Chapter 146: Respect the Rules (Requesting Monthly Tickets and Rewards)

Fang Hong's words were too arrogant, brimming with provocation.

Red Pants couldn't hold back anymore, grabbing a bottle and swinging it toward the Principal.

"Fucking hell."

"Hey hey hey, don't do that."

"."

Others rushed to hold him back—this had gone too far; they were all civilized people.

The beautiful female stars surrounding Red Pants scattered in terror, their faces pale, the scene descending into chaos.

Someone had already blocked the camera—thankfully, it was recorded, not live.

In this era, online streaming wasn't that advanced; 4G had just emerged and wouldn't go mainstream for another two years.

"Everyone calm down, calm down—we're all in the same circle, this is embarrassing." Fang Long stepped forward to mediate.

Huang Jiaozhu, Deng Chao, Huang Bo, and other stars stood in the middle, urging peace—this couldn't turn into a brawl, or it would be a complete joke.

Jing Tian stepped back slightly; she'd never encountered anything like this before, and her young heart had been slightly shaken.

Is this how this circle operates? If you can't win, you use force? Liu Tianxian had stood up; Fang Hong stood behind her, protectively close.

If they came after him, he'd strike back.

So what if it's a fight? Who's afraid of whom?

Seeing Fang Long had calmed the crowd, Su Mang stepped forward: "Come on, Director Feng, have some water and cool down. General Wang, Xiao Wang, you too—have some water."

She then poured the water herself.

She hadn't intervened earlier because she feared they'd turn their anger on her—that would've been bad. After all, she was a delicate little flower.

"Kid, how much money do you have to play this game with me?" Big Wang snapped, pointing.

Xiao Wang stood beside him, glaring furiously!

"I'm so poor I've only got money left," Fang Hong said—arrogant to the extreme.

Big Wang laughed in fury; he knew the Principal was arrogant—he'd seen it before—but never this brazen, not in front of so many people.

"I'll bid twenty million. You dare match it?" Big Wang threatened.

"Hey, don't do this."

Fang Long walked over to Big Wang: "Calm down. You've gone too far."

This item was agreed to sell for five or six million at most—would anyone really donate all their money to charity?

This would turn the charity auction into something else entirely.

"Fang Long, don't interfere. Today, however much he plays, I'll play just as much."

Big Wang was furious, threatening: "I'm telling you—if you keep bidding all the way, I'm afraid your Yutu won't hold up."

Meaning: if Fang Hong kept bidding, Big Wang would stop at some point, forcing Fang Hong to lose tens of millions.

Yutu had only just been founded—how much could it possibly be worth?

"Fine. Add ten thousand."

Fang Hong's tone remained calm: "I'm worried you Huayi can't swallow it."

"This is nothing. Huayi doesn't care. Thirty million!" Big Wang thrust out three fingers, furious.

The crowd was too large—every eye was on them. This wasn't about face anymore; it was about pride.

"Add ten thousand again," Fang Hong said calmly.

Liu Tianxian tugged his arm, signaling him to stop—what if he ended up stuck with it? This price was already absurd; it could fund a great movie.

The crowd stared in stunned silence as they kept raising bids—this was a gamble on their entire fortunes, testing who had more nerve.

Whoever backed down would be forced to buy it.

"Fifty million!" Big Wang sneered.

Fang Hong paused here, studying the other man's expression—fifty million was already one-fifth of Huayi's annual profit.

Without this money, Huayi would have to cut deep.

Huayi's entire annual profit was barely over two hundred million—he never intended to cripple them; they were a public company, always vulnerable to shareholder cuts. This was just meant to annoy them.

"Scared? That's all Yutu's got?" Big Wang mocked.

"I'll add another ten thousand." Fang Hong ignored his words.

He planned to push to the limit—but just once more. Pushing further might not work.

Truthfully, he was also nervous—afraid he'd end up stuck with it.

"Fifty million!"

Big Wang thought Fang Hong had cracked—he wouldn't bid again after this.

But Fang Hong stopped first, falling silent.

The room fell unnaturally quiet, waiting for the Principal to call "add ten thousand"—but no sound came.

"Give me face. Let it end here."

Seeing the situation turning sour, Fang Long rushed to mediate again, then turned to Fang Hong and gestured: "Don't bid anymore."

He'd figured it out—this young man was deliberately setting a trap; he had zero interest in the auction.

His real goal was to make Huayi spend more money. The first two bids were deliberate—meant to make Huayi spend, to make them think he was weak—to feign weakness.

He'd stoked their competitiveness, then said those things to provoke them.

Fifty million meant Huayi would lose a quarter of its profit—profit, not revenue.

Then he shouted: "Liu Zong, the previous bids don't count."

He was addressing Liu Jiang, the balding CEO of Fashion.

"Fine. Let's all stay calm. Don't make a spectacle." Liu Jiang looked kindly.

"You're being way too protective—they bullied me and no one stood up, now that I've stood my ground, you're acting like it never happened." Fang Hong said. "Then what do you want? If you want it, I'll sell it to you." Fang Long directly put his money on the table.

