Chapter 169 Workplace Emotional Management
Lu Yanhe found it hard to imagine that an artist and their agent would fight.
Even during the Fengzhi era, when their relationship with Zhou Ping'an was so bad, there was never any direct conflict.
This incident can be considered a scandal for Star Entertainment.
Yan Liang saw the message in a group chat, which means that the news must have already spread.
"Has it spread online?" Lu Yanhe asked Li Zhibai, who was searching for related news on Weibo.
"I haven't seen it yet," Li Zhibai shook his head.
Lu Yanhe put down his phone and said, "I haven't seen any discussion about this online yet, so it should be kept confidential for now."
Li Zhibai pursed his lips and said, "It's impossible to keep this a secret, there are so many people in the group chat."
Ma Zhiyuan is so popular that any news or event related to him can easily become a trending topic. The fact that there is no related news online right now only means that no one has spread it online yet.
Those who know about this now are mostly from Star Entertainment, and most of them still adhere to the professional ethics of maintaining confidentiality.
But it's only a matter of time before it spreads online.
“This has blown up.” Li Zhibai, always eager for drama, said with a smug grin, “Ma Zhiyuan got into a fight with his own agent, haha, if this blows up, I’d like to see how they plan to explain it.”
Yan Liang: "Keep your voice down."
If Li Zhibai keeps shouting like that, everyone in the restaurant will turn to look.
Li Zhibai didn't care at all that this matter was known to others; in fact, deep down he even hoped that more people would know about it.
But it wouldn't be good if this matter came out from him.
Li Zhibai lowered his voice, but the gloating look on his face remained unchanged.
"After this incident, do you think Lin Suyang will continue to mentor Ma Zhiyuan?"
"It depends on what those two say next. If they can shake hands and make peace, then continuing to cooperate is normal. After all, Lin Suyang has been Ma Zhiyuan's manager since his debut. But if they can't reconcile, then it's hard to say." Yan Liang thought seriously. "Ma Zhiyuan has always looked down on Lin Suyang. When he talks about Lin Suyang outside, he always says that he has no experience, lacks ability, and often messes up MX's affairs. If he hadn't been lucky enough to manage them from the beginning, he would never have been able to manage such successful artists. I've always felt that these two would have a conflict someday, but I didn't expect it to be so soon."
Lu Yanhe, thinking about the program "The Days of Youth," asked, "Why did they fight? Has anyone heard about it?"
"He didn't say." Yan Liang shook his head.
This incident became the spice of their lunch.
We ate and chatted, and before we knew it, we had finished eating, but we hadn't finished talking.
-
Vice President Ma was at his wit's end.
He looked at Lin Suyang and Ma Zhiyuan sitting in front of him, one on his left and one on his right. The former had injuries on his face and his left eye was swollen, clearly indicating that he had been punched hard. The latter had an arrogant and fierce look on his face. He had no wounds, but he also showed no remorse.
"You two are quite something, aren't you? One's a popular celebrity, the other's manager, and you're actually fighting, and in front of so many people! You think you're living the high life right now, huh?"
Vice President Ma couldn't help but reprimand them.
"Ma Zhiyuan, have you forgotten who you are?! You're an idol. If word gets out that you got into a fight, your image will be ruined!" Vice President Ma scolded him angrily. Seeing his arrogant and self-righteous expression, he became even angrier. "Don't think that just because you're popular now, you can stay popular forever. Once the media labels you a disgraced artist, it will be too late for you to apologize!"
Ma Zhiyuan then revealed a hint of unease.
But he was still unconvinced. He glared at Lin Suyang and said, "This is not my fault for being impulsive. If he hadn't deliberately embarrassed me in front of others, I wouldn't have acted impulsively!"
Lin Suyang took a deep breath.
Vice President Ma: "Does his wrongdoing give you the right to take action? Out of so many trainees, who picked you and made you debut as a member of MX? Who praised your all-around abilities and made you the leader?!"
Before MX debuted as a group, the company conducted several rounds of selection and assessment, ultimately leaving the current members. Lin Suyang accompanied everyone through the entire process, and each member who was ultimately chosen was recommended by Lin Suyang. His significant influence in MX's career stems from his strong support behind the scenes at every step of MX's journey from debut to the present.
Even if Ma Zhiyuan doesn't admit it, the company has to acknowledge that Lin Suyang is one of the biggest contributors to MX's success.
