Chapter 65

After his wages were docked, Lu Ye became much more obedient.

He didn't dare mention the clay figurine to Hu Zhenzhen and obediently let the doctor apply iodine to his face.

"Boss, would you like some water?"

Fortunately, the assistant director was perceptive and brought over a bottle of water, which saved Lu Ye from the predicament.

Filming will continue as normal.

Lu Ye was only frightened and didn't suffer much physical pain. After recovering from the initial embarrassment, he still had to work diligently and film the next scene.

Hu Zhenzhen originally wanted to look at it, but holding the little clay figure in her hands, she didn't know where to put it or what to do with it.

Her name is always engraved on the clay figurine, and throwing it in the trash can always gives me the feeling of throwing myself away.

Lu Ye really gave her a hard time.

Hu Zhenzhen sat in front of the monitor, holding the little clay figure, feeling somewhat worried.

The little clay figure was hit by an arrow and shattered into pieces. Even if it were pieced back together, it would still look terrible.

In the end, Chen Kai offered a good suggestion.

"Boss, why don't we find a clay sculptor to reshape this lump of clay and make something else?"

This statement finally solved Hu Zhenzhen's problem.

Only then did she have the mind to focus her attention on the actors who were performing.

To accommodate Jiang Chen's schedule, Lu Ye arranged all of the young emperor's scenes for the next few days.

Hu Zhenzhen simply stayed here with Jiang Chen for a few days to film.

Summer weather is unpredictable, and the carefully calculated time was delayed by several days due to a sudden downpour.

By the time Jiang Chen finishes filming, elementary school will be starting.

Jiang Chen became a third-grade elementary school student.

The classes were reorganized in the third grade, and Hu Zhenzhen was still the parent representative, but the prefix changed from Class 3 of Grade 2 to Class 1 of Grade 3.

The filming has been progressing smoothly.

Because of the good environment, the actors were in good condition, and the filming period was even shorter than originally planned.

One month after Jiang Chen started school, the filming of "Dragon Slayer" officially wrapped up.

The later stages of work began in earnest.

The rules for airing TV dramas in this world are somewhat different from what Hu Zhenzhen knew.

Once approved, there will be no situation where a drama series is suppressed and cannot be broadcast.

Only after the rating system is implemented will the dramas be categorized according to their quality, with sensitive topics being broadcast as online dramas.

Correspondingly, the censorship here is not strict. Apart from a few political issues, only the level of nudity will be blocked.

The subject matter of "Dragon Slayer" is not sensitive, and the fact that it passed the review smoothly was somewhat unbelievable to Hu Zhenzhen.

In this respect, the entertainment industry environment here is much better.

Xiaoyu was one of the special effects artists in the later stages, and also the younger sister who fully supported Zhu Qingqing in joining the company.

She had stayed up all night and was getting ready to leave work with a coffee in hand.

It wasn't that anyone forced her to work overtime all night; it's just that the dragon-slaying plot was too exciting.

After getting the original film, Xiaoyu couldn't resist watching it all at once.

I was looking at it until midnight, and I didn't have time to do any work.

After watching it, Xiaoyu couldn't wait to discuss the plot with others, but since the TV series hadn't aired yet, she couldn't find anyone to discuss it with.

This burning desire to share became the driving force behind Xiaoyu's work.

She shouted something in Hu Zhenzhen's fan group.

[Anyone know why? Hu Jie's company's new TV series is just so good!]

After shouting that, she focused on her work, completely ignoring the killing and burying, and paying no attention to other people's curiosity.

[Upon seeing this message, I quickly switched to Sister Hu's Weibo, but there was no news about the TV series.]

[A detailed discussion of TV dramas!]

[Is my younger sister an insider at the company? Sister Hu's TV series hasn't even been filmed yet.]

[They stole the master tapes from Jianghu Film Studio overnight!]

[Please listen, little sister, what do you think of the TV series?]

[Spoiler alert! I'm going to spoil the plot!]

