Chapter 60

At midnight, Liutao was already asleep.

Xiaoyu, wearing only a pair of shorts and bare-chested, sat at his desk, the air conditioner blowing as the human photocopier worked at high speed.

The papers in front of him were divided into two piles. The left pile was a thick stack of clean white paper; the right pile had only a dozen or so sheets, each with neatly printed tables and clear content.

The table headers were sequentially labeled: Mirror Number, Shot Size, Shooting Method, Image Content, Narration, Sound, Music, Length (seconds).

Below, the content was categorized and filled in detail, densely packed with many specialized terms for film production, including text and illustrations, all in Korean.

The storyboard was being photocopied...

Two days passed in the blink of an eye. For ordinary people, life remained the same, but in the entertainment industry, every day was new, with new hot topics.

The rumor of the young actress Qianqian Liu and a mysterious wealthy businessman opening a hotel room late at night had once tried to challenge Su Youpeng's "Ten Years" for the top spot in the entertainment news. However, the entertainment reporters didn't have substantial evidence, so it didn't cause much of a stir.

Qianqian Liu and her agency were too lazy to deny the rumors, adopting a stance of "the innocent have nothing to fear," while her angry fans, the "Liu Sis," defended their goddess with their saliva.

The news of Su Youpeng's new song "Ten Years" was still the hottest topic. Its sweeping success on six major music websites was too dazzling to ignore. Media interviews, music show appearances, fan meetings... he frequently appeared in public, with a very high profile.

This was a deliberate arrangement by Starlight Records to build momentum for "Ten Years," aiming to secure and maintain the top spot on the charts of the six major music websites for as long as possible, avoiding being overtaken by the five other top stars.

Su Youpeng was once again in a busy state, working non-stop with only a few hours of sleep each day. He often fell asleep in the chauffeur-driven car while rushing to different events. However, he always remembered the promise he made to Xiaoyu.

Indeed, Xiaoyu received a notification from the "Huanzhu 3" production team, requesting Mengren Film to send several recent lifestyle and artistic photos of Liutao.

Liutao was Mengren Film's only signed artist and the company's rising star. When the "Huanzhu 3" production team called, all the company's staff immediately dropped their work and focused all their efforts on her.

Taking lifestyle and artistic photos was Zhang Xiaquan's specialty. He and his team of stylists and makeup artists were the main force, but the company's photography studio was too simple and didn't meet his standards.

Fortunately, Mengren had allies. Without Xiaoyu's involvement, Zhang Xiaquan made a call, and Gu Hongzhou readily agreed to lend them the Shengshi dedicated photography studio for free.

At the Shengshi photography studio.

Zhang Xiaquan was barking orders, directing the Shengshi staff to adjust the background colors and lighting, taking charge as if he were the boss, making Zhang Xiaoxing envious.

Not long ago, they were all part of Mengren's Big Three, Xiaoyu's left and right hands.

Money was made together, and fat sheep were herded together. There was no comparison to being with the top dog of Mengren, Xiaoyu, at least he and Zhang Xiaquan were on the same starting line.

Zhang Xiaquan had been an assistant photographer for eight years, and he was a new director with four years of formal training. What was the difference?

How did the gap become so large in just a few months?

He needed to talk to the boss, he wanted to be a director... uh, start as an assistant director first!

Zhang Xiaoxing looked at Xiaoyu, who was standing alone in a corner, talking on the phone.

Who was he talking to?

Why did the boss seem to be getting more mysterious?

Why was he becoming harder to understand?

Xiaoyu wasn't being deliberately mysterious; he was just in a situation he couldn't control.

For example, right now, he was on the phone with Zhang Kai, the security director of Aiman Culture, and he couldn't let Zhang Xiaoxing hear.

With Aiman Culture's compromise, his conflict with them had only grown deeper, and it might escalate to physical confrontation in the future. He wasn't afraid of evil forces or threats, but he couldn't let his brothers be implicated.

"Xiaoyu, you're being unreasonable! Do you really think you can hide so well that I can't find you?"

Zhang Kai's words were very clear: once he found Xiaoyu, he would beat him until he couldn't take care of himself.

The first time Zhang Kai called Xiaoyu, he had accumulated a lot of anger. If not for Pei Pengbing's restraint, he would have already used his ultimate move.

This was the second time he called Xiaoyu, and his anger had reached its peak. If Xiaoyu were in front of him, he would have used two ultimate moves to instantly kill him!

According to Xiaoyu's demands, they had given him "justice."

First, the main culprit, Li Gang, was arrested by the police for embezzlement. The evidence was solid, and the amount involved was significant. He was just waiting for the court's verdict to serve his sentence of more than five years.

Second, Aiman Culture issued a public statement. It pointed out that during Li Gang's tenure as the chief editor of "Mannai Ai," he had favored relatives, neglected his duties, mismanaged, and was morally corrupt, violating the law. Not only did he harm the reputation of the well-known manga artist Xiaoyu, but he also caused significant losses to Aiman Culture.

In Aiman Culture's view, this was justice, and Xiaoyu should be satisfied.

What Xiaoyu needed to do now was to issue a statement, pointing out that the incident was entirely caused by Li Gang, and that Aiman Culture was also a victim, calling on his fans not to generalize and to help Aiman Culture recover from the storm.

In other words, they were giving him face, and he should give them a way out.

The manga industry was not large, and people often ran into each other. It was a matter of mutual benefit, a common practice!

But Xiaoyu didn't play by the rules and refused to issue a statement.

Zhang Kai was furious, accusing Xiaoyu of being untrustworthy. However, Xiaoyu refuted each point, leaving Zhang Kai speechless.

He pointed out that Aiman Culture's handling of Li Gang was inevitable.

The recording of the潜rules, the loss of important competition entries, and the current situation—was this the work of a chief editor or a scoundrel?

Even if I didn't demand it, you would have found a way to take him down, right?

Furthermore, was your public statement an apology?

You didn't know about Li Gang's潜rules with the contestants?

In your statement, you pushed all the blame onto Li Gang, portraying yourselves as victims to gain sympathy. Do you think I'm a fool and can't see through it?

You want me to issue a statement to give you a way out?

No way!

"Once things calm down in Japan, this matter will naturally subside."

Xiaoyu's non-committal response made Zhang Kai furious.

Indeed, you can't reason with a cultural person!

You have to use your fists!

"Fine, you have guts. I advise you to run out of Yanjing, or I'll break your bones when I find you!"

"I also advise you not to find me. It's for your own good, really."

"Damn! Xiaoyu, I'm asking you one last time, are you going to issue a statement?"

"I don't like repeating myself."

"Hmph, did you think I wouldn't record this call? Be careful, I might edit it and post it online. You know the consequences."

"Ouch, didn't you record the first call? I did, and I recorded both calls. Do you want a copy?"

Bang!

The newly bought phone was once again smashed to pieces by Zhang Kai.

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