Chapter 18

Li Chu felt that Su Ning was a truly contradictory person.

Sometimes he even hoped that all the things that happened before had never happened, and that Su Ning in front of him would be the only one left.

This person sometimes sees himself like a child, but has unrealistic and high expectations of himself. He is really like one of those stupid parents who mindlessly put on a child filter when looking at their friends.

You know, everyone in the qualifying match is a tough guy, and now with Qilin added to the mix, do I really have as much chance of winning as he said?

Li Chu stopped drinking water and was silent for a while before he said, "Master, have you ever thought that maybe what Mr. Liang said is true and I may not be able to win this game?"

Although he likes to pretend, he is telling the truth at this time.

After his family fell into poverty and went through many things, he was still so young, but he was pretending to be strong. In fact, he had lost all confidence and felt empty inside.

"How would I know if I didn't compare?" Su Ning said, "I believe you."

After watching his performance, Su Ning became even more convinced of this point - Li Chu was very likely to be the protagonist.

On this day, Li Chu was coaxed by Su Ning until he was a little dazed. Even after practicing dancing for a whole day, he didn't feel tired at all. He even hummed softly on the way back to the dormitory.

He hadn't been so happy in a long time, as if he saw hope again, and this hope was growing bigger and bigger.

Su'ning now is like light. Who doesn't like warm light?

The program team had to prepare for the fill-in match for several days from the planning to the official recording. Su Ning came to see him every day during these days, and Li Chu became more and more accustomed to his appearance. In the last two days, he even found different teachers to give him guidance, and the doctor also came several times to regulate his body.

I heard that Su Ning had a quarrel with people in the company because of these two teachers.

The other shareholders were not interested in the position of person in charge as they failed to get it. Not only did they not lend a hand, they even put up a lot of obstacles. Su Hongda was also somewhat reluctant. These two special training teachers were brought in by Su Ning and Director Yao with great effort.

After the last incident, Director Yao has become more convinced of this young master. Now she does whatever Su Ning says, as if she has become his lord.

But she has no shares and has not been in the company for long. The public relations department is at the bottom of the company and she has to take the blame from time to time. Her influence on the company's decision-making is really limited.

But there is one good thing about Director Yao: her feelings towards light and shadow entertainment are genuine.

I heard that it was because he liked a TV series produced by Guangying Entertainment when he was young, so he rejected offers from other big companies and came here. He was also very worried about the current situation of the company when he told Su Ning.

Compared to Shen Huai's previous understatement and Su Hongda's efforts to cover up, her statement about the current situation was much more direct.

"I can't find out what's going on in the finance department. Even if you go over there, they'll just make excuses. But some departments haven't received salaries for more than a month." She said, "I'm not the only one who's discovered this. Many old employees think something is wrong. Five or six of them quit last week."

The current situation of light and shadow entertainment is far worse than it appears from the outside world. She wants to remind Su Ning to pay more attention and not lose sight of the big picture.

Su Ning was also very clear about this.

In just a few short days, he has personally experienced the chaos from Su Hongda to many shareholders.

These people only care about their own interests and don't consider the company at all. Even if these people don't let him see the account books, the fact that the company has lost a lot of money in the past two years due to blind expansion and recruitment and chaotic investment cannot be concealed.

Su Hongda is just stubborn and self-righteous. These shareholders dare to bribe Liang Xiaoliang without even opening their mouths, which shows that many of them enrich themselves and abuse public funds for personal gain. The situation inside is so absurd that he is afraid that the description of "Light and Shadow Entertainment's bankruptcy" in the script he has seen is about to happen.

In fact, according to normal people's thinking, abandoning the company and running away is the best option at this moment.

Even without considering the large cash inheritance in the marriage contract, the original owner still has an RV. Although there is not much money left in the card now, when the fixed amount of 5 million is credited to his account next year, he can abandon this rotten stall of Light and Shadow Entertainment and live happily until old age. This is probably the way out left for him by his parents.

But if Su Ning were to make the choice now, he really couldn't do something like running away.

He was halfway through cleaning up the original owner's shabby stall when Li Chu in the dance studio sighed that I had no hope, but I had worked especially hard these days and he couldn't just leave all this behind and run away.

