How can you become a star without money?

Chapter 193 It's Over [10,000-word update, please subscribe]

Qin Lan turned and led Wang Yao toward the third floor, her pace quickening unconsciously. The staff member who had been left behind hurriedly called the assistant director to warn him.

However, there was no time at all. When Qin Lan pushed aside the assistant director and others guarding the door and rushed into the private room, melodious music was still playing inside, and a pair of twins were singing and dancing in front of the small stage.

They were also among the top 16 in the "Wang Yan" talent show, and are the famous twin sisters Jin Meiling and Jin Qingling from Beijing Dianzi University.

When Qin Lan barged in, everyone in the private room was still focused on the twin sisters until the assistant director let out a sudden cough, and everyone finally realized that an uninvited guest had entered.

Wang Yao also got his wish and found himself in an awkward situation where everything was flourishing online.

His gaze swept around.

The head of the table was not Lu Chuan, but Tan Hui, the CEO of Xingmei Company. To his left sat the pre-selected female lead He Dujuan, Lu Chuan, Xu Lu, Liu Ye, and Zhang Xinyuan. To his right sat Huo Siyan, Feng Xiaopao, (empty), Zhang Weiping, (empty). At the very end were Nazha and Dilraba, two people who seemed out of place.

Everyone who saw Qin Lan's expression was shocked, and then they looked at Lu Chuan in a panic.

Lu Chuan's face was flushed, indicating that he had drunk quite a bit. Upon seeing Qin Lan, his intoxicated gaze seemed to clear up considerably, and he subconsciously stood up, "Ah, Xiao Lan, what brings you here?"

"I was having dinner with friends here when I happened to see the film crew's car. I came over out of curiosity, and I never expected that you would be treating Director Feng and the others to dinner here." Qin Lan's face beamed with a bright smile.

After greeting Tan Hui, Feng Xiaopao, Zhang Weiping and others, he walked confidently to Xu Lu's seat.

Xu Lu, as flustered as a rabbit, stood up and gave up her seat, standing behind her, at a loss.

"Xiao Chuan, didn't you say Xiao Lan went back to Beijing? She's right here. What? Afraid she'll stop you from drinking?" Feng Xiaopao, being a shrewd old man, immediately gave Lu Chuan a way out.

"Ha, my flight was delayed, so I didn't go back." Qin Lan took the initiative to speak up, easing the atmosphere in the private room.

Then, the elder brother Zhang Weiping made a couple of jokes, and Lu Chuan's expression finally returned to normal. Only Huo Siyan's smile was stiff, and she dared not meet Qin Lan's eyes.

Huo Siyan's presence at the dinner table was more awkward than Lu Chuan's.

This is the bond between the Teddy sisters.

Wang Yao observed everyone's expressions and almost burst out laughing.

"And who is this young man?" Tan Hui, who was in the main seat, didn't seem to care whether Qin Lan had come to catch them cheating. His gaze was quickly drawn to Wang Yao, who had entered the room and sat directly between Nazha and Reba.

Because Nazha even affectionately took Wang Yao's arm, and Reba, who had been unsmiling and ungrateful since the start of the banquet, finally showed a smile.

This made Tan Hui very unhappy.

Although He Dujuan had been pre-selected, this talent show was essentially organized for him. He was quite fond of Dilraba and Xu Lu, and originally planned to find an opportunity to sign Dilraba tonight. However, he did not expect that Dilraba would not only come by herself, but also bring her best friend Gulnazar.

Although everyone knew that Gulnazar was a signed artist under Wang Yao's company, no one took it seriously and just treated her as Dilraba trying to gain recognition.

However, judging from Nazha and Dilraba's aloof and wary behavior that evening, Tan Hui and the others felt that they might have misjudged the situation.

Who is Tan Hui?

He was a well-known coal mine owner in Beijing, a man who had once contracted the Tian Shang Ren Jian coal mine, a man whom even the renowned photographer Xu Chen would call his patriarch. What kind of women hadn't he seen? He could tell at a glance that these two young girls weren't interested in this.

