How can you ascend to heaven when you are a star?

Chapter 415 The real purpose
"Mr. Li, what do we do now?" Guo Yaoming asked his boss cautiously.

The situation has not only exceeded his expectations but also his control, and it has now seriously affected the company. How can he, as the agent, make decisions about this?

He didn't dare to make the decision himself.

Because a slight mishap could bring even bigger trouble to the company.

This trouble was caused by the boss and Song Haoran, and he didn't want to get burned.

Li Lehua gripped her phone tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force.

The latest video circulating online is like a thorn, piercing her heart with pain.

What suffocated her even more was the reaction of the artist's fans. Those fans who had previously spoken up for Song Haoran were now all pointing the finger at the company, believing that the company had mishandled the sudden incident, which made a matter that could have been resolved with an apology more serious. They were all clamoring for an explanation.

As for the netizens who were watching the drama unfold online, because the short essay written by the extra revealed the relationship between Tianxi Media, Song Haoran, and the production crew, everyone regarded Tianxi Media as the mastermind behind deceiving the public, and Tianxi Media, which was hiding behind the scenes, was also dragged into this vortex of public opinion.

A torrent of accusations and insults flooded in, instantly drowning out any attempts to explain. Even online trolls were powerless to retaliate at that moment.

"Reduce the hype, remove it from the trending topics," Li Lehua said in a deep voice.

For now, the only option is to control public opinion and then slowly come up with a solution.

"Yes." Guo Yaoming immediately walked out of the general manager's office. He didn't want to stay there for even a second longer, for fear of becoming the boss's punching bag.

At this moment, Li Lehua was like an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth in the office, thinking of ways to deal with the situation.

The public opinion storm is now escalating, and simply reducing the heat and removing trending topics is far from enough. An explanation must be given as soon as possible to completely quell the anger of netizens and fans.

The online world, though seemingly virtual, has the power to destroy an artist or a company.

"Dang Dang Dang!"

Suddenly, there was a hurried knock on the door.

Li Lehua opened the door, and there stood his deputy, Liu Haiyang.

"What is it?" Li Lehua asked coldly, her tightly furrowed brows revealing her displeasure, giving off an air of 'keep away strangers and don't bother me, even if you know me'.

"Mr. Li."

Liu Haiyang walked into the office and whispered to his boss, "Director Han Xiaohua just called. He's concerned about the Weibo post supporting Song Haoran published by the production team's official Weibo account, as well as the overwhelming accusations and insults against the production team online. He hopes the company can provide a reasonable explanation as soon as possible so as not to affect the production team's subsequent work or the TV series."

Li Lehua's expression changed; he hadn't expected Han Xiaohua to jump out and interrogate him.

Although the other party was just a director, and she had never taken him seriously, if he were to come forward and reveal the truth at this time, it would undoubtedly be a devastating blow to the company and Song Haoran.

The exposure of a mere extra can reverse public opinion, let alone when the director of the production crew personally appears to address the issue.

"What was his attitude?" Li Lehua asked.

“He was very angry, and judging from his tone, if things can’t be calmed down quickly and the crew can be extricated from this incident, he might suspend filming,” Liu Haiyang said.

"what?"

Li Lehua's eyes widened, and her mood became heavy.

The TV series "Perfect Days" is about to wrap up filming. Isn't suspending filming at this time a threat to her?

"Who does he think he is? Three-legged toads are hard to find, but there are plenty of two-legged directors. He's just a director; we can finish filming even without him," Li Lehua said coldly.

How come anyone can threaten her now? Do they think she's a pushover just because she's not showing her teeth?
"But Mr. Li, Mr. Zhang is an investor in this drama. The later promotional expenses all depend on Mr. Zhang. Mr. Zhang has a very good relationship with Director Han. If..."

"stop!"

Li Lehua interrupted Liu Haiyang directly, asking in confusion, "Isn't Zhang Wen the investor representative? When did he become an investor?"

"Here's what happened. The filming exceeded the original budget, so I approached Mr. Zhang, hoping that his investors could increase their investment. Mr. Zhang said he could cover the small amount, so we signed a contract. Mr. Zhang invested 30 million yuan as post-production promotion expenses for the series."

Liu Haiyang briefly explained the situation and then said, "The money hasn't arrived yet. If Teacher Zhang doesn't pay, the promotion of the TV series will probably come to a standstill."

“Fine, he won’t pay. Let’s see how he explains himself to his investors,” Li Lehua said with a sneer.

