Chapter 145: Leaving the Group
On the fifth day, the first day of the Lunar New Year, Jiang Shu arrived in Seoul in the afternoon.
That evening, he immediately summoned all members of IVE.
After giving them a strong pep talk, he dismissed the other five members, leaving only Xu Suizhen behind.
Ding-a-ling.
Jiang Shu did not look at Xu Suizhen, who was standing nervously in place; instead, he picked up the phone on the desk.
“Hello.”
“Chairman, Choi Yunjin and Kim Garam have left the group, and the target has also left the company.”
Hearing this, Jiang Shu immediately smiled.
It was not in vain that he had traveled so far and then specially came to put on such a grand show.
“I understand.” He put down the phone, then Jiang Shu looked at Xu Suizhen opposite him.
Earlier, when he summoned the IVE members, he had carefully appeased everyone, displaying an expression of worry that implied the problem was not big, but in reality, it was significant, making everyone feel heavy-hearted.
Especially Xu Suizhen, the source of all the trouble, was trembling slightly just standing there, appearing to be undergoing a tumultuous internal struggle.
“Soo-jin.”
“Yes!” Xu Suizhen immediately stood at attention when she heard Jiang Shu call her name.
“Don’t be nervous,” Jiang Shu said with a smile, “Since you have nothing to do with the bullying, there’s no need to be nervous.”
How could Xu Suizhen believe him?
When public opinion forms on a large scale, the truth no longer matters; it is not uncommon in the industry for companies to sacrifice artists to quell public opinion.
Xu Suizhen had basically foreseen her future.
“What you need to do next is to stay out of sight.”
“Chairman, I will leave the group myself.” Xu Suizhen took a deep breath, bowed to Jiang Shu, and said.
“Not approved.” Jiang Shu’s words froze Xu Suizhen in place. “I know very well who the instigator of this incident is, so you don’t need to leave the group.”
Hearing this, Xu Suizhen suddenly looked up at Jiang Shu.
“I really don’t have to leave?”
“You are an excellent artist, why would I make you leave the company?” Jiang Shu laughed. “Our company doesn’t care about public opinion.”
Xu Suizhen felt like she was dreaming.
Even in her current situation, the company was still willing to accept her and let her stay?
“But there’s one thing I need to remind you: stay in the dorm. No matter what happens, do not leave the dorm and appear in public. Can you do that?”
“Yes!”
As long as she wasn’t forced to leave the group or the company, what did it matter if she was blacklisted?
“Very good.” Jiang Shu nodded in satisfaction. No wonder leaders liked obedient subordinates; at least they could carry out his orders.
“Go back. There will be a time for your comeback in the future.”
He had already used the ‘Wind of Freedom’ to trick people; (G)I-DLE now had to keep Xu Suizhen to form a complete six-member group. The five-member bond was just a replica of the five-yuan spicy blood curd, the valuable one was the six-member group.
So, Xu Suizhen could not be abandoned. Fortunately, her problem was not serious, and she could still be protected.
Xu Suizhen bowed deeply to Jiang Shu, then exited the office.
“I’ve put on quite a show for you all. When can I make my move?” Jiang Shu murmured, resting his chin on his hand.
As it turned out, they didn’t make Jiang Shu wait too long.
The next morning, Choi Yunjin and Kim Garam found Jiang Shu together.
“You want to be the main focus?” Jiang Shu glanced at the message on his phone, then looked coldly at the two girls opposite him.
“Yes!” Choi Yunjin glanced at Kim Garam, who was looking down and seemed a bit guilty. She felt disdain in her heart: ‘You’ve come this far, why are you still feeling guilty?’
“As long as the Chairman can make us the main members, we can resolve Susu Oni’s issue! And our skills are both stronger than Zhang Yuanying and Karina, we will definitely make IVE even better!”
“What if I refuse?” Jiang Shu looked at these two naive little girls, a slight smile on his lips, and asked.
“Then we can only leave the group. The bullying controversy of Susu Oni and two members collectively leaving the group, even IVE would find it hard to accept, right?”
“Indeed.” Jiang Shu nodded in agreement, and Choi Yunjin’s face showed an expression of having the upper hand.
“But I refuse.”
The smile on Choi Yunjin’s face froze, and Kim Garam looked up at Jiang Shu in shock.
“Chairman! If you refuse, how will Susu Oni’s issue be resolved? If we leave the group, IVE will cease to exist!” Choi Yunjin panicked; this time, she was truly panicking.
She hadn’t expected Jiang Shu to refuse?
“First, Soo-jin’s bullying controversy is not something you can resolve. The people behind you promised you they could resolve Soo-jin’s bullying controversy, but if they don’t resolve it, what can you do to them?”
Choi Yunjin and Kim Garam’s expressions changed.
“Second, your singing and dancing skills are indeed stronger than Xiao Yuan and Xiao Liu, but why are they the twin stars? Because the audience doesn’t just look at skill; strong skill doesn’t necessarily mean popularity.”
“Third, and finally, I do not accept any threats, even if it means disbanding IVE.”
Jiang Shu picked up the phone on the desk.
“Have Director Kim Hye-soo come to my office.”
“No!” Choi Yunjin was now flustered. Kim Hye-soo was the company’s Vice Director of Arts and a high-ranking executive who managed all artists.
“Chairman! Chairman! I was wrong! Chairman, please don’t fire me!” Choi Yunjin said respectfully.
“Chairman! It’s not my fault! I was coerced by Choi Yunjin! She was the one who contacted YG!” Kim Garam was also stunned and quickly distanced herself from Choi Yunjin.
Jiang Shu ignored their pleas. Soon after, Kim Hye-soo arrived.
Upon entering, she saw Kim Garam and Choi Yunjin kneeling on the floor, wondering what was going on.
“These two want to leave the group. Take them to handle the procedures. If they don’t want to, just complete our process for them; whether they want it or not is up to them.” Jiang Shu waved his hand, speaking as if swatting flies.
Kim Hye-soo looked at the two on the ground, bewildered.
What’s going on?
Isn’t it good to make money easily in IVE? Why would they want to leave the group?
But despite her incomprehension, Kim Hye-soo still complied.
However, the two remained kneeling on the ground until security guards arrived and forcibly dragged them away.
“Remember to collect the breach of contract fee,” Jiang Shu told Kim Hye-soo.
“Yes.”
After everyone had left, Jiang Shu finally picked up his phone.
The reason he spoke so directly to these two was that they no longer had value as pawns.
Looking at the message on his phone, it was a message from the secretary of YG CEO Yang Hyun-suk.
It provided an address, inviting him to meet.
When Jiang Shu saw this message, he knew that they were planning their final negotiation with him.
Since it had reached this stage, it meant that the two pawns, Kim Garam and Choi Yunjin, had lost their value, which was why Jiang Shu was so direct in telling them to get lost.
Looking at the address in the text message, Jiang Shu put away his phone and stood up.
