Chapter Seventy-Four: The Secret of the Television Station

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The relentless movie promotions had left Jiang Yihan and Kim Jaejoong breathless, though the results were undeniably evident.

“This week’s schedule is really strange. Why aren’t there any KBS events?” Jiang Yihan remarked, looking at his itinerary with a puzzled expression.

“Yeah, Brother Li, mine’s the same. What’s going on?” Kim Jaejoong also noticed the oddity and voiced his agreement.

“How could this be? I have no idea. When I scheduled everything two weeks ago, the KBS appearances were all there.” Li Ran came over, took Jiang Yihan’s schedule, and examined it. His brows knit tightly as he realized that all KBS engagements had been erased. “Who gave you these schedules? This isn’t what I arranged before.” His tone grew grave; having the KBS events mysteriously removed was a serious issue. Had they offended someone at KBS, or was it just an administrative mistake?

“They were given to us by Yiyi—just now, actually. I thought it was odd too,” Jiang Yihan replied, reading Li Ran’s expression and realizing something had gone wrong. “Yiyi, come here for a second.”

Jiang Ziyi, who had been tidying up Jiang Yihan’s stage outfits in the other room, heard her name and came running. “What’s up, bro? Is something wrong?”

“Yiyi, who handed you this schedule? Didn’t I already give you one before? This isn’t the same,” Li Ran said, passing the paper to her.

Jiang Ziyi took a careful look at the schedule, then looked up. “That’s right. Uncle Li Tong told me to give this one to you. He said the one you gave me wasn’t needed anymore and to use this new one instead.”

“President Li?” The three young men were clearly taken aback, not understanding what had happened.

“Yeah. Yesterday, when I brought Brother Li Ran’s schedule to the company to confirm the times, Uncle Li Tong called me over and handed me a new schedule. He said there had been some changes a couple of days ago and told me to use this updated one. So I brought it back.” Jiang Ziyi wasn’t aware of the weight of the situation, but Li Ran understood perfectly.

“I’ll go talk to Uncle Li Tong,” Li Ran said as he picked up his keys and headed downstairs, leaving the three others staring at each other in confusion.

“Uncle Li!” Li Ran managed to restrain his emotions, maintaining his usual cold composure as he knocked on the office door. Still, the force of his knock betrayed his displeasure.

“Come in!” came the familiar voice from inside. Li Ran entered. Li Tong was poring over documents on his desk, his brow furrowed. He didn’t look up, simply asking, “What is it?”

“Uncle Li, why have all the KBS appearances for my artists been deleted from this week’s schedule?” Li Ran asked bluntly.

“Oh, Li Ran, I was just about to discuss this with you,” Li Tong finally looked up, shifting his attention. “I’m not exactly sure what happened either. Yesterday morning, KBS’s producer, Producer Li, called me and said they hadn’t scheduled any appearances for your artists this week. I was puzzled and assumed you’d arranged it yourself, so I didn’t ask further. Wasn’t it your arrangement?”

“Of course not. Why would I cancel scheduled appearances—let alone all KBS engagements?” Li Ran’s tone cooled, signaling how angry he was and warning not to provoke him further. “Producer Li from KBS?” Receiving Li Tong’s confirmation, Li Ran fell silent, his mind working furiously.

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“Uncle Li, I didn’t cancel the events, so why do you think they disappeared?” Li Ran voiced his doubts, hoping the more experienced Li Tong might have some insight. “Could it be we’ve offended someone? But the only possibility is MS Company, and last year they failed to get us blacklisted from the networks. Why would they succeed now? If not them, then who?”

Li Tong rested his chin on his hand, thinking deeply. “Li Ran, we can’t rule out MS Company yet. They’re still the main suspects, but they wouldn’t do this without purpose. Besides, Jiang Yihan’s popularity means shows lose out by refusing him. There’s another possibility—I suspect we’re up against some unspoken rules.”

