Chapter 15

The charity dinner that night was broadcast live, full of jewels and in the spotlight of the crowd. The murder that took place at the dinner was so sudden that the live broadcast camera didn't have time to be turned off.

"Repaying a life for a life, and eliminating harm for the people, this is true charity," Li Chu's face was covered in blood, but he still had a smile on his face. He raised his head and looked at Shen Huai who was shocked. "Boss Shen, don't look at me like that. I have come this far, and it's all thanks to you."

This is what Li Chu, who "doesn't bear grudges", did.

His words were clearly broadcast during the live broadcast.

Li Chu did not kill in passion, he had it premeditated. The whole country was shocked when the incident came out. Although Li Chu was quickly detained pending trial, the evidence he had collected about Shen Huai was made public. The heat could not be suppressed at all. Even if it was deleted, desperate fans would still keep posting it.

All in all, this should be the beginning of Shen Huai's downfall.

Li Chu was eventually sentenced to life imprisonment, and the matter gradually calmed down after a few years. However, the closure of Guangying Entertainment, the turmoil in Jianghai Media, and the downfall of Shen Huai were all closely related to him.

Su Ning doesn't look stupid, but now he can't see that Li Chu's well-behaved appearance is fake. This man is a rare and ruthless person.

After Chen Yuan left, Su Ning asked in confusion: "Does Xiao Shen think he's not good enough? I've seen him dance, and I think Li Chu is very suitable for debuting."

He has never had any problem with his vision.

"I have no doubt about Li Chu's ability," Shen Mingzheng shook his head, "I think he has too many things to worry about."

He was reminding Su Ning that Li Chu was still cooperating with Shen Huai, so he should be more careful, and putting all his efforts on him might not be stable.

Su Ning helped him, and he also gave a few reminders, which was considered a reciprocity.

But Su Ning's first reaction was to think of Zhou Chunqing, and he thought they were talking about Li Chu's family.

They are all poor children.

Su Ning is mentally older and looks at Li Chu and the others like his own children. Also, due to professional habit, he has a protective desire towards talented artists, not to mention that the original owner did something wrong or owed something in these matters.

As soon as Shen Mingzheng saw the sighing look on his face, he knew that he was wrong.

But many things have not happened yet. He has no substantial evidence of Li Chu and Shen Huai's cooperation, so it is not easy to point it out directly. So he knocked on the table and changed the subject: "Director Chen has not given you much time. When do you want to meet Qilin's people?"

"Wait a minute," Su Ning waved his hands, "You reminded me, I want Li Chu to participate in the competition, but I haven't discussed it with him yet. I have to ask for his opinion first. This is more important than meeting Qilin."

The other directors were all busy trying to build bridges with Qilin. Perhaps in their opinion, Su Ning would have no hope of making a debut after his withdrawal, and no one cared about Guangying Entertainment, but there was still a chance for him to show up.

But the focus of this matter is different for interns.

Li Chu had been practicing dancing at the company this morning with her cell phone in her backpack, and had no idea what was happening outside.

But others were not as focused as he was. He always felt like someone was whispering around him, not practicing, and walking around with their cell phones, which was very disturbing to him.

He still had some minor injuries yesterday, and he felt some pain after jumping for so long. He was just about to pack up his things and prepare to leave, but when he turned around he bumped into someone.

Li Chu is a bit of a loner among the trainees. He has outstanding abilities, but usually doesn't talk much to others. Some people always can't stand his behavior. After being bumped into, he first said "I'm sorry", but received a weird reply from the other party.

"Hey, why are you in such a hurry to leave?"

The voices belonged to two boys who came in at the same time as him. They were of similar age and had a bad relationship.

Li Chu didn't want to conflict with them at this time and was too lazy to argue. Normally, at times like this, he would just leave the place without being aggressive. But today, for some reason, the two men seemed to be angry and refused to let him go, blocking his way on the left and right.

"I hate you the most when you look like this," the man on the left snorted, "Does Young Master Su withdraw from the competition? Will he give you the chance he left? Don't try to be cunning here. No one in the company likes you when you look like this!"

Only then did Li Chu react and asked in confusion, "Su Ning withdrew from the competition?"

"Don't you know? Why are you pretending?" The two men sneered, "Is there anyone who doesn't know this now?"

Li Chu frowned, turned around, took out his cell phone from his backpack, and flipped through the hot news.

After the live broadcast ended, clips of Su Ning answering questions were everywhere on the hot searches. He spoke clearly and frankly, which significantly changed many people's impression of him.

After another refresh, the official Weibo of Idol Star Map Season 4 released the news about the changes to the competition system. The speed was so fast that even the poster was out.

——“Resurrection VS Challenge”.

There actually is a qualifying match.

