After Spectating Gossip, the Entertainment Industry Thinks I’m a Big Shot – CH7

Chapter 7

Meng Yuansheng started dating Jiang Mo when he was 19.

During college, he worked part-time jobs to support Jiang Mo’s dreams. 

At 21, Jiang Mo signed with Jinyou Entertainment and quickly became a hot star. Over the years, Meng Yuansheng tirelessly took care of him, and Jiang Mo grew used to this devotion. When he joined the company, Jiang Mo didn’t think twice; Meng Yuansheng just slipped into the role of his assistant, nameless and unnoticed, like a shadow. 

Because of their relationship, Meng Yuansheng kept a low profile. Hardly anyone at Jinyou knew who he was. In the past, he didn’t mind the sacrifices he made for love.

But now, with Gu Xingshi exposing the situation so openly, he realized just how much he had given up for Jiang Mo.

Jiang Mo clenched his teeth in anger.

From his perspective, they were a couple, so Meng Yuansheng taking care of him seemed perfectly natural—plus, he wasn’t stingy with money!

But since their relationship had to stay hidden, he couldn’t explain himself. All he could say was, “This is between us. It’s none of your business.”

“How could it not be?” Gu Xingshi replied sternly. “It’s everyone’s duty to follow the law!”

“According to labor laws, employers must pay wages on time and provide social insurance, or else it’s illegal. Not only illegal—there could also be tax evasion!”

The last part hit Jiang Mo hard.

Since last year, authorities had been cracking down on celebrities caught evading taxes. If he were accused of something like this, his career could be over.

Desperate to protect his future, Jiang Mo forced a smile. “No, no—it was just a joke.”

“A joke?” Gu Xingshi replied mercilessly. “For it to be a joke, both parties have to find it funny. This was slander against my artist’s reputation. Apologize!”

Apologize?!

To apologize publicly to Meng Yuansheng?

Jiang Mo stared at Meng Yuansheng in shock, only to find that his once-ever-forgiving partner was now looking at him coldly, showing no signs of relenting.

Jiang Mo’s face darkened, humiliated under the curious gazes of the surrounding trainees. Since his debut, he had never faced anything like this.

And how did Gu Xingshi even know there was no contract? It could only have come from Meng Yuansheng!

He was furious and stunned. How could Meng Yuansheng turn out this way?

But with Gu Xingshi pressuring him and a growing crowd watching, he feared the consequences of letting this escalate, especially if word got back to his competitors. Finally, he begrudgingly mumbled an apology and left in haste.

As soon as he left, the murmurs grew louder, with many sneaking glances at Gu Xingshi and his group.

Gu Xingshi turned to Meng Yuansheng. “You alright?”

Meng Yuansheng shook his head. “I’m fine.”

Cheng Xin didn’t know about Meng Yuansheng and Jiang Mo’s past, but he could sense his teammate was in low spirits. Quietly, he fished around in his pocket and pulled out a crumpled tissue, offering it to Meng Yuansheng.

Meng Yuansheng: “…”

Seeing his two concerned teammates, he couldn’t help but smile. “I’m really fine.”

The worst was already behind him. Lately, every morning when he opened his eyes, he was ready to dance, feeling fuller and happier than he had in a long time. While there was still some lingering sadness, he had never been one to wallow in self-pity. 

Today’s events only made him see Jiang Mo more clearly as a shallow, insincere person, reminding him to cherish his current life and Gu Xingshi’s support even more.

But Gu Xingshi was frowning deeply.

He hadn’t missed the vicious look in Jiang Mo’s eyes when he’d left. As a mentor, Jiang Mo would certainly make things difficult for Meng Yuansheng during the filming.

Thinking this over, he rarely reached out to the system: [System! Do you have any dirt on Jiang Mo?]

The system instantly perked up: [I sure do!]

Gu Xingshi was intrigued: [Let’s hear it.]

System: [You know Shen Yu, right? The new vocal mentor on [Boy Group Training Camp]?]

Gu Xingshi nodded. Before joining, he had looked up all the mentors, and both Shen Yu and Jiang Mo were new this season.

