Chapter 5: First Call Me Friend, Then Call Me Sister. Thank you, Brother Wen Qi...
Director Xu was the first to stand up and object, threatening to quit if the female lead was replaced.
With filming about to begin, the crew is burning through cash every day, but the director isn't filming, the female lead is still undecided, and the schedules of the other main actors aren't aligned with this project. The longer it drags on, the harder it will be to resolve.
Zhu Qingzhi's company, "Shangya," has always treated her with a hands-off approach, and this time they have completely disappeared from her life.
Three days later, the producer and investors colluded and issued a statement saying that Zhu Qingzhi had voluntarily resigned from the role, and that after the production team's repeated attempts to retain her failed, the two sides had reached an amicable consensus.
Privately, however, she took a hard line, saying that the previously signed contract was not valid and she was not even willing to pay compensation. However, she was famous and popular, so she thought she might be able to turn the situation around by taking a gamble.
Who knew that Shang Ya, who had been pretending to be dead, would come back to life, sign the consent form, and threaten her that if she was not satisfied, she would demand 80 million yuan in compensation from her on the grounds that the contract between the two parties had not expired.
A series of swift and decisive actions transformed external class contradictions into internal class contradictions.
This is really pointless. Zhu Qingzhi thought to herself that she had worked herself to the bone for three years and hadn't even earned 80 million. How could this unlucky company have the nerve to ask for money?
I'll fight for pride, not steamed buns!
She was depressed for a long time and considered whether or not to tell her family.
Since her debut, no one in the industry has known she is the daughter of the Lu family, because she doesn't want to be labeled as someone who "got in through connections." Now that she's carried this burden on her own for three years, she'll just have to bear it all herself.
She consulted many lawyers, but they all said that although the contract terms were harsh, both parties had signed and sealed it, and it would be difficult and time-consuming to overturn it now. In short, they all advised her not to even consider going to court.
Alright, it's true that she didn't stand high enough. When you're in the world of martial arts, how can you avoid getting hurt?
She decided to accept her fate.
Director Xu felt sorry for her and resigned voluntarily, despite her attempts to persuade him. Originally, it was just the female lead who was replaced, but now even the director has been replaced. This change has directly pushed the casting controversy to its climax.
When Lu Yao found out about this, he called her and gave her a thorough dressing-down, saying that she didn't know how to seek help when she was wronged, and that she was stupid.
Less than half an hour after she hung up the phone, the producer contacted her, saying that the Lu Group, the Zhu Group, and a new entertainment company called "Chaoxing" wanted to invest.
The condition for these companies to invest was that Director Xu continue directing, and Director Xu's condition was that Zhu Qingzhi maintain her leading role, which is why he called her.
She knew about the Lu family and the Zhu family, but she had never heard of this Chaoxing and didn't really want to know about it. She didn't tell Dani about it either.
Because she didn't want to act anymore. Ever since the production team had the idea of replacing her, she didn't want to act anymore. There was already a rift in the production team, and she wasn't a very accommodating person, so staying any longer would only be torture.
She didn't like this kind of torment, nor did she want to approach her work in this state. The reason she was so conflicted was simply because she didn't want to disappoint Director Xu and Dani.
But the woman meant something different to Director Xu, and he stubbornly refused to accept the invitation to be the chief director. Left with no other option, she revealed her identity, asking him to consider it working for the Lu family.
Director Xu was shocked, and remained shocked for three whole days. On the third night, he sent her a garbled WeChat message containing three EMOJI emojis.
That's exactly it.
(Shocked face) I'm so shocked.
(Smiling face) I continue directing.
(Smart face) I will keep your identity a secret.
These are the three meanings.
She was exasperated that they had to make it look like a secret agent rendezvous, but she still replied with a string of gibberish and three knife-wielding emojis.
Let's go all the way and fulfill his dream of becoming a secret agent.
The matter was settled, and Zhu Qingzhi rested for half a month, but the butterfly effect caused by the replacement of the actress was too great.
Her dramas are constantly being shelved, and she doesn't have a promotional spot in the currently airing drama "Wind Cliff." Commercial endorsements, events, and magazine shoots that were offered to her have all been cancelled...
The most significant impact is that she really has no acting opportunities left.
This is really upsetting! A person can choose to rest, but cannot be forced to rest!
She guessed that the industry saw her lose miserably in this battle with capital, and naturally assumed that she had some serious issues, so they dared not cooperate with her anymore.
With a quick press of the accelerator, she drove straight to Shangya.
Oh dear, as expected, this unlucky company is playing dead again. Boss Li Kang's office door is tightly closed and empty. Only on the tenth floor, her studio staff are working themselves to the bone.
Dani was typing on the keyboard with one hand, signing documents with the other, and typing on the phone with her shoulder tucked under her arm.
During this period, business events announced their lists one after another, endorsements she had previously been approached for were officially announced, and many dramas in preparation began to generate buzz, but her name was not on any of these lists.
Just three days ago, the high-end jewelry brand Moli officially announced Xiao Tang as its Greater China brand ambassador.
Xiao Tang is pure and beautiful, like a pure white jasmine flower that leaves a lasting impression. Moreover, she debuted with the title of "Red and White Twin Beauties" alongside Zhu Qingzhi.
This title was also posed to Zhu Qingzhi, to which she responded by not responding. However, this led to a long-standing feud between Zhu Qingzhi's fans—Rose—and Xiao Tang's fans—Begonia.
Moli's action directly triggered the dissatisfaction of the Roses (fans of the Roses), since in the past six months, the only actress Moli had contacted was Zhu Qingzhi.
