Chapter 29: The Storm Stirred by Garen!

“Hmph! What a nobody!”

Shi Li glared at the online news about Gallen, so furious that she hurled her tablet onto the floor. She had never taken Gallen seriously—her real animosity was reserved for Liu Xiahui, and Gallen was merely a coincidental factor. But now, thanks to Yida’s relentless hype and promotion, the internet was awash with news about Gallen. How could Shi Li possibly stay calm?

Especially infuriating were the latest headlines: Gallen saving lives with original songs, composing music on the spot, singing in praise of the nation… Each one made Shi Li grind her teeth in frustration. If Gallen had signed with Starstone back then, all these songs would have belonged to her. With all the fresh faces and seasoned male artists Starstone had recently signed, there would be no worries about new material for a long time.

“Sis! Why are you angry again?”

At that moment, a well-built young man appeared behind Shi Li, his chiseled abs and V-line visible. He picked up the tablet from the floor and gently wrapped his arms around her.

Shi Li shuddered all over, her body suddenly going limp as she leaned into his embrace and complained, “It’s all because of that Gallen guy! He refused to sign with our company, and now we’ve lost so much because of it!”

“Oh? Who’s Gallen? Is he a celebrity? Why haven’t I heard of him?” the man asked, puzzled.

“Here!” Shi Li unlocked the tablet and pointed at the latest news about Gallen. “This guy—just a rookie who’s barely debuted.”

“A rookie?”

The man frowned, glanced through Gallen’s profile, and scoffed. “Is this really something worth getting upset about?”

“Something small?” Shi Li stomped her foot, rubbing her hips suggestively against the man’s masculine presence. “If it makes me angry, it’s definitely not a small thing!”

He chuckled. “Sis, don’t be mad! How about this—I’ll take care of him for you.”

“You?”

Shi Li turned to look at him. “You’re just a fitness coach. What can you do to him?”

“Trust me, sis. If I say I’ll sort him out, you can be sure there will be no problem. I’ll bring him down so hard, he’ll never dare show his face in the entertainment industry again!”

“Really?” Shi Li’s mood brightened. “Tell me, what exactly do you plan to do?”

“Sis, ruining a male celebrity comes down to two things: either discredit his talent or stir up scandals about him—doesn’t matter if it’s about same-sex or opposite-sex relationships, the messier the better. And if we can pin some criminal allegations on him, that would be perfect.”

As he said this, the man mimed snorting something up his nose, and Shi Li instantly understood.

“Ha! Zhuo Wei, you’re something else!”

Shi Li threw her arms around Zhuo Wei’s neck and planted a fierce kiss on his cheek. “Go ahead and do your thing! If you succeed, I’ll pay you two million… no, three million as a reward!”

“Thank you, sis!”

Zhuo Wei’s eyes flashed, then he added with a sly grin, “Sis, I’ll need some funds to make this happen. Can you advance me some expenses? You can deduct it from my reward later.”

“Oh, what’s the point in deducting? Just tell me how much you need. I’ll cover your expenses separately,” Shi Li replied generously.

Zhuo Wei pondered, then named a steep price. “At least a million. I need to get close to him, and if I’m taking photos, I’ll need good equipment. If there’s enough, I could even get a camcorder—video evidence is the most effective.”

To his surprise, Shi Li didn’t hesitate at all. “Fine! No problem. I’ll give you one and a half million. Just make sure you do this beautifully—understand?”

“Heh heh! Got it, sis!” Zhuo Wei’s face lit up with delight.

Half an hour later, Zhuo Wei dressed himself neatly, glanced at Shi Li limp on the bed, let out a sinister chuckle, picked up the check for one and a half million from the table, and left the villa.

Once outside, he slipped into his car and made a call. When the line connected, Zhuo Wei said gleefully, “Honey! I just landed a major job. Get yourself cleaned up and wait for me at home tonight—and help me look up everything you can about Gallen!”

“Gallen? Who’s that?” came a flamboyantly effeminate male voice on the other end.

“Just look him up online! And, by the way, let Rao Xiaoli know—she’s coming with us this time.”

After a few more words, Zhuo Wei hung up, started the car, and drove off in high spirits.

At the same time, in Beijing at Happy Music.

Wang Yang walked into the company with a dark expression and headed straight for the agent’s office. Both employees and artists in the company were startled at his appearance.

“Isn’t that Wang Yang? Why is he back?”

“Yeah, didn’t he go to a performance with Cai Yuehua? Did something happen?”

“No idea. He doesn’t look too happy, though.”

“Heh, with his temper, he’s always causing trouble. Thinks he’s a superstar before he’s even debuted. Who knows what happened this time?”

