Huayu Chunqiu, starting from being adopted by a fairy mother

Chapter 469 Asking for help
On October 26, with the help of Mr. Wang, the box office of "The Message" broke 10 million yuan earlier than expected.

With box office success achieved in less than a month since its release, major media outlets rushed to report on it, and all dissenting voices disappeared.

This moment is of great significance and is considered by many experts to be a symbol of economic recovery.

On October 28, Lei Jun traveled to South Korea to visit Samsung Electronics, accompanied by Liu Jing throughout the trip.

Without Sister Li's relationship with Liu Jing, people wouldn't care who Lei Jun is at all.

Lei Jun stayed in South Korea for three days, and Liu Jing took on multiple roles: tour guide, translator, bodyguard, driver...

There was no other way; Sister Li had given the order, so she had to use the formal "you" (您).

"I just heard the commander say that Sister Aqing is truly extraordinary. I admire your composure, resourcefulness, and courage..."

After seeing Lei Jun off at the airport, Liu Jinggang hummed a little tune and leisurely returned to his hotel.

Having finished the tasks assigned by Sister Li, it's time to take care of my own business.

It's so comfortable abroad. You don't need a three-piece suitcase when you travel, you can go wherever you want, and there's no worry about being recognized.

He had no language barrier in South Korea and had Samsung as his backer. It didn't feel like he was far from the emperor's reach, but rather like a bird with its own sky.

"Director Liu, this is Han Geng."

“I know you are Han Geng.”

"Can you take a step to speak?"

"cannot!"

Liu Jing felt no excitement at meeting a fellow villager, only horror.

Who would get excited if someone suddenly darted out from the emergency exit?

Liu Jing and Han Geng weren't very close; they'd only met a few times. The most recent time was at Cheng Long's Bird's Nest concert, where he met the group Super Junior.

Han Geng, leader of Super Junior-M, a globally popular group.

This person's surname is Han, but not the Han of South Korea; he is a native of Northeast China.

When Liu Jing saw him, all sorts of information came to mind.

She was selected by SM Entertainment in 2001, stood out from the crowd, and then went to South Korea for further studies.

In 2003, at the age of nineteen, she became an intern at SM Entertainment.

He debuted in 2005 as a member of Super Junior, becoming the first Chinese person to debut in South Korea.

In 2008, he became the captain of the third sub-unit and was selected as an Olympic torchbearer in the Yandu area in the same year.

In 2009, they held an Asian tour concert...

Although Super Junior is very popular, Liu Jing doesn't need to make a special effort to befriend them.

The two had no prior relationship, and Liu Jing was naturally not going to speak politely to Han Geng, who had suddenly acted this way.

"Director Liu, I'm so sorry. I'm really desperate and have come to you for help. I know you and Chairman Lee are friends, and after thinking it over, I know only you can save me. I want to terminate my contract with SM Entertainment; if this continues, I'll go crazy." Han Geng bowed deeply in apology.

"Terminate the contract? You can go to the company or the law firm, you don't need to come to me." Liu Jing didn't want to get involved in SM's affairs. Li Yinxin rarely interfered, and Qianqian didn't even ask. Who did he think he was?

In this world, everything has a price tag, including people's youth, ideals, conscience, and justice.

If you want to wear its crown, you must bear its weight.

Since you've chosen this path, and since you're enjoying the honors, then you must endure the bitterness and pain, and suffer the blood and tears.

Liu Jing was aware of the situation of SM trainees. But this was the reality of the entire industry, not just SM Entertainment.

Liu Jing has no intention of changing things, nor does he have the time or inclination.

Han Geng's actions were simply a personal choice.

poof...

As soon as Liu Jing finished speaking, the man knelt down and said, "Young Master Jing, if I could have gone through the proper channels, I certainly wouldn't have bothered you."

Liu Jing was deeply moved. Many women had knelt before him, but this was the first time a grown man, especially a world-renowned idol, had done so.

"Get up." Liu Jing tried to pull him up, but couldn't. He seemed determined not to get up unless you agreed.

