"How dare you speak to me like that, you insolent Bayue cultist!" Director Li Guoli thought to himself, then paused. This voice sounded familiar.
"Boss?" Li Guoli asked softly.
"Do as I say. A great director like you, reduced to this by a newcomer, it's laughable!" Huang He said with a cold laugh. Li Guoli felt a bead of sweat roll down his temple.
Indeed, he was a great director, in charge of the entire crew. He had just produced "Liang Jian," a phenomenal television series that had shocked the entire nation. Behind him was Huang He, a top-tier tycoon. Why should he be afraid of a young girl just starting out, and her unreliable mother?
Although he had received a message suggesting that this young girl also had a backer with considerable influence, hoping Li Guoli would show some consideration.
Li Guoli believed in harmony for prosperity, so he had already shown the girl consideration, agreeing to terms that a normal film crew would never accept. Yet, she remained unsatisfied, refusing even a simple hug. It was utterly unreasonable.
Of course, the most important thing was that Boss Huang He had given the word, and thus Li Guoli had no reason to fear. After all, it was Huang He who had specifically requested Liu for this role. Li Guoli had initially assumed she had some connection to Boss Huang. Now that Boss Huang had spoken, Li Guoli naturally felt fearless.
"You must do as I say!" Having understood this, Li Guoli cast a calm glance at Liu's mother. "If you don't want to act, then pack your things and leave the set. I'll shoot scenes that don't require the female lead first, and then find a new female lead elsewhere."
"..." Liu's mother was stunned. This wasn't right. Wasn't this Li Guoli usually a pushover, controlled by the child's godfather? How had he become so tough?
"Director Li, we have a contract!" Liu's mother said.
"Yes, the contract states that if the scenes we request offend your bottom line, you can leave the set at any time, and I cannot interfere."
"Fine. I have offended your bottom line now. You can leave the set. I will absolutely not interfere with you!" Li Guoli said with a cold laugh.
"Alright!" Suddenly, the crew members who had gathered to watch erupted in cheers. They had long been displeased with this female lead, finding her too melodramatic and overbearing. It was as if an international superstar was filming a TV series here. Even Gong Li wouldn't act this way.
After all, Gong Li, despite being an international superstar, did not hesitate when it came to shedding her clothes. It was even less of an issue to film a simple hugging scene. The crew had gone above and beyond.
"Mom, don't say anything more. I'll film it!" Liu also realized something was amiss. She was still young and not as bold as she would be later. So, she gently tugged at her mother's sleeve and whispered, "Mom, forget it. It's just leaning into an embrace. Even if we don't film it now, there will be similar scenes later. It's only a matter of time. Please don't argue with the director."
"Silly child, you stay out of this!" Liu's mother bit her lip. "Do you think I don't know that it will be the same in a few days? I won't say anything about hugging and embracing then. Even staged kissing would be acceptable. But not today. You absolutely cannot film any inappropriate scenes today."
"Why?" Liu asked, confused. Liu's mother ignored her daughter's question and directly said, "How about this, Director Li? We're tired today. Let's put it aside for now. You continue with your work, and Yifei can go back to rest. We'll discuss the remaining scenes tomorrow, okay?"
In Liu's mother's opinion, she had already conceded. Director Li should know when to back down.
However, the Bayue cultist behind Director Li whispered again, "It must be filmed today. We can't indulge such people."
"No, it must be filmed today. Do you think this is a child's playground?"
"This is a film set, with over 160 people. Everyone is here for today's scenes. Props, actors, set dressing, everything is ready. Now you say you won't film, and all our investment, all our effort, will go up in smoke because of your words?"
"The scenes must be finished today, no matter what. If you don't want to film, you can leave the set. Don't waste everyone's time!" Li Guoli said resolutely.
"You... Fine. Such a terrible film crew that only harms minors. If you won't film, then we won't. Yifei, let's go. Mom will take you to report and complain to the reporters, accusing this crew of despicable behavior!" Liu's mother, who never showed weakness, unceremoniously took Liu Yifei's hand and prepared to leave.
"It doesn't matter. Feel free to report. The set has been equipped with over a dozen cameras since filming began, and every shot has been recorded. These recordings can all prove that, apart from you, the mother, and a few makeup artists, no one has touched your daughter."
"If you need them, I can give all these recordings to the reporters. No, I'll publish them directly on Facebook and let all the netizens in China see if we are a despicable crew!"
