Volume One, Chapter 59: The Turncoat

"Hello, Mr. Li, is there something urgent this late?" Yan Ming’s voice was relaxed.

But on the other side of the line, Li Gang was anything but calm. "Brother, what’s going on? What happened to what we agreed upon? How did he advance again?"

"Look at the trending topics online—every single one is about that kid! With this kind of popularity, how are we supposed to get rid of him next round?" Li Gang’s tone was full of accusations.

Yan Ming let out a cold laugh, his eyes brimming with mockery. Get rid of him? I’d rather get rid of you!

Although that was what he thought, he didn’t say it aloud. "Chairman Li, I’m in a bind too. You wanted RAP, I gave you RAP; I did everything you asked. But that kid is just too good—the mentors and the public judges all gave him high scores. What am I supposed to do?"

"I know!" Li Gang suddenly shouted. "Is there really nothing we can do about him?"

"I really don’t see a way," Yan Ming replied with a slight smile. "It’s up to you now, Chairman Li. I can’t risk my own career for your sake."

Silence fell on the other end, broken only by heavy breathing.

"Director Yan, what do you mean by that? Are you planning to drop everything?"

Yan Ming’s face was calm; he’d had enough of Li Gang’s games. Li Gang might be powerful, but at the end of the day, he was just a businessman. Yan Ming was part of the system, and Li Gang couldn’t really touch him. But if he kept playing along, he might lose everything.

"What do you mean, Chairman Li? I haven’t dropped anything, so how could I quit?"

"Chairman, we’ve known each other for years. I’ve always treated you as a friend, so let me give you some advice: Jiang Yu’s rise can’t be suppressed in the short term. There’s a saying—no eternal friends, only eternal interests."

"It’s better to resolve than to escalate conflict. Who knows, maybe you’ll work together someday. Let’s just leave this matter be."

Li Gang struggled to contain his anger. "Thanks for the reminder, brother. We’ll talk again when there’s time."

Yan Ming’s lips curled slightly. "Old brother, if you need it, I can play mediator for you."

With that, he hung up.

In the boardroom of Starlight Entertainment, a crash rang out, followed by an enraged roar.

"Dad, what’s wrong? Why are you so angry?" Li Jiang asked as his father slammed down the phone.

Li Gang’s face was grim. "Damn it, Yan Ming is quitting."

"What?" Li Jiang was panicked. "What are we going to do? All our investments are wasted?"

Starlight Entertainment had spent well over a million to promote Wang Linkai. Getting him on "Idol: Two and a Half Years" was meant to boost his profile. But then Jiang Yu appeared and stole all the show’s popularity. Wang Linkai, who had painstakingly gathered a million fans, was losing them fast.

The money they’d made off him wasn’t even a tenth of their initial investment—a bleeding loss.

Li Jiang felt the pain deeply. His father’s company was his future. Losing so much felt like blood draining from his heart.

Li Gang felt the same. Jiang Yu had never given him any face from the very start. He’d dealt with stubborn people before, but none had been as unyielding as Jiang Yu. But it was too late now. He sighed; for now, the only option was to wait for a better opportunity to strike. Fortunately, the company had other projects.

"How’s that girl group audition show you’re in charge of—Sweet Hard Candy?"

Li Jiang perked up, eager to show off. "All our trainees made the top ten. Debuting won’t be an issue, and their fan numbers are rising fast."

"Good." Li Gang nodded in satisfaction. "Focus on the girl group for now."

"What about Jiang Yu?"

"We’ll have to let it go for now and wait for the right moment." Li Gang sighed.

Just then, a staff member approached. "Mr. Li, someone named Li Hao is outside and wants to see you."

"Li Hao?" Li Gang frowned. He couldn’t recall knowing the man and looked at his son. "Is he your friend?"

Li Jiang shook his head and turned to the staffer. "I don’t know him. Who is he?"

"He says he’s a contracted singer from Huayue Entertainment."

"A Huayue guy dares to come to Starlight? Tell him to get lost!" Li Jiang was instantly furious, waving his hand dismissively.

"Understood."

The staffer nodded and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Li Gang called him back. "Did he say anything else?"

The staffer paused. "He said Jiang Yu got on 'Idol: Two and a Half Years' by taking his spot."

Li Gang’s eyes glinted. "Go ask Wang Linkai if this is true."

The staffer nodded and left. Ten minutes later, he returned with a report. "Ghost Ghost says he’s heard of it—from a singer at Huayue who was supposed to be on the show."

"Now this is interesting," Li Gang said, his lips curling as his eyes flashed. "Let him in."

Soon, a young man was led in by the staff.

"Hello, Mr. Li. I’m Li Hao."

Li Hao greeted Li Gang with an ingratiating smile.

Li Gang looked him up and down. The young man’s appearance was decent. Li Gang responded with a gentle smile. "Young man, I hear you’re a contracted singer with Huayue Entertainment?"

"Yes."

"So why come to us?"

Li Hao’s eyes flashed with resentment. "Because of Jiang Yu. He only got where he is because the company gave my spot on 'Idol: Two and a Half Years' to him. The songs he sings were originally mine. His popularity should have been mine, but he stole it all!"

In Li Hao’s mind, every work Jiang Yu released was written by someone the company hired to prop him up. Otherwise, how could a fresh graduate write so many hit songs?

Li Gang could not suppress a cold laugh at this—another jealous clown. Others might not know, but he did. He’d asked around; all the songs Jiang Yu performed were genuinely written by Jiang Yu himself. That’s why he couldn’t do anything about him.

Li Gang took a sip of water and smiled. "Young man, you still have a contract with Huayue, and the penalty for breach is hefty. We can’t cover that for you."

"Mr. Li, but—" Li Hao was anxious.

Li Gang cut him off. "Don’t worry, young man. Didn’t you just say Huayue has someone writing Jiang Yu’s songs? Our company needs new music too. If you can connect me with this mysterious producer, we’ll bring you in. How about it?"

Li Hao thought for a moment, his face resolute. "Alright, Mr. Li, I’ll go find this mysterious producer right now!"

With that, he left.

"Dad, why bother with that idiot? Everyone knows Jiang Yu writes his own songs," Li Jiang said disdainfully.

Li Gang smiled. "You’ll see soon enough. Now go focus on your girl group. Wang Linkai’s already had trouble—we can’t let anything happen to the girls."

"Alright!"

……

Meanwhile, "Sweet Hard Candy" finished recording, and the top ten contestants earned the chance to debut as a group.

The difference was, this show used a closed training format. Zhao Yiyi hadn’t performed particularly well, but managed to scrape into tenth place and debut.

After the recording, Zhao Yiyi was indescribably happy.

She’d made it—she was debuting!

From today, her old life was over. Her prospects were bright; the company provided a chauffeured van, no more squeezing onto buses or the subway.

Cosmetic brands sent boxes of products—she could use whatever she wanted, no more waiting for sales or asking Jiang Yu for money.

The world seemed brighter.

She got in the van and immediately checked her phone.

Countless messages awaited her.

Her parents and friends had sent many congratulatory notes.

Her classmates all offered congratulations.

But her parents’ messages...

Zhao Yiyi’s expression changed, a shadow creeping over her joy.