Chapter 541: I Am at War with Gambling and Drugs

"Done and dusted~"

Sister Yanzi checked the recent "marketing" results, thinking she still hadn't fully crushed Hua Yi—after all, a dying camel is still bigger than a horse.

But the overall effect was quite good, forcibly reducing a film originally projected to earn at least 2.5 billion yuan to just over a billion.

It also served as a test of her PR team's combat effectiveness.

Now, looking back, she could count herself among the "dark forces" of the entertainment industry.

Of course, Xiao Shui, the deputy general manager of Weibo, played a crucial role in this.

Sister Yanzi said she'd drag Xiao Shui over later to cut a chicken's neck and swear brotherhood.

But Sister Yanzi wouldn't slack off—this was just a small-scale drill.

After all, the accumulation of PR resources and connections wasn't meant solely to target Hua Yi; this once-dominant film company had long lost its former near-monopoly power.

It wasn't quite a street dog, but it was nearly fallen out of the top tier—all since 2018.

Hmm. That year Fan Fan Bingbing exploded, and on the surface it was just her alone, but in reality, a long chain of others suffered along with her.

And what Sister Yanzi truly needed to prepare for was roughly the same level of crisis as Fan Fan Bingbing's explosion.

No matter when it happened, or how likely it was, she'd already prepared early!

During the premiere of "Better Days," Sister Yanzi had already smelled the stench of an impending explosion.

Although her own Bai Liang wouldn't have any tax issues, his level of romantic entanglements, if they blew up, might cause damage no less than Fan Fan Bingbing's.

And it was becoming more dangerous with time.

There was nothing to be done—aside from some newly met young girls, the girls she'd known longer were getting older and older.

Take Li Yitong, for instance—why had she suddenly started stirring up trouble?

Because she was born in 1990, and she was thirty in lunar age.

For female stars, thirty can be a threshold; not every one hits it, but most women's careers begin to decline after thirty.

Otherwise, there wouldn't have been those mid-career female entertainers begging others for more opportunities.

The same was roughly true in romantic relationships.

While female stars in the entertainment industry didn't necessarily panic-marry at thirty, what about at thirty-five? Or older?

In two years, Reba and Naza will both be thirty; if she waited until Meng Jie turned thirty, Sister Yanzi couldn't even imagine how insane the scene would be.

Although her own Bai Liang was always superstitious, who knew if his superstition could withstand the resentment of aging women—maybe that resentment was heavier than ghosts, enough to sustain a dozen Evil Sword Immortals.

On the other hand, the few women closely tied to Bai Liang, who were already somewhat older, didn't cause Sister Yanzi much worry.

The older sisters were all experienced; they had a clearer sense of things.

For example, Sister Yanzi had practically never seen Big Mi Mi or Little Zhao sister cause trouble.

Hmm. Except Sister Tian Tian.

She was the most unstable factor! She was genuinely heading toward thirty-five and had clearly started showing signs of desperation to marry.

Sister Yanzi had already asked Xiao Shui to keep an eye on her, fearing Sister Tian Tian might suddenly pull off something huge one day.

"Feels kinda unfair," Xiao Shui muttered.

She wasn't saying it was unfair to watch over Sister Tian Tian—she was tallying up the cost of being a "network black hand."

"Unfair? Unfair how? I didn't withhold payment~" Sister Yanzi rolled her eyes; though Xiao Shui was her close friend, the "referral fees and resource fees" in this campaign were paid in full.

After all, even though Xiao Shui had risen to deputy general manager, she couldn't legitimately use company resources for personal matters—especially helping one film company target another—but if she got paid, it was fine.

That's called revenue!

Just like every year many stars or companies pay Weibo "protection money," such PR fees were common in the industry.

Xiao Shui had just done a profitable deal for Sister Yanzi.

"I mean you're the one who got ripped off! For just over two billion yuan in box office, your share is barely over six hundred million, and you still have to split it with others—you don't even get it all—yet you pulled off such a huge operation, spent so much money—is it really worth it?" Xiao Shui slapped her forehead and complained.

Earlier, when she teamed up with Sister Yanzi to sabotage Hua Yi over their film "The Eight Hundred," she'd been full of energy—but after doing a quick cost-benefit calculation, she realized this was literally injuring a thousand to lose eight hundred.

Generally, film companies smear rivals, harass them, or target public figures with dirty tactics only if there's profit to be made.

