Chapter 27

Chen Mo had only just debuted and had no desire to make a beautiful yet powerful enemy for himself.

With that in mind, Chen Mo smiled and said, "Of course I'd be happy to have dinner with such a beautiful lady as you, sis. I just don't know whether Senior Ji would be willing."

After all, the prerequisite for dinner was Ji Ze apologizing to him.

Following Chen Mo's gaze toward Ji Ze, Qin Yuqiong smiled without giving anything away. "Of course he is."

Before she finished speaking, Ji Ze snorted coldly and suddenly strode out of the backstage area. After leaving, he did not forget to slam the door shut with a loud bang.

Qin Yuqiong's smile did not change. Chen Mo merely shrugged helplessly and smiled at her. "Looks like Senior Ji isn't too willing."

"Why call him Senior Ji? That sounds so distant. Just call him Brother Ji. I heard you're an excellent pianist too. When you have time, the two of you should have a good talk. Maybe you'll even become good friends." After saying that, Qin Yuqiong smiled at Yang Qindong. "What do you say? Would you honor me with your presence later?"

Yang Qindong smiled. "A beautiful woman's invitation naturally deserves to be honored."

"Since you're willing to honor me, then I'll consider this matter settled. Dong, do you think that matter should be settled too?" As Qin Yuqiong spoke, her gaze flicked toward the corner. It was already empty.

Yang Qindong pretended not to understand and asked with a smile, "What matter? Why don't I understand?"

"That's no fun, Dong." Qin Yuqiong leaned closer with a smile and whispered into Yang Qindong's ear, "The recording in Xiao Ding's hands. Someone as experienced as you doesn't need to play dumb with me. The entertainment industry is only so big. Who knows when one of us might need the other? Wouldn't it be better for us to get along and make money together?"

Yang Qindong curled his lips in amusement and inhaled the faint fragrance in Qin Yuqiong's hair. "And how do we get along and make money together?"

Qin Yuqiong smiled in satisfaction, glanced at Chen Mo, and suggested, "We're all in the same industry. A 'piano duel' would hurt the harmony too much. How about calling it 'making friends through the piano' instead? After all, both A Ze and Chen Mo are known for piano, and the media has dubbed them both Piano Princes with a talent for original composition. It's such a fated and harmonious coincidence. Since they've met, they should naturally get acquainted, become familiar with each other, and hit it off at first sight through mutual admiration for each other's talent... What do you think?"

Banana TV naturally had no objections. Whether it was a piano duel or making friends through the piano, as long as this segment aired, attention and ratings would surely soar. This kind of publicity stunt was far more sophisticated than exposing gossip and artists' private lives on a program. It could not only boost ratings but also improve the show's image in viewers' minds. Such an opportunity was simply too rare to come by. The television station and production crew, who stood to gain the most, were more than happy to see it happen.

As for Yang Qindong's side, as long as Chen Mo sat down and competed with Ji Ze in piano skill, it did not matter whether it was called a "piano duel" or "making friends through the piano," nor whether he lost or won. As long as the publicity and PR were handled properly, it would be good for promoting Chen Mo, increasing his influence in the audience's eyes, and gaining fans.

That kid Chen Mo usually had no sense of proportion when he did things, but every time he ran into trouble, he somehow turned disaster into fortune. This time, he had come up with such a great idea as a "piano duel." Although Chen Mo had blurted it out merely out of spite, Yang Qindong, as a top agent in the entertainment industry, naturally would not let such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity slip away.

The moment he signaled Xiao Ding to secretly record everything on his phone as evidence, Yang Qindong had already devised seven or eight publicity plans in his mind. Any one of them could crush Ji Ze, ruin his reputation, and make Chen Mo famous at the same time. Unfortunately, before those perfect plans could be put into action, Qin Yuqiong saw through them.

