CH 004

TL: Moonlit

“Wu Tong, that guy…” In the video, the man wipes his sweat again, his tone dry. “He wants to terminate the contract.”

Lin Hanchuan furrows his brows slightly. «Sword Immortal» is the script he chose to open the market and gain critical acclaim. He has invested a considerable amount of time and money into it, making it the biggest project of Starlight Entertainment.

The man in the video is the producer of «Sword Immortal» and Wu Tong is the male lead, known for his acting skills in the industry.

The current situation, though unexpected, doesn’t exceed Lin Hanchuan’s expectations. When he chose to oppose Yanshi Film Industry, he prepared himself for any unforeseen circumstances.

As thoughts race through his mind, Lin Hanchuan comes up with a plan. He remains calm on the surface and asks, “Anything else?”

If Yanshi Film Industry is getting involved, it can’t be that simple. Finding a replacement for the male lead is not a big issue; even if no one in the industry wants to take the role, they can recruit a newcomer from a film school. While it may be troublesome, it’s not an irreparable situation.

The producer cautiously looks at Lin Hanchuan, his expression bitter as he utters a few words with great effort, “The major investor wants to withdraw funding.”

Those few words seem to have drained all his strength. After speaking, he slumps back in his chair, looking like he has aged several years overnight.

If replacing the lead actor is just a setback, having the investor withdraw funding would mean the entire project will be aborted. Lin Hanchuan furrows his brow. When he sought investors, he specifically conducted preliminary investigations, and this investor had no connection to Yanshi Film Industry. How could this happen?

Perhaps sensing Lin Hanchuan’s confusion, the producer, who has been immersed in the industry for many years, sighs and says, “Yanshi Film Industry has launched a new project, a big IP, with the reigning Best Actor and Best Actress as the leads…”

He doesn’t finish his sentence, but Lin Hanchuan already grasps the situation. Faced with this highly profitable and low-risk project, «Sword Immortal», an original script without any star power, is indeed insignificant.

After contemplating for a moment, Lin Hanchuan slowly utters two words, “No problem.”

Upon hearing these words, the producer’s gloomy eyes brighten slightly. Yan Weilou has been in Yanshi Film Industry for years and has produced several films that grossed over a billion. His sharp eye for projects is evident.

Although Lin Hanchuan doesn’t know what other cards Yan Weilou holds, the producer unconditionally believes in him.

“I’ll make up for the withdrawn investment, and we’ll find another actor for the male lead,” Lin Hanchuan quickly arranges the situation with a few sentences. “Let the director focus on filming the supporting roles first.”

Once the production starts, the money burns through tens of millions or even hundreds of millions each day. It’s not ideal to keep it idle. It’s better to shoot the scenes for the supporting roles first and find the male lead later for the main scenes.

“Okay!” The producer felt relieved. He had been working with Lin Hanchuan for nearly a year and had more faith in Lin Hanchuan’s abilities than anyone else. “I’ll go adjust the shooting details.”

Lin Hanchuan added, “Let’s speed up the progress of the production and try to finish it before the release of «Jiuge».”

The producer was taken aback. “Are we going head-to-head with «Jiuge»?”

When similar TV dramas air at the same time, they inevitably get compared, and the audience gets divided. Therefore, most people in the industry tend to avoid scheduling their shows alongside similar ones, unless they deliberately want to compete for viewers.

“That’s right,” Lin Hanchuan said directly, having already made up his mind.

The producer opened his mouth to advise against it but refrained from speaking. If even Yanshi Film Industry was encroaching upon their territory, he couldn’t possibly feel at ease, let alone the young man.

However, Lin Hanchuan’s mind wasn’t clouded by anger.

In the original text, Qiu Hongguang’s first TV drama was «Jiuge», which gained immense popularity and was hailed as a tearjerker. It solidified Qiu Hongguang’s position as a leading actor and brought significant profits to Yanshi Film Industry.

Since Yanshi Film Industry had snatched away the male lead for «Sword Immortal» and intended to ruin the show, Lin Hanchuan had no qualms about openly battling them.

Engaging in a head-to-head competition with a similar TV drama might result in ridicule if they lost, but as long as they won convincingly, they would receive higher word-of-mouth and viewership than usual. Lin Hanchuan didn’t mind using the highly anticipated «Jiuge» as a stepping stone.

After giving a few more instructions to the producer, Lin Hanchuan hung up the phone.

Sitting in silence at his desk, Lin Hanchuan rhythmically tapped his pen on the tabletop. He quickly went through all the known events in his mind and dialed the PR department’s phone number.

The PR department was already on high alert and answered the call promptly. “Boss, do you want us to manipulate the trending searches?”

Lin Hanchuan was momentarily stunned.

The PR manager immediately realized his mistake and explained, “Boss, you appeared on the trending searches today, and I thought you wanted us to manipulate it a bit.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Lin Hanchuan didn’t care much about being criticized on the trending searches. He said, “Once Wu Tong signs the contract and we have a new script, release this information.”

“Understood. Do you want us to add some spice?” the PR manager asked. As the PR department, they had access to plenty of information about celebrities, both big and small. Even a little bit of information could be enough to cause trouble for those celebrities.

“No need,” Lian Hanchuan replied over the phone, “Just announce the facts.”

Not abiding by the spirit of the contract and terminating it for a better opportunity… This matter could be interpreted as a breach of trust or as someone being opportunistic depending on how people understood it.

