My Fiancé's Scandals Never End, So I Married His Uncle Instead-Chapter 158: One Wave After Another

No matter how shocked she was, Chloe Chambers kept her expression perfectly composed. She shook her head with a faint smile and joined Chairman Young in a conversation with Silas Norwood and Celia Sterling. Since they avoided the cameras and were some distance away, the online viewers and the other celebrity guests couldn’t hear what they were saying. But watching Chairman Young, who seemed to be an old acquaintance of this ordinary-looking male guest, act so deferential during their talk left everyone with looks of stunned disbelief.

However, this speculation was soon interrupted by the arrival of new supporting guests.

It was unclear if they had planned it in advance, but the head of Azure TV and the leaders of the four major entertainment giants, including Celestial Phoenix Entertainment, all arrived together, each clutching a thick stack of files.

The "backers" behind the three well-connected celebrity guests—senior executives from Leviathan Entertainment, Celestial Phoenix Entertainment, and Apex Entertainment—were now trailing respectfully behind their own chairmen, playing the part of subordinates. This made the three celebrities, who had been about to go over and curry favor, hesitate. After one of the executives gave them a subtle shake of the head, they prudently kept their distance.

What was supposed to be a friendly guest appearance seemed to have changed in nature with the unexpected arrival of these titans of industry.

Even Director Coleman was dumbfounded.

He knew the station head was coming, and he knew some vice-presidents from the three entertainment giants would be there, but he never expected the chairmen of these major players to show up as well.

This large, imposing group didn’t even bother to acknowledge Director Coleman’s greeting. The moment they arrived on set, they all marched in unison toward a specific corner.

There was no need to say who they were going to see.

Director Coleman made a split-second decision and ordered the camera crew, "Keep the cameras on the guests and let them improvise. Just remember one thing: the area where Mr. Norwood is located is off-limits to all cameras."

The host also instructed the staff, "Set up a temporary meeting corner over there."

The production crew was highly efficient. A few minutes later, a makeshift meeting corner had been set up. Silas Norwood sat at the head of the table, his expression impassive as he watched the uninvited guests.

Celia Sterling and Chloe Chambers had already wandered over to the buffet area. ’The world of men isn’t nearly as interesting as the world of fine food.’

Chloe Chambers glanced back from a distance. At a long conference table that could seat about a dozen people, a group of men—including her own Old Man Young—sat ramrod straight. All of them fixed their respectful gazes on Silas Norwood, who presided at the head. Though Silas was clearly the youngest one there and his cool, handsome features weren’t particularly severe, the oppressive aura of a man long accustomed to power had this flock of subordinates intimidated into looking like a brood of quivering quails.

"Miss Sterling, your Mr. Norwood is truly..." Chloe Chambers paused, searching for the right words, before sighing. "Incomparably brilliant, with such a commanding presence."

Celia Sterling glanced toward Silas as well. With her, he was either tender and dignified or passionately unrestrained; she hadn’t seen this aloof, noble side of him in a long time. "My Silas can be quite terrifying at times."

「At the conference table.」

Silas Norwood lowered his gaze, slowly turning the thumb ring on his finger. His voice was light. "Why is everyone here?"

They were here to lodge complaints, of course.

These entertainment moguls had all listened to the audio clip of the "loan" conversation between Silas Norwood and Declan Norwood. They had analyzed it together and concluded that Declan was erratic, had a terrible relationship with Silas, and—most awkwardly—was his love rival. After some discussion, they decided to ask Silas to intervene on their behalf.

Beginning with the head of Azure TV, followed by the chairmen of the four major entertainment giants, they each pulled out a thick stack of files. Full of grievance, they detailed the heap of chaotic decisions Declan Norwood had made in the last two days.

Then, the head of the station began humbly, "Chairman Norwood, we know you are an exceptionally busy man and that the entertainment industry is not a crucial part of the Norwood family’s portfolio. Ordinarily, we wouldn’t dare to bother you with this, but the Eldest Young Master has just taken over and has no experience. We implore you to step in and offer some guidance."

