The Huaying executive instinctively stepped back two paces, staring at him in shock.
If an ordinary agent said something that arrogant and outrageous, they would be mocked out of the industry without a doubt. But Lin Zhu very likely had the capital to back it up.
Huaying’s information network was much stronger than those of the second- and third-rate entertainment companies. Since they had already decided to poach Zhong Yao, naturally they would investigate the manager who guarded him so closely. Lin Zhu hadn’t flaunted his family background when he entered the industry, but he’d never deliberately concealed it either. With just a little digging, they could easily uncover the truth.
On one hand, the Lin family’s influence was not to be underestimated. On the other… this young master, who had once been lost and then found again, who had climbed his way through the cold and warmth of human nature, who had secured countless bids and negotiations on behalf of the family business. He was definitely not someone easy to deal with.
Putting aside whether or not Lin Zhu could ultimately achieve what he claimed, if Lin Zhu really decided to drag Huaying down with him in a mutual destruction scenario, Huaying would not come out unscathed.
“You young people… really dare to think anything.”
The executive’s lips turned pale. He forced out a scoff. “You think something like this is that easy? You think we’ll take a loss just because you say so, you—”
His expression suddenly shifted. He stared intently at the calm, composed Lin Zhu. “What else do you know? How many people from your family are in our company? Has your family already been planning to test the waters in the entertainment industry?!”
Lin Zhu merely smiled without answering. He raised a hand to the people behind him, pushed open the door, and walked out.
The more the executive thought about it, the more uneasy he became. Frightened by scenarios he imagined on his own, cold sweat broke out all over him. He rushed forward and blocked Lin Zhu at the doorway.
The methods used to smear Zhong Yao weren’t anything new. There were only a handful of tricks in the industry, used over and over again. So even when Lin Zhu described the company’s current plan without missing a single detail, he hadn’t thought much of it.
But if Lin Zhu could know even that, then learning more unsavory secrets… secrets they had paid a high price to bury… might not be impossible.
Huaying was capable of gag orders, but every time they enacted one, the cost ran into the millions. That line Lin Zhu said earlier — about “a little loss at a time” — could very well come true.
If the Lin family really intended to pull out the cannons and openly wage war against Huaying…
The more silent Lin Zhu was, the more the executive panicked. He wanted to ask, yet didn’t dare. In moments his forehead was dripping with cold sweat. “What exactly do you want? We’re in the same industry! Show mercy, leave people a way to live—”
His voice choked off. Remembering Lin Zhu’s purpose here, his expression grew even uglier.
“Show mercy, Manager Tang.”
Lin Zhu smiled, taking the document folder the PR staff handed him. “Promise that you’ll never again employ improper methods to smear or obstruct Zhong-laoshi in any way, and our business is settled.”
Lin Zhu said, “I’m not very competitive by nature. I prefer being a manager over running a company. As long as you cooperate, all those things Huaying did—stealing opportunities halfway, making up rumors, the recent reprimand from above for ‘black PR,’ fabricating dirt and extorting hush money…”
As Lin Zhu spoke on, the executive’s complexion worsened word by word. “We can do that. But please also guarantee that Mr. Lin will not spread these matters—”
Before he could finish, Lin Zhu had already pulled a contract from the folder, a guarantee in black and white stating Huaying would no longer negatively impact Zhong Yao’s reputation or career. Lin Zhu laid it flat on the table.
He smiled. “You’ve mixed it up… you’re the ones making the guarantee.”
Lin Zhu said, “When Zhong-laoshi’s doing well, I’ll be in a good mood— and when I’m in a good mood, I won’t feel like talking about any of this.”
By the time Lin Zhu and his team stepped out of Huaying’s meeting room, dusk was just settling in.
“That was amazing, that executive’s face was practically green!”
The publicity staff was too excited to contain herself. She held it in until they got into the elevator, then the smile burst out uncontrollably. “Lin-ge, none of us knew you were this incredible, why didn’t you tell us! If we’d known earlier, we wouldn’t have been so worried…”
The PR manager coughed lightly, trying to hide his grin. “Keep your voice down, we’re still in their building. If you’re not afraid of getting mobbed, then sure, laugh.”
“We came ready to fight anyway, I even brought a baton!”
The publicity staff was overjoyed: “Who could’ve guessed Lin-laoshi had this kind of background? How much would it cost to buy out a collapsed company like Huaying? Enough to keep Zhong-laoshi forever…”
The feeling of leaning on a financial powerhouse was too good. The group got a little carried away, and since no one else was in the elevator, they took turns venting all the pent-up tension from the past days.
“All right, we’ll all go get dinner later.”
Lin Zhu laughed helplessly, exchanged a few casual words with them, then took out his phone and sent Zhong Yao a text:
“Thanks for your hard work these days. Tell me next time if anything happens.”
Zhong Yao couldn’t show up on an occasion like this. Right after they got off the plane, Lin Zhu had his assistant take Zhong Yao home first.
The Huaying matter had been resolved smoothly enough. Everyone on the team had been on edge for days, so they needed a reward no matter what. Lin Zhu booked a private room at an exclusive club. He planned to send his excited, loud teammates there first, then drive over himself to pick up Zhong Yao and bring him by.
Zhong Yao could only stay for one day, every extra minute together counted. Tomorrow Lin Zhu would take him back; after that, Lin Zhu had to meet with the Marenus film crew, which would delay his return by a day or two at least.
