Top Chinese celebrity: Debuted from Running Man

Chapter 372 Chen Duling: Log in, I'll beat you up

Chapter 372 Chen Duling: Log in, let me give you a good beating (5.3k)
……

……

"play me?"

Gu Qing's slender fingers, with their distinct knuckles, deftly manipulated the bank card containing thirty million.

The card danced and twirled lightly between his fingers, like a tamed silver butterfly, perfectly complementing the indifferent yet slightly mocking expression on his face, exuding a strange, almost dangerous charm.

"I would rather..."

Li Li cursed inwardly.
If time could turn back, and she had another chance, she would absolutely stop at nothing to keep this unruly boy firmly under her control and make him suffer!

"Xiao Gu, don't misunderstand, I'm just here to act as a mediator."

Li Li forced an awkward but polite smile, trying to shift the blame, "This was all at the behest of the company's higher-ups. They forced me to come; I had no choice."

"What do they want to do?"

Gu Qing's voice remained calm, revealing no emotion, but his eyes were sharp as he looked at Li Li, as if they could see through any pretense.

"Xiao Gu, look..."

Li Li explained nervously, her palms slightly sweaty, "The 30 million you gave to the company before was used to buy out the future profit-sharing rights for 'Detective Chinatown' and 'Nirvana in Fire'."

The company now feels that this one-size-fits-all approach is too hurtful and makes us too distant from each other.

Therefore, the company wants to cancel this buyout model and refund the 30 million yuan to you.

Regarding the revenue sharing for "Nirvana in Fire," we will continue to operate according to the more flexible revenue-sharing method we agreed upon earlier.

She carefully observed Gu Qing's expression and continued to throw out the bait: "As for the box office revenue sharing of 'Detective Chinatown,' the company will not participate at all this time, and all the profits will go to you alone."

Xiao Gu, what do you think of this plan? The company has made huge concessions.

"pat-"

With a soft click, the bank card that had been dancing between Gu Qing's fingers was precisely tossed back onto the contract on the table, interrupting Li Li's words.

Gu Qing stood up, smoothly picked up her coat draped over the back of the chair, and replied indifferently, "Not very good."

As he put on his coat, he continued, a sneer playing on his lips: "It's as if you're entitled to a share of 'Detective Chinatown's' box office revenue just because I disagree."

Now that the contract is signed in black and white, don't go back on your word like you can't accept defeat.

His gaze swept over the card and contract on the table, finally landing on Li Li's face. His tone was tinged with disgust: "This 30 million... is practically free money for you. Be content."

How could he possibly agree to such a ridiculous request?
In my past life's memories, "Nirvana in Fire" was a phenomenal hit drama with an astonishingly high long-tail effect and commercial value.

It may not be as good as the "Detective Chinatown" franchise.

But if you're talking about making more money than a Detective Chinatown movie, that's definitely achievable.

"Nirvana in Fire" is a "cash cow" that can generate stable revenue for ten years or even longer, and it is a classic that will be remembered in film and television history.

He signed a permanent profit-sharing contract with Zhengwu Sunshine, which is equivalent to holding a golden goose in his hand.

Now that the company is so blinded by the popularity of "Detective Chinatown," they want to break the agreement?
It's just a fool's errand.

"boss."

Seeing Gu Qing get up, Zhao Ya and Xiao Jun immediately put down their bowls and chopsticks and quickly followed.

Li Li's face instantly turned red and then pale, her eyes filled with a mixture of embarrassment and anger.

As we approached the private room,

Gu Qing paused slightly, as if suddenly remembering something. She chuckled, shook her head, and turned back to "kindly" remind him:
"By the way, Sister Li, don't forget to pay the full amount of taxes on this 30 million refund as required. As a person, you still have to... walk the straight and narrow path."

As soon as he finished speaking, his assistant opened the door for him.

"Peng!"

Only after the door was gently closed did Li Li finally dare to release her long-suppressed emotions. Her face was ashen, her features contorted with resentment, and she slammed her hand hard on the heavy solid wood table.

The force of the recoil made her hands numb, and the pain made her gasp. This physical pain intensified her anger.

"That little bastard!!!"

