Everyone was stunned for a moment before hurriedly pulling out their phones to check the news.
Although Da Fei Band hadn't made much noise recently, everyone had still been paying close attention to them.
After all, it was Da Fei's former company, and Liang Yin's group had always cared about the fact that he'd been kicked out of the band back then.
Now that they heard Wu Bo had been exposed in a scandal, everyone immediately got excited.
Wang Zhi pulled out his phone and scrolled through the news. A moment later, his eyes lit up and he slapped his thigh excitedly.
"Fei-ge, it's true! Da Fei Band is finished this time."
Lin Chudong said, "Don't celebrate too early. Let's see what actually happened first."
Among them, Liang Yin was the most excited, as if she were the one who'd been kicked out of the band.
She picked up her cup, took a huge gulp of water, and said,
"I've been following the news all morning. Long story short—"
"Wu Bo got a girl pregnant before marriage. After she got pregnant, he dumped her and gave her three thousand yuan to get an abortion."
"But the girl was honest and didn't abort the baby. She gave birth instead. Today the child turned one month old, and when she asked Wu Bo for child support, he refused. So she exposed him on Weibo."
Everyone was completely shocked as they looked through the girl's Weibo post.
Chat logs, call records, photos together, bank transfers.
The evidence was airtight. There was no way Wu Bo could explain this away.
Wang Zhi asked, "So Da Fei Band is doomed, right?"
Jia Lu asked, "But this is Wu Bo's personal issue. What does it have to do with the band?"
Liang Yin replied,
"It may be his private life, but several endorsement deals tied to Wu Bo are connected to Da Fei Band."
"Once Wu Bo's reputation collapses, those companies will definitely demand compensation, and Da Fei Band will have to pay for it."
"This time, the band's losses are probably going to be massive."
Lin Chudong said, "Shen Jianbin might not even be able to afford it. The company will probably go bankrupt."
Liang Yin quickly asked, "This won't affect Su Yulin, right?"
"Probably not. Yulin's contract is about to expire anyway. It has nothing to do with her, and she doesn't own any shares in the company."
Liang Yin asked, "So what should we do now?"
Lin Chudong smiled helplessly.
"What does it have to do with us? Just watch the show."
Liang Yin crossed her arms with a crafty look on her face.
"We should buy them out while they're in trouble. At the very least, get your old songs back."
Although Da Fei had plenty of songs now, Liang Yin still felt upset that those dozen songs—his hard work—had been taken away by Shen Jianbin.
Lin Chudong thought for a moment.
"No rush. Let's see how things develop first."
At lunchtime, Liang Yin and the others waited in the cafeteria for quite a while but didn't see a single person from Da Fei Band.
Even the finance staff and receptionists who usually came upstairs to eat were absent today.
Clearly, something had happened at the company.
Jia Lu messaged Su Yulin, who replied that they were in a meeting.
Although Jia Lu and the others were extremely curious, all they could do now was wait patiently.
Downstairs, a huge group of reporters had already gathered, but security guards were blocking them from going upstairs.
After work that evening, Lin Chudong and Liang Yin's group came downstairs from the office building.
The moment they stepped outside, a crowd of reporters immediately surrounded them.
The security guards rushed over to block them.
Many people already knew Da Fei's company was located there, so reporters often waited nearby.
But following Da Fei around usually didn't produce much news, and sometimes he wasn't even at the company, so not many reporters came.
Today was different.
There were simply too many reporters. The two security guards couldn't hold them back.
Lin Chudong shouted loudly,
"Everyone, don't push! Be careful!"
Seeing that Lin Chudong had stopped on the steps and appeared willing to take questions, the reporters relaxed slightly.
Cameras were raised and microphones pointed toward him.
"Da Fei, have you heard about Wu Bo's scandal?"
"Based on your understanding of Wu Bo, do you think the accusations are true?"
"How should Da Fei Band respond to this?"
"Will this incident affect you?"
