Xingyao Entertainment hereby formally terminates the contract and demands that Lin Chen pay the following amounts within fifteen days of receiving this notice:
1. Company's initial investment costs (including but not limited to training fees, styling fees, publicity and promotion fees, team salaries, etc.), totaling RMB 12,800,000;
2. Losses to the company's expected profits due to the artist's breach of contract, totaling RMB 25,000,000;
3. Contractual penalty for breach of contract, RMB 50,000,000;
**Total: RMB 87,800,000 (¥87,800,000)**
Eighty-seven million eight hundred thousand!
The moment Lin Chen saw this number, he felt as if the air around him had been sucked away, the world spun around him, and he almost lost his balance. He leaned against the wall to barely keep from falling. This number was an unimaginable astronomical figure for him; even if he, his family, and everything he had were crushed into dust, it would still be far from enough.
"This…this is impossible!" His voice was hoarse, filled with disbelief and despair. "The investments…there simply weren't that many! And the public opinion is malicious…"
"Mr. Lin, the detailed breakdown is in the attachment." The lead lawyer interrupted him coldly, without any emotional fluctuation. "All investments are supported by contracts and receipts. As for the public opinion issue, the contract clearly stipulates that the artist has an obligation to maintain their own and the company's image. Losses caused by personal reasons are borne by the artist. If you have any objections to the amount, you can resolve this through legal channels. However, please note that if payment is not made within fifteen days, the company will immediately apply to the court for enforcement, freeze all assets under your name, and apply to have you listed as a dishonest debtor."
Frozen assets? Dishonest debtor?
That meant he wouldn't even be able to use a bank card, wouldn't be able to take high-speed trains or airplanes, and would even face strict restrictions on renting an apartment or finding a job in the future. He would become a completely helpless "debt dodger"!
After seeing the lawyer off, Lin Chen slumped onto the cold floor, the heavy document scattered beside him. He stared at the long string of zeros, feeling as if they were a giant, ever-shrinking net, tightening its grip until he was suffocated.
He understood. This was Lu Tianyu and Xingyao Entertainment's true killing move. Being sidelined only cost him his present, but this astronomical debt was meant to completely strip him of his future! They not only wanted to destroy his career, but also ensure he could never recover, stripping him even of the right to struggle!
Eighty-seven million! How could he possibly repay it? Even if he were willing to bow his head, willing to accept any conditions, Xingyao would never give him another chance to earn money. This was an unsolvable dead end.
The enormous debt was like a bottomless quagmire, and he was trapped within it, the silt already above his chest, still sinking deeper. The chilling despair was more thorough, more piercing, than when he was attacked online and sidelined.
He tried calling Mr. Wang, but the number was no longer in service. He tried to contact Amy, but the answer was always, "The user you dialed is busy." He was utterly discarded, like a used rag, and before being thrown away, his last bit of value was squeezed out—his "default" was used to fill holes in the company's accounts, or perhaps it was part of a money laundering scheme? He even maliciously speculated.
He was driven to desperation. Truly driven to desperation.