Chapter 19: CH 019

TL: Moonlit

This month was destined to be a month of bloodshed and chaos.

«Sword Immortal» concluded its run, dominating the ratings on all platforms and rightfully claiming the top spot. Ran Xing’s advertisements became hot topics among netizens, and the brand was extremely satisfied with their collaboration. Ran Xing’s fanbase exceeded tens of millions, making him the new leading figure in the entertainment industry.

Lin Hanchuan, who orchestrated everything, garnered the attention of everyone in the industry. As the CEO of the company, he presented the work «Sword Immortal» and, as a manager, he propelled Ran Xing to stardom.

Even those who had doubted Lin Hanchuan had to admit that this young man was like a catfish, single-handedly stirring up the stagnant waters of the entertainment industry.

After the company held a celebration, Lin Hanchuan generously distributed bonuses, which further solidified the loyalty of the employees. Without wasting any time, he immediately started working on a second project.

The film «Wukong» officially began production, and as the executive producer, Lin Hanchuan lived with the crew on set.

All the crew members of «Wukong» were industry veterans, including the director, lighting designer, editor, and music composer. Each had a strong personality, and within a day of starting production, they had already argued several times on set.

The director, Zhou Xishan, was not being respected in his position. He argued fervently with the lighting designer, his face turning red. “This is a commercial film! We can’t have such dim lighting! It will hinder special effects and the audience’s visual experience!”

“This is a story that subverts mythology, set in a cyberpunk sci-fi background. Dim lighting is more in line with the tone of the story!” the lighting designer shouted, equally passionate.

“This isn’t an art film. We can’t only consider the movie; we also have to think about the audience’s viewing experience.” Zhou Xishan took a deep breath, trying to convince the other party with reason and evidence. “We’ve invested billions of dollars, and if the audience doesn’t like it, if it flops at the box office, all that money will go down the drain.”

“As long as the quality of the movie is high, the audience will naturally love it…”

As they argued, Lin Hanchuan observed them while walking through the constructed set.

Due to the director’s argument with the lighting designer and the cinematographer being a bystander, Ran Xing had nothing to do and followed closely behind Lin Hanchuan with his messy red hair. “How long will they keep arguing?”

“Let them argue,” Lin Hanchuan said without turning back, his gaze focused on the set.

To achieve authenticity, the slums named Huaguoshan were constructed to scale, with low-rise buildings, dim and shoddy neon lights, and uneven ground. Every detail was meticulously arranged by Zhou Xishan and Ye Wenjun, perfectly depicting a decadent slum with no future.

Following in Lin Hanchuan’s footsteps, Ran Xing couldn’t help but admire the exquisiteness and perfection of the scene, even though he had seen the set of Huaguoshan countless times.

Walking in this environment, Ran Xing almost believed that he was truly walking in a slum of some future world.

The argument in the distance grew more intense. Just as Ran Xing was thinking that they might not be able to shoot anything that day, Lin Hanchuan turned around, catching Ran Xing off guard, and they collided.

Ran Xing felt a pang in his nose as the scent of a gentle and melancholic men’s fragrance rushed into his nostrils. For a moment, he forgot to react and stood there dumbfounded.

“Are you alright?” Lin Hanchuan took a step back and lowered his head to examine Ran Xing’s nose.

Ran Xing hurriedly lowered his head, touching his own nose. “I-I’m fine.”

As Lin Hanchuan walked past him toward the crowd, Ran Xing stole a glance at his back. Thinking about the solid chest he accidentally touched, a faint blush appeared on his ears, curling up the corners of his lips.

The battlefield among the film’s main creators had expanded. Not only the director and lighting designer but also the cinematographer and action director joined the argument.

Lin Hanchuan stood aside, quietly watching these industry veterans, all of whom were over fifty years old. As they argued, their voices inexplicably grew weaker, and they all turned to look at Lin Hanchuan simultaneously.

“Are you done arguing?” Lin Hanchuan asked calmly.

“Well…” the lighting designer stuttered.

Zhou Xishan rubbed his temples. “We won’t be able to reach a conclusion anytime soon.”

“A successful movie is not the result of a single person’s effort,” Lin Hanchuan scanned everyone, slowly speaking. “Each person has their unique ideas and special designs. If everything is included in the movie, it will only be a hodgepodge.”

Indeed, if a movie has too many special elements, it can overwhelm the audience and lack focus. Zhou Xishan and the lighting designer exchanged a glance, and Zhou Xishan spoke up, “So, how do you suggest we resolve this?”

“I want you to take charge of all the filming on the set. Plan everything according to your own judgment,” Lin Hanchuan said directly. “The soul of a movie is the director. This is your work, and you have the final say.”

Zhou Xishan widened his eyes and looked at Lin Hanchuan, bursting into laughter. “Alright! With your words, I will do my best to make this movie!”

As the biggest investor and producer spoke up, the arguments among the crew subsided. The production returned to the right track, and trivial matters no longer sparked disputes.

When Lin Hanchuan approached these arrogant and talented veterans, he anticipated this outcome. That’s why he chose Zhou Xishan, who possessed remarkable abilities, reputation, and status, to be the director—to keep these influential figures in check.

Zhou Xishan was a commercial film director who considered the audience and box office returns. He wouldn’t be swayed by these movie-centric veterans.

A gleam flickered in Lin Hanchuan’s eyes. He was determined to kickstart a Chinese film universe, and he couldn’t afford to fail with the first installment.

As long as cooperation was well coordinated, the film’s progress would not be too slow. After observing for a while and seeing things settle down, Lin Hanchuan left the set.

The next day, Thursday, at 9 o’clock in the morning, an article titled “The Road to Fame of Qiu Hongguang” exploded on the hot search list.

