Chapter 93: Seeking One's Own Doom

Li Dong's abilities soon became evident to Li Qian and the others.

When the service staff entered the room to check out, Su Man and Li Qian were both taken aback.

"You're saying the room has been canceled?" Su Man asked through gritted teeth.

The service staff nodded and smiled, "Yes, ma'am."

This was a room booked by Yuanfang under the company's name, so canceling it didn't require Su Man's or Li Qian's consent.

Su Man was outraged. She hadn't expected Li Dong to be so petty. Such a person was truly shameless! Moreover, wasn't it supposed to be until eight in the evening to respond? What did canceling the room now mean?

In the end, Su Man had to pay a deposit in the lobby so they could continue staying.

---

Outside the Tianhu Grand Hotel, Hu Yong cautiously said, "Li Dong, isn't this a bit too much?"

Li Dong glanced at him but said nothing.

At this point, Li Qian and the others had played him, and he was not about to spend money accommodating them.

To be honest, even Li Dong himself had never been so extravagant to spend nearly two thousand yuan per night for a room.

Originally, he didn't want to bother with Hu Yong, but suddenly, he seemed to remember something and asked, "Do you know Li Qian?"

"Yes," Hu Yong answered casually, then realized something and quickly added, "I only got to know her during this reception; I hadn't met her before."

Li Dong snorted but said no more. After that, he didn't ask further questions.

When he returned to Longhua, Sun Tao had also heard the news and rushed back.

Seeing Li Dong, he asked, "How did it go?"

Li Dong shook his head, then thought for a moment and said, "Is it still possible to change the performer at this point?"

"As long as you're willing to spend money, it's certainly possible to change performers," Sun Tao said, then added, "But it's best not to, as finding someone with a bigger reputation in Pingchuan at the last minute is not easy."

Li Dong squinted. This was his concern as well.

The time was too short. While it might be easy to find an artist with a bigger reputation than Li Qian, finding one with a bigger reputation in Pingchuan was not.

Changing performers for a commercial event is possible, but if you're going to change, you should replace them with someone more impressive. If not, it's better not to hold the event.

After some contemplation, Li Dong finally said, "Here's the plan: Sun Ge, contact the performers. If you can find someone more suitable than Li Qian, that's best. If not, then cancel tomorrow's event."

Canceling the commercial event would harm Yuanfang's reputation, but with a few more discount promotions, people would soon forget about it.

"Should we still try negotiating with Li Qian?" Sun Tao asked.

Li Dong rubbed his temples and snorted, "I've given her a chance. If she doesn't come, then we'll just have to wait and see!"

For now, Li Dong couldn't do anything about Li Qian, but given time, it wouldn't be hard to deal with her.

If it weren't for the urgent timing, Li Dong wouldn't have even bothered asking. A small celebrity was nothing to be concerned about.

---

At 3 PM.

Hu Yong, with a conflicted expression, entered Li Dong's office.

Li Dong was on the phone. When he saw Hu Yong, he finished his conversation, hung up, and asked, "What's up?"

Hu Yong nodded, hesitantly said, "Su Man called me."

"What did she say? Confirmed she won't come?"

Li Dong spoke lightly. He had already made up his mind not to be angry over a small-time celebrity.

Not coming was better. It saved him a significant expense.

Hu Yong shook his head, then nervously said, "She said Li Qian could perform while ill, but…"

"Go ahead, how much does she want?"

Li Dong had anticipated this; it was all about money. He wanted to see how greedy they were.

"Su Man made two requests," Hu Yong glanced at Li Dong's expression and, seeing he wasn't angry, continued, "First, the performance fee needs to be increased by 50,000."

Li Dong laughed. With the increase, it would be around 150,000.

The appetite was indeed not small. In 2005, 150,000 might not have been enough to hire a top-tier star, but it was certainly sufficient for a second-tier one.

Li Dong didn't respond and asked, "What's the second request?"

Hu Yong wasn't sure what Li Dong was thinking. After some hesitation, he said, "The other request is to reduce the number of songs from five to three."

Li Dong was too lazy to say anything more and waved his hand, "You can leave now."

"Li Dong, what about Su Man?"

Li Dong gave him a cold look and said, "Tell her to get lost!"

Three songs for 150,000? Did they think he was a fool?

Hu Yong opened his mouth, wanting to say something more.

Li Dong, irritated, said, "Don't you understand my meaning?"

"But…"

"But what!"

Li Dong was becoming increasingly annoyed. Didn't Hu Yong know how to read the room?

When he had a good impression of someone, minor mistakes seemed trivial and showed diligence in their work.

But now that Li Dong's impression of him was negative, he found Hu Yong quite bothersome.

If it weren't for the fact that the marketing department couldn't find a suitable replacement at the moment, Li Dong would have considered firing him.

Hu Yong realized he had stirred up a hornet's nest and quickly said, "Su Man also mentioned that if Li Qian's throat is uncomfortable, the Jiangda competition might be postponed."

Li Dong laughed upon hearing this.

He was curious, "Are you sure Su Man and Li Qian don't have a grudge?"

Hu Yong looked confused, not understanding Li Dong's meaning.

Li Dong was amused and didn't explain. He simply waved his hand to dismiss Hu Yong.

As soon as Hu Yong left, Li Dong burst into laughter.

Originally, dealing with Li Qian was going to be a hassle, but it turned out they were eager to be dealt with.

Jiangda's singing competition being postponed?

How stupid could someone be to say that!

Sun Tao, who had heard Li Dong's laughter, walked in and asked, "What's up? Did Li Qian agree to come?"

Li Dong waved his hand and said with a smile, "No, but now I don't care. It's better if she doesn't come; after all, she won't last long."

Before Sun Tao could ask, Li Dong continued, "Su Man said that Li Qian might postpone the Jiangda competition."

Sun Tao quickly realized and looked skeptical, "Is that so? Su Man seemed quite shrewd when I met her."

"Hmph! Just a little shrewd. If she were truly smart, she wouldn't be scheming over small amounts of money." Li Dong was somewhat disdainful. According to him, Li Qian's current fame shouldn't have been something he hadn't heard of.

If Su Man were a smart agent, she would have steadily built Li Qian's reputation over the past two years. With Li Qian's name in Pingchuan, maintaining a second-tier status would be possible, even if not becoming a huge star.

Li Dong felt a bit sorry for Li Qian. If she didn't go to Jiangda, it would be her own fault.

Did they think Jiangda was an insignificant school?

What a joke, it was the twentieth anniversary of the School of Management!

Li Qian's absence would ruin the twentieth anniversary celebration of the School of Management, and those old folks at the college would be eager to skin her alive!

Over the years, many political and business elites had emerged from the School of Management. Just a hint of dissatisfaction would make Li Qian's life in Jiangbei extremely difficult.

And it wasn't just about that; more importantly, the school had a very good relationship with the Cultural Affairs Bureau.

A casual word from them, and Li Qian could forget about getting any commercial performances in Jiangbei.

Without approval from the Cultural Affairs Bureau, any concert or commercial performance would be illegal.

Even top domestic celebrities wouldn't dare to offend a university, especially a key university under the Ministry of Education. How could a small celebrity like Li Qian use Jiangda as leverage?

Li Dong was done talking. Since Li Qian wanted to seek her own doom, he'd just let her be.