At least, I have to fulfill the promise I made to Li Chu.

"I'm not the type to give up halfway," he said, looking through the glass at Li Chu in the dance studio, as if mumbling to himself, or talking to Director Yao, "Now that this matter has come into my hands, there's no reason for me to give up. Let's take it one step at a time."

This is just his personality, it's an occupational disease, there's nothing we can do about it.

If light and shadow entertainment is really useless, Su Ning would definitely take drastic measures and leave faster than anyone else, but when he looked at Li Chu, it was like seeing a small seedling in the rotten mud.

Even if he is not the protagonist, he is such a good talent. How can we bear to let such a child not shine?

After listening to this, Director Yao also sighed.

"To be honest, I wanted to leave too," she said, "but I saw that you looked a bit like an old boss, so I thought I'd stay for a while."

Su Ning and Director Yao talked about a few more things, and then went into the dance studio.

The teacher he hired was always arrogant and taciturn, but he had only been there for an hour and now he took the initiative to talk to him about Li Chu.

"He has a very solid foundation, but he is young and lacks stage experience," the teacher said. "He is also very serious and is a good talent. With time, he will become a great talent."

Su Ning: "No, no, thank you for your concern."

He said this like a humble parent, but his mood obviously improved. He sat next to the teacher and waved to Li Chu to come over so that he could drink some water to replenish his water.

Li Chu ran over with sweat all over his forehead. He did not reach out to take the cup, but borrowed Su Ning's hand, quickly lowered his head, held the straw in his mouth, drank a sip of water, and then ran back.

This teacher is very famous in the industry and it was not easy to invite him. He didn't want to waste time, so he didn't think much about it. When he ran back, he realized that his movements were stiff.

Even though Li Chu didn't want to admit it, his impression of Su Ning had indeed changed a lot in the past few days. He seemed to be saying one thing and doing another.

You can pretend one thing, but do you have to pretend everything?

This is what Zhou Chunqing said.

She has a simple personality and had little contact with Su Ning before, so she did not have a deep negative impression of him. After knowing that he sent Li Chu to the qualifying match, she now firmly believes that Su Ning is a good person and that the previous things were all misunderstandings.

This is indeed the case. With Su Ning around, recent days have indeed been much better.

Li Chu really loves dancing. It has been a long time since he had such a time when he didn't have to think about anything except dancing. He almost forgot that he still had a lot of bad things going on.

After a few days of intensive training, I soon received a notice that I would be going to the qualifying match tomorrow.

Su Ning agreed and came to pick him up early in the morning, telling him to go back home early to rest and not to stay in the dance studio too late. Li Chu was also very obedient.

When he returned to the dormitory after training and was about to rest, he heard the sound of his mobile phone in his pocket. It was a message from someone he had set as a special follower.

Li Chu thought it was Zhou Chunqing, so he took out his phone with a smile and was about to reply, but when he opened it, he saw another person.

The "S" that he pinned to the top of his page sent him a lot of messages. Of course, he knew who this S was from the beginning.

It’s Shen Huai.

Li Chu's smile faded immediately when he saw the name, not to mention the content of the message.

"Li Chu, you're going to play in the qualifying match tomorrow, right? I have to remind you that no matter what Su Ning says to you, he's just trying to use you. You must not listen to him."

"This qualifying match is not as easy as you think."

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Li Chu's head.

He did not reply immediately. He stood at the door for a while holding his phone, then slowly sat down beside the bed and calmed down a little.

The deal between him and Shen Huai was initiated by the other party. The night of fishing in Chunjiang River was naturally planned by the other party. It was also Shen Huai who said that this would ruin Su Ning and Jiang Chenfeng's reputation, so that Zhou Chunqing and himself could be rescued.

Li Chu didn't believe it completely, but he had no choice at that time.

Facts have proved that Shen Huai was indeed full of lies.

At that time, the hot searches only exposed Su Ning, and did not touch Jiang Chenfeng at all.

Shen Huai didn't want to deal with him at all, right?

If Su Ning hadn't wrapped himself in his windbreaker, Li Chu would not have been spared and would have been criticized for who knows how long. Only Jiang Chenfeng, who had done the most evil, could escape unscathed.

