Chapter 238: Attacking the Enemy Where They Must Save

Contrary to Lu Kuan's expectations, Zhou Jun left the two of them space to communicate with great grace and excused himself first.

Boss Lu shook hands and exchanged pleasantries with him, feeling the murderous intent hidden beneath this extraordinary demeanor.

Dogs that don't bark bite the hardest.

"Mr. Lu, I watched *The Departed* four times, but the last two times I went to Pengcheng to watch it, just to help you break the record."

"Haha! I appreciate it, Mr. Chow, thank you very much for your support."

Zou Zhongheng hadn't wanted to see guests just now, but she walked in after hearing Lu Kuan's voice in the back.

"Mr. Lu, we meet again."

Boss Lu remembered the old butler's reminder and knew that this "second-generation filmmaker" had some affinity for him.

"Sister Zou, hello, it's been nearly two years."

Zou Zhongheng was in her forties this year, so she was worthy of his calling her "Sister": "You come to Hong Kong, either to find your sister or to hang out with Boss Li and the others; you never come to drink a cup of tea."

Boss Lu was rarely embarrassed; it was indeed true that he had been invited many times but never came, brushing off her good intentions.

"I'm ashamed to say, it's mainly because I covet your company's shares, so I feel guilty!"

Raymond Chow laughed loudly; he really was an interesting young man, with a sense of "great wisdom appearing as stupidity."

Or, it wouldn't be wrong to say "great treachery appearing as loyalty."

The few of them exchanged pleasantries for a while, drank a few sips of tea, and Zou Zhongheng said first: "Mr. Lu, to be honest, this Mr. Zhou from the mainland just now is also here to buy my daddy's shares."

"I could tell."

Zou Zhongheng was surprised: "You know each other?"

"How should I put it? This person should be an ally of my competitor's company, and he has quite a bit of energy in the mainland."

"Presumably he has already introduced it to you, right?"

Raymond Chow smiled: "It's not small. Whether it's land acquisition or film approval, as well as some conveniences in the capital market, he has mentioned them all."

"And his offer is much higher than your Inquiry Realm's."

Zhong Lifang said cautiously: "May I ask..."

"Your last quote was 130 million, and this Mr. Zhou quoted 200 million directly, and that was without knowing your quote."

Boss Lu nodded silently.

Previously, his expectation for this acquisition was 500 million, but that included all shares, including Raymond Chow's and other major shareholders'.

It would be unwise to spend too much capital on the 24.78% equity held by Raymond Chow.

Raymond Chow looked at his daughter and then turned to Lu Kuan: "Mr. Lu, do you know how to play bridge?"

"I know a little."

"Does Ms. Zhong know?"

"Mr. Chow, I played when I was studying in the UK, but I only understand the rules."

Raymond Chow slapped his thigh: "Good! Zhongheng, count you in, let's play a few rounds."

The guest follows the host's convenience; Boss Lu didn't understand his intention and could only agree first.

Bridge originated in the UK and, together with chess and Go, is known as one of the world's three major intellectual sports.

There are many celebrities obsessed with bridge; former British Prime Minister Churchill and stock god Buffett are fanatical fans, and our "Designer Grandpa" is also a good player.

Mr. Raymond Chow, who once lived in Hong Kong under the influence of British culture, was no exception.

The Zou father and daughter sat East-West, the two from the Inquiry Realm sat North-South, and the four began to bid.

People of advanced age usually don't have much energy, but as the four played cards, Raymond Chow actually talked more than just now.

"Bridge, you know, 13 cards per person; once they are dealt, it's a settled situation, you can only try your best to play it as well as possible."

Boss Lu laughed: "I still prefer mahjong; every round has variables, and a single tile can change destiny."

"Hehe, Mr. Lu seems to be an opportunist."

"No wonder you've been able to struggle through the wind and waves in this environment and build such a huge foundation."

Looking at Boss Lu, who was just over twenty, he remembered his own glory days when he was young.

Zou Wenhuai sighed: "Actually, in my life, I've also touched a few good tiles."

Lu Kuan knew who the "good tiles" he was talking about were.

Li Xiaolong, Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Michael Hui.

These famous figures in the Hong Kong film scene were almost all discovered by him.

Sometimes, even if the situation wasn't good and the outcome seemed set, Zou Wenhuai could always maneuver and unexpectedly stun his opponents, stirring up the landscape of the Hong Kong film scene.

"Winning trick."

Zou Wenhuai laughed and put down his cards; in bridge, four cards make a trick, and the higher card wins the trick.