"Why would I buy yours? I don't want it anymore. Five million goes to General Manager Wang."

Fang Hong also got angry and waved his hand: "If General Manager Wang doesn't buy it for five million today, I'll expose this whole thing. Don't think no one knows just because no one's filming."

This is already corruption—using charity as a cover to manipulate prices, equivalent to a performance.

There might even be unspeakable filth inside.

"Young man, you're going too far. We all want to keep things peaceful and avoid making a scene," Liu Jiang said.

If this gets out, their reputations will be ruined. They promised five million, then went back to 5.5 million—is this charity? The netizens will tear them apart, the child rescue foundation above will investigate them, and where did the five million go?

"I don't mean to escalate things. I said—follow the rules. Since General Manager Wang bid five million, the bid stands at five million. What's the problem?" Fang Hong was equally firm.

"What the hell are you, talking like this?" Xiao Wangzong also swore.

He finally caught on.

"Don't point fingers at me. I respect rules. Those who don't respect rules aren't even human—they're things." Fang Hong retorted loudly.

That meant those who disrespected the rules weren't human—Fang Long, Liu Jiang, and the Huayi faction—all weren't human.

It was essentially insulting many people!

Big Wangzong's face darkened. Though furious, he remained rational—his original goal had been to make Yutu pay this money.

He hadn't expected the other side to be even calmer.

He was still a bit angry. If only he hadn't bid earlier.

The scene froze. Many celebrities and entrepreneurs watched, all silent. Five million for a watch in charity—this was a significant blow for a film company at this stage.

Profit margins in the entertainment industry are low. A movie takes one or two years to shoot; earning tens of millions is already a huge success.

Liu Jiang looked at Big Wangzong: "What do you say?"

He originally wanted Big Wangzong to pay—not just for the achievement, but for the reputation, which would only benefit his Harper's Bazaar brand.

But he also had to give Fang Long face.

"I'll pay." Big Wangzong was equally resolute—loser pays up.

"Big brother..."

Xiao Wangzong wanted to say something, but Big Wangzong cut him off: "Face matters more than money."

If he didn't pay, how would all these CEOs see him? How would the celebrities see Huayi? How would the Harper's Bazaar CEO see him?

Fang Long said nothing. He was fundamentally aligned with Huayi, due to their partnership—Yutu had zero stake in him.

"Good! Big Wangzong, you're generous! Let's keep drinking, keep dancing." Fang Hong clapped his hands.

"You watch yourself," Xiao Wangzong glared at the man's smug face, furious.

"I love how you hate me but can't touch me." Fang Hong's words were incredibly arrogant.

The celebrities and artists present finally saw what the "Principal" was really like—why he dared to clash with Huayi.

He was outrageous beyond bounds.

But no one said anything, and no one could say anything—celebrities and artists were all fence-sitters, avoiding offending anyone.

"F*** you!"

Xiao Wangzong and Red Pants couldn't hold back—they grabbed wine bottles to throw, but were held back by those around them.

What was this all for? Why did everything turn violent? Can't you just be civilized? You have zero class.

"All of you, sit down!" Big Wangzong was furious and disappointed: "Is this worth it? You're embarrassing yourselves."

"Money doesn't matter—it's just that kid's arrogance," Xiao Wangzong pointed.

"We'll get it back later. There's plenty of time. Why rush?" Big Wangzong growled.

Xiao Wangzong and Red Pants glared at Fang Hong, wishing they could pierce him through.

Fang Hong ignored them and turned to Liu Tianxian: "Didn't scare you, did it?"

"I'm not that timid."

Liu Tianxian shook her head, then added: "Don't provoke them anymore."

Those people had money and power—they were quick to resort to violence. She didn't want Fang Hong to get hurt.

"Alright, I'll try to restrain myself," Fang Hong said.

As they chatted, Charity Bazaar continued, but Fang Hong and the Wangs had both calmed down.

The scene seemed to have returned to calm.

Fang Long came over with his wine glass and greeted: "Yifei."

"Big Brother Fang Long."

Liu Tianxian raised her glass and clinked it with Fang Long's.

They both took a sip. Fang Long patted Fang Hong's shoulder: "Young man, don't be so fiery. Sometimes, it's better to yield a little."

"Someone once said that to me too. My answer was: yielding a little doesn't open up the horizon—it invites further encroachment," Fang Hong said.

"Hehe, I'm not trying to advise you. I'm just telling you—in this circle, you need to maintain good relationships with everyone," Fang Long smiled.

"I understand," Fang Hong didn't want to say more.

Fang Long drank another toast with Jing Tian, then left.

The Charity Bazaar ended like this—after the auction, the scene descended back into debauchery.

As Fang Hong was leaving, he saw Su Mang kissing Fang Long on the lips, while Li Bailian looked utterly speechless.

He also saw Su Mang sitting on the laps of several bigwigs.

(End of Chapter)