Who said this top flow is crazy! This top flow is awesome!

Chapter 401 The pressure is not a contest of equals.
Ling Bingbing is a prime example of someone who worked her way up from humble beginnings to become a core member of the industry.

Therefore, she could endure what ordinary people could not. Even though she was the one who was actually drugged this time, she was still able to remain rational and advise Ikeno not to continue pursuing the matter.

Ikeno also came from the bottom, but the biggest difference between the two is that he rarely compromised along the way, which is why he is in his current situation.

"If it were you, would you just let it go like that?"

Chi Ye looked at Ling Bingbing. In this situation involving directly drugging someone to kill them, he really wanted to hear what this "senior" had to say.

Upon hearing this, Ling Bingbing was momentarily dazed before shaking her head with a wry smile: "Otherwise what?"

She countered with a question to Ikeno.

Chiye was silent.

“Ikeno, you’re doing better and better now, and you’re not alone anymore. If it were me, I might just swallow this anger.”

Ling Bingbing said, "This world will always make you suffer. If it's not this time, it will be next time. No one can escape it. I know that anyone would be furious in this situation, but..."

"No, I'm not as obsessed as you think."

Chino shook his head, paused, and then said, "But we really can't just let it go like this."

Ling Bingbing was taken aback. Seeing Chi Ye's firm attitude, she suddenly thought of something, lowered her head, and stopped trying to persuade Chi Ye.

Because she suddenly realized that this might be what made Chi Ye different from everyone else. In the past, he would never back down when faced with various struggles for interests, let alone this behavior that crossed the line.

If things stop here, Zhang Qing might get away unscathed, leaving only Yu Yan's agent to take the blame, and at most, Yu Yan herself, the unlucky guy, but it doesn't matter.

This was a preventative measure that General Manager Liu and Zhang Qing had devised in advance.

Will Ikeno let this opportunity to kill his opponent go?

Obviously not.

"To be honest, I feel a little guilty towards you."

Beside the hospital bed, Chi Ye looked at Ling Bingbing, who looked haggard. Her health was already poor, and this incident might make it even worse.

"...I'm fine. I've experienced this kind of thing a few times when I was younger. Actually, I have a very keen sense of smell. I just probably let my guard down this time...After all, I rarely encounter this kind of thing since I became famous."

Ling Bingbing smiled.

"Whether you are in trouble or not is your business, but I will pursue the matter to the end."

Chi Ye stood up: "If we can't make it in time for the publicity of 'Lurking,' then forget it and take good care of your health."

Ling Bingbing looked at him without saying anything.

"That's it, I'm leaving first."

"...Chiye."

Ling Bingbing sighed: "Be careful."

Ikeno glanced at her: "Tell the others to be careful."

Ling Bingbing: "..."

Ikeno left. His purpose in coming here was to clarify his stance. Of course, this wasn't entirely about attacking the opponent; more importantly, it was about development.

As the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot.

Even setting aside all personal grudges and affections, if he didn't deliver the finishing blow at a time like this, he wouldn't be Ikeno.

His attitude and tough stance quickly reached the ears of Wang Hui and his group through Ling Bingbing.

then……

Anger, dissatisfaction, and anxiety.

Various emotions were building up. Originally, Wang Hui had a somewhat conciliatory attitude towards Chi Ye, but Chi Ye's insistence on an explanation instantly lowered his opinion of him to the lowest level.

"What does he mean?"

"Are they trying to drag us all down with them?"

"What should we do now?"

late at night.

Wang Hui listened to the various discussions among the other Tencent Video executives at the table, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.

"This matter was reported to headquarters this morning. If they continue to pursue it, then it's very likely..."

Wang Hui's heart skipped a beat, and he looked at the executive who had spoken: "Aren't you one of the people involved in this?"

The executive was taken aback, his expression turning somewhat awkward.

"Humph."

Wang Hui snorted, then looked up at everyone: "It's probably impossible to hide it now. Headquarters will find out about this sooner or later. Knowing it now... might not be a bad thing."

Everyone was startled.

Isn't this a bad thing?

Once headquarters finds out, do you think these guys can escape?
Is a major reshuffle about to happen at Tencent Video? Who among you will survive?

Wang Hui glanced at everyone, his mood actually as pessimistic as theirs, but Chi Ye's current attitude made him see no hope.

In this case…

If we're having a hard time, you'll also pay the price.

