Chapter 7

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

“Scary!” The gossipers only found the courage to continue their rumormongering when Song Qianming left. Even then, they were more subdued.

“Does he think he’s someone important? Who’s he trying to scare with that look?” A voice hissed in disdain.

“That’s right! Are we supposed to praise him for dragging Brother Yuan and the others into a ditch with him?”

“Hah! He still dares to glare at us! Let’s see how Brother Tao will teach him a lesson.”

Song Qianming eyed his dissenters coldly but ultimately ignored them. They were just a motley crew. It was not worth dealing with them, especially if they were cowed so easily by his gaze.

Based on his memory, he tried to recall where the manager’s office was, but that led to a dead end. Thankfully, he bumped into one of the manager’s assistants.

“Brother Song, you’re finally back?” The assistant exclaimed, worry clouding their expression. “Are you here for Brother Tao? He’s been on a rampage these few days; it’s best if you talk things out with him.”

“Thank you, Rongrong.” Song Qianming had a good impression of this assistant. Since the incident involving Youhuan was exposed, Rongrong was the only one in the company who had shown him kindness. She had also been the one to introduce the term ‘transmigrator’ to him.

“Brother Song, why are you thanking me? Brother Song, I believe in you. Your situation might not be the best, but I believe you’ll become famous if you overcome this crisis. Don’t give up on your dreams; continue working your way up in the entertainment industry!”

“Of course,” Song Qianming nodded as if it were a matter of fact.

The tips of Nie Rongrong’s ears turned red, and she screamed in her heart. Brother Song seemed so handsome when he showed his confidence. Rongrong did not know about the preferences of her fellow employees, but she felt that Brother Song’s appearance and temperament were far better than Brother Yuan’s. How could the company give up on him?”

Song Qianming eventually found the manager’s office and knocked on the door as etiquette dictated.

“Come in.” A middle-aged man’s voice came from inside.

Tao Kang looked up. When Tao Kang realized who it was, he was instantly filled with intense rage. “So you still have the face to come crawling back, it seems! Do you know how much trouble you’ve caused? Do you know the extent of the damage you’ve done FB?”

Song Qianming found it weird hearing the name of their idol group. It would take some time for him to get used to this new world’s naming conventions.

Their group, FB, was an abbreviation for ‘Five Boys.’ The company had formed a group with four boys for their debut. Song Qianming was unsure what the upper management had been thinking when they decided the group would be called ‘Five Boys,’ which they later shortened to FB.

The original body’s owner had majored in acting at university. He was so eager to debut and prove himself that the company easily convinced him to sign a contract with them even before graduation.

However, the company was not very well known and lacked the resources to promote the group via TV commercials or movie montages. The original body’s owner was left high and dry for two years before the company hastily rounded up another four participants to form their idol group, catering to the rising trends.

The company’s goal was obvious. They wanted to attract young, brainless fans to earn an easy wave of money.

Song Qianming had not known any of this until very recently, having discovered the intricate twists and turns from the two days of arduous study, familiarizing himself with his new reality.

In short, the company did not have any plans for them.

The company promised to promote and increase the group’s popularity, but it never materialized. In the two years since its inception, the group’s influence in the entertainment industry was negligible.

Having arrived at this conclusion, Song Qianming no longer hesitated. “Why would the group need me to drag its popularity down? It was never good, to begin with.”

“What do you mean by that?” Someone rushed in from outside. “Song Qianming, if it weren’t for you making a mess of things, would we have lost that chance at the variety show? That might have been our big break!”

Song Qianming squinted at the person who had barged into the room. He had some guts pointing fingers and scolding him.

“Maybe? Hah! Would a small-time variety show with hardly any viewers have been a boon to our situation? Is fame so easy to attain? Someone like you without any ability has no right to blame me for our group’s lack of success.” Song Qianming sneered, uncaring about how his words might come across.

“You…!” The man was so angry that he clenched his fists.

The man who had entered like a raging bull was the group’s lead singer, Zhong Boyi. He had always been on the brainless side of things. The few fans he had liked him for his frank and honest persona. However, it led to an overinflated ego, making him inflexible in his words and actions. It caused him to become a rather unpleasant co-idol.

The company did not care about his failings since his fans liked his character. None of the five members who made up Five Boys shared similar personality traits. It was part of the gimmick meant to help the group attract fans.

For instance, the group’s captain, Yuan Fei, was the steady, understanding big brother archetype. The expressionless Su Liang was a reclusive loner, while the youngest, Ji Tong, was cute and innocent.

As for Song Qianming? He was supposed to follow the rich young master archetype. With their five different forms of appeal, they could attract the attention of a large population of ignorant students.

All five of them were good-looking and were more or less capable to varying degrees. However, because there were too many male idol groups in the industry, coupled with the company’s poor leadership and finite resources, Five Boys’ popularity had not grown as they had hoped, declining in the past two years.

The scandal involving Song Qianming and his illegitimate child should not have caused as much of a stir as it did. Even then, it had nothing to do with his four teammates. Only a small minority of his fans wanted him to leave the entertainment industry, citing his unprofessional behavior. Unfortunately, those few clamoring voices had grown more unpleasant of late, attracting a wave of bad press.

“Shouldn’t you all be the ones thanking me? If it weren’t for me, you guys wouldn’t have been able to draw so much attention to our piddling group!” Since they were not going to show him any face, Song Qianming did not pull any punches, his words slamming like physical blows against their psyche.

“Qianming, you destroyed our group’s image.” Yuan Fei glared at Song Qianming as if he were some great sinner. Where was the caring big brother persona? It was all an act.

“While you may be trending, it’s nothing but bad press. Now our fans are doubting us because of what was exposed. You need to take responsibility for your actions.”

“So? What has been decided? Am I being removed from the group?” Song Qianming chuckled mirthlessly. “Say what you want to say. Why beat around the bush?”

Ji Tong tried to mediate the situation between the two who were at loggerheads. Nervously, he said, “Brother Song, let’s not argue with the captain. The captain is just trying to do what’s best for everyone. Brother Song, you’re a good person. Please don’t hold this against him…”

In his previous life, Song Qianming had experienced what it meant to fight for the imperial throne. Although his brother had shielded him from much of the struggle, he could not protect him from everything. Even that was more than most, and he could read between the lines of what Ji Tong was trying to say. Was there a need for him to continue the charade, acting all innocent and pitiful?

“I can resign,” Song Qianming began, “But I have conditions.”

Tao Kang’s face darkened. “You have a contract with the company. What right do you have to renegotiate it from your position? Song Qianming, it’s better you resign without making a fuss. If the company is forced to fire you, it’ll leave a mark on your record.”

Song Qianming was not afraid. He shook his head, saying, “You can’t say that. I’ve read the contract several times. It is not as you’ve said.”