After Spectating Gossip, the Entertainment Industry Thinks I’m a Big Shot – CH24

Chapter 24

Having done a good deed, Gu Xingshi returned to Dunhai City, concealing his contributions.

However, as soon as he returned, he sensed that the atmosphere was off.

Everyone looked anxious and restless, yet the next ranking release was still two days away. Surely, it was too early for everyone to be panicking, right?

Hearing his confusion, Yin Hefeng sighed. “Sometimes, I don’t know if I should envy your incredible obliviousness or pity it.”

Gu Xingshi: “???”

Yin Hefeng explained, “Haven’t you noticed that the ones getting flustered are mostly the older, well-established talent agencies?”

Gu Xingshi took a closer look and realized it was true.

In recent years, the popularity of idol selection shows have surged, drawing not only traditional idol-oriented companies but also a number of old-school agencies into training their own trainees in hopes of cashing in on the trend.

Yin Hefeng continued in a whisper, “Did you know that Cao Guangli, the owner of LightWing Entertainment, was arrested?”

Gu Xingshi: “What?”

The system chimed in right on cue: “Yep. Liang Wenjun discovered some issues with the company’s contracts and immediately locked down the information before calling the police. Once the authorities found evidence of Cao Guangli secretly transferring assets, they arrested him on the spot. Oh, and his mistress Ji Yurou, along with their illegitimate son Ji Yiwei, was arrested too.”

Yin Hefeng added, “Anyway, it’s caused quite an uproar. The authorities have found even more clues during the investigation, which has caused a stir higher up. Word is, there will be a thorough crackdown on ‘yin-yang contracts’ in the entertainment industry.”

“You know, they used to turn a blind eye to this kind of thing. It was common enough, especially in older agencies. Everyone knew it was happening, but now Cao Guangli has kicked the hornet’s nest, causing a massive shake-up in the industry. A lot of companies have been dragged into it, and everyone’s cursing him.”

Unlike others, Yin Hefeng didn’t seem worried.

From the start, Planet Century Entertainment had maintained strict compliance in this area. Initially, competitors mocked them for being “too inflexible,” but now the company was finally vindicated.

And as for Gu Xingshi, he had even less to worry about.

After all, LeShi Entertainment only had two artists in total, both of whom had yet to debut. They hadn’t even had the opportunity to run into contract issues.

However, Yin Hefeng still advised Gu Xingshi to “keep a low profile for the time being. A lot of companies have taken a big hit and are understandably resentful of the mysterious informant responsible. They don’t know who’s behind it, but just in case, you don’t want any of that anger spilling onto you.”

Gu Xingshi gave an “OK” sign.

Honestly, he hadn’t anticipated that his intervention would set off such a storm. At the time, he was just furious at Cao Guangli’s treatment of Liang Wenjun and wanted to help her.

However, Yin Hefeng’s advice was sound, and Gu Xingshi decided to stay away from the manager’s area for a while, doing his best to avoid unwanted attention.

Gu Xingshi sneaked over to Meng Yuansheng and Cheng Xin’s dorm.

The two were discussing the details of their next performance in their room when they saw Gu Xingshi beckoning to them from the doorway, looking suspicious. They walked out, bewildered.

Gu Xingshi led them to a secluded corner, checking around to make sure no one was nearby before finally breathing a sigh of relief.

Cheng Xin smirked, “President Gu, why all the sneaking around? Planning a heist?”

Gu Xingshi: “…”

He shot Cheng Xin a glare. “You don’t get it. I’m doing this for our safety!”

First, he told them about the entertainment industry shake-up, then took out the contract for Raging Sea.

Their eyes widened in shock.

Before Gu Xingshi left, he had discussed it with them. But everyone knew the film industry had little regard for idol groups, especially idols who hadn’t even debuted yet—they were basically at the bottom of the food chain.

So when Gu Xingshi said he was going to try to land the promotional song for Over Mountains and Seas, even though they believed in his abilities, neither of them had dared to get their hopes up.

