Chapter 656: Chapter 656

He Jinxia couldn’t help but let out a snort of laughter. "Initially, I thought Zhang Yingru was quite shrewd, but now that you’ve put it , I think she’s completely foolish."

Sheng Yan was infected by Jinxia’s chuckle and slightly curled the corners of his mouth, asking in a low voice, "Feeling any better?"

He Jinxia sighed softly and said gloomily, "No, I actually feel worse, kind of defeated.

I thought I was a player in the game, able to manipulate others’ fates; in the end, I’m just an onlooker."

Sheng Yan, not often one to comfort others, replied, "What you’re lacking now is time. Once you’ve seen more, you’ll be able to grasp these things without even thinking."

He Jinxia silently ridiculed in her heart: Hasn’t she experienced enough, having lived through two lifetimes? She’s at least a decade older than Sheng Yan if both lives were combined!

She had used these tactics in the past, but because the methods are completely different from modern ones, her mind stayed in the past, and she had yet to adapt.

This was also because she had focused solely on acting upon her arrival, with little time spent on manipulative scheming, leading to a lack of proficiency in these skills.

However, Jinxia quickly gathered her spirits and said with a smile, "Is that supposed to be comforting? Why do I feel even worse now?"

Sheng Yan fell silent for a moment before finally saying, "Then... should I just lie in bed and wait for you?"

He Jinxia was dumbfounded: ???

The change of topic was so abrupt, she couldn’t keep up.

Sheng Yan said, "At your mercy."

He Jinxia said, "..."

She chose to hang up the phone, goodbye!

Three days later, it still felt like her call with Sheng Yan had happened the night before, when the internet exploded with the news that Zhang Yingru had joined Shengshi Entertainment first thing in the morning!

The intense news always comes so unexpectedly, waking netizens from their slumber with a startling baptism.

He Jinxia woke up early in the morning and, while brushing her teeth, the doorbell started ringing furiously. Upon opening the door, she was greeted by the anxious face of Sister Xiao Hua.

"Jinxia, Zhang Yingru has defected to Shengshi Entertainment. We just got the news; it’s all over the internet!"

He Jinxia was stunned, hurriedly finished brushing her teeth, and went to check the news. Although she had already received the information from Sheng Yan and knew it was a matter of days, her curiosity only increased when the news actually arrived.

While Cheng Xiaohua was helping her get dressed, He Jinxia took the chance to scroll through Weibo. Not only Weibo, but every information channel was frantically reporting "Zhang Yingru’s defection to Shengshi Entertainment."

"[I don’t understand, why would Shengshi Entertainment take a second-hand good?]"

"[Zhang Yingru? Now why does that name sound so familiar, isn’t she JY’s ruthless and heartless agent?!]"

"[*Knock on the blackboard*, I’m neither a fan of JY nor a fan of Wen Ningning, but from an outsider’s perspective, I think there was nothing wrong with Zhang Yingru’s decision. Cutting losses timely, a wise choice. Now, the biggest question arises, has the agent defected, will JY also defect?]"

"[Defecting is impossible, she’ll never defect in her lifetime, JY’s contract is with Tonghua Entertainment, her agent is assigned by Tonghua Entertainment, they have the final say in everything, there is no direct connection, Zhang Yingru can leave, but JY cannot.]"

"[Heavens [shocked and horrified], what’s JY going to do without her agent... Does she need to find a new agent?]" ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ NovєlFіre.net

"[Sheesh, just disband, I reckon Tonghua Entertainment isn’t cut out for managing a girl group, might as well disband.]"

"No, don’t disband! Although they’re not the stars I stan, I’ve listened to JY for several years. They haven’t been around for long, and if they really disband, that would be too..."

"I feel like they won’t disband. JY is the first second-tier girl group that Tonghua Entertainment brought out. Their value is still very high, and they have a big influence. They’re like a symbolic signboard. The significance of their existence is greater than the significance of disbanding."

"Wait, isn’t the topic getting sidetracked? We were originally discussing why Shengshi Entertainment is taking over Zhang Yingru, so how did it turn into whether or not JY should disband? Come on, let’s get the conversation back on track."

"As an entertainment powerhouse within Huaxia and standing shoulder to shoulder with Tonghua Entertainment, it’s quite normal for high-level shifts to happen between them, right? Isn’t this just a simple case of poaching talent?"

"The problem is, Zhang Yingru also needs to have the talent to be poached, right? Her most noteworthy accomplishment is her experience with girl groups. Is Shengshi Entertainment planning to create a new girl group wave?"

"Isn’t Shengshi Entertainment mainly focused on film and television? Girl groups and such seem rather messy..."

He Jinxia scrolled through netizens’ comments while rushing to the film set, finding them quite entertaining. So far, there were no rumors about Zhang Yingru’s defection being a move with resources in hand or that she was a spy.

She lowered her eyes, pondering. Perhaps there were other arrangements from Tonghua Entertainment’s side.

Upon arriving at the film set, the staff also discussed the matter of Zhang Yingru, but their intensity was mild. Most conversations weren’t about the defection per se, but whether JY would face disbandment.

After barely surviving the recent scandals, they now had to face the crisis of their agent leaving. This year had indeed been one full of trials and tribulations for JY.

Someone whispered, "Have you guys noticed that ever since He Jinxia left JY, their resources have been dwindling?"

Others hadn’t thought about it initially, but now that it was brought up, they slightly reflected and felt it was indeed the case.

"Now that you mention it, I also feel something’s wrong. Ever since He Jinxia left, JY has been on a downhill path!"

"Could it be... that He Jinxia also had an effect on suppressing bad fortune?" some staff members speculated with wild imagination.

"Hmm? You mean the legendary ’lucky fish’ physique?"

"No, no, no, lucky fish are said to bring good luck. What she has is more like a guardian spirit, a Pixiu or something."

"Hmm... I heard that a Pixiu guards wealth and only allows it to come in without going out. Should we touch her to rub some wealth off onto ourselves?" someone suggested, which was immediately rejected by others.

While the staff members outwardly dismissed the idea that He Jinxia would let anyone touch her, playing the "don’t even think about it" card, inwardly, they were considering the possibility of doing just that.

He Jinxia was amiable, and several people in the crew were her fans. They’d approached her for autographs during her downtime, and she had never shown any temper. Perhaps, they really could give it a try?

Thus, on that day, He Jinxia inexplicably gained many new fans. Over the next several days, numerous crew members crowded around to get her autograph, with men wanting to shake her hand and women seeking a big hug.

This gave He Jinxia the mistaken impression that she was extremely popular.

It must be said, the Huaxia people’s obsession with luck and fortune is indeed crazy.

In the afternoon, Zhang Yingru reached an agreement with the person in charge at Tonghua Entertainment, and both parties worked out a resignation process.

Observers from Shengshi Entertainment watched the entire negotiations, while Tonghua Entertainment tried several times to evict them but they stayed on brazenly.