Chapter 35 Agent and Movie Queen (Part 7)
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So this is where she was waiting all along... Is her goal this new movie?
Lingyan's first thought was of Liu Wanjun, but she quickly dismissed that doubt.
There's no other reason than that she lacks both the brains and the ability.
She was unaware of the initial press releases, and now her acting skills in this drama are not earning her any money; she's just wasting her time working for someone else.
Ling Yan then focused her attention on Qu Xiaoran, who was boarding a business vehicle to leave.
As if sensing her gaze, Qu Yinghou turned her head slightly, looked at her calmly, then turned away as if nothing had happened and got into the car.
Rumors circulate that Qu Xiaoran is gentle and indifferent to fame and fortune. Since her debut, she has been supported by various resources and labeled as having great talent and charisma. She has achieved fame at a young age and won three gold medals in a row, seemingly on a winning streak.
Given her status, influence, and popularity, she really doesn't need to resort to such despicable tactics to put others down.
This left Lingyan even more baffled as to who would want to smear Gu Zhong, and what their purpose was...
Since she couldn't figure it out, she decided to investigate directly—she quickly dispatched her subordinates to find a way, whether it was through paparazzi, hackers, or private investigators, as long as they could find out!
"Gu Xiaozhong, let's go... I'll take you home first. I have something to do tonight, we'll celebrate with you another day."
He put away his phone, making no mention of the online upheavals, just as usual.
"Sister Yan, you still haven't told me what's going on!"
Gu Zhong grabbed her elbow and clung to Ling Yan like a koala, acting like a spoiled brat and determined not to give up until he got what he wanted.
Ling Yan rubbed her forehead, feeling a bit of a headache. She was surprised that after so long, this little rascal still remembered what Liu Wanjun had mentioned before.
"It's nothing serious, just some false rumors on the internet—you just focus on acting, I'll handle these things."
As she spoke, Ling Yan looked intently at Gu Zhong with her warm eyes.
Go ahead and focus on pursuing your dreams; I'll take care of everything behind you.
As if seeing such a solemn oath in the eyes of his agent, Gu Zhong was stunned, and the fabric he was holding slipped from her hand.
Her pure black eyes were filled with confusion; apart from her parents, no one had ever been so kind to her.
"Gu Xiaozhong? What are you staring at?"
Lingyan took two steps forward, then noticed that the person behind her hadn't followed, so she turned around and looked back.
Sunlight streamed through the mountains and forests, across the fields, and fell upon her profile, adorning her long, delicate eyelashes and painting a picture of a gentle and beautiful woman.
Everything else paled in comparison, turning gray and white, but this one bright spot remained deeply imprinted in my heart.
His heart skipped a beat, and Gu Zhong hurriedly followed her. He lowered his eyes, unable to sort out his chaotic thoughts.
Located in the most bustling yet quietest part of the city, this upscale clubhouse is frequented by few people, but any one of its members is an ordinary yet enviable big shot.
"Mr. Li, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."
Following the guidance of the well-mannered waiter, the woman pushed open the heavy red oak door and stepped into the empty private room where only one person was waiting, without a trace of apology for being late.
"Not at all... I just arrived. I'm so grateful to have troubled you, Mr. Ling, to come today."
The portly middle-aged man stood up from his chair the moment she entered and ran to the door to greet her. This dignified company CEO acted like a lowly servant.
The waitress who brought Lingyan over showed a hint of surprise in her eyes; she had never seen anyone make Tianchen's boss act like this before.
Adhering to the club's principle of absolute confidentiality, suppressing their curiosity, the waiter respectfully closed the door for the two of them, and would never step in without being summoned.
"I've read those reports; they're all utter nonsense! Consider this drink an apology for the offense I caused that day. Please, Mr. Ling, forgive me..."
Looking at the man's unreadable expression, Mr. Li couldn't quite gauge his mood. He braced himself, filled his glass, and drank it all in one gulp.
"Since we're here to discuss serious matters today, I won't be drinking with Mr. Li."
After watching Mr. Li finish that glass of very strong liquor, Ling Yan slowly spoke, but her words were quite unpleasant in the atmosphere of the banquet, and Mr. Li did not dare to refute her.
"Please do as you please! Please do as you please!"
After the party that day, President Li used all his connections to try and find out Ling Yan's identity.
People who are good at navigating the business world are very shrewd and know how to handle situations. The worst thing they can do is offend the wrong people, otherwise they will lose all their wealth and be unable to recover.
This inquiry revealed something remarkable: as a rising star who entered the top ten of Fox's business in less than ten years, his skills, connections, and strength should not be underestimated.
Although it's true that every industry is like a mountain, and this person made their fortune in technology, since they intend to get a piece of the pie in the entertainment industry, they must have made thorough preparations.
I've heard that a merger deal involving a giant company in the industry is nearing completion, and I'm afraid this person's influence in the industry will soon be unleashed.
As a smart man, President Li treated Ling Yan with the utmost respect, showing no concern for saving face. After all, his success today was entirely due to his thick skin.
“…”
Mr. Li's flexibility and adaptability amazed Ling Yan, but this style made it easier for her to speak.
"Those rumors online..."
"I'm personally clarifying this! I've sent a lawyer's letter as a warning! These marketing accounts are just stirring up trouble. Miss Gu is no ordinary person; how could a nobody like me from Tianchen be worthy of her help?"
