The scandal’s male lead, Yu Tianlin, brought immense attention to *Love Cruise*.
But thinking outside the box, the scandal’s female lead, Hu Man, could also draw attention to *The Galaxy and You*!
When Tianjiao edited Hu Man’s scenes into a standalone trailer, it was highly deceptive. Viewers who saw it assumed Hu Man was, if not the female lead, at least a key character in *The Galaxy and You*. Who could’ve guessed she was just a cameo?
Industry insiders who saw through Yu Tianlin’s scandal-driven publicity for his drama had a sudden realisation: this was a joint publicity stunt! Yu Tianlin hyped his drama, Hu Man hyped hers, each getting what they needed—no wonder they pushed the scandal so hard!
Even without General Manager Guan’s heads-up, Liang Dan and her team would’ve learned about it, as Yu Tianlin’s and Hu Man’s agents’ phones were blowing up with media calls seeking their reactions to Yuan Fenghui’s “blessings.”
Yu Tianlin’s agency vice president and Hu Man’s agent arrived at Liang Dan’s office almost simultaneously.
“Tianlin, we have to clarify the scandal now!”
The vice president rushed from the hotel as soon as he got the news.
Though Yu Tianlin hadn’t heeded his advice earlier, the vice president couldn’t abandon him. The agency hadn’t found a new cash cow, so they had to keep tending this one.
Yu Tianlin was a mess. Hearing Yuan Fenghui’s public “blessings,” he recalled past events—when Yuan Fenghui struck, it was always a killing blow. Clarifying now might be too late.
Scandals and their clarifications both generate buzz. The plan was for Yu Tianlin to clarify after *Love Cruise* aired, but Yuan Fenghui’s “blessings” disrupted his rhythm entirely!
If anyone else had offered such “blessings,” the media wouldn’t have cared as much. But Yuan Fenghui wasn’t just Yu Tianlin’s former agent; she was *The Galaxy and You*’s producer.
With ties to both Yu Tianlin and Hu Man, her words carried weight in outsiders’ eyes.
Hu Man’s mood differed from Yu Tianlin’s. He feared the scandal being taken as real; she didn’t. As a seasoned star, Hu Man’s commercial value wouldn’t suffer from a public romance. The recent scandal had even brought her old fans out of the woodwork. She was enjoying the attention and planned to launch a new album on this wave of buzz.
Not rushing to clarify was one thing, but being forced by Yuan Fenghui to admit a relationship with Yu Tianlin? That annoyed Hu Man too.
Her agent, aware of her stance, was in no hurry and kept things vague: “We’ll clarify, but let’s see exactly what Yuan Fenghui said first. We should align our stories to avoid being too passive.”
Align, my foot!
This was the moment to unify and deny any relationship between Yu Tianlin and Hu Man.
The vice president shot Hu Man’s agent a fierce glare. Yu Tianlin kept his head down, silent. The vice president, done seeking his input, took a few deep breaths when the phone rang again and answered:
“Hello, yes, I’m Tianlin’s agent. You’re asking about Tianlin and Hu Man’s relationship? They’re friends! How did they meet? It’s a small industry; friends introduced them. Future collaborations aren’t ruled out. Yuan Fenghui’s blessings? She’s no longer with Miracle Group and left the agency long ago. How would she know Tianlin’s personal life? I’ll stress again: Tianlin and Sister Hu Man are just friends. His focus is on his career, not romance. Please pay more attention to his new drama, *Love Cruise*… Scandal publicity? Absolutely not, it’s all a misunderstanding!”
The vice president decisively distanced Yu Tianlin from Hu Man.
Hu Man gave a soft huff. Her agent shrugged helplessly: “No need to rush. I’m already getting friends to send Yuan Fenghui’s interview footage. We didn’t clarify for days; a little longer won’t hurt.”
Liang Dan also wanted to see Yuan Fenghui’s interview. If Hu Man’s agent didn’t act, she would.
Soon, the tape of Yuan Fenghui’s interview arrived at Liang Dan’s office.
On screen, a sharply dressed Yuan Fenghui appeared, making everyone in Liang Dan’s office instinctively uncomfortable.
The interview seemed to take place on a noisy set, but Yuan Fenghui’s clear, forceful voice cut through, captured well by the recording equipment.
She opened by plugging *The Galaxy and You*, calling it Tianjiao’s flagship project.
“A drama’s quality hinges on the script. If the story isn’t good, what’s the point of pretty actors? A drama needs logic and plot, not just a music video with stitched-together visuals. Everyone knows *The Galaxy and You*’s writer—‘Against the Current Fish,’ real name Wen Ying, author of the bestseller *Teen Idol* and writer of *The Princess’s New Clothes*. This is another bold attempt by Wen Ying, one of the most talented writers I’ve seen, undoubtedly the top among young writers. The story of *The Galaxy and You* is worth looking forward to. If the drama flops, I’ll publicly apologise, because it’d mean I, as producer, wasted Wen Ying’s script!”
