Fierce Deskmate - Chapter 4 - Industry Blacklist!

The ancients always said that misfortunes never come singly, and Chen Shu’s personal experience proved just how true this statement was.

He broke up, he resigned.

Two years after graduation, Chen Shu had nothing, and he had lost the lover he depended on.

He carefully arranged the succulents he had brought back from the company, placing them on the sunny windowsill. Looking at these plump little things, Chen Shu felt a twinge of envy. They had someone to take care of them meticulously, but who would care about his well-being?

“Who will bury me when I am gone, just as I bury these flowers today?”

Chen Shu shook his head vigorously, rejecting such a desolate mood. It was just a breakup, why was he acting like the delicate and sorrowful Lin Daiyu¹?

Just then, his phone started ringing.

The caller ID showed Young Master Tang’s name. Chen Shu hesitated for a moment but still pressed the answer button.

Before Young Master Tang could speak, Chen Shu burst out over the phone, “Tang Dahai, I haven’t even settled the score with you, and you have the nerve to call me?”

Clearly, Young Master Tang was taken aback by Chen Shu’s preemptive moral high ground. His voice wavered as he asked softly, “What did I do wrong?”

“What did you do wrong? You don’t know what you did wrong?”

“I really don’t.”

“Did I break up?”

“Yes.”

“Did you ask me to go singing?”

“I did.”

“Did you and Li Ruyi keep pouring drinks into me?”

“The first half, we did. The second half, you were pouring drinks into us. You rolled up your sleeves, your eyes were bloodshot, and Li Ruyi and I couldn’t keep up. We didn’t dare not drink…”

“I broke up, you asked me to go singing, and then? Where did I go?” Chen Shu interrupted Young Master Tang’s explanation, demanding loudly.

Young Master Tang was stunned for a moment and asked, “Yeah, where did you go?”

This was originally Young Master Tang’s question for Chen Shu, but now it was reversed?

“Look at you, always saying I’m your best brother, but what happened? You got me drunk and didn’t care about my well-being, not even knowing where I went. Do you think you treated me fairly?”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” Young Master Tang was anxious, quickly saying, “We were drunk too. We thought you just went to the bathroom, but when you didn’t come back, Li Ruyi and I got worried, looked everywhere, and couldn’t find you. We called you, but no one answered…”

“Forget it, I don’t want to talk about it anymore.” Chen Shu quickly changed the subject, asking, “Why did you call?”

“I just wanted to check on you. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I resigned,” Chen Shu said. Keeping grievances to oneself only makes things worse, but sharing them can also upset your friends.

Sure enough, Young Master Tang was furious, “Those two scumbags went too far! It’s bad enough they teamed up, but now they’ve cost you your job too. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure they pay. Tonight’s show will expose those two…”

“Alright, alright,” Chen Shu interrupted Young Master Tang’s “good intentions,” saying, “I resigned on my own. After what happened, I couldn’t stay at Huamei anyway, right?”

Young Master Tang pondered for a moment and said, “If you can’t stay, then don’t. There are plenty of places that will appreciate you. You’re smart and a great writer. Any company would be lucky to have you. I’ll put in a word with my dad. If you agree, you can be the manager of the Public Relations Department at Fuxing Group…”

“-Forget it, better the devil you know. Your family is in the children’s food business, and I’m not familiar with that. Getting in through your connections would mean either having nothing to do or not doing well. Even though I know you and your dad don’t get along, I can’t help you mess things up for him, can I?”

“I knew you wouldn’t agree,” Young Master Tang sighed, “You always care about your pride-”

“That’s called dignity,” Chen Shu said with a smile.

“Alright, no matter what, if you need anything-Li Ruyi and I will be there for you. If you want to drink, we’ll drink with you. If you want to hit someone, we’ll be your punching bags,” Young Master Tang said seriously, “Just don’t sing. Anything but that.”

“Thank you,” Chen Shu’s voice was low, but his heart was warm. Although he didn’t want to admit it, he really craved care and companionship at this moment. Having such friends was a blessing, “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”

“Then I’ll hang up.”

“Goodbye.”

“One last question-”

“Yes?”

“When I called you, a woman answered… Who was she?”

“My cousin,” Chen Shu said calmly, without a hint of panic.

“Your cousin? I didn’t know you had a cousin in Flower City.”

“A distant one-”

“Is she pretty?”

“Get lost.”

“Your cousin is my cousin. Let’s have dinner with her sometime?”

“…She’s very busy.”

“Busier than the famous Flower City relationship show host? I save thousands of broken hearts every day. What does she do?”

“She saves the world.”

“Wonder Woman?”

…

Hanging up on Young Master Tang, Chen Shu looked at the succulents on the windowsill again, feeling much better.

You have me, and I have my brothers.

Chen Shu majored in Chinese in college. After graduation, he and Ling Chen came to Flower City, went through rigorous tests, and joined Huamei Group, both becoming interns in the Public Relations Department.

Due to his outstanding performance, Chen Shu perfectly handled a crisis public relations case for the artist Zhang Shu. As a result, he was promoted to the team leader of the Thunder Team after just one year and two months, breaking the company’s record for the fastest promotion, except for some with connections.

