Chapter 445

Chapter 445: Chapter 445

Chenyang had never really agreed with a purely results-oriented worldview.

But he also had to admit that in this materialistic, fast-paced world, most people did indeed judge a person or situation solely by the outcome, ignoring the process entirely.

As long as you succeeded, no one cared if you used dirty tactics to get there.

But if you failed, you’d still be looked down upon, no matter how spectacular your efforts.

This was reality, and it was human nature.

So when faced with Sister Rose’s question, Chenyang, surprisingly, didn’t argue back as he had before.

Of course, he didn’t give an affirmative response either.

Take the example Sister Rose had given.

It was certainly impressive to win the adoration of countless patients with mediocre medical skills. But if it were Chenyang, he would rather not be a doctor at all than use treatments that couldn’t cure anyone just to swindle patients out of their money.

Wanting to be a doctor, to save lives and heal the sick, was his dream and his ideal.

In the face of reality, dreams were cheap.

’But a person has to have some principles, some things to spend their whole life chasing, right?’

Sister Rose didn’t know what Chenyang was thinking, but she took his silence as a tacit agreement with her point.

After a brief pause, she changed the subject. "I’m not telling you this to praise Lin Jiji, nor am I trying to get you to go easy on him now that you know how hard he had it."

"I’m telling you this because, even if his strengths are unrefined and his flaws are both fatal and laughable, anyone who can claw their way up from being a complete nobody to a glamorous public figure is, in my eyes, a strong person."

Chenyang shrugged. "You and I have different criteria for what makes someone ’strong,’ so there’s no point in arguing about it."

Sister Rose smiled. "I’m not arguing. I’m just telling you what my attitude toward Lin Jiji is."

"So your attitude is to treat a scoundrel who’ll stop at nothing as a strong person?"

"That’s right. We have an agent-artist relationship. There are no personal feelings between us, only a professional and financial arrangement. For someone who helps me make money, whether or not he’s a scoundrel is unimportant. The only thing that matters is that he can make me money."

Hearing this, the way Chenyang looked at Sister Rose changed subtly.

He understood.

It was true that Sister Rose was here to help Lin Jiji, but this "help" wasn’t born from personal affection, only from self-interest.

Buying the evidence of the tabloid scandal, on the surface, was to prevent the scandal between the proprietress and Lin Jiji from being exposed. In reality, it was to protect the proprietress, thereby protecting the company’s and her own long-term interests.

Buying the evidence of the other bombshell story wasn’t about letting Lin Jiji get off scot-free, but simply to stop the situation from escalating and implicating more people.

To put it bluntly, all of Sister Rose’s actions were about minimizing financial losses, not about simply helping Lin Jiji.

At this thought, Chenyang suddenly smiled. "I wonder how devastated Lin Jiji would be if he knew what you were really thinking."

"He would be. But what’s his devastation got to do with me? He got to where he is today largely thanks to me. I made him a star to showcase my own abilities and to make money for myself."

"Whether or not he cherished that opportunity is his business. Even if I were to consider our past relationship, cleaning up his mess is already generous. I can’t be expected to waste my energy trying to save a fool who’s bent on self-destruction, can I?"

Sister Rose’s words sounded cold and impersonal.

But Chenyang found himself agreeing with her. He even liked her way of thinking.

Sister Rose and Lin Jiji had no personal relationship; simply put, they were colleagues.

As long as neither of them was courting disaster, they could help each other to maximize their profits.

But when one person not only actively self-destructs but also tries to destroy their mutual interests, the other person would be a complete and utter fool to still show them any kindness.

The things Lin Jiji had been doing recently all seemed like personal actions on the surface.

But from his earlier dabbling in illegal substances and sleeping with fans to his recent malicious slander against Chenyang and instigating his fans to cause a scene, all of it was self-destructive behavior.

As an agent who had managed many celebrities, Sister Rose had known from the start that someone like Lin Jiji would cause trouble sooner or later. That was why, outside of their professional relationship, she couldn’t possibly get too personally involved with him. Nor would she give him any opportunity to drag her down with him.

Seeing that Chenyang understood her perspective, Sister Rose smiled. "So now you should believe that I’m genuinely here to discuss a deal, right?"

Chenyang shrugged. "I believe you. But I’m still not going to make a deal with you."

"You trust me, but you still refuse. I’m guessing... you think the money’s not enough?"

Chenyang didn’t deny it. "That’s right. The money’s not enough!"