Chapter 1471
Teasing
"We underestimated our enemy."
Zhang Yuan put down his phone and spoke to Yang Siwei in front of him.
"Then what should we do now?"
Even she, who is usually good at "turning black into white" and turning the tables on celebrities, panicked at this moment.
Because this matter is too big, and the people involved are too crucial.
Zhang Yuan is practically half of the company's business; the rest of the artists, even if bundled together, can barely be considered on the same scale as him.
Zhang Yuan quickly racked his brains, activating and overclocking all the cores, large and small.
A new round of instructions was then issued.
"Take a deep breath and calm yourself down."
He pointed at the fat woman.
This person was already overweight, and after taking a few deep breaths, he became even more breathless.
"Then call Brother Qian back."
"I'll inform Zeng Jia."
"Let's get together first and talk about it."
Brother Qian returned shortly after leaving.
Zeng Jia was outside discussing business, having dinner and drinks with clients.
"Don't worry about the guests, just say hello and leave. Come over right now."
"But……"
"I don't want to hear any answer other than 'yes'."
"I will take full responsibility for any consequences of neglecting my customers."
He hung up the phone after saying that.
Zeng Jia rarely heard him speak like that, so she punished herself with a glass of baijiu, left her assistant to entertain the guests, and rushed to his house amidst the dissatisfied complaints of the customers.
It took more than an hour to get there.
It was completely dark when she got home.
Upon entering the reception room, Yang Siwei and Brother Qian sat anxiously, with two bowls of half-eaten, now-cold noodles in front of them.
"Are we here?"
Zhang Yuan heard the noise and came in from outside.
"Man is made of iron, and food is made of steel."
"The worst thing you can do when you're in trouble is not to eat or drink. You need to eat well, drink well, and sleep well to have the strength to solve problems," Zhang Yuan said after glancing at the bowl of noodles.
"Zeng Jia, sit down. The meeting is starting now."
After Zhang Yuan finished speaking, he sat down immediately.
Zeng Jia glanced at the three people; their faces were as black as the bottom of a pot.
She swallowed nervously and quickly reviewed her recent activities.
She even remembered stealing cookies from the company to give to clients.
"I... I've been working lately, is everything alright?" she asked cautiously.
Based on Zhang Yuan's attitude when he summoned her, she assumed it was a joint trial, specifically for her.
"Show her Weibo."
Zhang Yuan ignored her, picked up the envelope he had just received, and handed it to her.
In a flustered state, he looked back and forth, and it took him a while to realize that this matter seemed to have nothing to do with him.
After looking at it for a while, he looked up and asked.
"You and Liu Shishi also..."
Zhang Yuan: ...
These two old women under my command are both incredibly gossipy.
"Stop talking nonsense, do you understand?"
"I understand, Zhuo Wei is going to mess with you."
"And this matter wasn't handled well," she added.
Yang Siwei rolled her eyes at her, "So you're trying to make things difficult for me right in front of me?"
“We’re gathered here to handle some business. If you start gossiping, get out.” Zhang Yuan looked at her very seriously.
The guy immediately sat up straight.
"Let's get to the conclusion first." Zhang Yuan closed his eyes and rubbed his temples vigorously.
"The other party's goal was never money."
"Or rather, they don't get money from us."
"We made a serious misjudgment on this point, and we were always making plans around money."
"I bear primary responsibility for this matter as the decision-maker."
"Zhuo Wei sent these photos first to tell us."
“He knew we had people watching him.”
"And they conducted counter-surveillance and took photos of these people."
"This is both a satire and a provocation."
"The same is true of the other woman's photo."
"He was brazenly displaying his abilities and provoking us."
"The kind of flirting I'm talking about isn't the kind between men and women."
Have you ever seen a stray cat eating?
The three shook their heads.
“When wild cats are not hungry, they will play with their ‘food,’ such as mice, sparrows, and other animals.”
“Now, Zhuo Wei thinks he is the cat, and you, me, and those who were sent to monitor him are all mice.”
"He's toying with us."
"Moreover, he posted the message on Weibo at the same time he sent me the letter."
