It turns out they were discussing this matter.

In essence, this was a common resource exchange in the industry. With Glory being so popular, naturally, many wanted a share of the pie. But when Su Ning heard this, the smile on his face disappeared.

His expression made his stance clear.

Su Ning didn’t look down on idol dramas; the genre itself is a broad concept. If anything, the palace dramas he was planning to produce also had elements of ancient idol dramas.

A good idol drama is a coveted resource for any company and artist, but it was well known within the industry that the idol dramas produced by Yue Dong recently were subpar; they were just vehicles to lure in fans and their money, hardly connected to quality work.

After probing further, Su Ning’s suspicions were confirmed.

The good, solid idol drama scripts, and young actors with real traction, were fiercely contested and not easily handed over to idols who had never acted before.

Zhu Lan had been collaborating with Yue Dong for a long time, or to put it another way, the Shen family always had such connections, which indeed proved to be a lucrative path. She looked at Su Ning’s expression and tried to persuade him.

“President Su, it’s quite normal in this industry for idols to start acting once they get popular, jumping straight into lead roles. Many don’t even get this chance,” she said. “Think about it, this is clearly a win-win situation.”

But Su Ning wasn’t easily fooled by these words.

In filmmaking, aside from the crew, casting is crucial. Otherwise, Shen Mingzheng wouldn’t personally recruit actors for major roles. In conventional industry thinking, having a popular or buzzworthy lead almost guarantees half the success of the production.

But with good roles come the bad ones.

These hastily made dramas can be shot and released online in a few months. As long as they draw traffic, they can’t lose money and can negotiate product placements just by flashing a Glory ppt, even if the script isn’t ready— it’s literally a guaranteed profit.

He knew well enough how profitable it could be, but the quality of such productions often couldn’t be guaranteed, which didn’t align with his work philosophy or the standards he set for Guang Ying Entertainment.

Glory members weren’t formally trained in performing arts. They hadn’t been famous for long, and although their fans were enthusiastic, they hadn’t yet solidified their position in the idol industry. Su Ning wasn’t stopping them from acting; he just felt it wasn’t the right time. All seven members were between 20 and 22 years old—too young, in his opinion, to be rushed into anything.

One must eat slowly and walk steadily.

Young idols acting in idol dramas might seem fitting, but starting a show and performing on stage are entirely different. It seemed like a larger and better opportunity, but rashly pushing them into acting was irresponsible.

The more they discussed, the more the conversation headed towards a deadlock. Su Ning remained seated calmly, but his grip tightened on the chair’s backrest, indicating his irritation.

“It’s not possible.”

“No need to discuss it further,” he declared firmly. “Glory won’t be doing that kind of show.”

His finality left Zhu Lan unable to argue.

She thought he was somewhat different from Shen Mingzheng, but now it seemed he was just as stubborn, not leaving any room for negotiation.

When Director Sheng faced continuous rejections here, naturally, he wasn’t pleased, but he restrained his temper for Zhu Lan’s sake and muttered lowly, “Alright, if that’s the case, then let it be.”

He then turned and left.

Zhu Lan was also helpless, sighing, “You know, President Su, you should look at the bigger picture. Why make such a fuss?”

After a moment, she added a reminder: “Yue Dong has many collaborations with the Shen family, and the old master values them greatly. If you really want to maintain a relationship with the Shen family… you should consider this collaboration seriously.”

Her hint was clear, but Su Ning shook his head.

“If Shen Mingzheng were here, he’d react the same way as I did,” Su Ning said. “This matter is non-negotiable.”

Zhu Lan couldn’t understand. Before she left, she reminded him, “You’re making this decision, and you’ll have to bear the consequences.”

Su Ning was aware.

He could settle for a smaller platform, but he wouldn’t compromise and sacrifice the futures of others.

As Zhu Lan left, many people gradually entered the venue. Despite the previous negotiation breaking down, Su Ning had to maintain necessary business relationships, regardless of his current mood. After all, attending this event was one of his objectives.

Annoyed, but not letting it affect his work.

The “Audience Choice Award” was a comprehensive major award in the entertainment industry, not just for idols but also for films and TV shows. Many types of actors attended, with idols being just a part.

Now, Glory was preparing to walk the red carpet at the Audience Choice Awards, their first serious participation in such a prestigious event. The award was top-five nationally and held significant weight in the idol sector, especially since Glory was nominated for this year’s Most Popular New Group.

They had already led in the preliminary audience voting phase. Although there was still a jury segment, it was expected that they would win, with fans jokingly saying they were just there to pick up the award.

After some time, Su Ning inside the venue saw Glory enter, but as Li Chu and the others approached, though they maintained appropriate smiles, Su Ning could tell from a glance that they weren’t as happy as before.

Before the event started, there was room to move around, and Su Ning waved Li Chu over.

“What’s wrong?” Su Ning asked in a low voice as Li Chu stood by his side. “Did someone upset you here? Talk to me.”

Li Chu shook his head, “No one upset me.”

Though that’s what he said, his slightly pouty face in front of Su Ning seemed to suggest he felt wronged.

He was a bit unsure how to express this to Su Ning, perhaps because Su Ning had been protecting him well lately, almost making him forget how complicated this circle was.

It started with a minor incident when they were walking the red carpet. They happened to run into Liu Hao, initially intending to invite everyone to enter together, but the organizers and Liu Hao’s agency intervened.

“Not appropriate, not appropriate,” they said. “The red carpet spots are predetermined, he can’t enter with you.”

Lin Zhi even explained, “It’s okay, we’re good friends, we don’t mind.”

The organizer’s representative glanced at him, helplessly explaining, “Even if you agree, it’s not okay, the people behind will mind. There are several actors behind, and it will mess up the order.”

