Chapter 291: The Resurrected Fan Bingbing

On the morning of the 26th, when Liu Yifei left the Wenjie company in a melancholy mood, Yang Siwei stayed behind to coordinate with the relevant departments at Wenjie and establish a series of cooperation plans.

Among them, the public relations team at the Blog Network level would cooperate with actions over the next two days, using a piece of big news to suppress the heat of the "Little Liu Incident" across the entire internet.

It was not until the evening of the 27th that Yang Siwei discovered on the internet what this so-called big news was.

Jang Na-ra, who had gone to the mainland for in-depth development last year, appeared on camera with a haggard, makeup-free face, tearfully recounting the past events of being subjected to "hidden rules" by a Mr. Zhou from a mainland entertainment company.

By mentioning only the job title and not the family background, the level of sensitivity was artificially lowered, limiting the scope of the attack to Zhou Jun personally.

She also used photos, videos, and other visual materials to corroborate her claims, which appeared to have a high degree of credibility.

Much like "blooming outside the wall but fragrant inside," this series of news reports was reposted from the two major Korean websites, Cyworld and Naver.

Cyworld is the largest community website in Korea, providing internet users with various services including diaries, photo albums, forums, graffiti, and message boards, with over 25 million registered users.

Naver is the largest search engine and portal in Korea, and also the company with the largest market capitalization in the Korean stock market.

Korean netizens were furious; although Jang Na-ra had disappeared from the Korean entertainment industry for nearly a year, she was still a beauty of the Great Han Republic—how could she be trampled by foreign evil forces?

"Better to give to the chaebols than to foreign thieves!"

The regulatory environment of the Korean internet was slightly looser, and with the help of some mysterious force, this video spread rapidly.

Because of the topic's popularity and relevance, it soon flowed into the mainland as well.

In May, the news of Jang Na-ra's collapse in the country had not yet faded, and the internet still retained memories of her; at the very least, her role in *Seven Swords* was still being denounced and mocked.

Since the courage and romance of Little Liu went viral on August 25th, this big news, under the manipulation of a certain official internet water army team, cut into major websites with excellent posture and angles, flooding the scene for a time.

This move by Boss Lu to "beat the grass to scare the snake" against Zhou Jun also invisibly lowered the heat on Little Liu's trending search.

In a certain residential compound in Beiping, the shaken Zhou Jun was currently dealing with the "tigress" at home.

Wearing gold-rimmed glasses, Zhou Jun was clearly looking a bit listless.

The time limit for the summons against Zhuang Xu had arrived, and with the help of his in-laws' power, he had already issued another summons to the person involved.

One wave had not yet subsided when another rose; he had not expected that the secret would leak out.

He looked at the tear-streaked Jang Na-ra in the video, having almost forgotten about this Korean actress.

Zhou's wife, Huang Lijuan, sat opposite the desk with a calm face, wearing a sneer: "Is there anything else to say?"

"Say what? It's all nonsense. Do you know that videos nowadays can't be taken at face value? I've seen such special effects technology at Huayi."

"Slap!"

Seeing him refuse to admit it to the end, Huang Lijuan threw out a stack of erotic photos—the ironclad proof of him and Jang Na-ra opening a room at a high-end hotel on Financial Street.

Zhou Jun's heart pounded; he quickly locked onto the suspect, but facing an old wife who still needed to provide help in his career, he had no choice but to deny it to the end first.

Such things were perfectly normal in their circle; after a two-day temper tantrum, it would pass, and no one would take it to heart.

These two days were critical for him; he had to pry the truth out of Zhuang Xu's mouth and, supplemented by the Blog Network political scandal incident, pull him down before the Olympic bid.

There was less than a week left.

"I'll give you two choices. First, dispose of all your shares in Huayi."

Zhou Jun said impatiently: "No... you don't understand..."

"What don't I understand?"

"Ah?!"

Huang Lijuan suddenly exploded, her usually tolerant and patient temper becoming uncontrollable: "What were you like before?"

"What are you like now? Aren't you just hanging out with that Wang Xiaolei from Huayi?"

"Go and dispose of the shares and keep your distance from them. Where can't you earn that little bit of money?"

Zhou Jun said in a deep voice: "It's not about the money, and besides, it's not just the little things you see before you."

