Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 300 Schemes and Methods

July 12th, South Africa, Johannesburg Royal Palace Hotel. The presidential suite on the top floor of the hotel is decorated with extreme luxury.

Song Ci walked into the bedroom and saw his wife lying on the soft bed, engrossed in using the calculator function on her phone. Her round and beautiful curves were on full display. He reached out and patted her pert buttocks.

Curious, someone asked, "What are you calculating? You seem so engrossed."

Upon hearing this, Liu Shishi turned over, turned her phone screen towards her husband, and said with a smug look, "I'm calculating the box office revenue of 'Lost in Thailand'."

Song Ci leaned forward slightly, her gaze falling on the striking numbers on the screen, and exclaimed in surprise, "8800 million! This movie's box office is pretty good!"

Ms. Liu, beaming with joy, said, "I invested 210 million yuan, which is a 30% stake. I should be able to earn more than 700 million yuan. I never thought investing in movies could be so profitable."

"Making money in the film and television industry is not so easy. The film industry is a high-risk, high-return industry. Many people make money, but even more people lose money."

Liu Shishi nodded slightly, a look of regret flashing across her face: "I know that. That's why I only dabble in small things, investing a few million, so even if I lose, I won't lose much."

It's a pity that "Lost in Thailand" had a bad release date. If it had been released during the Spring Festival, the box office could have exceeded 100 million yuan, and I could have earned an extra million yuan.

Song Ci jokingly remarked, "You're dreaming. The competition during the Spring Festival season is fierce. If 'Lost in Thailand' doesn't perform as well as other big films in the first three days, theaters will definitely reduce its screenings. It's good that it was released during the summer; 8800 million yuan at the box office is already a pleasant surprise."

“That’s true! Anyway, I didn’t do anything, and the money came easily.” Liu Shishi stretched with a satisfied look on her face.

She glanced at the time on her phone, got out of bed, and said, "It's almost noon. Let me put on some makeup, then we'll go downstairs and try some South African food. It's on me."

Liu Shishi was in a good mood, humming a little tune, as she went into the bathroom and began to do her makeup in front of the mirror.

Song Ci leaned leisurely against the door frame, looking tenderly at his wife, chatting casually with her about last night's "battle of the century".

Last night was the 2010 FIFA World Cup final. He and Ms. Liu went to the match and witnessed Spain defeat the Netherlands 1-0 and lift the World Cup trophy.

As Liu Shishi applied makeup to her pretty face, she suddenly felt a pang of emotion and blurted out, "I wonder when the Chinese national football team will win a world championship."

"This is a bit difficult, it feels much harder than you becoming the top female entertainer in China."

Song Ci really didn't want to talk about the national football team's disappointing record, so she changed the subject, "Poetry, you're already beautiful enough, you don't need to put on any more makeup. Let's go to the restaurant, I'm a little hungry."

"I'll put on some lipstick, it'll be done soon." Miss Liu twisted the lipstick and gently applied it to her full, moist lips, playfully raising her eyebrows at her husband.

Looking at the alluring, luscious red lips so close to her, Song Ci couldn't help but swallow.

Feeling Mr. Song's intense gaze, Liu Shishi, having finished applying her lipstick, chuckled softly, stepped forward, and wrapped her arms around his neck, her voice sweet and alluring: "Honey, would you like to try my lipstick?"

The vibrant color of his young wife's red lips and her alluring, seductive eyes made Song Ci's heart flutter, and he almost lost control.

However, the timing wasn't right, so he could only reluctantly look away from those lips that shone with a captivating luster, and feign composure: "I'm not Jia Baoyu."

"You hypocrite! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Seeing that her husband remained unmoved, a sly glint flashed in Liu Shishi's eyes. She tiptoed and gave Song Ci a deep kiss on his handsome face, then giggled and hid in the bedroom.

The warm, smooth touch on his cheek made Song Ci subconsciously reach out and touch it. The bright red mark on his fingertip made him realize what was happening instantly: "Well, Liu Shishi, how dare you tease me! Where do you think you're going!"

Immediately, Song Ci strode into the bedroom, pounced on Liu Shishi on the bed, firmly restrained her two small hands with one large hand, and used the free hand to tickle her, a slight punishment to teach his mischievous little wife a lesson.

Liu Shishi was delicate and weak. She was pinned down by her husband and could not move. She could only beg for mercy repeatedly, her voice soft and sweet with a hint of coquettishness: "I was wrong! Yiyi, good husband, please let me go."

After playing around for a while, Song Ci saw his beloved wife pleading and pleading with a pitiful expression, and only then did he prepare to let her go.

However, just before getting up, looking at Liu Shishi's snow-white swan neck, a flash of inspiration struck him. He lowered his head and kissed her fiercely a few times, as if to assert his dominance and plant a few bright red hickeys on her.

After admiring his masterpiece, he slowly got up, satisfied.

