Chinese Entertainment Intelligence King

Chapter 287 The Celebrities of 2007 All Tore Themselves Apart
It's clear that this so-called Bazaar Charity Night is not very professional.

Well, it's not that they're unprofessional, but rather that they can't control the situation.

To put it bluntly, it's just a fashion magazine. Originally, it relied on some connections and personal connections to invite some familiar celebrities. They were all part of the same family, so everyone gave them face and just entertained themselves.

This time, they partnered with two giants, Huayi Brothers and Yi An, and attracted other celebrities, creating a grand spectacle, which resulted in things getting a little out of control.

At present, the so-called fashion magazine editors do not have that much influence on celebrities.

Even with its influence, Harper's Bazaar is just a magazine, and many celebrities treat it as an equal or even superior entity when interacting with it.

When things are going well, everyone's fine with each other, but if things don't go their way, they might not even give you a second thought.

Needless to say, the fact that Yan Li and the other big shots even showed up was a big favor.

Su Mang, the editor-in-chief, only made a brief introduction; the person who actually received Yan Li and his group was the owner behind the magazine.

Moreover, even he is not taken seriously by some people.

Aside from a few entrepreneurs who are just there to lend their support, people like Yan Li, who are involved in media and film, have far more resources in this area, but they simply don't deal with it or haven't cultivated it in depth.

Wang Zhongjun couldn't figure it out, but for Yan Li, the reason he came here this time was...

First, there's charity; you can never have too much exposure for such public welfare activities. Second, it's a double marketing tactic before the filming of "Painted Skin" begins.

They stirred up buzz around the two characters, and then smoothly and logically connected it with the upcoming start of filming for "Painted Skin."

As for how to hype it up, the two don't need to put on a show. As long as they appear together and act normally, the media and their teams will have plenty of room to create buzz.

Besides the two soldiers, Yan Li also seemed to be supporting Deng Chao's rise to power.

"Mr. Liu, is there a segment where we can take photos with celebrities?"

Mr. Liu, the owner of Harper's Bazaar, didn't understand what Yan Li meant, but he knew Yan Li had something to say, so he asked directly.

"Does Mr. Yan have any suggestions?"

"I wouldn't call it a suggestion, but I'd like to offer an idea that Mr. Liu can consider."

Yan Li smiled and said, "I think your group photo session is a bit informal and chaotic. You could pick a few influential people to go up together and promote your charity."

"For example, the four leading actresses and two popular actors, Xiaoming, Deng Chao, and Dawei, are all popular actresses and actors in mainland China. Their gathering together is a highlight of our charity gala."

Wang Zhongjun glanced at Yan Li, and as the head of Huayi Brothers, he understood her meaning perfectly.

These people were already connected, and their joint appearance on stage was a collective debut.

When the time comes, each team will hype it up, kill off the incident, create hype, and make a few people the most popular figures in mainland China.

This is a benefit for these artists, but it benefits some people even more, such as Deng Chao, who is essentially elevated in status.

Not only did they try to extort money from Huang Xiaoming, but they also want to run into four actresses and two soldiers?!

Wang Zhongjun said calmly, "These few people are a bit too few. Why don't we let Xinru and Youpeng go up? Six women and four men, that would be perfect."

It's fine to promote Deng Chao, but Huayi Brothers will take the lion's share.

Yan Li glanced at him and said, "You think Huayi Brothers has all the connections? Our company has Julian Cheung, Wang Ou, and Qiao Zhenyu, and Chen Kun, Lu Yi, and Sun Li are also qualified. Why don't you pack them all up and send them on stage? President Wang, things are valued for their scarcity; if there are too many, they become worthless."

Wang Zhongjun was dissatisfied and bluntly stated: "Isn't Deng Chao's reputation a bit lacking?"

Yan Li asserted without hesitation: "So Huayi Brothers takes the lion's share, with Zhou, Li, and Huang taking three spots, and Yi An taking the other two."

"There are more of us, so you have a greater advantage by riding on our fame."

"The more lively the topic, the more you benefit."

"You and Tong Dawei have a good relationship, right? He's practically one of your Yi'an people."

"So, Huayi Brothers is Tong Dawei's former employer."

The two engaged in a heated exchange. Wang Zhongjun wanted to promote a few more Huayi artists, but Yan Li disagreed.

