Chapter 164 – Sending Off Guests

Chapter 164 - Sending Off Guests

The Starlight Gala's reception had already begun, and the noise from outside made the private room seem even more serene. Zhou Weichuan and his son, Zhou Xianfeng, sat facing each other.

The atmosphere in the room was tense. The conversation had been going on for some time, with scattered tea stains on the table and broken cups on the floor. Both men wore grim expressions under the light.

Zhou Xianfeng panted, his hands trembling.

A faint red mark was visible on Zhou Weichuan's left cheek.

It was clear that they had not reached an agreement.

Time passed, and while the revelry continued outside, the room remained excessively quiet.

Zhou Weichuan kept his calm and straightened out a wet share transfer agreement. "Sign it, and we can move on from today. If you disagree, I'll tender my resignation. Tang Fei's termination fee was negotiated to be minimal when we signed the contract; she can leave anytime.

As for Nie Xiangyin's contract with Time Culture, I'll take care of the compensation."

Zhou Xianfeng asked, "So all this comes down to your determination to separate Time Culture, is that right?"

Zhou Weichuan: "Yes."

Zhou Xianfeng: "Xing Le said you asked for Time Culture's independence because of Tang Fei. Nine O'Clock Entertainment is a production company, and the significance of a director is self-evident. Have you lost your mind because of your infatuation?"

Zhou Weichuan: "Whether I like Tang Fei or not, I would never agree with the notion that directors are more important than artists. Directors and screenwriters are responsible for the script, while actors are responsible for their roles. The most advantageous artist management is when artists are mere cogs in the machine, where dramas gain popularity without the actors becoming household names, and individual traits and charisma fade into insignificance, turning them into tools that cannot resist the company's control.

But that kind of drama, those kinds of roles, and such actors aren't what I want.

I want the best actors, the most charismatic stars.

I didn't establish an agency to make it a subsidiary of our parent company. I did it to make it a top player in the industry, not just another mediocre business.

Artists can be leverage in our negotiations, but they should never be given away as gifts! If they want to use Tang Fei, let them fight for her, show their sincerity. Not us, begging and pleading! That only proves our company's incompetence! They don't value us, they value the artist."

Zhou Xianfeng caught the undertone: "You're leaving because you're dissatisfied with how I run the company, and you even despise my management style."

He looked at his right hand in despair. He hadn't been mistaken; Zhou Weichuan had been looking down on him all along.

Zhou Weichuan: "I apologize, but I have no intention of continuing this dispute. As I've mentioned before, your unprincipled and unstructured approach to managing the company might be flexible, but it's not the order I prefer."

Zhou Xianfeng: "You're determined to leave then?"

Zhou Weichuan: "What use would I have for something that belongs to Xing Le?"

Zhou Xianfeng closed his eyes. He couldn't let Zhou Weichuan go; force had failed, so he had to try a softer approach.

Nine O'Clock Entertainment was beneath Zhou Weichuan's standards. He could always start anew and create an even better one, given his youth.

"You've accepted the assets, they're yours now. Refusing them won't change that."

Zhou Xianfeng approached Zhou Weichuan, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Nine O'Clock is yours. If you don't want me involved, manage it yourself. Let's convene a shareholders' meeting tomorrow to elect a new chairman."

Zhou Xianfeng sounded weary, with a hint of pleading in his voice. "You've built Nine O'Clock piece by piece. Can you really bear to leave it all behind? Are you willing to let Xing Le squander your hard work, or to see me continue running things in a way you dislike? Please, stay."

Zhou Weichuan remained silent. In his designs, perhaps taking Time Culture was the easiest. Seizing Time Culture and the studio he'd facilitated might not be too difficult either. Yet, even if he had imagined giving him everything at Nine O'Clock, he dared not believe it could truly come to pass.

What emotions did Zhou Xianfeng harbor for Xing Le? And how did he view their father-son relationship? Zhou Weichuan found it perplexing.

It was Xing Le who got sent away after their fight, perhaps because he had nowhere else to go – it was a desperate measure.

He had demanded a share of the assets with Xing Le, and in the end, nine out of ten points were given to him.

In Zhou Xianfeng's eyes, shouldn't Xing Le not deserve a single cent?

How did he not know that he was so important?

Abandoned for over a decade, he found it hard to imagine that someone responsible could neglect someone they deemed important for so long.

Now, the one begging him to stay, with silver strands at his temples and wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, playing the pitiful card – was this still the same charming playboy, Zhou Xianfeng?

