Actor: Thank you.

Before long, rumors of Zhang Yuan finding a new lover spread throughout the streets and alleys.

The most popular content is about the love lives of these popular male celebrities.

At this point, two groups of people were very angry.

First was Yang Tianbao.

Why is she angry?

It's clearly none of her business.

Because she just posted a picture of a sponge cake on Weibo and tagged Huang Xiaoming.

This can be considered an "official announcement" in a certain sense.

She's just relying on her relationship with a popular male star for publicity!
Then, "click!"
Zhang Yuan's love triangle stood directly in her way.

Furthermore, the story has become quite dramatic, with Zhang Ziyi as the official wife and Jing Tian as the "mistress" who rose to power.

Compared to that, what's the point of your "formal" relationship?
I spent ages preparing, but nobody paid any attention.

From print media to Weibo, everyone was gossiping about Zhang Yuan's relationship, and nobody paid any attention to her.

Yang Tianbao was so angry... he got a taste of what Wang Feng felt like ahead of time.

On the other hand, Jingtian was furious.

What the hell?
They were just planning to make Jing Tian famous through the big-budget film, but before the film was even shot, she became famous first.

This isn't the kind of red we want.

Jing Tian did indeed become famous through the drama "The Warring States".

Even bad publicity is still publicity; a terrible movie can significantly boost a film's reputation if it's so bad that everyone knows about it.

But the label of "mistress" thoroughly angered the investors.

That's not a good reputation!

Zhang Ziyi was quite happy to agree.

I'm still the rightful wife...

They've taken a scandal from eight hundred years ago, reassembled it, and used it all with a clear purpose.

I'm going to ruin your reputation!

Damn it, your senior brother is already infamous, and you still dare to stick your neck out?
Then I'll have to let you experience the charm of "journalism".

Some of what Mr. Guo said is actually true; for example, some journalists are not even as good as prostitutes.

Because it is very easy for a mouthpiece to mislead the public if it has ulterior motives.

"Boss, what do we do now?" Zeng Jia called him with a helpless expression.

Look!
My boss is always causing me trouble. Can I even continue this job?
My boss does more work in a month than all the other artists under me do in a year!
The problem is, he's doing these kinds of things, and I can't even scold him.

"Don't panic, stay calm."

"You should contact the team right now and release an official statement on Weibo."

"I strongly accuse a certain TV station of deliberately fabricating fake news and damaging my reputation."

"And we state that we reserve the right to pursue legal action."

"Have Zhang Ziyi's team post something similar, but make slight modifications so it's not exactly the same and makes us seem like we're all in the same boat."

"Huh?" Zeng Jia exclaimed in surprise, "Targeting the TV station?"

Is my boss planning to go head-to-head with the TV station?

Now we're at their mercy, like fish on a chopping board. Why should we stand our ground?
"I'm going to take down the elite!" Zhang Yuan slammed his fist on the table.

"Don't worry about sending it!"

Zeng Jia thought that her boss might have gone mad from the fever.

Don't you know what kind of temper TV stations have?

Chen Peisi was persecuted terribly back then.

We feel no pressure at all when others target us.

The boss was furious, which was understandable, since the businesses in which he held shares had been forced to shut down.

Zhang Yuan and Teacher Guo did some rough calculations, taking into account rent, labor costs, and their usual income.

The four small theaters plus Guo's Restaurant suffered a total loss of 20 to 30 yuan per day due to the closure of their businesses.

The net profit loss is also more than 10 yuan.

Closing the business for a month will result in a loss of several million.

Who should be held accountable for this?

If I don't give you some work, you'll really think I've gotten this far by luck!
"Boss," Zeng Jia suddenly lowered her voice, "Is that investor's background complicated?"

She guessed that her boss might be planning to "use someone else to do his dirty work."

"You've improved."

"It's not easy to come up with this idea," Zhang Yuan praised.

"But you've only thought half of it. Just do as I say, and I'll take responsibility if anything goes wrong."

Zeng Jia felt relieved after hearing this.

If the higher-ups were willing to take responsibility, she did it.

What's truly worrisome is when those above deliberately speak vaguely, leaving the work to those below, and then quickly shifting blame when problems arise.

