Changing Sides

Gong Xuyun gulped as Alisa approached him. Every step she took rang like a horrific earthquake to his ears. The other attendants also shivered in fear and hid in a corner, afraid that they would get implicated by the wrath of the new talent manager. 

When Alisa was in front of him, she leaned down a bit and slammed down one of her hand towards the drawer in front of the mirror. The wooden drawer creaked violently and small cracks started to from on it. Gong Xuyun paled in terror upon seeing it. If he was hit by Alisa's powerful slap, no doubt that he would probably lose several teeth. But still, he couldn't just cower in fear as he was a proud young master of the Gongs.

"D-Don't think you can scare me with violence. We're in a city protected by laws. Also, how dare you threaten me?! I'm the young master of the Gongs, who do you think you are—"

"How about this, then?" Alisa grinned darkly as she fetched out her phone from her trousers and showed a photo of her in a dress. "I'm sure you recognize who this person is, don't you?" 

Gong Xuyun was taken aback. Obviously, he wouldn't be able to forget that sweet girl with a gentle smile while handing out a jar of gummies to him that night. But why did Mr. Alex have her photo? Was she his girlfriend? The thought of it made his stomach churned. His love life was already stolen from him before he even got to know her. How sad. While he was about to sulk, Alisa leaned in even closer and whispered to his ears.

"Aren't you looking for her? I can arrange for her to meet you if you obediently follow me from now on." 

"Isn't she your girlfriend, Mr. Alex?"

"Huh? Are you blind? Look at my face and hers." 

Now that the supposedly 'man' in front of her said it, Gong Xuyun could see the similarities in their facial structures. Only the hair color and length differed in their characteristics. It was as if they were twins. His face lit up as he saw a hope between him and his charming fairy. Without even wasting a single second, he grabbed Alisa's hand quickly with excitement while he was begging her like a puppy to give his blessings.

"I will follow you from now on, brother Alex! Anyone who dares to goes against you will face the consequences."

Alisa's eyes twitched violently at his 180-degree turn of attitude. She thought he would offer a little bit of resistance, but he was very easy to give in. It looked like the rumors about him being simple-minded and an idiotic young master held some truth in it. Just a few days ago, he was like some wild animal that wouldn't listen to her summons. Now, he had become a totally obedient dog.

She quickly removed his grip from him and pushed his face away from her. Her smile was dripping with dread while her eyes were sparkling dangerously that it made him shiver inadvertently. "Your acting is so lousy and you rely too much on connections to elevate your status. I'll be whipping you to shape so hard that you'll regret transferring to my care." 

"E-Eh? Spare me...?"

"What's going on here?! What are you doing here?"

Soon enough, a panting Zane barged into the dressing room, looking a little haggard and dishevelled. He rushed as fast as he could after hearing about the scandal Gong Xuyun had created again. The previous breakup issue he had with a famous celebrity had already caused a huge stir in public, which was also one of the reasons they left Stardust Entertainment. Yet, this fool dared to create another trouble. What's worse was that the new talent manager Sylvia Jiang personally introduced was picking a fight with Gong Xuyun. If the matter blew up, he would face Sylvia's wrath for ruining the company's image and he would have to compensate the losses. 

He walked in large strides and stopped once he was in front of the two of them. He then pointed at the door and screamed, "Get out of here! This is not your place to be acting like a big shot here. And Gong Xuyun is my artist. You have no right to interfere with our matters."

Alisa sneered at him. "Oh, is that so? I thought this artist of yours want to sign a contract with me. It turns out he is lying."

Her menacing glare that was aimed at the said artist felt like a devil's stare. It was as if a cold bucket of water was splashed onto him. Therefore, he hastily waved his hands to rebuke Zane's claims angrily. "Who told you to be rude to my brother Alex?! Anyone who dares to defy him would be facing me. Believe me, I can ruin your career with just a lift of my finger."

Zane was taken aback by his sudden change of attitude. "B-Brother Alex...? Xuyun, I am your manager and you should be listening to me."

"Since when do you have to authority to order me? I am the young master of the Gongs and you are just a dog who follows me around."