In addition to facing the students who have been eliminated, others also have opportunities. No wonder these people have no interest in practicing dancing.

But what are these two people doing on their own?

What chance do I have?

Li Chu put away his phone. These two were easy to talk to, and after being provoked by his few words, they told him everything.

News spread quickly within Guangying Entertainment, and these people soon learned that Su Ning had reserved a spot. However, just before that, Director Yao came over and took Li Chu's information. What this meant was self-evident.

Ou Tu Si had received so much attention and such benefits, but Li Chu took them away, which of course made others angry and jealous.

Didn’t they say that the company’s higher-ups don’t like him?

Li Chu frowned when he heard this. He didn't believe that Guangying Entertainment had such good intentions. However, these two people were blocking him and their mouths were not clean, so he didn't have such a good temper.

"I don't know whether this spot is for me, but it's definitely not for you two," he replied, "After all, it's not like you two haven't participated before. You obviously went to the audition together and had a lot of shots, but I remember the highest ranking was only 46th, and you came back early, right?"

As an investor, Guangying Entertainment certainly had more than one quota in the beginning. These two went with Su Ning, but unfortunately they hardly made any splash.

It would have been fine if Li Chu didn't mention this matter. As soon as he did, the two men became even angrier and walked up to him and wanted to push him.

Li Chu was not a weak person, he had been practicing dancing since he was young and his hands were strong. He was about to roll up his sleeves to fight back, but he saw something out of the corner of his eye and stopped instantly.

Then he withdrew his hand and was pushed to the ground with a "bang". The two men were angry and wanted to kick him, but before they could do anything, they heard a sound behind them.

"What are you two doing?!"

As soon as Su Ning came in, he saw Li Chu, who was carrying a small bag, being pushed to the ground. Two people who were obviously taller than him were surrounding him, looking ferocious and ready to kick him.

When the two men saw Su Ning coming in, their faces changed. They called him "Young Master Su" and looked at each other again, hesitantly explaining, "No, Li Chu was pretending. He just clearly..."

"I clearly saw you two pushing people! Go check the surveillance!" Su Ning was also a little angry, "You didn't dance in the dance studio, but you just bullied people here, right?"

The person opposite him didn't dare to speak for a moment.

Li Chu, however, took advantage of his strength to stand up and began to explain in a low voice: "Master, it's not their fault. They just had a small quarrel because of something unpleasant. It's nothing to do with me."

This damn green tea!

The two people on the opposite side were extremely hateful, but they were indeed the two who came here to cause trouble first. The same was true for the surveillance, and asking other people in the practice room would not end well either.

Su Ning brushed off the dust on his body and asked, "What happened? Why did they bully you like this? Tell me."

"It's just a rumor in the company, don't take it seriously," Li Chu said, "They said there was a qualifying match for Ou Tu, and there was a spot available, and the company wanted to push me up. How is that possible?"

Last time, he clearly had a chance but was forcibly pulled away by Su Ning. Is this man so kind as to let me take his place?

But the next second, Li Chu heard something unexpected from the other party.

"How is that impossible?" Su Ning replied, "I chose you."

Although there are many trainees signed by Light and Shadow Entertainment, not many of them meet the requirements. Most of them have just joined in the past one or two months and have not yet mastered the basic movements. Those with a little experience have participated in the draft with Su Ning, and only Li Chu is left.

Li Chu: “…”

Hearing this, he almost forgot about his pitiful disguise and raised his head suddenly, especially when he heard Su Ning's next words.

"Not only will I send you to the rematch, but after reading your information, I think you will be the one who advances, and even one of the seven members of the group in the end," Su Ning said this with particular conviction, "As long as the audience has eyes, they will choose you."

Even Li Chu himself didn't dare to say such big words.

He no longer dared to dream such a dream.

Even if he really participates, his chances of winning the debut position are not great. The others have accumulated fan bases from the beginning of the show to now, and he is the only one who has nothing and did not get in halfway, so it’s good enough for him to grab some popularity and attention.

Su Ning...where does he get such strong confidence in himself?

But it must be said that even though Li Chu didn't believe it rationally, he couldn't help but feel emotional when he heard these words.

The audience has eyes and will choose me.

He hadn't heard such clear affirmation for a long time.

Shen Mingzheng came along and witnessed it all.

Originally he shouldn't have intervened so much, but now he couldn't help but be curious about Su Ning. This plot was completely different from what he had experienced in his previous life, all because of the man in front of him.

He knew that Li Chu fell down on purpose. If he wanted to resist, how could those two idiots get away with it? Sure enough, they started pretending in the blink of an eye.

But even Li Chu, who was used to pretending, couldn't help but waver when he heard Su Ning's words. He almost forgot to pretend and said, "Su Ning, are you serious?" Yan Shan stopped talking.

