CHAPTER 30 (PART 1)

The Idol Trainee Girls  finale had reached an unprecedented level of attention—it took the combined popularity of all last year’s survival shows just to match it.

The production team, who had initially been frustrated by the controversy, now had nothing to say.

“People online can curse all they want, but this is Actress Dong’s problem, not ours.”

“Who hasn’t been scolded before? Look at this now—even people who don’t usually watch variety shows are tuning in to see the final results…”

“Heh, they just want to see if our show will screw over Jiang Su in the end.”

That remark made everyone fall silent for a moment.

Then, after a brief pause, someone spoke.

“Who would dare mess with her?”

“She’s signing a one-year contract for a limited group. Our platform gets a share of the profits… If we ruin such a huge cash cow, the executives will strangle us.”

“Jiang’s mentor has already spoken to the production team a few times. He wants to groom her into a solo artist in the future… We have to respect his opinion too.”

“W’s attitude is also… quite special.”

“But don’t you all think Dong Jiayu is acting strange?” the female producer interjected.

“Huh? What does she have to do with Jiang Su?”

“Dong Jiayu and Jiang Su… seem to have a history. At the very least, Dong Jiayu knows Jiang Su. And she really doesn’t like her. We know for a fact that she wasn’t following any hints from our production team. So why is she doing this? Just for Ding Xuan? Are you guys really that dense? You can’t see through this little trick?”

Silence fell over the room again.

After a long pause, someone muttered, “…That could be a problem. If Dong Jiayu and Jiang Su start clashing, the ones caught in the middle will be us.”

The once cheerful atmosphere vanished completely.

Then, someone knocked on the door.

They turned to look—

It was the platform’s big boss.

He had a warm smile as he entered, casually asking about the show’s recent progress.

“Oh, the buzz is pretty high.”

After saying that, the platform boss boldly made another call to Cheng Corporation.

Cheng Corporation was vast, with its industries spanning real estate, biopharmaceuticals, and technology. While the public perceived the entertainment industry as glamorous and highly profitable, with annual financial reports boasting staggering figures, in comparison to Cheng Corporation’s core industries, it was insignificant.

Just from patents developed in its laboratories, Cheng Corporation raked in billions globally each year.

And yet, Microlight, the only entertainment-related business under Cheng Corporation, was relatively new. It had only grown rapidly because of the powerful backing of the Cheng name.

However, even now, Microlight’s financials were far from being significant enough to earn Cheng Yue’s personal recognition.

This meant that the platform boss barely had a chance to meet Cheng Yue once a year. And now, seeing the platform’s rising popularity, he decided to take a chance and invite Cheng Yue in person.

Few people knew Cheng Yue’s preferences, so the boss could only resort to the most straightforward method—sending women his way.

With a stage full of beautiful young women, surely one of them would catch President Cheng’s eye?

The call went through, and a secretary answered.

The boss explained his invitation.

There was a brief pause before the secretary simply replied, “Mr. Cheng is aware,” and hung up.

The boss held his phone, feeling a bit uneasy.

What did “aware” even mean?

…Sigh, most likely, he wouldn’t come.

Even so, when the night of the finals arrived, the boss adjusted his schedule and arrived at the venue early to wait.

The finals were being held at a much larger venue, capable of accommodating over 3,000 people.

The showrunners had invited fans who had spent the most money on voting to attend in person.

By now, at the fourth public performance, the top contenders already had well-established fan clubs.

These fans came armed with light boards and colorful glow sticks, excitedly finding their seats.

Cheng Yue’s car arrived discreetly outside the venue. He had only brought two bodyguards—any more would be unnecessary.

After all, even a little dinosaur could take him down.

That incident still weighed on Cheng Yue’s mind.

Upon hearing that Cheng Yue had arrived, the Microlight boss was so shocked that he jumped to his feet and rushed out to greet him.