"There are many rumors about me outside; I know them all."

"They talk about my grievances with Shaw Brothers, about how stingy I am, and how I mistreat my subordinates, especially Wong Jing."

"Mr. Lu, actually, when a person reaches my age, many things can be seen clearly, such as the offers from you and that Mr. Zhou."

He played a dummy hand and continued: "Back then, when Li Xiaolong returned to the country, he went to Shaw Brothers first."

"But Shaw Brothers was only willing to give him a remuneration of 2,000 US dollars, which was really too little compared to the 10,000 US dollars for Ti Lung and David Chiang, who were popular at the time."

"Later, I flew directly to the United States to find Li Xiaolong."

"I told him, Wenjie Jiahe is just starting, I can only take out 7,500 US dollars for you to use, and the filming will be based on your opinions, because you understand Hollywood."

Boss Lu nodded; everyone knew the story that followed.

In 1971, Li Xiaolong's "The Big Boss" took 3.5 million in first-run box office as soon as it was released, eventually setting a Hong Kong box office record.

Then came "Fist of Fury" and "Enter the Dragon," which were equally popular at home and abroad.

It's just that heaven is jealous of talent; Li Xiaolong passed away unexpectedly in 1973, dying suddenly at the home of his rumored lover, Betty Ting Pei.

As an aside, Ting Pei later married Boss Heung of China Star.

Zou Wenhuai seemed like an old grandfather showing off to a junior, starting from Li Xiaolong, then moving on to Jackie Chan, whom he had helped make famous.

Then came 1994, when he led Wenjie Jiahe to a successful listing, opening up the great era of Hong Kong cinema!

To give an inappropriate example, Boss Lu in the mainland at the beginning of the 21st century was like Zou Wenhuai in Hong Kong in the 70s.

When the eyes of many Hong Kong filmmakers were still focused on this small place, his eyes had already seen Hollywood.

After two rounds of cards, perhaps Zou Wenhuai was tired of talking, so he took the few of them back to the Chinese-style sofa to sit down.

"Mr. Lu, I admire you very much."

"In you, I see myself when I was young."

"In '89, I invested in the live-action version of 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' in Hollywood. In 1990, this movie took 1 billion Hong Kong dollars at the global box office, making it the third-highest in the world that year."

"14 years later, today, I have almost despaired of the development of Chinese-language films and Chinese actors in Hollywood."

"I didn't expect you to be able to film such a stunning work, grabbing nearly 500 million US dollars at the global box office! It's too wonderful! It's too inspiring!"

Zou Wenhuai laughed and looked at Boss Lu, who was young to an unbelievable degree, his eyes full of admiration.

Lu Kuan knew these words of his were not fake.

In 2007, Zou Wenhuai announced his retirement in Hong Kong with his daughter Zou Zhongheng; his speech was very brief, but one sentence was impressive.

"I hope that one day in the future, Chinese cinema can compete with Hollywood."

(Photo of Zou and his daughter at their retirement in 2007)

Boss Lu understood the matter of several major film companies, including Media Asia and China Star, besieging Wenjie Jiahe and snatching his film studio in General Mountain back then.

That internal strife undoubtedly pushed the already declining Hong Kong cinema completely off a cliff, never to regain the glory of the "Oriental Hollywood" of the past.

"To be honest, I can't stand many directors and actors in the Hong Kong film scene; they are obsessed with internal strife and don't think much of the development in the mainland."

"Now that a survival crisis has appeared, they are flocking north, their eyes never seeing the world outside."

Lu Kuan changed the subject: "Mr. Zou, the spirit and history of Wenjie Jiahe are worthy of respect, and your contribution to Chinese-language cinema is obvious to all."

"In the glorious era of Hong Kong cinema, other film companies only had Wenjie Jiahe in their eyes, while Wenjie Jiahe had the whole world in its eyes."

"I respect your vision of spreading Chinese culture to Hollywood very much; whether it's kung fu films or other types of films, as long as they can go global, it's a success! This is the common dream of every Chinese-language filmmaker!"

Zou Wenhuai was comforted, the admiration in his eyes growing even stronger.

As the train of time slowly passed through the gradually withering Hong Kong film scene, 68-year-old Zou Wenhuai sat there, looking back with deep affection.

In the spirited young man opposite him, his eyes were full of the shadow of himself at 22.

That year was 1949; Zou Wenhuai, who had just graduated from university, finished his internship at the "Shen Pao" in Shanghai and returned to Hong Kong, just beginning to come into contact with the film business.

