This particular shareholder directed his sharp questioning towards Taeyeon and supported his thoughts with evidence and reasoning that triggered the other shareholders emotions.
"President Kim, Superstar Media simply exists because you dote on Tiffany. However, she is your wife and not ours. Please consider the interests of your shareholders."
Taeyeon did not say a word as he sat at the head of the table and glared at the speaking shareholder.
On his body, he wore a dull colored stripey vintage suit and carried with him an air of nobleness like a king.
"Who's interests has she threatened?" Taeyeon asked coldly. "All of you went home with bonuses this year. So, how could you tell me that Superstar Media has affected your interests? That is an insult to the money you are holding in your hands."
"Secondly, do you really think that Crown Empire would have less enemies if Tiffany wasn't around? Right now, the entire industry has their eyes on Superstar Media and is ready to jump on them at any moment. Because of this, Crown Empire has been able to relax and not use their PR in a long time. Yet, you're telling me that she's been creating enemies for us? She's stepped in front and shielded us from 80% of our potential enemies. Is there something wrong with your eyes?"
"Thirdly, we've just discussed our market research last week. Whether it's our reputation, influence, the scale of our business or our artists, Crown Empire has seen an improvement from previous years and has maintained our top position in the industry. So, Superstar Media's existence does not affect us, it is merely a subsidiary. In what way does it pose a threat?"
"Fourthly, if you don't control your brother-in-law, you're going to be kicked out of Crown Empire soon!!!"
After speaking, Taeyeon looked at the other shareholders, "I don't remember Crown Empire's shareholders ever being this easy to manipulate. Have you all lost your ability to judge as you grew older?"
"As for the issue with contracts, they are already in my hands. I'm just better than you at determining the right timing and making appropriate arrangements. So, Director Lin, I think the thing you should focus on now, is how to avoid being brainwashed by your brother-in-law..." Taeyeon said as he pointed to his head.
"As a decision maker, I think I know what I'm doing better than anyone. You can come look for me again when Crown Empire struggles to continue operating. From now on, don't waste my time with pointless meetings like this."
"Especially when personal grudges are involved!"
Taeyeon's words were ruthless, without an ounce of mercy..
He was truly angered. These people should be more far-sighted than the average person, otherwise, how could they be shareholders of Crown Empire? Yet, they were so easily manipulated. So, how could he not be angry?
"When President Kim allowed an artist to start their own company, it was already an exception. If he doesn't apply more control, won't other artists end up following fit?"
Taeyeon was already standing up when the shareholder added this. So, when he heard these words, he lifted his head and looked piercingly at the man.
Apparently, the meeting wasn't over.
"What do the rest of you think?" Taeyeon asked the other shareholders.
Of course, the other shareholders knew that, with Taeyeon around, nothing could possibly go wrong. If they offended him now and Crown Empire didn't encounter any problems, it was completely possible for him to give a portion of the shares to Tiffany and allow her into the board of directors.
Taeyeon obviously had his limits; he did not mix business with pleasure. So, there was no reason for them to seek trouble with Taeyeon.
After all, a good portion of the shareholders felt that the meeting was pointless from the start.
-"Crown Empire's operations have been in the hands of the Kim Family for many years without any problems. So, I choose to continue placing my trust in President Kim."
-"Me too. I don't think Superstar Media poses a threat towards Crown Empire."
-"I agree. I understand what President Kim has said and am aware that someone is complaining with personal grudges. I think it's best if this person doesn't interrupt everyone from their work."
-"I think Tiffany has done really well by standardizing some of the ugliness seen in the industry. Crown Empire has never done anything illegal, so what Tiffany's done is actually good for Crown Empire."
After hearing what the shareholders had to say, Taeyeon immediately stood up from his seat. However, before he left, he looked threateningly at the trouble-causing shareholder.
Seeing this, the shareholder immediately ran over to stand in Taeyeon's way, "President Kim, don't blame me for doing this, I was simply protecting the interests of the shareholders."
"I don't think you're very smart," Taeyeon replied. "By causing trouble for my wife, right in front of me, you are inadvertently digging my heart out!"
"You watch yourself..."
After speaking, Taeyeon left the meeting room and returned to his office.
Meanwhile, Sooyoung followed behind. His instincts told him that Taeyeon was truly angered.
"President, we need to resolve this matter as soon as possible. If the shareholders have bad intentions and decide to cause trouble, it's going to be annoying and hateful."
