Chapter 27: Retirement Day 27: Little Fu Rui? Who gave him the face? ...
In the past two days, Qiao Tianyi has deeply experienced what it means to be unlucky.
Ever since Fu Rui walked out of the audition and forced his way out, and then Sang Qiqi suddenly showed up at the airport and punched him and took away his jade pendant and doll, nothing has gone right for Qiao Tianyi.
He frantically sought out Taoist Master Tongxuan, hoping he could help him retrieve Fu Rui. However, Tongxuan refused, stating that Fu Rui had likely already entered the underworld. Qiao Tianyi settled for the next best option, asking if he could find him a ghost with good acting skills who could possess him.
Knowing that Fu Rui is a rare talent, his expectations were modest. He didn't need a film star like Fu Rui, just someone with decent acting skills. Actors like Yu Ange and Yu Meng would be fine. These two actors haven't won many awards, but they both have famous scenes where their acting has stood out, earning praise from many netizens on Q station.
But Tongxuan still refused.
Not only did he refuse, he even pursed his lips, stared at him coldly, and asked with a hint of sarcasm, "Do you think you're picking vegetables at the market?"
Even though he had known for a long time that Qiao Tianyi was a fool, Tongxuan still found it difficult to understand why he asked him for the ghosts of other actors in such a righteous manner.
Meeting Fu Rui's ghost was an unexpected surprise. If he had not acted quickly and stripped Fu Rui's soul from the corpse, Fu Rui would have been reincarnated in the underworld long ago.
Is there any other ghost with good acting skills for him to choose?
Tongxuan's face darkened with a frown. He sneered, "If you really want it, I suggest you kill the two people you mentioned first. Then, I will strip them of their souls and use them for your own purposes."
Kill, kill?!
Qiao Tianyi immediately refused: "How can I kill someone?!"
The precedent of Zhong Jie killing someone and hiding the body is right in front of him. How could he possibly follow in Zhong Jie's footsteps and become a prisoner?
If you say Qiao Tianyi is stupid, he is really stupid. If you say he is smart, he is indeed a little smart.
He knew that he would be held accountable if caught for murder, but when it came to matters involving the gods and ghosts, even the police were powerless to do anything.
Tong Xuan said nothing, only looking at him with gloomy and indifferent eyes. That look was so sinister that it made the hairs on his body stand on end. Qiao Tianyi subconsciously shut his mouth and unconsciously took two steps back.
He pursed his lips and said, "Is there really no other way?"
Without the help of a ghost with good acting skills, he would not be able to reverse the current public opinion.
So, no matter whether he is crowned the best actor or not, those directors still won't use him.
Songhe is it.
Not only did they not use him, they even allowed others to laugh at him.
On the way here, Qiao Tianyi took a look at the trending searches and comments on Weibo. He did not miss any of the remarks mocking him. Although some fans stood up for him, he knew very well that if he could not find a way to solve his acting problem, there would be more and more remarks mocking him, and fewer and fewer fans standing up for him. Then, netizens would not even hesitate to mock him, and he would completely become a thing of the past in the entertainment industry and the performing arts circle, and become an unknown figure drowned in the torrent of time.
Those days of extravagance and luxury, with the attention of the stars, will be gone forever.
As the saying goes, it is difficult to go from luxury to frugality. Qiao Tianyi has only enjoyed a good life for less than two years, and he will never allow such a thing to happen!
The more he thought about it, the more scared he became. Qiao Tianyi panicked and said, "Master, help me again. As long as I continue to be popular, I will give you countless money."
Tongxuan doesn't just want money.
but--
He twirled his whisk with his fingers, and slowly raised his gaze to the huge golden statue in front of him. His eyes gradually darkened, and after a while he said, "I can help you one more time."
Qiao Tianyi's eyes suddenly lit up.
As long as Tongxuan is willing to help him, everything can be turned around.
But Tongxuan's next words broke his excitement: "But we have to wait for a while."
"Wait?" He could barely control his voice, which rose uncontrollably. However, when he noticed Tongxuan's gloomy gaze, he swallowed the rest of his words back. Licking his lips, he suppressed his fluctuating emotions and asked, "How long do I have to wait?"