After all, this was Director Xu’s film!

Previously, all the music had been created by top composers in the industry—individuals they wouldn’t even dream of approaching.

And yet, Gu Xingshi had actually succeeded!

If they hadn’t seen the contract with their own eyes, they would have thought he was playing a prank on them.

Facing the admiring gazes from Meng Yuansheng and Cheng Xin, Gu Xingshi felt a little embarrassed. He cleared his throat. “The movie’s promotional period hasn’t started yet, so according to the contract, we need to keep it confidential.”

The two of them nodded, still dazed.

Gu Xingshi quickly added, “Keep it low-key, alright? Those expressions are way too eye-catching! I don’t want you walking out and getting stuffed in a burlap sack!”

They immediately put away their smug smiles and nodded seriously. “President Gu is absolutely right!”

For the next two days, the other trainees noticed that aside from performance times, Meng Yuansheng and Cheng Xin were much more reserved.

Even when some trainees deliberately flaunted their new ad deals in front of them, the two remained unfazed.

Truthfully, they had felt a little envious and disappointed seeing other trainees land various resources, even some major ad deals.

But after hearing about Raging Sea contract, any sense of loss vanished instantly.

What did ads matter?

Raging Sea was about to become the theme song for Over Mountains and Seas.

The trainee who had been flaunting their resources looked stunned: “…”

Damn it! Why didn’t anything feel satisfying anymore?!

Meanwhile, Meng and Cheng’s nonchalant attitudes took on a different flavor in the eyes of their fans.

[What’s going on?! Even the lower-ranking trainees are getting resources, so why hasn’t my top-ranking guy gotten anything?!]

[I’m about to explode! Because he hasn’t gotten a single deal, people outside are mocking him, saying his popularity is fake!]

[I heard he signed with a small company. Maybe the company is just incompetent!]

[There’s a rumor going around that a lot of ad deals came knocking, but LeShi’s rep was super arrogant and drove them all away. They even scared off a big brand like XX!]

[What the hell!! XX is an international brand! Seriously, is this company brain-dead?]

[I can accept a small company not being super professional, but this is rare even for that standard. They don’t have to do much, but at least stop blocking baby Sheng and brother Xin’s path, right?]

[This small company is hopeless. Honestly, they’d be better off with that 10086 big shot. At least that person cares about them!]

[Great idea!!!]

[I support the #10086 big shot signing them up!!]

*

The rumors spread quickly, and by the time the rankings were updated for the next round, Meng Yuansheng still held the top popularity spot, but barely. The gap between him and the second-place trainee was thin, and Cheng Xin had been bumped to third, replaced by Yuan Ye, who had surged into second place.

Cheng Xin felt a pang of disappointment when he saw the updated rankings.

But he understood that as the competition reached the midway point, fans of other contestants were also stepping up their efforts. Yuan Ye’s last performance had been truly impressive; his second-place ranking was well-deserved.

He brooded for a short while, then brushed it off and joined Meng Yuansheng in the live-streaming room.

But as soon as he saw the chat comments, he was stunned.

The fans were in an uproar, the screen flooded with messages expressing their sympathy for the “injustices” the two had suffered and insisting that they leave LeShi Entertainment.

Cheng Xin stammered, “I didn’t… I didn’t suffer any injustices!”

His drop in popularity was due to his own performance, not any fault of the company or President Gu!

Meng Yuansheng also chimed in to explain, “President Gu has been really good to us. If it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t even be here for [Boy Group Training Camp]. He’s done so, so much for us…”

If not for the confidentiality agreement, he would have told the fans that President Gu had even secured him the chance to perform the theme song for Over Mountains and Seas. He felt absolutely no injustice!

But instead—

Fan: [Oh no, are you guys being threatened? My poor boys!]

Fan: [I heard these small companies set sky-high termination fees. They don’t even intend to manage their artists properly—they just cast a wide net, and if someone breaks out, they force them to do things they don’t want to do until they’re driven to terminate their contract. They won’t rest until they squeeze every penny out of them.]