From this perspective, Zhang Yuan can be considered a good leader.

Soon, Zhang Yuan and Zhang Ziyi's Weibo statements appeared openly and legitimately in the public eye.

Clarification, accusations, and reserving the right to pursue legal action—this standard approach is not yet mature enough.

Zhang Yuan made his move first.

They adopted a stance of confronting the TV station.

The onlookers were absolutely delighted!

Fight, fight, fight...

I love watching exciting battles, especially those that turn the world upside down.

Actually, it's not just the general public who think this way; many industry professionals are also quite happy about it.

Especially the two Wang brothers, with whom he has recently had a rather strained relationship.

I was having dinner when I saw their Weibo post.

"Come, come, let's have a big drink!"

Xiao Wang specially opened a bottle of Moutai to celebrate.

"What good news?" his wife asked, puzzled, seeing his expression.

"We didn't even need to lift a finger, that kid self-destructed!"

As soon as the name of that kid was mentioned, his wife understood.

"what's wrong?"

"They've gotten into a fight with the TV station."

"Too arrogant, still so young." Xiao Wang raised his arm, downed a small cup, and smacked his lips as he spoke.

"Are TV stations easy to mess with?"

As the saying goes, "The common people cannot fight against the officials."

"Television stations, especially provincial and municipal television stations, are all local tyrants."

"The leaders are all prominent figures in the local area, let alone in the capital city."

"Hehehe..." Xiao Wang added, "He thinks that now that he's famous, he can say whatever he wants?"

"It's not that simple."

The more defiant you are, the more they'll mess with you.

"Perfect timing, especially since we're already in contact about the Hundred Flowers Awards."

"At the public level, let's first give him a good beating and ruin his reputation, then he won't have time to compete with us."

"Didn't you say he was also contacting the Hundred Flowers Awards?" his wife asked.

"Hmph!" he sneered. "Li Xiaowan has some old friends."

"I don't know why, but I suddenly rushed to help him."

"It's alright, Li Xiaowan alone won't help, most of the guests are our friends."

"We're rich now, who wouldn't want to beg us?"

"If everyone wants to cooperate, they have to give each other face."

"Let him do whatever he wants, it's all in vain."

"After he loses the Hundred Flowers Award, I'll help him promote it properly."

"He received so many nominations, but didn't win a single award. He's become a laughing stock both inside and outside the industry. Let's see how he gets through this."

This is not just a matter of awards, but also a matter of personal ability.

Receiving so many nominations but not winning any awards means you lack connections and ability in this industry.

Without connections and ability, who cares about you?

"Now that the TV station is targeting him, many people are terrified and dare not have any contact with him."

"Wait to die for you!"

Xiao Wang excitedly went to tell his elder brother the good news.

But his older brother wasn't as excited as he had expected.

Instead, his indifference carried a hint of melancholy as he replied in a deep voice.

"Don't get excited, it's not certain yet."

"What's wrong?" Seeing his elder brother's attitude, he felt a sudden tremor in his heart. Could something have happened?

"I don't know if this kid is just lucky, or if he has a strong destiny, or if there's some other explanation."

"Why did he have to be photographed with this girl of all people?"

"Is there something going on with this girl?"

"There is an explanation."

His older brother has a larger network and deeper connections than him, so naturally he knows more.

"This girl's man works for Wanda Group."

The king carefully explained to his younger brother the background of Boss Lu.

But I still only have a superficial understanding.

"Oh……"

If that's the case, it's indeed very troublesome.

If this man were to speak to the TV station, it might be useful.

After all, we're both in the capital, so we're bound to run into each other all the time.

"But this can only help him temporarily."

"Besides, he'll at most help his own girl, not him. In the end, he'll make enemies of the TV station, especially since it's the station's boss."

“If he climbs a few more steps higher, he’ll get his revenge and make him suffer.” “Besides, the fact that this guy is causing trouble for Guo Degang shows he’s petty and will remember it. The higher Guo Degang climbs, the more trouble this guy will get.”

"That makes sense," the king agreed with his younger brother.

"You can hide for a while, but you can't hide forever."

