Chapter 157: The Most Troublesome Matter and the Simplest Solution (2)

The young man also greeted Lin Zhengran and Jiang Jingshi. “Hello, President Jiang. Lin Zhengran…”

Lin Zhengran recognized him at a glance. He was a male singer from the studio… a college student, about eighteen or nineteen years old.

Jiang Jingshi, of course, also saw the young man in the room and instantly realized what was going on.

It was clear they weren’t mother and son.

Upon entering, they saw that while Wang’s office wasn’t particularly luxurious, it was spacious and well-equipped. After all, a person who could support such a large music studio for years without making much of a profit had to have some real resources.

Wang gestured for Jiang Jingshi to sit and hurried off to pour some water, but she paused, surprised to see Lin Zhengran.

“Lin Zhengran, you’re here too…” She had seen Jiang Jingshi talking to him at the last competition, but she never imagined they were close enough to arrive together.

But before Lin Zhengran could speak, Jiang Jingshi sat down on the sofa and announced, “I’m Lin Zhengran’s fiancée.”

The moment she said that, not just Wang and the young heartthrob, but even Lin Zhengran himself turned to stare at Jiang Jingshi.

Jiang Jingshi smiled. “What’s wrong, my dear Zhengran? I’m not wrong, am I?”

Lin Zhengran let out a dry laugh. Although it sounded a bit ridiculous, she wasn’t wrong.

Wang and the young heartthrob, however, were utterly stunned, their eyes wide. The renowned heiress of the Jiang Group, Jiang Jingshi, was Lin Zhengran’s fiancée?

They had known Lin Zhengran for a long time and had never dreamed he had a connection like that.

The way Wang looked at Lin Zhengran changed completely. “Zhengran, please, sit down… I’ll get you some water.”

Lin Zhengran waved a hand in dismissal. “That’s not necessary, Wang. Jiang and I came today to ask what exactly happened to the studio. Why did you suspend operations? I saw Jiang Xueli’s song was taken off the Little Nova Chart, too.”

Wang looked at Lin Zhengran, then at Jiang Jingshi.

Jiang Jingshi spoke up. “Just tell us what happened. I took the initiative to come here, so I’m obviously here to help. As for my reasons, I believe Wang understands them now.”

Wang nodded. Jiang Jingshi’s meaning was clear: she was helping because of Lin Zhengran…

Wang then glanced at the young man behind her. He went into another room and came back with an envelope, which he handed to Jiang Jingshi.

Wang explained:

“Someone from Pan Cheng Electronics Company sent this to me last night. I’m not sure if you’re familiar with them, President Jiang. Ever since our singer, Jiang Xueli, took off, they’ve been trying to talk to me—just like you were. But I turned them all down…

“And after I refused them, I received this package last night. There was a phone inside with two videos and a voice recording on it. That’s why I was forced to close up shop.”

Jiang Jingshi took out the phone and played one of the videos.

Lin Zhengran also walked over to see what the video was.

It was pretty much what Jiang Jingshi had expected: both videos showed Wang and the young heartthrob on intimate dates.

As for the voice recording, it was a simple and direct message from the sender:

“Wang, I assume you’ve seen the two videos. A studio owner sexually harassing her own male singer—that alone is enough to shut down your company and end your career. On top of that, there’s the copyright issue. I’ve discovered that several songs your studio released three years ago are suspected of plagiarizing songs from our company’s artists. My company is now planning to sue you. The specific amount for damages is detailed in the legal notice. However, since we’re peers in the same industry, I don’t want to be so ruthless. The damages are a considerable sum, and I doubt you’d be able to pay it. So, there is a way to resolve this. All you have to do, Wang, is sell your studio to our company. Don’t worry, we will still pay to acquire your studio. You can take that money and start a new studio, make a comeback. At worst, it will just be a little smaller in scale. But at least this way, my company can drop the matter of what you’ve done with your male singer, as well as the copyright issue. I hope you will consider this carefully. Oh, and one more thing: please remove the songs by your singer Jiang Xueli starting today. Otherwise, my company will assume you have no intention of negotiating. After you’ve taken down the songs, I can give you three days to think it over. I hope you will consider your options carefully.”

After listening to the recording, Jiang Jingshi glanced at the legal notice that came with it. The compensation amount, needless to say, was an astronomical figure that this small studio could never afford.

Jiang Jingshi asked, “What’s this about the copyright infringement fee? The plagiarism charge…”

Wang hurriedly explained, “The plagiarism—it’s not what it looks like! It’s because our company’s early contracts had loopholes, which allowed them to poach two of our singers. Then, through some shady means, they managed to slap us with a plagiarism accusation. It’s their dirty trick.”

“What did your lawyer say? Have you asked one?”

“Yes… I consulted a lawyer last night. The charge is indeed valid. It’s all because our contracts weren’t airtight back then.”

Wang continued, “And that business in the video about harassment—it’s not true! He and I…” She pointed at the male singer behind her. “We’re genuinely in love… He’s the one who pursued me.”

The male singer nodded. “That’s right. Wang and I are genuinely in love. I pursued her…”

Jiang Jingshi sighed helplessly. ‘Whether or not it’s true love, will netizens believe it?’

Especially if the other party hired some paid commenters to stir things up online. A middle-aged female boss and a young male singer… To the public, it would look like a classic casting couch scenario. There’d be no convincing them otherwise.