Chapter 1, Section 1: "The other party requested a different female lead"...
[Hot] Breaking news | Your social circle is about to experience a major earthquake.
3:00 today.
Just a heads-up: This is about non-tax revenue and sex, the real bombshell. My friend works in the government security system, and someone there is about to fall. You can only say that things are unpredictable. I thought she was destined for great things after hooking up with a big director, but I never expected her to be uprooted and thrown out of the pond so quickly.
1L
Do you think you have the right to expose such a huge scandal here?
Reply: Let's wait and see.
2L
"She"? So it's a flower? Based on the clues provided by the original poster, is it the person I'm thinking of?
3L
You're talking like it's the truth. Stop pretending to be a gossipmonger. She's got the acting skills; she can laugh at those sour grapes. You're the only one making a fool of yourself.
4L
Upstairs, I'm having a meltdown of stupidity. Aren't you just feeding the enemy free kills? Did the original poster even mention their name? You're the one making baseless speculation sound like it's the truth. Can you at least try something decent? This cross-dressing is too low-class. Your group doesn't buy this. Go home, kid.
5L
LOL, they talk about earthquakes every year. I don't care who it is, I only care about what kind of eye-opening and embarrassing things your circle does this time.
Reply: money.
...
Today at 4:20.
1x8L
Holy crap, this is huge! Go check the trending topics!!
*
The phone on the bedside table kept vibrating in the dark, its screen lit up, showing three missed calls and a dozen unanswered messages.
A hand reached for the phone, and then the bedside lamp was turned on, its dim light casting a soft glow on the woman leaning against the headboard. Her expression was calm, showing no sign of impatience at being woken up.
After quickly glancing at the message from her agent, her brows furrowed even more. She rubbed her temples and then dialed back, which was answered almost instantly.
"Hey? Kong Xiang, I need to let you know. Taiyu Film Industry has indeed been investigated. President Liu is suspected of money laundering through movies and was taken away by the police at 2 a.m.." Chen Yun took a deep breath, her voice filled with resentment: "The movie is supposed to start filming in a month, and this incident at this crucial moment means the project will probably have to be postponed. But our schedule is already booked until the year after next. If there's a time conflict, we'll have to give up. It's such a pity to waste such a good script!"
If Taiyu Film Industry is investigated and punished, its newly invested films will also face the problem of being suspended from production, and project managers who have close ties with Liu Xinyang will also be implicated in this turmoil.
It's only six in the morning, and the internet is already buzzing with trending topics, all about the new movie. Producer Wang Jianbai, director Cao Lengyu, and the film "Brilliant Past" have all been trending, accounting for almost half of the fifty trending topics.
There's just one strange thing...
Logically speaking, given the extent of Liang Kongxiang's current scandals in the entertainment industry, the internet should be in complete chaos, with even public opinion monitoring showing numerous posts mentioning her on Douban. However, Weibo remains stagnant, with no activity whatsoever.
The marketing accounts that had been keeping a close eye on Liang Kongxiang's every move remained silent, as if they had been given an order...
"I understand, thank you for your hard work, Sister Chen." Liang Kongxiang turned on speakerphone, listened to Chen Yun's analysis, and opened the Weibo link that Chen Yun had sent her, reading it quickly.
"Did Director Cao send you a message?" Chen Yun was staring at the message, not daring to miss a moment.
"not yet."
Chen Yun didn't finish speaking, but Liang Kongxiang knew what she was going to say.
She was also puzzled. Rumors about Cao Lengyu and Liu Xinyang colluding to launder money were popping up like mushrooms after rain, and there was no end to them. However, the rumors about her were only being discussed by a few netizens, and were quickly reported by her own fans.
It was as if someone was holding me down; at this moment, an invisible hand was coldly manipulating all public opinion.
The more elusive and unpredictable something is, the more uncertain people feel.
As the sky outside gradually brightened, Liang Kongxiang turned off the lights. Natural light seeped in dimly through the thin gauze, but the room remained dark.
"Sister Chen, have the PR team prepare a clarification plan at any time." This matter is definitely not that simple. Liang Kongxiang found Liu Xinyang in the list, took a screenshot of the chat history word for word and sent it to Chen Yun: "Director Cao introduced me to President Liu before, and we had dinner together at Xiaoge. If someone really wants to drag me down, the evidence should be photos or videos like misaligned images."
"Okay, tell me the time and place, and I'll try to get the surveillance video after I confirm it. My only concern is that the other party might destroy the evidence before we do."
Just as Liang Kongxiang was about to say something, the doorbell rang. Da Chenyun, who was on the other end of the phone, frowned instinctively when she heard the sound: "Who's coming over so early in the morning?"
"I'll go take a look."
"Okay, don't hang up the phone yet."
"good."
