Chapter 407: Boss Wei Calls the Shots to Suppress the

At the end of February, the launch press conference for *So Young*, a film Zhao Yanzi had been preparing for half a year, was held in Beijing.

As the school's most famous star artist and a Graduate Student in the Director Department, Beijing Film Academy held high hopes for this debut work of Zhao Yanzi, or perhaps one could say they hoped to produce another monster talent like Wei Jin.

Therefore, for this press conference, not only did the Director Department and the Acting Department come to show support, but even the school leadership attended.

However, if one had to say who was most optimistic about Zhao Yanzi, it had to be Wang Changtian.

It is said that when this film was greenlit last year, the budget was 30 million, but just before filming began, Zhao Yanzi suddenly doubled the budget; with other investors hesitating, Enlight Media shouldered it all alone.

With this 30 million invested, Enlight Media directly became the largest producer of *So Young*, with an investment ratio close to 70%.

This was the first time Wei Jin had seen Wang Changtian be so optimistic about a newcomer, to the point that he curiously gave him a call.

"Hehe, little brother, do you think I'm optimistic about her directing ability?"

Old Wang seemed to have been tickled in the right spot and, intending to show off his own eye for talent, gave the answer before Wei Jin could even speak.

"No, Zhao Yanzi's greatest advantage is her appeal as an actress, as well as the film's subject matter."

Wei Jin nodded; Old Wang was indeed a big shot who had traversed the film and television circle for over a decade, and he certainly had an eye for talent.

Although Zhao Yanzi had quite a few scandals due to various erratic maneuvers, those few Qiong Yao dramas directly applied dozens of layers of BUFFs to her; they were simply too brainwashing, and one could say they were must-broadcasts during holidays.

In other words, Zhao Yanzi's national popularity could be called the number one in the country.

Added to that the nostalgia factor of youth films, *So Young* would absolutely have no problems at the box office.

"But little brother, I heard from Han Dong that you didn't take a fancy to it at the time?"

"It's not that I didn't take a fancy to it; the share was too small at the time, so I couldn't be bothered to invest, plus you know, I don't really like her as a person."

Wei Jin shrugged; there were many ways to make money, and even if he knew this film would make a huge profit, he still didn't want to deal with Zhao Yanzi.

The so-called "a thousand gold cannot buy my willingness"—it was nothing more than that.

As the film and television industry became increasingly prosperous, films with investments exceeding 100 million were everywhere.

Sixty million, what could it do? Even a newcomer director like Zhao Yanzi could obtain an investment of 60 million.

But 60 million, for Western Film Group, was truly a massive sum.

The film *Qian Xuesen* was a project for which Western Film Group invested 60 million and produced exclusively.

To be honest, this type of film was almost impossible to break even on, but it still had to be made because it was of great significance.

At the premiere, President Deng of Western Film Group pulled Wei Jin aside and chatted for a long time; it was clear that this old film studio had reached the end of its rope.

But Wei Jin had no way to help; Western Film Group was located in a desolate area, far inferior to China Film Group and Shanghai Film Group, which relied on the political and economic center of Huaxia, possessed the top three art academies in the country, and controlled a vast amount of industry resources.

It could be said that the decline of Western Film Group was fated and would absolutely not shift according to human will.

Unless Shanhe Media collectively relocated to the jurisdiction of Western Film Group and, relying on the company's powerful production capabilities, perhaps there might be a slim chance to revitalize it.

But Wei Jin was not a fool; why would he leave ready-made convenient conditions unused and specifically create difficulties for himself?

As for letting Western Film Group participate in his own projects to prolong its life in agony? That was simply treating the symptoms but not the disease; it was a drop in the bucket.

Wei Jin was really busy these two days; the next day he attended the premiere of *A Simple Life*.

When Wei Jin saw the group of main creators at the scene, he clearly felt that the director, Xu Anhua, was in a very good mood.

It was no wonder; *A Simple Life* had infinite glory in Venice last year, subsequently harvested quite a lot at the Golden Horse Awards and numerous Hong Kong awards, and was even regarded by the media as a strong contender for this year's Hong Kong Film Awards.

Nowadays, Xu Anhua was famous in the film and television circle, and it was said that she had already been signed to a film contract with a huge sum by Qin Hong of Star Media.

Liu Tianwang, as the lead actor, was also very happy; he won the Golden Horse Best Actor last year and was nominated for the Hong Kong Film Awards Best Actor this year.

An art-house film could be said to have brought great benefits to several of the main creators.

Of course, Golden Harvest, as the producer, was also absolutely gaining both fame and fortune; the stock price alone had risen by an unknown amount.

After greeting his friends, Liu Tianwang took the initiative to come over and say hello.

"Director Wei, long time no see."

"Hua Ge, wishing you in advance to take home the Hong Kong Film Awards, haha."

