Boss, He Is Chasing Stars Again Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Producer Li was surprised to see Qi Xinci at the dinner party and made a few cold, sarcastic remarks toward him.

Director Qi didn’t engage, pretending not to hear, and instead said, “Oh, this is a nice place to eat. I haven’t been here before. I want to try their signature dishes, Producer Li, what do you think…”

To save face, Producer Li had chosen an expensive venue, and he certainly didn’t want to treat Director Qi to such fine dining. But with the rest of the production team watching, he couldn’t afford to lose face. He forced a smile and said to Director Qi, “What are you talking about? It’s just a meal. It’s not like I can’t afford it.”

Director Qi acted as if he didn’t understand and ordered several signature dishes. Producer Li winced internally at the prices of those dishes but, constrained by the presence of others, he had no choice but to swallow the hidden loss.

Director Qi was doing this on purpose, all because Producer Li had tried to ruin the show he had meticulously organized.

The two looked at each other, their inner thoughts surprisingly aligned: Eat up. Let’s see if you can still smile after this meal!

Assistant Yu took Jian Xingzhi’s instructions seriously. Immediately after returning from his business trip, he met with Director Qi and conveyed Jian Xingzhi’s requirements: “CEO Jian’s request is simple. Chengtian can increase investment, but no content related to Tan Bin should appear in the program. If Muyuan Dairy has objections, we can step in to negotiate.”

Although Jian Xingzhi hadn’t come in person, Director Qi didn’t dare to be careless with Assistant Yu. He politely asked, “That’s easy to say. I can talk to Muyuan Dairy first. I just wonder how much more CEO Jian can invest in the program. That way, I’ll have a better idea when I talk to them. I don’t mean anything else by asking.”

Assistant Yu smiled and said, “CEO Jian is very optimistic about the Starlight Training Camp program, and of course, we have great faith in your abilities, Director Qi. However, since Muyuan Dairy is the largest sponsor this time, CEO Jian doesn’t want to make things too difficult. As long as the production team agrees to CEO Jian’s request, as for the investment amount…”

Assistant Yu took out a proposal and handed it to Director Qi, gesturing for him to open it. “CEO Jian doesn’t mind becoming the second-largest sponsor of Starlight Training Camp.”

Director Qi opened the proposal, and upon seeing the string of numbers, he immediately closed the folder. When he looked up again, he was beaming at Assistant Yu. “Oh, it’s truly Starlight Training Camp’s honor that CEO Jian thinks so highly of this program. Assistant Yu, please rest assured, I will certainly handle everything CEO Jian has requested and ensure he is satisfied.”

Director Qi suddenly remembered something and lowered his voice to ask Assistant Yu, “I wonder if you could perhaps give me a hint, Assistant Yu? Since CEO Jian values this program so much, is he perhaps interested in one of our contestants… If you could just give me a hint, we could make things easier on our end.”

Normally, Director Qi disliked under-the-table dealings, but since CEO Jian was solving such a big problem for him, he didn’t mind giving a little help to the person CEO Jian favored during filming.

Assistant Yu didn’t follow celebrities, so he frowned in thought before realizing what Director Qi meant. He immediately put on a cold expression and said, “CEO Jian is simply optimistic about the project; he has no other intentions. Please do not misinterpret CEO Jian, Director Qi.”

What did Qi Xinci take CEO Jian for? Was CEO Jian the type of person who would pursue small celebrities and engage in illicit dealings?

At most, CEO Jian was just trying to keep up with his younger sister at home and occasionally learn about celebrity culture, but there was no need to tell Director Qi that, as it was CEO Jian’s private matter.

Director Qi apologized profusely. Assistant Yu shook his head, said nothing more, and left after finalizing the agreement with Director Qi.

As soon as Assistant Yu left the conference room, Director Qi immediately hugged the proposal and reread it. With this proposal, he wondered what Producer Li could possibly do to fight him!

Xiang Hanyu sat in the car, saying impatiently, “What’s going on with that Shi Xingze? His name is all over the trending searches!”

Xiang Hanyu was not a newcomer; he had joined Starlight Training Camp aiming for a debut spot. He hadn’t expected all the buzz to be stolen by an unknown rookie, even if it was negative trending topics.

In the entertainment industry, it was better to be infamous than to be completely unknown, especially since Xiang Hanyu had invested a lot into this season of Starlight Training Camp.

His manager advised Xiang Hanyu, “He’s just a rookie. Why are you competing with him? Based on his votes, it’s hard to say if he’ll even make it to the third performance. You don’t need to focus on him. The most important thing now is to stabilize your votes. Those other S-rank contestants are not simple.”

“I know, I’m just saying!” Xiang Hanyu irritably lit a cigarette, lifted his chin, and asked his manager, “What’s the deal with that Huo Yan? He chose rap, and his votes are still higher than mine. Don’t tell me he really has that much charisma.”

The manager looked at Xiang Hanyu’s condescending manner but held back, remembering the person behind him. “We haven’t found out yet. He debuted a little earlier than you. His singles and variety show appearances have received decent reviews. All we know is that he’s under Shenfeng Entertainment.”

The manager was also a bit puzzled. Judging by Huo Yan’s resources, it didn’t seem like Shenfeng Entertainment was heavily promoting him, yet when the manager tried to inquire, he couldn’t find anything. The manager was worried that someone powerful was backing Huo Yan and didn’t dare to act rashly.

