The lead singer was called Zhuang Yuxin. She didn’t seem to realize that she had said something wrong. She enthusiastically invited the two to enter the private room.
Lu Zheyu reacted a little faster and entered the box first.
Cheng Chen followed him with some resentment.
This time, the meeting between the lyricist and the singer was different than usual. Lu Zheyu and Zhuang Yuxin had a “happy” conversation, while Cheng Chen focused on enjoying the food.
After sitting down, Zhuang Yuxin seemed to realize the problem. She looked at Cheng Chen, but the man didn’t explain anything, and just kept the topic strictly on the song.
“…Your lyrics are really good. They fit the plot well, and especially nail the characterization of the main leads. I know that when this song is officially released, the netizens will praise the lyrics for being so well written.”
Lu Zheyu dryly said, “Thank you.”
Zhuang Yuxin laughed softly in return. “Why are you thanking me? This is because you’re talented. If you’re willing, I will sing the theme song of my next drama, and I’ll ask you to be the lyricist again. Do you think it’s okay?”
Lu Zheyu nodded. “It’s okay as long as I get paid.”
“…”
Zhuang Yuxin was stunned by this straightforward answer for a moment. Finally, she smiled. “Great.”
The meal was relatively peaceful. After they parted ways, Cheng Chen received a WeChat message from Zhuang Yuxin.
[Sorry, Cheng-zong, I’m just used to calling you that. I saw that you spoke too quickly. I didn’t cause you any trouble, did I?]
Cheng Chen sat in the driver’s seat and saw the teenager open the car door. He sat in the passenger’s seat as usual. Cheng Chen then replied to the singer’s message: [Everything’s fine.]
He didn’t immediately start the car. After watching Lu Zheyu fasten his seat belt, he asked. “Don’t you.. Want to ask something?”
Lu Zheyu replied, “No.”
“….”
‘Is he angry or not?’
Cheng Chen was unsure, but to be safe, he still explained himself. “I was just afraid of scaring you.”
After all, at that time, he was already regarded as a pervert by Lu Zheyu. If the teenager knew his identity, wouldn’t it be even more difficult to explain?
Cheng Chen continued, “But I didn’t mean to hide it from you. I always used my real name, even when I’m introducing myself.”
Normally, when a company seeked an artist for a cooperation, whether the artist agrees or not is secondary. So that’s why artists would at least learn about the company before deciding. But Lu Zheyu’s world was too limited. He even found it troublesome to search for a company’s basic information on the internet.
—In a sense, wouldn’t Lu Zheyu be counted as being too trusting?
Cheng Chen found it a bit funny.
At this time, Lu Zheyu replied, “It’s okay, I won’t suffer anyways.”
Cheng Chen: “…”
Yes, he didn’t sign any contract. So even if Lu Zheyu were cheated, he wouldn’t suffer.
Cheng Chen said nothing more. He drove the car out of the underground garage, then sent him back to Gongshui County.
The identity issue didn’t seem to stir up any waves. But in actuality, Lu Zheyu silently suppressed the undercurrents of his heart.
Later, Zhuang Yuxin approached him and said that she wanted to discuss the song’s theme with him.
“I heard that you also can compose. How about I talk to the producer and ask you to both compose and write the lyrics? You composed the music for Yunan-jie’s new song last time, right? I think it’s a very good song.”
Lu Zheyu was still indifferent. “I’m not that good at composing. Plus, I don’t have time.”
He told the truth, but his tone was rather stiff.
Zhuang Yuxin only stared at him for a moment. Then, she gave a smile and said, “It’s okay if you’re not good at it. You can try it and gain experience that way. Whether you’re good or not is secondary, it’s more important for you to try more. This is what Cheng-zong said when he trained me. He gave me a lot of opportunities to grow.”
Lu Zheyu paused, and finally looked straight at her.
Zhuang Yuxin, an artist under Chengzhou Entertainment, was a second-tier actress who was also a singer. She first debuted in a music talent show, and had achieved success in film and television later. She’s currently working more as an actress than a singer.
In the agency, although she wasn’t as popular as Zhuo Yunan, she was also the focus of the agency’s training.
When Zhuang Yuxin saw that Lu Zheyu was finally looking at her, she was delighted. “I heard that you were also signed by General Manager Cheng. He’s also still the same. He will sign anyone he likes into the agency. When he approached me four years ago, I thought that he’s a liar, but fortunately I didn’t miss that golden opportunity that time. General Manager Chen is a very good person. He knew that I had no place to live, so he specially helped me rent a house near the agency. Thanks to him, I can have my current fame and wealth.”