No matter how much people in the group called out, Xiaoyu, who was engrossed in her work, didn't show up again.

She didn't glance at the group chat until she got off work the next day, before falling asleep.

It just so happened that some early risers saw their late-night chat and asked in the group if Xiaoyu worked at Sister Hu's company.

Yes, the child's footage was edited in post-production. We've already seen the original footage, so you'll only need to wait another two or three months.

As soon as she appeared, early party members quickly arrived.

【Seriously? Two more months? Giving me spoilers this far in advance? I'll be devastated, little sister.】

I won't forgive you unless you show me the master tape.

I heard about this scheme all over J City.

[If you're going to lie, then lie openly. If you succeed, remember to send me a copy.]

The group members were making fun of each other, which made Xiaoyu feel very happy.

She chose to teach herself the skills so that she could watch TV series before others.

Now that his wish had come true, the little fish slept soundly, leaving only one sentence behind.

Ladies and gentlemen, the plot is truly captivating, so please look forward to it!

This sentence completely drove the rich young men and women in the group crazy.

[I'll pay overtime. Can you work 24/7? I need the finished product within a week!]

[Hey Sister Hu, are you looking for part-time work? I'm an absolute pro at video editing, let me do the post-production!]

[How about we pool our money and hire a mercenary? Stealing the mother tape gets you a few years in prison, guys.]

[No, no, everyone calm down!]

Little Fish was unaware of the commotion in the group chat; she was already fast asleep.

The wealthy men and women, unable to bear the loneliness, couldn't resist shifting their complaints from group chats to Weibo.

The phrase "late stage of Dragon Slayer" became a trending topic.

It was just something the fans were joking about, but it unexpectedly became a trending topic.

Of course, not everyone on the trending topics has anything good to say.

Hu Zhenzhen did not hire online trolls, but other companies always had online trolls on standby.

Upon seeing the news of the dragon slaying, he reported it up the chain of command to higher-ups.

"Mr. Zhao, in your opinion, what attitude should we take towards Jianghu Film and Television?"

The person being questioned was Zhao Hai, the president of Jiaren Media.

Normally, such a trivial matter wouldn't even reach his desk, but since the other company's boss was Hu Zhenzhen, his subordinates were naturally more cautious than usual, fearing that even a small friction might displease the other party.

None of the middle-level leaders dared to make a decision on this matter, so they kept passing the buck and eventually reported it to General Manager Zhao.

"Why do you need to ask me about something so simple? What are you all for?"

Zhao Hai was in a bad mood today, and when his secretary asked him about it, he was not in a good mood either.

He picked up his phone, glanced at the trending topics, and quickly made a decision.

"Even if the other party is Hu Zhenzhen, so what? She is still a newcomer in the film and television industry."

"If you don't have that much power but want to do massive advertising like other companies, you should let her teach you the rules of the industry. Sometimes, money isn't all that matters."

Zhao Hai had long disliked Hu Zhenzhen.

In his view, Hu Zhenzhen's speech at the Vanity Fair party that day was nothing more than a cheap attempt to attract attention.

If you really want to create high-quality products, then just keep quiet and do it. Why make a big fuss about it?

It's just that they can't bear to give up their data usage.

Zhao Hai, thinking he had seen through Hu Zhenzhen, gave a sarcastic smile.

"The entertainment industry is a small world. What's the use of money if you don't have connections or resources? It's all for nothing."

The secretary stood to one side, head bowed, pretending to be a quail, not daring to speak for a long time.

After Zhao Hai had vented his emotions, she carefully asked him.

"Mr. Zhao, should we take measures to prevent this drama from being destroyed?"

Zhao Hai didn't hesitate at all. "Of course we should. Since Hu Zhenzhen likes to spend money, let her spend it. Arrange for online trolls to flood the trending topics related to the dragon-slaying with negative news. I don't believe that with so many bad reviews, this show can still be a hit."

"Didn't she say she wanted to make high-quality films? If her first film scores below 6 points, it will probably disappoint the public a lot."