"I have my own goals; do not interfere."

"I shouldn't interfere? Fine, then I only have a second choice for you: don't even think about having the economic investigation people help you with those dirty deeds again!"

"You!"

Zhou Jun usually treated his wife with mutual respect, because both were clear about the significance of this union.

But the pressure on him now was too great, and naturally, he could not control his temper.

"Don't blame me for forcing you, Zhou Jun."

"You have to think about it—even if I could throw away my face to listen to those snide remarks and filthy language, what about my father? Are you worthy of him?"

"How do people in the bureau see him? How do people in the ministry see him? Where do you expect him to put that old face of his!"

Zhou's wife became angrier as she spoke: "Look at that little girl named Liu Yifei on the internet now; what have the rumors and gossip turned her into?"

"Oh, you men aren't afraid, you fancy yourselves dashing and romantic, but what about us? Do we still want this face?"

"What about your father? Can he remain indifferent?"

Perhaps it was the topic of Liu Yifei that reminded him of someone; Zhou Jun's anger reached its peak, and he suddenly slammed the table and stood up: "Enough!"

"Don't try to bargain with me. There are some things you don't understand now, but you will understand later."

Zhou's wife did not look pale; her family background gave her endless confidence: "Zhou Jun, you must remember."

"When we got married, it was because our two families made terms and reached an exchange."

"What, after playing with a Korean whore a few times, it's made you pure and innocent?"

"Don't forget what our status is! Our reputation is far more important than money!"

The noblewoman ignored Zhou Jun's liver-colored face, turned around, and pushed the door open to leave.

Zhou Jun looked at her departing back with a gloomy expression, knowing that once she returned to her maiden home, the line on Zhuang Xu would almost certainly snap.

He paced back and forth in the room for over ten minutes, still unwilling to let all his efforts go to waste, then gritted his teeth, took out his phone, and found Fan Bingbing's number.

——

As the secret conspiracy fermented, on the very night Liu Yifei attended Zhou Jielun's concert, Boss Lu received news and left early, returning to the Ideal International Building.

Around 9:00 PM, A-Fei drove a fully armed Fan Bingbing through the exclusive passage and took the elevator to the president's office.

He took the voice recorder from Fan Bingbing's hand and turned to go to the editing room on the 8th floor.

The young director was watching the finished post-production effects of *Tangshan Earthquake* on the screen; hearing movement, he looked up and glanced at Fan Bingbing: "Finished?"

"Mm, A-Fei took the things."

"Where is Sun Wenwen?"

"She has already rushed to the airport."

Fan Bingbing looked at the man in front of her with complex eyes; he had even arranged a retreat for Sun Wenwen, but what about her?

Lu Kuan stared at the rough-cut footage for another dozen seconds, wrote and drew in his notebook with a pen, and then stood up, rubbing his sore eyes.

"Sit down, why are you acting like it's your first time here?"

Fan Bingbing's raven-black hair was soft and beautiful; she used her hand to smooth her hip-hugging skirt from her hips down to the base of her thighs, her legs naturally crossed, her slender calves appearing and disappearing under the hem of the skirt.

Watching the young director apply eye drops, she couldn't help but show concern: "Don't work too hard, your eyes are all bloodshot."

Lu Kuan closed his eyes tightly to let the eye drops fully soak in, waved his hand at her to indicate he was fine, and then proceeded to brew tea, silent for a moment.

"Drinking black tea from Shuimo Town today."

The tea master did not show off his skills this time, quickly filtering out a cup of bright orange-red tea soup, and continued to busy himself with the purple clay pot that Fan Bingbing had gifted him.

Just then, A-Fei pushed the door open and placed a voice recorder on the tea table.

"Good timing, this cup is yours." Boss Lu smiled and pushed a cup of black tea toward him; A-Fei held the cup, carefully blowing on the heat.

Seeing him drinking tea using the purple clay pot she had given him, Fan Bingbing felt the tension she had when she first entered the room dissipate, and she smiled as she watched A-Fei close the door and leave.

"You are really good to him."

"Is this considered good?"

After a round of "snowflakes dancing," Boss Lu leaned comfortably on the sofa, sitting opposite Fan Bingbing to taste the tea.

"Tell me about the situation tonight." In fact, he had already received a report from Sun Wenwen.

