Entertainment: 1990

Chapter 385 Review
Seeing Chen Hong hand over the mobile phone, Gai Lili didn't refuse. She quickly gulped down a couple of mouthfuls of water and followed Zhang Yan out of the small villa.

After getting into the car, while fastening her seatbelt, Gai Lili reminded him, "Shouldn't you contact your connections in the city to see what happened?"

"No rush, let's see what's going on first."

Zhang Yan showed no intention of calling for help. The Yuanmeng Building was raided, but he hadn't received a single word about it. After thinking it over, there was only one possibility.

That means the higher-ups sent people directly without notifying the city or requiring the city not to disclose the information.

If it's the former, that's fine; but if it's the latter, rushing to make a call could easily give others a handle to use against you.

Anyway, Zhang Yan believed he was upright and honest, and as long as they weren't trying to frame him, he wasn't afraid of being investigated thoroughly.

If you want to randomly label people...

Haha, this is Tianjin!

Seeing his unhurried demeanor, and even the fact that he turned on music while waiting at a red light, Gai Lili couldn't help but secretly admire his composure.

He subconsciously suggested, "How about I wait at the door first, and if things don't go well, I'll contact Chen Hong."

"No need, people will think we're doing something wrong if they see us."

Zhang Yan thought for a moment, then called the manager of the August 1st Film and Television Base and chatted about the Shanghai inspection team as if nothing had happened.

After explaining his thoughts, he casually remarked, "It seems there's been a problem at the Yuanmeng Building; we can't even get through on the phone. Why don't you contact the city first, and we'll discuss it again later?"

"I can't get through on the phone?"

The other party indeed became curious: "Mr. Zhang, do you need our help?"

"Not for now. I'll go take a look first. If there's anything we can do to help with our August 1st Base, I definitely won't be polite."

That's settled. The manager of the film and television base takes the Shanghai inspection team very seriously, and he'll probably contact the city government as soon as he hangs up the phone.

If the city was unaware of this beforehand, then it's time for them to intervene.

If I already knew, then I have nothing to worry about.

And so, Zhang Yan arrived at the Dream Building unhurriedly, only to find that the main entrance was locked, with only a side entrance open for people to enter and exit, and two guards were stationed outside.

Zhang Yan parked the car in an outside parking space, picked up his bag, got out of the car, and turned to Gai Lili, saying, "If you don't want to go in, you can stay in the car."

"No, I'm also part of the dream-fulfilling journey!"

Seeing that Gai Lili's attitude was very firm, Zhang Yan then led her to the side door.

"What?"

The two bailiffs guarding the gate raised their hands to stop the two: "Outsiders are not allowed to enter here for the time being."

"Aren't you the outsiders?"

Zhang Yan laughed and said, "I am the legal representative of Yuanmeng. I think whatever happens inside should be related to me."

The two bailiffs exchanged a glance, and one of them said, "Then come with me."

Zhang Yan followed the bailiffs into the office building and saw a row of mobile phones at the front desk with white paper labels on them. Without even looking closely, he knew they were communication devices belonging to the company's middle and senior management.

The person standing behind the front desk was no longer a sweet-smiling young girl, but a weathered middle-aged man.

Seeing the bailiffs bring Zhang Yan and Gai Lili in, the middle-aged man stopped flipping through the ledgers, looked up and said with a forced smile, "So it's you, Mr. Zhang—what, did we miss something despite our best efforts?"

As expected, the other party spoke with a strong Beijing accent.

"The August 1st Film and Television Base is right across the street, with people coming and going all day long. Unless you make your move in the middle of the night, how could no one know?"

After Zhang Yan finished speaking, he stared at the other party and asked, "I am operating legally and legitimately. If you want to investigate my company, you should at least have a reason and the necessary permits, right?"

"Of course there is."

The man waved to the side, and someone immediately handed over some approval documents. Zhang Yan took them, glanced at them, and felt completely at ease.

The document stated: "In order to implement the determination and instructions of the 'asset inventory and verification' work, clarify property rights relations, and strengthen the supervision and management of state-owned enterprise assets, hereby..."

To put it bluntly, these people's surprise raid on Yuanmeng was to check whether state-owned assets had been embezzled.

"The approval was issued on March 31st, right?" Zhang Yan returned the documents and said calmly, "But our Yuanmeng team had already undergone verification in April, and the verification results showed that there were absolutely no problems."

