Chapter 382: Huayi Lost a Menace, Yi

“Shorty, looking for trouble?”

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

“You even monitor who I chat with? Don’t call yourself Tongxin Sister—call yourself Nagging Sister.”

Hu Siyan put away her phone, just exchanged 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 true for Wang Ou and Hu Siyan.

Though they met rarely, they deeply disliked each other, and their personalities and methods had some similarities, so each had a fair sense of the other’s behavior and intentions.

Hu Siyan’s brazen attempt to steal someone right under her nose 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 just now? A flat model. Even if she’s pretty, how many pretty models are there in Beijing? You think she’s you? A glutton who eats anything.”

Earlier, Wang Ou had chatted with Zhang Xinyu—not because Wang Ou approached her, but because Zhang Xinyu initiated the conversation.

They shared a mutual friend in the modeling world, so Wang Ou exchanged a few words with her—nothing more.

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

Not just these desperate little models scheming to climb up, but even famous actresses are after Boss Yan.

Pimps don’t lack women—there are plenty of beautiful ones—but the key is how to catch Yan Li’s interest, how 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 new people.

One reason: fewer people ensure fair shares and internal unity; bringing in newcomers randomly makes veterans unhappy. Another: Yan Li’s tastes are picky—he genuinely doesn’t care for most people.

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

Otherwise, bringing in a disaster like Hu 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.

Hu Siyan thinks forming a small circle is like her chaotic Pomeranian girl gang—she vastly underestimates the subtleties involved.

Wang Ou’s blatant contempt stung Hu Siyan—she’d turned pimping into something to be proud of.

“Aren’t you a model too? Now that you’ve ‘gone ashore,’ you look down on your own kind?”

Hu Siyan, furious and humiliated, started dredging up old grievances; Wang Ou choked on her words but refused to back down.

“At least I’m not your lapdog.”

“I’m Lan Sister’s lapdog? You’re the same rank as me—don’t put on airs.”

“...”

The two began squabbling again, loudly and fiercely; their fame and sensitive positions meant someone had to notice—bride Luo Haiqiong quickly stepped in to mediate.

“What are you two chatting about so passionately?”

Wang Ou brushed her hair aside: “Nothing. My appetite’s been off lately—I’ve lost a few pounds. Just asking Hu Teacher for her diet tips.”

Hu Siyan ground her teeth, smiling coldly: “Wang Teacher, you’re too kind. Qiong Sister, you should really ask Wang Teacher for advice—she’s got deep insights into marital relationships.”

Luo Haiqiong could only smile bitterly—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: few knew about the feud between Wang and Hu; even those who did, being industry insiders, rarely clashed openly.

Luckily, no media were invited to the wedding—otherwise, with these two barely holding back, the spectacle would’ve been enormous.

Luo Haiqiong soothed and cajoled; 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 them—they 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.

Hu Siyan stayed, ate with Liu Yun and the others, then watched the groom Fei Qi making rounds of toasts, 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, rumors had swirled inside Huayi about restructuring the artist management division.

In January this year, Li Xue—the elder sister of Li Bingbing and head of artist management—officially resigned; Huayi’s top artist was now in her final countdown.

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

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 Quan Ge might leave with Bingbing Sister.”

“Not surprising—they’re close. Besides, Ren Quan barely acts 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 planned to leave, and she has no company shares—she didn’t get a single penny from the IPO. Why stay?”

“Not just them—Lin Xinru might leave too. Rumor has it the company’s already scouting successors: An Yixuan, Chen Zihan, and Yao Chen are all candidates.”

“...”

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

Liu Yun was puzzled: “The company just went public—things look great. Why are more people terminating contracts?”

Nearby, Zheng Jun said: “They’re just dissatisfied.”

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

“Old Zheng, you sing decently, but your analytical skills are terrible. Let me tell you why.”

“First, some artists wanted to leave before the IPO, but the company begged and pleaded to keep them. Now that it’s public, they’re free to go.”

