Volume Two: Shadows of the Past Chapter Forty-Six: Leave Her Behind, Come to Me!

After hearing Chen Jing’s words, Lin Xi was taken aback for a moment, then smiled in understanding. “All right. Do whatever you want. I’ll support you.”

“Hehe, thanks, Sister Xi.”

Looking at Chen Jing’s brilliant smile, Lin Xi felt a warm glow in her heart. She had always believed that people with dreams carried a light in their eyes.

That evening, Chen Jing arrived at the National Music Hotel as promised. The previous night, someone very special had asked to meet him there.

Following the waiter, Chen Jing stopped outside the private room they had arranged.

“Sir, this is Private Room 526.” The waiter inclined his head slightly and gestured toward the door.

Chen Jing nodded. “Thank you.”

He pushed open the door and entered.

There were only two people inside. One was a portly, middle-aged man whom Chen Jing did not know. Although he had never met the other man in person, Chen Jing was far from unfamiliar with him. He was Xu Ce, a singer signed to Tomorrow Entertainment who had previously “blasted” Huang Wenhao—and Lin Xi’s very first artist.

The moment Chen Jing entered, both men rose to their feet. The middle-aged man immediately laughed heartily.

“Hahaha! Young Master Chen, forgive us for failing to come out and welcome you.”

Chen Jing ignored the pleasantry and walked straight over to them. Looking at the middle-aged man, he asked, “And you are…?”

Since the man had been the first to exchange formalities, it was obvious that he held the leading position between himself and Xu Ce.

“Oh, look at me. I completely forgot to introduce myself.” The middle-aged man slapped his forehead, then extended a hand with a smile. “My name is Zhang Qun. I’m the executive director of Tomorrow Entertainment, as well as Xu Ce’s agent. I’m sure you already know Xu Ce, so I won’t waste time introducing him.”

Chen Jing nodded, and the three of them sat down. Without waiting for the dishes to be served, Chen Jing got straight to the point.

“May I ask what General Manager Zhang wanted to see me about?”

In truth, Chen Jing had received Xu Ce’s call the previous night. Since Xu Ce had personally invited him, Chen Jing had agreed to meet him. But after seeing that Zhang Qun, Tomorrow Entertainment’s executive director, was there as well, he had already guessed what this was about. His interest in the meeting vanished at once.

Seeing how badly the conversation had stalled, Zhang Qun hurriedly tried to lighten the mood. “There’s no need to rush. We can eat while we talk once the dishes arrive.”

Chen Jing shook his head. “No need. If you have something to say, just say it. We should deal with business directly; there’s no point wasting time.”

Seeing that Chen Jing refused to give him face and insisted on discussing business first, Zhang Qun thought him utterly tactless. Nevertheless, he maintained his genial smile.

“Since Young Master Chen is so eager, let’s get down to business first.”

He paused, then slowly asked, “What is your opinion of Tomorrow Entertainment?”

Chen Jing raised an eyebrow.

Here it comes.

“Tomorrow Entertainment is one of the four major entertainment companies in Cathay. Like Huafu Entertainment, it is an established company with a long history. During its golden age, when martial-arts films were flourishing in Cathay in the 1980s, it held eighty percent of the country’s martial-arts film market and effectively controlled half of the entertainment industry. After martial-arts films declined, Tomorrow Entertainment declined with them. For the next decade or so, it remained neither prosperous nor disastrous, with little meaningful growth. In recent years, however, a string of failed investments has caused the company’s various businesses to shrink dramatically. And after Jingrun rose to prominence, Tomorrow Entertainment completely lost its former position as one of the pillars of Cathay’s entertainment industry.”

Chen Jing looked at Zhang Qun and Xu Ce and asked mildly, “Am I wrong, General Manager Zhang?”

Zhang Qun was surprised that Chen Jing knew so much about the company. But after thinking it over, he decided Chen Jing had probably investigated Tomorrow Entertainment intentionally. Perhaps that meant he was interested in joining them.

With that thought, Zhang Qun smiled and nodded. “Young Master Chen certainly knows Tomorrow Entertainment well. Still, I should add that although we are no longer as glorious as we once were, Tomorrow Entertainment remains an important force in Cathay’s entertainment industry. Without exaggeration, the foundation of an established company like ours is certainly deeper than that of newer companies such as Jingrun.”

Zhang Qun was clearly praising his own company, but his words were not entirely without basis.

Chen Jing naturally understood what he meant. Still, he believed Tomorrow Entertainment had simply failed to keep pace with the times, which was why it had declined so quickly.

Having said that much, Zhang Qun no longer bothered with euphemisms.

“Tomorrow Entertainment has indeed encountered difficulties in recent years. The company wants to change its current situation and rebuild its strength. To that end, we are urgently seeking talented people, and someone like Young Master Chen is exactly what we need. So, what are your thoughts?”

Chen Jing answered a question with a question. “What exactly are you implying, General Manager Zhang?”

Zhang Qun replied decisively, “Would you consider leaving Jingrun and joining Tomorrow Entertainment? Your compensation would certainly be no lower than what Jingrun offers. And whatever resources you need, we can provide.”

