Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 243 Accusation
"Director Zhang, why did you change my original role?" Huang Shengyi was furious, her voice trembling slightly.

She was notified that her original role as an announcer in "The Founding of a Republic" had been temporarily replaced, and she was given an ensemble role with only one line and a few seconds of screen time.

This greatly shocked her, but she still managed to suppress her emotions and try her best to control her anger when facing the production manager of the crew.

"I'm just following the rules and informing you of Chairman Han's decision. If you have any objections, you can talk to the director."

Director Zhang remained expressionless, his tone as cold as still water, showing little interest in the female celebrity's excited reaction.

It's not like I'm new to the entertainment industry. It's perfectly normal for roles to be replaced. Besides, it wasn't an important role to begin with, so what's the big deal about being replaced?

Huang Shengyi bit her lower lip, her originally delicate face now somewhat ferocious. She wouldn't dare to question Han Sanping even if she had ten lives.

After informing the main party, Director Zhang was about to leave. The film crew had just started shooting, and there were countless things to deal with. As the production manager, he didn't have time to waste here.

"Director Zhang, please wait a moment. I'd like to ask you, who stole my role?"

Huang Shengyi looked unwilling, feeling that Han Sanping would never target her for no reason, and that someone must be interfering and trying to steal her role.

"The announcer role has been assigned to Liu Shishi. Also, Ms. Huang, please be careful what you say on set. The director uses people to serve the roles; there's no question of 'stealing' anyone."

Director Zhang squinted and gave a word of advice before turning and leaving without looking back, leaving Huang Shengyi standing there alone.

"Liu Shishi!" Huang Shengyi gritted her teeth as she uttered the name, scoffing at what the production manager had just said. Some historical figures might require consideration of their image.

But the original announcer role was a fictional character, and any celebrity could play it. How could changing the actor be for the sake of the so-called role? Clearly, someone was sabotaging things behind the scenes.

Although she secretly resented the other party for taking her role, the director had already made the decision, and she didn't dare to cause trouble. This matter was definitely irreversible. She had nowhere to vent her anger and grievances and didn't know what to do for a moment.

Huang Shengyi was preoccupied. She went to a secluded spot and, seeing that no one was paying attention to her, took out her phone, intending to ask her husband, Yang Zi, how to handle the matter.

"Hey, husband."

"Honey, how's everything going on set?"

Hearing her husband's voice made Huang Shengyi feel much better. She and Yang Zi had secretly married last year and were newlyweds, their relationship was very sweet and loving.

"My role was taken by someone else."

"What happened? Tell me quickly," Yangzi asked hurriedly.

In order to get a role in "The Founding of a Republic", Huang Shengyi almost lost the opportunity to star in the Hollywood blockbuster "Wushan Adventure".

Now that the role has been snatched away, wouldn't all the previous efforts have been in vain?

After Huang Shengyi dejectedly told her husband the whole story, she asked hopefully, "Honey, is there any connection in the family that can help me salvage this situation?"

Yang Zi remained silent for a moment on the other end of the phone, thinking it over but unable to come up with any good ideas.

Since Han Sanping has already spoken, there is no room for change. If this were an ordinary film crew, they might be able to cause some trouble, but to cause trouble in the "Founding of a Republic" crew would undoubtedly be courting death and would certainly result in being blacklisted.

As for Huang Shengyi's hopes for family connections, that's even more unrealistic. Although his family's Power Group is a near-listed company and a leading rigging company in the country, it has absolutely no connection with the entertainment industry and can't help him at all.

"We can only swallow this loss for now. Losing a minor supporting role is nothing, but we have to get revenge. Otherwise, if everyone kicks us while we're down, how will we survive in this industry?"

Yang Zi's tone was stern. Although the die was cast and he was powerless to take back the role, if he didn't take some action when his wife was being bullied, people would really think he was a good-natured rich second-generation!

Upon hearing this, Huang Shengyi's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and she was immediately alert: "How do we take revenge?"

Yang Zi did not act rashly, and instructed, "No rush, let me investigate this Liu Shishi first, and you can also inquire about her in the film crew."

After the couple ended their call, Huang Shengyi wandered aimlessly around the film set, while Yang Zi started searching online for everything about Liu Shishi.

In the president's office of Juli Media, Yang Zi sat in a leather chair, his fingers flying across the keyboard, the screen illuminating his focused face.

As search engines kept popping up news related to Liu Shishi, Yang Zi frowned, and his originally calm expression gradually turned serious.

He discovered that this Liu Shishi seemed a bit difficult to deal with.

