“@PeachToddles: #TheLastMidsummerMusicFestival# Yesterday, we danced from noon till night, and the next day, I woke up to find I had lost six pounds [thumbs up]”
“@Nomoneyleft: #TheLastMidsummerMusicFestival# After coming back, I just crashed and slept, and when I woke up, it was already 3 PM. Who gets it? I slept for twelve hours.”
“@YeyeIsSoSoft: #TheLastMidsummerMusicFestival# Waiting for Season 2!! The atmosphere yesterday was just too good! We even saw fireworks across the river at the end! Super lucky!”
The day after the last music festival, promotional videos flooded the internet, with the 1,500 yuan subsidy being highlighted as a key selling point.
The echo chamber of information exists. Even though various marketing accounts had previously promoted the subsidy for the final Midsummer Music Festival, many people only found out about it now.
“Fifty thousand people? Fifty thousand people got it?”
“It’s already over, and you’re telling me now!! Ahhhh! Why did you let me know!”
"I can’t even imagine how satisfying it must feel to go during the May Day holiday, enjoy the festival, and then get a 1,500 yuan subsidy… You guys are really tight-lipped."
“I’m so mad.”
The music festival was over, but some of the content still needed to be filmed. The staff were waiting for the artists to wake up to shoot some additional interview footage.
Jiang Juyou woke up early and, while walking downstairs, saw some staff setting up a filming set in the hotel’s conference room.
“Good morning, Director Jiang.”
“It’s not morning anymore, it’s almost afternoon… You guys have been working hard. Go back and tell Lao Liu to give you half a month of paid leave.”
“Ohhh—”
“Then you have to tell him, Director Jiang!”
The directors saw her and pulled her aside to discuss the progress of a charity project.
Jiang Juyou didn’t want to get involved, but her position demanded that she be informed about such matters. Every project leader felt the need to report to her.
Standing there for half an hour, Jiang Juyou, who had originally come down for a casual stroll, felt a bit restless. If it weren’t for an employee approaching her, the conversation might have gone on longer.
From behind came scattered greetings. Jiang Juyou turned around and saw the members of AIcho coming down for their follow-up interviews. Seeing Director Jiang there, they came over to greet her.
But Lin Jie, walking behind them, was the first to approach. Her expression was not good, her brows furrowed, and she strode past the four members of AIcho to reach Jiang Juyou.
“What’s wrong?” Jiang Juyou asked.
Lin Jie whispered, “Wait a moment.”
By this time, the four members of AIcho had already reached them. “Good afternoon, Director Jiang.”
“Hello, you must be exhausted from yesterday.” Jiang Juyou spoke like a big sister.
Han Lemi replied, “It’s okay, we had a great time yesterday.”
The four girls chattered away, sharing their experiences from the day before. Their performance slot had been late, so they spent the day like other tourists, taking lots of photos.
Lin Jie remained silent, just watching them. Pei Zhiping, perceptive, noticed the tension and tugged on Han Lemi’s sleeve, saying, “Then, Director Jiang, we’ll leave you to your work. We need to go for our follow-up interview.”
“Go ahead,” Jiang Juyou nodded and smiled.
After they left, Jiang Juyou turned to Lin Jie. Before she could speak, Lin Jie handed her a phone. “This came from a media contact we’re on good terms with.”
The content of the image was a chat log.
“Here’s a scoop for you: Jiang Tang and Jiang Juyou from sjyl are actually sisters. Their parents were involved in a drunk driving accident that killed someone.”
“Do you have evidence? Not just hearsay or something a neighbor said, but actual pictures.”
“I have some.”
“Add me on WeChat and send them to me.”
From the content, it seemed that someone had leaked information on Weibo to a paparazzi, but due to Random Entertainment's good reputation in the industry, they were the first to receive the news.
Lin Jie explained softly, “The other party’s Weibo account is unlinked, and their WeChat is too. We can’t find much information.”
Jiang Juyou looked at the picture for a long time without moving.
Lin Jie, watching her, hesitated and asked, “The media already has the so-called evidence. Do you want to see it?”
“…No,” she handed the phone back to Lin Jie and then called her assistant. “Lan Lan, I need to go back to the company. Help me book a flight back for today… Yes, okay.”
Seeing Lin Jie’s worried expression, Jiang Juyou patted her arm comfortingly. “Don’t worry, I’ll handle it.”
-
In Jiang Juyou’s office, several members of the public relations team sat with their laptops, watching their boss standing by the window.
“We’ve asked around with a few media outlets, and it seems the person sent this to many of them.”
The person speaking glanced at their iPad, which displayed screenshots from a forum. Someone had posted a rumor about a big company's boss becoming a debt defaulter, with vague details. But Random Entertainment, having received the signal, knew exactly who was being referred to.
