Chapter 139: Studio Shadows

What?

Jiang Jingshi and Lin Zheng Ran exchanged a glance.

Both had the same thought: How could this be happening so fast?

She stood up, went to the door, and opened it. “Come in!”

The visitor saw Jiang Jingshi at the door and quickly spilled the whole story:

“Boss Jiang, it’s like this. You asked us to keep an eye on that music studio where Lily works. Well, this morning, they shut down operations and posted a sign saying they’re temporarily closed. Plus, Lily’s songs have been taken down.”

“Temporarily closed, and her songs are down?” Lin Zheng Ran pulled out his phone to check the New Star List. Sure enough, Lily’s songs were still listed, but the titles were blacked out, showing they couldn’t play due to copyright issues and were under adjustment.

The comments below had turned into a mess.

People were confused about why the songs wouldn’t play and what had gone wrong—all sorts of questions.

Jiang Jingshi reassured Lin Zheng Ran, “Don’t worry yet. Let’s investigate first.”

She asked the man, “Have you found out exactly why they’re closed?”

The man replied:

“We don’t know the exact reason yet. From what our people gathered, last night after work, the studio’s owner, Boss Wang, suddenly looked upset, like she’d received some bad news. Then this morning, they locked up.”

“Bad news… Could it be that they already have something on her?” Jiang Jingshi thought for a moment. “Was there any negative news about their studio online this morning?”

The man shook his head. “Not yet. I’ve checked.”

Lin Zheng Ran said, “That fits what Jiang Jie said. Their goal isn’t to destroy the studio—they just want to poach Lily. So even if they have leverage, they’re not releasing it right away.”

Jiang Jingshi nodded. “Seems that way. I didn’t expect it to happen so quickly, though. If they found leverage this fast, it means Boss Wang must have left some gaps in her operations before.”

She asked the man, “Any other news?”

“That’s all for now, Boss Jiang. We’re still digging.”

Jiang Jingshi waved him off, closed the door, and turned to Lin Zheng Ran.

“Zheng Ran, I should pause the New Star List. If Lily’s songs come down and others climb up, the list will lose its integrity.”

Lin Zheng Ran looked at her in surprise. “Jiang Jie, you want to stop the list? But it’s so popular right now, and it’s tied to song sales. Won’t that cost you a lot of money?”

“It won’t be too much.” Jiang Jingshi smiled gently:

“I do want my team to win and make money, but as I said, a hollow victory isn’t worth it. Besides, I’ve changed my mind about building a team on my own. Back on the couch just now…”

Lin Zheng Ran could see that Jiang Jingshi was different—she didn’t just chase profits. Even though she wasn’t sure about his full capabilities, she was willing to bet on him.

And for him, this was all upside. Running a company needed talent beyond just the founder; you couldn’t do it alone.

Moreover, what Jiang Jingshi offered on the couch had no downsides for him. “Boss Jiang, once we sort this out, let’s discuss the new studio in detail. I’m in—I want to partner with you.”

Jiang Jingshi’s eyes lit up, looking happier than if she’d made millions. “Really?! Zheng Ran, you’re willing to start a business with me?!”

Lin Zheng Ran had never seen her so thrilled, her smile lighting up the room.

“Yes, really,” he answered.

“That’s fantastic! Once this is over, I’ll handle all the messy setup for the company. You just make key decisions when needed and help train our team.”

Lin Zheng Ran nodded.

Even without contracts, his experience in various fields outshone most experts.

Jiang Jingshi started to say more but caught herself, her cheeks flushing slightly. “Okay, let’s focus on the current mess first. We can talk later.”

“Right, let’s go find Boss Wang. We need to know why she’s closed up.”

Without any delay, they headed out and drove straight to Boss Wang’s home.

Jiang Jingshi’s connections made tracking addresses easy.

They arrived at her door in the residential area; it was locked.

Lin Zheng Ran knocked. “Boss Wang? Are you home?”

No response from inside.

Jiang Jingshi called out, “Boss Wang, it’s Jiang Jingshi from the Jiang Group. I know you’re in trouble. Open up—I’m here to help.”

That got a reaction; sounds of someone approaching the door echoed.

“Is that really you, Boss Jiang? Are you here to help?”

Jiang Jingshi’s reputation carried weight. “Yes, open the door. Let’s talk it out—you can’t solve this by hiding.”

Slowly, the door creaked open. In just one night, Boss Wang looked utterly worn out, and another figure was in the room.

A young, handsome guy.

He greeted them: “Hello, Boss Jiang. Hello, Lin Zheng Ran.”

Lin Zheng Ran recognized him—a male singer from the studio, an 18 or 19-year-old university student.

Jiang Jingshi noticed the young man and quickly pieced it together.

They weren’t mother and son, that was clear.

Inside, Boss Wang’s place was spacious and well-equipped, a sign of her years supporting the studio.

Boss Wang offered Jiang Jingshi a seat and rushed to get water, glancing curiously at Lin Zheng Ran.