Li Chu realized it, but he didn't overestimate his own abilities and run to confront Shen Huai. He didn't expect that the other party would have the nerve to say these to him again.

He held back his anger and replied, "I don't think there's anything wrong with the qualifying match. This is my opportunity. It has nothing to do with our previous deal. You don't need to dictate everything to me."

As a result, after seeing the message, Shen Huai did not reply, but called immediately. Li Chu stared at the phone interface for a while, and finally answered it.

At the beginning, Shen Huai's tone on the phone was okay, and he seemed to be negotiating. However, when Li Chu pointed out directly that he had gone back on his word and did not want to deal with Jiang Chenfeng, the other party's temper seemed to be out of control in an instant, and he tore off his gentle mask.

"Li Chu, I'm not discussing this with you, I'm informing you." Shen Huai had been angry enough recently and didn't want to pretend anymore. "Do you think you have a choice? Even if you really participate, you know in your heart how you are going to perform on the show and whether you want to be in the limelight or not!"

"Why should I..."

"Just because you and I are in the same boat now! Just because Zhou Chunqing can't cancel the contract now! Do you want me to talk to Jiang Chenfeng now, what is your relationship with Zhou Chunqing? Was it she who helped you that night? Otherwise, you can't walk out of Diaochun River so peacefully. Think about it yourself, if Jiang Chenfeng knew that she had ulterior motives, would she be able to live the peaceful life she has now?"

Li Chu stopped talking for a moment.

Last time, Zhou Chunqing used the excuse of going out to film a movie, which really made Jiang Chenfeng, who was easily bored with the old and easily attracted to the new, lose interest in her. In addition, the injuries that this young master Jiang suffered when he was beaten by Su Ning in Diaochun River last time have not yet fully healed, and his recent days have indeed been quite quiet.

In addition, Li Chu also had the opportunity to be the fourth one, and she hadn't been so happy for a long time.

He remained silent, and the other party did not speak either, as if giving him time to think.

However, due to the silence, Li Chu also heard some tiny noises from Shen Huai's side. He felt that there seemed to be more than just Shen Huai on the other side. Someone was crying, and it sounded pitiful, with a little bit of resentment.

Li Chu frowned and turned up the volume to the maximum so that he could hear more clearly. For the sake of cost-effectiveness, he bought a discounted elderly phone. This cheap copycat model had the advantage of being very loud, which came in handy at this moment.

"Brother Huai, what should I do with this qualifying match? My ranking won't drop, will it?"

"A lot of people say things about me online. How can they say that about me?"

"My hand really hurts, Brother Huai, look at me, please help me, I am doing this for you."

This sound...

Li Chu felt that it sounded familiar.

After a while, Shen Huai heard the other party's reply.

"Beside you, is that Sang Le? I looked at the fourth picture and recognized his voice," Li Chu said calmly, "What those people said was right, he really fell on purpose, no wonder you are so anxious."

"If I'm not mistaken, Sang Le is also your man, right? He rose in rank thanks to the sympathy votes from the last incident. Now the qualifying round is here. If things go well and the public's interest shifts, how can he continue with his tragic plot?"

"You don't want Su Ning's plan to go smoothly, and you have to appease your own people, so naturally you can't let me perform well, am I right?"

Shen Huai was shocked.

He knew that Li Chu was no ordinary person, but he didn't expect him to be so sensitive.

As soon as Li Chu said this, Sang Le's little sobbing stopped immediately, which further proved that what he said was right.

Shen Huai has indeed not been having a smooth time recently.

The press conference in Su Ning was considered very successful. Although some people are still dissatisfied with him, the matter has basically passed in the public opinion arena.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that there is nothing to fault with the way this matter was subsequently resolved. The OuTu4 program crew is not here to do nothing, and the extension of time for the replacement match in the middle is enough for the injured Sang Le to recover and participate in the final normally.

After all, the game table was not very high, and the on-site doctor prepared by the program team had already treated Sang Le's injuries roughly before he was sent to the hospital, so Sang Le's injuries were not serious.

