I was exposed for adding my female boss to my group of female friends.

Qin Yunshang whispered, "Actually, I feel he's not as talented as Chen Liang. He's just a big braggart."

After saying that, she asked, "What's wrong with the Chinese music scene? Are there many songwriters like Chen Liang who are being overlooked? Why are the ones being promoted by capital mostly people like Jia Yi?"

Qin Yunchu smiled silently.

It's certain that he's not as talented as Chen Ya.

However, it was not appropriate to tell Qin Yunshang this.

“First of all, not many people are overlooked; Chen Liang is an exception. Besides,” she looked at her foolish sister, “we are the capital.”

Qin Yunshang nodded honestly: "Oh. Then it's nothing."

After entering the room and closing the door, Qin Yun Chu said, "By the way, let me remind you of something. In the next round, when you cooperate with Chen Liang, you need to learn from Jin Lan's experience. Try your best to meet any demands he makes in the contract and avoid any conflicts."

Qin Yunshang rolled her eyes and said, "Do you think I'm stupid? He's already gotten Shiina Apple and the others to post on Weibo, why would I go against him? I'd be willing to work for him for free, as long as I can do free commercial performances in the future, I'll be more than satisfied, okay?"

After saying that, she thought of something and asked, "But if he keeps bringing up Shiina Apple and the other two every time, how are the other people supposed to play? They probably won't come back, right?"

Qin Yunchu smiled wryly, "That's really hard to say."

She now strongly suspects that Chen Ya has connections in Japan, and that there may be more than just these three people.

If it weren't for the fact that Mr. Ryuji Sakamoto was in poor health, it wouldn't be surprising if he had been invited.

"You don't need to worry about that. Just don't be too arrogant in front of him. If you make him angry, even I won't be able to protect you."

To everyone's surprise, Qin Yunshang became a little angry upon hearing this and said:

"Sis, why do you keep calling me Chen Liang the moment you arrive? You use a mix of scare and coaxing to deal with your cute little sister. I've never seen anyone so biased towards outsiders."

After saying that, she covered her mouth and said, "No way? Sis, you don't like him, do you? I'm going to have a brother-in-law?"

Qin Yun Chu blushed and said, "That's not true! Why do you think that too?"

"Also?" Qin Yunshang keenly grasped the key word. "Sister, who else thinks that way? The eyes of the masses are discerning. Look at you, you've been caught!"

"Go away. Don't make things up out of nothing." Qin Yun Chu was too lazy to explain to her.

Qin Yunshang chuckled and said, "Really not? If not, then I'll go for it?"

"?!" Qin Yun Chu exclaimed in surprise, "What are you saying?"

Qin Yunshang said mysteriously, "You don't know, do you? Actually, he's very handsome when he takes off his glasses. As long as you're not interested in him, then we sisters won't have that awkward situation of fighting over the same man."

Qin Yun Chu was both surprised and angry. She thought to herself, "I've seen him without his glasses far more often than you have. I know better than you how handsome he is."

However, now is not the time to talk about this. She pointed at Qin Yunshang's nose and said:

“I’m warning you, don’t even think about hitting on him. You’re an idol now. If any scandals get out, I won’t plead with Dad on your behalf.”

"Alright, alright, I was just joking." Qin Yunshang slapped her hand away. "Why are you in such a hurry? You're not actually interested in him, are you?"

Qin Yun Chu stamped her foot and said, "No, he's a womanizer. Just don't even think about him. If you get taken advantage of and then deny everything, don't blame me for not advising you!"

Qin Yunshang exclaimed in surprise, "How could I be taken advantage of? If I really were, I would use all the resources of my Qin family to force him to marry me. Also, how do you know he's a womanizer? Have you dated him?"

Qin Yun Chu looked up in despair, feeling utterly unable to explain herself.

……

Inside the tea shop, Chen Ya sneezed. It seemed someone was talking about him behind his back again.

Just then, Makoto Kasahara, his hair disheveled and carrying a handbag, hurried over again.

His suit was disheveled, his face was oily, and he looked unwell. It seems he's been having a tough time lately.

"You've really screwed me over." As soon as Kasahara sat down, he started to complain, "Because it was discovered that I was doing this for you, Lord Shinjiro is now starting to suspect me."

Chen Ya shrugged and said, "It seems this leader is narrow-minded and incapable of achieving great things."

Kasahara was even angrier at Chen Ya's nonchalant attitude and said urgently:

"What do you know? With Lord Shinjiro's noble bloodline, he is a born leader. My future, my family, may all be ruined because of this!"

