Chapter 307: The Principal Is the Legend

The internet was flooded with stories about and praise for "Yu Xian."

Just because he was Chinese and his movie had exploded worldwide—as for what kind of trash the movie actually was, that didn't matter; what mattered was that he was awesome.

Liu Yin was dumbfounded. He was Yu Xian's classmate, so he called Yu Xian directly.

"Holy crap, you're famous, you know that?"

"Oh? How'd I get famous?" Yu Xian was quite intrigued.

"Right now all the major domestic media outlets are hyping your story everywhere, saying you're life's big winner," Liu Yin said.

"Hahaha!"

Yu Xian laughed wildly, uninhibitedly!

"Hey, I'm really curious. I remember you went to the United States with the Principal, didn't you? So how come you only had ten bucks?" Liu Yin asked, puzzled.

"That was something I made up. Life's been too smooth, so I made my own story a bit rougher, to give those young people something to look up to," Yu Xian said.

"Holy shit, you can even do that?" Liu Yin was speechless.

"It's all something the Principal taught me. He said once you've succeeded, sharing your history of hardship can elevate your personal image. My success was too smooth, so I just made one up," Yu Xian said.

These people really knew how to play the game. It seemed Yu Xian had indeed been very successful in Hollywood. Liu Yin asked, "Then who is Mr. Hong?"

"The Principal!" Yu Xian said.

"Holy shit, holy shit... after all that, the Principal is the legend." Liu Yin couldn't hold back, letting out several "holy shits" in a row.

Netizens both at home and abroad were guessing who "Mr. Hong" was, but none could figure it out.

Some netizens even watched "Dark Movie" and said "Mr. Hong" was someone up above, that up above had sent Yu Xian to corrode the capitalists' ideology.

What utter nonsense!

Yu Xian's story spread not only across the internet but also among his Beijing Film Academy classmates—after all, many alumni knew him.

When filming with Fang Hong, some people also knew about him.

Even his teacher Lin Tao had heard about his student's exploits in the United States.

Still, he sighed—why make a restricted film? If he'd made a proper film, maybe they could have run a propaganda campaign for him.

Invite experts to hold discussion forums, seminars and the like—the class could be elevated infinitely. "Fifty Shades of Grey" and those horror films couldn't be studied at all; not criticizing them would be a mercy.

In fact, overseas film academia had only criticized "Fifty Shades of Grey."

Domestically, things seemed calm simply because Yu Xian was from the Beijing Film Academy, and Jade Rabbit had hired so many professors as consultants that no one dared to speak ill of him.

And the explosive popularity of "Fifty Shades of Grey" had put ideas into Ceng Maojun of Wanda, and even Lao Wang got ideas—they'd always wanted to find a good Hollywood producer.

And this producer had developed for three years and made so many films; if he kept developing, making Hollywood blockbusters wasn't out of the question.

Then their acquisition of Legendary Pictures would need to be reconsidered—after all, he could be cultivated, and he was Chinese too.

That day, Fang Hong came to Liu Tianxian's home to see off her grandmother, her aunt, and the others.

They'd been staying here for many days, the New Year was over, and now they were heading back. Next time they came, it would either be for a holiday gathering or when the two were getting married.

"You two take care, talk things through properly, and don't fight in the future," the aunt instructed Fang Hong and Liu Tianxian beside her.

"Okay, Auntie," Liu Tianxian nodded.

A business van was parked at the door, its side door open, and a group of people walked over to the van.

Fang Hong supported his grandmother by one arm: "Here, be careful."

He helped his grandmother into the car, right at the front-row door—the old lady had trouble moving around.

Then grandfather, the aunt, and the uncle-in-law got into the car as well.

Fang Hong helped with the luggage, lifting it into the car's trunk and putting it away, then sat in the driver's seat—he would drive them there.

"Xiaoli, you take care. If anything comes up, call me more often. Don't worry too much about the kids' affairs. As for things over there, just keep doing what you've been doing." Grandmother was still as kind as ever, still caring about her own daughter.

The "over there" she referred to was her ex-husband's side!

"Mom, I know. Be careful on the road," Liu Xiaoli replied.

"Xixi, you take care too, and listen to your mother more," Grandmother instructed.

"Grandma, I will," Liu Tianxian said obediently.

Liu Xiaoli and Liu Tianxian stayed home.

The car door closed, the car started, and they waved at each other through the window. Liu Xiaoli looked quite sad—partings with family were like this.

At such an advanced age, who knew how many more times they could meet.

Watching the car drive off, Liu Xiaoli sniffed, feeling a sting at the tip of her nose. Liu Tianxian put an arm around her mother's shoulder, comforting her in silence.

Liu Xiaoli glanced at her daughter and sighed: "Sigh, you'll still have to leave eventually."

"Leave where? I'll be by your side forever," Liu Tianxian said.

"You'll get married someday. You'll have to get married eventually," Liu Xiaoli said.

"Even if I get married, I'll still be by your side. I'm not marrying far away, and I'm not disappearing—I'll just have two more of my own family members, that's all." Liu Tianxian made it sound quite convincing.

Liu Xiaoli figured that was true. Her daughter was usually busy with filming and events, and not seeing her for months hadn't felt like much.

Even if she got married, she'd just be living in a different place—she'd still be with her.

This was the benefit of being rich: you could have homes connected to each other.

Comforted by Liu Tianxian, Liu Xiaoli's sadness faded quite a bit—after all, her daughter was with her.

