Jiang Yu’s life had improved lately. Though it couldn’t compare to before, it was far better than when Cheng Ran first left.
After going through various hardships, even though the later stage of the crew faced the risk of project failure and bankruptcy every day, “Battle City 2” was a major IP with a solid fan base. There were always fools willing to be deceived.
Coincidentally, the latest fool was none other than Liu Yunlan, the leading actress in the film Ye Zhou’s original owner had been shooting when he first arrived. She had once been a rising young actress.
However, Liu Yunlan could no longer be called a rising star. After a scandal involving her as a homewrecker in a wealthy family and simultaneously cheating with the film’s assistant director, her reputation plummeted, and her career instantly hit rock bottom.
Since the scandal broke, her name only elicited scorn and mockery wherever it was mentioned.
Liu Yunlan’s life took a sharp downturn. She faced contract terminations and demands for public apologies and compensation from her endorsement partners.
While Liu Yunlan had earned considerable money at her peak, her expenses were extravagant. In the entertainment industry, monthly costs for clothing and styling alone were astronomical.
Although she was not poor, she wasn’t particularly wealthy either.
Despite her financial troubles, her sugar daddy, Zheng Hao, had deep pockets. She was quite skilled at manipulating him, leaving him besotted and utterly devoted. When intimate photos of them at a hotel entrance leaked, Zheng Hao even filed for divorce from his wife for her sake.
Had Liu Yunlan agreed, Zheng Hao would have married her immediately.
However, while Liu Yunlan enjoyed the resources and money Zheng Hao provided, her rising fame made her increasingly disdainful of this untalented nouveau riche.
Appeasing him daily was manageable, but marriage would permanently tie her to Zheng Hao, severely limiting her future prospects in the industry.
So when Zheng Hao proposed marriage, Liu Yunlan refused outright, claiming she didn’t want to destroy his family and, given her precarious position, didn’t want to drag him into troubled waters.
The gullible Zheng Hao not only believed her but was deeply moved. He immediately transferred her a large sum of money, showering her with flowers, property, and cars in an excessive display of devotion.
On the other hand, Zheng Hao was also in the process of getting a divorce from his wife, willing to give up a portion of his wealth just to proceed with the divorce.
Little did he expect that right after his divorce, before he could even share the good news with Liu Yunlan, she blindsided him with a big surprise.
Zheng Hao discovered that during the time he was financially supporting Liu Yunlan, she had been involved with Wang Hong, the film’s assistant director. He was suddenly saddled with the humiliation of being a cuckold, nearly fainting from the shock.
He’d spent a fortune promoting Liu Yunlan, only to end up with nothing but public embarrassment, losing face on all fronts.
Reportedly, upon learning this, Zheng Hao confronted Liu Yunlan, demanding the return of his money, property, and cars. But Liu Yunlan had no intention of relinquishing what she’d already consumed, especially knowing her career was headed for a downturn.
Following the scandal, sponsors immediately demanded compensation. Faced with hefty breach of contract fees, Liu Yunlan would have been foolish to return Zheng Hao’s money.
Her contracts with sponsors were legally binding, and as the offending party, she risked lawsuits if she didn’t pay. Her relationship with Zheng Hao, however, was personal. Even if he was furious, he could only engage in prolonged disputes, never actually suing her.
Weighing her options, Liu Yunlan promptly blocked all contact with Zheng Hao.
Devastated, Zheng Hao turned to alcohol, eventually being hospitalized for alcohol poisoning. Upon recovery, he seemed to have an epiphany. He sought out his ex-wife, tearfully begging on his knees for reconciliation.
But his ex-wife’s heart had long since hardened. During their separation, she not only followed the gossip but also celebrated their divorce. Now a single mother, though busier, she’d transformed from a housewife into an independent CEO worth millions.
Honestly, her new life was enviable.
Reconciliation? When Zheng Hao came pleading, his ex-wife’s response was blunt:
“Go to hell.”
While Zheng Hao wallowed in misery, Liu Yunlan’s situation wasn’t much better. After paying a string of contract breach penalties, she’d depleted most of the money she’d amassed from the industry and her patrons. Her remaining funds barely covered basic living expenses.
