Chapter 166: Pei Linlin and Jiang Shu
"First group, get ready! You're on stage in five minutes!" A staff member's voice echoed.
"Yes!"
Red Velvet and the trainees from the first group all responded.
"Eunbi, who are the judging guests this time?" Bae Joo-hyun seemed to recall something and turned to ask the leader of the first group, Kwon Eunbi.
"Uh... it's you seniors, the assisting artists."
"Ah?" Bae Joo-hyun was stunned. How did she not know this?
"Ouni, this is part of the rules, it doesn't need a special introduction," Sun Shengwan whispered from the side.
Bae Joo-hyun: "..."
"It's obvious Ouni hasn't watched the show much," Kim Ye-rim chimed in, exposing her.
Bae Joo-hyun's mouth twitched. This child needed a good scolding again.
"Ahem, it's time to go on stage. Everyone, get ready," Bae Joo-hyun changed the subject.
"Yes!"
...
Two or three hours later.
The second public stage recording was complete. Jiang Shu had been sitting in a chair for over three hours, and his backside was uncomfortable.
When the PD announced the end of the recording, Jiang Shu shot up from his seat and rubbed his backside in place.
"My butt hurts from sitting too long."
Park Jin-young and Min Xizhen, who had initially wondered what was wrong, couldn't help but laugh at his words.
Just then, the groups who had been assisting artists came over and bowed to the three.
"Those with schedules, hurry up and go," Jiang Shu said, waving his hand as he saw the hesitant expressions of the ITZY members.
ITZY and the other two groups breathed a sigh of relief, bowed to the three again, and then left, leaving only Red Velvet behind.
"You don't have schedules?" Park Jin-young asked, looking at Red Velvet, who hadn't moved, in surprise.
"Our schedule is still a bit of time away," Bae Joo-hyun replied with a slight bow.
Jiang Shu picked up his phone from the table.
"You all chat, I'm leaving first."
"Mm." Park Jin-young and Min Xizhen both nodded, and the Red Velvet members also bowed and watched Jiang Shu leave.
Bae Joo-hyun watched Jiang Shu's retreating figure, hesitated for a moment, then excused herself to Park Jin-young and Min Xizhen and chased after him.
Jiang Shu had just entered the elevator when he heard a voice.
"President nim, wait a moment!"
Seeing that it was Bae Joo-hyun, Jiang Shu quickly pressed the door-open button, and the elevator door opened.
"Bae Joo-hyun, what's wrong?" Jiang Shu asked, looking at Bae Joo-hyun in surprise.
"President." Bae Joo-hyun stood outside the door and bowed to Jiang Shu, then stepped inside and pressed the close-door button.
Jiang Shu didn't speak, waiting for Bae Joo-hyun to continue.
"President, this might be a bit presumptuous, but I still want to ask if Soo-jin will stay with the company?"
Jiang Shu raised his eyebrows at her words.
"Did Xu Suizhen send you?"
When did she get in touch with Xu Suizhen?
"No." Bae Joo-hyun spoke softly, using her rather unique voice to express her thoughts, "Soo-jin senior helped me several times after I came to the company. I've always remembered that kindness. Now Soo-jin senior is caught in public opinion, so I took it upon myself to come and ask you about the situation."
"She's involved in a bullying incident. Many people are avoiding her, but you're doing the opposite, rushing to get close," Jiang Shu said in a cold tone.
But if one looked closely, they would find a hidden smile in his eyes.
No one likes people who forget kindness for profit. Everyone likes those who don't forget their gratitude during difficult times.
"Soo-jin senior wouldn't bully anyone," Bae Joo-hyun said, shaking her head. "At least the current her wouldn't do that."
She didn't believe such a gentle person would bully others.
"Then would you bully someone?" Jiang Shu asked, looking at Bae Joo-hyun playfully.
Bae Joo-hyun was stumped by Jiang Shu's counter-question.
Her? Bullying?
How was that possible!
Why would she bully others when she had nothing else to do?
"Not now doesn't mean not in the future. Similarly, Xu Suizhen not now doesn't mean not in the past."
Bae Joo-hyun wanted to retort, but she didn't know what to say.
"You see, I can stump you, so what about public opinion?" Jiang Shu looked at Bae Joo-hyun. "Whether Xu Suizhen bullied or not, when public opinion has fermented to this extent, the truth is no longer important."
"I can only tell you if she will be kept in the company when the court's judgment is handed down."
Bae Joo-hyun was already twenty-eight years old. She wouldn't be like young people fresh out of society, getting flustered by a scolding.
Jiang Shu telling her so much was teaching her.
The entertainment industry is like this: when public opinion arises, the truth no longer matters.
Explanations are pale. Instead of racking one's brains to answer those questions, it's better to directly use a more powerful method to deny unfavorable views.
For example, a court judgment.
Ding.
The elevator arrived at the fifth floor. Jiang Shu walked out first, with Bae Joo-hyun following closely behind.
She followed Jiang Shu all the way to his office.
Bae Joo-hyun bowed to Jiang Shu.
"Thank you for your guidance, President."
"Did you follow me all this way just to say that?" Jiang Shu said with a smile.
"Yes," Bae Joo-hyun said, lowering her head.
"Relax, there are no outsiders here."
"Etiquette cannot be abandoned." Bae Joo-hyun insisted. Jiang Shu brought her from Daegu to Seoul, this land of dreams. This was the kindness of a benefactor.
He taught her how to survive better in this industry. This was the kindness of imparting knowledge.
For Jiang Shu, Bae Joo-hyun's insistence on bowing to him was just an outward way of expressing her respect.
"I didn't realize you were such an old-fashioned person," Jiang Shu laughed.
Bae Joo-hyun didn't say anything.
"Anything else? If not, go back," Jiang Shu said, looking at Bae Joo-hyun.
"Yes." Bae Joo-hyun had something to say, but the words stopped at her lips. She bowed to Jiang Shu, then exited the office.
Jiang Shu looked at Bae Joo-hyun's retreating figure in confusion. He vaguely felt that Bae Joo-hyun had left some things unsaid.
Then he shook his head. If she didn't say it, then so be it. He had other things to do.
He walked to the bookshelf behind his desk and took down a document from it.
He picked up the phone.
"Come in."
The next second, Choi Ji-yeon pushed the door open and entered.
"President."
"The 'Classic咏流传' production team just contacted me. Send them all the songs in this document. I need to focus on the company's group comebacks during this period. Let them choose which songs to use."
Choi Ji-yeon reached out and took it, flipping through it briefly.
"Nine songs in total."
"Mm, nine songs."
"Okay, I'll send them right away." Choi Ji-yeon confirmed with Jiang Shu and then nodded in response.
"Has ITZY's comeback date been set?"
"Yes, Director Kim Hye-soo has signed off, confirming ITZY will make their comeback on May 30th," Choi Ji-yeon replied.
"Good, I understand."
Choi Ji-yeon bowed to Jiang Shu and then left the office.