Chapter 64 She had to perform even better in order to appease everyone and calm Yu Chong.
The Yuejingtai Hotel is a glittering hub for the entertainment industry, and that evening was also the film festival's cocktail reception, packed with stars and showbiz heavyweights. Inside and outside the venue, a slew of media outlets gathered, and paparazzi with telephoto lenses were perched in every corner.
Although Yuejingtai Hotel, like Runjia Entertainment Group, is well-known for its attention to privacy, paparazzi still hope to secretly capture some explosive news.
Unexpectedly, I waited for it and it actually happened!
Before nine o'clock in the evening, red and blue police lights suddenly flashed and rushed into the Yuejingtai Hotel.
The paparazzi didn't even have time to edit, they just took the photos quickly and posted them on Weibo.
@吃瓜人: Wow, the inspectors from the Xuanguan Bureau suddenly came to the Yuejingtai Hotel! Isn't this the celebration party for the XX Film Festival? What happened? #察悦景台酒店#
As soon as the paparazzi's Weibo account posted the news, major marketing accounts quickly followed suit, and the topic instantly became the top trending search, causing panic online. Numerous award-winning actors and actresses, as well as young actors and actresses, were at the film festival reception. While fans were warning the marketing accounts to stop spreading rumors and avoid receiving legal letters, they themselves were also fretting, with speculations swirling about drug use and reported cases of fighting.
It wasn't until after ten o'clock in the evening that the police issued a notice to inform the public what had happened.
@Ping'an Jiangcheng: Tonight, we received a report from the public that someone was using a prohibited talisman in a hotel in a certain district of our city. Upon investigation, the incident was confirmed. Police have arrested the suspect, Yin Moulei (male, Pingcheng, 54 years old), who illegally used the prohibited talisman with the intent to cause harm. The case is under further investigation. No other accomplices were apprehended at the scene. We urge the public and the media to refrain from spreading rumors.
As soon as the police report was released, the entire network was watching the drama.
"Fuck, Yin Moulei... Could it be the Yin Moulei I'm thinking of? The one with the same name as the ancient poem?"
"Using a forbidden spell and wanting to hurt someone... What kind of status does he have in the entertainment industry? Who else would he want to hurt?"
Absolute Insider: Regarding the case at a certain hotel today...
0L: I heard a certain big shot (the major financial backer of Yin Moulei's next film) wanted to question him about the film, but Yin Moulei, drunk and idiotic, dismissed the big shot. The big shot, angry, wanted to change the director. Yin Moulei, still drunk, used a forbidden spell to try to convince the big shot to let him continue directing the film. Unexpectedly, the big shot's assistant discovered him and tied everyone up. They then sealed off the venue and called the police. When the Xuanguan Bureau inspectors arrived, they... probably thought ylq was a real scumbag, daring to use a forbidden spell in public. So they checked everyone present—yes, you read that correctly, everyone, from the best actors and actresses to the waiters—to see if there were any signs of the forbidden spell.
1L: I heard someone tried to break through the checkpoint and was stopped. Luckily they didn't run away; they would have been highly suspicious. The people at ylq really don't know their place. Are they allowed to touch the banned talismans?
2L: Boss? Which boss?
3L: Go check where syjy invested and who the largest shareholder of Yuejingtai Hotel is, and you'll know who the boss is. This person has a bad temper and will get angry if you provoke her. She's not afraid of calling the police or making the news.
4L: That's it! It's their bad luck to mess with the young lady. The young lady is really fearless.
5L: Using a banned spell on someone in public, YQL is done for. He'll probably be banned in the future. Why is he so desperate?
The outside world naturally had no answer, but this did not prevent the news from spreading like wildfire. When the fans of the actors of "The Abyss Rescue" did not know the whole story, they were still cursing all parties involved. Now that they saw the police report, they immediately realized the seriousness of the matter and made a fuss everywhere. After discussing it, the fans unanimously left messages on the official Weibo of "The Abyss Rescue" movie, demanding an explanation, and even explicitly stated:
Hurry up and issue an announcement, announcing that the contract with Yin Qilei has been terminated and make a cut, otherwise it will affect the release of the movie!
How could Du Wanwan not know this? But she remained silent, pretending to understand nothing.
She knew very well that there were many spies from Runjia Entertainment Group at the cocktail party at Yuejingtai Hotel. They must have received the news at the first time, but they just didn't want to take any action and didn't want to take the blame.
