The Secret Realm of Time, His and Her Life Through the Changes

After the meal, Zhou Yanruo cleared the dishes and took them to the kitchen to wash.

Shang Yibo didn't stand on ceremony and leaned back on the sofa to rest.

After cleaning up the kitchen, Zhou Yanruo came over to Shang Yibo to say goodbye: "I'm going back to Rushang Group. If the public relations department and the legal department issue a lawyer's statement, the board of directors will have to inform the shareholders. If there is a lawsuit involved, we may have to issue an announcement as well."

As she spoke, she walked to the entrance and bent down to change her shoes.

“Yes, you should go back to the company. I’ve taken up too much of your time.” Shang Yibo stood up and followed Zhou Yanruo to the door. “Yanruo, thank you for staying with me.”

Zhou Yanruo felt a pang of sadness: "Kids really have it tough."

A smile appeared on his face as he said, "Don't worry about it, it will all pass. I'm leaving now. You should rest for a while and go to Yihua Entertainment. Everyone is waiting for you."

"Oh, I'm going to the company."

Call me if you need anything.

Just as the elevator doors were about to close, Zhou Yanruo made a gesture as if she were answering a phone call.

An hour later, Shang Yibo returned to Yihua Entertainment.

Inside the meeting room, the atmosphere was unusually somber. The director of talent agency, Jie Can, the director of publicity and distribution, Qi Qingnan, the head of public relations and fan operations, Zhang Yan, and the heads of various relevant departments were all gathered together.

Despite the large number of people, the room was unusually quiet, as if even the air had frozen. Everyone was focused on their work; some were engrossed in typing on their laptops, some were intently staring at their iPad screens, and others were meticulously reviewing documents or messages on their large-screen foldable phones. This silent busyness created a tense atmosphere throughout the meeting room.

Shang Yibo found a corner to sit down, took out his phone, and began browsing information online.

A Weibo post I made a few hours ago has already trended on Weibo. I figured the comments below probably wouldn't be very nice, so I decided not to bother opening them and not bother myself.

Two statements that were also trending high on the hot search list caught his attention.

These are: [Rushang Group issues lawyer's letter warning those spreading rumors] and [Yihua Entertainment collects evidence to sue those involved in smear campaigns].

The topic sparked a heated debate among netizens, fans from all walks of life, and onlookers of various backgrounds.

The content of the trending topics already gives a general idea: it serves as a warning, but instead of controlling public opinion, it has backfired, fueling the flames. It would be better to remain silent and let the situation cool down naturally. Gradually, the level of attention will decrease, and people will move on to the next trending topic; this might be more effective.

However, everyone involved in this public opinion event has different stances and personal demands.

Yihua Entertainment is both angry and happy about this, after all, being infamous is still being famous, so they took the opportunity to create a buzz. Now, Yihua Entertainment's popularity has suddenly increased, with all sorts of people gathering at the company's gate, and other artists under its management have also gained unexpected exposure.

As a family member, Ru Shang Group will spare no effort to protect Shang Yibo's reputation, mainly because they don't want to air their dirty laundry in public and affect the family's reputation.

Indeed, what Shang Yibo interpreted from the "statement issued by Rushang Group" was "family scandal" rather than "privacy".

No matter how complicated the situation is now, public opinion will eventually pass, and Shang Yibo is not worried about these things.

He was still thinking about the private message he had deleted.

The guy who sent him that private message must be watching him from somewhere.

The thought of this made Shang Yibo feel uncomfortable all over.

"Why are you sitting here?" Jie Can walked over to Shang Yibo. "President Shen told me to go see her when you arrive. Let's go, I'll go with you."

The two walked to the door of Shen Yihua's office. The door was ajar, and Shen Yihua's voice came from inside, as if he was on the phone: "President Qian, the recruitment notice has been issued, and it's just a matter of time before the official announcement. Why change people at this point? Besides, you don't have any more suitable candidates."

I wonder what was being said on the other end of the phone.

Shen Yihua's voice rose two octaves: "This morning, the production team sent an executive producer over to verbally inform us that they had changed Teacher Yibo's schedule. We didn't say anything. Because of what happened these past two days, I can understand what you're doing."