"Not too long, a week at most."
A week seems ok.
Qiao Tianyi was thinking in his mind.
Anyway, his management team has used his poor acting skills as an excuse to address the issue. He can just feign illness for another week. Once he recovers, he can find another director, act out a random scene, have someone post the video online, and hire some marketing accounts and online trolls to hype it up. Presumably, his reputation will be restored.
Thinking of this, he finally let out a sigh and nodded repeatedly: "Okay, one week is enough."
After agreeing on a time with Tongxuan, Qiao Tianyi did not stay any longer and quickly left the hall. He looked down at the nearest flights and returned to Beijing North.
After arriving at the airport, Qiao Tianyi quickly found the nanny car and got in under Wang Hao's instructions.
Wang Hao sat in the front seat and half turned his body to look at Qiao Tianyi. Qiao Tianyi's face was slightly tired and his hair was messy, but his mental state was unexpectedly good. There was even an incomprehensible ease in his tone when he spoke to him.
Wang Hao: “…”
No, the internet is in such a mess right now that netizens have called a truck and parked it downstairs of the studio with a loudspeaker shouting every day, "Qiao Tianyi's acting is terrible." How can he still laugh?
Could it be that he was mad?
Wang Hao hesitated for a while, then decided to ask, "Are you...in a good mood?"
Qiao Tianyi lifted his eyes from the phone screen, saw through Wang Hao's inner thoughts at a glance, and pursed his lips: "Not bad."
Without giving Wang Hao a chance to speak, he brought up business: "You and your management team have worked hard these past two days. Let's just chill out with the discussion about that audition video online. Wait a week. Once I'm better, you can find me a drama and I'll audition for it, and that'll be all."
Wang Hao frowned, feeling something was amiss. He asked, "Are you going to Chengjiang, Yang Province, to see a doctor?"
Qiao Tianyi lied with his eyes wide open: "Yes, I had a strange disease when I was a child. Later, my family found an old doctor in Chengjiang to cure me. I didn't expect it to relapse on the day of the audition. I couldn't control my body and emotions at all, so my performance was a mess."
There was such a disease? This was the first time he had heard of it in his forty-odd years of life.
Wang Hao muttered to himself.
But since Qiao Tianyi said this with such confidence, Wang Hao was willing to believe it.
He was even in the mood to tease: "I thought you went to Chengjiang to ask the Bodhisattva to bless you to overcome the difficulties."
Qiao Tianyi's heart skipped a beat, astonished at Wang Hao's sharpness, but his face remained calm: "If Bodhisattvas were effective, everyone would go to worship them."
—
Although Qiao Tianyi asked the team to deal with the online comments coldly, after discussion, Wang Hao still spent a lot of time and effort to divert public opinion to Qiao Tianyi's condition, and brought up the claim that Qiao Tianyi actually suffered from anxiety disorder, and that the problem during the audition that day was caused by anxiety disorder.
I don’t know whether passers-by believed it or not, but the fans did.
For several days, Qiao Tianyi's private messages on Weibo were all condolences from fans. Not only were the unpleasant and harsh remarks suppressed by fans with more effort, but the studio also received many letters and packages sent by fans.
When Qiao Tianyi had nothing to do, he opened all the packages, kept the expensive luxury goods, and threw the cheap goods and letters into the trash can.
Then he pretended to go to the hospital and stay there, ready to confirm his image as someone suffering from anxiety disorder.
Wang Hao had thought the week would pass quickly, but unexpectedly, on the evening of the fifth day, he received a call from one of Qiao Tianyi's endorsement companies. Just as Wang Hao was about to greet them, they dropped a bombshell: "The company has decided to terminate the contract with Mr. Qiao. When do you have time to sign the contract?"
Wang Hao: “???”
Is it because he hasn't woken up yet?
Why are they terminating the contract out of the blue? A few days ago, there was so much public opinion about the terrible auditions, but the companies didn't make any moves. Now everything is moving in a positive direction, so why are they terminating the contract?
