Reboot the heyday

Wang Taika thought for a moment and pulled out a few tissues.

It felt too strange to hold it directly with my hands, so I haphazardly wrapped the "egg" that emitted a strange pink scent in several layers of tissues and stuffed it into the bottom drawer of my desk to avoid seeing it.

After doing all this, Wang Taika felt the air seemed a little fresher. He looked back at Jin Dongtian, who was still there with her cheeks puffed out in frustration, and tried his best to adopt the demeanor of a serious elder.

“I’ll keep the things for now and give them to her when I have the chance. That’s all,” Wang Taika said. “Just go back and practice what you need to do, eat what you need to eat, and treat it as a rather terrifying dream today.”

Looking at Wang Taika's serious expression, Jin Dongtian's initial embarrassment and annoyance dissipated somewhat, and she even felt like laughing.

"Okay, I understand." Jin Dongtian nodded obediently.

"Alright, go back now." Wang Taika waved his hand, shooing them away: "If you stay any longer, I'm afraid I won't be able to resist my curiosity and will actually take this thing apart to study its vibration patterns."

"Ah! Stop talking!" Jin Dongtian blushed instantly to the roots of her ears. The little bit of emotion she had just felt was instantly replaced by embarrassment. She practically fled the office, forgetting to even say goodbye.

Looking at the closed door, Wang Taika finally couldn't help but laugh out loud. What kind of mess has this been? He helped out of a predicament, only to uncover another person's earth-shattering secret, and in the end, he was forced to become the temporary custodian of "contraband"?
Wang Taika smiled and shook his head, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over the locked drawer again.

If it were someone else in this situation, like Duck King, they'd probably take it out and examine it closely, maybe even sniff it. But Wang Taika isn't that kind of person! A gentleman wouldn't do something like that!

Joking aside, Wang Taika knew in his heart that this matter had to be handled properly. But wouldn't it be a bit too strange to take the initiative to go to Lady Liu? They're all such a handful.

I haven't figured out how to handle this yet. It seems I need to find a suitable time and a suitable meeting to discuss this matter further.

I just can't figure out what kind of temper Lady Liu has. Although she's always been very nice, it's hard to say whether she might turn on me when it comes to this kind of thing.

If things really turn sour, there's nothing that can be done. Wang Taika was initially conflicted, but after thinking about it, he realized it wasn't actually that troublesome.

At worst, we can just fall out and go our separate ways. He's just a regular friend, nothing more. The less afraid you are of losing him, the less your emotions will affect you.

Just then, a phone call came in, and Wang Taika answered it to hear a woman's voice.

"Mr. Wang, I would like to meet with you."

"I won't see you." Wang Taika hung up the phone absentmindedly.

I don't recognize your voice, and you didn't say why you came. Why should I see you?
The pre-return hype for AOA is in full swing.

The members can be seen actively in various music programs, variety shows, interviews, and fashion magazines, especially lead vocalist Choa, who has gained a lot of resources and exposure with her outstanding singing skills, and is currently enjoying unparalleled popularity.

Although the group is missing one member, it's actually not a big deal. After all, Kwon Moe-ah, who didn't participate in the comeback, has always been a non-center character. The group losing one member doesn't really have a significant impact.

However, amidst this lively scene, one person stood out as an oddity: Seolhyun.

Seolhyun, as the undisputed visual of the group, remains beautiful and is still the center of attention within AOA.

However, things are different now. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that in this comeback, she seems to be separated by an invisible glass dome. Her crucial stage time in the center position has decreased, her variety show appearances in conjunction with her comeback are few and far between, and even her styling and makeup don't seem as meticulously crafted as they used to be.

Although she was still valued, the exposure she received, both overt and covert, was completely different. She was like an exquisite backdrop, embedded in the team, losing the opportunity to shine.

This wasn't something Seolhyun herself sensed; even the staff around her noticed. Or perhaps they received some subtle hints. Whose hints? Of course, it was the company's.

After all, for everyone, Seolhyun is actually an outsider this time around.

Because FNC Entertainment was struggling to grow, and XB Entertainment was very strong, XB Entertainment won AOA's team contract.

However, when XB Entertainment consolidated the contracts of AOA members, Seolhyun, out of caution about her own future development and distrust of Wang Taika, an outsider, chose to stay with her old company, FNC Entertainment.

Seolhyun's situation is different from the other members. The others really didn't have a choice; the group had no activities, no resources, and if they didn't sign with XB Entertainment, they'd be stuck at home doing nothing.

But Seolhyun has her own variety show, film and television, and advertising resources. She has options, so she is not in a hurry, she will consider them, and she will wait for the right price.

Seolhyun originally thought that with her huge popularity and FNC's resources, she could take a leading role in the group's comeback even without completely relying on XB Entertainment.

But to her utter surprise, all of this was completely useless. Wang Taika's words carried far more power than she had imagined; whoever he declared was the center, that was the center. XB Entertainment had now become a force capable of influencing market trends. This AOA comeback was entirely orchestrated by XB Entertainment, naturally slanting resources towards the members already signed with them.

It's very unfair, but that's reality.

Forget about storefronts or popularity; we don't care about that at all. There's no need for deliberate suppression; the difference is already obvious.

Seolhyun watched Choa and the others with their packed schedules, enjoying top-notch production and promotion, while she herself had to struggle to secure the already limited resources from FNC. Her heart was filled with immense disappointment.

This disparity is multifaceted. For example, regarding her position in the choreography, Seolhyun has always been a core member, so she almost never misses the center position in the core parts of the song. Now, however, she has to stand in an inconspicuous position, watching Choa dance confidently under the spotlight, enjoying the company of a group of backup dancers and members. That feeling of being marginalized is like a needle pricking her heart.

The key point is that all of this was not a deliberate attempt to exclude others.

It's only natural for a company to promote its own artists. Seolhyun's initial idea was actually rather naive and unrealistic. She actually thought that because she was the most famous, XB Entertainment would make concessions in this regard.

Over time, even within the group, some rifts developed. It wasn't that the others were deliberately ignoring Seolhyun, but rather that while the others were gaining resources through XB Entertainment, Seolhyun couldn't participate.

Variety show promotions during comeback periods are an important way to boost individual popularity. XB Entertainment secured regular or guest appearances on several popular variety shows for the other members, with Choa even getting opportunities for individual interviews and fashion magazine covers.

And what about Seolhyun? Aside from group interviews, her solo activities are few and far between. Once highly sought after by various variety shows, she now relies on FNC Entertainment for opportunities on second- or third-tier programs, resulting in a significant drop in exposure and media attention.

Because of the lack of shared activities, Seolhyun and the others started to have less in common. The others meant well, not wanting to talk about these things in front of Seolhyun, as it would seem like they were deliberately showing off. But the more they tried to avoid it, the more frustrated and upset Seolhyun felt, and her sense of loss grew daily.

She regretted it; Seolhyun truly regretted it. She'd thought more than once, if she hadn't hesitated so much, if she had signed with them, wouldn't she be the one so sought after now?
This complex emotion made it difficult for her to fully immerse herself on stage, and her eyes always carried a hint of barely perceptible melancholy.

This creates a vicious cycle: because of poor performance, there is naturally less exposure.

Finally, after discovering yet another reduction in the space allotted for her personal promotional photos, Seolhyun made up her mind. She swallowed her pride and proactively contacted Wang Taika, hoping for an opportunity to meet in person.

When the call connected, Xuexuan took a deep breath and said, "Mr. Wang, I would like to meet with you."

Without a second thought, the person on the other end replied, "No."

"Beep beep!" The phone call ended. (End of Chapter)