Lin Hanchuan wouldn’t let himself suffer silently, nor would he resort to any means necessary to crush others just because of this incident.

“Alright, boss, rest assured. I guarantee that everyone in the industry, big and small, young and old, will know about this,” the PR manager assured with a cheerful tone.

Though the words didn’t sound convincing, Lin Hanchuan knew that this person always followed through with what they said. They were skilled at manipulating public opinion and playing with people’s hearts.

A year ago, the PR manager was just an internet influencer who got banned due to exposing the secrets of internet celebrities. He ended up being ostracized by everyone, but Lin Hanchuan saw his potential and spent a considerable amount to bring him into the company, giving him a chance.

Because of that incident, the PR manager didn’t listen to anyone’s words except for Lin Hanchuan’s. Since Lin Hanchuan had given the order, within three days, everyone in the industry would be well aware of Wu Tong’s actions.

Without asking the PR manager about their plans, Lin Hanchuan hung up the phone.

These days, Wu Tong was in a good mood. He was known in the industry for his acting skills, but he was far from being a major star.

Seeing his classmates from the same year become famous, Wu Tong couldn’t help but feel frustrated, like being scratched by a cat’s claw.

Finally, he had a chance to be the male lead in a drama, but it turned out to be an unlikable serious drama with an original script. From the actors to the director, there was no one noteworthy.

While feeling discontent, he received an opportunity: Yanshi Film Industry was looking for a male supporting role in «Jiuge» and if he agreed, he could go for it!

The bad news was that «Jiuge» and the drama he was currently shooting, «Sword Immortal», had conflicting schedules, so he could only choose one.

Wu Tong didn’t hesitate and chose «Jiuge» without thinking. In his opinion, serious dramas were no longer popular, and idol dramas were more likely to become a hit. Even if he played the supporting role in an idol drama, he would have a better chance of being remembered than playing the lead role in a serious drama.

He terminated his contract with the production crew, moved to the neighboring set of «Jiuge» the same day, and had a big smile on his face every day. The director of «Jiuge» was famous, and the main cast consisted of popular stars. It was a team that would undoubtedly achieve great success.

Could this be the beginning of my rise to fame? Wu Tong thought happily. However, he soon noticed that people’s gazes toward him were different.

Disdain, contempt, indifference… Those dagger-like looks pierced through him. Initially, Wu Tong thought they were looking down on him, but he realized that it was more than that.

“What’s going on?” Wu Tong was completely bewildered. No one paid attention to him on the set, and he kept messing up his scenes. Under immense pressure, he was on the verge of a breakdown.

“Cut! Wu Tong, what’s wrong with you?” The director yelled in anger, cursing, “Can’t you act? If you can’t, then leave and go back to the neighboring set!”

The director’s words made Wu Tong’s head buzz. He looked around and saw everyone’s faces filled with indifference and disdain, with a hidden meaning in their expressions.

Wu Tong stood still for a while, then suddenly ran back to the dressing room and tremblingly dialed his agent’s number.

After a while, the call was finally answered, and the agent’s cold voice came through, “What’s the matter?”

“I, I’m on the set,” Wu Tong struggled to articulate, his hometown accent slipping out after a long time, “The matter of me breaching the contract…”

“Wu Tong,” the agent interrupted him, “You’re not a big star. You signed a contract and still dared to breach it. I know you don’t care about the millions of dollars in penalty fees, but have you ever considered that if you act arrogantly before you become famous, who would dare to work with you?”

The agent’s voice was calm, but it sent chills down Wu Tong’s spine.

“Your situation has spread in the industry. Just focus on shooting this «Jiuge» well. If you do a good job, there might still be a chance,” the agent said before abruptly ending the call.

Wu Tong held the phone, unsure of how to react. He suddenly regretted his shortsightedness, sacrificing his future for a momentary temptation.

But it was too late now, even if he regretted it, it wouldn’t change anything. Wu Tong gripped his phone tightly, his fingers turning pale. «Jiuge» was his last opportunity. If he couldn’t become popular through «Jiuge», he would have no future.

«Jiuge» was still better than «Sword Immortal». After a long time, Wu Tong consoled himself. With such a big production and so many famous actors, it might help him gain a little bit of fame. «Sword Immortal» was destined to fail, even if he played the lead role.

After spending a few days sorting out the mess caused by Wu Tong’s breach of contract, and successfully obtaining the three million penalty fee, Lin Hanchuan was in a good mood.

After handling everything, Lin Hanchuan sent a message to Ran Xing.

[“Do you want to cast Ran Xing as the male lead?”] 001 intervened upon seeing the message from Lin Hanchuan. [“He’s a malicious supporting character, destined to be crushed under the male lead’s feet for his whole life. If you cast him as the male lead, your investment will go down the drain.”]

Just like the fate of Ran Xing being driven out of the entertainment industry in the original text, the real-life Ran Xing had also been repeatedly defeated by Qiu Hongguang, one step away from completely disappearing from the industry.

The protagonist’s halo was not something to be taken lightly. With Qiu Hongguang as the male lead, how could Ran Xing possibly win against him?

Lin Hanchuan took out the male lead contract for «Sword Immortal» and threw it into the shredder, watching as the contract turned into fragments. He said, [“As long as the odds are over 60%, it’s worth taking a gamble.”]

Although Lin Hanchuan initially intended to avoid «Jiuge» due to its rising popularity, his mindset had changed.

As a shrewd businessman, gambling was one of Lin Hanchuan’s specialties.