Caught in Affairs with Superstar
Chapter 66: The Beginning of the Scandal

Chapter 66: Chapter 66: The Beginning of the Scandal

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you last week, but I was too busy, and I didn’t manage to find the time."

He Yong didn’t bring up the current widely-discussed scandal, and casually sat down on the single-seater sofa beside him, looked up at Zhou Lan after speaking, and said, "You should first ask Hong Chen how the communication with Song Chi is going."

Zhou Lan nodded, her eyes pausing slightly on Zhou Yun, then turned and walked out of the office.

Leaving only He Yong and Zhou Yun alone.

Zhou Yun didn’t know what He Yong wanted to discuss, but based on previous interactions, she knew He Yong’s attitude towards her wasn’t positive.

Was he going to directly tell her she was banned, or continue to threaten and tempt her to obediently follow the company’s arrangements?

He Yong spread his hands, somewhat helplessly, and asked, "You seem very guarded against me?"

"Where can that be, President He," Zhou Yun directly denied with a forced smile.

He Yong smiled slightly and asked, "Did Zhou Lan tell you something?"

"She told me that she resigned from the company and no longer wants to be my agent."

It seemed like He Yong had just remembered, "Oh, that’s right."

"Do you want to change agents?" He Yong asked.

Zhou Yun didn’t respond.

He Yong said, "You are indeed entering a new stage now, having a more experienced agent could indeed be more beneficial for your development."

Zhou Yun said, "President He, whether I’m entering a new stage or not, time will tell. But the conflict between Sister Lan and me can’t be resolved just by changing agents."

He Yong raised his eyebrows and said, "A conflict? What conflict, tell me about it."

Zhou Yun laughed.

She said, "President He, don’t pretend to be uninformed."

He Yong looked at Zhou Yun in surprise.

Zhou Yun said, "But I’m glad you’re willing to have an honest talk with me, I’ve actually been wanting to have a serious conversation with you."

"Tell me what you want to say," He Yong nodded.

"What did you see in me when you signed me?" Zhou Yun pointed at her face, "Is it because I’m good-looking?"

He Yong did not deny, "That’s part of the reason."

"Then does the company want to groom me into a mere vase, or something else?" Zhou Yun asked.

He Yong was silent for a moment before starting to speak.

Zhou Yun shook her head, showing resignation, "You’re somewhat troubled, aren’t you? There are people in the company who don’t like me and don’t want to see me succeed, which is why they are trying to prevent me from receiving the company’s full support from the start."

"Not really troubled," He Yong asked, "Did Zhou Lan tell you this?"

"She only tries to stabilize morale; how would she incite conflict between me and the company?" Zhou Yun shook her head, "But it’s also not hard for me to know, I’m not a pampered Princess, without my family building a fairy tale castle around me to shield me from the real world."

"You... Actually, the company has always had high hopes for you. If it weren’t for your sudden rise in popularity recently, the company would have started to promote you next year. The conditions are favorable for you; becoming famous too early isn’t necessarily a good thing, early fame can easily be short-lived, I hope you would hone yourself for another two years. Like just now, having too much sharpness isn’t good, it makes it easy to offend people. The entertainment industry is complex, and people can be tricky with a lot of behind-the-scenes manipulation. You are too proud, and the prouder the person, the easier it is to be suppressed."

"Is that so?" Zhou Yun looked down and chuckled.

He Yong twisted the ring on his ring finger, saying, "You might not believe—"

"I find it hard to believe. If as you said, the company has high hopes for me, then why did you let me take on that beauty instrument advertisement?"

"So, you’re still bothered by that."

"That issue hasn’t been resolved, right?"

"I’ve already declined them," He Yong said, "It’s resolved."

Zhou Yun was stunned.

This was an unexpected response.

"If you really don’t want to take this endorsement, I’ll reject it," He Yong said, "At first, I wanted you to take it because it offered a high endorsement fee. By doing so, you could make money, and setting a reference for endorsement fees for other products in the future, helping you to negotiate higher fees. The quality is not a problem; all quality control procedures are complete. The only drawback is that the brand is new and not very well-known yet. But frankly, those well-known brands are more inclined to favor real top-tier artists."

"If you’ve already declined it, then why is Sister Lan still so troubled?" Zhou Yun frowned and pressed.

"Is that so?" He Yong spread his hands, "I’m not aware of that."

"But—" He Yong leant forward halfway, with a sincere expression, "You’ve been signed with the company for over a year. If the company needed to make quick money using you guys, streaming sales live, or working continuously, there are plenty of ways to do it, there’s no need to linger on a single product endorsement for so long. Of course, about the beauty instrument endorsement, I did push her a few times because she only told me you were considering it, you didn’t say no, either to accept or reject, for me it doesn’t really matter either way, I just don’t like delaying without giving me a decision."

"That so?" Zhou Yun’s expression showed a bit of bewilderment.

"Enjoying acting is a good thing; I’m most afraid of artists who lack ambition," He Yong said, "Although ’Eighth Heartbeat’ is just a very typical sweet romance drama, it’s your gateway to cooperating with Yuehai Network. As long as the cooperation goes well, and the outcomes are favorable, Yuehai’s original and tailor-made dramas will definitely prioritize considering you."

"President He."

Zhou Yun called out.

"Speak," He Yong’s gaze subtly conveyed encouragement.

Zhou Yun raised her head, smiled shyly, and hesitantly asked, "You don’t really think that I’m actually in a relationship with Song Chi, do you?"