Chapter 28
Zhou Ye arrived at the same time as Shi Fangyue. When they arrived, the competition had already started. Because the lead actress had a tight schedule, she performed first.
When they came in, A's performance was nearing its end.
But it doesn't matter. They weren't there to see her anyway, so it wasn't a waste of their time, which is good.
"Xiao Zhou, you're here too?"
Zhou Ye is a very eye-catching person, always enjoying being the center of attention.
He needs a group of people to serve him wherever he goes, so he stands out in the sparsely populated theater.
"Uncle Shi, I've come to see the artists in my family."
Zhou Ye had no idea that he shouldn't be there. His family and Shi Fangyue had a deep business relationship and were basically in cahoots.
If Zhu Yu hadn't been clinging to Shi Ru's coattails, he wouldn't even have needed to ask; just a few glances at her would have been enough for Shi Fangyue to readily send her to his bed.
But it's quite interesting this way, since things that are too easily obtained are not very interesting.
“Your actors are quite good. Xiao Ru has recently discovered a few promising talents. Could you help me take a look?”
Before Shi Fangyue could even finish his sentence, Zhou Ye already knew what he was about to say.
It's just that they discovered he was trying to steal someone.
That damn thing is quite protective of its own.
While cursing inwardly, Zhou Ye showed no outward sign, pretending to know nothing: "Oh? Aunt Yaqian has agreed to let Brother Shiru take over the family business?"
These words sounded ordinary, but the hidden dagger made Shi Fangyue's eyes flash with a sharp light.
It's common knowledge in the industry that Shi Ru is the undisputed heir of the Shi family, but it's also an obvious fact that Shi Yaqian, as the current head of the Shi family, has consistently refused to let her heir come to the company to learn.
The outside world has been subtly mocking the Shi family for having only one heir and preparing to stage a power struggle among their nine sons.
Therefore, Shi Ru's current position in the industry is in a very awkward one.
Others his age had either been completely abandoned by their families and become spoiled brats who received a monthly allowance.
They've either been gaining experience and learning at home, or the outstanding ones have even come into contact with some power.
Take Zhou Ye for example. Although he is not the heir, he is able to get a share of the company's management business because of his excellent abilities.
Of all the kids who grew up together, only Shi Ru is still diligently studying and taking exams, with zero experience in the business world.
Shi Fangyue also tried to persuade her sister, Shi Ru, who was already very outstanding, but had never officially joined the company, so of course she had never had any experience.
But Shih Ya-Chien insisted that Shih Ru finish his university studies first.
Unfortunately, Shi Fangyue also has a sizable company of his own, which can be used as practice for Shi Ru.
"Of course, who else would we give it to if not him? After all, our Shi family is not as good as your Zhou family. We only have him as our heir."
Shi Fangyue's sarcastic response.
For Zhou Ye, who lost the power struggle, these words were undoubtedly a painful blow.
Despite his domineering attitude in the company, he has absolutely no power over the celebrities who actually make money for the company.
The only people they can ruin are those who are practically unknown in the entertainment industry.
Didn't you see that the people around him mostly called him "Young Master Zhou"?
His position in the company was only general manager, not president.
The difference between Mr. Zhou and Mr. Zhou is enormous.
The two were locked in a fierce battle, neither willing to yield, unaware that the performance had already ended, until the vengeful director walked up to them, his back bent low.
"Mr. Shi, Young Master Zhou, what are your thoughts on this performance?"
It's a routine commentary segment during the competition.
The director was originally supposed to go on stage himself, but with these two big shots around, the director felt it was a good opportunity to show off his insight and judgment.
The two who didn't even look: "..."
"The performance was just so-so, there's still a lot of room for improvement. Alright, Mr. Shi and I don't have much time, let's get the next person started!"
Zhou Ye was better at making polite conversation; how he and Shi Fangyue argued was their own business.
But if the subordinates see this and make a fool of themselves, then the matter will have to be handled differently.
When Zhou Ye said this, several of the minor stars under his management exchanged glances, thinking they had received their boss's hint, and nodded silently.
When Zhu Yu came on stage, Shi Ru stopped trying to get closer to Shi Fangyue and Zhou Ye and chose to find a seat nearby.
With him watching and his uncle present, Zhou Ye, a mere nobody, couldn't possibly cause any trouble.
“Since he started junior high school, he has received no shortage of love letters from girls. After all these years, he has finally found a girl he can like.”
Shi Fangyue seemed to sigh suddenly, but his words were pointed: "You have no idea, his mother and I almost thought he didn't like girls anymore!"
This is a girl that Shi Ru finally set his sights on, so don't even think about getting your hands on her.
This was the hint that Zhou Ye gleaned from Shi Fangyue's words.
They even brought up Shi Yaqian to intimidate people. Does Shi Yaqian really know about Zhu Yu's existence?
Zhou Ye thought it might not be so.
But there's nothing he can do; as long as that person from the Shi family hasn't fallen from power, he'll have to be wary of them.
