When the lift doors behind the reception opened to reveal a breathless, enraged Manager Qu, Wen Rui was almost disappointed. The one minute was almost up. At the same time, this confirmed for him that Manager Qu really didn't have anything better to do at the moment, and rejecting Wen Rui's calls earlier was just to put him on the spot.
Maybe Wen Rui's past behaviour deserved this targeting, but the him of now had no memories of wronging Manager Qu and was in no mood to empathise. He was still feeling sorry for his plight, and he wasn't a saint, how could he be expected to not resent being treated unjustly?
Therefore: [Since you've made my life unpleasant, we can both have an unpleasant life together.]
"Your wings have hardened huh?" Manager Qu hissed threateningly as he stormed up to Wen Rui. He tried to grab Wen Rui's arm but Wen Rui sidestepped this in a smooth motion. This aggravated Manager Qu further and he didn't bother keeping his voice down as he shouted. "Two albums and a handful of concerts and you think you're hot stuff already, is that right?! Ready to fly the coop, no need to listen to instructions anymore because you're such a diva?! I'm telling you now, you're not irreplaceable, do you know how many trainees would die for your spot in HEX4—"
"Is that so? I'm relieved then." He genuinely was. Wen Rui had initially been worried that if there was no one to fill in the gap, management would not let him leave. But since there were so many prospective candidates, surely they wouldn't insist on keeping him. Especially since he sounded like a problem child. And his name was already dragged through the mud. "Where should we go to discuss this matter? Please lead the way, Manager Qu."
Manager Qu felt like throwing up blood. He couldn't explain why, but Wen Rui seemed different today. He wasn't kicking up an embarrassing fuss in the lobby or mouthing off like the arrogant good-for-nothing he was. The calm seriousness on his face unnerved Manager Qu. It was like discovering the gullible puppet he was used to manipulating for personal gain had suddenly evolved into a real boy and escaped his control.
But Manager Qu was a golden employee at CE for a reason. He had been in this industry for a decade now, he knew how to play this game better than a fledgling idol who thought too highly of himself. This vendetta had already been established and he was going to make Wen Rui regret challenging his authority.
Reestablishing his cool, Manager Qu asked Wen Rui to follow him. At the same time, he sent a message to the group members and told them to congregate in Meeting Room 1. As a result, when Wen Rui entered the room behind Manager Qu, he found himself face to face with three foreign faces, one worried, one blank, and one that was openly gloating at Wen Rui's misfortune.
…all right. They were welcoming him with such a delightful variety of expression. He could appreciate the effort.
Manager Qu took a seat at the head of the table and folded his arms. He was a plump man with a pompous air, and from the way he presided over the meeting with smugness, Wen Rui would have believed he was the CEO of CE instead of just a manager.
"Well?" he said. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
Wen Rui wasn't sure what Manager Qu was expecting from him but he wasn't an idiot. From the second he saw this 'battle formation' lying in wait for him in the meeting room, he knew that Manager Qu wasn't done giving him a hard time. He sat down on the opposite end and interlaced his fingers on the top of the table, readying himself for a tough negotiation.
He was so absorbed with trying to figure out how to win the upcoming argument that he didn't notice the shock that flitted over the faces of everyone else in the room. They all wondered who this person in front of them was.
HEX4 was a male idol group made up of 4 members. They debuted two years ago and were a quickly rising star due to their strong performances and stunning visuals, especially that of their Centre, RUI. Initially, because of Wen Rui's fluttery long lashes, porcelain skin, and peach blossom eyes, HEX4's management team had decided to promote an angelic image of him that would suit his face perfectly. It had felt like the right choice to make because Wen Rui's naturally fawn-like expression made him look like a naive baby deer that was full of irresistible innocence. They had marketed him to the public in white lace and wings, with wreaths of flowers adorning his freshly-dyed blond hair.