Red carpet jewelry sponsorship, magazine cover appearances, on-site promotional appearances—both parties showed strong interest in collaborating, and the brand had even hinted at it beforehand. The high-end luxury endorsement was practically within reach, but it was snatched away, and the spokesperson was none other than Xiao Tang! This is simply unacceptable!
Fans couldn't sit still and flooded Weibo with messages tagging Shangya and Zhu Qingzhi's studio, demanding an explanation.
Dani and her team had been working through two nights in a row to resolve these issues. It was at this time that Chaoxing extended an olive branch.
Dani is Shangya's contracted agent, but she genuinely wants Zhu Qingzhi to be well. So when Chaoxing asked to meet, she didn't refuse. Even if they didn't cooperate, she wanted to learn more about the market so she could make plans for the future.
Upon meeting, Chaoxing offered an endorsement deal with the top luxury jewelry brand LR as a way to demonstrate his sincerity.
Before meeting her, Dani had learned about the entertainment company. It had been open for less than three years and even debuted a month later than Zhu Qingzhi.
Most of the signed artists are newcomers in the industry. The current mainstays are veteran artist Zhou Qifeng and rising star Mu Shuangqing, who is active in variety shows.
How can such a small company promise to be the spokesperson for LR? Even if it promises to be a promotional ambassador for LR, she would have to think twice about such a promise.
Dani didn't embarrass the person in charge directly, but said, "She'll think about it some more," saving face for both of them. She even paid for the two coffees before leaving, making her attitude quite clear.
But what Dani didn't expect was that when she returned to Shangya, she saw Zhu Qingzhi acting as the client in the boss's office, pointing her finger at Li Kang, slapping Li Kang's table, laughing hysterically and in a sarcastic manner.
When she came out, she was all smiles, with the early termination contract rolled up in her hand.
Dani subconsciously flipped to the last page and saw the small print: "Compensation fee: 1 million." Having seen countless breach of contract fees amounting to tens of millions, she actually thought that Shangya's offer of only 1 million was incredibly generous.
Then, in a fit of rage, Li Kang threw the dismissal notices at her, and upon closer inspection, she realized that everyone had to pay N+2 times their salary!
This is even more generous than before!
Who would have thought, family members, that the day I was fired was the day I found the company the most agreeable!
Zhu Qingzhi's team, with a substantial sum of money in hand, all chose to continue working with her.
Dani had looked at several companies within three days and was just about to negotiate when she received a call from the head of LR Greater China to discuss a potential endorsement deal.
She hung up on him right away. Society is so advanced these days; even scam companies know how to set up fixed-location scams.
Finally, it was a WeChat message from Yang Qing, the person in charge of Chaoxing.
[Mr. Liang, I have an appointment with Mr. Zhou Shicheng, General Manager of LR, at 9:30 tomorrow morning to discuss cooperation matters.]
The location is Fulin Building, Haicheng. Please be on time, Ms. Zhu.
...No, she doesn't have presbyopia, does she? Why can't she see the words clearly?
Dani dared not slack off. The next day, she dragged Zhu Qingzhi to the Fulin Building at nine o'clock. When the contract was signed, she still found it unbelievable.
I thought that being able to work with LR as a promotional ambassador was already a blessing from heaven, and being a Greater China spokesperson would be even more of a blessing from heaven, but the title they signed was global spokesperson!
Looking at Yang Qing's serious expression, Dani suddenly felt sorry for the money she had spent on those two cups of coffee.
LR acted quickly, shooting promotional materials on the same day and officially announcing its spokesperson on multiple platforms worldwide in the early hours of the morning.
The sheer prestige of these words – "top-tier jewelry," "zero-contact," "no vetting," and "global brand ambassador" – caused a major stir in the industry. This was followed by magazine covers, on-site promotions, business events, and the filming of a new wedding campaign, "TRUE LOVE"...
With this endorsement, Zhu Qingzhi's business resources have taken a leap forward, and other resources are also vying for her attention.
From then on, Dani became a staunch supporter of Chaoxing. The reason she was rushed to Chaoxing today was probably because they were pressuring her so much.
Indeed, the signing process has dragged on for far too long. Having taken a bribe, I have no choice but to sell myself.
Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, birds fluttered their wings, and the soft patter of falling snow could be heard. Zhu Qingzhi got out of bed and drew back the curtains.
The snow fell all night and only stopped this morning. A thick layer of snow had accumulated on the tree branches and windowsills, and the glass windows were fogged up. She casually drew a few strokes on them.
The scenery outside the window gradually became clear. The Maybach that Wen Qi drove last night was nowhere to be seen in the courtyard, but there were still messy tire tracks left on the ground.
It's only a quarter past six o'clock, has he already left?
Zhu Qingzhi didn't dawdle any longer. She washed up and did her skincare routine. To avoid suspicion, she picked out a light yellow sweater from her wardrobe, paired it with jeans, and wore no accessories. It was a very fresh and natural outfit.
She put on light makeup, packed her things and took them with her, then tidied up her bedroom before going downstairs.
A beautifully crafted chocolate cake sat on the table, next to a blue sticky note with a line written in pen: "The milk is in the insulated box, remember to drink it."
Perhaps he was in a hurry to leave when he wrote this, because the handwriting is very casual, and the signature is even simpler, so simplified that it's almost impossible to tell that it's Wen Qi's name.
She drank the milk and ate most of the cake. The 75% dark chocolate cake was the chocolate concentration she could accept and also her favorite.
Zhu Qingzhi then picked up a pen and wrote below: 【Thank you, Brother Wen Qi.】
A note from the author:
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Qingzhi [shrugs]: Watch me turn the tables.
Wenqi [fanfan]: to eat rice.
Author [transformed]: I think about layout every day...
[Dog head carrying a rose]
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