Treat me like an employee
Jingting.
The trending topic "Lei Dachui's live broadcast reveals domestic violence by TV King surnamed S" topped the charts on major social media platforms. Keywords such as "married TV King", "a review of past TV Kings of the J Eagle F Tian B Magnolia Awards", and "domestic violence audio" circulated by netizens appeared one after another on the list and remained there.
Lei Dachui is a notorious rogue paparazzi in the entertainment industry. His usual tactic is to first lure public opinion to a person's name and then disappear, waiting for the artist to take the initiative to claim responsibility and pay hush money. If the two sides reach an agreement, he deletes the post and claims it was a misunderstanding; if they fail to reach an agreement, he releases material and launches a heavy attack.
His latest pinned post on his account features a beckoning finger emoji, accompanied by a screenshot of an audio file named "1224JY Restaurant," prompting a flurry of speculation among netizens in the comments section.
"The Hammer God IP is located in Jingting. The restaurants that celebrities frequent must be star-rated, right? I found several star-rated restaurants called JY, including Jingyuan, Jingyuan, and Jingyan. I've highlighted the important ones for everyone. Did anyone bump into the TV King on December 24th?"
"Married TV Kings with the surname S: Sun Yaoxing, Shan Xiang, Shen Zongli, Su Yan. Let's rule out old man Shan Xiang first. He's over seventy years old. Where would he get the physical strength to commit domestic violence?"
"The person upstairs is interesting. So having physical strength gives you the right to commit domestic violence? I don't think that guy is any better!"
“I saw Shen Zongli on Jingyan Street that day, but he looks so refined and cultured on TV, could it be?”
Another commenter added a screenshot to the comment: "Just now! Hammer God liked this post! But then immediately unliked it. Here's proof!" The screenshot read, "Jingye Lei Dachui liked your comment."
"Holy crap, after watching his acting for so many years, I never imagined he was such a beast!"
"If you weren't a TV King, life would be like a play, and it all depends on your acting skills."
"What is Shen Zongli's wife waiting for? Sue him! [laughing emojis]"
...
The incident caused a huge stir, with netizens launching targeted attacks, including candid photos, early interviews, and analyses of his face, handwriting, and birth chart. The usually low-profile Shen Zongli was thoroughly exposed online.
Shen Zongli did not open any social media accounts, so the barrage of public opinion bombarded the official Weibo accounts of the various film and television works he participated in. The upcoming drama "Yan Ge Xing" was not spared either, with the post announcing the cast filled with a chaotic mess of boycotts, sympathies, and mockery.
"Yan Ge Xing" is an all-star S+ long drama controlled by Yunhe Entertainment, with investment from well-known film companies and co-broadcast on three major platforms. It is also a youth hero and passionate martial arts theme tailored for Jiang Songyun. Shen Zongli plays the main villain and is also Jiang Songyun's older brother who depends on him in the drama.
A year and a half ago, the investors were joking with Jiang Songhe, saying that his appearance was no worse than Shen Zongli's, and that he should just play the villain role as a family member, which would be a good selling point and save on the budget. Now, none of them are laughing anymore.
The video conference framed a series of gloomy faces. The cameras were all on, but no one spoke. After a while, Mr. Tao, the second largest investor, became impatient and asked, "When will your CEO, Mr. Jiang, come online?"
Xu Qin, the producer of Yunhe, who was huddled in a cubicle trying to appear calm, quickly replied with a smile: "President Tao, please don't worry. President Jiang is in Maner right now. He was just talking to someone, but as soon as he heard that the bosses wanted to connect, he immediately said he was heading to the hotel."
“Man’er? Man’er is only two or three o’clock now, what serious business can he talk about? If it weren’t for my daughter…” President Tao seemed to have some taboo and didn’t continue, “He’s the one who takes the lion’s share, but he’s not in a hurry.”
When the industry veteran Tao spoke up, other investors chimed in with their own opinions, but knowing they hadn't had the guts to bet more and wanted a small share of the pie, they started finding fault elsewhere.
"We tried to get him to go to a nightclub before, but he put on a long face and refused. We thought he was such a gentleman. What's wrong, Mr. Jiang? Does he think that the things in China aren't as fancy as those abroad, or does he think that going out with us isn't classy enough?"
"The inheritance left by their parents is substantial and can withstand being wasted. Even if they squander it all, their brother can just earn it back for them. But after such a major incident, those who are just dabbling can still eat and drink as usual. How can we be the same?"
"What time is it now? The film and television industry is in a deep freeze! Every penny we've invested is hard-earned money!"
Xu Qin, still smiling, tried to interrupt as the conversation veered off course, his voice slightly serious: "Gentlemen, you can't say that. I understand your feelings, but we need to stick to the facts, right? Problems need to be solved..."
Unexpectedly, people in the group got impatient: "You've left us hanging for so long and you're still arguing about this and that? I think you're trying to teach us how to do things!"
Just then, a black cube squeezed into the meeting interface. The three dots on the cube bounced for a while, and Jiang Songhe finally appeared from it: "Sorry everyone, I've kept you waiting."
Everyone fell silent, waiting for Jiang Songhe to give an explanation online.
"While I was on the way, I observed the public opinion. Currently, it's just blind speculation and emotional venting based on the paparazzi's actions of quickly liking and then canceling their posts. As of now, the paparazzi haven't explicitly revealed who the 'Domestic Victim King' is. Our legal team has already contacted Shen Zongli's side to confirm the veracity of the allegations. We need to prepare for both possibilities..."