The car stopped at the airport. Fang Hong put on his sunglasses, lifted the elders' luggage, then helped the two old ones out of the car and escorted them to the check-in counter.

The terminal was spacious and bright, with a huge space and smooth marble floor tiles. Lots of people came and went, with a noisy echo.

Since they'd bought first-class tickets, they could wait in the VIP lounge and check in soon.???? "Principal!"

Just as they were heading to the VIP lounge, Lu Dabo ran up to Fang Hong with another person, reached out to block the way, and whispered a few words in his ear.

When Lu Dabo wasn't on set, he served as Fang Hong's security. But since Fang Hong generally kept a low profile, most of the time Lu Dabo was handling logistics for Jade Rabbit.

That meant being in charge of company security, vehicle management, materials procurement, and the like. The company was getting bigger and bigger, and the number of staff inside was growing too.

Materials and vehicles, of course, are needed year after year, since they are consumables.

This is also why he could often steal fuel, but now he no longer needs to— the company has implemented fuel cards, so he can just mix personal and official expenses for reimbursement.

With a film production base, his authority will only grow larger in the future.

"I understand. Wait for me," Fang Hong waved his hand, telling him to keep his distance.

Lu Dabo, sensing the mood, led his subordinates away.

"Xiao Fang, if you have something to do, go ahead. Don't worry about us," his aunt said.

"It's not a big deal. I promised Tianxian I'd get you all there safely," Fang Hong said.

"You're just too obedient to her. We're perfectly fine—we can walk and run," his aunt said.

"This kid is just too honest," his grandmother said.

Fang Hong said nothing, only smiled.

Entering the VIP lounge, it was comfortable and clean, with sofa seating.

After waiting a while, Fang Hong finally escorted his elders to the check-in counter.

"Xiao Fang, go back. Be careful on the road," his aunt said, waving to him after passing through security, signaling he could leave.

Fang Hong waved back, and only after they disappeared from view did he turn back, pulling out his phone: "Find a place with no one around."

Saying that, he hung up.

In an abandoned factory, a young man around twenty huddled on the ground, head in hands, surrounded by several large men glaring at him fiercely.

"Which news outlet are you from? Who sent you?" Lu Dabo asked.

The man looked at the group, glanced at the leader, then at the Principal checking his camera nearby— he was certainly terrified.

He lowered his head and stayed silent.

If he confessed, they'd surely cause trouble for his boss.

Fang Hong held a professional camera, scrolling through the photos inside— including shots of him helping Liu Tianxian's elders board their car.

But these photos were blurry, because he was far away and there were obstructions; the shots weren't clear.

But at the airport, when he helped several elders out of the car and carried their luggage, the images in the terminal were much clearer— since it was a public space, closer distance and better angles were possible.

Lu Dabo walked over to Fang Hong and asked: "Principal, how should we handle this?"

The Principal didn't respond, so he couldn't resort to force.

"Let him go," Fang Hong put down the camera.

"Huh?!" Lu Dabo widened his eyes in shock: "Wait, you're just letting him go?"

"What do you want to do? Beat him up? Cut off his hands or feet? Kill him? That's illegal—you'll go to jail," Fang Hong said.

The young reporter far away felt slightly relieved— looks like the Principal is still a coward!

"I'll go to jail if needed—you'll be fine. But if this gets randomly photographed and your privacy spread everywhere, how much face will you lose?"

"And if this leaks, public opinion will explode—it won't just be your problem, but your whole family's. It might even hurt the elders. Can you tolerate that?"

Lu Dabo spoke with some passion.

If this leaked, it would be major news—the perfect topic for Wangyi to gossip about.

Wangyi are reckless, love to blab nonsense, and gossip will fly everywhere—even if rivals don't stir the pot, rumors will still spread.

And this isn't just about Fang Hong and Liu Tianxian—it involves the entire privacy of Liu Tianxian's family.

If this gets out, anyone will dare to sneak photos, and paparazzi will lose all respect.

Lu Dabo's words made the reporter tense again— this guy's heart is too cruel. He'd rather go to jail just to destroy him.

Fang Hong pinched the back of his neck, smiled approvingly, then walked toward the reporter. The large men parted to let him through.

This left Lu Dabo utterly confused.

"Take your camera and go," Fang Hong handed the camera to the reporter.

The young reporter was stunned: "You're really letting me go?"

"I'm just a small businessman. I don't want to break the law. What could I possibly do to you?" Fang Hong spread his hands.

This left the reporter even more confused—he could've just beaten him up to vent, and even that wouldn't have caused trouble. But the Principal seemed afraid, turned cowardly.

He must have status now— he's cautious.

"Get out!" Lu Dabo roared at the dazed reporter.

The reporter jumped, then scrambled away in panic.

Once the reporter left, Fang Hong changed expression, grabbing Lu Dabo before he could scatter: "Follow him. Find out who's behind him."

Lu Dabo was baffled— just let him go, and now you want to tail him? Isn't interrogation better?

"Hurry, he's getting far away," Fang Hong said.

Lu Dabo quickly picked two sharp-eyed subordinates, gave them instructions, and they nodded, swiftly following.

Fang Hong called Huang Bing: "Monitor for anyone leaking my info to media or online—especially Weibo."

He wanted to catch whoever was behind this— see if there were other photos. This kid might only be part of it.

(End of Chapter)