When they left the studio, Zhu Yan received a call from her agent.
"They won't let him go," the agent sounded somewhat angry. "No matter how much I pleaded or reasoned, they wouldn't budge. I've run out of words, and he's completely unresponsive."
"The reason?"
"He said it's his boss's decision. Tian Yue is a subsidiary of Qin Group. I don't know who this boss is. If it's the CEO of Tian Yue, then there's room for negotiation. But if it's an order from Qin Group headquarters, then this matter is likely hopeless. You'll need to find another way."
Zhu Yan's expression turned grim.
"Also, Xiao Mi is already investigating. She'll have results for you by day after tomorrow at the latest."
"Mm, I understand. I'll find a way to handle the contract termination. Starting tomorrow, you're on holiday."
Although the agent was excited about the holiday, she was also worried about Zhu Yan's situation. She offered to postpone her own leave if needed.
Zhu Yan was hoping to resolve this matter before taking Chong Yan away. She decided to use this opportunity to take her holiday, assuring her agent that she could handle it.
"Alright then, I'll just relax. I won't leave the province. Contact me anytime if you need anything."
"Okay, thank you, Sister Lu."
After hanging up, Chong Yan asked with a hint of dejection, "Is it very troublesome?"
"A little," Zhu Yan replied. She felt it was best to resolve this once and for all.
"If it's not possible, don't bother too much. It's not bad for me at Tian Yue. I owe them money, and they still pay me monthly. The treatment is quite good."
This was precisely the strange part.
Even though Chong Yan was "toxic" and couldn't become popular, Tian Yue hadn't made him serve anyone or taken resources from him to give to others. This could be considered Tian Yue being rather conscientious, but even the most conscientious company needs to make a profit.
Chong Yan consistently failed to generate revenue for them, yet they continued to pay his "salary." Even small gains are gains; this was truly unreasonable.
The more Zhu Yan thought about it, the more it felt off. She decided to try and contact the person in charge of Tian Yue that very evening to understand their intentions.
Chong Yan had a tiring day. Zhu Yan cooked a few dishes, and they had a simple meal before heading upstairs to rest.
Chong Yan fell asleep as soon as he got into bed. Zhu Yan, with her laptop, began searching for Tian Yue's current负责人.
Tian Yue was a subsidiary of Qin Group. While it operated independently on a daily basis, many of its operations relied on Qin Group. The CEO of Tian Yue was also a member of the Qin family.
Further investigation revealed that the current chairman of Qin Group was also an acquaintance.
Qin Yue Rong.
He had worked at Future Stars for several years. Later, as Future Stars became increasingly involved with official matters, the Qin family asked him to return to handle family affairs, so he resigned.
Then, he single-handedly grew Qin Group into a large and strong company, transforming Qin Group, which had previously focused most of its attention abroad, into a leading domestic enterprise.
Zhu Yan didn't know if the order came from him or what the person who issued the order was thinking. After some consideration, she decided to ask directly.
If she didn't get a response, she planned to visit them in person the next day.
To her surprise, she received a reply the following day.
Though it was merely a question about her identity and the purpose of her inquiry.
Zhu Yan did not conceal anything.
Soon after, she received a call from the other party.
"Hello."
"Hello, Miss Yao. I am Qin Yue Rong."
Chong Yan was holding his phone, looking at something. Zhu Yan got up and went to the balcony.
"Hello, Mr. Qin. I'm contacting you to inquire about Chong Yan, an artist under your company's subsidiary, Tian Yue Media. Do you know him?"
"Of course," Qin Yue Rong replied. "I was the one who signed him. What do you want to know about him?"
"I want to know why your company is supporting him for free, and why you refuse to agree to the contract termination?"
This was her biggest puzzle.
How could a businessman do something with no profit value?
"Supporting him for free?" Qin Yue Rong sounded amused. "Miss Yao, how do you know he hasn't created value for the company? Moreover, if I recall correctly, you are currently only ambiguous associates. You have no right to inquire about his affairs, do you?"
"We can be any kind of relationship you wish to hear? I don't want my person to be registered under someone else's name. So, Mr. Qin, name your price."
Her tone left Qin Yue Rong somewhat bewildered.
After a moment, he said, "I'm a bit busy right now. If Miss Yao insists on understanding this, come to the company and ask me. The deadline is today."
He hung up the phone afterwards.
Zhu Yan suddenly felt like punching him.
She walked back to the bed. Chong Yan was still staring at his phone.
Zhu Yan leaned over to take a look. A familiar name was prominently displayed on the homepage, highlighted in red.
Further down, there was a wave of even bigger scandals.
The person who used Chong Yan as a foil and acted high and mighty didn't actually have such a strong background. He was merely a manager at Qin Group, distantly related to the Qin family through several connections. With some personal ability, he had climbed so high.
That young star was the manager's male lover in an affair.
Tian Yue Media was a subsidiary of Qin Group, so it wasn't surprising that he could interfere with Tian Yue's affairs.
Unfortunately, he overplayed his hand and got himself trapped.
No one expected that the person behind Chong Yan, this obscure artist who couldn't become popular, would be their company's biggest boss. After receiving Zhu Yan's email last night, Qin Yue Rong had people investigate the matter overnight and discovered it was one of his subordinates who had acted. He then dealt with the person without hesitation.
That manager packed his bags and left. The young star faced backlash again, facing such severe criticism that he would likely never have a chance to recover. Su Dan Novel Network.
Chong Yan looked at her. "Did you do this?"
Zhu Yan shook her head. "Your boss did."
Chong Yan seemed a little surprised. Then, as if remembering something, he became calm again.
"You're not surprised."
"It's not the first time," Chong Yan smiled. "I've always found it strange. Except for this time, they've never given up on me. Back then, the agent asked me to be his foil, and I thought they were finally giving up on me."
In reality, Chong Yan had just switched agents. The new agent was not very familiar with Chong Yan's situation, only knowing that he had signed a twenty-year contract and remained lukewarm. He thought of using him.
He didn't expect this attempt would cause such trouble.
The newly promoted agent was fired immediately and was even ordered by the big boss to be blacklisted in the industry.
He was truly unlucky.
"Do you want to know the answer?"
"You know?"
Zhu Yan looked at him with a smile.
Chong Yan seemed to realize something, his face flushed slightly. He leaned in and kissed her. Zhu Yan pushed him back and kissed him repeatedly.
Chong Yan composed himself and waited for her answer with anticipation.
Zhu Yan smiled happily. "I'll take you to ask today."
Chong Yan: "..."