The notification sound rang out again. Ouyunchen quickly picked up his phone, only to be disappointed.
—Ouyunchen’s Message—
Liu Jinhua: “Mr. Ou, we’ve found the mastermind behind the attacks on us. Are you available now? I’d like to report to you.”
—End of Ouyunchen’s Message—
Damn it! It wasn’t Mo Qingyun after all. Liu Jinhua really knew how to pick her timing!
***
—Ouyunchen on Call—
Ouyunchen: “Oh, go ahead, I’m listening.”
Liu Jinhua: “Mr. Ou, there are three main marketing accounts targeting us!”
“The earliest one is an account called ‘Hu Lian Nezha.’ Besides recently slandering us, this account has also published a lot of negative information about other artists in the industry.”
“Because the information was later proven true, it has a large following, and many fans now believe that the recent slander from ‘Hu Lian Nezha’ is also real.”
Ouyunchen: “What about the others?”
Liu Jinhua: “The other two accounts reposted the information the day after ‘Hu Lian Nezha’ published it. They also have a considerable number of followers, and that’s how the rumors spread like wildfire.”
Liu Jinhua: “Oh, right. We also discovered that these three marketing accounts are registered under the same company, which is a well-known paparazzi studio in the industry – ‘Lang Xing.’”
Ouyunchen: “A paparazzi studio?”
Ouyunchen almost burst into laughter. He hadn’t expected the entertainment industry to nurture paparazzi studios!
Liu Jinhua: “Based on my years of experience, this studio might be trying to extort money from us. They probably don’t have any evidence!”
Ouyunchen: “Are you saying we should pay them off? Pay protection money?”
Liu Jinhua: “I consulted with my former colleagues. The administrative department at JC did vaguely mention that they pay a fee to several major paparazzi studios every year… which is essentially hush money…”
Ouyunchen: “How much?”
Liu Jinhua: “I’m not sure of the exact amount, but I guess JC paid no less than a million…”
Ouyunchen: “If they don’t have evidence, why should I pay?”
Liu Jinhua: “Mr. Ou, you might not understand how deep the waters are in the entertainment industry…”
“For a new girl group like TBP, negative rumors can be devastating. If we don’t stop it in time, the loss will be ours.”
“Think about it, if a million can help TBP become top-tier, the future returns will be hundreds of millions, even billions. This money isn’t much…”
Liu Jinhua didn’t understand Ouyunchen’s true feelings. She thought he was reluctant to part with the million, but Ouyunchen couldn’t swallow this insult!
If there was solid evidence to confirm the slander, he would have readily paid ten million to silence the paparazzi, let alone one million!
He disliked the dark workings of the entertainment industry!
Ouyunchen: “When this paparazzi studio contacts us, I’ll personally deliver the money. Until then, do nothing.”
—Ouyunchen Call Ended—
However, Liu Jinhua, who had poured too much emotion into TBP, didn’t heed Ouyunchen’s advice. She privately contacted the Lang Xing studio.
Fan Zhijie: “Ah, a rare visitor! Isn’t this the renowned gold-medal agent – Liu Jinhua, Agent Liu?”
Liu Jinhua: “Boss Fan, I’ve heard of you.”
Fan Zhijie: “May I ask the purpose of Agent Liu’s visit?”
Liu Jinhua: “I won’t beat around the bush. I’m here regarding TBP.”
Fan Zhijie: “I’m a bit confused. I was traveling abroad recently and know nothing about the studio’s affairs. I wonder what my subordinates did to require Agent Liu’s personal visit?”
Liu Jinhua: “I know Boss Fan wouldn’t stoop to provoking a small entertainment company. It’s just that newcomers who are just starting out truly can’t withstand such slander from paparazzi.”
Fan Zhijie pretended to have his subordinates report the situation, as if he were completely unaware.
Fan Zhijie: “Oh dear, these young people are truly ignorant. How could they have reported slander to Agent Liu! This is indeed troublesome.”
While feigning difficulty, Fan Zhijie sneakily hid his hand under his armpit, showing Liu Jinhua how money makes things happen!
Liu Jinhua: “Boss Fan, we are a nascent company. You know I left JC. All the money I had was spent on TBP’s debut, and I’m deeply in debt. I’m afraid we don’t have the money to pay you for this kind of slander.”
Liu Jinhua genuinely didn’t have much money. She had misappropriated public funds to gather a hundred thousand, thinking it would help TBP weather the storm. But to her surprise, Fan Zhijie, accustomed to the ways of the entertainment industry, didn’t even care for this sum.
He weighed it in his hand. Having something was better than nothing.
Fan Zhijie: “Understood, understood. Agent Liu, don’t worry, I will strictly discipline my employees!”
Hearing Fan Zhijie’s seemingly accommodating response, Liu Jinhua truly believed him and looked at him with gratitude.
However, after Liu Jinhua left the studio, Fan Zhijie divided the hundred thousand into two portions and gave them to the junior paparazzi responsible for the matter.
Junior Paparazzo: “Boss, should we take down that Weibo post?”
Fan Zhijie: “With this little money, you expect to buy our silence?”
The junior paparazzi was a bit confused. Usually, after receiving money, they would immediately remove the slander or change their tune. He wasn’t sure about the amount, but going against Liu Jinhua might not bode well for them later.
Fan Zhijie: “What are you afraid of? That woman Liu Jinhua was kicked out of JC long ago. She started her own company, what can it do! We’ve been instructed from above that TBP must fail!”
Junior Paparazzo: “But we just accepted her money…”
Fan Zhijie: “Unethical?”
The junior paparazzi nodded.
Fan Zhijie: “You’re brainless! Why did she come to give us money?”
Junior Paparazzo: “For us to stop slandering TBP.”
Fan Zhijie: “Stupid! She’s scared!”
Junior Paparazzo: “Scared of what?”
Fan Zhijie: “If the slander wasn’t true, why would she come to give us money?!”
The junior paparazzi suddenly understood!
Junior Paparazzo: “Brilliant! Boss, you’re so smart!”
Fan Zhijie: “Stay quiet for a day. Tomorrow, we’ll use a new marketing account to continue posting, claiming we have evidence. Let’s see how long TBP can stay arrogant!”
The junior paparazzi glanced at some messages and sighed.
Fan Zhijie: “What’s wrong?”
Junior Paparazzo: “Boss, our people have been following Bai Mingyu for a month, and we haven’t dug up any dirt.”
Fan Zhijie: “Heh? Could he really be a pure stream in the entertainment industry? If this continues, he’ll surely push Yan Bei aside and become one of the four young heartthrobs! This won’t do. We’ve been paid; we need a huge scoop to bring Bai Mingyu down!”
Junior Paparazzo: “But the Golden Eagle Awards are coming soon. If we can’t find any dirt on Bai Mingyu, I’m afraid we’ll be in trouble later, after all, Yan Bei’s uncle is…”
Before he could finish, both Fan Zhijie and the junior paparazzi shuddered, a chill running down their spines.
Fan Zhijie: “Keep following him! Big or small, any disturbance, leak it! True or false, it doesn’t matter!”