Chapter 305: Chapter 305: I Don’t Want to Bring Up the Past

The fans were adamant and not buying it; they jostled each other, trying to cross over the red line that surrounded them.

“A lighthearted apology, what good does that do? Can you give us back our beloved brother Chen Ling, who we once adored with all our hearts!”

“People these days are really disgusting, aren’t they, willing to do anything for money? Doesn’t the production team check thoroughly? You have someone backing you up, don’t you!”

Chen Ling silently bowed her head, intending to leave from the side. She truly couldn’t make amends; she had let down the fans who once loved her.

Some of the fans were not about to let her go so easily. They stepped forward, intending to grab her, “You’re not going anywhere until you give us an explanation today! You must compensate us for our losses!”

This act was undoubtedly a trigger, inciting others who had only dared to shout to rush forward, all grabbing at Chen Ling and continuously hurling accusations at her.

“Everybody calm down!” Chen Ling was, after all, only one person; how could she withstand such a crowd?

Just as she was at a loss, a car slowed to a stop beside her, followed by several bodyguards stepping out to maintain order at the scene, “Chen Ling, get in the car.”

Chen Ling was startled as she looked at the unfamiliar woman. She didn’t know her, but the situation didn’t allow her to think too much about it. Besides, the woman had called her by name, so she might have been sent by the company.

As she got in the car, she realized that Sang Qiao was also sitting inside, and in the passenger seat was the famed Lawyer Shangguan, “Sister Qiao, Lawyer Shangguan.”

“We just happened to pass by and saw you being surrounded, so we stopped to pick you up. You… you’re really a girl?”

Meng Jiahe sized her up, hardly able to believe it. At least until today’s trending topic broke out, she had never doubted Chen Ling’s gender.

“Yes.” Chen Ling nodded, there was nothing left to hide; it was common knowledge now.

“Your company has abandoned you, do you know that?” Meng Jiahe looked at the frail girl, her mood complicated. How could such a seemingly good person have accrued so much debt?

“I know, thanks just now. Just drop me off at any bus station.”

Chen Ling smiled bitterly; she had always known that once the scandal broke, the company would undoubtedly abandon her without hesitation. It was just that she now had an additional debt to the production team.

Thinking of the astronomical amounts, she really couldn’t think of what she should do next.

“Chen Ling, what are you planning to do next? Have you considered switching to another management company?”

As Meng Jiahe asked this question, the people in the passenger seat and beside her glanced over, seemingly saying: weren’t we just stopping to pick someone up?

Meng Jiahe guiltily lowered her head; she really couldn’t bear to see Chen Ling in such a pitiful state. As an agent for so long, she knew all too well what Chen Ling was about to face.

But she wasn’t a philanthropist and would naturally make a decision after weighing the pros and cons.

“No management company would want me.” Chen Ling spoke these words lightly, a faint smile playing at the corner of her mouth.

Let’s not even talk about what her reputation was at the moment, just the sheer amount of high-interest debt she owed was shocking enough.

“I might consider representing you, but you’d have to let me know first whether saving you from the mire is worth the effort.” Meng Jiahe’s expression was serious.

Through Chen Ling, she saw traces of Sang Qiao and Fu Xing from the past–two artists she had personally managed. One decidedly abandoned fame at the height of his career, while the other betrayed her at his peak and even trampled on her on his way out.

Meng Jiahe couldn’t help but feel intimidated. The idea of managing artists made her uneasy, and Chen Ling was a promising talent, as well as the star she adored. She didn’t want to see Chen Ling disappear without a trace.

“I’ve already lost my value,” Chen Ling said, her eyes dropping, fingers clenched tightly.

If only it had been a bit earlier… that would have been nice.

“Your talent and ambition are where your value lies. If it’s convenient for you, I need you to tell me why you disguised yourself as a man to join a boy band audition and what’s going on with those usurious loans, how you got into debt.”

Meng Jiahe watched Chen Ling’s fair, delicate face with patience. Her short hair, damp with sweat, clung to her forehead, and the frustrated expression of a defeated puppy made Meng Jiahe’s heart ache.

She remembered following the show before, when Chen Ling’s smile was always radiant and beaming, even when hurt, she would joke and make everyone laugh, insisting she was fine despite clearly enduring pain.

“Both bosses of Rose Entertainment are here. As long as there are no issues with you, they can completely help you,” Shangguan Yuan said, joining the conversation at a leisurely pace.

Sang Qiao remained silent, transparent throughout the conversation, which implicitly meant agreement.

Chen Ling clenched her hand, “I needed money. Our company has many female artists, and I didn’t get a chance for those resources, so I had to take a risk and try for the boy band.”

She never felt inferior to those female artists in terms of talent. She was indignant and unwilling to accept it, yet she was also powerless.

“As for the usurious loans… it’s an old story. The Chen Family, which once stood shoulder to shoulder with the Si Family, is my family. After we went bankrupt, my parents couldn’t withstand the pressure and they left.”

Chen Ling’s voice trembled slightly as she unconsciously dug her fingers into the palm of her hand. The sensation of going from a Miss to the bottom of the pit overnight was far from pleasant.

But she was learning to survive, to pay off debts. Her parents were decent people; they wouldn’t rest in peace below if the debts weren’t settled.

“Are you the young Miss of the Chen Family, Chen Qiuyuan?” Meng Jiahe’s mind vaguely recalled something.

She had attended the Chen Family’s birthday party when she was fifteen. Back then, the Chen Family was an influential figure, with nearly half of the business tycoons attending. And when Chen Qiuyuan arrived at the event, lavished with admiration and surrounded by stars, the love in her parents’ eyes was profound.

Watching that scene, she felt like a stray cat gazing at a house cat, because in her childhood, she had never been loved as passionately.

Hearing her long-forgotten name, Chen Ling’s dormant mind seemed to awaken.

“Yes, after my family went bankrupt, I changed my name to Chen Ling, starting from zero.”

“Look forward, with your current situation, my advice is to tell the truth to everyone. Otherwise, you won’t be able to make a clear explanation, and there will always be people who will never let go of your past,” Meng Jiahe said, patting Chen Ling’s shoulder, filled with pity. She never could have imagined the person she had envied and looked up to as a child would come into her life this way.

“I… don’t want to bring up the past. Would you still consider signing me?” Chen Ling asked tentatively, a flicker of pain crossing her eyes. She knew that if she revealed her past, the fans would empathize and her following would grow.

But she didn’t want to attract attention that way, didn’t want to reopen her own wounds.

Meng Jiahe was taken aback for a moment, instinctively turning to look at Sang Qiao, because if Chen Ling didn’t clarify the situation, the backlash from the netizens would also be directed at Rose Entertainment.

Their company was almost scandal-free, their artists squeaky clean.