Inside, Dong Jiayu had just finished her styling and stepped out. She frowned. “Why is he rushing out like that?”

She exchanged a glance with Manager Wang. “…Cheng Yue is here?”

“Impossible. That’s not his style. Why would he come?”

“Did he find out that Jiang Su is here?”

“No way!” Dong Jiayu immediately denied it. She would rather believe that he came because of her…

She lifted her dress slightly and gracefully made her way to the entrance.

By then, many reporters had already taken their positions inside the venue. Noticing the commotion, they quietly followed along.

After all, the contestants and mentors were still getting their makeup done, so there wasn’t much happening on stage yet.

But once they saw what was happening, they were utterly shocked.

“Holy sh*t! That’s Cheng Yue, isn’t it?”

“It is! He was once caught on camera at a summit, but before the news could be published, Cheng Corporation had it taken down!”

Because some of Cheng Corporation’s industries were highly specialized, and given Cheng Yue’s own personality, he was rarely seen in public.

The only events he attended were either business negotiations or lab visits—he had never shown up at a place like this before.

Reporters had often speculated privately whether people like Cheng Yue were so busy that their feet never touched the ground, let alone had time for hobbies like watching dramas or playing games. He definitely wasn’t a fan of idols.

Yet here he was!

The reporters didn’t care if the footage would be taken down later—they immediately started filming.

As Cheng Yue stepped inside, his sharp gaze swept over the lively, chaotic scene.

“Cheng Yue!” Dong Jiayu called out. Lifting the hem of her gown, she jogged up to him, a faint blush on her pale face.

The reporters immediately caught on—oh?

Cheng Yue remained silent, but his secretary spoke first, surprised. “Oh wow, Ms. Dong, you seem perfectly fine! Oh, my bad—what I meant to say is, weren’t you calling the secretary’s office every day, saying you were hospitalized? And yet here you are, looking as good as new!”

Dong Jiayu: “…”

Manager Wang: “…”

The reporters: !

Whoa, what’s this? This has the makings of a major scandal!

Faking an illness? And even calling Cheng Corporation’s secretary’s office? Wait—doesn’t she have President Cheng’s direct number? That doesn’t match up with the hints Dong Jiayu had dropped before!

The reporters took mental notes.

Meanwhile, the secretary was silently thinking, I better get at least a 60,000 bonus for this.

Cheng Yue’s gaze was ice-cold as it swept past Dong Jiayu, not lingering on her for even a second. Instead, he followed the platform boss inside.

“You actually came—I never expected it! This is such an honor,” the boss said.

Everyone listening immediately understood.

So Cheng Yue hadn’t come for Dong Jiayu after all—he was here by the platform’s special invitation.

Dong Jiayu stood frozen in place.

The wave of humiliation was so intense that she nearly lost her composure.

She steadied herself, forced a smile, and turned to follow. “Yes, we really must thank President Cheng for funding my surgery. That’s why I recovered so quickly.”

Cheng Yue responded casually, “Forty million.” Then he added, “Not a lot of money.”

Dong Jiayu pressed her lips together and smiled.

Cheng Yue continued, indifferent, “Didn’t Cheng Corporation just launch a scholarship program for underprivileged children? Donate it there.”

A bad feeling crept into Dong Jiayu’s heart.

Meanwhile, the reporters were speechless.

To rich people… this amount of money really was nothing?

The secretary lowered his voice and muttered, “Ms. Dong still hasn’t paid that money back…”

“Still?”

That word was the key!

The reporters immediately perked up with excitement.

So, in the end, was it Cheng Yue who lent Dong Jiayu the money for her surgery?

A sinking feeling took root in Dong Jiayu’s chest, and her premonition became reality.

Her face grew hot, her heart pounded, and countless thoughts flashed through her mind at lightning speed.

The rumors she had carefully crafted through strategic wording had always been easy to debunk. All it would take was Cheng Yue himself stepping forward and saying a few words… but that had never been his style.