Chapter 310 - The Chronos Squad's Endorsement Of Shoe Brand (10)

"Hahaha... Manager Lan, you are the boss of this company. How come a newbie, much less just your endorser, dared to speak to you about how to handle employees?" the man spoke with a hint of provocation. 

Sofia halted her steps and closed her eyes before taking a deep breath.

'The audacity!' she mentally expressed before slowly opening her eyes. She observed the reaction of Manager Lan and realized that the lady was actually ignoring the man.

"No matter what, it's a small world after all. One day, our paths might cross again. Work hard and don't give us an opportunity to bite back at you for using such words that you've called us today. Much less just an endorser... We'll see," Sofia calmly spoke without looking in the direction of the man. She just stared at the carpeted floor for a while before looking straight ahead.

"Youngsters do not really know fear. Hehehe, Manager Lan, are you just going to let such a daring attitude slip? That's not like you, at all! Are you going to keep a brat to work for you?" the woman spoke again before manager Lan and Sofia could step out of the room. "If I were you, I'll discard them. There are still many teens out there that are willing to obey the rules and maintain respect with their seniors."

Discard them!

A loud silence followed. If it was in the game, then, such words had really caused the target of mockery to be petrified. Manager Lan also gasped an air and furrowed her eyebrows before finally facing the woman.

Hearing this, Sofia felt a sudden rage bubbling in her chest. Her team was bluntly described as an object of disposal! Now, the lady had successfully stirred a dangerous emotion in her heart. She suddenly felt like destroying this woman's career right that instant.

"Sof," Claire mumbled feeling the ominous shift of emotion in Sofia'a expression. Although Sofia appeared calm, there was something in her aura that made Claire worry. She quickly held her wrist to comfort her.

Even Stephen moved closer to Sofia and took gathered his courage to reached and gently wrapped his arm on her shoulder. 

"You can't just say that to teenagers!" Emerson blurted, completely breaking the silence around them. 

Sofia just gave the woman an icy look and whispered harshly, "You are the one who is daring... Brent is my friend. No matter how successful the Lee family is, they would never treat anyone like an object. The price of our meeting today, you will pay an expensive cost one day."

"Big words... Big words... I'm so scared! Hahaha," the woman laughed at them and deliberately looked at Sofia from head to foot. Then, she switched her attention to manager Lan. "I hope manager Lan can give consideration to my words. Keeping endorsers with this attitude will just cause trouble to your company!"

"Ehem! The young lady has actually a point, producer Weng," Manager Lan awkwardly gulped to remain neutral. Offending the Lee family was simply not an option in her company. She would surely incur a big loss! But, she did not also know why... her intuition also tells her that offending Sofia felt the same.

"It's true that we are friends with the young master of the Lee family," Claire sounded on the side, trying to give Sofia a backup. However, Sofia slightly shook her head to stop her.

"Prolonging this argument is very unproductive for my squad. Since producer Weng already kicked us out, it's pointless to discuss this matter," Sofia commented in a solemn tone.

"Hehe... Declaring that you know the Lee family so casually? Do you have proof? Hehehe... It's so easy to claim things like that. But, words with no proof is nothing," the man smugly laughed, completely ignoring Sofia's dismissal.

"Oh? Forget about proof... What you have done is very unprofessional. You've touched personal things that do not belong to you. You've treated us like we are so low and you are so high. I'm sorry, but it only takes one minute of conduct to build a lifetime of reputation. Even if you are that high now, with that attitude, you'll fall. We don't need to go to your 'high' level and continue this argument," Sofia asserted at the two before she continued to walk. Even though she did not own the equipment sets that they used, she was extremely offended when it was dragged to the corner of the room. And hearing the woman's suggestion to discard them made her extremely upset. Yet, she reminded herself that it's not the right time to settle scores with them.

The Chronos squad members also glared at them before they followed Sofia.

Emerson was also resentful of what happened. But, he remained silent and did not express any more complaints knowing that the Lee family was sponsoring the film.

~

Inside the office of Manager Lan, the lady did not know how to properly react towards Sofia too. She was suddenly overwhelmed with mixed emotions. She was breathing in and out and tried to calm down.

"I am very disappointed," the voice of Sofia suddenly sounded before the silence could take over the room. 

