Entertainment: 1990

Chapter 254 Wu Zetian's Widowhood

It's almost the end of the month, otherwise our votes will go to waste!

As Wen Xie had predicted.

On the first day of negotiations, Zhang Yan made an outrageous demand, asking for a cash injection of three million yuan in exchange for control of the "Sunshine" project.

Although Dong Ping had anticipated this and had already received interest from Jiang Wen in advance, he certainly wouldn't just agree to Zhang Yan's extortion.

The condition that "the director can be replaced if necessary" was unanimously opposed by Jiang Wen and Wen Xie.

The first negotiation ended in discord.

What puzzled Zhang Yan the most during this period was Liu Xiaoqing's attitude. She seemed indifferent to everything in the negotiations, but when she left, she specifically asked about Chen Hong's whereabouts.

Upon hearing that Chen Hong had just moved from Chengde to Beijing and would not finish filming for another two weeks, she simply nodded slightly and then left.

What does this mean?
…………

"What exactly do you mean?!"

Back at the hotel they had booked in advance, Jiang Wen asked a similar question in a fit of anger.

"Means nothing."

Liu Xiaoqing didn't even look at Jiang Wen, and stood up, saying, "The 'Wu Zetian' production team has found a suitable makeup artist and wants to ask me to take some test makeup photos, so I asked them to come to Tianjin in advance to wait for me."

"And then what happens after the makeup trial photos are taken?"

Jiang Wen stood blocking the doorway, staring intently down at Liu Xiaoqing.

"Finished the costume photos?"

Liu Xiaoqing met his gaze without hesitation: "Of course, I'll find someone to judge and see how much I differ from a young girl in her prime."

"you!"

Jiang Wen subconsciously raised her hand, but then lowered it again under Liu Xiaoqing's piercing gaze, and said awkwardly, "I told you, that day was all a misunderstanding, I... I didn't mean it either."

"Hehe, that's not what Ning Jing said."

Liu Xiaoqing sneered, forcefully pushed him away, and walked out the door.

Jiang Wen quickly grabbed her bag again, and in the struggle, the strap of the woman's handbag suddenly broke, and the contents of the bag spilled all over the ground.

Jiang Wen spotted a few small umbrellas, and her expression became increasingly contorted.

Seeing Liu Xiaoqing reach out to pick them up, he kicked away the umbrellas that originally belonged to him.

However, Liu Xiaoqing simply picked up the car keys from the ground and resolutely walked out the door.

Isn't this even more 'dangerous'?!

Jiang Wen hurriedly chased after him, and the two of them started tugging at each other in the corridor again.

Jiang Wen, being strong and powerful, though hesitant to use force due to his fear, gradually dragged Liu Xiaoqing back to the doorway.

Just then, Dong Ping's door suddenly opened, and she walked out, asking in a sarcastic tone, "Oh, what's going on between you two? Sister Qing, do you need me to help mediate?"

As they were talking, two more burly men came out of the house.

Liu Xiaoqing looked up at Jiang Wen and sneered, "If you want to make this a public spectacle, then I'm willing to throw away all my dignity!"

Jiang Wen froze, and the force in her hand lessened.

Liu Xiaoqing immediately broke free from his restraints and strode downstairs.

…………

Dream Fulfillment Company.

After the negotiations concluded, Zhang Yan also organized a debriefing session with key personnel.

"Dong Ping is not as irritable as he seems."

At the meeting, Wang Jinghua spoke first, saying, "I feel that he must have reached some kind of compensation agreement with Jiang Wen in advance."

Wang Zhongqi asked in bewilderment, "What's the deal with Wen Xie? Everyone can see that the condition of 'changing directors' is to put a tight rein on Jiang Wen, which is also a guarantee for the interests of the investors."

"I don't know that either."

Zhang Yan shook his head and said, "I heard that he took the initiative to come to us seeking cooperation. Perhaps we signed some special investment agreement?"

Wang Jinghua suggested, "Since Dong Ping isn't that determined to resist, let's not rush to come up with a tour promotion plan. Let's try to squeeze out as much profit as possible, such as getting Jiang Wen and Liu Xiaoqing to sign one or two empty film contracts."

What if they dawdle during the workday?

"If things don't look good, we can just transfer the film contract. Whether it's to repay a favor or to exchange for benefits, we should be able to get a good return."

It's no wonder that the person who wanted to fulfill their dream would think the same way as Dong Ping, mainly because Jiang Wen and Liu Xiaoqing's film contracts are extremely sought after right now.

After the meeting.

Zhang Yan then went to the television station alone to meet with the chairman of the Golden Eagle Awards organizing committee. The matter of the Golden Eagle Awards being held in Tianjin, after much effort from all sides, had finally come to fruition.