Fatty Yu stepped in to smooth things over: "President Wang, President Yan, the Four Dan Shuang Bing and the Four Big Brothers are all well-known to outsiders. Adding people on the spot is indeed not effective."

"We're all friends, so everyone benefits. No matter who gets more or less, don't worry about it. There will be plenty of opportunities to cooperate in the future."

Wang Zhongjun hesitated for a moment, then set a condition: "Xiao Ming must lead the male star."

It's really hard to decide who should lead among the four actresses and two male leads, especially since Huayi Brothers has two, so choosing either one is difficult. So, we might as well ignore it.

But Huang Xiaoming, being the most popular male star, had to take center stage.

Yan Li agreed. This time, it was indeed to help Deng Chao gain prestige. Huayi Brothers had taken a step back, so he couldn't hold a grudge.

Although the goal is for Deng Chao to compete for the title of the top male actor in mainland China, at this stage, Deng Chao is starting relatively late and needs to first establish himself as one of the top four male actors.

Yan Li and Wang Zhongjun reached an agreement, and Boss Liu then directly contacted Su Mang to adjust the process.

Huayi Brothers and Yi An have finalized the deal, so their people are definitely not a problem. Tong Dawei will also help. Whether Zhang Ziyi and Xiao Yanzi will give them face depends on Su Mang's connections.

But it's not a big problem. If they really won't give us face, then we'll find someone else.

If such a memorable scene were to actually happen, it would be awkward for anyone who wasn't there. There are four female leads and two male leads, and it's not easy to replace the male leads, but it's not like the four female leads can't be replaced.

Su Mang went to make contact, and Yan Li and Wang Zhongjun, contrary to their previous tense standoff, started chatting happily again.

In the past year, Huayi Brothers has shifted its strategy, focusing primarily on the film "Assembly" and investing in two other low-budget films.

However, compared to the tightening of film strategies, there has been a major overhaul in the areas of artist management and television dramas.

While aggressively signing talent, they are also heavily investing in and producing TV dramas. According to Yan Li, relying on a studio + external investment model, they already have more than ten projects in production this year and in pre-production next year.

On paper, Huayi Brothers has become a new giant in the TV drama industry, with production output comparable to Yi'an and Hairun.

The reason Huayi Brothers invests in TV dramas is simple: to expand its influence, retain its artists, and generate profits.

Making a profit from high-risk films is extremely difficult!
Currently, Huayi Brothers only has Feng Xiaogang as a reliable source of income. Relying solely on Feng Xiaogang to make movies would prevent Huayi Brothers from going public, and this model of high dependence on one person would also affect the stock price.

That's why Huayi Brothers has made a major foray into the TV drama market.

It's hard to say how much actual profit can be made, but at least it generates a lot of buzz and can make money, making the company's overall profit model relatively balanced.

Yan Li and Wang Zhongjun were discussing a collaboration on the distribution of Huayi Brothers' TV dramas. Huayi Brothers couldn't possibly hand over the entire distribution of TV dramas to Yi An, lest they become subject to others' control.

However, Huayi Brothers is not opposed to handing over certain highly profitable projects to Yi'an Publishing to earn more money.

However, Huayi Brothers clearly benefits from this method. Yi An, who has the initiative in distribution, naturally wants to take the opportunity to gain some advantages.

It would be best if we could invest; if we couldn't, we could at least arrange a few roles for Huo Siyan; if all else fails, we could try to get her a role.

Last time, the character Huo Siyan in "The Deer and the Cauldron" brought a different feel to Yan Li.

Sleeping with people from Huayi Brothers and using their resources to pay the bills, Huo Siyan filmed the company's movies but was most grateful to herself, which felt like a thrilling NTR situation.

Moreover, this kind of approach is safer. By allocating their own resources to a few women, even a fool could see that they were having an affair with Yan Li.

Yan Li is not afraid, but he can avoid some unnecessary trouble and gain some peace and quiet.

Besides the collaboration, we also discussed the operation of some projects.

Huayi Brothers has money, but it absolutely cannot support such a mess, nor does it dare to. Otherwise, if the cash flow dries up, the Wang brothers will be jumping up and down in anger.

Therefore, Huayi Brothers' TV drama project operations are roughly in line with Yan Li's previous estimates.

Huayi Brothers provides distribution channels, artists, brand recognition, and a small portion of investment. Most project managers also have to go out and solicit investment from outside, and even create so-called pre-sales.

To put it simply, first, you contact the TV station. Then you get a deposit, and use that money to film the series.