"That's still hard to say."

Liu Tianwang was humble with his words, but the arc of his mouth had long since betrayed his inner feelings.

"Your wife is about to give birth, right?"

"Mm, two more months."

Wei Jin and Liu Tianwang chatted idly, and soon the premiere began.

The premiere of *A Simple Life* was quite successful; apart from the film winning numerous awards, Xu Anhua had also filmed it quite well, and many female audience members at the scene shed tears on the spot.

Wei Jin felt that perhaps at the box office, it could still bring him some surprises.

On the other side, after two days of fermentation, the "bullying incident" intensified, and Yin Xiaotian's career and life suffered huge negative impacts.

Unable to bear it any longer, Yin Xiaotian finally chose to call the police.

When one side got serious, public opinion began to waver; after all, the woman said so much, why didn't she call the police? Hitting someone was against the law.

It was just that what no one expected was that the production crew actually said the surveillance video had been taken away immediately.

And the person who took it away was the boss of the production company for this drama, Yang Zi of Ju Li.

Now public opinion seemed to be wavering again; after all, Yang Zi should have seen the video, and since he chose to let Yin apologize, could it really be that Yin hit someone?

The reversal also came very quickly; the police would not guess, and they found Yang Zi immediately, who reluctantly made the video public.

At this, the internet directly boiled over.

In the surveillance video, one could see Bian Xiaoxiao pointing her finger at Yin Xiaotian and walking toward him while cursing; there were staff members who saw the situation was wrong and stepped forward to block, and Yin Xiaotian merely pushed Bian Xiaoxiao away, without the "hair pulling" and "being hit" that she spoke of.

This was also the only physical contact between the two in the video, which was the photo Yang Zi had previously taken a screenshot of.

Even a blind person could see who the victim was.

Netizens were indeed easy to fool, but once discovered, the attack power was directly maxed out. At this moment, those celebrities who had sworn that the man hit someone were met with concentrated fire and siege from netizens.

Time 1979: "Too cheap, this woman is simply shameless; the ability to create something out of nothing and bite back is truly strong!"

Someone from the past: "Didn't Du Chun say it was investigated clearly? How was it investigated? Investigated with his mouth? Still a good friend? It's a pity Yin Xiaotian even wished you a happy birthday; this kind of dog-like friend only knows how to stab people in the back."

dsduiAyaobuqi: "Didn't Jia Nailiang also swear up and down that the matter was true? And 'don't cry, young lady'—don't cry your ass, playing dead now?"

Tou tie de A Jun: "Good thing I'm more rational. Wei Jin is right; in all things, let the Bullets Fly for a while. But these dogs, shouldn't they apologize to others? Where are the people? Are they dead?"

Vast Starry Sky: "The most hateful one is Yang Zi, right? This dog has the evidence but forcibly slanders others. If it were me, I'd sue him to the end!"

Cherishing the War: "Hehe, you all are still too young. Let this master analyze it for you: who is Bian Xiaoxiao? A 2001-class acting student at Beijing Film Academy, and a classmate of Wang Luodan, Huang Shengyi, and Jia Nailiang. Wouldn't these people just blindly take sides?"

"As for the others, Du Chun, Li Chen, Bao Jianfeng, and the rest, they are considered competitors to Yin Xiaotian. Didn't you see the Hailan Home endorsement was changed? This bunch is killing off whoever they can, hehe."

Under the concentrated fire and face-slapping from netizens, all the celebrity artists who framed Yin Xiaotian silently deleted their previous Weibo posts, but not a single one came out to apologize, as if this matter had never happened.

Even worse, some people actually came out to advise the man to be magnanimous and not to hold a grudge.

Only the person involved, under pressure, stood out to offer a lukewarm apology, the words quite perfunctory, claiming that their emotions were excessive and it was not intentional.

But the incensed netizens weren't buying it. The Weibo accounts of those playing dead were directly flooded, sparking another chaotic battle. "Brother, isn't he too miserable? It's said his acting contracts, announcements, and endorsements have all been ruined."

Watching the farce online, Jing Tian couldn't help but say a word. The young girl is beautiful and kind-hearted, and she can't bear to see others suffer grievances.

"There's no way around it; his agency is too weak, and that group has the backing of Huayi. In the circle, who is willing to risk offending Huayi to speak up for him?"

This kind of thing is too common in the entertainment industry. Many times, being besieged is not your fault at all; being weak is the original sin.

If you replaced Yin Xiaotian with Huang Xiaoming or Qiao Zhenyu in the same situation, it would be hard to say how public opinion would turn.

Not to mention the strength of the company behind them, the number of fans, and a large group of friends in the circle, their status alone would make many people with ulterior motives think twice.

To put it bluntly, it's just that Yin Xiaotian's strength is too weak, and the resources he obtained were excessively generous, inviting covetousness.

