Chapter 241

Just as Fang Hong had just arrived and was speaking with Liu Xiaoli outside the suite, Liu Tianxian was entertaining all the big shots inside.

Those seated here were either middle-aged men or elderly types.

The suite was luxurious and upscale, with a sofa relaxation area, a liquor cabinet, and a panoramic floor-to-ceiling window offering a view of Beijing's vibrant night scene.

Next to the window stood a large round table, laden with exquisite dishes, where several people sat around it drinking and chatting.

Besides Fang Long, the General Manager, Qi Jianhong, and Xiao Wang, there were also Xiao Fangzi, Huo Wenxi, and Feng Kuzi.

These three were all trusted idle men of the aforementioned big shots.

Liu Tianxian was among them, her hands resting on the table in front of her, her face wearing a polite smile, her demeanor natural yet guarded.

"Tianxian, we've come to you to deepen our cooperation and resolve the grudge between you and Huayi—let bygones be bygones," Fang Long said, his face always wearing a gentle smile.

Everyone else turned to Liu Tianxian, their gazes varied—some indifferent, some curious, some eager; Xiao Wang remained silent, signaling tacit approval.

Liu Tianxian has recently exploded in popularity, and her commercial value has risen.

If we can bring her to our side, even without offering resources, her influence alone could generate profits by stirring up hype and promoting artists.

Even if she stars in money-grabbing films, it's still profitable—we can exhaust her value.

"I accept your brotherly goodwill, and I've never held any grudge against Huayi," Liu Tianxian replied generously, speaking politely.

She didn't mention cooperation—only that the grudge could be dropped. "Then it's settled," Xiao Wang raised his glass from the side of the table.

Everyone else followed, clinking their glasses with a "ding," the atmosphere still pleasantly harmonious.

After drinking, everyone set their glasses down.

"Tianxian, what have you been busy with lately?" Xiao Fangzi asked from beside her.

"Running errands, shooting for fashion magazines—this period's been quite hectic," Liu Tianxian replied calmly.

With Golden September and Silver October approaching, top-tier fashion magazines like ELLE and Harper's Bazaar have begun selecting popular female stars for their cover shoots.

Liu Tianxian is currently the hottest female star, her prestige has risen, and she's naturally a favorite of the fashion world.

The fashion world doesn't care about entertainment industry drama! "Now is the era of the young—you young people should chat more, build good relationships," Fang Long gestured.

Liu Tianxian smiled but gave no response.

"Tianxian, your style isn't as refined and dazzling as before—back then you were so beautiful," the General Manager said.

Previously, he'd seen her dressed provocatively, heavily made-up and stunningly gorgeous; now her makeup was light, her clothes casual and conservative.

"Hmm, I was in a rush today and didn't properly prepare myself," Liu Tianxian replied tactfully.

"Stars like you should still dress well—your fans like to see it, and we like to see it too," the General Manager chuckled.

His laugh was lewd; others followed suit, laughing too.

Before, when they watched her dressed provocatively—no straps, bare shoulders, or bare backs—it was always tight-fitting, those curves and rounded buttocks especially alluring.

Too bad they never got to taste it—just had to look, never allowed to touch, leaving them itching.

They'd probed before, applied pressure, but this girl was too principled and refused to submit, especially with a fierce mother—hard to corrupt.

Any other female star would've already stripped and lain down! In today's entertainment industry, if you strongly resist, no one can touch you.

Being teased by these men, Liu Tianxian's face showed slight discomfort, yet she still maintained her polite smile—her composure was strong.

Without such mature composure, she would've already sunk.

Back then, she had no choice—her godfather had fallen, and she needed a new patron, so she embraced the Hong Kong circle, and Hong Kong only knew Fang Long well.

Seeing Liu Tianxian remained unmoved, the big shots understood—apparently her relationship with the Principal wasn't that solid.

In their impression, the Principal was a madman—a man like that wouldn't tolerate his protege being teased like this.

This realization made the big shots relax physically.

"Tianxian, just like before, I'll still recommend you for my films, Huayi's films, Emperor's films—this is Qi Zong from Yaolai, who'll also create a custom film for you."

Fang Long introduced the middle-aged man beside him.

"Hello!" Qi Jianhong had a respectable appearance, slightly corpulent.

He stood and extended his hand.

Liu Tianxian had no choice but to stand and offer a light handshake: "Hello, Qi Zong!"

She then sat back down and wiped her hand on her pants beneath the table.

"Tianxian, let's renegotiate the contract—50% commission per film, and you give half the profit from your agency business." Fang Long said.

"Half?!" Liu Tianxian was stunned.

"Yes, we're lifting you up as a group—half is already minimal!" Xiao Wang said.

These profits are meant to grease the palms of these men—if it's too little, the big shots won't even look; there must be enough to share, given how many there are!

Liu Tianxian held her tongue, saying nothing.

Once her commercial value rose, they came to claim a share; when it didn't, they ignored her entirely—these people were too pragmatic.

"Technically, you should've given me a cut from your previous films, but I didn't ask for it," Fang Long added.

He meant films like The Genius and Those Years—all of which were provided by Yutu.

"Those films were Yutu's—they weren't resources you gave me!" Liu Tianxian meant they had nothing to do with them.

"Exactly! That's why I didn't ask for it!" Fang Long wore the face of a good man, speaking as if it were perfectly reasonable.