But Xiang Hanyu was dissatisfied. He exhaled a puff of smoke and said, “I’m working myself to death here in the program, and you can’t even find out about one person. Forget it. How are the songs for the second performance? Are there any in the same style as Hot Ice last time?”

When the second performance was mentioned, the manager’s expression softened slightly. “I’ve already found out about the songs for the second performance. Don’t say I didn’t warn you, but I don’t recommend you choose a dance track again for the second performance.”

The manager lowered his voice and told Xiang Hanyu, “I heard from Producer Li that the ending theme song for City West Past will be available for the next performance. This is a great opportunity to gain popularity. Even though Tan Bin is gone, the song’s popularity remains. If you perform well, you might even be able to step on Tan Bin and gain some fans.”

Xiang Hanyu, however, felt his manager was making a fuss over nothing. “What’s so great about the City West Past ending theme? The people who watch that drama are mostly middle-aged and elderly. Who will vote for me? I think you’re getting worse and worse. If you can’t handle this, I don’t mind asking CEO Chen to replace you.”

CEO Chen was one of the directors of Xiang Hanyu’s company and his backer. The manager inwardly cursed Xiang Hanyu for his short-sightedness but maintained a smile. “I was thinking that if you choose this song, you can take the opportunity to say a few words when the host interviews you after the performance. That way, you can establish the persona of a positive energy artist. Then I’ll buy you a few trending searches, and you won’t have to worry about votes.”

“That’s more like it.” Xiang Hanyu crossed his legs, stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, and said, “I haven’t even watched this City West Past. Go prepare a few lines for me. Don’t make them too long.”

The manager nodded to show he understood. Xiang Hanyu was finally satisfied. He stood up, ready to return to the program base. “Alright, go prepare. I have to go back to that awful place to train again. I don’t know what kind of trick Qi Xinci is pulling, making a survival show such a big deal. It’s exhausting.”

Huo Yan had an external filming job today. When he returned to the Starlight Training Camp base, he saw Xiang Hanyu getting out of his car and happened to brush past him.

He smelled the smoke on the other person but didn’t say anything. Unexpectedly, Xiang Hanyu deliberately bumped into his shoulder. If Huo Yan hadn’t dodged quickly, he would have been hit. Huo Yan frowned and looked at him. “What do you mean?”

Xiang Hanyu said carelessly, “Oh, it’s you. I didn’t see you.”

Seeing that the other party intended to leave without apologizing, Huo Yan sneered and bumped back, nearly causing Xiang Hanyu to fall. Xiang Hanyu clearly hadn’t expected Huo Yan to do that. By the time he reacted, Huo Yan had already entered the elevator, leaving Xiang Hanyu fuming in place.

Xiang Hanyu was so angry he laughed. Once he found out Huo Yan’s background, he would definitely make him pay!

On the other side, Director Qi arranged a meeting with Muyuan Dairy and Producer Li, cheerfully discussing Chengtian’s investment. “Here’s the thing: Chengtian is very optimistic about our program, so they are discussing adding another investment. What do you think?”

The representative from Muyuan Dairy said indifferently, “That’s naturally a good thing. But I wonder what Director Qi wants to discuss with us?”

Director Qi politely said, “Chengtian made a small request when they proposed the additional investment. Since Muyuan Dairy is the primary sponsor of Starlight Training Camp, I definitely need to discuss it with you.” After saying this, Director Qi glanced at Producer Li, who looked somewhat confused.

Muyuan’s representative also became serious and asked Director Qi, “Oh? What request did Chengtian make?”

Director Qi took out an investment proposal and said, “Of course, Chengtian’s request is not excessive for Muyuan Dairy, otherwise I wouldn’t specifically consult with you. Their request is very simple: no content related to Tan Bin should appear in the program going forward.”

Producer Li’s face darkened when he heard this, and he blurted out, “That doesn’t seem appropriate, does it?”

Muyuan’s representative understood immediately. Tan Bin had damaged Chengtian’s reputation and interests, so it was normal for them not to want to see any content related to Tan Bin in Starlight Training Camp. He immediately agreed. “What’s inappropriate about that? He’s just an unethical artist. However, I hadn’t heard that Chengtian was planning to invest during the initial sponsorship phase. I wonder who the person in charge of this investment is. Perhaps we could meet and chat sometime.”

Director Qi, seeing no one else around, lowered his voice and said, “This investment was personally proposed by CEO Jian. He’s probably very angry about the Tan Bin incident.”

Muyuan’s representative nodded. “That’s all easily arranged. I can represent Muyuan in agreeing to this matter. If there’s an opportunity, I’d appreciate it if Director Qi could help introduce us to Chengtian. Perhaps we can collaborate in the future.”

Chengtian was a massive company and not a competitor of Muyuan. Opportunities to connect with Chengtian were rare, especially when CEO Jian was only asking for such a minor, non-essential request.

Muyuan’s representative immediately decided to give Director Qi this face. The two chatted, both very satisfied with the outcome.

Only one person was excluded from this satisfaction: Producer Li.

Author’s Note:

Producer Li: The world where only I am injured has been achieved.

Xiang Hanyu: Me too.