Huayu: This celebrity doesn't follow the rules.

Chapter 93: Leaving the Program and Meeting with the Directors
Liao Ke, along with several burly stagehands, finally managed to separate Zhang Han and Hu Yanbin, who were wrestling. Both men had bruises on their faces, their clothes were torn and twisted, their chests were heaving violently, and their eyes were filled with anger.

Hu Yanbin was being held tightly by his assistant, pointing at Zhang Han and cursing, "You just wait! This isn't over!"

Zhang Han was also panting heavily, blood seeping from the wound at the corner of his mouth, but he didn't retaliate. He just silently watched Zheng Shuang, who was hiding behind the crowd, crying and trembling.

"Shut up, everyone!"

Liao Ke was so angry her voice was hoarse. Pointing at the three of them, she said, "Zhang Han, go back to your hotel room and calm down! Hu Yanbin, your assistant take him to another floor! Zheng Shuang, come to my office!"

He then turned to the staff and guests who were watching, "What are you all standing there for? Those who need to work, go back to work; those who need to rest, rest. Nobody is allowed to spread this around!"

"Remember, you all have signed confidentiality agreements!"

"Anyone who dares to leak this information will be held accountable by Hunan TV!"

Liao Ke's emotions were about to explode. What was all this nonsense?
He's a veteran of Hunan TV, having served as the producer of "Super Girl" since 2004.

Following that, there were programs such as "Rising Step by Step" and "China's Strongest Voice".

Last year, he launched the first season of "Divas Hit the Road", which featured celebrity siblings traveling independently and focused on authenticity!
Can……

The sheer popularity of this season exceeded his expectations, and his biggest regret now is having Zheng Shuang, this brainless guy, as a guest.

You said you and Meng Ziyi got into a fight, and the production team always manages to handle it.

But if you lost a fight, why did you call your boyfriend over?

One wasn't enough, so she called out her ex-boyfriend too?!
What, are you a member of the mafia?

That's incredibly stupid...!
The people in the corridor gradually dispersed, leaving only a mess.

The broken flowerpot, the scattered documents, and Zhang Han's dirty trench coat.

Jiang Ye walked over slowly, bent down to pick up the trench coat, dusted it off, and whispered to Meng Ziyi, "Let's go, the show's over."

Looking at his calm profile, Meng Ziyi realized what was happening and quietly leaned closer to ask, "Aye, is this alright? This has blown up so much, won't it affect you?"

This girl has never worried about herself; her family's wealth is her greatest source of confidence.

But she was afraid it would affect her husband's career...

"How can a small problem be solved?"

Jiang Ye smiled and tossed the trench coat to a staff member. "Zheng Shuang wanted to use the production team to force you to back down. Now that her private affairs are public knowledge, do you think Director Liao would still dare to let her continue causing trouble?"

He paused, then added, "Besides, what is Hunan TV most afraid of? Negative news affecting program broadcasts."

"Your affair with her is irrelevant now. She should focus on figuring out how to juggle two relationships!"

Sure enough, half an hour later, Liao Ke's assistant hurriedly came to find Meng Ziyi, his tone much more polite: "Teacher Meng, Director Liao said... let bygones be bygones, filming will resume tomorrow, and you and Zheng Shuang will record footage separately for the time being."

As for the matter of making Meng Ziyi apologize, not a word was mentioned again.

……

Zheng Shuang sat in her office for two whole hours, her heavy makeup long since washed away by tears.

The agent kept answering phone calls, his tone shifting from firm to helpless, and finally to exhaustion: "Alright, stop making a scene. Hu Yanbin is demanding an explanation for going public with their relationship, and Zhang Han's team has also threatened to hold them accountable. Continuing this will not benefit anyone."

Zheng Shuang bit her lip and remained silent until a message popped up on her phone. It was from her fan club, saying that anonymous rumors about Zheng Shuang "cheating on two men" had begun circulating online.

She suddenly looked up, her eyes red and swollen: "I want to go home, I'm not recording this lousy show anymore!"

The agent sighed and dialed Liao Ke's number.

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone before Liao Ke's voice, suppressing her anger, came through: "You can leave if you want."

He paused, his tone cold and hard, "But according to the contract, leaving the group early requires returning all guest fees. In addition, the losses incurred due to the work stoppage these past two days, including equipment rental, venue reservations, and staff accommodation, totaling 470,000 yuan, must be borne by you."

Zheng Shuang's agent almost jumped up: "Director Liao, this is unreasonable!"

"Unreasonable?" Liao Ke sneered. "When she was making a scene demanding an explanation, didn't she ever consider what was reasonable? The entire production is now at a standstill, and the pressure from the sponsors' claims is all on me. Is this amount of money a lot? If she weren't one of our own, do you think it would be this simple?"

