Chapter 50: 9. Because 6 Flipped Over

Chapter 50: Chapter 50: 9. Because 6 Flipped Over

Cameron Hughes flatly refused. He didn’t want anything more to do with Brandon Rhodes.

"It’s not safe for you to be alone," Brandon said.

"What’s so unsafe about..." Cameron paused mid-sentence, remembering that they had only met because Brandon’s gang had cornered him.

"You’re the unsafe one here," Cameron glared at Brandon in annoyance. Not wanting to waste another breath, he turned and walked away.

Brandon didn’t chase after him. He simply leaned against the wall with his head down, his expression unreadable. Cameron merely glanced back once, seeing the man hidden in the shadows as if he were about to be swallowed by the darkness.

"Let’s go. We’ll head home together."

A pair of long, pale hands entered Brandon’s line of sight, and a gentle male voice rang in his ears.

Brandon looked up. Cameron was smiling tenderly, forcing his way into Brandon’s life like a little sun—a light he wanted to chase with everything he had.

"Okay, let’s go home together."

***

"Brandon Rhodes, I meant you go to your house, and I go to mine! We’re just going the same way!" Cameron’s voice sounded a bit irritable.

"Okay," Brandon replied, his voice deep yet endlessly gentle.

***

[This is a check-in location. Does the host wish to check in?]

"Check in."

[DING! Check-in successful. You have obtained 100% equity in Radiant Entertainment Inc.]

An entertainment company? Radiant Entertainment?

Currently, Radiant Entertainment was considered one of the top three agencies in the industry. Its prospects for development were excellent, but that was assuming no internal issues existed. However, for an entertainment company, was that even possible? If handled well, the company would be a cash cow; if mishandled, it would be a massive liability.

Since she had just finished her classes, Rian Sinclair decided to take a trip to Radiant Entertainment to inspect the internal situation for herself.

Currently, her managing directors were Donovan Sinclair and Folin Sinclair. Donovan was busy handing over his regular duties while managing affairs at The Glacial Spire. Therefore, Rian decided to bring her assistant, Quentin Sinclair, along.

After a quick phone call, Quentin arrived at the villa.

During the car ride, Quentin gave his report.

"Radiant Entertainment has its own dedicated twenty-seven-story building located in the city center. It’s in a prime location.

"The company has a large staff. Excluding the thirty-seven D-list celebrities and the sixty-three newcomers, we have 369 signed artists. This includes sixteen top-tier A-listers, twenty-one regular A-listers, fifty-three B-listers, and the rest are C-list or below.

"Among the top-tier A-listers, there are Best Actors, Best Actresses, and reigning pop royalties.

"The company also boasts three top-tier directors and two gold-medal talent agents. For an entertainment agency, this is a very high-end roster."

Rian lowered her eyes to the data Quentin had handed her. She frowned slightly when she saw a few specific names on the list. She was rendered speechless. These were the exact same people she had previously seen serving big shots at the Moonlight Club.

Rian wasn’t completely ignorant about celebrities. During her past visits to Moonlight, she had spotted several A-listers. For the ones she didn’t recognize, Jasper Rivers’s entourage would always fill her in.

Having just taken over the company, Rian knew the former directors couldn’t have completely divested themselves yet. Investigating everything would take time, but she wanted to know the details immediately. She couldn’t guarantee the moral climate of the entire entertainment industry, but she absolutely had to ensure her own company’s culture was spotless. It could not be corrupted.

"System, can you send me the background profiles of every artist? The more detailed, the better. Highlight any illegal or criminal activities," Rian asked.

[No problem, host. It has been sent privately to your inbox. Please check.]

Rian didn’t say anything more. She carefully scrolled through the files the system had sent to her phone, while Quentin continued organizing the rest of Radiant Entertainment’s documents.

The more Rian read, the darker her expression became. It was infuriating. Drug abuse, soliciting prostitutes, tax evasion, under-the-table sexual transactions...

Damn it! It was the whole package! It was absolutely insane. A complete and utter trainwreck.

Rian fell silent. This mess was really something else. She forwarded the entire dossier to Quentin.

"Quentin, I’ve sent you the files," Rian said. "Read through them. Once we get to the company, don’t let a single one of them off the hook. Kick them all out. I don’t care if they jump ship or if we have to pay breach of contract fees. This company will not keep people like this."

Frowning, she tossed her phone aside. She hadn’t expected the internal affairs of this broken company to be such a disaster. She really needed to clean house.

Rian’s eyes were dark with anger. These people didn’t deserve to be artists. They didn’t deserve to stand on stage bathed in the starlight of celebrities. Flipping through the files, she had even seen an actor who had starred in anti-narcotics films, only to find out the motherfucker was a drug ringleader himself.

Her mind flashed to the highly respected anti-narcotics police officers who dedicated their lives to the public. They had to conceal their identities and stay away from their families just to fight drugs. If the public ever clearly saw the full face of an anti-narcotics officer, it meant they no longer had any direct blood relatives left in the world. If their files were permanently sealed, it meant they had no descendants left. Therefore, when it came to drug trafficking and drug abuse, Veridia had absolute zero tolerance.

Quentin quickly scrolled through the files, immediately understanding the reason for his boss’s anger. "Don’t worry, Miss. These people won’t set foot in the company ever again. I will arrange all the follow-up adjustments."

Rian nodded. "Tell me about the company’s current operational status."

Quentin pulled out his laptop. "Currently, the company is filming five movie and television projects. The reigning pop king is preparing for his new album. We have invested in three variety shows that are currently huge hits, and the animations produced by our animation team have also received great feedback recently.

"However, there is a bit of a shortage in our in-house variety show scripts. None of the shows produced directly by the company have been hits; the reception has been mediocre. We have many singers requesting songs recently, but while the quantity of available songs is high, the quality is poor. The talent agents have been complaining about this.

"Although many newcomers have joined the company recently, their quality isn’t as high as it used to be. Furthermore, the previous management had a habit of suppressing their own artists. If they were disobedient, they were denied resources and given the cold shoulder."

Sitting in the car, Rian focused on Quentin’s last sentence. "Shelved?"

Quentin nodded.

Rian couldn’t help but click her tongue. "Isn’t that just dragging them in to waste the prime of their youth? But I suppose it’s normal. Most companies don’t want disobedient artists."

This was an unwritten rule in the entertainment industry, but everyone followed it. It was also one of the industry’s dirty secrets.

"Check how many people in our company are in this situation."

Quentin tapped his fingers on his keyboard a few times. "Quite a few. Currently, there are forty-five artists who have no resources but are unable to terminate their contracts."

Rian picked up a piece of paper beside her seat. "Is it legal?"

Quentin shook his head.

"Tch, I knew it." Rian threw the paper aside and closed her eyes. "There’s no need to hide our visit to the company this time. I’m not going in for a low-profile inspection."

"Understood, Miss. I will make the calls now."

Rian nodded, saying nothing more. Low-profile inspections were for the unprepared. Now that she fully understood the state of the company, to hell with keeping a low profile.

She was going to forcibly bend the toxic culture of this entertainment company back into shape, piece by piece.

Prosperity, democracy, civility, harmony, freedom, equality, justice, the rule of law, patriotism, dedication, integrity, and friendliness. She would make sure every single person in the company memorized these values by heart.