Chapter 742: Old Wang

Blowing in the evening breeze, Wang Changtian and Lin Nan talked about the matter of *The Secret Fruit*.

But the two had talked for less than a moment when they saw Wang Baoqiang walking back quickly, a forced smile plastered on his face.

Although he was trying hard to cover it up, his increasingly pale complexion and the anxiety and resentment between his brows were laid bare before the two, plain for all to see.

"Lin Dao, Chairman Wang, I must apologize for tonight. There's a bit of an emergency at home, and I have to rush back right now. Another day, another day... I will definitely apologize to Lin Dao and Chairman Wang in person... Really, I have an emergency, I must take my leave now..."

Lin Nan is a great director, and Wang Changtian is a veteran fox; how could the two of them not see Wang Baoqiang's current state?

His face was deathly pale and sallow, his lips devoid of color, and his voice trembled as he spoke, as if he were still suppressing the fury in his heart... What kind of major incident had occurred?!

"The wrap party prepared for you is a small matter; family matters are important. You hurry back. If there is anything you need help with, call me and Lin Nan anytime. Don't be polite."

Wang Changtian reacted quickly and spoke immediately.

"Yes, contact us by phone anytime." Lin Nan echoed with a nod, not paying much mind to it; after all, who doesn't have emergencies at home?

"Thank you, Chairman Wang, thank you, Lin Dao. Then I will go first; another day, another day I will definitely apologize in person..."

After apologizing repeatedly, Wang Baoqiang immediately left with his assistant and the others, not looking back. Judging by his appearance, it was indeed an emergency, as his pace was several times faster.

"Since he's gone, let's eat, just the two of us. Anyway, there's no other serious business right now. But come to think of it, it's a strange thing. He has an emergency at home, why wasn't it his wife who called? His agent's wife notifying him of an emergency—what kind of business is that? Could it be that the two of them are having an affair? Haha... just a joke..."

Wang Changtian's words were like a blow to the head, leaving Lin Nan stunned in his seat! His heart was completely unsettled, churning like a stormy sea, "An affair? Is it... today?"

"Pick up your chopsticks, why are you distracted? If you ask me, you should have brought Yifei along today. Or why don't you pack some late-night snacks for her to take back?"

"Chairman Wang, it was Yifei herself who didn't want to come. Also, let's go too, don't eat anymore, I'm afraid something is about to happen!" Lin Nan said with a helpless smile.

"Something happen? What major incident could happen?" Wang Changtian was dismissive, joking with a laugh.

Facing this rhetorical question, Lin Nan really didn't know how to answer for a moment. After briefly composing his thoughts, he spoke:

"Wang Baoqiang is from the countryside, not professionally trained. To have walked through the storms in this circle to where he is today, his psychological quality and resilience must be top-notch;

But Chairman Wang, think about his appearance just now—at a loss before us, even losing his composure... Is this really a small matter? Although he might have recovered by now, or even be unusually calm, the 'emergency' in his mouth is definitely not a small matter!"

Hearing this, Wang Changtian frowned slightly and put down his chopsticks:

"A call from the agent's wife? Did something happen to the company? Or did something happen to the agent? Or maybe both? It couldn't be that something happened to his wife and children, could it?"

Damn! Lin Nan looked at Wang Changtian and really wanted to curse; a veteran fox is a veteran fox. Compared to the level of Old Wang, Lin Dao felt he still needed to accumulate more.

"Let's go, Chairman Wang. Perhaps, that sentence you just said might really come true."

"Which sentence?"

"What you said to Wang Baoqiang: If there is anything you need help with, call... anytime."

After speaking, Lin Nan stood up and instructed his assistant: "Go help me pack two small cakes to take away."

"Understood, Lin Dao."

Wang Changtian also stood up, his expression slightly serious:

"If something really happened on his end, will it affect *Buddies in India*? After all, it's scheduled for a Spring Festival release, and post-production hasn't even started yet."

"I don't know, let's wait for news from him."