His expression changed slightly, and he asked hurriedly, "Did something go wrong? Or does your leader also think there's something wrong with Tianyi's acting? It's a misunderstanding, it really is a misunderstanding. Tianyi's old illness has relapsed, and he's been in the hospital for the past two days!"
The other party did not say much, only said: "I'm sorry, this is the decision from above, and we don't know the specific reason."
When he received the first call to terminate the contract, Wang Hao could still comfort himself by saying that the company's senior management was stupid.
But when the second, third, and fourth calls came in succession, and the content was similar, his heart finally sank to the bottom.
Something is wrong, something is very wrong!
He hurriedly opened Weibo and other social software to search for Qiao Tianyi's name, but the content that popped up was very normal, which proved that Qiao Tianyi had not been exposed to any scandals in the past two days. But why would these companies rather pay the penalty than withdraw Qiao Tianyi's endorsement?
Did Qiao Tianyi offend someone?
Before he could get through to Qiao Tianyi, a member of the agency team sent him a video.
It turned out to be an interview video of director Li Cheng.
On the video cover, Li Cheng sits on a sofa in a black suit, his expression impassive. He's handsome, and netizens once joked that if directing doesn't work out, he might pursue a career as an idol. Facing the camera, his face remains unchanged, but there's a faint trace of bloodshot under his eyes, and a hint of fatigue between his brows.
The host who interviewed him was a mainstay of a certain TV station, famous for his sharp style and willingness to ask anything.
I once questioned a male celebrity on camera about why he dumped his girlfriend of eight years to marry a mistress he'd known for less than two months. That show was a bloody affair, with the male celebrity furious and reportedly halting filming. Unfortunately, the host refused to give me any shred of respect, bluntly saying, "The contract is signed. If you decide to cancel the show midway, pay the penalty first, and we'll upload the first half of the interview as a behind-the-scenes video. Is that okay with you?"
No way!
The male star could only grit his teeth, suppressing the rage that was gushing out of him, and answered word by word: "Because we are no longer in love, and my current girlfriend is not a mistress. Besides, relationships have nothing to do with how long you've known each other."
The host nodded. "So it has something to do with novelty? Or perhaps you're someone who's easily tempted by new things?"
A simple question has labeled the male star as a "scumbag", so much so that now whenever the male star appears, there will be netizens who like to watch the fun and joke: The novelty is coming.
While this kind of behavior can certainly offend many celebrities and their fans, as long as the artist is innocent, even the most pointed questions won't upset them. Furthermore, netizens truly love this show, and with them, the show's ratings are incredibly high, surpassing other variety shows in their time slot by a factor of one. Therefore, the TV station practically treats this host like a deity, and no complaints are effective.
——Li Cheng went to You Yaning’s interview show?
Wang Hao was a little surprised, but what surprised him even more was that the agency team forwarded this video to him... What's so interesting about Li Cheng's interview?
Before he could ask, he saw the team members putting on countless exclamation marks: Brother, look at the video, Li Cheng is holding on to Brother Qiao like a madman!
What the hell is this? How can it be related to Qiao Tianyi?
Li Cheng and Qiao Tianyi had a good talk before. Even though the Zhong Jie incident ruined their cooperation, Li Cheng still gave him face.
With doubts, he clicked on the two-minute-and-thirty-second video.
In the video, You Yaning flipped through the script with her eyes downcast, her gaze sweeping over the questions one by one. Then, with an impeccable smile on her face, she chatted with an old friend, saying, "Director Li seems to be in good shape. Has he been busy lately?"
The question was ordinary, but Li Cheng's answer was unusual.
The man half-closed his eyes and said in a calm voice, "I'm quite busy, but I'm not in a good mood because it's the anniversary of Fu Rui's death. Professor Hou and I went to Lanshan to see him overnight."
Fu Rui?
Wang Hao found it increasingly strange. Everyone in the industry knew that Li Cheng and Fu Rui were close friends and a perfect working partner. Li Cheng used to love praising Fu Rui in front of the camera, but since Fu Rui's death, Li Cheng seemed to have dropped this habit. Even when the reporter interviewing him brought up Fu Rui, he simply said coldly, "Next question."