However, Wen Rui had soon taught them a painful lesson: all that glitters is not gold. From getting drunk in clubs to arrogantly ignoring fans in public, Wen Rui had been embroiled in scandal after scandal. He had ruined the image they had packaged him in, going from famous to infamous in less than a year. If it had been any other newbie, CE would have dropped them like a hot potato. But unfortunately, Wen Rui's face had been enough to garner him a staunchly loyal fan base made up of crazily possessive 'girlfriend' fans.
So Wen Rui had kept his job. Because to these girls, he was an angel who could do no wrong.
But no one knew better than his management team and his group members that this so-called 'angel' was actually the devil in disguise. In front of his fans, Wen Rui would at least try to keep up some pretences, but once behind the scenes, he hadn't bothered to hide his real attitude. It wasn't like he slacked off training but he only did the bare minimum necessary to keep up with the choreography and singing. And although everyone knew he was from a wealthy family, you couldn't tell from the way he dressed like a rebellious teen, forever slouching in his seat with his hoodie drawn up and glaring at the world like it had offended him.
So who was this sitting at the end of the table with the kind of posture etiquette teachers would compliment? This person had Wen Rui's flawless face. But his usual couldn't-care-less attitude had been replaced by a cultured air that was completely foreign to everyone else present. For the first time ever, his group members realised that he was really a young master, not just in name, but also in upbringing.
Manager Qu was the first one to regain control over his thoughts. "You have nothing to say for yourself?" he asked with a cold smile. "Right now the PR team is working to salvage your mess but if you don't have a good reason, one phone call is all it takes to tell them you're not worth the effort."
Wen Rui wondered what he had done in the past to give Manager Qu the impression that he wanted to continue being an idol.
"I'm sure I had a good reason," he said, even though he wasn't that confident. The lunatic he had become didn't behave like normal Wen Rui at all, Wen Rui couldn't predict his actions. "But I don't remember it."
The boy who had sneered at him earlier scoffed out loud now. "Is this your excuse now? You've lost your memories?"
"Mmhm," Wen Rui nodded with false enthusiasm. "That's it exactly." He had debated hiding the amnesia from his workplace because he was worried they would use it to their advantage. But it may be better to use it to prove to everyone that he was not fit to stay in HEX4 so please, just give up on him. "To be precise, I have lost four years of my memories, which means the last thing I remember is being a high school student. I don't remember any of our songs or dance routines."
His smile turned politely apologetic as he took in their stunned expressions with a sense of satisfaction. To make matters worse, he added, "In fact, I don't remember any of you at all."
"Wait, Rui Ge," another boy, who had very little presence, finally spoke up in a timidly. His looks weren't as striking as the sneering boy's were, but his face was kind. He gave off a very sunshine boy vibe. "Did this just happen? Are you okay?"
It seemed like someone in the group was at least nice on the surface. "Yes," Wen Rui replied in a more genial tone. "I was hit on the head during the fight apparently."
The boy's concern became fretting. "What?!" he exclaimed. "That wasn't in the video! I already said that someone must have edited it before posting…" He trailed off as Manager Qu's dark glare landed on him squarely.
"Of course it was edited," Manager Qu said unconcernedly. "You all know how much competition there is in the industry. How many people are out there watching and waiting for you to make a single mistake. The video may not show the whole picture but what does it matter? The damage has already been done. Wen Rui here decided to pick a fight over some woman—"
"Let me see the video."
All eyes turned to Wen Rui.
"Let me see the video," he repeated. He kept hearing people bring up some 'woman', some 'lady'. It had gotten to the point where his curiosity was piqued. He was certain that even though he had a crush on Su Jiali, he trusted himself. He would not irrationally attack someone else because of her, not even if completely drunk. That went completely against his own moral beliefs.
Besides, Wen Rui knew what he was like when he had too much to drink. Although Club Apex was the first time he'd gone out with the other young masters, he had already had plenty of experience attending dinner parties before then. The Wen Rui in the video was at best only slightly tipsy and still rational.
He wanted to see, just how otherworldly was this supposed beauty that he was mad enough to pick a fight over her?