With a single sentence, Gu Zhong was elevated to the heavens while he himself was reduced to dust.
"But there's a problem with the photos..."
"That's easy. Mr. Ling, you're in the tech world, you should know how easy it is to create a camera time watermark. I'll just have someone take a few more similar ones, no need for Photoshop. With so many of these, it'll be easy to mix up the real and fake ones, who can tell the difference?"
"Fake is fake. Everyone's a tech expert these days, and there are even hotel videos. Mr. Li, you're playing this game, but you might really get my kid involved."
Ling Yan sneered. Was she going to use a fake solution to resolve this matter, only to hand him another handle against her?
"I heard that several projects have been going poorly lately, and Tianchen's cash flow is having some problems?"
Ling Yan lifted the steaming white porcelain teacup on the table, took a small sip, and nodded as if in satisfaction. She casually dropped a bombshell.
"If Mr. Li finds it difficult, how about I invest?"
The man was worried about this matter, and was overjoyed when he heard the news. If he could get a large investment by solving the scandal of a minor celebrity, it would be a profitable deal no matter what.
I was about to agree immediately, but then I thought about it again... it involved equity, and my initial enthusiasm quickly faded.
"Don't worry, I don't want your controlling stake. Consider it an investment where I only receive dividends. Of course, there are conditions. How about we make a small performance-based agreement?"
"I'll give you 100 million in one go. If Tianchen can't generate 500 million in profit within two years, then Tianchen's Weichen Drama Studio will belong to me..."
He leaned back leisurely in his chair, spread his fingers, and offered an irresistible temptation.
"This... Mr. Ling, please allow me to consider it..."
Mr. Li sat back in his chair, clasped his hands tightly, and pondered intently.
On the surface, if he were genuinely willing to help this time, Ling Yan would naturally reciprocate, and one hundred million would be just enough to alleviate his immediate crisis. As long as they could get through this difficult time, one billion in two years would be no problem.
Even if the bet fails, Microdust is only worth 50 million at most, and it's not a particularly important department. A hundred million would be a huge profit for him no matter how you look at it.
Mr. Li found it hard to believe that such a windfall would fall into his lap.
Is that minor celebrity really that important? What exactly is her relationship with this person? They're practically going to great lengths to protect her.
Unconsciously, she elevated Gu Zhong's status several notches. She resolved that once she returned, she would instruct everyone in Tianchen to keep a close eye on Gu Zhong and not to provoke him lightly.
"No rush, Mr. Li. I'll wait for you for two days... In the meantime, I'll release the hotel video, and then we'll see what you say."
Lingyan took away the entire day's hotel surveillance footage that day in case of this, but if Tianchen makes a statement, it would obviously be more compelling evidence.
This is why she's sitting here chatting with that lecherous old man, Mr. Li.
But unfortunately, the other party wasn't sincere...
Ling Yan glanced at her watch, then dragged out a chair, stood up, and made as if to leave.
"No need! President Ling has generously donated money to save Tianchen from a crisis. How could I, Li, be so ungrateful as to refuse? I will do as President Ling instructs."
Although a time limit has been given, business collaborations are too prone to fickleness. What if she changes her mind later?
President Li slammed his hand on the table and made the decision immediately.
"It's a pleasure to work with you."
Lingyan extended her right hand, genuinely pleased with the collaboration.
A few days later, the trending topic that had been trending on a certain social media platform for a while was pushed down by Tianchen's statement and lawyer's letter.
"A stunning reversal!"
"Wow! CEO Tianchen personally stepped in to clarify? There are at least a thousand or eight hundred female celebrities who have been rumored to be dating him, and he's never paid any attention to them before. This must be the first time, right?"
"What happened?"
"That day at Century Dynasty was a business negotiation. It wasn't just Gu Zhong and CEO Tianchen who were there; their agent went in about ten minutes later..."
"Is this a photo that's only halfway through??"
"Exactly, what can you do in ten minutes?"
"Didn't you keep the hotel video? Video is the most convincing evidence!"
"The video is even funnier. The hotel has already posted it online, and four people were crammed into one room! Two men came out in less than ten minutes. What can you do in ten minutes? Sure enough, people with brains of a certain color only think about things of that color!"
"Has someone framed Gu Zhong?"
"I knew it! A couple of days ago, the whole internet was bashing Gu Zhong. There wasn't a single good word to say. I wouldn't believe it wasn't just paid trolls!"
"Pre-selected? Everyone knows how strict Director Chen is with casting. We don't even know who will audition yet, so how could anyone pre-select someone?"
"Someone's just trying to use this sugar daddy/sugar baby scandal to kick Gu Zhong while he's down..."
Nowadays, netizens are very accepting of gossip reversals and enjoy the new juicy stories. Most people are expressing their indignation.
However, there are also staunch haters who relentlessly vent their frustrations.
"Hehe, the dutiful grandson of a certain socialite has come to wash! He's here, he's here!"
"Tsk, Tianchen personally stepped in to refute the rumors, isn't that the biggest piece of evidence? He's afraid his little lover will suffer any injustice!"
"What kind of collaboration needs to be discussed in a hotel? The agent looks pretty too, maybe she's even done it herself~ Two greasy middle-aged men and two stunning beauties, anything can happen in there."
"No matter what, the fact that it was pre-arranged can't be erased!"