"This further confirms my idea."
"This also proves that the other party left no room for negotiation whatsoever."
“He said see you on Monday, but today is already…” Yang Siwei continued, “Today is Thursday.”
“If he doesn’t want to leave any room for maneuver, he should do these things on Sunday.”
"That would leave us no chance to react."
“That’s true. If it were me, I would post it on Sunday night.” Zeng Jia rarely agreed with the fat woman’s statement.
Zhang Yuan blinked. "You guys learned this method from Xiao Rizi, right?"
That's exactly what was done when Pearl Harbor was bombed; the plan was to notify the enemy a few hours before the bombing.
As a result of a series of unforeseen circumstances, the US did not receive the letter until after the bombing.
These were not only completely and utterly acts of a sneak attack, both in terms of facts and procedures, but the notification itself became a provocation following the bombing.
However, after dealing with the mustachioed man, the Russians used the same tactic when dealing with the poor.
The Japanese ambassador was notified three hours before the attack on the Kwantung Army.
At the same time, 11 army groups, 5000 tanks, and 3000 aircraft were organized to advance towards the Kwantung Army.
Mine is very big, please bear with it.
At this point, Bushido won't work anymore, because the Russians will really make you die a glorious death.
But his life is gloomy, and he's always been self-righteous.
The Russians are quite unreasonable, but they have the strength to back it up.
But Zhuowei's situation is different from theirs.
"It was precisely because he deliberately notified us a few days in advance."
"I just said it was a provocation."
"This is not a provocation, because the purpose of provocation is to provoke the other party to take the initiative."
"Teasing is a form of unrestrained indulgence when one feels confident of victory and has an overwhelming advantage."
"Moreover, he posted an announcement on Weibo a few days in advance, which is equivalent to releasing a trailer for the movie in advance."
"He's trying to whet the appetites of netizens."
"Think, take a look, hasn't his Weibo account gained a lot of followers?"
“Indeed…” The fat woman glanced at her phone.
"It used to be less than 30, but now it has exceeded one million."
"Having more followers on Weibo can bring fame."
"He enjoys the feeling of being high above everyone else, with everyone begging to him."
"He wants to become a god."
"And what are the conditions for becoming a god?" Zhang Yuan scanned the three of them.
"Only by killing a god can one become a god!"
"What he wants to do is to 'sacrifice' me, a top-tier star, in order to achieve his own fame."
"If he can bring me down, he will become famous throughout China."
“Other artists who don’t have strong enough backgrounds will tremble with fear when they mention him in the future.”
"He can then enjoy the feeling of becoming a god."
"Moreover, Zhang Weiping's collaboration with him provided him with sufficient funding."
"They're birds of a feather; they want to achieve the same goal."
Zhang Yuan looked up at the ceiling and murmured.
"If a ruler is not discreet, he will lose his ministers; if a minister is not discreet, he will lose his life; if important matters are not kept secret, they will lead to disaster. Therefore, a wise man is cautious and discreet and does not speak out."
"So we're going to find Yang Mi?" Brother Qian said after the two women spoke up.
"You...read more books." Zhang Yuan didn't bother to argue.
Confucius said this to mean that trouble comes from the mouth, so a gentleman should be careful with his words and actions.
"Of course, Zhuo Wei has never been a gentleman."
"He is a blatantly despicable person."
"You three take note, I'm making the following arrangements!" Zhang Yuan stood up and paced back and forth in the room.
"Yang Siwei, you are in charge of monitoring the situation within the company and ensuring that no one, whether artist or employee, speaks carelessly or interferes."
"Even if the worst happens, we must remain absolutely calm and, more importantly, ensure that no one on our side goes out and spreads rumors."
"understand!"
"Zeng Jia, go and check all my film and television works, commercial endorsements, and contracts."
"Calculate what legal risks I would have to bear and what possible compensation items and amounts I would need to pay if I were to cause a major public opinion incident."
"Find Attorney Zhou and ask him to help you, but don't tell anyone else."
"understood."
"Brother Qian, you should remove everyone around Zhuo Wei."
"Huh?" The guy scratched his head. Didn't you just say you wanted to add more people to keep an eye on things?
