novelraw Chapter 357: Heading to Tianguang Entertainment
Chapter 357: Heading to Tianguang Entertainment
Chapter 357: Heading to Tianguang Entertainment
At the foot of the Spark Media building, a famous spot for paparazzi stakeouts,
a window seat in a Starbucks.
Several men with long telephoto lenses attached to their cameras were idly scrolling through their phones.
"I'm telling you, how many more days can this Spark Media possibly hold on?"
A man in a floral shirt spat out his straw, his face full of disdain.
"Online betting pools have already opened up, betting on that woman Lin Wan getting kicked out within a week. The odds are so low the bookies can't even be bothered to look, and everyone placing bets is just waiting to see the joke."
His companion, wiping his lens, snorted with a laugh. "One box office poison, one crazy Film Emperor—what a perfect combo. It's like throwing a bomb into a cesspit—asking for death."
"Keep a close watch. I heard that guy surnamed Gu is borrowing money everywhere. There might be a good show today. If we catch loan sharks blocking the door demanding payment, this month's quota is blown out of the water."
The two exchanged a look, revealing sinister smiles.
Inside the company, in the break room.
Gu Zhiyuan was huddled in the shadows, staring intently at the phone on his lap.
Every time the screen lit up, his whole body would jolt.
But his nightmare was far from over.
The phone buzzed violently. A new number sent a text message, its content like a death warrant:
"Director Gu, heard you need money? Five percent interest, no collateral needed. Just lend me the negatives of your film for 'safekeeping'."
Loan sharks.
Once you get involved, it's like being bitten by a leech on your main artery—it won't let go until it's sucked you dry.
Gu Zhiyuan's fingers trembled violently, hovering between "Answer" and "Decline".
He couldn't drag Lin Wan down, let alone Jiang Ci.
That fifteen million shortfall was crushing him, making it hard to breathe.
"Clatter—"
The blinds were suddenly yanked open, letting in a blinding shaft of sunlight.
Jiang Ci walked in, holding a bag of potato chips, crunching them loudly.
"Director Gu, bad signal here?"
Jiang Ci's gaze was clear as he looked at him.
"Director Lin called for us. Said the last investor has replied."
Gu Zhiyuan hurriedly stuffed his phone into his pocket, wiping cold sweat off his brow with his sleeve. "Okay... coming right now."
The president's office.
Lin Wan slammed her phone on the desk, clenching her back teeth tightly to keep the curses from bursting out.
"Director Lin, what did the other party say?" Gu Zhiyuan asked cautiously.
Lin Wan's eyes turned sharp. "Manager Zhang said if it's another tragedy like *The Legend of Han and Chu*, he'll add another twenty million. Otherwise, don't even bother."
The office fell into silence.
Right then, the receptionist practically crashed through the door, stumbling in. Her words were stumbling too, and her face was completely drained of color.
"Si... Sister Wan!"
The young woman pointed downstairs. "Down there... something's happened!"
Gu Zhiyuan's legs went weak, nearly buckling.
They're here.
The creditors are here!
Images flashed through his mind: paint being splashed, banners being unfurled, broken limbs.
He grabbed Jiang Ci's arm, pushing him back with trembling hands. "Jiang Ci, you need to leave! Go out the back! This has nothing to do with you!"
Jiang Ci was pushed, staggering slightly, nearly dropping his chips.
He looked strangely at the utterly terrified Gu Zhiyuan. "Director Gu, did your phone service get cut off?"
Lin Wan frowned, strode to the window, and yanked the curtains open.
There were no thugs downstairs, no banners.
The normally bustling street was eerily quiet.
The paparazzi, who usually couldn't wait to shove their cameras in the artists' faces, had all retreated a good ten meters away. Some had even instinctively hidden their cameras behind their backs.
A car sat silently parked right in the center of the building's portico.
A black Hongqi L5.
Retro circular headlights, a vertical waterfall grille. The red flag emblem on the hood was a blinding red under the sun.
But the focus wasn't the car.
It was the license plate.
Jing A·888xx.
In this city, some license plates represent money, some represent power.
