Chapter 2. Ex-lover.
What a joke! If she were really replaced, who knows how many rumors would circulate online that Liang Kongxiang must have had some kind of entanglement with the former production company, which is why the production team didn't dare to use her.
The meeting room fell silent. After Chen Yun said that, no one dared to stare at Liang Kongxiang anymore, and they lowered their heads to listen attentively to their game of wits.
Cao Lengyu remained silent, lost in thought, and did not glance at Liang Kongxiang once.
Liang Kongxiang patted Chen Yun's arm reassuringly, then looked at Wang Jianbo with a troubled expression: "I believe that Producer Wang would not stoop to such a treacherous act. We understand that the crew is having difficulties, but President Bi has been so busy with the film this morning that he hasn't even had time to drink water, and he's been pulling strings and manipulating public opinion everywhere... Everyone has their own difficulties, so let's try to understand each other."
Chen Yun: "President Wang, time is tight, so I won't beat around the bush with you. I just have two questions: What is President Jiang's reason for wanting to change the female lead? And what is your attitude?"
Wang Jianbai had anticipated that Chen Yun wasn't someone easy to talk to, but Cao Lengyu remained silent, leaving him to bear the brunt of the criticism alone. Ultimately, the fact that this matter was resolved so quickly was indeed due to the benefits he received from Liang Kongxiang, which inevitably made him lack confidence in his words.
He rubbed his temples, and when he opened his eyes again, they seemed cloudy. He sighed and said, "I've dealt with Mr. Jiang a lot. He always keeps his word. So when we first approached him, he didn't give a clear answer. When I asked him more closely, he implied that he was willing to invest, but the female lead wasn't someone he was satisfied with. If we could get an actress from his side, the deal would be done."
The original statement was "the cast was not as expected," but the cast was impeccable, except for the female lead, who seemed to be disliked by him. Wang Jianbai, that old fox, naturally didn't speak so tactfully in front of Chen Yun and Liang Kongxiang, and shifted all the blame onto Jiang Jiaoming. After all, Liang Kongxiang's momentum was at its peak, and there was no guarantee that they would cooperate in the future, so the title of bad guy fell on Jiang Jiaoming's head.
Wang Jianbo: "Kong Xiang, I completely understand your anger. You've seen my attitude. If I were really as resolute as you say, I don't think I would have invited you to this meeting today, right? Why make trouble for yourself? If I really wanted to do something superficial, wouldn't it have been better to just send a few perfunctory apologies on WeChat?"
Chen Yun sneered inwardly. Wang Jianbai was actually quite clever; he shifted the blame onto Liang Kongxiang and Jiang Jiaoming. The dozen or so lead actors present were watching and listening. If filming couldn't start today, they wouldn't know how much they would resent Liang Kongxiang. If they wanted filming to begin, then Liang Kongxiang's side should go to Jiang Jiaoming to resolve the issue.
In short, this matter fell on Liang Kongxiang's shoulders today.
Liang Kongxiang squeezed Chen Yun's hand under the table, reminding her not to act impulsively. This wasn't the time to be forceful; getting angry wouldn't solve anything. She had already guessed that today's meeting wouldn't be so simple when she entered the room.
From the moment she pushed open the door until now, Cao Lengyu hadn't made eye contact with her even once, which was very unusual. Furthermore, when Wang Jianbai first saw her, his gaze flickered for a moment, and then he subconsciously glanced at Cao Lengyu to his right.
Actually, they came prepared.
Only now has Liang Kongxiang figured out what they were up to.
Wang Jianbo has essentially put her in a very difficult position, under the public eye. Behind each actor are various factions and groups, and the project cannot continue like this. She cannot suffer in silence for delaying the filming.
Jiang Jiaoming.
Liang Kongxiang had been trying to forget that face and what had happened at the back door of the awards ceremony a while ago ever since she heard the name "General Manager Jiang," but now she had no choice but to face it.
But why...?
"Kong Xiang?" Chen Yun called out twice more, noticing that Liang Kong Xiang's brows were unconsciously furrowed, her beautiful face looking like a neatly made bed sheet with a wrinkled corner, her emotions quite obvious.
Almost everyone in the conference room had left. Wang Jianbai was the quickest to leave, while Cao Lengyu was quite leisurely.
With a click, the door locked.
Liang Kongxiang's thoughts returned, and she looked towards the door.
Liang Kongxiang trusted Cao Lengyu, and Chen Yun always admired talented directors. When she met Director Cao alone, she felt embarrassed to be aggressive.
"Sit down, why are you standing up?" Cao Lengyu made them another cup of tea. "It's my fault. I didn't tell you beforehand."
“Director Cao, let’s not talk about these things since we’ve known each other for so long,” Liang Kongxiang said sincerely, looking into Cao Lengyu’s eyes. “I know you can’t give up on ‘Brilliant Past,’ and neither can I. This is our joint effort. We’ve scouted locations and analyzed characters together. I really love the character Bo Wenxiang.”
Chen Yun was stumped when this was brought up. She looked at Liang Kongxiang hesitantly.
"Okay." Liang Kongxiang didn't hesitate. Given the current situation, she didn't have time to think any further.
Ex-lover, ex-lover.
It sounds like there's still a lingering connection, but the key point is simply the word "old." She has a new life to live, and so does he. It's not worth letting inner unease jeopardize their future.
"Director Cao, could you please make an appointment with President Jiang for me?"