After saying that, Zhao Hai felt much better.

He glanced at his secretary sideways and said, "Hurry up and go."

Upon hearing this, the secretary immediately left the office and began to inform the other leaders of General Manager Zhao's intentions.

During her breaks from work, she couldn't help but grimac inwardly.

Working under General Manager Zhao means not only endless overtime, but also having to put up with his temper from time to time. If it weren't for the meager salary, she wouldn't be putting up with this awful place.

"If only I had a normal boss."

The secretary sighed and continued working.

Jiaren Media is also one of the top companies in the entertainment industry, with hundreds of artists under its management, including dozens of first- and second-tier stars.

Having achieved this level of success, Mr. Zhao naturally considers himself a pillar of the entertainment industry.

On the other hand, Zhongnan Film & Television also received the news.

"Mr. Li, it's said that Jiaren Media is going to implement anti-exploitation measures for the drama 'Dragon Slayer'."

The fact that this news reached his ears shows that Jiaren Media had no intention of hiding anything and was clearly showing its intention to compete with Hu Zhenzhen.

Mr. Li smiled and leisurely lit a cigar.

"It seems that old Zhao Hai has gotten too cocky. He didn't observe the situation before making a direct move."

Zhongnan Film & Television and Jiaren Media have been rivals for many years.

Over the years, President Li has been bullied by Zhao Hai quite a bit. Today, he finally got his chance and could see Zhao Hai make a fool of himself.

To be honest, even President Li didn't really know Hu Zhenzhen.

His understanding of Hu Zhenzhen came only from trending topics and the two ancient paintings that Hu Zhenzhen gave away during the live stream.

Tell him directly that anyone who can give away something so valuable must be extraordinary.

A wealthy, reclusive family has managed to pass on its legacy to the fifth generation.

Even if all the elders in the family have died, they should not be underestimated.

Hu Zhenzhen's previous actions had already proven her strength enough. President Li was cautious and kept everything in mind, not daring to offend her easily.

Putting everything else aside, just consider Mr. Ji's transfer of shares.

This would never happen to anyone else.

But Hu Zhenzhen actually did it.

This cannot be explained by mere coincidence. The only possibility that President Li could think of was the connections inherited from the Hu family.

It is said that Hu Zhenzhen is the last single heir of her generation.

But no one has investigated how many branches of the Hu family there were and how many businesses they left behind during their glorious past. Perhaps the Hu family is far more powerful than they think.

No one knows how powerful a wealthy family must be to have maintained its lineage through war and remained hidden in plain sight.

It was because of this speculation that Mr. Li was exceptionally polite to Hu Zhenzhen that night at the Vanity Fair party.

Now that Zhao Hai has acted so recklessly towards Hu Zhenzhen, President Li has begun to reconsider his actions.

If he were to lend a hand to Hu Zhenzhen at this time, could he perhaps bring the two closer and get in touch with this top tycoon?

The cigar was held between his index and middle fingers.

After burning the cigarette for a while, Mr. Li was so engrossed in thinking that he didn't have time to take a few puffs.

"Mr. Li, should we join in and also work to prevent the drama 'Dragon Slayer' from going viral?"

The secretary felt deep down that it was unnecessary.

However, it wasn't because of Hu Zhenzhen, but because there was no need for this new TV drama company to allocate so many resources.

After considering for a few seconds, Mr. Li stuck the burning cigar into the ashtray.

"No, we not only don't want to protect them from explosions, but we also want to help Jianghu Film and Television behind the scenes so that their publicity can go more smoothly."

"ah?"

Having worked under him for so long, the secretary had never heard of such outrageous work content before, and instinctively exclaimed in surprise.

"Have we partnered with Jianghu Film and Television Company?"

"No," Mr. Li denied, "but we must treat this as our own business. Whether we can build a good relationship with Mr. Hu depends on this."

The secretary then understood his purpose.

"But is it worth spending so many resources and money to cultivate good relationships with other film and television companies?"