“…”
“By the way, I heard that you’re still a high schooler. High school has very few holidays, so it must be very difficult to work every weekend only. How about this, I’ll talk to General Manager Cheng to transfer you to E City. The learning environment is better there, and it’s more convenient for you to continue creating your works.”
Zhuang Yuxin continued to chatter, and Lu Zheyu felt a rare burst of irritation.
Because he had parents who were nosy and overbearing, he was more mature and determined than his peers since he was young.
No matter how annoying outsiders were, they couldn’t beat his parents.
His parents couldn’t directly resist, but outsiders could.
Cheng Cheng is a good person – he knows about this.
So he doesn’t need to hear this from others.
He was too lazy to discern whether or not Zhuang Yuxin did this on purpose or not. He only knew that he found the actress-singer annoying and unlikable.
He didn’t like her over-familiar attitude. He didn’t like her methods of using various examples of Cheng Chen’s specialness to her. And, he didn’t like that in her narration, Cheng Chen was rather close to her.
Cheng Chen approached him at the beginning with the excuse of “investing in him”.
But later, he told Zhuo Yunan that “Lu Zheyu wouldn’t enter the entertainment circle in the future”.
—Then, what is Cheng Chen’s purpose? Why did he spend so much time and effort on him? Lu Zheyu had a guess, but he… didn’t want to know.
He wanted to confirm something, however. When Zhuang Yuxin once again tactlessly mentioned Cheng Chen’s kindness towards her, Lu Zheyu directly took the script and other documents and handed them back to the young woman. “You’re right. I’m busy with my studies. I’m not qualified for this job.”
Zhuang Yuxin was stunned. “But you…”
Lu Zheyu: “Miss Zhuang, please leave.”
“…”
His face looked calm, but his actions showed otherwise. There was a shimmering anger beneath.
It surprised her to be suddenly asked to leave this way. Lu Zheyu showed the barest hint of smug look when she finally left.
After closing the door, Lu Zheyu sat and thought.
He irresponsibly drove a potential client away. What did he want to do in the first place anyway?
Because he didn’t agree to take the lyricist job, not only he had made a bad impression to Zhuang Yuxin, it also involved the drama’s producers and other higher-ups.
Why did he agree to take on this job? It wasn’t because of his reputation or to build connection to a famous person like Zhuang Yuxin — he knew it was for the sake of Cheng Chen’s good reputation.
He’s so willful this time – will this cause trouble for Cheng Chen?
Not long after, Cheng Chen came to visit him. The first thing he said was: “Did Zhuang Yuxin make you unhappy?”
Lu Zheyu: “…”
Lu Zheyu asked back, “She complained to you?”
Cheng Chen continued, “Well… she said that you lost your temper for no reason and refused to take the job.”
For some reason, Lu Zheyu didn’t deny it. He only hummed.
Cheng Chen: “Hmm?”
‘So he really did that?’ Cheng Chen mused.
Cheng Chen found this strange. How come this guy’s temper become so short out of nowhere?
He said with a smile, “You don’t want the money?”
This question hits the nail. It was painful that he didn’t get the money. Lu Zheyu’s expression got tangled for a moment.
Cheng Chen continued, “You can still write the lyrics, the lead singer has been changed.”
Lu Zheyu’s expression changed as he slowly looked at Cheng Chen, indicating his surprise.
Cheng Chen: “I know the temperament of the artists in my agency better than you. Since the benefits outweigh the disadvantages, I decided to keep you.”
Lu Zheyu almost blurted out to ask him why he decided on that.
In this matter, what were the benefits and disadvantages?
It was obviously him on the wrong. He selfishly mixed up his personal feelings with his professional work. He was being irresponsible.
Cheng Chen chose to replace the lead singer, Zhuang Yuxin… what benefits can this bring?
Lu Zheyu didn’t understand, but he strangely felt happy.
Soon he understood what he wanted to confirm – it was Cheng Chen’s attitude. He just wanted to see if Cheng Chen would stand by him unconditionally. No matter how others said otherwise, it would be useless… he wouldn’t believe them.
Once again, he repeated: “I may not be able to give you what you want.”
This was the first time that Lu Zheyu used such an uncertain tone.