We'll see who has the last laugh.

Wang Hui hardened his heart and prepared for the worst.

……

The aftermath of the incident is still building up and spreading in the shadows, but on the surface, the matter seems to have come to an end, and things are gradually returning to calm within the industry and on the internet.

Chi Ye didn't dwell on this matter; he visited Tao Cheng and Deng Ziman at the hospital several times in the past few days.

Both of them were in much better condition than Ling Bingbing.

After all, the medication hadn't taken effect yet when they went to the hospital, and Sister Liu wouldn't dare to actually administer any poison, so after their stomachs were pumped, the two of them were basically fine.

However, this incident also gave these two "newcomers" who had just become popular in the Chinese entertainment industry a lesson they would never forget.

Inside the hospital.

Shang Youshu and Shi Jinwei glanced at the two of them. After seeing off the two bosses' friends, Deng Ziman said with lingering fear, "It was so close. I felt like my life would have been ruined."

Tao Cheng remained silent. He had always prided himself on having been in the Chinese entertainment industry for a long time and experiencing all sorts of human relationships, but after this experience, he realized just how dirty and "dangerous" this circle really was.

"I heard that CEO Chi is going to go head-to-head with Tencent this time."

Deng Ziman was taken aback: "Huh?"

Tao Cheng was speechless for a moment, then rubbed his forehead: "Didn't you notice anything at all?"

"Uh…"

Deng Ziman blinked and said, "Of course I noticed... Are you surprised? I'm not surprised at all."

"Because that's the kind of person Brother Chi is, he will get justice for us."

Taocheng remained silent.

Thinking to herself, "Silly girl, President Chi might help us get justice while he's at it, but more likely he'll take this opportunity to completely eliminate these behemoth rivals... especially Yue Na. After this, Yue Na is basically dead."

Who will be left?

Is he the head of Tencent Video?
Can an artist really go this far?

"Didn't you think about the impact this will have on our company?" Deng Ziman looked at Tao Cheng: "Impact? What impact could it have? Brother Chi has never had a good relationship with them before."

"This time... is different."

This time is different.

Why did Ling Bingbing advise Chi Ye to give up?
Let alone an artist, even an ordinary person would definitely pursue the matter to the end if they encountered something that involved their personal safety. It's only right and reasonable that they would do so.

But if Chi Ye pursues this matter, Yue Na will be utterly destroyed, and Tencent Video will be powerless against him. It's possible that the biggest internal upheaval since the platform's inception will occur.

But what happens next?

Behind every penguin stands a unicorn.

Headquarters will absolutely not allow such a blatant stain to appear. They will stop it if they can, but if they can't... then will they just suffer this loss for nothing?

Chi Ye's company is doing well now, and he has gained a certain degree of influence and status in the Chinese entertainment industry.

His former rivals and adversaries can no longer have much of an impact on him; in fact, he can even turn the tables on them.

But what if this "rival" becomes a unicorn?
—Don't forget, this summer can no longer protect Chi Ye. With the passing of Grandpa Jin, many things have already changed.

Ikeno knew this, but he still didn't expect the "retribution" to come so quickly.

Perhaps it was his numerous Weibo posts, disregarding the "impact," that aroused great disgust among some people.

His idea was to not give the Plover penguin time to react... and that worked.

However, his success also shows that he put pressure on those bigwigs who supported accepting the penguin, and also amplified the negative public opinion.

A week after the incident escalated.

Chi Ye returned to the cast of "My Sassy Girl". About a month later, the first snow of the year arrived as scheduled. Kiwi has started promoting "The Silent Truth". The broadcast schedule for "Lurking" is also about to be finalized.

That day, a trending topic with the word "explosive" surged to the top of the trending search list.

Zhang Qing, the former head of Tencent Video, has officially stepped down, and news has since circulated that he was summoned for questioning by the authorities.

Rumors suddenly resurfaced in the long-dormant Chinese entertainment industry.

Everyone could vaguely sense that something unusual was about to happen.

really.

Just two days later, Chi Ye received a call from Mr. Gong of Kiwi Fruit: "There's been a problem with the review process for 'The Silent Truth,' so it might not be able to be released as scheduled."

Ikeno fell silent upon hearing this.

"Koike, I have something to say here."