"You don't need to tell me that," Taeyeon replied calmly.
"What about the Madam...?"
"Keep your mouth shut," Taeyeon ordered.
...
Even though Taeyeon told Sooyoung not to reveal a thing, Tiffany still ended up hearing about the meeting. This was because President Fan ended up giving her a phone call.
"President Hwang, have you heard that Superstar Media is about to topple over?"
"I don't quite understand what you're talking about."
"Haha, I heard that Crown Empire has just held a board meeting and Superstar Media was their main topic of discussion."
"Did you think that Taeyeon wouldn't receive any complaints towards the exception he made for you to open your own business? The more famous Superstar Media becomes, the more doubt he will receive. Shouldn't you stop being so selfish?"
After hearing this, Tiffany's heart paused for a second, not knowing what to do.
But, there was no way that she'd allow the man to notice this.
"If President Fan stops acting so sneaky, I'm sure the world would be a much more peaceful place."
"Hmmph, let's see who topples over first."
After hanging up the phone, Tiffany immediately contacted Sooyoung. Of course, she already guessed that Taeyeon told Sooyoung not to say a thing, so she was straightforward with him.
"Sooyoung, President Fan told me that Crown Empire held a sudden board meeting, is that right?"
Sooyoung suddenly felt a sense of guilt...
Tiffany wasn't easy to fool...
"President Fan has already told me everything, there's no point lying to me."
"Madam, this is just a small matter. It has no affect on the President. Don't be provoked by that sneaky man," Sooyoung quickly comforted.
"So, you're saying that it's true," Tiffany's eyes darkened, "Someone actually tried to cause trouble for him?"
"Yes and it was quite an intense showdown," Sooyoung could no longer resist against Tiffany's worried tone, so he could only speak the truth, "But, the President has already got it under control, so you don't need to worry."
"Is he angry?" Tiffany asked.
"Of course. The shareholders were targeting you, after all."
After hearing Sooyoung's explanation, Tiffany understood that the shareholders complaints had no affect on Taeyeon, but she still felt guilty and heartbroken that it had to happen.
Sometimes when one advanced to quickly, they would be so far ahead that they forget to look back at the person behind them.
So, Crown Empire's board meeting was a huge wake-up call for Tiffany.
Taeyeon spoiled her, so he gave Wendy's contract back to her, but she couldn't allow Taeyeon to get into an argument because of his love for her.
The shareholder today did not succeed, but he could still continue to hassle other shareholders. The human heart was hard to control. So, she needed to understand her boundaries.
Hence, after returning home, Tiffany hid in the study room and contemplated quietly for two hours, until Taeyeon also returned.
"What's wrong? How come you're already sitting in the study room so early?"
Tiffany wrapped her arms around Taeyeon's waist. A moment later, she pulled out Wendy and Luo Sheng's contracts and placed them in front of him, "Since it's clearly written in the contract, we should strictly abide by it. President Kim, this is only fair."
After seeing the two contracts, Taeyeon finally understood what Tiffany was doing.
"Did Sooyoung tell you what happened?"
"No, it was President Fan that called to boast. He made me realize my bottom line," Tiffany replied honestly. But, as soon as she finished talking, Taeyeon unexpectedly pulled her into his arms.
"Those shareholders are just a bunch of clowns, don't take it to heart."
Tiffany sighed and leaned into Taeyeon's embrace, "I've thought about it carefully. When I hold high expectations for other people, I should be holding high expectations for myself as well. Only a mature approach like this is deserving of others' respect. So, I'm not retreating because I'm afraid, but because it upsets me to see you being put in a difficult position."
"I don't want you to worry about dealing with these people. It's not necessary."
"Moreover, it is the truth that Superstar Media can't protect its artists. Only Crown Empire can do that."
Tiffany had a high level of awareness and was extremely clear-headed. After all, she never formed Superstar Media for the sake of fame and fortune.
So, in the end, Taeyeon nodded his head, "There's no need for explanations between us."
Tiffany never felt that there was anything wrong with being protected by Taeyeon. Whether it was due to submission or respect, everything she did was out of her own willingness.
She was willing to sacrifice and give.
However, this compromise, in President Fan's eyes, made him assume that his brother-in-law's influence was an effective weapon.
When in fact, external threats like this, never actually posed a threat against her. Her only weakness was Taeyeon.
Only Taeyeon, no other.
...