Cheng Chen, being keen, easily noticed it. “You can actually give me what I want. It depends on whether you want to or not.”
“…”
After that incident, Lu Zheyu rarely took commission from the agency. It was calm before the storm – accidents always came so suddenly.
After the TV series starring Zhuang Yuxin became a big hit, someone bought the water army to spread some rumor. They said that the reason why the singer of the theme song was changed so suddenly was because of an unspoken rule.
The person who guided the public opinion didn’t name anyone, but it didn’t prevent fans from feeling sorry for the supposed original singer and denouncing this unscrupulous climber.
After this topic was hyped up, those who knew about this matter a little bit in the agency could guess that the “unscrupulous climber” was Lu Zheyu.
Even the owner of the bar where Lu Zheyu used to work called him to ask what’s going on.
Gradually, things spread outward from the Internet, and it reached places where Lu Zheyu worked. As long as he participated in the creation of the song and there were listeners, there were bound to be people spreading this rumor.
“Do you know the lyricist of this song? He’s a minor, just a high-schooler, but he has learned to climb beds to gain benefits. So shameless.”
“I heard that he’s a male mistress. Wasn’t there a rumor about Zhuang Yuxin and her agency’s boss on the Internet some time ago? That wasn’t a rumor. They broke up because of this male mistress.”
“Where is there any serious relationship in the entertainment industry? They’re just playing around. Wasn’t Zhuo Yunan also photographed having dinner with her boss? Everyone gets what they need.”
“…”
The rumors were naturally spread by someone with ulterior motives. Cheng Chen dealt with the public opinion on the Internet as soon as possible, but this kind of wild fire wasn’t easy to control.
At the beginning, it was still relatively obscure. But gradually, names began to be mentioned.
Some people who had worked with Lu Zheyu kept silent, while others flattered him, hoping that he would help them gain benefits from Cheng Chen.
He was straightforward and decisive, and this attitude had offended many people. In the end, even worse rumors spread, from one to ten, to a hundred, until it was out of control.
Lu Zheyu personally didn’t care, but his life was inevitably affected.
“A minor” “unspoken rules” “CEO with a high school student” were the headlines that the media ran with. They tracked and dug tirelessly, and even found his hometown, hoping to interview his parents.
The reporter was thankfully stopped by Cheng Chen in time, but speculative and ambiguous topics emerged in an endless stream.
The focus of the public opinion gradually shifted from the “depraved high-schooler” to the chaos in the entertainment industry without a moral bottom line.
Clarification was of course possible, but to whom should it be clarified? Who will come forward to clarify? Who will believe them?
In the final analysis, both of them weren’t public figures. At most, they’re representing their respective identities and works. The melon-eating crowd treat them as mere gossip, and the media treat them as a source of revenue and clicks. Even if they clarify, they knew that the fans wouldn’t support them. Furthermore, both of them weren’t suitable to stand up and clarify.
Cheng Chen has become busy in order to control public opinion. Zhuang Yuxin also has been punished by him by hiding her1clarification: it’s clear that the initial rumor started from ZYX (she’s the initial singer) and CC knew. That’s why he’s hiding her (“snowing her in”), so she won’t get any new work – no publicity, no income, and she would quickly get forgotten by the public.. The marketing accounts that guided the public opinion have also been whipped dead.
However, the media that followed them still didn’t give up.
Cheng Chen fought with them every day, but Lu Zheyu could only watch helplessly.
Then he proposed to terminate his contract with Chengzhou Entertainment.
Hearing this, Cheng Chen got angry.
“You haven’t signed any contract. What contract do you want to terminate?”
!Rant ahead!
T/L: holy shit I was fuming when translating it. ZYX was so fucking petty that she straight-up framing LZY for sleeping his way up!! Like, wtf girl, you just lose one (1) job!! And she’s still the lead actress of the drama that’s popular!! The worst thing is, why the fucking hell everyone (including her) focused on scolding LZY, a fucking UNDERAGED HIGH-SCHOOLER, and not the adult boss wh0 supposedly slept with the said MINOR????? Did they just fucking gloss the pedophilia, and only noticed it in the very end?? Fuck I’m so disgusted.
The reporters were also shit. Wtf they straight-up want to interview LZY’s parents. All because this was the hottest news and they smell money. Holy hell. Fuck. I’m so glad LZY didn’t go to the entertainment circle in this novel.
