Tonghua Entertainment and Shengshi Entertainment are rival companies, both being top-tier entertainment companies in the country.
Under the guise of fearing that its employees would be at a disadvantage, Shengshi Entertainment refused to leave the meeting room, and Tonghua Entertainment couldn’t very well kick them out forcefully.
As major companies, no matter how fierce the private struggles were, public harmony was still essential. If looks could kill, the people from Shengshi Entertainment would have been killed by Tonghua Entertainment many times over.
Finally a charter was agreed upon, and Zhang Yingru let out a deep sigh of relief, feeling quite happy, yet her face showed no such expression.
As she had told Shengshi Entertainment, although Tonghua Entertainment had been particularly difficult, she could accept all their terms, and as for the compensation of the breach of contract penalty, that would be covered by Shengshi Entertainment on her behalf.
Everyone treated the confidentiality agreement they had to sign upon resignation as unimportant. Even if Zhang Yingru were to leak some of Tonghua Entertainment’s secrets, Tonghua Entertainment did not have the vast reach to catch her red-handed.
The conference room door was opened, and everyone left the meeting room together.
Outside the door, the JY team members were all waiting, with redness around their eyes, unable to accept that Zhang Yingru had jumped ship to Shengshi Entertainment.
Seeing them come out, some members couldn’t help but call out, "Sister Ying!"
Once one member started, the others followed suit, shouting together, "Sister Ying!"
Seven members, seven cries of "Sister Ying." Even for someone as cold-hearted as Zhang Yingru, her thoughts became blurred.
However, she quickly adjusted her demeanor, nodding to them, "You’re here."
The staff from Tonghua Entertainment and Shengshi Entertainment looked at each other and walked out first, leaving a private space for them.
With no outsiders present, the JY members couldn’t hold back any longer and started to question Zhang Yingru about why she was leaving Tonghua Entertainment to join Shengshi.
Amidst the eager questioning from the members, only one was unusually silent – that person was the captain, Li Zimu.
Zhang Yingru soothed the members, explaining, "The contact with Shengshi Entertainment wasn’t sudden; someone from Shengshi approached me about it a year ago.
At that time, I was somewhat tempted, but I ultimately didn’t leave. The reason I am leaving this time is that they offered me terms I simply couldn’t refuse."
"I’ve been communicating with the company here for a long time, too. The news leaking out this time was PR arranged by Shengshi Entertainment. I’ve just finished discussing the handover of my work responsibilities with the company in the meeting room. We part on good terms, don’t worry, I will be fine."
Zhang Yingru’s words took a turn, "You are the girl group I have personally trained; all of you are second-tier performers. The company will assign another agent to you, don’t worry, the company won’t give up on you."
Zhang Yingru repeated the last sentence several times until the members somewhat calmed down.
It was then that Li Zimu spoke up, voicing her first words upon hearing the news today:
"Did you really not leave us for Shengshi Entertainment as a backup because JY is losing steam?"
The atmosphere immediately turned tense.
Zhang Yingru’s expression faltered, and looking at Li Zimu’s reddened eyes, she shook her head:
"Zimu, that’s not the reason. I’ve been in communication with Shengshi for a long time and have been in ongoing talks with Tonghua Entertainment as well. The news breaking out was agreed upon by both companies."
Actually, communication, what is that? Sure, I’ve been in constant talks with Shengshi Entertainment. Ever since JY became popular, they’ve been trying to poach her. It’s just that she hasn’t relented, that’s all.
As for Tonghua Entertainment, they too were caught off guard by Zhang Yingru today.
But now that the news has been reported, and Zhang Yingru is set on leaving, what can they do?
Of course, they need to cut their losses quickly and negotiate good terms so Shengshi Entertainment pays a hefty price for her!
Zhang Yingru told her group members this, taking advantage of the fact that they weren’t privy to such news.
After all, she was going to resign today. If she could keep it under wraps just for today, even if they found out the real reason in the future, it wouldn’t affect her at all.
The entertainment industry, this circle, never was one where you could survive just by being sentimental.
The cold reality that JY is on the decline had probably dawned on He Jinxia, who might also have realized the reason why she had always been overweight in the group and couldn’t seem to lose it.
This grudge couldn’t be resolved, and as she became more and more famous, anyone smart would know what to do.
Li Zimu took a deep breath, "Sister Ying, are you really leaving? We’ve struggled together for six years, a full six years!"
You just decided to go, have you thought about how we feel? What do you take us for? You’re the closest to us, and yet we had to learn about your move to another company through the news. Have you ever really considered us your people?"
These were the words the other group members were thinking as well.
Out of respect for Zhang Yingru’s authority, they didn’t dare to speak, but Li Zimu did. Li Zimu understood Zhang Yingru’s character better than any other group member and knew that every move she made was calculated.
To seize the opportunity and measure the situation—that’s what Zhang Yingru was all about.
Zhang Yingru looked at Li Zimu calmly, her heart disturbingly serene, and comforted him with a gentle voice,
"Zimu, I also only found out about my own resignation from the internet this morning. I didn’t intentionally hide it from you; the news was released by Shengshi Entertainment. Tonghua had negotiated with them too, and they didn’t inform me beforehand.
I thought we had several months to discuss, I didn’t expect it to come this suddenly."
Glancing over all the group members, she said with a sigh, "In the blink of an eye, you’ve all grown up. When I first started managing you, you were all minors, it felt like I was taking care of ten kids.
Now, some have gone solo to develop their careers, while others have chosen to stay with the group and continue to fight. I’m relieved to see this; you’ve all been persistent in your dreams, never giving up, never abandoning them. I could learn from you."
"Whether or not to leave Tonghua Entertainment for another company, I’ve been hesitant these years. I’ve hit a ceiling here, unable to advance further.
But at Shengshi Entertainment, everything is new. There I can be more valuable and take my career to the next level, so in the end, I decided to leave."
"I apologize for keeping this from you, because I didn’t know how to tell you. All gatherings must come to an end someday; I hope after I leave, you’ll continue to strive, cherish one another and be well." Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs novelFirｅ.net
Women are emotional creatures, and some group members started crying again after her speech.
They really didn’t want to let go of Zhang Yingru, didn’t want to say goodbye to the "parent" who had led them for six years.
Without Zhang Yingru, how would they proceed in the future? Would the new agent like them? Would they thoughtfully arrange their schedules? Would they strategize to further their careers...? All of that was an unknown.
Suddenly, amidst the sorrowful atmosphere, a group member looked up sharply and said, "In the end, it’s because JY isn’t hot enough to propel your career to the next level!
That’s why you decided to switch to Shengshi Entertainment, where a new girl group is being formed—to lead them and compete against us!
All that talk about hoping we do well—you’d probably rather we didn’t. With a mouth full of kindness, you are the cruelest in our team; the netizens’ perception of you is spot on—you are the coldest and most ruthless!"