As soon as he left, Zhang Chaohe finally couldn't hold back his anger and rubbed his face in frustration.
Zhang Chaohe, you need to be more careful! Just because Cheng Ji is pure and upright, untainted by worldly affairs, doesn't mean you can be so careless!
What if Master Ji hears something about it someday? Wouldn't all your efforts have been for nothing?
⚹
It wasn't until he sat in the car, took out his phone, and prepared to surf the internet that Zhang Chaohe finally managed to shake off the strange, romantic atmosphere from his mind.
On Weibo, the entertainment industry has undergone a dramatic change—once Li Yimao's final, irrefutable evidence was released, Xu Shen's studio was powerless to reverse the situation. The general public was shocked and gossiped about the drama, while fans were heartbroken and devastated. The trending topics with the word "hot" quickly rose to the top thanks to the huge traffic during the long holiday.
It turns out that the fall of a top-tier celebrity is no different from that of an ordinary artist. When a wall falls, everyone pushes it down. Not only did a large number of fans leave, but also the rivals who had competed with Xu Shen over the years came to kick him while he was down.
Xu Shen was labeled a disgraced celebrity, and all the labels that once surrounded him with glory were cruelly stripped away from him.
Just hours ago, his righteous and stern accusations against Li Yimao have backfired on him – the brands he had endorsed have all announced that they were terminating their contracts with him, and the variety shows and drama crews that had officially announced his involvement have all deleted all Weibo posts related to him.
Du Ze had no time to pay attention to him; netizens who felt sorry for Li Yimao's ordeal flooded his and Xu Shen's Weibo accounts. He sat blankly on the sofa, unable to understand why everything had changed in less than a day. Not only was his dream of starting his own business shattered, but his well-cultivated image as a good person had also been destroyed.
In this desperate situation, Xu Shen himself seemed to have gone mad, personally engaging in a heated debate in the comments section:
[I'm speechless thinking about how he tried to smear the original author before. Thankfully, Jiasheng did a great job, and this disgraced artist got out of the entertainment industry! —Xu Shen: If you're speechless, then don't say anything.]
[I'm numb. I can't stand this kind of mad dog that bites back. Who's going to do something about him? —Xu Shen: Should you get a rabies vaccine?]
I'm really heartbroken. I've been supporting you silently ever since your debut. Before this happened, I always thought you were a gentle and kind boy. You've disappointed us so much. I'm really sad.
—Xu Shen: Then call the police!
@Zhang Chaohe_V: I reported it. //: @Rocket Xu Xiaoshen: Then why didn't you call the police? //: @Cheese Egg Tart Roll: I'm really upset...
Netizen: ...
A note from the author:
Thank you so much for your support, everyone! I had a super happy day! But why is everyone just laughing?! There's not a single deeper [hint] here;
Mr. Zhang: Why does everyone say I'm cute? Isn't there anything about being a domineering CEO? [Hint]
Starting today, it's 6 AM every day! Everyone is welcome to witness the daily life of Mr. Zhang, the victim of injustice!
Thank you to all the little angels who fed us!
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 26
From that day on, the legend of "Little Boss Zhang" spread throughout the entertainment industry.
After all, Xu Shen was just venting in the comments section, casually saying "Then call the police," and Boss Zhang replied, "I did."
Everyone initially thought it was a rebuke, but just two days later, a state media outlet suddenly published a blog post announcing that Xu Shen had been investigated for tax evasion and would be subject to tax recovery, late payment fees, and a fine totaling 376 million yuan!
Before netizens could react, the Economic and Legal Affairs Commission added fuel to the fire, claiming that agent Du Mouze not only orchestrated multiple instances of embezzlement through dual contracts during his tenure, but also abused his power to steal trade secrets, causing huge economic losses to the company. He has now been taken away to cooperate with the investigation.
Xu Shen's fans, clinging to a sliver of hope: ...
The comment section was filled with: "??"
[Hilarious! I thought he was joking, but it turns out Mr. Zhang was serious?]
[OMG, all I see in the entertainment industry is this constant infighting over trivial matters. They've all forgotten we live in a society governed by law!]
[You always joke that they're from a wealthy family, but think about it, aren't all the members of the Zhang family ruthless capitalists?]
Xu Shen, a "legal expert," became a typical case in various legal talk shows—from 130 million to 376 million, are there more celebrities evading taxes in places the public can't see?
While Xu Shen was being crushed by the heavy blows of the rule of law, Zhang Chaohe was also sparing no effort to bring about his social death.
Because Xu Shen had already paid off the exorbitant 130 million yuan penalty for breach of contract in one lump sum before being investigated by the relevant authorities, Gain Capital made a profit of 130 million yuan without lifting a finger!
