Rebirth of Chinese Entertainment, starting with the strategy of 95 flowers to counterattack

Chapter 145 Gu Yang's Counterattack (Part 2)
Gu Yang leaned back lazily on the sofa, but his eyes were like a wolf eyeing its prey: "So how do we negotiate? You teach me?"

Dilraba took a deep breath, turned and walked towards the door, but turned back as she grasped the doorknob: "Gu Yang."

"Ok?"

“If I agree to cooperate,” she said softly, “what kind of relationship would we have?”

Gu Yang's gaze was intense: "What kind of relationship do you want?"

Reba didn't answer, she just gently closed the door.

……

When Reba returned to the hotel and opened the door, she was surprised to see her mother sitting at a small table by the window, peeling a pomegranate.

Bright red pomegranate seeds piled up like a small mountain in a white porcelain bowl; these are the sweetest kind from her hometown of Kashgar.

“Mom? What’s wrong…” Reba stood frozen at the door.

"The room key was given to me by your assistant." The mother didn't look up and continued peeling the pomegranate. "The last time I saw you was 314 days ago, at the VIP channel of Jiangnan Airport. I was pulled away by my agent after exchanging less than three sentences."

Reba then noticed the calendar on the bedside table.

Each date was crossed out with an X, continuing until today, December 16th.

Her nose suddenly stung with tears as she remembered the last time she went home was before she signed the contract in 2014, when her grandmother could still get off the kang (a heated brick bed) and bake naan for her.

The mother finally looked up, her gaze sweeping over the dark circles under her eyes: "Has Jiaxing bought out your life? It's been three years, and you're even filming commercials for Eid al-Adha."

Rough fingers picked up a pomegranate seed. "Yesterday I took the bus to your company, and the receptionist said you were in Hengdian. When I got to Hengdian, they said you were filming a variety show..."

“Ana,” Reba rushed over and grabbed her mother’s hand, “You’re taking the bus by yourself again? Beijing is so big…”

"What are you afraid of?" Her mother pulled her hand away, suddenly lifting her sleeve to reveal bruises on her arm from being suspended by wires. "Is this how they made you famous?"

Reba opened her mouth, remembering what Gu Yang had said that evening.

Those details she had deliberately ignored suddenly became clear: she was required to go into the water when she had a high fever of 40 degrees Celsius while filming "Hot Girl", and she only slept 3 hours a day during the filming of "Pride and Prejudice"...

Reba gazed at the night outside the window, her fingertips unconsciously stroking a pomegranate, her voice so soft it was almost a soliloquy: "Ana, I met someone today..."

She suddenly turned around, her eyes sparkling in the dim light: "He said he could help me leave Jiaxing and start my own studio!"

The mother stopped peeling the pomegranate; the room was so quiet that the hum of the hotel air conditioner could be heard.

"But..." Dilraba's voice trailed off, her fingers twisting the hem of her clothes, "The penalty for breach of contract is five hundred million..."

"Five hundred million?" The mother gasped, blurting out in Uyghur, "They're going to chew you up to pieces!"

Reba suddenly squatted down, resting her head on her mother's lap like she did when she was a child: "He said... he said he could help me find a way."

Her voice trembled with uncertainty, "Although I don't know what the best solution is..."

Her mother's rough hands stroked her long hair: "My little lark, do you know what Grandma said before she left?"

Her voice suddenly choked up, "She said her biggest regret was not being able to see you dance on your own stage."

Tears welled up in Reba's eyes instantly. She remembered the fresh soil on the grave that her fingertips touched when she rushed back to her hometown after filming wrapped.

The agent kept checking her watch: "Dilraba, we need to hurry, we have to fly to Shanghai tonight for a brand event..."

"I want to try!" She suddenly looked up, tears still clinging to her eyelashes, but her voice was unusually firm, "Even if... even if I end up falling hard..."

The mother remained silent for a long time, so long that the neon lights outside the window changed color.

Finally, she placed her hand heavily on her head, warm from the tandoor oven: "My Ayinur, an eagle would rather starve than eat meat from chains."

"Go ahead and make a scene. At worst, we'll just go back to our hometown."

……

November 12, 17 a.m.

Galaxy Media's operations command center was brightly lit.

Gu Yang stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the city that had just awakened.

His slender fingers tapped lightly on the tempered glass, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"Are all departments ready?" he asked without turning his head.

"Reporting to President Gu, all 127 accounts are ready." The operations director's voice rang out from behind. "From entertainment gossip to financial analysis, from legal interpretation to scoops from ordinary people, all teams are ready."

Gu Yang turned around and glanced at the team in the conference room who were on high alert.

On the large screen, real-time data from the three major platforms, Douyin, Weibo, and Zhihu, is displayed.

“Let’s begin,” he said softly, his voice carrying an undeniable authority.

With the order issued, a meticulously planned media storm officially began.

The entertainment industry's watchdog account was the first to strike.

This top entertainment account with 1200 million followers posted a video titled "15-Year Contract! Dilraba's Original Contract Exposed for the First Time".

In the image, a blurred contract is displayed page by page, with key clauses highlighted in bright red boxes:
Contract term: 15 years

"Penalty for breach of contract: 5 million RMB"

The company has the right to adjust the artists' work arrangements unconditionally.

