Entering the Chinese entertainment industry is like entering a deep sea

Chapter 853 Yellow Hair Becomes a God
For most people, this autumn of 2018 was probably just another ordinary change of season.

But for the film and television industry at the pinnacle, this unprecedented thunderclap sent shockwaves crashing the entire industry down from its glamorous heights, freezing it instantly.

Social media was in an uproar, with public anger erupting like a volcano, but the industry itself fell into a deathly silence.

The various WeChat groups, which used to be filled with information about resource sharing, mutual flattery, and joking around, are now eerily quiet. No one dares to discuss anything openly, and no one even dares to easily like or forward any related news.

A silent fear, like thick ink, quickly spread in the shadows.

Among the artists in Rong Chen's group, newcomers like Sister Meng, Sister Zhao, and Xiao Tian seem to have been unaffected. Driven by gossip, people are even more curious about whether any of the artists who left Rong Chen's group were involved.

Liu Xuan, the tycoon in "The Mermaid," was also once a member of the Rongchen Group.

Sitting in his study in his villa in the capital, he felt a chill run through his body, with the Empress beside him feeling the same chill from head to toe.

Liu Xuan had just made a phone call to Yang Siwei.

On the other end of the phone, Yang Siwei's usually calm voice carried an undisguised weariness: "The situation is much worse than we imagined. This is not the end, but rather the beginning."

The empress's fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her silk pajamas. She had overheard Yang Siwei's words clearly while leaning close to the phone.

Both she and her husband are top-tier actresses, and she is a highly sought-after leading lady with a constant stream of acting offers and endorsements. She also owns two personal studios and a cultural media company in which she holds shares.

With complex sources of income and diverse contract forms, making money legally is an unspoken rule within the industry.

At this moment, these business empires that the Empress and Liu Xuan were once proud of have become minefields.

Yang Siwei recalled Fan Xiaopang's kneeling that day and the boss's words: "It's your own fault for not being a monkey!"

"I heard that an official document will be issued soon, requiring 'self-examination and self-correction'."

"Heared? Self-examination and self-correction?" Liu Xuan caught these two words.

I heard someone say that if it's a big boss, then it's definitely the right direction without a doubt.

However, Yang Siwei did not reveal who told her this.

"Yes, this is both an opportunity and an ultimatum. Taking the initiative might get you some leniency."

"If you take chances, then the nature of the situation changes completely, and you become the second her."

Yang Siwei lowered his voice even further.

“I’ve received several calls from people in similar situations to you. They’re all asking the same questions. My advice is, don’t wait, take action.”

Liu Xuan's facial muscles twitched; without asking, he knew who would call Yang Siwei.

The Rongchen family's elders are not just this couple.

After hanging up the phone, the Empress collapsed onto Liu Xuan, her mind a complete mess.

Liu Xuan was just as flustered, and suddenly remembered the Rongchen Group's self-investigation when this trend first started two years ago.

The big boss once said, "If anyone gets into trouble in this area, don't come to him for help."

The Empress sighed: "In our line of work, who doesn't have some dirty laundry to cover? It's just a matter of whether they investigate or not. What do we do now?"

Liu Xuan made a quick decision: "Although what Siwei just said was vague, I'm sure the big boss must have spoken to her about it."

"What else can we do but pay to avoid further trouble! Do you want to end up like her?"

Yang Siwei's prediction soon came true.

First, all sorts of rumors started circulating wildly in extremely private WeChat groups.

A stone stirred up a thousand waves.

In the eyes of those in the industry, the phrase "self-examination and self-correction" is equivalent to "leniency for those who confess and severity for those who resist."

Panic spread exponentially.

Liu Xuan and his wife, the grief-stricken couple, Wu Xie and his wife, and others immediately took action.

He turned down almost all unnecessary public events, claiming to be adjusting his state and focusing on studying the script, but in reality, he consulted with Yang Siwei and the lawyer he urgently hired every day.

Although Li Chen's attitude of not seeing anyone at this time was ruthless, it also saved him a lot of trouble.

Li Chen can do that, but Liu Yifei can't. Xie Nan came to their door.

