Chapter 336: The Curtain Falls

What is it called when you're the target of everyone's blame?

At this moment, Dong Zhou Jie is exactly in that situation—she is the target of everyone's blame.

Three months ago, she publicly wept and accused Pan Yue of various crimes.

Gambling addiction, massive debts, domestic violence, infidelity during marriage, smearing the woman…

But over these past three months, the man has proven through active litigation that none of these "crimes" were true.

Now, it's the woman who has been caught on camera committing infidelity during marriage—for days and nights on end.

In reality, the two have not yet finalized their divorce, so "infidelity during marriage" stands!

Most crucially, many netizens with good memories have dug up old posts from seasoned entertainment industry insiders.

Especially those posts directly pointing to Wang Wang Dazhi.

The latter had repeatedly defended Dong Zhou Jie, cheered her on, and once cried foul.

Well then, it turns out these exposés were all true—how disgusting!

This means it wasn't Mr. Pan who committed infidelity during marriage, but Young Lady Dong—and she was the one who falsely accused him first!

The videos and photos are right there; no defense is possible—how can this be PR'd?

"It's reassuring how Fengxing's people operate: no evidence, no words; only when they have solid proof do they dare speak out."

"What's this called? Professional integrity!"

Lin Nan couldn't help but chuckle.

Pan Yue's agent, Chen Zhixi, has already posted on Weibo on behalf of her client: "Injustice Righted!"

The woman has been completely crushed; no one in the industry dares speak up, not even close associate Chen Kun, who is pretending to be deaf and mute.

The internet is flooded with insults against the woman: promiscuous, cruel-hearted… Jade Maiden… Wanton Maiden!

…

In January, the first Hollywood import blockbuster is "Cloud Atlas," with Zhou Xun in the cast.

Lin Nan and Liu Liu Yifei had already watched it during their time in Hollywood—a highly cerebral sci-fi thriller.

But its box office in China is unlikely to be high.

Because the Film Bureau cut over half an hour of plot during review.

This means many viewers will surely be utterly confused.

After all, Hollywood TV shows and films differ greatly from domestic ones—they're highly logical and tightly paced; remove even a little content, and you might not understand it at all.

"Here's part of the shopping list—I'm leaving it to you two. Since you're going shopping anyway, just take care of it."

Liu Liu Xiaoli handed a page of paper to her own daughter, already preparing for Lunar New Year's Eve.

"No problem, Mom. Liu Liu Yifei and I will handle it."

Liu Liu Yifei glanced at the items to buy, nodded immediately, and stuffed them into her bag.

Meanwhile, Lin Nan, in the garden, glanced at Liu Liu Yifei and her mother, smiled, then returned to his phone call.

"Just tell me—is it true?"

"Heh, I'd like to ask how Mr. Wang found out?"

Wang Wang Changtian on the other end instantly realized, "So it's true! You really gave the copyright to Xu Zheng?"

"Correct, but it wasn't free or a one-time outright sale. For the next film, I get 20% of the divisible box office, then 10% after that."

Lin Nan guessed Xu Zheng had leaked the news himself, but he certainly didn't tell many people.

"You, you really don't let yourself get shortchanged at all."

"There's no such thing as free pies falling from the sky. The copyright for 'The Lost' is worth this price."

Lin Nan had a hunch about the purpose of Wang Wang Changtian's call. Sure enough, the voice on the other end spoke again.

"Do you think Guangxian could take a stake?"

"Well, you'd have to discuss that with Xu Zheng. But Guangxian is the distributor—I think the chance of success won't be low. After all, his company is still barely better than a makeshift troupe…"

Before Lin Nan finished speaking, Wang Wang Changtian was already excited, "Good, I'll go talk to him."

"Then you'd better move fast—companies with this idea aren't just Guangxian."

Wang Wang Changtian was a man of decisive action; he immediately hung up and went to find Xu Zheng.

"Empty-handedly snatching the white wolf—Xu Zheng, you're good!"

At this moment, Lin Nan genuinely felt some admiration for Xu Zheng.