"Sai Shang Ai! What are you doing? Am I too early?" Li Yinxin covered her mouth, then covered her eyes, as it was quite an eyesore from her perspective.

The driver dropped Liu Jing off at the hotel entrance and informed her immediately.

The Shilla Hotel was her family's property, and she waited there. Liu Jing needed to see her, and she needed to see Liu Jing as well.

"You shouldn't have come." Liu Jing's face darkened. When you cover your eyes, please don't leave such a big gap.

"Then I'll be going." Li Yinxin lowered her hand, and only when she got closer did she realize that it was indeed a misunderstanding. Fortunately, this man's sexual orientation was normal.

He said he was leaving, but showed no intention of actually going. Instead, he took a few steps forward and looked Han Geng up and down with curiosity. "You're Han Geng, right?"

"President Li... Chairman Li." Han Geng looked nervous, as if he had seen a tiger. He was just asking Liu Jing for help with terminating the contract when the big boss showed up.

Amidst the tension, there was also excitement. Liu Jing and Samsung's little princess clearly had a special relationship; if she spoke up, there was hope for a peaceful termination of the contract.

"Get up now, do you want to kneel until dawn?" Liu Jing sneered, suspecting that this person was engaging in moral blackmail.

Kneeling before me, a Chinese person, is one thing, but kneeling before a Korean woman? You don't feel ashamed, but I do.

When you're in a foreign country, no matter how well you speak the language, if you meet someone from your hometown, you'll definitely see the same face.

Han Geng hesitated and stood up, head bowed, a sudden chill running through him. Sure enough, capitalists are all the same, regardless of nationality.

"You're looking for Liu Jing to ask for help with terminating your contract, right?" Li Yinxin raised an eyebrow, clearly not very happy either.

"You know about this?" Liu Jing asked directly.

“Although my main focus is on the film and television company, I still know about the big things that happen at SM. He’s challenging the very foundation of SM. Do you think the company will let him go easily? If they let him go, others will follow suit, and how will the company survive? If you were Lee Soo-man, what would you do?” Lee Yoon-hyung asked a series of questions, somewhat aggressively.

Liu Jing didn't respond, but looked at Han Geng and said, "Tell me the details."

Han hesitated, looking at Li Yinxin. He dared not speak ill of the company in front of the big boss.

“You two can communicate in Chinese. I'll buy you a coffee while I'm at it.” Lee Yoon-hyung shrugged. She also wanted to hear the difference between what Lee Soo-man said and what the person involved said.

"..." Han was speechless. You speak Chinese better than me, and besides, we've been communicating in Chinese all along, haven't we?

Liu Jing took the lead, with Li Yinxin following closely behind.

Han Geng could only follow along. Oh well, it's come to this already, what's the point of thinking about it now?

He really went all out this time, and his opening remarks were quite explosive, pointing out the inequality in the contract, the huge penalty for breach of contract, the unfair distribution of income, and various unilateral and mandatory clauses.

"Paying three times the training fee, incurring double the economic loss, amounting to billions of Korean won. Tsk tsk, recruiting hundreds of trainees at a time, ruthlessly exploiting the qualified ones, and waiting to collect breach of contract fees from the unqualified ones. This business is lucrative, practically a sure-fire way to make money, and they don't lose any money at all." Liu Jing was astonished. He had known about it before, but he didn't expect it to be even more terrifying than he had imagined.

He thought of a domestic company that started with talent shows, whose model seemed to have been copied from South Korea.

"It's not just SM that's like this; the entire trainee industry is like this. Hundreds of trainees might not even produce one successful one. Back when they were so strict with signing contracts, people were still scrambling to sign them. Han Geng is famous now. If he were unknown, do you think he would even mention signing a contract?" Li Yinxin scoffed. This is normal in South Korea; there's nothing surprising about it.

Before they became famous, they all worked hard without complaint or expectation of reward.

Those who gain a little fame treat the company like their second parents, practically worshipping it. But once they become famous, they start to look down on their "parents" and want to leave and go solo.

Li Yinxin understood the same principle, and so did Liu Jing. These things only surprised him, but were not enough to make him lend a helping hand.