"Furthermore, please consider this carefully. We are a Tangren Film crew, and we film like all other crews in China. You shouldn't be afraid of us exposing this matter; rather, I am afraid of you exposing it."
"Once this matter gets out, see which TV or film crew in China will dare to cast your daughter. They wouldn't want to hire an actress only to find they've hired an Empress Dowager who lords over them." Li Guoli's words were merciless, and Liu's mother was sweating profusely.
She had forgotten. This was a film set, constantly recorded by cameras. There was no longer the possibility of writing a fabricated story online to ruin a famous person's reputation, only for them to lose everything even after a court ruling of innocence.
Simultaneously, those who wrote such fabricated stories, while destroying their opponents, also destroyed themselves. From then on, no company or organization would dare to hire such people. This wasn't just planting a time bomb for oneself; it was directly burying a nuclear bomb about to detonate.
If this incident were publicized today, her daughter's acting career would almost certainly be over. At the very least, without spending a large sum of money, no film crew would dare to invite her daughter to act.
Liu's mother finally realized that she had done something incredibly foolish today, so foolish that it could push her daughter's future to the brink of ruin.
But Liu's mother could not back down now because the situation today was too sensitive.
Thinking of this special situation, Liu's mother suddenly felt emboldened. She took out her phone, dialed a number under everyone's watchful eyes, and whispered, "I'm sorry, but I need you to help me out of this predicament now, otherwise Feifei's dream will be ruined."
"I understand!" A crisp voice replied from the other end of the line. Then Liu's mother fell silent, refusing to leave, and stared defiantly at Director Li.
After a short while, Li Guoli's phone rang. He saw it was an old friend.
"Hello, Old He? I'm a bit busy right now. I'll call you back after I'm done," Li Guoli thought it was just a friend needing him. But the friend on the other end said, "Guoli, I'm calling about this matter. Little Liu's father is my friend. Do me a favor today, and let this matter go. The child and her mother were ignorant. Don't ruin their future. After all, they also have... well, it's hard to say more, but for the sake of our long friendship, I'll remind you that we can't afford to offend those people."
"Ah..." Li Guoli took a few steps back, positioning himself shoulder-to-shoulder with the Bayue cultist behind him. He then put his earpiece in and said loudly, "The signal is bad here. I didn't hear what you said clearly. Could you please repeat it?"
"Hey, I said..." The other party repeated everything very clearly. However, Li Guoli didn't answer immediately. Instead, he nudged the Bayue cultist's shoulder. The cultist's hand involuntarily waved, and the phone dropped to the ground, where he promptly stepped on it.
"Sorry, Director, my apologies. I'm clumsy!" The Bayue cultist quickly picked up the phone and hung up directly.
"It's fine. I can't be bothered with such nonsense. I, Old Li, won't yield to anyone today. Either you two apologize to all the crew members today and obediently film without making any unreasonable demands, or you can leave, and we'll find someone else!" Li Guoli said forcefully.
However, as soon as he finished speaking, Li Guoli's phone rang again. He glanced down and saw it was another good friend from the industry.
Li Guoli hung up directly.
In less than ten seconds, another call came from a friend in the industry. In just three to four minutes, over a dozen friends had called.
Seeing so many calls, Liu's mother's face showed a triumphant expression. She knew that these calls were from the power behind her.
"Damn it, this is so annoying!" Li Guoli, driven by a surge of frustration, pulled the battery out of his phone and tossed it into the nearby hot spring. The phone was now completely silenced.
Li Guoli's action conveyed his stance, causing Liu's mother, who had just begun to feel triumphant, to become flustered again.
"Alas!" From the crowd of onlookers, someone sighed and whispered a few words to a burly man beside him. This man then pushed through the crowd and suddenly appeared before Li Guoli.
"Director Li, our boss hopes you'll show him some consideration. Let's let this matter go today. Let's not burn all our bridges, as we'll meet again in the future, in business!" Although the large man spoke softly, his imposing aura and bulging muscles, coupled with his fierce demeanor, intimidated everyone around him.
"Who is your boss? At least state your name. I don't show consideration to just anyone!" Li Guoli, though a little scared, spoke resolutely, remembering that he also had a boss behind him.
"Director Li, don't you remember? During the Chinese New Year this year, at Old Mo's, you happened to meet our boss. Our boss even took the initiative to toast you!" The man said with a smile.
"It's him!" Li Guoli was startled. No wonder so many people had called him. He hadn't expected that Liu's mother had such a powerful backer. He indeed had the influence.