“Second: resource scarcity and fierce internal competition. You know what our company’s 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 personal studios for better autonomy and profits. Plus, the company’s IPO hype has drawn outside capital into film and TV—they want to partner with stars, and leaving the company might offer better prospects.”

“Fourth: Yi’an is now the industry leader, and we’re getting crushed. The future looks bleak. Many are pessimistic. Ask anyone holding shares—eight out of ten are waiting for a chance to sell.”

“Besides these, there are other reasons—I won’t list them all.”

“In short, the company’s entering a new phase, so change is inevitable. Don’t worry too much—stay if it’s profitable, leave if it’s not. The industry’s thriving—there’s no shortage of ways to make money.”

“...”

After Hu Siyan finished speaking, she realized everyone at the table was staring at her—and behind her.

Sensing something wrong, Hu Siyan turned around—it was Wang Zhongjun, head of Huayi.

He’d come to the wedding, passed by with a glass of wine, overheard Hu Siyan’s long speech, and paused to listen.

“Who told you this?”

Hu Siyan replied: “I thought of it myself.”

Wang Zhongjun laughed bitterly—if Hu Siyan, a dumb, big-chested fool, had thought this up, he’d eat the whole table.

Looking at Hu Siyan, who showed no fear, he paused briefly, then said: “Company strategy isn’t for you to speculate on,” and walked away.

Everyone else looked at Hu Siyan with awe and admiration—damn, she trashed the company like that, and Boss Wang acted like he didn’t hear a thing.

Hu Siyan remained calm—she’d defied the Two Wangs more than once before.

Liu Yun nudged her: “Did you really think that up yourself?”

Hu Siyan nodded: “Yeah.”

Liu Yun didn’t believe it: “You can fool your boss, but you’re lying to your sisters too?”

“Uh… I was visiting Lan Sister the other day. Her husband told me.”

Hu Siyan told the truth; Liu Yun wasn’t surprised: “I knew it was him.”

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

Despite how much Yan Li torments Huayi, it’s still one of the industry’s giants, a billion-dollar company in the public eye—a towering tree most people can only look up to.

“But why are you chatting about this with him when you’ve got nothing better to do?”

Liu Yun was curious. Hu Siyan poked her soup bowl, sighing: “Because my contract’s almost up.”

Hu Siyan signed with Huayi in 2005; this year is the final year. Judging by the current situation, the Two Wangs won’t renew her contract.

This disappointed her—she actually liked being at Huayi. It’s livelier, and pretending to be cool feels better here.

Plus, she could act as a mole for Yan Li. Even if the mole’s usefulness is minimal, it’s still a pretext, a credential—Yan Li will remember it.

Also, as a Huayi artist—or a traitor—she carries a special aura that gives Yan Li a unique feeling.

Leaving Huayi would be a significant loss for her.

Seeing her worried, Liu Yun advised: “You don’t have to stay at Huayi. Just beg your brother-in-law to get you into Yi’an.”

“Go to Yi’an and die?”

Fan Xiaopang hates her, Wang Ou has a grudge against her, Yang Mi is outwardly polite but inwardly hostile, and there’s Dong Xuan lurking with old grudges.

With so many enemies watching, even if Yan Li protected her, she’d still suffer plenty of silent losses.

“What about Orange Sky?”

“Forget it. Orange Sky has fewer resources than Huayi. Boss Ma (Ma Yili) and Boss Four (Li Xiaolu) both want to leave—why would I go there?”

“What about Hairen? They have plenty of TV dramas.”

“You know what kind of relationship I have with Jiang Xin, Hairen’s Second Sister?”

“Bonan?”

“Huang Yi signed there—I don’t get along with her.”

Liu Yun was speechless: “How did you manage to make enemies with everyone?”

Hu Siyan felt embarrassed—this was one reason she didn’t want to leave Huayi. Too many enemies; wherever she went, it’d be hard.

“Why not go to Lan Sister? You don’t act much anyway—she could easily help you arrange something.”

Liu Yun recommended a new company, Qin Lan’s Mountain Wind Film, which had already signed Zhao Ke; one more actor, Hu Siyan, wouldn’t matter.