Chinese entertainment industry has been booming since 2008.

Hong Kong, Repulse Bay, Liu Yifei's villa.

Looking at her daughter's profile as she gazed absently at the sea, Liu Xiaoli asked softly, "Qianqian, have you made up your mind?"

"Um."

Liu Yifei nodded slightly, a faint smile appearing at the corner of her mouth: "Mom, I think this time it won't be wrong."

The regret of missing out on "My Love from the Star" may be made up for doubly in "You Are the Apple of My Eye". Besides, she has rested long enough. She wants Huayi to know that she, Liu Yifei, is not so easily defeated.

"Sissi, I don't think 'You Are the Apple of My Eye' is a good choice. If it doesn't work, go ask your dad to help you out again. I think..."

Liu Yifei interrupted Liu Xiaoli: "Mom, I'm an adult now. I'm not a little kid who runs to my parents when I'm being bullied."

"Silly child, in your mother's eyes, you will always be a child."

......

The news of Yang Mi joining Starry Night Pictures spread like wildfire online, and soon she was caught in the crossfire.

A large number of "exposé posts" suddenly appeared on a well-known entertainment forum, claiming that Yang Mi "acted like a diva" and "became addicted to filming multiple projects at the same time" during her time at Rongxinda, and even implying that there was a "special deal" between her and Zhang Yang in exchange for Zhang Yang buying out her contract at Rongxinda.

"Wang Xiaoer from Huayi is simply inhuman. Double-plugging is absolutely disgusting."

Zeng Jia slammed the tablet computer onto the table, which displayed several accounts that were clearly those of online troll leaders.

Yang Mi looked at the disgusting graffiti, her face pale, but her tone was surprisingly calm: "The more they act like this, the more it proves we did the right thing."

Zhang Yang's approach was more direct, employing a tactic that has since been overused by celebrities—a lawyer's letter warning. Of course, Zhang Yang wasn't just joking; he genuinely wanted to teach these active online users a lesson.

...

The news of the "Heirs" project has already spread within the industry, and Zhang Yang's fans are speculating about who will play the female lead. Many people think it will be Yang Mi. After all, Yang Mi just switched jobs, so why not promote her instead of poaching her?

However, when it was announced that Jing Tian would be cast as the female lead in "The Heirs," the entire internet seemed to be hit by a bombshell.

"Who is Jing Tian?" instantly became a hot topic online.

Zhang Yang's fans, known as "Stars," were in an uproar. What they had been eagerly awaiting was a name that sounded almost like that of an ordinary person, and the huge psychological gap made it difficult for many to accept.

"Is Yang being held hostage by capital? Who did they choose?"

"Please, Fan Bingbing, save the day! Who is this Jing Tian? Does she even deserve him?"

"Professor Li, if you've been kidnapped, just blink!"

Fans of other female celebrities were even more indignant, with sarcastic remarks echoing throughout:

"Hehe, I see. I've learned something new."

"It seems it's not that our sister isn't good enough, it's that other people have too strong a 'background'."

"Congratulations in advance to Zhang Yang for his new drama receiving the 'Shame of Forced Promotion' award."

Driven by the anger of fans and the curiosity of passersby, a nationwide "exposing" campaign against Jing Tian quickly unfolded.

However, what you don't know until you dig deeper is astonishing: this seemingly parachuted-in newcomer has an incredibly impressive resume.

The music video for the debut EP, "Who Are You," was directed by Ning Hao, the up-and-coming director who rose to fame with "Crazy Stone." It's surprising that he would direct a complete newcomer.

Then, people discovered that her first film, "Anaconda," was actually the female lead, and she was working with veteran Hong Kong action star Lau Ka-fai and comedian Ba ​​Liang Jin.

How can an 18-year-old newcomer have such top-notch starting resources?

"The more I dig, the more shocking it becomes; this person must have connections to the highest levels!"

"No wonder he was able to be parachuted into 'The Heirs,' even Zhang Yang has to bow to capital."

"It seems the entertainment industry is about to gain another 'resource-backed star' whose connections you can never guess."

Public opinion almost unanimously labeled Jing Tian as having "powerful connections" and being a "capital puppet," which also led to questions about the judgment of "The Heirs" and Zhang Yang.

Faced with overwhelming public pressure, Zhang Yang's studio remained unusually silent, offering no explanation or reassurance, but simply quietly pushing forward with the production team's preparations.

"Brother Yang, public opinion is very unfavorable to us, should we...?"

Before Sun Yu could finish speaking, Zhang Yang raised his hand to interrupt him: "No need."

Zhang Yang looked calmly at the clamor of comments online. "The work itself is the best response. The fiercer their criticism now, the more attention they'll pay to 'The Heirs' in the future. As for Jing Tian..."

In the end, Zhang Yang could only sigh. Jing Tian was simply not someone to mess with. He hoped she could have the acting skills of Si Teng.

With "The Heirs" generating such a huge buzz, Wang Xiaoer of Huayi Brothers naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity to strike at Zhang Yang. He secretly increased his online army's investment, vigorously exaggerating the "casting scandal of Zhang Yang," attempting to nip "The Heirs" in the bud.

As for Jing Tian, ​​the power behind her also showed amazing strength. Almost overnight, the deep dive posts and negative entries on the Internet that involved her family background and other core secrets were cleaned up, leaving only some insignificant discussions about "resource-backed celebrities".

This subtle yet highly effective approach further convinced those in the industry that this woman had an extraordinary background.

......

Bi Xiaoshi, general manager of Ocean Butterflies Music's Beijing branch, was sitting in the meeting room of Starry Night Pictures, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the gold-embossed business card holder.

The black tea in front of him had gone cold, just like his mood at that moment—both expectant and apprehensive.

As a well-known music label in the Chinese entertainment industry, Ocean Butterflies Music has shown signs of decline under the impact of digital music. They desperately need a trump card to revive their prestige, and Zhang Yang is undoubtedly the most dazzling star.

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

Zhang Yang pushed open the door and entered, wearing a simple white shirt and casual pants, yet exuding an undeniable aura.

Bi Xiaoshi quickly stood up, his smile warm: "Mr. Zhang, I apologize for bothering you, but we've studied your live stream on Raccoon Voice repeatedly. That song, 'The Brightest Star in the Night Sky,' is truly a rare masterpiece in the Chinese music scene in recent years!"

He handed over a beautifully bound contract: "This is the highest-level record deal we can offer, and the signing bonus is this amount."

At this point, he made a gesture and then continued, "Three albums in five years, unlimited production budget, global release, revenue sharing ratio: 70/30, you get 70%."

The terms were so generous as to be almost humble, completely unlike the practices of a long-established record company.

Zhang Yang didn't look at the contract, but calmly looked at Bi Xiaoshi: "Mr. Bi, thank you for your kindness. However, because my personal focus is on film and television, I have no plans to release a record in the short term."

Bi Xiaoshi's smile froze, and he hurriedly said, "President Zhang, your talent shouldn't be buried. We can assemble a top-notch production team for you, you can choose any lyricist and composer, and we can even set up an independent label..."

"President Bi!"

Zhang Yang interrupted him, his tone still gentle but with an undeniable firmness: "For me, music is expression, it's part of the story. My schedule is already booked for two years from now, so I simply don't have time to record an album. Therefore, I can only apologize for your kindness."