If Hu Zhenzhen really does have such a strong network of connections and financial resources as he thinks, then cultivating a good relationship with her would definitely be worthwhile.

But if he guesses wrong, it will definitely be a losing proposition.

After hesitating for a few seconds, Mr. Li said firmly, "It's worth it."

Based on Hu Zhenzhen's reputation alone, it's worth the gamble for him.

It's only a few million; he can afford to lose.

But if we can win, the gains will be much more than just a few million in profit.

In a sense, this is a worthwhile deal that allows you to make a big profit with a small investment.

In any case, it is not harmful to Zhongnan Film and Television.

Jiaren Media's online trolls have just arrived on Weibo.

[They've already hired online trolls to hype it up before it's even released, and they call it a conscientious production? I think it's all just marketing!]

[So annoying! Am I the only one who hates Hu Zhenzhen?]

[Where did Jianghu Films come from? Can you please stop issuing press releases?!]

Fans were just secretly looking forward to the final cut of the dragon-slaying movie.

It didn't cause any trouble but it became a trending topic and even attracted haters.

The ringleaders were the rich kids in Hu Zhenzhen's fan group. They were used to this kind of thing and knew that companies would use online trolls to manipulate things, so they recognized the true nature of the trolls at a glance.

[Wait, Sister Hu's company hasn't even released a TV series yet, and they've already set up an online army?]

Who exactly is targeting my sister Hu?

[Damn it, I'll pay for it! My family members have connections to hire online trolls, I just can't stand by and watch!]

The second generation of wealthy people have a very strong sense of execution; they buy things as soon as they decide to.

Just as Jiaren Entertainment's online army was getting started, the online army hired by the rich second-generation members of Hu Zhenzhen's fan group had already arrived.

There may be things in this world that money can't solve, but clearly, when it comes to hiring online trolls, as long as you have enough money, you can buy enough people and comments.

The online trolls from both sides started fighting on the trending topics list.

The trending topic, which originally had little attention, actually rose in the top 10 in no time because of this move.

Hu Zhenzhen only found out at this moment.

"Mr. Hu, the Dragon Slayer is trending on social media."

Hu Zhenzhen's new secretary knocked on the door, and before she even entered, she had already finished her report.

Chen Kai was making tea for Hu Zhenzhen when he heard this, and he was the first to take out his phone to check the situation.

He skimmed through the text and quickly summarized the key points.

"Boss, it must be that our post-production team leaked some information, which has attracted the attention of your fans."

"After we trended on social media, someone hired online trolls to smear us, but your fans hired trolls to attack us back."

This passage contained a lot of information, and Hu Zhenzhen opened Weibo in surprise, deciding to see for herself what was going on.

She has a fan group, and she knows that.

She was told about this by Xiang Wei, who said that her younger brother's friend was also in there.

At first, Hu Zhenzhen thought it was just some unique gathering among the rich second generation, and that they were just using her name.

After all, there are so many things to like in the world, and so many dazzling stars, it would be strange if an ordinary person like her had so many fans.

Hu Zhenzhen had heard of this group, but had never taken it to heart.

It was just a young person's whim.

The group might disband any day.

Surprisingly, after so much time has passed, her fan base has not only not disappeared, but has also stepped in to help suppress the PR articles published by online trolls.

Hu Zhenzhen was extremely surprised.

"Boss, should we investigate which side sent these online trolls to smear us?"

This matter wasn't actually important, but Chen Kai's expression was serious, so Hu Zhenzhen nodded nonetheless.

"Then I'll leave it to you to investigate."

Upon hearing this, Chen Kai's expression softened slightly. "Please rest assured, boss."

The business world is like a battlefield, with all sorts of tricks and schemes emerging. The day Hu Zhenzhen started her film and television company, she had already considered the possible scenarios.

They were just online trolls; in Hu Zhenzhen's eyes, this was the simplest and easiest problem to solve.

The secretary interjected, "Mr. Chen, there's no need to investigate. Mr. Li from Zhongnan Film and Television called and specifically asked me to relay this to you."