Lin Zhu lifted his hand to his lips, brushing them lightly and quickly. His face warmed for no reason.
It had only been a short while, but he already missed Zhong Yao.
He pressed his lips together, maintaining his usual steady, reliable demeanor in front of everyone, suppressing the urge to run to Zhong Yao and report his victory.
The upper management had been fully intimidated, and no one in the lobby dared approach. The team had already mapped out their escape route, and those waiting outside quickly regrouped. They split into three cars, engines roared, and they drove out through Huaying’s front gate.
Joy lifts the spirit; the car was full of lively chatter as they sped toward the club.
On the way, Lin Zhu received several messages from his older brother.
He stared at the screen for a moment, hesitated, then tapped on the unread notification.
With such a big commotion, there was no way his family didn’t know he was back. His parents and older brother were home. Whatever messages they sent… could only be calling him to return.
As expected, the screen jumped. Messages from Lin Song appeared.
Lin Song: [Xiao Zhu, are you home?]
Lin Song: [Are you feeling unwell anywhere?]
Lin Song: [I already argued with Mom and Dad. They worry too much… Don’t overthink. If you don’t want to see them or talk to them, I’ll bring you straight upstairs to your room. Gege will stay with you, talk with you, play games— how about it?]
Lin Zhu pressed his lips together, sent several replies, and explained he had things to do tonight and might not come home.
His heart beat a little faster. He pressed a hand over his left chest, soothing the rhythm.
Some things had to be faced sooner or later. But he really wasn’t ready yet.
He had finally managed to make himself a little happy again, and Zhong Yao was leaving tomorrow. At least let him see Zhong Yao off before going back…
Lin Zhu leaned against the seat, clearing his mind and relaxing.
“Lin-ge, should we keep an extra eye on things these days?”
The PR manager leaned close, lowering his voice, “Huaying always retaliates. After swallowing such a huge silent loss this time, there’s no way they won’t try to make trouble. They may not go after Zhong-laoshi directly, but they could send small fry to stir things up. And if they refuse to admit anything, we might not catch evidence…”
With Zhong Yao not around, Lin Zhu was glad to talk shop. He opened his eyes and smiled. “That was the plan, to lure them out.”
The PR manager froze.
“If they really don’t know their place, I’ll go back and open a company, wear them down little by little, and swallow them up. It wouldn’t be too hard.”
Lin Zhu’s expression was calm, but his words couldn’t hide their quiet arrogance. “But that would take too long. Three golden years of Zhong-laoshi have already been wasted. We can’t drag through another two or three years… That is completely unreasonable… so both they and I know that as long as nothing unmanageable happens, I won’t be withdrawing from the industry.”
The PR manager: “…”
The PR manager wasn’t quite used to the thought process of people who were both wealthy and capable. He replied dully, playing along, “Yes, completely unreasonable.”
“So scaring them for the moment isn’t a problem. But once they come to their senses, they’ll definitely start scheming again.”
Lin Zhu had already planned ahead; he slowly explained, “Since conflict is inevitable sooner or later, we might as well give them a chance, make them think I’m young and easy to fool, that they can jump around…”
Streetlights streaked past outside the windows. The car felt a bit stuffy; Lin Zhu cracked the window open, and cold wind rushed in at once.
“Lin-laoshi, are you carsick?”
The driver up front was newly hired and nervous. He rushed to explain, “You just took a plane and now a car. I heard the set is far from the airport too, must’ve been exhausting… and this road is still jammed. But we’re almost there!”
“No worries.”
Lin Zhu smiled, zipped up his jacket, turned up the collar, and continued explaining to the PR manager, “Since I revealed my cards today, they know where my bottom line lies. They won’t dare push too far. They’ll only try little things on the edge, ways to probe.”
The PR manager thought about it, then understood. “Like… stuff that affects Zhong-laoshi a bit, annoys us, makes us uncomfortable, but is easy to clarify?”
Lin Zhu nodded. “Boiling the frog slowly.”
The club wasn’t far from Huaying, and the cars pulled into the parking lot one after another. Most of the team were young people, robust and energetic. After a day like this, they didn’t feel tired at all. Overflowing energy with nowhere to go, they noisily headed into the club.
Lin Zhu gathered his things and got out of the car. “If we clarify every time, don’t take it too seriously, they’ll just keep adding more fuel—”
The PR manager: “And when we think the timing’s right, we make a big scene to set an example?”
His eyes lit up. “I love that kind of counterattack! When do we start flipping the table? How many jumps do we let them make? I’ll get people ready as soon as we’re back!”
“How many? Not even once.”
Lin Zhu didn’t hold back at all tonight; all his pent-up frustration had been unloaded onto Huaying, and the sharpness he’d kept hidden now shone freely. “If they dare turn up the heat even once, I’ll spill the whole pot. Just talking tough isn’t satisfying… only pain teaches—”
Lin Zhu finished softly, “Teaches a lesson…”
His heart sped up slightly; all traces of menace vanished in an instant. Looking at the person standing outside the car, he couldn’t help but smile.
The PR manager, fired up and focused, watched in disbelief as Lin Zhu’s fierce aura just poof evaporated. The man turned gentle again. Instinctively, the PR manager turned to look back, and found himself staring right at Zhong Yao, who had apparently been standing in the cold for quite some time.
The PR manager’s eyes hurt. He rubbed his temples, then quickly slipped into the club without another word.