“Unspoken rules?” Li Ran was perplexed. Although he’d spent three years in the industry and knew many of its dark corners, he couldn’t think of one that fit this situation.

“In this business, newcomers have no weight. Seniors can steal their shows, their songs, even claim their creations as their own. These unspoken rules are everywhere,” Li Tong explained. “But you haven’t dealt much with production teams. The unspoken rules don’t just come from seniors; they come from production staff too.”

“The production team?” Li Ran realized how little he knew about that side of things.

“Yes. If you offend the production crew, they can sabotage you—cutting your scenes, minimizing your screen time, or showing only your worst moments. Appearing on such a show does more harm than good. That’s why you must never offend the production team.” Li Tong spoke of the industry’s open secrets. Production teams were just people, each with their own preferences and grudges. Such retaliation had become an accepted fact of life in the business, which was why some artists never appeared on certain shows.

“But our cooperation with KBS has always been great. I don’t recall any issues,” Li Ran said, racking his brain.

“There’s another secret—the scheduling process,” Li Tong continued. “Every show has a producer in charge of booking artists. If you’re on bad terms with this person, you won’t get on the show unless the entire production team invites you themselves.”

“You mean we’ve offended Producer Li?” Li Ran was still unconvinced.

“Perhaps. Or maybe MS Company paid off Producer Li to bump us.” Li Tong felt his thoughts clearing, though his head throbbed from the trouble. “There are too many shady deals and power plays in this business. At least Jiang Yihan is male—otherwise, we’d have to fend off dinner invitations from rich businessmen, and there’s nothing we could do about it. Those wealthy types are our investors, after all. I wonder if, someday, a rich woman will make an offer for Yihan—and for how much!” Li Tong couldn’t help but laugh.

“I’d rather that never happens,” Li Ran said coldly. “So the problem lies with Producer Li. I’ll go see him myself. Otherwise, Lazy Cat and Jaejoong’s KBS activities will be in jeopardy.”

Having identified the source, Li Ran immediately decided how to proceed. After saying goodbye to Li Tong, he headed straight for KBS. Meanwhile, back at the office, Li Tong looked at the pile of paperwork and felt another headache coming on—there was never an end to the work at a big company.

Arriving at KBS’s fourth-floor office, Li Ran saw the week’s show lineup and the list of announced artists. He was startled to find that every program Jiang Yihan and Kim Jaejoong were scheduled to attend now featured the same rookie group, Fly, with Lin Erxiang among its members.

So it was MS Company playing tricks after all.

Li Ran was angry, but confronting MS Company would be unreasonable. After some thought, he decided to go straight to Producer Li, the one in charge of scheduling.

Finding Producer Li wasn’t difficult. Li Ran got straight to the point. “Producer Li, I’m Li Ran, manager for Jiang Yihan and Dong Bang Shin Ki. May I ask why my artists were replaced on your KBS schedule this week? Is there a problem we can discuss?”

For someone as stoic as Li Ran, this was as much as he could say.

Producer Li didn’t answer immediately, instead sizing him up for a moment before silently leading him out of the office and signaling for him to follow. They ended up in the stairwell.

“Manager Li, your artists have been doing well lately,” Producer Li began, offering some flattery.

Li Ran, knowing not to confront a smiling face, softened his tone. “Yes, they’ve been doing well. So I was surprised when we were dropped from your schedule.” His smile was polite but sharp.

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“Heh, don’t get worked up, young man. You’re all still too green in this industry,” Producer Li said, patting Li Ran’s shoulder like a sly old fox. “You know, there are a lot of rules in this business—unfair rules that everyone still has to follow.” His eyes narrowed into slits as he smiled. “For example, even if Lü Xianfeng’s skills have faded and Jiang Yihan is more popular, Lü Xianfeng can still trip him up as a senior. Or, take Fly—they’re less popular than Jiang Yihan, yet here they are on our show instead of him. Do you see what I mean?”

