Chapter 226 The Withdrawal of Investment Crisis
The word "withdrawal of investment" was like a block of ice, crashing down into the still-lingering chill of the alley.
Hu Xiaoguang from the production team's expression changed drastically. He quickly stepped forward and said, "Zhu Lili, calm down! It's clearly stated in the contract that withdrawing investment midway will incur a penalty of three times the amount. Moreover, your investment is substantial. If you withdraw now, the show may be canceled immediately!"
"Stop the broadcast if you want!" Zhu Lili suddenly looked up, her eyes red and swollen like walnuts, but with a resentful anger surging in them.
"When have I, Zhu Lili, ever been this pathetic? Being laughed at, scorned by fans, and forced to sell unwanted cold sushi in this shabby alley! This show is clearly targeting me on purpose!"
Her manager was frantic, grabbing her arm and whispering, "Sister Li, you have to think about the bigger picture! Three times the penalty for breach of contract is no small amount, and if word gets out, it will severely damage your reputation. Your fans will think you can't accept defeat..."
"Reputation? What reputation do I have left?" Zhu Lili flung her agent's hand away, her voice shrill and piercing.
"The live stream is full of people cursing me, and the reporters' cameras are still pointed at me! Shen Yu won, so why should she gloat over me? If I'm not having a good time, no one else should either!"
As she spoke, she suddenly turned and rushed towards the stall that hadn't been cleaned up yet. Chef Wang was squatting on the ground packing up the remaining tableware. Seeing her coming towards him aggressively, he instinctively protected the box in his hands: "What are you going to do?"
"What are you doing?" Zhu Lili sneered, raising her hand to overturn the folding table next to her. Sushi crumbs, lemon peels, and empty drink cups shattered on the floor, and cold rice grains splashed onto the reporter's camera, eliciting gasps from the crowd.
"Sister Li!" Chen Mo and Chen Chen rushed forward to stop them, but Zhu Lili pushed them away forcefully.
She went berserk and kicked the thermos containing the sparkling water. The thermos tipped over, and the remaining half-full of water spilled all over the ground, steaming in the cold night and quickly freezing into a thin layer of ice.
"Zhu Lili! You've gone mad!" Chef Wang was trembling with anger. "These are all props from the production team. You've destroyed everyone's hard work! You throw a tantrum after losing the competition. Do you deserve the title of 'popular actress'?"
"Titles? Can you eat that stuff?" Zhu Lili's eyes were red as she pointed in the direction of the industrial park, her voice trembling with tears yet still defiant.
"Su Yingxue was just lucky, choosing the right place and the right products. If she were surrounded by fans and bombarded with questions by reporters like I was, she would still have lost miserably!"
The live stream chat exploded again because of this sudden chaos:
[My God! Is Julie sore loser?]
[This is outrageous! What kind of skill is it to smash up a stall?]
I initially felt sorry for her, but now I only feel disgusted. She may have lost the game, but she shouldn't have lost her character!
[The production team really needs to do something about this; it's turning into a farce!]
Hu Xiaoguang, his face ashen, pulled out his walkie-talkie: "Security! Security! Something's happened at the stalls on Yuying Road, come over here immediately!"
He turned to look at Zhu Lili, his tone extremely serious, "Zhu Lili, I'm giving you one last piece of advice: stop what you're doing! Otherwise, we'll have to hold you fully accountable according to the contract, including for damaging props and disrupting the filming process!"
Zhu Lili paused, looking at the security personnel who had surrounded her, at the reporters' increasingly excited cameras, and at the messy stall on the ground, and suddenly felt deflated.
She staggered back a few steps, her body swaying, and she almost fell to the ground.
The agent quickly helped her up and took the opportunity to persuade her, "Sister Li, stop making a scene. Let's leave here first and talk about it when we get back."
Zhu Lili did not resist anymore and let her agent help her walk out.
As she walked past the alley entrance, she subconsciously glanced in the direction of the industrial park and saw Su Yingxue and the others smiling and saying goodbye to the workers in the distance. Their figures under the lights were warm and dazzling, which was the scene she envied and hated the most at that moment.
She gritted her teeth, her nails digging deep into her palms, the taste of blood spreading on her tongue.
"Su Yingxue and Shen Yu," she murmured, her voice filled with resentment, "I'll remember this debt. We'll see."
The cold wind carried her words away into the night. In the alley of Yuying Road, only the messy stalls, the helpless program crew members, and the overwhelming accusations in the live broadcast room remained.
Meanwhile, at the industrial park, Su Yingxue had packed all her belongings and boarded the car for her return trip.
Shen Yu frowned as she looked at the trending topic on her phone about Zhu Lili smashing the stall: "Why would she do that?"
Su Yingxue gazed at the fleeting street scenes outside the window, her eyes calm and unwavering: "Being arrogant when you win and losing control when you lose—this kind of mentality won't last long."
She turned to look at her companions, a gentle smile playing on her lips. "But no matter what she does, we just need to do our best. Tomorrow's challenges still await us."
Xia Paopao nodded vigorously: "Yes! Sister Su is right! We won't stoop to her level. Let's keep trying tomorrow and get first place again!"
Laughter filled the carriage, and the warmth dispelled the chill of the winter night.
Meanwhile, in her van, Zhu Lili watched the negative comments scrolling down her phone, and tears welled up in her eyes again.
Little did she know that this farce, sparked by her inability to accept defeat, would deal a devastating blow to her career.
All she knew was that she couldn't swallow this insult. And this obsession was pushing her into an even deeper abyss.
The night wind blew against the makeshift tent set up by the production team, making the canvas rustle loudly. Hu Xiaoguang's brows were furrowed, and the report in his hand was crumpled.
He looked at Su Yingxue and Shen Yu, his voice hoarse with exhaustion: "Zhu Lili is determined to withdraw her investment. She did pay the penalty for breach of contract, but she accounted for 30% of the total investment. This hole can't be filled in a short time."
The sponsors were only interested in her popularity, and now that she's gone, several are backing out. This show... it's probably really going to have to go on.
The lights outside the shed flickered, casting half of Hu Xiaoguang's face in light and half in shadow, making him look utterly dejected.
Upon hearing this, Shen Yu paused slightly, and subconsciously looked at Su Yingxue.
Xia Paopao and Lin Qiao also came over, their faces full of astonishment—the hard work of the past few days was still fresh in their minds, and the cheers of the workers seemed to still ring in their ears. Why was the broadcast suddenly going to be stopped?
Su Yingxue remained silent, her gaze falling on the tables, chairs, and kitchen utensils piled up outside the shed.
The pots and pans were still stained with red oil that hadn't been wiped clean; these were traces left by the spicy rice noodles, and also the result of their hard work over the past few days.
She looked up at Hu Xiaoguang, her voice calm yet carrying a reassuring strength: "Director Hu, besides the funding gap, are there any other problems? For example, filming locations, post-production teams?"
Hu Xiaoguang sighed and shook his head: "We can arrange the venue, but without funding, it's all just empty talk."
The post-production team hasn't received their final payment yet, and the guests can't be given any new challenges...
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