Chapter 131: Acquisition

Lemon Entertainment.

Early in the morning, General Manager Mo Jingming convened the company's senior executives for a meeting.

"Is this the singer, Song Baining, that you were so keen on recruiting, General Manager Mo?"

Art Director Hu Min looked at the data on his laptop screen and said with surprise, "A newcomer? Her first song has already stabilized at seventh place on the new song chart and first on the trending chart, even surpassing Qi Lan. This newcomer is incredible!"

Mo Jingming sighed, "Who can say otherwise? I think very highly of her. I thought I would eventually have her under my wing, but then someone threw a wrench in the works..."

Vice General Manager Luo Chunzhi suddenly pointed at the songwriter's name on the screen, his tone filled with anger. "This Liao Yuan again? When are we finally going to deal with him?"

The others looked closely, and they were all visibly incensed.

Liao Yuan!

A little over a month ago, he blasted Han Yu on Weibo, and just a few days ago, he physically assaulted Han Yu on the set of *Produce 101*. These two major news stories made everyone remember this guy, while simultaneously dragging Lemon Entertainment’s reputation through the mud.

As an industry heavyweight known for its massive resources, how could they be unable to handle a mere livestreamer?

"We cannot touch this person," said renowned producer Shao Yongping, looking serious. "I spoke with Fu Yuntao over the phone; he is determined to protect him. We are currently under Fu Yuntao’s thumb, and we must not act impulsively. If we trigger a chain reaction, we will regret it when it’s too late."

"Isn't this Fu Yuntao being too arrogant? Does he really think everyone is afraid of him?"

Luo Chunzhi gave a cold snort. "Do we have to rely on him to get things done? There are plenty of directors in the industry who can produce variety shows."

"That’s not the right way to look at it." Art Director Hu Min tapped the table. "Fu Yuntao himself isn't the problem; the problem is his resources. For instance, the industry’s top producer, Wang Rui, is his close friend. Our company has many contracts tied to Wang Rui. He is a famous producer and investor in the industry with significant wealth. He is even an investor in this season of *Produce 101*."

Mo Jingming fell into deep thought and looked at Shao Yongping. "How did the talk with Fu Yuntao go?"

Shao Yongping replied, "He insists that Han Yu was at fault first and that Han Yu must publicly apologize. Not only to the *Produce 101* production team but also to Liao Yuan."

"Apologize?" Vice General Manager Luo Chunzhi raised an eyebrow. "Do you think that’s possible?"

In the eyes of fans, idols are absolutely untouchable; any act of apology would damage their image. But if they don't apologize, the longer this matter ferments, the worse it will be for Han Yu’s future, and the relationship with Fu Yuntao will remain at a stalemate.

"Apologizing to *Produce 101* is fine." After some thought, Luo Chunzhi softened his tone, "But why should we apologize to Liao Yuan? Public opinion is one-sided right now; everyone is condemning that thug..."

"Mr. Luo," Shao Yongping shook his head. "I reviewed the entire recording. Han Yu started it; Liao Yuan acted in self-defense. On that basis alone, Liao Yuan is in an invincible position. Once the recording is truly made public, I can guarantee that Han Yu will face as much pressure as Liao Yuan is facing now. Besides, the market is only so big. How many people are waiting for Han Yu to make a mistake? Once they get a hold of something concrete, it will be impossible for him to make a comeback."

The meeting room fell silent.

After a long while, Luo Chunzhi took a deep breath and said slowly, "Even if we apologize, we have to communicate with Han Yu first. If he doesn't agree, there’s nothing we can do."

"He will agree," Mo Jingming said with certainty.

Soon, Han Yu, who had received the news, arrived at the meeting room with his manager, Sheng Yuman.

After understanding the situation, Han Yu’s face turned livid, but he remained silent.

His manager, Sheng Yuman, said softly, "As for the Weibo incident, it is true that Han Yu was at fault first; he was too impulsive. I’ve had him reflect deeply on it recently. Later, I will have my assistant draft a statement to publicly apologize to Fu Yuntao and the *Produce 101* team. But apologize to Liao Yuan? I don't agree."

"Why?" Mo Jingming asked.

Sheng Yuman lowered her eyes. "He and Han Yu are not from the same world. Apologizing to him is like a wolf begging a sheep for mercy; it’s a joke. This is a matter of dignity. Han Yu’s fans will be furious."

Mo Jingming cursed under his breath.

*Han Yu’s public appearances are all arranged by you. You might not be able to control his Weibo posts, but if you hadn't given the green light, he would never have gotten the spot on 'Produce 101'. If he hadn't gone on 'Produce 101', none of this mess would have happened.*

*Now that things have gone wrong, you’re not even blushing, and you show no sign of remorse?* If it weren't for Sheng Yuman’s special status, Mo Jingming would have already been screaming at her.

"Fu Yuntao said that if there is no apology to Liao Yuan, there is no room for negotiation," Shao Yongping reminded her. "Liao Yuan and Fu Yuntao have a close relationship. If you don't agree, even a public apology to the *Produce 101* team will be useless."

"I will handle this," Sheng Yuman said dismissively. "I will talk to the party involved personally and try to settle it privately."

After saying this, she looked at Mo Jingming. "Mr. Mo, how is the acquisition of Xinyuan Entertainment going?"

"It’s still in a stalemate," Mo Jingming said. "The boss of Xinyuan is raising the price, and there are only six companies left, including us, that are still following up."

"Are you sure Xinyuan Entertainment actually wants to sell?" Sheng Yuman asked slowly. "Liao Meiqi is a cash cow."

Mo Jingming said noncommittally, "They lack the strength to manage that cash cow. Even if they try their best, at most they’ll just pick up a few golden leaves under the tree, and they might even end up killing it."

Sheng Yuman nodded slightly. "Liao Meiqi and Liao Yuan are siblings. If we hold Liao Meiqi’s contract, this will be much easier to negotiate. If things go well, maybe the company can swallow both of them. I’ve looked at this Liao Yuan’s resume; he is quite a rare talent."

Mo Jingming was surprised, but when he thought of Song Baining’s new song, his eyes brightened.

Perhaps this was a good approach.

Not only to bring the Liao siblings into the fold but to take Song Baining as well?

The more he thought about it, the more excited and viable it seemed. If they negotiated the acquisition directly, it would be extremely difficult, but Lemon Entertainment could take a detour.

First, take over Xinyuan Entertainment, then use Liao Meiqi’s contract as leverage to capture Liao Yuan and Song Baining?

Although the idea seemed a bit unrealistic, as long as there was enough money—and money could move hearts—Mo Jingming felt it wasn't a problem.

He immediately took action, applying to the board of directors for more funding for the Xinyuan Entertainment acquisition.

Meanwhile, at Little Yellow Fish Culture Company, Liao Yuan was sitting in the recording studio, writing in his lyric notebook. Before long, he received feedback from Fu Yuntao’s side: the new song, *Looking Up at the Starry Sky*, had received high praise from the production team, and they had decided to accept it.

Therefore, in addition to the initial 100,000 deposit, Liao Yuan would receive an additional 200,000 in copyright fees from *Produce 101*.

A song worth 300,000—this was already the price of a top-tier songwriter in the industry.

Liao Yuan was quite satisfied.

"It went up another spot!"

Just then, the recording studio’s sound engineer, Lou Wenxing, suddenly shouted excitedly, "Mr. Liao, Xiaobai’s ranking on the Caiyun New Song Chart has gone up another spot! It’s already in fifth place! The popularity index is very close to Qi Lan’s new song; it should overtake her by tonight!"