Chapter 317: 317: When the Birds Are Gone, the Good Bow is Put Away_1
Chapter 317: Chapter 317: When the Birds Are Gone, the Good Bow is Put Away_1
“Shi Yu, you see, you haven’t been back to the country for a long time, and you’re a bit out of touch with the current information society. There’s no need to go through the trouble of holding a press conference anymore. Time doesn’t permit that. Right now, all I need from you is to post a video on your phone announcing that you will be collaborating deeply with our Xinghai Media, and that alone can help us turn the tide!” Xu Yixue said with a tone of anticipation.
“Just shoot a video, it’s that simple?” Chen Shiyu was still a bit uncertain. After all, the environment abroad was somewhat different from Yan Country. In contemporary Yan Country, the mobile internet was evolving rapidly, and many sensational news items were being spread online.
Stories about which company had issues would blow up on Douyin, and which celebrity had an affair would be exposed on Weibo. These messages didn’t need any press conference at all. Once they hit the trending searches, they spread across the entirety of Yan Country faster than a high-speed train.
“It’s that simple. As long as you can do this, my company can withstand this crisis. Leave the rest to me to handle,” Xu Yixue said, slightly agitated.
“Alright, I will shoot the video right now, but as for the content…”
“I will have the content ready and send it to you shortly. Just follow the script. There’s no rush on the contract. Once the company gets through this tough period, it will only get better. I hope by the time you join us, Xinghai Media will already be the biggest entertainment company in Zhonghai City. Then, it won’t be like a Bodhisattva entering a small temple,” Xu Yixue said with a sigh of relief, jokingly.
“Haha, Yixue, stop making fun of me. I’m just a washed-up artist. Perhaps now any new fresh face or a few thousand-year-old beauty could overshadow me,” Chen Shiyu humbly said.
“Shi Yu, you really don’t need to worry about that. Even though you’ve left the scene, your legacy still remains, and countless people who love you are looking forward to your return. If you don’t believe me, just take a look at your official Tieba. The thread wishing for your comeback has at least 8 million posts, and despite being away from the entertainment circle for five years, this post is still being updated every day.”
“Hearing you say this makes me even more eager to make a comeback…” Chen Shiyu said with a touch of emotion.
“Don’t worry, once we get past this hurdle, we will look for a good opportunity for you to reappear in front of the audience.”
“Ok, then send me the script as soon as possible. I will do my makeup now and prepare to record the video for you.”
“Ok, thank you, Shi Yu!” Xu Yixue expressed her sincere gratitude to Chen Shiyu.,
During Xu Yixue’s time in America, even though she didn’t know many people, those she did know turned out to be very useful. In this crisis, it was still the overseas contacts that provided a turnaround, making Xu Yixue feel that her years abroad were rather fortunate.
After securing Chen Shiyu’s help, Xu Yixue put down her phone and took a relaxed breath.
With Chen Shiyu’s assistance, Xu Yixue was not afraid anymore, even if all of Xinghai Media’s artists were poached away.
Chen Shiyu’s influence and topicality were enough to overshadow these second and third-tier, even eighteenth-tier artists by miles. Even if they left in droves, as soon as Chen Shiyu released the video, acknowledging her intention to make a comeback and join Xinghai Media, any doubts about Xinghai Media would disappear.
Once again, Xu Yixue had managed to defuse another problem using her network of resources. After a brief pause, she used her phone to call Xu Xinxin, the current top artist of Xinghai Media.
Even though Xu Yixue had already secured a deal with Chen Shiyu, Chen was still her trump card, which absolutely could not be revealed to anyone.
Xu Xinxin was a card being played by the backstage manipulator, plotting against Xinghai Entertainment. Xu Yixue felt that Xu Xinxin might not be reliable, but she still needed to make an effort.
However, today, something seemed off. Xu Yixue’s call went unanswered twice, indicating that nobody was picking up.
Despite not having very strict policies, Xinghai Media’s management of artists was relatively humanized, but artists were required to keep their phones on outside of performance times, and even when busy, assistants were expected to answer calls on their behalf.
Yet Xu Yixue was acutely aware that Xu Xinxin had no recent appointments—no filming, no other engagements. Suddenly being unreachable was indeed suspicious.
Is she deliberately avoiding me, or am I wrong?
Xu Yixue thought for a moment, then began dialing the phone number of Xu Xinxin’s agent.
Once again, Xu Yixue was disappointed. After calling twice, Xu Xinxin’s agent’s phone was just like Xu Xinxin’s—completely unreachable.
While it was somewhat understandable that an artist’s phone might be unreachable, the agent being unreachable was a more serious problem.
“Xiao Ning, Xu Xinxin and her agent’s phones are both unreachable. I think they probably can’t be relied upon anymore!” Xu Yixue put down the phone and let out a soft sigh, speaking to Ye Xiaoning.
“Yixue sister, are you saying they’ve had a change of heart and want to leave Xinghai Media to look for better opportunities?” Ye Xiaoning also sensed something amiss and asked Xu Yixue.
“That’s very likely the case. With Heishui Corporation’s investigation into the artists’ contract dispute, it’s very possible that it involves Xu Xinxin. Initially, it was just a speculation, but now, it’s almost a certainty,” Xu Yixue spoke calmly.
It wasn’t the potential breach of contract that troubled her, but the thought of a promising talent like Xu Xinxin choosing to terminate the contract with the company seemed somewhat wasteful.
In this world, there are too many eager to kick you when you’re down, whereas people like Chen Shiyu, who offer help in difficult times, are far too rare.
While Xu Xinxin had potential, she also needed significant resources to develop. Knowing the backstage manipulator’s intent to bring down Xinghai Media, Xu Yixue didn’t even need to think to know that they must have promised Xu Xinxin many benefits.
But as the old saying in Yan Country goes, “When the birds are gone, the bow is put away; when the rabbits are dead, the hounds are cooked.” Right now, Xu Xinxin was merely a bargaining chip for the backstage manipulator to use against Xinghai Media. The promised benefits were mostly airy promises. Once Xinghai Media collapsed, Xu Xinxin would lose her value, and the new company she joined would have countless ways to renege on their earlier promises.