Chapter 65: The Olive Branch from Tiandu Entertainment

Long Ling'er watched as Su Bai, not far away, continued talking with the organizers and never once came over. Somewhat speechless, she remarked, "Su Bai is really something. He said he'd dedicate a song to you, but now that he's finished, he’s ignoring you."

"Isn't this just flirting and then running away?"

At first, Long Ling'er had been quite curious about Su Bai. But after waiting for an hour without him making any effort to approach them, she thought, you can't expect a girl to go up and talk to you, can you?

Long Ling'er didn't particularly mind; she was just convinced that Su Bai wasn’t here for her. To approach him first would seem rather out of place.

Yang Mengke simply smiled without saying anything.

Meanwhile, Su Bai himself faced President Mei with a somewhat odd expression. Just moments ago, President Mei of Tiandu Entertainment had proposed investing in Su Bai’s Tiancheng Entertainment.

"I believe I don’t need to go into detail about the resources Tiandu Entertainment offers, Mr. Su—you should already be aware," she said. "What I can promise you is that any artist under a company invested in by Tiandu Entertainment will enjoy the same treatment as our own artists."

"Especially you, Mr. Su. We’re prepared to offer you the same level of resources as Hua Xingyu."

"National concert tours, a performance at our Apple TV New Year’s Eve Gala, and participation in our Apple TV variety shows—all of these would be available to you."

"Moreover, you’d have the chance for dream collaborations with our roster of singers at Tiandu Entertainment!"

"This would certainly help boost your fame, Mr. Su."

For a moment, Su Bai didn’t know how to respond to President Mei’s offer. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t tempted by Tiandu Entertainment’s resources. But he also knew that joining them would mean accepting many constraints. In the short term, the benefits outweighed the drawbacks, but in the long run, it would be the opposite. At this point, Su Bai had no intention of joining any company.

He glanced around at the passing crowd, then said to President Mei, "President Mei, could we find a private room to talk?"

At this, President Mei’s eyes lit up with excitement. "Of course, of course! Please, come with me!"

Hua Xingyu, watching his CEO Mei Ruoyan lead Su Bai into a private room, suddenly looked rather grim. He’d thought Su Bai was only here to receive a token olive branch—a chance to get acquainted. But seeing how things were progressing, this was clearly much more than just a familiarization.

Could it be they actually wanted to bring Su Bai into their fold? The thought made Hua Xingyu’s face darken all the more.

He was currently the number one male singer in the company, with the most resources at his disposal. If Su Bai joined, even if his top spot wasn’t immediately threatened, his resources certainly would be.

Once seated, Su Bai spoke frankly: "President Mei, I wonder if you’ve noticed the recent scandals about me that have blown up online?"

President Mei was momentarily taken aback, but then nodded. Su Bai’s meteoric rise in popularity was inextricably linked to the series of controversies that had made him a constant presence among the top trending topics. It was always those embroiled in the most heated debates who drew the most attention.

But it was a matter of striking the right balance. Some stars deliberately cooked up scandals for fame but ended up ruining themselves. Su Bai, however, managed to counter every negative revelation with a timely positive clarification, and this constant back-and-forth had only fueled his popularity.

When the national broadcaster stepped in to clarify, it cemented Su Bai’s status and elevated him even further. Tiandu Entertainment had been watching carefully, waiting to see if Su Bai would soar to new heights or burn out like a shooting star—just another flash-in-the-pan internet celebrity. But the official endorsement from the Palace Museum’s cultural campaign made them resolve to sign him as quickly as possible, or even acquire shares in Su Bai’s company.

Su Bai continued, "The person behind all those underhanded moves is from Huisi Capital. Even the people responsible for the recent kidnapping were from Huisi Capital."

"I won’t hide it from you—I already have preliminary evidence of Huisi Capital’s actions against me."

"I’ve also handed it over to the relevant authorities."

"They’re preparing to take action soon."

"I’m truly tempted by your sincere invitation, President Mei, but I’m concerned that if things escalate into an all-out conflict, your company might get dragged into it."

Hearing this, Mei Ruoyan’s heart skipped a beat. She knew better than Su Bai just how formidable Huisi Capital was. If they really ended up in a feud because of Su Bai, it could spell disaster.

Tiandu Entertainment didn’t fear Liu Siyan of Huisi Capital, but those backing her were not people even Mei Ruoyan dared to provoke, despite her support from Apple TV.

By this point, Mei Ruoyan was already having second thoughts. What a pity to lose such exceptional talent.

She kindly advised, "Mr. Su, can’t you reach a settlement? Huisi Capital is not to be trifled with. If your evidence isn’t ironclad, they might turn the tables on you."

Su Bai smiled at her concern. "President Mei, even if I wanted to settle, do you think they’d agree, after everything they’ve already done?"

"Besides, with all that’s come out online, do you think a settlement is still possible?"

Mei Ruoyan was at a loss for words. Indeed, even if Su Bai didn’t fight back, the other side would only press harder. The internet narrative had already cast Su Bai and Xu Mingkun as adversaries. And since Xu Mingkun was Huisi Capital’s golden goose, with massive investments behind him, they would never give him up easily.

She shook her head, thinking privately that Huisi Capital had made a disastrous move this time.

Having realized this, she looked at Su Bai with a hint of sympathy. Once Su Bai openly clashed with Huisi Capital, most entertainment companies would no longer dare offer him a hand. He might even face a de facto industry blacklist.

Seeing that President Mei was ready to withdraw, Su Bai smiled, "Let’s wait until I’ve resolved this matter before discussing any cooperation with your company."

"I truly hope to work with you, but given the current situation, I had to let you know."

Mei Ruoyan could only shrug regretfully. "What a shame. We’ll have to wait for another opportunity, then."

At the same time, her opinion of Su Bai rose even higher. She thought he was someone worth dealing with. Most people, in his position, would have leapt at the chance to ally with Tiandu Entertainment, hoping to use their strength against Huisi Capital. But Su Bai had chosen to be upfront about everything, which left Mei Ruoyan feeling a genuine sense of gratitude.