novelraw Chapter 50 Yang Mi Offers a Favor
Chapter 50 Yang Mi Offers a Favor
Song Ze's phone vibrated in the palm of his hand.
Caller ID: Sister Hong.
He pressed the answer button.
"What kind of deity have you offended?!"
Hong Jie's voice was like shattered glass.
"The PR department is working around the clock! Those stubborn marketing accounts won't delete the posts even if they offer money! They're determined to expose you and Yifei completely!"
Song Ze took his phone away.
"Sister Hong, would you believe me if I said I've never even held hands with your master?"
"I don't believe a damn thing! The whole internet is waiting for solid video evidence of you two going to a hotel together! Your online trolls have even come up with names for your two kids!"
"Calm down."
Song Ze swiped the public opinion graph on the tablet with one hand.
"The timing of this wave of hype is abnormally synchronized. Dozens of marketing accounts posted articles at the same time, and the top three trending topics are stubbornly holding up."
He clicked on the popularity rankings of several related keywords.
"As a washed-up celebrity who just cleared up his scandals, I don't deserve such a high-priced setup. This is all about the IP of 'Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms' and Liu Yifei's business empire. I'm just an entry point at best."
There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.
Then came the sound of a folder being slammed onto the desktop.
"These bastards!" Sister Hong cursed, then hung up after saying "I'm going to a meeting."
Song Ze switched back to the home screen and dialed the number that was saved as "No need to arm yourself".
After three beeps, the connection will be established.
"Fairy Sister, did you lose a lot of your divine energy descending to earth to save me this time?"
I could hear the clicking sound of a cat scratching at its climbing frame and the whirring of a feeder coming from across the way.
"So how do you plan to compensate me?"
Liu Yifei spoke with a smile, showing no sign of anxiety.
"A double-portion hot pot, plus two plates of hand-cut fresh beef shank, and if that's not enough, add some pig brain."
"Not enough. At least three plates, plus an extra serving of premium handmade shrimp paste."
"make a deal."
We chatted for a couple of minutes and then hung up.
Song Ze picked up his mug and took a sip of water.
There's a reason this woman achieved legendary status in the Chinese entertainment industry; she's like a blanket covering the sky if it falls.
This stark contrast of complete trust is more effective than writing ten thousand whitewashing essays.
The phone screen was still on when the vibration came again.
Lin Shishi.
The moment I slid the answer button, a sour feeling rushed straight to my head.
"Congratulations to the talented Song for making the front page headlines! He's already hooked up with the new 'Fairy Sister' (Liu Yifei) so quickly? The 'Nation's First Love' persona is working well, isn't it?"
Song Ze leaned back in the swivel chair.
"I thought you understood me better than those keyboard warriors."
"So you're the same way."
He hung up immediately, giving her no chance to retort.
Sheshan Villa District in Shanghai.
Lin Shishi stood barefoot on the carpet, staring at her black-screen phone, her chest heaving violently.
That utterly disappointed tone shattered her self-esteem.
She threw the silk cushion onto the hardwood floor.
"Go check!"
She turned and yelled at her agent.
"I want to know who's behind this smear campaign today!"
The agent nodded repeatedly, took out a spare phone, and rushed to the balcony.
late at night.
The hotel is coordinated by the crew of the TV series "Chaoge" in Hengdian.
Bai Lu huddled in her blankets, tears streaming down her face.
The events of the day replayed in my mind.
The official promotional photos of the production team were leaked to gossip forums beforehand. They were unfiltered, unlit, and all taken from unflattering angles.
The top comment reads: "Is this the average girl the investors forced upon her? She wouldn't even be considered for a blind date in my village with that kind of looks."
I went to the dressing room to wait in the afternoon.
Li Qianru, a newly signed actress from Huanyu Entertainment, sat in the center position, having her nails done by her personal manicurist, and chatted loudly with her assistant.
"Some people are just lucky. By climbing into Senior Brother Song Ze's bed, they can squeeze out others and get the role of the female general. We, who are properly trained, are only fit to be someone else's foot-washing maids."
Bai Lu stood at the doorway, holding a thermos, unable to go in or out.
Everyone in the house was laughing at them.
The more she thought about it, the more frustrated she became, so she picked up her phone and dialed Song Ze's number.
"Senior brother..."
His sobbing was deafening.
"I might really not be able to handle it anymore, I want to leave the group."
The clear sound of the blue switch mechanical keyboard being typed could be heard.
A full half minute passed.
"Are you done crying?"
"No..." Bai Lu hiccuped.
"Page 37 of the first volume of the play 'Chaoge'. Deng Chanyu is ambushed from all sides, her food supplies are cut off, and her deputy general betrays her and tries to persuade her to surrender."
Song Ze pressed the Enter key heavily.
"Did she cry and want to withdraw her troops?"
Bai Lu was stunned.
"Would Deng Chanyu really abandon her military post and return to farming just because of a few rumors about a foot-washing maid?"
Song Ze stopped banging.
"Remember, you're an A-level contract artist signed by Xingyao Entertainment. Next time someone tries to disgust you to your face, just beat them up in front of the entire crew. If the sky falls, I'll hold it up."
The following afternoon.
Shanghai Star Glory Entertainment, Huanyin No. 1 Recording Studio.
The mixing of "Liang Liang" has entered the final stage of audio editing.
