In the room full of people, the first to regain his composure was surprisingly Manager Guan.
Manager Guan recovered first not because he was particularly clever, but because he was not clever enough to fully grasp the multiple layers of meaning in Yuan Fenghui’s interview.
Cao Bo was equally not clever, but he kept quiet. After all, Manager Guan had a cushy position, while Cao Bo did not. Saying something like that might make him the butt of jokes.
Liang Dan remained expressionless. “Can’t you see what she means? The scandal we hyped up has been harvested by her at its peak. I underestimated Yuan Fenghui. This woman is too bold in her actions. With Man’s teaser and Yuan Fenghui’s interview coming out at the same time, it’s hard for *Galaxy and You* not to surge in attention. Yuan Fenghui has caught up to the promotional advantage we worked so hard to build.”
Angry?
Of course she was angry.
Along with the anger came deep regret. If Yuan Fenghui had not switched jobs, why would she have to go to such lengths?
Manager Guan, scolded into silence, felt unconvinced inside. Liang Dan could not outmanoeuvre Yuan Fenghui herself, yet she took it out on him. In front of so many outsiders, it made Manager Guan feel utterly humiliated.
At that moment, Liang Dan could not care less about her useless husband’s thoughts. If she did not organise her words now and say something to rally them, before Yuan Fenghui launched another attack, her small team would lose confidence first. How could that work?
Before Liang Dan could boost everyone’s morale, the vice president from Yu Tianlin’s agency exploded first. “What did I say? This scandal should never have been hyped. I’ll hold a press conference right now in the company’s name. The effect might not be as good as clarifying earlier, but at least it can stop the damage and prevent things from worsening. That woman Yuan Fenghui still holds a grudge over her departure. She wants to ruin Tianlin’s commercial value.”
The vice president raged, but Hu Man’s agent remained quite calm.
Admitting or denying the scandal had little impact on Hu Man’s career. That was the perk of being the agent for a powerhouse diva. Hu Man’s popularity had indeed dropped, but with so many high-charting songs as a foundation, her base was solid.
Watching the vice president lose it, Hu Man’s agent kindly advised, “I said earlier, don’t rush to deny it. We need to see what Yuan Fenghui said in the interview. Now that it’s done, both sides must align our stories. Yuan Fenghui just sent her ‘blessings’, and if you deny that Man and Tianlin are dating, do you think the media will believe it? What will Tianlin’s fans and Man’s music fans feel? How will the general public view Tianlin?”
This was truly a soul-searching question.
Yu Tianlin’s head buzzed, almost losing his ability to think independently. He could only follow Hu Man’s agent’s line of thought.
His fans already felt he and Hu Man were mismatched. Clarifying the scandal should make the fans happy.
But that was before Yuan Fenghui publicly sent her “blessings”.
Yuan Fenghui had phrased it in a way that made it seem Yu Tianlin and Hu Man were truly together. Saying true love could break all barriers, anyone hearing it would think Yu Tianlin and Hu Man were in a real relationship.
Clarifying now, some fans might not even believe it.
If Hu Man clarified at this point, it might still have some effect. But if Yu Tianlin did it, the public would just think he could not handle the pressure, that he had let Hu Man down, denying the relationship.
Yuan Fenghui not only stole the scandal’s heat, allowing *Galaxy and You* to match *Love’s Cruise* in promotion, but also cut off Yu Tianlin’s path to clarifying the scandal.
It felt like a massive stone pressing on Yu Tianlin’s chest. No matter how he struggled, he could not move it. This suffocating feeling was too familiar. When Yuan Fenghui was still his agent, Yu Tianlin often felt the same, but not as intensely. Back then, Yuan Fenghui protected the Miracle Group, targeting others. Now Yu Tianlin had become the “other”, truly experiencing Yuan Fenghui’s ruthless, one-strike kill.
After a long internal struggle, weighing the pros and cons, Yu Tianlin exhaled a breath of stale air. “We can’t clarify the scandal.”
Liang Dan and the others were utterly astonished, including Hu Man.
Hu Man was not in a rush to clarify. She thought Yu Tianlin would be eager, but now he said not to?
The vice president’s eyebrows nearly stood on end, ready to lash out at Yu Tianlin in front of everyone. Yu Tianlin looked straight at his new agent, showing no intention of backing down.
“When Sister Yuan was still my agent, she suggested several times that I transform. She said the entertainment industry is full of emerging idol male stars. I can’t play idol roles forever. Without transforming, I’d eventually lose my spot. But the company disagreed with her view back then, and I didn’t agree either.”
Yu Tianlin’s words stifled the vice president’s anger.
Of course the company disagreed.
Whether it was the Miracle Group or Yu Tianlin, why transform while they were still profitable? Transformation carried failure risks. Better to earn as much as possible now, and think about transforming when the money dried up.
Yuan Fenghui had genuinely considered the Miracle Group’s future. To make the group a long-lasting Asian sensation, they could not wait. They had to try boldly while at their peak. Even if it failed, they had the cushion to experiment.
That was the biggest rift between the company and Yuan Fenghui.
The company executives felt Yuan Fenghui was too opinionated, too idealistic. Fearing she might take the Miracle Group independent, they struck first, stirring trouble between Yuan Fenghui and the group. During negotiations with the company, the Miracle Group betrayed Yuan Fenghui, stabbing her in the back. In the end, Yuan Fenghui lost and was ousted.
Now Yu Tianlin brought it up again, leaving the vice president unsure of his intent.
Did Yu Tianlin regret it?
Regret was useless.
Yuan Fenghui would never trust a betrayer again. Besides, after moving to the mainland, she had discovered rising stars like Li Mengjiao and Yun Chen. Why would she take Yu Tianlin back?
Realising this, the vice president dropped his concerns. “If you have something to say, just say it. I’m listening.”
“I want to transform.”
Yu Tianlin’s thoughts cleared. “This time, I’ve been pushed to the cliff’s edge by Sister Yuan, with no way forward or back. Denying the scandal makes me a coward. Admitting it will cause many female fans to leave. Both paths are tough. I thought a lot just now. I decide to choose the second path, admit the scandal, and first reclaim the heat for *Love’s Cruise*.”
“You’re mad!”
Knowing it’s hard, yet choosing the second path?
Being called a coward a few times, so what? Which celebrity hasn’t been scolded? As long as it doesn’t affect earnings, coward it is.
The vice president thought Yu Tianlin had lost his mind. To ensure *Love’s Cruise*’s ratings beat *Galaxy and You*, Yu Tianlin was willing to damage his own value. For the company’s sake, the vice president absolutely refused.
But Liang Dan’s eyes lit up.
“Tianlin means to use admitting the scandal to cleanse his fanbase? Actually, once *Love’s Cruise* airs, the young female fans lost due to admitting the romance might come back. Young female fans are energetic but lack spending power. It’s time to switch to more mature female fans.”
