Chapter 144 Bullying
Shu: Pay close attention to online public opinion. If you find anything, do not react immediately. Report it to me first, even if it's in the middle of the night.
Qin Zhen: Understood.
Is he going to make a move?
Jiang Shu's eyes showed anticipation. He wanted to see how these entertainment companies would play their cards.
On the morning of February 4th, a piece of news quietly spread across the entire Korean internet.
#Actress Seo Shin-ae Reveals She Was Bullied by Popular IVE Member#
Although Seo Shin-ae did not explicitly name anyone, as netizens delved deeper into the gossip and clues were uncovered, assuming the bullying was real, the target could largely be narrowed down to Xu Suizhen.
Thus, Xu Suizhen's name immediately topped the trending searches.
Jiang Shu, who was still at home waiting for New Year's Eve, received a call from Qin Zhen.
After listening to Qin Zhen's account, Jiang Shu couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.
"What about Choi Yunjin and Kim Garam?"
"They haven't made any moves yet. Now, the main attention is on Xu Suizhen. The other party hasn't provided any concrete evidence, just empty words, so it's easy to clarify," Qin Zhen said.
"Don't clarify. Why clarify?" Jiang Shu said with a chuckle.
"Ah?" Qin Zhen's bewildered voice came through.
"For now, don't react. Stay silent. Also, ask Xu Suizhen if this is true or not, and then tell me."
"Okay, I'll go find Xu Suizhen now."
"Mhm."
After hanging up the phone, Su Wan's voice came from behind Jiang Shu.
"What's wrong? Something with the company?"
"A small problem came up. I can handle it remotely," Jiang Shu said, putting down his phone and smiling.
"Alright then." Su Wan saw that Jiang Shu didn't want to say more, so she didn't ask further.
Soon, Qin Zhen's call came in.
"Xu Suizhen said she had a conflict with Seo Shin-ae, but it was absolutely not to the extent of bullying."
"Very good. Continue to remain silent. Do not respond in any way. Collect relevant materials and await my next instruction."
Qin Zhen wasn't stupid. Hearing Jiang Shu tell him to collect relevant materials, he immediately realized Jiang Shu's solution.
However, this would still impact IVE, and the impact would gradually increase the longer the time dragged on.
By then, no one would care how many bowls of rice the 'six sons' ate.
Qin Zhen told Jiang Shu about the potential hidden dangers of doing this.
"Don't worry about it. Just do it."
Did he not know the consequences of doing this? But this was the effect he wanted. You can't catch a wolf without sacrificing a child.
If he didn't do this, how could he get YG to continue making moves?
Trying to destroy IVE with just a baseless bullying accusation was a pipe dream. How could a mere accessory overturn IVE, which didn't involve the twin stars?
"Alright."
Hanging up the phone, Jiang Shu went and sat on the living room sofa.
Jiang Father, who was brewing tea, glanced at him and then spoke.
"Your company is eligible for listing now, right?"
"Not sure, but it should be soon."
He hadn't specifically evaluated it, but he figured it should be close enough. However, the 'abnormal' version of IVE would soon fall apart, so he'd have to wait for ITZY to gain momentum or IZONE to debut.
"Do you have plans to go public?" Jiang Father asked.
"Yes, but I also don't really want to go public."
"Why?"
"If not handled properly after listing, you could lose control of the company." Jiang Shu knew his own situation. Even an old fox like Li Xiuman almost lost actual control of S.M at one point, let alone him, a business novice.
If the possibility of losing control of the company increased for the sake of listing profits, he would rather choose not to list.
"Listing is still necessary. For a company to grow big and strong, listing is a must." Jiang Father poured a cup of tea for Jiang Shu and placed it in front of him. "I'll give you a suggestion."
"Your mother and I can each establish a company, and then as initial shareholders, we can jointly invest. With our three parties holding shares, we can firmly maintain actual control in our own hands."
"What if you have ideas about your son's company?" Su Wan walked over and glanced at Jiang Father, saying.
"What ideas could I have about his company?" Jiang Father looked at Su Wan speechlessly. "When we both retire, the entire Jiangshi Group will be his."
"I don't want it," Jiang Shu interjected from the side.
"Who do you want it for if you don't want it?" Jiang Father and Su Wan looked at Jiang Shu in surprise and asked.
"You two can have another one," Jiang Shu said carelessly.
"You can't do this industry your whole life. You still need to look at the real economy," Su Wan said from the side.
"I know, but the money I earn in these few decades will definitely be more than what you two earn in a lifetime."
The two elders wanted to retort, but they couldn't seem to find a point to refute.
The entertainment industry indeed made money like a printing press.
"Forget it, let's talk about this when you two are about to retire," Jiang Shu waved his hand. "My father's suggestion is good, but I don't think it's good enough."
"You two can find a way to control an existing company, one overt and one covert, to help me control the company after it goes public."
"It seems you already have a plan," Jiang Father said, looking at Jiang Shu.
"That's right." Jiang Shu nodded with a smile. "It's just that the choice of people still needs careful consideration."
"Mhm." Seeing that Jiang Shu had a plan, the two said no more.
They were just making a suggestion; the specific actions were up to Jiang Shu himself.
Jiang Shu was no longer a fledgling under their wings. Although his current scale couldn't yet compare to theirs, given DM Entertainment's development speed, surpassing them was only a matter of time.
"I might have to go back tomorrow," Jiang Shu said to the two, taking a sip of the rather tasteless tea.
"Because of company matters?"
"Yes, I need to be at the company." Jiang Shu nodded, not mentioning Xu Suizhen's matter. This matter was very complicated and couldn't be explained clearly in a short time. Saying it would only make the two anxious.
In reality, Jiang Shu was the least anxious person at DM Entertainment right now, but he couldn't say so, so he could only pretend to be anxious.
He needed to go back. The act had to be complete. If he kept staying in the country, it was hard to guarantee that no one would become suspicious. So far, Choi Yunjin and Kim Garam hadn't made any moves, which was like a ticking time bomb. Jiang Shu needed to detonate them.
Jiang Shu didn't know how they would detonate, but if it was in an abnormal way, he could not only solve these two ticking time bombs but also get a good sum in liquidated damages.
DM Entertainment's artist liquidated damages were not the highest in the industry, but in the generally high K-pop industry, they were at a medium level. It would be a decent extra income then.
Thinking of this, Jiang Shu couldn't help but smile.
"Do you need help?" Jiang Father asked.
"No help needed. I can handle it," Jiang Shu said with a chuckle.
Seeing that he could still smile, the two stopped asking.
"It's about time. Let's go to your grandmother's house for dinner," Su Wan said, looking at the time.
"Okay."