The head of the group’s internal audit department received a call from Mr. Liu in the middle of the night, thinking it was a dream.
“You’re not joking…”
“Do I sound like I’m joking? I’m now requesting a suspension of all my duties within the group. I want you to immediately start a review of the work I’m responsible for, especially all the dealings with Hunan Satellite TV. Those should be your top priority!”
Mr. Liu’s tone was serious. “If you conduct the review, I’m just suspending my work. If you don’t, I wouldn’t have the face to live. I’d have to hang myself with my belt at home!”
Head of internal audit: ???
Mr. Liu started working at the dairy factory at 19 and became deputy factory director at 36. He considered himself a late bloomer, but others saw him as young and promising.
Unfortunately, before he could become factory director, the dairy factory was acquired by a dairy group.
The dairy group acquired the factory for its assets, not its management. Original managers like Mr. Liu, even if they kept their jobs, were gradually sidelined.
Mr. Liu was a tough guy. Unwilling to be marginalised, he fought his way back, catching the eye of group leadership at 44 and taking on major projects through his own ability.
Yes, the collaboration with Hunan Satellite TV was a major group project, with investments in the billions. It tied in with a talent show on Hunan Satellite TV, achieving great promotional results, and the promoted yoghurt product became a hit!
With such achievements, Mr. Liu stood out in the group. Rumour had it he might get a promotion in the second half of the year.
For someone with such prospects to be driven to the point of threatening to hang himself to prove his innocence, the head of internal audit was curious about what had happened.
Mr. Liu sent the exposé to the other party’s email.
After reading it, the head of internal audit’s small question marks turned into exclamation marks!
This seemed not only a career crisis for Mr. Liu but also carried the suspicion of tarnishing the entire group’s image.
The head of internal audit’s first thought was a conspiracy theory. Who was stirring trouble? Was it Mr. Liu’s rival or the group’s?
“I understand. I’ll report this immediately and await approval from above to start the review.”
Mr. Liu reluctantly accepted this approach.
The entertainment journalist who posted the exposé on their personal blog had no idea that their post would not only earn them a lawyer’s letter but also cause the entire Tianjiao PR department to work overtime.
The exposé also alarmed the dairy group’s internal audit department. It looked like the group’s PR department would have to pull an all-nighter too.
From Mr. Liu to the head of internal audit, to the group’s PR department, and up to the top bosses, no one in the dairy group would get any sleep.
It was said that Tianjiao had already sent a lawyer’s letter to the journalist. The head of the dairy group’s PR department slammed the table.
“Send it. We send a lawyer’s letter too. We can’t be the only ones working overtime. Call everyone from the legal department back to the company!”
Tianjiao could only afford in-house counsel for routine contracts and legal consultations, but the dairy group, with its vast resources, had a dedicated legal department. Well, the legal department wouldn’t get any sleep either.
All this commotion stemmed from an entertainment journalist’s blog post.
The journalist, already stunned by Tianjiao’s lawyer’s letter, had no idea they’d receive another from the dairy group the next day.
Tianjiao was a film and TV company, not them!
Could Mr. Liu be blamed for making a big deal out of this?
Of course not.
With such a huge uproar, even Li Zhentao and Qin Xianming, who usually stayed out of things at Tianjiao, were alerted.
Li Zhentao’s wife was furious. How could any mother accept her daughter being accused of rising through unspoken rules?
“Those people have such filthy minds, spreading such rumours about Jiaojiao!”
Li Zhentao was also angry but remained rational, comforting his friend Qin Xianming not to worry too much. “It’s still under control. This is an entertainment industry issue, and it can only be resolved with entertainment industry methods. Let Director Yuan and her team handle it!”
When his daughter Li Mengjiao insisted on entering the entertainment industry, Li Zhentao had foreseen this day.
It might not have been this incident, but something similar was bound to happen eventually. As long as Li Mengjiao was in the entertainment industry, such things were hard to avoid.
This was exactly why Li Zhentao had taken the lead in founding Tianjiao!
Without Tianjiao, when something like this happened, Li Zhentao would have no way to protect his daughter.
Because of Tianjiao, with its trusted and reliable team, Li Zhentao now had the confidence to stay calm.
“This isn’t an attack aimed at Jiaojiao; it’s aimed at Director Yuan. She has both capability and controversy. We can’t just take her strengths and ignore her controversies. Weathering this storm is a chance to set an example with our opponents!”
Set what example?
To show the entertainment industry that Tianjiao’s people aren’t to be messed with, so those who stir trouble in the future think twice about their weight!
Li Zhentao was calm in front of his wife and tough-talking with his friend, but behind her back, he secretly called Wen Ying, asking her to help soothe his daughter Li Mengjiao’s emotions.
Wen Ying naturally wouldn’t refuse.
But when Wen Ying finished issuing statements and contacted Li Mengjiao, she found the girl in high spirits.
Li Mengjiao was also staying up late, claiming she was too angry to sleep.
She wanted to curse people out on her blog, but Wen Ying had taken over her account, frustrating her to no end.
“Come on, I’m not giving you back the account. You just became the ‘National Fire Safety Ambassador.’ How can you publicly curse people on social media?”
“They can curse Teacher Yuan, but we can’t curse back?!”
Li Mengjiao’s frustration wasn’t for herself but for Yuan Fenghui.
The journalist claimed Li Mengjiao became an ambassador through unspoken rules. Didn’t Li Mengjiao know whether she’d done such things?
