Huayu: Live a carefree life

"I'll drop you off here. Send me a message when you get back home to let me know you're safe. As for terminating the contract, just do it the way we did in yesterday's video conference with Attorney Hu. You just need to propose the termination, and we'll leave the rest to Attorney Hu." In the parking lot of Beijing Capital International Airport, Lu Jie patted Chen Yao on the back, who was still reluctant to part with him, and gave him a final instruction.

Chen Yao pecked Lu Jie's lips, nodded obediently in agreement, and gave him a teasing look. "I know, honey, I'm not a little girl~"

"Hey, you're targeting me, aren't you?" Lu Jie lightly tapped her head, deliberately speaking in a fierce tone, "Anyway, I'm just a greedy person like that. It's too late for you to regret it now, I'm telling you, hmph."

"Oh, I know, anyway, I wasn't planning on escaping your grasp." Chen Yao smiled brightly. Ever since Lu Jie offered to help her terminate her contract, she hadn't been in a bad mood. "Honey, I'm off."

"Okay, go ahead." Lu Jie waved and watched Chen Yao disappear around the corner before driving away.

He and Chen Yao have been staying at home for the past two days without going out. The main reason is that yesterday, Tuesday the 4th, his X6 license plate ending in 9 was subject to traffic restrictions, so he simply worked remotely from home and took the opportunity to finalize the termination of Chen Yao's contract.

Yesterday was also Xiao Hu's birthday. Although he had already celebrated it for her in advance, Lu Jie, as her boyfriend, still sent her a message at midnight. Chen Yao was nestled in his arms and watching him clearly.

As for Chen Yao, although she knew she was just a lover's girlfriend, she still felt a little upset. She immediately crawled into bed and secretly carried out a passionate revenge during the "cheating couple's" video chat. Fortunately, it was late at night and Xiao Hu couldn't video chat for too long, otherwise it would have been too exciting.

…………

"Brother Sun, I'm bothering you again." Lu Jie knocked on the door of Sun Zhonghuai's office and greeted him warmly with a friendly handshake.

Sun Zhonghuai patted Lu Jie on the shoulder very politely and led him to sit down at the tea table. "The way you put it, you're actually my boss, not my shareholder. Mr. Lu, please have a seat. I heard you wanted some tea I just brewed, please."

"Hehe, thank you for your trouble, brother." Lu Jie tapped the table lightly, picked up the teacup, blew on it, and slowly drank it. "Hmm, it is indeed good tea. I drank a few cups of Bingdao tea with a prominent floral aroma a few days ago. This tea of ​​yours is sweeter, which is more to my taste as a young person."

"If it suits your taste, that's fine. I've prepared one for you."

Lu Jie didn't stand on ceremony with Sun Zhonghuai. After all, the fact that Sun Zhonghuai was willing to give it to him and that Lu Jie was willing to accept it was a sign of friendship. "Oh, thank you so much for being so generous, brother."

The two exchanged pleasantries about tea for a while, and after the third cup, Lu Jie got down to business, tapping the table lightly again to thank them for more tea, "Mr. Sun, you know about my previous investment in a movie, right?"

Sun Zhonghuai's smile remained unchanged. "I know, it's 'The Wandering Earth.' People say that President Lu is very optimistic about the domestic science fiction film market, and many people are waiting to see a good show."

"Tch, Brother Sun, that's not very fair. You're clearly a bunch of people waiting to see me make a fool of myself, aren't you?" Lu Jie shrugged indifferently. "But it doesn't matter, I'm not short of a little money. Let me be blunt, I'm interested in getting into film and television investment, mainly to promote a couple of actresses I know and like. I'm here today to see if you have any suitable projects."

"Cough cough... Brother, you are indeed quite direct." Sun Zhonghuai was drinking tea and almost choked by his bluntness, which was mainly aimed at promoting actresses. "There are definitely projects, but investment..." Sun Zhonghuai shook his head with a wry smile. "Excuse me for being blunt, but the entertainment industry is not short of hot money. Various platforms and production companies emphasize resource exchange. Of course, money is important, but it is not that absolutely important."

Lu Jie wasn't in a hurry after hearing this. He just cheerfully pulled up his phone and showed it to Sun Zhonghuai, saying, "Showing it to you isn't considered leaking secrets. Anyway, it'll be made public at the end of the month. I never fight unprepared battles. Remember to keep it a secret for now after you've seen it."

Sun Zhonghuai was initially just curious, but he was dumbfounded after seeing the details of the conversation. "Wait, how did you really become my boss?"

Lu Jie showed him information about Tencent's new PCG (Platform and Content Group), in which Lu Jie was the new head of the Weishi project team. He seemed to be on the same level as Sun Zhonghuai, but because he was a Tencent shareholder, he also held the nominal position of vice president of the business group, which made him slightly higher than Sun.

"Ahem, alright, I wasn't wrong just now, so you're really my boss now." Sun Zhonghuai joked after handing back the phone, while also reminding him, "But Weishi is a hot potato, this job might not be easy for you."

