Peninsula: I created the golden age of girl groups

Lee Sung-soo is very efficient.

As soon as Jiang Yuhe stepped into the apartment, his phone rang again.

He quickly picked up his phone, turned on speakerphone, and hung his coat on the hanger.

"It's been investigated."

Lee Sung-soo's voice rang out, carrying a faint chill, "The one manipulating public opinion is a network marketing company called Origin, which specializes in this kind of shady business and has cultivated a large number of online troll accounts."

"As for the person who paid them to do this, it's an actor named Gao Canyu. I've looked at his profile; he's been in the business for a while, but he's just so-so."

"As for whether there are other people behind Gao Canyu, we need to investigate further, which will probably take some time."

Lee Sung-soo's voice was nonchalant, "By the way... when did you offend this person? It shouldn't be like this, right?"

As expected, it was Gao Canyu. Jiang Yuhe nodded secretly.

He didn't hide anything and briefly recounted everything that had happened at the seminar to Lee Sung-soo.

"...That's roughly what happened. Actually, I don't know why he's targeting me. He even went to great lengths, spending money to hire online trolls to smear me. Maybe..."

At this point, Jiang Yuhe suddenly chuckled softly, "Is it simply because you don't like me?"

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone, followed by Lee Sung-soo's cold laugh, "Heh...you fool. There's no shortage of idiots in this industry, but the most disgusting are those who have no talent of their own yet can't stand seeing others succeed!"

"What's wrong? Want me to help you sort this out? To vent your anger?"

Lee Sung-soo's tone became casual again, "How about... something unexpected happens when he takes on a new role? Or, make him realize his mistake and publicly apologize to you?"

"My childhood friends have quite a few connections. As long as I hint at it, people will naturally offer to help, whether it's shady or legitimate, or even..."

Lee Sung-soo didn't spell it out, but the underlying meaning was quite clear.

But the problem is...

In Jiang Yuhe's view, this has completely exceeded the scope of a management company handling public opinion for its artists.

Although Lee Sung-soo might think it was just a small favor, Kang Woo-hyuk didn't want to owe him a favor.

Even if you owe someone, you shouldn't let it be over such a small matter.

Thinking of this, Jiang Yuhe stopped worrying and shook his head, saying, "No need, brother. Let's leave it at that for now. Just cut off the source of the online trolls, control the public opinion, and prevent it from escalating further... As for Gao Canyu himself, we don't need to touch him for now."

"Oh?"

Lee Sung-soo was clearly surprised by this. "This isn't like you, Woo-hyuk. From what I know of you, you're not exactly the kind of person who... repays evil with kindness. You just let it go after being tricked like that?"

"Aren't you worried that he might cause you trouble on set again?"

What is my personality like?

Jiang Yuhe chuckled softly, "I just think... it's not worth making a fuss over such a worthless pest, and it's also troublesome. Besides, I don't want to waste your energy on such a trivial matter."

"Trouble? What's so troublesome about it?"

Lee Sung-soo smiled dismissively, "These bugs that jump out on their own are easy to clean up with just a few words."

"Actually... it's not that I'm afraid of troubling you, brother."

Jiang Yuhe suppressed his smile. "Actually, what he did... might actually be a good thing for me."

"oh?"

Now it was Lee Sung-soo's turn to be curious.

But he didn't ask any further questions; he just waited quietly on the other end of the phone.

Jiang Yuhe pondered for a moment and explained, "What I mean is... as long as we can keep this public opinion under control and prevent it from escalating... then all these doubts, ridicule, and pessimism could potentially become my strength in the future!"

Actually, this was just a thought that had just come to him, and it wasn't certain yet.

After thinking for a moment, he added, "Anyway, brother! Let's do it my way for now! Control the source, and there's no need for forced whitewashing. If there's any real need later, I definitely won't hold back and will contact you immediately!"

On the other end of the phone, Lee Sung-soo was silent for a moment, then said, "Fine! Since you know what you're doing, then so be it! Let me know if you need anything!"

"Yes, thank you, brother." Jiang Yuhe said sincerely.

"No need to thank me, by the way..."

Lee Sung-soo suddenly changed the subject, "The interior decoration of the new company is almost finished. I'll take some time to go and check it out in the next few days. I'll contact you then, and we can go together to take a look around and familiarize ourselves with the place."

"Okay, bro!"

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Yuhe slowly walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window and looked down at the dazzling night view of Jiangnan outside.

Just like Lee Sung-soo said, Kang Woo-hyuk is no innocent person.

So when he first heard Gao Canyu's name, he couldn't help but feel angry.

But he quickly calmed down.

As he said before, things have escalated to this point, and public opinion has even begun to turn against him, but for him, it may not necessarily be all bad.

In that instant, countless classic examples of Korean entertainment industry's initial setbacks followed by a triumphant comeback flashed through his mind:

For example, the Black Sea incident that Girls' Generation encountered.

Perhaps it was precisely because of that period of dormancy and tempering that "Gee" was able to rise from the ashes after its sudden emergence.

From being ridiculed across the entire internet to being adored by millions... the exhilarating feeling and legendary quality of defying fate is incomparable to a straightforward narrative!

Another example is GFriend's famous six consecutive falls in the rain.

It was precisely because of that accident that their hard-working, dedicated, and tenacious image became deeply ingrained in people's minds, which not only greatly solidified the loyalty of their core fans but also won over a large number of casual viewers.

As for what happened later...

"Rough" became a huge hit, garnering 15 number one hits and firmly establishing itself as a top-tier song at the time.

In fact, upon closer reflection, many groups or artists in the Korean entertainment industry have gone through a period of "torturing" their fans, whether it happened occasionally or was intentional.

But as long as a truly excellent work is produced, it is possible to turn the tide and achieve a double reversal in both public sentiment and reputation!

And Jiang Yuhe could completely replicate this path... from being questioned, to proving himself with his work, and finally reversing public opinion.

Of course, all of this is based on the premise that:

He must have enough real talent to deliver a truly convincing performance.

"Gao Canyu..."

Jiang Yuhe gazed at the endless lights outside the window, his eyes icy. "You'd better pray that my drama flops. Otherwise... all these negative posts you're sending me now will become solid support for my advancement! At that time, should I thank you? Or...?"

In short, this phone call gave him a better understanding of the situation.

At least we won't be completely in the dark.

Just then, an overwhelming feeling of exhaustion suddenly swept over me.

Looking back on the whole day, especially the psychological battle with Lee Soo-man and the others, he felt somewhat exhausted, even though he had come prepared.

He stopped thinking about it, turned around and went to the bathroom to wash up and prepare to rest.

He figured he'd deal with tomorrow's problems tomorrow; he really didn't have any other plans. He was just about to start his life as a resident at SM Entertainment.

Thinking about this, he felt a strange sense of anticipation.

Although he wasn't sure what he was expecting.