The reason she dared to have Director Chen issue a statement supporting Song Haoran behind Zhang's back was because she knew that the other party was an investor representative and dared not do anything that would harm the interests of the investors.

Moreover, the other party is not only the screenwriter of this TV series, but also Bai Lu's boyfriend. Even if he were considering his own interests and those of his girlfriend, he wouldn't stand up and refute the production team.

She just didn't expect that the person surnamed Zhang wouldn't step forward, but an extra would appear and ruin her plan. It's really impossible to guard against such a thing.

“But the company has also invested 30 million, as well as a lot of manpower and resources. We can’t just gamble that Teacher Zhang will continue to spend money, can we?” Liu Haiyang said worriedly.

"Don't forget, his investors put up 80 million. Don't worry, he wouldn't dare," Li Lehua said confidently.

“Okay.” Liu Haiyang gritted his teeth and said, “Even if Teacher Zhang invests according to the original agreement, there are accusations against the production team online, and many netizens are even calling for a boycott of the show. Under these circumstances, it’s uncertain whether it can be sold after filming.”

"..."

Li Lehua opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single sound.

She knew that Vice President Liu was right; if the negative impact could not be eliminated, the TV series would have to be shelved even after filming was completed.

"What are your thoughts?" Li Lehua asked Liu Haiyang.

"President Li, we need to extricate the company and the production crew from this matter with Song Haoran as soon as possible," Liu Haiyang said earnestly.

Li Lehua raised an eyebrow; she understood what the other party meant—they wanted to find a scapegoat.

Now that things have developed to this point, she only has two paths ahead of her.

The first option is to continue supporting Song Haoran and insist that the video content was from filming. However, it's unclear whether the person who uploaded the video still has related videos.

If this happens, Song Haoran, the company, and the production crew will all be finished.

Furthermore, there's the uncertainty surrounding director Han Xiaohua.

The second option is to give up on Song Haoran altogether.

The company issued a statement claiming ignorance, while the production team shifted the blame to the publicity staff, saying that the staff member was a fan of Song Haoran and posted the message on the official Weibo account without authorization, and that the staff member had been fired. In this way, the company and the production team would extricate themselves from the public opinion storm, leaving Song Haoran alone to bear all the blame.

Sacrifice one for the happiness of the whole family.

The first path is extremely dangerous, while the second path is less dangerous, but she doesn't want to choose the second path unless absolutely necessary.

Because sacrificing Song Haoran means she lost to that Zhang guy, since she was the one who sent Song Haoran to pursue Bai Lu, but in the end she lost everything.

"Let me think about it some more," Li Lehua said.

"..."

Looking at his hesitant boss, Liu Haiyang sighed inwardly and finally had no choice but to leave the office.

Li Lehua returned to her desk and sat down, tapping her fingers lightly on the surface, still pondering whether there was a third way.

This would both extricate the company and the production team from negative publicity without sacrificing Song Haoran.

It seems we can't have our cake and eat it too. We have to make a decision tonight, otherwise the longer it drags on, the worse it will be for the company.

……

"Teacher Zhang, the trending topic has dropped, and someone is trying to reduce its popularity." Jiang Xin held up her phone and shared what she knew.

While eating the roasted meat that Bai Lu fed him, Zhang Wen looked at the news on his tablet, his face full of relaxed and happy expression.

Remove it from the trending topics? Reduce its popularity?
It's obvious without even thinking that it was the company's doing.

When the crew of "Perfect Days" posted on Weibo to support Song Haoran, he knew that his company had already intervened, or more accurately, Li Lehua had intervened.

Of course, everything was expected; otherwise, he wouldn't have left the crew halfway through and disappeared.

"Buy my way onto the trending topics again, we're not short of money," Zhang Wen said generously.

Want to suppress the matter?
Can you handle it?
“Okay, Teacher Zhang,” Jiang Xin said excitedly.

As an entertainment reporter, she naturally hoped the matter would escalate as much as possible, as the saying goes: "The merrier when it comes to watching a good show."

Moreover, she could share what she knew and attract more readers. This feeling of stirring up a storm was irresistible to her, and she also felt a sense of accomplishment.

“Song Haoran is beyond redemption. The main target of our attack now is Tianxi Media. Also, emphasize that the production team was coerced by the company, and release more revelations from the perspective of staff and extras. We must force Tianxi Media to back down. Understand?” Zhang Wen instructed.

