novellhall Chapter 57 First, Beat the Lackeys
Chapter 57 First, Beat the Lackeys
Chapter 57 First, Beat the Lackeys
Everyone has their own pain points.
Han Sanping becomes a different person when the topic of progress comes up.
Instead of directly addressing the matter, Shen Gongbao confessed his "crime" first.
"Actually, I asked Lin Chih-ling to handle A-Wei's matter. The exposure of the scandal really has nothing to do with Huayi."
Han Sanping was quite surprised to hear this.
While boiling water to make tea again, he asked curiously, "This time there's clear video evidence of the scandal, which has greatly damaged Lin Chih-ling's image."
Why would she listen to you and frame Ah Wei?
Shen Gongbao told Han Sanping everything he had previously told Lin Zhiling about her destiny and calamities.
Upon hearing this, Han Sanping's expression turned grave, and he asked, "Is there really going to be another fire calamity later?"
Shen Gongbao nodded and said, "All chess games are made up of individual pieces; it is a case of 'pulling one hair affects the whole body.'"
For Lin Chih-ling, she faces three calamities: a horse calamity, a water calamity, and a fire calamity. Once these three calamities come to pass, she will be doomed.
Similarly, for the Red Cliff film crew, this corresponds to three accidents.
Lin Chih-ling's "horse robbery" refers to a crew member having their leg broken by a horse, while her "water robbery" refers to a shipwreck accident that occurred during filming.
What about her fire? Mr. Han, what kind of accident do you think it was?
If someone on the film crew dies in a fire, and it happens to be a celebrity like Lin Chih-ling, and a dozen or so ships sink as a result, how much do you think the losses would be?
Is this a bigger loss, or is the loss from the collapsed house greater?
Between two evils, choose the lesser; I was also doing this for the good of the production team.
Han Sanping now holds Shen Gongbao's feng shui and physiognomy skills in high regard, if not unwavering belief.
After Shen Gongbao explained Lin Zhiling's situation and compared it to the recent accident that had occurred on set, Han Sanping understood Lin Zhiling's actions.
He pressed further, "Now that Lin Chih-ling's ordeal is over, will the film crew be safe from further mishaps?"
If sacrificing Ah Wei could ensure the smooth progress of the Red Cliff film crew, Han Sanping would be 100% willing.
Unfortunately, the Red Cliff production team has been plagued by misfortunes. Filming has only been going on for a little over a month, and staff members keep leaving the company. There have been various accidents almost every week.
Han Sanping now reacts with a kind of stress when he hears reports from his subordinates, always feeling that the production crew is about to cause some new trouble.
Shen Gongbao shook his head and said, "Feng shui and physiognomy are not omnipotent. There are three reasons why Chibi was so troubled:"
First, there is the clash and contradiction between the elements of fire in the south and metal in the north.
Mr. Han, your nose bridge is high and straight, extending all the way to the root of your nose, and your nose tip is relatively large, which is a typical "metal-shaped nose" facial feature;
Your eyes are full but not wide, and your chin is pointed but slightly inward-curving; this is the "metal and water in harmony" configuration.
When the two are combined, it forms the "Metal-shaped Destiny Pattern".
The northward expansion of Hong Kong entertainment capital is, in terms of the Five Elements, "fire from the south".
When gold and fire meet, either you, Mr. Han, will refine the gold with fire and rise to the top, or the gold will be melted by the fire and the structure will collapse.
The story of Red Cliffs happens to be about the alliance between Sun Quan and Liu Bei burning Red Cliffs and defeating Cao Wei's million-strong army. It is also a story of fire overcoming metal, so Mr. Han, you were quite limited in your roles on set.
With metal and fire clashing, the conflict cannot be resolved, and further troubles are certain to follow.
Secondly, there is the backlash from weak branches suppressing strong trunks.
In terms of overall strength, Hong Kong and Taiwan are weak branches, while the mainland is a strong trunk.
However, ideologically, many people have not yet changed their perception and still believe that the development level of the mainland lags behind that of Hong Kong and Taiwan.
The Red Cliff production team, by using a weak branch to suppress a strong trunk and forcibly elevating the status of Hong Kong and Taiwanese actors, will inevitably suffer a backlash from the heavens.
Finally, there's the issue of director John Woo.
