DASFAM_112

In the simply furnished rest room, the atmosphere was heavy.

Manager Meng Yuying had heard everything that had happened at the banquet the night before, and her expression was a complicated mix of resignation, "Ye Zhen, it's not as if you debuted yesterday, in a setting like that, you should know what you ought and ought not to do, shouldn't you?"

Yesterday, an urgent matter had come up at home at the last minute, which was why she hadn't been able to accompany him to the dinner venue.

She had originally assumed it would be a simple charity dinner, all her artist needed to do was walk the red carpet as usual, participate briefly in a round of charity bidding in front of the live-stream cameras, and the exposure would be considered done.

The follow-up charity marketing would be arranged by the team as a matter of course.

And yet?

Not only had he gotten carried away and sunk ten million into it, he had also publicly offended the Shang family and made a spectacle of himself.

"What did you go stirring up Bai Xu for? And then you ended up provoking Shang Yanxiao into putting out a public warning against you! You're not some brand-new debut act, did you really think a bit of popularity could hold its own against the capital of a family like the Shangs?"

The more Meng Yuying said, the more exasperated she became, her head beginning to ache from the frustration.

Ye Zhen pressed his fingers against his throbbing temple, his complexion looking thoroughly wretched, "Sister Ying, can you please stop lecturing me? My head hurts."

Last night, Shang Yanxiao had made an example of him in front of everyone, and when it was all over, he'd had no choice but to steel himself and sign his name on the one-million charity auction agreement.

First thing that morning, his account had already taken a loss of a full ten million.

Although Ye Zhen's public persona was marketed as that of a wealthy young heir, his actual family background was entirely ordinary.

Though the small burst of popularity over the past year had brought him considerably more appearance fees, this very real ten million still felt like a slice of flesh carved clean from his heart.

Meng Yuying found herself unable to be too harsh on her own artist, so she redirected her fire, "Xiao Xin, when I asked you to accompany Ye Zhen, was that an invitation for you to fan the flames from the sidelines? You put on even more of an act than your Brother Zhen!"

"……"

Xiao Xin was well aware of how serious the situation the night before had been, and was now behaving himself without daring to talk back. He swallowed down a nervous gulp and attempted to change the subject.

"Sister Ying, the charity donation has already been transferred, shouldn't we ramp up the marketing angle on this side of things? It's at least a talking point, after all."

Meng Yuying looked at the silent Ye Zhen, and couldn't shake the feeling that something about the whole affair still wasn't sitting right.

Before she could work out exactly what was bothering her, Xiao Chen, the team member in charge of online publicity, came striding quickly into the room, "Sister Ying, I'm seeing some worrying signs online. Should the team step in early to manage things?"

Meng Yuying's brow shifted slightly, "What's going on?"

"Last night's live stream showed Brother Zhen spending big at the charity auction. At first it was just a small pocket of negative voices, the usual talking points, nothing new—"

The kind of thing about how celebrities earning 2.08 million just have it easy, making more than ordinary people without breaking a sweat.

Initially, fans had hit back by bringing up Ye Zhen's background, saying he was a wealthy young heir to begin with, and besides, it was all for charity, nothing to take issue with.

But after a night of fermenting, the tone of public opinion this morning had clearly shifted. A video clip had actually surfaced online, Ye Zhen trying to back out after the auction ended, and then picking a fight with Bai Xu over nothing.

No one knew which wealthy guest had captured it, and uploaded it online to add to the spectacle.

"And another faction of netizens is being 'anti-rich,' saying that Brother Zhen already has this much money after less than a year of breaking through, and suspecting that the team has been evading taxes."

"There's also a portion of netizens mocking Brother Zhen…"

Xiao Chen glanced at Ye Zhen and spoke very lightly, "Saying he was putting on a front, and that when faced with genuine wealth and power afterward, he looked like a clown making a fool of himself."

The color drained from Ye Zhen's face in an instant.

Xiao Chen pulled his neck back slightly, "This wave of public opinion is moving fast, and topics are already starting to form around it. I suspect a rival camp has seized the opportunity to weigh in."

Resources in the entertainment industry were finite, it was not uncommon for one party's misfortune to invite everyone else to pile on.

Meng Yuying was, after all, a manager with some experience, "Alright, contact headquarters PR immediately. Have the company's marketing accounts and paid commenters step in first to stabilize public sentiment, and then…"

Before she could finish the sentence, a knock came at the rest room door once more.

Su Yang's assistant pushed the door open. Taking in the faces in the room, she addressed them all at once, "Perfect timing, Sister Ying, Teacher Ye, and Xiao Xin as well. Director Su would like the three of you to come over."

"……"

Meng Yuying was briefly taken aback, "Director Su?"

Ye Zhen and Xiao Xin exchanged a glance, both their hearts sinking at the same moment. They hadn't forgotten, last night, they had also indirectly offended Zhang Changning.

Meng Yuying read the expressions on both of their faces and had already begun to piece things together. She took a deep breath, "Understood, we'll head over right away. The team's new quarterly budget application is due around this time anyway."

The assistant heard this and simply smiled.