Sure, Mr. Liu had praised her as cute, but that was because, after she became the ambassador, the product’s sales soared. Mr. Liu was thrilled every time he saw her, thinking she brought good fortune!
As for anything else… there was nothing else.
Li Mengjiao gave off a less reliable vibe than Wen Ying. Mr. Liu would discuss serious matters with Wen Ying but treated Li Mengjiao like a kid, always smiling and praising her, never saying a harsh word.
Li Mengjiao treated Mr. Liu like one of her dad Li Zhentao’s friends, just calling him “uncle.”
Such a clean, normal relationship was being twisted into something scandalous. Li Mengjiao wasn’t angry because she couldn’t relate to it at all.
What was there to be upset about over something she hadn’t done?
Wen Ying was won over by this naive logic. Truly, the carefree are the happiest.
Wait!
Something seemed off.
“You said you’re not angry about things you didn’t do, so why are you mad for Teacher Yuan? Do you think she really arranged those unspoken-rule dinners for Yu Tianlin and the others?”
Wen Ying’s piercing question didn’t faze Li Mengjiao. She retorted confidently, “Even if Teacher Yuan did arrange dinners, it’s because Yu Tianlin and them had those needs! A good agent understands their artists. Yun Chen, Sister Yang Ning, and I don’t have those needs, so Teacher Yuan wouldn’t arrange it. But if Yu Tianlin and them do, even if Teacher Yuan doesn’t want to, she’d hold her nose and make it happen. That’s what makes her competent! Wen Ying, don’t you think I’m right?”
“…Right.”
That word slipped through Wen Ying’s gritted teeth.
No wonder Yuan Fenghui took Li Mengjiao’s blog account away.
Li Mengjiao’s logic made some sense, but only a few clear-headed people would get it. Letting her speak freely at such a critical time would only give opponents ammunition to twist her words!
Knowing Li Mengjiao’s mindset was intact, Wen Ying felt relieved.
Now, they just had to wait for dawn. The storm broke out on Sunday night, and Tianjiao’s response came in the early hours. Apart from a few night owls, the public’s reaction wouldn’t be clear until Monday.
The same went for the opponents’ reactions. It would all become clear tomorrow!
In Mrs. Wang’s office, Wang Shuang, a delicate young man, visibly wilted from staying up.
Yuan Fenghui had given him a USB drive but didn’t say when to release its contents, leaving Wang Shuang to decide.
Wang Shuang had messed up his hair into a bird’s nest.
Several times, he nearly called Xie Qian for help but held back.
Even though he knew Xie Qian would help if asked, Wang Shuang didn’t do it.
If this was Yuan Fenghui’s test for him, like an exam, asking Xie Qian would be cheating!
“Xie Shen can help me this time, but not every time.”
Wang Shuang had his own pride and dignity. He couldn’t rely on Xie Qian to boost his grades or to protect someone he cared about, could he?
Wang Shuang pulled out the USB drive, left his mum’s office, and holed up in a random internet café.
If he was to judge the timing himself, he couldn’t miss any hint of movement. To avoid cheating, he had to stay on the front lines of public opinion!
…
“Got a lawyer’s letter?”
Mr. Guan didn’t care. “How many of your daily entertainment news stories are even true? A lawyer’s letter is just a lawyer’s letter. Are you afraid they’ll actually sue you? Relax, Yuan Fenghui’s got her own mess to deal with. She’s too busy saving herself!”
After some reassurance and promises of big rewards, the journalist, also craving fame, saw mutual benefit with Mr. Guan.
Wanting benefits meant taking risks. That was the eternal truth.
After calming the journalist, Mr. Guan got a call from Yu Tianlin.
Mr. Guan and Liang Dan’s plan was a secret operation, even kept from Yu Tianlin. He only found out what happened when the exposé spread across the internet.
Was Yu Tianlin happy?
Not at all.
Liang Dan said she wouldn’t sacrifice him, but she was still using his feud with Yuan Fenghui to stir trouble.
No one likes being repeatedly exploited!
Yu Tianlin was angry at Liang Dan’s unilateral move and felt a vague unease.
In the entertainment industry, whoever holds power has a voice. Without it, even the truth goes unheard; with it, even lies can be packaged as victimhood.
When Yuan Fenghui was down, any dirt could be thrown at her, true or false, and she had no way to defend herself.
Now, Yu Tianlin wasn’t sure if he was losing ground. *Love Cruise*’s ratings were dropping steadily, and its poor reputation was undeniable. Meanwhile, Yuan Fenghui managed three popular artists, and *Starry River With You*’s ratings were soaring. Yuan Fenghui brought benefits to many, so someone would surely step up to protect her!
Yuan Fenghui had handled plenty of private matters for the “Miracle Group”…
The more Yu Tianlin thought, the angrier he got, bluntly telling Mr. Guan they’d made a bad move. “If reporters ask me about those unspoken-rule dinners tomorrow, I won’t admit to anything.”
After some rustling, Mr. Guan’s phone was taken by Liang Dan, who spoke directly to Yu Tianlin.
“Tianlin, this isn’t up to you. Let me be blunt, don’t get mad. Whether you cooperate or not, Yuan Fenghui will pin this on you. You’ve got two choices: join us, work with us to nail Yuan Fenghui to the pillar of shame forever; or don’t, and watch us fall to her. When she’s free, she’ll settle both old and new scores with you!”