Chen Ya leaned back in his chair listlessly, hands in his pockets, and said, "Enough already, you Japanese Xianglin's wife. I didn't come here to listen to your complaints."

Kasahara leaned on the table and whispered, "However, there is still a chance to salvage the situation. If you are willing to join Lord Shinjiro's camp, perhaps the two of us can rise to great heights."

Chen Ya raised an eyebrow and said, "You dare to coax me like this now? You've gotten quite bold."

Kasahara said urgently, "I'm serious. Lord Shinjiro's enemy is Miss. You've kept Miss tied up in China for so long, you must have a lot of dirt on her, right? If you're willing to join Lord Shinjiro, you might be able to make a good future for yourself."

Kasahara was serious. In his view, Chen Ya and Miss Asai were mortal enemies. Now that he had returned to Japan, if he didn't side with Shinjiro, who else could he side with?

If Chen Ya, a key figure, could be brought into Jinjiro's camp, it would be a great achievement, and he might be able to regain Jinjiro's trust as a result.

Even if Jinjiro doesn't need Chen Ya, getting rid of Chen Ya would be a good way to eliminate a major threat.

In short, he's not at a disadvantage no matter what.

Unfortunately, Chen Ya was not fooled.

“Mr. Kasahara, you now have two paths before you,” Chen Ya said. “One is the destruction of your family and death. The other is death and the destruction of your family.”

Kasahara Makoto was taken aback and said, "What kind of threat is this?"

Chen Ya placed the phone on the table, slowly pushed it in front of him, and said:

"Unfortunately, this is not a threat, but a fact. Shinjiro's distrust of you goes beyond mere distrust; he has already begun to take action."

Kasahara picked up his phone; the screen displayed Shinjiro's chat history with Hito.

The contents of the chat logs were shocking; they concerned the punishment he would receive.

Seeing the way Shinjiro ordered the disposal, his heart sank completely, chilled to the bone, like swallowing a large block of ice in winter.

Chen Ya retrieved his phone and said, "You underestimated the cruelty of Shinjiro. He's even more ruthless than you imagine."

Kasahara quickly asked, "Where did you get this chat log? Why do you think I'll believe it's real? Do you think you can scare me like this? What's your purpose?"

Chen Ya didn't answer any of his questions. Instead, he smiled and said:

"Get this straight, I have no need to make you believe whether this is true or not. Even if you die, what does it have to do with me?"

Kasahara was taken aback. Chen Ya's attitude was incredibly cruel, but unfortunately, it was the truth.

He really couldn't do anything to Chen Ya.

Chen Ya continued, "You can go back now, pretend nothing happened, and wait for Jinjiro to deal with you. But luckily, you have another way out: do me another favor."

Chen Ya took another envelope out of his pocket and placed it in front of him.

Kasahara went mad, yelling, "Do you want me to die even more completely?!"

"No, I'm saving you." Chen Ya smiled. "Take this letter and give it to Miss Asai. Ask her to protect you."

Kasahara was shocked: "You want me to be a traitor?"

"It seems you don't have much of a choice." Chen Ya took a sip of water.

Kasahara clenched his fists: "What makes you so sure Ms. Asai will protect me? Doesn't she hate you terribly?"

Chen Ya didn't answer, but instead stood up and said in a low voice:

"Don't look back. There's a tail behind you at seven o'clock. We'll go out through the emergency exit and then split up."

Kasahara instinctively got up and acted. He didn't know why, even though he knew Chen Ya was dangerous, he always ended up being manipulated by him like a puppet.

"Also, act quickly. Otherwise, you really will die." Before parting, Chen Ya whispered to him with an unquestionable tone.

……

Izakaya culture holds a significant place among office workers in Japan.

Japan also has a work intensity unique to East Asia, often working overtime until late at night, making it especially important to go out for a late-night snack, with izakayas being a relatively high-quality option.

"Izakaya" means "to stop and drink." The Book of Changes says, "Change is constant, flowing through the six directions," and "Izakaya" here means to stop.

Guo Xiaoran led Jia Yi and Meng Xing to a restaurant, pushed aside the banner, went inside, and found a private room. The proprietress came over, squatted down, and took their order. They talked and gestured as they went.

There are many foreigners in Shinjuku, so the owner wasn't unfamiliar with this situation and managed to take the order smoothly.

The group got a bottle of sake, which they quickly finished. Meng Xing, a heavy drinker, shouted that he hadn't had enough and ordered a basket of beer. The other two had no choice but to let him have his way, and they drank together like this. Soon, all three of them were drunk.

They were initially quite reserved, but as the alcohol took effect, they became more and more relaxed.

The group inevitably started talking about variety shows, and inevitably also mentioned Chen Liang.