Meng Yuansheng: “…That’s not true! Cheng Xin and I both have flexible contracts, nothing like what you’re thinking!”

Fan: [No need to say more! I know you don’t have a choice. I understand!]

Fan: [If you’re being held captive, blink your eyes!]

Cheng Xin: “…I’m not being held captive… Alright! Stop counting how many times I blink! Blinking is a natural human reflex, not a secret distress signal!”

Fan: [Secret signal!! Got it! Key phrase detected?]

Fan: [First song of the performance was xxx, the second song was xxxx… Rearrange the initials…]

Meng Yuansheng and Cheng Xin: “!!!”

Please, we’re begging you, enough with the wild theories!

By the end of the live stream, the two were utterly drained.

As soon as it ended, they went straight to find Gu Xingshi.

Meng Yuansheng, who had some experience as an assistant, quickly picked up on the unusual behavior of the fans. “President Gu, I think someone might be trying to stir things up.”

Gu Xingshi wasn’t surprised.

He had seen the fans’ comments during the live stream. At first, seeing the flood of negative comments directed at him, he felt both angry and wronged. But as the comments became more and more outlandish, he found himself no longer feeling upset.

Especially when he saw fans suggesting that the #10086 big shot step in to sign them and get rid of him and LeShi Entertainment, he couldn’t help but laugh.

What was this?

Self-sabotage?

Once he calmed down, he indeed noticed a few comments that seemed to be muddying the waters.

It was even apparent that some comments were pushing for Meng and Cheng to join other agencies, ones that supposedly treated their artists better.

The system explained: [Several agencies are indeed behind this. They all have plenty of resources but lack talented artists. They’ve set their sights on Meng and Cheng, hoping to drive a wedge between you and them to seize the opportunity.]

Gu Xingshi replied: [Trying to poach them, huh? Such a plain and simple business tactic!]

The system added: [Some other companies are also fueling the situation, even a few brands you rejected previously are secretly fanning the flames.]

Gu Xingshi: […]

With too many enemies to retaliate against all at once, he decided to mentally jot their names down for now.

But amid all this plotting, there were quite a few fans who were genuinely concerned, and he didn’t overlook them.

Initially, he’d only given Meng Yuansheng and Cheng Xin a brief explanation about the ad offers, thinking it wasn’t a big deal and not worth disturbing their training and rest over.

But now, he took the time to carefully explain to them why he had turned down those brands.

Meng Yuansheng and Cheng Xin didn’t know how he had access to all this inside information, but they could see how much thought he was putting into their careers.

Without a moment’s hesitation, both of them said, “President Gu, we trust you completely. Just make the decisions; we’ll follow your lead!”

Originally, Gu Xingshi had a lot more he wanted to explain, but their unwavering trust made him feel like there was no need for further words.

He nodded firmly. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of this!”

*

Zuo Hang, a talent manager at StarCat Entertainment, worked under Xingmao Media, which primarily focused on idol management.

However, despite being in operation for two or three years, the company’s artists were fairly mediocre and often served as mere filler in talent shows, leaving Zuo Hang increasingly anxious.

Finding promising talent wasn’t easy, so Zuo Hang turned to poaching from other agencies.

This time, he’d set his sights on Meng Yuansheng and Cheng Xin from [Boy Group Training Camp], especially Meng Yuansheng.

Talented in both singing and dancing, good-looking, and with songwriting skills to boot—what talent manager wouldn’t want him?

And, he was currently with a small company. Zuo Hang had always been particularly adept at handling such “small-time” trainees.

However, to his surprise, his usual methods failed with Meng and Cheng.

At first, Zuo Hang assumed they were simply unaware of StarCat’s strength, so he mentioned their parent company, Xingmao Media. Yet, they still showed no interest.

Then he thought they might just be trying to raise their market value, but after several more attempts, he realized that they genuinely had no desire to leave that small, seemingly insignificant company.