Those insane people who just hate someone and blacklist them are extremely rare.

Doing bad things is for making money, not for throwing tantrums.

But Sister Yanzi had a different view; she waved her hand. "You don't understand our company's spending principles."

"Huh? Company spending principles? What does that mean?" Xiao Shui asked curiously.

"I feel like it."

"You're kidding me… You're a legitimate, legal, normal company? Does Bai Liang allow you to do this?" Xiao Shui said in disbelief.

Sister Yanzi thought for a moment, then pulled out her phone and showed Xiao Shui her chat logs with Bai Liang.

After reporting the expenses, Bai Liang had replied: "Only spent this much? Sister Yanzi really knows how to manage a household."

"Manage a household"—that phrase left Xiao Shui stunned.

Sister Yanzi shrugged with a little bear emoji—her Bai Liang just had this style.

When he started his studio, then turned it into a film company, he basically never paid attention to anything.

He just let Sister Yanzi and her team run wild.

Before they knew it, it had grown big and strong.

But fundamentally, it was still no different from the original small workshop—Bai Liang did whatever he wanted, and the company existed solely to serve him.

That kind of arbitrary, willful one-man rule achieving this scale was truly astonishing.

It was just plain unreasonable!

Sister Yanzi grinned. "We've got more than enough money—this is pocket change. Injuring a thousand and losing eight hundred? We can afford to lose ten thousand."

"Better Days" earned over three billion yuan in box office, with a share of roughly one billion yuan, plus other income—five hundred million yuan or more in revenue wasn't a problem for Bai Liang's company.

And even their other past projects, even if they earned slightly less, weren't far behind—every film or TV drama Bai Liang participated in ended up earning over one hundred million yuan.

There's no way to spend it all; it's simply impossible to spend it all.

The amount of capital Sister Yanzi can mobilize is an astonishing figure, largely thanks to her complete devotion to her little Bai Ge.

Other film companies face multiple possibilities when launching projects: heavy losses, big losses, small losses, breaking even, small profits, big profits, or heavy profits.

At Bai Liang's company, there are only two possibilities: heavy profits and big profits—how could the money not pile up?

That bet Big Mi Mi helped Jia Xing complete? At Bai Liang's, it would be settled in under a year, effortlessly.

Otherwise, why would Sister Yanzi dare to slam tables everywhere she goes?

It's just that the company has no plans to raise funds or go public; otherwise, every major VC and internet capital firm would trample down the door.

Currently, Bai Liang's involvement in projects is merely symbolic, with minimal pay; the public mainly knows his personal income comes from endorsements.

But even so, he still tops the Forbes celebrity rankings.

That's the real value of being the number one commercial force in the industry. As for those who make these rankings their main income—no one can audit the books of an unlisted company.

The tax bureau knows, though~

After Sister Yanzi casually revealed a bit to Xiao Shui, she turned sour: "Damn it, how much money has Bai Liang made these past few years?!"

"Definitely not telling you~"

"Cough, cough, Sister Yanzi, do you have shares?" Xiao Shui asked curiously.

"Yes."

Sister Yanzi smiled the smile of a wealthy woman—so benevolent.

She owns a little in shares, but not much; however, the salary her little Bai Ge pays her is an outrageous figure.

In a few more years, she might even compete for a title like "Emperor of the Employee Class."

——

"Being a boss isn't fun; working for others is way more enjoyable~" Bai Liang said casually.

"Big brother, you're just teasing me," Zhao Jinmai pouted, thinking Zhao Jinmai's mother was right—beautiful men are always liars, wasn't that what she said?

"I'm not lying. For me personally, both are about the same. But for you—right now, you're not suited to be a boss. Just stick to working for others."

For some reason, perhaps spurred by Big Mi Mi, today Zhao Jinmai actually came to ask Bai Liang what it felt like to work independently.

This was the wrong person to ask.

Although Bai Liang has worked independently since his debut, never staying with a single company, his path is clearly one that cannot be replicated.

Even if he had signed with Cai Yi's Tang Ren or that Miss Yang's Qiancheng, the outcome probably wouldn't have been much different.

Even signing with Jia Xing wouldn't have mattered.

Good fortune always broadens the path ahead.

Back then, Bai Liang didn't sign because he couldn't be sure how long he'd last in this industry.

He thought he might lose interest after a while.

He also enjoyed showing off his legal knowledge and civil service exam skills—interest was primary, showing off was primary too.