I didn't ask for it—what more do you want? Be grateful. "Big brother, our previous agreement wasn't like this," Liu Tianxian was speechless—these people were too shameless.

Compared to Fang Hong, who rose to power and asked for nothing from her, never discussed profit, let her keep every penny she earned.

How she distributed it, he never inquired.

And he rarely asked anything of her—never demanded she drink or entertain guests, never forced promotion—if she wanted to promote, fine; if not, rest—never pressured her, utterly free.

The truly good people don't care about many things.

"Let's not talk about the past."

Fang Long waved his hand, erasing the past, and began playing the emotional card: "Tianxian, haven't I treated you well? I took you to events, brought you to places to show your face, and built your image."

He was talking about how he used to bring Liu Tianxian to events, walk the red carpet with her, and even appear with her on national interview programs — he had put in real effort for her.

He had shaped her image, praised her, complimented her! If Fang Hong were here, he would absolutely scoff — you, Fang Long, praise and bring along anyone who is a person, regardless of whether that person is a pig or a dog!

"Right, I asked Fang Long to bring along my artist and he wasn't willing, but he treats you with special regard." The General Manager chimed in.

"Big Brother, I'm really moved, and very grateful." Liu Tianxian didn't know what to say — it was true that Fang Long had spared no effort in promoting her back then.

That was a fact, impossible to deny.

After all, Fang Long was a name-card-level figure, and when he attended official occasions, he had brought her along.

But even so, Fang Long had never gone so far as to offend Huayi for her sake back then — instead he cooperated with them. Now that he sees her rising, he comes running wanting a share of the spoils.

Fang Long saw that Liu Tianxian was still soft-hearted, and kept piling on the pressure: "Now the four of us are promoting you together. You'll earn more than before, your resources will be better, your image will be better, public opinion will turn in your favor, and your path will be easier to walk than before. What Jade Rabbit can't give you, we can all give you."

That sounds nice.

It was just that as long as she joined them, they'd give her roles if she wanted roles, give her an image if she wanted an image, and they'd sweep clean those who blackened her name.

Of course, among those who blackened her name — were there people sitting right here? You guess?

This combination did look much stronger than Jade Rabbit! But saying and doing are two different things. Liu Tianxian understood these people too well — they were a pack of bloodsuckers.

They'd drain her dry and toss her aside at any moment, not caring whether she lived or died.

"Is that so? I don't quite see it that way."

Just as Liu Tianxian was in a bind, not knowing how to respond, the suite's main door was pushed open, and Fang Hong, Liu Xiaoli, and Lu Dabo walked in.

Lu Dabo held his head high, expressionless, striking a bodyguard's pose — though inside he was terribly nervous.

But he knew who put food in his bowl.

Seeing the arrivals, the people seated exchanged glances, their expressions all different — some indifferent, some glaring, some smiling. "So that's what Xiaoli went off to do — turns out she went to pick up the Principal. How convenient, join us then."

Fang Long reacted quickly, keeping his warm smile on his face, and gestured: "Little House, move over and make a seat for the Principal."

"No need, my legs aren't good, I can't sit down." Fang Hong refused to take a seat.

In his eyes, these people weren't worthy of sitting at the same table as him.

Little House was about to stand up, but hearing this, sat back down — this guy was way too arrogant.

Liu Tianxian turned to glance at Fang Hong, then exchanged a look with her mother — she knew her mother had called him over to deal with these people.

Actually she was somewhat opposed to it, not wanting to tear open the wound in front of Fang Hong.

The Hong Kong circle's affairs had left her in a sorry state!

"If your legs aren't good then stand, there's no extra seat for you anyway." Xiao Wang didn't give him any face at all.

Fang Hong walked over to Xiao Wang's side, looked down at him: "Looks like Xiao Wang hasn't lost enough, standing up again?"

"What the hell are you spouting?"

Feng Kuzi beside him got anxious.

After all, he was also a Shareholder of Huayi — with the market value evaporating, he had lost quite a bit too!

"Your master isn't even anxious, why are you?" Fang Hong looked at him.

This was calling Feng Kuzi a dog. Feng Kuzi had a fiery temper and got up ready to fight.

The others' faces all changed! "Whoever dares to touch the Principal, I'll kill him!" Lu Dabo, righteous and indignant, let out a roar and rushed right over.

This startled everyone present — that roar was way too loud.

Lu Dabo stood chest out and head high, in the middle glaring furiously at Feng Kuzi, looking fierce and imposing.

As long as Feng Kuzi dared to move, he'd beat him to death!

He made his living through Fang Hong — if Fang Hong fell, he'd fall too, so no matter how scared he was inside, he had to protect his master.

Feng Kuzi, seeing his look of readiness to die, was a little intimidated.

The soft fear the hard, the hard fear the ruthless, the ruthless fear the ones who don't fear death — Lu Dabo was the type who didn't fear death! "Everyone, let's keep things friendly. In this circle, we see each other whether we look up or down — no need for this." Fang Long immediately walked over and pulled the few apart.

He also patted Feng Kuzi's shoulder, signaling him to sit down. Every time these two sides met, regardless of the occasion, they almost came to blows.

Feng Kuzi took the offered step down, gave a cold "hmph" and sat. If it really came to a fight, he was scared too — Lu Dabo was just too reckless!

Xiao Wang's face was also displeased, glaring in silence — his company really had lost quite a lot.

Whether it was movies or the stock market, not only was Feng Kuzi anxious, he was anxious too.

(End of this chapter)