Tan Hui was past the age of being reckless and didn't make things too difficult for him.

He began transforming his company into the entertainment and cinema industry in the year 2000, establishing his own Xingmei Entertainment and signing a group of promising talents such as Jiang Wenli, Wang Luodan, Ning Jing, Liu Ye, and Zhou Yiwei. This year, he plans to test the waters with a large investment in "The Banquet" to promote the listing of his entertainment company, and then cooperate with Huaying Cinema to establish Huaxing Cinema, officially transforming into an "interactive entertainment group company".

Judging from Nazha and Dilraba's reactions, he could tell that the stranger who came with Qin Lan was familiar with the two women. However, his age did not mean he was without temper, and this behavior was tantamount to...

Two lioness cubs that even a lion king couldn't handle were taken down by the yellow-maned lion next door—that's definitely a provocation!

"I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Wang Yao." Wang Yao took off his mask, revealing a set of clean, white teeth.

As soon as he finished speaking, the private room fell into a deathly silence once again.

There's no other reason than that Feng Xiaopao had just mentioned this "Shanghai Prodigy" who has recently been stirring up trouble in the Chinese entertainment and internet markets.

Unexpectedly, speak of the devil, and he appears.

Feng Xiaopao's pupils shrank sharply, Zhang Weiping looked astonished, Lu Chuan's face darkened, and Tan Hui was stunned.

As for Liu Ye and the others, their expressions were filled with curiosity and surprise, while the girls' expressions were much more uniform, all showing amazement.

The ultimate golden bachelor in China is within reach!

Even Huo Siyan didn't have time to feel embarrassed; her gaze towards Wang Yao was somewhat moist.

"Mr. Wang from Tianhuo Star Electric and Kanpianer.com? Nice to meet you." Tan Hui stood up first and took the initiative to greet him.

Wang Yao also stood up and walked around the crowd to shake hands with him.

Then Zhang Weiping and the others smiled, exchanged pleasantries, and shook hands.

Feng Xiaopao, speaking last with a forced smile, said, "Mr. Wang, haven't you been busy helping 'Lost in Thailand' with its box office lately? What brings you here?"

"It's just a coincidence that I arranged to have dinner here with Sister Lan," Wang Yao said with a warm smile.

As soon as he finished speaking, all the men present subconsciously looked at Lu Chuan and Qin Lan, who was smiling sweetly beside him.

Dude, your girlfriend is having dinner with another man late at night.

Lu Chuan's lips twitched slightly.

"Wang is also in charge of the publicity and distribution for 'Lost in Thailand'? No wonder the box office is soaring. Coincidences are also a kind of fate. I was originally planning to talk to you about our publicity and distribution cooperation for 'The Banquet'. Xin'er has mentioned it to me several times. I didn't expect you to come to me today." Tan Hui smiled heartily, like a generous older brother.

After he finished speaking, Lu Chuan's expression turned even uglier.

He was unaware that Qin Lan knew Wang Yao.

But from the moment the two of them came together today, regardless of their purpose or coincidence, he felt like he was being cuckolded.

"When did Xiaolan meet President Wang? I didn't even know," Lu Chuan said, forcing a smile.

"I invested in one of Sister Zhuli's projects. We just met. Sister Lan is an actress I've admired since I was a child, so I guess I've successfully become a fan," Wang Yao said with a smile.

The young man's cheerful voice was extremely grating to Lu Chuan's ears.

To others, however, it sounded somewhat subtle.

These old men frowned and cast sympathetic glances at Lu Chuan, while their minds began to wander.

I heard that this Mr. Wang specifically targets women who are already in relationships. Look at Mr. Yang from Juli next door and Xiao Fei from Jiangnan, Chuanzi.