However, Mr. Zhang announced that he would invest all 130 million yuan into the public welfare fund under Hengxiang to help more people like Li Yimao, so that they could have the confidence to pursue their dreams and not be forced into a quagmire from the very beginning.
The public praised Mr. Zhang for his social responsibility, and the reputation of Hengxiang and Shengjing soared as a result. The entire Zhang Group was overjoyed and proud.
When Mr. Zhang was overjoyed, it was immediately reflected in his gesture of taking out one million yuan in cash from his own pocket to celebrate with the world.
But the conditions for this lottery were even more outrageous—
@Jiasheng Entertainment_V: To enhance the exchange, inheritance and promotion of traditional culture, this lottery will randomly select one thousand participants from the outstanding entries on the theme of "Locking the Five Dragons • Scolding Luo Cheng" to share one million RMB in cash.
The onlookers: !!
We can't get 130 million, but we can get 1,000!
In an instant, "cursing the shameless lackey" flew everywhere. Although each person only received 1,000 NT dollars this time, the Hsu Shen incident has generated a lot of public discussion, and everyone is happy to get involved and share in the joy!
Soon, the songs that were sung were no longer limited to "Locking Five Dragons".
From professionals to amateurs, and even those singing off-key, even elementary school students can hum a few lines of traditional Peking Opera. More and more people are seeing the unique beauty and charm of this traditional art form. Peking Opera has gone from being highbrow to becoming a part of everyday life; it really just needed the right opportunity.
Through a series of actions, Mr. Zhang indirectly helped traditional culture revitalize and boost the popularity of the "Guochao" (national trend). More and more young people are not only helping to revive traditional culture, but also giving it a more modern and contemporary character.
After his fans stopped supporting him, more and more of Xu Shen's scandals were exposed. After Du Ze was imprisoned and his property was confiscated in real life, Xu Shen also gloriously died in the social media world. After he arrogantly paid a sky-high penalty of 130 million yuan to Jiasheng for breach of contract, he is now facing an administrative fine of 376 million yuan.
Not to mention that the breach of contract penalties for major brands and programs are also a huge sum that is unimaginable to ordinary people!
Xu Shen sold his property at a low price, but Jiang's assistant intercepted it at an even lower price and resold it. With money coming in and out of his hands, Xiao Zhang once again received a windfall of 50 million.
He then transferred the 50 million to Li Yimao.
Li Yimao did not accept the money—he invested all 50 million yuan into a charity fund to help more people in need.
Zhang Chaohe thought the matter was over, until one day, the young boss, who actually intended to settle a personal score, received a nomination notice for "Top Ten Outstanding Youths of the City".
Zhang Chaohe: Well, I thought I would be the only one in my family who had never won this award, but now it seems I can at least avoid bringing shame to my family.
⚹
Chairman Zhang was so moved to tears when he learned that his youngest son had been nominated as an outstanding youth in the city that he sent his eldest son to the company to visit him.
Zhang Yinshan, who had won the award eight hundred years ago based on the performance of Shengjing Group, smiled wryly. He drove alone to the Jiasheng Building and carried a full set of lunch that he had specially brought for his younger brother to the front desk.
The receptionist immediately stood up and greeted him: "Mr. Zhang!"
He smiled warmly and then headed towards the elevator. The man waiting for the elevator ahead of him wore a navy blue casual suit; his broad shoulders and narrow waist made him resemble a beautiful peacock.
He turned around at the sound of the voice and greeted him with a surprised look: "Mr. Zhang, it's been a long time?"
Zhang Yinshan narrowed his eyes slightly and politely returned the handshake: "President Li, it's been a long time. What are you doing here?"
This blue peacock is none other than Li Ye, the CEO of Youjie Media. Zhang Chaohe was busy with his battle of wits with Xu Shen some time ago and it was inconvenient to disturb him. Recently, things have finally calmed down, so Li Ye immediately took the time to visit him in person.
He lifted the takeout bag in his hand and gave a completely insincere smile: "Oh, what a coincidence, I was also thinking of inviting Xiao Zhang to lunch together."
To be honest, Li Ye doesn't look like a handsome man in the traditional sense. He has a sharp and imposing face, with a kind of mature and capable feel.
Zhang Yinshan, having been immersed in the business world for many years, had a keen intuition for judging people—he could tell at a glance that this only son of the Li family was no good.
However, compared to the takeout containers of homemade dishes the other party was carrying, Zhang Yinshan's home-cooked meals were clearly superior. The childlike Zhang Yinshan smiled triumphantly and casually showed the other party the lunchbox in his hand: "What a coincidence! President Li must do me the honor of having a meal with me later."
