Ji Juntao paused for a moment, then reluctantly said, "I will inform you in advance if anything similar happens again, okay?"
"That's all? Not enough."
"What else do you want? Profits? Shares? Authority?"
Shang Yechu placed her hands on the table and said seriously, "I want a promise from you. Not just to inform me of similar things in the future, but for everything that concerns me in the future—even something as small as cutting a nail—I need to know the whole process."
This was more painful for Ji Juntao than cutting off a piece of her flesh. Seeing that she was gritting her teeth and refusing to give in, Shang Yechu couldn't help but sneer, "What, do you still think you're infallible, that ordinary people can't communicate effectively with you and can only hold you back?"
Ji Juntao's face darkened; he was thoroughly displeased with Shang Yechu's attempt to expose his shortcomings. However, Shang Yechu had already made up her mind to teach Ji Juntao a lesson for his arrogant and self-important attitude.
"You think that after your plan succeeded, the only thing you messed up was 'Tianban'?" Shang Yechu sneered, emphasizing her words, "You almost dragged the entire Qingping Entertainment into hell!"
"???" Ji Juntao didn't like hearing that. "You're planning to take back the same tricks I used on you? That won't work on me."
Shang Yechu stepped off the table, her toes barely touching the ground. "Since you look down on the average education level in the entertainment industry, you should know what kind of place it is. Although their cultural level is whiter than a blank sheet of paper, their hearts and morals are blacker than coal—you abandoned 'The Mute Woman,' cutting your losses to survive, which is a big move. But others aren't stupid; they'll eventually realize what's going on."
"Even if they knew, so what?" Ji Juntao disagreed. "Without evidence, what kind of trouble can a small group of people stir up?"
"Hmm, maybe Wei Xuan will fight you to the death, maybe Guan Jun will retaliate."
"You don't have any major scandals yet, and the impact of a nobody's desperate revenge remains to be seen. The probability that Guanjun Century would risk everything for a ruined artist is almost as high as the probability of Xu Guanjun and Mai Zhenye filming an ancient costume drama together." Ji Juntao sneered.
Ji Juntao is indeed not easy to fool. It will take some effort to manipulate her.
“If this method is used too often, it will damage our reputation over time.”
"An actor's work is king. The reputation lost because of this kind of scandal can be earned back with just one drama, 'Half a Sky.' Shen Xiaolong cheated on his wife four times, but his drama 'Sky Sentinel' is still re-broadcast every year, isn't it?"
Shang Yechu added, "Deceitful tricks won't last long. We must follow the right path."
Do you even believe that yourself?
Shang Yechu turned around and finally used her trump card:
"I currently have three representative works: 'Yun Qing Ji', 'Xiao Feng Que', and 'Ya Po'."
"In 'The Tale of Clouds,' I was the third lead. Yet, I overturned Su Ge's table—oh, you might not know what 'overturning the table' means, it means that the supporting character's halo, reputation, and discussion surpass or even overwhelm the protagonist, a situation where the supporting character's contribution to the story is greater than the protagonist's. Even now, Su Ge's fans treat me like their father's killer, greeting me every morning and evening."
"As for 'Xiao Feng Que,' needless to say. The casting controversy caused a huge uproar, and the Sixth Empress Dowager was subjected to countless criticisms. I heard that Yang Huanyi can only make low-budget productions now."
"If your plan is followed, 'The Mute Woman' will be pulled from theaters and cause a huge controversy."
"The film I'm about to compete for, 'Tianban,' has once again been embroiled in a casting scandal."
Once Shang Yechu spoke, Ji Juntao finally realized the seriousness of the problem. Shang Yechu's acting career is just too... convoluted.
"Look at this yourself, is it even acceptable?" Shang Yechu scolded Ji Juntao, counting on her fingers. "Every drama has such big shady dealings. Even if the audience doesn't care, don't people in the industry have something to say about it?"
Ji Juntao suddenly tilted his head and looked at Shang Yechu with a questioning gaze: "Speaking of which, the casting for 'Xiao Feng Que'..."
Shang Yechu felt a chill run down her spine, but remained calm and said, "Stop changing the subject. Even if you're incredibly lucky that everyone in the industry is a fool and can't see through your little tricks, don't you know how superstitious the entertainment industry is? You'll be more obedient if you really give me a reputation as a jinx!"
Ji Juntao withdrew his gaze, sighed, and said with complete conviction, "You're right. I was too presumptuous."
Shang Yechu also breathed a sigh of relief, then adopted a more earnest tone: "A person's intelligence and strength are ultimately limited. Even the wisest person can make a mistake. We are collaborators, so we should be completely open and supportive, okay?"
“Alright.” Ji Juntao stood up and extended his hand to Shang Yechu. “I promise you, from now on, for everything related to Yechu—even something as small as cutting a nail—I will let you know the whole process and plan. This will not happen again.”
Shang Yechu grasped Ji Juntao's hand and shook it as if they were meeting for the first time.
"Then I assure you, I will defeat Wei Xuan fair and square. I will use my strength to obtain the role in 'Tianban' honestly and fairly."
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