The chairman of Leviathan Entertainment nodded. "Chairman Norwood, the Norwood Group holds a controlling stake. In this industry, a single bad decision can turn a company into cannon fodder in this age of online traffic. The twelve development strategies the Eldest Young Master has proposed for Leviathan are completely irrational. Surely you don’t wish to see Leviathan’s stock plummet because of his capricious actions..."

The chairman of Celestial Phoenix Entertainment picked up where he left off. "The Eldest Young Master has put a hold on several S-rank contracts I recently submitted for our top-tier superstars. He won’t even answer my calls. He’s all the way in Solisia, so he might not understand the structure of our domestic entertainment scene, but several of these superstars are already considering going independent. If this continues, Celestial Phoenix will be left with only low-level artists and will likely face liquidation and bankruptcy within six months."

The chairman of Apex Entertainment coughed lightly. "Eldest Young Master Norwood hasn’t made things too difficult for me, but he’s dragging his feet on approving next month’s funding..."

They went on, one after another. Despite trying their best to control their emotions, it was clear they were all dejected and dispirited. They didn’t stop with Declan’s irrational behavior over the past two days; they went on to list dozens of frustrating incidents that had occurred since he took over the entertainment division.

Silas Norwood remained silent throughout.

His cool, dignified expression didn’t change in the slightest, making it impossible to guess his thoughts after that flurry of complaints.

Not until the third pot of tea was empty did he speak.

Everyone’s throats were dry, and they had run out of things to say. The files they had placed before Silas Norwood remained untouched, not a single page turned.

The chairman of Apex Entertainment wiped a film of sweat from his forehead. "Chairman Norwood, you..."

’At least give us a clear answer.’

Silas Norwood finally let out a cool hum. Without glancing at the complaint-filled files, he slowly pushed the delicate teacup aside with his long, well-defined fingers.

"My nephew is still young. His character is still developing, and he lacks refinement, but he is capable. There’s no need for any of you to be biased against him."

’What kind of response was that?!’

They all exchanged glances, stunned. They never expected that despite being love rivals, Silas would still be so protective of his junior.

’So, in the end, they’re the real family. We complained until our mouths were dry, and for what? To make fools of ourselves?’

Ignoring their frustration, Silas continued in that same light tone, "It’s normal to run into problems when you’ve just taken over. In a few years, he’ll handle things with ease. You’ve all raised a great many points, but not every single one is unreasonable. I will have the Norwood Group’s Chief Marketing Officer liaise with Declan to jointly formulate a more refined set of strategic decisions."

’A classic case of the carrot and the stick.’

Still, everyone finally breathed a collective sigh of relief. There was still room for renegotiation, which meant their trip today hadn’t been in vain. Besides, the Norwood Group’s chief marketing teams were globally renowned for their professionalism and experience. With their involvement, at least half of the Eldest Young Master’s haphazard decisions could be overturned.

Their moods lightened considerably, and they took the initiative to make small talk while drinking tea with Silas.

Silas glanced over at Celia. Seeing his wife enjoying her food at the buffet, he decided not to disturb her. He continued to engage in half-hearted conversation with the men until a convoy of vehicles began to approach in the distance.

’Wait, are more people coming?’

Everyone, including Director Coleman and the host, turned to look down the road. In their minds, the arrival of the entertainment magnates had already been a huge surprise. The only other person they were expecting was the head of the Sterling Conglomerate, Kian Sterling.

But... one, two, three... five luxury minivans? And more than a dozen luxury sedans following behind them?

’This procession... something’s not right.’

The vice president of Leviathan Entertainment let out a sound of surprise as he stared at the lead minivan. "Isn’t that the car belonging to our very own The Orchid Pavilion?"

The Orchid Pavilion. Hailed as the number one superstar in the domestic entertainment industry, he boasted 120 million fans, had won three Golden Melody Awards and four Best Actor awards, and held endorsement deals with a slew of ultra-luxury brands. With his divine good looks, he was no longer just a top traffic-driving celebrity but also a shareholder in Leviathan Entertainment. He was notoriously arrogant—so much so that even Leviathan’s own chairman couldn’t always get him to show up.

So why on earth was he here today?