Chapter 603: Can't Even Keep a Low Profile

Just as Yuetu and Bona were both consolidating their own resources, the entertainment circle's big melons still hadn't quieted down.

Fan Xiaopang and Da Heiniu made their relationship public, released their couple photos, and kicked off the public-display-of-affection mode, with intimate photos leaking out from time to time.

They're in the honeymoon phase, perfectly normal!

Not only that, the two of them also appeared on Xiao S's variety show, dropping raunchy jokes every now and then; Fan Xiaopang said they often chat about "smack-smack" topics.

Who knows whether Da Heiniu is really simple and honest or just showing off—he went on the show and spilled the beans about their bedroom schedule.

It's more showing off than anything; if he were really that simple, he wouldn't have "wholesale-distributed" those heart-shaped stones, and he wouldn't have gotten involved in the Stab-Each-Other Sect incident.

Allegedly—and only allegedly—what the audience saw was the censored version; the uncensored version was far more explicit than that.

They talked about what positions they used, how Fan Ye cooperated, because Da Heiniu's arm was injured when he was on the show.

So they could only do it from behind, or with the woman on top!

These artists are like pure little white lotuses on Neidi variety shows, but the moment they get on a Baodao variety show they transform into adult Experts.

Of course that's just how this show is—if you go on it, you have to be mentally prepared to be asked questions like that; when the old man and Xia Jie went on this show—

The old man also spilled the beans, saying he and Xia Jie had to go a few rounds every night.

Fang Hong and Liu Tianxian have never been like that; the two of them never get all lovey-dovey in public facing the camera—at most they hold hands or put an arm around the waist, that kind of thing.

They've never leaked photos of the two of them to the outside world either.

And they've never discussed what their private life is like, or what their relationship is like.

So self-media constantly write articles saying the two of them have broken up, analyzing this and that and sounding perfectly logical, but they always get slapped in the face; during that meeting with Bona, Liu Tianxian's behavior alone showed the two of them were still very much in love.

Besides all that, Xiao S asked Fan Xiaopang: "So do you two ever talk about other things in the entertainment circle, like certain people?"

"We do, we do talk about it; normally we're pretty gossipy too!" Fan Xiaopang said with a smile, looking very lively.

"Then what did you say about the Principal? You worked together on Star You before, you should know him pretty well, right?" Xiao S asked.

"Actually I don't really know him; when we're together we only talk about work. If you want to chat about private stuff with him there's nothing to talk about—he won't actively bring up topics, at most a couple of lines and then it gets awkward." Every time Fan Xiaopang talked with the Principal, it was basically like that.

Once work was done and she wanted to chat about private stuff, it basically couldn't continue.

"Then isn't this person really boring?" Xiao S asked curiously.

Recently the matter of the Principal and Bona has also affected their Hong Kong and Taiwan entertainment circles; many artists going north to film, Bona is one of their top cooperation choices.

Now that Bona belongs to Yuetu, the future of Hong Kong and Taiwan artists and filmmakers is up in the air!

"Not really—if he were truly boring, how could he be with Liu Tianxian? I can only say I'm not his type." Fan Xiaopang said.

"Oh! You used to fantasize about the Principal?" Xiao S opened her mouth wide, looking very surprised.

Da Heiniu stood beside her, looking at his woman with a simple, honest face.

"Hehehe, the Principal really is excellent; I really admire him, he's a very wise person." Fan Xiaopang laughed awkwardly.

"Tell us the truth—did you used to fantasize about the Principal, want to sleep with him?" Xiao S asked very explicitly, without any attempt to disguise it.

"At the time I did have a little bit of that idea, thought this person was excellent, thought about dating him, but what you're saying about sleeping with him is an exaggeration." Fan Xiaopang spoke frankly, saying it with a smile.

"Hahaha, so there really was." Xiao S laughed out loud.

"You don't have a chance anymore, the Principal already has Liu Tianxian." Cai Yongkang said.

Fan Xiaopang smiled without answering them, and instead soothed Da Heiniu: "That was a long time ago."

Da Heiniu nodded, feeling like there was a patch of green, green grass on his head—his own charm couldn't compare to the Principal's.

These conversations were all explosive; even after editing they were still explosive, becoming a new hot topic for Wangyi.

Of course there were also Wangyi discussing Fang Hong.

"The Principal may be a bad guy, but he's never made a mistake in his private life!"

"Right, never heard of him using his position to sleep with anyone, never seen him being ambiguous with any woman."

"Even Fan Xiaopang isn't interested—wondering if the Principal is even a man."

"Who says the Principal isn't a man? The Principal chose the Heavenly Fairy."

"If it were me, I'd choose Fan Xiaopang!"

"I also choose Fan Xiaopang, Fan Xiaopang is gorgeous."