This time, the show's viewership has visibly increased. After the first two rounds and a few songs, their earnings were already quite considerable, but the lion's share was snatched away by a certain dark horse.

Gradually, Jia Yi's mindset changed.

If either Guo Xiaoran or Meng Xing were the biggest winner of this variety show, Jia Yi probably wouldn't think much of it.

Everyone in the entertainment industry has their moments of collaboration after a variety show. Sometimes there might be heated arguments during a competition, but those moments usually pass quickly.

But Chen Liang is different. No one in the industry had ever heard of him before, and suddenly he appeared and took all the credit, which is hard for people to accept.

Jia Yi, holding his cup, pondered for a moment and asked, "What are your thoughts on the situation in the next round of the competition?"

Guo Xiaoran sensed something was off about his tone and sat up straight. Meng Xing, being rather naive, held his wine glass and said dejectedly:

"What do you think? You guys are having a good time, but I'm in trouble. I don't get along with Guo Lichuan. He doesn't seem to understand what I'm saying. His thinking is completely like that of Japanese idol entertainers."

Guo Xiaoran laughed and said, "You're doing alright, right? Guo Lichuan at least has a strong fan base, and the audience really likes him. Lu Chujiu, whom I was assigned, is much less famous."

Meng Xing stiffened his neck and said, "Don't underestimate Lu Chujiu, she's very capable! I've worked with her before, and she's incredibly obedient, the kind of girl next door."

Jia Yi said, "Alright, alright, we're here to compete, not to date, and you're talking about the 'girl next door' type..."

Meng Xing said, "That's not what I meant! I meant that she definitely has a lot of potential fans, she just doesn't look outstanding on the surface."

"Alright, alright," Jia Yi interrupted him. "What I mean is, we now have four groups, and according to the schedule, one group will definitely be eliminated in the next two rounds."

Everyone fell silent.

Being eliminated is a lot of pressure for them.

Who can afford to be the first to be eliminated?

Guo Xiaoran asked, "What is the schedule? Will the elimination rounds start next round?"

Jia Yi shook his head and said, "No, the last place in the next round will fall into the revival group. If the person in the revival group cannot get into the top 2 in the next round, they will be eliminated."

Meng Xing asked, "So that means that in the next round, the two people in the resurrection group will definitely be paired together again?"

“No,” Jia Yi said, “the groups will still be regrouped, but both groups will have a revival mark. Whoever is ranked outside the top two will be eliminated.”

After saying that, seeing that Meng Xing still didn't quite understand, Jia Yi continued to explain:

"For example, if your group ranks last in the next round, then you and Guo Lichuan will both have a revival marker. In the next round, if Guo Lichuan is in the same group as me and he gets a top 2 finish, then he will be revived. If you don't get a top 2 finish, you will be eliminated."

Meng Xing, his face ashen, said, "Don't eliminate me!"

"I'm just giving an example."

"Don't use me as an example! I feel it's very unlucky, and I feel like this kind of thing could really happen."

Jia Yi and Guo Xiaoran both laughed. Jia Yi said, "Don't scare yourself."

Jia Yi turned to Guo Xiaoran and said, "I'll just ask you directly, how confident are you about the next round?"

Guo Xiaoran smiled faintly and said, "To be honest, I started preparing a few days in advance. I'm sure I'll win this round."

Jia Yi frowned and asked, "Did you know the questions beforehand?"

Guo Xiaoran said, "As a newcomer, the production team definitely gave me some preferential treatment; otherwise, how could I compete with you?"

In fact, Guo Xiaoran knew the question even earlier than he claimed.

The questions were given to him by Jin Wei. He also has questions for the next round.

Jia Yi gritted his teeth and said, "Let me put it this way, I'm quite confident too. I want to discuss something with you."

He paused for a moment and then said, "I want to knock Chen Liang into the resurrection group."

After he finished speaking, the other two fell silent.

After a long silence, Guo Xiaoran finally spoke, asking, "Are you sure?"

"Hmm." Jia Yi nodded. "It's our Three Musketeers' stage, and he's just an amateur coming to interfere. To be honest, I'm very unhappy. If one of the four of us has to be eliminated, who do you think should be eliminated?"

Guo Xiaoran thought for a moment and said, "Then we'll definitely eliminate him."

Meng Xing chuckled twice and said, "This matter still depends on ability..."

“Meng Xing, we can’t rely on strength alone now.” Jia Yi frowned and said, “You saw the previous two rounds, there were a lot of variables, and there was always the possibility of upsets. In the last round, I was in a group with Qin Yunshang and we didn’t get first place.”