"Listen to me, withdraw the people first. Adding more people now is pointless."
"Then stop all external work for the company and concentrate manpower."
He handed the photo to his older brother.
“Add more staff to the women who were photographed.”
"If the worst happens, they will definitely be surrounded by reporters, so we must protect them."
"That's all you'll do."
"The rest... I'll call Zhuo Wei myself."
"After all, this is probably what he wants most right now."
These people left in a hurry to make work arrangements overnight.
He took a bath and changed his clothes, lit some scented candles to set the mood, and then sat on the floor in the practice room to adjust his mind through meditation.
It's precisely at times like these that one must not panic, especially as the boss.
Once he lost control, everything below him went completely into chaos.
He spent almost the entire night in the practice room and barely slept.
And because of the stress, I ate very little the next morning.
Although he told his men to eat more, he only mentioned it, saying that he himself was also having some problems with his appetite.
Because he was facing the biggest crisis of his career.
If things go wrong, his acting career will be set back by at least seven or eight years, and he will only be able to work behind the scenes thereafter.
He had thought about it, and it wasn't unacceptable to him.
After all, he has accumulated some capital over the years, and he can live quite well even without showing his face.
But it would be better to be in the public eye, as it would allow things to be accomplished more quickly and effectively.
He glanced at the wall clock; it was 9 o'clock. Only then did he leave the restaurant and stretch his muscles.
Then he dialed Zhuo Wei's number.
beep...
"Hey."
The call wasn't answered very quickly, and when it did, there was a hint of mockery in the tone.
"How come the big star Zhang has time to call me personally?"
"By the way, did you receive the gift I sent?"
Do you like it?
The other person said in a cheeky tone.
Zhang Yuan's emotions remained unchanged.
"Yes, it's fine," he replied briefly.
"I'm glad you like it." The other person was still joking, but there was a hint of disappointment in their voice.
Zhang Yuan sneered inwardly.
He wanted to deliberately provoke me, to make me curse, or even threaten him.
If it were someone like Wang Xiaofei, he'd probably be cursing right now.
and then?
Not only is it useless and cannot solve the problem, it will also lead you into a trap.
The other party is definitely recording you, and they'll release your crazy reaction later, which will be even worse.
And your outburst only proves that his investigations are correct and true.
"I'm here to discuss cooperation."
"I want you to become my long-term partner and create promotional plans specifically for me and my work."
"As a professional, I believe in your abilities."
“We can sign a long-term contract.”
"Five years, ten years, you can decide what to do."
His proposed solution was a compromise.
We've partnered with you, and you'll have stable income for the next five to ten years.
Since we're going to bind it, I need to make sure I'm always online.
"Mr. Zhang, you should have seen my Weibo post, right?" Zhuo Wei said with a light laugh, completely ignoring the question.
"I am a very trustworthy person."
"If I've publicly stated that I'll expose something, then I definitely will."
"This is my professional ethics."
"As a journalist, my duty is to uncover the truth."
"So, there's absolutely no chance of cooperation?" Zhang Yuan asked in his usual calm tone.
"Haha, not really. We can still find time to work together after Monday."
"If you still need these services then, hehehehe."
"Hmm, I'll consider it," Zhang Yuan replied casually, then hung up the phone.
There was no mention of scandals or women throughout the entire event.
He sat quietly, rubbing his fingers together as he pondered what to do next.
They're going to checkmate me with their rook; what should my next move be?
Just as I was thinking about it, my phone started ringing impatiently.
Upon picking it up, I realized it wasn't Zhuo Wei, whom I had just contacted, calling back.
This eased his anxiety a little.
Sure enough, there's no such thing as a free lunch.
The caller was Brother Long, whom I hadn't seen for a few days.
"What is it?" He didn't even bother to greet him.
"Boss, we've run into some problems here."
"A problem?" Zhang Yuan's already furrowed brows deepened. "What problem?"
"What happened?"
Where are you now?
His three urgent and crucial questions.
Brother Long replied in a deep and serious tone.
"We are currently at the local hospital..." (End of Chapter)