Chapter 514: The Corners of the Mouth Turn Up

Jack Ma really hadn't expected that the massive hit of this animated film would elevate the Principal's standing in some people's minds to an almost infinite degree.

Cultural export has always been something the higher-ups attach great importance to, from the very beginning right up to now.

And his Alibaba isn't a key enterprise in the cultural field.

Yan Zi said nothing; she was thinking what other countermeasures there could be, how else to respond—nothing more than him cursing every artist under Jade Rabbit to death.

But cursing others to death, the Principal only targeted her alone; the one who got hurt was still her, a complete loss outweighing any gain.

Unless they went after Liu Tianxian—but how?

Nothing more than cursing again. Huayi had long been cursed into a storm of abuse, and it didn't work. They don't have an ideology problem, only a nationality problem.

This matter can't be escalated into a political issue!

What she didn't know was that if she dared act this way, Fang Hong would make her fall beyond redemption. Fang Hong does keep a bottom line.

For several days running, the higher-ups made no further moves, as if in complete silence, as if the matter were invisible in certain people's eyes.

But the negative coverage against Yan Zi never stopped; not only did it not stop, it grew even fiercer.

Because some people noticed that the Principal seemed to have gained the upper hand, so Yan Zi's former rivals and enemies going after her was only natural.

And Yan Zi made no further moves either, as if she too had vanished—in truth, she was wrestling with herself.

Jack Ma telling her to apologize meant telling her to let the Principal trample her. But there was no other way: if she didn't let the Principal trample her, she'd be blacklisted by the Principal until she quit the industry.

And this matter had nothing to do with Jack Ma, because from start to finish he never showed his face. Though he was one of the masterminds behind the scenes, he had always kept himself out of it.

Call it big and it's the "Rabbit-Cat War"; call it small and it's just a cursing battle between Yan Zi and Wangyi.

Jade Rabbit was also behind the scenes, never stepping onto the front stage!

The industry was also abuzz with discussion. Da Baobei asked Huang Jiaozhu: "Did the Principal win?"

"You could say that. As long as the Principal gets past this hurdle, he's won. It proves the Principal has registered himself in the minds of certain big shots." A wistful look was in Huang Jiaozhu's eyes too.

Jack Ma must have called in favors from his network this time, but failing even with that proves the Principal matters in certain people's eyes too.

It seemed the Principal gained nothing from all this, but what others didn't know was that the Principal gained attention.

If anything like this happens again, no one can use political means to suppress the Principal.

Only commercial competition is allowed.

This was undoubtedly a protective talisman placed over the Principal. And right now Alibaba isn't that dominant in the entertainment field, so things have to stop here.

"Sigh, the Principal won, so Liu Tianxian is even more unshakeable now." Da Baobei sighed.

They had also said that if the Principal lost, their sisters would swarm in and devour Liu Tianxian alive—after all, she blocked too many people's paths.

Who would have thought even Alibaba couldn't beat the Principal.

In truth, plenty of people harbored such thoughts, just waiting for the Principal to lose and be caught—so they could use Liu Tianxian as the sacrificial lamb.

Because Liu Tianxian's biggest backer is the Principal. If the Principal falls, how could Liu Tianxian fare well?

Liu Tianxian saw that no judicial police had come for several days, a scene of complete calm, and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

At home, she clapped her hands with a "smack" and said joyfully: "Wow, you really guessed right—they really backed off."

"What could they do even if they didn't back off? I told you, I'm on the side of justice. It's not that the country can't see." Fang Hong said proudly, in the middle of unwrapping a painting.

Once the higher-ups step in, there's nothing he can do; he can only behave obediently. Do too much and the higher-ups will think this person carries too much hostility.

"Oh alright, alright, you're the best." Liu Tianxian was much more relaxed this time. She looped her arm around his shoulder and gave him a loud smooch on the cheek, looking very at ease.

As long as no one comes to arrest her man, nothing bad will happen. The storm has passed and the sky cleared.

Liu Tianxian watched him unwrap the painting's packaging. This painting had been sent over by the Warner General Manager some time ago and had never been opened.

"In the future, don't get involved in anything this dangerous." Liu Xiaoli brought over a plate of fruit and set it on the table; she had been worried for a long time too.

Afraid her son-in-law would be taken away by someone and charged!

"Okay, but this is actually a good thing for me too—it proves I'm still of some use." Fang Hong said with a smile.

Liu Xiaoli nodded. She agreed with that. Don't be fooled by the higher-ups doing nothing—in fact, their attitude had been made clear.

And that attitude was favorable to Fang Hong. In other words, don't think about using underhanded tricks, don't think about going after people—everything else is fair game.

Of course, this is on the condition that Fang Hong makes no mistakes.

"What use are you?" Liu Tianxian popped a grape into her mouth, putting on a clueless look.

Hearing this, Fang Hong looked at her utterly speechless.

Liu Tianxian let out a "hehe" laugh, patted his head, and said: "Useful, useful, you're very useful."

Liu Xiaoli couldn't help but laugh, patted her daughter's shoulder: "All you know is eating."

"What's wrong with me eating? Didn't you bring it over for us to eat?" Liu Tianxian protested.

"Then give Xiao Fang some too." Liu Xiaoli said.

"Here, hubby, open wide." Liu Tianxian picked up a grape and popped it into Fang Hong's mouth.

A picture full of affection—mainly because she was in such a great, beautiful mood right now.

Fang Hong chewed while spreading out a painting with his hands.

The painting was a classical Chinese landscape. Judging by its condition, jagged rock peaks towered at the top, while moisture-laden trees shrouded the bottom.

"This painting looks quite artistic. What's it called?" Liu Tianxian asked.

