Chapter 182 Company Crisis

Chapter 182: A Clash at the Office

After returning to City C, Lu Xu dug out his dust-covered bicycle and wheeled it out. Though the weather was cold, he worked up a sweat after riding for just a short while.

Though City C was his home base, he didn’t spend much time there each year. When busy with shoots, he traveled all over the country. His house was managed by Xu Wen, so every time Lu Xu returned, he could sleep comfortably.

He rode his bike to Feiyang Entertainment.

Artists cycled through the company’s roster, and Lu Xu had gone from being a new employee to a veteran one.

Parking his bike downstairs, he was about to head upstairs to find Xu Wen when someone behind him snapped: "Who told you to park here?"

"You’re blocking the way—how are cars supposed to get through?"

Lu Xu glanced at the wide, empty space behind him, puzzled. Whenever he rode to Feiyang Entertainment, he always parked in this open area, and it had never been a problem before.

Still, since the person complained, he thought for a moment and moved his bike to the side.

The man who had barked at him was now sitting in the passenger seat of a car, window rolled down, flapping his hand impatiently at Lu Xu. "Move it further in! Learn some manners!"

Lu Xu: "...This road is wide enough for two cars to pass. Did your family build it?"

The man clearly heard his muttering and raised his voice again, about to say more when a younger voice came from the backseat: "Why waste breath on his type? Let’s go."

Lu Xu: "..."

What kind of person was he?

Just as the car was about to drive off, it suddenly stopped. The man in the passenger seat got out and enthusiastically greeted someone at the entrance: "Brother Xu!"

But this time, his enthusiasm wasn’t met with Xu Wen’s usual gentle response. Xu Wen merely gave a slight nod before walking over to where the bike was parked.

"I thought you’d be here by now. What took so long?"

"Parking took longer than expected." Lu Xu finally removed his helmet and glasses, tossing Xu Wen some regional treats he’d brought back from his trip. Then, they headed up together.

The moment Lu Xu removed his helmet and glasses, both the man outside and the one in the car noticed. The man who had scolded him froze like a deer in headlights, while the expression of the person in the car darkened further: "You didn’t realize that was Lu Xu?"

"No..."

Though the scolding had come from the agent, the order had been his. He’d assumed the cyclist was just an ordinary employee of Feiyang Entertainment—never expecting Lu Xu to ride a bike to the company alone.

Given Lu Xu’s reputation for holding grudges, would his contract at Feiyang Entertainment still go well for him?

...

As Lu Xu and Xu Wen went upstairs, Lu Xu couldn’t help but ask his agent, "Who was that just now?"

"Yan Haixuan, newly signed to our company. Have you met him? He’s been quite popular lately, and the executives plan to push him hard. The one who greeted me was his agent."

Lu Xu usually didn’t pay much attention to such matters, but recalling how slowly he had parked earlier, Xu Wen frowned. "Did they bother you?"

"Nothing worth mentioning," Lu Xu replied nonchalantly. "Just curious."

This breed was a dime a dozen in the industry—diva actors and power-tripping agents. Lu Xu had long outgrown the age of sweating every small slight. If he let every little thing anger him, he’d never stop.

Lu Xu didn’t care, but Xu Wen filed it away for later, deciding to keep an eye out for him.

Lu Xu’s star was ascending, which meant even the tiniest misstep drew sharper scrutiny than others. The smallest incident could easily be blown up into a scandal.

However, in the eyes of the agent, compared to the celebrities he interacted with when he first entered the industry, the younger stars nowadays are indeed more arrogant, with higher demands and more quirks. Lu Xu is a rare exception—it’s often said that signing him was like hitting the jackpot.

Xu Wen’s status at Feiyang Entertainment has also risen accordingly. He was already one of the company’s top-tier agents, with most of the artists he nurtured making a name for themselves in the industry. It was initially thought that Xu Wen’s career as an agent had peaked, but then he signed Lu Xu.

As is widely known, Lu Xu’s career took off after *The Son of Heaven*, which coincided with the timeline of Xu Wen signing him.

In short, Xu Wen now carries a lot of weight at Feiyang Entertainment—even the executives listen to him. The company’s impressive bottom line is largely sustained by Lu Xu’s contributions.

In recent years, Feiyang Entertainment has seen significant turnover, with established stars leaving and new talent signing on. Amidst all this, Lu Xu’s position remains unshakable.

Lu Xu’s visit to Feiyang Entertainment this time was because he hadn’t been to the company in a while and wanted to touch base with management. Today’s encounter proved the necessity of doing so—had he not come, he wouldn’t even recognize the new talent.

Naturally, the conversation with his agent revolved around work: "Do you need me to arrange a low-commitment script for you? Or a reality show?"

The agent had a pile of reality show offers on hand, waiting to see which one Lu Xu preferred.

"You should make occasional appearances, or else when negotiating collaborations, TV executives will keep asking about you," Xu Wen said. "Since you never show up, I have to wing it."

Lu Xu: "...Any shows that aren’t too demanding and can be done quickly?"

"..." After a long pause, the agent finally suggested two words: "Spring Festival Gala?"

Lu Xu: "...Sure."

Xu Wen, on the other hand, had received numerous invitations for Lu Xu to serve as a competition show mentor or guest. In previous years, such shows mainly featured trainees from agencies, but lately, they’ve shifted back to open auditions.

The transition from amateur to star mirrors Lu Xu’s own career trajectory.

However, competition shows often run for months. Rather than being a mentor or guest, Lu Xu would prefer to join a film crew or take some downtime.