Shen Yu was a songwriter known for his immense talent; he’d become a sensation soon after debuting. Though he’d debuted a few years before Jiang Mo, the two were on good terms, with Shen Yu publicly expressing his admiration for Jiang Mo’s “writing” several times on social media.

System: [But he doesn’t admire Jiang Mo’s work—he admires the lyrics written by Meng Yuansheng!]

[Shen Yu’s mother came from an esteemed literary family and later married into the Shen family, a major family in Hong Kong. Influenced by his mother, Shen Yu loves traditional Chinese culture and eventually became obsessed with music. He has high standards and rarely admires others’ work, but he adored the few lyrics Meng Yuansheng wrote. Jiang Mo knew Shen Yu’s background, so he lied, claiming the lyrics were his, and used this to get close to Shen Yu.]

[Shen Yu is single-minded and focused on his craft, so he didn’t question it and thought of Jiang Mo as a close friend, even helping him with resources. Without Shen Yu’s support, Jiang Mo couldn’t have risen so fast in the industry.]

Gu Xingshi frowned. Just when he thought Jiang Mo couldn’t sink any lower, he proved he could.

The system continued, [Shen Yu’s been working on a new album for a year, but he hasn’t found any lyricists he’s satisfied with. He agreed to be a mentor on [Boy Group Training Camp] partly to work with Jiang Mo on songwriting and also to commission new lyrics from him.]

But it seemed Shen Yu was in for a disappointment.

Gu Xingshi was deep in thought.

*

Jiang Mo angrily stormed back into the dressing room, still seething over the incident.

How dare they!

Did Meng Yuansheng think he could debut after leaving him? No chance!

But as he prepared to make a call, he hesitated, recalling Director Wu’s warning: “You’ve crossed someone you shouldn’t have.” He had assumed Director Wu meant LeShi Entertainment, but they hardly seemed like a well-connected company with deep resources.

Just then, his manager burst in. “Jiang Mo, I found some information on Le Shi.”

Jiang Mo perked up. “What’s their background?”

The manager looked uncertain. “LeShi was popular a few years ago, and Yan Zhiheng came from there.”

“Yan Zhiheng?” Jiang Mo took a moment to recall who that was, then sneered. “Didn’t he quit the industry ages ago? Has he gone into production? Is he backing LeShi now?”

“No, no,” the manager replied. “Yan Zhiheng withdrew cleanly back then, and he’s been overseas for years. It’s unlikely he’s involved with LeShi now.”

Without any further suspense, the manager shared what he had found. “LeShi has been in decline for years. Most of their artists left, and supposedly, a distant relative of the founder took over. No one in the industry knows him.”

Jiang Mo was incredulous. “So, you’re saying a nearly bankrupt company took one of our spots?”

The manager was equally puzzled. “I don’t understand it either. Maybe LeShi has backing we don’t know about…”

Jiang Mo couldn’t figure it out either and pushed the thought aside. “Let’s set that aside. For now, we can’t let Shen Yu find out Meng Yuansheng wrote those lyrics.”

The manager’s face paled.

How could he have forgotten something so crucial?

Shen Yu was proud and straightforward, disdainful toward those he didn’t respect. His respect for Jiang Mo was solely because of Meng Yuansheng’s lyrics. Without Shen Yu’s help, there was no way Jiang Mo, a newcomer with no background or resources, would have advanced so quickly at Jinyou.

If Shen Yu found out Jiang Mo had been deceiving him, he wouldn’t let it go lightly. The Shen family had a powerful reputation; Shen Yu’s father had ties in both business and less savory circles. Though he’d retired, if someone dared deceive his only son, who knows how he’d retaliate.

The manager was increasingly nervous, even shivering a bit.

He couldn’t help but blame Jiang Mo. “Meng Yuansheng has so much talent, has always loved you, and has been utterly loyal. Anyone else would cherish him, but you pushed him away, and now you’ve even upset his cousin. Well done!”

Jiang Mo was also annoyed.