"Wait a minute, what do you mean by 'we'? This project is controlled by Yunhe, and the core creative team was all decided by you. You didn't do your due diligence, and now you want us to make 'two-pronged preparations' together? Do you think that's appropriate?" Someone chimed in, trying to shift the blame.
Jiang Songhe remained unmoved and continued in a deep voice: "If the paparazzi's revelations are true, it's very simple. Shen Zongli's side should negotiate with the paparazzi to resolve the issue. He doesn't only have our 'Yan Ge Xing' drama waiting to be broadcast. They should be able to tell which is more important, the hush money or the breach of contract fees for all the works he has acted in. Our legal department will also get involved and follow up."
The term "penalty for breach of contract" was emphasized. After a brief pause, Jiang Songhe continued, "If the allegations are untrue and the negative impact has already been caused, our company will communicate with the platform to adjust the pre-heating schedule, release the highlights in advance to retain the audience, and at the same time increase the publicity budget to expand the reach and strengthen the publicity efforts."
"The publicity team..."
Jiang Songhe had already guessed that this was what was coming, and a subtle smile appeared on her lips as she answered the previous question from the person trying to shift the blame.
"Since everyone here works in the film and television industry, I don't need to elaborate on the uncertainties of project investment. Since you mentioned that the main creative team was chosen by us, the quality of a project with all-star production can naturally be anticipated based on experience. As for the publicity and distribution budget, it will still be increased according to the investment ratio. Of course, if anyone has any concerns, they can withdraw their investment now. After the meeting, our company will cooperate immediately to handle the matter according to the contract terms."
After saying all that, each face in the cubicle had its own fascinating story, but no one raised any further objections.
Seeing this, Jiang Songhe revealed a sinister professional fake smile and said in closing, "That's all for tonight."
After the black cube disappeared, someone muttered under their breath, "Damn it, are they lecturing me like an employee?"
Xu Qin's inner monologue (secretly pleased): "Scratching~ scratching~ scratching~ He doesn't talk this much to us employees."
-
After leaving the video conference, Jiang Songhe made a separate phone call to Xu Qin.
In addition to having him coordinate with the post-production company to expedite the editing of several highlight clips for platforms and streaming media as promotional materials, he was also tasked with privately understanding the operational cycle and budget of AI face-swapping technology. At the same time, he was required to compile a detailed comparison table of on-location reshoots and post-production face-swapping based on the fees of artists of similar stature to Shen Zongli, and to expedite the process, requesting that he review the finished product as soon as possible.
Xu Qin, probably still basking in the satisfaction of President Jiang's eloquent debate, blurted out the reason. Jiang Songhe paused for a moment, then simply said it was a Plan B, just in case.
Could one possibly say they're afraid of their tragic fate?
Xu Qin accepted the order without suspicion and carried it out.
After everything was settled, Jiang Songhe let out a sigh of relief, exhaling the lingering smell of alcohol from the night before, and slumped wearily into a dining chair against the white wall of the hotel.
It's already past 3 a.m., I wonder if Songyun is asleep yet? Will he wait for me to come back? Have you seen the trending topics?
Thinking of this, he forced himself to take a deep breath, struggled to get up, and went to the door of the next room.
But no one knocked for a long time.
"Yan Ge Xing" was originally intended as an 18th birthday gift for Jiang Songyun. He even personally went to the school to ask for a three-month leave for his younger brother and personally accompanied him throughout the entire filming process.
Even though Jiang Songyun's acting career has temporarily stalled, he still believes that with this drama as a safety net, he has a way out.
Once Songyun goes to university and settles down, her rebellious phase will pass.
Once the show airs, people both inside and outside the industry will see Song Yun's first leading role and will naturally overlook his previous immaturity.
And now there's a possibility...
With his battery depleted, Jiang Songhe couldn't help but feel pessimistic; this lifeless state wasn't suitable for saying goodnight.
Just as he was about to give up, Jiang Songyun's door opened.
Jiang Songhe shrugged, her tone relaxed yet tinged with reproach: "Why aren't you asleep yet at this hour?"
"You're talking so loudly on the phone, you could wake a dead person up!" Jiang Songyun leaned against the door frame, scratching his head sleepily.
Jiang Songhe's heart skipped a beat, a slight pain shooting through him, though it wasn't visible on his face. He reached out to ruffle Jiang Songyun's hair as if to confirm, but Jiang Songyun dodged him. Jiang Songyun's brow twitched, and he shifted his gaze to the room: "Did you attend your online class? What did the teacher teach today?"
Jiang Songyun blinked intriguedly and asked with a smile, "Hey, is it true that Shen Zongli is abusive?"
"..." Jiang Songhe felt like she was about to vomit blood, and couldn't help but say, "Don't worry about company matters, kid."
He regretted saying it as soon as it was out of his mouth, and quickly added, "It won't affect Yan Gexing, it's fine."
"Brother, do you know that you get angry every time you lie?"
"..."
"If you say it's nothing, then it's nothing. Anyway, you're the one who calls the shots at the company." Jiang Songyun leaned close to Jiang Songhe and sniffed, then exaggeratedly pinched his nose and flicked away. "Eek~ You've been drinking, so go to sleep early. I'm going to sleep too; I still need to prepare for the dance for the audition when I wake up. Goodnight~~~"
Before Jiang Songhe could react, Jiang Songyun waved his hand, closed the door, and went back to his room.
Jiang Songhe stood there stunned for a long time, when his WeChat suddenly beeped. He took it out and saw a voice message from "Ni Hou Liangzai".
"Songhe, where are you? You've fallen into a pit..."
Jiang Songhe blocked Ni Haolang.
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