Lewi watched Ash and his agent walk out with their heads held high, and for a split second, he genuinely felt the urge to strangle them himself.
His face darkened completely as he said coldly, "Ash, I'm doing this for your own good. Don't be ungrateful. If you keep going like this, you'll regret it. Even if you end up destroying yourself, don't drag me down with you."
Ash didn't even pause.
"Enough with the death talk," he replied impatiently while walking away. "Who does he think he is? I've been in this industry for years. I've never been afraid of anyone. My bodyguard just chased off a few people—he didn't touch him at all. If anything, his people are the ones still holding my bodyguard. Strictly speaking, he's the one who should apologize."
With that, Ash left together with his agent, not sparing another glance.
The door closed.
Lewi felt his vision go dark for a moment. He almost staggered, realizing there was no way to reason with Ash anymore.
He quickly turned back to Jason, his posture humble and anxious.
"Jason… Ash is not an artist under my company. We only have a cooperative relationship. I can't completely control his behavior. His attitude absolutely does not represent mine. I sincerely apologize to you."
Jason nodded lightly.
"Lewi, I can see your attitude," he said calmly. "Considering that you once gave up a luxury car slot for me, I'll give you a chance. As long as you're willing to make corrections, I can let bygones be bygones with you."
Lewi's eyes lit up instantly, as if he had just been pulled back from the edge of a cliff.
"Jason, please instruct me," he said hurriedly. "I'll go through fire and water without hesitation."
Jason spoke unhurriedly.
"First—no more violent expulsions of passersby. Are celebrities superior to ordinary people? I don't think so. Public spaces don't belong to you. No one has the right to occupy them and bully others."
Lewi nodded repeatedly. "Understood. Please rest assured—this will never happen again under Starlight Entertainment."
Lewi immediately agreed. "I'll arrange it right away. Director, you need to take this seriously as well."
Director's expression stiffened slightly. He didn't completely agree in his heart, but seeing Lewi's cautious attitude toward Jason, he didn't dare argue.
"…Understood. We were negligent before."
At that moment, Sophia's eyes lit up.
She hadn't expected the issue that troubled her so deeply—something she believed would inevitably lead to arguments, conflict, and humiliation—to be resolved so simply.
No quarrels.No loss of dignity.No emotional exhaustion.
Just a few calm words.
This was the true embodiment of an unrivaled young master.
Sophia: Favorability +2.
Jason spoke again.
"Third—prepare to cut ties with Ash. This is a suggestion, not an order. However, if you choose not to, I won't be responsible for any collateral damage. And any losses caused by the fallout will be borne by you."
Lewi sucked in a sharp breath.
He understood immediately.
Ash was finished.
Even though his heart ached—Ash was, after all, a highly profitable star—Lewi still made his decision without hesitation.
"Alright," he said firmly. "I'll terminate the cooperation immediately. Any losses incurred are my responsibility. Consider it my apology to you."
Director's face changed drastically.
"Boss Lewi, this drama has already been publicly promoted with Ash as the male lead. If we replace him now, his fans will riot. We'll also have to pay huge breach-of-contract penalties. And his financial backer won't let this go either. This could spiral completely out of control."
Lewi cut him off sharply.
"Director, no matter how great the loss is, it's what we deserve."
He shot Director a warning look, stopping him from continuing.
Director clenched his fists, anxiety written all over his face, but he didn't dare say another word.
Mr. Derick stood at the side, equally panicked—yet just like Director, he didn't dare to interject.
The private room fell into a heavy silence.
Only Jason sat calmly at the center, as if everything unfolding before him was nothing more than a trivial matter.
And Sophia, sitting quietly beside him, lowered her eyes slightly—her heart no longer restless, but filled with an inexplicable sense of peace.
Jason nodded calmly.
"That's all for now. We'll continue our walk."
Jason, Sophia, and Olivia stood up and left the private room. Lewi and Director immediately rose to see them off, maintaining respectful expressions until Jason's figure disappeared down the corridor.
Only then did Director finally let out a long breath.
"Boss Lewi… do we really need to be this afraid?" he said, unable to hold it in any longer. "Do you have any idea how much we'll lose if Ash isn't the male lead? Honestly, I don't even like him—his acting is terrible and he acts like he owns the world. If I had the choice, I wouldn't have cast him in the first place. But capital already chose him. What can we do?"
He paused, rubbing his temples.
"At this point, I'm more worried that the entire project might just get canceled."
Mr. Derick nodded anxiously."Yes. Without Ash, this drama might not survive at all."
Lewi looked at them calmly.
"If it's canceled, then it's canceled," he said flatly. "Is any loss greater than the company going bankrupt outright?"
Director froze."…Bankrupt? Boss Lewi, is Jason really capable of driving our company to bankruptcy?"
Mr. Derick also stared in disbelief.Isn't that a bit exaggerated?
Lewi didn't argue. He simply took out a document his secretary had prepared and handed it to them.
"Read this."
Director and Mr. Derick lowered their heads.
The room fell silent.
The document detailed how Jason had shorted Infinity International—and then forcefully acquired it, a three-billion-dollar company, in a devastating, almost surgical capital operation.
Their expressions changed page by page.
First—The speed. Retaliation overnight.
Second—The methods. Ruthless, precise, airtight.
Third—The capital. Hundreds of millions, billions thrown around as if money were just numbers on a screen.
After finishing, both men subconsciously twitched their eyebrows.
Infinity International couldn't withstand it.Infinity Media couldn't withstand it.
So what about Starlight Entertainment—barely worth over a billion?
Under Jason's capital assault, they wouldn't even have the ability to resist.
There would be only one outcome.
Total annihilation.
At that point, losing one film would be the least of their problems—the company itself would be gone.
Only then did Director and Mr. Derick truly understand why Lewi had been so terrified.
He wasn't exaggerating.
Jason really could wipe them out with a flick of his hand.
So there was no choice.
No matter how painful the losses, they had to cut ties with Ash.
Lewi exhaled slowly and said, "But there's no need to be too pessimistic yet. Jason's move basically means Ash is finished. He offended Jason and refused to apologize—this is what he deserves."
A glint appeared in his eyes.
"I have a feeling his end will be… very ugly. When that happens, it won't be us breaching the contract—it'll be him. Aside from the initial promotional costs, we might not suffer much loss at all."
Director's eyes widened slightly.
"In that case…"
"We replace the male lead," Lewi continued. "It can still be filmed. Not much has been shot yet—just reshoot his scenes."
Director and Mr. Derick both felt a spark of hope.
For the first time, they found themselves secretly looking forward to Jason taking harsh action against Ash.
Lewi straightened."All that can wait. Right now, the priority is reorganizing the crew. You both heard Jason clearly."
"No more violently expelling passersby."
—
Outside, Jason walked at an unhurried pace.
"Olivia," he said casually, "contact the Mayor's Office."
Olivia nodded immediately. As she started dialing, she asked with a faint smile,"Jason, what are you planning to invest in this time?"
She knew him too well.
Jason's usual approach was simple and effective—invest first, gain attention. Once the mayor paid attention, communicating became effortless.
And Ash already had plenty of scandals. They just hadn't been fatal—PR had buried them.
But if someone decided to dig?
Suppressing it would be impossible.
Banning him would be a single sentence away.
Jason, however, chuckled softly.
"I haven't even decided what to invest in yet," he said lightly."Just sending my résumé to the mayor… is more than enough."
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