This situation is quite common in the industry, but TV stations aren't stupid. If they try to play this game, they'll inevitably be pressured to lower their prices, and not every project can get TV stations to pay upfront.

Huayi Brothers can produce TV dramas on such a large scale entirely because of the Huayi Brothers brand.

After all, it's a big company, so there's no need to worry about the production team failing to deliver the film or running away.

However, while this solved the funding problem, it also sacrificed the future interests of the production team to some extent.

At the same time, using the company's signboard as collateral carries considerable risk.

If several projects fail or flop in succession, it will have a significant negative impact on the company, potentially causing partners and TV stations to change their attitudes.

To put it bluntly, this is overdrawing the company's potential in order to expand.

This is how artist management works, and it's the same with the TV drama business. As long as the financial statements look good and the company can go public, the hidden dangers and costs can be dealt with later.

To reiterate, even if problems arise, all shareholders and stockholders of the company will foot the bill together.

Yan Li sometimes lamented that it was no wonder Huayi Brothers had developed so quickly; these two brothers were sometimes truly inhuman.

Traditional film and television companies like Yan Li's Yi An, or Hairun, are concerned about their integrity and act cautiously, but they are also reluctant to give up the reputation and brand they have built up with each film and television production.

In business, having a low or high bottom line has its advantages, but in terms of speed of going public, a low bottom line is easier to operate.

Yu Pangzi was also amazed, but Bona's projects mainly revolve around movies, and they don't have the energy to get involved in TV series.

However, the business logic of movies and TV series is different, so he can only learn from them in one or two ways, but cannot create a model to imitate them.

While we were chatting, the charity gala finally officially began.

Su Mang took the stage to speak, followed by the host Ke Lan and Wu Dawei.

Speaking of Wu Dawei, it seems he was also exposed for politely kissing Xiao Yanzi. Yan Li just noticed that the two of them didn't interact.

The host came on stage, invited a few guests to interact, then made a special mention of the sponsors, and then the auction began.

It's called an auction, but there aren't actually many items up for auction.

Most people are just there to support the event; they don't actually spend their money. Too many items will end up going unsold, so there's usually some communication beforehand about which items will be auctioned and which will be offered for sale.

We guarantee that the auction will not be dull or involve any malicious price gouging. Anyone willing to pay will be able to get items and exposure at a reasonable price.

"Gentlemen, I've already made a deal. Today's top bid is mine, so don't try to steal it."

Yu Pangzi greeted Wang Zhongjun and Yan Li.

Huayi Brothers and Yi An were just there to show their support, bringing a large group of artists. In addition, their own artists would also contribute money, so they only needed to make a token contribution during the auction. Yu Pangzi didn't bring anyone, but he still wanted to make an appearance, so he could only contribute some money.

Wang Zhongjun nodded, while Yan Li smiled and said, "I'll help you raise the price and contribute more to charity."

"Little Tai, Little Tai, I'll give you a warning look later."

Auctions always need some bidding up, otherwise it looks fake and the money is wasted. Most artists wouldn't dare to compete with him, and it's easy to cause disputes with other entrepreneurs, or the price might be too high.

With Yan Li's help, we can have a topic to discuss without things getting too out of control.

As they were talking, the first item in the auction had already been sold. It was a luxury watch worth 30 yuan, and the bidder was Zhang Lan, the owner of South Beauty.

Yan Li had some impression of him; they had just chatted for a bit, and he asked Fatty Yu about it out of curiosity.

"This person seems quite flamboyant."

The catering industry is a physical business, and there aren't many people like Zhang Lan who are high-profile and have close ties with the media and entertainment industry.

"There are rumors that South Beauty wants to go public. They serve fine cuisine and have also opened a clubhouse, venturing into the high-end business and leisure sector to build their brand and advertise themselves."

Fatty Yu wasn't familiar with him, but Wang Zhongjun knew him, having visited one of his clubs and explained the situation.

Yan Li understood, and Fatty Yu also said, "Spend a little money, publish an advertisement, and get some attention. It's a win-win situation."

"Ah."

Yan Li felt he needed to adjust his thinking. There were many low-key business owners, but also quite a few who wanted to show off and get attention.

For example, Wang Shi, whom I mentioned earlier, is so active that he doesn't seem like a typical entrepreneur. Other real estate tycoons also like to give interviews and even surf the internet on blogs.