Chen Jing understood immediately.

As expected, they had come to poach him.

Unfortunately, he had no intention of changing companies, so he shook his head without hesitation.

Seeing his refusal, Zhang Qun was not surprised. Instead, he continued, “Young Master Chen, don’t reject us so quickly. I know you’re a sentimental man. You made your debut at Jingrun, and you feel that the company has shown you kindness. I can understand why you would be reluctant to leave. But let me say this: someone as talented as you could become famous wherever you went. It isn’t Jingrun that made you successful. I’m sure you understand that yourself.”

Zhang Qun’s words were polished. At the very least, he was skilled at flattering people.

Chen Jing, however, remained unmoved. He genuinely had no desire to switch companies. At least for now, he felt that Jingrun treated him quite well.

Seeing that Chen Jing still said nothing, Zhang Qun began to lose patience and brought out his trump card.

“How about this, Young Master Chen? If you agree to join Tomorrow Entertainment, we’ll sign you under a superstar contract. As for any breach-of-contract fees or lawsuits involving Jingrun, you won’t need to handle them yourself—we’ll take care of everything. As I understand it, Jingrun Entertainment only signed you to a first-tier celebrity contract, correct? To be frank, that amounts to looking down on your talent. Even I feel it’s unfair to you.”

At that, Chen Jing laughed. He glanced at Xu Ce, then turned back to Zhang Qun.

“You don’t need to say anything more, General Manager Zhang. I won’t be changing companies. For me, this isn’t about the contract.”

Now that things had reached this point, and Chen Jing still refused, the smile on Zhang Qun’s face vanished instantly. He stared silently at Chen Jing.

After a long silence, Zhang Qun drew a deep breath and spoke again.

“I know you’ve recently been preparing to make a film. Jingrun doesn’t think highly of your plans and has offered you no support. If you’re willing to join Tomorrow Entertainment, I can guarantee that the company will allocate at least twenty million as an investment in your film.”

Chen Jing was genuinely surprised.

Not because the offer tempted him, but because he had not expected Zhang Qun and the others to have investigated him so thoroughly—even learning that he intended to make a film.

He had only begun preparing for the project within the last couple of days. Few people knew about it, and no announcement had been made. Yet Zhang Qun already knew.

Chen Jing gave him a deep look. He could be certain that someone within Jingrun was working for Tomorrow Entertainment.

Unfortunately, no matter how thorough their investigation had been, it was destined to be futile. They had completely misjudged Chen Jing’s character. Even if they offered him the most extravagant terms imaginable, he would never switch companies.

To Chen Jing, this truly had nothing to do with compensation or money. It was about seeing things through to the end. A person could not abandon his principles every time a tempting benefit appeared before him.

Besides, he was perfectly comfortable at Jingrun. He had a pair of sister agents and assistants, a pure and adorably foolish sweetheart, a clingy superstar older sister, an intelligent and beautiful teacher, and a gorgeous female coach. Could he find all that elsewhere?

Of course not.

As long as Jingrun did nothing to wrong him, Chen Jing would never fall out with the company.

Yes, it was mainly because he was a principled person.

Ha! Hahaha!

Coming back to himself, Chen Jing smiled at Zhang Qun.

“General Manager Zhang, your offer is so tempting that it would be difficult for anyone to refuse.”

Hearing this, Zhang Qun’s face lit up. He assumed Chen Jing had agreed. But before he had time to celebrate, Chen Jing’s next words made his expression turn completely dark.

“Unfortunately, I still don’t want to leave Jingrun. No matter how generous an offer Tomorrow Entertainment makes, Jingrun Entertainment is far better in my eyes. Tomorrow Entertainment is like an aging lion, while Jingrun is a lion king in the prime of its life. It’s obvious which one offers better prospects. I don’t think I need to say more.”

Chen Jing was speaking the truth. Tomorrow Entertainment had grown old, burdened by a mass of sluggish deadweight. That was why, despite the rapid development of the entertainment industry in recent years, Tomorrow Entertainment—one of the four major entertainment companies—had continued to stagnate and even shrink.

Zhang Qun’s expression darkened. Narrowing his eyes, he stared at Chen Jing without a word.

At that moment, Xu Ce, who had not spoken once since Chen Jing entered, finally opened his mouth.

“Even in its current state, Tomorrow Entertainment still has more than enough power to deal with—or even blacklist—a singer.”

As he spoke, Xu Ce looked at Chen Jing with a cold smile, his voice filled with menace.

Chen Jing raised an eyebrow and smiled at him. “Are you threatening me?”

Xu Ce waved a hand, his tone still mocking. “I wouldn’t dare. Who would dare threaten our musical genius? I’m merely suggesting that you think it over carefully—and perhaps take a look at Huang Wenhao’s fate.”

At last, Chen Jing understood.

So Xu Ce’s earlier attack on Huang Wenhao had been Tomorrow Entertainment’s idea.

That made sense. After all, Xu Ce was an artist under Tomorrow Entertainment. Without the company’s approval, he would never have picked a fight with another celebrity on his own.

This chapter ends here.