Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 267 Quarrel

A bustling scene unfolded in the dormitory on the second floor of the Tangren Xiaobailou building in Hengdian.

"Please put my computer there for me! Thank you!"

Liu Shishi, dressed in a cool summer outfit, was directing the staff installing computers.

The computer she originally had in her company dormitory was a bit outdated and would lag when playing games, so she bought a new one while she was filming in Hengdian.

The brand-new computer, with its metallic sheen and large, clear screen, was clearly very valuable. The staff were carefully installing it.

Assistants Jiang Yuanyuan and Lin Xia helped organize things and clean up. The First Sister's dormitory had been empty for quite some time and needed to be tidied up.

Just then, Yuan Hong, who had heard the news, came over for a visit: "Shishi, why are you at the company in the middle of summer?"

"I'm filming a movie! It's Hu Ge's 'The Myth,' I'll be making a cameo appearance in a few episodes."

Seeing that Yuan Hong looked radiant and much more energetic than before, the eldest sister knew it was because of her healthy glow and asked with a smile, "Old Yuan, you've made quite a bit of money lately, haven't you?"

Yuan Hong scratched the back of her head and chuckled, "I did a few commercial performances and made a little money. It's not like you and Lao Hu, who both have new endorsement deals coming in."

After the huge success of "Chinese Paladin 3", he, the third male lead, also benefited from the popularity. In the past ten days or so, he has taken on a lot of commercial performances, earning some hard-earned money. His wallet is gradually getting fuller, and he is naturally very happy.

"Take it slow. Popularity is built up little by little."

Yuan Hong nodded: "I am content with what I have now."

Since playing the male lead in "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" and gaining some popularity with "Chinese Paladin 3", he has become much more at peace lately and is no longer as resentful as before.

Have you taken on any new roles recently?

"I recently took on a supporting role in the period comedy 'The Divine Doctor Da Dao Gong,' and I'll be going to the set in a few days."

While the two were chatting, Hu Ge also arrived at Sister Yi's dormitory: "Sister K is looking for us, let's go together."

When the three of them arrived at the office on the first floor, Cai Yinong was looking at a document with a happy expression. Upon seeing the Tangren Trio, he warmly greeted them and asked them to sit down.

"I have some good news to share with you." Cai Yinong didn't keep you in suspense and said happily, "I've landed a big deal, an endorsement for a game called 'Fantasy Zhu Xian,' a new game developed by Tengda Group."

"You invited me too?" Yuan Hong pointed to herself, somewhat incredulous, and asked impatiently.

Cai Yinong nodded affirmatively and began to explain in detail: "Of course, to be precise, we invited all six main actors from 'Chinese Paladin 3' to be our spokespeople."

Hu Ge, Yang Mi, and Shi Shi each received two million yuan for their endorsements, while the other three each received one million yuan.

Hu Ge glanced at the top female star and joked with a smile, "Tengda is really generous, spending 900 million yuan at once."

Game endorsements are almost always one-off deals; they shoot a few commercials and that's it. The endorsement fees are indeed easy to earn.

Yuan Hong was overjoyed. After deducting the company's share, she received 60 yuan before tax, making another big profit.

"I called you all over here to coordinate the shooting schedule for the advertisement. The advertisement for 'Fantasy Zhu Xian' should be shot in mid-August. Actually, it's mainly to accommodate Yang Mi's schedule."

Upon hearing K mention her girlfriend, Hu Ge asked with concern, "What's wrong with Mimi?"

“Her contract with Rong Xinda is about to expire, and she wants to wait until she signs a contract with Tengda Culture before accepting this endorsement. She doesn’t want to be ripped off by Rong Xinda.”

Cai Yinong's lips twitched slightly as she spoke, her anger simmering with nowhere to vent; she had been taken advantage of again.

However, Yang Mi went to Tengda Culture to find a powerful backer, and because of Hu Ge and Liu Shishi's influence, she couldn't make a scene and could only swallow her anger.

Yuan Hong quickly replied, "I have time recently."

“I’m fine with that too. I can always coordinate my schedule for shooting commercials with the ‘Myth’ production team.”

Finally, the eldest sister said: "I'm also in the 'Myth' crew, so I'll go with Mimi's suggestion."

Tsai Yi-nong nodded in agreement: "Let's arrange it like this for now. I'll reply to Tenda that we'll shoot the commercial in mid-August."

As soon as she finished speaking, she waved for the three of them to leave so as not to delay her work.

She, the president of Tangren Media, has been extremely busy lately. Filming for "The Weaver Girl" has wrapped up, and she needs to oversee the subsequent production. She also needs to worry about the approval process for the next new drama.

With the huge success of "Chinese Paladin 3," negotiations are underway with other TV stations for second and third run broadcasts, keeping them constantly busy.

