In the film and television industry, Zhou Man’s most disliked actress was Luo Yu. Although everyone recognized Luo Yu as “a certain girl” before anything else, after several collaborations, Luo Yu’s methods could be described as incredibly insidious!
Zhou Man, already a legend in the industry, had, without her knowledge, been edited to be Luo Yu’s foil in two collaborations!
From then on, Luo Yu became Zhou Man’s nemesis. She swore she would never share a screen with this woman, nor film a movie with her!
Zhou Man pushed open Yan Shizong’s door. As expected, Luo Yu was sitting on Boss Yan’s lap. It seemed that becoming “a certain girl” back then must have relied on such underhanded tactics!
Luo Yu: “Sister Zhou Man, why are you here?”
Zhou Man smiled, but she didn’t spare Luo Yu a glance. Her objective wasn’t to expose the illicit affair between these two.
Yan Shizong: “Long time no see, Ms. Zhou.”
Zhou Man: “I have something to ask you.”
Yan Shizong: “Certainly, I have things I want to say to you too.”
Zhou Man: “Ask her to leave.”
Yan Shizong held Luo Yu’s hand, letting her continue to sit on his lap.
Yan Shizong: “There’s no need. Miss Luo is my new girlfriend. Her presence here won’t hinder our conversation.”
Yan Shizong, of course, knew Zhou Man disliked Luo Yu, but he just wanted to thoroughly infuriate his disobedient ex-lover!
Zhou Man gave Luo Yu a sharp glare. Luo Yu, being perceptive, knew that staying here would only intensify the tension.
Although she relied on Yan Shizong for resources, she didn’t want to offend Zhou Man and ruin her reputation later.
Luo Yu: “Darling, you two talk. I’ll go get you some tea.”
Luo Yu understandingly stood up. Yan Shizong no longer stopped her. They watched Luo Yu leave the room, and now, war was about to break out!
Zhou Man lunged forward, grabbing Yan Shizong’s collar. She wished she could kill this bastard!
Zhou Man: “How dare you steal my movie!!! The last one, ‘The Rose-Colored Danube,’ was clearly my script! It was my movie!”
“How much effort did I put into preparing for this film? Don’t you know? How could you sign it as a Juying project!!!”
Yan Shizong grabbed Zhou Man’s hand, yanked it away forcefully, and said with disdain, “Ms. Zhou, don’t forget, you are no longer part of our Juying. I am the one who purchased the film adaptation rights for this movie.”
Zhou Man: “You are truly shameless!!! I rewrote the script, and I found the author too!!!”
Yan Shizong: “So what? You wanted to be the director of this film, but you resigned. If you don’t sign with me, I can’t just waste my resources for nothing.”
Zhou Man: “You have so many film and television resources, why this one specifically!!! Do you just not want to see me succeed?”
Yan Shizong: “Yes, Ms. Zhou, I want to make it clear to you. Without Juying, you are nothing! Leaving me, Yan Shizong, is the biggest mistake of your life!!!”
Zhou Man: “In your eyes, Yan Shizong, I was just a tool to make money for you. Leaving you, I can become a better me!”
Yan Shizong: “What right do you have to say such things to me? I’ve supported you until now. Everything you eat, everything you use, wasn’t it all given by me!”
“You want to become a better person? Look at how pathetic you are! Do you know what everyone says about you? They say you’re an old cow eating young grass, say you’re ungrateful, say you…”
Zhou Man slapped him. She could no longer bear Yan Shizong’s humiliation!
It was the first time Yan Shizong had been slapped. He retaliated with even greater force and speed. Zhou Man was knocked to the ground instantly. Yan Shizong grabbed Zhou Man’s hair and smashed her head against the coffee table.
Yan Shizong: “Vile woman! Do you still think you’re a high and mighty goddess? Without me, you’re no better than those eighteen-line starlets trying to climb the ladder!”
“Since you’re unwilling to be my woman, Yan Shizong, I don’t need to be polite to you!”
“I also want to tell you, not only will I film your movie, but I will also make Luo Yu, the one you dislike the most, the female lead of that movie!”