Now Li Guoli was unsure how to proceed. After all, this person's reputation and power were extraordinary, backed by the title of Beijing's largest private enterprise. This person's strength could not be underestimated.
If he offended them, the entire Tangren Film company would likely face considerable trouble, at least in Beijing, where they would encounter many difficulties.
What should he do?
"If Ms. Liu is willing to apologize to the entire crew and guarantee that similar situations will not occur again, then this matter will be considered settled!" Li Guoli finally decided to soften his stance.
One reason was that the Bayue cultist behind him had not given him any indication. Another was that the person behind them indeed had significant power, and Li Guoli felt there was no need to bring such significant trouble upon the company.
However, he understood that his boss was watching from behind. If he couldn't save face for his boss today, there would be no room for negotiation. Therefore, Li Guoli proposed this condition.
The Bayue cultist behind him remained unresponsive, seemingly tacitly agreeing to this resolution.
However, to his surprise, the burly man said, "Actually, Ms. Liu's wishes are also our boss's wishes. Miss Feifei is a pure and beautiful young lady and should not be polluted by some dirty things. Therefore, our boss hopes to proceed according to Ms. Liu's wishes, maintaining a certain distance during filming. This would be beneficial for everyone."
"Then, if my TV series is filmed this way, and the audience finds it unattractive, too fake, too empty, and of low quality, what then?" Li Guoli asked coldly.
"Then that is other people's problem. There's no rule that says only scenes requiring intimate contact are considered good works. Otherwise, according to your logic, wouldn't Journey to the West require Sun Wukong to fight all the female demons to be considered a good work!" To Li Guoli's surprise, the burly man was quite eloquent.
"What nonsense are you spouting!" Hearing this, the Bayue cultist behind Li Guoli could not help but blurt out his disdain.
"What did you say, you bastard?" This burly man was accustomed to being arrogant behind powerful figures. Relying on the might of the great figure behind him, he viewed 99% of people on Earth with disdain.
Let alone a seemingly insignificant extra behind the director.
Moreover, this burly man was trained in martial arts and worked as a bodyguard. He indeed possessed considerable skill. Therefore, in the next second after his rage, he threw a punch directly at the Bayue cultist's head.
As for the consequences of throwing the punch, the burly man was completely unconcerned. He considered it merely an extra actor, and at most, he would pay tens of thousands of yuan in medical fees. It was just a cheap life.
As for what would happen to him afterward, the burly man was not worried at all, as he had experienced similar situations many times, and each time, his boss had successfully gotten him out of trouble.
In short, any problem that could be solved with money was not a problem.
Well, he had no idea that this seemingly extra was actually our Boss Huang He.
So, could Boss Huang dodge this punch?
Of course, it was impossible. Boss Huang had always lived a life of pampered luxury, so his body was always kept in shape through exercise. However, he had never trained. Facing this sudden, lightning-fast punch, Huang He was absolutely unable to dodge it.
If this punch landed squarely, although it might not be as devastating as Lu Zhishen's punch to Zheng Guanxi, which made Zheng Guanxi's head turn colors, it was highly possible that our Boss Huang's IQ would be reduced by about 120 points instantly.
Huang He had never expected that he, who had come to play the game of a wolf in sheep's clothing, would encounter the greatest life crisis of his life. He was about to be viciously devoured by a tiger, just like a pig.
At this critical moment, a flash of white light appeared, followed by a scream. The burly man, who had been so imposing just moments ago, daring to act violently in front of over a hundred crew members, suddenly clutched his fist and fell to the ground in pain.
His fist now had a deep gash. The joints of his middle finger, index finger, and ring finger were torn open, bleeding profusely.
As the saying goes, the ten fingers are connected to the heart. With such severe damage to three fingers, it was no wonder the iron-tower-like burly man was clutching his fist and crying out in agony, letting out heart-wrenching cries.
"Li Xiaoyao!" At the same time, everyone exclaimed this, because the person who had knocked the burly man back was none other than the male lead, Li Xiaoyao.
He held a sword in his hand, but the sword was not unsheathed; it remained hidden within its scabbard.
Clearly, it was the scabbard of this sword that had struck the burly man's fist. Otherwise, if the blade had been drawn, it wouldn't have been just three fingers torn open; it would have directly led to a repeat of the Condor Hero's fate.
"Are you threatening us? You're trying to kidnap our director! Let's all attack together, send these three to the police station, and bring them to justice!" Li Xiaoyao said with great anger.