Chen Yuan is still a straightforward person who says what she thinks. After being questioned by fans, she simply discussed with the hospital to make public part of her medical records. The program team also paid for Sang Le to be hospitalized for recuperation in the best private hospital in Haicheng. Fans are of course still dissatisfied, but real passers-by are not so indignant.

There is no blame to be given here, but a small number of people started to talk about conspiracy because of the facts stated by Su Ning.

Shen Huai, who originally had a good reputation, was accused by some people of being overstepping his authority due to his saintly father syndrome. Even the comment section under his official account was almost out of control, and Sang Le was not having a good time either.

If it really wasn't Su Ning who pushed him, Sang Le didn't say anything in the hospital at that time. He just kept looking down and pretending to be pitiful, hiding things and saying that he didn't see it clearly at the time, as if he was under some kind of coercion. It looked really terrible at the time, and it even caused people to scold Su Ning, but after explaining it that way at the press conference, it seemed wrong.

In the live camera, there were only two people there, and it was Sang Le who fell by himself.

You know, Sang Le gained a lot of sympathy for his fall, and he got a lot of passerby votes overnight. There were also many big Vs who felt the same way and spent money to vote for him, saying that they just couldn't stand capital bullying ordinary people. According to internal data, this person climbed all the way up from the seventh place, jumping up a lot of places in a short period of time.

Idols have fans, haters and rivals, especially in a life-and-death qualifying competition like this. These are real votes. Although it is not the final moment yet and short-term fluctuations cannot completely determine the result, other fans are not happy about this.

Everyone relies on strength, but you rely on selling yourself badly?

Su Ning has already withdrawn from the competition and is no longer a threat. Wouldn't it be better to crush Sang Le, who is so scheming and malicious, to death?

The contemporary Sherlock Holmes is definitely a true fan. The live video at that time was stripped frame by frame, and facts proved that Sang Le was very likely to have fallen by himself.

The number of reposts of that long analysis chart has exceeded 10,000, and it has also been reposted by some big Vs who have reacted. It is expected to exceed 20,000 tonight.

Sang Le is a more useful and obedient chess piece for Shen Huai, so he cannot be easily abandoned at the moment. Moreover, there is no benefit at all if Su Ning does a good job in the replacement match.

So, at this moment Shen Huai pulled up the thread of Li Chu again.

"You are threatening me with my sister's matter, Shen Huai. You won't do anything to Jiang Chenfeng at all. Instead, you are planning to get the handle to step on Su Ning and use it as a threat to find Jiang Chenfeng to cooperate." Li Chu thought it through and spoke very calmly at this time. "You have always lied to me and just used me. I really thought you were too simple before."

Shen Huai wanted to make some excuses: "No, Li Chu, did Su Ning tell you something, he..."

"How dare you mention Su Ning? You wanted to harm him before! It was you who was harming him all along! You are not even as good as one finger of the young master!"

Li Chu wanted to understand what happened to Sang Le and became even angrier after knowing the truth.

But Shen Huai on the other side of the phone was simply in disbelief.

"Are you speaking for Su Ning?"

"Li Chu, have you been fooled by his magic potion? You should know that this replacement match is nothing. Even if you win, it will be difficult for you to enter the Tao Group. You will still have to return to Light and Shadow Entertainment. What's the point of this?"

Li Chu snorted coldly: "He said that my participation in the competition is for a reason. And even if I can't get in, can't Qilin's get in either? Can you threaten them?"

Shen Huai: "So what if they are Qilin? How can you succeed in this industry just by having good talents? I am still the mentor of Otu Si, I have many ways to make the audience hate them during this period of time."

Li Chu: “…”

Judging from Su Ning's experience, what Shen Huai said was not an exaggeration.

He was even more disgusted with this person and even felt a little disgusted with him.

Su Ning would not say that.

He still participated in the discussion of the program team as an investor. Chen Yuan has been almost obedient and convinced of his words recently. Li Chu saw all this with his own eyes when he heard him make a phone call. He also knew that Su Ning had never thought of suppressing his opponent in this way. He was just trying to do his best for himself.

Talking to someone like Shen Huai only reminded him how good Su Ning's character was.

It must be this person who deliberately led the young master astray in the past. It’s all Shen Huai’s fault!

No wonder the young master doesn’t even look at him now!