work.
“Rumours cost nothing but disgust people. My kid’s older than Li Mengjiao, yet they claim I’m involved with a minor… I’ll use legal weapons to defend my reputation. If the group doesn’t sue the rumour-monger, I will!”
Mr. Liu was forceful within the group, often threatening to hang himself with his belt. In front of the media, he played the wounded card, looking heartbroken, his robust frame almost staggering.
Wen Ying watched the news and thought: Mr. Liu’s acting is top-notch. If he left the dairy group, he’d be a star in the entertainment industry.
The scandal spread from online to real life, reported by major media. The claim of Li Mengjiao bullying after fame was cleared. Her charity fund earned her praise. Now, the public didn’t think she’d done anything wrong. Even if the unspoken-rule endorsement claim wasn’t cleared, sympathy for her outweighed blame.
She was too young to call the shots.
If there were unspoken rules, she was a victim!
Yuan Fenghui had cleared Li Mengjiao, but she herself was still caught in the media storm.
Wen Dongrong, lately fond of commenting on entertainment news, had called Yu Tianlin and Hu Man’s rumoured romance “a mess” but stayed silent on Yuan Fenghui’s scandal.
Old Li, who’d been hard to reach, contacted Wen Dongrong, worriedly urging him to watch out for Wen Ying’s safety.
Though Wen Ying wasn’t a Tianjiao artist, she was working with them.
A lively young girl—what if a shady agent ruined her?
Wen Dongrong scoffed. “Old Li, you just follow the gossip without your own judgment!”
He’d lost a bet on ratings to Old Li.
But Yuan Fenghui arranging unspoken rules for Tianjiao artists? Wen Dongrong knew more than most. He knew all of Tianjiao’s shareholders. Big boss Li Zhentao was Li Mengjiao’s dad. Would he let his daughter be harmed?!
This sparked an idea. Wen Dongrong asked Old Li if he’d bet again.
Old Li, having won 1,000 yuan before, couldn’t resist and agreed to a second bet.
Wen Dongrong had stumbled on ratings, learning they weren’t swayed by will. He wouldn’t fall into the same trap.
They bet on whether Yuan Fenghui could clear her name.
Not just proving she didn’t arrange unspoken rules for Li Mengjiao, but also for the Miracle Group she once managed.
This required Yuan Fenghui to fully reverse public opinion and clear both new and old dirt.
Wen Dongrong noted his daughter, though running to Tianjiao often after the incident, didn’t seem too anxious. He judged Yuan Fenghui had a plan and goaded Old Li.
“1,000 yuan’s no fun. Let’s raise the stakes. Dare to bet 2,000?”
Someone rushing to hand him money? Old Li had no reason to refuse. Bet it is~
That night, *Love Cruise*’s falling ratings rebounded slightly, but *Starry River With You* held steady.
Mr. Guan was disappointed. This couldn’t dent *Starry River With You*’s ratings?
And Li Mengjiao’s “National Fire Safety Ambassador” status remained unaffected.
Liang Dan was more optimistic.
“Give it two more days. Things will shift.”
Tarnishing Yuan Fenghui and pulling Mr. Liu down? Liang Dan was quite pleased.
She’d heard the dairy group’s audit department was investigating Mr. Liu. Unaware he’d demanded it himself, she assumed no one under review could be entirely clean.
Mr. Liu would likely be replaced.
She hoped the new person handling Hunan Satellite TV would be more compliant!
Amid this rosy outlook, one thing irked Liang Dan.
Xu Mei wanted to jump ship!
Liang Dan had seen it coming.
Since the deputy director incident, Xu Mei was harder to control. She’d been hassling only Cao Bo, building fame through her own scandals. Liang Dan didn’t interfere.
Xu Mei had also landed a major acting contract for a new drama by a Taiwanese romance queen.
If it took off, Liang Dan wouldn’t mind giving Xu Mei more resources… if she stayed. But Liang Dan guessed Xu Mei would eventually leave. The company focused on talent show hype, with no long-term plans for artists. As Xu Mei matured, her career needs clashed with the company’s approach, so she’d go.
She could leave, but not now!
Xu Mei’s peak commercial value hadn’t arrived. The company hadn’t milked enough profit from her.
While Liang Dan and Mr. Guan were battling Tianjiao, Tianjiao’s sharp-tongued PR had just said their company couldn’t keep talent. Xu Mei’s defection news breaking now fueled Tianjiao’s momentum and slapped Mr. Guan’s face.
Husband and wife were one. His shame was hers.
Xu Mei choosing this moment to leave, as if coordinated, confirmed Liang Dan’s suspicions: Xu Mei had likely been colluding with Yuan Fenghui.
“Ungrateful wretch. She wants to jump ship? I’ll make sure she gets no roles. Thinks her wings are strong? She should check if she’s boarded a sinking ship. Yuan Fenghui’s barely saving herself. Who’ll rescue her?”
Paying a penalty could break a contract.
Like Zhang Yangning, who negotiated amicably, avoiding court made it quick.
If Liang Dan wanted to spite Xu Mei, she could drag it out. Lawsuits could take months or years. The company could halt Xu Mei’s work, tanking her popularity. By the time she broke free, companies eyeing her now might not want her.
Xu Mei had a contract for the Taiwanese romance queen’s drama, co-produced with Hunan Satellite TV. If the TV station demanded a new actor, Taiwan would likely agree.
Unless Xu Mei was jumping to the romance queen’s company, which would back her. But Shanghai Jiaxin Film Company? That was practically defunct!
Liang Dan made it clear she’d block Xu Mei’s roles and didn’t care if Xu Mei heard.
It was also a warning to others.
Think you can jump ship or break contracts? Think the company’s a pushover?
Xu Mei wasn’t surprised.
She was pleased with Gong Sheng’s efficiency.
Cao Bo, the tool, was stunned and confronted Xu Mei, asking if she’d lost her mind.
“Even if you want to leave, why now? Liang Dan’s made it clear. That role you fought for is gone. Will Jiaxin still pay your penalty?”
Xu Mei shrugged. “I’m not worried, so why are you? If I jump ship smoothly, you should be happy. You’ll be free.”
Bound by their engagement, Cao Bo didn’t dare flirt around, or the media would drown him in criticism.
If Xu Mei ended it, he’d be free to resume his playboy life.
Cao Bo saw her point.
If Xu Mei was set on ruining herself, why should he care?
If she failed and got shelved by the company, even better. Cao Bo could call the shots. She might cling to him pitifully, refusing to break up. Either way, he held the power.
Cao Bo got the logic but felt conflicted.
“Your timing’s awful…”
Xu Mei cut him off. “Don’t talk about losing the role. Even if I do, it’s not necessarily bad. It’ll test Jiaxin’s sincerity. You think I won’t succeed, but I’m confident!”
Now was the perfect time to jump. Liang Dan and Mr. Guan’s fight with Yuan Fenghui would drain them. They’d be too busy to care about her leaving.
Xu Mei was certain Yuan Fenghui had the skills to turn the tide.
Cao Bo looked at the resolute Xu Mei, both familiar and strange, and began to waver. Did Yuan Fenghui have a trump card up her sleeve? If she flipped public opinion, *Love Cruise*’s ratings would tank further. Liang Dan and her husband’s fate was uncertain, but Yu Tianlin would be utterly ruined!