“We’re best friends, I can lend you money, but let’s not talk about current events. I’ve already been severely reprimanded by my boss, Mr. Li.” Xie Nan understood immediately and changed the subject: “Really? Director Li dares to reprimand you?”

At the same time, Wu Qian's agent called anxiously: "Fanfan, several endorsements and projects that have been agreed upon have been suspended! Brands and platforms are all watching and waiting, afraid of being implicated! The entire industry has come to a standstill!"

The agent was right; the industry has truly come to a standstill.

Hengdian became deserted, many filming opening ceremonies were postponed indefinitely, and the actors had more free time than ever before. But no one enjoyed this leisure; everyone was frantically and anxiously dealing with the same thing behind the scenes: cleaning up messes.

As the saying goes, husbands and wives are birds of the same forest, and when disaster strikes, they fly separately.

'We are no longer ourselves, yet we are still ourselves!'

Compared to Fan Xiaopang, Shi Tou was lucky; the 5000 million yuan wasn't a serious financial blow.

The key is to quickly distance ourselves from the situation.

Unless he is willing to retire from the entertainment industry and disappear from the public eye with 'us', becoming a devoted couple.

"I'm sorry, Bingbing."

"No need to apologize, I understand. Everyone looks out for themselves, right? I wish you all the best in the future." Fan Bingbing said bitterly.

She never believed in vows of eternal love from the moment she entered this circle.

For a top-tier actress like her, second only to Liu Yifei, the huge fine is a burden, but she is well-off and can afford it.

Some people have already started to desperately seek any treatment.

A month later, the authorities released a statement affirming the effectiveness of the self-inspection and rectification phase, noting that film and television industry practitioners responded positively, voluntarily declared and paid their taxes.

The tone softened considerably, and the wind seemed to have shifted slightly.

The 2018 Golden Horse Awards were held under such circumstances, and many people from mainland China attended.

The Golden Horse Awards extended invitations early on to Li Chen, an Oscar-winning director, and Liu Yifei, a winner of both the Best Actress award and the Oscar and Venice Film Festival awards.

However, Li Chen threw the invitation into the trash can.

He also directly and bluntly refused Li An's call.

Gong Li and Zhang Yimou gave Li An face, which was none of Li Chen's business.

Xu Zheng was nominated for Best Actor at the Golden Horse Awards this year for his role in "Dying to Survive".

Before the group left, Xu Zheng and Zhang Yu, who played Huang Mao, were approached by Yang Siwei to work at Yixin Media.

On the flight to Taiwan, Zhang Yu was a little nervous, and Xu Zheng was also a little nervous, hoping that what Yang Siwei had predicted would not happen.

But if it happens, Zhang Yu will definitely do it, just like Huang Mao is playing himself!

The 55th Golden Horse Awards ceremony is being held at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei.

Liu Yifei and her mother Liu Xiaoli were also watching, while Li Chen was having a great time playing with his two sons.

"I need to hurry up and find Li Chen so he can call Director Zhang and Sister Gongli!" Liu Yifei said, then hurriedly got up and went downstairs.

Xu Zheng hurriedly stood up, straightened his collar, and stepped forward to pull Zhang Yu along, saying, "Let's go!"

As Xu Zheng passed by Wen Muye and Zhang Yimou, he stopped and said something.

Zhang Yimou nodded and stood up as well. Gong Li, Peng Yuchang, Duan Yihong and others followed suit and no longer hesitated.

The comment section was full of excited netizens.

"Brother Yu is awesome! That spit expressed the sentiments of 14 billion people!"

Countless netizens regard Zhang Yu as a hero.

"Rongchen Pictures officially signed a contract with actor Zhang Yu today! We admire his integrity as a Chinese person."

"Furthermore, as resolved by the Group's Board of Directors, effective immediately, artists, directors, and staff of Rongchen Films and all its affiliated companies will no longer participate in any Golden Horse Awards-related activities. This is hereby announced!"

One stone caused a thousand waves!

However, no one knew that the blond-haired man's legendary spit was also a famous scene created by this Oscar-winning director.
(End of this chapter)