Chapter 297

"Brother, I've finished reading."

Wang Zonglei sat in the back seat of his Range Rover, holding a phone to his ear with one hand while resting the other on the back of the head of the person between his legs.

At this moment, compared to over a year ago, he was very different.

If a friend who hadn't seen him for a few years were to look at him, they absolutely wouldn't recognize this bloated, greasy fat man as the same suave Young Master Wang from before.

On his fleshy face, only those eyes faintly retained a trace of their former appearance.

"Tell me." The voice from the receiver was calm, just like Huayi, which had escaped death; the past year had been tranquil, as if all grudges had passed.

But in reality, only Wang Zonglei knew that Wang Zongjun had never let go.

After all, they had been just that close to successfully listing Huayi and transforming into a dragon.

It ended up being ruined by that person, and to this day, the listing plan hadn't been able to be put back on the agenda.

Such deep hatred could not be let go of just by saying so.

"I think we can give it a try. Claiming that the idiot he played in that film damages our country's image is basically justifiable. Anyway, splashing mud on him is no problem."

"And do you think that will hurt his foundation?"

"This... probably not."

"... Forget it, if it won't, it won't. It's not realistic to expect to take him down with one or two things right now."

"Then... should we pause that matter with Xiao Shenyang?"

"Pause it." A sudden irritation came through the phone. "Damn it, do you think that little bastard sensed something? How come there's absolutely no reaction?"

Reaction? What reaction? Even if he were Chen Nuo, he couldn't possibly have a reaction. If a dog barks at you while you're walking down the street, no human would bark back.

Besides, what kind of person is Chen Nuo?

He returned from Cannes with an award, such a great opportunity for hype, yet he didn't accept a single exclusive interview. I heard he even turned down an interview with CCTV, using the excuse of preparing for his graduation play.

Could he have a reaction because of a video of Xiao Shenyang?

Wang Zonglei's mouth twitched, but he couldn't bring himself to say these things.

In fact, he didn't feel that what he was doing now caused any actual damage to Chen Nuo.

It could only be said that since he was idle, he might as well find something to do.

"Speak!" Wang Zongjun was getting angry. "Are you fucking messing with women again?"

"No, no. I'm thinking about things, brother." Wang Zonglei immediately pressed down on the head between his legs.

"And what have you thought of?"

"I, I... I'm thinking, I feel we still need to start from the relationship aspect. Just like Liu Dehua, he's been in a mess lately, maybe even retiring. So, brother, I think romantic relationships are the news that truly has killing power, and the media is willing to report it."

The voice on the phone pondered, "That makes sense. But where do we start? Last time we said he took several women to Palm Beach to mess around, and the buzz was just so-so. How else can we hype his scandals?"

Wang Zonglei said, "Brother, my idea is that we change the angle. He isn't afraid, but aren't the people under him afraid? Last time, our focus shouldn't have been on him."

"Interesting. Then who are you planning to start with? Fan Fan Binbing?"

"No, Fan Fan Binbing is an old hand. I mean the one currently living in his house..."

"Liu Yifei?"

"Right! Even if we can't kill him, we can disgust him to death."

Gu Xuan had a bright, vintage face with delicate, three-dimensional features, looking somewhat mixed-race.

Between her brows and eyes, she carried a naked, provocative beauty.

However, at this moment, with saliva flowing and her face twisted, she was far from beautiful.

The words of the fat man above her head reached her ears, but she didn't pay much attention.

For a small actress like her, Liu Yifei or Fan Fan Binbing were too far away; she only wanted to seize this hard-won opportunity.

The phone call ended, Wang Zonglei patted the back of her head, and Gu Xuan immediately lifted her head.

"Not bad, get on top." Wang Zonglei said with a smile.

"Okay, Mr. Wang." Gu Xuan agreed and immediately lifted her skirt, taking off her black stockings, but when it came down to it, she still wanted to confirm one more time.

She looked at the fat man in the darkness and gathered her courage to ask, "Mr. Wang, is there really no problem with the *High School Musical* role?"

"Nonsense. I said the second female lead is yours, so it's yours. Don't you believe me?"

"No, it's not that, I was just asking."

Wang Zonglei stroked her cheek. Having left the position of Huayi's boss, he hadn't tasted such fresh goods in a long time, and for a moment, he was truly tempted.

He said with some sincerity, "Rest assured, what is my status? Would I tease a little girl like you? Disney and my brother are preparing to promote all newcomers. Do you know how popular those actors in the American *High School Musical* are now?"

"Mm..." A trace of heat appeared in Gu Xuan's eyes.

Wang Zonglei chuckled, "As long as you are obedient, it won't be long before you are just as popular."

Thinking of that future, Gu Xuan felt a surge of heat in her heart. Resisting the nausea, she climbed onto the fat man.