The shareholders were all pleased with Tiffany's decision to hand over her two contracts and allow Luo Sheng and Wendy to join Crown Empire. It clearly showed that Tiffany was understanding and had no intention to rebel. So, the shareholders were initially quite impressed by Tiffany's approach. But, of course, 'someone' complained that she was putting on an act and was merely loosening the reins so she could tighten them again later.
Taeyeon did not say a word, but his gaze was deadly.
"If there was nothing wrong, why would she suddenly abide by the rules of the contract after we held a meeting?"
"Let's put that aside for now. I think you are the biggest issue we should be addressing today," Taeyeon's voice resounded across the room. "What exactly are you trying to do?"
"President Kim, let me be honest. My motive is to shut down Superstar Media."
This time, Taeyeon did not allow the man to continue talking as he turned and instructed Sooyoung, "Go fetch the Madam from Superstar Media."
"Right now?"
"Yes..." Taeyeon replied firmly. "Superstar Media is a proper company, so they should be present if we are talking about them."
"Otherwise, will I have to put up with criticism like this at every single board meeting?"
The shareholders all fell quiet.
Taeyeon scanned his eyes across the room and glared at Director Lin, "As the CEO and newly appointed chairman of Crown Empire, my authority has been continually challenged. So, it will all end today."
"Crown Empire is not welcome to those with ulterior motives."
"After Tiffany verifies everything that's going on at Superstar Media, the board can decide whether Superstar Media stays out goes."
After hearing this, Director Lin assumed that Taeyeon was surrendering, but he didn't expect that Taeyeon had more to say.
"At the same time, we will also discuss whether Director Lin should be kicked out of the board of directors."
Everyone was stunned as they glanced at Director Lin.
"President Kim, I am a shareholder. You have no right to do that."
"Would you like to go home and check your contract to see if I have the right or not? Huh?" Taeyeon closed the documents in his hands as he questioned Director Lin coldly. "I'm sure you all understand how I am. I never hold back against those that have crossed my bottom line. Especially those that have continuously triggered my competitive side. If I was you, I would shut up and behave."
Director Lin's expression changed, unable to say a word.
"President Kim, considering all the years we've been working together, I'll let this issue go."
"It's too late," Taeyeon replied. "As long as I am still the CEO of Crown Empire, my authority will not be challenged."
"Let's wait for Tiffany to arrive!" Taeyeon said before he leaned back in his chair.
Taeyeon couldn't be blamed for getting angry.
Taeyeon had already said what he needed to say about Superstar Media during their last meeting and Tiffany had already made a compromise. But, Director Lin saw it as an opportunity to test his limits further.
Director Lin broke out in a cold sweat. But, there was no turning back. Taeyeon's words already meant that he could not redeem himself.
But, he didn't believe that the shareholders would actually agree to kicking him out.
The following 40 minutes was spent in complete silence; not a single person dared to provoke Taeyeon while he was already angry.
Soon, Tiffany arrived outside the meeting room at Crown Empire. On the way there, she had already asked Sooyoung about the details of the current situation.
How dare Director Lin challenge Taeyeon again in front of everyone?
Did he really think that Taeyeon had softened after becoming a father and would be easy to bully?
"Madam, this way," Sooyoung said. Even though he knew the people in the room were ready to eat Tiffany up alive, he knew that Tiffany was not an ordinary person. Pressures like this were no problem for her.
Tiffany nodded, pushed open the meeting room door and stepped inside.
The shareholders all turned to look at Tiffany. They knew her appearance meant that a big battle was about to ensue, so they felt both excited and scared at the same time.
"Come here..." Taeyeon said as he turned to look at Tiffany.
Tiffany endured the pressures and walked over to Taeyeon's side. As she approached, Taeyeon stood up and gave her the seat at the head of the table.
"I asked you here today because Director Lin mentioned twice in our board meetings that he wants to shut down Superstar Media. I want to know what you think about that. After all, you created Superstar Media with your own two hands."
After hearing this, Tiffany stared firmly at Director Lin for about 10 seconds before she replied, "Before I give a response to your question, can I first explain how this issue came about?"
Taeyeon did not say a word, but the other shareholders nodded their heads.
After receiving approval, Tiffany began to explain, "I think the issue between Director Lin and I should be considered as a personal grudge."
"Our problems started when Director Lin's brother-in-law began to show interest in Superstar Media's artist, Luo Sheng. So, he tried to invite Luo Sheng to partake in his IP drama. But, as everyone knows, Director Lin's brother-in-law is involved with some ill-reputed television channels and is battling some copyright issues. So, Luo Sheng ended up rejecting the IP drama."
