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

Chapter 425 Plague God?

Zhang Wen drove to the company, and the moment he stepped into the training department, the entire office area fell silent.

The lively chatter abruptly stopped, smiles froze on everyone's faces, and the world seemed to have been paused at that moment.

It took a good six or seven seconds for the employees in the office area to come to their senses. Some lowered their heads and pretended to organize documents, while others quickly looked away and avoided eye contact. No one dared to meet his gaze, as if his eyes, like Medusa's eyes, possessed some kind of magic, capable of making anyone pregnant by looking at them or causing anyone to miscarry by glaring at them.

"...!"

Zhang Wen originally wanted to greet them, but after seeing how everyone avoided him, he slowly lowered his hand and walked straight towards the practice room.

As his figure disappeared around the corner, the quiet office area was once again filled with murmurs, but the subject of the conversation had changed.

"Why is Teacher Zhang here?"

"I heard that filming for the TV series has already wrapped up."

"How dare he come to the company? He offended the boss, isn't he afraid of being retaliated against?"

"What's there to be afraid of? Teacher Zhang isn't short of money. He can earn millions just by writing a song. At worst, he can quit. Unlike us, who are like cattle, we dare not fight back when we're hit or talk back when we're insulted."

"That's true, but Mr. Zhang went all out this time, pushing Tianxi Media directly into the eye of the storm. Now netizens are criticizing the company, and our competitors are laughing at us. How do you think President Li will punish Mr. Zhang?"

"I don't know. They've already fallen out, so he'll probably be fired."

"..."

Zhang Wen's hearing is far beyond that of ordinary people; even when he is far away, he can still hear what his colleagues are saying.

It seems everyone already knows about his online argument with Li Lehua.

That makes sense. The TV series has finished filming, the crew has disbanded, and the staff have returned to work. I guess his ruthless deeds have already spread throughout the company. Otherwise, how could he live up to the name 'media'?
Furthermore, while outsiders may not know who the victim in the bullying video is, the training department staff certainly do. Even if they only see his back or profile, they can recognize him at a glance. This explains why everyone avoids him like the plague when they see him.

"Teacher Zhang?"

Zhang Wen hadn't gone far when he saw Sun Chengcheng come out of a practice room. When she saw him, her eyes were full of surprise, and then she quickly walked over.

"Good morning." Zhang Wen greeted the other person with a smile, not expecting that someone would dare to approach him.

"Good morning!" Sun Chengcheng replied, then asked gossipily, "Is it really the TV series transfer agreement you signed with the company?"

"Mm." Zhang Wen nodded.

Yesterday, when I signed the agreement with Liu Haiyang, many people on set saw it; it wasn't a secret.

"So, you're the one who issued the statement online using the official Weibo account of the TV series?" Sun Chengcheng asked in surprise, her eyes wide.

"It's me, isn't that awesome?"

"Awesome, truly awesome!"

As Sun Chengcheng spoke, she gave a thumbs up.

She had always felt that there might be some misunderstanding, since Teacher Zhang was an employee of Tianxi Media, but she never expected it to be true.

An employee dared to challenge the company and even publicly criticize it; their audacity is astounding.

“Everyone sees me as a plague god now. Aren’t you afraid of being seen getting so close to me and having it reach the ears of the director or the boss?” Zhang Wen asked jokingly.

“I don’t know if you’re a plague god, but to me, you’re a god of wealth,” Sun Chengcheng said, then looked indifferent. “So what if I see you? I’ll just quit my job and become a full-time teacher at your place.”

She earned more working part-time at the art exam training center than she did at Tianxi Media, and it was much easier for her.

If she had to choose between the two, she would choose the former without hesitation.

So what if it's a big company?
For working people, earning more money is the key.

"Haha, it's settled then. I'll pay for your social insurance and housing fund later." Zhang Wen said with a smile, "Alright, I'm not chatting anymore. I'm going to check out the practice room."

"Okay, see you later." Sun Chengcheng waved and walked towards the office area.

Zhang Wen walked through the corridor and soon saw practice room number 9.

Compared to the usual long queues outside, today the area was deserted and very quiet.

what's the situation?
Zhang Wen was slightly taken aback.

Is it because he offended the boss that no one is worshipping the deity he invited?
Are those trainees worshipping for their own ideals and desires, or are they worshipping to put on a show for him?

No wonder many people's skill points remain unchanged; they lack sincerity.