Since entering the entertainment industry, the other party has basically only filmed dramas for Tengda Culture and Tangren Media. They have little interaction with the complex and chaotic entertainment industry and their network of contacts is relatively simple, making it difficult to find a breakthrough in terms of personal connections.

Moreover, after a thorough search, he was surprised to find that Liu Shishi had no scandals whatsoever, she was as clean as a blank sheet of paper, and there was absolutely no evidence to use against her.

What Yangzi found most troublesome was that Liu Shishi had a very close relationship with the senior management of Tengda Group.

Tengda Group controls the online public opinion arena, and anything even remotely related to it deserves serious attention.

"This is difficult! I need to think of a better way," Yang Zi muttered to himself.

He knew perfectly well that dealing with Liu Shishi wouldn't be difficult. He could simply use the usual methods in the entertainment industry: smear her and fabricate scandals. After all, netizens were just gossipy masses who followed the crowd without any independent thought.

However, this role-grabbing incident involves Han Sanping, who has to successfully confront Liu Shishi without involving the "Founding of a Republic" production team, which is a difficult situation.

Yang Zi calmed down and began to carefully study Liu Shishi's past experiences, scanning the computer screen line by line, not missing a single detail.

When he saw some of her previous posts on Weibo, a plan came to mind. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Since it was difficult to break through head-on, he might as well escalate the conflict and find more helpers to "gang up on her" so that she would have no way to defend herself.

Around 7 p.m., as night quietly fell, Liu Shishi, who had just returned home from the Huairou Film and Television Base, was enjoying a warm dinner with her fiancé at Jingyuan's home.

On the dining table were several exquisite dishes, a balanced mix of meat and vegetables, all appealing in color, aroma, and taste. Beside them, a porcelain bowl held steaming bowls of white fungus and lotus seed soup, its delicate sweet fragrance filling the entire restaurant.

Holding a soup ladle, Song Ci savored the white fungus and lotus seed soup while listening to Liu Shishi enthusiastically recount her experiences on set.

"Yiyi, I got the autographs of teachers Chen Daoming and Tang Guoqiang today, and I also took a photo with them."

"Mom is so happy now, she got her idol's autograph."

"There are so many stars in the cast of 'The Founding of a Republic'. I can name more than sixty of them, and there are some I don't recognize." "The director would give the lead actor instructions, and then the roles would be reversed, with the actors giving instructions to the director, or giving each other pointers, striving for perfection. The atmosphere was really wonderful."

Miss Liu was beaming with joy, and from the moment she started eating, her little mouth never stopped, wanting to share every wonderful moment from the film crew with Song Ci.

"And Tong Dawei, I hope I can recommend him to the production team of 'Go Lala Go!'"

"Tong Dawei wants to act in this drama?" Song Ci was slightly taken aback.

For some reason, images of Tong Dawei and Huang Xuan inexplicably popped into my mind. Their characters in film and television works are full of bitterness and hatred. As soon as they appear, the audience can guess that the most tragic and miserable characters in the whole series are none other than them.

Seeing Mr. Song standing there in a daze, Ms. Liu tilted her head in confusion: "What's wrong, darling? Don't you think Tong Dawei is suitable?"

"I can act, but I'm afraid this drama will turn into a tearjerker." Song Ci chuckled, took another spoonful of soup, and nodded in satisfaction. "This soup is good, the flavor is very rich."

"Then I'll get you another bowl." Liu Shishi got up, took the soup bowl, and served her fiancé another bowl, gently placing it in front of him. "Eat more if you like. Sister Li said this soup has been simmering all afternoon and is cooked to perfection."

After slowly chewing a few bites of food, Song Ci put down her chopsticks and said, "Oh right, I forgot to ask you, what role did Chairman Han arrange for you? Is it to play a historical figure?"

“How could I possibly play a real historical figure?” Liu Shishi shook her head slightly. “It’s a female announcer. Although she has very few scenes, she gets close-up shots and a few lines, which is pretty good for me.”

"Prepare well and don't let Chairman Han down."

"Of course, I'm going to study hard tonight to memorize my lines, so don't bother me."

Seeing his fiancée's confident and ambitious demeanor, Song Ci couldn't help but smile: "Okay, I'll also look at the materials, and we can learn and improve together."

Just then, the housekeeper, Sister Li, hurried into the dining room with her phone in her hand: "Madam, your phone is ringing."

Liu Shishi hurriedly took the phone and, seeing that it was Cai Yinong calling, immediately answered.

"Shishi, are you still on set?"

