It would be very easy for Ouyang Jun to manipulate them. From the initial scriptwriting and filming to the final editing, the film has to be approved by the Ministry of Culture. If Ouyang Jun were to make a slight mistake or put them in a difficult position, he could make them lose everything and be left with nothing but tears.
Several people sensed that things were about to escalate. They had already taken out their phones and started calling the leaders they knew at CCTV, because if this matter got out of hand and brought that old man into the spotlight, the CCTV leadership might have to take action.
Those who know Ouyang Jun know that although he is just a businessman, he can definitely do what he just said. Suspending CCTV's rehearsals for a day is not a big deal; at most, it can be explained away with an internal rectification.
"Fourth Brother. Forget it, it's not worth getting angry over such a small thing. We'll deal with him later..."
Zhuang Rui was still naive and didn't understand that such a small matter could actually involve certain levels of political struggle. In addition, Zhuang's mother had been very strict with him since childhood. Although she hated that man surnamed Hu, she still wanted to keep the peace.
"Brother, this is a slap in the face for us. We need to make a big scene, a real mess. Damn it, if we don't stir up some trouble, nobody will recognize us as brothers..."
Ouyang Jun turned his head, gritted his teeth, and whispered something in Zhuang Rui's ear. Zhuang Rui was stunned for a moment, then realized what he meant, nodded silently, and remained silent.
"Go, take my sister-in-law to sit on the sofa..."
Zhuang Rui saw Xu Qing standing there with her big pregnant belly, which was quite eye-catching. He whispered something to Miao Feifei, and this time Officer Miao didn't throw a tantrum. She obediently helped Xu Qing to the outside of the crowd.
"Sir, please don't interfere with my work..."
The armed policeman also sensed something was wrong, but he was just carrying out a mission and it wasn't his place to worry about other things. He was only notified to come and drive people away, and if no one notified him to withdraw, then he had to complete his mission.
"Wait a minute, it's nothing to do with you, I won't make things difficult for you..."
Ouyang Jun waved his hand with a gloomy face, took out his phone from his pocket, and displayed the imposing manner of a veteran third-generation princeling, which made the young armed policeman pause for a moment, stop insisting, and take a step back. But he did not leave.
"Teacher Zhuang, what are you doing here? I've been looking for you for ages..."
Suddenly, a female voice broke the silence in the room. Liu Jia squeezed in from the outside of the crowd with a look of surprise. She had indeed looked around the hall for Zhuang Rui, but she did not see what had just happened.
"I just received a notification that your program team has canceled my guest status. This armed police officer was just about to ask me to change clothes and leave..."
Zhuang Rui looked at Liu Jia with a calm expression, but he was extremely annoyed. If this girl hadn't been so persistent in making him an expert, all this nonsense would have been a problem. However, Zhuang Rui also knew that Liu Jia was probably unaware that he was being asked to leave the CCTV studio.
"What? How come I didn't know? Young man, who notified you? Please find the person who notified you..."
Liu Jia's reaction was stronger than Zhuang Rui had expected; she immediately questioned the armed police officer.
"Damn it, you slut, wait until you get transferred to the station, then I'll deal with you..."
Seeing Liu Jia's attitude, Hu Ming in the crowd couldn't help but curse inwardly. This guy has become a small-time director, and his confidence has really inflated. He thinks he's someone important.
"I received instructions from my superior via walkie-talkie, which is why I came here. However, it was that person who introduced me to this Mr. Zhuang..."
The young armed police officer was calm and composed when facing Zhuang Rui, but he hesitated a bit when he encountered a woman like Liu Jia, and immediately pointed into the crowd.
Everyone moved aside in the direction the young armed policeman pointed. They could see that Zhuang Rui and Ouyang Jun had extraordinary bearing, and that Zhuang Rui seemed to be an expert invited by CCTV, not an actor as they had imagined. So they all stepped aside, not wanting to be misunderstood by Zhuang Rui.
When Hu Ming, who had been hiding behind the crowd, finally peeked out, the young armed policeman said confidently, "That's the gentleman..."
"Director Hu?"
The person who appeared in front of her made Liu Jia pause for a moment, but she didn't ask any further questions because she didn't know what had happened. In a program or film crew, the director can make many decisions.
"Hehe, so it's Director Hu! You really know how to stir things up!"
Zhuang Rui chuckled softly and walked towards Hu Ming.
"Brother, don't be impulsive. We're all civilized people. It would be too shameful to resort to violence..."
Ouyang Jun pulled Zhuang Rui back, afraid that Zhuang Rui would actually go up and beat that guy up in front of so many people, which wouldn't sound good if word got out. Of course, if he did beat him up, Ouyang Jun really didn't care, since in the eyes of those elders he was just a spoiled brat.
Chapter 525 I'll Crush You (Part 2)
"Fourth Brother, I know, hitting him would be too easy on him..."
Zhuang Rui gently brushed Ouyang Jun's hand away and slowly walked to Hu Ming's side.