At past nine in the evening, Lin Nan returned home. At this time, Liu Yifei naturally hadn't slept yet.

She was wearing a tank top and hot pants, curled up on the sofa playing a small game, waiting for someone; her skin, like mutton-fat jade, shone brilliantly under the lights, eye-catching.

Seeing Lin Nan's figure, her eyes lit up suddenly, "Back so early? I thought it would be after 10 o'clock."

"Isn't it good to come back early to accompany you? Here, I brought the small cakes you like. If you aren't afraid of gaining weight, you can have a couple of bites."

"Pfft, I'll reluctantly give you some face."

Tossing her head, Liu Yifei began to act haughty again. However, the happy smile blooming on her face was enough to fully explain her mood at this moment. Well, she was very satisfied with Lin Dao!

The night was sweet, just like the cake on her lips; and the sounds in the villa room were equally syrupy, just like honey...

When the moon was in the middle of the sky, some people had long since fallen asleep in each other's arms. But some people were not, such as Wang Baoqiang.

He led a large group of men and women, violently breaking open the hotel room door, with several mobile phones recording the whole process, and inside the room were a pair of naked "familiar faces"!

Shouting, cursing, scolding... no physical altercation...

The man was trembling as he put on his clothes, while the woman appeared much calmer.

She had her back to the camera, wearing underwear and a bandeau, cursing as she dressed... Her flushed skin had already turned deathly pale, and she simply broke the jar since it was already cracked...

…………

Early in the morning, from the film circle to the entire internet, and even spreading to Hong Kong and Taiwan, the whole country was in an uproar!

The reason was that at 12:20 AM, Wang Baoqiang posted a "Divorce Statement" of several hundred words on Weibo.

He told the whole country and the entire internet in great detail and nakedly that he had been betrayed and backstabbed by the two closest people around him;

He decided to unilaterally end the marriage, file for divorce, immediately dismiss his agent, report it to the police... audit the company's finances... and implored the media not to disturb his children and parents.

As an actor from a grassroots background, known to everyone, and with very good audience appeal, the public opinion caused by this Weibo post from Wang Baoqiang could be said to be comparable to a storm, with unparalleled influence.

And the "caught in the act" video "inadvertently leaked" by staff on the internet made him stand directly on the moral and public opinion high ground, harvesting the sympathy of the entire internet and even all ordinary people!

While countless people were speaking out for Wang Baoqiang, they were also cyberbullying that pair of dogs.

Lin Nan was woken up from his bed by a phone call. To be honest, waking up at seven in the morning was really uncomfortable. But with such a big thing happening outside, he couldn't not get up.

Even Liu Yifei, who was sleeping groggily, woke up quite a bit the moment she heard about it, and immediately kicked Lin Nan out of bed, urging him to go to the company.

At nine in the morning, Lin Dao sat in his office, yawning. Opposite him were Wang Changtian and Ning Hao.

"It means that after he parted ways with us, he went straight to catch them in the act; there were only two or three hours in between! To be honest, I admire his decisiveness, resolution, and frankness.

Such things are not uncommon in the circle, but no one has ever made it public like this before; they all care too much about face and suffer in silence. Little do they know that sincerity is what touches people's hearts the most; covering it up is not beautiful."

Wang Changtian nodded, not sparing any praise.

"So it was the agent's wife who tipped him off? This is really interesting, heh, brilliant!" Ning Hao smacked his lips and said with a speechless laugh.

"From catching them in the act to the divorce statement, there was at most an hour in between; he is worthy of the temperament that could walk to where he is today. Hmm, there must be a mastermind in the team." Lin Nan's tone was very certain.

"Stealing the boss's wife, misappropriating public funds, corruption and dereliction of duty, transferring assets... this agent is capable; he treated Baoqiang as someone working for him!"

What Wang Changtian said was the other things the agent's wife tipped off.

"Chairman Wang, what time did he call you?" Lin Nan asked.