The gears of fate began to turn from then on.

Handing Wenjie Jiahe over to this young man, he was at ease.

Zou Wenhuai leaned on his cane and stood up with difficulty: "Alright, today I've probably rambled on about everything I had to say for months."

"Zhongheng, you accompany Mr. Lu and Ms. Zhong to eat; I need to sleep for a while."

Zou Zhongheng responded and helped her father walk inside.

She knew in her heart that Lu Kuan had passed the test, and now it was her turn to negotiate the terms.

Boss Lu didn't dawdle either, directly matching Zhou Jun's 200 million offer.

Others might not know, but he was as clear as a mirror in his heart: it wouldn't be long before Rupert Murdoch of News Corp would come to visit with Wendi Deng to seek to acquire Wenjie Jiahe.

Facing the commercial sniping of the fourth-estate tycoon at that time, he, this little guy, had no chance of winning.

The three chatted until very late about communication with other shareholders, the subsequent renaming of Wenjie Jiahe, and its development.

Before leaving, Lu Kuan said to Zou Zhongheng: "Ms. Zou, please do me one more favor."

"Please speak."

"Our transaction is temporarily confidential; for that Zhou Jun just now, please help me hold him off."

Zou Zhongheng laughed: "I've long heard that Mr. Lu is a little immortal, a little Zhuge Liang; are you going to perform magic again?"

"Haha, you flatter me."

"In short, our transaction will still take some time; just keep Ms. Zou hanging on to him, no need to say anything else."

"Alright, I promise you."

Zhong Lifang and Lu Kuan got in the car and left; Zhong Lifang was somewhat puzzled.

"Boss, what was the meaning of that just now?"

Lu Kuan let out a long sigh: "This Zhou Jun has a very clear grasp of our movements, and this time he wanted to come and intercept us directly."

"Although he is from Morgan Stanley, such a large merger case cannot be decided by one person alone, and Yanda Huayi doesn't have that much money right now. I want to see who else is standing behind them!"

As the vehicle drove away from the mountain road, the lackey Zhou Jun had sent to the periphery immediately dialed his boss's phone.

"Mr. Zhou, they've left. They entered at 2 o'clock and didn't leave until 7 o'clock; they chatted for 5 hours."

"Alright, you withdraw first."

Zhou Jun hung up the phone, turned his head, and said to Wang Xiaolei in the room: "It looks like he is determined to win."

Wang Xiaolei laughed: "It doesn't matter if we can't compete; we're just driving up the price. It wouldn't be bad to make him bleed a little more."

"No, we must compete this time."

Zhou Jun took the paper and pen left by the hotel for guests, scribbled something, and handed it to Wang Xiaolei.

"His layout is interlocking, from film production to advertising and distribution, all complete; now he's just missing a theater chain."

"If this link is opened up by him, Yanda Huayi will be passive in the future and may lose the opportunity to keep pace with or even surpass Inquiry Realm forever."

Wang Xiaolei stared at the sticky note for a long time before slapping the sofa in hatred.

"We had already reached an agreement with the Xi'an Film Studio, but this kid insisted on interfering, snatching the target based on his Focus Media and the success of 'Shoplifters'."

"If it weren't for him sabotaging Xiaogang's 'Cell Phone', my brother and I wouldn't be so passive."

Zhou Jun nodded: "This is the gap between you and him. Calculating against the unprepared is one thing; always being able to kill two birds with one stone is the second."

"More importantly, he seems to always be able to guess your Yanda Huayi's next strategic goal and can always obstruct it at the most critical moment."

Wang Xiaolei suddenly hesitated: "Brother Zhou."

"Actually... there are some stories about when this Lu Kuan started his business."

"What do you mean?"

Wang Xiaolei organized his thoughts: "In the circle, they call him the little immortal. Back then, when he was in Hong Kong, he treated Anita Mui and collected 3 million from her; this money was the capital for him to film 'Drummer'."

"Even our company's Bingbing has had her fortune told by him, but there was no follow-up."

Zhou Jun was an elite talent who had returned from studying abroad, so he naturally scoffed at such talk.

"Xiaolei, our grandparents' generation were all materialists who conquered the country with real swords and guns; you don't still believe in these things, do you?"

"Lu Kuan is just very proficient in the context of the development of the film industry and the entertainment industry; this is nothing strange."

The confident Morgan Stanley manager sipped his tea.