"Consequentially, I ended up offending President Fan. During one of our conversations, he even told me that his brother-in-law is a shareholder at Crown Empire and told me to be careful with my decisions. But, what's wrong is wrong. I'm not going to do something immoral just to avoid offending someone."
"I think this is the reason why Director Lin has been clinging to me. Someone must have been implanting ideas into head in bed."
"Hmmph, we are currently discussing whether Superstar Media should be shut down," Director Lin tried to change the subject, "Why are you bringing up personal grudges?"
"Because today's issue wouldn't have come about without personal grudges," Tiffany struck back. "Just because you don't like me, you're trying to suppress Superstar Media. But, what right do you have to do that?"
"Don't forget that everyone here approved to the forming of Superstar Media. Superstar Media has stuck to its boundaries and only done what it should. Why should you be making such a fuss? If it's not because of personal grudges, what other reason could you have?"
"Let me repeat myself: we are currently discussing whether Superstar Media should be shut down."
"If President Kim tells me that Superstar Media is no longer needed, I am more than happy to give up my identity as the CEO of Superstar Media..." Tiffany replied.
"I said it before, the shareholders will make the decision. If the majority agree that Superstar Media should be shut down, then we will follow fit. I always stick to my words," Taeyeon said. "But, after we solve the issue with Superstar Media, we will also discuss the matter with Director Lin."
Tiffany looked at Taeyeon nervously, but, Taeyeon wrapped his arm around her shoulder and gestured for her to not worry.
"But, President Kim. I am someone that's been at Crown Empire for a long time."
"Since you no longer respect my authority, it doesn't matter if you've been here for a long time. It's time to express your opinions: write down your two answers on a piece of paper and hand it over."
Seeing the seriousness on Taeyeon's face, the other shareholders understood that they had to come to a conclusion today.
"Director Lin, I don't mean to criticize you, but do you really think it's worth ruining your relationship with President Kim for the sake of your brother-in-law?"
"Exactly. Superstar Media's existence has no impact on us, so why must you cling to them and not let go?"
"President Kim already gave you a chance last time. You should have cherished it. Do you really want to leave the board of directors?"
Under everyone's persuasion, Director Lin began to feel moved.
Actually, he was already feeling regretful when Taeyeon started being serious. Unfortunately, he had already trodden too far.
Since he had already gotten to this point, there was no turning back.
At least Tiffany and Superstar Media were going down with him.
"Hurry and voice your opinions."
Soon, Sooyoung picked up the opinion box and the shareholders placed their slips of paper inside.
Then, it was time to reveal the results.
"We will first announce the results of Director Lin's fate in the board. This is something he has agreed to."
After hearing Taeyeon's instruction, Sooyoung nodded his head and began to reveal the results.
Director Lin didn't believe that the shareholders would actually disregard their years of friendship.
He obviously didn't understand that Taeyeon was hinting for everyone to stand together.
"President, I have the results here with me. Over half the votes are in favor of Director Lin's dismissal from the board of directors..."
After Director Lin heard this, his hands began to tremble. He never expected this result.
There were actually so many people waiting for him to be kicked out of the board.
But, it didn't matter. He was going to sit back and wait for Superstar Media to join him.
Unfortunately...
...when Sooyoung revealed the next results, Director Lin almost lost his mind.
"Votes in favor of Superstar Media's closure is only 30% of the total votes, so the proposal will not take effect."
"You cheated!" Director Lin cried. "Taeyeon, you planted a trap for me to fall into."
Taeyeon looked coldly at Director Lin, "Tiffany has acted according to the contracts. There was never any need for the board to cast a vote. I've already given you enough face..."
"For the sake of a woman, you've hurt the interests of the shareholders."
"I've told you before that hurting my wife in public is inadvertently the same as digging my heart out!!!" Taeyeon replied calmly. "From today onwards, you have been kicked out of the board. So, just focus on being a simple shareholder."
"This is all I will say today. Since you love your brother-in-law so much, I will specifically cause trouble for him from now on. I would like to see when President Fan will end up getting caught for all the illegal things he's been involved in. I can already calculate how many years he will need to spend in jail!"
"How dare you compete with me? (You're fate is yet to come...)"
Of course, Taeyeon did not say the second half of what he was thinking. But, Director Lin and President Fan really needed to tread lightly.