Zuo Hang was speechless.

It was just a company, not a second set of parents—why were they so loyal?

Seeing that his direct approach wasn’t working, he didn’t give up but instead devised another plan.

He infiltrated their fan groups, posing as a concerned fan, and began spreading distrust toward LeShi Entertainment.

Almost immediately, his bait attracted a few competitors.

Zuo Hang: “…”

Competitors: “…”

Good grief. So everyone’s business tactics were equally straightforward and unadorned.

But now wasn’t the time to dwell on that. Breaking up the relationship between Meng and Cheng and LeShi was the priority.

The various parties reached an understanding and began to sow seeds of doubt across the fan groups.

Their tactics were far more sophisticated than the simple fans could handle. Soon, the fans’ anger was stoked, convinced that LeShi Entertainment was a small, unprofessional company that had mistreated their idols.

The plan was progressing smoothly. Although Meng Yuansheng and Cheng Xin had emphasized during the live stream that LeShi Entertainment treated them well, Zuo Hang wasn’t worried.

After all, the fact that they didn’t have any ad resources was undeniable. They might believe in the company now, but over time?

In business, trust was never absolute, especially between artists and companies. It was either one side dominating the other, or vice versa.

Previously, Meng Yuansheng and Cheng Xin were nobodies and depended on their agency. But now, they are popular and backed by a super-hacker fan. Surely, their mindset had shifted at least a little?

Zuo Hang felt confident.

Meanwhile, while some fans fueled the fire, a few rational fans tried to maintain peace and calm everyone down.

Qiao Ruoyao was one of them.

She had once been a reactive, easily swayed fan, quick to believe anything.

But after her previous idol fell from grace, she’d reformed, resolving to think things through carefully. After that, she became a fan of Meng Yuansheng and Cheng Xin.

This time, she had almost lost her temper upon seeing those messages, but she quickly realized something was off. She paced back and forth in her dorm until she had calmed down and noticed the discrepancies.

She immediately tried to convince the others in the group: [Girls, baby Sheng has already said during the live stream that the company treats them well. We need to listen to him and give them some time.]

Zuo Hang hadn’t expected someone to disrupt his plan, and he frowned as he replied, pretending to be neutral: [That’s just because he’s too nice to complain. It’s exactly because of that that we, as fans, can’t let them suffer in silence! Otherwise, what’s the point of us being their fans?]

Qiao Ruoyao was both frustrated and anxious, but Zuo Hang’s comments were too persuasive, constantly diverting the conversation away from her point.

Then, as she continued to argue, she noticed a pattern.

Being in both Meng Yuansheng and Cheng Xin’s fan groups, she realized that the same person was posting identical comments in both groups, merely swapping out the names.

A flood of conspiracy theories suddenly filled her mind.

She quickly took screenshots of these comments and shared them in the group.

QiaoYaoyao: [Girls! Everyone, calm down! This person posted the same comments in both fan groups. There’s definitely some kind of scheme going on!]

Zuo Hang hadn’t anticipated being exposed, but he had a counter ready and immediately replied with sarcasm: [Who doesn’t know that baby Sheng and brother Xin are close? I’m just a double stan. If you’re seeing my messages, doesn’t that make you a double stan too? Or are you actually a spy from that dog company, planted here to sow discord?]

Qiao Ruoyao hadn’t expected him to turn the tables on her, and she was fuming.

She forced herself to stay calm and avoid getting drawn into his trap, trying to continue persuading the others.

But she was no match for Zuo Hang’s tactics and soon found herself isolated, labeled a “LeShi lackey.”

[Are you even a real fan? If you genuinely cared about our idols, you’d be heartbroken for them!]

[How much did the dog company pay you? Share your account number; let’s all get in on the money!]

Qiao Ruoyao was practically in tears, feeling utterly defeated.

Just then, a new account chimed in: [@QiaoYaoyao, I believe you.]