"What? Nolan is coming to China again?" Qi Yuntian said in surprise.

Chen Nuo asked strangely, "Why are you making such a big fuss?"

Qi Yuntian was puzzled, "It's not that. I've always been in contact with Jonathan, how come he didn't tell me?"

Chen Nuo glanced out the car window. A sign had just flashed past on the street: Long'an Beef Noodles.

He didn't know if it was real or fake.

In a place like Jingcheng, he had encountered shops selling Lanzhou ramen under the Long'an Beef Noodles sign several times, but he fell for it every time.

Sigh, this time was no exception.

He tapped the back of the driver's seat, "Brother Linghu, remember this location. When we head back later, we'll come here for noodles."

"Alright." Linghu agreed.

Only then did Chen Nuo turn back to Qi Yuntian, "It wasn't Jonathan, it was Christopher. He called me last night to ask about homework. After we finished, we chatted for a while. He said they have organized many teams to scout locations all over the world. He is still in Malta and is about to go to Tokyo. I represented China and invited him."

Qi Yuntian laughed, "How did you trick him?"

Chen Nuo said irritably, "Trick him, my ass. I just told the truth. Originally, everything that place in Japan has, we have in China, and what they don't have, we also have. If you want to reflect some Asian culture in the film, and you don't come to the source but go to see a copycat version, isn't that sick?"

"And besides regional culture, our natural scenery isn't bad either. I said I'd take him to Xinjiang to see it. What is a dream? I said you'll only know when you come here; it's so beautiful it's like a dream. Adding it to the film will definitely be a plus."

Qi Yuntian said, "He agreed?"

"Mm, he'll be here in a few days. It happens to be after my graduation ceremony. I'll take him for a tour then, consider it a graduation trip. When I get back, it'll be time to film that Jiang Wen project."

As they talked, the car arrived at their destination: a studio for filming a Porsche advertisement.

This time, in addition to rehearsing his play, Chen Nuo took the time to shoot some print ads, because the Porsche people seemed to really take him, the first global brand ambassador in a century, seriously.

The design plan for the TV commercial had reportedly been changed more than ten times. It hadn't been finalized yet. It got the deputy general manager of Ogilvy & Mather, the world's number one advertising agency, to post on Twitter that he hadn't been home in three days.

However, the style of the print ads was decided surprisingly quickly, which made Chen Nuo quite curious before he arrived.

After arriving and seeing the setup in the studio, he understood a bit. After changing clothes and taking a few sets of photos, he couldn't help himself.

He walked straight over to take a look at the finished shots on the bearded foreign photographer's camera.

Sure enough.

Like this one just taken.

A vintage Porsche car was parked in an old garage, revealing the headlights and the Porsche logo with a strong sense of history.

He was on the right side of the frame, wearing blue jeans and casual clothes, with a yellow raincoat over them, hands in his pockets, looking as if he were walking past the garage.

He wasn't looking at the camera, nor was he looking at the car.

It was as if he were passing by unintentionally, his posture casual to the extreme.

In the whole photo, only a small part of his side profile was visible, but it was just enough for people to recognize that it was him.

While Chen Nuo was looking, the foreign photographer had been observing him secretly.

After finishing, Chen Nuo smiled and gave the other person a thumbs up, saying, "I even feel like I took this myself."

Clearly, this style referenced the photos he had posted on Facebook.

The foreign photographer immediately laughed out loud, "Chen, let me introduce myself. My name is Ryan McGinley, and I am the photographer on FB who imitates your style the best. That is also why I got this job. I have always wanted to tell you in person that I love your photography style. I also didn't expect that I would actually have the opportunity to shoot advertising photos for you one day. This is my honor."

Well, you don't hit a smiling face. Chen Nuo was a bit annoyed at being copied at first. But after seeing the photos in his camera, he felt this person had real talent. After chatting with him for a bit, a thought suddenly rose in his mind.

During the upcoming graduation trip, he seemed to really need someone like this.

The photos he usually uploaded to FB were all taken by him and Qi Yuntian together.

Both of them were amateurs, and the time and energy spent taking a qualified photo were truly significant.

If he were to go scouting locations with Nolan and the others, he definitely wouldn't have time for slow, meticulous work. Having such a photographer follow along would save a lot of trouble.

And he could call the little black girl along too.

Clean and simple, go take some blockbuster photos of Western Region scenery to cleanse the eyes of those foreigners on FB, and at the same time, it could be considered seizing the high ground of public opinion, so that in the future, mentioning Xinjiang wouldn't just mean cotton.

He brought this up to Ryan McGinley right then and there, and the guy was very straightforward, agreeing without even asking about the pay.

