Chapter 382: Huayi Loses a Menace, LeShi Gains a Powerhouse

"Shorty, looking for trouble, huh?"

Watching Zhang Xinyu chat enthusiastically with Huo Siyan, Wang Ou frowned; after Zhang Xinyu left, he directly confronted Huo Siyan.

"You even monitor who I chat with? Don't call her Sister Tongxin—call her Nagging Sister."

Huo Siyan put away her phone, just after exchanging contact info with Zhang Xinyu, and shot back; seeing this, Wang Ou's gaze turned peculiar.

"Shorty, you're not misunderstanding something, are you?"

There's a saying that the person who knows you best is your enemy—and this held some truth for Wang Ou and Huo Siyan.

Though they met rarely, they deeply disliked each other, and shared some similarities in personality and conduct, so each had a fair grasp of the other's behavior and thoughts.

Huo Siyan's brazen attempt to poach right in front of her made Wang Ou sense something was off.

If it were just about making friends, there'd be no need for such hostility—there must be another motive.

"Heh."

Wang Ou sneered, mocking: "I see you've not only gotten fat, but your brain's been clogged with fat. That girl back there? Just a flat model. Even if she's pretty, how many pretty models are there in Jingcheng? You think she's you? A glutton who eats anything."

Earlier, when Wang Ou chatted with Zhang Xinyu, it wasn't Wang Ou who approached her—Zhang Xinyu initiated the conversation.

They only exchanged a few words because they shared a mutual friend in the modeling world, and meant nothing else.

Right now, Yan Li has more women than he needs—he's even starting to find them a nuisance.

Forget these desperate little models scheming to climb up; even famous actresses are after Boss Yan.

Pimping women isn't hard—there are plenty, and plenty are beautiful—but the key is how to catch Yan Li's interest, to earn his approval.

Bai Bing has been with Yan Li for years; during that time, Wu Jiani even had a falling-out with Wang Ou, yet Wang Ou never once considered bringing in a new member.

One reason is keeping the group small ensures fair shares and internal unity; bringing in new people randomly makes the veterans unhappy. The other is Yan Li's picky taste—he genuinely doesn't like most people.

More crucially, even if Yan Li approves, what's this person's character? Will they willingly unite under this small circle? Will they listen to Wang Ou? These all require careful evaluation.

Otherwise, bringing in a disaster like Huo Siyan won't just make her miserable—it might wreck the whole group.

Originally, Wu Jiani and Yang Rong were both people Wang Ou knew well before gathering the group; later, Bai Bing was only brought in after Wang Ou had known him for a long time and thoroughly understood him.

Huo Siyan thinks forming a small circle is like her messy little Poodle clique—she vastly underestimates the subtleties involved.

Wang Ou's blatant disdain stung Huo Siyan—pimping women had somehow become a source of pride.

"Aren't you a model too? Now that you've 'gone ashore,' you look down on your own kind?"

Huo Siyan, furious and humiliated, started dredging up old grievances; Wang Ou was speechless for a moment, then fired back just as hard.

"At least I'm not someone's lapdog."

"I'm Lan Jie's lapdog? You're no different from me—don't act so high and mighty."

"..."

The two started squabbling again, loudly and incessantly; their fame and sensitive statuses meant someone had to notice—bride Luo Haiqiong immediately stepped in to mediate.

"What are you two chatting about so enthusiastically?"

Wang Ou flicked her hair: "Nothing. My appetite's been off lately—I've lost a few kilos. Just asking Teacher Huo for her diet tips."

Huo Siyan ground her teeth, smiling coldly: "Teacher Wang is too kind. Sister Luo, you should really ask Teacher Wang for advice—she's got deep insights into marital relationships."

Luo Haiqiong listened and could not help but smile wryly—these two were being utterly sarcastic.

Had she known they hated each other this much, she'd never have invited both.

But there was no help for it—the grudge between Wang and Huo wasn't widely known, and even those who knew kept it discreet; no one openly fought in public.

Luckily, no media were invited to today's wedding; their minor clash was contained—otherwise, the spectacle would've been huge.

Luo Haiqiong soothed and cajoled on both sides; neither dared cause a scene at a wedding, so they both ceased fighting and apologized to Luo Haiqiong.

It was purely the other's obnoxiousness that provoked her—she had no intention of targeting Luo.

Wang Ou's relationship with Luo Haiqiong was slightly weaker; after the ceremony, she raised a toast, barely ate anything, then excused herself under the pretense of urgent business.

Huo Siyan didn't leave—she ate with Liu Yun and the others, then watched the groom, Fei Qi, as he circulated to toast guests, whispering with several Huayi artists and colleagues.

"With Li Xue gone, Old Fei's taken over—this company's about to turn upside down."

Ever since last year's IPO, Huayi had been circulating rumors of restructuring its artist management.

In January this year, Li Bingbing's identical twin sister, Li Xue, officially resigned—the top artist at Huayi was officially on her way out.

With Li Xue gone, the main person in charge of artist management became Luo Haiqiong's husband, Fei Qi.

As previously mentioned, Huayi's artist management was divided into several teams; both Li Xue and Fei Qi led one team each.

Now that Li Xue has left and Fei Qi has taken over, the situation for the artists under each has changed drastically.

"I heard Brother Quan might leave with Sister Bingbing."