If they don't move, Du Wanwan won't move either.
That night, she first let Shang Yunle continue treatment and injected the antidote, and then slept soundly. The next morning, she went to work refreshed.
"Good morning, Mr. Du."
"Good morning, Mr. Du."
The employees who were temporarily seconded to the president's office greeted her nervously, as if they were waiting for her to unleash her fury.
But on this day, Du Wanwan spent it peacefully.
It’s just that she is calm, while others cannot be calm.
Everyone was initially inexplicably notified of a meeting, then read the police report and learned of Yin Qilei's situation. After some inquiries, they learned what had happened at the Yuejingtai Hotel that day. Further inquiries revealed that the entire "Abyss Rescue" crew was diligently preparing for the filming, lest they be caught by the Missy during the meeting with an inappropriate attitude and immediately replaced.
With the previous example of the eldest lady furiously firing more than a hundred people, none of the upcoming film and television projects under Runjia Entertainment dared to delay. The main members of all projects were on high alert. No matter what happened, they all turned it down immediately and rushed to Jiangcheng.
At the same time, they were all cramming for the exam, like students about to take an exam. However, no one knew what the young lady would ask, and their cramming was all in vain.
That evening, they received another email, adding that the project's level would be reassessed at the next day's meeting. However, the criteria for the assessment were not specified.
It made everyone panic.
The next morning, everyone arrived at Runjia Entertainment Group. There was no other way to get information. The Runjia Entertainment staff divided them into lounges according to their projects and waited. They wanted to ask the Runjia Entertainment staff for information, but no one dared to speak up.
They only knew that the first group to attend the meeting was the "Abyss Rescue" project team.
"Hello, Mr. Du, hello everyone."
The director of the "Abyss Rescue" project team has already gone in, so the producer has to lead everyone to deal with the inspection with trepidation.
Du Wanwan nodded indifferently, flipping through the documents and saying, "Time is tight, and there are so many projects waiting, so I'll cut to the chase and make it short. Are the producer and publicity director here?"
The producer and publicity director who were named raised their hands tremblingly: "Du, President Du..."
"I was the victim of Yin Qilei's incident the day before yesterday. I forgot to inform you. You didn't know about this, did you?"
The producer and publicity director's heads buzzed, and only two words came to their minds: It's broken!
Runjia Entertainment had only just changed hands a few days ago, and they were all still accustomed to Yu Chong's lax management and delayed handling and response. Now that they were being questioned, they realized they had messed up.
Do you know about Yin Qilei? This answer is not acceptable if you know, and it is not acceptable if you don’t know!
You say you don't know. What are you doing as a producer and publicity director? How can you be so indifferent to the crew? The director has been arrested for a whole day and night, and you still don't know?
If you are so careless, don’t do it. Take it home with you.
If I say I know... and you don't deal with it after knowing it, are you waiting for the entire crew to be implicated?
Things are different now. Any work by a "legal person" will be pulled from the shelves, regardless of its origin or size. Therefore, everyone in the entertainment industry is generally wary of legal people. Yin Qilei, the director of "Abyss Rescue," didn't disassociate himself now that things were going wrong. Other investors pulling out is a minor issue, but if he's investigated later and can't get the Dragon Mark to release, that's a major issue.
Who among you is responsible for this consequence?
The producer and publicity director were sweating profusely. After much deliberation, they didn't know how to respond, so they stood up and admitted their mistake: "I'm sorry, Mr. Du. It's our fault for not reacting quickly enough and not handling the matter promptly."
"It's good that you know you're wrong, but such a big deal as a crew, with hundreds of millions of dollars in investment and so many people's hard work and efforts, can't be solved by just admitting your mistakes. If you're wrong, you have to accept the punishment. I don't think you two are very interested in "Abyss Rescue", so don't stay on the crew and go home to live a leisurely life. The termination agreement will be sent to you later, and confidentiality measures will be followed up. I hope you two will leave a way out for yourselves and don't follow in Yin Qilei's footsteps and stay in prison for a few days."
Du Wanwan spoke calmly, without even looking up, as she decided on the producer and publicity director's fate. "The production director and the publicity director will be filling in. Now, all non-essential personnel, please leave. The rest of the staff will continue reporting."