"Zhou Jun is very anxious; the Jang Na-ra video on the internet these past few days is clearly having a huge impact on him."

Fan Bingbing paused, thinking to herself that everything seemed to be under the control of the man opposite her: "As soon as it happened yesterday, I contacted the company and also made a clarification on the Blog Network."

"I have already put the younger brother's paternity test report online, and coupled with this matter of giving him the opening ceremony plan, Zhou Jun is now half-believing and half-doubting."

Boss Lu picked up the voice recorder: "Is your voice in here?"

"Yes, not much, basically Sun Wenwen is doing all the talking."

Fan Bingbing was a bit puzzled, wondering if this was his arrangement: "She told me to speak less."

"I also made it clear to Zhou Jun that I was just making an introduction for them, and I don't know anything else."

The young director nodded, listened to the voice recorder for a while, and then smiled at the big star.

"Bingbing."

"Ah?"

Seeming to realize something, Fan Bingbing looked up at the face that was already deeply engraved in her soul.

Her heart couldn't help but pound and race.

"Did you release the photos?"

Fan Bingbing stared at him blankly, her face visibly turning deathly pale, before regaining a bit of color.

The deed was done, the lessons had been tasted, and now that she had denied it, what was the point?

In his eyes, she would probably be even more despicable, right?

"I'm sorry, it was me."

Fan Bingbing suddenly smiled, but the smile was like the last withered leaf remaining on a branch in winter, somewhat precarious.

She was worthy of being a big star who had fought her way up in later generations; even if her heart was chilled to the bone, her face remained as bright as the midday sun.

This was also what Boss Lu admired most about her.

He nodded, seemingly having no intention or curiosity to get to the bottom of it, as long as the truth was told.

He reached over the table, grabbed the digital recorder, snapped it in two with a burst of strength, and threw it into the scalding tea.

The fully exposed components and packaging materials deformed and softened rapidly in the boiling water, losing their utility before one's eyes.

"The original file wasn't kept, and the intercepted clip only contains the conversation between Sun Wenwen and Zhou Jun."

Fan Bingbing was stunned; before she could even ask a question, she heard the man opposite her inquire: "Were you afraid that night?" The office, which had just been projecting a screen, was now dimly lit, and the shadows of the overhead lights danced eerily across Fan Bingbing's face.

Like a candle flame flickering in the wind, it mirrored her own wavering state of mind at that moment.

Looking at the recorder already warped by the boiling water, the nightmare of that night's terror overlapped with a glimmer of warmth before her, and she felt like an ascetic toyed with by fate.

"Afraid, terrified."

Fan Bingbing's tears welled up continuously, like dying embers hissing and sparking, rolling down her cheeks in a steady stream.

First meeting, self-sacrifice, a meteoric rise.

Sudden news, striking back, total ruin.

From heaven to hell, and from hell back to the human world—it could be called a resurrection from the dead.

She had thought she was standing at the edge of a cliff, the thick rope around her body in constant danger of being abandoned, yet she had suddenly been pulled back from the brink.

At this moment, laughter and sobs intertwined in her mind, thorns and roses coexisting.

"And Zhou Jun?"

Boss Lu laughed: "You don't think you can drag him down just by taking this thing to report him, do you?"

"We don't have a tiger-headed guillotine, after all."

"As evidence for court, this recording is far less effective than being submitted anonymously to the hands of Leader Liu at the Olympic Organizing Committee."

For audio and video recordings to be admitted as evidence in court, the necessary condition for them to have probative value is that they must be the original medium; forged or altered ones will be excluded under the rules of illegal evidence.

Furthermore, Boss Lu did not trust Fan Bingbing one hundred percent; from the very beginning, he had no intention of resolving the problem through the courts.

Not only would it involve legal risks for himself, but it also wouldn't allow him to shed all suspicion.

To outsiders, the whole affair would look like an incredibly brilliant and grand opening and closing ceremony proposal had been leaked, and the Olympic Organizing Committee had received an anonymous tip and obtained a recording as evidence.

The more the public and the internet lamented the loss of this magnificent proposal, the less the Olympic Organizing Committee would dare to cover it up or handle it privately.

But given Zhou Jun's status, the power struggle would inevitably take place internally.

This recording would naturally be used by those with ulterior motives; where is anything ever an impenetrable wall?