Their words almost outright stated that Liu Hao’s status wasn’t high enough.

Although Liu Hao’s achievements as an idol singer were not bad—he had received an invitation for tonight and was even nominated for a newcomer award, proving he had some recognition—his results and popularity couldn’t compare to Glory’s.

Initially, the friends were just happy to gather, and the red carpet was merely a ceremonial walk for them; they hadn’t thought much about it.

Previously, Glory hadn’t only interacted with other people in the entertainment industry at variety shows or events where everyone was friendly. Even when they met other idol groups, like the seniors from Qilin, led by Qu Shoubai, everyone managed to greet each other and get along well.

Other smaller awards ceremonies felt more like everyone just having fun together, a different kind of large-scale variety show experience for them, without any apparent hierarchies.

Seniors and juniors, actors and idols—strict rules apparently still existed here.

Of course, they wouldn’t argue there, nor did they intend to make things difficult for the organizers. They politely apologized for not understanding earlier, and Liu Hao, carefree as ever, went ahead on the red carpet, and the matter was settled.

But Li Chu was still somewhat affected.

He realized that at a top-tier fame and profit stage like the “Audience Choice Awards,” even a slight difference in treatment could reflect a gap in status and prestige, making it especially strict. This visit had somewhat introduced the young idols to a new world.

—It turned out that the timing on the red carpet, the duration of the stop, the order of interviews by the hosts, the clothes and jewelry worn, and even the seating after entering, all had rules and could all be compared.

Previously, he thought these were just things fans idly compared, but in reality, the industry blatantly made a big deal out of it.

Li Chu had a pure approach to performing on stage, and he had been looking forward to this award, but such scenes made him uncomfortable.

Moreover, at that moment, Director Sheng came over again, seemingly very concerned, and asked, “What’s wrong? Who upset our little Chu here?”

But Li Chu’s expression of grievance immediately vanished in front of this stranger. He didn’t know this man and promptly stood by Su Ning’s side, saying, “Nothing, I was just talking with President Su.”

He might have been influenced by the environment, but after speaking with Su Ning, it seemed like nothing had happened. He wasn’t so fragile. Shen Mingzheng wasn’t there, so he was just taking the chance to act a bit spoiled.

Su Ning also shielded him, turning to say, “Director Sheng, this is still a ceremony, isn’t it a bit early to rush? Besides, I think we’ve already finished our discussion.”

“Alright, I’m not in a hurry, you guys chat,” he quickly walked away, then raised his cup towards Li Chu, “Today’s award ceremony is very interesting, you’re still young, watch and enjoy more, don’t listen to everything your agent says.”

Li Chu frowned, feeling uncomfortable with his words.

What’s wrong with listening to Su Ning!

After that, Su Ning comforted him and made sure he felt better. There were many cameras around, and some media presence; they couldn’t afford to be captured with even a hint of displeasure on their faces, especially since the ceremony was about to start, and the two couldn’t stay together too long.

“It’s okay, I’m here, don’t mind him,” Su Ning reassured, “It’s about to start, be good, go back and sit with them for now.”

Li Chu nodded, and after returning to his seat, he leaned close to Qu Shoubai and said, “I think that person in charge from Yue Dong is weird, President Su seems not to get along with him, captain, you should ask around, I think he’s targeting our group, it’s strange.”

Su Ning was like that; if there was an issue, he’d handle it himself, but Li Chu wasn’t just someone waiting to be saved.

If something happened, he wouldn’t just sit and wait.

Qu Shoubai was great at socializing. Upon hearing this, he began to check his phone and inquire. Zhou Heng and Wang Ruoyi were nearby, also listening. Ji Mowei thought for a moment and said, “Be careful today, I feel it’s not that simple.”

The seven of them nodded together.

The incident on the red carpet was just a small shock. The members of Glory were not novices to the world, quickly adjusting their mood.

The idol sector awards ceremony wasn’t happening immediately, and Glory also had a performance in between. They were singing a ballad, and actually, their treatment today was quite good, but after they finished singing, Zhu Lan and Director Sheng were waiting there, like hunters.

“You sang well!”

Director Sheng, beaming, then said, “Would you like to rest a bit in the side room I’ve prepared?”

Li Chu frowned at his approach, but maintained politeness, saying, “No, thank you, the ceremony isn’t over yet, we need to go back. If you have something to say, just say it.”

“Alright. Your President Su is really stubborn, little Chu, I think you’re quite straightforward,” Director Sheng said. “Actually, Yue Dong Video wants to cast you all in a drama, all very good roles. Everyone saw today, the status of actors in the circle is very high, many idols think about acting…”

He blocked their way and rambled on, but the members exchanged glances, reading the intent in each other’s eyes.

Sure enough, there was a catch.

This man specifically waited for Su Ning not to see them to stop them and say all this. His words were appealing, but the seven subtly stepped back.

Acting? It sounded nice.

In their eyes, the next album was more important. Besides, after Li Chu’s reminder, what they had just looked up about Yue Dong’s productions wasn’t very impressive.

Zhu Lan didn’t say much, but she kept an eye on the seven’s reactions to see if they could be swayed without Su Ning present.

Even though they were young and seemingly easy to deceive, they didn’t show much excitement at meeting someone of Director Sheng’s status, instead looking very cautious and increasingly wary as the conversation continued.

Zhu Lan was puzzled.

Wait, weren’t Glory’s fans saying these seven weren’t very smart?

She felt that even without Su Ning, they seemed to side with him, not at all as gullible as the internet suggested.

Among them, two were from Pinnacle Agency. She hadn’t said a word, just standing aside, yet Zhou Heng and Wang Ruoyi looked at her as if she were a scammer, as if this was some sort of fraud scene.