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nYu Xinjie was shocked but extremely apologetic, “Chen Jiao, I didn’t mean to leak it ! It’s Yu Yaoyao, my sister who has changed so much, and she threatened me! I was so angry..”

n“You were so angry that you told them what I warned you to never say? That’s great.” He laughed, obviously furious.

nYu Xinjie frantically shook her head, even though he could not see her, “No, Chen Jiao, I can explain! My sister did the book keeping, and she recorded every single amount, many of them went to your account, I was worried, so……” She pressed her lips together in frustration as the other side went quiet for a while.

n“Book keeping?”

nYu Xinjie said yes, then as something struck her, added, “Although they can’t force us to pay back the money, it’s proof after all, the press and the public might believe it. It’ll also damage your image…. Chen Jiao, you left Guangxin, prepared to establish your own studio, if they investigate, they’ll find out that some of your financial resources…”

nChen Jiao on the other side of the phone paused briefly, then said, “I didn’t touch that money. You told me back then, that your sister wanted to sponsor my movie or she would go die, that’s why I took it. But I never touched it, I can give all of it back. Next, do what you should, and don’t say what you shouldn’t, you’d better leave everything alone.”

n“Xinjie, stop making mistakes, don’t let me down again,” he added.

n“No, Chen Jiao, don’t worry. I’ll — ”

nThe call hung up even as Yu Xinjie was mid-sentence.

nAll she could do was sit weakly on the couch in defeat.

n*

nOn the other side, Chen Jiao was livid when he hung up.

nThis useless woman ruined all his best laid plans!

n“Jiao, the entrance is surrounded by reporters; we can’t leave the house for the next few days.” His agent Amy announced, holding the tablet anxiously.

n“Hopefully this news can be surpassed by other gossips by Wednesday, when you’re going into the crew.”

nChen Jiao took a deep breath.

n“It’s too late.” His eyes reflected the despair and desperation within him.

nAmy looked concerned, “Jiao, no matter who asks now, we cannot directly respond. In the public eye, Guangxin and Shen Yichong are your benefactors. He was the one who discovered you and made you into a star.”

n“If you declare the termination of contract now, at this moment of crisis of Guangxin…” She sighed even as she spoke, “We’ve planned for this for so long; even considered the best timing for the scandal, but this accident upturned everything just as we had reached the final step!”

nIf it were any other artist, you could say they chose the best for themselves, and nobody could utter a word.

nBut Chen Jiao… was different.

n“Let’s announce it a month later. Guangxin won’t fail so easily with Shen Yichong. I heard people say that, he already prepared everything to deal with those shareholders! We just wait until Guangxin recovers, then we announce……”

n“Do you think I still have time to wait?”

nChen Jiao asked in barely restrained frustration and fury. “I have to report to the crew after three days, and both the entrance and the crew will be surrounded by the reporters. If I don’t answer, and deny the termination, for how long can we conceal this? And after a month, I officially announce the termination, establish my own studio, and slap myself in the face just like that? We can’t wait.”

nSaying this, his face crumpled.

nEverything was in vain!

nOriginally, if he could wait another month, he could totally wait until the stock of Guangxin went up again. He had been following Shen Yichong for so long that he knew that he must have something in hand and wouldn’t rely on the mercy of others!

nIf he would leave ,then he could explain that Guangxin’s upper management changed too much, and that his career had reached a bottleneck, following which, he decided to change a platform for a new breakthrough.

nBut if he announced it now, when Guangxin was at rock bottom……Well, It was way earlier than he had anticipated, and would be detrimental to his reputation.

nIf denied , it would be a bomb he’d be setting for himself in the future, and would lose all credibility.

nAmy was torn as well, “Your image before was always positive, sincere and humble, someone always willing to help the new ones, and respect the elders. Maybe your fans and the public will understand your pain. Guangxin doesn’t suit you anymore. That they’ve provided no help for your career in the past two years……”

n“No,” Chen Jiao cried, “The public won’t understand me, and won’t understand anyone. They only believe what they see. I’ve been hiding myself, and avoiding making direct statements. In the end, they’ll interpret me as— someone who ungratefully terminated my contract, and even lied to them!”

nHe took a deep breath, finally coming to a conclusion, “Find a few reliable marketing accounts. We’ll announce it tonight.”

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