Financial freedom starts from graduation

Chapter 632: Turn over the clouds
To be honest, Zhou Wang used to like the actor Lee Jung-jae quite a bit, mainly because he liked the movie called "New World".

In the movie, Lee Jung-jae unified the underworld and reached the pinnacle of life, making him a super boss. But when Zhou Wang saw him humbly pouring him a drink, he felt that Lee Jung-jae's image had instantly collapsed.

That's normal, though. Actors are "people" too, and as people, they can't escape the realities of daily life and human relationships.

The world in movies is ultimately an artistic creation. With Zhou Wang's current experience and knowledge, he is quite certain that even someone who reaches the level of the protagonist in "New World" will eventually have to kneel down.

Only Zhou Wang doesn't need to... after all, he's a cheater.

"Jungjae, what's the name of your new talent agency? Have you decided yet?"

Zhou Wang touched hands with Lee Jung-jae, who was offering a toast with both hands, and asked casually.

Lee Jung-jae's hand trembled, and he almost spilled the wine.

Although everyone in the company knew that he did not intend to renew his contract with YG Entertainment, very few people knew that he was going to start his own business and establish a new agency.

Rose knew this because he had visited Vice Chairman Park Jung-woon privately to ask for his help with the paperwork. Apart from that, Lee Jung-jae had not revealed it to anyone. He didn't understand where Joo Wang got the information.

Did Kim Jisoo just say that to him?
Lee Jung-jae glanced at the intimate posture of the two and was just making this guess when he heard Zhou Wang continue:

"Jung Woo-sung is a good partner. If the two of you join forces, you can definitely carve out a new path in the Korean entertainment industry..."

At this moment, Lee Jung-jae's expression changed drastically.

Jung Woo-sung is also one of South Korea's top film stars, but he is certain that he has not revealed the matter of starting a company with Jung Woo-sung to anyone, including Park Jung-woon.

“Jungjae, your idea is good, but if I remember correctly, your contract with YG Entertainment still has 4 months left... 4 months is a lot of time.”

Zhou Wang smiled faintly at this moment.

Lee Jung-jae remained silent, only managing a forced smile.

On the one hand, he genuinely didn't know how to respond; on the other hand, he was also somewhat dismissive of the situation.

Although he hadn't yet decided to stand with Park Jung-woon against Joo Wang, even if he publicly supported Park Jung-woon, given his current status in the entertainment industry, he didn't think Joo Wang could really do anything to him.

Even in the worst-case scenario, if Zhou Wang really wins the confrontation with Park Jung-woon and wants to settle scores with him, he may not be able to resist due to the contract, but at most he will be sidelined for four months.

With his soaring fame and massive fan base, disappearing from the entertainment industry for four months wouldn't cause his popularity to decline much.

It was based on this understanding that Park Jung-woon knew that coercion wouldn't work, which is why he had Rose try to win him over.

However, just as Lee Jung-jae had this thought, Zhou Wang spoke up again:

"There's a company in China called Daxia Film & Television. They have a new project called 'Shadowless' that's about to start filming, and YG Entertainment will be one of the investors. You also have a film contract with the company, and I'm planning to have you play the male lead. Daxia Film & Television's official offer letter will arrive tomorrow..."

Lee Jung-jae was taken aback.

They probably don't understand how, just a second ago they were discussing terminating their contract, they suddenly jumped to a film and television project.

Although somewhat bewildered, Lee Jung-jae quickly replied out of professionalism, "If it's the company's arrangement, I will certainly abide by the contract and take this final film project seriously. However, Chairman Joo, I don't know when filming will begin. If we're going to China, I need to make some preparations in advance..."

"do not know."

"do not know?"

Lee Jung-jae was stunned for a moment. Normally, since it was a cross-border film and television project, shouldn't there have been a complete schedule from the beginning?

"President, do you have a script?"

"do not know."

Lee Jung-jae's expression began to change, and he tentatively asked one last time, unwilling to give up, "What about the expected filming schedule..."

"Jungjae, I didn't know if I told you."

Zhou Wang then shrugged, “This film project is still in the preparation stage. Some directors in China are very meticulous. For example, you know about the movie ‘Investiture of the Gods’ that was released before. It took a full ten years from preparation to release…”

"Yes, this project is probably similar. The director requires all the main actors to attend a training camp first, and the timing is unknown."

unknown?

Lee Jung-jae's expression finally turned completely ugly.

He finally realized why the movie was called "Shadowless"...

This is a completely fictitious film and television project!