Taking advantage of the situation, Tianjin proposed a reorganization of the Golden Eagle Awards. The Golden Eagle Awards organizing committee did not refuse, but suggested that they talk to the person in charge of the matter.

Then Ma Yuan brought Zhang Yan over.

It wasn't surprising at all that the organizing committee chairman met Zhang Yan. After all, in Tianjin these days, when people talk about the entertainment industry or the idea king, Zhang Yan, the dream come true, is definitely someone you can't ignore.

"The first edition will definitely not see any major changes."

Zhang Yan had already prepared his speech and said to the leaders of the organizing committee, "My idea is to add a selection for the top ten directors and screenwriters of the year, and then let these ten people choose the best male and female leads and the best male and female supporting actors."

The organizing committee chairman frowned and said, "Isn't this still the same old expert judging system? This seems to contradict the original intention of the Golden Eagle Awards..."

"Please let me finish. We'll add two more awards for Most Popular Actor and Actress. These awards will be decided entirely by audience votes. This way, we can maintain the Golden Eagle Awards' lineage and avoid the media constantly criticizing the Golden Eagle Awards for not being professional enough."

"This……"

The organizing committee members looked at each other, and finally sighed, "Hopefully we won't make things worse and end up pleasing neither side."

"You can rest assured that we will definitely conduct extensive and detailed research before deciding to carry out reforms."

The senior leaders of the organizing committee were clearly not particularly satisfied with Zhang Yan's approach, but they had no choice but to accept it reluctantly, as the situation was beyond their control.

Just after Zhang Yan accompanied Ma Yuan to see off these former officials, a phone call suddenly came in.

"boss Zhang."

Liu Xiaoqing's voice came through the phone: "Jiang Wen and I have some things we'd like to discuss with you privately. Would it be convenient for you to meet up now?"

"This……"

Zhang Yan declined, saying, "Is that necessary? I think it would be better if you reached an agreement first, and then talked to me."

"That's why we need to talk to you in person first in order to reach an agreement—you know Fenghua Road, right? There's a 'Warm and Cozy Photo Studio' in the northwest. You can just come over there."

"A photo studio? Why would we go to a photo studio?"

"This is a restaurant opened by a friend of mine. Anyway, Jiang Wen and I will be waiting for you here. See you there!"

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Yan felt something was off. If Dong Ping had invited him, he definitely wouldn't have gone, but Jiang Wen and Liu Xiaoqing shouldn't have gone to such lengths as kidnapping.

So after hesitating for a moment, he still went to the address.

When Zhang Yan arrived at the photo studio, he found a "Closed" sign on the door, but when he tried to push it, the door was open.

Zhang Yan pushed open the door and cautiously walked in. As he was observing the situation inside the photo studio, he suddenly heard Liu Xiaoqing's voice from the second floor asking, "Mr. Zhang, is that you?"

"it's me."

"Then come up."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yan climbed the steps to the second floor, only to find a cloth curtain hanging from the beam, through which candlelight and lamplight could be faintly seen.

This is getting weirder and weirder.

He carefully lifted the curtain and saw a woman in ancient costume wearing a phoenix crown.

She lay on her side on the soft couch, her skirt flowing like clouds, outlining an infinitely languid charm.

Her slender eyebrows and eyes were half-closed, revealing a touch of naivety in her half-asleep state, while a faint smile lingered on her lips, making her appear alluring without being lewd, and seductive without being vulgar.

Zhang Yan was stunned for a long time before tentatively asking, "Sister Xiaoqing?"

"Cuckoo~"

Liu Xiaoqing was clearly very satisfied with his performance. She covered her mouth and giggled a few times, then swayed her upper body and asked, "Are you satisfied with my outfit?"

I?
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yan retorted, "Are you impersonating Wu Zetian?"

"Of course."

Liu Xiaoqing nodded slightly, her hair ornaments swaying wildly.

The 95 version of "Empress Wu Zetian" is shown in the picture:
Zhang Yan took a deep breath and said sincerely, "Sister Xiaoqing, could you recommend this makeup artist to me?"

Liu Xiaoqing gave him a coquettish glare: "Shouldn't you ask me what kind of act I'm putting on today first?"

Hearing her say that, Zhang Yan suddenly realized something and asked, "The injuries on Jiang Wen's face, were they your doing? What was it for? Was it a relationship issue or a dispute over the spoils?"

Hearing Zhang Yan guess the reason so quickly, Liu Xiaoqing's expression changed slightly, but he still said frankly, "Jiang Wen slept with the female lead Ning Jing the day before yesterday."

Tsk~
This guy really knows how to pick his time, and he even dared to steal food from his own backyard. What's even more speechless is that he was caught red-handed after he had his way with her.

Zhang Yan sighed, "So, you're playing Wu Zetian widowed today?"

"how to say?"

"He's lost his mind [Li Zhi]."

(End of this chapter)