“Lin Zheng Ran is here too.” She’d seen them talk at the competition but didn’t expect them to be so close.

Before he could respond, Jiang Jingshi said from the couch, “I’m Lin Zheng Ran’s fiancée.”

The room fell silent. Not just Boss Wang and the young man, but even Lin Zheng Ran stared at her.

Jiang Jingshi smiled. “What’s wrong, Zheng Ran? Did I say something off?”

Lin Zheng Ran chuckled. It sounded far-fetched, but technically true.

Boss Wang and the young man were stunned. The heiress of the Jiang Group as his fiancée?

They’d known Lin Zheng Ran for a while and never suspected this.

Boss Wang’s look toward him changed. “Lin Zheng Ran, have a seat. I’ll get you water.”

He waved it off. “No need, Boss Wang. Jiang Jie and I are here to find out what happened at the studio. Why the sudden closure? And Lily’s songs are off the New Star List.”

Boss Wang glanced between them.

Jiang Jingshi said, “Go ahead, speak freely. Since I’m here, it’s to help, and you know why.”

Boss Wang nodded, understanding it was for Lin Zheng Ran’s sake.

She looked at the young man, who went to a room and returned with an envelope for Jiang Jingshi.

Boss Wang explained:

“This came from Pan Cheng Electronics last night. I’m not sure if you know them, Boss Jiang. After Lily blew up, besides your offer, they approached me too, but I turned them down.

Then, after refusing, I got this envelope. It has a phone inside with two videos and a recording. That’s why I had to shut down.”

Jiang Jingshi pulled out the phone and played the video.

Lin Zheng Ran leaned in to see. It was as she’d guessed—videos of Boss Wang in intimate moments with the young man, including kisses.

The recording was straightforward:

[Boss Wang, I assume you’ve seen these videos. Accusations of the studio boss harassing a male singer could shut you down for good and end your career.

Plus, we’ve found that some songs from your studio three years ago might involve copyright infringement from our artists. We’re preparing to sue, and we’ve sent the demand letter.

The amount is steep—probably more than you can handle. But as fellow industry players, we don’t want to go that far.

Sell the studio to us, and we’ll let it slide. You’ll get paid, and you can start fresh somewhere smaller. Just make sure to take down Lily’s songs starting today. That gives you three days to think it over.]

After listening, Jiang Jingshi checked the demand letter. The compensation was sky-high—way beyond what a small studio could pay.

Even if they could, it’d mean closing up shop. And with Pan Cheng Electronics’ size, fighting back legally was impossible, especially with those videos.

Jiang Jingshi asked, “What’s this about the copyright infringement?”

Boss Wang hurried to explain: “It’s not true! It stemmed from contract flaws early on. They poached our singers and twisted it into a copying claim—it’s all their doing.”

“Did you check with a lawyer?”

“Yes, last night. The claim holds because our contracts were sloppy.”

Boss Wang added, “And about the videos—it’s not harassment. He’s my boyfriend; he pursued me.”

The young man nodded. “Yeah, we’re in love. I chased her.”

Jiang Jingshi sighed inwardly. Would anyone believe that? A middle-aged boss and a young singer—it screamed scandal.

As for the infringement, small studios often faced such pitfalls.

She looked at Lin Zheng Ran. “This is trickier than I thought. It’ll take a lot of money to fix.”

She left it hanging, but Lin Zheng Ran got it. They could just extract Lily with minimal cost, but saving the studio would be expensive and play into their hands.

Yet, Boss Wang had been good to Lily over the years.

Still, throwing money at it felt wrong. Lin Zheng Ran suddenly laughed.

Because there was a simpler way—he wasn’t an ordinary person.

Boss Wang asked anxiously, “Lin Zheng Ran, why are you laughing?”

Jiang Jingshi wondered too, as she had no easy solution.

“Zheng Ran, do you have a plan?”

He handed the items back. “Not really, but once I know the details, we can sort it out.”

Amid their confusion, Jiang Jingshi and Lin Zheng Ran left.

In the Rolls Royce downstairs, the driver waited. Jiang Jingshi said honestly, “If I handle this, it’ll cost a fortune. I can’t cover it all at once—it’d take a couple of days.”

Lin Zheng Ran replied, “Don’t worry, Jiang Jie. It’s not right to put that burden on you alone. This isn’t even your issue.”

“How could it not be? Anything with you involves me. We’re partners now.” She smiled warmly.

He paused. “Let’s give Boss Wang’s situation a day. By tomorrow night, it might resolve itself.”

“Huh?” Jiang Jingshi didn’t follow. “Are you serious? You seemed to have an idea back there—what’s your plan?”

“You’ll see in the morning. Knowing the studio’s predicament means there’s a way out.”

That evening, Lin Zheng Ran and Jiang Jingshi parted. He returned to school and got excused from evening classes.

Stepping out again, he checked his status panel.

“The toughest problems often have simple fixes. Just destroy those harassment videos, track down the singers Pan Cheng Electronics poached, and make them drop the copyright suit. Easy enough.”