"Understood, I guarantee I will complete the mission," Jiang Xin said confidently.

"Okay, keep it up," Zhang Wen said encouragingly, then hung up the phone.

Sitting next to him, Gao Yue picked up a piece of grilled beef and brought it to the man's mouth, asking worriedly, "Aren't you afraid that netizens will boycott this TV series by doing this? The current trend is very unfavorable for this show."

Bai Lu on the other side pricked up his ears and listened attentively.

As the female lead in the TV series, she naturally had the same concerns. Although she believed her boyfriend wouldn't betray her, she still wanted to know his motives.

If it was merely to retaliate against Li Lehua and Song Haoran, it seems unnecessary to drag the entire production crew into it.

She poured her heart and soul into this TV series. From the excitement and anticipation when she received the script to the learning and improvement during filming, her feelings for the series were no less than anyone else's. She really didn't want it to be ruined by these public opinions.

Zhang Wen opened his mouth and bit into the beef, chewing slowly with a smile in his eyes. Only after swallowing the meat did he speak.

"The TV series hasn't finished filming yet, so it's too early to talk about boycotting it. I don't believe Li Lehua will remain indifferent to the overwhelming negative public opinion. Now it's not just about Song Haoran bullying us anymore; Tianxi Media has also become a target of netizens' attacks. She will definitely try her best to salvage her reputation."

Zhang Wen took a sip of water and continued, "The company invested 30 million in this drama. Do you think Li Lehua will just watch that 30 million go down the drain? What I'm doing now is pushing Li Lehua into a corner, forcing her to make a choice, and letting her know what it means to shoot yourself in the foot."

"Even so, making a big fuss doesn't seem to do us any good," Gao Yue said after hearing this.

As an agent, she knew very well that buying and suppressing trending topics cost money, and not a small amount.

If the goal is simply to see Li Lehua shoot himself in the foot, isn't this a bit too much to ask? Money shouldn't be spent like this.

"No benefit? Do you think I would do something that has no benefit?" Zhang Wen laughed after hearing this and said, "To tell you the truth, my goal is to buy the TV series 'Perfect Days' and kick Tianxi Media out."

"what?"

Gao Yue and Bai Lu both looked surprised.

The two women always thought that their boyfriend was getting revenge on Li Lehua, but they never expected that his real target would be this TV series.

"Why? Why did you buy this TV series?" Bai Lu asked, puzzled.

"Of course, it's to keep the copyright in our own hands," Zhang Wen said. "Before, we had no money or connections, so we could only rely on Tianxi Media. Now it's different. We have money and connections now. If there's an opportunity, we'll naturally buy the copyright. And now is the opportunity that Li Lehua has delivered to our door."

"Are you that confident in this drama?" Gao Yue asked, frowning slightly.

In her view, joint investment and risk sharing is the best way to invest.

"I'm not confident in this drama; I just think Li Lehua is unreliable."

Zhang Wen thought for a moment and said, "No matter what, Bai Lu and I are both employees of Tianxi Media. I am also an investor in this drama. She actually arranged for Song Haoran to pursue Bai Lu. Do you think a normal boss would come up with something like this? Who knows if she will use this drama to manipulate Bai Lu and me after it is completed? Rather than handing this drama over to an unreliable person, it is better to operate and manage it ourselves."

Gao Yue nodded in agreement; she had also been puzzled by her boss's series of mysterious actions recently.

Even though Zhang Wen didn't follow the other party's arrangements, he still brought a lot of benefits to the company. Isn't it a bit too domineering to retaliate just because of one or two rejections?

Hearing her boyfriend say that, Bai Lu also became worried about the company's attitude towards the drama "Perfect Days".

To be honest, the company didn't have high hopes for this drama or her career transition from the very beginning. They just threw out 30 million yuan and then abandoned the project. It was she who had to go around seeking investment and begging for directors. Finally, with Zhang Wen's help, the production team was able to get started.

“Buying it won’t be an easy task, especially for you. Li Lehua has been taken advantage of by you before, and she might ask for an exorbitant price,” Gao Yue analyzed.

“I know, that’s why I forced Li Lehua to drag the crew into this mess and had Director Han threaten Liu Haiyang to stop filming, all to put more pressure on Li Lehua. Of course, that’s not enough, so… I’m going to add fuel to the fire.”

Zhang Wen picked up his phone and dialed Liu Haiyang's number.

……

(End of this chapter)