"…"
Lin Chudong smiled and said to the reporters,
"I think you've misunderstood something. I'm no longer part of Da Fei Band."
But the reporters refused to let him go.
"It's still your former company. Say something."
"How do you feel seeing Da Fei Band in trouble?"
"Is Wu Bo really such a terrible person in private? He forced you out of the band back then—don't you have anything to say?"
Lin Chudong cleared his throat, pondered for a moment, then said:
"Well, regarding this matter, it's not that I don't want to tell you guys."
"But, you know, no matter what the issue is, you can't just say things are definitely one way or another."
"Can this matter be discussed? Not exactly impossible. The main thing is—it depends on how people handle it. We can always find a solution."
"So, theoretically speaking, what you're asking today could be discussed. But according to principles… it's not really appropriate."
"How about this—you wait a little longer. Right now, with the situation like this… it's not very convenient for you guys either. Wait for me, and I'll properly explain things later."
"Alright then, that's it."
After saying that, Lin Chudong squeezed through the crowd with Liang Yin and the others.
The reporters immediately rushed back to their cars and sped toward their offices.
A major story had to be published first to capture traffic.
Even though Da Fei had basically said nothing meaningful, simply dragging him into the story was already enough to attract attention.
Half an hour later, the interview shot straight to the front-page trending list.
Wu Bo himself wasn't actually that famous, but fans loved watching celebrities get exposed.
Wu Bo had just started gaining popularity this year, only to suddenly fall into such a huge scandal.
Especially Da Fei's fans—they felt incredibly satisfied.
After watching Da Fei's interview, netizens were laughing hysterically.
"As expected of the familiar Da Fei—another round of nonsense literature."
"This is Nonsense Literature 2.0."
"He said a whole lot while saying absolutely nothing."
"Hearing your words is like hearing words."
"My boss talks exactly like Da Fei whenever I ask him for help."
"Hearing your speech wasted ten years of my education."
"Da Fei, you almost revealed something there. You scared me."
"I'm convinced Da Fei has read my graduation thesis. Why was he reciting it word for word?"
"…"
In the eyes of the internet, Da Fei and Da Fei Band were still inseparable.
Even though he'd left the band a year ago, now that Da Fei Band was in huge trouble, the media naturally wanted to see Lin Chudong's reaction.
The official Weibo accounts of Da Fei Band and Wu Bo were already flooded with criticism.
Neither Shen Jianbin nor Wu Bo escaped the backlash.
"You trashy scumbag! Pretending to be an innocent straight guy on dating shows? Disgusting."
"Da Fei Band actually kept someone like this around. Shen Jianbin must be the same type of trash. You all deserve the worst."
"I can't even imagine how heartbreaking it was for that girl to give birth alone. What was Wu Bo doing at the time? Flirting with female guests on variety shows?"
"Shen Jianbin's judgment has always been terrible. Kicking Da Fei out was the biggest mistake your band ever made."
"Just look at how Da Fei is doing now compared to Shen Jianbin's group. It's obvious who had bad judgment."
"Da Fei Band—the biggest joke in the entertainment industry."
At six in the evening, just as Peppa Pig started airing, Da Fei Band posted an official statement on Weibo:
"Due to personal misconduct by our artist Wu Bo, the company has terminated his contract. All negative consequences caused by him will be borne solely by Wu Bo himself."
But the comments were still filled with insults.
Before the scandal, they treated Wu Bo like a cash cow. Now that trouble had come, they wanted to cut ties? It wasn't that simple.
Wu Bo himself would definitely have to pay compensation, but Da Fei Band wouldn't escape responsibility either.
Most of the financial burden would probably fall on Shen Jianbin.
Seeing this, the "Potato Chip Trio" stopped watching cartoons and started scrolling Weibo on company time.
The online drama was far more entertaining than animation. Tonight's TV ratings were probably going to suffer badly.
Even Da Fei's nonsense interview had more viewers than most TV programs.
Ding.