The video is set to a somber piano piece, accompanied by a heavy voice-over narration: "This is the contract signed between popular actress Dilraba and Jiaxing Media. A 15-year servitude contract, a staggering 5 million yuan penalty for breach of contract—is this an agency contract or a modern-day slave contract?"

This video surpassed one million views within ten minutes of being posted on Douyin, and countless people began to share it. The comment section was instantly flooded with angry fans:

"This is blatant manipulation!"

"Sister Dilraba, run!"

"Jiaxing, die!"

"Unbelievable, is this really true?"

Following this, the entertainment news site with 800 million followers released a second major video:
"Comparison of Newcomer Resources at Jiaxing: A Company-wide Record of Reba Milk".

The video uses a contrasting editing technique. On the left is a scene of Dilraba falling asleep from exhaustion on the set of "Eternal Love," while on the right are reports of newcomers such as Wang Yifei frequently appearing in fashion magazines.

"This is Jiaxing's star-making model." The video narration pointed out sharply, "The leading actresses work tirelessly to support the entire company, while newcomers reap the benefits. No wonder Dilraba hasn't had a single day off in three years; she's been working for the whole company!"

This video is even more shockingly damaging.

Not only were Dilraba's fans outraged, but even passersby began to speak out in her defense.

The hashtag #RebaMilkCompany# quickly climbed to the top of the trending topics list.

Gu Yang picked up his coffee and turned his gaze to another screen.

Legal blogger Uncle Fashan, who has 500 million followers, is live-streaming his analysis of the legal issues surrounding Dilraba's contract.

According to Article 151 of the Civil Code, if a contract is manifestly unfair, the parties have the right to request its modification or rescission.

Uncle Fashan pushed up his glasses and pointed to the legal provisions on the screen, saying, "A 15-year contract term and a 5 million penalty for breach of contract are far beyond what is reasonable."

Meanwhile, the analysis video "Jiaxing's Gambling Crisis: Zeng Jia Cashes Out 1.2 Million Yuan, But Artists' Profits Are Deducted" released by financial blogger Financial Detective also caused a stir in the financial circle.

The video provides a detailed analysis of Jiaxing Media's financial situation, pointing out that the company is willing to sacrifice the interests of its artists under pressure to fulfill performance-based agreements.

But the most devastating blow came from several amateur accounts.

An account claiming to be a former intern at Jiaxing posted a secretly filmed video showing Zeng Jia's office drawer filled with lawyer's letters from artists terminating their contracts.

Another video clip released by a Hengdian extra shows that Dilraba was asked to film a rain scene despite having a high fever of 39 degrees Celsius.

These "insider revelations" sparked even greater outrage online due to their authenticity.

The comments from netizens poured in like a tidal wave:

"Check Jiaxing Tax Bureau!"

"Yang Mi, terminate your contract immediately! Dilraba, terminate your contract immediately!"

"Is Gu Yang's studio still hiring?"

Gu Yang looked at the real-time feedback from the data backend and nodded in satisfaction.

The hashtag #YagiExploitsCelebrities# has garnered over 2.1 million views.

#Dilraba's 15-year contract# remains the top trending topic, and even #Yang Mi's bet is rising rapidly.

Jiaxing Media's official account was instantly flooded with negative comments, with its latest promotional video receiving over 50 negative reviews.

Fans also launched a spontaneous reporting campaign, and a long article titled "A Guide to Reporting Jiaxing Tax Bureau by 10,000 People" posted by Dilraba's top fan, @GuardianDidi, was widely shared.

Yang Mi's fans were also drawn into the fray.

The Bee Assault Team was confused and had always felt indignant because their older sister had fewer shares in the company.

Now that's great, their emotions have been stirred up, and they're even more excited than the Alices.

They started enthusiastically sharing the topic.

#JiaxingGivesBackMySister'sYouth# quickly became a trending topic.

The memes used by passersby further fueled this online battle, pushing it to its climax.

"I suggest checking out Jia Xing; it doesn't seem like he's acting."

Yang Mi: I support the newcomers, the newcomers support the company, and the company supports Zeng Jia.

December 17th, 12:00 noon
The Weibo trending topics list suddenly exploded.

The hashtag #Dilraba's team officially sues Jiaxing Media# shot to the top of the charts at lightning speed, followed by a deep red "hot" sign.

The server crashed again, but was restored after half an hour.

Dilraba Studio's official Weibo account released a statement: "Regarding Jiaxing Media's long-term and serious breach of contract, we have formally filed an arbitration application with the Yanjing Arbitration Commission."

The statement specifically emphasized two core demands:

Firstly, there is the controversy surrounding the revenue sharing of "Three Lives Three Worlds, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms".

The statement pointed out: "According to the contract, when the online viewership of the drama exceeds 300 billion, the artist should receive 15% of the net profit, which is about 2850 million yuan."

However, Jiaxing only paid 800 million yuan and refused to provide complete financial statements.

Secondly, regarding the commitment to high-quality resources.

The statement accused: "The contract clearly stipulates that the artist will be given at least one high-quality film opportunity every year, but in the past three years, only low-budget works such as '21 Carats' have been arranged, which seriously violates the spirit of the contract."

The statement was accompanied by the acceptance receipt from the Beijing Arbitration Commission and the property preservation ruling from the Horgos Court.

This carefully worded yet subtly sharp statement was like a depth charge, instantly creating a huge uproar in the entertainment industry.

(End of this chapter)