Girl idols are meant to be exploited!

The third injection, at Xinshu, she felt her restless tension gradually disappear...

One stitch after another, with a faint flash of silver light, each stitch seemed to pull her out of the suppressed pain little by little. Mizuno Ai closed her eyes, feeling the pain gradually moving away from her.

The agent originally came into the room with a vigilant attitude to prevent Hoshikawa Taku from doing anything, but after seeing Hoshikawa Taku's focused attitude, she also realized that in Hoshikawa Taku's eyes, Xiao Ai at the moment was just a patient, not what she worried about.

The other party was willing to provide help free of charge, but she was still full of defense and doubt... Hasegawa thought of her own dirty thoughts and felt guilty.

After more than ten minutes, all the needles were removed. There was no expression of pain on Mizuno Ai's face. Instead, her cheeks were slightly red and her body was completely relaxed, as if she was immersed in a dreamless sleep.

Hoshikawa Taku gently gathered the wet hair from her forehead and whispered, "Xiao Ai, I'll come take out the needle in fifteen minutes. Until then, just lie there and don't move."

"Um……"

Mizuno Ai responded drowsily, her voice so soft as if it was wavering between dream and wakefulness.

Taku Hoshikawa stood up, walked to the edge of the curtain, and turned to look at his agent behind him.

"Agent, can we talk? I have something to ask you."

"of course can."

The agent quickly stood up and followed Hoshikawa Taku out of the room.

And Miao Meng followed out unwilling to be lonely.

Hoshikawa Taku didn't want her to sit in on the class, so he sent her to the hospital cafeteria to buy food for everyone. She grumbled while reluctantly running errands.

"Mr. Xingchuan, what do you want to ask me?"

Hasegawa spoke only after Meow Meng's figure disappeared at the end of the corridor.

Hoshikawa Takuya also asked directly: "Hasegawa, when the rumors about Mizuno Ai's disfigurement spread all over the Internet, did your firm do anything?"

Hasegawa thought that Hoshikawa Taku wanted to ask her about Xiao Ai's injury, but unexpectedly, he actually asked about matters related to the agency...

She was stunned for a moment, then said hesitantly, "I contacted the agency as soon as I found out about the rumor. They told me they were already investigating and told me not to get involved, so I left the matter to them."

Hasegawa was very busy, dealing with her injuries, interviews, and taking care of Xiao Ai. She was overwhelmed by the online rumors and could only reluctantly trust the agency's handling of the matter.

"Did the firm respond to you?"

"The firm said they tried public relations to suppress the rumors, but there were too many rumors. Even a rival company hired a group of trolls, so they couldn't suppress the rumors."

She bit her lip and said in a low voice, "So, after discussion, we decided to let Xiao Ai do a live broadcast to admit this matter..."

Hoshikawa Taku sneered, with a sarcastic arc at the corner of his mouth.

"Do you think this statement is valid? Putting aside whether the firm has done a good job of PR and whether the rivals have hired trolls, even if they really can't suppress the rumors, there are other ways to deal with this matter, right?"

"Why did they choose the stupidest and most damaging method of 'live confession'?"

……

Ps:

Good news, Satoshi, Ann and Subaru, who have not participated in any performances due to illness, have finally returned to the team and announced that they can participate in dubbing work!

You can look forward to the second season of GBC.

I hope Gbc doesn't mess things up and try to hype things up like Mujica did, saying they're going to reunite Diamond Dust and have Momoka leave the team.

Chapter 209: The correct way to “poach” people.

Hearing Hoshikawa Taku's question, Hasegawa's breathing stagnated and his expression became complicated.

In fact, she also felt that something was wrong. Her agent alone knew that there were several ways to do public relations, and the agency chose the worst one after discussion.

But she didn't think too much about it, nor did she want to think too much about it.

“…Actually, I did raise objections.”

Her voice was so low that it was almost inaudible. "But the firm said this is their final decision, and I have to follow it. Otherwise... someone else will have to take over Xiao Ai."