But looking back, five years have passed, and he still hasn't gotten bored.

Countless young ladies played a major role in this.

Including Zhao Jinmai right here—she, too, contributed, helping Bai Liang develop greater patience for the film industry.

"I'll start my own company someday!"

"Like Yang Mi?" Bai Liang suddenly asked out of nowhere.

Zhao Jinmai stumbled: "N-no! I'm not trying to copy her!"

After some awkward denial—no, explanation—her face turned bright red.

Bai Liang thought for a moment: "By the way, among those who've made bets, is she the only one who actually won?"

"Yeah, it seems so. She's really amazing!"

Although Zhao Jinmai resented Big Mi Mi for stubbornly sticking around the set and monopolizing her big brother, she had to admit honestly—Big Mi Mi was truly impressive.

In the entertainment industry, stars making bets with capital isn't rare; these agreements usually involve performance targets, and failure means compensation or other penalties.

Xiao Gangbao, Zhang Guoli, Zhou Xingchi, Li Yapeng—all lost without exception.

Zhou Xingchi mortgaged his mansion; Zhang Guoli kept working despite illness, still pushing himself at his age; Li Yapeng even became a deadbeat debtor with travel restrictions.

Even Big Mi Mi, who won, ended up with her reputation shattered.

Of course, her reputation wasn't great to begin with, but to win the bet, the label "Queen of Bad Movies" sank even deeper, nearly impossible to shake off.

"Even if you work for yourself later—start a studio or company as a boss—stay away from this stuff. Adopt the motto: 'I am at war with gambling!'"

Drugs—no need to elaborate.

As for gambling, Bai Liang believes that unless you have his kind of luck, it's best not to touch it at all.

He himself has no interest in it, because the results are right there—he simply can't feel the thrill or tension gamblers claim to experience.

Unless it's something like playing mahjong with Chen Daoming, where you gain joy from other aspects—like making someone go into self-imposed isolation~

That, Bai Liang found enthusiastically appealing.

Hearing this, Zhao Jinmai gave him a strange look: "Big brother, you never mention Huang Jingyu's matter at all!"

"Can't help it—we're filming a kiss scene today. I'm an actor." Bai Liang replied plainly.

Mentioning the kiss scene made Zhao Jinmai a little shy—she'd never kissed anyone before!

Earlier, she'd wanted to bravely "practice" with her big brother privately, but all she managed was a surprise peck on the cheek, barely brushing his lips.

As for the kind where you're wrapped in each other's arms, lips locked, tongues entwined—she couldn't even think about it; she was about to turn as red as Zhou Ye's overheated puppy!

Still, though her face flushed, her heart was eagerly anticipating it.

"Big brother, this is my first kiss scene."

"No problem—I've done this before." Bai Liang smiled confidently. In other roles, he's merely excellent; in this kind of scene, he's exceptionally excellent!

Even if the girl in front of him had no idea how to act, he could make her fully immersed in the role in an instant.

Nothing else—just kissed too much!

As someone who had once been a "pioneer of early romance" giving parents headaches, his experience in this area was more than ample.

Then Zhao Jinmai said, "What I meant was, let's shoot this several more times."

Bai Liang:????

Although the little girl had talked big, acting as if she intended to take full advantage of this opportunity to get close to Bai Liang, when it was truly time to shoot, she inevitably grew nervous.

There are too many people!

As an actor—even one who had acted since childhood—she certainly wouldn't be intimidated by filming.

But this was her first kiss scene!

So when the two took their positions and the director called "Action," Zhao Jinmai's first reaction was to nervously shut her eyes.

Still, she didn't forget her movements—and ended up crashing straight into Bai Liang's arms.

This nearly caused Bai Liang, who was about to kiss her, to bang his head against hers.

"Cut! Student Student Mai Mai, you're too tense—relax a bit."

"Sorry!" Zhao Jinmai quickly apologized.

"It's fine, fine—first time is normal."

At this point, the director was smiling broadly, and the expressions of the other crew members nearby were much the same.

All of them looked like they were here for the drama.

"Should we clear the set?" Bai Liang whispered to Zhao Jinmai.

"No need."

Zhao Jinmai shook her head, insisting she was an actor and how could she…

"Clear the set!"

Well, Miss Mai eventually agreed.

But this "clearing" only meant sending away unrelated onlookers—many crew members still remained on site.

"Alright, let's go again!"

(End of Chapter)