Liu Shishi lay on the bed, panting heavily, her chest heaving. After a long while, she finally snorted angrily, "Bad person!"

"It's only fair to reciprocate. Let's go have lunch."

Liu Shishi returned to the bathroom, and as she was about to tidy her hair, which had been messed up by the couple's playful antics, she discovered that her neck was covered in Song Xian's handiwork.

She immediately pouted and said coquettishly, "Song Yiyi, you're so annoying! My neck is covered in hickeys from you, how can I face anyone now!"

Song Ci smiled smugly: "It's alright, the mark of love will dissipate in a few hours."

Miss Liu glared at her scoundrel-like husband, smoothed her hair, pouted, and left the guest room with Mr. Song. Accompanied by their waiting assistant and bodyguards, they went to the restaurant for a meal.

Inside the luxurious restaurant, the soft carpets are as comfortable as clouds, and the exquisite crystal chandeliers cast a gentle glow.

The couple leisurely enjoyed South African specialties: sizzling flambé steak, fragrant boboti, and uniquely flavorful koxsuste. While these dishes couldn't compare to the delicacies back home, they had their own distinct charm.

Suddenly, a melodious ringtone broke the warm dining atmosphere. Liu Shishi put down her knife and fork, picked up her phone, and saw that it was Cai Yinong calling.

As soon as the call was answered, Cai Yinong's anxious voice came through: "Shishi, where are you?"

"My husband and I are watching the World Cup in South Africa, and we're heading back to China tomorrow. Anything you need, K?"

Cai Yinong, far away in the East China Sea, rolled his eyes and thought to himself that he and his company were in a panic over the issue of the top female star, while she was acting as if nothing had happened, enjoying herself abroad and even watching a football game.

"You hit Xu Jinglei?"

The abrupt question left Liu Shishi momentarily bewildered, and she hadn't quite grasped what was going on: "What nonsense! I'm abroad, how could I possibly hit Xu Jinglei?"

Cai Yinong also realized that he was too anxious and reorganized his words: "What I mean is, when you made a cameo appearance in 'Go Lala Go!', did you slap Xu Jinglei?"

"Sister K, is this what you mean? Yes, you did get hit, but it was just acting, it was necessary for the plot."

Hearing Liu Shishi's nonchalant tone, Cai Yinong realized that the top star obviously did not realize the seriousness of the matter: "Shishi, even if it is necessary for acting, you can't really hit her."

Liu Shishi looked puzzled: "They all said it was acting, how could we really fight? I was holding back."

"But in the video I saw, you hit pretty hard, and..."

"What video?" Sister Yi was filled with doubt, and an ominous premonition welled up in her heart, making her vaguely feel that things were not going well.

Cai Yinong sighed helplessly, looking very worried: "Shishi, take a look at Weibo first, sort things out, and then we'll contact each other again to think of a solution."

After ending the call, Liu Shishi quickly opened the Weibo app and rushed to the trending topics page. "Liu Shishi hits Xu Jinglei"

"2. A hard slap in the face"

"3 Tangren's top female star's image seems to have collapsed"

. . . . .

Upon seeing the top trending topics, the top influencer was struck dumb and became extremely anxious. She hurriedly clicked on the relevant topics to see what had happened.

After browsing through several trending topics, Liu Shishi finally understood the whole story.

It turns out that the movie version of "Go Lala Go!" was released yesterday, and because the TV series version was popular before it, the movie-related topics were very popular.

But somehow, a video from the filming of the movie circulated online, showing Liu Shishi slapping Xu Jinglei during a cameo appearance by the crew.

Initially, netizens thought it was a scene from a movie, but viewers who had seen the film said that this scene was not in the actual movie.

Rumors spread like wildfire, and all sorts of gossip circulated online.

"Liu Shishi looks delicate and weak, but she can be really ruthless when she slaps someone."

"I'm very curious, why did Liu Shishi hit Xu Jinglei? If it was just acting, why wasn't this scene in the movie? Was the scene of the beating cut in post-production?"

"Regardless of whether it's a movie plot or not, Liu Shishi went too far. Judging from the range of motion, she used a lot of force. That blow completely stunned Xu Jinglei."

"It's estimated that there was originally a scene where someone was slapped, but perhaps Liu Shishi went too far, so that scene wasn't aired."

"Judging from the force of that slap, it's clear that Liu Shishi is very competitive. All that talk about being as serene as a chrysanthemum and not competing or fighting was just a lie!"

Public opinion is clearly turning against Liu Shishi. Although some fans have spoken out in support of their idol, their voices are too weak to be heard by the vast majority of netizens.

Seeing his wife suddenly look anxious, Song Ci asked with concern, "What's wrong, Shishi?"

With a pained expression and furrowed brows, Miss Liu recounted the whole story to her husband, adding as she finished:
"The video is of the last time I hit her. I hit her a few times before, but I didn't dare to use my full strength. Xu Jinglei was not satisfied and thought that my hits were too fake. We had to do several takes, forcing me to get serious."