"I choose Liu Tianxian, the Heavenly Fairy is beautiful."

"."

What had been a perfectly good discussion turned into a clash over which of the two great beauties could outshine the other—perfectly normal, these two have a lot of fans online.

But aesthetics is a very subjective thing; some people think this person is beautiful, some think that person is beautiful, and some think Furong Jiejie and Feng Jie are beautiful—hard to say.

Everyone has their own aesthetic standard; some people like the inner quality, some like the outer, anyway Fang Hong likes Liu Tianxian's inner and outer both.

Besides all this, recently the news of Wang Fei and Xie Tingfeng getting back together has been stirred up again.

Ever since Wang Fei's divorce, the two of them's love gets dug up and rehashed by the media every year.

Chen Chichi's cheating-and-divorce incident has also been hyped up hot.

With the development of internet media, the entertainment circle never lacks big melons; these celebrities' private affairs are very easy to dig up.

Don't think celebrities of the past were any better—it's just that internet media wasn't developed back then, so it couldn't be dug up.

Actually the entertainment circle has always been like this; if you want to compare, the entertainment circle of the past was even more vicious than now.

Now even small matters can be blown way out of proportion; in the past you didn't have to be that careful.

Could you handle being written up in a little essay at the drop of a hat? The whole internet would know immediately. The explosion of self-media has made celebrities have to live extremely carefully.

There really are too many lessons from the past, you have to be careful.

Yuanmeng Tiancheng's takeover of Bona has far-reaching effects; the resource integration is also ongoing, not something that will fade away in a little while or a month or two.

Wangyi aren't discussing it much—they're not interested in this financial event—but everyone in the entertainment circle can feel the tangible changes.

For example, when Bona won the bid from the Ministry of Public Security for the Operation Mekong Action project, the male lead that was originally meant for Peng Yuyan was switched to Xie Miao.

Of course Bona continues to strengthen its cooperation with Hong Kong filmmakers—cooperating with China Star on League of Gods, and with Media Asia on Call of Heroes, From Vegas to Macau 3, and so on.

Due to changes in the situation, Wang Jin wasn't sure if he could launch From Vegas to Macau 3, so he asked Yu Pangzi about it.

After all, Fa Ge had past grievances with the Principal.

Yu Pangzi wasn't sure either, so he asked Liu Tianxian—he didn't dare ask the Principal, since the Principal wasn't as easy to talk to as Liu Tianxian.

Liu Tianxian said, "Go ahead and shoot it; Fang Hong isn't that petty."

That grudge had already passed, back when Zhang Hongsen mediated it; Fang Hong never held a grudge against Fa Ge and tried to blacklist him—he's not that petty.

This put Yu Pangzi at ease, Wang Jin confidently launched From Vegas to Macau 3, and Fa Ge's anxious heart finally settled.

Don't be fooled by Fa Ge's glamour and high status—he now focuses mainly on the Neidi market; if no one hires him for films, he's just another has-been.

Fewer people hire him these days: one reason is his age, another is that his recent film performances have proven he doesn't draw box office.

It's not just him—all Hong Kong actors will eventually show their true colors; audiences won't keep paying just for nostalgia.

Since the acquisition of Bona, voices within the entertainment industry about that mother-daughter pair have grown much quieter.

After all, the one who took over Bona is already a giant among giants to some stars, and Liu Tianxian has the Principal behind her.

Now, Chang'e Yutu is powerful enough to negotiate theater projects with capital—it's no longer something ordinary film companies can afford.

It's already competing with top theater chains like Wanda and Dadi.

Theaters are heavy-asset businesses; acquiring, renovating, upgrading, changing signs, and paying staff salaries all require hundreds of millions to manage.

This has drawn some people closer to Liu Tianxian, increasing their contact frequency—like Feng Shaofeng, Huang Jiaozhu, Tang Yan, and others.

They occasionally check in to ask how she's been lately.

Once you reach a certain level of strength, people naturally come to flatter you.

Previously, everyone could treat each other as equals; now it feels unequal—Liu Tianxian has risen above them in status.

But Liu Tianxian remains as down-to-earth as ever.

Recently, rumors that the Principal and Liu Tianxian are getting married have spread rapidly through the circle—it can't be hidden, since Fang Hong and Liu Tianxian are both part of this world.

Notices were sent to Liu Tianxian's friends and actors like Zhang Jingying, Shuchang, Zhu Yawen, then to political and business figures like Chen Zhixi, Zhang Hongsen, Tan Sijiang—already, gossip was flying everywhere.

Many people are inquiring who the Principal and Liu Tianxian invited, and many are using connections to try to attend the wedding.

The wedding is not open to the public; no reporters will be invited to interview or photograph it; who is invited and who isn't is strictly decided.

Those who can attend are either political figures or major bosses like Chen Zhixi, Yu Pangzi, Zhang Yiming, Zhang Nan.