Hoshikawa Taku stared at her, his eyes as sharp as a knife.

"Then do you know why the firm does this?"

Hasegawa pursed his lips, his eyes wandering, not daring to look him in the eye.

“…I’m not sure either.”

She spoke softly, a self-deceiving hesitation in her voice, "The firm... should have its own considerations."

"I know you've guessed something, but you just don't want to admit it. So I'll tell you directly."

Without waiting for her to refuse, Hoshikawa Taku told her the reason directly.

"Your agency is unwilling to pay such a large amount of compensation, so you simply choose to abandon Mizuno Ai and make her lose her commercial value."

Hasegawa was stunned, a flash of shock passed across his face, and then turned into a complicated and gloomy expression.

She was surprised, but not that surprised.

"……So this is ah."

A look of heartache flashed across Hasegawa's face. "I didn't expect the firm would actually want to do this..."

"But it's also true. After Xiao Ai's accident, I'm afraid she won't be able to perform on stage again. The agency can't get any value from her, so naturally they have to find a way to reduce expenses..."

"What do you think?"

Hasegawa chuckled, bitter and helpless.

"What can I think? I'm just a small agent. The company can replace me at any time. The most I can do is help Xiao Ai find a better lawyer and try to get as much compensation as possible..."

"If you go against the firm like this, they'll fire you, okay?"

Hoshikawa Taku looked at her meaningfully.

Hasegawa sighed.

"I know. But if they really did that... I wouldn't have the face to stay in this company anymore."

She raised her head and looked through the ward window at the figure hidden by the curtain.

Her voice was trembling.

"Xiao Ai is the first artist I've personally mentored since I started working in the industry. I've always treated her like my own sister. I don't want to, and can't, watch her being abandoned by the company."

Xingchuan continued to ask in a calm tone: "What happens after that?"

"After that... maybe I'll just find a small company to work for, or maybe go back home. Anyway, if I really help her find a lawyer, the firm will definitely ban me, and I won't be able to survive in this industry anymore."

Hasegawa didn't know what to do next, and there was a look of confusion in his eyes.

"Even so, are you still going to help Xiao Ai?"

Hasegawa was silent for a long time, his fingertips tightly clenched on the hem of his clothes, his eyes looking past the glass and once again at the silhouette behind the curtain.

That was her artist, her responsibility, the girl she had personally supported, but now she was isolated and helpless.

Her eyes suddenly became firm, as if some kind of balance in her heart had completely tilted.

"……Um."

She nodded slightly, but her tone was extremely firm. "I'm sure. Xiao Ai now... only has me. If I don't help her, who else can she rely on?"

Seeing Hasegawa's determined look in front of him, Hoshikawa Taku was very satisfied.

He suddenly changed his tone and asked, "Hasegawa, do you know my identity?"

Hasegawa was stunned and tilted his head in confusion. "Aren't you a lighting technician, makeup artist, and masseur? What else do you do? Not to mention you're a poet, a backpacker, a silversmith, and a Zen disciple..."

"That's not the case. I haven't started writing a book yet, so I don't need so many personal labels in my self-introduction."

After Hoshikawa Taku finished joking, his tone became more serious, "Actually, I'm the boss of an agency. Have you heard of the Hoshikawa Idol Agency?"

Hasegawa was stunned for a moment, his eyes instantly changing from confusion to shock, as if a flash of lightning flashed through his mind, and he finally reacted.

"You...you are the boss of that firm? Xingchuan...oh right, Xingchuan! I never thought in this direction!"

Her tone was full of disbelief, her eyes were wide open, and her lips were slightly open, as if she had seen something incredible.

As an agent who has worked in the industry for many years, she had of course heard of the name of this firm and had recently seen its promotional information in a magazine.

But she didn't expect, nor could she have imagined that the lighting technician at a music festival would be the boss of this agency.

What’s the difference between this and the fact that the son-in-law in the family is actually the “Crooked-Mouthed Dragon King”?