Ma Zhiyuan took a deep breath and said, "I know that without him, MX might not have become so popular so quickly when he first debuted. But if it weren't for the hard work of us, could an inexperienced manager like him, who has no connections, have made someone famous so quickly? Everyone says he has put in a lot of effort, but who hasn't? We run around to announcements and prepare for stage performances every day. When things are tough, we don't sleep more than five hours a night for a whole month. Why do you think he is the biggest contributor to MX's success?"
Ma Zhiyuan, his face full of doubt, pointed at Lin Suyang and questioned him.
Lin Suyang's face turned bright red as she stared at Ma Zhiyuan in disbelief, never expecting him to say such a thing.
This is practically trampling his face underfoot.
Vice President Ma looked at Ma Zhiyuan in disbelief.
He previously thought that Ma Zhiyuan was just young and arrogant, becoming self-important and looking down on everyone after suddenly becoming famous.
Now, after hearing Ma Zhiyuan's questions, he realized that Ma Zhiyuan's problems were even bigger than he had imagined.
Do you think Lin Suyang isn't qualified to be your manager?
"He's not qualified to be our MX's manager!" Ma Zhiyuan said emphatically. "Without him, MX could have developed even better and become even more popular!"
Lin Suyang suddenly stood up.
"Fine, Ma Zhiyuan, from today onwards, I'm no longer your manager!" He glared at Ma Zhiyuan angrily. "Someone as opinionated as you, I'll wait and see how long you can stay popular!"
Lin Suyang angrily walked towards the office door.
"Lin Suyang!" Vice President Ma exclaimed in shock, "What are you doing? He's being ignorant, are you being ignorant too?"
Lin Suyang stopped and turned to look at Vice President Ma.
“Mr. Ma, I’ve told you before that Ma Zhiyuan is young, arrogant, and unruly. I don’t have the ability to continue managing him. You said MX has only been popular for a year, a crucial period for their career development, and asked me to continue managing them. I did, but I never expected to end up with such an ungrateful wretch!” Lin Suyang glanced coldly at Ma Zhiyuan. “I am indeed a newcomer, and very lucky to have managed to create a popular group on my first try. But I have no reason to tolerate an artist who has only been in the industry for less than two years, especially… an artist I personally made famous. I can’t stand this kind of betrayal. Whoever is capable can take over!”
After Lin Suyang finished speaking, he opened the door to Vice President Ma's office and rushed out.
Vice President Ma stared at Lin Suyang's retreating figure, speechless for a moment.
After so many years in the business, this was the first time he had ever seen such an impulsive manager who would abandon the artist he had built up from scratch.
Seeing this, Ma Zhiyuan added, "Mr. Ma, you've seen it yourself. Can someone with a temper like his continue to be our agent?"
His face was full of disdain.
Vice President Ma silently looked at Ma Zhiyuan, whose face was full of arrogance, without saying a word.
-
Li Zhibai drove Lu Yanhe and Yan Liang to the company.
There's nothing else to it, I just want to see a good show live.
As soon as the three of them drove into the parking lot and found a parking space, before they even parked, they saw Lin Suyang walk out of the elevator lobby with a furious expression and get into a gray sedan.
"Uh, they're leaving already?" Li Zhibai said with some regret. "They didn't even get to see the show properly."
Lin Suyang got into the car, started the engine, and drove off without hesitation.
He honked his horn angrily because Li Zhibai's car was blocking his way.
Li Zhibai then drove the car into the parking space.
Lin Suyang stepped on the gas and drove off.
"That's quite a lot of energy," Li Zhibai remarked.
Lu Yanhe shared the same sentiment.
"Did he storm off in anger? What about Ma Zhiyuan?"
The three people got out of the car and prepared to go upstairs.
"What are you three doing here?" Chen Ziyan's voice suddenly rang out from behind them, startling all three of them.
"Oh my, Sister Ziyan, what are you doing here all of a sudden? You look like a female ghost!" Li Zhibai blurted out instinctively.
Chen Ziyan swung her bag and slammed it at Li Zhibai.
"You actually called me a female ghost?"
Li Zhibai immediately took a step back and dodged.
"And she's a female ghost with a rather bad temper," Li Zhibai muttered.
Chen Ziyan rolled her eyes at him and looked at Lu Yanhe again, "Didn't you say you were taking a break? Why are you at the company again?"
Lu Yanhe stammered, embarrassed to admit that he had come to see the show.
Yan Liang, also concerned about his reputation, quickly lowered his head, not daring to look directly at Chen Ziyan.