Fearing that Chi Ye might misunderstand, General Manager Gong quickly explained, "We've been trying to communicate internally, and the higher-ups have given us a clear answer, but... do you understand what I mean? Sometimes it's difficult for us too, because we're not working alone; we're taking their money."

Ikeno nodded: "I know, you don't need to explain."

Mr. Gong opened his mouth, then sighed.

He didn't know how to persuade Chi Ye, but this was an unfair "duel." Kiwi was backed by another giant, and this giant was a competitor of Tencent. However, the leaders of the two companies were also friends for many years. For people of their level, this little squabble in the entertainment industry was nothing.

All they need to do is communicate with each other, and if Tencent headquarters arranges a collaboration, everything will be resolved.

The premise is whether they are willing or not. Obviously, the headquarters is really angry this time because this incident has caused a huge stain on the company—internal group “criminal offenses”. What is the nature of this? And how serious is it?

This has never been a contest on the same level from the beginning. If the old man were still alive, perhaps they wouldn't have done this, but now...

“Take my advice and stop stubbornly resisting. We can’t afford to fight them. With your abilities and connections, if you just give in a little, I believe they will definitely not continue like this. After all, doing this is a waste of resources for them.”

Chi Ye: "I know Mr. Gong, no need to say more."

After a long pause, Mr. Gong said, "But don't worry, the project is still going strong. We'll modify the content according to the requirements first, and then we'll talk on the phone if there's any further news."

"Ah."

Chi Ye hung up the phone, then thought for a moment and dialed his boss's number.

After a long while, no one answered the phone.

He didn't keep dialing; not answering the phone at that moment itself implied something.

He didn't try calling anyone else, including his grandmother and future father-in-law. He was waiting. Online streaming platforms were easier to influence, but what about television stations?
What will happen on the mango side?
In terms of the "sensitivity" of the subject matter, "Lurking" is not much worse than "The Silent Truth," and may even be a bit worse, since that ending is rare in all spy dramas.

……

at the same time.

In a certain department, the leader paced back and forth in his office, occasionally picking up the phone to glance at it before putting it down, his expression conflicted.

The reason he didn't answer Chi Ye's call earlier wasn't because he didn't want to, but because he received the news earlier than Chi Ye. After all, these tasks were in the same department as his, and he had tried them before, but the results weren't so good.

He doesn't know the answer or the solution either, so it's better not to accept the offer.

As for the final solution...

The leader stopped in his tracks, his expression turning hesitant and uncertain once again—should he call a certain bigwig who had initially admired Chi Ye? Now that things had escalated to this point, he felt he should make the call.

To be honest, this might seem like a trivial matter to that person. But making that call could change how he is perceived by his superiors. After all, always "complaining" about things, especially going over someone else's head, can easily give the impression of incompetence.

Thinking of this, the leader sighed.

If only Jinzhao could be of help now, but alas... the old man is no longer here.

……

after one day.

After finishing filming, Takeshi Ikeno finally received a call from Hunan TV.

"Hey?"

He was prepared for the worst.

On the other end of the phone, the former director of "See You" and now Chi Ye's strongest connection at Hunan TV, paused for two seconds before saying, "It won't affect our TV station, don't worry."

Hearing this, Chi Ye laughed: "Damn it, you came all this way just to tell me this?"

"You're talking so heavily."

"I just wanted to see if you ever feel scared."

The director laughed, then became quite serious: "But this time I'm under a lot of pressure... you know what I mean?"

"The success of 'Lurking' will definitely be worth the pressure you face."

"That's not what I'm talking about."

Ikeno remained silent: "Other aspects will also match up."

The director nodded in satisfaction, then said seriously, "I watched the whole movie all night. It was because I watched the whole movie that I made this decision. So, I'm very satisfied with it, and my judgment is the same as yours."

Chino glanced at him sideways: "I'll give you a discount on your next variety show appearance fee."

"...No need for that, I can't afford to hire you right now even with a discount."

The director chuckled and said, "Don't get too worked up. The internet is the internet, and TV is TV. Besides, we're the ones who've been wronged, so we're not afraid of this... We're waiting for your good news."

"Oh."

Ikeno hung up the phone and relaxed.

It was just one project, and a sensitive one at that, that had some content restricted during the review process, while everything else remained unaffected. This outcome far exceeded his expectations.

That's good enough... As for the rest, let's see if this "historical" epic, "Lurking," can "reach the heavens."

(End of this chapter)