"Hehehe, yes..." The two brothers revealed smiles unique to villains.

But while laughing, Xiao Wang, who was watching TV, suddenly exclaimed.

"Oops, something's not right!"

……

Meanwhile, Zhang Yuan went to a banquet and ate with the members of the Deyuan Society.

"Come on, everyone, let's raise our glasses and toast our senior uncle!"

Teacher Guo led the way, guiding his apprentices to toast him.

"Everyone is welcome to do as they please."

He said this, but downed a full glass.

"Today, I mainly want to congratulate our crosstalk club on its flourishing growth."

"Next, your senior brother Cao Yunjing will establish his own Tingyunxuan Crosstalk Club."

"Let's keep in touch in the future."

"Learn from each other."

Everyone raised their glasses together, and as Jinzi drank, he glanced at Teacher Guo and Zhang Yuan.

Whom should I listen to from now on?

The skills were taught by the master, but what was taught was only the skills of art.

Aside from crosstalk, my uncle-master is clearly more capable!
Besides him, "Senior Brother" He Yunwei's eyes were also darting around.

Whom should I listen to?
Jinzi has her own independent club, can I have one too?
If you want to get back to your business, do you have to curry favor with me, your senior apprentice?
The apprentices each had their own thoughts, but Zhang Yuan had no time to pay attention to them.

Because Teacher Guo was holding his hands and chatting with him, much more enthusiastically than in the past few days.

Having not drunk heavily for many years, he poured himself a full glass of baijiu today, just like Brother Qian.

He's clearly in a great mood.

I'm in a good mood because it's exhilarating!
So happy!

It was as if they wanted to release all the pent-up emotions they had been suppressing recently through these glasses of wine.

"Junior brother, it has to be one of our own!"

"When something happens to our team, how many of our old friends are still by our side?"

“They all ran away!”

"Only you dare to speak out in public. We truly are brothers, we're so compatible!"

"They deserve to be scolded!"

"They deserved to be beaten to death, they should be buried alive on the spot!" Teacher Guo said through gritted teeth.

The words were a bit harsh, but the sentiment was right.

If someone wants to ruin you and bankrupt you, and you don't even have the guts to fight back, then you deserve to be taken advantage of.

"Come on, let's have a drink!"

Both of them drank it all in one gulp.

Brother Qian also drank a cup.

"Hey..." Teacher Guo wiped her mouth with amusement, then looked at him with great curiosity.

"But there is one thing I don't understand."

"How exactly did you manage to make that damned bastard suddenly bow his head?"

"Why did you suddenly back down when you were so tough?"

Teacher Guo looked at him with great interest.

His use of the word "admit defeat" is his own understanding.

They didn't come to apologize or show any other sign of yielding to him.

No one ignored him.

She only reacted to Zhang Yuan.

Just now, a statement was broadcast during the TV news.

The content states that the reports about Zhang Yuan and Miss Jing Tian were false.

After thorough investigation, it was confirmed that the two were friends, not in a romantic relationship as rumored.

Although it was intended to refute the rumors, they were the ones who published the report, so clarifying it now is tantamount to "admitting their mistake."

The Wang brothers only realized something was wrong after seeing the interrupted broadcast.

"Well..." Zhang Yuan revealed a sly smile.

First, there's the reason that can be openly told to Teacher Guo.

"The girl who was reported on along with me has a complicated background."

"So the other party was frightened after they learned the situation."

"Clarify this immediately."

Mr. Lu is an investor, and that's right, he's Da Tian Tian's financial backer.

Da Tian Tian's father was just an ordinary military officer, a colonel, who went into business after retiring from the military. He was not a big shot.

Based solely on Boss Lu's relationship, one could make a greeting, but it wouldn't cause the other party to panic like this.

A successful businessman is promoting a young girl, sparing no effort in investing resources and money, simply because of her youthful body.

Most ordinary people would indeed think that way, just like when Boss Chen promoted Xixi, most people thought it was because he was attracted to her beauty.

Not really.

Businessmen aren't fools; they won't act recklessly like ordinary people.

Mr. Chen invested a lot in Qianqian in the early stages, including setting up the company, finding film crews, getting advertising deals, and setting up a team for her.