After the scandal died down, Liu Yunlan tried various methods to stage a comeback, but her efforts were futile, repeatedly hitting dead ends.
The slightly famous production crews wouldn’t be willing to hire someone with such a scandalous reputation, while those eager to exploit Liu Yunlan’s notoriety were third-rate productions at best.
As for commercial performances and endorsements, they were out of the question given her circumstances.
With her funds dwindling and work opportunities scarce, Liu Yunlan reluctantly resorted to practices from her early career days.
Such arrangements weren’t uncommon in the industry. In an era that valued appearance over morality, few cared about the unsavory dealings behind a polished facade.
Though her value had plummeted due to the scandal, Liu Yunlan was once a high-profile starlet. While she’d had help from backers, patrons, and her company, she did possess some talent.
Take her face, for example. Even if she couldn’t act, there were still many financial backers who admired her appearance. While quality backers might have reservations due to the scandal, some nouveau riche individuals were less picky.
Liu Yunlan’s chances of attracting premium patrons were slim, so she focused on wealthy but less influential nouveau riche businessmen.
After over a year of effort, she finally landed a financial backer.
This patron was quite interesting – a self-made man in the mining industry with only a high school education. In his early forties, he was mild-mannered and refined in appearance, a relatively high-quality patron among the nouveau riche.
However, the money didn’t come easily. Liu Yunlan’s luck was mixed. While her new patron was generous and never stingy with her, he had… peculiar sexual preferences, often leaving her body bruised after their encounters.
So, Liu Yunlan’s earnings were hard-won indeed.
Recently, during post-production of “Battle City 2”, funds ran short. With Peak refusing to invest further, Jiang Yu had desperately sought loans everywhere before approaching Liu Yunlan.
Though not particularly capable, Jiang Yu, as the protagonist, had an exceptional talent for selling grand visions.
Although Jiang Yu wasn’t particularly capable, he was still the protagonist gong with a halo over his head and had an exceptional talent for selling grand visions.
Moving in the same circles, Liu Yunlan had heard of “Battle City 2’s” successive scandals. In that situation, when Jiang Yu approached Liu Yunlan for money, she was no fool and naturally refused.
Jiang Yu, however, was no ordinary person. With just a few phone calls, he swayed Liu Yunlan’s decision. Though she didn’t immediately agree to provide money, she arranged a meeting to discuss the matter in detail.
After their meeting and Jiang Yu’s grand promises, Liu Yunlan began to feel tempted.
When Jiang Yu noticed the visible red marks on her arm, he asked, “Is this the life you want?”
“If you’re unhappy now, why not risk everything for a better future? Could the outcome be worse than your current situation?”
His words struck a chord with Liu Yunlan, resonating deeply.
Since the scandal broke, had Liu Yunlan been happy? Not for a single day. She dreamed of returning to the peak of her career.
“Even if this film makes money, how can you guarantee I’ll return to my former glory?” While Jiang Yu’s words stirred something in her, she was not entirely devoid of reason. After all, the money she had now could be considered blood money; she had nearly sacrificed her life to accumulate it.
Her patron’s increasingly violent tendencies made her fear for her life if she couldn’t escape soon.
Jiang Yu laughed heartily and said, “Lan-jie, have you heard the idiom ‘one leaf blinds the eyes’?”
“Remove that leaf, and you’ll see a broader sky. What’s reputation worth? Is acting really that great? These mean nothing to capital. Actors? Even the most talented ones are mere money-making tools in the eyes of investors.”
“With enough capital, we could control others from behind the scenes, watching them beg for mercy. Why struggle as a money-making tool when we could be pulling the strings?”
Jiang Yu’s eyes gleamed with fervor. He leaned close to Liu Yunlan, his breath teasing her ear as he whispered, “Lan-jie, after being a money-making tool for so long, now you have the chance to become a behind-the-scenes investor. You will seize it, won’t you?”
He was right. Under his persuasion, Liu Yunlan quickly capitulated, flushed with excitement at the promising future he painted. Shortly after their conversation, she agreed to invest.
Of course, grand promises needed tangible bait to lure in the fish. Jiang Yu promised Liu Yunlan that if she invested 20 million yuan, he would give her 5% of his box office share.
