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

Chapter 424 Matchup
"She's already withdrawn from the project, why is she doing this?" Bai Lu couldn't understand what benefit Li Lehua could gain from doing this.

Isn't this a lose-lose situation?
So wicked.

"Hmph, because she's not reconciled." Zhang Wen said with a sneer, "She wanted me to create a new group, but I didn't agree. She wanted to make extra money using Future Girls, but I refused that too. Now she's lost the project and Song Haoran because of the bullying incident. Do you think she can swallow this?"

"You mean, she ruined the reputation of the production team and caused netizens to boycott the TV series to teach you a lesson?" Bai Lu asked.

"if not?"

Although there is no direct evidence, Zhang Wen is 100% certain that the public outcry against the production team this time is definitely the work of Li Lehua.

No one else would be that bored.

"What should we do? Should I clarify this on Weibo?" Bai Lu asked anxiously, filled with dissatisfaction with her boss.

As the female lead in the TV series "Perfect Days," she has now been labeled an "accomplice to bullying," and if it weren't for her large fan base, her Weibo account would have been overrun by trolls long ago.

If the boss really smeared the production team and the TV series just to teach Zhang Wen a lesson, then where does that leave her and Tianxi Media artists like Chen Zhenghao, Wang Haoyu, and Zhou Ziqi?

“Don’t respond. The crew is in the eye of the storm right now. Even if you can explain it clearly, not everyone will believe you, and you might even be attacked.” Zhang Wen pondered for a moment, then said, “Don’t worry, leave this to me. Since Li Lehua is so ruthless, then don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

He immediately logged into the official Weibo account of the TV series and began drafting a statement. He is now a co-producer of the series, and the accounts on various social media platforms have been handed over to him after filming wrapped. He can post whatever he wants.

Tianxi Media General Manager's Office

Although it was late, the lights were still on.

Looking at the overwhelming online criticism of the "Perfect Days" production team, Li Lehua suddenly felt the knot in her heart disappear, and even her breathing became much easier.

"Dang Dang Dang!"

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Li Lehua said while reading the comments.

Secretary Hu pushed open the door and walked in, handing over a document. "President Li, this is the data on the spread of negative news about the 'Perfect Days' production team online. The effect is better than expected."

Li Lehua took the document, glanced at it, and a cold smile curled at the corner of her lips. She wanted to let that Zhang guy know the consequences of messing with her.

Didn't you say you didn't want to pay compensation?

Didn't you include the impact of the Song Haoran incident in your calculations?
Fine, then I'll make you lose even more.

You're too green to mess with me.

"Go all out, buy him a trending topic, and get some big V's involved." Li Lehua decided to add fuel to the fire and make the public opinion burn even brighter.

If TV dramas had a life, she would want to strangle them.

Assistant Hu hesitated for a moment, then said, "President Li, many netizens are criticizing Chen Zhenghao and Wang Haoyu. If this continues, it will have a negative impact on them."

"It's alright, no one will remember after a while," Li Lehua said casually.

She's targeting the production crew and the TV series "Perfect Days." As long as Chen Zhenghao and others don't respond, and there's no direct evidence that they participated in bullying, no one can do anything to them, and it won't affect their careers in any way.

Upon hearing this, the assistant said no more and quietly left the office.

Li Lehua stood up, stretched her arms, and a rare relaxed and happy smile appeared on her face.

These negative news stories are enough to give that guy surnamed Zhang a hard time, now...

Go home and sleep.

Just as she was about to put away her tablet, she suddenly saw a trending push notification with the headline: Breaking News! The official Weibo account of "Perfect Days" issues another statement.

Li Lehua paused in his hand movements, then clicked on the trending topics.

"As the controversy surrounding the production team of 'Perfect Days' for condoning Song Haoran's bullying of staff members escalates, the official Weibo account of the drama has responded again."

The statement is as follows:

"1. Except for the director, all the crew members of 'Perfect Days' came from the production company, Tianxi Media. It was Tianxi Media employees who condoned Song Haoran's bullying of company employees."

"2. The publicity staff member who used the official Weibo account of the TV series 'Perfect Days' to publish false information without authorization is actually the assistant director of the production team, from Tianxi Media. Note: The employment contract has not been terminated at present."

"3. As a co-producer, we are extremely disappointed by the condoning and indifference shown by the producer, Tianxi Media, in this bullying incident. We have now signed a transfer agreement to purchase the TV series copyright from Tianxi Media. Tianxi Media will no longer enjoy any rights related to the TV series."