The three of them left the office. Liu Shishi was in high spirits, showing off her newly bought computer: "Old Hu, Old Yuan, wanna play games?"

"No, Mimi is filming 'Beauty's Rival in Palace' in Hengdian. I'll go visit her on set later."

"MiMi's in Hengdian too? I'll go with you. What about you, Lao Yuan?"

Yuan Hong shrugged and spread her hands: "I have something to do. I need to discuss the promotion of 'The Weaver Girl' with Li Chengyuan, so I won't be going. Please give my regards."

The summer sun was shining brightly. Outside the set of "Beauty's Rival in Palace," Hu Ge and Liu Shishi, along with their respective assistants and bags of snacks and drinks, came to visit Yang Mi.

When the staff at the entrance of the film crew saw that it was Tangren's top male and female stars who were currently very popular visiting the set, they happily led the group into the film crew.

"Teachers, just keep walking along this road and you'll reach the rest area. Teacher Yang Mi is there. I have responsibilities to fulfill, so I won't see you in."

As the stagehand spoke, he respectfully pointed in the direction, his face beaming with smiles.

"Thank you," Hu Ge replied, then instructed her assistant to go with the stagehands to distribute drinks and snacks, while she and Liu Shishi headed straight for the rest area.

Upon entering the film set, as they approached the rest area, Hu Ge spotted Yang Mi in the distance. He was about to rush over to surprise his girlfriend when he saw that Yang Mi was accompanied by a man, and the two were chatting and laughing intimately.

The man leaned slightly closer to Yang Mi and said something, while Yang Mi covered her mouth and chuckled, looking cheerful.

Liu Shishi also saw the situation in the distance, and her heart skipped a beat, realizing something was wrong.

She subconsciously glanced at Hu Ge, and just as she expected, the First Brother stood still, his brows furrowed, his face full of displeasure.

A hint of anger and disappointment flashed in his eyes, and he clenched his fists tightly, as if trying to suppress his inner emotions.

After standing there stunned for a long while, Hu Ge finally managed to utter a few words through gritted teeth: "Shishi, since we're already here, let's go over and say hello."

Taking a deep breath and trying to calm herself, she strode towards the rest area. Liu Shishi stuck out her tongue, secretly lamenting how she had ended up in this situation. But since it was already happened, she could only hurry and catch up with Lao Hu.

Yang Mi was dressed in Han Dynasty women's clothing, with her jet-black hair tied up, and she looked youthful and beautiful.

He was laughing at Feng Shaofeng's series of jokes when he suddenly caught a glimpse of Hu Ge and Liu Shishi walking towards him out of the corner of his eye. His smile vanished abruptly, and a hint of panic flashed in his eyes.

Seeing her boyfriend's expressionless face, Hu Ge instantly realized that she must have witnessed what had just happened to be acting this way, and that she must have misunderstood.

Hu Ge approached Yang Mi and gazed at his girlfriend, with whom he had developed feelings during filming but had spent little time together. He felt a mix of emotions: "Mi Mi, Shi Shi and I came to visit the set. Did we disturb you?"

Hearing her boyfriend's slightly annoyed words, Yang Mi had no choice but to lower her head and ease the atmosphere.

She forced a smile and said softly, "Of course not, welcome! Let me introduce you, this is Mr. Feng Shaofeng, a friend I just met on set."

She specifically emphasized "just met" and "friends" to tell Hu Ge that she and Feng Shaofeng had only known each other for a short time on set and were just ordinary friends, so as to remind her boyfriend not to overthink it.

Feng Shaofeng was obviously unaware of the relationship between Hu Ge and Yang Mi. Although he felt the atmosphere was a bit strange, he was still very polite: "Hello, Teacher Hu and Teacher Liu."

Hu Ge replied in a flat tone, "Hello."

"Hello, Teacher Feng." The first lady smiled gently, her humility and politeness immediately winning Feng Shaofeng's favor.

Sensing that the three main actors of "Chinese Paladin 3" had something to talk about, Feng Shaofeng tactfully stepped aside, saying, "I have something to do. You guys chat, Mimi. Please take good care of Teacher Hu and Teacher Liu."

Watching Feng Shaofeng's retreating figure, Hu Ge snorted coldly: "Honey! You two are so affectionate, you've only known each other for a few days."

Hearing her boyfriend's sour and jealous words, Yang Mi didn't know how to respond. She had a generous and outgoing personality, and when she sat with Feng Shaofeng just now, she hadn't paid much attention to keeping her distance.

Seeing his girlfriend remain silent, Hu Ge felt even more annoyed. She didn't even give him an explanation: "Honey, you seemed to be having a great time chatting just now."

The series of sarcastic remarks ignited Yang Mi's anger. She was just having a normal chat with someone; was it really necessary to make such a big deal out of it?

"Hu Ge, stop being sarcastic. Just say what you have to say. I have a clear conscience."