"Take the right path? Do I need you to teach me?! You hypocrite!"

Li Li gritted her teeth and cursed under her breath, her chest heaving violently.

After calming down a bit, she picked up her phone and dialed the company's boss, her tone immediately becoming aggrieved and exaggerated: "Boss, we can't reach an agreement!"
Gu Qing has become too arrogant now, completely disregarding everyone and the company!

"Judging from his attitude, he'll try to buy out any good project from now on! This is unacceptable!"

“If we don’t agree this time, he’ll definitely use the ‘going to school’ thing to threaten us again! We have to find a way to stop him!”

On the other end of the phone,

After hearing Li Li's report, the company's CEO was furious.

"Thirty million isn't a small amount?"

He repeated Gu Qing's words, so angry he almost laughed out loud, "Damn it, this kid made over 200 million from just one movie! Even a fraction of that is more than 30 million!"

The boss's eyes turned red and his heart bled at the thought that the huge sum of money that should have flowed into the company's account had just vanished.

For investors, watching their artists rake in huge profits while they only get a tiny slice is a feeling akin to being slowly sliced to death.

What's more, there's also the future "golden phoenix" that is "Nirvana in Fire"!
"Go to school... go to school... go to school my ass!"

The boss roared, "Are you sure he really wants to go?! I don't believe he doesn't know what going to school means!"

Although they rationally felt that Gu Qing wouldn't actually go to school, they didn't dare to gamble.

after all,

Gu Qing is now the company's only and biggest cash cow. He single-handedly supports most of the company's revenue, enabling the company to join the ranks of top-tier brokerage firms.

"Boss, Gu Qing definitely doesn't want to go!"

Li Li quickly reported the key information: "Yesterday I went to the public relations department to ask about the trending topic about going to school. They clearly stated that it was bought by competitors with the aim of 'praising to death'."

Gu Qing herself said she didn't want to go to school, and she plans to personally refute the rumor in a couple of days!

"Good! Good! Good! He really is a smart man!"

The boss said "good" three times in a row, his tone turning cold and sarcastic, "He doesn't want to take the job, right? Then we'll 'help' him out and make his 'wish come true'!"

"This entertainer has really gone too far! If we don't teach him a lesson, he won't know who's in charge!"

"As long as the contract is still in our hands, he can't turn things upside down!"

Upon learning this crucial information, the boss felt much more at ease, and the initiative seemed to have instantly returned to their hands.

……

After parting on bad terms with Li Li, Gu Qing returned to her hotel room and unexpectedly began her vacation.

This was a special leave granted by Chen Sicheng out of consideration for his exhaustion from days of travel and the fact that the film's reputation had already stabilized, with the cancellation of the remaining roadshow stops.

however,
When the year-long, high-intensity schedule suddenly came to an end, everything returned to calm.
As Gu Qing lay on the soft bed in the hotel, she felt a strange emptiness and disorientation, and even a sense of panic and fear of loss rose in her heart.

The excessively quiet environment in the room made him feel particularly uncomfortable, as if he were isolated from the outside world.

This feeling was unbelievable even to Gu Qing herself.

"Am I having a mental breakdown?"

He whispered incredulously, a sense of urgency that "if I don't work, I'll be overtaken by my competitors" haunting him.

He walked barefoot on the soft carpet, strode to the door, and turned on all the lights in the room—the main light, the wall lights, and even the bathroom light.

The dazzling light instantly dispelled the darkness in the corner.

He picked up the remote again, turned on the TV, and adjusted the volume to a moderate level, letting the noise of the variety show fill the room.

Only then did the oppressive feeling of being enveloped in silence ease slightly.

He realized that this might be an early symptom of an artist's occupational disease.

Having been accustomed to the noise and attention under the spotlight for a long time, the sudden return to the quiet solitude of an ordinary person can easily exacerbate feelings of loneliness and anxiety.

Many artists choose to relax in noisy environments such as bars and nightclubs after intense work, precisely because the noise makes them feel "at ease".

If you are really locked alone in an overly quiet space, it's hard not to overthink and even develop dark emotions.

In contrast,

Gu Qing is currently in a good state; she is just not used to this change in pace.