Later, Chen Nuo mentioned it to Qi Yuntian, and Qi Yuntian also thought this arrangement was good. He even suggested that if this person performed well, they could add such a permanent position to the team in the future.

After all, isn't it only natural to find a photographer for an online account with nearly 8 million followers?

And it looked like this FB really couldn't collapse; it was an account worth managing well.

Look, just after the financial crisis passed, Qi Yuntian heard from his classmate working on Wall Street in the US that Zuckerberg was seeking a listing.

It was even possible that the IPO numbers would exceed everyone's imagination. Because their user base was visibly growing larger every day.

"Find a way to get some of its original shares."

After shooting the ad, Chen Nuo, Qi Yuntian, and Linghu returned to that Long'an Beef Noodle shop. While waiting for the boss to serve the noodles, they chatted about this matter.

Qi Yuntian was speechless, "What way? How to find a way? I heard that Zuckerberg guy values shares more than his life. This way is not easy to find."

Chen Nuo encouraged, "Don't think it's impossible. Think back to the beginning, how many people thought we couldn't land the role of the Joker, and how many people thought we couldn't get a box office share, right? So, anything is possible. Anyway, we'll think of a way before we go to the US next time, no need to rush." Qi Yuntian thought for a while and frowned, "Actually, if your influence on his company is great enough, great enough that he can't do without you, perhaps you could talk to him..."

"Aren't you going to film some Xinjiang blockbuster this time? Hmm, you say, is it possible to get more followers because of this? If you can become the first social media account in the world to reach ten million followers, I might be able to try to discuss it with Zuckerberg."

Chen Nuo thought for a while, sighed, and said, "Probably a bit difficult. Just that Ryan McGinley? It's not that I look down on him, I feel his technique is just so-so, I'm just using him temporarily because I can't find anyone else, really don't have too high expectations."

Qi Yuntian said, "Then... let's think about it again."

"Mm."

At this moment, the ten-year-old girl who had been hesitating on the side for a long time finally walked over under the encouragement of her parents.

Wow.

Not to mention the little girl who was about to cry, Chen Nuo was almost moved to tears when he suddenly heard the Sichuan accent in her mouth.

It had been a long time since he returned home.

He spent the New Year in Hubei. Although Yichang dialect and Sichuan dialect are not very different, there is still a slight difference.

Signatures and photos can wait, let's chat.

"What's your surname?"

"Zhao."

"What are you doing in Beijing?"

"Playing."

"Are those your parents?"

"Mm."

"You like me?"

"Ah."

"For a long time?"

The little girl didn't seem very smart. She looked up and counted seriously on her fingers for a long time before saying, "Seven months."

"Only liked me for such a short time, then I won't sign for you."

"Ah?"

The little girl was too cute. Seeing her silly and dazed look, not only did Chen Nuo and Qi Yuntian laugh, but her parents on the side were also laughing.

In the end, Chen Nuo softened his heart.

Not only did he agree to all the signatures and photos,

He also asked the noodle shop owner, who had been excited on the side, for a piece of paper, wrote "Study hard, take care of your health," and gave it to this little girl named Zhao Lusi.

Unfortunately, the noodles in this shop were still clear soup and watery, not authentic.

Although Chen Nuo finished eating, he didn't agree to the boss's request for a signed recommendation.

After getting back in the car, Qi Yuntian received a call. After listening for a while, his expression became solemn.

After hanging up, Chen Nuo asked, "What's wrong?"

Qi Yuntian said thoughtfully, "Li Jing said that some news appeared on the internet today about you and Liu Yifei. Yours are all minor matters. The more serious problem now is that the fact that Liu Yifei lives with you has been dug up. It was just a rumor before, but this time someone took photos of Liu Yifei entering and leaving Ziyu Villa and posted them on Tianya and Maopu."

Chen Nuo yawned and said, "And then? Wasn't it hyped before? Let them say whatever they want."

Qi Yuntian frowned, "It's different. This time, the target those people on the internet are aiming at isn't you, it's Liu Yifei."

Chen Nuo didn't take it seriously at first, but after he got home and went online to see for himself, he realized that this matter was indeed a bit serious.

"Delivering herself to the door."

"Really shameless."

"Looks pure and clean on the outside, but actually, hehehe."

"She really moved in, I thought it was a rumor before."

"Pretending to be pure, didn't expect her to be this kind of person."

"Liu Yifei, please look in the mirror, you don't deserve it."

After reading these comments full of slut-shaming, Chen Nuo's expression also became a bit ugly. He looked up and asked, "Where is she?"

Liu Xiaoli said with a terrified expression, "She has been in her room, and she won't come out even when called. Mr. Chen, what should we do? It's all my fault..."

Liu Xiaoli really felt it was all her fault.

Blaming herself for why she wanted to come up with such a crooked idea.

She moved in at the beginning to force Chen Nuo to make his relationship with Liu Yifei public.