As another highly regarded top agent in the entertainment industry, Qin Yuqiong naturally knew Yang Qindong's methods inside and out. As the other party involved in this backstage conflict, Ji Ze might have started it, but in the subsequent developments, he had completely fallen into Yang Qindong and Chen Mo's trap. No matter how things unfolded next, the benefits Ji Ze could gain from it would be limited. If he was even slightly careless, he might end up covered in scandal.

For Qin Yuqiong, a powerful career woman who calculated every move and insisted on maximizing every benefit, such a situation was simply an unbearable failure. But the urgent matter was not teaching a lesson to Ji Ze, that idiot who was nearly thirty yet still knew nothing about social interaction. It was stabilizing Yang Qindong and making absolutely certain he did not release the video in his hands.

Qin Yuqiong would never tolerate an artist under Yang Qindong using her own artist as a stepping stone to climb higher.

With just a few simple words, she brought the situation under control and turned the crisis Ji Ze had caused into a win-win collaboration. Qin Yuqiong smiled and said, "Since Chen Mo and A Ze's piano exchange has been settled, I'll have to trouble you all with arranging the script for what comes next. As for me... I still need to find our giant baby. Sorry, but I'll excuse myself first."

Because Ji Ze was famous in the industry for his terrible temper and low emotional intelligence, Qin Yuqiong had once bribed several media outlets and online marketing accounts to speak for him during a PR crisis. They used phrases such as "Ji Ze is a human-shaped giant baby," "Three-Year-Old Ji," and "Ji the Tsundere" to win over fans. In the end, they successfully shaped Ji Ze into a "Ji the White Lotus who doesn't understand worldly ways, is straightforward at heart, and acts without considering the consequences."

Now, Qin Yuqiong's self-deprecating use of a term like "human-shaped giant baby" was also meant to ease the atmosphere. Sure enough, after she said it, quite a few people present revealed knowing smiles.

Even Yang Qindong had no choice but to respond, "Your artist really has been just as immature as ever for ten years. It really hasn't been easy for you."

"My life is hard. How could I be as lucky as you, Dong? You haven't taken on any newcomers all these years, and the only one you signed was Chen Mo. He's only just debuted, yet he's already this impressive. His future is boundless. I'm so jealous!" After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Qin Yuqiong nodded to everyone and hurried out of the backstage area.

After Ji Ze angrily left the recording studio, he stood alone in the empty corridor, quietly watching people come and go beyond the glass windows.

It was the bitter heart of winter, and the air was biting cold. Ji Ze felt that the weather was just as terrible as his mood today. Suddenly, the sound of high heels striking the floor tiles rang by his ear. Ji Ze turned around and, sure enough, saw Qin Yuqiong's alluring figure.

Ji Ze curled his lips and turned his head away sulkily. Qin Yuqiong walked straight up to him without a word, grabbed his arm, and dragged him into an empty reception room nearby.

After locking the door behind her, Qin Yuqiong could no longer suppress the fury she had been holding back. She blurted out, "Are you sick? Did you eat too much and have nothing better to do? Why did you have to provoke Chen Mo?"

"None of your business!" Ji Ze shook off Qin Yuqiong's hand and said coldly, "I just don't like the sight of him. I just don't think there's anything about him that's better than me. I want the whole world to know he can't play piano as well as I can. I want to have a piano duel with him. What's wrong with that? Why are you stopping me?"

"What if you lose?" Qin Yuqiong raised her voice and demanded, "Is your brain full of water? He's just a rookie who's barely debuted. No fame, no works, no fans. Why are you competing with him? Have you considered how old you are, how old he is, how many years you've been in the industry, and how long he's been around? You're a superstar, a high-quality idol. What is he? If you duel him on the piano, winning is expected, but losing is humiliating. You actually agreed to something so thankless and exhausting. Are you an idiot?"

"What else was I supposed to do? He challenged me in front of everyone. Was I supposed to keep silent like a turtle hiding in its shell?" Ji Ze shouted back, refusing to yield.