"Not surprising—they're close. Besides, Ren Quan doesn't act much anymore; letting Li Xue handle his management lets him focus on his business."

"What about Zhou Xun? Will she leave?"

"She'll definitely go. Everyone knew she wanted out, and she doesn't even hold company shares—she got none of the IPO windfall. Why stay?"

"Not just them—Lin Xinru might leave too. I heard the company's already scouting successors: An Yixuan, Chen Zihan, and Yao Chen are all candidates."

"..."

The group debated fiercely—top artists leaving and management changes affected everyone deeply, so everyone cared intensely.

Liu Yun was puzzled: "The company went public—things look great. Why are more people quitting?"

Zheng Jun beside her said: "They're just dissatisfied."

That answer was too vague—no one quits because they're comfortable. Seeing this, Huo Siyan wiped her lips and began showing off.

"Brother Zheng, you sing decently, but your analytical skills are terrible. Let me tell you why."

"First, some artists wanted to leave before, but the company begged and pleaded to keep them for the IPO. Now that it's done, they're free to go."

"Second, there's resource scarcity and fierce internal competition. You all know what this company is like—few resources, bad atmosphere. If you can leave, you leave."

"Third, the market's changed. The old artist model is outdated. Many popular artists now prefer setting up personal studios for better autonomy and profits. Plus, the company's IPO hype has drawn outside capital into film and TV—they want to collaborate with stars, and leaving the company might offer better prospects."

"Fourth, Yi'an is now the top dog; our company is being crushed, the future is uncertain, and many people are pessimistic—ask anyone with stock, eight out of ten are waiting for a chance to sell."

"Besides that, there are other reasons, but I won't list them all."

"In short, the company is entering a new phase, so changes are inevitable. Don't worry too much—stay if there's profit, leave if there isn't. The industry is thriving right now; there's no shortage of ways to make money."

"……"

After finishing, Huo Siyan noticed everyone at the table was staring at her—and behind her.

Realizing something was wrong, Huo Siyan turned around—it was Wang Zhongjun, the boss of Huayi.

He had come to the wedding, just walked by with a glass of wine, overheard Huo Siyan's long speech, and stopped to listen for a while.

"Who told you that?"

Huo Siyan replied: "I thought of it myself."

Wang Zhongjun laughed in anger—if Huo Siyan, this airhead with big boobs, had thought of this, he'd eat the whole table.

Looking at Huo Siyan, who showed no fear facing him, he paused briefly, then said, "Don't speculate about company strategy," and turned to leave.

Everyone else looked at Huo Siyan with admiration and awe—damn, she trash-talked the company like that, and Boss Wang acted like he didn't hear a thing.

Huo Siyan remained calm—after all, she'd insulted the Two Wangs in front of them more than once or twice.

Liu Yun nudged her: "Did you really think of that yourself?"

Huo Siyan nodded: "Yeah."

Liu Yun didn't believe her: "You can fool the boss, but you're lying to your sister too?"

"Uh, the other day I went to see Sister Lan, and I heard it from her husband."

Huo Siyan told the truth; Liu Yun wasn't surprised: "I guessed it was him."

Whether the remark was brilliant or not, the condescending tone toward Huayi wasn't something an ordinary person would dare show.

Even though Huayi has been constantly provoked by Yan Li, it's still one of the top players in the entertainment industry and a billion-dollar company in the public eye—a towering tree out of reach for most people.

"But why would you casually chat about this with him?"

Liu Yun was curious; Huo Siyan poked at her soup bowl, sighing: "Because my contract is almost expiring."

Huo Siyan signed with Huayi in 2005; this year is the final year of her contract, and judging by the current situation, the Two Wangs probably won't renew it.

This disappointed Huo Siyan—she actually liked staying at Huayi; it was livelier, and pretending to be cool felt better here.

Plus, she could act as a mole for Yan Li. Never mind how much actual use the mole role might be—it was still a pretext, a contribution Yan Li could remember.

Also, as a Huayi artist—or a traitor—she carried certain special buffs that gave Yan Li a different feeling.

Leaving Huayi would be a significant loss for her.

Seeing her worried, Liu Yun advised: "It's not like Huayi is the only company—you could just beg your brother-in-law to get you into Yi'an."

"Go to Yi'an and die?"

Fan Xiaopang hated her, Wang Ou had a grudge against her, Yang Mi was outwardly polite but inwardly hostile, and Dong Xuan lurked in the shadows with old grievances.

With so many enemies watching, even if Yan Li stepped in to protect her, he'd still suffer plenty of silent losses.

"What about Chengtian?"

"Forget it—Chengtian doesn't even have as many resources as Huayi. Boss (Ma Yili) and No. 4 (Li Xiaolu) both want to leave. What would I go there for?"

"What about Hai Run?"

"You know how I feel about Jiang Xin, Hai Run's No. 2."

"Bo Na?"

"Huang Yi signed there—I don't get along with her."

Liu Yun was speechless: "How did you manage your social life? How come everyone has a grudge against you?"

Huo Siyan felt embarrassed too—this was one reason she didn't want to leave Huayi; too many enemies, and no matter where she went, it'd be hard.

"Why not go to Sister Lan's? You don't shoot many dramas anyway—she could easily help you arrange something."

Liu Yun recommended a new company: Qin Lan's Shan Feng Pictures, which had already signed Zhao Ke—adding Huo Siyan wouldn't be a problem.