"I'll look for investors recently. Our goal is to go public, to be the first comprehensive entertainment company in the country to go public before Inquiry Realm, and it's also time to introduce investors."

"With this money, let's see if we can take Wenjie Jiahe before Inquiry Realm."

Zhou Jun laughed: "Isn't he sabotaging your 'Cell Phone' while snatching your shares in the Xi'an Film Studio distribution company?"

"We'll learn from him. To kill a snake, hit it seven inches; first, destroy his trump card, Liu Yifei. This is called attacking the enemy where they must save, and then secretly intercept his Wenjie Jiahe."

Wang Xiaolei was extremely excited, but suddenly his face showed a treacherous look: "Don't worry, I've arranged everything."

"The two sides parted on bad terms in the office this afternoon, and we agreed to talk about the script tomorrow or the day after."

"At that time, I'll let Li Liyan pretend to agree, and then find an opportunity to implement our plan..."

On September 30, 2004, both Liu Yifei and Zhang Nara made concessions on the script, and on the basis of basically meeting Liu Yifei's interests, Yang Siwei relented and agreed to continue filming.

On the afternoon of the 30th, order was restored on the set, and filming continued.

However, a big guy on the Beijing Film Academy set today attracted the attention of the crowd.

A North American Anderson luxury RV that seemed to break the dimensional wall!

How should I put it?

At this moment, the practitioners in the domestic entertainment industry seeing this avant-garde RV were like Li Hongzhang sitting on the subway when he went to New York back then.

They truly had never seen this thing; it was like a small apartment, for heaven's sake.

At this moment, the overjoyed little Liu was taking her old senior Huang Xiaoming, who was making a cameo, and her classmate Zhu Yawen and others to visit it!

Theoretically, she wasn't someone who liked to show off her wealth on a daily basis; she wore whatever clothes were old or life-saving, and didn't care much about food, clothing, or expenses.

But this car was different!

This was the birthday gift that someone gave her!

The first time!

"Look quickly, everyone, on the wooden board next to the center console here, it even says 'tol'. Lu Kuan said it's the initials of my name, representing me!"

"It means it's a gift for Liu!"

Zhu Yawen touched the uneven part in the back with some doubt: "Xixi, why does this look like it's been polished? It seems like there were some letters erased in the back."

Liu Yifei didn't notice this point and explained after observing for a few seconds: "Hmm... Lu Kuan said these interiors are all made of redwood from the American Giant Forest; maybe the raw wood is just uneven."

God damn uneven; that's Leonardo's "leo," and the last two letters were rubbed off!

You silly girl!

Once you enter the "love brain" state, this IQ becomes negative; calling you Guo Xiang is already overestimating you!

Huang Xiaoming thought to himself, how can little Liu's classmate be so silly, with no eye for detail at all?

Didn't you see how high-spirited she was?

You're acting like someone is holding a newborn baby for you to see, and you say, "Why is it so ugly?"

Just praise it and be done with it!

"Xixi, I really envy you. Speaking of which, Director Lu is something else, too; he didn't forget your birthday even while filming in the US."

"And he specially had it shipped back to you from overseas by cargo ship as an express delivery; he's so thoughtful!"

Liu Yifei was made to blush slightly by his rainbow farts, though of course, she was too embarrassed to say it was something she had gotten by throwing a tantrum.

"No, no, it was my mother who asked him to keep an eye out for it."

"Aren't we going to Jiuzhaigou next month to film a costume drama? I saw the script has a lot of falling-into-water scenes and such, so it'll be more convenient to change clothes."

Zhu Yawen was no "pushover" either and reacted immediately.

"Hey, if I could meet a rich woman who would buy me an RV, why would I film anything? I'd just marry into wealth!"

"Xixi, it seems your position in Director Lu's heart is very important? Incredible, incredible."

Liu Yifei had a "body rejects it but mouth is honest" look: "Pah! Don't talk nonsense; I have nothing to do with that washing machine!"

"Oh, oh, I know, I know, nothing to do with it."

Huang Xiaoming checked his watch: "Didn't your manager Siwei say she was coming to visit the set? Why hasn't she arrived yet?"

Liu Yifei laughed: "Every time he comes back, he has to go see his Uncle Tian first; he probably brought some tea, cigarettes, alcohol, and local specialties to the directing building again."

"Oh, oh, so that's how it is."

Xiaoming, who had extremely high emotional intelligence, silently noted his habits, and good words flowed out as if they didn't cost money.

Yifei was so knowledgeable about Director Lu's "biological habits"; she would be an excellent source of information in the future.