Wu Yusen's facial features are described as having the "Huagai" pattern, and his destiny is one of "extinction," meaning his lineage will die out within three generations.
The more successful and famous this person becomes, the stronger their "false fire" will be, and the stronger the "false fire" will be, the more harmful it will be to others.
Companies that cooperate with him will not have a good ending. MGM is just the beginning. Next, Chengtian will definitely rise to prominence and then decline.
China Film Group will also be affected.
Han Sanping asked calmly, "What impact?"
"The IPO plan will likely fall through."
Hearing this, Han Sanping frowned.
After its establishment, China Film Group introduced many shareholders and also wanted to seek faster development through listing and financing.
Leading the group to a public listing was one of Han Sanping's important tasks after becoming the top leader.
Unlike Lin Zhiling, Han Sanping respected Shen Gongbao's feng shui abilities, but he did not blindly believe in him.
Moreover, people don't like to hear bad news. Shen Gongbao directly declared that China Film Group's IPO had failed, which Han Sanping found hard to accept.
He asked, "Since you can see these problems, what's the solution?"
Shen Gongbao took a sip of tea and said seriously, "The environment and people are constantly changing. Feng shui and physiognomy are just minor arts and should not be believed entirely."
I am simply offering three strategies—superior, medium, and inferior—based on the current situation for your consideration, Mr. Han:
The worst option: film Red Cliff with the original cast and crew. The advantage is that it is relatively stable. Although there will be many accidents on set, as long as filming continues, it can still get through it.
As for the fate-related impact of filming Red Cliff, no one can say for sure what the future holds.
The middle strategy: Continue filming Red Cliff, but gradually erode the influence of the Hong Kong film industry, and use certain events to restrict or even undermine the power of John Woo and others.
It just so happens that director Zhang Li is about to join the crew as a cinematographer. He has directed films such as "The Birth of a Nation" and "Towards the Republic". He is good at directing large-scale scenes and understands the weight of history.
He would definitely be better at leading the Red Cliff production team than John Woo.
This can both alleviate the fate of "fire melting gold" and conform to the natural order of strong trunk and weak branches.
This will improve the quality of the Red Cliff movie without causing too many changes to the production team.
This is a win-win situation and the safest strategy.
Upon hearing the middle strategy, Han Sanping's gaze shifted, clearly showing some interest.
He said slowly, "If I choose the middle option, then I have to support your actions. Not only can I not stop Awei from doing this, but I also have to secretly help you, right?"
A smart person understands immediately.
Shen Gongbao wanted Han Sanping to adopt the middle-ground strategy.
After all, he needs some official connections to protect him when he's causing trouble in the industry.
Otherwise, if you cause too much trouble and offend too many people, you'll easily "die suddenly."
Although Shen Gongbao has other ways to make money, it doesn't matter if he dies suddenly in the entertainment industry or retires.
But this is not conducive to his plans to cause trouble.
So he continued, "Mr. Han, you're right. With my abilities, I could make a living in any industry. There's no need for me to come into the entertainment industry."
The reason I entered the entertainment industry was because I was bullied by the Hong Kong entertainment circle on the set of The Forbidden Kingdom.
I was angry, and my main purpose in joining the industry was to take down the Hong Kong entertainment circle and the people involved.
As President Han, you hold a central position; if you wish to advance further, you must accumulate merit and good fortune.
The current popularity of the Hong Kong and Taiwan entertainment industry is stronger than that of the mainland, which is a complete reversal of the natural order!
If you can set things right, it will be a great achievement, and your fortunes will be unstoppable.
However, you also need to balance the various forces and take into account the overall development, so it's inconvenient for you to intervene arbitrarily.
Then I would be the best partner.
"I'll be the one stirring things up, and you can be the one pulling the strings behind the scenes. What do you think?"
Shen Gongbao's current strategy is to clearly tell Han Sanping that he dislikes people in the Hong Kong entertainment circle, and to use metaphysical rhetoric to link the suppression of the Hong Kong entertainment circle with Han Sanping's career advancement.
If he succeeds, then he will be acting under orders, gaining an additional identity that will make things much easier for him in the future.
After all, Han Sanping wasn't stupid; it would be difficult to hide Shen Gongbao's mischief from the Chibi film crew.
