Reborn in the Chinese Entertainment Industry: You're a Director, But You're a Casanova?

(The previous chapter was reported again... I talked about what happened to Tong Yao back then... Those who are interested can search for it themselves... I've been trying to revise it for a long time but it's still not unblocked)

Director Huang stared at the young man across from him, who was leisurely drinking tea, his eyes filled with resentment and fear.

She's both cowardly and arrogant; the last time I heard of such an adorable character was Empress Dowager Cixi.

He went to the hospital last night and got eight stitches. The dizziness from the concussion hasn't subsided yet, and he's been on tenterhooks ever since.

But when he thought of those damning photos, he still struggled to get out of bed and keep the appointment.

Director Huang walked to the table and reluctantly pulled out a manila envelope:

"2 yuan, old bills with non-consecutive serial numbers. Let's leave it at that. I can pretend last night never happened. I will never touch Tong Yao again. Give me the camera's memory card, and you can take the money."

Niu Yuehua put down his teacup and laughed.

"Director Huang, are you trying to fob me off like a beggar? Even if you look down on me, you should at least respect yourself."

"Is your future reputation and official career only worth 2 yuan?" Niu Yuehua leaned back, his eyes filled with pity.

Director Huang was so angry that he trembled all over, which aggravated the wound on his forehead, causing him to break out in a cold sweat from the pain.

"Don't push your luck. How much money do you want? 5? 10?"

"Let me tell you, if you push us too far, we'll fight to the death. If you intentionally hurt someone, you'll be arrested too."

"Oh dear~ Do I deserve to fight to the death?"

"I'm just a freshman, penniless. If I get expelled, I'll just go back to working on a construction site."

"And you? The head of a department at the Central Academy of Drama, with students all over the world, what about your wife and children at home? Can you bear the taste of being disgraced?" Niu Yuehua's casual remark struck at Director Huang's Achilles' heel.

Director Huang slumped into his chair like a deflated balloon, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

"What exactly do you want?"

"I don't lack money."

Niu Yuehua smiled and poured Director Huang a cup of tea, then presented him with the bill for his exploitative practices.

"Actually, I have a small entertainment company. Borrowing a venue from our own school is too troublesome, and we have to owe favors. So I plan to borrow your school's space for a while."

"First, I want your school's best and largest rehearsal hall, which you can use for free. You can give it to me whenever I need it."

"Secondly, if I want to make a movie, I need extras and supporting actors. It's expensive and time-consuming to find extras. You can use the guise of organizing teaching practice in the department to bring all the outstanding talents in your acting department over to be recruits for free."

"Third, I heard that you and several of the distribution executives are old classmates who grew up together. Great! After I finish editing the film, I want you to personally help me get it released in theaters nationwide."

Upon hearing the three requirements, Director Huang's eyes widened in surprise.

This isn't extortion! This is downright humiliation and loss of national sovereignty! Even Li Hongzhang wouldn't dare sign it.

The venue, free services, labor, and even the most crucial distribution network of cinemas—all of these were schemed out by this little bastard.

Why the hell don't you need funding? Don't you need a director or screenwriter?

"You're dreaming!" Director Huang shouted angrily.

"You, a hooligan from the Shanghai Theatre Academy, dare to smuggle your money into our Central Academy of Drama and expect me to handle your distribution? If the school finds out, I'm finished too."

"No, no, no, Director, you've got it wrong." Niu Yuehua calmly pulled out a stack of freshly developed high-resolution photos from his pocket and tossed them onto the coffee table.

"How did you find out?" Niu Yuehua asked patiently, like a top-level teacher giving a public lesson.

"The rehearsal hall is just sitting empty anyway. You can just write a note for an inter-school avant-garde drama exchange. You won't feel bad about wasting public resources, will you?"

"Third- and fourth-year students are worried about not having film crews, and you put them in my movie. This is called the department head being considerate of the students and solving their employment problems. They should be grateful to you."

"As for the issuance? It's just a matter of having a meal with an old classmate, it won't cost you much." Niu Yuehua stood up and patted Director Huang's stiff shoulder kindly.

"Director, are you planning to use public resources to save your job, or are you going to jail tomorrow to uphold school rules? Even a second-grader could do that, right?"

Inside the private room, only Director Huang's heavy breathing could be heard.

His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at the photos on the table that could ruin him forever, then glanced at the shrewd and ruthless young man opposite him.

He finally realized that he hadn't messed with some petty thugs who were jealous of each other, but rather a ruthless and heartless tyrant.

"I approve."

Director Huang seemed to have aged more than ten years in an instant.

"Come find me when you need me. This is valid as long as I haven't been fired."

From this moment on, this high-ranking department head was completely reduced to a semi-colonial, semi-feudal... uh... a front man for Niu Yuehua to plunder resources.

"It's a pleasure working with you, Director Huang. I'll keep these photos for you for now; I'll keep this secret for the rest of my life."

It was almost noon, and Niu Yuehua was preparing to find a simple Shaxian snack shop nearby to treat himself.

Then the phone in my pocket rang, and the caller ID showed it was Director Tian Zhuangzhuang.

"Come to my office." Tian Zhuangzhuang's voice was indifferent on the other end of the phone, and she hung up immediately after saying that.

Surely not? Is Director Huang really going to resort to desperate measures?

What does Lao Tian want from me? Didn't I tell him I'm from the Shanghai Theatre Academy?

Half an hour later, Niu Yuehua reluctantly pushed open the door to the department head's office.

The office was quiet; Tian Zhuangzhuang was not there.

On the sofa, a girl was flipping through a picture book.

Niu Yuehua looked at that familiar profile and the even more familiar body from last night, and smiled slightly.

"Oh, the contract's signed? You're not satisfied, so you're coming to complain to my department head?"

"A 10/90 split, I'm sorry to disappoint you. Do you want Village Chief Tian to stand up for you?"

Tong Yao stopped turning the pages of the book. Then, she looked up, and sunlight shone on her plain face, which was full of ambition and stubbornness.

She smiled slightly and remained silent, as if waiting for something.

Niu Yuehua took two steps forward and reached out to touch Tong Yao's face.

"That's enough. Why are you doing Zhang Ziyi's makeup like that? Are you trying to take this thrill to the extreme? You're so slutty."

"Last night I told you to put on makeup and dress up as your senior, Ziyi, just for fun in private. But you came to school like this today, what if the teachers misunderstand? Hmm?"

After saying that, he pinched Tong Yao's cheek and twisted it.

Tong Yao's face darkened, and she shoved Niu Yuehua's hand away.

"So, you were the one who orchestrated that nursery rhyme shoot, where she used my name, did the exact same makeup as me, and went on to film something borderline like 'Girls'?"

Hmm? Buhou! Could it be...?

The person in front of me had sharp eyes and a cold smile curled at the corner of their mouth.

"So you're Niu Yuehua? You dare to blatantly piggyback on my popularity like this?"

Holy crap, this isn't a nursery rhyme at all, it's the high-spec original Pro Max version of the nursery rhyme.

This is Zhang Ziyi, an international star who has just finished filming "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Rush Hour" and is making waves in Hollywood.