When Reba saw Jiang Cheng seated in the room, she hurried over. "Good evening, Chairman Jiang! Thank you so much for inviting me to dinner."
After speaking, Reba politely greeted everyone else at the table.
She'd already heard about Feng Gan's scandals that morning.
Only last night Jiang Cheng had publicly slapped him down; today the man was drowning in negative press.
Anyone in the know could tell the storm had almost certainly been engineered by Jiang Cheng.
Compared with the night before, Reba's awe of him had deepened noticeably.
That was why Yang Mi had told her first thing in the morning to secure a face-to-face thank-you from Jiang Cheng.
What surprised her was that instead of a private meal he'd brought her to this group gathering.
The others wore knowing, unreadable expressions; only Wang Congcong cocked an eyebrow at Jiang Cheng, the corner of his mouth lifting in a meaningful smile.
In truth, Wang Congcong envied Jiang Cheng at that moment.
Were it not for family rules, he wouldn't be running an Internet Celebrity agency but a far larger, top-tier entertainment Company.
Between Internet Celebrities and bona-fide stars yawned an uncrossable gulf.
Most influencers fade the instant the beauty filters come off—classic cases of "lights-on, glamour-gone."
As Reba gracefully took her seat, exquisite dishes began arriving.
The conversation never paused. Wang Zheng picked up the thread: "I just asked a buddy in the capital—Company's in trouble. The tax bureau's launched a surprise audit."
Wang Congcong turned to Jiang Cheng with a grin. "Old Jiang's idea. The moment he suggested it, I had the enthusiastic Chaoyang masses file a tip-off."
Jiang Cheng gave a slight nod. "Good thing we moved fast; left much longer they'd have paid up quietly."
Chen Hao spoke next. "The gossip online today is delicious. Speaking of Feng Gan, I've got some heavy ammo. Since you're taking him down, I'll add fuel to the fire."
"What kind of ammo? Spill," Wang Congcong pressed.
When Chen Hao glanced at Reba, Jiang Cheng waved a careless hand. "No need to mind her; she can listen."
Reba was the key figure in this system mission, and the size of the reward hinged on how satisfied she felt.
He'd brought her along precisely to farm that satisfaction.
With Jiang Cheng's permission, Chen Hao chuckled. "Nothing much—just a few videos, but they're enough to ruin Feng Gan for good."
Qi Yuan, sitting nearby, urged impatiently, "Stop teasing—out with it."
"You know prosperity just wrapped? During that half-year shoot, a relative of mine had dinner with the crew, and Feng Gan bragged he'd been 'comfortable' the entire six months."
Before he finished, everyone grasped the implication; even Reba instinctively frowned.
Qin Fen shot to his feet. "Animal! Most of the girls in that film were young newcomers."
Wang Zheng added, "Feng Gan, that Jing guy, and little-Mou-zi are famous lechers. Before every auction they sample the goods—common knowledge."
Chen Hao jumped in. "Right. For casting he made actresses strip and dance at his house. Those videos are the audition tapes."
"So you've actually seen them?" Wang Congcong exclaimed.
Chen Hao nodded. "Yeah. Feng Gan was drunk, trying to cozy up to some big shots, and screened them for us."
"Censored or raw?" Qi Yuan asked, intrigued.
"No need for bars; I'll send them later."
As the topic drifted, Reba's cheeks flushed.
Jiang Cheng cleared his throat. "Enough, you pervs—there's a lady present."
"Haha, sorry, sis. Don't worry, I won't send them to Cheng-ge," Chen Hao laughed.
Called "sis" out of the blue, Reba's face turned scarlet.
She lowered her head in shy delight.
Since Jiang Cheng didn't deny it, Reba only smiled, saying nothing.
Anything she said would be out of place.
After more banter Jiang Cheng said, "Let's keep this quiet. My target is Feng Gan, not those girls."
His tone was unusually firm; everyone looked over.
In truth, Jiang Cheng had never planned to use those exposes against Feng Gan.
Fan Shuishui's trouble stemmed from her feud with Li Yong—Jiang Cheng hadn't steered it.
The material he'd given Li Yong included not only Fan Shuishui but other actors from Movie 2, even the male lead.
Yet Li Yong had singled out Fan Shuishui; Jiang Cheng couldn't be blamed for that.
The moment Jiang Cheng finished, Qi Yuan gave him a thumbs-up. "Cheng-ge, that's big-picture thinking!"
"All right, you win," Qin Fen said.
Chen Hao nodded. "Fine, we'll do it your way. There are other methods."
At last Reba, who had stayed silent, couldn't hold back.
"Why not expose it? Going public might turn netizens against Feng Gan and get twice the result with half the effort."