"In any case I won't allow you transferring to him. I've been pouring all my efforts into grooming you to get you to where you are now. I have the right to object!" 

Gong Xuyun looked at him with disgust and displeasure. "You? Who do you think you are?! Don't forget that you have just been riding at my status all this time while we were in the Stardust Entertainment to gain profits while oppressing others with my name. You say that you have groomed me and made me rise in the entertainment industry? Get lost!" 

He gave him a hard kick that landed on his abdomen and sent Zane tumbling. He groaned from so much pain that the food he had eaten this morning rose up from his esophagus and threatened to burst out from his mouth. Zane cursed at him silently. He underestimated this fool of a young master. He thought he could keep manipulating him while keeping him in the dark. Never did he know that he was being investigated by this person whom he deemed as a brainless young man. If the others who had been oppressed by him for a long time learned that he already lost the protection of Gong Xuyun, no doubt that they would come after him for revenge. He already made lots of enemies that he won't get out of it unscathed.

His mind quickly functioned for ideas so he crawled towards Gong Xuyun's feet and begged. "P-Please, don't discard me, Xuyun. I'll be dead if I lose your support."

Gong Xuyun was irritated at him so he sent him another kick that flung him a few meters away. He couldn't allow this guy to keep clinging on him or he would lose the chance of meeting the fairy of his dreams. "I told you to get lost! Guards, throw this freak away."

The guards came in and dragged the wailing Zane away no matter how hard he protested and begged. Silence enveloped the room again. Gong Xuyun looked at Alisa cautiously and asked her, "Are you satisfied, brother Alex? Can I meet my beautiful goddess now?"

Alisa just hummed perfunctorily and turned to walk away. He then paused halfway for a second and said, "Whether you meet her or not depends on how you'd do on your acting. Let's see... how about you aim for best actor of the year? Maybe I'll let you meet her." 

Alisa left the dressing room together with the meek Priscilla who hadn't said a single word while they were there when she followed her. Gong Xuyun was left dumbfounded. Best actor of the year? It was such a high hurdle that he didn't know whether he would be able to achieve it. He knew his acting skills best and he was indeed lousy. His heart ached at the thought of not being able to meet his fairy goddess. Thus, he chased after her.

"W-Wait for me, brother Alex! I'll accept your challenge!" 

Some time later, Alisa was satisfied with convincing another artist to work with her. The contract was signed and Gong Xuyun was now officially one of her artists. However, the matter that blew up still gave her a headache, since the actress that was previously his lover had joined into the fray in dissing him. There were all sorts of negative comments being posted on his wall as well as the official page of their company. At this rate, they would lose ground before they could even rise up as one of the leading companies in the entertainment industry. 

She had to talk to Sylvia regarding this matter as it was out of her expertise. As she entered Sylvia's office, she noticed that something was wrong. Sylvia was nowhere to be seen. She searched everywhere such as the bathroom and the hidden wardrobe but there wasn't a single trace of her. A young woman entered the office while bringing a stack of documents to Sylvia's table. If she remembered correctly, she was Sylvia's personal secretary, Jane. He saw her and bowed respectfully. 

"Hello, Ms. Hayworth." It seemed that Sylvia already briefed her about Alisa's disguise.

"Do you know where Sylvia is?" Alisa inquired.

"I think I saw her going out of the company earlier. She was with a man and there was a hint of fluster in her face when she rushed out of the office." 

"I see..." 

Her guess was right. Sylvia won't normally be bothered by menial matters. If she really left the office in a hurried matter, then the situation was probably grave. Someone was causing trouble in the company. She had to help her friend.

"I'll get going now, Miss Hayworth." Jane bowed once again and left, leaving Alisa alone, who was deeply thinking about what to do. 

She thought it was about time to set up the secondary company and gather a bunch of skilled people to create a web of network information in order to not let their efforts go to waste. Now that there were people targeting her, she couldn't just sit by and do nothing. Alisa's eyes gleamed with a cold glint mixed with a hidden murderous aura as she looked at the window glass towards outside the bustling city.