The other shareholders would never provoke Taeyeon's authority just because they had been in Crown Empire for a long time. All they cared about were profits and they were well aware that only Taeyeon could present them with the most profits. So, it was no big deal to lose one director.
In fact, most of the shareholders could tell that Director Lin was causing trouble because of personal reasons, without realizing that Taeyeon wouldn't fall for it.
Everyone knew that Taeyeon doted on his wife, yet Director Lin dreamed of winning against his love.
He deserved what happened to him!
"Today's meeting will end here. The meeting is dismissed."
After speaking, Taeyeon escorted Tiffany out of the meeting room.
He did not care about the hatred in Director Lin's eyes. After all, there were plenty of people that hated him. He would never sacrifice Tiffany's interests just because the opponent was hard to deal with. Taeyeon was the perfect example of how a man protected a woman. In fact, he would protect her for the rest of her life.
"Is it really OK for you to protect me like this?"
"When it comes to people that bully you and insult you, I will not show them an ounce of mercy," Taeyeon replied. "I don't think there is a reason to."
"What if another shareholder does the same thing?"
Taeyeon gently patted Tiffany on the head and transferred her strength through the warmth of his palms, "The matter has already passed, so there's no point talking about it. You simply need to remember that I will protect you no matter what. That's all you need to know."
Ever since marrying this guy, Tiffany had never doubted this point.
He even kicked a shareholder out of the board of directors this time...
"If you truly feel guilty, why don't you...repay me with your body tonight?"
As soon as Tiffany heard Taeyeon's cheeky comment, she couldn't help but laugh, "In future, if you come across an incident like this again, you can discuss it with me first. For you, I can endure anything, but I am also ready for battle at anytime. Don't let something like today happen again, it's not good for Crown Empire's stability, OK?"
Tiffany always took Taeyeon into consideration and was willing to compromise, no matter the situation. So, he couldn't let her worry about him.
"I'll do as you say."
...
However, Taeyeon may have kicked Director Lin out of Crown Empire, but it didn't mean that President Fan would give up. To be exact, he had found an excuse to act even more out of line. Especially since he felt that his brother-in-law's dismissal from the board of directors was directly Tiffany's fault.
So, he gathered his resources and decided to attack Luo Sheng as a way of getting revenge on Tiffany.
As a result, a large number of fake commenters began to appear online, criticizing Luo Sheng for snubbing 'The Pirate Doctor' and triggering a conflict between fans and the production. Especially fans of the novel.
Anyone that had ever been in the industry would know how complex these people were; they followed trends and were easy to manipulate.
By rejecting 'The Pirate Doctor', fans saw it as Luo Sheng denying the influence of the novel.
But, this was a famous piece of writing!
Furthermore, Luo Sheng was the first choice for male lead, so the actor that ended up getting the role was viewed as someone that simply took leftovers and this odd relationship naturally triggered a conflict between fans.
Luo Sheng was on his own, yet he had to tackle attacks and insults from all sides. This made Luo Sheng extremely helpless, even though it wasn't the first time he had been thrown into a situation like this.
Tiffany did not try to suppress this situation, she simply told Luo Sheng not to respond, "The problem with this book's copyright is already a confirmed issue . The crew of 'The Pirate Doctor' are simply ignoring it and testing the law, you don't need to be scared. Just do your own thing."
"I heard from Sunny that President Fan even implicated President Kim and caused them to hold a board meeting, is that right?" Luo Sheng asked Tiffany. He was in a difficult position, but the person he cared about the most was not himself. After all, he had heard that President Fan's family possessed some of Crown Empire's shares.
"Taeyeon and I will handle this matter, all you need to do is prepare yourself for joining Crown Empire."
As soon as he heard Tiffany mention Crown Empire, Luo Sheng opened his mouth to respond, but he quickly swallowed back his words. Because, deep down, he knew that going to Crown Empire was the best way he could help Tiffany.
"OK."
"After you join Crown Empire, your manager will help you fight for the best resources. You won't be required to negotiate on your own, like what you've been doing with me," Tiffany explained. "Trust me, Crown Empire is like heaven for an artist."
Luo Sheng nodded his head submissively. He had long treated Tiffany like an older sister, so he was more than willing to protect this family member.
But, he wasn't strong enough yet. He had to become a top grade artist to have the right to voice his opinion and protect the people that he wanted to protect.
"I will never forget that Superstar Media gave me a second chance at life."