If one is not short of profit, one will naturally seek fame, and this will also bring benefits to one's own business.

There have been people like this before, but due to limitations in media coverage, they could only appear in newspapers and on television, and their fame was not high.

With the increasing development of the internet and entertainment industry, more and more celebrities will emerge.

Even Yan Li himself played a significant role in this wave.

He combined fame and business so well that he profited greatly, which naturally inspired other entrepreneurs and business owners to follow suit.

Zhang Lan is quite high-profile, but there are also those who are not. Two entrepreneurs only gave their surnames and didn't even give their first names. They didn't go on stage either, but asked their favorite celebrities to come on stage to accept the award on their behalf.

Auction items costing at least 10 RMB, and often hundreds of thousands, were indeed quite a burden for most of the celebrities present.

Many people only earn a few hundred thousand a year, or even less. To show off a fraction of their annual income is simply foolish.

Therefore, most of the auction items are from entrepreneurs, and very few celebrities are spending money.

Huang Xiaoming and Li Xiang bid 30 yuan for a watch, while host Yang Lan bid 40 yuan for a necklace.

In addition, there has been no movement, and many people have turned their attention to the table of Si Dan and Shuang Bing.

In terms of artist income, these few are in the top tier in mainland China. Several of them ranked in the top ten of the Forbes list of highest-paid artists last year. If it comes to money, only these few can afford it.

The group was aware of the situation and had even made preparations, but they were all waiting for the other party.

Young Master Zhou was the most composed. She didn't need to pay anything today; instead, she would perform on stage, and the performance would be auctioned off later—it was a charity performance.

Little Swallow narrowed her eyes, considering whether or not to make a move.

In the past two years, due to various controversies and her consideration of switching to studying directing at the Beijing Film Academy, she has kept a low profile. This time, she got along relatively well with others. Should she get involved in this mess?

Fan Xiaopang and Li Bingbing exchanged a glance. They were definitely going to make a bid, and it would be best to test their skills and create some tension, otherwise it would be difficult for the media to write a story just by digging into the details.

Zhang Ziyi looked down on Su Mang with disdain. She had made an appointment with Su Mang before coming here. Today was half a home game, and who else but her would win the title?

While the four actresses were still in the planning stages and hadn't yet made a move, Tong Dawei and Deng Chao joined forces and bid 35 yuan for a designer travel bag.

The reason the two of them paid this price was because Huang Xiaoming provided the funds.

Huang Xiaoming paid for it, but they didn't; how can they be compared?

Anyway, Huang Xiaoming also collaborated with others to make this film. The two of them also collaborated, and each of them only spent a few hundred thousand, which they could afford.

All three top male stars paid up, thus launching the "Four Dan and Two Bing" slogan. After a designer evening gown appeared, Li Bingbing was the first to bid.

"20."

Fan Xiaopang immediately raised his hand: "25."

With both bidders simultaneously raising their bids, the atmosphere at the scene immediately became lively.

Li Bingbing remained unmoved: "28."

Before Fan Xiaopang could speak, Xiao Yanzi suddenly said, "30."

Seeing the two soldiers looking at her, Xiao Yanzi said innocently, "You two seem to be fighting unfriendly, so I'll help you distribute the firepower."

Young Master Zhou glanced at Li Bingbing and said in a low voice, "You were the one who called out, and you called out twice. It wouldn't be good if someone else took it away."

Immediately, he raised his voice: "35."

She doesn't plan to pay for the auction, but she's happy to help her old rival raise the price.

Li Bingbing almost cursed, but if Young Master Zhou hadn't said that, she would have stopped. These people were watching; if she didn't film, wouldn't she be looked down upon?

"38."

Li Bingbing hesitated for a moment, and before she could speak, Zhang Ziyi raised her hand first. Seeing the look Li Bingbing gave her, the latter smiled calmly.

"If you all call out, it wouldn't be right if I didn't."

Seeing that Fan Xiaopang was getting restless again, Li Bingbing gritted his teeth and said, "40."

After saying that, she put her hand down: "That's all. If anyone else contributes, I'll do them a favor."

Losing face is better than being ripped off by these people.

The group exchanged glances but remained silent. A few teasings were fine, but pushing them too far was not good.

Especially those who wanted to bid further were afraid that Li Bingbing would retaliate fiercely, so they stopped short of making a move.

"...First, this item belongs to Ms. Li Bingbing. Thank you for your generous donation. This money will be used for..."