Why did she take the initiative to cue Fu Rui on You Yaning's show today?
In the midst of a confused thought, You Yaning spoke again.
"Time flies! It's been two years since Fu Rui passed away. I haven't seen you film any new dramas in the past two years. Is it because you can't find actors like Fu Rui? But a while ago, a marketing account revealed that you seemed to be planning to work with Qiao Tianyi? I remember Qiao Tianyi was also known as 'Little Fu Rui'."
...They mentioned Qiao Tianyi and even brought up the title of 'Little Fu Rui' that they marketed?
Wang Hao frowned, and saw that Li Cheng, who had been a little cold and expressionless, suddenly pursed his lips and said, "Little Fu Rui? Who gave him the face?"
boom.
Wang Hao suddenly stood up from his chair, staring at Li Cheng in the camera with wide eyes.
But Li Cheng and You Yaning didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with this answer. You Yaning even laughed: "It seems that Director Li has a lot of opinions about Mr. Qiao? Why not tell me about it?"
Li Cheng crossed his legs and spoke in his usual calm tone, "They are just people seeking fame and reputation, despicable people. Involving Fu Rui in this is somewhat disrespectful to her."
Wang Hao: “…”
Is this what a director said in front of the camera?
How do you evaluate an actor you almost worked with?
Wang Hao began to doubt his life.
You Yaning, on the other hand, was the complete opposite of him. Pointing at the script, she nodded in agreement. "It's a harsh review, but I like it. I also watched Mr. Qiao's audition video a few days ago. Not only is his acting completely unmatched by Fu Rui's... well, I also feel a little sorry for Director Song He."
Li Cheng said, "I'd rather congratulate Director Song for cutting his losses in time."
Wang Hao: “…”
This is not a congratulation to Song He, this is clearly a veiled attack on Qiao Tianyi!
At this moment, Wang Hao finally understood why the team members said that Li Cheng was like a madman and kept pursuing Qiao Tianyi.
Is he crazy?!
Even though Qiao Tianyi has been plagued by public opinion lately, he hasn't offended Li Cheng, right? Even if he has a problem with the nickname "Little Fu Rui," he wouldn't intervene at this moment and want to crush them, right?
He took a deep breath and searched through his phone contacts for a long time but couldn't find Li Cheng's contact information. In the end, he could only continue to call Qiao Tianyi.
However, many netizens who were also following You Yaning's program were amused.
[Holy crap, I know Yu Yaning's show isn't boring, but isn't today's interview a little too exciting?!]
[Open declaration of war! Open declaration of war/shout at the top of your lungs]
[It turns out that Brother Fu has been gone for two years. I always thought he just retired from the entertainment industry.]
[I'm just a fame-seeker, a shrewd and despicable person. Is that something I can say? Is that how a director should evaluate an actor?]
[Rumor has it, today's guest was originally scheduled to be Yu Meng, but Li Cheng called the TV station's management last night and recorded the interview overnight, and it's being served tonight. Guys, don't be too mad at him.]
[This is hilarious. Although I'm not entirely sure what the feud between Li Cheng and Qiao Tianyi is, every question in this interview seems meticulously crafted, always finding some connection to Qiao Tianyi. Then, Li Cheng launches into a barrage of criticism, devaluing Qiao Tianyi to the point of being worthless.]
[Okay, okay, Director Li, you and Sang Qiqi will sit at the same table.]
[In fact, when Qiao Tianyi first started riding on Fu Rui's popularity and using the "Little Fu Rui" marketing slogan, Li Cheng told the media that everyone is an independent individual and there is only one Fu Rui.]
[Brother, I'm really in tears. My heart broke when I heard you were going to work with Qiao Tianyi! Luckily, you pulled back in time!]
[Qiao Tianyi's acting resume has been enriched yet again. I've never seen an actor publicly scolded by a big director, and the scolding was so harsh, hahaha]
[This interview is actually called "How Licheng Can Humiliate Qiao Tianyi," right?]
[Someone in the industry said that Qiao Tianyi lost several endorsements. Is this true?]