Having messed with Ah Wei and Wu Yusen this time, he will inevitably be targeted when he returns to the crew. He will still need Han Sanping's support to continue to live a carefree life on set.
It must be said that Shen Gongbao's words made a lot of sense, and Han Sanping was somewhat tempted.
But he remained silent, instead asking, "Back to our previous topic, what's the best solution for the Red Cliff production team?"
"The best course of action is to completely oust John Woo and others, and invite Zhang Yimou to be the producer of Red Cliff, to collaborate with Zhang Li on the filming, and to make Red Cliff a benchmark masterpiece as a tribute to next year's Olympic Games."
Next year is the Year of the Metal Dragon (Gengchen year). The Olympics represent the grand vision of the Metal Dragon descending to earth and the earth giving rise to the Metal element, and it is also a major national event for the rejuvenation of our country over the next century.
If you can link Chibi with next year's Olympics, or even contribute some points to it, it will be extremely beneficial to your destiny.
Look at Zhang Yimou, he also has a metal element in his destiny. He originally had many tribulations, but after being selected as the chief director of the Olympics, he will be known as the national advisor, and his destiny will be elevated, ensuring his safety.
The best strategy will bring you the greatest benefits, but it will also be the most difficult to implement.
Not only do we need to reorganize the production team and integrate capital from various parties, but we also need to contact the Olympic Committee, which involves a great deal of uncertainty.
After hearing the best strategy, Han Sanping found it increasingly intriguing, as if it really had potential!
However, upon calm analysis, it seems extremely difficult. Expelling Wu Yusen and others would require paying hefty breach of contract penalties, and investors would also withdraw their funding, leading to a chaotic mess.
He took a sip of tea, thought for about ten minutes, and gave a reply that surprised Shen Gongbao: "You should let Awei go for now and let the public opinion calm down."
Han Sanping ultimately did not believe in feng shui or metaphysics, or rather, he was skeptical. However, he chose to play it safe and opted for the less desirable option based on the actual situation.
For Han Sanping, the immediate priority is to keep the Chibi film crew on track and ensure the film is completed smoothly.
Shen Gongbao was not disappointed when he saw that his persuasion had failed.
Because Han Sanping did not deny Shen Gongbao's statement, he was just waiting for the Chibi crew to have another accident in the future. When he saw it for himself, he would naturally change his mind.
Today's persuasion is also a prelude. Convincing a big shot like Han Sanping, who has very sound ideas, and who is involved in an investment of hundreds of millions, is not an easy task.
As for Awei's matter, Shen Gongbao can leave it to netizens to interpret.
Anyway, he still has Lin Zhiling as an undercover agent, so he can continue to gather information about Ah Wei.
They might reveal even more shocking details later, completely crushing Ah Wei.
We can start by targeting Awei's henchmen, causing him to lose credibility within the industry and become isolated and helpless.
So Shen Gongbao immediately said, "Since President Han says so, then I will temporarily stop dealing with Awei."
But I have to teach those lackeys who helped Awei a lesson, otherwise I won't be at peace with myself!
Han Sanping asked, "Who are you going to teach a lesson to?"
"Xu Jinglei was the first person to stand up and mock me."
Han Sanping nodded and said, "Okay, I won't interfere. You can do it yourself."
As for Han Sanping, he had just rejected Shen Gongbao's suggestion. Now that Shen Gongbao had agreed to temporarily stop dealing with Awei, but wanted to cause trouble for Xu Jinglei, he certainly wouldn't interfere anymore, nor was there any need for him to.
At this time, Xu Jinglei was developing her career independently. She established her own studio, founded her own brand of electronic magazine "Kaila", and even launched her own calligraphy font "Fangzheng Jinglei Simplified".
The advantage of doing this is maximizing profits, while also being very flexible, able to rely on both the Beijing and Hong Kong circles.
However, the disadvantages are also obvious. Without a powerful backer, there is no support, and one has to cultivate all personal connections on their own.
This is why Xu Jinglei was the first to stand up and criticize Shen Gongbao.
It was partly for blog traffic, and partly to curry favor with Li Lianjie and Awei, among others.
After Wang Shuo's career declined, Xu Jinglei's network of connections also faded.
In addition, there is competition among the four actresses and two actresses.
