Director Li's real name was Li Jianquan.
The main reason he was so sought after by many people in the crew was his role as casting director.
During the film's preparation phase and pre-production stage, he assisted the director in selecting actors, recommended suitable actors for roles, and helped the production team negotiate prices and sign actor contracts; he was responsible for communication between the actors and creative design departments such as music, art, styling, costumes, and props, acting as a communication bridge; under the director's arrangements, he assisted actors in rehearsals and provided necessary training (horse riding, martial arts, etc.).
During filming, he was responsible for recruiting extras, special guest actors, and minor roles, guiding their performances, and preparing their lines in advance.
Apart from leading roles like the first and second female leads, which were usually handled by the main director, all other roles generally needed to be found by the associate director.
With this in mind, you can understand Li Jianquan's influence within the crew.
The next morning, when Li Jianquan arrived at the set humming a tune, he noticed that along the way, the glances people around him gave him were indescribably strange and ambiguous, furtively concealed.
Li Jianquan was completely baffled.
When he casually grabbed a staff member to ask, the person mumbled and stammered, unable to explain.
Thinking of his experience last night, Li Jianquan was filled with a wicked rage.
First, he was rejected repeatedly by a newcomer, and finally, he was even kicked out by the owner of Tiangong Bar and his people.
Enraged, Li Jianquan stood at the bar's entrance and began to curse loudly.
But he could only curse; there was nothing else he could do.
Even a mighty dragon cannot suppress a local snake, not to mention that after checking, he found out the person behind Tiangong Bar was not ordinary.
Having suffered a silent loss, with nowhere to vent his anger, he and a few others later found a club and engaged in a group party.
Li Jianquan yawned, his mind still a bit fuzzy.
He had partied too wildly and too late last night, and wasn't quite sober yet.
"What did you do last night?"
Lao Mouzi asked with a strange expression, seeing him in this state.
Li Jianquan was startled:
"Nothing much, just went out for a drink."
"That's it?"
"That's it."
"Check Weibo yourself."
Lao Mouzi walked away, shaking his head with his hands behind his back.
Li Jianquan was still wondering why he should check Weibo.
After pulling out his phone and looking, cold sweat broke out all over his body.
Although it was only ranked eighth on the trending topics list, the title was exceptionally eye-catching.
"A well-known director has long used his casting power to exploit new actresses."
After clicking in, Li Jianquan's photo was clearly visible.
In the picture, he was hugging and kissing other girls, and the accompanying text included revelations from other actresses.
Li Jianquan's heart sank, and he thought,
"This is bad."
He's been exposed!
Outsiders wouldn't know who he was, but insiders would, especially since there was no mosaic on the photo.
What was even more baffling to Li Jianquan was that the photo wasn't taken recently; if his guess was correct, it must have been taken two or three months ago in Shanghai.
Why would a photo from two or three months ago be posted online today?
Judging by the angle, it was very likely someone he was with back then, but why would that person expose him?
Li Jianquan thought and thought but couldn't recall ever offending anyone.
Could it be last night's incident?
As soon as Li Jianquan thought this, he immediately refuted his own idea.
It made no sense.
Last night's incident had just happened.
Who would have such immense power to bribe contacts, obtain his photos from two or three months ago, and then publish them?
Besides, he didn't really do anything last night; at least he didn't hug or kiss anyone.
"Why is this happening?"
Just as Li Jianquan was muttering to himself, six or seven reporters carrying cameras rushed in from outside.
Behind this group of reporters, crew security personnel were in pursuit:
"Hey, hey, this is a film set, you can't enter without the director's permission!"
But these reporters paid no attention to the security guards, and in a short while, they were practically shoving microphones into Li Jianquan's mouth.
"Director Li, hello, I'm a reporter from Southern Metropolis Daily. I'd like to ask..."
"Director Li, Director Li, look here! What do you think about the accusations from actresses that you have long exploited newcomers, first promising them roles and then backing out?"
"Director Li, Chi Lu posted on Weibo accusing you of deliberately getting her drunk at a drinking party and then assaulting her. Is this true?"
"Director Li, there are actors accusing you of luring people to hotels under the guise of auditions, demanding they wear revealing outfits like swimsuits, hot pants, and evening gowns, and engaging in indecent behavior in front of them. Is this true?"
"..."
Cold sweat instantly broke out on Li Jianquan.
His mind went blank and dizzy, and he felt the whole world spinning.
