Chapter 42 “This Time It’s Really Bad.”

Chapter 42: "This Time It's Really Bad."

Lunch was handled quickly in the conference room.

Nobody at the table had much appetite.

The agent picked at his boxed lunch a few times before losing his appetite, holding his phone with a serious expression while Tan Cong quietly discussed something with his assistant.

On the large projection screen across the table, public opinion was being monitored in real time.

In the entire conference room, only Lin Yunshu was still eating his lunch at a relaxed pace.

A few people from Starlight Entertainment were seeing Lin Yunshu for the first time and whispered among themselves:

"He’s really in the mood to eat."

"No wonder he’s the number two—his composure is impressive. He’s eating one grain of rice at a time, without any rush."

"Why should he be in a hurry? When it comes down to it, it’s just a celebrity matter. This isn't his main concern. Haven’t you noticed the big boss hasn’t even shown up?"

He heard the whispers, but Lin Yunshu pretended not to hear them, continuing to eat slowly, bite after bite.

It wasn’t that he didn’t care about the situation or that he was completely confident and unworried—it was just that eating too quickly would bother his stomach.

Guo Shengyao brought a cup of hot water and placed it in front of him, whispering, "Master, have something warm to drink."

Lin Yunshu looked up and smiled at her.

Clatter!

Suddenly, someone’s cup fell.

Lin Yunshu turned to see the agent jump up from his seat, phone in hand, trembling.

"This is bad..." he said, his face full of terror. "We're in trouble—there’s a child."

"What?" Tan Cong didn’t catch it clearly.

"President Tan has a child!" the agent shouted.

Tan Cong’s face instantly turned pale with shock. "What nonsense are you talking about! I don't have a child! I’ve never even held an omega’s hand in my life! When would I—"

He stopped mid-sentence, his expression changed dramatically.

The room fell silent.

Everyone looked on in stunned silence.

The next moment, everyone started whispering.

"What? President Tan has never been in a relationship?"

"He’s so rich and at his age, never even held an omega’s hand? Is there something on his mind?"

"Must be some medical condition..."

"Ahem!"

Tan Cong cleared his throat loudly, shooting a sharp glare around the room. The talkative ones immediately fell silent.

"Zhu Mo, and that omega," the agent lowered his head.

Lin Yunshu’s brow twitched, finally distracted enough to set down his chopsticks.

Everyone stared at the agent in shock.

Steeling himself, he continued, "The person just told me that he and Zhu Mo have a two-year-old child. Zhu Mo promised to take responsibility for the pregnancy, but it’s been two years since the child was born, and Zhu Mo has been avoiding marriage. He had no choice but to expose it online..."

Tan Cong looked stunned.

Lin Yunshu was speechless.

For a moment, the expressions in the room were a chaotic mix of emotions, like a spilled palette of paint.

They were all alphas around the same age. While the boss was still struggling to hold hands, someone else already had a two-year-old child!

In such an atmosphere, it didn't feel right to keep eating.

Lin Yunshu quietly packed up his meal box and had the cleaning staff come in to collect the trash.

He gave Guo Shengyao a look. After a moment’s thought, she nodded in understanding and quietly left the conference room.

"Cong-ge," Lin Yunshu stood up and poured him a glass of water. "Sit down first, don’t worry."

"Yeah," the brand’s PR representative added sympathetically, trying to comfort him. "A child makes things more complicated, but it’s not entirely hopeless. At least it hasn’t been exposed publicly yet. We can still handle this, we can."

The agent sank into his chair, burying his head in his hands as if he were frustrated beyond belief over his artist.

Tan Cong took a deep breath. "Has a DNA test been done? Is it confirmed?"

"The other party sent over the test report," the agent said, dejected. "I checked with someone—it’s real."

Tan Cong closed his eyes in despair.

"In that case, let’s try to calm the person involved first," Lin Yunshu said. "The fact that he didn’t directly go public online at least suggests there’s room for negotiation. Is he willing to come here?"