He used the copyright to lure other big companies, and in the end—he keeps the copyright, secures funding, and retains full creative control over the film. Perfect!

"Forget it, 20% divisible box office is enough. The rest, let him do as he pleases."

…………

In the morning, Lin Nan wore sunglasses and plain clothes, driving Liu Liu Yifei—who was dressed just as plainly—to go shopping and pick up items.

Sometimes, no matter how ordinary your clothes, your aura can't be hidden—especially Liu Liu Yifei's.

Every time they go out, reporters' lenses lock onto her first, exposing her immediately.

You never know whether to be happy or sad—having outstanding aura is also a nuisance.

Thus, tails followed them from afar.

But the reporters seemed to know Lin Nan's habits—they kept their distance and didn't approach.

In less than two hours, photos of the two shopping had already surfaced online.

Zhu Zhu Yawen's call came at just the right moment.

"Since you're so close, want to drop by the school?"

Clearly, Zhu Zhu Yawen had seen news of Lin Nan and Liu Liu Yifei—he was currently at the school as a guest judge for art entrance exams, and Luo Jin was there too.

Liu Liu Yifei spotted a pendant—solid gold—perfect to give to her mother. Lin Nan, still on the phone, swiped his card.

"Old Zhu asked, should we swing by the school?"

Miss Liu took the packaging box, thought for a moment, then looked at Lin Nan. "They won't try to draft us as laborers, will they?"

"Haha, probably not. Let's bring some fruit. Old Zhu and Luo Jin specifically asked for it; I suspect they just want us two to deliver the food, those two gluttons!"

"Great, I'll pick them out."

This year, the art exam campaign at Beijing Film Academy stretched particularly long.

Not to mention the preliminary round, the re-examination alone spanned from before Lunar New Year's Eve all the way to after the Spring Festival.

Such a massive workload had no other cause but the sheer number of applicants, nearing twenty thousand. Among them, the Chen Yanxi alone exceeded ten thousand.

Zhu Zhu Yawen and Luo Jin were currently re-examination guests; the preliminary round had already eliminated over seven thousand people.

……

To put it bluntly, Lin Nan was considered one of the school's prized treasures, a top star.

During the art exams, driving a luxury car onto campus meant unobstructed passage.

He even parked the car inside the campus, far away from the exam venue, waiting for people.

"Hello, Senior Lin Nan. Hello, Senior Yi Fei…"

"Hello, Director Lin. Hello, Senior Yi Fei."

……

Indeed, things were different from before; students who didn't know him now dared to approach, greet him, and introduce themselves.

Zhu Zhu Yawen, with a badge hanging around his neck, came jogging over.

"Yo, imported goods. Thanks, Yi Fei."

"You're welcome," Liu Liu Yifei said with a smile in her eyes and brows.

"I paid for it."

Lin Nan looked at Zhu Zhu Yawen and said with feigned irritation.

"I could guess."

Zhu Zhu Yawen glanced at his good brother; he spoke so matter-of-factly, truly ruthless.

"This year's art exam candidates still have one or two with talent; if your company is signing people, you should take a look."

"If you truly take a fancy to someone, the school will likely guarantee them a direct pass to the final round until they are admitted…"

Leaning against the car door, Zhu Zhu Yawen ate the washed fruit and told Lin Nan.

"Forget it. Who knows, in the future, I might even shut down Shanhai Media."

Lin Nan shook his head as he spoke, leaving Zhu Zhu Yawen stunned.

Liu Liu Yifei didn't mind much; she knew some of Lin Nan's plans.

"Shut it down? Are you joking? What about your few subordinates?"

"Closing the talent agency won't affect them; arrangements will be made.

Besides, right now it's just an idea; there will be more detailed proposals and plans later."

From the matter with Yang Mi, Lin Nan gained some inspiration and needed to plan ahead.

Rarely does any actor or star want to be an artist and work as an employee for a lifetime; the further along they get, the less they want to.

When the time is ripe, Lin Nan will give them the chance to choose.