The two people standing next to him were also unconvinced when they heard this. They thought it was too exaggerated and reminded him, "Master Su, Li Chu, he has caused trouble before, he is not that..."

"I know what happened to Li Chu before. It's not his fault, it's my fault."

Su Ning interrupted him and looked around. Seeing many people looking at him, he also knew that there were more than just these two people who were dissatisfied.

Even though these people are indeed not as strong as Li Chu and have less practice time, no one is willing to admit that they are inferior to others.

"I invited him to participate, not based on my subjective judgment, nor was it a kind of compensation." Su Ning said, "The company's artist management department has an official account, and will play the trainees' clips on various platforms. Everyone has appeared. I just looked at the dehydration data backstage. Li Chu is the best. Even the two of you who have participated in the official talent show can't beat him in some dehydration data."

"If you don't believe me, I'll send you a data report later to see if I'm just kidding."

The artist agency department of Guangying Entertainment was established very recently, and it was the first time in the past few months that it recruited trainees. It had very little traffic of its own and no purchases. It was almost all natural data. It was not until Su Ning's group went to participate in the fourth show that some people were curious and clicked in.

Most of the footage there is of the practice room. Light and Shadow Entertainment followed Qilin's approach and intentionally maintained the mystery of the trainees. The camera often zoomed in and the faces were not visible in many cases. Everyone was wearing dance practice costumes that were uniformly customized by Light and Shadow Entertainment, but even so, Li Chu stood out very well.

Whenever he appears, whenever he dances, the number of views, likes, and the number of completions and even repeated views that can be counted on certain platforms have increased significantly. Many people also mention him in the few comments and barrages on his social media. Even if they don't know their names or can't even see their faces clearly, there are still people who keep asking about him.

"Who is the boy in the second row from the right?"

"He has so few parts. I think he should be the center."

"Wow, that wave is so well done! The dynamics are just right, and the feeling is almost the same as the original."

I have seen all these Su Nings.

When he was checking the other person's injuries last night, he also noticed other things. People who practice dancing have marks on their bodies. The ropes on his hands and feet, and the way he gestures and walk are all different from others. Then he roughly flipped through the video on the official account and confirmed this idea.

After reading the detailed information about Li Chu today, especially knowing that he could have gone to the top Qilin in the industry but later switched to light and shadow entertainment for some reasons, Su Ning became more certain.

"If I hadn't known this, I wouldn't have been able to talk to Director Chen Yuan about this make-up match plan," Su Ning said. "Li Chu, I hope you know that I didn't approach you because there was a vacancy after the change in the competition format was finalized. I was planning this make-up match because I met you last night."

"Strictly speaking, this place was not given to you, but it was because of you that this place existed."

As soon as he said this, everyone present fell silent.

"I know you really need this opportunity. I'm sorry I'm late," Su Ning said, lowering his voice slightly so that only Li Chu could hear, "You and Zhou Chunqing have a debt at home, and there's still a lot of debt to be repaid. That's why she said she couldn't run away and had to stay with Jiang Chenfeng. If you can make your debut, Li Chu, you can help her."

"I owe you this, and I'm paying you back."

Li Chu suddenly looked up at him.

If he was just shaken by that sentence, now he was really moved, he could almost feel the frequency of his heart beating violently.

Then Su Ning asked him: "Then Li Chu, are you willing to participate?"

In Li Chu's eyes, Su Ning was still a bastard who had done many evil things, but at this moment, he had to admit that the other person's eyes seemed to be shining when he looked at him.

Li Chu was stunned for a long time, then whispered back: "I, I want to try it."

Then he hesitated and asked, "Is it really possible?"

Su Ning smiled: "You can do it."

Because of these words, Li Chu was a little dazed on the way back. Su Ning also sent him back to the trainee dormitory and told him that an appointed doctor would come to check him later. Then he urged him to have a good rest and left.

There was really no other request, it seemed like he came here in person just to talk about this matter.

And the doctor...

I clearly told you last night that it was not necessary, but Su Ning still remembered it.

Li Chu felt like a frozen person who suddenly fell into warm water and suddenly felt at a loss as to what to do.

Su Ning, Su Ning he...

At this time, after finishing all these, Su Ning went downstairs to the building where the interns lived. Shen Mingzheng's car was parked on the side of the road, as if waiting for him.

He was familiar with the car now. He got in the car with ease. He even became familiar with Shen Mingzheng. He said, "Li Chu agreed. Now I can go find Qilin. Of course, I have to trouble Mr. Shen to give me a ride."

Shen Mingzheng motioned for Chen Tao to drive, then asked, "Where's your own car?"