“I’ve consulted a lawyer, and the terms in the contract, as well as some supplementary agreements, are not legally binding,” Han Geng couldn’t help but retort.

“Oh, that’s great. You can sue SM. I think the court will support you.” Lee Yoon-hyung said calmly.

Han was speechless. If he had any other choice, he certainly wouldn't have gone to court. Whether he could win the case was another matter, but his career was definitely over.

"You went to Liu Jing because you wanted to avoid paying breach of contract fees and walk away gracefully, but you also wanted to avoid affecting your future resources and start anew. Isn't that right? Actually, you could have sued him." Li Yinxin snorted lightly. If Liu Jing hadn't been there, she would have said something even harsher.

"Is there anything else you want to say?" Liu Jing frowned. If that was all, he really didn't want to help.

Han Geng also mentioned that the high-intensity work led to a deterioration in his health and even a tendency towards depression. The long-term high-intensity work, with no rest throughout the year and only two or three hours of sleep a day, resulted in chronic nervous gastritis, kidney disease, and he even continued training with a broken rib.

Liu Jing wasn't surprised by any of this. Actors sometimes face even greater intensity and harsher environments and conditions when filming.

“The company doesn’t treat its employees like human beings, but I’m even less human than them. They make me drink with them, and they also make me… Ugh… Sometimes I even have to wear a mask on stage and get told to get out of Korea, just because I’m Chinese. My peers look down on me and isolate me. The younger generation doesn’t respect me and bosses me around. Do you know? During my Super Junior activities, I had nightmares every day. This isn’t a place for humans, at least not a place for a Chinese person like me. This is a hell of skinning people alive…” Han Geng became so emotional that he spilled coffee all over himself.

"Sorry! I lost my composure." Han Geng wiped away the stains, his eyes slightly red.

Liu Jing's expression wasn't good either, not because of Han Geng's experience, but because of the discrimination against his compatriot.

He didn't say anything, but this phenomenon isn't unique to South Korea; it's happening all over the world.

"You should go back first." Li Yinxin picked up her coffee and took a small sip.

Han Geng looked at Liu Jing, but received no reply or hint, and felt very disappointed. "Okay, thank you, Director Liu and Chairman Li."

“If I said I didn’t know what he was talking about, you’d definitely scold me. But I really didn’t know. If I had known he was being isolated and discriminated against at the company because of his nationality, I definitely wouldn’t have stood by and done nothing. After all, I have a Chinese savior, a Chinese best friend, and a Chinese confidant who’s been through thick and thin with me,” Li Yinxin sighed.

Liu Jing remained silent, while Li Yinxin bit her lip; she was truly angry this time.

“You know the situation in our country. I can’t ensure that the entire country treats Chinese people equally, but I will instruct SM Entertainment, New Star Films, and Lionsgate in Hollywood. I will even do my best to influence Samsung Group. There must be no discrimination, and Chinese people must not be isolated. Trainees from China cannot be treated with prejudice just because they are from another country. They cannot be deliberately suppressed or bullied.” Li Yinxin said solemnly.

Liu Jing sighed. This wasn't really Li Yinxin's fault; he'd been a bit petty. Changing everyone's attitudes couldn't be done by one or two people; a strong nation was the fundamental solution.

He has no communication problems in South Korea, but that's because Samsung is there; otherwise, there would be obstacles everywhere.

Liu Jing was feeling down. He downed his coffee in one gulp and got up to leave.

"Hey! You're not angry, are you? What else do you want me to do? Just say it!" Li Yinxin quickly chased after her.

"I don't want to dine and dash, remember to pay the bill." Liu Jing waved his hand.

"I'm here, I'll use facial recognition." Li Yinxin breathed a sigh of relief, as long as she wasn't angry with her.

She turned to grab her bag; she had been chasing after him so fast that she hadn't even noticed her bag or phone.

"You've got a big face," Liu Jing mocked.

"It's definitely not as big as yours, we can compare." Li Yinxin touched her face, wondering if she had gained weight again.
It's all Sisi's fault. She needs to control her weight for filming, but she has a sweet tooth. Every time she buys a bunch of delicious food, she only tastes a little of everything, and the rest ends up in her stomach.