Also included are Zhong Junyan, CEO of Huanrui; Cao Huayi, CEO of Xinli Media; Long Danni, CEO of Tianyu; Li Bailian and Li Xue, CEOs of Hesong Media; Fu Meicheng and Zhao Yifang of Huace Film.

All are big names in the film industry, people who control resources, and all have had some level of cooperation with Chang'e Yutu.

Don't assume Chang'e Yutu has enemies everywhere—in fact, mid-tier and bottom-tier film companies still have a favorable view of Chang'e Yutu; rights are open, cooperation is open, and Chang'e Video's online revenue-sharing model are all active collaborations.

Some companies have deep cooperation, including artist and production collaboration.

Chang'e Yutu is only competing with the top tier—Alibaba, Tencent, Wanda, Huayi—are the ones competing.

It hasn't seized market share from mid- and small film companies; on the contrary, its web drama promotion has expanded the entire pie.

Any production that goes live on Chang'e Video can earn money through the revenue-sharing model.

Chang'e Yutu is only competing with top-tier forces; every step Chang'e Yutu takes now is taking meat from their plates, squeezing their space.

After all, the higher up you go, the smaller the pie becomes.

So the conflict is huge and irreconcilable—no one wants to stay beneath another.

Unless someone doesn't want to progress, then there's no conflict!

Of course, grudges are grudges, competition is competition—Fang Hong and Liu Tianxian's wedding naturally invited Xiao Wang, Lao Wang Zong, Lei Bus, Jack Ma, Tony Ma, and others.

After all, they've been competing for years and know each other well—no battle, no acquaintance; whether they come or not is up to them.

So Fang Hong and Liu Tianxian's wedding will have many high-level celebrities; just getting in means you can interact and become familiar.

If you connect with even one of them, your whole life will benefit.

At this moment, Liu Tianxian stood before the makeup mirror, wearing a red wedding gown reminiscent of ancient styles, looking elegant; behind her, the makeup artist combed her smooth long hair, while Zhang Jingying, Shuchang, and other close friends stood nearby.

Yet Liu Tianxian was on the phone, saying: "Oh, I thought you were busy, so I didn't dare to bother you."

"No, no, we're not distant—I was just about to invite you."

"On the 18th of this month, you must come."

Liu Tianxian managed to end the call, then pressed her forehead, looking weary.

"What's wrong? You're about to get married—why aren't you happy?" Zhang Jingying placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Ah, you don't understand—since the news of my wedding spread, everyone I know or don't know has called, asking why they weren't invited, if I'm being distant, and so on—it's giving me a headache," Liu Tianxian explained.

Lately, her phone has been ringing nonstop.

"You should've invited everyone properly for such a big event," Zhang Jingying said.

"Many of them I barely know—just casual professional ties. Why invite them?"

Liu Tianxian added: "Originally, Fang Hong and I planned for a low-key wedding, but now everyone knows."

"Your wedding was bound to leak—ask around and you'll find out. Many people aren't coming for the wedding—they're coming to get face time, to network," Shuchang said.

Everyone knew this couldn't be stopped.

Just as Liu Tianxian was about to speak again, her phone rang once more.

"Who is it?" Zhang Jingying glanced at her phone.

"Brother Fang Long."

Liu Tianxian pressed answer. "Hello, brother."

"Tianxian, I heard you're getting married—why didn't you invite me? You know I love a good party," Fang Long's voice was as booming as ever.

"I didn't exclude you—we're still finalizing the guest list and haven't sent out all invitations yet," Liu Tianxian could only say.

"Oh, so I called too early," Fang Long felt relieved.

"No, perfect timing—I'm inviting you now. The invitation will arrive shortly; you must attend," Liu Tianxian knew how to speak well.

"Alright, alright." Fang Long smiled broadly.

After they finished talking, Liu Tianxian looked helplessly at him, "Fang Long doesn't interact with me or Fang Hong at all."

"Come on, that's enough. Other people getting married would kill for a lively celebration—you're getting married and people are lining up to come, you should be happy."

"You're right." Liu Tianxian relaxed.

Then she faced the mirror, gazing at her reflection—lips red, teeth white, her red dress like fire.

Today was just a fitting, not the wedding, and this outfit wasn't the bridal gown—it was the reception attire for toasting guests.

The bridal gown isn't this simple.

"Tianxian, you're the most beautiful bride I've ever seen," the stylist sighed.

"Really?" Liu Tianxian asked with a smile.

"Of course," the stylist combed her hair, preparing for the photo session.

Liu Tianxian smiled, picked up her phone and took a selfie, just as she was about to send it to Fang Hong, the phone rang again—a number she didn't recognize.

"Hello, Liu Tianwang?"

(End of Chapter)