"Then why did you provoke him in the first place? If you hadn't run your mouth and picked at him, none of this would have happened afterward. Do you know that Yang Qindong had his assistant secretly record the scene of you grabbing his collar and threatening him? Have you thought about what you'd do if Yang Qindong posted those videos online?"

"What am I afraid of? Everyone already knows I have a bad temper. It's been spread everywhere. So what if he posts it online? I didn't hit him in the end, did I? Didn't I embarrassingly get scared by a few words and let go immediately?" Ji Ze yelled at Qin Yuqiong in exasperation.

"Do you think it's that simple?" Qin Yuqiong never expected Ji Ze to be so naive. She looked at him with some disappointment and said, "Do you really not know what kind of person Yang Qindong is? Over the years, haven't enough people been ruined after going against him or the artists under him? Once Yang Qindong truly sets his sights on you, that video will only be the beginning. Then he'll expose every dark secret from your past, join forces with the media and the internet to smear you, and package you together with Chen Mo for publicity. In the end, Chen Mo will become famous in one battle, while you'll be utterly defeated and worthless..."

"But I still have you, don't I? You're so capable. How could you just stand by and watch him destroy me?" Ji Ze suddenly fell silent. He stared intensely at Qin Yuqiong and said, "Unless you don't want me anymore either. But that makes sense. After all these years, you must be sick of me already, right? That's why you're always saying other artists are better, that they're smart and sensible, unlike me, who only knows how to cause you trouble. Right, you're also very jealous of Yang Qindong, aren't you? You said he was lucky to sign Chen Mo right away, and that Chen Mo would definitely become popular. He's so young, handsome, and talented. He can sing and act too. He's much better than me, isn't he?"

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Qin Yuqiong frowned at Ji Ze, completely baffled.

"I'm only saying that even if Yang Qindong ruins me, I will never apologize to that brat. I will never lower my head to him. Give up on that idea." As Ji Ze spoke, he was just about to open the door when Qin Yuqiong shut it again.

Qin Yuqiong looked at Ji Ze with a complicated expression and suddenly asked, "Is this why you're angry?"

Ji Ze did not answer. He held his head high, stared straight ahead, and pressed his lips into a tight line. Qin Yuqiong watched him and could not help smiling. "The reason I said that was entirely because he reminded me of you. He debuted at seventeen, was called the Piano Prince, an original musician, and a high-quality idol. I just thought he resembled you, that's all. I was simply lamenting that ten years had passed in the blink of an eye."

As Qin Yuqiong spoke, she suddenly moved closer, cupped Ji Ze's face in both hands, and studied him carefully. Then she smiled. "But looking closely, our A Ze is still more handsome. A Ze is mixed-race, after all. Not only is he handsome and tall, but he also has a great body and eight-pack abs. When you think about it, that little brat Chen Mo really isn't anything special. So what if he can play the piano? So what if he can write songs? He's just not as handsome as our A Ze!"

Ji Ze's face had originally been so cold that ice chips could have fallen from it. After hearing Qin Yuqiong's words, his features immediately softened, and the corners of his mouth could not stop curling upward. He cleared his throat and said solemnly, "But he can light cigarettes with a piano, and I can't."

"So what if you can't? I don't smoke anyway. Kids like showing off, but our A Ze is different. The moment he stands there, the word handsome is written all over him!"

Oh no, oh no. I can't control the curve of my lips anymore!

Ji Ze subconsciously licked his lips, turned his face away awkwardly, and said softly, "I won't apologize to him."

"You don't have to, you don't have to. The matter is already resolved. Besides, they were clearly the ones who bullied our A Ze. We're even. After the recording, everyone will just sit down and have a meal together. They're all men. Why apologize? That would be so pretentious!" Qin Yuqiong continued coaxing him gently.

Ji Ze gave Qin Yuqiong a long look. After thinking for a moment, he suddenly said, "What time is it? When does the recording start? Let's go back, so people won't talk behind our backs and say we're acting like big shots. That would make things difficult for you, wouldn't it?"