"What...what are you going to do?"
Hu Ming is only about 1.7 meters tall. Perhaps because he has been an assistant director for so long, he has exhausted himself by working on minor celebrities and intern hosts. When he saw Zhuang Rui coming over, he couldn't help but take two steps back.
"It's alright, Hu Dao, you haven't done anything wrong, why are you afraid of me?"
Zhuang Rui stepped forward, put his arm around Hu Ming's shoulder, and whispered in his ear, "Kid, you're in luck. I've never hated anyone this much in my life. Don't worry, I'll definitely ruin you!"
"You...you're threatening me?"
Hu Ming forcefully broke free from Zhuang Rui's arm and shouted at the armed police officer, "Officer, he just threatened me, saying he was going to cripple me..."
"Director Hu, please watch your words. I have a fiancée and am not interested in men..."
Zhuang Rui interrupted Hu Ming with a serious expression. The onlookers were stunned for a moment, and then burst into laughter.
However, they had already guessed what was going on. The young man might have really said that. It seemed that these two people involved were not simple. One wanted to kick the CCTV staff out, and the other wanted to cripple a director. Without some background, who would dare to boast like that?
"What's going on? No rehearsals, huh? If you don't want to be on the Spring Festival Gala, just replace her. There are plenty of people waiting to be on it..."
Suddenly, a voice came from outside the crowd. As soon as the voice came out, the onlookers changed their expressions and quietly dispersed, because they recognized it as the voice of Director Zhang, the chief director of the Spring Festival Gala.
If you were to ask who wields the most power at CCTV, many people probably wouldn't say it's the high-ranking station director, because that vice-ministerial level leader wouldn't concern himself with such trivial matters.
But this bearded director Zhang was different. From CCTV's television production to the chief director of the Spring Festival Gala, Director Zhang's power was extraordinary. Which program to include and which actor to perform on the Spring Festival Gala was entirely up to him. Therefore, after hearing his words, no one dared to gather around to watch the excitement anymore.
"Director Zhang, you've come at the perfect time! He's the late guest who disobeyed the organization's decision and even threatened me just now..."
Upon seeing Director Zhang, Hu Ming immediately went up to him and began to badmouth Zhuang Rui.
Although Director Zhang is only in charge of the Spring Festival Gala, he still has the authority to guide other programs. He can handle some minor matters. Hu Ming just reported this situation to him. Director Zhang, who was extremely busy, readily agreed to the request to cancel that person's guest status as soon as he heard that someone was late.
"Director Hu, I'm in charge of the Spring Festival Gala, and you're in charge of the Spring Festival special programs. You have no right to tell me about this..."
The bearded director glanced at Hu Ming, casually uttered a sentence, and then went to greet Zhuang Rui and Ouyang Jun.
"Director Zhang, didn't you agree to this?"
Hu Ming was confused after hearing Director Zhang's words. He didn't understand what had happened. This boss had just been calling him brother, so why was he suddenly acting all businesslike?
Director Zhang stopped in his tracks upon hearing this, and said coldly, "Director Hu, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't just say whatever you want. We're from different departments, so what right do I have to interfere in your department's affairs?"
"What...what happened?"
Hu Ming sensed something was wrong as he watched the bearded director approach Ouyang Jun.
"Mr. Ouyang, I'm so sorry. You see, I've been so busy these past few days that I haven't even had a few hours of sleep, and I haven't been able to spend time with you. I really feel bad about it..."
Director Zhang, who was speaking to Ouyang Jun at this moment, had a smile on his face. His humble demeanor surprised everyone who was secretly following the incident. When had they ever seen Director Zhang treat someone with such an expression?
"Director Zhang, I want to know, who made the decision to revoke Mr. Zhuang's qualification as a special expert? Is this how irresponsible CCTV is? Calling someone here early in the morning, telling him his qualification has been revoked, and then letting him leave without any explanation?"
Ouyang Jun did not shake the hand extended by the bearded director. This was because he did not have enough face for Director Zhang, since he did not have the ability to cripple Director Hu. Since his younger brother had spoken, he was determined to cripple him.
Director Zhang, having risen from a small-time actor to his current position, is undoubtedly a man of flexibility and adaptability. He wasn't embarrassed at all, and naturally withdrew his outstretched hand, saying sincerely, "Mr. Ouyang, I really didn't know about this. I'll report it to my superiors right away. Perhaps we could go upstairs for a while? It's just too noisy downstairs..."
"Brother, come upstairs and have a seat. The mandarin fish cooked by the CCTV chef is really delicious..."
Ouyang Jun nodded, knowing that once he went up there, someone of appropriate status would come out to greet him. There was no point in making a scene down there; it would only make him a laughingstock.
"Thank you, thank you, Mr. Ouyang. This way, please. And this gentleman, please..."
Director Zhang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. This man was someone he really couldn't afford to offend. Putting aside that old man, even his own father held his life in his hands.
