Among those present, only Qin Fen, Jiang Xin, and Wang Zheng had cash flow hitting the 'small target' mark.
But they were already pushing thirty.
"Let me check—did he found Xingchen Entertainment?" With that, Wang Zheng picked up his phone and messaged Jiang Cheng.
Jiang Cheng confirmed it and added that if Wang Zheng had any leads he'd appreciate the help.
After reading Jiang Cheng's reply, Wang Zheng felt another stab of envy.
"So it really is him," Wang Zheng murmured, shaking his head.
Jiang Xin swallowed his excitement and shock, then asked like a true gossip: "Why take Lin Ru down? An ex-girlfriend?"
Wang Zheng shook his head. "Asked—she's not. He said the company's newly signed artist got rattled, and he just wanted to vent."
Hearing that, the others stared blankly; after a moment someone managed to ask, "The artist's girlfriend?"
Wang Zheng shook his head again. "Nope. He says they're squeaky-clean—artist signed only recently."
"That's brutal. If I were Lin Ru I'd hammer myself, claim the bounty, and retire—she's finished anyway," Da Wei joked.
"If she quits acting she becomes a little socialite—would she accept that?" Wang Zheng sneered.
"True. These past two days the whole internet's been flooded with her scandals; she's basically done. She might try to spin 'black-to-red,' but the tide's still against her."
"Well, Jiang Cheng's got guts—he steps in and goes head-to-head with Heavenly King Entertainment," Qin Fen said, shaking his head.
"Yeah, Lin Ru is basically Heavenly King's flagship."
If Heavenly King wants to protect her, they'll have to pour a fortune into PR. Is a B-list starlet worth that kind of money?"
"He's a ruthless one—interesting. We should invite him out sometime," Qin Fen suggested.
Wang Zheng nodded. "He went home for a few days, but his uni's here; we'll all meet soon."
…Meanwhile, at Heavenly King Entertainment, the moment they got word they held an overnight emergency meeting to map out counter-measures.
Lin Ru sat off to the side, face pale, tears falling like beans—cheap and endless.
In the past, if she'd looked like this, every man in the boardroom would already be heartbroken.
But now that the whole mess started with her, the shareholders and execs only felt disgust at her sobbing.
"Cry, cry, cry—what's to cry about? Didn't see you crying when you were slapping people."
"Troublemaker. Got a whiff of fame and lost her head—now how do we fix this?"
"So you tank—fine, we can make another Lin Ru. But how do you restore the company's reputation? Tell us…"
Every last person at Heavenly King pointed the finger at her.
The company felt like it had swallowed a stinking fly: couldn't keep it down, couldn't spit it out.
Lin Ru wailed, "I really didn't know it would turn out like this. I'll beg him—I'll kneel and ask forgiveness. If that won't work, I'll kneel to Su Wan. Gentlemen, you have to protect me!"
She knew she had too much dirt on her record; if it all surfaced, her acting career—and her face in public—would be finished.