As the auctioneer finished speaking, Li Bingbing breathed a sigh of relief, then silently gritted his teeth.

I originally thought it would cost around 30, but it was increased by 10. Now that I have a safety net, let's see how she repays these people.

For the next item, Fan Xiaopang made the first bid, Li Bingbing immediately doubled the price, and Xiao Yanzi happily added even more.

Then Fan Xiaopang stopped moving, and Xiao Yanzi was a little confused: "Aren't you going to film anymore?"

"I don't really like it. Just name your price. If you like it, you can have it."

Just now, Li Bingbing was competing with Fan Xiaopang and made two bids in a row, and then he was dragged into it by his old nemesis, Young Master Zhou.

Fan Xiaopang isn't stupid; how could he fall for a trap? If you offer a high price, then I won't bid. You can't expect me to keep bidding against every price you set.

Anyone who dares to say that will be killed by her in a moment!

Zhang Ziyi hesitated for a moment and didn't speak. Young Master Zhou smiled and said, "I don't really like it either."

Little Swallow: "..."

She looked at Li Bingbing and gave him an encouraging look, which made Li Bingbing laugh in exasperation.

Am I stupid?!

What if you don't pay the extra price? I'll just buy two items by myself.
In the end, this item went to Xiao Yanzi, which also made the people who had tricked Li Bingbing start to be cautious and not to trick others and get themselves into trouble.

After that, the two items were given to others, until a mink-trimmed winter coat appeared. Fan Xiaopang's eyes flickered slightly, and then he spoke up nonchalantly.

Li Bingbing hesitated for a moment, afraid of paying too high a price and getting trapped, so he only added two layers.

Young Master Zhou added another layer: Little Swallow had just been tricked and didn't intend to get involved.

Zhang Ziyi pondered for a moment, then added a little bit as a gesture. She wanted to bid, but this price was too high, and buying two items would be too much of a loss, so she was being rather conservative.

Although the "Four Dan Double Soldiers" strategy was relatively conservative, this time there was competition from several other people, and the item itself was also quite valuable, so Fan Xiaopang finally won it for nearly 40 yuan.

In this way, Zhou Gongzi's performance, Li, Fan, and Zhao all had items to bid on, leaving only Zhang Ziyi.

Zhang Ziyi narrowed her eyes. She wanted to be the last bidder and wasn't afraid of being overbid; she was just worried that these people wouldn't dare to follow.

Sure enough, Zhang Ziyi asked for 40 yuan for the next item up for auction.

This completely intimidated Li Bingbing and Xiao Yanzi, who had both been tricked and were now afraid that Zhang Ziyi would back down.

Young Master Zhou did raise the price with a smile, but not by much; it was just a polite increase, as he seemed afraid of being taken advantage of.

Fan Xiaopang originally didn't intend to get involved, but he was annoyed by Zhang Ziyi's arrogant gaze, so he raised his hand.

"50."

Zhang Ziyi remained silent, while the others watched with expressions of anticipation. Fan Xiaopang raised an eyebrow, his expression still relaxed.

It's only 50, it's not like we can't afford it!

Time passed slowly, and the auctioneer began the countdown. Those who had hoped to see Fan Xiaopang panic, regret, and anger were disappointed. Fan Xiaopang remained calm and even joked with interest, urging the auctioneer to bring down the gavel.

"55 million!"

Just as the countdown was about to reach one, Zhang Ziyi couldn't hold back any longer and raised the price again.

This item cannot be given to Fan Xiaopang, otherwise his two items together would be worth nearly 100 million.

If she wants to win the bid, she'll have to bid more than that amount; otherwise, if the individual items are high-priced, she'll be overshadowed even after winning the bid.

Fan Xiaopang patted his chest nervously, "You scared me to death! I thought you weren't going to add it."

Zhang Ziyi: "..."

She didn't know if Fan Xiaopang was telling the truth or not, but it was quite shameless of him to say it at this time.

Fortunately, no matter what, Fan Xiaopang didn't raise the price, and the others didn't make any offers either, so the bid was considered secure.

The four women were having a great time fighting, and the onlookers were also enjoying the spectacle.

Soon after, the top bidder was born: Fatty Yu spent over 200 million yuan to bid on a painting by a famous artist.

Yan Li and Wang Zhongjun didn't spend much money; one spent 15 yuan to hire Qiao Zhenyu to perform, and the other spent 12 yuan to hire Su Youpeng.