After hanging up the phone, Zheng Shuang looked at her agent's ashen face and finally panicked.

She just wanted to prove herself, how did it escalate to this point?

The agent glared at her fiercely: "What are you standing there for? Contact the company and send the money right now! If you drag this out any longer, the breach of contract penalties will be enough to make you regret it!"

That night, Zheng Shuang's team hurriedly transferred the money and packed their bags to rush to the airport.

When she left the hotel, she deliberately avoided the crew, lowered her head and quickly got into the car, without even saying goodbye.

In her hotel room, Liao Ke looked at the payment notification from the finance department and wearily rubbed her temples.

The assistant whispered, "Director, are we really letting her go? What about the subsequent footage?"

"What else can we do?" Liao Ke sighed. "Try to make her scenes look natural, and if that doesn't work, use narration. It's better than letting her keep causing trouble."

He looked out the window; the London night was still deep. This uproar had finally come to an end with Zheng Shuang's disheveled departure.

But ultimately, someone has to bear the consequences.

……

VIP Suite on the 15th Floor of the Hotel

This is the room that Meng Ziyi just booked for Jiang Ye. She shares her room with Xu Qing, which is a bit inconvenient.

A bedside lamp was turned on in the room, its warm yellow light falling on the carpet and blocking the night outside the heavy curtains.

Meng Ziyi had just removed her makeup, her face still warm from the heat, when she turned around and saw Jiang Ye leaning against the window, deep in thought.

She walked over and nestled into Jiang Ye's arms, her knees resting on the edge of the sofa, her body naturally pressing against him.

"Now that you're here, what will happen to the filming at home?"

She reached out and hooked her arm around his neck, her nose brushing against his chin as she spoke, "Didn't you say that things are progressing quickly in Suzhou?"

Jiang Ye tightened his arms around her, holding her slender waist firmly. His palms pressed against the fabric of her lower back, and he could feel the warmth of her body.

She snuggled closer to him, finding a comfortable position, and her knee accidentally nudged his leg lightly, bringing them so close that they could feel each other's breath.

"fine."

He looked down at her face, which was so close to his, and gently stroked her waist with his fingertips. His voice was tinged with laughter. "I've got Director Cat covering for us. The rest of the scenes are all dialogue. We've already rehearsed the lines and blocking. I've been training him for almost a month now, so there shouldn't be any major problems."

"Then...when are you going back?"

"We're leaving in the middle of the night." Jiang Ye raised his hand and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "We booked a 3 a.m. flight so we can get back in time to oversee the filming tomorrow afternoon."

Sister Meng is angry!
"Then what are you still dawdling about?"

"?????"

"Would you like to change places?"

"Need not!"

Why did you draw back the curtains?

"I like to look at the scenery..."

"Hmm..." It turns out that the hotel windows can withstand a very strong impact!

……

After the farce in London came to an end, life gradually returned to normal.

Jiang Ye returned to China and plunged into the filming of "Si Teng". The flow of light and shadow under the lens and the scheduling of the set became the focus of his life, as if the turmoil in London had never happened.

On the other hand, the rumors about Zheng Shuang, Zhang Han, and Hu Yanbin were like pebbles thrown into a lake. Although they caused a ripple, they were quickly suppressed by the combined efforts of the three teams.

The trending topics were removed, the exposés were deleted, and even the discussion posts on the forums disappeared without a trace.

After all, it's negative news involving a romantic dispute, which isn't good for anyone's image, so joining forces to quell the storm became the wisest choice.

Behind this, Jiang Ye's "going with the flow" was indispensable.

He still has the complete video of the hallway brawl on his phone, which was secretly recorded by Meng Ziyi's assistant at the time, enough to make this farce cause an even bigger uproar online.

But he ultimately did not choose to release it.

Firstly, he had already achieved his goal.

After being slapped by Meng Ziyi, Zheng Shuang slunk away from the set. Not only did he not gain any benefits, but he also lost money and face. He had no intention of causing trouble for Meng Ziyi for a while, and even put his career on hold, focusing all his attention on the messy emotional entanglement.

Zhang Han seemed to have considered getting back together with Zheng Shuang, and contacted her privately several times.

Binbin couldn't let go of the relationship either, and the two competed openly and secretly, causing a great deal of trouble in private.

Secondly, sometimes, having leverage that you don't use is more powerful than using it.

He has other plans!
This kind of thing needs to be used where it's most needed, and it also needs to bring tangible benefits!

On April 10th, filming for "Si Teng" came to an end, and Jing Tian finished filming ahead of schedule and left the crew.

Her scenes were all filmed in a concentrated period of more than 40 days.

Next, they filmed some less important scenes and side plots, and Jiang Ye tried his best to get the cat's tree to handle the task.