Just then, the elevator dinged and arrived at the first floor. Zhang Yinshan held the elevator door open for Li Ye, but Li Ye politely declined. The two pretended to play coy for a while before the elevator finally slowly started to go up.
The two exchanged a glance in the elevator, then tacitly occupied their respective corners and remained silent.
Zhang Chaohe had no idea that his elder brother had suddenly delivered food, nor did he know that Li Ye had also come uninvited as a friend.
He was really looking forward to eating Sichuan-style spicy fish for lunch, but the more he looked at the ordering process, the more he felt that he wanted all the other side dishes as well. So he specially invited people up from downstairs to eat the fish and successfully ordered all the side dishes he wanted.
Unfortunately, Li Yimao was busy releasing a new song while it was still popular, and Assistant Jiang was on sick leave due to her period. Zhang Chaohe tried his best but could only get Cheng Jixue and Mei Jinghan to come.
So when Zhang Yinshan knocked on the door and came in, the three of them were arranging takeout boxes and an electric grill around the president's desk, both of them looking slightly dazed.
Before Zhang Chaohe could even greet him, Li Ye peeked in and squeezed through the crowd. He smelled the grilled fish in the air and said with an overly familiar smile, "What are you eating, Mr. Zhang? It smells delicious."
Zhang Chaohe answered instinctively, "There's only enough grilled fish for three people!"
Heartbroken Brother: So I can't even compare to a fish?
As soon as Zhang Chaohe finished speaking, the five people looked at each other in bewilderment, with only the pot of grilled fish soup on the table bubbling away.
Fortunately, Zhang Yinshan was a seasoned businessman and had no idea what embarrassment was. He put down his lunch on the table and joked, "What a coincidence! I brought extra. Shall we trade some fish?"
Zhang Chaohe felt a chilling murderous aura! He strongly suspected that if he dared to refuse, his older brother would immediately shove his head into the grilled fish pot...
He immediately nodded obediently: "Okay, okay!"
After dealing with his rebellious younger brother, Zhang Yinshan turned to Mei Jinghan and asked, "How's Xiaohan doing lately?"
Mei Jinghan hadn't dared to speak until Zhang Yinshan called her by name. She subconsciously pinched the seam of her pants and answered politely, "It's all good, it's all good. Thank you for your concern, Brother Yinshan."
Zhang Chaohe instantly gave Mei Jinghan a death stare: ...
How did you two meet? You're not a spy sent by the boss either, are you?!
Zhang Yinshan couldn't help but laugh when he saw his younger brother's little tricks. He gently squeezed his brother's shoulder and said, "You don't know that Mei Jinghan is the son of President Qi of Chuangmei, do you?"
Zhang Chaohe: ?
He whirled around and stared intently at Mei Jinghan, who was looking down shyly, her cheeks flushed, and her fingers nervously twisting the hem of her clothes: "Well, Mr. Zhang, you didn't ask either..."
Zhang Yinshan, sitting in this position, needs to be shrewd and worldly-wise, and must be familiar with all the big and small things in the industry. Naturally, he also knows about Mei Jinghan's falling out with her mother and her leaving home, but Zhang Chaohe is unaware of these things.
He slammed the disposable chopsticks on the table and said quietly, "Oh? If you can't act well, you'll just go home and inherit the family business, right?"
Mei Jinghan shrank back: "Even if I act well, I might still have to go home and inherit the family business..."
Zhang Chaohe flew into a rage and slapped the chopsticks again with a little force: "Why didn't you say so sooner!"
Seeing that Xiao Zhang was genuinely angry, Mei Jinghan felt even more guilty and stammered, "I'm sorry..."
"Shouldn't Chuangmei also give 'Sa Ta Shuang Xue Ming' a token vote?!" Zhang Chaohe roared!
Mei Jinghan, who was halfway through building up her emotions, couldn't believe it: ?
Cheng Jixue chuckled. He had been dutifully tidying the table, even counting out three extra sets of tableware and giving himself the chopsticks that had almost been broken by Little Zhang. Now, he looked at Li Ye with a feigned realization: "Would this gentleman also like to have lunch with us?"
Despite being deliberately isolated by Zhang Yinshan for half a day, Li Ye showed no sign of disappointment at being ignored. Instead, he was watching the dramatic revelation with great interest. Seeing that someone was finally paying attention to him, Li Ye leisurely raised the takeout box in his hand: "I also brought my own lunch, how about…"
Zhang Chaohe initially wanted to ruthlessly drive him away, but then he thought of the upcoming collaboration and managed to restrain himself.
He politely pointed out a seat to the other person, and Li Ye didn't mind, striding over and sitting down next to him.
Zhang Yinshan sat opposite the main seat—there were simply too many people around Zhang Chaohe for him to squeeze in!