Only one thought echoed in his mind:
"It's over!"
However, it wasn't long before Li Jianquan found relief.
Two police officers immediately arrived and took Li Jianquan away.
The internet had already exploded into a frenzy.
"Your circle is really chaotic."
"Back then, a bunch of companies wanted to sign me. Do you know why I didn't go? Because it's too messy."
"Such a greasy old man is actually so lecherous; this world is too terrifying."
"No matter if you're a boy or a girl, you still need to protect yourself when you're out. This is just what's been exposed; who knows how much more is beneath the surface."
"The Shisan Chai crew needs to come out and explain, and so does Lao Mouzi."
"I just saw that the Wujiang Police of Dongjiang have already issued a statement on Weibo. He must have committed a serious crime; if it were just consensual exploitation, it might not even be illegal."
"Wujiang Police: Li XX has been criminally detained according to law."
......
On the other side, manager Lu Jie saw the news and was immediately distraught.
She was extremely unwilling to link Ni Na with Li Jianquan's arrest, but it was no coincidence that Li Jianquan was exposed at this exact time and taken away so quickly; she couldn't help but overthink it.
When they signed Ni Na, they had also investigated her family background, and there was nothing particularly special about it.
And a bar owner wouldn't have such great power, would they?
Unless there was someone behind this bar owner, which would also explain why the owner last night was willing to cause a scene even if it meant losing money.
In her anxiety, she made several calls, but no one answered.
This forced Lu Jie to go to Ni Na's residence, and she had to knock for a long time before waking Ni Na up.
Ni Na had arrived home very late yesterday, and after such an incident, she slept even later.
"My dear, you're finally awake, something big has happened."
Ni Na rubbed her sleepy eyes and asked in confusion,
"What big thing?"
"Li Jianquan has been exposed, many people have come forward to accuse him, and he has been arrested."
Lu Jie said, secretly observing Ni Na, trying to discern from her micro-expressions whether Ni Na knew about it.
To her surprise, Ni Na's face was full of surprise:
"So sudden? Good that he was caught; I've long heard this person has many problems."
"You didn't know at all?"
"No, I didn't."
Ni Na shook her head.
"Could it be someone you know who put him in there?"
Lu Jie cautiously hinted.
"Probably... not."
As she spoke, Ni Na immediately thought of Chen Pingjiang, and the more she thought, the more certain she became.
Yesterday, before leaving, Zhao Shaoyang had said there would be a satisfactory outcome today.
Did a satisfactory outcome refer to this?
Of course, this outcome wasn't bad either.
Ni Na now had eighty percent confidence that Chen Pingjiang was involved in this matter; only he had sufficient motive and sufficient power.
But the action was too quick.
Ignoring Lu Jie, Ni Na quickly pulled out her phone and started scrolling through the news.
It just goes to show Lu Jie was cut out for this profession; simply from the hesitation in Ni Na's tone of voice, she keenly sensed that Ni Na must know who was behind it.
"Xiao Na, please don't blame me. I was also looking out for your best interests yesterday; the atmosphere in this industry isn't good. But even if your friend hadn't come to save you last night, I, your Lu Jie, would have stepped forward. That bastard Li Jianquan would never have hurt you."
Lu Jie was now very panicked, wanting to distance herself immediately.
"I'm also a woman, and I certainly don't want to see such a situation, but one is bound by circumstances in this world; you must understand me."
Ni Na didn't listen to Lu Jie at all.
Her only thought now was to see Chen Pingjiang, to see the man who had done all this behind the scenes to protect her.
"Ni Na, are you listening to me?"
Lu Jie saw Ni Na staring blankly, and helplessly waved her hand in front of her.
But then her phone rang, and shortly after answering, Lu Jie's face changed.
The call was from the company's legal department lawyer, who said they had arrived in Dongjiang and had something to discuss with her, and also asked her to contact Ni Na.
At this, Lu Jie panicked even more, making calls everywhere, but unfortunately, the phones were either off or no one knew anything.
Half an hour later, a man and a woman also arrived at Ni Na's residence.
They didn't say anything, but simply handed a document to Ni Na and Lu Jie respectively.
The document in Ni Na's hand was a termination of contract notice.
The one in Lu Jie's hand was a dismissal notice.
Ni Na stared blankly.
Lu Jie shrieked and quickly chased out after the HR specialist:
"If you fire me, you have to pay me compensation!"