Li Ran found the man’s greedy smile repulsive, but for the sake of his artists, he held back. “Please enlighten me, Producer Li. We’re still newcomers and have a lot to learn; I’d appreciate any guidance from a senior.”

“Ah, young people who catch on quickly are the best,” Producer Li said, beaming. “Lü Xianfeng can overshadow Jiang Yihan because he’s a senior, and, more importantly, because he has the backing of MS Company, the most connected in the industry. The only way Jiang Yihan can escape this fate is if ABC Company becomes strong enough to rise again.”

Even if Li Ran disliked the man, he had to admit Producer Li was right. ABC Company had only just regained its reputation; a full comeback was still a way off. Jiang Yihan and Dong Bang Shin Ki were merely the first steps in its revival. Since Producer Li clearly knew a lot, Li Ran decided to keep listening.

“As for why Fly made it onto our show instead of Jiang Yihan, the answer’s even simpler,” Producer Li’s smile grew sly, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes multiplying, making Li Ran shudder. “Because Cheng Shi has money, and you don’t.”

“What?” Li Ran blurted out in shock.

“Because Cheng Shi has money, and you don’t! Because MS Company is rich, and ABC Company isn’t!” Producer Li’s blunt answer hit Li Ran hard.

“You—you mean to say? Are you talking about bribery?” Li Ran could hardly believe it.

“Let’s not call it bribery, that sounds so unpleasant. It’s just a bit of mutual assistance, that’s all.” Producer Li’s face was wreathed in smiles; clearly this wasn’t the first time he’d asked managers and companies for money. “I’ve been a bit strapped for cash lately—lost a bit at gambling, you see… Well, you know, everyone has those moments.”

Seeing the false smile, Li Ran instinctively took a step back. It was clear Producer Li was a gambler who, after losing money, earned it back by “selling” show slots. Cheng Shi paid, Li Ran did not; so Fly got the spot, not Jiang Yihan or Kim Jaejoong.

Once he understood this, Li Ran’s mind raced ahead to his next move.

Producer Li saw that Li Ran had caught on, and simply stood by, smiling. He wasn’t worried about Li Ran refusing—no one who crossed the production team ever came out ahead. In his view, Li Ran would eventually yield. The thought made Producer Li’s smile widen.

After a long moment, Li Ran finally spoke. “Producer Li, as a senior in this field, you surely know that there are no secrets that last forever.”

Producer Li was still smiling at the first half of the sentence, but his face fell as soon as Li Ran finished. “What? Are you threatening me? Think you can get me fired? I’ll have you know, I’m not the only one who takes money, and your ABC Company is nothing compared to the others. Even JYP came begging to me not long ago! You know as well as I do that going against the production team never ends well. Besides, like I said, your artists are still newcomers—how can you fight me? What do you have to fight with? Hmph! Know your place, and take care of yourselves in the future.”

Having spent years in the business, Producer Li quickly decided to apply pressure and made as if to leave. Sure enough, Li Ran called him back, and Producer Li turned, smiling even more broadly as if to say, “That’s more like it.”

“Senior, of course I know there are many rules in this industry. You taking money is one, and the production team having ways to deal with newcomers is another. But there’s one rule above all others that I’m sure you’re aware of,” Li Ran said calmly, his words sending a chill down the spine. “Profit comes first in this industry. Yes, our artists are newcomers, but you probably don’t know just how popular they are now, or how many influential seniors support them. That’s why I believe, in the end, the wise choice will be yours, not mine.” With that, Li Ran turned and walked away. “Oh, and Producer Li—remember, it was KBS that rejected us. I think SBS and MBC will be pleased to hear about it.”

With a flourish, Li Ran left, leaving Producer Li stunned.

Catty’s Rambling Time: We have a holiday today, so there’s more time to update—two chapters today. This is the first; the second will be up soon. Thanks for your support!