Chapter 289: Lu Dog: Who is even in Chicago!?

The next day, Ideal Building, headquarters of Wenjie Holdings.

Yang Siwei hid it from her own artist and snuck over to her old firm.

She had come to seek help, and she didn't dare tell Liu Yifei.

She took out her phone and called Sun Wenwen, asking her to put in a word.

Security at the Wenjie Holdings building was tight, especially after Lu Kuan’s team took on the bidding for the Olympic opening and closing ceremony plans; the emphasis on online and offline security for core departments had been further strengthened.

"Siwei... I... I’m no longer with the company. You should call Zhang Yun at the front desk directly."

Yang Siwei knew how to handle people and immediately buttered her up: "Oh my, Sister Wenwen has been promoted!"

"Where has Boss Lu sent a great general like you to take charge of the big picture?"

"I was fired."

"Oh! You..." Yang Siwei’s habitual flattery came to an abrupt halt, as if she had heard something incredible!

Sun Wenwen! The grand manager of Wenjie, a founding subject who had followed Boss Lu since the end of 2001! Fired?

Did she kill someone or set a fire?

It was indeed a fire, but it was one set by your little Liu.

"This... Sister Wenwen, I’m sorry, I really didn't know."

"Sigh... it was an accident, I suppose. If you’re looking for the boss, hurry up and go, Siwei; he’s in a bad mood today."

Yang Siwei felt a jolt of alarm, hurriedly hung up the phone, and turned to contact the dedicated receptionist on the executive office floor.

Trembling and respectful, she knocked on the door and entered the office. Yang Siwei stood cautiously to the side, not daring to disturb Boss Lu as he kept his head down reviewing reports.

"You're here? Boil some water, I'm thirsty."

Sun Wenwen had been "optimized" just the day before yesterday; for the past two days, there hadn't even been anyone in the office to serve him.

"Yes!"

Yang Siwei accepted it willingly, but the doubt in her heart refused to fade.

Although Boss Lu was sometimes ruthless and unfeeling in his actions, he had always been an industry benchmark when it came to employee benefits and humanistic care.

The employee housing fund at Wenjie from the past two years had made countless employees in the same and other industries green with envy!

This matter with Sun Wenwen was just too suspicious.

Forget it, she couldn't even manage her own affairs; she’d find a time to have a meal with her and chat later.

"Boss Lu, I’ve come to report to you about Xixi’s situation." Yang Siwei kept a very humble posture.

"What does your company's business have to do with reporting to me?"

Boss Lu didn't take her bait.

"Oh! Look at you, after all these years, if not for your care, how could Xixi have been so smooth-sailing?"

Boss Lu looked dissatisfied: "Is that so?"

"Then why did I hear from Dong Shuangqiang and Long Danini that little Liu doesn't want to go on the show?"

"And she even got together with the Hunan station; is this an attempt to 'ally with Wu to resist Cao'?"

"And another thing! Where is the second issue of the Mytube video? The clients over in the US are waiting with bated breath; shouldn't this Blue Moon be hurried along?"

While carefully pouring him tea, Yang Siwei explained patiently: "Oh, Boss Lu, you know her temper; I really have no choice!"

"I promise, I’ll urge her as soon as I get back!"

Boss Lu laughed: "She can be angry, not answer calls, and ignore me, but business is business; one shouldn't let personal feelings interfere with public affairs, right?"

"The two-year mark has arrived, right? Then let’s handle it by the book, discuss it item by item, and whatever the price is, that’s the price."

"I never take advantage of people!"

Yang Siwei felt a wave of nausea, barely managing to control her facial expression.

When it comes to being shameless, it really has to be you!

Yang Siwei forced a smile: "Boss Lu, the main thing is that we need to leverage your relationship with the blog network, as well as Wenjie’s public opinion office and internet center, to see if you can provide us with some help."

Boss Lu sipped his tea and continued to lean over his desk: "Tell Liu Yifei to come and talk in person."

"Otherwise, if you say it, she won't do it, and it’s a waste of my time."

"This..."

Yang Siwei looked distressed. If you call her now, she’ll either cry or curse when she sees you; what could possibly be discussed!

She said with some difficulty: "Boss Lu, actually, Xixi’s mental state right now is still not very good... even if she comes..."

"Huh? Mental state not good? Then don't film *Foreign Land 2*, replace her."