Zhou Ye was so angry he felt like his back teeth were about to shatter. He couldn't afford to offend the Shi family, and the Zhou family wouldn't offend the Shi family for his sake.
What's more, his older brother is also eyeing him from behind, wanting to take away his power.
This incriminating evidence cannot be left unaddressed.
Zhou Ye knew that his current status in the Zhou family, besides being favored by the old man, was mainly due to his "good relationship" with the Shi family member in front of him.
"The girl that Brother Shi Ru likes? Is it this actress who plays Si Feng? She does look quite good."
Zhou Ye forced a dry laugh from his throat. "..." Shi Fangyue didn't reply, only staring at him with a smile.
Zhou Ye secretly rolled his eyes. It seemed he had no choice but to speak up: "Oh dear, my assistant messaged me saying there's an urgent meeting to be held. I have to go."
"You're leaving already? What a coincidence!" Shi Fangyue replied with a smile.
"Then I'll take my leave now, Uncle Shi. I'll invite you and Brother Shi Ru to dinner another day!"
"Okay, go ahead and get busy."
Only after watching Zhou Ye's figure disappear through the gate did Shi Fangyue slowly turn his gaze away, smile at Shi Ru who was watching from afar, and get up to leave.
The final result was not important to Shi Fangyue. Shi Ru himself was guarding this place, so as not to let the people he cared about not get what they wanted.
Then he should really consider whether Shi Ru is the only option for successor.
"Now that both performances are over, everyone should find a seat and rest for a bit."
After the performance, the director took the microphone and walked towards Shi Ru. After seeing Shi Ru wave her hand, he smoothly turned on his toes and walked onto the stage.
After carefully observing the entire venue and confirming that the other two bigwigs who had been hiding in the back had indeed left, the current vote only needs to consider the opinions of these one or two individuals.
The director breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness. If Zhou Ye were still here, and the two of them had each chosen one, he would have been in a difficult situation.
"I'll give you five minutes to think about it. Then write down your choice of A or B on a piece of paper and put it in this box."
After he finished speaking, a staff member took a stack of A4 papers and distributed them one by one.
Even in front of Zhu Yu, they didn't forget to place one.
"I just made a mistake... I cried too much and my lines came out unclearly..."
Zhu Yu sat next to Shi Ru, muttering annoyance.
"No, I think you did a great job. You were very emotional and had a lot of empathy."
Shi Ru unscrewed a bottle of water and handed it to her.
"For your first official participation in a ticketed touring play, your performance is already quite good."
"Some people in the industry, even if they go through rehearsals smoothly during their first performance, will have a complete mental breakdown once the audience enters, and will make all sorts of mistakes and forget their lines on stage."
Such a person may really exist. Anyway, Shi Ru doesn't know who he is. He said that just to comfort Zhu Yu and prevent her from fighting amongst herself.
"Really? Who is it?"
Shi Ru smiled but remained silent. "Why did you write an A?"
"I think she acted better than me." Zhu Yu didn't care, Zhu Yu was indifferent, Zhu Yu was self-righteous.
"Heh," Shi Ru couldn't help but laugh for no reason, then called over a staff member to get another piece of paper, and wrote a big letter B on both pieces of paper.
"Could you please put it in that box for me?"
"OK."
"What are you doing? How can you vote for your own team?" Zhu Yu complained.
Shi Ru capped the pen, took the paper marked A from Zhu Yu's desk, and slowly crumpled it into a ball.
"You're spineless. How can you be so self-deprecating and boost the morale of others?"
"So what!"
Zhu Yu was unconvinced, but she didn't intend to renegotiate. After all, who wouldn't want to win?
It's just one vote, it shouldn't have much of a decisive impact on the outcome, right?
"Everyone has cast their votes, right? Now let's start counting the votes!"
...
"A has eight votes, B has eight votes, it's a tie!"
"How could it be a tie? Aren't we an odd number of people? Who didn't vote?"
The director held up the microphone and shouted.
"Director," a little girl below timidly raised her hand, "Teacher A left after her performance, so her vote shouldn't have been cast yet."
"She definitely has to vote for herself! So if we count that way, she wins!"
It was unclear whose voice it was.
If Shi Ru hadn't been there, the director could have continued down that line. But Shi Ru was there, and the director could even clearly feel that the gaze pressing down on him cooled down noticeably after those words were uttered.
The director somewhat regretted creating so many problems. If he had simply given the role to Zhu Yu from the beginning, he wouldn't be facing this mess now.
The actor in lead role is currently very popular. He got the role of Sifeng by giving up personal connections, so it doesn't make sense for him to suddenly take it away.
But Shi Ru was clearly not someone who could be easily fooled.
Leaving aside the Shi family behind him, even the president of Connor, Shi Fangyue, who just arrived and left quickly, will not let him off the hook.
At that moment, the director was filled with regret, wishing he had never been born.
"You're right, I did lose this match!"
Just as the director was sweating profusely, unsure of who to choose and who to discard, a heavenly voice rang out.
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