Qiao Ruoyao was almost ready to shut down from all the insults, but seeing someone standing up for her brought her close to tears. When she looked at the username, she froze.

It was “Has Ranran Posted Photos Today”?

Wasn’t this the legendary fansite admin known for capturing divine pictures?!

This was the same person who had staunchly defended baby Sheng when he was falsely accused previously, consistently standing up for him in the group. With their gorgeous photos and steadfast loyalty, they held high regard within the fandom.

As soon as Bai Ran spoke up, the fans who had been fervently criticizing paused.

That evening, Bai Ran had been following Shen Yu’s schedule and missed the live stream. When she got home and saw the commotion, she quickly understood what was going on.

Having been in the fan circle for years, she could see through such tactics in an instant.

Her voice carried far more weight than Qiao Ruoyao’s. After a thorough breakdown of the situation, many fans began to calm down.

After all, with the competition still ongoing, any falling-out between Meng and Cheng and their agency would be disastrous.

Of course, there were still a few fans who refused to be swayed, pressing on aggressively: [How can you be so sure this lousy company isn’t mistreating them?]

Bai Ran thought for a moment and replied, [I’ve met him. He’s not that kind of person.]

As she spoke, she found a photo she had taken with them.

It was from before the competition started when she’d run into the three of them at the airport. At the time, she had only asked for a photo and their autographs because they looked good.

She posted both the photo and the autograph.

Has Ranran Posted Photos Today?: [You can tell from this picture how close they are, right? And if anyone’s been keeping an eye on baby Sheng and the others at work, they should recognize him. He’s the one who’s always by their side, carrying their water and bags. He’s done so much for them—how could anyone doubt his care for baby Sheng and Cheng Xin?]

The group chat went silent.

After a long pause, someone finally responded: [Wait… that’s their manager??]

This statement seemed to trigger something, and the chat exploded.

Fan: [What the heck!!! I’ve seen that guy before! He wears a mask, but his eyes are gorgeous. He said thank you to me so gently! I thought he was a trainee!]

Fan: [Oh, right! During the last live stream, someone handed baby Sheng water from off-camera. His hand was beautiful, and everyone kept asking if it was a staff member. Baby Sheng proudly said it was his manager.]

Fan: [Yes, yes, I remember that! And I even joked back then that it was a waste for an older guy to have such pretty hands. Now I just want to go back and slap myself!]

*

After a round of heated discussion, someone cautiously suggested: [This guy doesn’t even look like a bad person. Maybe there’s more to it?]

Fan: [Yeah, what if we scared him with how intense we’ve been?]

Fan: [Exactly! We need to trust our idols. They wouldn’t have picked someone untrustworthy. Let’s give their manager a chance.]

Fan: [I looked up the company info, and it turns out his name is Gu Xingshi. What a beautiful name! Sounds like the name of a good person.]

Fan: [Great, now I have yet another reason to want to join their company.]

Fan: [+1. If my boss looked like that, I’d work for free.]

Zuo Hang: “???”

Could these looks-obsessed fans calm down a little?!!

By the end of the night, the photo had spread through all of Meng Yuansheng and Cheng Xin’s fan groups.

The once-chaotic chats quickly quieted down. Fans returned to boosting stats, editing videos, and otherwise going about their fan activities as if nothing had happened.

A turbulent storm dissolved into thin air.

The other companies, who were just preparing to intensify their efforts: “???”

Gu Xingshi, who had already prepared a plan to calm down the fans: “???”

Meng Yuansheng and Cheng Xin, who had secretly vowed to stand by Gu Xingshi against the rumors: “…”

After a long silence.

Meng Yuansheng muttered, “I have to hand it to President Gu. His ways of handling issues are always so… hmmm… inventive.”

Cheng Xin nodded thoughtfully, “Using his looks to sway people might be shameless, but it’s effective.”

Gu Xingshi, exasperated: “This wasn’t my doing! Don’t look at me like that! Let me explain!!”