Ambushed

"What are your plans?"

Chewing on her cigarette, Jiang Jiusheng replied lazily, "Don't have one."

A lightbulb went on in Mo Bing's head. 

Having no plan was, in fact, the best plan. In the entertainment world, where secrets were a dime a dozen, having one in hand to be used as a trading chip was a godsend. 

Jiang Jiusheng had just stubbed out her cigarette when Liu Xu called. Accepting the call, she hadn't even started to speak, yet heard a lot of noise from the other end. It appeared that Liu Xu was trying to find a quiet place to talk.

"Sheng." She sounded weary. The past few days must have been hell.

"Have you received the termination contract?" Jiang Jiusheng asked.

On the day after Liu Xu had started badmouthing her on the internet, Jiang Jiusheng had instructed her lawyer to draw up the termination contract. Out of consideration for their past relationship and the fact that she was the one who had initiated the break-up, she had agreed to pay the maximum termination fee. 

After some hesitation at the other end of the line, Liu Xu sighed and said, "Sheng, let's talk. I have something to say to you."

Direct as always, Jiang Jiusheng replied, "Okay. Where?"

"Qin's Club."

She hung up, and Assistant Xiao Qiao drove Jiang Jiusheng and Mo Bing to Qin's Club. It was almost seven when they arrived at the club. The evening lights were just being turned on, illuminating a lavishly renovated playground for the rich and famous—a place of extravagance and overindulgence where the day never ended.

Jiang Jiusheng headed straight for the private room, the number of which Liu Xu had texted her. It was a VIP room, set away from the hustle and bustle of the club for some peace and quiet, decorated with ancient ornamental stones that reflected a desire to create an ambience of culture and finesse. 

Liu Xu, looking pretty in a white shirt dress, was waiting outside the room. Lifting her head, she greeted them with an expectant look in her eyes. "Sheng, you're here."

Jiang Jiusheng nodded without speaking and pushed open the door. "Let's talk inside."

Clatter—

As the door swung open, Jiang Jiusheng looked up, and her eyes turned cold. "What's this?" 

Pushing Liu Xu aside, Mo Bing looked into the room. Her expression was instantly transformed into one of rage when she saw the people inside! To be precise, seated in the room was a pack of wolves in sheep's clothing, led by none other than Master Jian. The lone ingrate outside and the pack of animals in the room were from the same side! 

Giving Liu Xu a cold stare, Mo Bing asked, "Come on, speak up. What's going on here?" With an icy tone, she mocked, "Miss Liu, since when have you turned yourself into Second Master Jian's lackey?"

"You're mistaken. I just happened to bump into Master Jian while waiting for Sheng," Liu Xu explained calmly without showing any signs of being flustered. She had guts and the acting chops to pull it off.

Jiang Jiusheng took a quick glance at the people in the room. When her gaze fell on Liu Xu's immaculately made-up face, she took a step toward her. Being half a head taller than Liu Xu, she looked down at her with condescension and drawled, "You think I'm an idiot?"

"It's not what it seems," Liu Xu replied, fighting back instant tears.

The one in the room was the manipulator behind the scene. Liu Xu was, at best, a puppet on the front lines.

Ignoring her attempt to explain, Jiang Jiusheng entered the room and, in her usual casual manner, asked, "Did you put her up to this?" 

In the dimly lit room, Second Master Jian was enjoying the little scene, glass in hand, bodyguard by his side. Slouching on the sofa, he swirled his glass, saying, "Yep, it was me."

"What terms did you offer her?"

"Not much. Just the investment for one album."

Since she had caused Jian Chengzhong to lose face at the last concert, this wealthy good-for-nothing had caused a stir, calling Mo Bing incessantly and terminating all funding, so there had been no love lost between them. She'd thought that the dust had settled over the matter but had underestimated Master Jian's conniving nature. It was obvious that Liu Xu, who couldn't have gotten far with her so-called talent, had been used by Jian Chengzhong to stoke his spiteful plan.

Jiang Jiusheng had previously been puzzled as to why Liu Xu had been brave enough to start badmouthing even before she'd left TheNine when she knew very well that the resulting damage would hurt herself. So this was why—she had already prepared an escape route for herself.

They were of the same kind. Wolves in the same pack.

Smiling, Jiang Jiusheng tugged at her lips. "Just one album? Am I worth so little?" Turning to look at Liu Xu, she asked, "Haven't you seen the termination contract that I sent to you? The terms in there are worth much more." 

Her pretty face turning pale, Liu Xu looked first at Jian Chengzhong and then at Jiang Jiusheng. She opened our mouth as if to speak.

"I'm not one to harbor grudges," Jiang Jiusheng continued, "but once I decide to, there will be consequences to be borne, naturally." After a slight pause, she added, "I will amend the contract to make sure that you pay the full penalty for walking away and breaking the contract with the band. No concessions."

Back then, the band members had joined TheNine as employees and had signed an employment contract drawn up by Tian Yu Media's legal team. Being a shrewd businessman, Yuwen Chongfeng had made sure that most of the terms favored Jiang Jiusheng and that the penalty for any breach of contract was astronomical. 

Her delicate, pretty face crumbling, Liu Xu pleaded, "Sheng—" 

"Mo Bing, take her outside," commanded Jiang Jiusheng.

It was her last act of compassion toward her.

Mo Bing looked beyond the doorway, frowned, and asked with concern, "What about you?" 

True enough, there were people guarding the entrance. That brute Jian Chengzhong—resorting to such low and dirty tricks!

"I can't leave," replied Jiang Jiusheng matter-of-factly as she put one foot on the coffee table, grabbed one of the disposable chopsticks, and secured her long hair in a bun. Thrusting out her lower jaw, she laughed. "Wouldn't you say so, Master Jian?"