OBS Chapter 89 Selfish Motives
Chapter 89 Selfish Motives
After Jiang Yan finished speaking, he didn't say anything more, and neither did Sunny.
Jiang Yan knew what Sunny was waiting for—not for him to add more chips, nor for him to pull out another, more detailed data report.
She was waiting for him to slip up, waiting for him to say a single wrong word, waiting to see if he would reveal even the slightest insincerity in this seemingly frank statement.
Sunny tilted her head and stared at him for a while, then suddenly chuckled.
"You're quite an interesting person. Do you know which sentence of yours touched me the most just now?"
Jiang Yan shook his head slightly.
"You said that if someone has to take the blame this time, you'd be the first." Sunny gave a meaningful smile. "Did Yoona ever tell you what SM Entertainment is best at?"
Jiang Yan was taken aback and subconsciously glanced towards the kitchen.
Just then, Yoona came out of the kitchen with a bottle of wine. "Unnie, you need to restock the drinks in the fridge, we're out."
Sunny's gaze lingered on her face for a moment before returning to Jiang Yan.
She suddenly understood everything.
Yoona didn't tell him.
This kid just said so confidently, "I'll be the first one to take the blame," and he said it so earnestly and frankly.
He thought he was promising something impossible, but he had no idea what such a promise meant in SM Entertainment.
It wasn't a resignation, an apology, or a suspension for self-reflection.
You were directly blacklisted by SM Entertainment; your songs will never appear on the credits of any SM album again; it's as if you never existed.
No matter how talented you are, it's useless. SM Entertainment is never short of geniuses. In their eyes, no matter how good your song is, without SM's management, it's just a piece of waste paper.
Think about when HOT disbanded, the company erased all traces of them overnight, even the rebroadcast footage on TV was cut out.
After Moon Hee-joon went solo, he was smeared as a traitor by the entire internet, turning him from a national idol into a laughing stock that everyone wanted to beat.
When Shinhwa collectively switched companies, the company secretly registered Shinhwa's trademark, preventing them from openly using their names for twelve years. In the end, the six members emptied all their savings to redeem the name from the court.
The situation was even more dire when JYJ left. During the ten years they were banned, they could barely even stand on the ground in South Korea.
The lights on the music show stages are always on for them, but the cameras never focus on them. When their names are called at award ceremonies, they are not invited, and the trophies can only be accepted by staff members on their behalf.
These bloody precedents are known to everyone who has been in the SM industry for a long time.
The company always operates on the same principle: first, smile and agree to all your conditions to stabilize the current situation.
Once the storm has passed and the crisis is over, we'll settle accounts with you slowly and methodically, one by one.
So they will definitely win this negotiation, not because they are right, nor because they have leverage, but because SM Entertainment really can't afford to lose right now.
EXO's repeated departures have severely damaged the company's vitality, Red Velvet hasn't even reached the top yet, and as for NCT, who are about to debut, they are another money-burning giant.
The company's stock price started to fall in the second half of last year. Although it managed to recover some losses in the first quarter thanks to the Japanese market, the financial statements showed a shockingly large deficit.
For the company right now, the priority is to retain Girls' Generation, since their contract expires next year.
There are already countless eyes in the industry watching, and if there is even the slightest hint that Girls' Generation doesn't want to renew their contract, SM's stock price will plummet.
This is what they truly care about.
So the company will agree, and they will agree very readily.
But once they catch their breath, once EXO stabilizes, once Red Velvet wins the Grand Prize, and once their financial statements look good again, the reckoning will come.
Lin Yoona laid all her chips in front of Jiang Yan, but she didn't tell him what the outcome would be if he took the blame.
Was she afraid to say it, or was she simply using this kid?
Sunny looked away, reached out and picked up the bag of shrimp chips from the coffee table, then crunched on two more.
"Jiang Yan".
"Nirvana."
I promise you.
Jiang Yan was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect the turn of events to come so quickly. He was being interrogated just a moment ago, and now he suddenly agreed.
He instinctively wanted to say something, but Sunny raised her hand to stop him.
"Don't thank me yet. I didn't agree because of what you said. It's because of Yoona."
Her gaze passed over Jiang Yan's shoulder and landed on Lin Yoona, a faint smile appearing on her lips: "I've been in this industry for so many years and have seen too many people. Some are after money, some after fame, some after climbing the ladder, and some after self-preservation. But Yoona is different. She really wants to protect this family."
She turned back to look at Jiang Yan: "Since she's willing to bet everything on you, I'm willing to take the gamble too, but on one condition."
"Nurhaci, please speak."
"You have to keep your word. If one day someone has to take responsibility for this, you have to be able to handle it."
Jiang Yan's eyes flickered slightly, and he nodded: "Yes, Nuna, I said it, I admit it."
"Then it's settled."
"It's a deal."
"Okay, you can go back now." Sunny nestled back into the sofa, picked up the remote and changed the channel, as if their heart-to-heart conversation had never happened. "Yoona, stay a moment, I have something to tell you."
Jiang Yan turned to look at Lin Yun'er, who nodded to him, indicating that he should go first.
Jiang Yan bowed slightly to the two of them, changed his shoes, pushed open the door and left. The door clicked shut softly.
In the corridor, Jiang Yan leaned against the wall and closed his eyes for a while.
Lin Xiaolu floated to his side, hesitated, and said, "You should have realized it by now, right?"
Jiang Yan opened his eyes, glanced at her expressionlessly, then turned around and pressed the elevator button.
Seeing his posture, Lin Xiaolu followed him anxiously.
Meanwhile, inside the room,
Lim Yoona placed the soju on the coffee table and sat down next to Sunny.
She leaned back on the sofa with composure, but Sunny, who had known her for so many years, could tell at a glance how much anxiety was hidden beneath that composure.
Sunny didn't beat around the bush. She picked up the bottle of soju, unscrewed the cap, poured herself a small glass, and looked at the liquid in the glass, saying softly, "You did this on purpose, didn't you?"
"What does 'unnie' mean?"
"Don't play dumb with me."
Sunny put the cup on the table, turned to look at Yoona, and said, "You didn't tell him about settling scores later."
Yoona's eyelashes trembled slightly, then she lowered her eyes, and the composed smile on her lips faded a little.
"No, I didn't tell him."
Why?
Yoona didn't answer immediately, but instead reached out and took the glass of wine that Sunny had given her before the New Year, and took a small sip.
"Although he said he would do anything for Sherry, I'm not sure how he will react when he knows the consequences."
Sunny looked at her for a long, long time, and finally sighed softly.
She picked up the bottle and poured herself another glass. "Yoona, have you ever thought that if he really takes the blame, you'll never be able to pay him back in this lifetime?"