It's unclear how Huayi Brothers negotiated things, but Yan Li let Qiao Zhenyu take the stage as a way to elevate Deng Chao's status and appease him.

As for Julian Cheung, being a non-mainland actor with limited commercial appeal, he has almost given up on the race to become the top male lead for Yi An.

Qiao Zhenyu is gaining momentum due to "The Legend of Chu Liuxiang". Although he is relatively laid-back, he is not without ambition and still has his sights set on becoming the top actor for Yi An. The company should pay some attention to him.

After the performance and auction, there is an awards ceremony and certificate presentation, such as the top bidder and the top ten charity stars.

The latter is the group appearance that Yan Li mentioned before. The Bazaar Charity Night was quite amazing, as they directly added Xu Cainu and Liu Huohua, who were not present.

The concepts of "Four Dan and Two Soldiers" and "Four Big Brothers" have been officially established, and they are tied to the Bazaar Charity Night.

They weren't worried about Xu or Liu having any objections, since this was charity, not a business attempt to ride the wave of popularity.

Moreover, it's good for them; if two more join in, they'll be the ones who suffer.

When the four actresses, two soldiers, Huang, Tong, and Deng came on stage, the first thing they did was to arrange their positions.

After all, they were a bunch of people who didn't get along, and no one wanted to stick close to anyone else. They could only adjust their positions. Su Mang couldn't control the situation at all, and Huang Xiaoming and the other guys were being pulled around and acted as human barriers.

Five women and three men are manageable as a buffer, but the real problem is who will be in the middle.

The three male stars tacitly agreed that Huang Xiaoming was the one to win, but the female stars refused to concede to any of them.

Zhang Ziyi felt that this was her second home turf, and as the champion, she should occupy the best position.

With her high popularity and fame, it's impossible for Xiao Yanzi to regress to the margins.

Huayi Brothers and Yi An are supporters of today's charity gala, and of course they are unwilling to give up their good spots to others. There is even a dispute within Huayi Brothers between Zhou Gongzi and Li Bingbing.

Li Bingbing is ostensibly Huayi Brothers' top female star, but Zhou Xun has never been convinced of her worth. The most important topic between the two regarding Huayi Brothers is their rivalry over who is the top female star.

Su Mang broke out in a cold sweat, begging these ladies to give her some face.

But the old grudges, the mutual sabotage just now, and the mutual dislike they had left them all a bit hot-headed.

Even those who weren't initially drawn into it were put on the spot. In this situation, anyone who backs down is a coward and will be looked down upon in the future.

Su Mang stepped down and asked Boss Liu for help, asking if Yan Li and Wang Zhongjun could mediate the situation.

Wang Zhongjun dared not go, and it wouldn't be good for Young Master Zhou and Li Bingbing to side with either of them. Yan Li also silently drank water without expressing his opinion.

Just kidding, if you go up and make Fan Xiaopang back down, he'll be nothing.

Preventing Fan Xiaopang from stepping down and instead supporting him to stand in the center position would likely provoke public outrage.

Therefore, it's better not to interfere than to interfere, otherwise the situation will become even more chaotic.

The two remained silent, which made Boss Liu a little anxious. This was Yan Li's suggestion, and Wang Zhongjun supported it. If something went wrong, it would be very inconsiderate for the two to stand by and watch.

Having said all that, Yan Li and Wang Zhongjun really couldn't just ignore it.

After whispering to each other for a bit, the two of them went on stage themselves as award presenters, standing in the middle and separating the eight people on both sides.

This approach isn't very effective, because others still want to move closer to the center, so it depends on the choices and deterrence of the two individuals.

Yan Li, showing no favoritism, directly promoted Fan Xiaopang to his side, guaranteeing her a place, while others would be placed in line later.

Wang Zhongjun was most troubled by Li Bingbing and Zhou Gongzi, neither of whom would submit to the other, and he could find fault with either of them, so he simply kept Huang Xiaoming by his side.

One on each side, a man and a woman, they took up the best spots.

Zhang Ziyi's expression changed. If it weren't for the fact that everyone was watching, he would have stormed off. Xiao Yanzi's expression was also not good, and Li Bingbing and Young Master Zhou were also embarrassed and dissatisfied.

Yan Li and Wang Zhongjun ignored those considerations and acted swiftly and decisively.