Following Shen Gongbao's previous actions, Huayi ultimately invested in Fan Bingbing's studio, meaning that three of the "Four Dan and Two Bing" actresses have now been signed.
Shen Gongbao wants to target Xu Jinglei, and even if the two kings don't help, they won't stop him.
At 8 p.m. that evening, a blogger named "Old Chicken Eats Vegetables" posted a blog post claiming that he was a staff member of Xu Jinglei's studio and used to help Xu Jinglei write articles.
Xu Jinglei's blog posts were all written by her studio staff. Her private life is chaotic, she uses foul language, and has vulgar taste. She is just a frivolous young woman, not a talented woman at all.
Xu Jinglei criticized Shen Gongbao yesterday, but after being proven wrong today, she has been met with a barrage of questions and attacks from netizens.
The recent revelation of "ghostwriting blog posts" has immediately attracted widespread attention from netizens.
Soon, many netizens followed the trail and dug up dirt on Xu Jinglei, claiming that her directorial debut, "Me and My Dad," was actually directed by Ye Daying, and that she was merely a mouthpiece on set.
It's important to know that blogs are different from microblogs; they require writing long articles.
In the blog era, celebrities didn't have as much traffic; most of the attention came from writers and other talented individuals.
People's reading habits have not yet been impacted by the short videos and fragmented information of later generations. They are not only used to reading long articles, but also appreciate literary talent.
It was in this environment that Xu Jinglei stood out among celebrities, cultivated a persona of a talented woman, and gained a lot of attention and praise.
It can be said that the persona of a talented woman supported Xu Jinglei's career development, making her a blog queen and ranking among the "Four Dan and Two Bing" (referring to four top actresses and two top actresses in China).
Even if she transitions into directing in the future, she will still be inseparable from this persona.
Frankly speaking, although Xu Jinglei was quickly refuted today after criticizing Shen Gongbao yesterday and has been questioned by many people, this matter has not had a significant impact on her.
Her popularity actually increased, and her core fans remained unmoved.
Because Xu Jinglei's posting behavior is consistent with her usual persona, her speaking up for Awei and Li Lianjie can be considered as speaking out for her friends.
Although many netizens questioned Xu Jinglei's character, suggesting she knew what kind of person Awei was and still deliberately harmed Shen Gongbao, they concluded she had very poor character.
However, there is no concrete evidence for this; it's all speculation and won't damage Xu Jinglei's foundation.
So she wasn't flustered at all, and didn't even take it seriously.
Tonight, Xu Jinglei is still drinking with her new boyfriend Huang Jue, enjoying a sweet time together.
It wasn't until the scandal of ghostwriting blog posts escalated and her image as a talented woman was about to collapse that Xu Jinglei truly panicked.
While having her studio staff try to handle the public relations issue, she also called her influential friend to try and find out the specifics of the situation.
However, the answer she received left Xu Jinglei somewhat devastated.
The reason why the scandal of this blog post writing service spread so quickly and generated so much buzz is not only because Snow Leopard Studio was pushing it along, but also because people in the Hong Kong entertainment circle were secretly manipulating things!
Clearly, the capital behind Awei immediately started fanning the flames after Xu Jinglei got into trouble, trying to use the controversy surrounding Xu Jinglei's collapsed image to overshadow Awei's situation.
They put even more effort into publicizing this matter than the Shenyang Gazette.
Seeing this, Xu Jinglei was furious.
She called Ah Wei directly and questioned him: "I've been supporting you like this! So many people are criticizing me today, but I haven't contradicted you!"
Why are you kicking me when I'm down?
Ah Wei, feigning ignorance, said, "What are you talking about? I don't understand. I can barely take care of myself, how can I care about you!"
After saying that, he hung up the phone.
Hearing the busy tone on the phone, Xu Jinglei trembled with anger and slammed her phone to the ground.
I have to say, Nokia's quality is really good; it's undamaged even after being dropped like that.
But the more sturdy the phone became, the angrier Xu Jinglei got.
That's just the fate of a lackey.
When the master is in trouble, the lackeys are sacrificed first to make the most of their last bit of value.
Of course, there was a price to pay for what Awei did.
When he drops an even bigger bombshell next time, no one will be willing to help him.
After all, nobody's a fool who enjoys being betrayed.
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