At 5:30 in the morning, a pale dawn was just breaking over the Tokyo sky.
Yuan Chuan You was jogging along the streets near his rented apartment, his breathing steady and his steps light.
To gain experience for [Long-Distance Runner], the young man had been making a habit of morning runs for the past few days. Sweat trickled down his neck, soaking the collar of his sweatshirt.
[Production Queue 1: Long-Distance Runner]
[EXP: 27/100]
[EXP: 28/100]
[EXP: 29/100]
A light white mist lingered in the winter morning air, the outlines of the houses along the street appearing and disappearing within it.
About two hours later, Yuan Chuan You stopped in front of his usual vending machine, inserted 300 yen, and bought a can of black coffee.
Just as he was enjoying the hot drink, the phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated.
"Hello."
"Yuan Chuan, something big has happened!"
His agent, Nakahara Kazuya's, voice was as shrill and urgent as a rooster being strangled.
"The production team for '49' just called me out of the blue. They said they're making emergency revisions to your upcoming scenes—they've cut all your screen time for the remaining three episodes!"
"..."
Yuan Chuan You took a sip of his coffee. For some reason, he suddenly felt like laughing.
Is this Johnny & Associates' idea of revenge? It feels like a childish tantrum.
"I understand."
"What do you mean, you understand? Is that your only reaction?! Do you have any idea how serious this is?!"
Nakahara Kazuya had just gotten back to his desk at that moment. Hearing Yuan Chuan You's calm reply, he was so angry he could have coughed up blood.
"Johnny & Associates' stance is crystal clear. They've put the word out to all their partner production teams not to hire you!"
"It's a direct declaration that you've been blacklisted by Johnny & Associates! What on earth happened yesterday? Why did it suddenly come to this?"
Yuan Chuan You wiped the sweat from his forehead and turned to walk back toward his rented apartment.
"Nakahara-san, please calm down. I'm going to take a shower first, then I'll head to the agency. Can we talk in person then?"
"You... Fine, just hurry up."
Nakahara Kazuya was at a loss with him and could only try his best to calm himself down.
"Okay."
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At ten in the morning, Yuan Chuan You arrived at the Hoshino Talent Agency, a backpack slung over his shoulder.
He skillfully navigated to his agent's office floor, only to find Nakahara Kazuya not at his desk but standing by the window with his phone, apparently on a call.
"Nakahara-san, I'm here."
"Shhh—"
His agent turned and gestured for him to be quiet, continuing to speak in a low voice to the person on the other end of the line.
"I'm already working on it. Yuan Chuan will be here any moment. We'll come to your office together shortly to discuss how to handle this."
"Yes, yes, of course. We absolutely won't let this affect the agency's overall plans."
"I understand!"
After hanging up, a weary-looking Nakahara Kazuya turned helplessly to the blond young man before him.
"So, tell me. What happened yesterday?"
So, Yuan Chuan You recounted the events of the previous evening to Nakahara Kazuya. When he finished, the man's expression became incredibly complicated.
After a long silence, the agent suddenly looked up into his eyes. "Yuan Chuan, tell me the truth. Have you already planned your next move?"
"You could say that. After all, I anticipated this might happen a long time ago." Yuan Chuan You smiled. "If you don't want to be controlled by others, you have to become strong yourself."
"What is your next move?"
"Aren't we about to go see President Kato? I'll tell you after we meet her."
"...Alright, let's go then."
The agent glanced at his client, a strange feeling suddenly welling up inside him.
Despite facing such a major career crisis, Yuan Chuan You didn't show the slightest sign of agitation.
His nonchalance wasn't forced; it was as if he truly didn't care about being 'blacklisted' by Johnny & Associates.
Could it be... does this guy have some other kind of backing?
Nakahara Kazuya couldn't figure it out and could only suppress his doubts for the time being.
-------------------------------------------------------
The president's office at the Hoshino Talent Agency.
Kato Arashi glanced at her ladies' watch for the third time. Her fingertips tapped an anxious rhythm on the solid wood desk, betraying her unease.
After a moment, a knock came from the door. She called out in a low voice.
"Come in."
The next moment, the office door was gently pushed open, and two people with distinctly different demeanors walked in.
The agent in front looked somewhat nervous, but the male artist behind him was perfectly calm, as if he weren't the one being 'blacklisted'.
"President, I've brought Yuan Chuan."
"Mm, Nakahara, you can go sit over there for a moment. I want to hear Yuan Chuan's thoughts first."
Kato Arashi had a swift and decisive personality and never liked to beat around the bush.
"Alright..."
Once his agent was seated on the sofa on the other side of the room, Yuan Chuan You finally met the eyes of the head of this talent agency, taking a moment to observe her appearance.
Kato Arashi was a woman in her thirties. She had shoulder-length bobbed hair, revealing a smooth forehead and a pair of delicate earrings. The corners of her eyes were slightly upturned, her gaze exceptionally sharp, and her every move exuded the intimidating aura of someone long-seasoned in the business world.
"Yuan Chuan-kun, let's get straight to the point. Do you understand the current situation?"
"I do. I've been blacklisted by Johnny & Associates."
"Hmm... To be honest, I don't know why you can remain so composed right now, but the problem you're facing is very serious."
Kato Arashi sized up the blond young man before her. "Johnny & Associates is, of course, not an opponent a company like ours can take on. Since they've put the word out, it means you might never get any work again."
"I hope you are mentally prepared for that."
"Heh, Johnny & Associates certainly has a lot of power in the entertainment industry, but they can't possibly control the entirety of Japan, can they?" Yuan Chuan You calmly retorted.
"Of course not."
The female president of Hoshino Talent Agency studied the young man's calm eyes. After a moment, she suddenly spoke with gravity.
"Truthfully, people in the company are already advising me to drop you. But I think I can give you a chance."
"Seeing you like this, perhaps you have some secret weapon up your sleeve. So let's lay our cards on the table. As long as your secret weapon can convince me, I will do everything in my power to protect you!"
At these words, not only did Nakahara Kazuya, sitting on the other side, flinch, but even Yuan Chuan You was a little surprised.
According to the young man's original prediction, the higher-ups at Hoshino Talent Agency would definitely choose to abandon him after learning of this. After all, it was just a mid-sized entertainment company, completely unqualified to go head-to-head with Johnny & Associates.
Seeing Yuan Chuan You's somewhat surprised expression, Kato Arashi smiled faintly, her mature, beautiful face revealing a hint of a female artist's charm.
"Yuan Chuan-kun, you are the first person from our company to be personally blacklisted by Johnny & Associates. I don't even need to investigate to guess that it's because you rejected their invitation. Am I right?"
"Yes."
"Then the matter is quite simple. Trying to blacklist you after a failed invitation actually proves your inherent value. So why would I be foolish enough to give up a cash cow that's already mine?"
Kato Arashi's words were blunt, but her attitude made Yuan Chuan You understand something in an instant.
This woman was, without a doubt, a gambler!
She wanted to see if he was worth betting on; otherwise, she would drop him immediately.
Hmph, that suits me just fine!
Yuan Chuan You thought for a moment, then immediately said.
"You're truly a person of great courage, completely different from what I imagined."
"Hahaha, it's not certain yet whether I'll protect you. To go against Johnny & Associates, I'll also need to convince the others in the company to commit."
Kato Arashi nodded slightly, steering the conversation back to the main point from earlier.[Gント_PBREAK]"I understand."
The young man nodded slowly, then pulled the half-finished manuscript of Love Letter from his bag. He slowly pushed the draft across the desk to Kato Arashi and said, word by word.
"This... is my secret weapon."
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