"And the massacre movie, what’s the point of filming if she’s not in the right state of mind? Going up there just to embarrass herself?"

Boss Lu looked impatient: "Alright, you can go now."

"Wait! Boss Lu, I’ll call! I’ll call right now!"

Yang Siwei helplessly took out her phone and walked out the door, wondering how to explain to this little ancestor why she was at Wenjie.

Two minutes later.

"Boss Lu, I... I was scolded by her, she told me to leave immediately, or she would fire me."

Boss Lu lifted his eyelids and glanced at Yang Siwei: "I’ll teach you a method."

"Tell her that Sun Wenwen was fired by me."

"Ah? This..." Yang Siwei couldn't understand the trick to this.

"Just say it like that."

Yang Siwei was completely baffled, but she returned to the hallway with a "let's try it and see" attitude.

Thirty seconds later.

The slightly chubby agent looked at Boss Lu with admiration: "Boss Lu, she said... she’ll be here immediately."

"Mm, boil the water."

"You got it!"

Yang Siwei regretted coming out so early; she should have spent two more years under this person’s wing. This skill alone was worth studying for decades!

A single sentence was all it took to handle that young lady!

She naturally didn't dare reveal the twenty seconds of cursing about the washing machine over the phone.

Half an hour later, little Liu wore dark shades, and Yang Siwei met her, taking the dedicated elevator from the basement directly to the executive office floor to reach the battlefield.

"Xixi, you must stay calm in a moment!"

Wearing sunglasses in an attempt to hide her teary and red, swollen eyes, Liu Yifei looked furious and didn't say a word.

"Bang!"

The heavy wooden door of Boss Lu’s office slammed against the back wall, and a murderous-looking Liu Yifei broke in.

She wore a motorcycle leather jacket, had her hair hastily tied in a ponytail, and stood there with her arms crossed.

It seemed she didn't want to be too close to the washing machine, but had no choice but to make this trip.

Boss Lu frowned as he looked at his walnut door being severely damaged, then looked at the milk-fierce little Liu...

This posture was a waste for playing Blue Moon; she had the potential to develop into Angelina Jolie in *Tomb Raider*, Scarlett Johansson in *Lucy*, or Charlize Theron in *Mad Max: Fury Road*.

However, security on the executive office floor needed to be strengthened!

"Come in, why are you standing at the door?"

Liu Yifei stood to one side with her arms crossed and didn't speak; Yang Siwei tugged at her clothes but was shaken off.

"I’ll say it right here, why did you fire Sun Wenwen?"

Boss Lu habitually teased her while reviewing documents: "Yo, caught a cold? Why is your nasal voice so heavy?"

Seeing him touch a sore spot, Yang Siwei was terrified and slipped out the door first. You two can fight to the death, just don't splatter blood on me!

Through her dark sunglasses, Liu Yifei looked with complex eyes at this man she had once been so familiar with and attached to.

He kept his head slightly lowered, and even when speaking to her, his deep eyes didn't leave the documents for even half a second.

From her angle, his sharp eyebrows, like his heartless greeting, were indifferent and casually shocking.

It was still that state and temperament from his work and directing that had once obsessed her, but now it just made her heart drip with bitterness.

The outside world was still a sea of evil waves, and she was crying herself to death, yet he could still look so indifferent while tearing at the wounds that had only just begun to scab over.

The young girl instantly lost any desire to reason or argue with him; this person’s heart was too cruel.

"Wait!"

Liu Yifei, who was reaching for the door, was called back: "Sit down now, Sun Wenwen can still be saved."

"If you walk out this door, then all the adverse consequences she suffers will be your fault."

The young girl couldn't take it anymore, walked up to him in a rage, her willow-leaf eyebrows almost knitting together, and she slammed the table hard!

"How can you be so cold-blooded? What great mistake did she make that you have to drive her to such a dead end?"

"The one driving her to a dead end is you, not me."

Boss Lu calmly put his documents in order, stood up, brushed past her with ease, and sat by the sofa to brew tea.

He knew that having little Liu serve him tea as gently and virtuously as before was impossible for the time being.

The young director personally used the middle-toss method to serve the Longjing tea, without the leisure to watch the snowflakes dance, and soon filtered out two cups of clear tea.

