Chapter 19: Blacklisted by Estée Lauder!

"Secretary Bai, show our guests out."

Seeing that Liu Yanbin had begun to dismiss them, Chen Arthur naturally did not want to remain and look like a fool. He pulled Wu Yufei away and left the Jiaxing building.

Downstairs, Chen Arthur stood in a daze, utterly shocked. Could the Jiaxing Chairman have gone to such great lengths just for a starlet like Yang Mi? Furthermore, it wasn't Liu Yanbin himself who had ordered Yang Mi's return; that meant there was someone even more powerful behind the scenes. The implications were massive. Chen Arthur could faintly sense that there was something unknown and hidden beneath the surface of this entire situation.

"Does Yang Mi have someone powerful backing her?" Chen Arthur muttered, his eyes narrowing.

Beside him, Wu Yufei looked dejected. "Honey, are we just going to let this go? Why her? Is a mere celebrity like Yang Mi really worth that much?" Upon learning that she had fallen into this predicament because of Yang Mi, Wu Yufei was devastated, her heart filled with intense hatred.

Chen Arthur said in a deep voice, "Enough. There is more to this than meets the eye, but we certainly aren't going to let it go." Having lost face so publicly today, he could not swallow this insult. "Stay steady. You still have a few major partnerships; hurry up and finalize them." He added coldly, "Don't worry about the online gossip; I'll handle that for you."

Wu Yufei nodded, her mood slightly easing. "Alright, I understand." She knew she was in a precarious position; if she didn't secure those deals soon, the opportunities might slip through her fingers entirely.

Just then, her phone rang. *Buzz, buzz, buzz.* The sound grated on her nerves. "Who is it? So annoying!" She looked at her screen to see it was the head of the Estée Lauder branch office.

"Hello, Director Chen?" Wu Yufei's tone shifted instantly.

On the other end, Chen Yu’s voice was stern. "Miss Wu, our partnership is canceled. Please come by to handle the paperwork."

Hearing this, Wu Yufei froze, her heart turning cold. She immediately asked in a panic, "Director Chen, we had already agreed on everything! How can you suddenly break the contract?"

Chen Yu let out a cold snort. "Break the contract? You're the one who broke the contract! Look at the negative impact you've caused. I'm glad we didn't have you sign as our spokesperson; otherwise, you wouldn't be able to pay the damages!"

Wu Yufei was stunned. Misfortunes never came singly; she had been kicked out by her company, and now her deal with a major brand had fallen through as well!

"Director... Director Chen, can you please give me another chance?" Wu Yufei pleaded, her voice choked with tears. "I can take half the endorsement fee... would that work?"

Chen Yu replied coldly, "Half? I’m in no mood to joke around with you right now!"

At that moment, Chen Arthur walked over, took the phone from Wu Yufei, and said, "Hello, Director Chen, this is Chen Arthur."

Chen Yu hesitated for a moment before speaking with visible impatience. "Chen Arthur? I don't know you." As the head of the Estée Lauder branch, he rarely paid attention to the entertainment industry, especially the male stars.

Chen Arthur felt a flash of embarrassment. He cleared his throat and said, "My father is Director Chen."

Chen Yu was silent for a moment before saying, "Oh, I see. The son of the great Director Chen. What can I do for you, Young Master Chen?"

Chen Arthur smiled faintly. "I think the partnership with Yufei can still be discussed. I will handle the online舆论 (public opinion) by this afternoon. By then, it will definitely not affect your company's sales."

On the other end of the line, Chen Yu frowned. It was clear that Chen Arthur was trying to back Wu Yufei. In ordinary circumstances, he might have considered the favor of the great director, but now? Not a chance. The Chairman, William, had given him a strict order: Wu Yufei must be dropped, and he had to personally go and apologize to Yang Mi later!

Chen Yu said firmly, "I'm sorry, Young Master Chen, but this isn't just about public opinion. Headquarters has already made the decision. I’m just an employee. If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up."

Chen Arthur pressed, "Director Chen, what do you mean? What do you mean it's not about public opinion? Is there some other reason?"

Chen Yu replied flatly, "The higher-ups have decided to replace Wu Yufei and have requested that we switch back to the original choice, Yang Mi. I was nearly fired just because of this incident! That's all, I'm busy."

With that, he hung up.

Wu Yufei, standing nearby, had heard the entire conversation clearly. "What? They want to replace me with Yang Mi?!" Her jaw almost hit the floor. She was completely bewildered. What on earth was happening? Why was Yang Mi suddenly getting everything?

Chen Arthur’s face was dark, his eyes cold. He was also puzzled. Why had the doors suddenly opened for Yang Mi? Jiaxing was suddenly acquired, the new chairman blocked Wu Yufei and brought back Yang Mi, and now the Estée Lauder deal was following the exact same pattern. Was this a coincidence, or did Yang Mi really have someone powerful backing her?

"Honey, what do we do now?" Wu Yufei cried. "Why does that bitch Yang Mi get all the benefits? What did I do wrong?"

Chen Arthur was in no mood to comfort her. He said coldly, "Enough, what good does crying do? Go to Estée Lauder; for my sake, they shouldn't charge you too much for the breach of contract." He wanted to go back and investigate exactly what connections Yang Mi had used. Or perhaps, he thought, he was just overthinking things.

Wu Yufei wiped her tears. "Okay, but you have to stand by me. As long as you help me get through this, I'll do anything!" She had already decided that as long as Chen Arthur helped her, she would satisfy his every whim.

Chen Arthur nodded. "I'll handle it. Come to my villa tonight." With that, he got into his Porsche 911 and drove off.

...

Meanwhile, at the Tomson Riviera residential complex, Yang Mi sat on the sofa, picking out clothes for Xuanbaoer on her phone. After Xuanbaoer had been sent to Li Qing’s, he didn't have many clothes to change into, so she thought she should buy some more and send them over. After all, she couldn't trust a man like Li Qing to handle something like buying clothes for a child.

"Sister Mi, oh my god, I have some incredible news!" He Baibai sat down next to her, holding her phone with excitement. "Look at this, Jiaxing Media has actually been acquired! The former chairman, Zeng Jia, has already been ousted!"

Yang Mi’s beautiful eyes widened in surprise. "What? Jiaxing was acquired?"

He Baibai couldn't stop smiling, her voice filled with thrill. "And there's something even more explosive: Wu Yufei’s reputation has completely collapsed! And she’s been fired from Jiaxing! Look at the news online!"

Yang Mi hadn't been paying attention to the internet and hadn't noticed what was happening. She took the phone and scrolled through the trending topics on Weibo. As she read, her eyes gradually widened. She said in disbelief, "How did all of this happen so suddenly? Jiaxing was doing just fine—how was it acquired? And why was Wu Yufei exposed all of a sudden?"