Shortly after winning the *Contention Award*, Lu Xu attended a seminar related to *Fearless Life*, where an expert suggested that since he had portrayed two entirely different characters in *Fearless Life* and *Reversal City*, he might consider writing an article sharing his insights on acting.

The expert clarified that Lu Xu didn’t need to write a formal academic paper—even a casual piece would suffice. Just like the character Bai Qianshan he played, if the role resonated with the audience, then Lu Xu’s own reflections on it must run even deeper.

Lu Xu wasn’t much of a writer, but after hearing the expert’s suggestion, he decided to give it a try.

He regularly watched dramas and read books, so his expressive skills were passable.

He planned not only to write about *Fearless Life* and *Reversal City* but also his recently completed project *Night Sky Observations*, sharing his behind-the-scenes perspective from an actor’s viewpoint and the script’s exploration of local mythological elements.

It was a massive undertaking.

...

"You’re going to sing at the Spring Festival Gala???"

Upon hearing the news, Zheng Xiao and Shao Yao flooded the group chat with question marks.

Neither "Spring Festival Gala" nor "singing" seemed like a natural fit for Lu Xu.

Lu Xu: "...It was the agent’s idea."

This Spring Festival Gala wasn’t the same as the one in Lu Xu’s past life—a grand official spectacle. In this world, it was smaller in scale, but for celebrities, attending was still an honor, usually reserved for the hottest stars.

Lu Xu had received multiple invitations before, but he was either filming or promoting a project. Besides, he was self-aware—his singing was passable, but it couldn’t compare to a professional singer’s.

Of course, the Spring Festival Gala didn’t exclusively feature professional singers. It was a variety showcase, after all—a lively gathering, not a concert.

"Need backup dancers? We’ll dance for you," Zheng Xiao jumped in. "This year’s organizers invited me too, and I have no clue what act I’m supposed to showcase."

"You're singing too?" Lu Xu suggested.

"My voice? Is it even worth listening to?"

"Then let’s sing together—we’ll bring Shao Yao too."

Shao Yao: "..."

Shao Yao couldn't help but remind Lu Xu that when they acted in *Voices of the Dead* together, they had been dancers and rappers.

Lu Xu: "...Well, now we can be singers."

Lu Xu nudged Zheng Xiao and Shao Yao to join him because he didn’t want to go on stage alone. He threw out the idea without expecting them to agree, but... Shao Yao and Zheng Xiao actually did.

#Consensus Reached#

Both Shao Yao and Zheng Xiao had received invitations. Given their clout, attending the gala was a no-brainer. The three of them privately agreed to team up, communicated with the production team, and the collaboration was settled.

"Let’s go to KTV and practice first!" Zheng Xiao picked a KTV close to Feiyang Entertainment, considering Lu Xu would be riding his bike there. Lu Xu had nothing else going on.

*Fearless Life* had been released earlier in the year, but the award results wouldn’t be announced until next year. This year, Lu Xu had no new projects, though one of Feiyang’s up-and-comers had a film set for the Spring Festival season and asked Lu Xu to help promote it. Lu Xu agreed to attend the premiere and even posted about it on Weibo.

Just as Lu Xu wheeled his bike out but hadn’t taken off yet, he ran into the same car from earlier.

This time, the agent wasn’t so high-and-mighty—his words and demeanor were polite now.

However, neither he nor Yan Haixuan, who hurriedly got out of the car, knew what Lu Xu was really thinking. They knew they had offended Lu Xu but hoped he would generously forgive them.

Yan Haixuan knew the score—though he had some popularity, he was no match for a heavyweight like Lu Xu, especially since Lu Xu was Feiyang’s golden boy with significant influence among the executives. Competition among artists was fierce. Even though Yan Haixuan had joined Feiyang with his own fanbase, it didn’t mean he wouldn’t face challenges.

His agent had chewed Lu Xu out that morning, but now, facing Lu Xu again, he couldn’t just ignore him. Yan Haixuan had no choice but to step out of the car and greet Lu Xu politely.

"Hello, Teacher Lu."

"Teacher Lu."

Lu Xu nodded, steadied his bike, and rode off toward his destination.

Lu Xu’s face was unreadable, which left Yan Haixuan guessing. He doubted someone like Lu Xu would bother teaching him a lesson over such a trivial matter, but he couldn’t help wondering if Lu Xu held grudges.

After that, Yan Haixuan noticed his stock at Feiyang had dropped. He initially thought it was Lu Xu’s doing, but later, his agent—and even an executive he was on good terms with—let slip that Feiyang wasn’t exactly a vault. More than one person had witnessed the scene between him and Lu Xu at the company entrance.

Everyone knew he had offended Lu Xu.

Even if Lu Xu showed no reaction, others might kiss up to him.

Besides, Xu Wen wasn’t completely in the dark about the matter. Xu Wen acted one way around Lu Xu and another around everyone else.

Xu Wen’s favoritism toward Lu Xu was well-known throughout Feiyang Entertainment.

In other words, even if Xu Wen hadn’t taken action yet, others might do it for him. And the resources Feiyang had secured for Yan Haixuan? They were in high demand. The company was full of young male stars desperate for fame.

In the past, success relied on skill and luck. Nowadays, as long as you appeared in enough projects, you’d eventually blow up.

Lu Xu: "...So I’m taking the blame for this?"

"Yes," Xu Wen nodded. "But even if you didn’t do anything, Yan Haixuan wouldn’t have the guts to call you out."