It was clear that her words were directed to manager Lan. Emerson also wanted to speak those words however, he was afraid that his career would be ruined.

"There are too many disappointments that a person will face in life. When you are young, you don't need to think of repercussions. But, Sofia, when you reached our age, you will also choose to yield," Manager Lan finally responded.

Sofia curved her lips into a smile. 

"Repercussions? Certain adults are sure confident of their abilities. But overestimating oneself or underestimating others will only lead to the path of destruction," Sofia mumbled and looked at the lady straight in the eye. "Ahh... While I am still young in your eyes, I might as well cultivate this courage and tell you directly how I feel, manager Lan. What they did was foul. I won't accept such treatment to me and my members. Not only to my squad but also to Emerson and to yourself... you should not let people cross your boundary of respect."

" As for me... I-I'm fine, Sofia. We have lots of photos in here. I think this will do," Emerson smiled bitterly.

"My point is, as far as my squad is concerned, reaching success does not require us to abandon our dignity and self-respect. Yet, manager Lan, your principles are completely different from ours," Sofia muttered.

"However you call it, you should also know that we cannot offend the Lee family, Sofia. They are the biggest supporter in our studio. They could destroy a business in just a snap of their fingers. Their connection is formidable," Manager Lan sighed.

"Perhaps, the reason why the Lee family had reached this reputation is that they always followed their principles too. No matter what it is, once you concede, it's automatically your loss," Sofia exhaled. "Since we are done, my squad will take a leave," she respectfully added and bowed her head to manager Lan and Emerson.

The Chronos squad maneuvered their way towards the exit. No one spoke a word until they reached outside.

"Sof, what if we call Brent?" Claire asked. The group strolled towards the sidewalk while Clark was calling his driver.

"Yes, they are asking for proof. We can call Brent and show them that we are friends!" Joey added.

"There is no need. He is busy preparing for his wedding tomorrow," Sofia stated.

"Oops!" Clark gave Sofia a sheepish look. "Uhmm, I've secretly taken a video in the studio set a while ago and sent it to Brent. Sof, I did not know that you won't contact Brent! I thought---" he paused and then sighed.

"You thought?" Sofia calmly followed and urged Clark to continue what he was about to say.

"I-- I thought you would tell Brent that they are unprofessional and withdraw their funds for the film," Clark finished.

"That's a good idea, bro! We should do that. Brent will never hesitate once he watched your video," Joey supported.

"Have you heard of the reason why they are filming?" Sofia suddenly asked them.

For a moment, the Chronos members tried to recall their interaction with producer Weng. However, it was not clear to them the reason for the film. They only shook their heads and said, "No."

"In the future, when there are arguments like that, you should pay close attention to details so that you can make an objective decision of the overall situation," Sofia smiled gently. Her companions were too focused on the argument and their emotions. They did not listen to the crucial details that were discussed!

"Producer Weng mentioned that the film is sponsored by the Lee family to promote our local culture. This kind of detail is very important. Because if the film is only for entertainment and her personal gain, I would definitely ask Brent to cancel his funds and cut off his support for the film. But, since the film is beneficial for the preservation of our culture, we should not hinder its production just because they treated us like that. When making big decisions, we must keep a clear and calm emotion."

"T-then... We can't teach them a lesson, Sof?" Joey asked. He actually felt that it would be justified if the Lee family stop supporting the film.

"No, not today. It's a waste of time. If they pay us to teach them a lesson, maybe, we can!" Sofia playfully replied. Her expression finally shifted back.

"Then, that's it? We just allow them to embarrass us like that?" Clark doubted too.

"There is this lesson for us here. It says, how others treat us is a reflection of their attitude. They can be mature or immature, partial or impartial, and such. On the other hand, how we react towards their treatment is a reflection of our character. It's always good to think before reacting. No matter how big this industry is, the road to success is narrow. One day, we will meet them. By that time, let's settle what's due," Sofia stated.

"The preservation of our local culture is significant. The youth will benefit from it and they will learn to appreciate our customs and traditions. So, we should not stop their film production. As for this them looking down our capability... hmmmn, don't think of that matter anymore.. Let's go back to intersection street," Sofia declared.