Upon hearing the host’s assurance, Wen Ying clearly became hesitant.
“Will it really be edited out?”
“Of course! Unless you allow us to broadcast it yourself.”
The host promised solemnly.
When she met Wen Ying’s clear gaze, the host still slightly averted her eyes.
Alas, silly girl!
Your agent has already sold you out. No matter whether you agree or not, this segment will definitely be broadcast in the end. How can a young girl like you outwit a cunning old agent?
Even if this part is cut from the final broadcast, everyone in the production team has heard Wen Ying speak the truth. The public may not know, but the news will spread throughout the industry!
For Wen Ying, telling the truth on camera offers no benefit and only harm!
This is a trap.
The trapping began from the casual chat before recording!
The host knew she was also Yuan Fenghui’s “accomplice”.
But there was no helping it.
This industry, or rather adult society, is just like that!
Agents want their signed artists to attract more public attention. Hosts need to maintain programme ratings. Even the entire production team, from the producer and director down to the lowliest script supervisor, everyone has to make a living.
The success of the programme affects the livelihoods of many people. The host could not indulge random sympathy. She told herself: this young girl needs to stumble a few times, get deceived a few times, and gradually she will navigate the industry with ease!
The host met Wen Ying’s gaze again. “Little Fish, you can trust me.”
Wen Ying thought: To be honest, sometimes I do not even trust myself!
“Then I will really say it?”
“Go ahead. Just treat it as casual chat. This matter has been weighing on your heart for a long time, has it not?”
The host shifted to a more relaxed posture, using body language to suggest to Wen Ying that this was truly informal.
Nonsense.
If it were casual chat, the cameras would not be rolling!
Wen Ying hesitated a little longer, then finally nodded.
“I have known the boss of ‘Slann’ and his sister for quite a while. The boss previously wanted to develop cultural tourism in Rong City and even published an autobiography. Under some coincidence, we became acquainted.”
The host nodded. “A cultural tourism boss and a novelist do have overlap. You knew the siblings. Were you close?”
Wen Ying shook her head. “Not really.”
Letting you speak the truth, and you really did. Are you silly?!
The producer nearly laughed like a pig. If every guest were as honest as Wen Ying, how could ratings not soar!
The host sighed inwardly. “You really had a personal grudge?”
Unexpectedly, Wen Ying did not admit it. “Calling it a personal grudge is less accurate than a clash of values. I personally do not like some of their values, so we never became close.”
Clash of values.
That was a good way to phrase it.
As the ‘Slann rights protection incident’ escalated, many people learned that the boss was an overseas Chinese.
He grew up abroad, while Wen Ying was born and raised in Hua Country. It would be strange if their values aligned perfectly!
The host felt Wen Ying was not entirely foolish.
Of course, the host would not let her off easily. “Not close, yet the boss’s sister blocked your path at school? I heard many people were present. The sister begged you to spare her family business. Did that happen?”
“It did… To be honest, at the time I thought there was something wrong with her head. The root cause of ‘Slann’s’ crisis was that product safety failed to meet standards. It was their own internal issue. The normal process should be to recall the faulty products immediately, destroy them, apologise and compensate the victims, and only after forgiveness redevelop the formula, right?”
Wen Ying looked troubled, as if she still could not fathom Zhao Qian’s madness.
The host nodded along. “Normally, yes.”
“But they did not do that. Consumers’ complaints were ignored by ‘Slann’. They showed no concern for the harm caused to consumers, letting faulty products continue circulating while spending money to suppress the victims’ voices. Is that not putting the cart before the horse?”
Wen Ying turned to the host for answers. The host was momentarily at a loss.
Why did ‘Slann’ avoid the normal process?
Of course, because the normal process would damage company interests!
In that situation, recalling products would mean admitting safety issues!
‘Slann’ was a new brand with no loyal consumer base and no foundation to survive such a crisis!
Not just a newcomer like ‘Slann’; even established, larger, industry-leading dairy brands could collapse under similar crises.
Food safety, drug safety… these were untouchable red lines for related companies!
“So your blog reposts supporting the victims were purely because you could not tolerate ‘Slann’s’ behaviour. It truly stemmed from what you called ‘self-moral constraint’, not personal revenge?”
The host confirmed once more. Wen Ying nodded firmly. “I have a clear conscience. I saw people I knew seeking justice and chose to help repost. But the ‘Slann’ siblings think otherwise. They believe I sought revenge. Looking back, they know the truth but approached me only to divert public attention.”
The host laughed. “Then you really are unlucky!”
“I do not know why, but I seem to attract such unexpected disasters often.”
Wen Ying’s face showed distress. The host comforted her. “That is what fame brings. More gossip.”
Seeing the conversation veering off, the producer quickly signalled. The host’s smile vanished. “I believe you acted without personal grudge. However, as far as I know, you are a shareholder in another medical aesthetics company. By fanning the flames when ‘Slann’ was struggling, were you trying to help your invested company seize market share?”
Not grudge, then profit!
The host had felt Wen Ying retained childlike innocence. Tricking her into the pit had caused some reluctance.
By now, that reluctance was gone.
This girl had been famous for some time. Her youth came from early fame. Her tender appearance aside, her mind might not be as pure as imagined.
Leaving aside whether peers could match her success, even if they earned similar money, how many would invest in other industries?
Wen Ying looked depressed. “Where did you get this information?”
From your agent.
The host’s expression was grave. “The source is unimportant. Is the information true?”
Wen Ying nodded lightly. “It is true. At that time, I was a shareholder in a medical aesthetics company.”
She admitted it!
They captured it!
The producer wanted to cheer.
Everyone else in the studio was shocked. Are you stupid? This is something you can admit?
She was often criticised before. Only the ‘Dream Building Fund’ had turned her reputation around. Once this episode airs, all the goodwill from the fund will vanish!
At that moment, everyone present felt Yuan Fenghui was an excellent agent but not a good person.
The much-maligned top agent Yuan stood in the corner with arms folded, silent, letting the scrutinising gazes land on her.
Agents are meant to take the blame.
Compared to past inexplicable blame for fools like Yu Tianlin, this feeling of scheming in unison with her artist was truly exhilarating!