"Practice dancing!"

Gu Qing decided to find something to do to distract herself.

He forced himself to turn off his phone and practiced basic dance moves he hadn't done in a long time in an open space in the room, letting physical activity take away his mental restlessness.

Time flew by amidst the sweat. After practicing for two hours and taking a hot shower, drenched in sweat, Gu Qing asked Zhao Ya to go to the bookstore and buy several classic literary works.

He forced himself to calm down, sat at his desk, and carefully flipped through the pages one by one.

When I finally closed the book and looked up, the streetlights outside the window were already on.

Gu Qing let out a long sigh of relief, stretched her stiff neck, and felt both mentally and physically relaxed. Her previously irritable mood also improved considerably.

"Early to bed, early to rise, good health."

He yawned, rubbed his slightly sore eyes, and lay down on the bed. He picked up his phone, which was fully charged, from the bedside table and saw that it was already past 11 p.m.

Just as he was about to put down his phone and go to sleep,

With a "ding-dong," a notification sound rang out for a new message.

Gu Qing subconsciously clicked on the message. The sender's name was "Little Ears" (Chen Duling), and the message contained only a simple sentence: "Xu Yi, are you...asleep?"

however,
Almost the instant the message appeared, it displayed "Message withdrawn".

Gu Qing was slightly taken aback, somewhat confused, and replied with a simple "?".

……

—Xiamen, a residential community.

Chen Duling was lying on her bed in her room, tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep.

As a typical STEM girl, she doesn't pay much attention to her appearance at home. Her long hair is casually draped over her shoulders, and her room isn't exactly tidy, except for a few cute plush toys on her bed.
On the bookshelf

The table was covered with space shuttle models, science fiction novels, and some science and engineering books, making it look like a boy's room at first glance.

At this moment, she was lying face down on the bed, a pair of black-rimmed glasses perched on her straight nose, a pillow propped up against her chest, absentmindedly scrolling through her phone.

The light from the screen shone on her delicate yet forlorn face.

"The show flopped...it didn't even make a splash..."

"Unspoken rules...how disgusting..."

"What... should I do next?"

Her mood plummeted, her long black hair cascading down, obscuring her face as if trying to isolate herself from the outside world.

Chen Duling felt that all her good luck seemed to have been used up the moment she met "Xu Yi" (Gu Qing).

As the leading actress who garnered nearly 900 million yuan at the box office with "The Left Ear" right from her debut, her starting point was so high that countless people envied her, an achievement that many directors dream of.

In particular, the "Qingling CP" formed with Gu Qing was extremely popular at the time, and script offers came in like snowflakes.

She chose the script "Operation Proposal," which seemed to have the highest viewership at the time, and whose co-star was "Little Sheep," who had become a sensation with "Go Fighting!" and was expected to reach the top.

The results of it?
After the show aired on Dongfang TV, it received no attention and didn't even generate any basic discussion.

The male and female leads lack sweet chemistry.
In addition, the acting was surprisingly awkward, the script was unimpressive, and even the pre-release hype failed to generate any buzz.

and,

As an idol, and due to his explosive popularity on "Go Fighting!", his company has never allowed him to have any scandals with female artists since his debut.

The same goes for Chen Duling.

Her image is that of a pure, studious, and well-behaved girl, and her existing fanbase makes it impossible for her to engage in scandalous hype.

and,

While she was reaping the benefits of the Gu Qing CP (couple pairing),
She faces the same dilemma as Gu Qing, who is a sibling-like couple, and their fans.

Fans who had built up their following with "The Left Ear" couldn't accept her creating on-screen couple pairings with male celebrities other than Gu Qing.

The screen filter for Xu Yi and Xiao Erduo is too strong.
unless,

You have such powerful acting skills that you managed to escape this predicament.

Does Chen Duling have one?

Her acting skills, like her plain and unassuming appearance, are like a glass of plain water. You can force yourself to drink a sip or two, but if you keep drinking it, you'll throw up.

When watching idol dramas, the male and female leads lack even the most basic chemistry, resulting in "Operation Proposal" flopping silently.

Faced with such a huge psychological gap, Chen Duling found it difficult to accept for a while.