To prevent a power struggle among Huayi Brothers' leading ladies from erupting, Yan Li helped Lao Wang by calling Li Bingbing over to stand next to Fan Xiaopang, forming a "double Bingbing" duo, followed by Deng Chao.

Tong Dawei also wanted to come over, but Wang Zhongjun stopped him, saying that the situation there was too complicated and that the male actor needed to balance things out.

Zhang Ziyi is getting impatient. In terms of current status, she is indeed the highest-ranking, and she is ambitious and always strives to be the best.

To appease him, Wang Zhongjun had Zhang Ziyi stand next to Huang Xiaoming, followed by Zhou Gongzi's own people, then Xiao Yanzi and Tong Dawei.

As they waited in line, they noticed that there were fewer people. Upon closer inspection, they saw that Xiao Yanzi had gone directly to Yan Li's side, clearly dissatisfied with Wang Zhongjun's arrangement.

But Yan Li also has two soldiers, at most he can make Deng Chao give way to Xiao Yanzi.

Anyway, apart from Fan Bingbing, none of the actresses were satisfied with the seating arrangement, and Huang Xiaoming, who was forced to stand in a good position, was also very nervous.

This atmosphere directly influenced the speeches of several people.

Mr. Zhou then directly apologized to the audience: "I'm sorry, I didn't expect it to take so long to get a seat. I've wasted everyone's time."

Little Swallow subtly implied that Huayi Brothers and Yi An were abusing their power: "Thank you to the two big bosses for personally coming on stage to help."

Zhang Ziyi added, "There's nothing more to say. It's not easy for the few of us to stand here together. Let's just take a picture."

Li Bingbing chuckled: "Today is truly a lively day."

Fan Xiaopang smiled politely: "They don't know, but I'm very happy."

The speech was so terrible that not only did Su Mang and the other organizers want to die, but even Yan Li felt dizzy listening to it.

Bazaar Charity Night made a fortune!

Since these girls are no longer performing, I doubt many events will dare to put them together again.

Those on stage were filled with resentment, while those below were ecstatic.

Several of the most popular actresses publicly engaged in a subtle and veiled attack; coming today was definitely worthwhile.

Originally, some celebrities like Ruby Lin, Sun Li, Chen Kun, and Lu Yi, who were qualified to go on stage but didn't, were somewhat resentful. Now, however, they felt a little fortunate.

This kind of battle is something that ordinary people really can't get involved in.

Tong Dawei, Huang Xiaoming, and Deng Chao were practically cowering like quails, and Wang Zhongjun couldn't even manage a smile. Only Yan Li managed to stay composed.

After all, they've been through a lot of chaotic situations and have experience!

Finally off the stage, Xiao Yanzi grabbed her bag and left. Zhang Ziyi, though her face was gloomy, didn't leave; she still had an award to present.

The woman who presented her with the award was surnamed Zhao. She had just bought a golf bag worth 50 yuan, making her second only to Zhang Ziyi in spending money.

As soon as this person came on stage, he started praising Zhang Ziyi, saying that she was a good actress and a kind person. He said that it's not easy for someone like her to make it in the industry, and everyone should cherish and protect her.

"To stand up for what's right."

Yan Li was somewhat surprised. Given the influence of Huayi Brothers and Yi An, most people wouldn't dare to do this.

The situation had been so tense just now that if the group sat at the same table again, they might start fighting. So, Zhao Zouzhang went on stage, and the staff led the others to separate. Fan Xiaopang went straight to sit with Yan Li.

Hearing Yan Li's words, knowing that he was not familiar with her, she took the initiative to introduce her: "Zhao Xinyu, known as the number one socialite in Beijing, has been quite influential in the circle in the past two years, spending money in all sorts of ways. Zhang Ziyi is on good terms with her, as are Wang Fei and Na Ying."

"The First Socialite?"

Yan Li glanced at the man's age and began to look up the younger generation he knew, but the names didn't quite match up.

Fan Xiaopang muttered a few more words in a low voice, leaving Yan Li both astonished and bewildered.

The name she used was so intimidating that he thought she was some kind of deity descended to earth. He was wondering why he hadn't heard anything about it. Turns out she was just a mistress, or rather, a mediocre third wife.

Yan Li immediately lost interest and even told Fan Xiaopang not to get along with him.

Such an flamboyant and high-profile style will either get you kicked out later, or you'll do something stupid someday. It's best to stay away from it...

(End of this chapter)