Liang Kongxiang got up, put on a light coat, and went out of the room. The living room's floor-to-ceiling windows were filled with the hazy morning glow, and a pale purple mist shrouded Liang Kongxiang's slender figure. She walked through it, but the pale purple was blocked by a wall on her left, and the surroundings darkened again, with only the bright electronic monitoring screen in front of her shining starkly.
She was stunned when she saw who was standing at the door.
Chen Yun didn't hear any rustling footsteps for several seconds. The eerie silence made her heart skip a beat: "Who's here?"
Liang Kongxiang pulled her coat tighter around herself. "Police."
*
[Breaking News] A certain actress is suspected of being involved in a money laundering case.
Are these guys right...? Several of the gossip posts from this morning got deleted, thankfully my alternate account also bought a place in the group... otherwise, where would I go to seek justice? I've been following the Taiyu Film Industry's "washing rice" issue since the first post this morning, it's just terrifying. Guess what I just saw...
1L
Stop playing tricks, show us what's good.
Reply: I dare not post it.
2L
Bro, I gouged out my own eyes after reading this.
Reply: I'll only post one second of the image.
3L
Holy crap, I just came in, what the hell did I see?! Is this for real?! Is that Liang Kongxiang in the picture?!
Reply: Shh.
4L
I was a second late! What was that?!
5L
Back upstairs, I saw it... It's a photo of Liang Kongxiang and the hat... Holy crap, that's terrifying... I always knew she had powerful backers... But I never imagined it was like this... Now that Liu Xinyang is under investigation... she can't escape it either.
6L
What's going on? Your information is so outdated! Open your eyes and look at the world! The trending topics are exploding like crazy...
*
Outside the police station, Chen Yun had just finished contacting public relations to remove the trending topic and released the clarification she had prepared earlier. She got out of the car and headed straight for the police station gate, but was stopped by the police officers guarding the gate.
Seeing that she was dressed smartly, with messy hair and a flustered expression, the other person took a sip of tea and looked her up and down through the window: "What do you do?"
Chen Yun handed her a cigarette. "Liang Kongxiang's agent, could you please let me in to check on her?"
Upon hearing that it was related to Liang Kongxiang, the other person subtly glanced around behind her, a smile spreading across his face, his wrinkles deepening around his eyes. He declined Chen Yun's offer, saying, "Aren't you putting us in a difficult position? Don't worry, it's just a simple question. We'll release her as soon as possible if there's nothing else."
It's understandable that the other party would be cautious when faced with a high-profile case. It's just that things happened so suddenly that she didn't even have time to greet her acquaintances. Fortunately, as soon as she finished speaking, two young police officers accompanied Liang Kongxiang out of the side hall.
Chen Yun put away the cigarette, feeling a great weight lifted from her shoulders.
He pulled a lighter from his pocket, lit one, took a light puff, and squinted at the side hall. The two exchanged a glance through the white smoke. Neither of them were impatient, so they didn't speak from a distance. Only after Liang Kongxiang approached did Chen Yun and Liang Kongxiang thank the police for their hard work, and then return to the car to recount the events of the morning.
"That's so damn vicious! This is aimed at ruining your reputation!" Chen Yun unconsciously punched the seat cushion, her eyes filled with hatred as she looked at the receding window view. She took a breath before turning her head back to say, "You went downstairs, and before you even reached the police station, a blurry, secretly taken photo of you and the police appeared on the hottest page."
It turns out that the song performed this morning was the calm before the storm.
Liang Kongxiang hadn't said a word since getting into the car. It was stuffy inside, but cool outside, which made the car feel even stuffier. She rolled down the window, letting in a little bit of wind that whirred and rubbed against her scalp.
“Smoking is bad, didn’t you say you quit?” Liang Kongxiang glanced at Chen Yun’s bulging pockets and comforted her instead, “It’s not worth your worry. It’s just some rumors anyway, which is easy to resolve. As long as it’s not true, it’s free exposure. I just confirmed something. Today’s incident only involves Mr. Liu of Taiyu. Producer Wang wasn’t implicated, and Director Cao is even less likely to be involved. As long as the core personnel are still around, there’s still a possibility that the project can be filmed as scheduled. The other party is so eager to suppress us because they want to throw us into disarray, but the cinematographer and art director are both old acquaintances of Director Cao, and Director Cao himself is the screenwriter. As long as we don’t panic, they won’t achieve their goal.”
Chen Yun's initial anger had subsided; the pent-up frustration of the morning was soothed by her gentle words. There's often a lot of infighting and backstabbing in the entertainment industry. Chen Yun wasn't a newcomer, but she didn't have Liang Kongxiang's calm and collected demeanor, able to analyze the pros and cons with such composure even in the face of major issues. She felt that Liang Kongxiang was like wine buried in the earth; amidst the comings and goings, the noise and chaos, the ebb and flow of life, the longer time passed, the more her unique charm became apparent.
Hearing her say that, Chen Yun gradually calmed down: "Okay." Seeing that there was no one on the side of the road, she pulled over and switched seats with Liang Kongxiang: "You drive. I'll contact the police station right away. The blue background statement can't be delayed."