"Past six, by then he had already called the police. His personal account, his wife's account, his agent's account, and his company's account will all be frozen today, after all, it involves embezzlement of office...

He borrowed six million from me for an emergency to fight the lawsuit and maintain the company's operations for the next period... He even took the initiative to promise me on the phone that he wouldn't delay the post-production and release of *Buddies in India*. Sigh, this man is really beyond reproach!" Wang Changtian sighed again.

"Ask Director Yue to come over." Looking at the assistant at the door, Lin Nan instructed.

Under the puzzled gazes of Wang Changtian and Ning Hao, Yue Jun soon came over from his office, "Lin Dao?"

"Take some people to find Baoqiang, tell him that we will fully support him. Lawyers, funds, and public opinion, don't worry about these... he will win steadily,"

Hearing Lin Nan's words, Yue Jun nodded with a smile:

"Good, I'll go now. Also, Lin Dao, that movie of ours, *Detective Chinatown*, is popular again. Doesn't it have a scene where 'Tang Ren' is cheated on by his brother on his wedding day..."

"Heh, good guy, it's really fitting!" Ning Hao couldn't help it.

"Also pass a message for me, he can use Enlight Media's resources as he pleases. I imagine if the woman wants to turn the tables, she will definitely bite back with things like domestic violence, tax evasion, etc., but he shouldn't be that kind of person!"

Yue Jun left with the task, and only the three of them were left in the office.

Suddenly, a strange expression appeared on Ning Hao's face as he looked at Lin Nan and Wang Changtian: "Speaking of which, this matter should earn Wang Baoqiang enough sympathy from the public, so wouldn't the box office of your movie...?"

"Director Ning, having this thought right now is a bit too unprincipled, isn't it?" Lin Nan glared at Ning Hao, who waved his hands repeatedly with a smile.

"It is indeed a bit unprincipled, but what Ning Hao said also makes sense. Isn't 'sympathy' a special kind of 'sentiment'? It can make the public walk into the cinema and support Wang Baoqiang.

It's just a pity, no matter how much the box office is after the movie is released, half of Baoqiang's share will belong to that 'Ma Jinlian' in his family!" Wang Changtian sighed, quite emotional.

Hearing this, Lin Nan and Ning Hao looked at each other. Alright, this is indeed a very disgusting thing.

Outside.

In one morning, Wang Baoqiang's encounter suppressed all the news on the entire internet with the highest heat.

Media outlets were tracking and reporting, and a large number of paparazzi and entertainment reporters were dispatched, sparing no cost to stake out him and his company.

And under the indignation and ridicule of the vast number of netizens: "Old Wang" eventually became "Old Song", and Jin Lian finally changed her surname to "Ma"!

Thinking of these, Ren Zhonglun felt stifled.

He was indeed stifled, because a perfectly good IPO roadshow today didn't stir up much of a splash. The hot spots of the media and the entire internet were all on the bloody gossip.

"There are less than three days left, really don't consider it? You're retired now, and I, your arch-rival, am giving you some benefits, yet you're acting all high and mighty?"

Glancing at Ren Zhonglun, Han Sanping still shook his head: "No money, all my family assets were used to buy China Film Group's stocks."

Hearing this, Chairman Ren instantly lost his good expression: "You really are a person of China Film Group even in death, you don't use the opportunity I give you... How far has that *Operation Red Sea* from the Navy gone?"

"I was wondering why you ran to my house after your roadshow ended today; it turns out you're offering favors without cause, either a traitor or a thief!"

"Look at you, this tone is not the way to treat a guest."

Ren Zhonglun pointed at Han Sanping and began to talk about other things; immediately, he began to complain about La Peikang:

"During *Sky Hunter*, I didn't know, so I was squeezed out by him. But this time for *Operation Red Sea*, I was there at the time. Even so, he still wanted to squeeze me out, why didn't he choke to death?"

Opening his mouth, Han Sanping ultimately didn't say anything; La Peikang was learning from him, but he wasn't learning it in a grand and proper way.