“Really? But I heard from someone in production that his new album ran into problems. Maybe that’s why!”

“Who knows…”

“Shh, quiet—he’s coming out…”

Amid the murmurs, Wang Yang’s agent, He Jun, led him out and took the elevator upstairs, heading straight to the Director of Artists’ office.

Ten minutes later, the furious voice of the Director could be heard from within, “Wang Yang, just how many times have you screwed up performances? Do you know how hard it is for the company to get you these opportunities? What happened this time? Why did they send you back?”

A crowd of employees gathered at the door.

“What’s going on?”

“Shh! Keep your voice down. Let’s just listen.”

“Did Wang Yang get into trouble again?”

Just then, the Deputy Director of the Artists’ Department stepped out of the elevator, frowned at the scene, and barked, “What are you all doing here? Don’t you have work to do? Get back to it!”

At his reprimand, the onlookers scattered. He surveyed the area, then walked into the Director’s office.

“What’s the matter here?” he asked, positioning himself beside the Director as if forming a united front against Wang Yang and He Jun.

Wang Yang looked dejected, head bowed and silent, as if resigned to whatever punishment awaited him.

With no other choice, He Jun spoke up for him. “He told me that Old Cai sent him back, but he won’t say exactly what happened. Honestly, I don’t even know what happened on Cai’s end.”

“Did you try calling Cai?” the Director pressed.

He Jun nodded. “I did, but I couldn’t get through.”

“Useless! Not a single one of you is reliable!” The Director berated them, then grabbed his phone and dialed Cai Yuehua’s number.

It rang several times without answer. The Director put the phone down and said to Wang Yang, “Are you going to tell me yourself, or should I ask Old Cai directly what happened?”

Although Wang Yang had a nasty temper, he was Happy Music’s chosen up-and-coming star—the company’s big bet for the year. Not only was he good-looking, but he was also a talented singer and dancer, with a solid fanbase even before his official debut.

This wasn’t his first falling out with event organizers; usually, it was because they asked him to do things he refused, and he left in protest—hardly his fault. Despite souring several business relationships, fans admired his principled stance, which was why the company still treated him well.

Normally, even with Wang Yang’s antics, neither Director would punish him too harshly. But today, his attitude was completely different. In the past, he would always admit his mistakes openly, but now, no matter what they asked, he said nothing and seemed to be holding back some private grudge.

As everyone waited for Wang Yang to speak, the Director’s phone rang on the desk.

He glanced at it—it was a return call from Cai Yuehua.

The Director quickly answered, his tone jovial. “Hello, Old Cai! Go ahead, I’m listening.”

As he listened to Cai’s complaints, the Director’s face morphed from a polite smile to icy coldness, finally twisting in anger. He hung up abruptly and slammed the phone on the table. “Damn it! What the hell is this?”

“What happened?” the Deputy Director and He Jun asked in unison.

The Director looked at Wang Yang. “Alright, just take some time off. Don’t cause any trouble for now. Don’t worry about performances, and hold off on the album too. We’ll wait until the higher-ups have a meeting and decide.”

Wang Yang shrugged indifferently, nodded, and left.

He Jun, however, caught the subtext—this might mean a ban. An artist who’s not even debuted yet already facing a ban—just what on earth happened?

Seeing their expectant expressions, the Director finally recounted what Cai Yuehua had told him, especially emphasizing the oddity that was Gallen.

After listening, He Jun said, “I don’t think Wang Yang’s at fault. It’s all that Gallen, trying to show off! I saw his news online today too. Yida’s publicity game is stronger than ever—trying to climb to the top by stepping on us.”

“Climb to the top? Wang Yang hasn’t even debuted, he’s not as famous as Gallen. Besides, we have plenty of business dealings with Yida. Whether they pursue this or not, we can’t send Wang Yang to any more of Old Cai’s events—he almost ruined everything.”

The Director shook his head and sighed. “Forget it, there’s no point arguing over right and wrong. I’ll call a meeting with the higher-ups later and we’ll discuss the next steps.”

…

All in one day, the storms stirred up by Gallen were far from over.

But Gallen himself knew nothing of it. He had just landed in the Magic City, preparing for the next day’s performance. Since he was now in Shanghai, should he dedicate a song to this city as well?

As he mulled it over, he opened his laptop and searched for a while. Because his new computer held few tracks from the other world—most were still on his hard drives—he couldn’t find any suitable songs. Besides, after releasing two new songs in quick succession, the audience might need time to digest. He decided to forgo debuting new music for now and instead stick to performing the familiar ones, playing it safe.