He lifted his chin and gestured to little Liu, signaling her to sit opposite him: "Be more mature, don't let emotions dictate your actions."

"Hmph, there are no emotions to speak of with you; you are the most cold-blooded person in the world."

Liu Yifei sat far away from him with disgust and didn't take the teacup handed over by the washing machine.

Catching a glimpse of another elegant purple clay pot on his table, she felt even more bitter.

Everything around him could be replaced in an instant.

"You said yesterday that I am no longer your painting; what does that mean?"

The devil who loves to manipulate others' lives and purchase souls began his coaxing again, only this time the target was Liu Yifei, the gynoid who had already slipped from his control.

Upon hearing this, Liu Yifei felt her eye sockets grow warm, but her voice remained cold: "I don't want to talk about this."

"That won't do; we must talk."

After a two-second pause, seeing her still maintaining a standoffish demeanor, Boss Lu could only talk to himself.

"Fine, you loathe me now, you can't stand the sight of me, right?"

Liu Yifei turned her head instantly, her tone indifferent: "Right!"

"If it weren't for Sister Sun Wenwen, I wouldn't want to see you at all right now!"

Seeming to feel this statement was too absolute, she added a supplementary condition: "Except for the massacre film; that is my job."

Boss Lu provoked her: "But your situation has changed now, haven't you? You might not meet the requirements for that film anymore, right?"

Liu Yifei stood up with a start, and as she took off her sunglasses, she nearly flung them into the face of the man opposite her.

The phoenix eyes, now swollen into peaches, made Lu Kuan, who had intentionally provoked her, want to laugh.

"Lu Kuan! You can't be this shameless! Why don't I meet the requirements?"

"You can't retaliate against me just because I don't do as you say and refuse to wallow in the mire like other female stars!"

"I can't stand your personal conduct and don't want to have any more entanglements with you—that is a private matter! The film is a public matter!"

"When you approved the documents and cut Ning Hao's screenings, what did you say then? Wuu..." Little Liu was so angry and heartbroken that she couldn't help but be moved to tears again, feeling utterly bullied by the unscrupulous director before her.

Boss Lu watched her machine-gun-like venting with a smile; this move was a helpless necessity.

The twists and turns of last night had caused the two to part on bad terms.

Just as Liu Yifei wrote in her diary, it wasn't a question of the truth behind the photos, but that she realized there was no hope of resolving the fundamental conflict between them for the time being.

But for Boss Lu, who had long viewed her as his private property, with Liu Yifei's independent and proud personality, once this string was let go, the kite might break free from its restraints and head toward the white clouds and blue sky.

If her heart truly healed and she sealed it off with cement, wouldn't it be a total loss?

It might be an exaggeration to call it continued "mental abuse and control," but there had to be some intersection and bond between them for him to feel at ease.

The only thing he could do for now was to homogenize Liu Yifei with himself!

Attempting to homogenize another person into someone like oneself is, to a certain extent, building a bridge of understanding and resonance.

From a psychological perspective, people are more likely to feel a sense of closeness with those similar to themselves.

From the perspective and practical experience of this former PR company boss, homogenization plays a significant role in predicting and guiding target behavior, reducing resistance, and implanting and internalizing values.

For instance, he said Fan Bingbing was still useful, and she could not accept or understand that.

But what if she truly began to handle administrative affairs and looked at things from a perspective like his?

Perhaps this wouldn't change Liu Yifei's innocent and kind nature, but it would ultimately have some effect.

On the other hand, under his protection over the past few years, she had always had minor scares but no major dangers.

Now that she had to go out and brave the wind and waves alone, how could she still be as naive as before?

She could dislike his cruel methods and heartlessness, but whether one uses such methods and whether one possesses them are two different things.

With her character and disposition, even if she learned these things, she wouldn't use them to harm others, but she could use them for self-protection; the outside world was full of wolves and tigers.

Boss Lu continued to use rhetoric to provoke her.

"What's the use of crying? Don't you remember how you were smeared last year? How many companies are eyeing you now?"

"You should do PR when needed and attend events when needed; your blog followers have dropped by nearly 1.5 million. Without this audience base, how will you solidify your foundation?"

"A large part of the reason for casting you as Zhang Chunru is that you can lead more teenage audiences to accept patriotic education."

Little Liu stopped her tears and glared hatefully at Lu Kuan, who was sitting with his legs crossed: "Stop saying such high-sounding words; I know exactly how you deceive others!"