"4. We will continue to complete the follow-up production of 'Perfect Days' and strive to meet the audience as soon as possible."

"5. Given the chaotic internal management of Tianxi Media and the questionable professionalism of its artists, we will permanently cease cooperation with Tianxi Media."

"..."

Finally, there's a photo of the transfer agreement.

As Li Lehua read the statement, the smile on his face vanished, replaced by unbelievable anger.

She slammed her fist hard on the tablet, and the screen instantly cracked with countless fissures, like a spider web.

"Zhang Wen, you bastard!" Li Lehua cursed through gritted teeth, his chest heaving violently with anger.

She thought that after seeing these negative comments, the other party would be busy spending money on public relations to suppress the news, but she didn't expect that the other party would stand up and fight back, and even put out the transfer agreement.

This not only shifts the responsibility for condoning bullying onto Tianxi Media, but also tells everyone that Tianxi Media has been kicked out.

She only spat twice at the food on the table when she left, but who would have thought that the other party would flip the table? Why doesn't she play by the rules?
“Secretary Hu!” Li Lehua shouted sternly.

Hearing the noise, Secretary Hu quickly pushed open the office door and entered. Seeing the boss's ferocious expression, she was so frightened that she didn't dare to breathe and asked in a trembling voice, "Mr. Li, what are your orders?"

Li Lehua pushed the shattered tablet computer over, pointed at it, and said, "Contact the PR team and have them suppress this statement. Also, remove it from the trending topics and make those influential figures stop talking. Immediately, right now, quick!"

Secretary Hu picked up the tablet and looked at it. Although it was covered with cracks, the contents of the statement were still clearly visible.

But as she read through each line, her face turned deathly pale…

"Mr. Li, this statement has already gone viral, and many media outlets are reposting it. I'm afraid... I'm afraid it will be very difficult to suppress," Secretary Hu said in a low voice.

"We have to suppress him, even if it's difficult, otherwise the company will become a laughing stock in the entire entertainment industry!" Li Lehua shouted. "Also, have the legal department ready. Since he dares to break the mask, then I'll play the same game with him."

"Mr. Li, what grounds should we file a lawsuit on?" Secretary Hu asked.

“So, I’ll just…” Li Lehua opened her mouth, but found that she couldn’t come up with a reason.

Several points in the other party's statement are true, and even if a lawsuit is filed, it will be of no use.

It turns out that lies crumble in the face of truth. Li Lehua clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white, and the office fell into a deathly silence because of her.

However, the internet became unusually lively at this time because of the statement from the official Weibo account of "Perfect Days".

Netizens then realized that, apart from Han Xiaohua, all the staff members in the crew came from Tianxi Media. In other words, it was actually their own people who condoned Song Haoran bullying their own people.

"Wow, this reversal happened way too fast! Has Tianxi Media shot itself in the foot?"

"No wonder the internet is talking about Song Haoran's bullying again, and even targeting the crew of 'Perfect Days'. It turns out that Tianxi Media has already been kicked out. This kind of revenge is too low-level, isn't it?"

"So it was Tianxi Media that caused all this trouble, and they didn't forget to smear us even after they left."

"I feel sorry for Director Han, and I feel sorry for the investors."

"When I saw the statement released by Tianxi Media a few days ago, I thought it was a responsible company. Now it seems they are really good at pretending."

As more and more people saw the statement, Tianxi Media's reputation plummeted. Numerous netizens flocked to Tianxi Media's official website and Weibo account, and the comment section was instantly flooded with angry condemnations, ultimately forcing Tianxi Media to close the comment section.

Li Lehua stood like a scarecrow in front of the office window, staring intently outside.

Despite being recognized as a strong woman in the entertainment industry, she appeared tired and haggard at this moment.

She read the statement over and over again, each line piercing her heart like a needle. She couldn't understand how she, after so many years in the entertainment industry, could be defeated by a young man, especially one who was her employee.

"Ring ring ring!"

The phone on the desk suddenly rang, interrupting Li Lehua's reverie.

She turned around and picked up her phone. When she saw the caller ID on the screen, her heart sank.

He is a shareholder of the company.

She didn't want to answer the call because she knew the caller's purpose, but she also knew that she couldn't escape the consequences of her actions.

After hesitating for a moment, she answered the phone.

"Chairman Zhao, it's so late, is there anything I can help you with?" Li Lehua asked softly, trying to make her voice sound as calm as possible.