"Who can argue with that? But working on Weishi is both easy and difficult. The only problem was that there was disagreement within the company, which led to problems with the direction of development." Lu Jie shrugged nonchalantly. "I've been pretty bored lately, so I thought I'd find something challenging to do."

Looking at the spirited and confident young man before him, Sun Zhonghuai finally realized that Lu Jie was only 23 years old, a 23-year-old billionaire, personally invited by the big boss to save a key project. Indeed, comparisons are odious.

"Then I wish President Lu great success in his future endeavors on Weishi!" Sun Zhonghuai adjusted his mood and raised his glass to invite him to drink.

Lu Jie chuckled and drank his tea, "From now on, we're truly brothers in arms, so about the female lead I mentioned earlier..."

"What else is there to say? From now on, for any project led by Tencent, regardless of whether the female lead has been cast or not, as long as filming hasn't started, President Lu can choose any actress he likes," Sun Zhonghuai said generously, waving his hand.

Lu Jie waved his hand with a smile, "Don't worry, brother, I won't just snatch roles from others. I made a special trip here before coming. The female lead and the third female lead for 'Once Upon a Time There Was a Spirit Sword Mountain,' which we're working on with Kiwi, haven't been finalized yet. I'm taking these two. We'll talk about the future later."

Sun Zhonghuai smiled wryly, shook his head, and nodded at Lu Jie. "You... alright then, I'll put in a good word with President Han later. Brother, could you tell me who they're going to promote?"

Lu Jie, always open and honest, said, "The female lead role is for Chen Yao, and the third female lead role is for Hu Lianxin, a freshman at the Central Academy of Drama, to practice on."

Sun Zhonghuai recalled for a moment, and after figuring out who Chen Yao was, he didn't ask any more questions. He immediately called Han Zijie to confirm the matter. Seeing that the purpose of his trip had been achieved, Lu Jie didn't linger. He drank two more cups of tea and then drove away from Penguin Video.

…………

Meanwhile, Yu Zhongzhong, the director of "Once Upon a Time There Was a Spirit Sword Mountain," was devastated after receiving a call from Han Zijie of Tencent informing him that Zhang Rongrong, the originally cast female lead, was being replaced. "Wait, Mr. Han, didn't we agree to use my people? Why are you suddenly changing them?"

"What agreement? When did we agree on this? Was the contract signed? I don't even know who you're planning to cast yet." Han Zijie laughed indifferently.

"Oh, it's Zhang Rongrong, my go-to leading lady. I've already talked to her about it. You guys are making things difficult for me." Yu Zhongzhong sensed Han Zijie's determination, but unwilling to give up, he still planned to try and salvage the situation. "How about I talk to President Sun again?"

"Oh, this was Mr. Sun's instruction. Anyway, I've already informed him. If you have any questions about my notification, you can ask Mr. Sun directly." After saying that, Han Zijie hung up the phone.

Yu Zhongzhong, of course, was not giving up. Realizing that this project wasn't solely decided by Tencent, he dialed Wang Xiaohui's number. "Hello, Mr. Wang, there's something I need to report to you. It's like this..."

Unexpectedly, Wang Xiaohui cut him off abruptly, "Oh, you're talking about the female lead, right? President Gong told me that the decision on the female lead and the third female lead will be made by Tencent. Just do as they say. I have something to do here, so I'll hang up now." After saying that, he hung up the phone directly.

After being rejected twice, he was at a loss. After all, he was just a director. He had no choice but to call Zhang Rongrong, explain the situation to her, and then the two agreed to meet and discuss it together to see if there was any way to salvage the situation.

…………

Cai Yinong, who had been in a good mood, became very upset after Chen Yao's phone call. Suppressing her anger, she tried to ask the reason in as gentle a voice as possible, "Yao Yao, can you tell me why you suddenly want to terminate the contract? Where are you? Why didn't you tell me in person?"

"I've gone back to my hometown, Sister K. I'm just calling to schedule a time. My lawyer will come to discuss the details with you tomorrow. Don't worry, I will definitely pay the penalty for breach of contract. After all, the company and Sister K have been very kind to me." Chen Yao had mentally prepared herself before making the call and had communicated with her family. Following Attorney Hu's advice, she didn't answer any questions directly but only gave platitudes. "Well then, I won't disturb Sister K's rest any longer. I will come to the company with my lawyer the day after tomorrow morning. Goodbye, Sister K."

Hearing the disconnected call, Ms. Cai was so angry she almost smashed the phone. "They're all ungrateful wretches!"

Ms. Cai never imagined that the gentle and kind Chen Yao would mention terminating her contract. The fact that she dared to mention terminating her contract meant that she must have found a powerful backer. What kind of backer can a female celebrity find? The answer is self-evident.

"Hmph, go ahead and terminate the contract. I'd like to see what gives you the nerve to ask me to terminate it."