"Mr. Wang's box office and cinema business is so big, and his variety shows have such high ratings. Now he's even doing TV drama projects. He really doesn't intend to leave any room for his competitors to survive," Feng Xiaopao said with a sly smile.

"I'm not a competitor, I'm just someone who pays the bill," Wang Yao chuckled.

"Has Mr. Wang invested in any film projects?" Zhang Weiping asked curiously.

"We have two low-budget films made domestically as a trial, and we've mainly invested in several films overseas," Wang Yao said with a smile.

"Is Mr. Wang planning to expand into overseas markets?" Tan Hui raised an eyebrow slightly.

“The East Asian market is quite large. There are senior figures like Director Feng and General Manager Zhang in China. I know my limitations, so I plan to start with Korea and Japan to see how it goes,” Wang Yao said with a smile.

"That's ambitious. Your direct goal is to generate foreign exchange and contribute to China. Let's toast to President Wang." Tan Hui raised his glass with a smile.

The older generation likes to use drinking culture as a test of compliance.

Huo Siyan, with her keen observation, took the glass and asked softly, "Mr. Wang, would you like some white wine or red wine?"

"I drink tea, not alcohol," Wang Yao said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions varied. Tan Hui frowned, while Feng Xiaopao and the others were initially surprised, but then became somewhat gloating.

This young man is so arrogant and doesn't even respect President Tan's feelings.

"What Chinese man doesn't know how to drink? Is Mr. Wang not giving us old guys face? Does he not want to drink with us?" Feng Xiaopao said bluntly.

The atmosphere in the private room clearly became tense.

“Director Feng is wrong. Each generation has its own ideas. It’s normal for Mr. Wang to not drink at his young age, but he will inevitably have to drink when he enters society. We can give it a try today.” Tan Hui put pressure on him with a red face and a black heart, and poured Wang Yao a glass of wine himself.

"President Tan, you misunderstand. It's not that I can't drink, it's that I don't like to drink. Drinking can lead to trouble," Wang Yao said with a smile, refusing again.

Tan Hui's hand, holding the wine glass, froze in mid-air. He looked at Wang Yao thoughtfully and said, "Oh, I see. Director Feng was right."

The threat was palpable.

"I'll drink it for my brother."

"Please don't be offended, Mr. Tan. I'll drink three cups on behalf of Mr. Wang."

Two sharp shouts rang out simultaneously, drawing everyone's attention.

Naza blushed with panic. Wang Yao had only come because of her, and she hadn't expected to cause so much trouble. She blurted out her words, feeling both ashamed and nervous. The other voice came from Qin Lan.

Compared to Naza's eagerness to protect her master, Qin Lan's initiative is somewhat intriguing.

Lu Chuan immediately felt his face burning, even more so than when he had just drunk half a jin of liquor.

"Oh, a beauty saving a hero, that's quite a rare sight." Tan Hui laughed, but he wasn't going to give her a way out. "This kind of drinking etiquette is a five-thousand-year-old culture. To put it bluntly, in the past, women like you were not allowed to speak at the table. You don't need to get involved."

Qin Lan and the other girls' expressions changed simultaneously upon hearing this.

The words were phrased tactfully, but the disparaging intent was obvious to everyone.

You women have no right to speak.

“Xiao Lan can drink as much as she wants. After President Tan and President Wang finish their drinks, Xiao Lan will drink a few more with them,” Lu Chuan said with a sneer.

Qin Lan turned to look at him, and suddenly revealed a mocking smile. "Fine."

"President Tan, Li Xiaoran caused such a huge mess in Beijing, yet she still has the mind to drink and have fun. She truly has remarkable composure." Wang Yao curled the corners of his mouth, his smile playful.

Tan Hui's expression changed upon hearing this, and Feng Xiaopao and the others raised their eyebrows.

The recent uproar over the Yanpo incident was sparked by Li Xiaoran, an artist under Tan Hui's management. This incident is considered a major and serious scandal in the industry, and if not handled properly, it could have serious repercussions.