The agent shook his head. "The person involved is in City C. It would take three to four hours to fly here. He says he can’t leave the child and isn’t willing to come."

"Forget it," Tan Cong said wearily, rubbing his face tiredly.

"Cong-ge," Lin Yunshu looked directly at him and shook his head meaningfully.

Tan Cong’s eyes shifted, and he suddenly understood, nearly jumping out of his chair.

"Quick, quick, quick," he called to a few trusted staff. "Head to City C immediately, find him, and say we’re going there specifically to discuss compensation. Make sure he doesn't disappear!"

Lin Yunshu asked again, "What about the artist?"

"All his social media accounts are under the company’s control," Tan Cong said. "He can’t go online."

Lin Yunshu felt a bit better.

He returned to his seat and quietly pressed a hand against his stomach under the table.

His meal had been interrupted, and his stomach, which had been quiet for days, was starting to act up again.

"President Tan, Manager Li," the brand manager asked, "what’s your plan now?"

"What else can we do? We have to push through," the manager lifted his head, his hair a mess from tugging at it. "It's just a child. Didn't that megastar from back in the day also secretly marry and have a kid? It didn't stop him from still being a megastar to this day!"

His eyes were vacant, clearly trying his best to manage the situation but not quite succeeding, seeming a bit on edge.

The team lead almost laughed. "Bro, at least that megastar got married in secret. Your guy here refuses to get married no matter what. How do you explain that?"

"Exactly," the PR rep chimed in. "If he agreed to marry, we could still find a way to cover it up. We could even spin some heartwarming stories if needed."

"Manager Tan, Supervisor Li," he pleaded earnestly, "we really suggest you go back and try to persuade the artist to get married. Even if it's just a contractual agreement, at least get through this crisis first."

"Zhu Mo is almost thirty and facing a career transition. There's a well-received parent-child reality show coming up that we could arrange for him to join, slowly winning back public image."

Tan Cong frowned deeply and looked at Lin Yunshu. "What do you think?"

Lin Yunshu leaned back in his chair, away from the heated debate, half of his body submerged in shadow.

He supported his temple with one hand while the other rested lightly on his stomach.

Whether it was Tan Cong's imagination or not, Lin Yunshu's complexion seemed pale.

Hearing Tan Cong's question, Lin Yunshu lifted his eyelids. "I agree."

Tan Cong sighed. "I understand. I've already sent someone to fetch Zhu Mo. No matter what, we need to get him here first. We'll figure out how to persuade him once he arrives."

Lin Yunshu nodded and said nothing more.

Time ticked by slowly. Finding and bringing Zhu Mo back would take time.

In the meantime, aside from monitoring public opinion and managing PR, there wasn't much else they could do.

As time dragged on, everyone grew tired and gradually left the conference room—some to use the restroom, others to smoke.

Lin Yunshu remained seated without moving.

Though he leaned against the chair back, his posture wasn't relaxed. His back was straight, his profile slender and gaunt, resembling a newly unsheathed, silver-edged blade.

Rather than sitting comfortably in the chair, he seemed to be using the backrest for support to stay upright.

At one point, someone returned from smoking, bringing with them a faint, lingering smell of tobacco.

Lin Yunshu's brow furrowed slightly. His fingers tightened subtly on the armrest, and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

Then, bracing himself against the table, he stood up and left the stuffy conference room.

·

The air outside was much fresher.

Lin Yunshu took a moment to compose himself, but his stomach still churned. It wasn't exactly painful, but it was uncomfortably tight, making even breathing feel difficult.

Lin Yunshu rubbed his stomach, trying to ease the discomfort, but it didn't help. After bearing it for a while, the discomfort didn't lessen; instead, he felt increasingly nauseous.

He had no choice but to head to the restroom, locking himself in a stall where he vomited up his undigested lunch.

Tan Cong noticed that Lin Yunshu had been outside for about ten minutes. When he returned, his expression was composed, but his face was even paler.

The conference room was dimly lit, and everyone was drowsy, so no one noticed his subtle change.