"President Li said that these online trolls are Jiaren Media's dedicated online trolls, and their purpose is to prevent the drama 'Slaying the Dragon' from becoming a hit and to tarnish its reputation in advance."

This kind of tactic is also quite common in the film and television industry.

Hu Zhenzhen never expected that Jiaren Media would value her so much that they would even spend money on explosion protection for her first TV series.

She gave a helpless laugh.

"These people still don't understand. If you build up a good reputation, even if my publicity is terrible, viewers will spontaneously help me promote it."

Chen Kai smiled slightly and said, "Perhaps these people haven't worked on high-quality products in a long time and haven't experienced this kind of treatment before."

"Boss, now that Jiaren Media has made a move, should we also allocate some funds to hire online trolls to create some buzz for Tulong in advance?"

“No need,” Hu Zhenzhen shook her head in denial. “Look at the current situation, we don’t need to take action. Slaying the dragon has already gained traffic and public attention for free.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she saw that the number of comments on the Weibo hot search had increased by tens of thousands in real time.

"Such a fast pace, are these two groups of online trolls fighting so fiercely?"

The secretary seized the opportunity and said, "I heard that President Li intervened and helped us out."

Mr. Li's people.

Hu Zhenzhen raised an eyebrow. "Why would President Li help us?"

The secretary was unaware of this until someone from Zhongnan Film and Television Company specifically mentioned it on the phone.

As for the reason, the people there didn't say, and the secretary didn't know either.

She honestly recounted the contents of the call.

Hu Zhenzhen immediately understood that President Li was trying to do her a favor and get them both on the same side.

"Remember to pass on my message and say thank you, Mr. Li."

Although she saw through Mr. Li's intentions, Hu Zhenzhen still remembered his kindness.

Having one more partner is always better than having one more competitor. Since President Li has taken the initiative to show goodwill, she doesn't need to turn him away.

"Okay," the secretary said, and left the office.

Before leaving, they thoughtfully closed the door.

Only Hu Zhenzhen and Chen Kai remained in the office.

Only when Chen Kai and the others could no longer hear any footsteps did they ask her a question.

"Boss, are we really not going to do anything?"

Hu Zhenzhen knew from his tone that Chen Kai was holding a grudge.

Her boss wasn't even angry yet, but he was the one who couldn't get over it.

What do you think?

"If we don't fight back now, the other side might think we're easy to bully and become even more aggressive in the future."

What he said makes some sense.

Hu Zhenzhen glanced at the trending topics again and beckoned to Chen Kai with her finger.

Once the person leaned in close, she said, "We definitely need to retaliate, but it's pointless to use a troll army. You still have that black card. Keep an eye on Jiaren Films these next few days."

Chen Kai's eyes lit up, and he responded in a clear voice, "Okay!"

The trending topic about the Dragon Slayer drama series ended at number five before quickly dropping off the list and disappearing.

This incident didn't attract much attention; at most, it became a topic of conversation, and people would forget about it after a few days.

Zhao Hai didn't take it to heart.

It's just online trolls trying to suppress the fire; it's a very common tactic.

He's been doing this for a long time, and other film and television companies have also tried to prevent their shows from becoming hits, but everyone still manages to get along peacefully.

Subconsciously, Zhao Hai didn't think Hu Zhenzhen would cause him trouble over such a trivial matter.

Didn't she claim she wanted to make high-quality dramas? She should have a lot of things to do right now.

When a new company starts up, it needs to cultivate relationships and smooth things over in all aspects.

Hu Zhenzhen is busy right now, so she doesn't care about such trivial matters as fighting on the trending topics.

Zhao Hai was initially very confident, and even smug about his decision.

He also discovered that the group of online trolls who later challenged them were the work of Zhongnan Film and Television.

Mr. Li really went all out. In order to cause trouble for him, he even sent in an online army at this time, and in such a large number at once.

Zhao Hai didn't consider any other reason; he only felt that he was being targeted by President Li.