Little Liu was usually kind to people on the set, and she had no airs when dealing with extras and stagehands, so everyone was kindly flattering her, envious that she had such a mobile castle.

Li Liyan's gaze swept over her bright eyes and white teeth like a poisonous snake, and suddenly a poisonous plan came to mind!

This would be much more effective than what President Wang had arranged!

Wang Xiaolei's original arrangement was very simple: just find an extra to pretend to go ask for an autograph during mealtime.

Spill hot soup on Liu Yifei's face; it wouldn't disfigure her, but it would make her uncomfortable for a while.

Then have reporters capture some video of her conflict with the extra and falsely accuse her of being a diva on the internet.

This wasn't all; a series of black materials prepared subsequently would all gush out.

According to Zhou Jun's instructions, don't act unless you do, but once you do, attack the enemy where they must save; you must drag Inquiry Realm and Lu Kuan into this swamp.

However, Li Liyan now had a new idea, especially after seeing the RV Lu Kuan had given Liu Yifei.

Having obtained the leader's consent, she called over the extra, Little Yu, whom she had already arranged.

In the distance, little Liu was still completely unaware, still showing off her birthday gift with a beaming smile.

The breeze of late summer blew across the Beijing Film Academy campus; Liu Yifei, playing Teacher An Ran, was putting on makeup in the studio, waiting for her scene, while Liu Xiaoli and Yang Siwei stood to one side.

"Siwei, be careful these few days; I always feel they compromised too quickly."

"Yes, Liu Ayi, but there's no need to worry too much; they wouldn't dare to mess around at the Beijing Film Academy."

Yang Siwei checked her watch: "President Lu will be here in a while; with him here, it'll be fine."

Liu Xiaoli nodded, feeling as if she had a backbone the moment she heard Lu Kuan's name: "I'm going to sleep in the car for a while; I'll switch with you later."

"Okay."

Yang Siwei was also somewhat bored, but just as Liu Xiaoli said, she always felt the other side would come up with some tricks.

This could be seen from the filming of "Silver Years" this time.

Whether it was role arrangements, on-site interactions, or media press releases, everything was aimed at stepping on Xixi and boosting Zhang Nara.

It was just that Liu Yifei's health bar was thick enough that these small waves hadn't caused any big stir on the internet yet.

Liu Yifei finished her scene and sat down next to her: "Lu Kuan hasn't come yet?"

"He's probably smoking in Teacher Tian's office."

Yang Siwei replied restlessly, when suddenly a young-looking extra walked over in a hurry.

"Liu... Miss Liu, could I please ask you for a favor..."

Liu Yifei stood up abruptly, supporting the extra, Little Yu, who looked pale as paper; she recognized this girl, who played a student in her class.

"What's wrong? Take your time, why is your face so ugly?"

Little Yu was so anxious her face turned red, and she leaned close to the two, her voice like a mosquito's: "I... I'm on my period, and I didn't have time to run to the teaching building restroom to change."

"Miss Liu, could I use your RV... just for a moment! I promise I won't make your place dirty!"

Yang Siwei scanned her up and down with some suspicion, wanting to ask a few more questions, but her own artist had already spoken.

"Go ahead, go ahead, don't worry, come out when you're done."

"Thank you! Thank you!"

Yang Siwei was just about to say something when Liu Yifei grabbed her arm and whispered: "She has a problem."

"What do you mean?"

"If she were on her period, her walking posture shouldn't be like that."

Liu Yifei had polished her physical training in Grotowski for two years and could see at a glance that something was wrong with Little Yu.

"Got it, I'll go take a look."

Li Liyan, standing behind the monitor, stood far away to avoid suspicion and couldn't hear the conversation between Little Yu and the two of them.

But seeing Little Yu successfully enter the RV, she breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.

The big event was done; later, let Little Yu hide for a while. With Yanda Huayi's money taken and the contract signed, there was no fear that she would have any second thoughts.

Liu Yifei, aren't you a pure jade girl?

Let's see if you die this time.

Yang Siwei sent Little Yu into the car and stood outside; under the awning extended by the RV, she enjoyed the shade and felt drowsy.

She had stayed up too late last night marking the revisions to the "Silver Years" script.

Liu Yifei's scene came again, and she walked through the scene gracefully.

With her current ability, there was no difficulty in shaping this young teacher character with a simple personality and a single image.

The change happened one second after Chen Bing shouted "Cut!"

The scripted plot had ended, and the real plot had just begun!