"You just want me to continue cooperating with Wenjie, right? Fine! I'll negotiate with you!"

"For Mytube videos, I want half of the account ownership!"

"I can participate in 'The Voice' too, but calculate my appearance fee according to the current first-tier female star rate in the country!"

"Even if my ship is sinking, I am still the most popular young actress right now!"

Boss Lu looked at the little swan with her head held high and said in a calm tone: "Fine, but I have an exclusivity requirement: you are not allowed to cooperate with Xiangtai."

"You!"

"On what grounds!"

"On the grounds that I am powerful and my words carry weight; it's that simple."

Boss Lu stood up leisurely; in the young lady's heart, he was now a thorough villain.

"Didn't you want independence? Didn't you want to have no entanglements with me? Then you'll have to weather these storms yourself."

"For the past two years, we were eating from the same pot, so many intangible labor costs weren't calculated in detail, but that won't work now."

"Including the PR costs for the blog network and the PR costs for Tourism Satellite TV, these all have to be calculated one by one."

"Little Liu, it's not too late to come to Wenjie now; you can consider it."

Liu Yifei was so angry she nearly splashed the teapot on the table onto his hateful, handsome face!

Even at a time like this, he still wouldn't give up his thieving heart to keep her under his thumb.

She retorted unceremoniously: "Someone who prides himself on being as smart as you can actually say such naive things?"

"If you have the ability, ruin me just like you did Zhang Nara! Otherwise, stop daydreaming!"

Boss Lu laughed: "Why would I ruin you? Even if we are just cooperating, you still have economic value."

Liu Yifei was trembling with rage; she didn't even realize her attention had been diverted, and her tears had stopped falling.

The young director was merely planting a seed of a goal in her heart, letting her learn how to handle the wind and waves of the Jianghu.

"By the way, I saw the announcements from Xiangtai and Tangren; why did Liu Shishi leave?"

"None of your business, mind your own affairs."

Boss Lu reached out, poured out the cold tea in front of her, refilled the cup, and continued his coaxing.

"I have no obligation to manage you, but you are currently the female lead of 'Exotic Realm 2' and the massacre film. If you let these trivial matters affect the film, don't blame me for handling it as a public matter."

Little Liu glared at Lu Kuan without speaking; she couldn't cry anymore, and she couldn't win an argument, so she could only gouge the young director with her eyes, wishing she could carve a piece of meat off him.

The young lady secretly swore in her heart that one day she would use his own methods to make him suffer, and let the washing machine realize what it felt like to be manipulated and toyed with!

Boss Lu sipped his tea: "This matter is nothing more than Liu Shishi seeing that you've lost your influence and being poached back by Tangren."

"You used Wenjie's entertainment lawyers to draft the standard contracts for them at the time; there should be a breach of contract penalty, right?"

Liu Yifei didn't want to pay him any mind, but she couldn't help wanting to listen to this lesson.

She kept a cold face for a long time before spitting out "two million" in a voice as soft as a mosquito's.

"Did you get the money?"

"Yes."

"What terms did Tangren give her?"

"Long Kui."

Boss Lu teased: "Look at how you handled this; it was too ugly!"

"What!? Where was it ugly?"

Liu Yifei was very unconvinced; she felt that she had suppressed Xu Rong and Liu Shishi one-on-two, and had the heart to make them pay the breach of contract penalty—she had already been very excellent!

"In this matter, either you don't ask for the penalty and let them go generously, giving her the reputation of being ungrateful and a 'three-surname slave'."

"Use various propaganda tools to define this incident so she can never overturn the verdict!"

"Since you took the money, you shouldn't have let her go back so smoothly; what if she really becomes popular because of this role?"

"It doesn't show now, but when the era of traffic economy fully arrives, just wait and see; her fans will definitely crown you with a reputation for mistreating employees and being an exploitative bloodsucker."

"If your popularity can suppress hers, it's fine, but once you can't, in the history books of time, you will be the 'Little Liu Shishi' of that year, and she will not be the 'Little Liu Yifei'."

Little Liu was stunned; how could this be possible!?

"If I were you, I would go straight to Huayi and demand the position of female lead in 'Immortal Sword 3'! Let Yang Mi and Tang Yan play the supporting roles and squeeze her out!"