And for Zhou Jun, having experienced the Zhang Nara incident and the leak, even if he didn't face a life-or-death crisis, once his "cheat" was removed and he was under strict surveillance, he would no longer be a threat to Boss Lu.

This kind of surveillance and restraint came not only from above, but even more so from himself and the soil in which he was rooted.

A Zhou Jun without his "cheat" was like a toothless tiger to Wenjie; trying to pose a threat to Boss Lu from a commercial standpoint would be far too difficult.

Fan Bingbing watched as he moved the teacup containing the recorder aside and pried out some new tea leaves.

Perhaps it was an illusion caused by the dim light, but the tea leaves, which had already faded and dried, seemed to become increasingly vibrant and lush as they soaked in the boiling water.

She had not yet realized that she had just undergone a round of heart-wrenching obedience testing.

Fan Bingbing was too daring and reckless, forcing Lu Kuan to draw a deep line in her heart and set a bottom line of absolute obedience for her.

He did not want to see another unpredictable situation like last night, which had caught him off guard as well.

"Come over here."

In front of the massive floor-to-ceiling window of the CEO's office, Fan Bingbing stood beside the man, unable to help but look up at his profile illuminated by the night and the neon lights.

"Since you debuted, is there anyone you particularly hate, or any matter you can't get over?"

Fan Bingbing looked at the night view before her, her agitated mood gradually calming; facing this man, she held nothing back.

"Yes!"

"Qiong Yao is one; she said I was destined to be a maid for the rest of my life."

"The two Wangs count too, forcing me into the Hong Kong circle, forcing me to manufacture scandals, forcing me to raise 'gu' and tear each other apart with Li Bingbing and the others."

Lu Kuan chuckled twice without responding, instead pulling the delicate shoulders of the great actress toward him and pointing at the high-rises in the night.

"See that? That building is the Microsoft Tower on Danling Street."

"That one is the Sinosteel Tower; it's not finished yet."

"That one is Hailong, and that's Dinghao."

As night fell, Fan Bingbing took advantage of this excellent vantage point to look at the sea of dazzling lights formed by the office buildings.

On the streets surrounding the Wenjie International Building, streetlights, car headlights, and the lights inside the buildings intertwined, illuminating the entire area.

The flowing sea of cars and the modern-style green spaces formed a refined picture of a great era and a great tide, making Fan Bingbing's heart surge.

Boss Lu said in a deep voice: "Last year Tencent went public, this year Focus Media went public, Baidu went public in August, and there are the pioneers on NASDAQ like Sina, NetEase, and so on. These are all internet and media companies inseparable from the future of the mainland entertainment and film industry."

"Look at this year again: China Shenhua Group went public in June, and next year's China Coal Energy has already submitted its prospectus to the regulators for review. The coal and power industries they represent will also seek new investment opportunities once they reach saturation."

"Fan Bingbing, do you know how spectacular the future entertainment industry will be?"

"How massive the influx of capital will be?"

"How many grand ambitions of career-minded dreamers it will be able to satisfy?"

The great actress looked at him blankly; his tall figure blocked the neon lights of the night, and his high nose bridge and firm profile left her in a trance.

She did not know what Lu Kuan meant by saying this to her.

"The people you hate and the things you can't get over are all things you must become strong enough to overturn and judge yourself."

"Fan Bingbing, from the first moment I saw you, I knew you were a natural player in the entertainment industry."

"You are different from ordinary female stars; deep down, you have an innate toughness! You are daring and ruthless!"

The young director paused slightly: "But remember, don't use it in the wrong place."

Fan Bingbing felt a tightness in her heart, and the shoulder he was holding trembled slightly, beyond her control.

"When I was filming *Shoplifters*, I drew the storyboards and makeup schemes for you, and in my script, you were that youthful and charming high school girl from the brothel."

"But on the canvas of your own destiny, my expectation for you is a 'Fan Ye' who fights her way into the upper class!"

Fan Bingbing was stunned, imagining in her heart the image he had described.

Sensual, magnificent, ups and downs, the glitz and glamour, standing out from the crowd...

To master one's own destiny, to be one's own upper class, to trample underfoot those who once looked down on her and bullied her—what a joy that would be!