Zhang Wen pushed open the door and walked into practice room number 9, where the familiar scent of sandalwood wafted towards him.

The room wasn't empty; eight trainees were holding incense sticks and bowing towards the portraits of deities hanging on the wall.

The incense burner, which is usually full of incense sticks, now only has a dozen or so bundles. With only three minutes left before work starts, no one should be coming.

Zhang Wen looked at the eight trainees and found that they were all among those with relatively high skill points.

It seems that they attributed their improved skills to Wenqu Xingjun (the God of Literature), believing it to be very effective and useful, which is why they persisted in coming here.

"Hello, Teacher Zhang." After offering incense, a trainee saw Zhang Wen and immediately bowed to greet him.

"Good morning. The monthly exam is in a few days. Good luck, I believe in you," Zhang Wen encouraged.

"Thank you, Teacher Zhang," the trainee said excitedly, then left the practice room with a happy smile.

Eight trainees left one after another, and soon only Zhang Wen was left.

He picked up a bundle of incense from the side, lit it, and bowed three times to the portrait of his ancestor.

“Ancestor, I really didn’t expect to implicate you, but don’t worry, I will definitely have more people offer incense to you in the future.”

After having a heart-to-heart talk with the ancestor, Zhang Wen turned to leave the practice room, but just as he was about to open the door, it was pushed open from the outside.

"Good morning, Director Xu. Are you here to offer incense too?" Zhang Wen asked curiously.

"Why are you burning incense? I have something to ask you." Xu Qingyu closed the door to the practice room and asked with a serious expression, "I'm asking you, did you post that Weibo post criticizing the company's internal management as chaotic and the artists' professional ethics as questionable?"

"It's me," Zhang Wen answered decisively.

When Xu Qingyu saw that the other party had actually admitted it, her brows furrowed immediately, and she said with a tone of disappointment, "How could you say that? Do you know how serious these words are? The whole company is in an uproar. You've not only offended everyone, but you're also pushing the company into a fire pit. Teacher Zhang, I've always had high hopes for you, but I didn't expect you to be so immature. You've disappointed me so much."

He finished speaking and let out a deep sigh. Faced with the accusations, Zhang Wen neither panicked nor got angry. They had different perspectives, so he completely understood the other person's feelings at that moment.

"Director Xu, am I wrong? Which part of the statement released last night is problematic?" Zhang Wen countered.

"But, but couldn't you resolve this privately? Why did you have to make it known to the entire internet? You're also an employee of Tianxi Media. What good will it do you if the company's reputation is damaged?" Xu Qingyu's voice rose a few decibels.

“Of course there are benefits.” Zhang Wen said after hearing this, “I am now the co-producer of the TV series ‘Perfect Days’, which means I am an investor. Its success or failure is closely related to me. If someone wants to ruin this TV series and ruin my investment, of course I have to stand up and fight back.”

“You, you can just talk to President Li and clear up the misunderstanding, right?” Xu Qingyu said.

“President Li never intended to talk to me,” Zhang Wen said calmly.

"..."

Xu Qingyu was speechless for a moment, her mouth agape for a long time but she couldn't utter a rebuttal.

How could she not feel that President Li had gone too far this time?

But Li Lehua is the company's boss, and she is the company's training director. Naturally, she has to protect the company's interests, otherwise wouldn't she be betraying her own company?

"Ugh!"

Xu Qingyu finally let out a deep sigh, her tone softening somewhat, "President Li is waiting for you in her office. She's in a very bad mood. You... take care of yourself."

"Thank you." Zhang Wen nodded, then opened the door and walked out of the practice room.

Xu Qingyu looked at the back of the man on the left and shook her head helplessly. The man looked like he was going to a trap he was sure to win, but he didn't seem scared at all.

Young people these days are so hard to understand.

As Zhang Wen left the training department, the place fell silent, as if it had a built-in silencing function. His colleagues along the way either lowered their heads and pretended to be busy or turned around and left.

The elevator doors slowly opened, and everyone inside showed surprise upon seeing him. They all unconsciously stepped back, making room for him in the crowded elevator.

Zhang Wen walked in, turned around, and the elevator doors slowly closed, revealing his handsome yet calm face reflected in the gleaming metal doors.

I pressed the button for the 23rd floor and then waited quietly for the elevator to go up.

