At Pinnacle, it could be said that they tried to steal a chicken but ended up losing the rice— the cooperation fell through, and instead, they offended both the brand and the 4A advertising company that had been acting as the bridge. Right now, trouble after trouble kept piling up.

Because of this, even Su Hongda, who had previously lost all confidence, felt like he was getting back on his feet.

Back in the days when he wore big gold chains and small watches, this fake foreigner probably didn’t even know where to play in the mud.

He even started thinking that he had finally entered his comfort zone, able to handle this kind of safeguarding work. Safeguarding in the entertainment industry was a big business, and besides his own company’s projects, there were plenty of other event bookings too. Wasn’t that easier than acting?

Having been in the industry for so long, he finally seemed to have figured out a few tricks. Su Hongda had become quite energetic and full of spirit, walking with a newfound vigor. He was no longer the same person who once seemed so arrogant but fragile on the inside.

But according to the law of conservation of energy, when one person is happy, another isn’t.

Su Ning also received a phone call from Liang Xiaoliang. The President on the other end was grinning widely, laughing heartily, and sharing the latest gossip with Su Ning.

“Allen, that fake foreigner, got so angry he smashed his cup in the office,” Liang Xiaoliang said with a click of his tongue. “There aren’t many things that can get him this mad. By the way, do you know who was competing with you for that Glory perfume endorsement?”

Su Ning replied, “I know, Pinnacle’s Film Emperor, Liao Yuansi.”

Before a brand chooses a spokesperson, they usually have many options, and luxury brands are no exception.

When Su Ning and Shen Mingzheng were fighting for the endorsement, they already knew who they were up against, and because it was Liao Yuansi, Su Ning felt even more determined to win.

He still hadn’t seen Ji Xue yet.

Su Ning understood completely. After everything she had been through, she was already strong enough without having broken down emotionally. It was normal not to want to return to the entertainment industry, but he still wanted to see her at least once.

If after meeting her she still had her own choices, Su Ning would respect them. But this matter was related to Liao Yuansi, so he at least had to know the truth.

From an image perspective, the cool and handsome Liao Yuansi seemed a perfect match for the perfume brand. The brand had initially leaned towards him, but they couldn’t resist Glory’s sudden rise, which won them over with a set of hard-hitting photos.

The excellent magazine photos not only made waves domestically but also gained recognition from the overseas brand headquarters. The ad not only ran in domestic markets but also appeared on billboards in many international business districts.

Luxury brand advertising had a huge reach, and this season’s perfume was their main product. Liao Yuansi missed out on this opportunity, which was a double loss for Pinnacle.

And after the first episode of the group variety show aired, they didn’t even have a chance to sell their woes to the public.

Everyone could see that the artists had made their own choices.

Liang Xiaoliang was still chattering on the other end: “I heard they’ve softened a bit, and tried reaching out to Zhou Heng’s team to discuss things, but Zhou Heng’s response was simple— they want a formal apology from Pinnacle first, and then they can talk about the future.”

Even the softest character, Lin Zhi, held the same attitude.

It had to be said, people who actually used their brains were much more assertive.

It was instinctive for young idols to follow the big companies, but when they thought about it carefully, they realized there was no need to suffer just because of a contract.

First off, when they were trainees, they hadn’t signed long-term contracts with Pinnacle. The company didn’t care much about them and never expected the group to blow up like this.

No company would openly mistreat an idol who was about to hit it big. Even if they did, Zhou Heng’s team wouldn’t have to worry. They could break the contract using that excuse.

Even if they had to pay a penalty, according to the contract they signed back then, it would only be in the tens of millions at most. After all, they hadn’t gained any real resources from Pinnacle. If the Glory group really became popular, many other companies would be willing to pay that sum to bring them on board.

At least, Su Ning, who inherited a vast fortune and had a generous hand, could certainly afford that.

They might not switch agencies right now— after all, that would be a matter a year and a half down the line— but using it to keep Pinnacle from poaching them again was more than enough.

Once Zhou Heng and his team realized this, they seemed to have shaken off some kind of burden. They felt much lighter, leaving their original company baffled, as they’d never seen fresh new idols threatening the company like this before.

While Liang Xiaoliang was describing the situation, it almost felt like he was there listening in, and he couldn’t help but clap.

“Allen’s now wondering what kind of soul stew you gave them,” he said, getting more excited as he spoke. “Heh, I kind of thought the same thing for a while.”

Back when he wanted to poach Li Chu, he actually suspected Su Ning had put some kind of spell on Li Chu, or that Su Ning himself was some kind of charm. His main skill seemed to be, “Just bring them to me.”

Not long ago, Allen had mocked Guang Ying Entertainment at a wedding. Now, look— his young talents were all running to Su Ning’s side, and with determination too.

