Li Ziyue was truly on the verge of going mad.
In the company, they had always been direct competitors.
After his debut, his career path had been smoother than Gu Yanqiu’s, and he was more popular. He had always taken pleasure in stepping on him.
Knowing that Gu Yanqiu liked practicing dance in the rehearsal room, he would always go over to clear the place out, saying he needed to practice his lines.
Bullying people was fun!
He thought, no matter how impressive Gu Yanqiu had been during the training camp days, now he still had to bow to his whims.
He had assumed that after a few more months of bullying, Gu Yanqiu would just leave the industry.
Who would have thought some fan photographer would pop up? One photo brought in hundreds of millions of views, shot straight to the top of the hot searches, and landed him a spot on “I Am a Singer.”
To sabotage things, he had even accompanied a rich woman. And yet, Gu Yanqiu still blew up. This A+ supporting male role was a resource he had been negotiating for a month.
Who would have thought it would be handed directly to Gu Yanqiu? From what Gu Yanqiu’s agent implied, they even had to beg Gu Yanqiu to take it…
Comparing yourself to others could drive you crazy. How could he possibly accept this?
In the office, crashing and banging sounds echoed. The noise was muffled by the thick glass door, but it was still audible.
Many employees in the unit looked toward Li Ziyue’s male agent. “Please go in and check on him. The young master is really furious.”
The male agent’s face flashed with a moment of embarrassment before he said, “Yeah, his depression has been acting up lately. I’ll go in right away.”
As for the new interns in the company, they didn’t even dare to breathe loudly at this point.
Anyone interning at an entertainment company had to sign a confidentiality agreement. They had all come hoping to fulfill their Heart’s desire to meet celebrities.
Who would have thought this Li Ziyue, who wasn’t even a fourth or fifth-tier artist, had such a terrible temper in private?
Publicly, he maintained a vibrant, sunny persona, but in the company, if things didn’t go his way, his sinister glare could make people tremble. No wonder they had to sign confidentiality agreements.
The male agent pushed the door open and saw the office in complete disarray. All the documents were swept onto the floor, and various printed scripts that hadn’t been bound yet were scattered everywhere like confetti.
Phones, water cups, the desktop computer—all were lying haphazardly at his feet.
The agent’s temples throbbed with anger. “Have you had enough of this tantrum?”
Hearing this, Li Ziyue shouted immediately, “No! Anyone could have taken that role, so why did it have to be him?”
The agent knew Li Ziyue had a grudge against Gu Yanqiu. Seeing him stimulated to the point of red-eyed fury, he took a deep breath and softened his tone slightly. “He just signed a ten-year contract. The company has to give him some perks. Even without this role, you have plenty of other offers. Besides, his ambition lies in singing and dancing on stage. This role might just come back to you after going around in circles.”
“Why should I pick up his cast-offs? How are you even helping me? You clearly said before—”
“Enough.” The agent cut him off sharply, not wanting him to say more. “The office isn’t soundproof. Do you think this isn’t already a big enough scene?”
Li Ziyue felt a suffocating rage stuck in his chest, glaring hatefully at his agent.
The agent’s expression wasn’t great either. “Let’s talk in the underground garage.”
They parked in the underground garage, where the hourly parking fee was ten yuan. Many people preferred to park in nearby residential areas rather than here. Only celebrities like them had the money to not care.
He opened the office door, and sure enough, there were already people peeking in from outside. The male manager put on a smile and said, “Sorry for the trouble,” casually slipping a small red envelope to the cleaning lady.
The cleaner happily went in to clean.
The two of them entered the elevator one after the other and got off directly at the basement level two.
The parking lot was indeed spacious, with rows of cars parked there and not a soul in sight.
Li Ziyue could no longer hold back: “Last time, you made me accompany that rich woman, and I did. You promised you’d trip up Gu Yanqiu on the show. And what happened? I sacrificed so much, and he ended up getting popular.”
The more Li Ziyue thought about it, the angrier he got: “Do you even know that woman was older than my mom? She was like a giant water vat, screaming like a pig being slaughtered. When I came out, my legs were shaking. I’ve been weak for days. After all that sacrifice, what did I get?” His eyes were bloodshot with rage.
The male manager was impatient too: “It’s not like I forced you. You volunteered. Besides, Gu Yanqiu’s key was raised during the show, he cracked while singing, and he was eliminated with low votes! What exactly are you complaining about?”
“Why does he get to pick resources before me?” Li Ziyue was truly regretting it. Ever since he’d stooped to this level, his manager’s attitude toward him had plummeted. Unlike before, when everything revolved around him, now the manager even dared to yell at him.
“Because he renewed his contract with the company, and the company wants to give him some benefits to keep him loyal. I’m telling you, your attitude is terrible. Just one Gu Yanqiu has you like this. There are plenty of artists more impressive and higher-rated than you. You can’t keep acting like this every time. I suggest you face reality sooner rather than later.” The male manager had little patience left for him.
“So this is how you treat me? For you, I even…” Li Ziyue was furious: “If I’m not doing well, no one else should either!”
But the male manager cut him off: “Hey, hold on. I wasn’t the one sleeping with you. Let me say it again: you were willing. You’ve been emotionally unstable these past few days. Take some time to cool off.” This was meant as a warning.
With that, the male manager turned and walked away.
Li Ziyue slammed his fist hard against his van, his originally handsome face twisted with rage.
In a black van parked two spots away, a paparazzo was fiddling with his recording pen—he had captured every word of their conversation.
Originally, he had been chasing a story about a second-generation starlet in the entertainment industry and a married man. After staking out for days with no results, he had stumbled upon this. The moment they started arguing, his paparazzo instincts kicked in, and he immediately pulled out his recording equipment. Not only did he record the audio, but he also got some blurry footage.
After the two of them left one after the other, he searched online for the names they mentioned and cross-referenced them with people from the same company.
They were all D-list artists. Instantly, he lost all interest—just small fries squabbling.
How boring! The paparazzo casually tossed the recording pen aside.