Global Film Emperor

Chapter 317 Mountains Don't Move, Water Does

The moment he got out of the car, Lu Ze's vision was so blurred by the flashing lights that he couldn't see anything clearly. He lowered his head slightly, wiped away the tears that had come out from the glare, composed himself, and slowly walked into the hotel.

"Lu Ze, is the purpose of your press conference today related to your illness? Is this true? Will you, as everyone suspects, step back and work behind the scenes?"

"Mr. Lu! May I ask..."

"Excuse me, please make way. Lu Ze is about to enter the venue. During the press conference, Lu Ze will inform everyone of his condition. Please do not crowd to avoid any potential danger."

Upon seeing Lu Ze get out of the car, the reporters swarmed forward like they'd smelled shit—or rather, they practically shoved microphones into Lu Ze's mouth. Their faces were filled with anxiety and anticipation, hoping that Lu Ze would drop some big scoop outside, since they were all small media outlets that hadn't received an invitation and couldn't get into the venue.

Lu Ze did not answer their questions because these small media outlets or self-media have no bottom line. Just like the Shocking News Department and those typical clickbait headlines, they can twist an expression into an article of more than two thousand words. If you say a few words, they will have something to write about for a month.

Escorted by Shen Jinghan and Liu Bin, the three managed to squeeze through a small gap amidst the reporters' onslaught. This wasn't a press conference for the start or release of a film, and there was no red carpet, so there were no restrictions for these reporters. Perhaps their only concern was the two police cars parked on the side of the road.

"Lu Ze! Are you alright? I'm still waiting to see your new movie! But don't push yourself! If you can't film, let's take a break! We'll film again when you're fully recovered! We'll wait for you!"

"Lu Ze! We're waiting for you! Keep going! Everything will be alright! Keep going!"

As Lu Ze climbed the hotel steps, even with reporters chattering incessantly in his ear, he could still hear the fans cheering him on. Turning his head slightly to the side, he saw that these people weren't holding any support signs or wearing any uniforms. Instead, they were dressed in all sorts of clothes, and their shouts were uneven. They were just standing behind the reporters, with their hands to their mouths, shouting loudly, their veins bulging.

Lu Ze recognized some of the faces. With his fairly good memory, he could recall that he had bumped into many of them at the airport. Among them were the couple who gave him hand warmers and hot water bottles, and the newlywed couple he met at the hotel who were about to become parents. However, it seemed that she had already given birth.

"I'm fine, thank you all. Go back now, it's alright. Everyone, go on your way, there's no need to stay here, you're all useless anyway, just go!"

Lu Ze waved to his fans, but they didn't listen and refused to leave, which was to be expected. Seeing that he couldn't persuade them, Lu Ze had no choice but to give up, enter the hotel lobby, and take the elevator.

Pressing the button for the fourth floor, Lu Ze leaned against the elevator wall, his right hand holding his left wrist, letting it hang naturally. He raised and lowered his right index finger, rhythmically tapping his wrist, staring at the elevator numbers, slightly lost in thought.

"Don't be nervous, just follow the procedure. You've already read the script, haven't you? Just answer according to it. If nothing unexpected happens, this matter will be over soon, so don't be nervous."

Shen Jinghan reached out and patted Lu Ze on the shoulder, trying to comfort him, but Lu Ze didn't actually feel nervous, at least not right now. He was just thinking about some things.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. Let's go inside, Aunt Han."

After getting off the elevator, Lu Ze stood at the entrance of the venue and glanced back. He saw that many reporters who came out to use the restroom and hotel staff passing by were looking at him.

He coughed lightly, making a fist with his right hand, and then opened the door. The room was already full of reporters. There were more than forty media outlets present today. Apart from the major media outlets, only a few medium-sized media outlets that had cooperative relationships with Qian Shijia or Rongchuang Group and had a good relationship with them were present. When Lu Ze and Shen Jinghan walked in, the sound of flashing cameras was dense and continuous.

After waving to a few familiar reporters, the two walked to the front of the stage, pulled out chairs next to He Guohui and Meng Nixin, and sat down. Seeing the eyes of hundreds of reporters fixed on him, Lu Ze thought for a moment, then took out the document arranged by Tang Wenli from his pocket, unfolded it, and laid it flat on the table.

"Hello, could you please be quiet, fellow reporters? This press conference is now beginning. We will have time for questions shortly. Please turn off your flash and remain silent. Now, please let Lu Ze speak on this matter."

Meng Nixin put down the microphone and handed it to Lu Ze, extending her palm to him. The two looked at each other, and Lu Ze pinched the bridge of his nose, looked at the script, and picked up the microphone.

"Welcome to my press conference, fellow journalists. The purpose of today's press conference is to address the issue that, starting the day before yesterday, September 15th, there have been numerous online rumors claiming that I suffer from a serious mental illness."

Looking at the manuscript, Lu Ze suddenly paused, pinched the upper right corner of the paper with his right hand, folded it inward, pinched the crease with his fingernail a few times, put the paper down, sighed, and rubbed his face vigorously with both hands.