By the time Wang Hao contacted Qiao Tianyi, the interview video about Li Cheng had already gone viral, with the top trending topic on Weibo becoming #Guo Ming Diao Yu Fei Ying Dog Camp#
But today's farce is obviously not over yet.
At 10:20 pm, a marketing account released a video without a word.
In the video, Qiao Tianyi hugged two disheveled girls, drinking mouth to mouth, flirting and teasing them, and was so cool that netizens who watched the video called it exciting.
When Wang Hao saw this video, he almost couldn't breathe and collapsed.
He banged the table loudly and roared, "Didn't we buy this video? Didn't the paparazzi also give us the negatives? Why is it still appearing on Weibo now?"
A member of the brokerage team wiped the sweat from his forehead and said quickly: "I'm still trying to contact them, but no one has replied."
"He dares to reply?" Wang Hao was furious. "Do you think he's stupid? And where's Qiao Tianyi? Why hasn't he come yet?"
"Qiao, Brother Qiao seems to be blocked by reporters."
The other members trembled as they raised their phones. A shaky video showed a group of paparazzi, armed with cameras and badges, surrounding a black Hyundai. Wang Hao stared wide-eyed, looking for a chance to spot the license plate. It belonged to a member of the management team.
This is also the vehicle that Qiao Tianyi chose to travel these two days in order to keep a low profile!
Wang Hao: “…”
He banged the table again: "How did they know Qiao Tianyi was in the hospital?"
He only mentioned this to the endorsement company, but he didn't reveal the specific hospital. Do these paparazzi have dog noses? They can even smell it!
"Brother Wang, another marketing account has leaked photos. This time, it's a screenshot of Brother Qiao's chat history with his fans."
Wang Hao: “…”
Tired, destroy it.
Wang Hao took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, telling himself that he had to be rational, rational, and rational at this critical moment. He could always find another endorsement if he lost it. Li Cheng publicly scolding Qiao Tianyi could turn public opinion into Li Cheng being uncultured and even bullying his fans. Qiao Tianyi hugging two women could also be explained as a video created by AI. As for the screenshots of flirting, that was even easier to deny. Who doesn't have two WeChat accounts these days?
He remained calm, turned around and was about to give instructions to his team members, but saw someone staring at the phone screen with a slightly frightened expression.
Wang Hao suddenly had an even more terrifying premonition in his heart.
The next second, the man swallowed hard, his words stumbling nervously: "Qiao, Qiao brother knocked all the paparazzi away."
Wang Hao: “…………”
Qiao Tianyi, fuck you!
—
Sang Qiqi sat in front of the cashier, staring at the screen, eating melons crazily.
It was two hours later when they finally finished their meal. She turned around to look at Li Cheng, who was still sitting in her shop in the middle of the night. She didn't chase him away, but asked curiously, "You spent a lot of money, didn't you?"
Li Cheng's eyes were originally on the paper-made products on the shelf.
The paper item was a box of discs with the words "Fu Rui Movie Collection" written on it.
According to Sang Qiqi, Fu Rui's fans are from all age groups, so the ghosts waiting in line for reincarnation underground might also like Fu Rui's films, so she thoughtfully prepared this paper figurine.
Coming back to his senses, he lowered his eyes and said, "Not bad."
The endorsements that Qiao Tianyi lost were obtained by him exchanging favors with the company's senior management, and he also introduced other stars of similar status to take his place. The endorsement fees of these stars were almost half of Qiao Tianyi's, and he made up for this half of the difference.
He also paid the penalty for breach of contract.
As for the paparazzi video, it was the assistant director he had originally planned to work with who, seeing that he seemed to be interested in casting Qiao Tianyi as the leading male role, was worried that Qiao Tianyi's scandal would affect the film's release, so he specifically mentioned it. The assistant director and the paparazzi were drinking buddies, and one day, while drinking, the paparazzi let the secret slip.
Li Cheng wasn't sure if the video still existed, but he asked the assistant director for the paparazzi's contact information. When he mentioned "double the price," the paparazzi sent him the video without hesitation.
A screenshot of Qiao Tianyi’s chat history was also given for free.
But if possible, compared to these light punishments, he would rather grind Qiao Tianyi to dust.
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