After confirming that Wang Jianbo was innocent, Liang Kongxiang publicly forwarded the company's clarification statement and tagged Cao Lengyu in support. She also did Wang Jianbo a favor by briefly mentioning his character and saying that she believed in the police and in justice.
After she posted, her fans quickly flooded the trending topics with related hashtags, and the comments from various marketing accounts also quickly gained momentum.
It was only a little past seven in the morning when she finished all these operations, the time when the main force of commuters and students were browsing social media on the subway and buses. Liang Kongxiang switched to a secondary account to check the public opinion. Although it was not completely under control and there were still online trolls stirring up trouble and guiding public opinion, it was much better than at six o'clock. Liang Kongxiang belatedly realized that she felt weak all over. The series of small setbacks inevitably made her feel exhausted.
There weren't many people in the company right now. President Bi and the PR team had been busy for hours without even having a sip of water. Liang Kongxiang made President Bi a cup of coffee and poured Chen Yun a glass of warm water. Chen Yun noticed that Chen Yun's lips were pale and asked, "Shall I ask Silin to bring you some oatmeal porridge?"
"No need." Liang Kongxiang glanced at her phone again: "Producer Wang notified us to attend a meeting; the lead actors need to be there."
"Okay, I'll go with you." Chen Yun hurriedly drank a large glass of water, wiped her mouth haphazardly with a tissue, grabbed her bag, and went downstairs with Liang Kongxiang. Fortunately, the driver came, and the two of them were able to take a nap in the back seat.
There were about ten people in the conference room, including Liang Kongxiang and Chen Yun, all of whom were leading actors with important roles, plus a director.
Once everyone was present, Wang Jianbo cut to the chase without any pleasantries: "Taiyu's accident means the film's biggest investor is gone. To be honest, no one could have predicted this, but don't worry, I discussed a solution with Director Cao this morning."
"And," he said, pausing briefly to catch his breath before continuing, "we're already in talks with new producers."
"It's Zaiying Pictures."
As soon as she finished speaking, a dozen or so heads instinctively turned towards Liang Kongxiang. Chen Yun, who was usually composed in front of outsiders, couldn't help but feel a jolt in her heart and frown slightly upon hearing about this company.
Despite being watched by dozens of eyes, Liang Kongxiang felt no discomfort whatsoever. She crossed her hands on the table and smiled gently at Producer Wang: "Please go ahead."
"The other party requested a different female lead."
A note from the author:
----------------------
My next book is "The Formula for Winning at Mahjong," a story about a girl pursuing a boy—a passionate, straightforward puppy versus a cold, aloof daddy type. She ends up in the hospital after playing mahjong, meets her crush, and then tries to be all abstract with him, and actually gets him! Hahahaha. The synopsis is as follows:
1.
That very night after returning from the hospital, Ai Xijia went on Weibo and posted ten angry messages on her alternate account, questioning heaven and earth why the intern in the X department of X hospital wasn't her husband.
She logged off right after posting, having long forgotten about it. Unexpectedly, when she logged back into her Weibo side account a month later, she found five red dots. Three were comments, and two were private messages.
"Which group are you in? I'll give you some advice."
"Is he a handsome guy from Group X?"
“I know who it is.”
Putting everything else aside, the first thing Ai Xijia did upon seeing a live person appear in the comments section was to delete all the crazy posts from her Weibo side account overnight.
How shameful. So incredibly shameful. She'd never felt so ashamed before, not even by seeing big-breasted handsome men or explicit fanfiction.
2. After tearfully deleting her treasured items, Ai Xijia wiped away her tears and began her journey to win back her husband.
"It's raining so hard here, how about where you are..."
"The weather forecast says no rain."
"..."
"I think I've caught a cold, need some comfort.jpg"
Is your stool loose?
"..."
"I'm so afraid of ghosts when I stay in a hotel alone."
[Basic Principles of Marxism]
"..."
3. Ai Xijia used all her strength and methods to pursue the doctor both online and offline for three months, but the wooden doctor remained unmoved. She then searched online for a collection of love quotes and confessed her feelings with tears in her eyes, intending to give herself and the other person one last chance.
"I'm retiring, and this retirement will last a lifetime."
"This humble woman is not destined to be with you, sir. I only wish to meet you in the next life, where we can talk and laugh without falling in love."
Just as she was about to pack up and move on to her next relationship, a tall figure stood at her doorstep. Luan Xu's gaze went past Ai Xijia and landed on the man who had brought her home.
"Ai Xi Jia".
Ai Xijia was taken aback, staring at Luan Xu, who stood upright in the night but with a cold expression.
"You're really naughty."
The next second, Luan Xu took her hand and led her home. Before she could even change her shoes, he pinned her against the door and kissed her so passionately that she could hardly breathe.
"Tell him to get out."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
