And also, where are the others? The three are gone.

Except for Li Chu, who’s being very considerate, the others just stared at each other, unsure of what Su Ning was doing now, staying so calm.

However, Su Ning wasn’t idle during the day either. The four of them had scheduled training, and even if they were upset, they had to continue training as usual. He was in the room next door, reportedly working on a plan for the group’s variety show, taking a hands-on approach.

Rui Song’s temper was a bit quick to flare, but he was genuinely concerned about the team. Now, seeing Su Ning’s calm face, he had no way of getting angry. So, he listened to him and got in the car.

Then, the staff even gave them blindfolds, making everything seem so mysterious.

What’s the deal with where they’re staying?

Generally speaking, idol groups usually stay in large apartments or small villas as their dormitories. Such living conditions aren’t bad in the eyes of ordinary people. But nowadays, if an idol group becomes popular, it’s easy for them to earn enough to buy a house. They no longer want to live with others, and their fans also hope they’ll quickly cut ties and move out.

So, most idol groups live together in the beginning, but after that, no one really cares where they end up living. It’s like what the arrogant person in charge of Pinnacle Agency said on the phone earlier—“You can’t limit an idol’s freedom.”

Who would choose a worse life when they could have a better one?

But Su Ning seemed to take this matter seriously. He didn’t leave the car and sat in the front seat. Before putting on the blindfold, he said, “Leave everything to me.”

The car swayed and rattled, driving for a long time. Even with the blindfold on, they felt like they were heading toward the suburbs.

After about an hour or two, the staff told them they could get out. A few people who had fallen asleep on the way hesitated before getting out. The air was very quiet, almost as if there were no one around. When the blindfolds were removed, they were all stunned and immediately woke up from their dreamy state.

Wait… What is this place? Guang Ying Entertainment owns all of this?!

From the morning, the cameras were occasionally on, but there was no live broadcast. It was more like recording daily life, shooting a few segments here and there. It wasn’t until they were close to where they were going to stay that the cameras switched to live broadcast mode. The unexpected live broadcast was started on Orange Video’s Glory official account. Even though the timing wasn’t perfect, the group was hugely popular, so many people were still watching.

Besides, the fans were already fighting at this hour, making it to the trending topics. More than a few people were awake, and the number of viewers quickly skyrocketed.

This live broadcast even had the tag “Group Variety Show Preview.”

It was said that Glory’s variety show updates monthly, running through the entire year and a half of the group’s operation. But no matter the topic, fans couldn’t stop fighting in the comments.

“There aren’t enough people, what are they even filming?”

“I swear, how long are they going to talk about this? It’s just a little interview, right? I’m sure there’s something important the company needs him for, can’t we wait?”

“Little interview? You should go check out the host’s resume and see what kind of position they hold in the industry. A new group like theirs dares to stand up this host? They must be looking for trouble.”

“The management agreed to this! If you’re going to blame anyone, blame Su Ning for being incompetent. Who knows if he intentionally didn’t notify anyone?”

“Laughable, the filming set isn’t empty, the interview was scheduled a long time ago, the big fans knew about it. How could your idol not know? Stop pretending this is some kind of breach of contract.”

“Isn’t it because of Su Ning’s biased resource allocation? If he didn’t mess things up, would Pinnacle, such a huge company, stand by and let their people get bullied?”

These were still the softer comments. There were many others filled with insults, mostly blaming each other. Su Ning, as the manager, had become the focal point of the dispute, almost like a top celebrity, reduced to an acronym as a stand-in for his name.

The fanbase was trying to mediate, but it didn’t work. Even Glory’s official account didn’t issue any clarifications, and instead, they suddenly revealed the preview for the group’s variety show.

It was all so baffling.

Indeed, some variety shows do focus on showing the group settling into their new living space, but that wasn’t exactly groundbreaking.

Wait a second.

As the camera moved, what appeared in front of them wasn’t just a house, but a luxurious villa resembling a small estate.

“What’s going on? Are they just showing off to distract us? Does your team need to reflect on how useless they are… wait, is this a big villa?”

“??? So rich.”

“Wait, I’m still recovering from the dorm room with six army cots in Idol Group Four, and now they’re staying here?”

“They’re not filming some episode and then sending them to a smaller house, right?”

Ji Mowei and Qu Shoubai both came from wealthy backgrounds, but even they were stunned when they got out of the car. Ji Mowei, who was good at discerning quality, took a look around and asked, “Is this… Xiangshan Garden?”

