Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 143, Section 141: Madness
August 12, 1997, 6:00 PM.

Inside the "Penglai Pavilion" private room at the Beijing Wangfu Hotel, a crystal chandelier casts a soft glow, illuminating the antique-style mahogany furniture and the ink paintings on the walls.

The air was filled with a faint scent of sandalwood and the aroma of food.

Ouyang Changlin and He Xiuqiong were already waiting there. Although they seemed calm, their subtle movements revealed a hint of nervousness.

The door to the private room was gently pushed open by a waiter, and Wang Sheng appeared in the doorway.

He wasn't dressed formally today, only in a well-made dark gray polo shirt and casual trousers. He walked with a relaxed gait, followed by Li Tingting, who was wearing a business suit and carrying a briefcase.

This casualness only serves to highlight his effortless and composed status at this moment.

"Mr. Wang! Your presence is an honor to our humble abode!"

Ouyang Changlin immediately stood up, greeted Wang Sheng with a beaming smile, and grasped Wang Sheng's hands tightly, shaking them enthusiastically.

Although the two had never met before.

He Xiuqiong also quickly stood up, her face plastered with a perfectly appropriate smile, but deep in her eyes there was still a hint of complexity that was hard to completely conceal.

"President Ouyang, you're too kind. Mr. He, it's nice to see you again." Wang Sheng smiled slightly, shook hands with the two men, and spoke in a calm tone, revealing no emotional fluctuations.

After exchanging pleasantries, the three of them took their seats.

Ouyang Changlin naturally took the host's seat, Wang Sheng was seated in the guest of honor seat, He Xiuqiong sat beside him, and Li Tingting sat quietly to the side and behind Wang Sheng.

Waitresses in cheongsams began gracefully serving dishes: bird's nest soup, braised shark fin, braised sea cucumber with scallions...

One after another, exquisite dishes were quickly laid out on the table.

Ouyang Changlin, acting as the middleman, raised his glass first: "President Wang, I must toast you with this first glass! Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to come and give me, Ouyang, this face."

I also apologize to Mr. Wang for any oversights or misunderstandings that may have arisen during the pre-production work of the "Princess Pearl" production team. I'll drink first!

After saying that, he tilted his head back and downed a glass of Maotai.

Wang Sheng picked up his wine glass, took a small sip, and smiled, saying, "Director Ouyang, you flatter me. It's just a minor storm; it'll pass quickly. I'm the kind of person who judges by the matter, not the person. I especially respect a partner like Director Ouyang who is decisive and gets things done."

These words sounded magnanimous, but they made He Xiuqiong's heart skip a beat.

Ouyang Changlin quickly chimed in, "Mr. Wang is so kind! I'm relieved to hear you say that. To be honest, Xiuqiong is also very anxious. This drama has only been filming for a short time, yet it has already attracted so much attention. It's really... sigh, maybe it's just that the bigger the tree, the more the wind blows."

He cleverly replaced "criticism" with "attention".

Wang Sheng picked up a damp towel and wiped his hands, saying casually, "Speaking of which, I also had someone inquire about it. It seems that some staff members from the film crew in Taiwan privately shared parts of the script outline and plot with a few journalist friends in Beijing who cover the cultural sector, as if it were anecdotes."

Journalists, after all, always need to find newsworthy angles. If a topic seems fresh, their writing might be... a bit exaggerated. But ultimately, it all boils down to poor communication and lax management.

His words, spoken casually, were like a key, instantly unlocking He Xiuqiong's biggest question—why were those critical articles able to so accurately hit certain "weak points" in the script?
It turns out there was an internal oversight!
Taiwanese staff...

Several possible candidates flashed through her mind, but they were quickly replaced by another, stronger thought: Is it really just that the staff of Taiwan have a loose tongue?

Or... perhaps one of the mainland actors in the crew was bribed to provide more detailed information?

She subconsciously thought of the faces of those young mainland actors, and her gaze involuntarily sharpened.

Compared to her Taiwanese colleagues, whose language habits and ways of doing things differed, she was more inclined to suspect that the problem lay with the mainland actors who were more familiar with the mainland's public opinion environment. This thought sent a chill down her spine.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Ouyang Changlin quickly gave He Xiuqiong a wink.

He Xiuqiong immediately composed herself, picked up her wine glass, stood up, and said in a sincere tone with a hint of self-reproach: "President Wang, in any case, this matter has caused trouble for President Wang and Beijing Film Studio. It is because I, as the producer, did not do my job well and there were loopholes in the management."

Especially regarding the last visit, the preparations were rushed and the etiquette was lacking; I hope Mr. Wang will not take offense. I will punish myself with a drink to sincerely apologize to Mr. Wang!

After saying that, he drank the wine in his glass in one gulp.

After finishing her drink, she picked up a long, beautifully packaged brocade box that had been prepared beforehand from the seat next to her and presented it to Wang Sheng with both hands: "Mr. Wang, this is just a small token of my appreciation."

This is a blue-and-white porcelain brush holder from the Ming Dynasty. I know Mr. Wang has a refined taste for literature and art, and I hope you will like it. I was truly inconsiderate last time; this is a small token of my apology and respect.

Wang Sheng's gaze swept over the brocade box, his smile unchanged, neither refusing nor declining.
They did not show much interest.

He simply turned his head slightly and gestured to Li Tingting behind him.

Li Tingting immediately stood up, stepped forward, calmly accepted the brocade box, and said politely, "Thank you, Mr. He."

Then he returned to his original position and carefully put the brocade box away.

The whole process was smooth and natural, as if it were just receiving an ordinary file.

Wang Sheng then nodded to He Xiuqiong: "Ms. He, you're too kind. Since it was a misunderstanding, it's good to clear things up. There will be many opportunities to cooperate in the future. I hope 'Princess Pearl' can be filmed smoothly and achieve great success."

He stopped dwelling on the value of the porcelain itself or He Xiuqiong's so-called "hasty last time," and simply moved on from the topic.

Seeing this, Ouyang Changlin felt a huge weight lifted from his shoulders and quickly smoothed things over, making the atmosphere lively again.

He then chatted with Wang Sheng for a few more minutes about the specific time to go to the Beijing Film Studio the next day to discuss the cooperation in detail, and Wang Sheng gave a brief agreement.

Having achieved his main objective, and after several rounds of drinks and a few dishes, Wang Sheng excused himself, saying he had work to do that evening.

Ouyang Changlin and He Xiuqiong quickly got up and escorted him to the entrance of the Wangfu Hotel.

A black Santana was already parked quietly in front of the door.

Li Tingting quickly stepped forward and opened the car door for Wang Sheng.

Wang Sheng turned around and shook hands with Ouyang Changlin and He Xiuqiong again to say goodbye, then bent down and got into the car.

Ouyang Changlin stood beside the car, waving until the Santana slowly drove away and merged into the traffic on Chang'an Avenue. He Xiuqiong stood beside him, watching the taillights of the departing car, and finally couldn't help but mutter in a voice only the two of them could hear, "So arrogant..."

Ouyang Changlin's smile slowly faded. He glanced at He Xiuqiong, but didn't reply. He simply turned and walked into the restaurant, as if he hadn't heard a word she said.

He knew in his heart that this was not arrogance, but confidence backed by strength.

At Wang Sheng's level, there's no need to use superficial humility to cover up anything.

This result is already the best we can hope for tonight.

(End of this chapter)