"You may not believe this," Su Ning sighed, "I can't even afford the gas money."

The original owner really knew how to spend money.

"Don't joke around, Young Master Su. Guangying Entertainment is well-known for being rich," Shen Mingzheng said. "To put it another way, just recently, all the shareholders of your company have started to take action. Director Chen just told me that someone tried to bribe Qilin's CEO Liang Xiaoliang, and he scolded him over the phone."

"If you go looking for Qilin now, I'm afraid you won't find anything good. Be prepared."

Su Ning: “…”

Are these shareholders so rich?

He can't do anything else, but he has a strong ability to cause trouble. In just a short while, he can increase his strength.

He is not capable of accomplishing anything, but is more likely to cause failure.

"Then we have to hurry," Su Ning said, "otherwise if we delay any longer, the situation will change."

Shen Mingzheng took the initiative to send him there at this moment, not only because of Chen Yuan's commission and interests, but also largely out of curiosity.

He knew how much Li Chu hated Su Ning, and he was so fooled that he lost his mind at this moment. If it was the forty-something and well-known Mr. Liang from Qilin, what would he say?

Qilin Company is not located in Haicheng, but in Guijiang, which is three or four hours' drive away from Haicheng. Unlike others who chose to seize the opportunity and communicate by phone first, Su Ning went there in person.

This matter must be discussed face to face. We cannot slack off or delay.

During the few hours in the car, Chen Tao drove seriously and Shen Mingzheng was reading documents, but he couldn't help but always keep his eyes on Su Ning.

Su Ning seemed to be very calm. After getting in the car, he quietly watched the video on his mobile phone. He was also very civic-minded and did not play the video out loud. He just wore headphones.

Is he still thinking about this right now?

Shen Mingzheng glanced at him, flipped through a few more pages of documents, and after another half an hour, he couldn't help but ask, "What are you reading?"

Hearing this, Su Ning took off his headphones and asked, "What's the matter? Did I disturb Mr. Shen?"

Shen Mingzheng shook his head, and Su Ning turned his phone over to show him, explaining, "I'm reading an interview with Liang Xiaoliang, the person in charge of Qilin Entertainment who makes the final decision."

Know yourself and know your enemy, and you can fight a hundred battles with no danger of defeat.

Not long after Chen Yuan left, she asked her assistant to send Mr. Liang's information to Su Ning. Mr. Liang was a major shareholder of the company. He started out as a talent scout and discovered several popular idols. He also published several magazine press releases about Mr. Liang, which allowed Su Ning to get to know him a little.

But these are superficial things that are familiar to the public.

Shen Mingzheng took a look at the so-called interviews on his phone and was a little surprised. These were not the ones Chen Yuan sent him. The videos were blurry and looked quite old.

Looking closely, it was a video from more than ten years ago. At that time, Liang Xiaoliang was still very thin and had thick hair. He was unrecognizable at first glance. The video had no subtitles, but Su Ning gave him an earphone so Shen Mingzheng could hear the voice.

"The domestic idol market is completely blank! This is a blue ocean with unlimited future development prospects. Times have changed, the industry is changing rapidly, and those who don't change will be left behind!"

"I know our idol stage is still very simple and crudely made, but in this industry, people are the most important, and our company has the best idols!"

"I hope you can give us a chance! We will give you a future!"

It seemed to be a video recorded at an investment conference. The camera was shaking all the time. The young Liang Xiaoliang raised his arm and cheered. He looked a little silly, but indeed full of energy.

Later, Qilin really became the top idol in the domestic industry, and took away Mr. Liang's hair, and also gave him increasing weight.

Su Ning read it three times and asked again, "What kind of personality do you think Mr. Liang has?"

Shen Mingzheng had met him in his previous life and he really got to know him. He valued talent and after meeting him, he once wanted to poach Shen Mingzheng from Shen's Pictures to Qilin, but Shen Huai was at the peak of his career at that time and he was unable to fulfill his wish. Considering the company, he quickly gave up.

"He was born as a talent scout, has a keen business sense, dares to think and act, is very unwilling to admit defeat, and is somewhat arrogant. Qilin is his life, and everything he does is for the company."

Shen Mingzheng commented as above.

Su Ning nodded. He and Shen Mingzheng had roughly the same feelings. He said, "So, I don't need to tell you much about the benefits of participating in Ou Tu Si. He knows it very well. The so-called bribery will only make him sneer. Mr. Liang is worth over 100 million and holds a lot of shares. How could he sell out the interests of the company for such a small amount of money?"

Shen Mingzheng: "So?"

"We can't convince him from our perspective. It's useless for someone like Mr. Liang." Su Ning said, "We have to use Mr. Liang to defeat Mr. Liang."