Nonsense, all nonsense. Liang Dan’s group didn’t want to hear Yuan Fenghui gush over Wen Ying. An idol drama banking on the writer instead of actors? Ridiculous!
Besides, *Love Cruise*’s writer, Zhang Guangzhen, was no slouch. Yuan Fenghui made it sound like *The Princess’s New Clothes* was all Wen Ying’s doing.
Liang Dan had focused *Love Cruise*’s publicity on the Yu Tianlin-Hu Man scandal, never mentioning Zhang Guangzhen as the writer.
In hindsight, she should’ve.
It stung that her opponent used a publicity angle she overlooked.
She didn’t consider that Zhang Guangzhen was pushed to the brink writing *Love Cruise*. If they’d highlighted him, he might’ve refunded his fee just to publicly disown the project!
“Fast-forward! Who wants to hear this drivel?”
General Manager Guan grumbled. Liang Dan glared at him.
No one wanted to hear nonsense; they wanted Yuan Fenghui’s “blessings.” But fast-forwarding risked missing key parts.
Yuan Fenghui, as if deliberately antagonising them, praised Wen Ying, then gushed over *The Galaxy and You*’s leads, Yun Chen and Li Mengjiao, and lauded Zhang Yangning’s creative talent. Just as Liang Dan’s group’s patience wore thin, she finally mentioned Hu Man:
“Sister Man’s acting is phenomenal! I’m not hyping her up—she joined *The Galaxy and You*, and the director praised her from start to finish. Her scenes were mostly one-takes. She’s a natural actor delayed by her singing career. Now she finally has time to try other fields! Through this interview, I’d like to pitch for Sister Man. Directors and investors, take note of her acting—she’s worth every penny!”
Hu Man’s face fell.
What did Yuan Fenghui mean?
Saying Hu Man was focused on singing but now had time for acting? That implied Hu Man wasn’t as popular anymore, with gaps in her schedule to film!
It wasn’t untrue, but it stung.
And “worth every penny”? It hinted at Hu Man’s 3-million-yuan cameo fee, as if Yuan Fenghui was lowering her status, telling directors and investors Hu Man could be hired for the right price. True, no diva would turn down an easy 3 million, but some things are done, not said—saying it was humiliating.
Hu Man denied it darkly: “Yuan Fenghui’s talking nonsense. I’m about to release a new album; where’s the time to act? This is Huang Yongjuan’s fault. If he hadn’t agreed to produce *The Galaxy and You*’s soundtrack, I wouldn’t have taken the cameo!”
Blame Huang Yongjuan?
Maybe.
Hu Man and Yuan Fenghui were connected through him.
But if Hu Man didn’t want the role, could Huang Yongjuan force her?
Many in the industry knew Huang Yongjuan had a one-sided crush on Hu Man, quietly supporting her as a “friend” for years. Hu Man called the shots, not him. He disapproved of her boyfriends, but that never stopped her from dating and breaking up dramatically!
Everyone knew, but no one felt like mocking Hu Man now. Yuan Fenghui’s interview continued, and the reporter finally asked about the scandal.
In the footage, Yuan Fenghui hesitated briefly before answering:
“Tianlin was my artist. We had disagreements over the group’s direction, including his. Though I’m no longer his agent, I’m glad he’s developing in the mainland—it’s a market with huge potential! As for who he’s dating, I don’t care. Tianlin’s no rookie; he’s seen all kinds of girls in this industry. Choosing Sister Man must’ve been a careful decision. My stance? I wish them well. They’re a great match~ Some people are biased against older woman-younger man relationships, but true love defies age. I believe true love is invincible and can break all barriers!”
Even the reporter hadn’t expected Yuan Fenghui to confirm the scandal outright. Excited, they pressed:
“Director Yuan, are you saying Yu Tianlin and Hu Man are really dating?”
Yuan Fenghui looked flustered: “Huh? Didn’t you say it first? I thought they’d gone public! Oh no, cut this part out, please don’t air it. I don’t want Tianlin and Sister Man blaming me!”
The reporter clearly broke their promise, airing the segment.
First blessing them, then backtracking—Yuan Fenghui played it masterfully, instantly boosting the scoop’s credibility.
The interview ended, and Liang Dan’s office fell silent. No one spoke, all dumbfounded.
A deliberately staged scandal, yet Yuan Fenghui’s words made even them believe Yu Tianlin and Hu Man were together. Absolutely diabolical!