He even complained to a mutual friend of Mr. Li about it.

"You know, Mr. Li is something else. I didn't target Zhongnan Film and Television at all, but he still has to join in the fun now."

After the trending topic disappeared, Zhao Hai thought the matter was over.

But three days later, his secretary reported some bad news to him.

"Mr. Zhao, all the copyrights we planned to buy this quarter have been snatched up by others. We'll probably have to reconvene to adjust the filming schedule for next quarter."

They were all snatched up by someone else?

"That's impossible," Zhao Hai instinctively denied, looking up at his secretary.

Noticing her serious expression, his heart sank. "She's deliberately targeting us. Otherwise, we should have been able to get at least three out of the original ten books."

"Find out which company is trying to sabotage us."

The current market is poor, and companies are unwilling to invest the effort to cultivate mature original screenwriters.

Adapting novels into TV series has become mainstream.

All the TV dramas produced by Jiaren Media are adapted from novels.

It's quite rare that I haven't bought a single novel I wanted to read this month.

Zhao Hai didn't even need to think to be certain that this was definitely done on purpose.

But who is this person?

Could it be my old rival, General Manager Li?

Why would Zhongnan Film & Television acquire so many copyrights? Adapting novels into films doesn't make money.

After thinking it over, Zhao Hai made a phone call to General Manager Li.

After answering the phone, Mr. Li only gave him one sentence.

"Mr. Zhao, I advise you to think carefully about who you've offended recently."

After saying that, he hung up the phone.

Zhao Hai understood from his tone that he knew who was behind it all.

This person is not General Manager Li, yet he knows General Manager Li.

The circle of doubt in his mind suddenly shrank considerably.

Before I could even sort out my thoughts, the secretary came again.

"Mr. Zhao, something terrible has happened! The crew of the Changfeng Thirteen Maidens filming right now can't find any extras!"

Can't find extras?

This is an unprecedented situation.

Extras have always been the most abundant resource; there's always an extra who has no work, and no production crew can't find extras.

"What happened?"

The secretary took a breath and said, "I heard that the Dragon Slayer crew is also filming at the same location, and they paid double the price to get all the extras to leave."

"What?"

Zhao Hai felt it was absurd for a moment, "Is Hu Zhenzhen sick?"

The filming for "Dragon Slayer" has already wrapped up, so there's no need for these extras. This is clearly Hu Zhenzhen's doing.

Paying double the price to hire all the extras at the entire film and television base—are they just throwing money away?

But then I thought, isn't she just rich and willful?

Now Zhao Hai doesn't need to guess anymore.

It's quite obvious who did it.

Seeing his displeasure, the secretary forced herself to finish reporting what happened next.

"Mr. Zhao, they've already announced that they'll hire as many extras as there are, at double the price."

This is why he's keeping the extras out of his film crew.

Zhao Hai knew exactly what was going on.

He lowered his head, clenched his fist, and cursed, "Damn it."

Before Zhao Hai could utter his second curse, the board members had already pushed open the door and entered.

"Zhao Hai, what are you doing? Why did you provoke Hu Zhenzhen for no reason!"

"You are the president of Jiaren Media. You should be responsible for the company, not use your position to satisfy your personal desires."

"Go apologize to President Hu right now. Make sure she feels our sincerity and will let us off the hook."

“The production crew is there, burning through money every day. Hu Zhenzhen can afford to drag it out, but we can’t.”

Zhao Hai was severely scolded.

I received the phone in humiliation and dialed the number read out by the board of directors.

"Mr. Hu, I'm sorry. I was ignorant before. I sincerely apologize to you and hope you can forgive me and Jiaren Media."

Hu Zhenzhen on the other end of the phone chuckled.

"Mr. Zhao, I'm sorry to get to know you this way."

"I accept your apology, but I hope you will learn from this experience."

At my age, I still have to be lectured by the younger generation.

After hanging up the phone, Zhao Hai's face turned bright red with embarrassment, and he wished he could quit his job on the spot.