There are two ways for him to fulfill his contract: one is that it will automatically terminate when the time expires, and the other is that he will fulfill a certain number of film and television works.

Lee Jung-jae also has a film and television contract with the company.

Zhou Wang had made it clear to him that waiting for the contract to expire automatically in four months was impossible; Zhou Wang was determined to destroy him within the rules.

Once he went to China to participate in the "Shadowless" project, which might not even exist, according to the contract, he would only have fulfilled his obligations when he left the production team.

In other words, as long as this "Shadowless" project continues, he'll have to stay on set for what could be three, five, or even ten years...

This is no different from simply banning him.

Jiang Dongyuan, who was standing to the side, moved his lips as if he wanted to say something, but when he saw Xiao Wang's sharp eyes across from him, he held back.

"President, is it really necessary to go this far?"

Unable to maintain his composure any longer, Lee Jung-jae stared intently at Joo Wong.

"There's nothing I can do. You're the face of YG Entertainment's acting department. Your position dictates that I can only target you. Maybe you just want to be a fence-sitter, but I'm sorry, I won't tolerate such an unstable element watching the show from the sidelines."

Zhou Wang smiled. "So, Prime Minister, tell me what your choice is?"

"I……"

In that instant, many thoughts flashed through Lee Jung-jae's mind: some were to completely side with Park Jung-woon, some were to rely on his connections and family background to fight against Joo Wang to the end, and some were to mobilize his fans to overturn the table...

But despite all these thoughts, he couldn't bring himself to say them. Perhaps it was because Zhou Wang seemed too calm that he couldn't be sure if Zhou Wang was bluffing or if his power exceeded his expectations.

Just as Lee Jung-jae was wavering, and even his lips seemed to tremble slightly, Joo Wong suddenly waved to the door.

Sura, who had been waiting at the door for half a day, strode in and placed a Korean-English bilingual contract on the table.

"Or you could choose to sign this contract. Although it's just a herbal remedy, the resources inside should be enough for your new company to function for a while..."

Sura spoke softly to Lee Jung-jae in fluent Korean, replacing Joo-wong.

Lee Jung-jae picked up the agreement and looked at it. It contained some cooperation terms with China Daxia Film and Television, which roughly included preferential treatment in China's film and television resources, comprehensive expansion of the China market, and attracting Chinese fans, etc.

The Chinese market has always been the most important market for the South Korean entertainment industry, arguably without exception.

Lee Jung-jae may not need this, but his new company definitely will, and it's a top-tier contract that even the three major entertainment companies in South Korea can't offer.

Lee Jung-jae felt relieved; at least he no longer had to agonize over which choice to make.

Not daring to look at Kang Dong-won's reaction, Lee Jung-jae stood up, picked up his glass with both hands, and downed the drink in one gulp.

"President, I salute you!"

After finishing his drink, Lee Jung-jae bowed deeply to Joo Wong again and was about to leave when Joo Wong called him back. "There's one more small matter."

"Please tell me."

"I heard the company's board of directors is going to host a welcome dinner for me the day after tomorrow. Remember to inform the actors department that no one can be absent."

Lee Jung-jae was taken aback, then looked deeply at Joo Wong, bowed again, and said, "I understand."

After Lee Jung-jae left, only Kang Dong-won remained in the private room.

Looking at the bodyguards glaring menacingly at the door, Jiang Dongyuan felt extremely uneasy.

Click!

At this moment, Zhou Wang, who had just lit a cigarette, suddenly reached out to Xiao Wang next to him, and Xiao Wang handed him the phone that he had taken from Jiang Dongyuan earlier.

“I know who’s backing you. Even if you give in to me by talking like this, you’ll definitely be unwilling to accept it, so… make a phone call.”

Zhou Wang tossed his phone to Jiang Dongyuan and said with a faint smile.

Jiang Dongyuan took back his phone, clearly taken aback for a moment, then looked at Zhou Wang with a strange expression. "President Zhou, are you sure you want me to make this call?"

Zhou Wang didn't speak, but simply gestured for him to proceed.

Seeing Zhou Wang's expressionless face, Jiang Dongyuan couldn't tell whether Zhou Wang was blindly confident or simply ignorant of his own limitations...

Doesn't he know the status of the Nine Star Group in South Korea?

Although it can't compare to behemoths like Samsung, the influence of the Nine Star Group, as a top-tier force in South Korea's black market and one of Seoul's biggest local players, is undeniable.

Although YG Entertainment is one of the three major entertainment companies in South Korea, it is just a small player compared to the Nine Star Group, which spans multiple industries.