Wang Yao must have brought this up on purpose, and the contempt in his tone was palpable.

Tan Hui hadn't been threatened like this in a long time, and for a moment he was at a loss.

"You've all probably heard about the tragic events in the Korean entertainment industry, which directly caused losses of tens of billions of won to the Korean film and entertainment sector. We really hope that Li Xiaoran's situation won't affect our business."
"Including my own investments with Berna and overseas, I've invested nearly 2 million yuan. Unlike President Tan, whose family has a huge business and invests hundreds of millions of yuan so easily, if this leads to other problems, it could cost me my life." Wang Yao sighed, but his words sent chills down everyone's spine.

Threat
This is an absolute threat!
Although Tan Hui's expression remained unchanged, his lips were trembling slightly.

If this had happened ten years ago, and someone had dared to speak to him like that, he would have had a very hard time leaving that private room unscathed.

But now, he is indeed getting old.

Tan Hui met Wang Yao's gaze. He saw many familiar emotions in the young man's eyes, which made him feel somewhat afraid.

Feng Xiaopao and the others also looked at Wang Yao with complicated expressions.

This young man was unlike any they had ever seen before.

They had seen people even more arrogant than Wang Yao.

But those people's arrogance was just that—arrogance, driven by youthful fearlessness and impulsive passion.

The feeling Wang Yao gave them was one of rampant arrogance, a sinister ruthlessness that said, "If you mess with me, I can drag your whole family down with you."

This ruthless act, coupled with that handsome and sunny face, sent a chill down my spine.

Several important figures stood frozen in place, and everyone else naturally had to be careful even when breathing. Nazha and Reba, these young girls, couldn't understand the situation, but they could sense the strange atmosphere. Their eyes reddened with worry, and guilt and remorse made it hard for them to breathe.

The seasoned veterans like Qin Lan and Huo Siyan looked at Wang Yao with a complex mix of emotions. The masculine hunting hormones emanating from Wang Yao made them feel weak in the knees for a moment.

Feng Xiaopao and the others were frantically trying to find a way to ease the tension. Although they were usually arrogant, they were also self-aware enough to know that this level of confrontation was not something they could easily participate in.

Just when the atmosphere in the private room had reached a freezing point, Wang Yao took the initiative to break the deadlock.

“However, since President Tan has extended such a warm invitation and even brought up five thousand years of wine culture, I really can’t refuse. How about we play a drinking game? Here’s the proper way to drink.” Wang Yao reached out and took the wine glass from Tan Hui’s hand, then poured it directly onto the ground.

Everyone was so shocked that their eyelids twitched.

Then, as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, he took the bottle of Moutai from Huo Siyan, sat back down, and asked with a warm smile, "Who wants to participate?"

Flying Flower Order.

A term that only appears in period dramas silenced everyone present.

"Mr. Tan, why don't you give it a try?" Feng Xiaopao, who considered himself half an intellectual, forced himself to give Tan Hui a way out.

“Interesting. Let’s try the drinking culture of young people.” Tan Hui took a deep breath, laughed loudly, and sat back down.

Wang Yao explained the rules: "It's simple, just memorize ancient poems. Since 'The Banquet of Kings' is about the Chu-Han Contention, we'll use 'Chu' as the starting point in the first round, 'Han' as the rhyme in the second round, 'Jiang' as the limit in the third round, and 'Hong' as the marker in the fourth round, returning to the Feast at Hongmen and staying true to the theme."

After Wang Yao's explanation, everyone's Han culture genes were stirred up, and the girls looked at Wang Yao with even more awe.

He's handsome, rich, and cultured.

Who can stand this.

“We can split into two teams, and the bet is that the losers share a bottle. Who wants to be on my team?” Wang Yao said with a smile.

"Me!" Nazha and Reba raised their hands reflexively. After all, they were just taking the college entrance examination and felt that their brains should still be working.