Su Yulin sent a message:
"It's over here. I've signed the contract termination papers. Shen Jianbin wants you to come downstairs alone."
Lin Chudong replied with an "OK."
After informing Liang Yin and the others, he headed downstairs by himself.
Meanwhile, Liang Yin and Wang Zhi started discussing excitedly.
"What do you think Shen Jianbin wants with Da Fei?"
"What else could it be? He probably wants Fei-ge to buy the company so he can cash out and retire."
"That's what I think too. No one wants this mess of a band now. I wonder how much those song copyrights are worth."
"At least three or four million. If it's under three million, it's a bargain."
"Forget guessing. Let's just wait for Da Fei's update."
When Lin Chudong arrived downstairs, the office looked busy on the surface.
But everyone was only pretending to work while secretly chatting furiously in their group chats.
The band had already been declining for a long time.
The company had been losing money repeatedly. Even though Shen Jianbin never talked about it publicly, people in finance knew, and rumors had already spread throughout the office.
Now their lead singer, Wu Bo, had exploded into scandal.
The band was probably finished.
Earlier, the company meeting had mostly been about Wu Bo's situation, yet Shen Jianbin had remained strangely calm.
That actually surprised the employees.
Had President Shen found a backer? Was some company investing?
As Lin Chudong stepped out of the elevator, the two receptionists quickly stood up to greet him.
"Hello, Fei-ge."
Lin Chudong nodded and walked into Shen Jianbin's office.
After pushing the door open, he saw Shen Jianbin calmly drinking tea.
His expression was normal—none of the previous exhaustion remained. Instead, there was even a hint of relief.
"Da Fei, you're here."
"Sit down. Try this new tea I got."
Like greeting an old friend, Shen Jianbin personally brewed tea for him.
"What did you want me down here for?"
Shen Jianbin smiled.
"Nothing much. Yulin's contract expired, didn't it? Take her with you later."
Lin Chudong replied flatly,
"She's a grown adult. Does she really need me to escort her?"
Shen Jianbin gave a bitter smile and nodded.
"You're right. She can go upstairs by herself."
Then he leaned back in his chair and sighed.
"Do you remember when we first formed the band? There was always this mysterious rich woman sponsoring us."
Lin Chudong frowned.
"The one who kept sending us drinks?"
"Yeah. A businesswoman. She chased me for three years, but I was too focused on my career to accept her. This time… I've decided to live off a rich woman."
Lin Chudong nodded.
"Good for you. I've met her before. Honestly, she's pretty attractive—just a few years older than you."
Shen Jianbin's love life had never gone smoothly.
He liked younger women, but younger women didn't like him.
He should've accepted that businesswoman long ago.
Shen Jianbin laughed helplessly.
"I didn't really have a choice. I've benefited from her help, so I owe her."
"She covered the band's debts this time."
"Wu Bo couldn't pay much. Most of it came from the company."
"Don't worry. The company doesn't owe a single cent now. I've already paid everyone's salaries for this month."
Then he handed over a contract.
"This is the company transfer agreement. One hundred and twenty thousand yuan. Everything belongs to you now."
Lin Chudong looked at the contract in surprise.
"You're giving me all of this that cheaply?"
Just the instruments alone were worth more than 120,000 yuan, not to mention the song copyrights.
Shen Jianbin smiled faintly.
"I'm about to enter the peak of my life anyway. I don't care about this little bit of money."
"When I think back on these years in the entertainment industry, the person I wronged the most was you."
"Honestly, these things should've belonged to you from the beginning."
"Twelve hundred thousand—the same amount I originally paid you. Now I'm selling the company back to you for that same price."
"After this, I'll officially retire from the entertainment industry."
After Shen Jianbin finished speaking, both of them fell silent.
Lin Chudong had expected this day to come eventually, but he hadn't expected it to come so soon.
And when it truly arrived, he didn't actually feel much joy.
Although Shen Jianbin was smiling with relief, he seemed to have aged considerably overnight.