"But this bunch is truly disgusting. Playing dead collectively at a time like this—let me wake them up."

Seeing her lover intending to take action, Jing Tian immediately handed over the laptop she was holding in her arms.

"Brother, I'll leave it to you today."

Wei Jin didn't hesitate; he took the computer and began to organize his words. Although this kind of thing is the norm in the circle, someone eventually has to come out and say a fair word, and he, Wei Jin, happens to have that power.

"I have been following the news these days. I didn't want to speak up initially, but I remembered the film The Hunt I shot back then. If I have the ability to speak up but still choose to remain silent, am I not, in a sense, one of the abusers? So, I will briefly discuss the 'Stabbing Incident'."

"As public figures, the words and actions of celebrity artists have widespread influence, so they should be even more cautious. In public, they should set an example for fans and moviegoers as much as possible and guide them toward correct values."

"Even children know that if you make a mistake, you must correct it, and if you get hit, you must stand straight. Having been so categorical and indignant before, even insulting and slandering the person involved, are you just going to pretend nothing happened now? If that's the case, I have to seriously question the character of these people, and my company will refuse all dimensions of cooperation in the future."

Honestly, "protecting one's own" or even "siding with kin over reason" aren't big problems in Wei Jin's view. He is that kind of person himself; it's just human nature.

But regardless of the reason, this group slandered, maligned, and defamed others, and to some extent even guided fans to attack and cyberbully others. Now that the truth is out, at least there should be an attitude of apology, right? This doesn't even count as punishment; it's just stating a position. Wei Jin feels he has been very polite.

It's just that the person involved, Yin Xiaotian, has no relationship with Wei Jin; otherwise, he could have destroyed this bunch.

Wei Jin's Weibo was rapidly reposted by netizens, and everyone was overjoyed.

A Tu Ren: "Fuck, finally a big shot has come out to speak. I was about to be pissed to death by this bunch!"

Scholar of Cheng Zhou: "Damn it, a group of people playing dead collectively—forgot how they were cursing people before?"

Ten Thousand Sunsets: "Yin Xiaotian is too miserable. Framed by others, stabbed in the back by brothers, attacked by netizens, endorsements dropped, and acting contracts ruined..."

Waking up to see the grassland: "How is this like the plot in Let the Bullets Fly? A group of people moralizing and crusading, and now that the person has already cut open their stomach to prove how many bowls of jelly noodles they ate, this group doesn't care at all, just like nothing happened. Son of a bitch."

South has the north wind: "Just a bunch of trash."

No seconds without three: "It has to be Wei Jin. Among the artists of Starry Sky Culture, not a single one got involved in this, right?"

"..."

Looking at the comments online, Jing Tian's face blossomed with a smile.

"Kiss kiss, brother, you're amazing, just like a hero upholding justice."

Wei Jin dotingly ruffled the young girl's hair. "I don't want to be a hero."

"Why?"

"The end for heroes is often not very good, and besides..."

Wei Jin's words aroused the young girl's curiosity. She wrapped her arms around his neck, tilted her head, and asked, "Besides what?"

Wei Jin pulled an arc into his lips and leaned close to the girl's ear; his scorching breath made her body tighten slightly.

"Besides, it's not easy to do bad things when you're a hero, for example, like this..."

While speaking, one of Wei Jin's hands had already reached into her pajamas, firmly grasping her breasts, while the other hand caressed the girl's perky buttocks, once attempting to invade the mysterious territory.

Feeling the man's movements and the playfulness hanging on his lips, a blush appeared on Jing Tian's face. She bit her red lips lightly, her voice filled with coquettishness.

"Brother, you're not a hero, you're just a bad... mm..."

Wei Jin blocked the girl's small mouth and rolled over to pin her down. Just as Wei Jin and Jing Tian were entangled in passion, his Weibo post also caused a huge stir in the circle.

You must know that as the head of the largest entertainment group in Huaxia, Wei Jin's status is not something to be trifled with.

He just posted a Weibo, not even naming names, and in just over an hour, multiple celebrities publicly apologized.

Dong Xuan, Wang Luodan, Xue Jianing, the couple Wen Zhang, Bao Jianfeng—looking at the familiar celebrities one by one, netizens exclaimed, "Good heavens."

X10969: "See that? This bunch didn't not know they were wrong; they were just playing dumb. Once the big shot spoke, they immediately came out to state their position."

A meter of blue: "Damn, why does this feel even more disgusting?"

Blue original heart: "No matter what, Boss Wei is mighty and domineering! From now on, I'm his die-hard fan."

Coffee+Coke: "The one surnamed Du is still playing dead. Brothers, charge at him..."

Impossible to eat coriander: "Son of a bitch, come out and apologize!!"

(End of chapter)