...

Knock knock.

Su Yang turned away from the floor-to-ceiling window, her tone even, "Come in."

Meng Yuying led the way inside, with Ye Zhen and assistant Xiao Xin following behind. She met her boss's gaze and greeted her politely, "Director Su, we heard you wanted to see us?"

"Mm."

Su Yang sat in the main seat of the sofa, her upturned gaze carrying an uncommon edge of severity.

Ye Zhen met her eyes and got ahead of things with an apology he had already mentally drafted, "Director Su, I'm sorry, but last night's situation wasn't the way you might be thinking. I truly had no ill intent toward Young Master Zhang."

Su Yang paid no attention to this apology, which was clearly less than heartfelt.

She picked up the coffee from the side table and stirred it with a small spoon, "Listen, there are three things I called you here to discuss today. First—"

She looked toward Xiao Xin, who was standing at the very back, "As an artist's assistant, speaking without restraint in a public setting and indirectly damaging the artist's social image, you're dismissed. Go to HR to complete the procedures immediately."

Xiao Xin's eyes went wide in disbelief, "Director Su, I…"

Su Yang cut him off, "Don't argue with me. Get out."

"……"

Xiao Xin's face went ashen, yet not a single word of rebuttal came out. He attempted to look toward Meng Yuying and Ye Zhen for help, but hope was already slim.

The office door clicked shut, and the sound made the unease in Ye Zhen's heart press down even harder.

"Second, starting today, the company will no longer be providing you with any resources or exposure. If you have the ability, go and secure those on your own. Should there be any conduct in violation of your contract in the process, the company reserves the right to pursue litigation and compensation against you."

Ye Zhen and Meng Yuying both startled at the same time.

No resources or exposure of any kind? How was that any different from a soft shelving?

Meng Yuying looked at the artist she had personally mentored from the start, and had no choice but to speak up on his behalf, "Director Su, Ye Zhen is an artist on the rise right now. Cutting off his exposure this abruptly would do him nothing but harm."

"If it's because of last night's incident and offending Young Master Zhang, I can bring him to apologize in person, would that be acceptable?"

"……"

Ye Zhen could no longer suppress the grievance bottled up in his chest, "Director Su! Whatever else I may be, I'm still an artist under this company. Even if you want to protect your own family, you shouldn't…"

Su Yang set her coffee cup down heavily, "Shouldn't what?"

Ye Zhen was struck speechless by her commanding presence, the words he had meant to say jamming in his throat.

Su Yang fixed her gaze on Ye Zhen, who had yet to realize he had misspoken, and simply told him plainly, "Let me be straight with you— the real identity of the Bai Xu you offended last night is also a young master of the Zhang family. He is my husband's own younger brother!"

"……"

Ye Zhen was completely stunned.

Wasn't Bai Xu an orphan adopted by the Bai family? How, how could he be a blood-born young master of the Zhang family?

Su Yang, backed by the collective fury of the entire Zhang family behind her, continued, "The things you said about him and Changning in public, never mind the Shang family, our family heard every word of it, and we're just as furious."

"You have only yourself to blame for letting a bit of popularity go to your head and offending people you should never have offended."

No matter how glamorous the entertainment industry appeared on the surface, there was one plainly understood, unspoken truth—

Ordinary celebrities simply should not pick fights with genuine capital, because they cannot win.

"Your popularity over this past year has indeed been considerable, but you are not the only artist under this company. The resources and exposure we have invested in you over these years would not necessarily yield worse results with a different artist."

In this industry, a small flame is stoked by backing, but a great fire depends on fate.

Compared to the self-important Ye Zhen, Su Yang's vision reached further and saw more clearly.

"If you are dissatisfied with how the company is handling this, you are welcome to opt for early termination, go directly to legal on your way out. Once the penalty fee is settled, the company will let you go."

"……"

Ye Zhen's expression shifted again and again, yet he didn't have the courage to actually terminate the contract.

For one thing, his popularity was still not on stable footing. For another, he had just sunk ten million into this, he simply didn't have the capital to walk away right now.

Meng Yuying could see Ye Zhen's predicament and tried once more, "Director Su, is there truly no room for reconsideration?"

Su Yang answered a different question entirely, "Starting today, you will no longer be managing Ye Zhen. I've had the artist department arrange a new actor for you, decent credentials, and quite easy to work with. Go take over this afternoon."

Su Yang rose composedly, cutting off any possibility of further pleading, "Alright, everyone out."

Under ordinary circumstances, as company head, she could have turned a blind eye. Ye Zhen did still carry some commercial value in his current state of popularity.

Unfortunately, he had walked straight into the line of fire.

Bai Xu was not only the lover Shang Yanxiao stood behind, he was also the long-lost treasure the Zhang family had recovered.

The contempt Ye Zhen had directed at Bai Xu was not a momentary outburst spoken in anger. It was arrogance embedded deep in the bone, and that was what made it truly infuriating.

An artist incapable of watching his words and conduct, better not to promote at all.

...

Only once they had reached the deserted elevator lobby did Ye Zhen finally let the full force of his rage burst out, "This is outrageous! What the hell did I even say wrong!"