Suddenly, a scream came from Liu Yifei's RV!

Everyone on the scene looked over; first, the extra Little Yu "crawled" out of the RV with disheveled hair.

She fled in a hurry, and at the moment she was about to escape, she was grabbed by the legs by Liu Xiaoli behind her, her entire upper body hitting the three-tier low ladder of the RV heavily.

The violent collision with the aluminum alloy material made her nasal bridge ache, and soon blood overflowed from her nasal cavity.

"Save me! Save me! Murder!"

All the actors and staff on the scene were stunned, not knowing how Little Yu, who usually didn't even dare to speak to strangers, had become so crazed.

Immediately after, Liu Xiaoli's voice came out.

"Siwei! Phone!"

Yang Siwei hadn't gotten on the car yet when she saw this thrilling scene, and Liu Xiaoli was shouting at her with a hoarse voice.

The crying of the little extra made people feel sympathetic, and everyone surged up to see what was going on.

Liu Yifei thought, "This is going to be bad." She wanted to rush up to help, but hesitated and looked around, suddenly meeting Li Liyan's sinister gaze, and stopped her steps.

Mom and Siwei should be enough; if she rushed up and was snapped by reporters, it would be inappropriate and impossible to explain clearly.

Liu Yifei took out her phone and dialed Lu Kuan.

Li Liyan was stunned for two seconds before hurriedly calling over the reporters she had prepared in advance to run onto the scene, while shouting loudly to frame them:

"Liu Yifei is acting like a diva and bullying an extra!"

"Let go of that little girl, why are you hitting people?"

Premeditated clamor also quickly became rampant.

"Call the police! Can a female star bully an extra?"

"You still won't let her go? Are you going to beat her to death?"

Film crew, hitting people—these keywords were black materials with the power of an atomic bomb in the domestic entertainment industry over the past two weeks.

Just a week ago, in the "The Proud Twins" film crew, the "fake play becoming real" between Hong Kong actors Nicholas Tse and Dicky Cheung had caused an extremely bad influence.

"Move aside, move aside, I'm going to take her to the hospital!"

A man in black with an unfamiliar face suddenly squeezed into the crowd and "unintentionally" knocked over several cameras that were preparing to shoot the bloody scene.

"Can't you be careful, damn it?"

"What's going on here?"

The young man in black smiled embarrassedly: "Sorry, sorry, my girlfriend is hurt."

He squeezed to the front, and Yang Siwei, Liu Yifei, and Liu Xiaoli all stared at him in a daze.

How did you become Little Yu's boyfriend?

Liu Xiaoli was the first to react, but just as she wanted to say something, she was interrupted by the man.

"You still won't let go? Don't you see she's about to die?"

Little Yu, who was still being held tightly by Liu Xiaoli and Yang Siwei, finally had some hope of escaping; this was the person sent by Yanda Huayi!

Sister Li's person!

It's just that can they let me go...

She gripped her phone tightly; that was the only bargaining chip for her to turn over a new leaf in her life.

Liu Yifei was the first to react, rushed over, and slapped away Liu Xiaoli and Yang Siwei's hands with two "paps": "Hurry up and take her to the hospital!"

She didn't know why Liu Xiaoli wanted to stop Little Yu, but she knew the man in black before her wouldn't do her any harm.

This person was exactly A-Fei.

Liu Yifei stretched her neck and looked up; Boss Lu was standing far away from the set, arms crossed, watching this side expressionlessly.

He nodded at the young girl, and the latter smiled back.

She only felt incomparably at ease.

The man in black supported the tearful Little Yu and left the set, refusing all interviews, and even angrily kicked away a camera.

Is this little extra's boyfriend a stunt double, damn it? With these skills?

Li Liyan never approached, thinking it was someone arranged by President Wang, and didn't think otherwise.

Now the only thing to do was to put the hat of beating and bullying extras on Liu Yifei.

Other black materials would ferment subsequently.

However, Yang Siwei was the first to stand up and set the record straight; she had always had quick wit, otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to bring her artists to fame in later years.

She even helped Bingbing create the "Fan Ye" persona.

"Hello, reporters. I am Liu Yifei's manager. Let me describe the process of what just happened."

"First, I declare one point: what I say now will also be said in court."

"But if what you say or write distorts the facts, we will also see you in court!"

Whether they were arranged in advance or came after hearing the news, the reporters looked at each other; seeing this sturdy and imposing posture, she didn't look like someone to be trifled with.