Hoshikawa Taku ignored her shock and said sternly, "Hasegawa, I want to help you and Ai. I don't want to see the 'legendary idol' who protects everyone on stage being stabbed in the back by the agency."

"If your firm really has a falling out with Xiao Ai, I hope I can help, take you in, and fight the lawsuit on your behalf."

His tone carried a sense of righteous indignation, yet subtly conveyed a sense of security, without revealing any intention of "poaching" at all.

When Hoshikawa Taku said this, Hasegawa's first reaction was doubt - was this a pre-planned plan?

But she quickly rejected the idea.

She recalled the scene when Taku Hoshikawa first came to the rescue, and thought of how Xiao Ai personally invited him to express her gratitude, and then thought of everything he had silently done for Xiao Ai in the past few days - massage, makeup, pain-relieving acupuncture... all without any regrets and without any purpose.

His eyes were clear and his behavior was innocent, as if... he really just wanted to help Mizuno Ai.

She hesitated for a long time, pursing her lips. In the end, she couldn't agree on the spot. She just whispered, "I still want to trust the firm again. If the firm really does this, I will definitely come to you."

Hoshikawa Taku showed a look of satisfaction.

He would not think that this agent could be fooled into joining his company with just a few words. It would be enough for him to give her the idea and let her know that if she was betrayed by the agency, she could come to him.

The negotiations were successfully concluded.

Not long after, Miao Meng came back with bags of lunch boxes. As soon as she opened the door of the ward, she keenly noticed that there was something wrong with the atmosphere in the room.

She found that Hasegawa was absent-minded, with worry in his eyes, but Hoshikawa Taku seemed to be in a good mood with a smile on his face.

Her curiosity suddenly exploded, and she moved closer to Hoshikawa Taku and asked quietly, "Mr. Hoshikawa, while I was away...did anything happen?"

"Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask for now. You'll know when the time comes."

Hoshikawa Taku pretended to be mysterious.

Taku Hoshikawa didn't want to leak this crucial information to the "bad cat" in front of him who always loved to ride on the popularity and might even accidentally let the cat out of the bag on social platforms.

It would be disastrous if the situation deviated from the planned track because of her words.

If you don’t want to tell me, then don’t tell me. Why are you pretending to be so mysterious?

Miao Meng sat aside with his arms folded across his chest, feeling depressed and not even having an appetite to eat.

Is she so untrustworthy? Every time, no matter what the matter is, I have to sign a confidentiality agreement with her before I can tell her!

Obviously she keeps her mouth shut and has never done anything weird!

Chapter 210: “Putty-scraping” makeup method.

It's almost time.

Taku Hoshikawa came to Mizuno Ai and leaned over gently, his finger falling on the first silver needle on her back.

"I'm going to start taking out the needle."

Mizuno Ai's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she responded softly: "Hmm..."

She didn't open her eyes fully, but just tilted her face slightly to one side, with the corners of her lips slightly relaxed.

Taku Hoshikawa pulled out the silver needles one by one. Each movement was accurate and decisive, without a trace of unnecessary force.

Where the silver needle was removed, he would immediately press gently with his fingers for a few seconds to seal the airway, as if locking the qi and blood that had just been unblocked in her body.

The last needle was removed, and his fingertips lingered on her shoulder. He suddenly asked, "How does it feel?"

Mizuno Ai slowly opened her eyes, and the white cloth reflected in her eyes was a hazy soft light. For a moment, she felt like she was in a dream.

She took a deep breath, as if to confirm that she was not having an illusion, then opened her eyes wide with a look of surprise in them.

“…I feel so relieved, as if my whole body no longer hurts!”

She tentatively raised her arm and moved her shoulder, which had previously caused severe pain when she moved it. The pulling and tearing sensation disappeared.

She had a strong illusion... no, she was sure - she could even stand up and dance on the ground!

Her eyes were filled with surprise, joy, and an indescribable relief, a feeling of sudden redemption after being on the verge of despair.

"Mr. Xingchuan, this is amazing!"