…………

Zhu Zhu Yawen carried a small half-box of fruit and walked toward the exam venue, with Lin Nan and Liu Liu Yifei following behind.

This was a rare occasion for Lin Nan and Liu Liu Yifei to appear together at the exam venue after graduation; it inevitably brought to mind the scenes from their own exam days, well worth recalling…

A huge crowd of candidates, seeing Lin Nan and Liu Liu Yifei right before their eyes, felt either excitement or nervousness but dared not make much noise, because this was the exam venue.

At that moment, Luo Jin slipped out and swapped places with Zhu Zhu Yawen. The three of them chatted for a while on the side.

"Next group: Chen Yao, Mencius Yi…"

A sophomore or junior student was calling out the numbers.

Just before the Chen Yanxi leaders arrived to draft them as laborers, Lin Nan and Liu Liu Yifei prepared to make a run for it.

"Remember the gathering in two days," Luo Jin reminded.

"Got it."

…………

The "Four Little Flower Dancers" selection, which had captivated the entire entertainment industry for a month, finally concluded.

"After comprehensive evaluation by nearly a hundred mainstream domestic media outlets, the nominees for the new generation of Four Little Flower Dancers in the mainland film and television industry are announced as follows: Yang Mi, Liu Liu Shishi, Yang Ying, and Ni Ni."

This result caused an uproar in public opinion; it was simply too ridiculous.

Yang Mi was a given; at least she was from the previous generation of Four Little Flower Dancers, had starred in numerous films and hit TV dramas over these four years, so ranking her first was no major issue.

But what on earth were Liu Liu Shishi and Yang Ying?

Aside from "Scarlet Heart," what other work of theirs was famous or influential? "Sad Fairy Tale"?

Furthermore, Yang Ying, on what basis did she make the list?

Based on her ability to widen her eyes, frown, and smile foolishly? Or based on her crying scenes where she used eye drops, leaving Andy Lau with no face to save?

She only hooked up with Huang Huang Xiaoming three years ago, letting the mainland know she existed; this promotion speed relied completely not on her works!

At least Ni Ni was a Zhang Zhang Yimou girl, the female lead in "The Flowers of War."

The film was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and Ni Ni herself was nominated for the Best Actress award at the Huayu Media Awards and won the Best New Actor award at the Hong Kong Asian Film Awards.

With all that, she was actually ranked behind Liu Liu Shishi and Yang Ying? Unjust! Completely unreasonable!

The film and television industry, the entertainment industry, is much more realistic; the deed is done, so everyone offered congratulations.

The internet was buzzing; there were many water army accounts, but even more ordinary netizens.

"This is too fake, especially Yang Ying. For a moment, I actually can't recall what famous work she has?"

"Huayi and the Yellow Master are the key factors to her success..."

"Liu Liu Shishi's ranking doesn't make sense either; she can't compare to Ni Ni, so what is she comparing with?"

"Ni Ni has no company behind her; Director Zhang's endorsement can't compare to Huayi and Tang Ren's public relations!"

"Congratulations, Mimi, you are now the head of the Four Little Flower Dancers."

Ceng Jia, with a face full of smiles, looked at Yang Mi. "This result will allow our starting point to be higher in the future."

"Yes, the head of the Four Little Flower Dancers! But after all, it's still just the Four Little Flower Dancers, isn't it?"

Yang Mi glanced at Ceng Jia and said with self-mockery.

"This, once the studio opens, you can also become a producer; we can invest in TV dramas and movies ourselves.

However, if you want to win awards, that's hard to say; this requires not only a good director and script but also connections and networks..."

Ceng Jia, of course, knew what that sentence of Yang Mi's meant.

After all, in the previous Four Little Flower Dancers, Liu Liu Yifei was too conspicuous. She directly advanced to become a Big Flower and a major producer, and is also capital within the circle. Even Watching Shu Chang benefited from this, leeching resources and leeching awards.

To say other actresses don't envy her would definitely be fake.

Yang Mi nodded and said seriously: "Let's take it slow; I believe I can do it too."

(End of this chapter)