Only Li Zhibai immediately offered an explanation.
"We're just here to watch the fun."
Chen Ziyan looked at the three of them in surprise, "You guys are really free, aren't you? You can make a special trip over something as small as this. Li Zhibai, are you free? Don't you have any gigs to do?"
"I was running around every day for a while, and I was exhausted. I need to rest for a few days," Li Zhibai said. "I'm about to record a new program, so I'll take this opportunity to rest."
Just then, the elevator arrived.
After some people came out, Chen Ziyan and the other three went inside.
"Sister Ziyan, you have more experience, what do you think will happen to Lin Suyang and Ma Zhiyuan's situation?" Li Zhibai asked gossipily. "Will Ma Zhiyuan be punished?"
Chen Ziyan: "What are you thinking? In the end, Lin Suyang will definitely back down. He is the agent, and it is his duty to protect the interests of the artists. In order to prevent this matter from having a greater negative impact, he will not sit idly by and let the blame fall on Ma Zhiyuan."
"Then... will Lin Suyang continue to be MX's manager?"
"Why not continue?" Chen Ziyan said. "MX is a team he built from scratch, and they're at the peak of their popularity. If you don't continue, will someone else reap the rewards?"
"Then Ma Zhiyuan might absolutely refuse to let Lin Suyang be his agent anymore."
“It’s not up to him to decide,” Chen Ziyan said. “The company won’t tolerate an artist being so arrogant. He’s not famous enough for the company to give in.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the elevator doors opened, and someone else came in.
The person who came in this time was Zhou Ping'an. He was stunned when he saw the four people in the elevator.
His first thought was: Why are Li Zhibai and Yan Liang with Chen Ziyan?
"What are you doing here—" Zhou Ping'an looked at them hesitantly.
"We bumped into each other in the parking lot." Chen Ziyan saw right through Zhou Ping'an's thoughts and immediately asked, "Are you going upstairs?"
This is the floor where Zhou Ping'an's office is located.
Zhou Ping'an nodded: "President Ma wants me to go upstairs."
Chen Ziyan: "Oh, he's looking for you at this time? Isn't he dealing with the conflict between Ma Zhiyuan and Lin Suyang?"
"They've probably already taken care of it," Zhou Ping'an said. "They were called over half an hour ago."
Chen Ziyan smiled.
"I never expected this to happen."
Zhou Pingan: "Lin Suyang has only been working for a few years, so it's not surprising that he couldn't control his temper."
He glanced at Li Zhibai and Yan Liang and said, "No matter what happens, Lin Suyang should not have a direct conflict with Ma Zhiyuan in front of so many people."
"really."
At this moment, we arrived at the floor where the rehearsal room was located.
Li Zhibai immediately said that they had gone out.
Once the three young people left, only Zhou Ping'an and Chen Ziyan remained in the elevator.
Chen Ziyan: "Don't be nervous, I don't intend to steal your boyfriend."
Zhou Pingan immediately smiled and said, "I know, why would I worry about that?"
"Just kidding." Chen Ziyan smiled slightly. "If you encountered an artist like Ma Zhiyuan, what would you do?"
“Let him hang out for a while, let him know his own limitations, and then he'll listen to you.” Zhou Ping’an said without hesitation. “Ma Zhiyuan’s high aspirations and bad temper have been a long-standing issue. Lin Suyang has never managed him properly from the beginning. What kind of artist gets involved in discussing what work to take and what career path to pursue? He wants to promote democracy and let everyone give their opinions, but he’s only spoiled the artists. It’s his own fault for letting them become arrogant.”
Chen Ziyan: "But it's undeniable that MX is really popular right now."
"It's certainly hot, but it's only been a little over a year and they've already started fighting amongst themselves. So how long can it stay hot?"
As they were talking, the elevator arrived.
The two of them walked out together.
Chen Ziyan said, "Yan He is going to record 'The Days of Youth' with Li Zhibai and Yan Liang. You should have talked to Chen Biqiu and the others as well. Let's meet up later and talk about the show?"
“Okay.” Zhou Ping’an nodded immediately. “Then I’ll go find Mr. Ma first.”
"Um."
The two remained amicable throughout, showing no trace of their previous quarrel.
That's how it is in the workplace: as long as there's no conflict, there are no enemies.
Especially for two seasoned veterans like these, emotions are mostly used as weapons, rather than simply being emotions themselves.
When not on the offensive, he never displays his emotions.
(End of this chapter)
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