"What's wrong? Aze, are you alright? Continue, everyone is waiting for you to speak." Shen Jinghan gently touched Lu Ze's thigh and whispered in his ear. Looking at the reporters below who had stopped taking notes and didn't know what was going on, he felt a little anxious.

To the surprise of the other three on stage, Lu Ze simply folded the document and put it in his pocket, rested his elbows on the table, picked up the microphone again and put it to his mouth, his expression becoming much more relaxed.

"To be honest, I am very concerned about being honest with everyone about my physical and mental condition. The public has the right to know, but that does not include the health problems of public figures. I hate proving to everyone whether I am sick or not."

"But things have gotten so big, it concerns my future acting career, so I can't stay silent any longer and let all sorts of messy news spread. I think it's because after filming 'Big Boss,' I was sick for a while. After going through the process of gaining muscle, gaining weight, and then losing weight, my body was very tired, and my stomach was also quite uncomfortable. In addition, there was a period of sluggishness during filming, so my mental state was not very good. I also sought help from a psychologist."

“I was very tired at the time and couldn’t adapt to the high-pressure life of filming one movie after another without rest. Also, because my acting style is quite special, my thinking was indeed confused at times. But after the intervention of a psychologist and after adapting to this kind of life, I haven’t had this problem again. For a period of time afterward, I also went to some authoritative mental illness control centers for diagnosis. This is the latest diagnosis result. I am normal and not crazy. It has the hospital’s seal on it, and my examination record is also in the hospital’s database. If you have any connections, you should be able to find it.”

Lu Ze was still lying because he couldn't risk his future. Ordinary people wouldn't dare tell others they had a mental illness, let alone public figures like him.

However, the test results were true. He did go to the psychological counseling center and had another check-up. Since those people were no longer causing trouble, he naturally couldn't find any problems. The only result was that Lu Ze's psychological pressure was a bit higher than the normal standard, but as an artist, this is normal.

Holding up the test results to the reporters so they could take pictures, Lu Ze remained expressionless, patiently posing for a photo with the results to prove his innocence.

"I'm not mentally ill right now. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had the energy to film three movies in a row after 'The Boss.' Including this new movie that hasn't been released yet, it's the fourth one. I might take a break. After all, I'm not made of iron, and I'll definitely get tired. But I won't rest until at least after filming 'The Wasteland.'"

During the Q&A session, reporters raised questions about the disappointing test results, and Lu Ze answered them with facts. The press conference did not end until two hours later.

Meanwhile, Qian Shijia's actions also detonated another bomb in the industry, causing a stir in the already lively circle and shocking everyone.

"Han Tian, ​​a veteran heartthrob from Tianfang Media, has been exposed for cheating! While his wife was pregnant, he checked into a five-star hotel late at night with two other women and didn't leave until the next morning! Moreover, he was wearing different clothes when entering and leaving the hotel!"

Han Tian was already a top-tier idol in China when he filmed "The Capital Youth," and his popularity remains high. However, due to his advancing age, he is no longer suited to compete with younger actors and has begun to transition into a more serious actor. He has achieved remarkable success with both of his films receiving positive feedback.

Last October, his relationship with another popular actress who is five years younger than him was exposed, and they announced their marriage. At the time, they won the support and blessings of a lot of fans, and it was considered a good match in the industry. Soon after, they announced that the actress was pregnant and the due date was in November of this year.

But now, during this crucial period when his wife is less than two months away from giving birth, he's going out at night to find escorts. You can imagine what the fans who wished them well back then must be thinking now.

"Ding Ding Ding"

After the press conference ended, Lu Ze had presented sufficient evidence, and with the coverage of major media outlets, the matter was basically settled, and he had weathered the storm without serious harm. At this moment, Lu Ze was looking at news about Han Tian when his phone suddenly rang. Seeing the caller ID, Lu Ze's expression was somewhat complicated, but he eventually answered the call.

"Lu Ze, you son of a bitch! You ruined my life! You're really something, using me as a scapegoat when you're in trouble! You bastard!"

Lu Ze was not surprised at all by Han Tian's call. He waved his hand at Shen Jinghan, who was looking at him with concern, before replying to the enraged Han Tian.

"Any thing else?"

"What's wrong? I have nothing to do with your mother! You just resent me and Tianfang, right? Yes! Jiang Wenshu's death has something to do with me, but dare you say it has nothing to do with you at all? On the contrary, it has more to do with you! You know in your heart why she died! I just stepped on her foot, but what about you! Could she have died without you? With your despicable character, she deserved to die! Remember! You are the murderer who killed her! And now that I'm in this state because of you, you will be in this state because of others in the future! We'll see who dies first!"

"."

P.S.: Tonight at 6 PM, I'll be joining 19 other authors and 20 Douyu streamers to form 20 teams for a live stream of PUBG Mobile. The official room number is "999," and the main room number for my team is "99992." Come watch me get eliminated so quickly after landing—I've finally reached Bronze III! There will be more updates tonight, so come join us!

(End of this chapter)