novelraw Chapter 88 Misfortunes Never Come Alone
Chapter 88 Misfortunes Never Come Alone
Blessings are unparalleled, and misfortunes do not come singly.
Fang Zhi was scrolling through Tieba (a Chinese online forum), and her fingers were getting colder and colder.
The homepage, besides the celebrity promotional trailer for "Love in the Windy City," only features a few inconspicuous but eye-catching posts:
The university screenings of "Love is Not Blind" have been cancelled.
The release of a suspected low-budget film has encountered obstacles.
She clicked on it and saw a few scattered replies, mostly expressing regret, occasionally interspersed with sarcastic remarks such as "I told you this kind of film has no market" and "Going head-to-head with Huayi is just asking for trouble."
She looked up at Zhang Liangying, who was sitting on the opposite sofa, frowning as she typed on her computer.
The gloomy rain outside the window made the room dimly lit, and the light from the screen reflected off Zhang Liangying's face in flickering light.
"Sister Liangying".
Fang Zhi opened her mouth, but didn't know how to start.
"Um?"
Zhang Liangying didn't even look up; she was repeatedly watching the video of her previous performance, her fingertips unconsciously tapping the keyboard.
"It seems like there's a problem with the screening schedule for Li Jun's movie."
Fang Zhi tried her best to make it sound like a casual remark.
Zhang Liangying's fingers stopped typing.
She slowly raised her head, her eyes showing little surprise.
That's what everyone's saying online.
Fang Zhi handed over the phone.
Zhang Liangying took it and quickly flipped through it.
She didn't say anything, but silently handed the phone back to Fang Zhi.
I looked at the screen again, but my eyes could no longer focus on the video.
Only the pattering rain outside the window remained in the room.
...
Jia Peng called Fang Zhi because Li Jun's phone was temporarily unavailable.
"It's over, it's all over!"
Jia Peng's voice sounded like he was crying on the phone, with background noise from the street and the surrounding environment. He was probably making the call after being turned down at the entrance of a movie theater.
"The last show, which was at 1 AM, was also canceled; they said the equipment was broken. But why did they add an extra show for 'Love in the Windy City'?! Isn't this blatant bullying?!"
Fang Zhi felt a lump in her throat and could only try her best to comfort her:
"Don't panic, does Li Jun know?"
"I can't get in touch with Jun-ge, Fang-zhi-jie. Could you talk to Zhang Liangying and ask her to mention our movie during the competition or in an interview, even just once... There's really no way to do that now."
Jia Peng's voice was filled with despair, as if he had nowhere else to turn.
This was a film he had meticulously prepared for a long time, and he couldn't bear to see it ruined.
Fang Zhi covered the microphone and looked at Zhang Liangying.
Zhang Liangying had already heard the gist of it. She walked over and took the phone.
"Jia Peng, this is Zhang Liangying."
Her voice sounded a little tired, but very calm:
"I'll try to contact Li Jun. As for the movie, I'm in the middle of a competition right now, so there are many things I can't say. If I do, people might use it against me, which would be even worse for the movie."
After hanging up the phone, Zhang Liangying returned the phone to Fang Zhi, walked to the window, and looked at the city outside, blurred by the rain.
Her back was straight, but her shoulders slumped down almost imperceptibly.
"It must be really tough for him..."
Zhang Liangying spoke softly, as if talking to herself.
She didn't want to help Li Jun, but blindly helping him at this time would only throw her into chaos.
Fang Zhi didn't know how to respond.
She knew who Zhang Liangying was talking about.
......
Wang Zhonglei's call went directly to the program team, eventually reaching Zhang Liangying's assistant, Fang Zhi.
It was only later, through subtle means, that the president of Huayi wanted to recruit Li Jun and offered him terms.
When Fang Zhi heard this, her heart sank.
Almost subconsciously, she wondered, would Li Jun agree?
Is this a provocation, or is it forcing Li Jun to submit?
She dared not think too deeply about it, much less tell Zhang Liangying.
Zhang Liangying is making her final push for the crucial quarterfinal match and cannot afford any further emotional fluctuations.
She asked Zhang Liangying for Yuan Tao's phone number. Yuan Tao's voice sounded unusually tired and wary.
"Mr. Yuan, I am Fang Zhi, Zhang Liangying's assistant."
"Zhang Liangying's assistant, okay, what's up?"
Yuan Tao was clearly surprised.
"I've heard some things about Huayi and about Li Jun."
Fang Zhi lowered her voice and spoke very quickly.
Yuan Tao was silent for a few seconds on the other end of the phone, then sighed:
"This matter is complicated."
Fang Zhi's heart sank:
"Will Huayi do it?"
"meeting."
Yuan Tao's voice was deep and firm:
"If you go along with Wang Zhonglei, everything will be fine; if you don't obey him, he will use every means to prove that he is right."
"Fang Zhi, remind Zhang Liangying to be careful in everything she does lately, especially in public, and to be cautious in her words and actions."
The phone went dead. Fang Zhi leaned against the cold wall.
Time quickly passed to the Super Girl competition's top 7 to 5 finals, and Li Jun was still unable to be contacted.
However, he sent messages to Tang Yan and Zhang Liangying to let them know he was safe and that they didn't need to worry.
Zhang Liangying performed exceptionally well, singing a highly challenging art song that brought tears to the eyes of judge Xia Qing.
When the final SMS vote count was announced, Li Yuchun's name was at the top of the list, and Zhang Liangying was in second place.
They were overtaken, and the cheers from the "corn" fans at the scene almost lifted the roof off.
This was something Li Jun had anticipated. His original intention was to eliminate Li Yuchun before the finals, but if she made it to the national finals, it would be perfect for her.
Now things have clearly gone as planned. After entering the national finals, Li Yuchun's success has snowballed, and the previous comments from local communities no longer have much influence on her.
Zhang Liangying stood on the stage, the lights shining on her. She smiled and bowed to the audience in all directions, her demeanor impeccable.
But Fang Zhi could clearly see that Zhang Liangying's hand holding the microphone was trembling slightly.
Backstage, Zhang Liangying didn't look at anyone and went straight to her private dressing room.
He Jie happened to be passing by and wanted to say something.
He shut his mouth again.
She looked at Fang Zhi, who was looking anxious, shook her head helplessly, and whispered:
"Let her have some peace and quiet."
Fang Zhi stood guard at the door, listening to the faint sobs inside. All the pressure of these past few days seemed to be pressing down on her shoulders through that door.
But no one could do anything, so Fang Zhi frantically called Li Jun.
This guy, whom she once saw as a good-for-nothing, has become a pillar of support in everyone's hearts.
She desperately hoped that Li Jun could save the situation.
The night rain in Changsha showed no sign of stopping, lashing against the windows as if trying to wash all hope into the dark sewers.
That night, everyone was shrouded in the same invisible net, feeling a suffocating sense of oppression.
In the editing room thousands of miles away, Jia Peng stared blankly at the distribution schedule, which had no more screenings to schedule.
In her rented room in Chengdu, Tang Yan scrolled through increasingly negative comments about the film online, repeatedly typing and deleting messages of comfort she wanted to send to Li Jun.
At his home in Beijing, Yuan Tao irritably downed a glass of strong liquor while looking at Huayi's latest internal publicity budget report.