Chapter Eighty-Four: Old Qian, Your Misfortune Is That You’re Too Educated

The competition in the entertainment industry is as dark and ruthless as this.

People like Kang Zikai are just pawns pushed to the front lines. Since he dared to fabricate so much dirt about Future Stardom online, dragging Chen Fang into it as well, it means he isn’t afraid of a lawsuit from Chen Fang or Future Stardom. Or rather, he’s confident—the company behind him must be able to protect him.

That’s why Kang Zikai acts so brazenly online.

“The current public opinion is pretty bad.”

“Most people are inclined to believe Kang Zikai’s story.” Xi Yuanyuan let out a sigh.

There was nothing she could do. The reputation of Future Stardom was simply too poor. Kang Zikai, as a former artist under Future Stardom, had the supposed moral high ground just by daring to speak out. Add to that the fact that the public still remembered the company’s bad image from previous years, and very few people were willing to give Future Stardom the benefit of the doubt.

Of course, Chen Fang’s fans remained calm. After all, they supported Chen Fang the person, not the company. Whatever happened to Future Stardom had nothing to do with them, so long as it didn’t affect Chen Fang. As for the so-called dirt that Kang Zikai tearfully spilled about Chen Fang during his live broadcast, even a little investigation would reveal it as nonsense, unable to impact Chen Fang at all.

“What’s the company’s plan?” Chen Fang asked.

This was a situation that could be handled either lightly or heavily. If they chose the lighter approach, they could simply not respond and let time cool off the controversy, or perhaps create a new trending topic to divert public attention. If they chose to escalate, they could publicly condemn Kang Zikai for slander, hold him accountable for malicious breach of contract, and send a lawyer’s letter to sue him for defamation.

Chen Fang wasn’t too familiar with Future Stardom’s way of handling things, but Xi Yuanyuan knew all too well. Over the years, the company had faced many similar situations and their approach was almost always the first—silence.

Because responding did no good; it would only spark another wave of mockery from the public. With a tarnished reputation, no one was willing to believe them. Later on, Future Stardom simply stopped caring. If everyone wanted to mock them, they might as well play dead and not respond at all.

“At this afternoon’s meeting, President Qian specifically addressed this matter. As per the company’s usual style, the plan is not to respond. Kang Zikai probably guessed this, which is why he’s being so bold,” Xi Yuanyuan said, sitting down beside Chen Fang on the sofa.

A faint scent of perfume drifted over, relaxing Chen Fang’s body and mind. However, Xi Yuanyuan seemed to be sitting a bit too close.

“But this time, President Qian seems to have lost his temper. He said he wants to take this to court, at any cost,” Xi Yuanyuan added, sounding genuinely surprised.

At any cost!

Determined to strike hard against Kang Zikai and the company behind him.

Chen Fang smiled but said nothing. President Qian Youlai was a bold leader. In the past, when similar things happened, the company’s silence was because things were such a mess that even he had grown discouraged. But now, with Chen Fang in the company and signs of a revival at last, the passion Qian Youlai had when founding Future Stardom had returned. For Kang Zikai to provoke him now was nothing short of foolish.

Qian Youlai’s confidence came from Chen Fang. As long as Chen Fang remained with the company, Qian Youlai was willing to go all out.

Chen Fang tapped his fingers lightly on the coffee table and asked, “Is there anything I should do?”

He was, after all, an artist under the company. If necessary, he should speak out for Future Stardom.

Xi Yuanyuan shook her head. “President Qian says you’re not to get involved for now. Kang Zikai wants to drag you into this. If you respond, you’ll be playing right into his hands.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Fang nodded.

That Kang Zikai really was a persistent nuisance.

With business finished, Xi Yuanyuan glanced at the time. “Shall we have dinner together?”

After a short rest, Chen Fang had regained some energy. “I’ll probably be here late tonight. If you’re not busy, you should head home first.”

“What are you working on?”

“Practicing the songs for the Path to Stardom competition.”

Chen Fang answered truthfully. Xi Yuanyuan looked at his slightly tired expression and said, “Take care of yourself.”

Chen Fang grinned at her. “Worried about me? Words aren’t enough! Come on, Yuanyuan, give me a loving hug.”

“Get lost!” Xi Yuanyuan jumped to her feet at once. Out of Chen Fang’s line of sight, her cheeks were flushed pink.

In truth, letting Chen Fang hug her wouldn’t be so bad.

She stood there, torn.

Chen Fang didn’t pay her any further attention; instead, he called Wang Situ and asked him to come to the recording studio.

After the call, Chen Fang noticed Xi Yuanyuan was still there and looked at her in surprise. “You’re not leaving yet?”

At his words, her shyness turned to annoyance. This guy couldn’t wait to get rid of her! “None of your business!” she snapped.

With that, the sharp click of high heels echoed as she strode away.

Each step landed with a force that seemed to shake the floor.

After Xi Yuanyuan left, Chen Fang received a text from an unfamiliar number. The message contained the address and time for an audition.

It was likely Xi Dong’s phone number.

Chen Fang saved it and called Ji Mei, telling him he wouldn’t be going to the villa that evening. He also forwarded the message and asked Ji Mei to remind Su Murou to attend the audition on time.

He’d secured the opportunity for Su Murou. Whether she could seize it would be up to her.

While waiting for Wang Situ to arrive, Chen Fang sprawled on the sofa scrolling through the latest trending topics on his phone.

He had to admit, Kang Zikai was stirring up quite a storm. Thanks to his antics, Future Stardom was trending again—albeit as the target of mockery and scorn.

#FutureStardomContractPricing—Suspected Deliberate Traps for Artists#
#KangZikaiSpeaksAgain—Claims He Was Forced to Sign an Oppressive Contract, Newcomer Deals Are Like Selling Your Soul#
#FutureStardomScandalsExposed—Turns Out These Stars Aren’t So Innocent...#
#RationalDiscussion—If Disgraced Artists Should Be Banned, Should Disgraced Companies Be Banned Too?#
...

Among the top fifty trending topics, six were related to Future Stardom.

Naturally, Chen Fang’s name was among them. He’d been trending a lot lately, and with Kang Zikai positioning himself as an opponent of Future Stardom, he certainly wouldn’t spare Chen Fang.

However, Kang Zikai’s tactics were crude. Unable to find any real dirt, he could only hint that all of Chen Fang’s songs were plagiarized. But when people asked him who Chen Fang had supposedly plagiarized, he simply ignored them.

Chen Fang couldn’t help but smile in disdain.

Such an opponent was simply too amateurish. If he were back on Earth, with his status as the boss of an entertainment company, he could have destroyed Kang Zikai in minutes.

Kang Zikai should consider himself lucky that Chen Fang was now an artist, not a boss. Otherwise, his methods would be far harsher than Qian Youlai’s.

In the end, Old Qian, you’re losing out because you’re too cultured. There’s no need to waste words with trash like Kang Zikai—just utterly crush him.