Chapter 29: Poor Quality Goods
The atmosphere suddenly became awkward. Xu Qingye cleared his throat and glanced at Cao Muan beside him.
"What are you standing there for? Go get the guest a cup of coffee."
"Brother, the studio has just been renovated and we haven't had time to buy coffee yet. Is plain water okay?"
"How do you work? Guests come from far away, and you don't even prepare a cup of coffee for them? That's so rude." Xu Qingye pretended to frown and looked at Cao Muan with some annoyance.
Zhou Xiong looked at his poor acting and waved his hands helplessly.
"It's okay, you can drink anything you want."
Cao Muan went out quickly and came back in with two bottles of mineral water soon after. Zhou Xiong looked at the cheapest bottle of mineral water in silence for a while, then went straight to the point.
"You were the one who resolved the Xiao Cheng issue earlier, right? It was brilliant, and your approach really impressed me. I came here today specifically to discuss cooperation. Sister Mana and I have been friends for many years, and our company's artists have had some minor issues recently, so I'd like to see if you have any good suggestions."
Zhou Xiong was very nice, but Meng Xi, who was standing behind him, had a look of disdain on his face. Xu Qingye glanced at him, leaned back on the sofa and changed to a comfortable position.
"Don't you have to introduce yourself when you're collaborating? I don't even know who you are, how can I help you solve your problem?"
Xu Qingye said this while looking at Meng Xi. Meng Xi felt as if he was being mocked and his temper suddenly flared up.
"You don't know me? Do you dare to say you don't know me?"
"Are you very famous? I don't recognize you." Xu Qingye pretended to look at Meng Xi carefully and then asked back.
Meng Xi was so angry that he wanted to curse. After all these years, this was the first time he was treated like this. He wanted to explode, but Zhou Xiong glared at him.
"Just shut up."
After Zhou Xiong finished speaking, he looked at Xu Qingye gently and began to introduce himself.
"I'm Zhou Xiong from Haohai Entertainment, and this is my artist Meng Xi. Meng Xi has recently run into some minor issues, and we need someone to control public opinion. It hasn't been exposed yet, but it should be in the next few days."
Speaking of this matter, Zhou Xiong's face turned ugly again. Not only did Meng Xi not make progress, but he was also always causing trouble and could not be managed at all.
"What happened? Tell me the whole story. I can't solve every problem." Xu Qingye looked at Meng Xi. He didn't recognize this face. But the expression on his face was not very pleasing. His eyes were a little fierce and he didn't look like a good person.
Xu Qingye is not superstitious, he just has a bad feeling.
"It's not a big deal. Meng Xi had a girlfriend before, but after dating for a while, he decided they weren't a good match and broke up. Then she got pregnant and insisted on giving birth, wanting Meng Xi to take responsibility. Naturally, Meng Xi disagreed, and they had a small argument and some shoving. The girl accidentally rolled down the stairs and the child was lost. Now she's trying to expose Meng Xi. A little friction between lovers isn't worth sacrificing Meng Xi's future, is it? Do you have any plans to resolve this crisis?"
Zhou Xiong's words were tactful, but Xu Qingye understood them clearly.
"Let me summarize it for you. Meng Xi of Haohai Entertainment allegedly had an argument with his ex-girlfriend and pushed her down the stairs, causing her to suffer serious injuries and miscarriage."
"What you said sounds too much like a gossip headline. It's not that serious. It's just a minor friction between lovers."
"Since you've come to see me, there's no need to lie. There's no need to be so secretive about what happened. Just tell me yourself. You're the person involved, and you know what happened better than anyone else."
Xu Qingye pointed at Meng Xi, indicating that he should speak himself.
Meng Xi didn't want to come here at all. He didn't think there was anything wrong with him from the beginning to the end. If that woman wanted to expose herself, then let her expose herself. She was just being unreasonable and wanted to cheat him of his money.
"What's there to say? She's just after money. It's been so long since we broke up. Who knows if the child is mine?"
Meng Xi curled his lips. It was better that the child fell, so that she wouldn't use the child to blackmail him.
"Hmm, originally this was a relationship dispute, but you turned it into a violent incident. I think you should worry about being sued instead of your reputation. From what you've said, the other party is likely seriously injured. If you really want to resolve this, you should go to the other party and apologize, compensate them, and actively cooperate with any further action. Anything else is meaningless. In incidents like this, most people will side with the girl."
Xu Qingye spread his hands, there was nothing he could do about this matter.
"I apologize? You wish. I've already said that who knows if the child is mine or not."
"Originally, it was doubtful whether this child was yours, but now that you've pushed the person and the child is gone, this child can only be yours. You've destroyed the evidence yourself."
Xu Qingye looked at Meng Xi with disgust. How on earth did this guy become a rival of Xiao Cheng? They were not on the same level at all.
"Is there nothing else to do besides apologizing?"
Zhou Xiong sighed. This was not the solution he wanted.
"Kneel down and kowtow to apologize devoutly. Maybe the other party will relent and not expose you. But I guess you can't do that."
"I think you are a liar. You can't solve any problems at all."
Meng Xi stared at Xu Qingye and laughed angrily. He felt that he had run here to listen to Xu Qingye's nonsense because his head was stuck in the door. What about kowtowing to apologize and cooperating with compensation? It was all bullshit.
