The surrounding crowd automatically dispersed.
Once the staff had left, the man pulled out a bank card from his pocket. "This contains one million—compensation for Miss Rong Yu terminating the contract for the Ji Group's advertisement shoot."
It would be best if Rong Yu took the initiative to cancel the contract.
That way, the negative impact on Zhou Yachen would be minimized.
Rong Yu smiled faintly. "Do you think I’m someone who lacks a million?"
The man’s eyes turned cold. He took out another card from his wallet. "There’s another eight hundred thousand here. For an idol trainee who hasn’t even debuted yet, this amount isn’t insignificant."
"And if I refuse to terminate the contract?" Rong Yu asked leisurely. "What will the esteemed Film Emperor Yan Ting do then?"
"It seems Miss Rong isn’t aware of my influence in the entertainment industry," the man said coolly. "If you plan to stay in this circle, you should know who you can afford to offend and who you can’t. Accept this payment, and I’ll even introduce you to another opportunity. But if you insist on going against me, then—"
"Then what?"
A deep, aged voice suddenly cut through the air.
Old Master Ji had come to visit the set to check on how Rong Yu was adjusting.
The moment he stepped in, he overheard this exchange.
Without hesitation, he raised his cane and struck the man’s backside with a sharp crack. "The Ji Group spent money to build you up, gave you all kinds of resources, and now you’ve grown into a Film Emperor—only to start threatening people? After all we’ve done for you, is this how you repay us? You’ve disappointed me! Absolutely disappointed me!"
Rong Yu froze.
It finally clicked where she had seen this man before. Not in the original host’s memories, but in a family portrait at Hibiscus Manor—there he was, standing among them.
In the photo, he had worn a white hoodie, his hair soft and youthful, the picture of a clean-cut young man.
Now, he stood in a tailored suit, his hair impeccably styled, his expression icy—the very image of a domineering CEO from a drama.
No wonder she hadn’t connected the dots immediately.
Ji Yanting—known in the entertainment industry as Yan Ting—stared in shock. "Old Master, why…?"
In all his years, Old Master Ji had never scolded him like this.
He didn’t understand what was happening.
"Shut your mouth," Old Master Ji snapped, his breath uneven. "Little Zhao! Get over here!"
General Manager Zhao, who had been waiting outside, hurried in at once.
Back when Old Master Ji’s health had been stronger, he used to personally inspect all of the Ji Group’s ventures. Naturally, General Manager Zhao recognized him and immediately bent forward respectfully. "What are your orders, Chairman?"
Old Master Ji’s voice was frosty. "Explain the situation with today’s advertisement shoot. Don’t leave out a single detail."
General Manager Zhao glanced at Ji Yanting.
Under Old Master Ji’s presence, even the illustrious Film Emperor seemed diminished.
Then his gaze shifted to Rong Yu, who stood shielded behind the old man.
Realizing the power dynamics at play, he spoke honestly. "…Mr. Zhou Yachen had another schedule in the afternoon and was in a hurry. He didn’t have time to memorize his lines, so he substituted them with numbers. Miss Rong Yu couldn’t tolerate such unprofessionalism and insisted he learn his lines before continuing… Somehow, things escalated…"
"If his schedule is so tight, then the Ji Group won’t waste any more of his precious time," Old Master Ji said coldly. "Little Zhao, have him removed immediately."
For the first time, Ji Yanting’s composed expression cracked. "Old Master, the Ji Group already signed Zhou Yachen as the spokesperson for this product. The contract is finalized—"
"He violated the terms by lacking professionalism. The Ji Group has every right to terminate the agreement. Any objections?" Old Master Ji’s temper had cooled, but his tone was unyielding. "Little Zhao, from this moment onward, Rong Yu will be the sole spokesperson for this product. Rescript the advertisement—she’ll shoot it alone, without a male lead. Get it done quickly."
General Manager Zhao’s jaw nearly hit the floor.
The situation had spiraled so rapidly in an unforeseen direction that his brain short-circuited.
After a long pause, he finally managed to respond. "Understood, Chairman."
He stole another glance at Rong Yu.
First, the Ji Group’s CEO personally escorted her here. Now, Old Master Ji himself had stepped in to back her, elevating her from a supporting role to the sole face of the campaign.
Clearly, Miss Rong Yu was no ordinary figure.
He rushed toward the break area, where Zhou Yachen was seated.
Zhou Yachen, engrossed in a mobile game, remained oblivious to the storm brewing around him.
When General Manager Zhao spoke to him, he waved a hand impatiently. "Hold on, let me finish this round. Don’t mess up my momentum."
"Here’s the thing…" General Manager Zhao kept his tone polite. "The Ji Group is terminating your contract. Please sign here."
He shoved the termination papers in front of Zhou Yachen.
Only then did Zhou Yachen pause, cocking an ear. "What did you say? I didn’t catch that."
"Mr. Zhou, your breach of contract terms gives the Ji Group grounds for termination," General Manager Zhao said. "Let’s part on good terms. Just sign, please."
Zhou Yachen skimmed the document, then let out a disbelieving laugh. "Do you even know who I am? Who my brother is? You dare terminate me? My brother—Yan Ting, the Grand Slam Film Emperor, a shareholder in the Ji Group—once he gets here, you’ll realize how laughable this termination is."
Thanks to his brother’s connections, he had secured this high-profile endorsement deal in the first place.
General Manager Zhao replied quietly, "Mr. Yan is already here."
Zhou Yachen looked up and spotted Ji Yanting near the studio. He shoved General Manager Zhao aside and stormed over. "Brother! Finally! This Zhao guy wants to terminate my contract—you have to fire him! And this rookie, Rong Yu? She’s way too arrogant. You need to cut her loose too!"
He jabbed a finger toward Rong Yu, who stood nearby.
With Ji Yanting as his backer, his confidence soared, his chin lifting arrogantly.
Old Master Ji’s face darkened to a terrifying degree.
Ji Yanting hadn’t seen the old man this furious in years.
Just who was this girl?
Why was Old Master Ji protecting her so fiercely?
He didn’t dare oppose the old man—not just out of respect, but because Old Master Ji’s health was fragile. The last thing he wanted was to provoke a medical crisis.
He immediately ordered, "Yachen, sign the termination."
"What?!" Zhou Yachen, who didn’t recognize Old Master Ji, glared. "Brother, whose side are you on? You’re siding with outsiders against me now?"
Old Master Ji’s eyes flashed with frost.
The Ji family already had plenty of younger brothers. Yet his second son had gone and adopted another one outside? What nonsense was this?
Ji Yanting barked, "General Manager Zhao, remove Zhou Yachen immediately!"
As the tension thickened, General Manager Zhao didn’t dare delay. He signaled two male staff members, who promptly seized Zhou Yachen and dragged him out.
Zhou Yachen was livid.
He was a top-tier celebrity, a rising star in the entertainment industry—how dare they treat him like this?
Who the hell was that woman?
Why was this happening…?
