Chapter 37: New Revelations

Andre was a remarkably wise old man, highly accomplished at the piano. With just one glance at the score, he had already dissected "Für Elise" almost completely. In their brief conversation, his understanding of the instrument came through as clear and penetrating as firelight. This naturally piqued Su Chen’s curiosity about his background. Yet all of this was merely a pleasant interlude; Su Chen wasn’t one to pry too deeply.

From the moment he took the stage, aside from teaching Abner a lesson, Su Chen had another reason—his own fingers were itching for the keys. In his previous life, he could be counted among the truly skilled, but in the two weeks since arriving here, he’d had almost no chance to display his talents. As for agreeing to let Andre and Abner perform "Für Elise" at free events, that was simply a matter of sentiment—a unique feeling, perhaps.

Holding in his hands the radiant culture of that other world, Su Chen naturally viewed things from a lofty perspective. Still, if he could spread the treasures of his previous life within reasonable limits, it was something to be pleased about. Besides, he had already registered all the songs he could think of for copyright, so there would be no disputes on that front.

Because of these events, Su Chen and Tang Jiayi didn’t linger long in the restaurant. Andre and Abner personally escorted them downstairs and watched them leave. Abner couldn’t hide his excitement.

“Teacher, we gained so much today!”

Andre allowed a faint smile. “Indeed, this piece deserves to be called a classic. It’s been years since I’ve come across something so exquisite.”

Abner hesitated, then softly asked, “Teacher, do you really think that piece was composed by Su Chen?”

Andre paused at the question, then replied slowly, “Yes, I believe it was. Although we didn’t speak for long, I can tell his mastery of the piano is on par with my own. It’s almost unimaginable, given how young he is. Even among us, few could create such a composition so easily. Perhaps this is what it means to be a genius.”

Hearing his mentor’s assessment of Su Chen, Abner was deeply surprised. In all these years, he had never seen Andre praise any young person so highly.

“Well, our trip to China can be considered a complete success. We can prepare to return home,” Andre said, relaxing into a smile. “I hope that in the not-too-distant future, we’ll meet him again—that brilliant young man.”

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In the capital, the 19th-floor conference room of Glorious Entertainment’s headquarters.

Jiang Yan and her agent, Zhou Hong, were attending an internal company meeting. The topic was to decide on a response strategy for the recent scandal.

A woman from the PR department presided over the meeting. “It’s been three days since the first video surfaced, and the buzz on Weilang has already died down a bit. The other side hasn’t released any new footage, so I believe it’s safe to assume they have nothing else.”

She analyzed the current situation as several people seated below frowned in thought.

“In that case,” she continued, “I think we can proceed with our response. According to the established plan, we should take a strong stance and deny all aspects of the rumor.”

A man in leadership frowned. “Isn’t it a bit early? Have we contacted Xuanzuan Vlog, the first to capture the footage? Could there be any loose ends on his end?”

The woman answered promptly, “There’s no need for concern. We’ve already reached out, and he admitted he only had those two videos. We’re confident he’s telling the truth. Also, according to our sources, Dynasty Entertainment hasn’t gotten anything from him either.”

The man considered for a moment, tapping his pen lightly on the table. “Very well, let’s proceed with the plan, then.”

Just as he finished speaking, a colleague exclaimed, “There’s a new exposé!”

Everyone was startled. The contents were quickly projected onto the conference room’s big screen.

It was another video, this time an interview with a taxi driver.

“Can you tell us in detail about the day you had Jiang Yan in your cab?”

“That’s right. I was picking up passengers near the Keiti Bar, and just as I was about to leave, a young man and woman got in.”

“A young man and woman?”

“Yes, the woman had clearly had too much to drink. That’s not uncommon around the bars, so I didn’t think much of it. After they got in, I glanced at them through the rearview mirror, worried they might mess up my seats. The woman was wearing sunglasses and a mask—she looked quite pretty. Later, I realized she must have been Jiang Yan.”

“You’re sure?”

“Absolutely!”

“What about the man?”

“He was very young, and quite handsome!”

“How old, roughly?”

“Around Jiang Yan’s age, definitely not over thirty!”

The entire video lasted about five minutes and essentially confirmed the authenticity of the first two videos. At the same time, rumors about Jiang Yan and an older man collapsed on their own. There was both good and bad in this development.

“This new exposé has thrown our plans off course! We were going to deny everything, but now that some of it has been confirmed, we can’t follow that strategy anymore. Let’s discuss what we do next.”

The unexpected new evidence disrupted the PR department’s rhythm. The original plan was scrapped, and the team felt the pressure mounting.

In the celebrity group chat:

[Jiang Jing: @Jiang Yan, someone’s released new material again. Things are getting complicated!]

[Ji Xiangyang: @Jiang Jing, what’s going on exactly?]

[Jiang Jing: If it was just the first two videos, we could find a reason to deny everything, which would be the easiest route.]

[Jiang Jing: But now, with more and more evidence, we can’t use that plan. Multiple pieces of evidence pointing to the same conclusion—no one would believe a denial.]

[Ji Xiangyang: Any ideas? You’re the experienced one!]

[Jiang Jing: You give me too much credit. All my scandals were staged, and the company had a complete protocol. This is a real crisis!]

Just then, Luo Zhe, who hadn’t been seen for a while, appeared.

[Luo Zhe: Maybe @Su Chen could come forward and clear things up? He is, after all, the main figure in this whole affair!]

[Jiang Jing: @Luo Zhe, please, just keep quiet!]

[Jiang Jing: Su Chen is at the center of this. If you let him speak up, you’re practically sending him to the gallows!]