"The 26th, Film Bureau."

Hearing the answer he wanted, Ren Zhonglun's eyes suddenly shone, "The 26th? Heh, Old Han, I will be there on time!"

"Where are you going, Uncle Ren?"

Han Jia appeared at the stairs rubbing her dark circles, startling Ren Zhonglun, "You, did you go to be a thief at night?"

"Hmm, isn't that just staying up late to be a thief." Han Sanping glared at Little Han speechlessly.

"Hehe, just these few days, just these few days. Speaking of which, which industry big shots are standing on the stage when Shanghai Film Group rings the bell the day after tomorrow, Uncle Ren?"

Han Jia decisively changed the subject. Her script could be completely finished in these two days, but she was thinking of bringing it out on the 25th.

Speaking of the guests on the day of the bell ringing, a smile instantly appeared on Ren Zhonglun's face:

"You'll know when the time comes. In terms of industry guest shareholders, it's definitely bigger than China Film Group's. I don't have La Peikang's thick skin to call leaders to stand on the stage, what kind of thing is that?"

……

The 14th, the 15th.

For two consecutive days, the entertainment headlines on the entire internet were still about Wang, Song, and Ma, which could be called as stable as Mount Tai, with no new information able to shake its status.

And early on the 16th, industry insiders had to flip through the news list for a long time to see the movie information they wanted to know.

*Line Walker* had been released for 5 days, cutting 360 million;

*Love O2O* and *Call of Heroes* were much inferior, reporting 180 million and 120 million respectively in 4 days, and both gave the industry the impression that the daily box office was about to go out at any time, and they wouldn't go far!

By now, the numerous movies in September seemed to be in a hurry too. Press conferences began to pile up, and premiere invitations were scattered everywhere.

"Donnie Yen?"

Lin Nan saw the news of Donnie Yen's new movie press conference, co-produced by him, Wong Jing, Andy Lau, and others, jointly produced by Sil-Metropole and Bona, with Wong Jing as producer, director, and screenwriter—the movie *Chasing the Dragon*, adapted from the veteran Hong Kong movies *To Be Number One* and *Lee Rock*!

"Pure Hong Kong movies are becoming increasingly declining. The Hong Kong Film Awards committee feels that every former 'big shot' should be cherished, so this is the reason why Donnie Yen is once again serving as one of the protagonists."

Lin Nan didn't know what to say; Huo Wenxi actually took the initiative to call and explain it to him.

"It doesn't matter, it's not like someone can ask for a sky-high price once and really keep killing until now, right? That would make us look like we have no measure and pattern. By the way, how is *Ip Man 4*?"

"Lin Dao, post-production is just halfway done. It should be completely finished before the end of October."

"That's fine. For the subsequent release promotion, you guys coordinate with the Film Bureau yourselves."

"Understood, Lin Dao, then we will make subsequent plans according to the May Day slot."

"Hmm, good."

Hanging up the phone, he glanced at the time. 11:00 AM sharp, time to get off work.

"Director Ning, retreat?"

Looking at Ning Hao who was seriously editing post-production there, Lin Nan greeted him.

"No, why go back so early? You have someone help me order food, I'll eat at Tiangong Color at noon." Director Ning didn't even look at Lin Nan, just instructed casually.

Fine, I can guess, this isn't being addicted to work, just not wanting to go home.

"You heard it, arrange a big meal for Director Ning at noon to replenish his yang energy." Lin Nan joked to the middle-level management behind him, who immediately held back laughter and nodded.

"Go to your grandfather, you're the one who needs to replenish yang energy."

"Don't find any excuses for that sister, saying I forced you to stay..." Waving his hand behind him, Lin Dao walked out of the door of Tiangong Color.

On the internet, the latest entertainment gossip had already landed on the top of the hot search list.

In the morning, Wang Baoqiang formally filed a lawsuit with the court through his lawyer—divorce. Really acting as soon as he said it, not dragging his feet at all!