Soon, the live comments exploded with people recognizing the name—Xiangshan Garden, a super luxurious property in the outskirts of Hai Cheng.

The screen was flooded with “???” and “!!!”

Su Ning didn’t appear on camera, but his voice could still be heard through the microphone, slightly altered in tone, but some sharp-eared people still recognized it.

“Yes, it’s Xiangshan Garden. It’s basically the company’s property,” Su Ning said. “For the next year and a half, you’ll be staying here.”

This place actually belonged to Su Hongda.

At the time, Su Hongda, a coal magnate, was very wealthy. He bought it early, and when Guang Ying Entertainment was in crisis, he considered selling it to raise funds. But such an expensive property wasn’t easy to sell, so Su Ning suggested he keep it for now. Since Su Hongda had other properties in Hai Cheng, this villa had rarely been used. It wasn’t even fully paid off, and there was still a significant amount of mortgage left. Once Su Ning’s inheritance came through, he planned to rent the place for the group.

Su Hongda, being generous, was willing to help. He understood that the group’s success could turn things around for Guang Ying Entertainment. So, Su Ning kept paying the rent on time, without cutting him any slack.

But, if this were anywhere else, even with money, finding a place like this would be hard.

At that time, Su Hongda had a vast network and wasn’t someone anyone could compare to. Real estate was still one of his many assets. Even first-tier stars wouldn’t necessarily be able to live in Xiangshan Garden.

“The security here is really good, and it’s not far from the highway, so getting to the airport will be convenient,” Su Ning’s voice sounded calm and casual, as if it wasn’t a big deal. “I picked this place after a lot of consideration. Hope you don’t mind.”

The four members stood in front of the gate, stunned, but the live comments quickly responded for them.

“We don’t mind, we don’t mind.”

“As a fan, I can honestly say, the security and location of Xiangshan Garden are top-notch. There were incidents where an idol’s house was broken into, and someone even hid in the bathroom. So, I feel a lot safer with them staying here.”

“Mr. Su, you’ve really thought of everything. Don’t need to say anything else, this is really generous.”

Though some fans still pointed out that it was a sugar-coated trap, their eyes stayed glued to the screen. The live broadcast’s popularity soared after the appearance of the villa.

After the filming crew guided them inside, the four of them were once again stunned.

The interior was decorated in a refined new Chinese style, very aesthetically pleasing. The garden outside had pavilions, water features, and flowing streams—no expense was spared. Inside, everything was neat and orderly. Su Hongda had lived here for a while but found it too lifeless, preferring his quieter farmhouse in the city center. As a result, the expensive furniture had been left to gather dust here.

The elegance of the style was striking, but what was even more astonishing was how well the house suited the needs of the group. Every little detail seemed tailored for them.

In addition to the original decorations, Su Ning had added a lot of new things.

Li Chu and Qu Shoubai, the dancers, had their own rooms with a practice studio in the middle, even including a small recovery room. Rui Song and Ji Mowei, who were more creative, had a large space downstairs filled with various instruments—enough for an entire band to practice.

And the three people who left earlier all had their rooms well thought out.

Zhou Heng, the vocal, had the room closest to the recording studio, with collectible albums hanging on the walls. Rui Song, ever observant, recognized some rare vinyl records. For any music lover, these were treasures.

Wang Ruoyi’s room was next to a small garden, fitting for his extroverted personality. He even had the home theater he had once dreamed of, just a short distance from his room.

Lin Zhi, who had a bit of social anxiety, had the room furthest from everyone, up in the attic, connected to the rooftop. There was even a telescope for stargazing, and the bed could be adjusted with glass walls above so he could see the stars whenever he wanted.

In this little space that was entirely his, he could even keep a cat, something he had always wanted, without disturbing anyone.

Even though the inheritance hadn’t come through yet, it was only a matter of time. He had already prepped his funds for this, and aside from that, the attention to detail in this house, the way everything had been arranged for each member’s personality and preferences—this was something many fans hadn’t realized.

Now, the comments in the live chat were full of people saying they wanted this kind of sugar-coated trap.

For Su Ning, though, this was just his standard. This was actually a discount for him.

In his previous life, he had also managed top idol groups, and even after the groups disbanded when their contracts expired, the members still remembered the conditions he had provided.

