Liang Dan’s boat is easy to board but hard to leave.
You didn’t refuse the first time, nor the second. Want to refuse the third time?
Too late to refuse now!
Yu Tianlin’s mind was a mess.
He wasn’t sure if Yuan Fenghui had any “evidence” against him.
Liang Dan persuaded him, “Don’t overestimate Yuan Fenghui. If she had damaging evidence against your group, could she hold back this long? Tianlin, you’ve bet so much already. If *Love Cruise*’s ratings don’t pick up, all your chips are lost! Before you decide, ask yourself, can you afford to lose?”
Of course, he couldn’t.
Yu Tianlin’s head throbbed.
He recalled Yuan Fenghui, when she was his agent, saying he had poor taste in scripts. Back then, he didn’t believe her.
Why did the dramas Yuan Fenghui picked for him succeed? Because he was popular, he could make anything a hit… So why wasn’t *Love Cruise* as successful as expected?
Yu Tianlin wavered.
Maybe Yuan Fenghui was right. He really didn’t have an eye for scripts. Next time, he’d let the company choose for him.
But that assumed he still had dramas to shoot.
If *Love Cruise*’s ratings kept falling, it would prove his audience draw was slipping. With no popularity or commercial value, he’d get no good scripts!
Noticing his hesitation, Liang Dan pressed on, “So, want to take a gamble?”
Yu Tianlin stayed silent. Liang Dan chuckled lightly.
“No answer? I’ll take that as a yes! Tianjiao has already sent a lawyer’s letter to the journalist, and Li Mengjiao and others have posted clarifications on their blogs. But they haven’t made other moves. These things are hard to explain away. The more they try to suppress the buzz, the bigger it rebounds! Once dawn breaks and the media catches on, the real show begins.”
Liang Dan seemed certain of victory, giving Yu Tianlin some comfort.
“Sister Dan, I know what to say to reporters tomorrow.”
Liang Dan laughed genuinely. “I knew you were smart.”
After hanging up with Yu Tianlin, Liang Dan returned the phone to her husband. Mr. Guan was incredulous. “Yu Tianlin agreed to this?”
To nail Yuan Fenghui, nothing was more effective than an artist she managed stepping forward to expose her misdeeds!
If Yu Tianlin spoke out about the “unspoken-rule dinners,” Yuan Fenghui was done for.
But if Yu Tianlin publicly mentioned those dinners, even as a victim claiming he ultimately refused… would the public believe him? Gossip is human nature. Many would assume Yu Tianlin had been compromised!
Even someone as clueless as Mr. Guan knew this couldn’t be openly discussed. Yet Yu Tianlin agreed. Mr. Guan looked at his wife with awe. He’d doubted Liang Dan and Yu Tianlin had something going on. How could that be? If they did, she wouldn’t set him up like this!
Liang Dan didn’t explain to her husband why Yu Tianlin agreed. It was about “sunk costs.” The more Yu Tianlin had invested, the less he could accept losing. He was in too deep now. Keep betting, and he might turn it around. Stop, and he’d lose everything!
This night was restless for everyone.
Wen Ying slept late and woke early, immediately checking her computer. After a night of fermenting, the issue had exploded online. Fans of both sides supported their idols, while netizens split into two camps.
Wen Ying’s sharp, forceful clarification statement played a big role. Its bold tone gave many neutral netizens confidence in Tianjiao’s stance.
Right after Li Mengjiao was named “National Fire Safety Ambassador,” someone leaked dirt on Yuan Fenghui, implying Li Mengjiao attended unspoken-rule dinners arranged by her. It reeked of conspiracy!
Of course, some supported the journalist.
Especially after the journalist revealed receiving Tianjiao’s lawyer’s letter, their supporters went wild.
The journalist’s claims had been reported by paparazzi in Taiwan and Hong Kong before. If they were false, why didn’t Yuan Fenghui refute them then?
“Why not send lawyer’s letters to those Taiwan paparazzi? Now that she’s in the mainland, Director Yuan’s acting tough! Does she think nobody knows what she did in Taiwan?”
Such comments easily stoked netizens’ anger.
Wen Ying could tell water armies were stirring the pot.
