Chapter 60: August Gossip

Lu Zheng hung up the phone and shook his head at Jing Tian.

"Tiantian, that role has already been taken."

Lu Zheng had not expected Lin Nan to truly have the power to cast roles, but it seemed it had already been decided behind closed doors.

Jing Tian felt a bit disappointed, but she quickly adjusted her state of mind.

"Uncle Lu, it doesn't matter. At worst, we'll just look for another opportunity later."

"Hmm, that’s a fair point. At worst, we’ll just find people to make a movie ourselves."

Lu Zheng comforted her.

After sending off the people from Wanda, Lin Nan leaned back on the sofa comfortably. This matter was finally settled, with a net profit of 2.4 million US dollars.

……

The gossip about Huayi was still occupying the entertainment headlines, and Wang Jinghua’s ambiguous response clearly made the media sniff out something else.

Watch them build a high building, watch them watch the building collapse.

How many companies in the industry were waiting to see the joke? The years of Huayi’s meteoric rise and rapid development were precisely the years Wang Jinghua had joined.

From the turn of the millennium to the present, Huayi had taken great strides to become the leader among private film companies, with a galaxy of big stars under its banner, making everyone envious.

The news of Faye Wong announcing her marriage only caused a few ripples, attracting a little bit of attention.

At most, it just made people complain about the man, wondering what kind of charm he had to be able to handle himself so easily among several female stars.

"Young Master Wang talked to me again. This time, he actually said that once the company goes public, the artists can hold shares."

Zhu Yawen said to Lin Nan with a frown.

Reporters couldn't get a straight answer from the parties involved, so they actually started blocking the artists; he had been bothered several times already.

"Oh my, stocks, huh? The two Mr. Wangs are planning quite far ahead."

Lin Nan teased.

"I’ve already planned to follow Sister Hua, but Mr. Wang’s repeated talks really make me feel awkward."

"Is he still trying to work on everyone's mindset?"

Zhu Yawen pondered for a moment.

"Not entirely. Those veterans who came over with Sister Hua are talked to less; I guess he knows their stance."

It was certain that Huayi had a headache. Back then, in order to recruit Wang Jinghua and the group of actors under her, the shares of the brokerage company they opened together were split fifty-fifty—half for Wang Jinghua and half for the Wang brothers.

But the daily management was done by Wang Jinghua. Now that they were splitting up, the advantage was not at all on the brothers' side.

"You’re just a signed artist, why think so much? If they want to win you over, they should give you something concrete; drawing big pictures is meaningless."

"Let’s go, let’s go for a stroll. Xu Ke’s *Seven Swords* is out."

Lin Nan called for Zhu Yawen to go watch a movie together; Xu Ke’s martial arts films were still quite good.

"Aren't you calling those two?"

"Forget it. If they go out on the street, they’re easily recognized. I doubt there will be many women in the cinema anyway; it’s mostly men who watch martial arts films."

"Fine, but if we get roasted later, it has nothing to do with me."

Zhu Yawen said in advance.

*Seven Swords* had an investment of 140 million. During promotion, it was said that everything from script polishing to costumes and props had reached a level of perfection, claiming to be Xu Ke’s painstaking work.

When Lin Nan and Zhu Yawen entered the cinema, they realized the occupancy rate was not very high. And this was still during the summer vacation; a screening hall was actually less than one-third full.

"This is only the third day of release, right?"

Zhu Yawen asked uncertainly.

"It’s the third day, it was released on the 29th."

Lin Nan replied.

In this situation, the box office might not be optimistic.

The two-hour-plus movie was watched by Lin Nan and Zhu Yawen with gritted teeth.

"I don't think I understood it."

As they walked out of the cinema, Zhu Yawen said this.

"The costumes, scenes, and props were all exquisite, nothing else."

Lin Nan replied.

He also regretted calling Zhu Yawen to come watch this movie; he was purely deceived by the name of Old Monster Xu.

The plot was as rotten as the costumes, props, and location shooting were good.

The story structure was very loose, and the character development was weak. After watching the two-hour movie, Lin Nan couldn't think of any impressive plots or characters—no, there was still Sun Honglei.

"This movie is going to lose a fortune, it cost 140 million." Lin Nan muttered.

"Don't let the reporters hear you say that, or there will be trouble." Zhu Yawen teased.

"Am I that stupid?"

Lin Nan said irritably. If these words were passed from his mouth to the reporters, it would be an accident.

"Let's go quickly." Lin Nan urged.

The huge poster for *Seven Swords* was still hanging on the cinema's promotional wall. Zhang Jingchu had a wild path and was on it too; Donnie Yen and Leon Lai were in the most prominent positions, but I’m afraid that won't save the box office.

After parting ways with Zhu Yawen, Lin Nan returned to the company.

The box office for *Hidden in the Dust* wasn't much, but the profit-sharing with the cinema chains couldn't be sloppy; on the other hand, after a month of release, *Dead Silence* had a perfect curtain call.

Lionsgate’s email had already been sent over. The North American box office finally settled at 89 million US dollars. Including other regions, the box office still failed to break 100 million, regrettably stopping at 98 million.

Hollywood news had already reported the results of *Dead Silence*. Lionsgate had once again harvested a huge box office with a low-budget horror film, and Lin Nan’s name was mentioned again and again.

The heat surrounding the news of New Line and Lin Nan’s new film collaboration was still there, and the success of *Dead Silence* had spread back to the country, even tending to suppress the gossip about Huayi.

On the first day of August, there was a benefit.

Huang Shengyi’s image as the mute girl in *Kung Fu* still lingered in the minds of many viewers—pure, clean, and pitifully lovely. Xinghui had packaged her that way too...