The people in the elevator remained motionless, not daring to even breathe, especially when they saw Zhang Wen press the button for the 23rd floor, which shocked them greatly, as that was the floor where the general manager's office was located.

what's the situation?
Is Teacher Zhang going to see General Manager Li?
Could it be that they feel online battles aren't enough and are planning an offline showdown?
The elevator slowly came to a stop; it was on the 15th floor.

The person standing outside originally intended to enter the elevator, but upon seeing Zhang Wen standing inside, immediately stopped in their tracks, and with a "clatter," the documents in their hands fell to the ground.

"You guys go first, I'll wait for the next one."

After saying that, he squatted down to pick up the documents.

The elevator doors closed again, stopping twice more midway, but no one got in or out.

After walking and stopping frequently, we finally arrived at the 23rd floor.

As the elevator doors opened, Zhang Wen stepped out.

The remaining people breathed a heavy sigh of relief. It had been so stressful that they had even forgotten to get off the elevator. But after regaining their senses, they were filled with curiosity again, wondering what would be the outcome for Teacher Zhang, who had just fought against President Li.

The floor where the general manager's office was located was very quiet, so quiet that Zhang Wen could hear his own footsteps.

"Teacher Zhang, President Li is waiting for you inside." Secretary Hu put on a standard professional fake smile when he saw the person who came in, but his eyes were particularly cold.

Zhang Wen seemed not to hear him and reached out to push open the heavy wooden door.

Li Lehua was the only person in the office. She stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, and the sunlight shone through the glass, casting a long shadow on her.

Zhang Wen ignored Li Lehua, who was posing by the window, and went straight to the reception area to sit down. The sofa under his bottom was just the right firmness and elasticity, making it very comfortable to sit on.

"You actually dared to come." Li Lehua slowly turned around, her exquisite makeup unable to conceal the bloodshot eyes, clearly indicating she hadn't slept all night.

"Mr. Li, you're joking. You're not some old monster, why would I dare not come?" Zhang Wen said with a smile.

"Stop joking around with me!" Li Lehua said coldly, "What did you mean by that statement you issued? Co-producer? When did you become a co-producer?"

"The transfer agreement clearly states in black and white that Tianxi Media voluntarily withdrew, and I legally acquired the project rights. It even has my own signature on it," Zhang Wen said after hearing this.

Li Lehua walked up to Zhang Wen, glared at him fiercely, and said through gritted teeth, "You did this on purpose. You wanted to take over this project from the very beginning, didn't you?"

She thought about it for a long time last night, and felt that something was very strange about it.

"Mr. Li, you're wronging me! Everything I've done is for the company!"

Zhang Wen said earnestly, "Song Haoran flipped the table on set, causing a huge uproar online, with the blame pointing directly at the production crew. At that time, I thought that the crew members were all employees of the company. If the extras were exposed, it would definitely implicate the company. If I could spend 30 million to take over this mess from the company, wouldn't the company be able to extricate itself from the situation? My loyalty to the company is beyond question."

Li Lehua glared angrily, her chest heaving violently. She was utterly disgusted by the other person's words. If she hadn't been starving last night and this morning, she probably would have vomited long ago.

"Bullshit! If you were thinking of the company, why would you issue that kind of statement last night?" Li Lehua asked, glaring at him.

"That's because the company broke my heart." Zhang Wen said, clutching his chest. "I was thinking of the company's interests, but instead of appreciating it, the company turned around and stabbed me in the back. Everything I did was just to protect myself. Maybe this is what they call a love-hate relationship."

The implication is: Don't think I don't know who hired online trolls to stir up trouble last night. If you want to ruin "Perfect Days," then you'll have to pay the price.

Li Lehua was so angry at these blatant lies that she trembled with rage. It truly lived up to Zhuge Liang's words: "I have never seen such a shameless person."

He even started acting with her here.

"Love-hate relationship? Have you no shame?" Li Lehua pointed to the office door, angrily shouting, "Get out of Tianxi Media right now! I don't want to see you for another second!"

Zhang Wen slowly stood up, nodded and said, "No problem, but Mr. Li, don't be angry. You are the general manager of Tianxi Media. You should be more open-minded instead of getting caught up in trivial matters and letting them escalate into big problems that get out of control."

"go out!"

"Alas, I offered my heart to the bright moon, but the bright moon shines on the gutter. Since Mr. Li doesn't like me, then I'll leave. Oh, and don't forget to pay the penalty for breach of contract."

Zhang Wen turned and left the office, muttering to himself as he walked.

"Tianxi Media firing the bullied employee, it will definitely be a sensation online."

"..."

(End of this chapter)