But now Chen Nuo and she had reached a secret agreement.

She even promised him to keep it from Liu Yifei that he had other women.

In this way, what position could she have to say anything more?

As a result, now that it's been exposed by those paparazzi, what about Xixi?

If she had known things would develop like this, she would never have brought Liu Yifei to live here, even if it killed her.

Chen Nuo didn't think that much.

He looked at Qi Yuntian irritably; it was all trouble this person stirred up.

Saying that it didn't matter if they moved in.

It didn't matter for him, but could it not matter for the girl?

Look, how to end this now.

This was clearly not just internet trolls making trouble; even his fanatical fans, the so-called "Nuo Mi," were dragged into it.

That day, Xiao Shenyang called him on the phone and told him to manage his fans.

But even if he wanted to agree, he really had no way to manage them.

Because all along, he had avoided direct interaction with his fans.

Unless it was like today, when he met them while eating noodles, he might sign an autograph or take a photo.

Other than that, he had never held a fan meeting, nor had he ever mentioned them in interviews... oh no, he mentioned them once, and it was the only time, at the press conference after winning the Oscar, he told his fans to stay away from him.

The reason,

Most stars would feel happy or even smug because of their fans' love,

But Chen Nuo happened to be an exception.

The experience of dying under a fan's knife made him always have lingering fears and unable to face this matter calmly.

Therefore, now that these "Nuo Mi" were dragged into this matter, he really had no way to deal with it for a moment.

Call out to them?

How is this different from negotiating with terrorists who have taken hostages?

If there is a first time, there will inevitably be a second.

Wouldn't those fanatical fans become even worse in the future?

So this is the worst strategy.

Seeing Liu Xiaoli's lost look, Chen Nuo comforted her, "Liu Ayi, don't worry. We'll ask the company people to go online and muddy the waters, then wait and see. You also tell Liu Yifei to stay off the internet for these two days."

As a result, in the following days, the news about Liu Yifei on the internet not only didn't subside but became more and more intense. Some people even dug up Liu Yifei's old accounts from many years ago.

Originally, Liu Yifei said she would come to see his graduation play.

Now, let alone coming to the Beijing Film Academy.

She didn't even leave her room every day. She locked herself in her room to play games, didn't even come out to eat, only ate one meal a day, and it was always placed at the door by Liu Xiaoli.

By January 26th, the last day of the graduation play, after Chen Nuo got home, he found Liu Xiaoli sitting on the sofa wiping tears.

It turned out that on this day, their former agent, Chen Jinfei, made some remarks while being interviewed by reporters, saying that Liu Yifei was clearly a good girl before, but now she had actually become like this, which really made him unable to believe, and so on.

At this moment, words spoken by one of the closest people seemed to serve as evidence, confirming the netizens' views on her.

Little Dragon Maiden, Wang Yuyan, in these few days, had simply become a term of abuse.

The various images in TV dramas in the past had become a kind of disguise for her in the mouths of those netizens.

And as everyone knows, a hypocrite is more detestable than a true villain.

Chen Nuo sighed and cursed Qi Yuntian a few more times in his heart. "Liu Ayi, stop crying, I'll go up and check on her first."

"Okay, sorry to trouble you, Xiao Chen." Liu Xiaoli wiped her tears and said, "Chen Jinfei must be holding a grudge from that time in the US when I didn't agree to let Xixi meet his friend. I know this person, he is just like this."

"It's okay, there's a way. I'm going up first."

Chen Nuo had actually been keeping track of Liu Yifei's situation through Fan Fan Binbing these past few days.

Until today, Fan Fan Binbing sent a text message saying that Liu Yifei hadn't contacted her all day, so Chen Nuo knew that something must have happened again.

Sure enough, he got this news from Liu Xiaoli as soon as he returned.

If Chen Nuo remembered correctly, Liu Yifei used to call that person "Godfather." As a result, he didn't expect... she must be very sad, right?

No need to knock on the door. She definitely wouldn't open it.

Fortunately, Chen Nuo had always kept a hidden method.

He found the key to Liu Yifei's room, gently inserted it, and gave it a twist. Sure enough, because no one had come to open the door these past few days, it wasn't locked from the inside.

The door opened.

He pushed the door and went in.

He saw that the room was pitch black, the air was very turbid, and it smelled of milk. Chen Nuo knew that this was the scent on Liu Yifei's body.

The computer was on, and the screen showed an 80-level female orc with pretty good equipment.

Where is she?

Sleeping on the bed, and she was covering her head.

She covered her head the moment Chen Nuo came in; he saw it clearly.

He walked to the bedside and said, "Alright, stop pretending, I know you're not asleep. Sit up, let's talk."

PS:

Happy New Year!

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(End of chapter)