Apart from them, almost everyone in the private room was a stakeholder of "Wang Yan". Even if they wanted to be on Wang Yao's team, they wouldn't dare.

“I’m not good at reciting ancient poems. There are fewer people on Mr. Wang’s side, so I’ll go over and drink with him.” Under the surprised gazes of everyone, Qin Lan sat down next to Wang Yao.

Lu Chuan moved his lips and let out a cold laugh.

Bitch!

Just wait for me.

"We are outnumbered, so we'll go first." Wang Yao smiled. "My strength could uproot mountains, my spirit could cover the world, but the time was not right, and my steed would not go. The King of Chu met his end at Gaixia."

Let's start by taking the easiest ones.

Feng Xiaopao scratched his head. "Hey, this kid really has no sportsmanship."

"Eight thousand soldiers have already laid down their arms, and the mournful songs of Chu can still be heard in the night tents." In the end, it was Zhang Xinyuan, who had some literary talent, who said something.

"I sing with the strength to uproot mountains, ashamed to be a river-crosser." Reba whispered as she received the message; she had indeed done some research for this script.

"Does the fact that Xiang Yu refused to cross the Yangtze River count as a reason to think of him now?" Feng Xiaopao frowned.

“No, this falls under the category of the third round of Jiang. The first round mainly focused on Chu Ge.” Wang Yao shook his head and tapped his bowl with his chopsticks. “We need to pick up the pace.”

The students present were all art students with limited cultural knowledge. Coupled with the suddenness of the event and Wang Yao's urging, they lost the first round.

In the second round, Feng Xiaopao learned his lesson and took the initiative, saying, "The wind rises and the clouds fly, my might extends across the land, I return to my hometown."

“The King of Han is a true dragon, the King of Xiang is a tiger; the jade pendant is mentioned three times, but the king remains silent,” Wang Yao said.

"Is there such a poem?" Zhang Weiping asked, frowning.

"Why don't you just check and find out? You'll lose if you can't connect in three seconds," Wang Yao laughed.

Poetry is a magical thing. When others recite it, it feels familiar, but if you are asked to memorize it, it is very difficult to recite, unless you are a liberal arts student or a poetry enthusiast, and you don't understand the requirements and standards of the "Flying Flowers Order" game.

Before long, they lost all four rounds. The dozen or so people on the other side were sharing a bottle of baijiu, with each person only getting two small cups.

But the atmosphere has indeed eased considerably.

Everyone knew perfectly well that they were just trying to ease Tan Hui's embarrassment.

"Mr. Wang is indeed a young talent; young people these days are truly remarkable," Tan Hui said, indicating that he had overcome the awkwardness.

"Mr. Tan, you flatter me. It's just a hobby, like Mr. Tan's love of drinking. They're all hobbies, but there's no need for us to compromise with each other," Wang Yao said with a smile.

"What advice does Mr. Wang have for Xiao Ran's matter?" Tan Hui asked.

"I came here with Sister Lan today by chance," Wang Yao said, shaking his head.

“That’s right, then I’ll pay a visit to Mr. Wang’s company another day.” Tan Hui smiled. “I have other matters to attend to later, so I’ll take my leave first. Please make yourselves at home.”

After speaking, he stood up and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"I'm just an outsider, so I won't bother you any longer. Director Feng, President Zhang, see you in Beijing another day." Wang Yao also stood up and left with Gulnazar and Dilraba.

"Well, it's getting late. Lao Zhang and I have something to do, so we'll be leaving now." Seeing that the bureau chief had left, Feng Xiaopao and Zhang Weiping realized there was no point in them staying any longer.

Originally, they were planning to form a "director alliance" with Lu Chuan, but Wang Yao interfered, and seeing Lu Chuan and Qin Lan's state, they were no longer in the mood to discuss serious matters.

Huo Siyan and the others then awkwardly stood up.

"The game is over." Qin Lan looked at the two of them left and sneered.

"Yes, it's over," Lu Chuan said coldly.

(End of this chapter)