“What soul stew? There’s nothing mystical about it, it’s just personal choice,” Su Ning chuckled on the other end of the phone. “President Liang, don’t you have a lot of capable people under you? I’m just getting started. When I went to Qilin before, I learned a lot from your side.”

His voice was still as smooth and charming as ever. Just as Liang Xiaoliang was about to respond, he heard Su Ning’s gentle voice again, but this time it wasn’t answering him—it sounded like he was speaking to someone beside him.

“…Try this soup.”

“Is it good?”

“Mm, I think it needs to simmer a bit longer.”

These three sentences didn’t seem like they were directed at him.

Liang Xiaoliang had already heard the bubbling sound on the other side earlier, and now, around mealtime, he felt like Su Ning was making some kind of old soup. It sounded like the soup lid was being knocked by steam.

Now, it seemed like there was more than just Su Ning on the other end.

He tentatively asked, “Who are you talking to? It couldn’t be… Young Master Shen is there with you, right?”

“Of course, who else would it be?” Su Ning admitted freely. “Yeah, I’m staying at his place right now.”

At first, Su Ning thought he had to maintain the appearance of a business marriage. But later, he realized the convenience of staying there, especially since it was ideal for a workaholic like him.

He used to dislike living with others and preferred solitary living, but then he found that his and Shen Mingzheng’s daily habits were quite compatible. Over time, with their companies working together, he just got used to it, and after putting on a front, he never left.

For instance, right now, this was one of Su Ning’s rare breaks. He had just returned from the company and, with a bit of free time to make soup, received a call from Liang Xiaoliang. Shen Mingzheng came from behind as Su Ning was lifting the lid, took a spoonful, and casually tasted it.

Shen Mingzheng didn’t stand next to him, but instead embraced him from behind, tasting the soup with the same spoon before saying, “It’s good. Who are you talking to?”

“President Liang,” Su Ning replied, “We’re chatting about something happy.”

In the middle of the phone call, Su Ning was a little distracted and didn’t realize how strange the situation looked.

But on the other end, Liang Xiaoliang did notice.

This soft-spoken tone, this almost married couple-like conversation… Who said there was no soul stew here?

Wasn’t this the soul stew?

Heh, what a business marriage.

Though they were on the phone, it felt like no one else existed!

Liang Xiaoliang, who had been sharing gossip, thought he had gotten some new tidbits, but with Su Ning preparing for his meal and seemingly wrapping up the conversation, it seemed like he wasn’t planning to chat any longer.

Before hanging up, Liang Xiaoliang left a meaningful line: “President Su, we may be facing off soon.”

The idol industry had become quite competitive recently, and Qilin’s latest idol group was preparing to debut, which would clash with Glory’s debut single. And it wasn’t just Qilin— many already established groups were also preparing to release new songs.

Though in reality, Liang Xiaoliang stood to profit either way, since it was a competition after all.

“We’ll see each other on stage,” Su Ning laughed. “I’m looking forward to it.”

After hanging up, Liang Xiaoliang laid on the sofa for a while, feeling in a good mood after that exchange. He hummed a little song, but then got hungry and decided he wanted soup too.

He called out to his wife: “Honey, how about some soup today? Yam and pork rib soup!”

“You look more like pork rib soup!” his wife called from the kitchen, glaring at him. “Didn’t I tell you? It’s just vegetables today! You need to lose weight!”

Liang Xiaoliang: …

Everyone else is having soup, so why can’t I? Really.

But those words were only something he dared to whisper in his mind. When it came to action, he obediently went to eat his vegetable leaves instead.

Well, let’s just say that comparing the two of them, he’s kind of lost this round.

After Su Ning had brought people back, he really didn’t care much about what Pinnacle thought. Whether Allen was angry enough to vomit blood was none of his concern. He wasn’t going to be too happy about it either.

Lately, he was focused on figuring out when the first album with Shen Mingzheng would be released.

From recording to MV shooting, Shen Mingzheng had very high demands, and the kind of production they wanted was also quite elaborate. Even at the fastest pace, it would take at least a month, which just so happened to coincide with the “battle” period Liang Xiaoliang had mentioned earlier.

“There are a few music teachers that are hard to book,” the music producer from Shen Film Industry admitted. “If the schedule doesn’t align, we might have to wait about a month and a half.”

This album was the real big deal, but meticulous work naturally took time.

Strictly speaking, the main song of Idol Star Map 4 and the few original tracks released during the competition could be considered Glory’s first album. The members had re-performed them. But since the competition had ended, those songs had lost their novelty and were only good enough for occasional performances or shows.

Shen Mingzheng took the project very seriously, almost doing everything himself.

Su Ning always got the feeling that Shen Mingzheng had been working in original production for many years. He probably had at least a decade or more of experience, possibly because his estranged father was a musician, so he had been somewhat influenced by that.