"Just now, this extra, Little Yu, said she was on her period and, due to the sudden situation, wanted to borrow the RV, and we agreed."

"At that time, Liu Ayi was sleeping in the RV and had taken off a necklace worth more than 100,000 and placed it to one side. I didn't expect this extra, Little Yu, to be tempted by money and want to steal it secretly."

"That's how the conflict happened, which is exactly what everyone just saw."

She turned around and gave Liu Xiaoli a wink; her broad body blocked the door, and the reporters couldn't see anything.

Liu Xiaoli understood and handed the necklace, which was indeed worth more than 100,000, to Yang Siwei.

"Everyone look, the necklace has been retrieved. I will keep it safe now; it has Little Yu's fingerprints on it."

"So we aren't afraid of her slipping away or not admitting it. In the spirit of humanitarianism, we let that young man take her to the hospital first."

Yang Siwei suddenly took out her phone and took a photo of all the reporters looking up at her.

"I have remembered all your faces, especially the ones carrying cameras."

"You can write or spread the facts as you please, but if there is any distortion of facts, insult, or defamation, we will see you in court!"

Having said that, without any nonsense, she called the driver who had just returned to get in the car and took Liu Yifei and her mother away from the set.

Li Liyan looked at the reporters, who were like headless flies, in frustration, not knowing what to say!

This was handled too decisively, too directly, and with too much deterrent power, giving no one any chance to catch shadows.

She quietly called over a reporter she had arranged and flipped through the photos taken.

Everything involving Liu Yifei was her helping Little Yu, with no persuasiveness at all that she was bullying an extra.

Li Liyan took out her phone, preparing to call Wang Xiaolei; there must be a bigger fish in the phone on Little Yu, otherwise Liu Xiaoli wouldn't have gone crazy trying to intercept her.

6:00 PM, Gongjian Hutong, Ice Cellar Prince's Mansion.

A table of Huaiyang dishes from Boss Lu's hometown was on the table; Liu Xiaoli watched her daughter feast, still feeling some lingering fear in her heart.

"Eat, you all."

Liu Yifei obediently picked food for her mother and served soup to Yang Siwei, the great hero of today's crisis public relations.

"Siwei, you were so cool today!"

Boss Lu also praised her quick wit, but Yang Siwei was very curious about how Liu Yifei had seen through the conspiracy today.

"How did you see she had a problem?"

Little Liu was proud: "It's very simple. There's a lot of lower-limb training in Grotowski, and I learned from Teacher Li Xuejian for a long time."

"Her walking style looked very strange at a glance, inconsistent with what she described."

"Take the performance of a lame leg, for example; Kong Yiji, The Gadfly, and even Fu Hongxue are all different. I can now perform a lame leg in six different ways."

Liu Yifei got excited as she spoke: "Come, come, come, let me show you."

Liu Xiaoli persuaded her with a mix of amusement and frustration: "We're eating; I know you can do it!"

Immediately, she turned to Lu Kuan: "Little Lu, what about that phone?"

"It's fine, the phone is with me."

Boss Lu looked calm and relaxed on the surface, but the moment he saw the content of the photos, he still gasped.

This wasn't a small prank; it was aimed at completely destroying Liu Yifei.

The four sat down in the study, and Liu Xiaoli prepared to tell the story, but caught a glimpse of Liu Yifei to the side: "Xixi, you go out first."

"Why? It must be about me; you won't let me listen?"

"No, I'm not going out."

Lu Kuan laughed: "Let her know; it's good to see how sinister this world is."

Liu Xiaoli sighed and told the story of what happened a few hours ago.

"In the afternoon, I had a headache and was sleeping on the bed inside the car; I heard Siwei's voice vaguely and didn't take it to heart."

"Immediately after, I heard the sound of a shutter—not the click of a camera, but a phone; the sound was loud and dense."

Liu Yifei said in surprise: "Was Little Yu taking pictures?"

"That Little Yu probably didn't know how to lock the bathroom door; I felt something was wrong and went to check, and through the crack in the door, I saw her unwrapping something in her hand."

"She... put that thing in the sink and the wastebasket while taking pictures; maybe because she was nervous, her hands were shaking violently."

Yang Siwei knew the problem lay in the staged stuff, and asked Liu Xiaoli what it was.

The latter glanced at Lu Kuan, who was calm and composed, before taking a paper box out of her pocket—that was the evidence Little Yu hadn't had time to destroy.

The rest had been flushed down the toilet and into the RV's gray water tank.