"Mr. Du..." The producer and the publicity director were stunned. They had heard that Du Wanwan was ruthless and merciless, but they didn't expect that she would be so merciless!
They were about to continue arguing when the security guard quickly stopped them. "You two, we security guards don't want to get physical. Please don't make a scene. Our President Du doesn't like to be disturbed when he's doing his job."
"Save some dignity for yourself."
The producer and publicity director's faces turned pale with anger, but they didn't dare to actually fight. They were two people who hadn't exercised, so how could they be a match for the tall and strong security guard in front of them? They could only leave the crew's information behind and leave in anger.
“…” The senior executives of Runjia Entertainment who were present at the meeting looked at each other, exchanging information with their eyes, and there was a look of “I see” in their eyes.
No wonder she was so calm all day yesterday. It turns out she was giving people a chance. But some people don't cherish it. So, the young lady gave them a taste of shamelessness.
Such a frail beauty, such an iron-blooded wrist!
The crew members of "Abyss Rescue" witnessed Du Wanwan's behavior for the first time and were shocked. When she asked questions again, no one dared to be perfunctory and they all answered honestly.
The senior officials of Runjia Entertainment were shocked, but after listening to the answer, they gradually came to their senses.
Their eldest daughter, Ms. Du, admittedly didn't know much about the entertainment industry, but she possessed an unusually sharp intuition about profitability and accountability. She could tell who was answering conscientiously, whose opinions were unique and distinctive, and who was just giving a half-hearted answer simply by listening. Each of her rhetorical questions was incisive and, with a few words, could drive someone to the brink of despair.
Then, all those who were perfunctory were fired and asked to leave on the spot.
The review and evaluation of "Abyss Rescue" took only half an hour. During this half an hour, Du Wanwan replaced the producer, publicity director, and male lead. At the same time, he promoted the production director and the deputy publicity director, adjusting several positions. However, the S+ grade of "Abyss Rescue" remained unchanged.
"Everyone, I hope you understand. 'Abyss Rescue' is an excellent title, worthy of the best treatment. I don't want anyone to use the S+ project to level themselves up and slack off, so I've made these adjustments. Everything I've done is solely to make this project even better." Du Wanwan finally raised her head and offered an encouraging smile. "Keep up the good work, everyone. This will be a success worth remembering and praising in your lives."
Almost all the members of the "Abyss Rescue" project were drenched in cold sweat. How could they tell whether these words were true or false? They could only smile and agree. It was not until they were notified that they could go back that they realized they had passed the test.
Only after everyone from the "Abyss Rescue" crew had left did Du Wanwan speak again. "You've all been at the group for much longer than I, a real daughter who returned midway through. I think you know better than I do that for years, there's been a certain voice at the group headquarters. They say the entertainment section is all about taking money, but isn't profitable at all. They're playing around with the hard-earned money from the sister sections, pocketing it themselves and using it to support celebrities and models. They're very dissatisfied and want to withdraw from the entertainment section."
Before the executives could recover from the meeting, they felt a pang of anxiety in their hearts.
Yes, there have always been such voices in the headquarters, and they have known about it for a long time.
"Before, my grandfather, Mr. Du, was ill and spent most of the year recuperating, leaving the company's affairs to the management team. They managed but didn't have the power to make decisions, so things were always on hold. Now that the chairman has changed, it stands to reason that they should be more focused on handling things. So, I came to the entertainment section."
Du Wanwan's voice was gentle, but it was full of majesty, striking everyone's heart hard.
"I don't like to support parasites, but I also don't want a bunch of parasites to bury talented people and ruin the work of those who work hard. For those who are wealthy and don't need this job, forget it. For those who need this job to support their families and need more bonuses, dividends, and performance, I hope you will think carefully about whether to compete with me or do your job well."
After saying that, Du Wanwan smiled slightly, stood up, and bowed. "Let's take a 20-minute break before moving on to the next group of assessments. Let's adjourn."
Then, she took Pei Xingyao back to her office.
She believed that these were difficult 20 minutes for many people in the company, but with all the previous preparations, someone would make the decision even in a difficult situation.
It's easy to go against her, but to go against money... most people wouldn't be so stupid.
This is indeed the case.
As soon as Du Wanwan left, most of the people in the conference room also left. During the 20-minute break, the senior executives of Runjia Entertainment, some served coffee, some went to the ventilated area to smoke, and all were lost in thought.