"Or you could go directly to Cai Yinong; in the future, you can make guest appearances in Tangren's dramas and help with promotion, on the condition that they soft-ban her!"

"Even if you are currently mired in trouble, your status and influence are much higher than hers; anyone can do that math."

Liu Yifei thought to herself that Huayi was his mortal enemy, so how could she possibly cooperate with them? But then she thought, she didn't seem to be on the same side as him anymore.

The young director sneered: "You must remember, either be a good person and occupy the moral high ground and the high ground of public opinion."

"Or be a bad person, strike her down with one blow, never let her rise again, and don't let her become a fly buzzing in your ear later!"

Little Liu couldn't accept his "magic sound" of values for the time being and turned her head away: "That's you; I can't do it."

She didn't want to stay here facing the washing machine anymore, otherwise, she would uncontrollably think of those sad past events.

"The mistake Sun Wenwen made was at my direction; I can compensate you on her behalf, please let her go."

This was the only soft sentence Liu Yifei had said since entering the door today.

Boss Lu also told her the truth: "Sun Wenwen made a mistake and has already been dismissed by me; the decision cannot be changed."

"If you want to help her, you can recruit her to your studio; I won't interfere."

"Fine, as long as you don't interfere."

Little Liu knew he was cold and ruthless, so she no longer held any unrealistic fantasies.

He was like this to her, let alone to an ordinary subordinate.

"Knock knock!"

A long-legged beauty knocked and entered; it was Chen Zhixi, who had already replaced Sun Wenwen.

"Boss Lu, I'm here to deliver documents and take back the ones you've approved."

Her gaze was straight ahead, as if she hadn't seen the female star who had been the most talked-about person in the domestic entertainment industry for the past two days.

"Mm, on the table. Remember to record the approval comments into the OA system."

"Yes."

Liu Ze’s gaze swept over her with extreme speed, and he stood up, expressionless, pushed the door open, and left without saying another word.

Watching her retreating figure, Lu Kuan also sighed helplessly, took out his phone, and dialed Sun Wenwen’s number.

"Mr. Lu."

"Is it done?"

"Mm, it should be down soon. My parents passed away long ago, and there’s no one else at home."

Lu Kuan’s tone was kind: "Sun Wenwen, you are a smart person; never make the same mistake a second time."

On the other end of the line, Sun Wenwen looked at the plane ticket in her hand and swallowed: "I won't, Mr. Lu."

As the fuse for the Olympic proposal leak, Sun Wenwen bore a certain amount of risk and could no longer remain in the country.

Coming from a background of a small-town test-taker with no immediate family left, Lu Kuan simply arranged for her to marry and immigrate, changing her identity to work in the United States.

As a trusted aide, giving her a small amount of shares would bind her firmly; after all, Huang Anna and the others at the U.S. branch were all of Chinese descent, so having one of his own people there would be more reassuring.

And for Sun Wenwen, this was almost a leap in her life.

In the hearts of the people of this era, being able to successfully immigrate and have a high-paying job abroad was a very luxurious thing.

Especially after following Lu Kuan for so many years, she knew his true net worth and the scale of his industries.

At the same time, Liu Ze was set to depart for Los Angeles in September to prepare for the filming of *Alien Territory 2*; Sun Wenwen could temporarily serve as her assistant and also act as his eyes and ears.

No matter how far this kite, Liu Yifei, flew, he would not allow her to slip out of his sight.

The *Alien Territory 2* crew had Lin Yi and Sun Wenwen, and in Yilinuoyizhou, there was Zhang Chunru.

Thinking of this, he opened his computer with a headache, logged into his email, and worried about yet another whimsical idea from the precious porcelain he had raised himself.

Inside was an email sent by Zhang Chunru yesterday along with the University of Chicago application documents.

She asked with great interest about the filming preparations for Lu Kuan’s movie, and mentioned that she had already handled the preliminary application process for Xixi, just waiting for the documents and the accompanying recommendation letters to be delivered and reviewed.

This left Lu Kuan scratching his head, unable to fathom the reason.

The University of Chicago Booth School of Business? It was the study-abroad plan that had been decided upon earlier.

Why on earth did she have to go there?

Lu Gou: Damn it, who exactly is in Chicago!?

A bit busy, a bit busy; will resume the word count once this period passes!

(End of chapter)