…………

Lu: Script for "Once Upon a Time There Was a Spirit Sword Mountain" (Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox Wind Chime).pdf

Hu:???

Lu: You can take a look at the script for the third female lead when you have time. Filming starts on October 5th. I'll give you the acting contract after you finish your military training, and then you can ask the school for leave.

Hu:!!!

Lu: What, you don't want to act? Then I'll find someone else. (evil grin)

Lu Jie had just sent the message when Xiao Hu called, "Bad brother, it's not that I don't want to act! It's just... it just feels a bit too sudden! My mind is still a mess..."

"Hehe, if you want to act, then read the script and the original work carefully. Although it's a period drama and doesn't require much acting skill, you can't embarrass the Central Academy of Drama, can you?"

"Yes, yes, don't worry about that, brother. I'll definitely work hard! Brother, you're so good to me!" Little Hu stammered for a while before finally saying sweetly, "Brother, I miss you so much..."

Lu Jie smiled and nodded, "It'll be soon, it'll be soon. I'm not in a hurry, but you're in a hurry? What a little flirt."

"I'm not a pervert, I only act like this with my brother," Xiao Hu insisted.

"Don't overthink it. You're my girlfriend, and we've been together for quite a while. If I can help you, why won't I? By the way, you haven't signed with a company yet, have you? Talk to your family and let's set up a studio in your name first. It'll be easier to sign contracts that way. Signing under your own name isn't worth it."

"Okay, brother. But... what should I say if my parents ask me where I got these resources...?"

"Hey, I told you my boyfriend helped arrange it, what's wrong with me? Am I really that bad?"

"How could that be? Brother is the best boyfriend in the world!" Xiao Hu hurriedly and nervously defended himself, then jumped up again, because Lu Jie had made it clear that they could tell their parents about their relationship. "Hehe, thank you, brother, I'll call my mom right now!"

"Well, if you can't explain it clearly, just give my phone number to your parents, and I'll talk to them for you."

"Okay, then I won't talk to you anymore, hehe."

About twenty minutes later, an unfamiliar number from Pengcheng dialed the number. Lu Jie took a deep breath and answered the phone, "Hello."

Another half hour passed, and Lu Jie had successfully charmed his future mother-in-law. After all, his identity was real, and everything he said was true. His daughter wasn't much older than him, and although she might not be able to hold onto this excellent man, it would be too foolish to let her give up on him.

Mrs. Hu was quite open-minded. After all, to put it bluntly, Hu Lianxin's father had affairs outside the marriage. She had long ago told Hu's father about the "three no's": his mistresses could not be low-class, he could not bring them home, and he could not get pregnant. As long as these three conditions were met, she could turn a blind eye. After all, if everything was weighed, life would be impossible.

…………

The next day, Yu Zhongzhong, Zhang Rongrong, and boss Sun Jingxiao met and discussed the sudden request from the two main investors to change the actors. After listening, Sun Jingxiao also felt that something was amiss, so she first communicated with Hengxing's people before calling Sun Zhonghuai.

"Hello, Mr. Sun, I apologize for bothering you, I'm Sun Jingxiao from ABB." After greeting him politely, Xiao Sun tried to get closer to him while trying to get information out of him.

It took Sun Zhonghuai a moment to realize that this was the production team from Lingjian Mountain. They were obviously calling about the female lead. "Mr. Sun, there's no need to beat around the bush. You're here for the female lead, right? The casting change has already been decided. It was a decision made by the company's senior management, and I have no power to interfere."

"Excuse my boldness, but have we somehow offended your company's senior management? Or...?"

"Don't speculate. Let me put it this way: you have people you want to promote. Originally, Tencent didn't care, but now Tencent also has its own people it wants to promote, so we'll definitely prioritize our own people." Sun Zhonghuai's voice was calm and even. "Don't you think that makes sense, Mr. Sun?"

"That...that's true, but..."

Sun Zhonghuai interrupted him directly, "There's no 'but' anymore, Mr. Sun. Logically, some things should be discussed between Mr. Han and you, but since you've called me, I'll ask on his behalf. Given that you've confirmed the use of our designated female lead and third female lead, do you still intend to continue producing 'Spirit Sword Mountain'?"

"Uh, may we discuss this a bit?" Sun Jingxiao was also annoyed by Sun Zhonghuai's impolite words, but his cultured manners kept him as calm as possible.

Sun Zhonghuai's voice returned to a cheerful tone, "Of course, you can. Let President Han know when you've made up your mind. I have a meeting to attend to, so I won't say any more." He then hung up the phone.

"How is it?" Although Yu Zhongzhong could see that Sun Jingxiao's expression was not good, he still asked.

Sun Jing frowned and shook her head. "Sun Zhonghuai's attitude was very firm. He even asked us if we didn't want to film anymore, as if he was implying we could leave if we didn't want to film. Tsk..."

"You guys go back first, I'll go and find out who wants this role."