For Liu Yunlan of the past, 20 million wasn’t much. But for the scandal-ridden Liu Yunlan, it was nearly all her savings.
To raise the money, she even agreed to her patron’s outrageous demand, nearly dying in bed that night.
Nevertheless, her cooperation clearly pleased the other party, who generously rewarded her with a large sum of money.
Liu Yunlan took the money and sold the villa she’d swindled from Zheng Hao, scraping together the 20 million for Jiang Yu.
Her investment broke the financial deadlock for “Battle City 2”, providing funds for post-production.
However, those with some industry knowledge understood that while twenty million might seem like a lot to the average person, filmmaking is a money-draining industry. Especially for big productions, post-production costs could easily reach tens of millions or even billions. For a production like “Battle City 2”, 20 million for post-production was woefully inadequate.
Money talks, and its absence complicates everything.
Jiang Yu’s ambitious plans demanded maximum results with minimal spending, failing to realize that even doubling the budget might not suffice.
After the post-production team brought up the issue twice and was scolded, they adopted a defeatist attitude, agreeing to everything while cutting corners where the inexperienced Jiang Yu wouldn’t notice.
On “Battle City 2’s” completion day, instead of the usual excitement, crew members couldn’t wait to leave, eager to escape this problematic production.
Oblivious to the crew’s reaction, Jiang Yu was elated. Blinded by his creator’s bias, he saw only perfection when previewing the film with Peak executives, already fantasizing about its future success.
At that point, he was determined to deal with Jiang Tingyuan and his lover Ye Zhou. Of course, he harbored the strongest grudge against Cheng Ran, who had swindled him and fled with his money.
Recalling photos of Cheng Ran curled up on the ground sent by his hired thug abroad, Jiang Yu’s already good mood improved instantly, and he even hummed a tune happily.
In stark contrast to Jiang Yu’s rose-tinted view, Peak’s boss and executives were far from optimistic after watching the film.
The quality of the movie was unquestionable. The first half, propped up by money, was passable. But from about two-thirds in, the actors’ performances and director’s skills were glaringly exposed. The special effects were abysmal, reminiscent of decades-old primitive techniques.
Even Peak’s boss, who usually paid little attention to movies, could tell it was subpar. The executives, even more so.
But with money already sunk and the situation irreversible, further criticism would only anger the boss and make things worse for everyone.
Realizing this, Peak’s seasoned executives kept quiet, unanimously choosing silence.
After all, Peak’s boss was a layman. Although he felt something was off, he reasoned that with an award-winning actor and a popular young actress, the film might still succeed. In this era of traffic, quality mattered less than buzz. Fan support could potentially cover costs and maybe even turn a small profit.
Suppressing his concerns, the boss treated Jiang Yu to dinner after the screening, easing their previously tense relationship.
Due to budget constraints, “Battle City 2” actually had very little allocated for publicity and marketing. However, its reputation and previous scandals kept it trending, frequently appearing in top searches every few days – a silver lining of sorts.
Jiang Yu was incredibly confident in the movie, to the point where he couldn’t wait to see the expressions on Jiang Tingyuan and Ye Zhou’s faces after its success.
The day before the film’s preview, Ye Zhou returned home from work to find something in his mailbox.
Opening it, he discovered a white envelope with no return address or contact information.
Ye Zhou raised his eyebrows, and thinking it might be work-related for Mr. Jiang, he brought it inside.
Surprisingly, when Mr. Jiang returned from work that evening, he also held an identical white envelope.
Ye Zhou looked at Jiang in astonishment, forgetting to put on his shoes, and hurried barefoot to the living room, taking out the envelope he had found in the mailbox earlier and waving it.
“I found this in the mailbox this afternoon. How come you have one too?”
Jiang Tingyuan ignored the envelope, casually tossing it on the cabinet. He opened the shoe cabinet, took out a pair of fluffy bear slippers, strode to Ye Zhou, and placed them at his feet, saying, “The floor’s cold. Put these on.”
Ye Zhou sheepishly donned the bear slippers, inwardly screaming about how his usually serious Mr. Jiang could have such a childish quirk.
These bear slippers were actually… matching pairs.