But after a whole night, the journalist hadn’t deleted the post or apologised. Wen Ying frowned.
Not even afraid of a lawyer’s letter? Who was backing the journalist?
Ignoring the early hour, she called Yuan Fenghui.
“Teacher Yuan, what’s Mr. Liu saying?”
Wen Ying needed to ensure their ally, Mr. Liu, was on the same page as Tianjiao.
Yuan Fenghui told her not to worry. “Mr. Liu’s with a big group. They don’t react as fast as Tianjiao. But since it’s about his personal reputation, he’s as anxious as we are. Let’s have a bit more faith in him!”
A whole night, and not even a statement? Wen Ying pursed her lips. The dairy group’s crisis PR was too slow.
While the dairy group’s PR lagged, Mr. Guan’s side moved fast.
Many wanted to interview Yuan Fenghui, the Miracle Group, and even Yun Chen, Li Mengjiao, and Zhang Yangning were targets. Yuan Fenghui forbade the trio from taking interviews or responding publicly. Reporters could only turn to the Miracle Group.
The three Miracle Group members, aside from Yu Tianlin, gave vague answers to reporters’ questions.
They had no dramas competing with *Starry River With You*. No need to wade into the mess.
They also didn’t understand Yu Tianlin’s recent actions, thinking he’d lost it.
First hyping a romance with Hu Man, then publicly confirming it, and now revisiting the “unspoken-rule dinners.” What was Yu Tianlin up to?
As the “captain” of the Miracle Group, the other three usually followed his lead. But this time, they couldn’t stand with him.
Their popularity was already lower than his. They couldn’t afford the fallout!
Yu Tianlin took a phone interview. Facing reporters’ questions, he was silent for a long time before saying it was a past he didn’t want to revisit.
“Reopening a healed wound will hurt many people.”
Reporter: ???!
What the heck? Did Yu Tianlin know what he was saying?
Was this a sideways admission that the “unspoken-rule dinners” existed?!
The reporter interviewing Yu Tianlin nearly cried with excitement. Just a routine call, and they’d stumbled on huge news! Early birds really do catch worms!
—Yu Tianlin responded to the exposé.
—Yu Tianlin indirectly confirmed it.
Tianjiao’s quartet’s blogs crashed. This news was bigger than Yu Tianlin’s public romance with Hu Man. If Weibo existed in 2006, Yu Tianlin would’ve topped the trending list!
Wen Ying’s mind was full of stampeding alpacas.
She knew Yu Tianlin wasn’t the sharpest, but to be *this* foolish… it was bizarre.
Netizens attacked Yuan Fenghui, calling her a heartless scumbag. In her office, Yuan Fenghui laughed heartily. “Yu Tianlin’s been conned by Liang Dan, used as her pawn, and he’s still smug about it!”
Right after Yu Tianlin vaguely confirmed the “unspoken-rule dinners,” Mr. Guan jumped in with a follow-up, saying some people not only bullied artists but also peers, overturning agreed profit-sharing ratios, demanding more when their artists got popular, showing no contract spirit and trampling the law!
“You think a seemingly innocent underage artist is truly innocent? She’s got her own ideas. And certain agents are industry pests that should’ve been purged long ago. Thinking such a person once worked at our company, I reflect daily on my poor judgment.”
Mr. Guan said “certain people,” but he might as well have read out Yuan Fenghui’s ID number.
Yu Tianlin spoke first, Mr. Guan followed, one hammering Yuan Fenghui, the other targeting Li Mengjiao!
At Tianjiao, PR manager Mrs. Wang was furious, itching to swing a 40-metre sword.
Their ally’s PR was too slow!
Mrs. Wang called Mr. Liu again to press him.
In the internet café, after pulling an all-nighter, Wang Shuang noticed Mr. Guan’s statement. His exhaustion vanished, and he perked up.
This was the perfect moment!
Wang Shuang plugged in the USB drive. He’d written a PR draft overnight. It wasn’t as polished as Wen Ying’s, but it was his own work.
Mobilising netizens’ emotions was the focus of his internship. Now, it was time to test his results!
Wang Shuang quickly edited the post, hit “publish,” and had his hired water army boost it like crazy.