Their young lady really wanted to build a career and was actually quite capable of doing so. In the future, Runjia Entertainment would definitely be different from the Runjia Entertainment under Yu Chong. They understood that Du Wanwan was forcing them to take sides.
Following Yu Chong, they continued to slack off, continuing their previous life of muddling through, taking whatever money they could. Then, there were only two outcomes: either Yu Chong successfully forced Du Wanwan out of office, replacing her with someone else as chairman, and Runjia Entertainment continued to languish, sucking the blood of other sectors. Or, Du Wanwan eliminated Yu Chong's team, expelling Yu Chong and his influence from Runjia Entertainment.
No matter how you look at it, the latter is more likely.
Runjia Investment belongs to the Du family, not Yu Chong. If Yu Chong had a way, why couldn't he retain those more than 100 people? Would he still be stuck in the position of vice president in such a wronged way?
If they don't stand with Yu Chong, they can also choose not to help either side. Neutrality is also a camp and attitude.
Whether the company is good or bad has nothing to do with them. They fight for power and scheme, and in the end, they are not the ones who reap the dividends. They just need to go to work quietly, work honestly, and get the salary they deserve. The rest, no matter how terrible the situation, is none of their business.
But among executives, more people hold another mentality -
They have waited too long.
Many of the top executives are in their 40s and 50s. They refuse to accept their age, nor are they ready to retire. They have worked hard to reach this position, and what they are waiting for is a big push, more money, higher salaries, and the pinnacle of their careers.
They didn't want to muddle through like Yu Chong, they just didn't have the opportunity. The intrigue and power struggle within the group was one thing, but everyone had to make a living, and they all relied on film and television projects to make a living.
As long as I can follow Du Wanwan to successfully complete the film and television project and earn more money, why not do it?
How much money can you make by following Yu Chong? Why go against money?
Twenty minutes later, the break was over and everyone returned to the conference room. They called in someone from another film and television project team to review and evaluate the work.
The top management remained the same, but Du Wanwan wasn't the only one questioning and reviewing the project. People from the Film and Television Department and the Finance Department started asking questions, conducting a more detailed review of the project.
Finally, after adjusting the personnel and structure, the level of this project was also re-determined.
"Mr. Du, we recommend downgrading this project from S+ to S," said the Director of the Film and Television Department. "After our discussion, we believe the market for this type of film and television drama is nearly saturated. While the script is good, it's not innovative enough to become a hit. An S+ investment might not even recoup the investment, let alone make a profit."
Du Wanwan nodded: "No problem, I agree, but let's decide by voting."
Voting? That's a bit surprising. Is it about choosing a side? But at this point, whether or not you're on the same side is already obvious, so there's no point in hiding it.
Five minutes later, the voting results came out, confirming that the project would be downgraded to S-level.
Du Wanwan looked at the result, especially the people who had participated in the discussion and review, and felt very satisfied.
Only then did she truly win a victory.
Runjia Entertainment is her first step in taking charge of Runjia Investment, her first battlefield, and the first copy of the male protagonist Ding Zhiyuan in the original novel.
But Du Wanwan didn't want to follow the original plot completely.
In the original novel, after Ding Zhiyuan arrived at Runjia Entertainment, he did not immediately take charge of the business, because his career was not the main line, sleeping with women was the main line. Ding Zhiyuan was in charge of the web drama "The Legend of Hu Ji". At the same time, he hooked up with various women in the entertainment industry. His basic routine was:
He met a female star by chance - flirted with her and went to bed with her - invested in the female star's film and television works - the works became a big hit, increasing his popularity.
As his career of sleeping with women gradually earned him the label of "discerning eye," all the film and television projects Yu Chong had originally planned fell through. Of all Runjia Entertainment's projects over the past two years, only "The Legend of Hu Ji" had made a profit.
Ding Zhiyuan demoted Yu Chong because of the disastrous performance of his film and television projects.
In other words, two years later, the main plot of the original novel reached the step where Yu Chong became the deputy general manager.
Two years... It's really not my own money, so I won't feel bad! In two years, all the film and television projects have been wiped out, and not a single one has made a profit. Does the original author know how much money this is?
