Internet moguls are being held hostage by the entertainment system!

Chapter 280 The Cunning Yang Mi

Aman Summer Palace Hotel, Beijing.

After walking along a long stretch of bluestone bricks and following the waiter to the courtyard of the hotel's own Aman restaurant, Yang Mi discovered that the person she had arranged to meet had not yet arrived, which undoubtedly relieved her.

After the waiter finished making the tea and left, Yang Mi took off her mask and started scrolling through Douyin (TikTok) while sipping her tea.

She didn't usually use Douyin, but she downloaded it to try it out because she saw Chen Xiu streaming so frequently.

Once I started using it, I got hooked. If I didn't spend a few hours on it every day, I felt like something was missing from my life.

However, in the past week, all the content pushed by Douyin has been clips of "Qin King's Battle Song".

In particular, the scene where Li Shimin removes his helmet outside Zhangnan Fort to reveal his identity dominated the Douyin charts, with likes soaring to millions and views estimated to be in the tens of millions.

Thinking about how people outside the entertainment industry were also talking about the drama "Qin Wang Po Zhen Qu", Yang Mi felt that the drama's popularity was genuine and not exaggerated.

Looking at the TV drama clips constantly being pushed to her on her phone, Yang Mi thought to herself: It seems that yesterday, Tomato TV released a news report saying that the single episode's ratings exceeded 3%.

Yang Mi sighed and pursed her lips, a hint of envy flashing in her eyes...

"Honey, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

A greasy sound suddenly came in, making Yang Mi shudder involuntarily.

Following closely behind, Wang Zhonglei, dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt, also entered the courtyard with a smile, led by a waiter.

When he saw Yang Mi, his slightly narrowed eyes suddenly lit up, and then, after noticing Yang Mi's long-sleeved and long-trousered outfit, he frowned in confusion.

"Why are you wearing so much in this hot weather?"

"Brother Lei, I've started my period, and I'm not feeling well."

Yang Mi wore a sly smile, having already solved a problem for herself.

Upon hearing about her situation, Wang Zhonglei's smile turned sour.

However, today's meeting wasn't for those few minutes. If Yang Mi signs with Huayi Brothers, she won't have to worry about not having opportunities in the future...

Thinking of this, Wang Zhonglei's smile returned. He dismissed the waiter and sat down next to Yang Mi with great courtesy.

"Honey, you look even more beautiful than before."

"Brother Lei is really joking. I'm already 30, how could I possibly get prettier?"

"With technology so advanced these days, and with regular skincare routines, who can tell my age?"

"hehe."

Yang Mi forced a smile, but inside she was heartbroken.

Looking at Yang Mi's insincere expression, Wang Zhonglei thought coldly: I love watching you female celebrities, pretending to like what you don't like.

The two, each with their own agendas, continued their hypocritical and polite exchanges.

Once the teacup was empty and the necessary procedures were completed, Wang Zhonglei got to the point: "Mimi, how did your contract negotiations with Jiaxing go? Were they terminated?"

“I’m really bothered by this! Zeng Jia is withholding my agency contract and won’t talk to me about terminating it. She won’t see my lawyer either. It seems like she’s planning to drag it out and resolve it in court.”

"Then what do you mean?"

"If I want to sign with Huayi, I'll at least have to terminate my contract with Jiaxing."

Yang Mi stroked the teacup and spoke to Wang Zhonglei in an almost explicit manner.

However, Wang Zhonglei wasn't stupid; he couldn't just rush in and be used as a pawn without seeing anything.

“Your contract with Jiaxing isn’t a big deal; Huayi could have easily resolved it. So why should I help you?”

"Brother Lei, isn't this helping each other out?"

Yang Mi squinted and said that she was now very skilled at using the "riding a donkey while looking for a horse" technique, far more so than when she had fooled Cai Yinong.

Wang Zhonglei feigned ignorance: "What do you mean by 'help us'?"

“My contract with Jiaxing is still in effect, so I can’t sign with Huayi. If Brother Lei doesn’t mind waiting, then we can take it slow. Once I’ve cleared things up with Zeng Jia and terminated the contract, then I can sign with Huayi.”

Yang Mi placed the teacup on the table, essentially revealing her hand directly.

Wang Zhonglei stared at her for two seconds, then suddenly laughed and said, "Hehe, tell me, why are you so impatient! I didn't say I wouldn't help, it's just about this contract, shouldn't we finalize it in advance?"

"Even if I were to sign with Huayi Brothers, I would have to set up my own studio and sign the contract under the studio's name. How can I set up my own studio when the contract with Jiaxing hasn't been resolved yet?"

"What if I help you resolve the contract, and you still don't sign with Huayi?"

"How dare I do that? You're the CEO of Huayi Brothers, and I'm just a nobody. If you want to mess with me, who can stop you?"

Yang Mi's flattering words and sweet words made Wang Zhonglei feel dizzy.

After a few seconds of initial excitement, Wang Zhonglei's eyes suddenly narrowed as he pondered the feasibility of the matter.

Yang Mi is determined to terminate her contract with Jiaxing Media. If Huayi Brothers steps in to help her negotiate, it will only make things go more smoothly and will be the icing on the cake. Afterwards, Yang Mi can even become an artist under Huayi Brothers.

As for whether Yang Mi might use Huayi Brothers to her advantage and then sign with another company.