The state-owned enterprise reforms of 92 and 93 were sweeping and bold, but such radical changes inevitably led to some problems. Therefore, in early 94, the state specifically required all provinces to conduct self-examination and self-correction.

"More than that."

The middle-aged man shrugged indifferently and said, "According to the results of Tianjin's self-examination and self-correction, Yuanmeng can be regarded as a model of public-private partnership. For a model, it is necessary to repeatedly verify and confirm that there are no errors."

"is it?"

Zhang Yan shrugged and said, "Should I feel honored? But I should correct you, only Dream Records is a joint public-private enterprise, while the brokerage company and film and television company are wholly-owned subsidiaries that I set up myself."

"That's true on the surface."

The middle-aged man feigned interest, his fake smile becoming increasingly unsettling: "But what about the commercial performances organized by the management company? Isn't this exploiting the popularity gained after releasing an album to seek personal gain?"

"Haha~"

Zhang Yan chuckled and shook his head, saying, "It seems you don't pay enough attention to our Dream Come True artists. Our Dream Come True artists didn't start out by releasing records, but by becoming famous through variety shows they collaborated with on television."

If we really calculate it that way, then the variety shows I co-produced with TV stations actually boosted my record sales significantly.

I made these things clear to the TV station at the very beginning of the contract signing. I only cooperated with the TV station because I didn't have the distribution rights. Yuanmeng contributed the most to this.

"Now, record labels and TV stations take the lion's share, while I cover the profits and losses of commercial performances. This is already a very rare arrangement. You probably won't find a better deal than what we at Dream Fulfillment do."

"Big head?"

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man pretended to flip through the account book on the table, and then laughed and said, "But I see that the TV station's revenue is only 35%."

"That's because you didn't include my donation."

Zhang Yan smiled and said, "Besides the singers' share, I gave back all the proceeds from the sale of records to the TV station in the form of goods, including but not limited to a 21-seater Iveco van, the renovation of the studio, the renovation of the drainage pipes in the staff quarters, and the roof renovation."

"Hahaha~"

The middle-aged man laughed heartily after hearing this: "It sounds like Mr. Zhang is truly selfless and dedicated to helping others. So what exactly are you trying to gain by doing this?"

"Of course, it's about repaying kindness."

Zhang Yan answered without hesitation: "I was originally just an ordinary printing worker. If it weren't for the opportunities given to me by the magazine, the TV station, and my superiors, I wouldn't have the wealth and status I have today. So I will do my best to give back to this land."

Their eyes met, and the middle-aged man's fake smile gradually faded, replaced by scrutiny and doubt.

Just then, Zhang Yan's cell phone suddenly rang.

Before Zhang Yan could make a move, several staff members surrounded him.

Seeing this, Zhang Yan simply handed over the bag, indicating that they could do whatever they wanted with it.

The staff member took out the mobile phone and handed it to the middle-aged man, who hesitated for a moment before answering the call.

"Hello, is this Xiao Zhang? This is Chen XX."

Upon hearing the name given, the middle-aged man raised an eyebrow slightly and then said, "Mayor Chen, I am Mr. Zhang's secretary. What can you do for me?"

"is it?"

Vice Mayor Chen, who was in charge of publicity, asked a meaningful question, and then said loudly, "Then please tell him that it's just some people with envious eyes spreading rumors and slander. Tell him not to worry. If Tianjin can't even protect entrepreneurs like him, then talking about attracting investment in the future will be a joke!"

After saying that, he hung up the phone without waiting for the middle-aged man to reply.

The middle-aged man slowly put down his mobile phone, frowned, and looked at Zhang Yan. His speech just now represented not only one person, but more like the will of the collective.

Collective will cannot be represented casually.

This means that the city has complete confidence in Zhang Yan, either because he has manipulated the entire Tianjin leadership, or because he is truly innocent—the former being almost impossible.

But to say they are innocent...

How many big bosses these days can truly live up to these four words?
Not to mention Zhang Yan started as a worker and got to where he is today in just a few years.

The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment, placed the mobile phone in the most conspicuous position, and then said to Zhang Yan, "Mr. Zhang, could you tell me how you got to where you are today from an ordinary worker?"

(End of this chapter)