This article was initially published on an anonymous forum and was later reposted by a well-known marketing account on a real-name social media account. Within a short span of a morning, media personnel who smelled the sweet melon rushed to the scene, analyzing, opposing, or supporting the article. Various opinions clashed, causing a heated debate.

But the more divided the opinions and the more tangled the arguments became, the hotter the article became.

The article detailed how Qiu Hongguang had been in the industry for many years without making any waves, but suddenly rose to fame after joining Yanshi Film Industry. It analyzed the high-level resources and capital behind him, uncovering the secrets of Qiu Hongguang’s path to stardom.

Initially, this matter didn’t seem too severe, and people were merely enjoying the gossip. At most, they would express their amazement at Qiu Hongguang’s luck in being highly promoted by Yanshi Film Industry.

According to reason, the heat of this gossip should gradually die down the next day.

On Friday morning, at 9 o’clock, on the same anonymous website, someone exposed how Qiu Hongguang had been backstabbing other artists in the company and seizing resources from them.

At the end of this article, it revealed that Qiu Hongguang had tasked someone to dig up scandalous information about Ran Xing’s deadbeat father.

Instantly, the entire internet erupted.

Ran Xing was already a top-tier influencer, especially after his recent drama «Sword Immortal» ended. He had been blacklisted by the entire internet due to a misunderstanding, and regardless of whether people understood the entertainment industry or not, they had some understanding of the situation involving Ran Xing’s family.

His deadbeat father had appeared on television, pretending to be pitiful and urging netizens to insult Ran Xing. This incident became related to Qiu Hongguang, causing the netizens who had been toyed with by Ran Xing’s deadbeat father to become restless.

“Why would Qiu Hongguang have any connection with Ran Xing? They have no relation at all.”

“Nonsense! There is a connection. When they were both in Yanshi Film Industry, they were rivals. Didn’t you see that post yesterday? Qiu Hongguang backstabbed and seized resources. Ran Xing used to be in Yanshi Film Industry, how could he not have been backstabbed or had his resources stolen by Qiu Hongguang?”

“Come to think of it, I remember hearing something. Ran Xing was a nobody back then, and he auditioned for «Jiuge». He happily shared the news on social media, but not long after, he deleted that post, and «Jiuge» announced that Qiu Hongguang would be the male lead.”

“Even if they had competition before, Ran Xing left Yanshi Film Industry later, and they are now in different companies. They don’t have any connection anymore.”

After the shock subsided, Qiu Hongguang’s fans mobilized and started controlling the comments on various posts.

“Don’t believe rumors, don’t spread rumors. Everyone, be cautious when surfing the internet.”

“All these are fake news! Don’t believe them! Instead of wasting time, go watch «Jiuge»!”

“The lawyer’s letters are ready. Marketing accounts, don’t try to harm people!”

With everyone involved and the situation stirring up, the whole day was filled with turmoil. However, due to the bizarre nature of the matter, netizens were skeptical, believing that Qiu Hongguang’s antis were spreading rumors in the anonymous forum, and they didn’t take it too seriously.

After fermenting for two days, the weekend arrived. The person who posted anonymously finally revealed the final bombshell. Without saying a word, they released a series of photos showing Qiu Hongguang’s assistant interacting with Ran Xing’s deadbeat father.

As soon as these photos emerged, it was hard for anyone not to believe them.

“It’s too horrifying. I can understand snatching resources in the industry to some extent, but this move is too malicious. They are digging up someone’s wounds.”

“If Ran Xing compromises with his deadbeat father, that scum’s desires will never be satisfied. He will be used by his deadbeat father. And even if he doesn’t compromise, no matter how he explains that his father is scum, the netizens won’t believe him. They will all curse him as an unfilial son… This move is too ruthless, with such sinister intentions, how vile!”

“How can someone’s heart be so twisted? It’s truly chilling.”

“To resort to such despicable means in fair competition within the industry, I can’t help but suspect how Qiu Hongguang obtained resources in the past.”

Fans wanted to control the comments, but amidst such intense public sentiment, their efforts were futile.

When Qiu Hongguang realized something was wrong on Thursday, he only informed his manager and asked the PR department to help suppress the heat. By Friday, he was already restless, and by Saturday, he had completely collapsed.

“Someone is targeting me!” Qiu Hongguang held his phone, his voice trembling involuntarily. “On Thursday, I released some minor information to test the waters, and on Friday, I dropped a bombshell. It was only revealed during the weekend when everyone was resting. The way they attracted attention step by step, it must be Ran Xing! Only Ran Xing would hate me so much!”

The voice of his manager came through the phone, sounding somewhat indifferent. “Qiu Hongguang, I told you a long time ago not to underestimate anyone. Your little cleverness is insufficient in the industry. If it weren’t for President Yan and Young Master Yan always protecting you, you would never have had the opportunity to rise.”

“Now that Young Master Yan has left, you did this behind President Yan’s back and were found with evidence. You can explain it to President Yan yourself.”

The manager hung up the phone, and Qiu Hongguang stood in the living room, breathing heavily as he gasped for air. Suddenly, he smashed his phone onto the ground.

Qiu Hongguang knew that his manager, assigned to him by Yanshi Film Industry, was a top-tier talent in the company. He had always been aware that this manager was dissatisfied with him, who didn’t have enough strength. However, he never expected that when he got into trouble, this manager would simply abandon him.

Looking at the scattered remains of his phone on the ground, cold sweat trickled down Qiu Hongguang’s forehead. As long as Yanshi Film Industry protected him, nothing would happen. Once the heat died down, he could continue acting as if nothing had happened.

But… Qiu Hongguang’s legs gave way, and he knelt on the ground.

Could Yan Minghui, who had an overwhelming need for control, really forgive him for these secret actions behind his back?