Wang Zhonglei didn't have too many concerns. After all, Huayi Brothers still had considerable influence, and it wasn't something a single celebrity could afford to offend. Even if you were a top star, with so many companies in the industry, no one would risk alienating Huayi for the sake of a single celebrity. Wait, there's one more…

Thinking of this, Wang Zhonglei suddenly looked up, staring intently at Yang Mi, his smile completely gone.

Seeing him like this, Yang Mi was also startled: "Brother Lei, what's wrong?"

"What's your relationship with that guy from Datang Pictures?"

"Huh?! What do I have to do with Chen Xiu? We've never worked together. I was only invited to a live stream at the beginning of the year, and that was only because of Mr. Ma. He was the one who poached Dilraba before that, but we didn't dare offend him. We had no choice but to suffer in silence."

After saying this, Yang Mi delivered her best performance in recent years.

She knew that Wang Zhonglei and Chen Xiu didn't get along, so she absolutely couldn't reveal that she had private contact with Chen Xiu.

Fortunately, the conversations with Chen Xiu were all conducted privately and were not things that the public knew about.

By taking advantage of this information gap, Yang Mi was able to use the skill of "looking for a better opportunity while still employed" to maximize her own interests.

Hearing her "sincere" tone and considering that the two had never worked together before, Wang Zhonglei figured they wouldn't have any deep relationship. Hearing Yang Mi mention Chen Xiu's poaching of Reba, he immediately felt a sense of shared indignation.

"That kid is domineering and doesn't follow the rules. Huayi was going to take over the investment share for 'Wolf Warrior 2,' but he snatched it away."

"Such a thing is possible? That's outrageous!"

Yang Mi widened her eyes and instantly adopted a tea ceremony style to divert Wang Zhonglei's attention.

Wang Zhonglei was already angry, especially seeing the ever-increasing box office of "Wolf Warrior 2," which fueled his frustration. Now, with Yang Mi provoking him like this, he could no longer hold back.

"That's right! If it weren't for that brat Chen Xiu interfering, Huayi Brothers would have been one of the production companies behind 'Wolf Warrior 2'!"

If you repeat a lie many times, you'll start to believe it yourself.

Yang Mi added fuel to the fire, saying, "Last week, 'Wolf Warrior 2' grossed 22 billion yuan. With this week's results, it will soon reach 45 billion yuan. Chen Xiu has stolen Huayi's performance."

"you do not say!"

Wang Zhonglei loudly echoed, and at the same time, he felt a strong sense of agreement with Yang Mi's words.

These days, he had nowhere to vent his pent-up frustrations, and now that he saw that Yang Mi "understood" him, he started chatting about this and that.

At the end of the conversation, Wang Zhonglei, who had gained a lot of emotional value, patted his chest and said to Yang Mi, "I'll help you negotiate with Zeng Jia about the contract. Once you sign with Huayi, I'll make you the next Bingbing and an international superstar!"

"Thank you, Mr. Wang. I'll offer you a toast with tea instead of wine."

Yang Mi, who has been with Rong Xinda since her debut, knows all too well what kind of words these men in Beijing's elite circles like to hear.

Sure enough, after she offered him the cup of tea, Wang Zhonglei's smile stretched so wide it reached the corners of his eyes.

After finishing their conversation, before leaving, Wang Zhonglei didn't forget to make empty promises to Yang Mi, claiming that Huayi Brothers was preparing many films for next year and urgently needed big-name actresses to play the leading roles...

Yang Mi smiled and led him out of the ward, but when she returned, the smile had vanished from her face.

Sitting alone, Yang Mi gently rested her chin on her hand, her expression quite complex.

Her contact with Huayi Brothers was not only to help her terminate her contract more smoothly, but also, on a deeper level, to make Datang Pictures aware of the existence of a "competitor," thereby securing more benefits for herself.

Unexpectedly, for nearly two weeks, there was no word from Datang Pictures.

Yang Mi murmured, "Does he know for sure I won't choose Huayi?"

Her true intention was simply to use Huayi Brothers, who took the initiative to contact her, as a tool. This made Datang Pictures feel a bit threatened, but Datang Pictures' reaction was like that of a high-level player who saw through the tricks, remaining unmoved.

Now, it's Yang Mi herself who's feeling anxious and uncertain.

……

Inside the chairman's office of Datang Pictures.

"A celebration party for 45 billion yuan in box office revenue?"

Chen Xiu looked at Wei Feng with a puzzled expression and asked, "How could there be such a number? Shouldn't '50 billion celebration banquet' sound better?"

"45 billion is already a box office record for domestic films."

Wei Feng chuckled and said, "Wu Jing and Da Xiong have finished their roadshow in major cities across the country. They're taking a few days to rest in Beijing before heading overseas to attend several premiere press conferences. Wu Jing's point is that the movie premiere didn't generate much buzz, and it was all thanks to you, Boss, that the popularity was boosted. So he wants to hold a box office celebration banquet in advance to make up for it."

"..."

Chen Xiu thought about it leisurely for a moment. He had no problem attending the celebration banquet, but he always preferred to kill two birds with one stone and make the most of everything.

"Little irony."

"Ok?"

"Please contact Wu Jing and tell him that I will be attending the celebration banquet, but please also invite Wang Zhonglei and Yang Mi."

"Okay! I'll call him now."

Wei Feng responded excitedly, clearly having already guessed Chen Xiu's intentions.

　Let me explain my thoughts on starring in "The Qin King's Battle Song". Honestly, those popular dramas have been written about too much already, so there's no need for me to rewrite them. I wanted to create something new and try to make the story as plausible as possible. The buff in the previous chapter already explained this, and I'll also discuss the drama's popularity later.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)