He’d taken Meng Yuansheng’s presence for granted, but now that he was gone, he regretted it deeply.

But Yuansheng loved him, and he was soft-hearted. If he sincerely apologized and treated him right, he was sure Meng Yuansheng would come back.

Not wanting to hear any more, he cut off the manager. “Enough. I have a plan. Let’s handle Shen Yu first.”

And as if summoned by his name, just then, there was a knock at the door. The manager opened it to find Shen Yu standing outside.

Shen Yu was tall and lean, with striking features that gave him a mixed-race look, yet he also had a scholarly air, giving him a unique charm.

When he saw Jiang Mo, he gave a gentle smile. “Jiang Mo, long time no see.”

Jiang Mo’s expression shifted slightly. “You… how long have you been here?”

Shen Yu frowned briefly but answered, “I just arrived. I heard from the staff that you were already here, so I came by to say hello.”

Jiang Mo scrutinized his expression and, seeing that Shen Yu seemed normal, guessed that he hadn’t overheard the conversation with his manager. Immediately, Jiang Mo’s demeanor shifted, becoming warm and friendly.

Shen Yu found it a bit strange but didn’t overthink it.

Soon, it was almost time to start filming, so the two walked to the set together, chatting as they went.

All the trainees were already seated in the audience area.

Gu Xingshi, as a manager, could only watch his trainees’ performances from backstage.

[Boy Group Training Camp] was undoubtedly the pinnacle of domestic talent shows. The trainees’ performances were impressive, especially those from the top agencies who excelled in both singing and dancing. Some had unique personalities, leaving a lasting impression.

As Gu Xingshi was watching intently, a voice came from beside him: “Those are trainees from Lightwing. The first two have been sent to South Korea for specialized training—they’re quite strong.”

Gu Xingshi turned to see a short, plump man standing beside him, who looked like an over-proofed bun with his white, round face.

Noticing Gu Xingshi’s gaze, he introduced himself with a grin. “I’m Yin Hefeng, a manager from Planet Century.”

In recent days, Gu Xingshi had brushed up on industry knowledge. Among the top agencies for idol management were Jinyou, Lightwing, Luming, and Planet Century.

Jinyou was wealthy, Lightwing had strong ties to South Korea, Luming was a longstanding agency, and Planet Century had recently emerged as a dark horse.

Gu Xingshi’s company was small and unknown, so most managers didn’t bother to talk to him. Surprisingly, though, Yin Hefeng from Planet Century approached him first.

After they exchanged names, Yin Hefeng immediately said with a smile, “I’ve heard so much about you, Mr. Gu from Leshi!”

Gu Xingshi: ?

He couldn’t imagine what there was to be famous about his tiny, struggling company. Maybe this was just adult politeness.

Seeing his calm demeanor, Yin Hefeng’s opinion of him rose even higher.

Planet Century didn’t get along well with Jinyou, so learning that Jinyou had lost two trainee spots was satisfying for him. Still, this sudden emergence of LeShi piqued his curiosity. After all, Planet Century had also suddenly risen to prominence, transforming the Big Three into the Big Four. He worried LeShi might follow their path.

He approached Gu Xingshi to probe him a bit, but the more they talked, the more alarmed he became.

He had assumed Gu Xingshi, being young, would be careless in his speech. Yet throughout their conversation, Gu Xingshi didn’t reveal a single useful piece of information. Occasionally, he even played the novice, asking basic questions with genuine curiosity. Paired with his attractive face, he was disarmingly sincere, leaving no room for suspicion.

A formidable talent!

With his skills and mysterious backing, LeShi had significant potential. If they couldn’t eliminate LeShi as a competitor, they would have to consider an alliance.

Yin Hefeng made up his mind and, with a big smile, said, “Talking with you today has been enlightening, Mr. Gu. I hope our companies will have opportunities to work together in the future.”

Gu Xingshi, who had just gathered some helpful industry knowledge from him, was also quite pleased and replied cheerfully, “Absolutely!”

They exchanged glances, each seeing satisfaction on the other’s face.