That's nearly 5 billion yuan in investment! Adding to that operating costs, Du Wanwan remembered that two years after the original novel, Ding Zhiyuan confronted Yu Chong at a meeting at the group headquarters, saying that Yu Chong had caused the sub-group to lose nearly 10 billion yuan.
Ten billion!
Even though Du Wanwan was now a wealthy woman with a fortune of 900 billion, she still said that if she lost the money herself, she would accept it, as long as she felt good about it. But if someone else lost it... why?
Why lose money when you can make money!
Miss, you can’t do that!
So, from her first day at Runjia Entertainment, Du Wanwan had been poring over its project documents. Not knowing much about film and television, she put in a lot of hard work, but overall, she still didn't quite trust her own judgment.
We can only find a way to gather together those who want to do things in the Runjia Entertainment Group and mobilize their enthusiasm.
First, she wanted the employees of the Runjia Entertainment subsidiary to believe that she held real power, not just a mascot. So, Du Wanwan, starting with attendance checks, ruthlessly fired over a hundred people. She used these dismissals to prove to all employees that working with Yu Chong was a recipe for disaster; that jerk could use you as cannon fodder at any moment.
Secondly, it is to reorganize the crew of "Abyss Rescue".
"Abyss Rescue" is the only project mentioned in the original novel, though it's only briefly mentioned. However, after the cocktail party the day before yesterday and the report today, Du Wanwan confirmed that the original novel was correct:
"Abyss Rescue" is a perfectly good script, but the director's aesthetics were flawed, mistaking the film's thematic direction. A touching story about a female hero rescuing a target audience for a film, turned into a kitschy ensemble of beautiful women. The producer and publicity director abdicated their responsibilities, taking the money without doing anything. The male lead, who had a significant role, was thrust into the cast by Yu Chong, who was extremely perfunctory in his work and hadn't even reviewed the script before filming began. Instead, the diligent production director and publicity director repeatedly attempted to adjust the film's tone, only to be reported to Yu Chong by director Yin Qilei. Yu Chong fired them for "uncooperative work, strong personalities, and refusal to comply with assignments."
After confirmation, Du Wanwan simply replaced the people and made the decision to adjust the crew of "Abyss Rescue".
This result is based on hints from the original work, but more on her own experiments and judgments.
Du Wanwan believed that after seeing her adjustments to the "Abyss Rescue" project team, the senior management of Runjia Entertainment Group had a new understanding of her abilities. She offered those encouraging words, and those who wanted to make a difference would surely step forward.
Capable people will not bother to stay with those lowly rats, because rats and snakes often hang around together.
Runjia Entertainment is a long-established company in the entertainment industry, with no shortage of capable individuals. If only these truly capable individuals stepped forward and participated in the review, all subsequent projects would be rectified, adjusted, and even restructured. Projects that needed investment reductions would see their investments reduced, and those who needed replacements would be replaced.
The result of a series of operations can not only greatly reduce the risk of project investment failure, but also allow people within Runjia Entertainment who are capable and willing to work to stand on the same team with her.
It will be much more convenient to make personnel adjustments and reorganize the company structure later.
In the original novel, Ding Zhiyuan took three years to complete his work, but she will complete it in a shorter time.
Not only does she have to make her career successful, she also has to seize the opportunity to be an investor in the entertainment industry and thoroughly investigate the harem system and the underground sale of banned talismans!
Du Wanwan lowered her eyes, shielding them from view as she watched the final project review concluded. The executives present breathed a sigh of relief. Then, many of them turned their gazes to her, their expressions filled with concern and worry.
They chose to work with her on their careers, and of course they were worried about whether her body could handle it. What if she had to go to rest and recuperate halfway through her career? Wouldn't all the trouble be wasted? Not only could they not send Yu Chong away, but they would also have to hand over the achievements they had worked so hard for to Yu Chong.
What they didn't know was that Du Wanwan had already thought of this, which was why she had asked Shang Yunle to stay by her side and actively treat him. Now, although she was a little tired, she knew that now was not the time to rest. She had to perform further to appease everyone and calm Yu Chong.
"Everyone, thank you for your hard work today." Du Wanwan said with a smile, "I've already booked a private room outside. It's my personal treat for everyone. I've been at Runjia Entertainment for so long, and I haven't treated everyone to a meal yet. Of course, this is a personal choice. You can come and go as you please. It's not a hard requirement."
She stood up slowly: "I'm in the dining area, waiting for you."
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