Seeing his girlfriend's stubborn expression, Hu Ge laughed in anger, his laughter tinged with sarcasm: "I'm being sarcastic? Do you know you have a boyfriend? You're being all lovey-dovey with other men, and you're taking it out on me."

"Who's being all lovey-dovey? Don't make baseless accusations. I was just sitting a little closer to Feng Shaofeng. You're the one who's petty, narrow-minded, and overthinking things."

Upon hearing this, Yang Mi immediately flew into a rage, sharply refuting Hu Ge's accusations, her face filled with anger and grievance.

"Me, petty? Me, narrow-minded? You're in a relationship, can't you think of me and be more mindful of your boundaries when you're with other men?"

Look at Shishi, she always maintains a proper distance and knows how to behave appropriately when interacting with other men, which makes people feel at ease.

"I'm an actress. How can I maintain distance when filming with male actors? If you're so capable, why don't you be like Song Ci and have the entire crew revolve around Shi Shi? Cut kissing scenes, don't film intimate scenes, and change the script however you want. But can you do that?"

"Honey, you're being unreasonable. I was talking about filming, wasn't I? Were you filming when you were with that guy surnamed Feng just now?"

"Old Yuan, Shishi, and I have known each other for so long, have you ever seen her get close to us? You've only known Feng Shaofeng for a few days, and you're already sticking together."

The two of them talked back and forth, becoming more and more agitated, their voices growing louder and louder, until their emotions completely exploded, and a sense of tension filled the air.

"Can't you even consider my feelings? Being so intimate with another man in public, how am I supposed to save face?"

"I was just having a normal conversation, but you keep bringing it up. You just don't trust me."

Liu Shishi stood aside, looking embarrassed and feeling helpless. Why do you always drag me into your argument?
However, the current situation is not good. One is her best friend, and the other is her fellow student who usually takes good care of her. She still has to help ease the situation and not let it continue to deteriorate. So she quickly stepped forward to smooth things over.

The eldest sister took Yang Mi's soft hand and gently comforted her, "Mi Mi, Lao Hu only cares about you, that's why he misunderstood."

After saying that, he turned to Hu Ge and advised, "Old Hu, Mimi has a very easygoing personality, you should be more tolerant and understanding."

"It's none of your business." Yang Mi turned her head slightly, her eyes slightly red, feeling wronged by her boyfriend's unwarranted accusations, and unable to express her grievances.

Moreover, her boyfriend had just been comparing her to Liu Shishi, implying that she was inferior to her in every way, which made her feel somewhat resistant towards her friend.

Hu Ge was furious, her heart filled with resentment towards Yang Mi, feeling that Liu Shishi didn't understand her. She snorted coldly and didn't give the First Sister a kind look.

Liu Shishi meant well, hoping to mediate the conflict between the two, but seeing that they were both giving her attitude, she ended up pleasing neither side and became unhappy in an instant.

The woman bit her lip, thinking: Why am I doing this to myself, getting upset for no reason?

My husband, Mr. Song, is so capable. He always speaks to me gently and has never given me a hard time in over twenty years. Why are you two treating me like this?
Liu Shishi grew angrier the more she thought about it, and coldly left behind the words, "Old Hu, Mimi, you'd better watch yourselves." After saying that, she turned around and left the film crew.

"Shishi." Upon seeing this, Hu Ge first glanced at his girlfriend, and seeing that she was avoiding his gaze, he sighed deeply.

Suddenly realizing he had been a bit chauvinistic and his words might have been too harsh, he knew he had to take care of Liu Shishi now, so he immediately went to pursue the top female star.

Yang Mi realized that she had just offended her friend. She opened her mouth, wanting to ask her to stay, but she couldn't bring herself to say the words.

He could only stare blankly as the two figures gradually disappeared into the distance, feeling empty inside, a strange loneliness and regret welling up inside him.

When the reporter arrived, eager to meet the top actors and actresses from Tangren Media who had come to visit the set, he found the rest area deserted. What was supposed to be a lively and joyful visit ended in discord.

In the stillness of the night, after washing up, Liu Shishi lay lazily on the bed, comfortably talking on the phone with Song Ci, telling her fiancé about what had happened during the day.

"Yi-yi, isn't it infuriating? I was trying to be nice, and everyone's taking it out on me."

"My Shi Bao is beautiful and kind-hearted. Hu Ge and Yang Mi really don't know what's good for her."

Song Ci gently comforted Liu Shishi over the phone, her words filled with concern and favoritism.

Knock knock knock, then came a series of anxious knocks on the door.

"Who?"

A loud shout came from outside the door from assistant Jiang Yuanyuan: "Shishi, quickly check the trending topics!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Shishi curiously opened the Weibo app on her phone, clicked on the trending topics page, and immediately flew into a rage.

(End of this chapter)