Shen Jianbin said,
"These employees are yours now. Arrange them however you want."
"Sun Jie has been with me a long time, but he's honestly kind of an idiot."
"Still, his guitar skills are pretty decent. If you don't hate him too much, keep him around."
Even though Sun Jie was foolish and opportunistic, Shen Jianbin still cared about him somewhat.
Following Da Fei would definitely be better than going somewhere else.
Lin Chudong said nothing and simply signed the transfer agreement.
Shen Jianbin then said,
"I haven't played music in a long time. My hands are itching a bit. Want to go jam in the practice room?"
Lin Chudong nodded.
"Sure. Let's see if your skills have gotten rusty."
Soon after, Lin Chudong's singing voice echoed out from the practice room, leaving everyone in the office completely stunned.
Fei-ge was actually singing in their company again—and together with Shen Jianbin?
The scene was unbelievable.
Had they reconciled?
Everyone had witnessed how ugly things became when Da Fei was kicked out of the company.
The drama online had also been huge.
Now that Da Fei and Shen Jianbin seemed to have reconciled, did that mean the company was changing owners?
Inside the practice room, Shen Jianbin stood up and lit a cigarette.
Years of smoking and drinking had made his hands shake slightly, but his keyboard playing was still solid.
He exhaled smoke and said,
"I probably won't get another chance to stand on stage again."
Even though he wasn't a singer, he still had emotional attachment to the stage.
Every time he stood there and saw the audience cheering below, his blood would boil with excitement.
Lin Chudong said,
"How about a farewell performance?"
Shen Jianbin froze for a moment before nodding slowly.
"That sounds good."
"A proper ending to my entertainment career."
"I'll follow your arrangements from now on."
Lin Chudong nodded.
The grievances between him and Da Fei Band needed closure.
The fans deserved an explanation too.
He was about to hold a concert anyway, and having Shen Jianbin perform a farewell stage during the first concert would be perfect.
The publicity effect would surpass any advertisement.
Shen Jianbin stood up.
"Come on. Let's meet your new employees."
The two walked out of the practice room, and every employee in the company immediately looked toward them.
Shen Jianbin announced:
"Starting today, Da Fei Band will officially merge into Liangyin Media."
"From now on, Da Fei and President Liang are your bosses."
The entire office fell silent.
Everyone's expressions were complicated.
They had actually expected this day might come eventually—they just didn't think it would happen so suddenly.
During this period, everyone had seen how poorly the company was doing.
Wu Bo and Su Yulin had stayed in the company the whole time without many performances, and no performances meant no income.
But nobody expected the final straw to be Wu Bo's scandal.
The company had probably lost a fortune because of it.
Still, hearing that Da Fei had acquired the company secretly made many employees happy.
A lot of them had liked Da Fei from the beginning.
When he left, they'd felt dissatisfied, but they had no choice if they wanted to keep earning a living.
Now Da Fei was thriving, and Liangyin Media was booming.
Joining such a company naturally made them excited.
Shen Jianbin said,
"Da Fei, say a few words."
Lin Chudong looked around at the employees and said,
"Xiao Zhang from the composition team, Xiao Rui at the front desk, and Old Ma from logistics—you three come upstairs with me. You'll work upstairs from now on."
"The rest of you will stay here temporarily. There isn't enough room upstairs yet."
"You'll take instructions from Su Yulin for now. She'll arrange your work assignments."
Xiao Zhang, Xiao Rui, and Old Ma immediately revealed excited expressions.
Back when Da Fei was still here, he had always valued them highly.
Now that their old boss had returned, their***would definitely improve.
A new ruler brings new favorites.
Lin Chudong led the three toward the stairs, but just before going up, he suddenly turned back to look at Sun Jie.
Sun Jie stood stiffly by his workstation, nervously rubbing his hands against his clothes, his expression incredibly complicated.
"Fei-ge…"
Lin Chudong said,
"You come upstairs too."
-----------------------
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(End of Chapter)