Of course, as the representative of Jiuxing Group at YG Entertainment, Vice Chairman Jiang Xin is not considered the head of Jiuxing Group, but no successive chairman of YG Entertainment dared to neglect him in any way, precisely because Jiuxing Group stood behind him.

Although he couldn't understand Zhou Wang's thoughts, Jiang Dongyuan took a deep breath and quickly dialed the phone.

Beep~ Beep!
The phone rang for a long time without being answered. Just as Jiang Dongyuan was wondering what was going on, the call was finally connected.

"Chairman Jiang, it's me, Dongyuan."

The moment the call connected, Jiang Dongyuan quickly spoke in a respectful tone.

He and Jiang Xin are indeed related; Jiang Xin is his distant cousin. However, despite this relationship, Jiang Dongyuan doesn't usually contact Jiang Xin much because he knows how busy Jiang Xin is; YG Entertainment is just one part of his business.

There seemed to be some noise on the other end of the phone, and after a long while, Jiang Xin's deep voice, tinged with a hint of impatience, finally rang out.

"Oh, it's Dongyuan. What's up?"

"Chairman Jiang, do you remember you asked me to keep an eye on the situation at YG Entertainment and to lend Chairman Park a hand if necessary? ... Now things have taken an unexpected turn... Yes, Chairman Zhou Wang and I are currently together, and he's the one who asked me to call you..."

"Zhou Wang...the president?"

Jiang Xin asked as if he were certain.

"Yes."

"..."

Then there was silence on the other end of the phone; all the noise disappeared.

Jiang Dongyuan almost thought the call had ended. He glanced at the call screen on his phone again, and sure enough, it was still in progress.

Why did Chairman Jiang suddenly fall silent?
Although he didn't understand, Jiang Dongyuan, in order to emphasize the seriousness of the matter, glanced at Zhou Wang, who still had no expression, and then gritted his teeth and continued:

"Well, Chairman Zhou might be a little unhappy about your interference in the conflict between Chairman Park and him. He even took my phone away just now..."

"Dongyuan".

At this moment, Jiang Xin suddenly spoke up, interrupting him.

"Ah, Chairman Jiang, please speak..."

"Promise him."

"what?"

Jiang Dongyuan didn't understand at first.

I said yes!

Jiang Xin on the other end of the phone suddenly became agitated, almost growling, "Whatever Chairman Zhou Wang asks of you, cooperate with her unconditionally, do you understand?"

"..."

"Jiang Dongyuan?!"

"Ah, okay, okay, Chairman Jiang, I understand..."

Completely shocked, Jiang Dongyuan glanced at Zhou Wang beside him. Although he was still bewildered, he finally came to his senses after hearing Jiang Xin's roar and quickly responded.

……

At the same time, at a riverside dock in Seoul River Port.

Inside the huge office converted from a warehouse, there was a cacophony of groans. Dozens of members of the Nine Star Group lay sprawled on the floor, stretching from the warehouse entrance all the way to the desks on the second floor. Young men in matching black suits stood silently, their faces cold.

Jiang Xin, one of the core executives of the Nine Star Group, was sitting behind his desk. He was burly and even though he was wearing a seemingly refined suit, his explosive muscles still made him look incredibly fierce.

However, this man, who was a well-known figure on the black racetrack in South Korea, was now pale-faced, his eyes filled with fear, staring intently at the ordinary-looking Chinese youth standing in front of him.

Although the other side had sent many people, he could clearly see that all his men, from the warehouse entrance to the second floor, were dealt with by this young Chinese man all by himself.

Such exaggerated combat power should only appear in movies starring Ma Dong-seok. How could such a person really exist in reality?

But what Jiang Xin was truly wary of was not the young man's personal fighting ability, but the business card he had left on the table.

"tyrant."

Jiang Xin couldn't understand it, because Tyrant Security, which had already established a strategic partnership with Samsung Group two years ago, had long transcended ordinary criminal forces and was already a transcendent existence that surpassed many gangs in Seoul.

Jiang Xin, who had just hung up the phone with Jiang Dongyuan, naturally knew why the other party was here. After thinking for a moment, he still asked in English, unwilling to give up:
"Zhou Wang... President, what is your relationship with Tyrant Security?"

Gao Xing, standing in front of the desk, was about to turn and leave after completing his task when he was taken aback by the other person's question.

Because Zhou Wang didn't seem to have taught him how to answer this question before he came.

After a brief moment of thought, he shrugged happily and said in English:

"His orders are the will of the tyrant's security."

After casually uttering those words, he turned and left happily, leaving Jiang Xin sitting there in shock.

(End of this chapter)