"So what if Bai Xu is a blood-born son of the Zhang family! In the end, isn't he still just throwing his weight around with someone else's power!"

"He just got lucky! Take away the Shang and Zhang families, and what is he worth? He can't even hold a candle to a single toe of mine, Ye Zhen!"

"……"

Meng Yuying's brow furrowed slightly at those cutting words of contempt, "Ye Zhen, we're still in the company building, be careful someone else doesn't hear you!"

Ever since his popularity had begun its modest climb, Ye Zhen's temper in private had indeed been growing more volatile, and he had become increasingly self-centered.

In her view, even without last night's ordeal, if things continued this way, it would only be a matter of time before he made a serious misstep in the entertainment industry.

Ye Zhen's chest rose and fell sharply, "And what if someone hears? Where exactly did I say anything wrong?"

He thought of Su Yang's three consecutive decisions, delivered without a shred of leniency, and his breath caught as he turned to Meng Yuying, "Sister Ying, what do I do now? You're the one who brought me up from the start, you can't just leave me to deal with this alone."

Meng Yuying thought it over and said, "The company only said they wouldn't provide you with exposure or resources, they didn't say you couldn't take outside work."

"Right, that joint production between China and another country, "The Bell Ringer", is apparently set to begin filming around mid-next month. The investors had been expressing interest in inviting you to play one of the male leads a while back. The IP is solid, shall I follow up on that again for you?"

"If the talks go smoothly, you can use the filming schedule to lie low abroad for a while. Director Su and the others are still in the heat of the moment, once things have cooled down a bit, I'll try to put in a word for you again."

Ye Zhen calmed down slightly, "Alright, thank you, Sister Ying."

...

That evening.

Bai Xu opened his email to find a newly arrived message, the sender's name signed as Romantic Film and Television Company, Singapore.

He opened the email and had barely skimmed two lines before the corner of his mouth curved upward.

The bathroom door opened, and the sound of footsteps drew gradually closer.

Within seconds, Shang Yanxiao, freshly washed up, wrapped his arms around him from behind, "What are you looking at? You're smiling quite happily."

Bai Xu turned his head to look at him, a glint of mischief in his eyes, "To tell you the truth, I've just played the villain again."

Shang Yanxiao took the opportunity to press a kiss to the mole on the back of his neck and asked casually, "What did you do?"

"Back when I was in Singapore, I used Second Chu's network to take a stake in an entertainment company. A while back I received the company's investment proposal, and among the projects, the shortlisted candidate for the male lead of one of the films was Ye Zhen."

Shang Yanxiao, hearing this, had more or less already understood where things were going.

Bai Xu made no effort whatsoever to conceal his true intentions, "Doesn't he keep insisting that I'm throwing my weight around by leaning on the Shang family? Then I'll show him in plain terms—"

"All it takes is a flick of my fingers, and yes, I can use my own influence to make things difficult for him."

Shang Yanxiao loved this side of Bai Xu, and teased, "Young Master Bai, impressive."

Bai Xu laughed and turned around to face him, "Yanxiao, are you free next Saturday? I'd like to go on a date with you."

Shang Yanxiao was mildly surprised, but smiled as he answered, "Of course, as long as you're willing to ask, I'll keep the time free for you whenever."

Bai Xu kissed him on the lips and said what was in his heart, "Actually, next Saturday is my real birthday, from that other world. And I also want to use that day to properly make up a birthday to you."

Two years running now, unexpected things had come up around the time of Shang Yanxiao's birthday.

Shang Yanxiao gently cupped his lover's cheek, "Alright, I'll follow your lead. Though, there are two things I've been meaning to ask your thoughts on."

"What things?"

"Find a time to dissolve the adoption relationship with the Bai family. Afterward, whether you want to establish your own household registration or be entered into the Zhang family's, either is fine."

Bai Xu raised an eyebrow, "I was so focused on having Changning dissolve his adoption from the Zhang family that I forgot about my own, alright, I'll go take care of it in the next couple of days."

The Bai family was a shadow of what it once was. They wouldn't dare utter a word of objection.

Bai Xu leaned in closer to Shang Yanxiao and asked, "And the second thing?"

Shang Yanxiao met his eyes, earnest and deliberate, "Once the household registration matter is settled, let's go get our marriage certificate. Alright, A' Xu? I want to be with you forever, in the eyes of the law."

Bai Xu froze for a few seconds, at a loss for words.

Seeing no reaction from him, Shang Yanxiao suddenly grew a little nervous, "Is it too sudden?"

"No."

Bai Xu came back to himself and shook his head with a smile.

From the moment Shang Yanxiao had placed that little golden lock in his hands, he had already prepared himself to walk through life alongside him.

Bai Xu simply found it extraordinary, before meeting Shang Yanxiao, he never could have imagined saying the words 'get our marriage certificate' to anyone.

And yet here it was, happening just like this, so naturally, on the most ordinary of evenings, with the person he had chosen standing right before him.

Bai Xu smiled without meaning to, and answered from the heart, "Yes."

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