CHAPTER 23: JENSEN STERLING’S PHONE CALL

The staff nearby still had the phone in hand, and the director was momentarily stunned, casually asking, "Which Teacher Sterling?"

How could the director not have realized? In the industry, there’s no one else who could be referred to as Teacher Sterling by everyone.

"Jensen Sterling, Teacher Sterling."

The director immediately came to his senses, quickly picking up the phone and bringing it to his ear, a hint of caution in his tone.

He’s just a small-time director of variety shows, yet he’s facing someone who’s considered a top figure in the industry, and such a person is calling him...?

"Hello, Teacher Sterling." His voice carried a sycophantic smile.

As he spoke, he tried hard to recall in his mind if there had been any collaboration with Jensen Sterling recently.

But searching through his mind, he couldn’t think of any collaboration with Jensen Sterling.

Jensen Sterling has always been in the entertainment industry, whether it’s TV or movies, as long as it’s a script he fancies, he will act in it. However, he almost never appears on variety shows, let alone his talent shows.

The two exchanged a few pleasantries, and Jensen Sterling holding the phone, said in a composed tone, "Director Lawson, today’s variety show premiere had a great response, truly worthy of being a pioneer in talent shows."

Director Lawson: "Not at all, it’s all because of the talented participants."

Director Lawson’s mind was quickly racing. If he had to say how this program relates to Jensen Sterling, it could only be due to the artists from their company, which is why he made a special call.

He thought about those his company had sent over, indeed some had exceptional abilities, like Lynn Joyner, but the company had already given a heads-up, or could it be someone else...

Mia Sutton’s name flashed through his mind, Cameron Grant is Jensen Sterling’s manager, so Mia Sutton...?

Could it be?

"Director Lawson’s variety shows have always been excellent, that’s why they’re so popular. I imagine this time will be no different, and nothing untoward will happen, right?"

His voice was calm, almost devoid of emotion, as if casually chatting with a friend.

But Director Lawson wouldn’t really believe Jensen Sterling called just to chat with him idly.

Searching in his mind, he was shocked—was it really about Mia Sutton?!

Recently, they had only used Mia Sutton as a talking point, to warm up the show; in essence, she was just a stepping stone.

Plus, her dance had indeed attracted notable viewership to the show—originally planning to use her and then discard her, but this seems not to be the case now.

And thinking of Mia Sutton’s face......

"Rest assured, Teacher Sterling, naturally nothing will go wrong."

"Didn’t expect Teacher Sterling to watch our show! May I ask which participant Teacher Sterling favors so I can give them more attention?" Director Lawson asked with a smile.

On the other end, Jensen Sterling responded calmly, "Yes, I’ve seen it, the participants are all great. There’s no need for special attention, just treat them as usual."

After saying this, Jensen Sterling moved the mouse to rewind the progress bar on the computer a bit.

Displayed prominently was Mia Sutton’s dance segment.

Jensen Sterling’s final words were acknowledging Director Lawson’s hard work and effort, before ending the call.

He didn’t say a single harsh word; the conversation was seamless and diplomatic, yet the message was conveyed clearly.

Everyone is a savvy player; in the industry, you have to learn to decipher the underlying meaning of others’ words. Not everyone speaks directly.

This phone call was clearly a warning, and Jensen Sterling’s stance was unequivocal; he wouldn’t play favorites or interfere with the outcome, but... they shouldn’t try anything sneaky either.

Ordinary promotion is fine, program effectiveness is also fine, but don’t distort things just to attract attention!