I was really forced into this situation, so I used a little more force in that last blow. But even though it looked like a hard hit, I was actually holding back; it didn't hurt.

Song Ci nodded slightly, seemingly lost in thought. A sharp glint flashed in his deep eyes as he vaguely sensed that his wife might have fallen into a trap.

However, the video has only been out for a short time, and we need to wait for further developments before making any judgments.

This was the first time Liu Shishi had encountered something like this, and she completely panicked: "Honey, should I post something on Weibo to explain?"

Song Ci remained calm: "No need, just observe the situation first. Have Cai Yinong contact Xu Jinglei. The video must have been leaked from the film crew. As long as we get her to release the complete video, netizens will know the whole story at a glance."

Liu Shishi felt somewhat relieved by her husband's words and quickly called Cai Yinong back.

"Sister K, I saw the Weibo post. That video was just a short clip. The real situation is..."

Seeing his beloved wife looking restless and worried, Song Ci gently comforted her, saying, "It's nothing, let's eat first."

He really didn't take it to heart. In the end, it was nothing more than the same old thing in the entertainment industry: spreading rumors, smearing, and ruining the image of the other party.

In the eyes of the tycoon, it was nothing more than child's play. Xu Jinglei really dared to cause trouble and frame Liu Shishi. Did she really think the tycoon had no temper? He could suppress this big star with a flick of his wrist.

Song Ci's calm and composed expression made Liu Shishi breathe a sigh of relief, but she had no appetite when faced with such a troublesome matter: "I'm not eating anymore. I'll go back to my room and wait for Sister K's message."

Knowing that Miss Liu probably wasn't in the mood to eat right now, Song Ci didn't insist: "Alright, let's go back first."

Just as the two were about to get up, Cai Yinong called again. Liu Shishi answered impatiently: "Sister K, how could Xu Jinglei say that?"

"Xu Jinglei said that the person who posted the video was a temporary worker in the editing department, and that person was your hater. She has already fired him. The complete video was not saved, but she said she would post a clarification on Weibo for you soon."

"Ah, how could the production crew not keep records of the filming!" Upon hearing this, Liu Shishi immediately looked distressed, feeling wronged and helpless. "Sigh, I can only wait for Xu Jinglei to clarify things for me."

"That's all we can do for now, since that video is very bad for you."

Liu Shishi hung her head, in a bad mood. On her way back to her room, she kept refreshing Weibo, hoping that Xu Jinglei would post a clarification on Weibo soon and clear up the misunderstanding.

Not long after returning to the presidential suite, Liu Shishi discovered that Xu Jinglei had updated her Weibo status.

Xu Jinglei v: Regarding the video circulating online of Liu Shishi slapping me, I would like to clarify that it was necessary for the plot during filming, but that scene was not included in the final cut.

Shishi is a very nice girl, please don't overthink it. Also, thank you all for your concern and support for me and "Du Lala's Promotion Diary".

"As expected of a well-established leading lady, she is truly magnanimous. Even after being beaten, she still came out to clarify things as Liu Shishi."

"666, even though Liu Shishi slapped him so hard, he still spoke up for her. I'm completely convinced."

"Even if the plot requires it, you can't be that ruthless. Liu Shishi really is a femme fatale."

"Poor Xu Jinglei, she kindly invited Liu Shishi to make a cameo appearance, but ended up suffering an undeserved disaster. I have nothing more to say, I'll just buy a movie ticket to support 'Go Lala Go!'"

Upon seeing Xu Jinglei's clarification post, Liu Shishi felt a wave of dizziness and was stunned.

I read every word over and over, and the more I read, the more something seemed off. The whole thing didn't get to the point; it was completely evasive. It seemed like it was trying to clarify things, but it was actually adding fuel to the fire. It would have been better not to clarify at all.

Without complete video evidence, the other party's words undoubtedly put him in a difficult position, confirming that he was seeking revenge and deliberately hit Xu Jinglei to vent his anger.

Song Ci, who had been observing silently from the side, took the phone, glanced at the sarcastic remarks on the screen, and sneered inwardly. Just as he had expected.

"She deliberately tried to harm me!" At this moment, the whole thing came together, and Liu Shishi suddenly realized the truth.

Looking back on all the details, Xu Jinglei probably had planned this all along. From the beginning, she invited her to make a cameo appearance, and then she designed the scene of slapping her. She had completely fallen into Xu Jinglei's carefully laid trap.

Now, Xu Jinglei is being treated as a victim by netizens, easily gaining a wave of traffic while also ruining her public image and suppressing herself.

After figuring out the series of moves the opponent had made, Liu Shishi gritted her teeth in anger: "What formidable tactics!"

But then came another wave of frustration. Faced with the impending online backlash, she felt utterly speechless and had no idea how to deal with the crisis.

(End of this chapter)