“How’s that? Angry? Hmm? I’m asking you, are you angry!”
“As long as you kneel down and beg me now, I’ll give you the female lead position, and you can still be my woman, Yan Shizong.”
Zhou Man sneered and then spat at Yan Shizong’s face.
Zhou Man: “Leaving you was indeed the most correct decision I’ve ever made! You scumbag, you’ll get what’s coming to you sooner or later!”
Yan Shizong suddenly burst into laughter.
Yan Shizong: “What’s coming to me? Who dares to make me face retribution?”
“Wait, who gave you the courage to leave me? Was it that boss from Xi Ou? What was his name again?”
“Ou… right, Ou Yunchen?”
“Hahahaha, you think he can be your backer?”
“Ms. Zhou, you’ve lost your mind. Why would that kind of man compete with me?”
“You think he’s a big shot just because he can attend my summit?”
“Let me tell you, in this industry, I am the boss. My summit, whoever I want to come, will come. Whoever I want to kick out, will be kicked out!”
“You are truly stupid. After being by my side for so long, can’t you see? Why does everyone bow down to me? Because I am their god of wealth!”
“Not everyone can come here to make a fortune. The rules here are set by me!”
“I invited Ou Yunchen not because I thought highly of him, but because I wanted him to witness firsthand how he would be ostracized here. You want to rely on him to achieve new glory? Dream on!”
At this moment, a knock on the door interrupted Yan Shizong. It was Yan Shizong’s secretary.
Secretary: “Mr. Yan, the signing ceremony has begun. Mr. Jiang Ping is waiting for you to sign.”
The secretary, of course, recognized Zhou Man, but he had grown accustomed to such scenes.
Yan Shizong would often leave Zhou Man with more bruises. During the time Zhou Man was his mistress, if Yan Shizong was even slightly displeased, he would beat Zhou Man, and later, his apologies would only be to compensate her with the best resources.
Yan Shizong tidied his suit, stepped over Zhou Man, and then, with a smile, walked out.
***
The summit finally ended. The good news was that the intended signing amount reached a staggering 2 billion.
However, Ou Yunchen, just as Yan Shizong had said, remained like an outsider throughout.
No one paid him any attention, nor did he have the opportunity to collaborate with any entertainment company. The movie, destined to become a blockbuster in the future, seemed to have its investors predetermined.
It wasn’t until he left the venue that Ou Yunchen gradually realized that although the cake here was large and tempting, only a select few could truly get a slice.
It seemed that to become one of them, a strong network of connections was an indispensable part!
***
Seeing Ou Yunchen emerge, the secretary nervously put down his phone.
Crystal: “Mr. Ou, the meeting is over?”
Ou Yunchen nodded. He looked around; he hadn’t seen Zhou Man since earlier.
Ou Yunchen: “Where is Zhou Man?”
Crystal: “Didn’t she enter the venue with you? I was outside the whole time and didn’t see her come out.”
Ou Yunchen: “Call her and ask where she is.”
Crystal made the call, but the phone went unanswered.
Just as Ou Yunchen and Crystal were wondering where Zhou Man was, a group of people emerged from another conference hall exit. Ou Yunchen recognized Yan Shizong at a glance.
Crystal: “Mr. Ou, I just glanced inside. There’s no one in the conference hall anymore.”
Ou Yunchen had excellent eyesight. He looked surprised. Why was the elbow of Yan Shizong’s suit so pale? It looked like it had rubbed against something dusty?
He then looked at the woman holding Yan Shizong’s arm. The other arm was not pale.
At this moment, Ou Yunchen suddenly remembered that when Liu Jinhua brought Zhou Man to meet him, she was glowing.
It was as if she had applied some powder that made her skin white, luminous, and sparkly. When he hugged her, Liu Jinhua’s suit would also get some of that powder on it from contact.
Seeing Yan Shizong and his entourage leave, Ou Yunchen decided to check the other end of the venue.
Crystal: “Mr. Ou, where are you going?”
Ou Yunchen: “Tell the driver to pick me up at the back entrance.”
Crystal: “Okay.”