Cai Yinong's voice sounded somewhat urgent. Liu Shishi was taken aback, not understanding what was going on: "I'm at home right now, having dinner with my husband. What's wrong, Sister K?"

"President Song is here too!" Hearing Song Ci's presence, Cai Yinong's previously anxious mood instantly calmed down. "You had President Song step in and steal Huang Shengyi's role?"

"What nonsense is this?" Liu Shishi glanced at Mr. Song, her face increasingly puzzled. "I've never even had any dealings with her, how could I have stolen her role?"

At this moment, Cai Yinong, far away in the East China Sea, thought to herself, "You didn't ask, but your man took care of everything for you."

However, the thought of Song Ci being by the side of the top star forced him to swallow these words.

Just now, she saw Huang Shengyi's long post on Weibo accusing her own top female star, and subconsciously felt that Song Ci had stepped in to help Liu Shishi steal the role.

Seeing that Miss Liu's expression changed slightly, revealing a hint of confusion and grievance, Song Ci said, "Turn on speakerphone, let me hear what's going on too?"

Upon hearing this, Sister K turned on speakerphone: "Sister K, I've turned on speakerphone, please explain the situation clearly."

"An hour ago, Huang Shengyi posted a long article on Weibo accusing him." Cai Yinong cleared his throat and began to recount his story clearly:

"The gist of it is that his original role in 'The Founding of a Republic' was replaced by a popular young actress surnamed Liu."

Since her debut, this young actress has been vying for roles and endorsements, even playing the second female lead and overshadowing the lead actress. She'll also make guest appearances in other productions for a week, stealing the spotlight and outshining everyone else.

She's always been domineering because of her connections, and this time she used her influence to manipulate the director and steal her role.

Cai Yinong speaks very quickly, but every word is spoken very clearly, and the woman on the other end of the phone can hear him clearly.

Liu Shishi's face instantly turned red with anger, and she couldn't help but rebuke, "Huang Shengyi is talking nonsense! When did I ever steal her role? And everything she said is completely fabricated."

"I earned all the endorsements through my own hard work. As for the claim that I outshone everyone on the set of 'The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber,' that was said by Director Yu Min, not by me. The press release was also issued by Producer Zhang; what does that have to do with me?"

As Ms. Liu spoke, she became more and more agitated, her chest heaving violently. She wished she could immediately go to Huang Shengyi and confront her to ask why she had slandered her.

Thinking about this, I couldn't sit still any longer and went upstairs to go online and check Weibo to see what was going on.

"Sit down and eat first." Song Ci's calm and firm words made Miss Liu, who had just gotten up, sit down again.

"Shishi, this soup is really good, you should try some too." Song Ci smiled and slowly ladled a bowl of soup for her sister. "Don't rush, it's just a small thing."

He immediately understood the whole story. It must be that Han Sanping gave the role originally promised to Huang Shengyi to Miss Liu in order to repay a favor. Although it was not something they asked for, Miss Liu was most likely to take the blame.

Mr. Song's composure and calmness were like a good medicine, calming Liu Shishi's anger slightly.

In fact, deep down, she has always felt superior to other female celebrities in the entertainment industry. What you all fight tooth and nail for, I can have easily.

It is precisely this calm and composed mindset that has prevented her from ever actively competing for anything; otherwise, with her husband being the richest man, what resources in the entertainment industry couldn't she obtain?

That's why she was so angry when she first heard what Sister K said, feeling that her innocence had been unjustly smeared.

"Mr. Cai, you are Shishi's agent. What do you think is the best way to handle this matter?"

Upon hearing Song Ci's inquiry, Cai Yinong paused briefly, seemingly considering his words: "Mr. Song, did you try to snatch the role from Huang Shengyi?"

Song Ci retorted, "Does it make sense for you to ask me this? The entertainment industry has always been fiercely competitive, with people praising the powerful and stepping on the weak. Snatching roles is commonplace. Even if I snatch one, so what?"

His words revealed an unparalleled domineering and confident attitude. In his view, Han Sanping giving the role to his own Miss Liu clearly showed that he didn't care about a minor role like Huang Shengyi. So why should he, the richest man in mainland China and the uncrowned king of the entertainment industry, care?

"I was being naive. I was just worried that this matter would affect Shishi's reputation."

Song Ci nodded: "I won't get involved in this matter. You Tang people should think about how to handle it."

As Shishi becomes increasingly popular, competition for interests in the entertainment industry is inevitable, and rumors and smear campaigns from rivals will certainly follow. President Cai, you must plan ahead and handle this properly.

(End of this chapter)