"Li Lehua, what the hell are you doing?" A man roared from the microphone, his voice filled with anger. One could even imagine that if you were standing opposite him, you would be sprayed with spittle.

"Chairman Zhao, please calm down. Actually, this is just a misunderstanding, and we are dealing with it," Li Lehua said, offering a plausible excuse.

"A misunderstanding? Sending people to cause trouble on set, covering up the truth after something happened, sacrificing others to save the king after being exposed, withdrawing from the project and smearing others, and then being bitten back—is this what you call a misunderstanding?" Chairman Zhao coldly questioned.

Li Lehua was slightly taken aback. She hadn't expected the other party to know so much. Could it be that the other party had planted spies in the company?

Although the subsequent events are available online, netizens are unaware that Song Haoran was sent to the film crew by her.

Is it Liu Haiyang or Guo Yaoming?
Li Lehua shook his head. Thinking about these things now was useless. He should think about how to deal with Chairman Zhao first.

"Chairman Zhao, I admit I miscalculated this time, but things are not beyond repair. I have already instructed the public relations team to handle it urgently. Give me some time, and I will definitely give you a satisfactory explanation," Li Lehua said confidently.

"An explanation? I don't want an explanation, I want results!" Chairman Zhao said in a deep voice. "Two days from now, neither I nor the other shareholders want to see any more negative news about Tianxi Media online. If that's not possible, then we'll send someone to help you resolve it."

Li Lehua frowned; this was the last thing she wanted to hear.

The so-called sending someone over is nothing more than placing people in the company.

“Yes, Chairman Zhao, I guarantee that the interests of all shareholders will not be harmed,” Li Lehua said.

"Hmph, that's for the best." Zhao Tong snorted coldly and then hung up the phone.

Li Lehua leaned weakly against her desk. She knew that Chairman Zhao's words were not a threat. These shareholders had long wanted to place people in the company's important departments. If she could not come up with a solution within two days, her power as general manager would probably diminish.

It seems the only option is to seek help from those media moguls.

……

The next morning.

After finishing breakfast, Zhang Wen started getting dressed.

"Where are you going?" Bai Lu asked curiously after seeing her. Filming for "Perfect Days" had wrapped up, and she was planning to celebrate with her boyfriend after Sister Yue left.

“It’s Wednesday, of course I have to go to work,” Zhang Wen said naturally after hearing this.

"What? You're going to work?" Bai Lu left the dining table, went to her boyfriend, touched his forehead, then touched her own, and said in confusion, "Your temperature is normal, you don't have a fever. Have you gone crazy?"

"You're the one who's crazy! I'm just being dedicated to my job, okay?" Zhang Wen said, while reaching out and giving the other person's butt a hard squeeze as punishment.

"You just finished arguing with Li Lehua and then went to work. Aren't you afraid she'll kill you?" Gao Yue asked with a smile.

This isn't going to work; it's clearly a protest. They're being a bit reckless.

“I’m in the right, why would I be afraid of her? Besides, she attacked first, I was just defending myself.” Zhang Wen shrugged, looking completely innocent.

“You’re right, but she’s the boss. I think today might be your last day at Tianxi Media. If you really have to go, then cherish it. The coffee in the artist management department is pretty good; you can have a couple more cups.” After Bai Lu finished speaking, she suddenly thought of something.

If Zhang Wen is fired, he won't have to go to the company every day anymore, so wouldn't the two of them be able to be together all the time?
As Bai Lu thought about it, the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up, and at the same time he silently prayed in his heart: Li Lehua, Li Lehua, if you don't fire him, I will look down on you from now on.

"Hehe, if she dares to fire me, I'll post another Weibo message saying that Tianxi Media fired a bullied employee, and I'll definitely get criticized by netizens again," Zhang Wen said.

While others enjoy watching the drama unfold, he participates and doesn't mind the chaos.

"I see now, you're trying to drive Li Lehua to her death," Gao Yue said after hearing this.

"She made me spend so much more on public relations. If she doesn't compensate me, even if she's not furious, I'll make her sick to death." Zhang Wen straightened his clothes and looked at Bai Lu and Gao Yue, asking, "So, how about it? Are your men handsome?"

"Cool!" Bai Lu exclaimed loudly.

Gao Yue rolled her eyes.

Zhang Wen nodded, then turned and walked out.

I've been arguing with Li Lehua online for a while now, and today I can finally have a real-life confrontation with him.

I'm actually a little excited.

……

(End of this chapter)