They’d bought them when shopping for Antarctic gear before Ye Zhou’s penguin-filming trip.
Despite his usual serious appearance, Mr. Jiang was actually quite playful, but Ye Zhou often suspected his mental age was under ten!
During that shopping trip, Mr. Jiang suddenly disappeared while they were walking. Ye Zhou found him intently staring at something in a store window they’d passed.
Thinking something was wrong, Ye Zhou hurried over and followed his gaze, only to realize that the culprit that had captivated Jiang was… a few pairs of adorable brown bear slippers!
At that moment, Ye Zhou was filled with question marks and hopefully asked, “Is something wrong with these slippers?”
Mr. Jiang slowly shook his head, silently fixated on the slippers.
Ye Zhou suspected that if he didn’t lead Mr. Jiang away, he might stand here and stare at them all day, so he tentatively suggested, “How about we buy a pair?”
This finally elicited a response. Mr. Jiang glanced at Ye Zhou briefly before returning his gaze to the slippers.
“Two pairs.”
Ye Zhou gaped, “Can… can you wear them?”
Mr. Jiang fell silent again. Ye Zhou was amazed to see a hint of childishness and embarrassment on his usually domineering face.
Ye Zhou blinked in surprise and cautiously asked, “Who are the two pairs for?”
Mr. Jiang lowered his head, and after a long pause, quickly muttered, “To wear together.”
Inwardly amused, Ye Zhou kept a straight face and feigned ignorance, teasing further, “Oh, two identical pairs? But these seem to be parent-child sets, not sold separately, right?”
Before he finished speaking, something flashed before him. Ye Zhou focused to see a black card had appeared.
Then Mr. Jiang’s domineering voice rang out.
“Buy them.”
Thus, their shoe cabinet gained two childish bear slippers, completely mismatched with the other expensive shoes, and Ye Zhou and Mr. Jiang acquired their first matching couple slippers.
After changing, Ye Zhou gave Mr. Jiang a big bear hug, then waved the envelope, asking, “Can we open it?”
Jiang Tingyuan, of course, wouldn’t refuse. He walked to the door, retrieved the envelope that he had casually placed on the shoe cabinet, and placed it in front of Ye Zhou.
With Mr. Jiang’s approval, Ye Zhou opened his first. Inside was a white paper with a message:
“‘Battle City 2’ preview tonight. Your comments are welcome.”
Accompanying the note was a movie ticket for 12:10 AM that night, at a nearby theater.
They exchanged glances and opened the other envelope, finding an identical note and ticket.
“Is this… a provocation?” Ye Zhou asked, bewildered.
Jiang Tingyuan took the paper, examined it briefly, and said, “It’s Jiang Yu’s handwriting.”
Hearing this, Ye Zhou understood and wondered if Jiang Yu had lost his mind to send them tickets.
Their strained relationship with Jiang Yu didn’t need further explanation. Ye Zhou understood the implication behind Jiang Yu sending them movie tickets, but he couldn’t wrap his head around where Jiang Yu got the confidence from to think that his movie would definitely be a box office hit.
Perhaps he had some secret weapon to turn things around?
Ye Zhou reasoned that since they had no plans for the evening, they might as well go. After all, Jiang Yu was the protagonist. Despite the book predicting the film’s failure, Jiang Yu’s protagonist aura might miraculously turn things around
After discussing with Mr. Jiang, they decided to attend. The tickets were already there; it’d be a waste not to use them.
However, Ye Zhou soon realized how rash this decision was. He regretted it deeply, right up until the end credits rolled and the theater lights came on.
Covering his eyes, Ye Zhou told Mr. Jiang, his voice trembling, “Jiang-ge, I’m tainted!”
Jiang Tingyuan sighed, hugging Ye Zhou’s head and stroking it comfortingly. “You’ll forget it after sleeping.”
“But my eyes hurt!” Ye Zhou’s voice cracked, his body shuddering at the memory of what he’d just seen.
Jiang Tingyuan gently moved Ye Zhou’s hands from his eyes. As Ye Zhou struggled to open them, he felt a warm sensation on his eyelids, accompanied by Jiang Tingyuan’s distinct, cool pine scent.
“Does it still hurt?”
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