"I'm just a marketing account. The essence of marketing is good products plus good publicity to achieve a win-win situation. But the most fundamental point is that the product must be good. Marketing is not about confusing right and wrong. If you do that, even if you succeed, it will backfire. You told me a few truths, and you know it in your heart, so I can't do your business."
Xu Qingye's meaning was very clear, Meng Xi was a low-quality product and he would not receive him.
"You fucking bastard."
Meng Xi was so angry that he cursed and wanted to say something but was at a loss for words.
"Go out and wait for me."
Zhou Xiong frowned. He was not very satisfied with Xu Qingye's answer, but he was obviously more dissatisfied with Meng Xi. What Xu Qingye said made sense. In fact, the problems that can be solved with money are already the simplest. It just depends on whether you are willing to spend it or not.
Meng Xi slammed the door and left, and the air in the conference room became much fresher.
Zhou Xiong did not stand up. Since he was already here, he couldn't come in vain.
"Is there really no other way to deal with Meng Xi's problem?"
Zhou Xiong was a little unwilling to accept this. He had invested a lot of money in Meng Xi, and he had just started to make a profit but couldn't even get his money back.
"Minor success depends on praise, major success depends on luck. Trash people naturally don't have a good life. I advise you to find someone else to invest in, and don't be reluctant to let go because of some sunk costs."
Xu Qingye seemed to see through Zhou Xiong's thoughts. He took a remote control from the table and turned on the big screen. Zhou Xiong looked over and saw the logos of various brokerage companies appearing on the screen. The logo of Haohai Entertainment was also among them, but it was ranked very far back. Xu Qingye operated the remote control and clicked on the document of Haohai Entertainment.
The document contained some actor data, and Xu Qingye clicked on one of them.
"That's great. If you trust me and give him some resources, you'll get more than you expected in return."
Xu Qingye spent several nights working on sorting out the data of various entertainment companies. He circled the familiar names, many of whom appeared in subsequent plots. The newcomer from Haohai Entertainment was named Zhong Yin. He had worked with Shen Que in a movie in the later plots and was the third male lead. Although there was not much description of him, the fact that he could play an important role in a big-budget movie was enough to prove his strength.
Zhou Xiong looked at Zhong Yin on the screen and had no impression of him. There were many artists in the company, and he didn't know all of them. Judging from the data, Zhong Yin should have just joined the company not long ago and did not have any good resources for the time being. He had only filmed a few small commercials.
"I think this artist's talent is average, and his appearance is not what the public likes."
Zhou Xiong was a little hesitant. Zhong Yin had a tough guy image, a dark-skinned athlete, and had nothing in common with the popular beautiful boys nowadays. The trial and error cost of promoting him seemed a bit high.
"Aesthetics are diverse, and there will always be people who like this one. If it becomes popular, there will be no substitutes on the entire Internet. Meng Xi fits the public's aesthetic you mentioned. Have you been promoting it for so long and have you succeeded?"
Xu Qingye flipped through a few more photos of Zhong Yin. He looked very capable and seemed like a good candidate for being a soldier. If he was cast in a military film, he would soon become famous.
"What about Meng Xi?"
Zhou Xiong still couldn't bear to do it.
"Brother, hitting someone is illegal. We live in a society ruled by law. He's crossed the line. This isn't just a simple conflict between lovers. He beat her to the point of having a miscarriage and being hospitalized. You should quickly distance yourself from the matter and protect yourself. You're still rushing to protect him. That's not how business works."
Xu Qingye felt helpless. Did Meng Xi save Zhou Xiong's life?
"Oh my, what bad luck I have! Why can't I create an artist who becomes a big star?"
"If you trust me, then give my advice a try. I won't charge you any consulting fees this time. Just treat it as a friendship. But you guys brought the Mengxi melons to my door, so I'll just consider it a gift."
Xu Qingye smiled cunningly. Zhou Xiong looked at Xu Qingye and felt very conflicted. Giving up Meng Xi would be like cutting off one's own flesh, which would hurt him, but if he didn't give up, there would be a lot of troubles afterwards. If the other party really called the police, it would be on the social news.
After a struggle between his conscience and his desires, Zhou Xiong finally sighed.
"I understand. My judgment has been poor over the years. I'll trust you this time. Thank you for your hospitality. I'll take the water."
Zhou Xiong picked up the mineral water on the table and drank it while walking. When he reached the door, the bottle of water was empty. He crushed the bottle and threw it into the trash can.
After watching Zhou Xiong leave, Cao Muan, who had been sitting quietly like a wallflower, couldn't help but speak.
"How can you be sure that this Zhong Yin will be a hit? You sound too sure."
Cao Muan looked at the photo of Zhong Yin. He was dark and thin. Although he looked good, he was not her type. His eyes were too bright, and his righteous look made people feel distant.
"I know how to tell fortunes. I can tell he'll be famous."
Xu Qingye stretched out his hand and pinched it a few times randomly, speaking seriously.
"I don't believe it. If you really can tell fortunes, tell me when I will become rich."
Cao Muan said she didn't believe it, but her face was eager to try. Xu Qingye glanced at her and spoke in a sinister tone.
"I don't know when you'll get rich, but I know I'll be docking your salary soon. You have no professional acumen at all."
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