“Since we can’t trace the source, and it doesn’t seem like the person is doing this for money, our only option is to prepare a statement to address the potential situation.”
The staff members looked at each other, unsure how to proceed.
After receiving the news, they had investigated the source, but what they found was one thing, and how to respond was another.
“Knock knock!”
The door was knocked on, and Jiang Juyou’s assistant brought in several members of the public relations team. “Director Jiang, the public relations team is here.”
Standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, Jiang Juyou finally turned around. She said calmly, “Sit down.”
The small sofas were filled, and the assistant brought in tea before leaving and closing the door.
Jiang Juyou stepped down from the platform and began, “The person behind this is definitely malicious. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have such complete information but still fabricate the story.”
"My parents passed away many years ago. They were the at-fault party in an accident—they ran a red light at night and collided with a left-turning vehicle. Both parties died after a period of emergency treatment."
She took a breath and continued, “…Our parents were fully responsible. Afterward, we negotiated with the relatives of the accident victims and made compensation. We only finished paying off all the compensation last year.”
If one doesn’t inherit their parents’ property, they don’t have to take on their debts. But real life isn’t so simple to resolve.
The costs of emergency treatment, ICU care, all required money. At that time, they had no choice but to sell their house.
The family of the accident victims had elderly parents to support and a daughter in kindergarten. Not making compensation would have been against their conscience.
Jiang Juyou calmly recounted the situation and then instructed the public relations team to write an article based on her words: “Just write it according to the facts. If you need evidence, I’ll send it to you later.”
“One thing to note: the debts from our family were all on my sister, Jiang Tang, who is also with our company. But the compensation was paid by all three of us sisters together.”
“We’ll contact the family of the accident victims. They’re elderly, so let’s not disturb them.”
Her thoughts seemed to drift elsewhere. After speaking for a long time, there was no follow-up. The staff members watched her, unsure if she was finished, and didn’t dare to leave.
“That’s all. Go ahead and get to work,” Jiang Juyou came back to herself and waved her hand at them. “There’s no need to rush. The person is quietly spreading this information, probably trying to build momentum and stir up curiosity. In the short term… well, it shouldn’t suddenly trend on social media in the next couple of days.”
“But keep an eye on online chatter to make sure no one starts making up stories.”
-
Jiang Tang, just off work and about to have dinner, returned to her van and hadn’t even sat down when she saw a message from her sister.
Uh… Bingbing, go ask if the final version of tomorrow’s scene has been decided yet.
The assistant nodded. “Oh, okay. Then, sis, you take a break.”
Seeing the assistant leave, she dialed the phone.
“…What’s going on?” After several rings, the call was picked up. As soon as Jiang Juyou answered, Jiang Tang anxiously asked.
Standing by the window, Jiang Juyou comforted her sister, explaining the situation and telling her not to worry too much.
“…Will this affect you?” Jiang Tang didn’t care about herself; she was more concerned about whether Jiang Juyou would be affected.
Jiang Juyou was genuinely unconcerned. "All those incidents happened so many years ago, and we've already settled the compensation. There's nothing to worry about. Today's netizens aren't that gullible."
"Anyway, our relationship hasn't been publicly acknowledged. If anything happens, just push it onto me," Jiang Tang said, pinching the bridge of her nose with a worried expression.
Jiang Juyou continued to comfort her sister. "I'm just letting you know so you can be mentally prepared. Don't worry; I'll handle it."
She wasn't particularly worried about the potential public backlash. Random Entertainment had been deeply entrenched in the marketing circle for so long that it wasn't just called a marketing giant for nothing.
By framing the situation from their perspective, she was confident that the public would understand and see that someone was maliciously targeting them.
What really troubled her was her original plan to announce her intention to study abroad after the company's fourth-anniversary celebration, with the company to be managed by professional executives thereafter.
She had already recruited the right person, who was set to join in July.
Now, if the issue surfaced in the coming days, her decision to study abroad might be misinterpreted as an attempt to escape.
Another headache was identifying the mastermind behind this.
Over the four years since Random Entertainment's founding, it had ventured into film, television, and variety shows, engaging in cold wars with capital and earning the envy of other companies. They had made far too many enemies.
It was impossible to pinpoint a specific target.
Jiang Juyou looked at her reflection in the window, tilting her head in confusion. "Am I really that hated?"
Her expression showed no trace of anxiety; instead, she was filled with curiosity, genuinely wondering who could harbor such hatred toward her.
Cong Lixia watched Jiang Juyou's demeanor, thinking that if she asked him, he would break his rule and reveal his autonomous consciousness. After all, it would be better than seeing Jiang Juyou's hard work destroyed.
But seeing her so calm, it seemed like she wasn't worried at all.
Her mind was more preoccupied with her school offer.
Yang RPing: ...Feeling insulted.