Tiffany smiled and patted Luo Sheng on the head.
He was a loyal and righteous young man.
Of course, even though Luo Sheng was transferred to Crown Empire, Crown Empire still did not ask him to clarify anything to the public. They simply let the public continue with their complaints while they planned out a similar path to what Tiffany originally had in mind. After all, they were practically the same company.
"Luo Sheng, I know you miss Superstar Media and Tiffany. But, you simply need to keep the gratefulness in your heart," Luo Sheng's new manager told Luo Sheng. "The board meeting this time caused quite a stir and the shareholders criticized Tiffany for not following the conditions set out in her artists' contracts by transferring them to Crown Empire. Although President Kim controlled the situation in the end, Crown Empire is still an international company, so they need to follow the rules. Understand?"
"Yes, I understand," Luo Sheng nodded.
"Good. You're currently being slandered, so don't make a response. Take this opportunity to select a good script for yourself, instead."
Because of his manager's understanding, Luo Sheng let go of his worries and original thoughts.
"You mustn't know the status that Tiffany holds in Crown Empire. She is highly respected because she is brave enough to do things that others are too afraid to do and to offend those that others are too afraid to offend," the manager smiled.
Soon, the filming of 'The Pirate Doctor' was to begin. All those that had high hopes for the IP hoped that Luo Sheng would feel regret after seeing the results.
But, Luo Sheng did not provide any response.
The next time that Luo Sheng ran into President Fan was at a cocktail party. At first, Luo Sheng had no intention of giving him any attention, but President Fan ended up stopping him in his track.
"I gave you face, but you didn't take it. Now you know how it feels to be slandered."
Luo Sheng held onto a glass of wine as he glared coldly at President Fan. He was so tempted to roll his eyes at the man.
"You don't even have the courage to talk to me. What a f*cken animal! Your courage is as small as what you have downstairs."
After hearing this insult, Luo Sheng finally looked into President Fan's eyes. But, his manager suddenly approached and said, "Why are you talking to random people? Hurry over, Director Li has been asking about you."
These words carried a huge sense of disdain towards President Fan, making him extremely unhappy.
"Oh, look, Tiffany finally hired an assistant to warm your bed."
"Open your eyes, you fat pig! I am a manager from Crown Empire," the manager responded. "By the way, I heard that 'The Pirate Doctor' is about to start filming, but the original writer has already prepared evidence to sue you. I wish you the best of luck."
After speaking, the manager dragged Luo Sheng away.
Of course, President Fan was merely all talk and no action, because he had to acknowledge that Luo Sheng was already a part of Crown Empire...
As for 'The Pirate Doctor', it was famous, but it obviously wasn't written by one writer. It was likely that the author hired multiple writers to stitch together a story. Because of the huge profits, the writers felt their share of the money was too small and were already prepared to send the author to court...
Initially, news of this incident only spread over a small area and no one believed it. But, Superstar Media helped add evidence to the mix and the incident quickly exploded in the industry.
No one could accept that their beloved novel was created in this way.
Especially since it was so popular.
It was too much of a disappointment.
The author quickly tried to rectify the matter online, but the other writers already hired a lawyer and handed their evidence into the court. So, this evidence was quickly presented to the public. Afterwards, Crown Empire began their anti-slandering PR.
Crown Empire officially announced that they had taken over Luo Sheng's contract and began to explain the situation with 'The Pirate Doctor'.
They explained that Luo Sheng knew there were problems with the copyright from the start and that the author was so despicable that Luo Sheng rejected partaking in something that was so immoral.
He made that decision even though he knew that he'd be criticized online.
"We're not 'good enough' for a super IP drama like this. We simply want to do good solid work. There are a lot of temptations in this world with many ways to gain benefits, but, when one chooses to lie and use ruthless methods, they are bound to be exposed sooner or later and have the situation turn on them. We hope everyone can respect creativity and intellectual property rights. We also hope that 'The Pirate Doctor' can stop mentioning Luo Sheng. We refuse to let them use our name for sales."
As soon as this statement was released, everyone finally realized why Luo Sheng rejected such a great opportunity. It turned out, this IP had so many existing issues.
And Luo Sheng couldn't possibly ignore his conscience and partake in a production like this because he knew his bottom line.
_"Only now do I know that Superstar Media's artists all have strong morals."
_"That's right. Although he was slandered like crazy before, we can now see that he is actually a good actor with a strong bottom line. He is definitely praiseworthy."
