"That being said, he is still in charge of you," Lan said.
"Lan Jie, I don't want to keep suffering because I've been tolerating things," Zoe said. "Who is Xu Siyao? I don't care, but how could he bring her here so blatantly, without even giving me a heads-up? Does he think I won't have any objections? The biggest mistake I made was letting him pull my strings like a puppet before."
"Chengqian Entertainment isn't his sole domain. Even if it were, Chengqian Entertainment can't ignore the headquarters' opinions," Zoe said. "At least now I see one thing clearly. As long as I can make money for the company, even if He Yong doesn't like me, he can't do anything about it."
"Don't be impulsive. How can he do anything to you? If you were in Wei Ruxue's position, fine, I wouldn't say anything. Even if she left Chengqian Entertainment, companies would be eager to recruit her. She could even go solo, and TV stations and platforms would buy into her, brands would back her. But you? Don't make trouble. You need the company's support the most during your rise!" Lan said urgently.
Zoe lowered her eyelids.
"I know," she said softly.
"Then why—"
"Because he's gone too far, Lan Jie. Did you choose to leave, or did he push you out?" Zoe's voice was gentle.
"You..." Lan was stunned. She looked at Zoe helplessly, unsure of what to say.
Zoe said, "If you're not going to be my manager anymore, Chengqian Entertainment is a huge company. There's marketing, planning, business, and with your abilities, you could do any job here. Why leave Chengqian Entertainment? Don't you want the connections you've built here?"
Lan was silent in surprise.
"You're a rational and decisive person. If you're resigning as my manager because of my conflict with the company, I can understand, but leaving Chengqian Entertainment? I can't understand. No matter what, I'm making so much money for the company now, and as my manager, that's also your achievement. If you stop being my manager, with my current popularity, you could seek a better position within the company. If you leave, you'll have to start from scratch."
Lan fell silent.
The scene of her recent conversation with He Yong flashed in her mind.
It had been in He Yong's office.
He Yong sat on the sofa, his posture dignified, his thumb and index finger gently rubbing together.
He said, "Do you think you'll still stay with the company in the future? With Zoe's current momentum, and her relationship with Song, she'll be in the second tier of company artists within the next one or two years, as long as nothing goes wrong. If she brings up past issues and insists on blaming you for forcing her to take The Eighth Spark of Love, what will you do? Are you going to leave in disgrace then? Headquarters has already heard about the conflict between Zoe and us."
At that moment, Lan bitterly smiled and said, "Mr. He, was I the one who forced her to take the role in this drama?" He Yong laughed and replied, "You didn't force her, so am I the one who did?"
There were things Lan couldn't explain to Zoe.
She also knew that because of past issues, Zoe must have some resentment towards her.
When Zoe needed her most to stand by her side, Lan had helped He Yong put pressure on her.
"Lan Jie."
Zoe's call snapped Lan out of her thoughts.
"If you still want to continue as my manager, I'd like you to stay, okay?" Zoe said. "No matter what He Yong forced you to do, no matter how unpleasant things were between us before, we agreed from the beginning to climb to the peak together. Do you remember?"
Her words hit Lan's heart.
Lan's smile grew more bitter as she said, "Xiao Zoe, I can't stay anymore."
"Why? Is it because of He Yong?" Zoe looked into Lan's eyes.
Lan took a deep breath, meeting Zoe's gaze, and said, "You've had conflicts with the company before. Now you're the hottest artist under the company, and the headquarters has already heard about it. To appease you, they must show some stance. This isn't just for you, it's for the headquarters' benefit too."
This answer didn't surprise Zoe.
"Okay, I'll solve this issue," Zoe said. "Lan Jie, if I solve this, will you stay?"
Lan didn't know what to say, her expression complex.
The young girl who had once been unfamiliar with these social intricacies and workplace power plays now seemed determined, with a spirit of breaking through obstacles.
But what Lan didn't expect was that Zoe's solution was to walk into He Yong's office alone and have a one-hour conversation with him.
Lan waited outside, anxious, fearing that Zoe and He Yong might have an irreparable argument.
But the hour passed without incident. When Zoe came out of He Yong's office, she smiled at Lan and said, "Lan Jie, continue being my manager."
Lan didn't know what Zoe had said to He Yong, and asked her about it.
Zoe replied, "I just honestly told him that if he insists on replacing my manager at this critical time, it would affect the gold-tier clients who want to work with me. That's not me refusing to cooperate."
"You threatened him?" Lan was shocked.
Zoe replied, "What do you mean 'threatened'? I just spoke the truth. This is the busiest time for me. If my manager is changed now, who would be able to quickly understand me and take over all the ongoing projects? Didn't you handle all the previous collaborations?"
Lan thought to herself that things weren't that simple.
If Zoe's words were true, why would He Yong directly push her out?
Lan knew He Yong's intentions. Zoe was a promising, soon-to-mature "peach" that he wanted to pick, taking advantage of her rising momentum. She had already heard rumors about who would take over her work. She wasn't naive; after years at Chengqian Entertainment, she had her own sources of information. The person He Yong had chosen to take over was his cousin, a clear "He Yong faction" ally.
The next day, this "He Yong faction" member, Yu Jiangxing, rushed into He Yong's office, agitated.
"Bro, I heard that Lan is going to stay on as Zoe's manager?"
He Yong frowned when he saw Yu Jiangxing running in. "Can you calm down?"
Yu Jiangxing was frantic. "Bro, didn't you say Lan doesn't listen well? This was a good chance to get rid of her. The whole company has heard that I'm going to take over as Zoe's manager. Why is it suddenly off?"