Zhou Weichuan felt the sting on his left cheek. Perhaps it was just a business tactic, a characteristic of a flexible businessman who knew when to bend and when to stand firm.

Zhou Weichuan: "Xing Le's portion…."

Zhou Xianfeng: "He's not capable of handling this. It would be better off donated than in his hands. If I were you, I wouldn't give it to him either. For now, I'll assume you're including him in this out of spite towards me."

...

Amidst the grandeur of the Starlight Gala's nomination reception, a major incident unfolded. With no concrete evidence, only whispers spread that the second young master of the Nine Points group had publicly berated his elder brother as a fraud. He accused Elder Master Zhou of favoritism and demanded that the elder statesman divide the company in front of everyone. The younger sibling upended tables, hurled chairs, and refused to be placated until security and the police arrived to intervene.

And the very next day, at nine in the morning, a shareholders' meeting was convened to announce the reelection of the board chairman, replacing Zhou Xianfeng with Zhou Weichuan.

Considering the rumors, it seems plausible that Second Young Master was indeed involved in some trouble.

Not a single penny was left to his name.

The Zhou family's contest for inheritance has unfolded and concluded swiftly, a rapid resolution to their strife.

Over the past few days, He Zhou, leveraging his connection with Jiang Xiaoying, had reached out to the internal publishing house of Capital Film and Television Academy. They began the process of creating an electronic manuscript and proofreading it.

First, self-publish the first volume of "The Heavenly Dragon Eight Parts" at my own expense to gauge the market response.

The Rural Goddess program team issued a new challenge: learning wheat sprouting and tilling the land. In terms of both learning capability and physical strength, Tang Fei took the lead. Jiang Xiaoying and Xiao Yuan's hands and feet were blistered; they tiptoed when walking and fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow, sometimes even snoring.

Yet, Tang Fei remained unaffected. She still managed to practice her evening figure training, morning vocal exercises, and even went for morning runs and practiced boxing without fail.

On the morning jog through the picturesque village, photographers take turns capturing the scenery, while the director pants with exertion.

When the run was over, the film crew sat in a disorderly manner by the field's edge.

The director said, "Teacher Tang, you should consider doing a triathlon."

Tang Fei replied, "An actor must see themselves as an iron person, swallowing ice in winter and wearing cotton in summer. Without a strong body, how can one act?"

The director continued, "This time, you should win by a large margin. On the day of the set visit, what do you plan to do?"

Tang Fei answered, "I'll just wait for people to arrive. There's something that needs a conclusion."

Having detached herself from Time Culture, Tang Fei had pondered over this decision repeatedly.

Perhaps it would be difficult, maybe even more exhausting, but happiness couldn't be bought with gold.

If she wasn't happy, there was no need to stay. It's not like she would starve without them.

The Earth would keep spinning regardless of who was here or not.

...

At the Nine O'clock Entertainment, in the Chairman & CEO's office.

Meng Gao and Nie Xiangyin stood before Zhou Weichuan, both unhappy, even furious. Nie Xiangyin took the lead to speak out, "President Zhou, regarding cooperation and mutual benefit, the contract has already been signed. You're saying you can just decide not to proceed? In that case, we definitely won't be joining. Nine O'clock Entertainment lacks a sense of contract integrity and isn't trustworthy at all.

A new leader should start with three fires, but you can't ignite them recklessly."

Zhou Weichuan replied, "You have a misunderstanding about the spirit of contract. It doesn't mean that once it's signed, it's like selling your soul, leaving no room for regrets. Nine O'clock will compensate accordingly, so what else is there for you to be dissatisfied about?"

Meng Gao asked, "So, Nine O'clock doesn't need us to join?"

Zhou Weichuan answered, "I believe the current directors at Nine O'clock are sufficient. Let's focus on making solid films with dedication and produce quality works. The audience will recognize that. While having established directors on board is a shortcut, those who come later with stronger legs can also walk the righteous path swiftly."

Meng Gao declared, "Very well! Then let's part ways! Director Ding Shiwu from Nine O'clock had a great joke about this – waiting ten years for your first movie to have a one-day cinema run. Since President Zhou enjoys making enemies, Nine O'clock won't last long. With Mr. Zhou no longer managing, Nine O'clock will surely plummet from first-class to bottom tier. There's no need for us to join a sinking ship."

Zhou Weichuan responded, "The boat is full, please disembark if you have no ticket. Hai Sheng, show them out."