And this kind of plate represented the absolute top-tier authority you absolutely do not mess with.
"That's..." A chill ran down Lin Wan's spine.
Gu Zhiyuan peeked out, took one look, and his entire face and lips turned the color of dead ash.
"It's over..." He collapsed to the floor in despair. "This isn't ordinary loan sharks... This is about pouring cement on me and sinking me in the river..."
"Let's go down and see."
Lin Wan straightened her collar, her voice relatively calm, but her tightly clenched fists betrayed her tension.
The three of them walked out of the building. Gu Zhiyuan was last, his legs shaking.
The car door opened.
He closed his eyes, waiting for the appearance of thugs with brutal, scowling faces.
The expected roar of violence didn't come.
Instead, the crisp sound of high heels clicked, landing firmly on the ground.
Gu Zhiyuan cracked one eye open.
The person who stepped out wasn't a gangster. It was a middle-aged woman wearing a deep gray business suit, her hair in an immaculate bun.
She wasn't wearing sunglasses. Her gaze swept over the area, and the paparazzi hiding in the shadows shrank their necks like students caught by the head teacher.
Zhou Lan.
Gu Huai's ace agent, senior partner at Daylight Entertainment, known in the industry as "Sister Zhou".
Zhou Lan walked up to the three of them. Her gaze lingered on Jiang Ci for two seconds, a hint of appreciation in her eyes, before turning to Lin Wan and giving a slight nod.
"Director Lin, long time no see."
Lin Wan's taut nerves relaxed slightly, but her wariness remained. "To what do we owe the honor of Sister Zhou's visit?"
Zhou Lan's smile was perfectly professional, her words polite.
"I'm here on someone's orders. Our Teacher Gu would like to invite you all for some tea. He... is very interested in your new film."
Teacher Gu.
There was only one person Sister Zhou would call "Teacher Gu".
Gu Huai.
The Triple Crown Film Emperor grand slam winner, the "Sea-Calming Needle" of Daylight Entertainment.
The surrounding paparazzi were stunned, their jaws practically on the ground.
Gu Zhiyuan was dumbfounded.
Not a cement bath? It's Gu Huai?
And he wants to see him?
"Also," Zhou Lan's gaze shifted to Gu Zhiyuan, who was shrinking behind them, and she nodded politely,
"Director Gu, Teacher Gu specifically asked me to convey that he sincerely hopes you will honor him with your presence."
"Me?" Gu Zhiyuan pointed at his own nose, his voice trembling.
"Yes. The car is ready."
Zhou Lan stepped aside, making a gesture of "please".
Lin Wan steadied herself and looked at Jiang Ci.
Jiang Ci had already finished his chips. He brushed the crumbs off his hands.
His gaze fell on the car, and he commented, "This car looks nice. The back seat should be pretty good for sleeping."
With that, he was the first to walk over, climbing into the back seat without a care in the world.
Lin Wan: "..."
Gu Zhiyuan: "..."
Under countless complex stares, Gu Zhiyuan was half-dragged, half-shoved into the car by Lin Wan.
Inside the car, it was extremely quiet. The air conditioning was strong, emitting the scent of high-grade leather.
Gu Zhiyuan was perched on the edge of the seat, half his butt hovering, not daring to sit fully, terrified his cheap jeans would dirty these impossibly expensive seats.
In contrast, Jiang Ci had sunk into the spacious seat, found a comfortable position to sprawl in, and even reached out to press the seat's massage button.
"Bzzz—" The seat vibrated gently.
"Whoa, fancy." Jiang Ci sighed with contentment, then turned to look at Gu Zhiyuan. "Director Gu, try it. Much gentler than the massage I gave you last time."
Gu Zhiyuan's face turned green. You're thinking about massages at a time like this?
"Teacher Jiang, be more serious," he whispered through chattering teeth.
Lin Wan sat in the passenger seat. Watching the composed Jiang Ci through the rearview mirror, her feelings were complicated.
What kind of game was Gu Huai playing?
The car drove directly into an exclusive underground passage and stopped in front of a private elevator.
"Top floor. Teacher Gu is waiting for you."