But Tan Cong was seated right beside him. The moment Lin Yunshu sat down, he could see his bloodless lips clearly.

Looking closer, the hair at Lin Yunshu's temples seemed slightly damp with sweat.

Tan Cong felt a sudden unease.

"Yun Shu," he whispered, "are you okay? If you need to attend to something, go ahead. I'll handle things here."

Lin Yunshu smiled. "I'm fine. What could possibly be wrong with me?"

Mindful of Lin Yunshu's tendency to tough things out, Tan Cong deliberately avoided asking if he was unwell, but the guy remained stubborn.

Tan Cong grew anxious. "Come on, if you... Zhou Yu would kill me!"

"Then don't tell him," Lin Yunshu said lightly. "Just kidding, I'm really fine."

Tan Cong: "..."

He felt like he was the one truly suffering.

He pushed his chair back slightly and quietly checked his phone.

In his chat with Zhou Yu, the last message was Zhou Yu's threat.

[Zhou the 6th: Handle that matter of yours if you can, otherwise forget it. If you wear out my partner, you're really dead.]

Clear from start to finish, with a distinct subject, and even ended with a period.

The sender seemed calm, but he was already ready to fight.

Tan Cong: "..."

His fingers hovered over the screen. After a moment of hesitation, he started typing.

He chose to come clean.

·

After sitting for a while, Lin Yunshu stood up again and paced around the room.

With so many people in the conference room, he felt too self-conscious to support his back, so he simply stretched his neck.

Guo Shengyao had also returned, bringing him a hot drink. She asked softly, "What's the situation now?"

"At a standstill," Lin Yunshu said.

"It's okay," Guo Shengyao reassured him. "I just checked Weibo. Public sentiment isn't too bad. The fans are a bit upset, but they're trying to cope. There are also plenty of netizens defending Zhu Mo, saying it's normal for someone his age to have a partner..."

She gradually lost confidence as she spoke. "Even if the child is accidentally revealed, it should be fine. After all, the entertainment industry is full of kids."

Lin Yunshu smiled wryly and nodded.

Bang!

The door was suddenly slammed open.

Guo Shengyao, standing near the door, was about to be hit by the swinging door. Lin Yunshu quickly pulled her to safety and reached out to shield her.

"Shifu!" Guo Shengyao exclaimed.

The hard metal doorknob slammed directly into Lin Yunshu's lower back. A sharp pain shot through him, and his already sore back went instantly numb.

He staggered a step, a sharp pain twisting in his gut.

"Uh..."

Lin Yunshu couldn't hold back a strained grunt as he bent over.

Guo Shengyao was terrified, holding his arm and asking frantically, but she didn’t dare touch him further, afraid of causing more harm.

"What happened?!"

Tan Cong leaped up from his chair and rushed over in a flash. Seeing Lin Yunshu’s pale face, his vision blacked out.

I'm done for.

I'm done for.

A hit that hard would definitely leave a massive bruise. When Zhou Yu sees it, that guy will surely have my hide!

Tan Cong felt utter despair, followed by a surge of rage.

The one who pushed the door open was the assistant, who was now trembling so hard his legs were shaking.

Tan Cong couldn’t hold back and snapped, "What were you thinking?! Who told you to slam the door like that?! Huh!"

The assistant gasped for breath, bowing and apologizing repeatedly.

"Don’t scold him," Lin Yunshu said.

Supported by Guo Shengyao, he sat down, one hand still pressed against his lower back, his face deathly pale. "He looked genuinely frantic—probably had something urgent and didn’t notice."

Hearing this, Tan Cong reluctantly bit back his anger. Taking another look at the assistant’s expression, he realized something was indeed wrong.

"What happened?" he asked seriously.

The assistant quickly fished out a phone from his pocket. "T-Tan sir..."

The manager recognized it immediately. "Isn’t this Zhu Mo’s phone? Where is he?"

The assistant, clearly having run all the way, was still panting. He swallowed hard before looking at Tan Cong.

"This time, we've really screwed up."