The heavy, impact-resistant metal door was violently pushed open by external force.
Zhang Juan followed behind, her forehead covered in sweat.
The leader was a gaunt woman with a chin that seemed to reach the ceiling; she was none other than Wu Jinyan, a popular young actress from Huanyu Entertainment.
Four assistants followed behind, carrying bags, handing out water, and holding umbrellas.
"You're Teacher Song, right?"
Wu Jinyan casually tossed her sunglasses onto the mixing console, which cost hundreds of thousands of yuan.
"Lin Shishi's voice is not suitable for this song; her high notes are too weak and she lacks confidence. The company has arranged for me to record the duet part for this OST."
Zhang Juan frantically gestured behind Wu Jinyan, mouthing, "The investors forced it on us."
The recording studio door was pushed open again.
Lin Shishi walked in, wearing high heels.
Last night, Song Ze's words broke her down, and she didn't sleep well all night. Today, she heard that people from Huanyu Entertainment were coming to steal her duet song.
"You? Are you capable?"
Lin Shishi blocked Wu Jinyan's path.
Wu Jinyan tossed her shoulder-length hair.
"He was one of the core candidates recommended by the primary production company of this drama."
Song Ze completely ignored the confrontation between the two.
He held the mouse and dragged out two audio tracks in the music production software.
The first track features Lin Shishi's a cappella performance, without any reverb or audio editing plugins. Her vocals are full of emotion and her breath control is steady.
The second item is the dry audio recording that Wu Jinyan's team forced upon her a couple of days ago.
Click to play side-by-side synchronously.
Increase the volume fader.
Two sounds exploded out of the million-dollar monitor speakers.
A cappella singing without the cover of arrangement or accompaniment is a true test of a singer's talent.
Lin Shishi's pitch was perfectly in tune with the chord progressions.
When Wu Jinyan's voice came out, the pitch was strangely off, her breathing sounded louder than a broken bellows, and her high notes were completely off.
Zhang Juan immediately turned around, her shoulders twitching as she desperately tried to suppress her laughter.
The four assistants all lowered their heads and carefully studied the pattern of the anti-static floor tiles under their feet.
Wu Jinyan's face turned bright red, and the veins in her neck bulged.
"I see."
She gritted her teeth and forced out a few words.
"Oh well."
He turned around, wearing sky-high heels, and led his men out the door.
At 8 p.m. that evening.
Dilraba swaggered into Song Ze's apartment carrying two bags of XJ beer and Jue Wei duck neck.
While munching on a duck neck, she leaned closer and lowered her voice.
"The boss asked me to run an errand and deliver a message to you."
She took a swig of beer and let out a satisfied burp.
"The person you drove away in anger during the day was a newcomer personally mentored by one of our vice presidents at Huanyu. By publicly disrespecting him, you've sealed the fate of Xingyao and Huanyu."
Song Ze opened a can of beer with one hand.
"so what?"
"So, according to Sister Mi's original words, Jaywalk Studio is also a co-investor in 'Chaoge,' and she has a very close relationship with Director Yu."
Dilraba was gnawing on a duck bone, completely disregarding her image.
"Mi-jie said she could 'show some 'concern' for your junior sister who's being bullied a lot on the Hengdian film set."
Yang Mi is going to get involved in Xingyao's mess and make Song Ze owe her a real favor.
This top player never makes a deal that doesn't pay off.
Day three.
Hengdian World Studios, Group B of the "Chaoge" film crew.
Lunch break time.
Bai Lu, dressed in heavy, one-piece armor, sat on a plastic stool waiting for the stagehands to serve her meal.
Li Qianru's assistant came over carrying two boxes of braised pork set meals.
As I passed by Bailu, I twisted my ankle.
Snapped.
Two boxes of braised pork, broth and all, were precisely placed on the side of Bailu's stool, the broth splashing onto her boots.
"Oh dear, I'm so sorry."
The assistant rolled her eyes insincerely.
"The ground is too slippery. I just heard from the coordinator that there are no more boxed lunches, so you might as well skip lunch to lose some weight."
Li Qianru, who was eating sunflower seeds nearby, sneered.
Bai Lu clenched her back molars.
She stood up abruptly, her mind filled with Song Ze's words, "Fight back."
He had just raised his arm.
"Are all the stagehands dead?!"
A loud shout came from behind the monitor.
Yu Zheng strode over in his leather boots, and the entire crew fell silent instantly.
He glanced down at the leftover food scraps on the ground, then at Li Qianru in the rocking chair.
He turned and strode towards the director's area, picking up the box of director's special food consisting of three meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, and a chicken leg.
Walk back to Bailu and hand it over.
"eat."
Yu Zheng scanned his surroundings.
"When did it become the turn of a lowly assistant to give orders in my film crew? Are you trying to rebel?!"
Li Qianru slumped in the folding rocking chair, barely daring to breathe.
Several stagehands rushed over, stumbling and crawling, to clean up the mess.
Bai Lu stood there, stunned, holding the heavy boxed lunch specially provided by the director.
Such extensive connections and influence could not possibly be something that Xingyao, a company on the verge of bankruptcy, could have orchestrated.
Magic City.
Song Ze stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of the apartment.
The phone screen lit up on the glass coffee table, displaying the caller ID: Hongtao.