Chapter 154 My stage is small, but it can't hold that trash.

Lin Yan'an ignored his words and went straight to her seat.

Pei Xubai followed closely behind, his face cold and stern.

The atmosphere in the conference room instantly became tense.

The long conference table was filled with the company's directors and senior executives. The person sitting at the head of the table was Liu Wei, the company's second-largest shareholder and also the company's COO, who was also the nephew of Pei Xubai's mentor.

The one who just spoke up with sarcasm was a director from Liu Wei's camp, surnamed Wang.

Pei Xubai looked at the mostly unfamiliar faces in the conference room and felt a little lost. He sighed softly and sat quietly with his eyes down.

For a moment, he even regretted bringing Lin Yan'an in with him.

He really didn't expect it.

The company, originally founded by like-minded individuals, grew and expanded. However, as the older generation stepped down, the atmosphere within the company gradually became somewhat chaotic and unpleasant.

Liu Wei sat at the head of the table, looked around and nodded slightly, then cleared his throat and got straight to the point: "Alright, everyone's here, and President Zhou is online too, let's get started."

"The main topic of today's meeting is the 'Blue Robe' project."

After saying that, he looked sharply at Lin Yan'an and Pei Xubai: "Everyone is well aware of the current situation. The investors are withdrawing their funds, and the project is at a standstill. For us, this is a huge loss every day. The purpose of today's meeting is to come up with a solution to this problem."

"President Lin, President Pei, you are the project leaders, especially President Pei, who is also the lead actor. What are your plans for the future?"

Pei Xubai raised his eyes to meet his gaze, his voice steady and powerful: "The script needs to be remade. The direction is clear now. In order to pursue higher historical authenticity and artistic quality, this is a decision we made together. Yan An has already started revising the script. All of this will take time and additional budget."

"A decision you made together? Ha!"

The director, Wang, sneered, "So you think you can represent the company? And you claim to have higher quality?"

"President Pei, you make it sound so easy. Where's the money? Where did you get it? Are you trying to use the company's reserve fund?"

"That's the last line of defense to ensure the company's normal operation! Just for your uncertain project, you want the company to take on the greatest risk? Let me tell you, I don't agree!"

"Yes, President Pei, Chairman Wang is right. The company has more than just your projects. If everyone followed your example, wouldn't the company be in chaos?"

“Chairman Wang is right. President Pei, President Lin, and President Zhou, you can’t just take advantage of your seniority in the company…”

A cacophony of voices of condemnation rose up one after another.

Lin Ya'an looked at everyone present expressionlessly, a hint of sarcasm flashing in her eyes.

Seeing this, a smile secretly flashed in Liu Wei's eyes. He raised his hand to suppress the discussions in the conference room and said in a seemingly fair manner, "Yan An, Xu Bai, it's not that we don't support you, but the company also has to be responsible to all shareholders and employees. Therefore, that reserve fund cannot be touched."

As he spoke, he observed the expressions on their faces, then glanced at Zhou Kangning's equally ashen face on the other end of the video call, and was momentarily speechless.

He paused, then raised his hand and pointed to the documents in front of him. Looking at the group, he said in a deep voice, "There are two options now. First, continue with the original script and resume production immediately. New investors are not a problem, but you will need to make some compromises on the actors and production."

He deliberately emphasized the word "compromise" in his speech.

"compromise?"

Pei Xubai frowned slightly, looking at Liu Wei with a puzzled expression.

Sensing his gaze, Liu Wei's lips curled slightly, and he reached out to pick up the documents in front of him.

"Mr. Zhao from Xingyao Culture has always been interested in Yan An's scripts and is very willing to support our work. Recently, his company launched a newcomer, Zhao Xuan, who is the son of Mr. Zhao's older brother. Mr. Zhao said that as long as Zhao Xuan can play the second or third male lead in the drama, it's no problem for him to join the production with his own investment. They will make up for any shortfall."

It was impossible for Lin Yan'an not to understand. He lowered his eyes, reached for the documents, and after just one glance, his gaze turned cold. He casually tossed the documents back onto the table.

He looked at Liu Wei and refused without hesitation: "Him? Join the crew? Mr. Liu, did you not wake up last night, or did you forget your brain today?"

"Lin Yan'an!"

Liu Wei instantly became angry.

"Yan An".

Pei Xubai couldn't help but whisper a word of advice: "Try to restrain yourself first."

Lin Yan'an sneered, "If I remember correctly, his company submitted his resume when the production team was in the early stages of preparation. Don't you remember why he wasn't selected, Mr. Liu?"

Liu Wei paused upon hearing this, then frowned: "So what? It didn't work before, so why can't it work now?"

Lin Yan'an was speechless: "Have you forgotten Zhao Xuan's cringe-worthy acting during his last audition? I still have the audition video; do you need me to release it now so you can relive it?"

His gaze swept around the room, then he picked up his phone and said, "And his father, Zhao Chuan. If I remember correctly, the month before last, his father was reported to have been arrested for suspected major drug trafficking. Although Xingyao Culture has always been managed by his brother Zhao Jun, Zhao Chuan is also Xingyao's third largest shareholder. How can you be sure that Xingyao's funds haven't been affected?"

After saying that, he found the relevant announcement, turned his phone towards the crowd,

"The so-called 'bringing capital into the group' is completely unbelievable, and may even involve other legal issues! Such as illegal money laundering?"

"Bringing money? I'm afraid what you're bringing isn't prison food, is it?"

As Lin Yan'an spoke, he glanced at the directors present. Sure enough, as soon as he spoke, several people's faces darkened.

He curled his lip in a sarcastic smile, looked at Liu Wei, and continued, "If you're going to put someone in there, at least do it cleanly. Who knows if his background will bring even greater unpredictable risks to the project? I don't want my hard-earned script to never even get a chance to be released, so I object!"

His voice wasn't loud, but his words carried an undeniable firmness.

"Mr. Liu, Mr. Lin is right, how about..."

Liu Wei's face instantly darkened: "President Lin, this is the fastest way to solve the project funding problem right now. Are you sure you want to be so stubborn?"

"It is precisely for the sake of the project that I firmly oppose it."

"And Mr. Liu, it's not that I'm stubborn, it's that you... are stupid!"

Lin Yan'an stood her ground, arguing forcefully: "I don't know how you negotiated with Xingyao, but I won't accept their investment or their attempts to insert people! Using such people is irresponsible to all the crew members and a deception of the audience!"

Thinking of the small mounds of earth behind the grocery store, and of Tongtong and the others, his attitude became even more resolute: "In my opinion, Zhao Xuan should never have appeared in the spotlight!"