It must have cost tens of millions.

But those gains have already been made back.

Furthermore, Xixi's aunt, uncle, and even her parents' families all have connections, and Boss Chen also gained a lot of resources by paving the way for Xixi.

Wealthy people help each other; only by combining official and business interests can one amass even more wealth.

Jing Tian's path to fame is not only an upgraded version of Xi Xi's, but her background and connections are too!
She's from Shaanxi, a place so remote that even God would faint if he went there.

Her parents' relationship was so-so, a little, but not much.

They simply got her into a local dance troupe, and then she went to study at the affiliated high school of the Imperial Dance Academy.

In 04, when Jing Tian was 16 years old, Boss Lu established Starlight Brilliant Film and Television Company for her.

In 07, Da Tian Tian was appointed as a spokesperson by the North American Cherry Association and was received by the then Governor of New York State.

This treatment is far better than that of Sissi, whom everyone in the industry envies.

There is a story like this.

In Chang'an, there was a young woman of natural beauty who, even in her early teens, possessed a captivating charm.

If we follow the usual practice, with her looks, she would have no problem marrying into a wealthy family of equal social standing and becoming a beautiful daughter-in-law.

What's special about this girl is that she has a relative from her father's family who is not far away but not too close, and who became a provincial inspector in a certain area when she was about to come of age.

In her prime, she became the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Chang'an.

Therefore, she was no longer just a pretty woman, but someone who could climb the social ladder by befriending her or marrying her.

There have been countless stories like this throughout history.

Even more terrifying is that the provincial inspector in the story has been invited to study at the Imperial Academy in Kyoto.

This can only mean one thing: they're about to get promoted!
Moreover, according to the storyline, this character in the play will likely go to the Ministry of Rites after completing his studies.

Furthermore, in the unwritten part of the story, this person also served as the Vice Minister of Rites.

What rank were the top officials of the Six Ministries?
Even a maid in a grand mansion is not someone an ordinary minor official can touch.

If the Vice Minister bestows a maid upon you, you must take her home and treat her like a princess.

But stories are just stories after all.

Back to reality.

When the TV station employee saw this story, he broke out in a cold sweat.

That's why there was a "clarification statement".

Why does Boss Lu fawn over Jing Tian?

The losses from just one drama, "The Warring States," amount to tens of millions of yuan. No matter how much money you have, you can't burn it like that.

Just like why Zhang Yuan always fawns over Han Jia Nu.

It's because the money spent can be earned back elsewhere.

Not only can it cover costs, but it can also provide access to many resources and subsidies that others have never even heard of.

Using one person to connect with other, more important people is a common practice in business and other settings.

Zhang Yuan even doubted whether the so-called romantic relationship was real.

He didn't see the two doing anything intimate, perhaps because there were outsiders present, and they were being cautious.

Anyway, Zhang Yuan had already made a mental prohibition against touching this woman.

Jing Tian's most popular films in 15 and 17 included "The Great Wall," "King Kong," and "Pacific Rim," all of which were top-tier blockbusters with top-notch resources.

He's a much bigger star in Hollywood than Li Bingbing and Fan Bingbing.

The term of office of the Vice Minister of Rites also happened to be during these few years.

These are things that most people don't know, and even the two Wang brothers don't know them now.

Zhang Yuan briefly recounted the story to Teacher Guo, who squinted and nodded repeatedly.

"So that's how it is! Those bastards were scared to death!"

Brother Qian was also listening in, smoking as he listened.

But he felt something was wrong.

Because there's a flaw in this!
Just like the Wang brothers thought, they weren't afraid of my brother.

Even if you clear things up and take a break, people will still hate you and seek revenge in the future.

This is a huge time bomb for myself!

It could explode any day now.

"It's good to use someone else's knife to kill someone, but the knife is still borrowed after all," Brother Qian said casually.

Zhang Yuan just smiled and didn't reply.

Because what I just mentioned is only the method on the surface.

All things are divided into yin and yang; where there is light, there is darkness.

He had other plans in the shadows, but he couldn't tell his friends and family... (End of Chapter)