It's important to know that Director Zhang doesn't rely on directing the Spring Festival Gala for a living; his most lucrative job is making TV dramas, and being a TV producer and director is his true profession.
The man in front of me had a terrifyingly powerful background. He not only had connections in the Ministry of Culture, but also in the Ministry of Radio and Television, which was his territory. If you wanted to make it in the Chinese entertainment industry, you couldn't avoid these two departments. Unless you decided to give up being a director, you would have to act like a grandson in front of this man.
After Zhuang Rui and Ouyang Jun disappeared into the elevator, Hu Ming, who was still standing there dumbfounded, suddenly snapped out of it and grabbed Liu Jia beside him, stammering, "Liu... Liu Jia, what... what does this person you recommended do?"
"I...I don't know either. When I first met him, he was a jade expert. Director Hu, why did you offend him?"
Liu Jia was also taken aback by Director Zhang's appearance. Seeing this renowned director, known as "Master Zhang," be so humble in front of Zhuang Rui and Ouyang Jun, she felt uneasy. However, she knew that Zhuang Rui's background was far more powerful than she had imagined. ...
Led by Director Zhang, Zhuang Rui and Ouyang Jun entered an office on the eighth floor. The sign outside the office door clearly read "Director's Office".
"Brother Ouyang, it's such a trivial matter, is it really worth getting so angry? Come, come, sit down, calm down. I have some pre-Qingming Longjing tea here, have some first, and I'll have a good drink with you at noon..."
A middle-aged man in his forties or fifties came out from behind the large desk and waved for Director Zhang, who was leading the way, to leave.
"Brother Zhang, it's not that I'm disrespecting you, you know my cousin too. This is a slap in the face to our Ouyang family. Even if Zhuang Rui wasn't invited to the show, kicking him out in public, where do we put our face?"
Although Ouyang Jun's expression softened, he still looked unwilling to give up. Director Zhang frowned slightly upon hearing this. The other party was putting too much pressure on him, mentioning the Ouyang family right off the bat. Even if he wanted to protect that muddle-headed director, he probably couldn't.
"This was a mistake on our part, I'll handle it. Xiao Wang, have Hu Ming come to my office..."
Director Zhang is very decisive. He heard that Ouyang Jun's second brother, Ouyang Long, might be transferred to the Ministry of Radio and Television, and that he might become his direct superior. He already had a good relationship with the Ouyang family, so there was no need to offend them over such a small matter.
Furthermore, Director Zhang had met Zhuang Rui at Old Master Ouyang's 90th birthday celebration and knew that he was the old master's only grandson. If anyone is to blame, it's Hu Ming for being so blind. ...
"Director Hu, the station director wants to see you and asks you to go to his office immediately..."
Hu Ming walked back to the shooting studio in a daze when he suddenly heard someone calling his name. When he understood what it was, cold sweat immediately soaked his clothes.
Normally, if the station director contacted him, Hu Ming would be overjoyed, considering he'd barely exchanged a few words with the big boss. But at this critical juncture, even a fool could tell that this was definitely not a good thing.
At this moment, Hu Ming wished he could slap himself a few times. Zhuang Rui's words about ruining him were still echoing in his ears. Beads of sweat involuntarily dripped down Hu Ming's forehead.
"Director Hu, the rehearsal team has left, can we start now?"
Li Jia, a famous variety show host from CCTV, came over. He also had high hopes for this new program. While others were rehearsing, he was memorizing his lines in the back, so he was unaware of what was happening outside.
"Why don't you guys do a rehearsal first? Maybe... we'll have to change the director..."
Hu Ming waved his hand weakly, turned, and walked towards the elevator in the lobby. This was something he couldn't avoid. ...
"Director, you wanted to see me?"
Upon arriving at the station director's office, Hu Ming cautiously inquired. When he saw Expert Zhuang and that arrogant middle-aged man sitting on the sofa drinking tea, his heart nearly leaped out of his chest with nervousness.
"Um, Hu Ming, I received a report from an intern at the station, saying that when you were working on the XXX program, you used your position to force others to agree to certain requests of yours. Is that true?"
Director Zhang naturally wouldn't bring up what had just happened. He had plenty of dirt on people, and none of the directors and producers at the station had clean hands when it came to relationships. Of course, Director Zhang himself wasn't much better off either.
Chapter 526 I'll Crush You (Part 2)
"Director, this...it was my fault. I haven't been strict enough with myself, and I made a mistake..."
Hu Ming was a smart man. He originally wanted to say something to defend himself, but what came out of his mouth was a sincere self-criticism, which almost made Zhuang Rui, who was sitting on the sofa drinking tea, spit out his tea.
Hu Ming knew the principle of seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune. Since his boss had said such things in front of those two people, he was determined to give them an explanation. If he was sensible, he might have a chance to make a comeback in a few years. But if he embarrassed his boss again, he would definitely never have a chance to rise again.
Zhuang Rui shook his head slightly. It seems that there are no simple people among those who work in the system.