A set of bold photos appeared openly in a men's magazine—half-hidden, wet, sexy, glamorous, seductive, and with clear curves.

"This is the latest issue of *Trends Health*, tsk tsk, it really is an eye-opener."

There weren't many famous actresses in these recent classes at the Film Academy. Liu Yifei was naturally beautiful and had accumulated massive popularity through several hit TV series.

But in terms of status, she was ultimately not as good as Huang Shengyi, who debuted as a "Star Girl." That was *Kung Fu*, after all. Now it was fine, the latter was courting her own death.

Lin Nan flipped through the magazine, "It is quite sudden, it has a bit of a self-deprecating feel."

Zhu Yawen ran over to find Lin Nan early in the morning carrying a copy of *Trends Health*, not even paying attention to the influence.

"Does Zhou Xingchi’s company now let actresses shoot this kind of stuff?"

Zhu Yawen simply couldn't believe it. It was just a few newcomers he was on good terms with at the company flipping through it there, and he happened to see it.

"Why do you say that? It’s also possible that this 'Star Girl' acted on her own initiative."

Lin Nan appreciated the magazine photos with a critical eye.

Zhu Yawen reacted, "Then wouldn't she offend the company to death?"

"Why do you care so much? Maybe she already had her exit strategy planned."

Only in the entertainment industry could one achieve this: one moment you are the pure senior sister in school, and the next moment your junior is admiring your sexy photos.

……

The sexy photos of the "Star Girl" made the August 1st issue of the magazine sell surprisingly well.

The contrast between purity and sexiness made the consumer group of *Trends Health* extremely comfortable.

The media couldn't let go of any explosive point. Xinghui saw this issue of the magazine and was very furious.

A good show seemed to have just begun. Before Xinghui could make a move, Huang Shengyi seemed to have been guided by someone and appeared in the news media with the image of a weak, persecuted party.

She took the initiative to contact the media, unilaterally announcing the termination of her eight-year brokerage contract with Xinghui, and stated that she was willing to pay any price, not just money, to "redeem herself," even if it meant quitting the industry.

The image of a weak, helpless person who was persecuted, threatened, and exploited suddenly became vivid.

"A master!"

Watching Huang Shengyi’s series of operations, Lin Nan was impressed. Now the media and netizens in the mainland were almost all on the woman’s side; Xinghui’s PR was truly terrible.

Recently, the news in the entertainment industry was varied and different every day. There was all kinds of gossip here, and over there, the national star-making program *Super Girl* was also holding its finals. Lin Nan stayed at the company and often heard them talking about sending text messages to support so-and-so.

Just as one play ended here, a new stage was set over there.

Wang Jinghua had been silent for a period of time, then suddenly announced directly to the media that her contract with Huayi had expired, she would not renew it, and she would leave the Huayi brokerage company.

This time, the person involved came forward to explain it directly; the Wang brothers couldn't say it was baseless anymore.

Compared to other news, this was the biggest focus during this period.

Huayi’s status in the film and television industry was second only to a few state-owned ones, sitting firmly in the top chair of private companies.

Since Wang Jinghua had spoken directly, it must be true. A large number of media reporters swarmed in, surrounding the Huayi Film and Television Company, and there were even more people squatting at the brokerage company.

Regarding the reason for Wang Jinghua and Huayi parting ways, there were various opinions on the Internet for a time.

A large number of film and television dramas not using their own people, unfair profit distribution, being squeezed out and given the cold shoulder, and other claims were all present.

Immediately after, artists like Chen Daoming, Hu Jun, Carina Lau, Xia Yu, and Michelle Yeoh all expressed that they would no longer renew their contracts with Huayi.

They had come with Wang Jinghua in the beginning, and now it looked like they were going to leave together.

The departure of the top agent and dozens of well-known artists was already a nailed-down fact.

Some media bluntly stated that Huayi would be unable to move an inch after losing Wang Jinghua. The big Mr. Wang’s reply was very concise: if Huayi was unable to move an inch, it could only be when he left.

Orange Sky was once again brought up, because Wang Jinghua and dozens of mature artists were a big piece of fat, and everyone was guessing who would swallow this piece of meat.

Orange Sky, which had previously been rumored to be the successor, was naturally mentioned, but this time there was not a sound.

It was said that the big Mr. Wang smashed a lot of things in his office.

The next day, Huayi Film and Television announced to the outside world that the company had obtained a 3 million US dollar investment for the Hollywood sci-fi blockbuster *Journey to the Center of the Earth*.

Huayi, which had originally been written off, strongly announced this news, and Wanda Cinema Line also quickly issued a statement that it would participate in the investment for "Journey to the Center of the Earth."

A large number of reporters ran to Lin Nan's company to inquire, but he did not appear; a staff member came forward to confirm the matter.

"This matter is true. Director Lin has already signed a contract with Mr. Wang, and Huayi will invest three million US dollars to participate in this film."

Huayi's participation in a Hollywood film served as a shot in the arm for the company after Wang Jinghua left, and it also flexed its muscles to the industry.

Huayi was still Huayi; they still had Feng Xiaogang and a large group of film and television production teams.

What shocked the industry was that Fan Bingbing, Li Bingbing, Ren Quan, and others, whom Wang Jinghua had personally cultivated, did not follow her when she left, but instead chose to stay at Huayi.

"Sister Hua is very magnanimous; staying or leaving is entirely up to one's own heart. She will not force anyone, nor will she let this affect the friendship between everyone."

This was the news revealed to the media by the relevant personnel.