Morning.
The Nebula Project concert was still dominating every entertainment headline.
"Three Rising Stars Shake the Industry."
"Who Is the Ghost Producer?"
"Mu Wanqing's Debut Performance Stuns Millions."
"Li Chen Rejects Interviews After Viral Concert."
Inside the Jinhai Entertainment building, however, the atmosphere was anything but celebratory.
Employees whispered whenever Li Chen walked past.
Some looked at him with admiration.
Others with sympathy.
A few simply avoided eye contact.
Rumors spread faster than facts.
"He turned down a promotion."
"I heard he argued with the board."
"They say he's leaving."
"No way..."
"After everything Jinhai gave him?"
Li Chen ignored every word.
Rumors didn't concern him.
Actions did.
Back at Studio Three.
The atmosphere was much lighter.
Yara was lying on the sofa, scrolling through social media.
She suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! These comments are killing me."
Yueyin looked up from her vocal practice.
"What now?"
Yara turned her phone around.
"Listen to this."
She cleared her throat dramatically.
"'Ghost Producer is secretly fifty years old with ten Grammy Awards.'"
Yueyin sighed.
"...People really believe anything."
Yara continued.
"'Li Chen is actually three producers pretending to be one person.'"
Even Xiaoyu laughed.
"I've seen that one."
Wanqing quietly looked up from the notebook she was reading.
"...That's impossible."
Yara smirked.
"See? Even Wanqing knows."
Li Chen walked into the room carrying several folders.
"What's impossible?"
"The internet."
Yara answered immediately.
Li Chen smiled.
"That's been true for years."
Everyone laughed.
For a brief moment...
everything felt normal.
Then Li Chen's phone vibrated.
A message.
Unknown sender.
There was no text.
Only an attachment.
A photograph.
Li Chen opened it.
His smile disappeared.
Xiaoyu noticed immediately.
"What happened?"
Li Chen silently handed her the phone.
Her expression changed instantly.
"...Where did this come from?"
The picture had been taken yesterday.
Outside Jinhai Entertainment.
It clearly showed Li Chen leaving the headquarters after the failed negotiations.
Someone had been watching.
Someone had been waiting.
Then another message appeared.
"Be careful who you trust."
Nothing else.
No signature.
No explanation.
Li Chen's eyes narrowed.
"This wasn't sent to threaten me."
Yueyin frowned.
"Then why?"
Li Chen looked at the photo again.
"It was sent to warn me."
Silence.
Meanwhile.
Golden Vision Media.
An assistant hurried into Zhou Kang's office.
"Sir."
"The article has been published."
Zhou Kang calmly accepted the tablet.
The headline immediately caught his attention.
"Is Li Chen Preparing to Leave Jinhai Entertainment?"
He smiled faintly.
"Good."
The assistant hesitated.
"...Should we release the second article?"
"Not yet."
Zhou Kang closed the tablet.
"I want uncertainty."
"People fear uncertainty more than bad news."
He stood and walked toward the window.
"The board at Jinhai is already nervous."
"If the media keeps asking questions..."
"They'll begin making mistakes."
Back at the studio.
Xiaoyu refreshed the entertainment news.
Every few minutes...
another article appeared.
"Conflict Inside Jinhai?"
"Did Li Chen Reject a Promotion?"
"Three Artists May Leave Together."
Yueyin frowned.
"They know too much."
Wanqing nodded slightly.
"Someone is feeding information to the press."
Li Chen remained silent.
He had reached the same conclusion.
The timing was too perfect.
The details too accurate.
This wasn't journalism.
It was orchestration.
Someone wanted to create pressure.
Not only on him—
But on Jinhai itself.
Yara put her phone down.
"So..."
"We've got a mole."
No one answered.
Because everyone knew she was right.
That afternoon.
Li Chen called an internal meeting.
Only five people were present.
Li Chen.
Xiaoyu.
Yueyin.
Yara.
Wanqing.
He placed several newspaper clippings on the table.
"They all tell the same story."
Xiaoyu looked closer.
"But they're written by different reporters."
"Exactly."
Li Chen pointed at several highlighted sentences.
"Same wording."
"Same anonymous source."
"Same timeline."
Wanqing immediately understood.
"One person."
Li Chen nodded.
"Or one organization."
Yara leaned forward.
"So what do we do?"
Li Chen smiled slightly.
"We stop reacting."
The room became quiet.
Yueyin tilted her head.
"What do you mean?"
"If someone wants information..."
"We give them information."
Everyone looked confused.
Li Chen continued.
"Just not the real information."
Yara's eyes lit up.
"Oh..."
A grin slowly spread across her face.
"I like where this is going."
Xiaoyu blinked.
"...You're going to feed them fake stories?"
Li Chen nodded.
"If someone is listening..."
"Let's see what they choose to report."
Wanqing closed her notebook.
"A trap."
Li Chen smiled.
"Exactly."
The next morning.
An employee at Jinhai accidentally overheard Xiaoyu speaking on the phone.
Her voice was loud enough to hear through the hallway.
"...No, no."
"Li Chen already decided."
"...Yes."
"We're signing with Eastern Star Entertainment next week."
She paused.
"...Don't tell anyone."
The call ended.
The employee looked around nervously.
Then quietly walked away.
Five minutes later—
he made a phone call.
That afternoon.
The rumor had already spread through the industry.
Inside Golden Vision Media.
An executive rushed into Zhou Kang's office.
"Sir!"
"We've confirmed it!"
Zhou Kang looked up calmly.
"What is it?"
"Li Chen is negotiating with Eastern Star Entertainment."
Silence.
The room became still.
Zhou Kang frowned for the first time in days.
"...Eastern Star?"
"They're moving faster than we expected."
The executive nodded.
"We should act immediately."
Zhou Kang slowly stood.
His eyes had become noticeably sharper.
"So..."
"They've chosen a side."
He picked up his jacket.
"Arrange a meeting."
The executive blinked.
"With Eastern Star?"
"Yes."
"If they want Li Chen..."
His smile slowly returned.
"...they'll have to compete with me."
Across the city.
Inside Studio Three.
Yara couldn't stop laughing.
"Hahaha!"
"He actually believed it!"
Xiaoyu finally relaxed.
"I can't believe that worked..."
Wanqing looked at Li Chen.
"You already knew someone would leak it."
Li Chen nodded.
"I was ninety percent sure."
"And now?"
Yueyin asked.
Li Chen looked at the news on his laptop.
A new headline had just appeared.
"Eastern Star Entertainment Poised to Sign Li Chen."
Li Chen closed the laptop.
"Now I'm one hundred percent sure."
The bait had been taken.
Which meant only one thing.
There really was someone inside Jinhai...
working for Zhou Kang.
And sooner or later—
that person would reveal themselves.
Far away.
In the shadows of an underground parking garage.
A man ended a phone call.
His employee badge reflected the dim light.
Across the badge were the words:
Jinhai Entertainment
He smiled to himself.
"They suspect a leak..."
"But they're looking in the wrong place."
He stepped into his car.
Started the engine.
And drove away.
Unaware...
that someone else had just photographed his license plate.
End of Chapter 32