It was a talent.

His professionalism was so impressive that even Su Ning, as well as those haughty music producers sent from the Shen family’s side, were in awe. They no longer dared to put on airs in front of him. In fact, they were the ones lowering their heads to ask for advice.

A person like this, in Shen Film Industry, was truly underappreciated.

Su Ning thought this in his heart, and he also said it out loud.

If it were in his past life, he would definitely recruit someone like this under his wing, even offering shares in the company if necessary.

“Alright,” Shen Mingzheng looked at him. “What if one day, if the Shen family falls, would you still take me in, President Su? Would you let me work with you?”

Su Ning nodded. “Sure. The money I inherited is coming in soon. Shen Mingzheng, I’ll give you 2 billion to support you.”

Shen Mingzheng couldn’t help but laugh, and then the two of them huddled together, chatting about something—most likely shifting back to work matters.

Meanwhile, Chen Tao, the assistant to the president, who had been listening to their conversation from behind, took a step back, instinctively distancing himself from these two.

Honestly, Chen Tao already thought of himself as being competitive enough, but these two were beyond anything he’d seen. He’d never seen bosses so willing to work overtime and enjoying it. They were both the true kings of competition.

Well, someone had to pay for the overtime, right?

Even though the overtime came with the faint odor of a “business marriage,” he still endured it.

Once Su Ning had a rough idea of the album’s progress and the various requirements, he knew what he had to do over the next month.

“You focus on the album production,” Su Ning said, “Leave everything else to me.”

The greatest respect for a great work is to let more people see it. Maintaining the group’s popularity and keeping the fans’ enthusiasm up was crucial.

Glory had already made a rare good start, especially with the sales of the Glory perfume and V Magazine both being impressive. Apart from the fans, the promotion by the wealthy Smu fragrance company and the explosive group variety show had garnered quite a bit of attention from the general public as well.

But that couldn’t last a whole month.

Nowadays, information spreads so quickly that even a week of high attention is hard to maintain.

So when Su Ning discussed this with the group, all seven of them understood the stakes. As he had said before, everything within the team was discussed collectively.

Ji Mowei thought for a moment, then spoke first: “Our external activities right now, like variety shows, interviews, and being invited to smaller evening events, are all standard moves. They’re more geared toward fans, but the general public doesn’t pay much attention. Most of the big award shows are later in the year, so it’s not the right time yet.”

Glory’s official accounts on major platforms were very active, regularly updating with behind-the-scenes footage from their practice rooms and life in the dorms. The current popularity was decent, but not enough.

“Overall, the highest buzz right now is from the first episode of the group variety show, and the highest revenue comes from the Smu endorsement,” Ji Mowei continued.

Many people buying the perfume weren’t just fans but actual consumers. It had to be acknowledged that once people mentioned this season’s “Hidden City” series, they almost immediately thought of the group’s photos. It was a true mutual success.

This led the perfume brand, originally only planning for print ads, to upgrade the collaboration. They were now preparing to film much bigger video ads, set to officially begin shooting tomorrow.

As for variety shows, apart from the planning for the second episode of the group’s variety show, Su Ning was also arranging for them to appear as guest stars on some already popular variety shows. However, the camera time was limited, and the impact was still subject to the show’s arrangement, so whether it would bring in tangible benefits was uncertain.

“I agree,” Qu Shoubai mused. “If we can get more ads like Smu, that would be great. Ad production is fast, and if done well, we might even get some viral moments, which would be perfect. It would definitely help us keep the attention up before the album releases.”

“And I see this is the most frequent resource we’ve been dealing with lately,” Lin Zhi raised his hand, then looked a bit troubled. “But it’s too much. Especially when I see some of them are obviously just trying to cash in on my fanbase. I don’t really want to accept those.”

When idols get famous, the first thing they encounter is commercial resources. Fashion magazine covers are technically also a type of commercial resource.

Right now, the group had indeed received many offers from other commercial brands. The collaboration opportunities from both big and small brands were coming in at a rate that could only be described as explosive. But out of responsibility to the group, they couldn’t accept all of them just for the money.

The invites each member received were different.

Even though the fans were still comparing, for the seven of them, regardless of the endorsement fees, everything would be split equally within the group. But how to screen and choose which offers to take was the real issue.

The previous successful case of Smu seemed to have given them a bit of insight, but there were still some confusing aspects about the recent commercial resources. Su Ning had already sorted through some, and though the members of Glory knew the outcome of his choices, they might not fully understand the process.

Su Ning, having just returned from a meeting with the company, listened to the group discuss the matter and then pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, which he hadn’t taken off yet. “Alright, about the commercial ads we’ve been contacted about most over the past month and a half— you’ve all been asking me a lot about them lately.”

“Tomorrow, I’ll make a PowerPoint and explain everything to you.”