However, just as Wang Changtian said, the woman was indeed not a quiet one;

Because she had already started to "counterattack", putting hats like domestic violence, extramarital affairs, etc., all on Wang Baoqiang's head, but she could only cry and shout on the internet, unable to produce any evidence.

"Teacher Jiang couldn't get through to your phone, so he called me. The start of school at the Beijing Film Academy is at the end of the month, asking if you have time to go around then."

"If he asks like that, then I don't have time. Heh..." Lin Nan leaned over and kissed Liu Yifei, then said with a smile.

"Then you reply yourself, I'm not going."

Glancing at him with a flowery smile, a hint of charm appeared on the corner of Miss Liu's eyes.

"Alright, give him face, call back and ask."

Leaning beside Liu Yifei, Lin Nan used her phone to call back, because the last bit of power on his own phone was used on that call with Huo Wenxi.

"Good guy, it's really hard to find you!"

"Then don't look for me." Lin Nan liked to be straightforward with Old Jiang, not having to consider too much when talking.

"Heh, you're looking for trouble for me. Forget it, the opening ceremony is not a big deal, not important. Let's talk about Jia Zhangke's Pingyao International Film Festival, is that the name?"

"Right, it is this. What's wrong?" Lin Nan was a little curious; why would Old Jiang suddenly bring this up.

"This morning, the school received a document from above, and this film festival has been officially approved."

"The document was sent to the school?"

"Nonsense, as one of the three major art academies, isn't the Beijing Film Academy qualified to receive documents from above?

Actually, the main reason is that this film festival was initiated by Jia Zhangke, and most of the joint initiators are from the Beijing Film Academy, like you, Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, Director Tian..."

"So I am officially notifying you now, you must attend the subsequent launch meeting; there is no reason for an initiator to be absent! And our school is the organizer of the Pingyao International Film Festival launch meeting and large-scale media press conference... Hmm, the specific launch time will be notified later, but the first Pingyao International Film Festival will definitely be held normally next year."

Lin Nan looked at Liu Yifei and curled his lips; there really were a lot of things.

"You are the leader, hehe..."

"I can smell the sour smell of dog food through the phone, this old man can't stand it, hanging up."

Being pointed out by Old Jiang, Liu Yifei didn't feel embarrassed, but instead thought he was very "discerning".

……

Whenever there is some eye-catching major event in the circle, it is almost impossible to keep it secret.

Just like this matter of Wang Baoqiang, the whole circle saw Wang Changtian and Lin Nan providing support and help behind the scenes.

Plus, in terms of reason, emotion, and law, Wang Baoqiang naturally stood on the high ground, so the entire industry had a consensus, that is: this is a "farce" destined to have an ending from the beginning.

Of course, this is also Wang Baoqiang's own big joke.

In the afternoon, Hong Kong, Edko Films.

Recalling the matter of *Monster Hunt* last year, Bill Kong was still fuming.

In the 29 cinemas under Edko, as long as a movie from the Lin Nan Film industry series was released this year, it would become unusually depressed and suffer heavy losses... the lost revenue was the lost money!

"Chairman Kong, all the main creators have signed the contract."

"Has the master checked the date?" Bill Kong didn't respond, but asked about the "auspicious day".

"The day for announcing the project, the master said the day after tomorrow is a good day. As for the start of filming, the master said it's best to wait until after National Day, that would be the best time to start..."

The secretary lowered his body and answered.

He knew very well that his boss was troubled by mainlanders last year, so he paid special attention to picking dates for movie projects and starting filming this year... he wouldn't have asked about it personally and actively in the past, at most he would listen to the reports of the crew leaders.

"Good, then prepare it. The day after tomorrow morning, hold a project announcement press conference to announce the relevant matters of the movie. Notify Wei Zai and the others to be there on time."

"Understood, Chairman Kong."

When only Bill Kong was left in the office, he couldn't help but think of Lin Nan again, "Really bad luck!"

………… ===== CHAPTER 743 =====