“He’s hard to get an appointment with,” Cao Lengyu said. “I’m quite close to him. He’s too shrewd. His father would occasionally take him along when he was out socializing. We would be at a table discussing the trends in the film market, and he would just quietly eat his food without doing anything. At the time, we thought he was daydreaming. But more than ten years later, I realized that this kid was actually learning from us.”
Chen Yun and Jiang Jiaoming weren't exactly close, but they were in the same industry, so she knew his name. When she first heard his name, she didn't take it seriously, thinking he was just a greenhorn who hadn't graduated for many years. What kind of trouble could he cause? At most, he was better off than others because he had a good father who could entrust such a large company to him.
Later, when Zaiying Pictures won the Spring Festival box office crown three times under his leadership and swept mainstream awards, President Bi mentioned Jiang Jiaoming, saying that some people are born to make money. They have a sharp and keen eye, are shrewd and cunning, and have a lot of tricks up their sleeves, but they also have a cold appearance. No one dares to really offend them when they joke around.
Chen Yun glanced at Liang Kongxiang.
But actually none of these things have much to do with what happens next; the only thing that makes her so conflicted and hesitant is Liang Kongxiang.
At the back entrance of the awards ceremony a while ago, the media only managed to capture one photo: Jiang Jiaoming pulling Liang Kongxiang aside to block her path. The paparazzi were far away, and the back entrance was completely surrounded by sheet metal, so the photo was very blurry.
Liang Kongxiang's silhouette was easily recognizable, and rumors of a romance quickly spread. What should have been ignored rumors proved too much for netizens with their sharp eyes and extensive connections to discern; they identified the man as Jiang Jiaoming of Zaiying Film Industry. That night, the overwhelming rumors of a sugar daddy arrangement and a romantic relationship caught everyone off guard. Not issuing a denial would cause trouble for Liang Kongxiang's side, but issuing one risked being accused of being disrespectful.
In this dilemma, it was Zaiying Pictures that first issued an official statement, claiming that they had no prior acquaintance with Ms. Liang and hoping that the rumors would stop with the wise.
Afterwards, Chen Yun also asked Liang Kongxiang about it.
Liang Kongxiang acted strangely during the scandal that day, though it was easy to miss if you weren't paying attention. She was a woman of few words by nature, neither offering much explanation nor getting involved much.
Chen Yun asked her how she met Jiang Jiaoming. Liang Kongxiang was reading a script and remained silent for a while, whether because she was engrossed in it or because of her question. She finally said that they were old classmates. But right after she finished speaking, Jiang Jiaoming's statement that they were "complete strangers" appeared on the Internet.
Chen Yun tentatively placed the statement in front of Liang Kongxiang, who only glanced at it before focusing on the script. "Ignore it."
At this moment, Chen Yun realized that the relationship between Liang Kongxiang and Jiang Jiaoming was absolutely different from any of the speculations online.
Silence fell over the meeting room, each of the three lost in their own thoughts.
Although Chen Yun glanced at Liang Kongxiang from time to time, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back, Liang Kongxiang's thoughts were not as complicated as Chen Yun's. "Sister Chen, it's not certain that the two of us can get through to President Jiang. It would be better to send a message to President Bi and arrange a date in her name."
“Yes.” Cao Lengyu stood up and patted Chen Yun on the shoulder: “Thank you for your hard work. First, make the appointment in President Bi’s name. If he doesn’t show up, call me again. I have a closer relationship with his father.” She didn’t want to owe this favor unless absolutely necessary.
Liang Kongxiang followed Chen Yun and rushed to Zaiying Film Studio, hoping to catch them at lunchtime.
Another round of running around, running around, running around...
The sun had already risen above the city's skyscrapers, hanging high in the sky. Its bright, dazzling sunlight enveloped the black minivan, which drove forward through the flowing golden light.
Closer and closer, then it stopped.
The receptionist made a phone call, and soon someone came down in the elevator to lead them to the meeting room.
Liang Kongxiang, President Bi, and Chen Yun sat in the conference room for about ten minutes, with their assistants serving tea and chatting. They did a good job of putting on a show.
With a soft thud, Bi Shanshan put down the water in her hand, and perhaps because she used too much force, some water spilled out from the edge.
The assistant was also sweating. It wasn't that he didn't want Jiang Jiaoming to come quickly, it was just that...
"I'm sorry, I have something to do at the company," Bi Shanshan said, picking up her bag from her side and giving Chen Yun a look. "I'll head back now. Tell President Jiang when he'll be free and ask him to send me a WeChat message."
Jiang Jiaoming probably won't see them today. His excuses like "meeting" and "please wait a moment" are just pretexts. He's only leaving himself an out, not a direct refusal. If they really confront him another day, he'll just smile and say he's busy that day. It's like punching cotton.
"President Bi, you should go back to the company first." Liang Kongxiang, who hadn't said much since entering the company until getting into the car, hesitated to get in while holding onto the car door: "I have something to do at home, I'll come to the company in a bit."
"Okay." Bi Shanshan was also tired, and leaned back in the back seat, wearily pinching her brow. "Take care of yourself."
Chen Yun didn't say anything, her back pressed against the seat cushion, and she subconsciously reached for the cigarette pack in her pocket. She had to admit that a woman's intuition was truly a magical thing.
The car was driving straight along Beiyou Avenue. Before it had completely left the blind spot, she saw a small figure moving behind the car through the rearview mirror.
As expected, Liang Kongxiang returned to the Zaiying Film Industry Building alone.
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