Boss Lu waved his hand with heroic spirit: "Qiong Yao said you were a maid; you go buy her Crown Culture, sit in her office, and ask her who the real maid is!"

"Wang Dajun and Wang Xiaolei are not acting like men; later, I'll let you become the boss of Huayi Brothers, and you can rename their company 'Huayi Sisters' to humiliate them severely!"

The great actress burst into laughter at the words "Huayi Sisters."

She had not yet realized that, just as Liu Xiao had said, she had truly been "given a soul by me, after your parents gave you the skin."

That night of heart-wrenching obedience testing, followed by today's persuasive baptism of the soul—a seed had quietly sprouted in her heart.

Boss Lu lit a cigarette with ease: "In my eyes, Huayi has long been a small dish, just a small dish that still has some use for now."

"Zhou Jun is like a centipede that dies but doesn't stiffen."

"Even if his 'Yellow Jacket' is stripped away, and he loses the privilege of using underhanded tricks, it doesn't mean he will give up on sniping at Wenjie commercially."

"To be honest, as for the current Huayi, if I don't consider my own losses, I can beat him until he can't catch his breath."

The blockade of promotional tools, the suppression of theater screenings, the sniping of film release dates—not to mention the under-the-table methods.

"But first of all, it's unnecessary; the current mainland film industry needs everyone to work together to grow and strengthen, which serves our overall interests."

"Secondly, Huayi is like Jinzhou in the 'besiege the point to strike the reinforcements' strategy; now that Zhou Jun has lost his fangs, everyone should develop on their own."

"But strategically, I will constantly apply pressure, besieging without killing, letting Zhou Jun and the two Wangs keep recruiting clients onto this ship."

"When they are like a balloon, inflated with false prosperity, perhaps that will be the time to strike."

He didn't explain the rest of the plan; times change, and everything must be adapted to the situation.

This was the first time Boss Lu had roughly laid out his plan to Fan Bingbing; the great actress was dazzled, seeing only the flashing swords and blood of the business world before her eyes.

Would Zhou Jun give up his 7% stake? Obviously not; cashing out through an IPO was his fundamental goal.

It was only because he hadn't achieved his desires at Wenjie that he had, by a twist of fate, developed a personal grudge with Boss Lu.

In later generations, Huayi's stock price soared after going public due to its uniqueness and special status; in this life, with the pearl that is Wenjie already in the lead, it naturally wouldn't receive as much attention and hype.

But the two big bosses of the financial clique behind Zhou Jun and Huayi wouldn't miss this feast.

Telling stories, blowing up concepts—are there few examples of cashing out through IPOs in the A-share market?

Carbon Source Technology relied on the opportunity of Apple phones needing graphite heat-dissipation materials to hype its IPO; three years later, the founder began reducing holdings, clearing out to 20%, and cashing out 540 million.

Qinghai Chuntian, after going public by back-door listing through Xiancheng Mining, founder Zhang Xuefeng cashed out 900 million.

The two products hyped by this Zhang Xuefeng are world-renowned.

One is the Cordyceps Sinensis pure powder tablet, which became a household name as a "miracle grass" based on the slogan "Cordyceps you can chew."

The second is the Tinghua wine, priced at 58,600 yuan per bottle, which invited two Nobel laureates to endorse it.

In circles closer to home, there are also the well-known maneuvers by Zhao Yanzi regarding Alibaba Pictures and Beijing Culture.

Because of the rise of Huayi and the special nature of the soil it relies on for survival, it is bound to go public with a bang; this is an inevitable convergence of commerce and politics, not subject to the individual will of any one person.

If there are no conditions, they will create them just to go public!

Because this piece of meat is already in some people's mouths, it is impossible for them to spit it out.

The rest is just a matter of how Boss Lu plays the game.

"Fan Bingbing."

"Hmm?"

The young director awakened the great actress, who was immersed in fantasies of success and desire.

"Put your mind where it belongs; I'm waiting to see your Huayi Sisters."

Fan Bingbing dared not hope for so much, but her confidence in him and her blind worship remained consistent.

Telling himself to put his focus where it belonged was clearly a pointed remark.

It was just that the image of the wealthy Fan Bingbing he had just sketched kept circling, echoing, and branding itself in Fan Bingbing's mind.

She had to admit that this vision held a fatal allure for her.

(End of chapter)