With money, all of this could be achieved. Understanding artists was something every good manager should do.

Beyond the necessary connection with the artists, Su Ning also had pragmatic concerns and considerations.

For an idol group, privacy was limited. This place, more than just a living space, was also a filming location and part of their work.

Since it was for work, it had to be perfect.

Though Su Ning seemed to treat this lightly, believing it was just how things were meant to be, after they finished the tour, the entire live chat was filled with extreme astonishment.

“Is this just showing off wealth?”

“Didn’t they say it was the company’s property? They’re just making use of it… they’re already rich.”

“Thank you, Dad, can I stay in the servant’s room? I think I could.”

“The other group members are coming to watch, and I can’t even, my idol’s place looks like a garbage dump compared to this.”

The members were all stunned, walking around, still processing what they had seen. Anyone who witnessed such effort would be touched.

Especially given the tight schedules they had after debuting, constantly filming under Orange Video’s arrangement, exhausted enough to fall asleep in the car, and now, well into the night, they were wide awake.

The leader, Qu Shoubai, had been warned by Liang Xiaoliang to be cautious with Su Ning’s words, not to upset him. He had always thought of Su Ning and Li Chu as two very different people.

Now, he understood Li Chu’s perspective.

Li Chu was right, wasn’t Su Ning basically a Bodhisattva?

Looking at Su Ning now, Qu Shoubai felt like there was some kind of aura around him. He couldn’t help but ask Ji Mowei and Rui Song during the live broadcast: “Wait, is this really the same guy?”

“He stayed with us in the training camp, and I never noticed. His observational skills are incredible. He remembers what I like,” Rui Song sighed, staring at Su Ning. “I feel like his appearance has changed, he’s become so much kinder.”

Now, he felt a bit guilty for yelling at Su Ning earlier.

It wasn’t his fault.

Ji Mowei also stared and nodded. “He really has changed, he’s become even more handsome.”

As for Li Chu, he just felt that they were all a little late to realize this.

The conversation among the members was also broadcasted, with plenty of “hahaha” in the comments.

In the eyes of others, Su Ning seemed even more charming.

Su Ning smiled and said, “Let’s rest, everyone’s tired. There are still three people missing from the team, but don’t worry, no rush.”

His voice was as gentle and approachable as always, emotionally stable, and generous. It made people soften.

Late into the night, the live broadcast quickly rose to the top of the trending topics. Some fans, encouraged by the bigger fans, had tried to start a fight earlier, but now, they couldn’t keep the argument going.

The team had worked so hard on this, clearly prepared well in advance. There was no sign of favoritism, and even other idol groups that had already made it big were secretly envious.

But it didn’t stop there. After releasing the live broadcast link, the official account also announced the next day’s schedule:

— V Magazine group photo shoot, cover.

The rumors about the group appearing in V Magazine had been circulating for a while. As one of the top six fashion magazines, getting featured there wasn’t easy.

For the idol industry, comparisons were usually made through album sales, streaming numbers, and, most importantly, fashion resources. Fashion resources were the hardest to come by, but also the most revealing.

For this idol group, landing the cover of V Magazine was a significant step into the fashion world.

If the villa wasn’t enough to make fans excited, this cover shoot definitely hit the mark.

And so, the most heated post in the comments ended up being topped by the fan group’s responses:

“Really speechless, some companies think we can’t see through their tricks. Do they think it’s impressive to leave the team right after debut? Who’s giving evidence for favoritism now?”

“Open your eyes and look at the fallen groups. Idol Group Four was a huge success, but if the future isn’t handled well, anyone can leave. Success is just the past.”

“Don’t know if some fans are just fighting to win an argument or actually care about their idols’ future.”

And so, the infighting cooled down a bit.

Su Ning’s operation of Glory didn’t offer any explanations for the earlier fan fights. When it came to unfounded accusations, no amount of fancy words would help. It was real actions that mattered.

The thoughtful fans started following his lead, thinking about the bigger picture:

— Missing today’s interview might be resolved, but missing the V Magazine shoot? That’s a huge loss.

And to make things worse, the three members who had left earlier hadn’t had an official announcement from Pinnacle Agency. They only secretly hinted at it, claiming it was for a partnership with a major national brand, causing fans to work hard to get their attention. But after securing the deal, it turned out to be nothing more than a regular promotion.

The comparison was striking, and the fans who had been misled were now furious, feeling like they’d been used.