Sissi and Lee Yi-hsin were inseparable during the filming of "Inception." The film was produced by Lionsgate, and Lee Yi-hsin was one of the producers, working on set for an extended period.

"Han Geng terminated his contract with SM, what do you need me to do?" Liu Jing decided to help, both for that kneeling and for Han Geng's plight.

"I need your word." Li Yinxin pursed her lips. SM Entertainment really meant nothing to her. In Chairman Li's eyes, it was just a toy he found for his daughter.

"I'll treat you to dinner tonight." Liu Jing took a deep look at her. Time is a wonderful thing. After a few years, this little princess was like a completely different person compared to when they first met.

"Everything's been arranged at home. I'll send you the bill later." Li Yinxin smiled, looking at Liu Jing with a bright smile.

Liu Jing's eyes flickered, and he didn't dare to meet her gaze. This was Xixi's best friend and business partner; he couldn't afford to harm her.

Once is never enough, twice is never enough, and now Sisi doesn't make any new best friends.

Li Yinxin's home was not as luxurious as one might imagine; it was much more understated compared to her father and brother.

This wasn't Liu Jing's first time here, but it was definitely his first time eating here.

It's an ordinary villa, but the decorations inside are anything but ordinary; everything inside is expensive, enough to buy ten villas like this.

"Oppa, it's been a long time."

"Yoona's here too? Long time no see."

Not long ago, just two months ago, Li Yinxin brought Lin Yoona to visit the set of "Let the Bullets Fly".

"Oppa, please lift your foot..."

The Korean woman was very attentive; she helped him change his shoes and wash his hands.

Liu Jing glanced at Li Yinxin, and the little princess returned the smile.

There are nine members in Girls' Generation. They didn't call out the names of the others, but Yoona was one of them. This meal was unusual.

Wu Dun missed his Hongmen Banquet, could this guy have set one too? Or maybe they'll discuss heroes over plum wine?

Nine-fold rice, Divine Stove, Grilled Eel, Live Flower Shrimp, Golden Minced Meat, Bone-in Beef Steak, Snow Crab Leg Hot Pot, Pan-fried Whale Skewers, Sauternes Ice Cream...

Li Yinxin invited two chefs home and put a lot of effort into preparing this dinner.

The table is laden with expensive delicacies, top chefs are busy at work, the visual center of Girls' Generation serves from behind, and the Samsung princess sits opposite them.

The idea that one should not speak while eating or sleeping is simply not true.

Li Yinxin was elegant as she enjoyed the food while sharing anecdotes from the filming of "Inception" with Liu Jing.

After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, they moved upstairs to enjoy tea.

"Wood, I can handle things with Kim Hee-sun, but you need to do me a small favor." Lee Yoon-hyung picked up a grape and started talking about business.

"You said."

"In the movie you filmed with Kim Hee-sun, give Yoona a role. It'll be a small one, but not a bit part; she'll have to have some screen time. Don't let her be like Sissi, who didn't have a single line."

"Has my bad reputation already reached you?" Liu Jing was speechless; that last sentence was superfluous.

"The president has been following 'The Message' and frequently browses your country's internet," Lim Yoona explained.

"You really want Yoona to gain attention in our country?" Liu Jing asked, puzzled.

“Yeah! Money is easy to make in your country, so let’s get acquainted first.” Li Yinxin was very straightforward; there was nothing she couldn’t say behind closed doors.

"Hey..." Liu Jingqi laughed, "So you guys are all like Jang Nara, huh?"

Just you wait! I'll go back and start a company that specializes in making Korean dramas.

"Don't be angry, it doesn't matter who earns the money. If our New Life Film and Television makes money, Qianqian will also get a share." Li Yinxin's tone even had a hint of coquetry. Lin Yun'er couldn't help but glance at her, then quickly lowered her head.

"Run'e, you can go out first." Li Yinxin's smile faded.

After Lin Yoona left, Liu Jing joked, "What's wrong? Do you have something private to say?"

"I want a child, like Sister Min..."

"Cough cough..." Liu Jing choked.

(End of this chapter)