Yang Siwei stared at the small blue paper box with a sunken face, while Liu Yifei still picked it up to look at it, completely ignorant.

"Durex? What is that?"

When she saw the word "condom," she let out an "ah," and threw it back onto the table as if it were electric.

It would be a long time before this stuff was sold near the checkout counter in China, but it had long been placed in the medicine section or specialized sex shops in the US.

Liu Yifei would be 18 next year and had seen pigs run.

Boss Lu was interested in looking at the 2004 version of "The Emperor's New Clothes."

Perhaps to adapt to domestic conditions, the colors and design were very cold, without a hint of provocation.

Liu Xiaoli held her daughter's hand; she didn't want Xixi to know about these things, but she couldn't protect her forever without letting go.

At least knowing the sinister nature of these people would give her some awareness of prevention in the future.

"This matter should have been done by Yanda Huayi."

Boss Lu quickly identified the suspect: "The goal is also very simple."

"Little Liu debuted with a pure and cute image, so they took the photos to forge black material, saying she had a chaotic private life while still a minor, completely destroying her persona."

Liu Xiaoli and Yang Siwei both changed color.

On the contrary, Liu Yifei was unusually calm; perhaps it was because she knew there was a more cunning Lu Kuan, and they would never be able to succeed.

"Can this news alone ruin my reputation?"

Lu Kuan, in front of her, naturally didn't say it in a very ugly way.

"Chaotic private life" was too civilized; they could completely call it "underage girl promiscuity," and then forge some hospital abortion or STD medical records.

Who among the melon-eating masses cares if it's true or false? Just watching the fun is enough.

No matter how many fans you have, it's only a few million; under the siege of a crowd of covetous people and competitors, being blackened to the point of being unrecognizable is an inevitable ending.

"Don't underestimate rumors; 'three people make a tiger' isn't just talk."

"Not to mention the distant ones, last year Michael Jackson was sued by a father and son, accusing him of molestation; now he can't even open a tour."

"Theoretically, the court has also ruled, proving he is innocent, but is it useful?"

"As early as 1993, he was falsely accused once by such a method."

"Just because he didn't pay attention and the clarification wasn't strong enough, he spent 25 million US dollars to block the accuser's mouth to settle the matter; this bad reputation has been passed down like this."

The example Boss Lu gave was something that had just happened last year, right before their eyes, and it was a superstar like MJ.

The three little Lius, who reacted after hearing it, were all in a state of lingering fear.

Boss Lu didn't tell them about MJ's subsequent experience, otherwise, it would be even more sigh-inducing.

It wasn't until after he passed away in 2009 that the party who first falsely accused him in '93, Jordie, stood up and admitted that the accusation back then was entirely at the instigation and false accusation of his father, and publicly apologized.

"Know me, judge me, it is only the Spring and Autumn Annals."

MJ's career, spirit, and health were all hit hard by the molestation case; this belated justice was a bit too hypocritical.

"These animals, why do they want to treat Xixi like this!"

Liu Xiaoli rehearsed the consequences of Little Yu succeeding in her mind and broke out in a cold sweat.

It would be one thing if her daughter really had to give up her acting career, but the key was to carry a bad name and regret it for the rest of her life; it was too cruel for a seventeen-year-old girl.

"President Lu, what should we do now?"

"The phone is with me; this extra has no grievances with you, it's just for profit; this is easy to handle."

"Liu Ayi's necklace, give it to me."

Yang Siwei's brain was a mess, and she did as she was told.

She held the necklace in her hand, and Lu Kuan opposite her looked at her speechlessly, not taking it for a long time.

"Wrap it in paper."

"Didn't you swear that she touched the necklace? If it goes to court, fingerprints will be tested; how could my fingerprints be on this?"

Yang Siwei then reacted and said timidly: "President Lu, am I breaking the law?"

"Nonsense! What law are you breaking?"

"Little Yu attempted theft and was discovered; the two sides tore at each other and a conflict arose; Liu Ayi reached a settlement considering she was young."

"This is clearly a story of knowing one's mistakes and correcting them, and of tolerance and magnanimity; what law is being broken?"

Lu Kuan laughed: "You go directly to A-Fei; give him the necklace and don't worry about it."

Yang Siwei said hatefully: "Just let her go like this?"

"Don't be as knowledgeable as a little ant; poking her out will only make things more complicated."

Lu Kuan thought of her experience in later years and decided to give Yang Siwei and Liu Yifei and her mother a public relations lesson on the spot.

(End of chapter)