She had considered that the show might become popular or it might be criticized after it aired, but she never imagined that she wouldn't even have the right to be discussed.

For celebrities with a large following, this kind of "silent" downfall is fatal.

"Little Sheep" has "Go Fighting!" to maintain his exposure, while she has nothing.

She chose the "family workshop" model, with her mother setting up the company and herself acting as the legal representative. This was unique in the industry, and her intention was to avoid trouble and protect herself.

But this also means that she lacks the resources and connections that large companies provide.

Previously, she could choose any script she wanted, but after the series flopped, all that came her with were some small, low-budget roles.

What disgusted her even more was that when she went to audition, the assistant director almost explicitly stated that she would need to use "unspoken rules" to get the role.

The thought of that greasy, bald assistant director's lewd face still makes Chen Duling feel nauseous.

She chose a family workshop to avoid this, but she never expected reality to come so quickly.

Disheartened, she returned to her home in Xiamen and chose to "lie down" and become a recluse.

During this period, almost every news article she saw on her phone was related to "Xu Yi".

"Xu Yi... even someone as famous as him would encounter unspoken rules?"

"There are even men... That's terrifying."

"As expected... Xu Yi and I are the same; we both have our own bottom lines. We... have always been very similar."

"Pah! That woman is such a green tea b*tch. Back then, when she retweeted that Weibo post, wasn't she just trying to get Xu Yi criticized?"

"I even used to ship them as a couple... Thank goodness Xu Yi pulled through. Should I... send him a message to comfort him?"

"No, no, my drama flopped so badly, if I go to him now, it'll make me seem like a scheming woman, like I'm trying to gain sympathy..."

"My God, 'Detective Chinatown' has already surpassed 1.5 billion yuan at the box office... Xu Yi even said he wants to go back to school to improve his acting skills... I forgot he's only 21 years old, younger than me, he's like a little brother..."

"Everyone says Xu Yi 'makes his leading ladies famous,' and it seems to be true... Everyone who works with him becomes famous, but once they leave him, they seem to go back to square one... Just like me..."

Chen Duling felt like a pervert, a voyeur hiding in the shadows, staying at home every day, doing nothing productive, just scrolling through news about Gu Qing over and over again.

The only time I went out was to the cinema and quietly bought a ticket for "Detective Chinatown".

If this continued, she felt she was going "crazy".

"Xu Yi... Xu Yi... Xu Yi..."

My mind was in a daze, and even in my dreams, the scene of that summer beach when I was filming "The Left Ear" and the figure of that boy in white would often appear.

She finally couldn't hold back any longer. Mustering all her courage, she clicked on the WeChat profile picture labeled "Xu Yi" and, like a primary school student, clumsily typed: "Xu Yi, are you asleep?"

The moment the message was sent, her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to burst out of her chest.

She stared blankly at the screen for a few seconds, then, as if burned, hurriedly deleted the message.

"What am I doing?!"

Chen Duling grabbed her beautiful hair in frustration, strands clinging messily to her embarrassed cheeks. She buried her face in the soft pillow, letting out a silent wail.

"Ding-dong—"

however,
Even with the blanket over his head, in the quiet room, the new message notification sound was as clear as a thunderclap.

"Wow!"

The blanket was suddenly thrown off, and Chen Duling's fair hand quickly grabbed the phone from the bedside table. The screen lit up, displaying a message from "Xu Yi (Gu Qing)":

A simple question mark: "?"

Then,

Another message popped up: "You're just a little ear, I'm not a little blind person. [eye roll]"

"Pfft-"

Even though it was just cold, hard text, Chen Duling instantly pictured Gu Qing rolling his eyes, looking helpless yet slightly disgusted.

She couldn't help but laugh out loud; the gloom that had been building up for days seemed to be dispelled by that smile.

It seemed like she hadn't laughed so genuinely in a long time.

But the tension quickly returned the next second.

Her mind raced, her cheeks burned, and her fingers hovered above the screen, unsure of what to reply next.

She doesn't know how to pursue boys.

You can't exactly say, "Log in and beat him up," can you?

Uh…it seems she can't beat them either.