Alan was reading through the review.
Cecilia and Irina had already turned up for the night. With the exhaustion of dancing and singing, there was also mental exhaustion which is normal as it was their first real performance.
However, Alan had some more work to do. One is looking through the reviews of others. He was especially careful as there could be negative reviews that can damage the image of Irina and Cecilia. He knew that they had done a great job but they had enemies who might have paid some people to write bad reviews.
He has seen many scandals and people who write negative reviews even though there was nothing wrong with Idol's performance. Thinking back, it was all done by their competitors and opponents.
However, he was needlessly worried. The directors who were in conflict with them didn't even care about Irina and Cecilia to trouble themselves to get a paid reviewer. In their minds, they would fail.
There was only a small number of people who had even written reviews and given their opinion. The most popular being 'Tune Titan' who had praised them highly. The people who came to watch also said positive things about them.
[ "System!" ]
=================
Name: Alan Sterling
Profession: Student of Starfire Highschool
Idol Manager
Appreciation Points: 122,241
=================
The System's Appreciation Points had also increased to 100,000. Even though he had not sung the song himself, he had given Irina and Cecilia the song and prepared them for their debut. So, all the appreciation that they got has also gotten converted to his Appreciation Points.
Alan still didn't fully grasp how his Systems work, however, he was sure that anything that involves his work being appreciated, he would get Appreciation. In this case, Irina and Cecilia's performance was appreciated, however, he was involved in their performance so he got points.
Getting so many Appreciation Points also shows that many people love their performance. He didn't know how his System worked, however, he knew that when others genuinely liked his works, only then did he get points.
Since he could accumulate so many points, it meant that audiences liked it.
A smile appeared on Alan's face. Even though he was not the main character of the show, he knew that his hard work had paid off.
-THUD!
He lay on the bed for a second. He had also worked hard for the past few weeks, always coming home late at night. He was always worried that things might get messed up but now he could finally rest easy.
*SNORE!
For the first time in a while, he was able to have a comfortable sleep.
******
"So, we have been called here today because of the CEO."
Zayden said to all the directors present at that meeting. Actually, it was their holiday as it was Saturday but they had been called because the CEO said he needed to ask something.
"Hehe. Sure!"
Darren said. He is one of the prominent directors working for the Vice-President side. He assumed that they were being called to be questioned about the bad performance that the newbie had given.
Other directors were also grinning thinking about the same thing. They had already prepared what to say and shifted their blame to the newbies' new manager and also to the president.
-CLICK!
The big TV in the meeting room showed the face of their CEO.
"Good Morning, Mr. Lee!"
The directors greeted in unison. The CEO nodded in acknowledgment. CEO. His name was Johnathan Lee, but everyone in the company simply called him "Mr. Lee". He was known for his unwavering commitment to the success of the company and its employees.
"Good morning everyone."
The CEO said, his voice booming through the speakers of the meeting room.
"Thank you for coming in on your day off, gentlemen. I have something important to discuss with you all. It is about the debut of our company's new idols."
Mr. Lee said.
"Mr. Lee!"
Darren raised his hand. He was already excited to put the blame on Alan and the president's side. He thought that he should answer quickly so as to not give chance to Zayden to accuse them and put blame on them.
"Yes, Mr. Darren? You have something to say."
Mr. Lee asked. Even though he was interrupted, he was not angry. As CEO, he was very good at listening and would allow his employees to interrupt them. However, it is only for a genuine reason, otherwise, they would suffer.
"Sir, I believe that the poor debut performance of the new Idols was due to the lack of proper management and guidance from the President's side and their inexperienced manager. It was them who proposed the idea of training an amateur and wasting the company's resources."
Darren said confidently. His allies also nodded their heads in agreement. However, Mr. Lee's expression didn't change.
"I see," Mr. Lee said calmly.
"Do you all agree with Mr. Darren? Raise your hands if you feel the same as Darren."
More than half of the employees raised their hands. They were all those who did not watch the debut and were on the side of the Vice President.
"But have you actually watched their performance, Mr. Darren?"
Darren's expression faltered for a moment before he regained his confidence.
"Of course, sir. I was there. It was a disaster."
Darren lied.
Mr. Lee looked at Darren for a moment before speaking.
"I beg to differ. Well, I watched their performance myself and I have to say, I was impressed. I thought they did a great job considering they were new to the industry."
The room fell silent as everyone looked at Mr. Lee in shock. Darren's allies looked unsure while Darren himself looked like he had just been slapped.
"I actually called you all here today to congratulate you on the success of our new idols, Irina and Cecilia."
Darren and his allies looked at each other in surprise, their expressions quickly changing from smugness to confusion. On the other hand, Zayden and his allies were smiling.
Zayden had already known that and was very happy when the review came to his office. He was very worried and asked his assistant to collect all the reviews while he himself went to witness the show.
While he had already given hope on their debut, he did pray for some miracles to happen. And what do you know? He was surprised by the performance. He knew that the performance was great and worthy of getting the CEO's attention.
He could only laugh inside when Darren tried to shift the blame on him and his side.
"Irina and Cecilia?"
One of them repeated, as if unsure he had heard correctly.
"Yes, Irina and Cecilia!"
The CEO confirmed.
"Irina and Cecilia have received rave reviews from industry experts and fans alike. Their debut performance was a success and our company is already receiving offers for collaborations and endorsements. I am very proud of their hard work and dedication."
Mr. Lee continued looking at everyone in the room.
"I called you all to congratulate them and talk about their future but I guess not everyone was cooperating with them."
Mr. Lee while staring at the directors who had raised their hands earlier. The directors sat in stunned silence, unsure of what to say. They had dug a hole for themselves. They knew they had earned the CEO's wrath.
"You will all be punished. There will be a salary cut for each of you, especially Darren. For all those who raised their hands, they should give me an apology letter by noon."
Mr. Lee said sternly. He knows that there is competition in the company with employees making their own sides, however, he can't tolerate them disrupting the plans made by the company.
The room fell silent as the CEO's words hung in the air. The directors looked ashamed and embarrassed, realizing their mistake. Darren, in particular, looked crestfallen as he had not expected this outcome.
"As for the future," the CEO continued, "I want to make it clear that our company will be fully supporting Irina and Cecilia going forward. We believe that they have the potential to become one of the biggest idols in the industry."