At this moment, the crew members finally reacted. Good heavens, with over a hundred crew members surrounding them, this person still dared to commit violence. He truly had no regard for his own life.
Thus, the enraged crew members, regardless of the background of these three people, their hearts burning with anger, prepared to tie them up.
Indeed, there were plenty of prop ropes on the set, perfect for binding people.
As for the Liu mother and daughter, they had never witnessed such a scene and immediately began to cry out in terror.
"Stop!" Finally, the person behind them could not endure it. He could no longer stand by and watch his beloved being humiliated.
Therefore, he could only jump out and shout loudly, "Everyone, stop! Director Li, I am Wang Yingfei. Show me some face, we are still friends!"
"Wang Yingfei is actually here!" Li Guoli was startled. He hadn't expected that the billionaire Wang Yingfei would also be present. He immediately signaled those around him to stop, and Wang Yingfei rushed to the side of the trembling mother and daughter.
"Godfather, why are you here!" Seeing the middle-aged man, Liu Feifei immediately pounced into his arms, scared.
"Brother Wang!" Liu's mother instinctively leaned against him as well. This man was the sole support for both mother and daughter.
These were just instinctive actions, but many people stared with wide eyes. What did this mean? Was it like the MV rice bowl phenomenon?
However, it must be said that both mother and daughter were top beauties. Especially Liu's mother, who was in her early forties but was perfectly preserved, at the age when a woman is most mature and juicy, possessing immense appeal to men.
And when she was scared and fearful, it even added to her beauty, captivating everyone around.
As for the daughter, there was even less to say. Everyone could see her beauty from watching the TV series.
Everyone instinctively envied this suddenly appearing godfather.
While the onlookers were envious, Director Li knew how terrifying the power of the other party was. This tycoon, with assets exceeding 2 billion yuan, had businesses spanning real estate, financial companies, investment companies, film and television companies, and more.
Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to support stunning beauties like the Liu mother and daughter.
"Director Li, our Feifei will have to withdraw from the 'Chinese Paladin' crew!" Wang Yingfei said calmly.
"That's my sentiment as well!" Li Guoli nodded. He couldn't keep this female lead.
"I don't want to make Tangren Film look bad, nor do I want to be enemies with Jiangnan Group. Apologize to Feifei, Xiaoli, and my bodyguard. Also, compensate my bodyguard with 100,000 yuan for medical expenses. Furthermore, fire this male lead who acted out, and give me his background agency and personal information. I want to ensure he never acts again in his life. This incident will then be resolved!" Wang Yingfei continued, glancing at Li Xiaoyao as if stating a universal truth that Li Guoli must adhere to.
"Your bodyguard was the one who acted first and tried to hit our director. I was merely protecting our director," Li Xiaoyao said with a frown. "You should be the one compensating us."
"My bodyguard had no intention of attacking Director Li. If you don't believe me, you can check the camera footage. His target was the foul-mouthed extra. I heard him clearly through the earpiece; he was the one who started verbally abusing my bodyguard!" Wang Yingfei said coldly.
"Oh, speaking of the extra, Director Li, please give me his information as well. The rest is not your concern. I will educate him."
"I will make him understand that a foul mouth has consequences."
"..." Li Guoli opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.
"Director Li, my demands are already quite low. I hope you understand the current situation!" Seeing Li Guoli's prolonged silence, Wang Yingfei said impatiently. "It's just an unknown actor and a small extra. Director Li should understand what the right decision is. If you don't understand, I don't mind calling your Chairman Huang. I've had dinner with him. I have his phone number, and I believe he would strongly approve of my goodwill!"
"Pfft!" A burst of laughter suddenly erupted from the scene. Wang Yingfei's expression turned cold because this burst of laughter came from the extra.
"Boss Wang, I truly agree with your goodwill. So, how will you educate me, Huang He? Will you give me private tutoring? I'm very curious." The extra removed his mask, revealing his true face.
Huang He's face wore a genial smile as he looked at Wang Yingfei, whose expression had stiffened slightly.
[PS: This chapter is finished. I feel it's a bit too melodramatic. I actually dislike such melodramatic plots... So, if you found this chapter melodramatic yet enjoyable, please comment '1' in the section below. If you found it melodramatic and unenjoyable, comment '2'. I'll tally them, and if '2' has more comments than '1', then the next large chapter will still be a chapter appreciation, given to you for free.
The time limit is before the next chapter is updated.
To be honest, I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, hahaha.]