"If our teacher Yibo didn't like this role, why would we have given his schedule to this project?"

"Doesn't Mr. Qian have any idea how the project investment was secured?"

For a while, I didn't hear Shen Yihua's voice; the other end of the phone must have been talking.

Jie Can knocked lightly on the door. Shen Yihua sat on the sofa, facing the door. She waved to Jie Can and Shang Yibo, signaling them to come in, and then pointed to the opposite side of her.

"You all know about Teacher Yibo's background. Shouldn't you consider whether it's something you or I can handle, given that he has the support of two major conglomerate families?"

Shen Yihua made no attempt to hide his family background from Shang Yibo.

Shang Yibo frowned slightly, sat down with Jie Can, and waited for Shen Yihua, who was on the phone.

"Oh, really? Mr. Fang has already spoken with the CEO of your production company?"

"That's right, Mr. Qian. The entertainment industry is a small world. Everyone is in it, and there are still good projects we can work on together."

Shen Yihua hung up the phone, the faint smile still lingering on her face.

Jie Can: "President Shen, are you speaking with the producer of 'The Legend of Huizhou Merchants'?"

"Well, he called me first to apologize for what happened this morning."

"Weren't you also going to arrange for us to negotiate with him about Yibo joining the crew? Now we don't need to negotiate anymore, right?"

Shen Yihua didn't answer Jie Can first. She said to Shang Yibo, "Yibo, don't take those things online to heart. I'll handle them. Just keep a good attitude."

Shang Yibo said in a deep voice, "I'm easygoing, it's nothing."

"That's good. Discuss family matters with Chairman Chu and President Fang. They are, after all, your family."

When the topic turned to family matters, Shang Yibo gave a perfunctory "hmm" and then fell silent.

Shen Yihua thought that as Shang Yibo's boss and the person who made him famous, he was naturally qualified to offer some words of advice on Shang Yibo's family affairs.

Seeing Shang Yibo's attitude made her feel somewhat embarrassed; it seemed she had overestimated her own status.

“Yibo, I know you really like the character Ling Shaojing. When you came in just now, I was on the phone with the producer of ‘Legend of Huizhou Merchants.’ This project is in the bag,” Shen Yihua said.

Shang Yibo: "Thank you, Sister Yihua. I really like this character. The plot spans a wide age range, and she is a character who is adrift in the torrent of history, which is very challenging to portray."

"It's an S-level project for both the platform and the production company. I heard that CCTV is also interested in acquiring it and they're already in talks. We'll just have to wait and see the quality of the first six episodes after filming starts."

"The Legend of Huizhou Merchants" was the project that Xie Can was in charge of discussing, he said with pride.

"Don't get too cocky, there's still a lot to do. Talk to screenwriter Wang, he's got a project coming up, don't rush to take it, let him join the crew with Yibo."

"President Shen's idea is to bring them into the group."

"The production company has a new drama that they want to promote a 'rising star' to a higher level. This 'rising star' is the second female lead in this drama. Don't add any unnecessary scenes."

"No, who started this project? They wouldn't dare."

“There’s nothing to be afraid of. Even when things like today happened, and others took advantage of you, you all tolerated it. You’re a bunch of good-for-nothings. Just mentioning me makes me angry.” Shen Yihua strongly warned Jie Can.

"It's my fault for making things difficult for everyone," Shang Yibo said apologetically.

“There’s nothing wrong with being a celebrity who generates buzz; it’s better than being completely ignored. It’s part of our job, so you don’t need to feel pressured.” Jie Can’s words were fairly sincere.

"Yibo, if you have any other requests, you can make them and we'll address them together."

Shen Yihua sought Shang Yibo's opinion.

"Could you help me hire an acting coach to work with the crew?" Shang Yibo asked earnestly. "I have my own ambitions in acting."

With Shang Yibo's qualifications and age, once he becomes famous, he can easily make money by taking on a few "domineering CEO" or "sweet romance" dramas and playing himself.

Shang Yibo refused to accept that. He was willing to endure hardship to achieve real success in the entertainment industry. He would never engage in anything flashy or superficial to make quick money.

This is what he calls "ambition".

Shen Yihua looked at Shang Yibo and nodded with satisfaction.