_"He makes my heart ache. From now on, I'm going to watch all his dramas."
Soon, everyone's opinion of Luo Sheng made a 180-degree change for the better. After all, the truth made people feel bad for him. This was the reason why Tiffany and Crown Empire were in no rush to rectify things. If they had done it earlier, he wouldn't have received as much sympathy as he did now.
Not only did President Fan's plans get destroyed, he now faced a huge loss. Whenever he thought about the way that Tiffany tricked him, he was overcome with anger.
"What do I need to do to get rid of this b*tch? I am officially declaring war on her."
...
During this time, Luo Sheng and Wendy's careers began to get back on track, while Luo Yinghong gradually created a name for herself in the fashion industry. So, Tiffany finally returned her focus to the production of 'The Ant Queen'. By this time, Taeyeon and Coco Li's scenes were already nearing its end.
The pregnant Tiffany now had time to visit the set. After watching Taeyeon film a scene in a cave, she couldn't help but give Qiao Sen a thumbs up.
Qiao Sen was extremely excited with the outcome, especially since, at 7-years old, Coco just kept getting better. It was something that most young actors couldn't do.
"It's been a while. Let's have dinner together. It's about time we reward the staff for their hard work."
"OK," Qiao Sen nodded. "Tiffany, I'm becoming more excited by the day because my anticipation level just keeps increasing. I reckon the finished product is going to be a huge hit."
"I know that you are loving the results, but you can't continue working day and night like this," Tiffany reminded. Qiao Sen was working way too hard. Whenever filming finished, he also supervised the post-production because he felt like he needed to oversee it.
"Why are you nagging me like my daughter?"
Qiao Sen laughed before he returned his focus to filming the next scene.
Tiffany looked at the busy staff and also felt a sense of anticipation. There were many sci-fi films in the overseas market, but Korea had yet to produce one that truly belonged to them. So, she refused to believe that a big entertainment industry like theirs wouldn't be able to produce a proper one.
However, a phone call the next day put her into complete shock.
The phone call was from Qiao Sen's daughter. As soon as Tiffany picked up the phone, she was met with the woman's sobs, "Tiffany, my father suffered a sudden brain hemorrhage and passed away!"
Tiffany had just finished feeding breakfast to the two rascals. As soon as she heard these words, everything felt completely surreal, "How's that possible? I was just chatting to him yesterday."
"It's true...no one noticed last night, and by the time they discovered him this morning, his body had already turned hard," Qiao Sen's daughter cried. "I couldn't accept it, so I sent him to the hospital to make sure, but the doctor's confirmed that he had passed away at roughly 2am last night."
Tiffany was speechless. Only yesterday, this childish old man was smiling in front of her, yet one night had only passed and he was gone.
"Tiffany, can I see you?"
"Which hospital are you currently at? I'll come right away," Tiffany asked as she headed for the door. After receiving the hospital's address, she hopped into her car without notifying anyone and sped towards the hospital, almost running over a few people along the way.
Soon, she arrived at the hospital and saw the frozen corpse of Qiao Sen in the mortuary. Next to him stood his hysterically crying daughter.
"You...You're here."
Tiffany slowly approached Qiao Sen and his daughter. Eventually, only two words managed to leave her mouth, "I'm sorry..."
"No, it was my fault for not caring enough. I wasn't a good daughter. You did nothing wrong. You helped my father experience the happiest days of his life. I've never seen him that happy before."
"However, I feel sorry that 'The Ant Queen' couldn't be completed before he passed away..."
After speaking, Qiao Sen's daughter handed some manuscripts and planning notes to Tiffany, "These are some of the things he left behind. Tiffany, you need to complete 'The Ant Queen' to console my father's soul in heaven."
Tiffany received the huge stack of documents as tears rolled down her cheeks.
She never expected something like this to happen so suddenly. It was almost like an overexaggerated soap drama.
Worst of all, Qiao Sen anticipated 'The Ant Queen' so much, but all of that was gone now.
All Tiffany could remember were the last words he said to her: "Why are you nagging me like my daughter?"
Why did this old man leave so suddenly? Tiffany held back her tears as she pulled out her phone and gave Suho a phone call, "Suho, I have a problem that only you can help me with..."
"What's wrong?"
"Help me continue filming 'The Ant Queen'. Director Qiao Sen is gone..." Tiffany said her last few words between sobs, surprising Suho.
He had never seen Tiffany cry!
Never!