Ling Chen, with her good looks and eagerness to learn, was recommended by the department head to run for the position of the company’s general office secretary. After being selected, she quickly became the personal secretary of General Manager Wang Xin, which ultimately led to their breakup.

Although they had no background, their hard work paid off, and their combined income was decent.

Rent was three thousand, daily expenses, transportation, and phone bills for the two of them totaled three thousand, and another two thousand went to socializing. Occasionally, Chen Shu would take Ling Chen to the steakhouse in Tianhe for a romantic dinner. Two years after graduation, Chen Shu had no savings.

Ling Chen’s salary went towards expensive branded clothes, bags, and various makeup products that Chen Shu couldn’t even recognize. Not only did she not help Chen Shu financially, but she often needed his support.

Like most couples, they were living paycheck to paycheck.

At that time, Chen Shu thought it was a happy life, but it wasn’t what Ling Chen wanted.

Chen Shu looked at the stack of cash on the table, his salary for the month. If it weren’t for the breakup, this money would soon be gone.

Chen Shu first counted out three thousand for the rent, which he transferred to the landlord every month. Usually, his salary was directly deposited into his bank account, and he would transfer it via his phone. He didn’t know why Wang Xin had the finance department give him cash this time-perhaps to make it easier to compensate him?

A girlfriend equals a few months’ salary compensation. Doesn’t that sound ridiculous?

After deducting the rent, Chen Shu had a few thousand left. Plus, he might have about two thousand in his bank account. His total assets were less than ten thousand.

Yes, Chen Shu understood why Ling Chen broke up with him. He almost wanted to break up with himself.

First, Chen Shu needed to solve the survival problem. To survive, he needed a job. To live well, he needed a good job.

Flower City had three major media giants: Huamei Media, where Chen Shu had just resigned, and two other companies that could compete with Huamei-Dongzheng Media and Guanghui Media.

Dongzheng Media? Thinking of Dongzheng Media, Chen Shu couldn’t help but think of the superstar Kong Xi, who had been furious with him for criticizing her while she wore a Peking Opera Mask.

Kong Xi was Dongzheng Media’s leading actress. She debuted as a singer and transitioned into acting. Her performances in “The Girl Next Door” and “Critical Moment” were impressive, and “Secrets” catapulted her to the peak of popularity. In “Secrets,” she played a character with a dual personality, both mysterious and cheerful, earning widespread acclaim for her acting. She had won numerous domestic and international awards.

However, she hadn’t had any new works in the past year, instead taking on the role of Asia-Pacific ambassador for a French luxury brand.

Since Chen Shu worked in artist publicity and crisis public relations, he knew a bit about Kong Xi. She was a hardworking and low-key artist. But he hadn’t recognized her when she stood before him.

That night at Mingzhu, Tang Dahai had wanted to introduce him to Mr. Li from Dongzheng, hoping to “hook him up” with the superstar Kong Xi.

But he hadn’t expected to meet her in such a way.

He couldn’t understand why a superstar like Kong Xi was walking in the scorching sun like him, why she picked up his heel, or why she took him, a stranger, to her home. Aren’t celebrities most afraid of scandals?

Thinking of scandals, Chen Shu turned pale.

He quickly opened his computer, typed his name, Chen Shu, into the search bar, and hit enter.

Good, aside from a few articles he had written, there were no other news stories about him.

Still uneasy, he added Kong Xi’s name to his search.

Then, his few pieces of information were buried under a flood of news and images about Kong Xi…

A bit disappointed!

Dongzheng and Huamei were fierce competitors in artist resources and film production, often using tactics to expose each other’s scandals. So, the two companies were at odds, and their employees rarely communicated privately.

Guanghui’s Publicity Department manager, Ren Guangming, had jumped ship from Huamei. He had highly regarded Chen Shu as a newcomer and had vetoed Zhu Kaimo’s plan in favor of Chen Shu’s public relations proposal, much to Zhu Kaimo’s displeasure. Later, due to conflicts with director Zheng Jian, he was headhunted to Guanghui, where he managed the entire Publicity Department.

After some thought, Chen Shu called Ren Guangming.

The call was quickly answered, and Ren Guangming’s cheerful voice came through, “Chen Shu, how have you been? It’s been a while since you called for a drink.”

“Ren-Ge², I’ve been thinking about you, but I’ve been swamped lately…”

“Alright, Chen Shu, no need to explain. I know your character. So, what’s up?”

“Ren-Ge, I resigned from Huamei, so I was thinking of joining Guanghui…”

“Is it true?” Ren Guangming exclaimed.

Chen Shu was puzzled, “Ren-Ge, what do you mean by ‘is it true’?”

“Huamei said you betrayed the company’s interests, took kickbacks from advertisers, and they fired you. They’re calling for the entire industry to blacklist you.”

“…”

Footnote:

1. Lin Daiyu(林黛玉):A fictional character from the classic Chinese novel “Dream of the Red Chamber.” Known for her beauty, intelligence, and tragic love story.
2. Ge(哥):In Chinese, the term “Ge” (哥) is a respectful and affectionate way to address an older male friend, colleague, or brother.