The HR specialist sneered:
"The company not suing you is already a kindness; you still want compensation? I suggest you carefully read the content of your dismissal notice. You are being dismissed because of major mistakes in your work that damaged the company's image.
If you disagree, we'll accompany you to the labor bureau, the arbitration committee, or the court. Furthermore, my personal advice is that you change professions; the company has already shared your name with other companies, and you are now on the industry blacklist."
Watching the man and woman walk away, Lu Jie slumped defeatedly to the ground.
Without being a manager, what could she do at her age?
However, seeing Ni Na beside her, hope rekindled in Lu Jie's heart.
She struggled to her feet, walked over to Ni Na, and grabbed her arm.
"Nana, please, please talk to the boss behind you. I truly know I was wrong; I'm not human, sigh."
Before Ni Na could speak, Zhao Shaoyang's voice came through:
"It's a bit too late to realize your mistake now."
With Zhao Shaoyang's arrival, Ni Na felt somewhat numb.
Goodness, in less than an hour, three waves of people had visited her home, more than in the past six months combined.
Zhao Shaoyang unceremoniously pushed Lu Jie aside, then scornfully said,
"Move aside."
After speaking, she turned to Ni Na and said,
"Let's go too."
"Huh? Go... go where?"
"You'll know once you get in the car."
As she spoke, Zhao Shaoyang looked at Ni Na's face, feeling delighted.
Don't misunderstand, even if she had eighteen thousand guts, she wouldn't dare have any ideas about Boss Chen's woman.
The reason for her delight was entirely because of Ni Na's connection to him.
Although Zhou Guanghan, Dai Sheng, and Zhao Shaoyang had a good relationship,
recently those two guys always kept things from her, and wouldn't say what they were when asked.
However, Zhao Shaoyang knew that Ge Mengshi used to be Dai Sheng's boss, so Dai Sheng had become part of the Pro-Ge faction.
As for that guy Zhou Guanghan, needless to say, he was a relative of Boss Chen.
Now with Ni Na as a bridge, could she naturally become part of the Pro-Ni faction?
Only after getting into the car did Ni Na dare to ask timidly,
"Where are we going?"
"To see the person you want to see."
The car wound its way through Dongjiang city for about forty minutes before finally pulling into a building.
The elevator went straight up to the 22nd floor, and only then did Ni Na push open the door and enter.
Zhao Shaoyang discreetly left.
The moment she entered, Ni Na was stunned by the spacious living room, and at the farthest point of her vision, a familiar figure stood by the window, turning to look at her.
"I had something to attend to yesterday, so I only had time to see you today."
Chen Pingjiang held a can of cola in his hand, a smile playing on his lips.
Ni Na had too many things she wanted to say, but didn't know where to begin.
From the moment she saw Chen Pingjiang, an inexplicable emotion spread through her chest.
Her sense of security exploded, and she wished she could just throw herself into Chen Pingjiang's arms.
"I... I thought after last time, we would never see each other again. After all, we are just people from two different worlds."
Chen Pingjiang smiled:
"Not at all. Do I look like someone so heartless and ungrateful?"
To Chen Pingjiang's surprise, Ni Na actually nodded:
"You're so handsome and rich, you must be a big playboy."
That comment immediately embarrassed Chen Pingjiang.
He touched his nose and gave a wry smile:
"Then you're really mistaken. Actually, I'm very devoted; I only like young and beautiful women."
"Li Jianquan will 100% go in for a few years. He has a lot of dirt on him; not only exploitation, but also drugging and intoxicating women to have sex against their will, and even group activities. Even after he gets out, his reputation will be ruined. He won't be able to make a living in China; I don't know if he can go to Japan to make a living in the future."
Chen Pingjiang said:
"I've already retrieved your contract from your company; I presume you've already received the news? Tomorrow I'll have someone establish a studio named after you. I've also invested a bit in the Shisan Chai crew; you can act normally when filming starts in the first half of next year, no need to worry about anything else."
"Also, this large apartment is 360 square meters. I've already bought the property rights and will transfer them to your name when there's time. Someone will take you to do the handover with the original owner later. Although it's a second-hand apartment, it was actually bought by a friend of mine last year when housing prices just started to rise. It's been left here after renovation and no one has lived in it."
Ni Na's mouth dropped open, and with fluttering eyes, she asked,
"Why are you so good to me?"
"I already told you I'm not a scumbag!"
(End of Chapter)