Jiang Ye also left the film crew on April 11 and rushed back to Yanjing.

……

April 12, Yanjing International Conference Center.

Jiang Ye followed Wang Chui, the head of the school's directing department, across the red carpet and into the venue.

Today he specially changed into a well-tailored black suit, his tie was tied meticulously, and his leather shoes were polished to a shine.

Today is the 6th Annual Awards Ceremony of the China Film Directors Association, 2014.

Wang Chui, as a member of the judging panel, brought him along to broaden his horizons and help him become a familiar face.

As for why he only brought Jiang Ye along...

If you have a student who is exceptionally talented and well-behaved, who receives a constant stream of gifts during holidays, it's a source of pride to take them out...

"Don't say anything carelessly later, just observe and listen more," Wang Chui whispered, "The people here today are all real big shots in the industry, not those who make a living off traffic."

Jiang Ye nodded, but his gaze had already swept into the depths of the venue.

Lou Hua and Diao Yinan were talking in hushed tones, both holding champagne glasses and looking relaxed.

Zhang Yimou was surrounded by several producers, with polite smiles on his face.

The most eye-catching figure was Gong Li standing under the crystal chandelier.

Today she wore a dark red dress, her shoulders and neck as elegant as a sculpture, her red lips slightly pursed, her eyes indifferent yet sharp.

Although she is 50 years old, time seems to have been exceptionally kind to her.

She doesn't need to deliberately stand in the spotlight, but everyone's eyes will be drawn to her involuntarily.

“Director Wang!” A loud voice came from behind.

Feng Xiaogang strode over, patted Wang Chui on the shoulder, and said, "Your judging panel really has a discerning eye this year."

Wang Chui exchanged a few pleasantries with a smile, then pushed Jiang Ye forward, saying, "This is our academy's rising star, Jiang Ye. This kid has some talent."

Feng Xiaogang glanced at Jiang Ye, then simply nodded, his arrogance as a top director evident.

The commendation ceremony officially began at 7 p.m.

Li Shaohong, dressed in a black gown, walked onto the stage: "Chinese films need diverse voices, but even more so, they need a down-to-earth creative attitude."

Her opening remarks drew rounds of applause.

Jiang Ye sat in the last row, watching the nomination clips playing on the big screen.

The scene of Liao Fan dancing alone in the ballroom in "Black Coal, Thin Ice," the trembling hands of the blind masseur in "Blind Massage," the profile of Gong Li standing in the snow waiting in "Coming Home"...

Every scene is as sharp as a knife.

"Screenplay of the Year Award - Diao Yinan, for *Black Coal, Thin Ice*!"

Amid applause, Diao Yinan slowly walked onto the stage.

Jiang Ye noticed that his hands were trembling slightly when he accepted the trophy.

"This award belongs to all filmmakers who persevered in creating during this harsh winter..."

The atmosphere reached its climax when Lou Hua won the Director of the Year award for "Blind Massage".

His acceptance speech was brief and powerful: "Thank you to all the creators who dare to touch taboos; it is you who keep the dignity of film."

After the awards ceremony, Wang Chui walked over to Jiang Ye and said, "Do you understand now? None of these winning works were obtained through opportunism."

Jiang Ye nodded, but he was thinking about something else entirely.

He needs to shoot a movie as soon as possible!
The awards ceremony was followed by a cocktail party.

Wang Chui led Jiang Ye through the crowd, toasting directors Cao Baoping and Guan Hu, among others.

When Jiang Ye arrived at the area where the creators of "Black Coal, Thin Ice" were located, he saw Zhang Yimou talking with Liao Fan.

“Director Zhang admires Liao Fan a lot,” Wang Chui explained in a low voice. “I heard he’s considering casting him in his new film.”

Jiang Ye looked at Zhang Yimou, but what came to mind was a dancing girl...

She should be enrolling at the Beijing Dance Academy next year!
Perhaps we should turn "Zhang Yimou's Girls" into "Wild Girls"?
"And who is this?" A gentle female voice interrupted his thoughts.

Jiang Ye looked up and found that Li Shaohong was standing in front of them at some point.

Wang Chui quickly introduced, "Chairman Li, this is Jiang Ye, a young director from our academy."

Li Shaohong smiled and clinked glasses with Jiang Ye: "Young people should learn more from the award-winning works tonight. Film is not a fast-moving consumer good; it is an art that needs to be refined over time."

Jiang Ye nodded respectfully, but out of the corner of his eye he saw Diao Yinan being interviewed by the media not far away.

When asked about his views on balancing commerce and art, Diao Yinan replied, "Sincere creation will naturally find an audience; deliberately pandering will only lead to the loss of both."

(End of this chapter)