"What?" Xia Qingyu's brow furrowed upon hearing Miao Tong's words, and she immediately became defensive. "Why are you asking me about my sister?"
"Don't misunderstand," Miao Tong said quickly. "It's mainly because of my brother. I imagine you know I've barely met him, and I've always looked forward to meeting him, but..."
Miao Tong gave a wry smile. "You and Xia Qingtian don't seem to be biological sisters, so I wanted to ask how you two get along. I'm not really sure how to interact with my brother."
"Oh, I see." Hearing Miao Tong's explanation, Xia Qingyu let down her guard. She took a deep breath and began, "Speaking of my sister, she's very beautiful and gentle. Although she's a bit impulsive, but... once... and then... My sister is just so cute~ My sister..."
The next two hours of her relentless "My sister is the best in the world" advocacy left Miao Tong completely stunned.
His plan to extract information seemed to have backfired this time...
This was going to be trouble...
"Are you even listening?" Xia Qingyu asked, noticing Miao Tong seemed a bit absentminded.
"Yes! I'm listening!" Miao Tong paused before replying, "But, don't you think siblings inevitably have disagreements? Haven't you and your sister ever had any unpleasant times?"
Xia Qingyu gave Miao Tong a look that clearly said, "Are you an idiot?" "Were you listening? My sister is amazing!"
"Mm, I heard. I was being presumptuous." Miao Tong offered an awkward smile, increasingly regretting his foolish decision.
"It's getting late. You should get some rest," Xia Qingyu said, glancing at her watch. "I have class tomorrow, so I'm heading back to my room. It was nice chatting with you. Goodnight."
With that, Xia Qingyu turned and left Miao Tong's room. Miao Tong propped his chin on his hand, running his fingers through his hair again.
It seemed difficult to uncover information about Xia Qingtian from within the Xia family.
He wondered if there was any opportunity from the outside.
Unaware that Miao Tong had already set his sights on her, Xia Qingtian was still holding a pen, sketching and doodling on a notebook, trying to find some clue in the current situation.
In the end, her page was filled with question marks.
The biggest and most prominent question mark, which had been drawn multiple times, was the mysterious organization.
Thinking of this, Xia Qingtian's gaze fell on the golden button placed casually nearby.
Currently, the person closest to that organization that she knew of should be Song Junhan.
Recalling how many times in her past life she had fastened this button for Song Junhan, Xia Qingtian's eyes grew increasingly somber.
Song Junhan and Yu Linwan wanted to cause her trouble, didn't they?
Just fine. Once Da Ya's current situation was resolved, she intended to go and deal with them.
That was Xia Qingtian's thought, but Song Junhan and Yu Linwan clearly had no intention of giving Xia Qingtian time to "wait."
Not only had they launched a widespread advertising campaign, but they had also implicitly and explicitly pointed fingers at Xia Qingtian, claiming that Xia Qingtian would be attending this talent show. This led many to believe that the divine idol Xia Qingtian was finally going to resume activities, causing an immediate frenzy.
Of course, some people remained skeptical.
After all, Wanqing Entertainment and Gu's Entertainment had had such an awkward falling out before, and Xia Qingtian was the prime target of persecution by Wanqing Entertainment.
And Xia Qingtian was an artist under Gu's Entertainment. How could she possibly participate in Wanqing Entertainment's talent show?
Oh, right.
Wanqing Entertainment had now merged with L City's Qimeng Entertainment Company and was renamed Wanmeng Entertainment. Gu Yaoqing, the second largest shareholder, also swiftly resigned in disgrace after being caught in a scandal with Wen Shengsheng, looking like a pathetic joke.
This newly rebranded Wanmeng Entertainment seemed eager to make a name for itself through this talent show and achieve a perfect comeback.
Not only were they willing to spend money on advertising and marketing, but the caliber of guests revealed so far was also quite impressive. The grand prize money and the subsequent packaging for the winners had also made many aspiring individuals eager to sign up.
Within a single night, this talent show had become the hottest topic of the moment.
Early Monday morning, in the conference room of Gu's Entertainment, everyone held their breath, the atmosphere as if a single misstep would lead to their execution.
Mr. Gu, seated at the head of the table, remained silent, merely tapping his fingertips on the edge of the table before finally speaking, "Does no one have an explanation for me?"
"Mr. Gu, we don't know what happened either," someone finally broke under the pressure. "Perhaps it's just a project conflict. This format isn't particularly unique, so... so I think it might just be an accident."
"You're fired. You can pack your things and leave," Mr. Gu's tone remained cold and distant.
"I!" The person who was fired froze, utterly surprised by the outcome. They intended to defend themselves, but Assistant Lin had already approached to escort the person away. "Please."
"Mr. Gu, no one wanted this project to encounter this issue. I'm still the project manager, and I've always dedicated myself to it. Firing me like this! I refuse to accept it!" The fired individual said, slamming their hand on the table.
"As the project manager, failing to maintain business confidentiality and causing such a leak, shouldn't you be fired?" Mr. Gu looked at the person.
"But... but there's no direct evidence proving that the leak came from my side! I..." The person clearly felt guilty, their voice lacking its earlier conviction.
"Hiss..." Hearing him rashly question Mr. Gu, many people gasped.
They silently lamented the fellow's audaciousness, wondering why he would court such humiliation.
As expected, Mr. Gu merely gave Assistant Lin a look, and the latter presented all the evidence.
Among them, it was clearly detailed how this project manager had repeatedly boasted to others after receiving the project, and even brazenly declared at drinking parties that he had extensive connections, implying that any talented newcomer who wanted extra consideration would need his approval.
This evidence also included some hotel check-in records and bank transfer records.
"This... this..." The person was dumbfounded upon seeing this. "Mr. Gu, Mr. Gu, I was wrong! I just... I just..."
"We will hand this over to the law enforcement agencies and pursue your full legal responsibility," Mr. Gu said, his eyes showing no emotion as he looked at the person's pleas.
After this individual was escorted out by security summoned by Assistant Lin, their desperate pleas echoed throughout the Gu's Entertainment building.
Everyone understood that once this matter was exposed, their future in this industry had come to an abrupt end.
"Next," Mr. Gu surveyed everyone, his voice cold. "Who else has an explanation for me."
"Gulp..." Everyone silently swallowed, their eyes filled with dread.