The words were a blatant provocation, and the atmosphere around them tensed instantly.
All eyes fell on Liu Long. Zhao Jiayu, his official partner, looked at Zhu Ling and the two of them and took the initiative to ease the tension: "Liu Long, we're staying in their house, don't push it too far. I don't want to be homeless tonight."
Zhao Jiayu was an old hand in the industry. Although not very popular now, she had been famous before. If Liu Long had any sense, he should know when to stop.
However, his desire to stand up for Qin Chuming overshadowed his reason, and he didn't listen at all. Instead, he continued to glare at Zhu Ling: "Why aren't you saying anything? Actress Yao, if you had agreed to Chairman Qin, you'd be a rich wife at home right now. Why would you have to work so hard to participate in a variety show? Or are you protecting your husband and want to promote this pretty boy?"
He then looked provocatively at Chong Yan.
The next moment, he was on the ground.
Before Zhu Ling could make a move, Chong Yan kicked Liu Long to the ground and landed a couple of punches on him. Liu Long, realizing what was happening, instinctively tried to resist, but he was like a bean paste bun. No matter how flashy he looked on the outside, he was filled with bean paste inside, completely lacking any strength. Chong Yan pinned him to the ground and pummeled him.
Zhao Jiayu watched with amusement. Qiao Yiyi knew that her previous role was given to her by Zhu Ling, and that Zhu Ling's father had taken good care of her, so she didn't dare to speak up. The staff members knew that Zhu Ling was not only a guest but also an investor, so they dared not intervene.
Finally, Chong Yan stopped on his own.
He looked down at Liu Long, a wicked smile on his face: "This pretty boy beat you down. Does that make you even more useless than a pretty boy?"
Liu Long gritted his teeth in pain and glared at him fiercely.
Chong Yan's gaze was fiercer than his. After glaring, he clenched his fist, which was as big as a sandpot. Liu Long instinctively flinched back. Hearing Chong Yan's mocking laugh, he almost exploded with anger.
His face turned red, and he scrambled to his feet, glaring furiously at Chong Yan. His gaze gradually shifted to the others, and when he saw the staff member carrying the camera, he erupted in rage.
"Damn it! Are you all blind!"
"Call the police! I'm calling the police!"
Half an hour later.
The director, with a face full of helplessness, felt that Zhu Ling was really too easily praised.
Just now, he thought that although she was an investor and didn't follow their pre-prepared script, she was cooperative with their filming and hadn't caused any trouble.
And now, she had assaulted someone.
Although it wasn't her who threw the punch, if it weren't for her, Chong Yan would never have dared to act.
"I have only one request now: it's either them or me. You choose."
The director looked at Zhu Ling, then at Liu Long, and coughed lightly. He said in a negotiating tone, "Mr. Liu, your injuries are not serious. If necessary, we can take you to the hospital for a check-up. We have already signed the contract. If you choose to withdraw, you will have to pay liquidated damages."
Liu Long: "..."
He looked at the director in disbelief, as if to say, "Are you crazy?"
The director looked at him with extreme calmness, indicating that he was serious.
"Are you saying you have to protect them today?"
Another person in charge said, "Mr. Liu, you started this incident. How about this: Miss Yao and Mr. Chong apologize to you, and we'll pretend it never happened, okay?"
"Impossible!"
He pointed to his face and roared, "He hit me! He hit me! I will never let them off today! I'll make them get lost!"
The smile on the director's face gradually stiffened. He said again, "That depends on their wishes. They have no intention of leaving. If Mr. Liu wants to leave, we can't stop you."
His words were very clear. Liu Long was furious to the point of exploding.
He pointed at everyone and roared in rage, "You just wait! You, I won't let you off!"
After issuing his threat, he left.
The director looked at Zhu Ling, utterly bewildered.
As soon as someone arrived, she managed to get rid of them, and in such a manner. Liu Long had significant backing, and if they really targeted them, wouldn't it be over?
"It's okay, let's continue filming."
With her investment as a safety net, the other investors didn't say anything about it, so the director confidently continued filming.
As "The Jade City Beauty" aired, Chong Yan was on the verge of a comeback. In fact, he had never been truly famous before; if anything, his fame was more of a "black fame."
While his popularity continued to rise, the first installment of "Yin Yang Kaleidoscope" was released.
It didn't premiere in theaters, seeming like just an unremarkable online movie.
The company bought a trending topic for "Actress Yao Ling's directorial debut." The ranking wasn't high, but it was enough to attract attention. With her endorsement and the fact that the movie was free to watch, many people decided to check it out.
The first installment was relatively bland, serving only as an introduction. Although the ending provided a semblance of closure, it left many plot threads unresolved.
Since most of the viewers were Yao Ling's fans, there was no Douban rating. The rating was only based on user scores on the platform, reaching an impressive 9.6.
The reviews were overwhelmingly positive.
Combined with recommendations from video streaming platforms, it did gain some traction. Chong Yan's follower count surpassed one million, with many praising his acting skills in the comments.
In the first installment, his screen time was similar to that of the child actor who played him as a child, and other supporting characters also had significant roles, so he wasn't particularly outstanding.
However, Qiao Yiyi, who played the protagonist's mother, appeared gentle, beautiful, and kind on the surface, but was actually a monstrous creature who devoured others without a trace. She perfectly portrayed the dual nature of the character, and her acting received widespread acclaim.
According to the company's usual operational procedures, articles would surely be written to hype her up, which was not unusual. What surprised everyone was that during the administrator's Q&A session at 8:30 PM that evening, their usually impartial administrator actually recommended this movie to netizens.
Originally, the movie's highest trending position had only reached 13th. Less than ten minutes after the main network's recommendation, the hashtag #WhatIsYinYangKaleidoscope# shot up to first place.
Many people expressed confusion in the comments, wanting to know what the administrator was recommending tonight.
So, some people started explaining.
[Director Yao Ling's debut, a pseudo-sci-fi movie. Personally, I think it's quite good and enjoyable.]
[Someone tell me why he'd recommend a movie? Who is Yao Ling? Does she have a lot of influence? Can even administrators be bought? Is the administrator infected with a virus?]
[Unbelievable! He used to be so impartial, never showing favoritism to anyone or anything. Why is he doing this now? Recommending a movie for an actor, 002, you've changed!]
002 had indeed changed. He was now 001.
He was an artificial intelligence granted self-awareness by humans. Over a thousand years, he had learned many things, such as flattering capable individuals.
Even though the other party didn't need it.