Liu Xiaoli tilted her head to look too; it seemed quite valuable.

Fang Hong picked up the outer packaging and checked the label: "It's called something like 'Stream Mountain and Lan Ruo Painting.'"

Liu Tianxian took out her phone to look up its value, and said with her little mouth agape: "Wow, over ten million! That Lao Zha is quite generous."

Fang Hong called the guy Lao Zha, and she followed suit calling him Lao Zha—probably because she couldn't recall his name at the moment.

After all, foreign names are quite a mouthful.

"That's quite valuable." Liu Xiaoli spoke up. A painting reaching tens of millions is already a rare breed—not every painting can reach a value of over a hundred million; that's an extremely small number of artworks.

In truth, this kind of artwork—say it's worth a fortune and it's worth a fortune; say it's worthless and it's worthless.

Just a piece of paper with a landscape painted on it— to someone who can't even afford enough to eat, it's trash.

"It's yours," Fang Hong rolled up the scroll and tossed it to Liu Tianxian.

"Oh my, you're so generous," Liu Tianxian teased with a laugh, passing on what others gave him as if it were a grand gift.

Fang Hong fell silent, gently tapping her cheek in retaliation.

Liu Xiaoli chuckled softly—these two were something else.

"Xiao Fang, what are you planning to do next about Yan Zi?" she asked.

"Of course I'll keep digging into her. If she doesn't apologize, I'll drag her out of the industry entirely," Fang Hong stuck to his goal.

Yan Zi has gone into hiding now—she can't show her face anywhere; the online backlash is everywhere.

Many Wangyi are still denouncing her.

Not a single line, post, or content in 69 Book Ba is without it!

"Isn't this going too far?" Liu Xiaoli said.

"Mom, if I just let this go without any apology, I could've let it go long ago," Fang Hong insisted on an apology.

If Yan Zi doesn't bow to him, this won't be over.

"Yes, earlier Huang Jiaozhu called me, saying he wanted to make peace—but Fang Hong refused right away," Liu Tianxian added.

"If you've made up your mind, I won't say more. But you two should talk more, don't act so impulsively," Liu Xiaoli warned.

"Yes, Mom," Fang Hong nodded.

As the three were chatting, Liu Tianxian's phone rang. She pulled it out and exclaimed in surprise: "It's Huang Jiaozhu."

"Answer it."

Fang Hong guessed something had happened with Yan Zi again.

Liu Tianxian gave a serious nod, then picked up and said: "Hello, Xiaoming."

Liu Xiaoli was listening beside her.

"Tianxian, are you free lately?" Huang Jiaozhu said.

"What do you want? You've got to be clear—you know we're both married. People misunderstanding us would be terrible," Liu Tianxian said with a smile, teasing.

"You're right."

Huang Jiaozhu added: "I'm inviting you and the Principal to dinner—of course, Yan Zi will be there too."

He knew perfectly well that even if he didn't say it, they'd guess.

On the other side, Yan Zi looked exhausted—mainly from the mental struggle and overwhelming pressure over this period.

"That's fine for me, but I don't know if Fang Hong will go. You know—he rarely attends gatherings," Liu Tianxian glanced at Fang Hong.

Fang Hong gave a slight nod—he'd say exactly that, to find out what they really wanted before deciding whether to go.

"This won't work without the Principal!" Huang Jiaozhu was frustrated.

What use was Liu Tianxian coming? The Principal had to come—it was all about resolving the conflict.

He added again: "Tianxian, please help me communicate with the Principal."

"But you won't tell me anything—how am I supposed to communicate? You have to tell me what this is about, so I know what to say," Liu Tianxian replied.

Huang Jiaozhu hadn't expected Liu Tianxian to be so difficult—how could he say outright that Yan Zi wanted to apologize?

Could he say, "Yan Zi wants to apologize to your husband, so come out"? That would destroy Yan Zi's face completely.

They'd just speak gently when they met—everyone's dignity would be preserved.

That's what he thought.

"It's like this—there might be some misunderstanding between both sides. Let's sit down and talk it through, clear up the misunderstanding," Huang Jiaozhu said.

That phrasing was much better—it preserved Yan Zi's dignity.

"Oh, I'll see if he'll go—I can't guarantee it," Liu Tianxian said.

"Tianxian, you're so close to the Principal—your words will definitely have an effect," Huang Jiaozhu flattered.

Yan Zi didn't want to drag this out any longer—she was already at this point; the longer it dragged, the more she'd suffer.

"Not necessarily. After all, this isn't a normal gathering—it has a purpose. So I can't guarantee anything," Liu Tianxian never committed fully.

Meaning: casual hangouts? Sure. But this one with an agenda? No promises.

Huang Jiaozhu felt drained—when had Liu Tianxian become so sharp? He glanced at Yan Zi across from him and asked for her opinion.

Yan Zi gave a slight nod—she had no choice but to surrender.

"It's like this—Yan Zi knows she's wrong and wants to apologize to the Principal. Could you please help us speak to him?" Huang Jiaozhu's tone was soft.

Yan Zi seemed drained of her Essence.

On the other end, Liu Tianxian's lips curled upward, her face full of amusement as she looked at Fang Hong and her mother.

Fang Hong and Liu Xiaoli had heard too—they couldn't help smiling. All that arrogance, and still she had to apologize and beg for mercy. What a showoff.

"Alright, Xiaoming, I'll try to talk to my Fang Hong," Liu Tianxian finally agreed.

Huang Jiaozhu was speechless—after all that, she only said "I'll try"? Couldn't she just say yes outright?

But there was nothing he could do—the upper hand was with them now.

(End of Chapter)