Chapter 138: The Tiancheng Entertainment Trust Crisis

Zhou Yanfeng said with a hint of excitement, "I know how you can get rid of Zhao Hongbing!"

Xu Xiaolu was completely bewildered. What did Hua Xingyu coming after her have to do with getting rid of Zhao Hongbing?

"If I recall correctly, Tian Du Entertainment has a powerful background, right?"

Xu Xiaolu nodded. It was true; otherwise, Tian Cheng Entertainment wouldn't have been flourishing so much in recent years.

"You should tell Hua Xingyu that you were forced into this—that Zhao Hongbing coerced you into doing it."

"But don't be too blunt; be subtle. Otherwise, Zhao Hongbing might get desperate and throw you under the bus as a scapegoat."

"It's best to explain it to Hua Xingyu in person; there are too many security risks over the phone."

"Once you do that, as long as Hua Du Entertainment starts clashing with Zhao Hongbing because of you, Zhao Hongbing will be afraid of bringing trouble upon himself and will completely cut ties with you."

"That way, you can finally escape this sea of misery."

"However, you can't completely alienate Zhao Hongbing either, or the two of us won't be able to withstand the wrath of Hua Du Entertainment."

"Therefore, we must strike a delicate balance. We need Hua Du Entertainment to hurt Zhao Hongbing enough to make him impatient, but we cannot let Zhao Hongbing think you are a nuisance right from the start and discard you immediately."

"If he discards you at the very beginning, Hua Du Entertainment will vent all its fury directly on you."

"So, you must control this degree of intensity very carefully."

Xu Xiaolu frowned, feeling uneasy. It sounded like a viable plan, but how was she supposed to control that balance? One wrong step, and she might fall into an bottomless abyss. Dancing in front of two death gods required immense courage.

But thinking of her current predicament, she realized that if things dragged on like this, she wouldn't have a good ending. Finally, she nodded helplessly.

Under Zhou Yanfeng's instruction, Xu Xiaolu picked up the call from Hua Xingyu.

"Hello? Brother Yu?"

As soon as she spoke, Hua Xingyu erupted on the other end.

"Are you f***ing crazy, Xu Xiaolu? If you want to get famous, why drag our Hua Du Entertainment into it?"

"Do you have any idea that you're playing with fire?"

"Don't come crying when you don't even know how you died!"

Xu Xiaolu didn't say a word; she just started sobbing into the phone. The sound alone was enough to make anyone feel she was pitiful.

Hua Xingyu was in no mood to listen to her cry. "Are you f***ing kidding me, you have the nerve to cry?"

"You started this fire, and now you have the nerve to cry?"

"Who you resent or who you want to ruin is your business, but don't you dare drag me into it!"

Hua Xingyu kept cursing on the other end, while Xu Xiaolu continued to sob. Eventually, perhaps because he was tired of yelling, Hua Xingyu stopped, and the phone fell silent.

Only then did Xu Xiaolu say in a weak voice, "Brother Yu, I was forced into this. I never wanted to betray you..."

"If you feel like you have anger bottled up inside, take it out on me."

"My life is yours to take!"

"Anyway, there's no point in living anymore..."

Hearing this, Hua Xingyu's heart skipped a beat. Was Xu Xiaolu planning to commit suicide?

"No, Xiaolu, don't be impulsive."

"What's wrong? Is there something you're not telling me?"

"Tell me, we'll think of a way together. Don't do anything foolish!"

Xu Xiaolu kept choking back sobs on the phone, until she could barely speak.

"Brother Yu, I've already made one mistake. Whatever consequences come from this, let me bear them alone!"

"Don't come looking for me anymore!"

"If there is a next life, I will definitely be a gentle woman!"

"Goodbye, Brother Yu..."

Beep... beep... beep...

Hua Xingyu stared at the disconnected call, completely stunned. What was going on? What exactly had happened? The questions raced through his mind, but he could find no answers.

Did Xu Xiaolu really have some unspeakable hardship? Was someone forcing her to do this? If so, there might be a turning point. As long as he could dig out the person pressuring her, he could immediately turn the situation around, and then the narrative would be back in his control. After all, he was the victim.

With this in mind, Hua Xingyu packed his things and headed to Yanjing with his agent.

Meanwhile, inside Tian Cheng Entertainment, a crisis of trust was unfolding.

The new artists who had joined specifically because of Su Bai were now causing a scene.

"Director Song, you can't be this disloyal. We came here because of Su Bai, but that was all based on the premise that Su Bai is an artist of integrity!"

"And now? Not only has Su Bai left Tian Cheng Entertainment, but with the news breaking online, we’re starting to doubt if Tian Cheng is even a qualified media company. Is there any value in us staying here at all?"

"So, for everyone's sake, please terminate our contracts!"

"That's right! You never told us that Su Bai would be leaving Tian Cheng!"

"If you had told us before we came that this was just a brand-new company with no artists, we never would have signed!"

"Aren't you setting a trap for us?"

"You tricked us into signing, and the moment the ink was dry, Su Bai left. You're just shuffling things from your left hand to your right, but what about us?"

"I think Tian Cheng is at such a critical moment right now that you wouldn't want our leaks to make things even worse for you, right?"

"So, let's just terminate the contracts. It's better for everyone!"

Song Liang was trembling with rage. When they first arrived, they were practically begging him to sign them, but now that the company was in trouble, they were all running faster than anyone. If they had just asked nicely, Song Liang might have been willing to negotiate. After all, Su Bai's departure was an accident—an unexpected turn that even Song Liang hadn't foreseen. But now, they were actually threatening the company?

Song Liang's mood plummeted, and he was just about to tell them they would do things strictly by the book when Su Bai walked into the room and waved his hand.

"Anyone who wants to terminate their contract, come over and sign," Su Bai said.

The new hires, who had been clamoring for termination, suddenly hesitated when they saw Su Bai. They looked at each other, unsure of what to do. It was true that they admired Su Bai, but they couldn't ruin their own futures just because they liked an idol.

"I only have half an hour. Anyone who wants to terminate, come and sign now."

"After half an hour, if you still want to leave, we'll go through legal channels."

Su Bai's face was expressionless, his voice devoid of any emotion.

Finally, the first person stepped forward and signed their name. Once the first person broke the ice, the others followed suit one after another. After all, they knew that if they went through legal channels, they would likely be saddled with massive breach-of-contract penalties. They didn't want to gamble with their futures.